"Ah, come to think of it, you wrote U.A too, Midoriya.". 

Chiharu's mouth dropped open in shock as he looked at his best friend. He hated to be one of the many gawkers in their class, but he was just as surprised as they were. Of course he knew Midoriya had wanted to be a hero for most of his life, but the closer they got to high school the less he mentioned it. Izuku always looked like he wanted to say something when Chiharu mentioned the subject, but never did. 

He would never tell Izuku he couldn't be a hero. In fact he had encouraged him to pursue some form of heroics, even as everyone discouraged his dream. But Chiharu had always told him to go to a small hero school then go into underground heroics. Be the backup, the info guy, know how to handle yourself in a street fight. That sort of thing. 

Not something flashy like U.A. 

Chiharu watched as his friend turned beet red at the genuine laughter of their classmates. "U.A? Like they'd ever except a quirkless freak like you!" Bakugou laughed. Izuku only deflated more at that. 

Bakugou and Izuku had been friends before he moved into their neighborhood. They'd fallen out after Bakugou started bullying Izu for being quirkless. Personally, Chiharu had been largely ignored by Bakugou, as he was simply and 'extra'. He often wished Bakugou would just ignore Izuku too. 

Chiharu resisted the urge to reach out and reassure his friend that his choices were nothing to laugh at, but he couldn't. He was too scared of bringing yet more ridicule Izuku's way. 

-------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- -------- ------- 

He had only been gone a few minutes. Just enough time for Bakugou to come sauntering down the hallway, laughing like a hyena. "Oi extra, why don't you go check of your useless best friend?" He shouted tauntingly. 

Chiharu got a little nervous. What did he do to Izuku? He quickened his pace until he reached the classroom door. 

Suddenly, someone crashed into him. He fell backwards with the other person on top of him until eventually his head hit the floor. 

"Haru?". It was Izuku. Of course it was. Chiharu let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. 

"What happened?" Chiharu asked nervously, taking Izuku's face in his hands and looking for bruises. He had a burn on his forehead. "Oh god how close was the explosion? Can you hear properly?!" He fussed. 

Izuku just laughed a little. "I'm fine, can I get up though?" He asked, looking down at their position. He was flush on top of Chiharu's body. The other middle schooler just blushed bright red and quickly let go of his friend so they could stand up again. 

"Kacchan burned my notebook and threw it out the window. He wants to be the only person from our school who attends U.A. I guess he thought I would just...give up if he was mean enough." Izuku said. He was hiding something. Lying by omission. Chiharu knew his friend well enough to know that. However, he also knew that this wasn't new. Izu always lied for Bakugou's benefit. 

"He threw it out the window?" The middle schooler asked, walking over to the only open window in the classroom. Izuku nodded even thought Chiharu couldn't really see him. 

"It landed right in the fountain. I think its probably ruined." Izuku said sadly, rubbing the back of his neck. Chiharu just looked down. The little yellow notebook was indeed floating on top of the water. 

How dare Bakugou ruin Izu's stuff? He had spent hours writing and drawing in that book, recording almost every quirk he came in contact with. Chiharu had been so flattered the day in grade school Midoriya had asked him for information on his quirk. There was even a drawing of him in the book. 

Now, the book down there wasn't the book with his page in it, but it was just as special to Izuku. 

"Don't do what you're thinking of doing!" Izuku said, his voice wavering. He knew exactly what his friend was going to do. 

And of course, like Izuku had never spoken, Chiharu jumped out the window. 

-------- -------- -------- ------- --------- -------- -------- -------- --------- 

"Why the fuck are you soaking wet?" His boss demanded angrily. 

Chiharu smiled sheepishly. "My homework fell into a fountain?" He lied, not at all convincingly. 

"And you got wet because?" "I fell in with it?".

His boss just rolled his eyes and sighed. "This brat." He said under his breath. "Alright, just go get dressed and try to dry your hair off before the customers see you.". Chiharu nodded with a smile and rushed off to the changeroom. 

So...it was kind of against the rules for a middle schooler to be employed. At least at his school it was. Chiahru's current employment was very under the table and he was payed in cash. It wasn't actually something very shady. He worked at a bubble tea place, but the boss was the one looking for underage employees he could short on wages so take that as you will. 

Chiharu's hair was still wet so he pulled it back with a headband and changed into the store uniform. 

He had a 5 hour shift today. He didn't exactly want to do this, he'd much rather have gone home with Izuku and hung out at his place like the green haired teen had offered, but no. If he wanted to be able to afford high school tuition then he had to work for it. His parents sure as hell couldn't pay for it. 

With a sigh he walked to the staff bathroom to change, and to probably run his soaking wet hair under the blow drier. 

"Damn, you look like a drowned rat." One of Chiharu's co-workers,  Izumi, said with a laugh. The teen just rolled his eyes. 

"What, it was for a good cause." The middle schooler shot back. Izumi stopped and looked him over. 

"So a girl then?" She said playfully, wiggling her eyebrows as she finished making a customer's drink. Chiharu's face went bright red at that and he quickly walked over to his station to start his shift. 

"Its not a girl." He grumbled under his breath, flustered. Izumi gasped involuntarily. 

"A boy?!" 

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