Chapter 51

Before long, the sounds of battle faded as Class 1-A approached, tired but still standing. They dragged themselves toward the lodge, their uniforms dirtied, and faces streaked with sweat. The first person to spot Amelia was, of course, Izuku.

"Amelia!" Izuku's face lit up upon seeing her. Amelia could see how tired he was from the trek, "Took you long enough."

Mina laughed as she leaned against Amelia's shoulder as if wiping her sweat, "We're not all built for flying, you know." Amelia could only shake her head and chuckle. 

"Yeah, Vanilla, how 'bout flying me next time?" Amelia rolled her eyes but smiled. "You'd probably blast me out of the sky, Bakugo." 

As Class 1-A finally arrives at the lodge cabin, exhausted and sore from their trek through The Beast's Forest, the Pussycats greet them warmly. Amelia hangs back, noticing a young boy in a red cap standing beside Mandalay, his arms crossed and a glint of irritation in his eyes. 

Recognizing him, Amelia approaches with a gentle smile, bending slightly to meet his gaze. "Hi, Kota," she says softly. "I'm Amelia. It's nice to meet you."

Kota scowls, clearly unimpressed, and clenches his small fist, preparing to take a swing at her stomach. Amelia anticipates his reaction, shifting back by a fraction so his fist misses her by just an inch, though she lets it appear as if he did make contact. She lets out a light, surprised breath, as though recovering, and places her hand on her stomach.

"Kota!" Tenya Ida hurries over, disapproving. "That's no way to greet someone!"

Kota's glare hardens. "I don't care," he snaps, backing away with a look of anger and defiance. "You're all stupid for wanting to be heroes!" Without another word, he turns and storms off.

As the group watches him retreat, Mandalay sighs, giving Amelia a sympathetic look. "Sorry about Kota. He's... got a complicated relationship with heroes."

Amelia nods, watching as he retreats to the edge of the cabin, arms crossed. Later, when the others are settled, she finds him there, gazing out at the darkening forest. Approaching quietly, she stands beside him, both of them staring into the trees.

"It's tough, isn't it?" she says gently, her voice soft but steady. "Losing people… especially when they leave doing something that seems more important than you."

Kota doesn't reply, but his tense posture softens a little as he listens.

"I know it can feel easier to hate the whole hero thing," she continues, understanding in her voice. "To be angry… it's hard to let anyone close when you're hurting."

Kota's eyes flicker toward her, his expression unreadable, and then back to the forest. He doesn't say anything, but he doesn't leave either. For now, Amelia's quiet presence by his side is enough.

Later, at dinner, Amelia watched with a smile as Kota helped Mandalay with a large box of vegetables, carefully setting them down beside her. It was a small gesture, but it spoke volumes about his relationship with his aunt, a relationship Amelia could relate to, given her own struggles with family bonds.

As night fell, the students headed to the hot springs to relax after the day's grueling trek. Following Shota Aizawa's warning about Minoru Mineta's antics, Mandalay placed Kota as a lookout on top of the wall separating the girls' and boys' baths. 

As the girls relaxed in the hot spring, steam rising around them, the laughter and playful splashes began to die down, and the conversation took on a more personal note. Mina leaned in, her grin sly. "Alright, spill it. Who do you think has a crush on whom in our class?"

Momo chuckled, shaking her head. "Oh, Mina, really?"

"C'mon, Momo, it's fun!" Mina insisted. "I mean, look at how many times Denki tries to impress