Chapter - 11 The End of the Sports Festival
After the match between me and Bakugo,
I was resting in the medical room then I heard someone knock on the door and open it.
I was lying on the bed, but I didn't see who had come.
I thought it was Recovery Girl, but then I heard footsteps coming toward me.
I slowly opened my eyes.
Then—
Standing beside me was Momo Yaoyorozu.
She wore her U.A. uniform instead of her Sports Festival outfit. A few strands of black hair rested over her shoulder, and her usual confident expression had been replaced with one filled with worry.
"Hello," she said softly.
I blinked.
"I wasn't expecting a visitor."
She gave a small smile.
"I hope I'm not disturbing your rest."
"Not at all."
I slowly sat up.
"You should stay lying down," Momo said quickly.
"I'm fine."
"...You don't look fine."
I laughed quietly.
"I've looked worse."
She couldn't help smiling a little.
For a few moments, neither of us spoke.
The silence wasn't awkward.
It was simply calm.
Finally, Momo lowered her eyes.
"I'm... sorry."
I tilted my head.
"For what?"
"I lost."
She clenched the edge of her skirt slightly.
"When we fought... I couldn't do anything."
Her voice carried disappointment.
"I had prepared so many strategies."
"I analyzed your movements."
"I tried to think several steps ahead."
"And yet..."
She looked at me.
"I still lost."
"I couldn't even push you as far as Bakugo did."
I remained silent, letting her finish.
"Did that girl want to kill me?" I thought.
She took a slow breath.
"I always believed intelligence was my greatest strength."
"But against you..."
She smiled bitterly.
"It felt meaningless."
I shook my head.
"That's not true."
She looked surprised.
"You underestimated yourself."
"I didn't win because your plans were bad."
"I won because I spent years adapting to countless situations."
She listened carefully.
"You forced me to think during our entire match."
"I couldn't relax for even a second."
Her eyes widened.
"I mean it."
"If I had made one mistake..."
"I would've lost."
She stared at me for a moment before asking quietly,
"You really think so?"
"I know so."
A small smile appeared on her face.
"...Thank you."
The sadness in her eyes slowly disappeared.
Instead...
There was relief.
After another moment of silence, she looked around the room.
"So..."
"How are your injuries?"
"They hurt."
"Well, I wasn't injured," I thought. "Well, whatever."
"You fought Bakugo immediately afterward."
"I watched the match."
Her expression became serious again.
"You were smiling even while pushing yourself beyond your limits."
I chuckled.
"I guess I was."
"...Why?"
I looked toward the window.
"Because..."
"I enjoyed fighting him."
"He gave everything he had."
"So I wanted to answer with everything I had too."
Momo nodded slowly.
"I understand."
She hesitated for a second before speaking again.
"You know..."
"When I first met you..."
"I thought you were difficult to approach."
"Oh?"
"You rarely spoke."
"You always looked calm."
"And during training, you always seemed to be thinking about something."
She looked away shyly.
"So I assumed you were... intimidating."
I smiled.
"And now?"
She met my eyes.
"Now..."
"I think you're kinder than you let people see."
"I was very kind," I thought. "It's just my damn villain face!"
For the first time since she'd entered...
I didn't know what to say.
"...Thanks."
She laughed softly.
"I finally made you speechless."
"I guess you did."
Another comfortable silence filled the room.
Then Momo reached into the small bag she had brought with her.
"I almost forgot."
She took out a small, neatly wrapped box.
"I made this before coming here."
I blinked.
"...What's this?"
"Homemade cookies."
"They're not perfect."
"But..."
"I thought you might like something sweet after today's matches."
I accepted the small box.
"...You didn't have to."
"I wanted to."
Our fingers brushed for the briefest moment as I took it.
Momo froze.
So did I.
Her cheeks slowly turned pink.
"...S-Sorry."
She quickly pulled her hand back.
"It's okay."
...
After she gave me the small box...
"I-I should probably go."
"Recovery Girl wouldn't like me disturbing your rest."
"Probably not."
She walked toward the door before stopping.
Without turning around, she spoke softly.
"I'm glad..."
"...that you're okay."
I smiled.
"Thanks for coming."
Her cheeks became slightly red again.
"I'll see you later."
"See you."
She gave one last smile before opening the door.
The room became quiet once more.
I looked down at the small box in my hands.
Homemade cookies.
A faint smile appeared on my face.
"...She's really thoughtful."
Outside the room, Momo leaned against the wall for a moment.
She placed both hands over her warm cheeks.
"W-Why did I get so embarrassed...?"
She remembered our hands touching.
Her heartbeat quickened.
"I've never reacted like that before..."
Taking a deep breath, she straightened her posture.
"I need to calm down."
After that,
She quietly walked away down the hallway.
Inside the room, I opened the box.
The sweet aroma of freshly baked cookies filled the air.
I picked one up and took a bite.
"...They're really good."
As I was eating those cookies,
I heard...
"AND THE WINNER IS BAKUGO!" said Present Mic.
Then I looked toward the window, but then I realized there was no window.
"Damn it."
A few minutes passed.
Recovery Girl knocked and entered the room.
"So, how is your health?" she said.
"I'm fine."
"Then that's good," she said, then continued, "You should also go to the stadium for the third-place award."
I looked at her.
"Well, there was going to be a match between you and Iida, but for some reason, he went home," she said.
"So, the event has begun," I thought.
...
Recovery Girl looked at me.
"...Okay."
After I left the medical room,
I saw a person.
He looked at me.
"Are you Itsuki?"
"Yes."
"Oh... then please, this way."
I followed him.
Then—
I saw the winners' podium.
"Please stand on the third-place step."
I nodded.
After that, Todoroki also came and stood on the second-place step.
Then—
I heard a lot of voices, and I knew who it was.
Before he entered the room,
I simply closed my eyes.
"..."
...
After—
The officials began counting.
"Three..."
"Two..."
"One!"
With a loud mechanical rumble, the winners' podium slowly rose from beneath the arena floor.
A cloud of smoke spread across the stage.
As it cleared, I opened my eyes.
Thousands of spectators stared toward the highest platform.
Standing on the first-place podium was Bakugo.
His expression wasn't one of joy.
Instead, he looked as angry as ever.
His arms were restrained with thick metal cuffs, and a muzzle covered his mouth to stop him from shouting at everyone around him.
Even while restrained, he struggled against the chains.
"Mmph! Mmph!"
The audience laughed nervously.
Present Mic burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Even after winning, Bakugo is still trying to blow something up!"
The crowd erupted with cheers.
I stood on the third-place podium, watching the scene with a faint smile.
Soon, the stadium speakers echoed once again.
"And now... the award ceremony!" said Midnight.
...
After All Might jumped down from the top of the stadium—
[A/N: Just like in the main story.]
The crowd instantly exploded with excitement.
"ALL MIGHT!"
"IT'S ALL MIGHT!"
He waved at everyone with his usual bright smile.
"I AM HERE!"
The cheers became even louder.
All Might walked toward me.
"Congratulations on earning third place, young Itsuki."
I looked at him.
"Thank you."
Next, he stepped toward Todoroki.
"You fought brilliantly, young Todoroki."
Todoroki gave a respectful nod.
The silver medal was placed around his neck.
Finally...
All Might stopped in front of Bakugo.
He looked directly into Bakugo's eyes.
For a brief moment, his smile softened.
"YOU FOUGHT VERY WELL," All Might said.
"MMMPH! MMMPH!"
All Might chuckled awkwardly before placing the gold medal around his neck.
...
The audience applauded all three of us.
Cameras flashed endlessly.
After that,
The Sports Festival had finally come to an end.
___________END OF CHAPTER___________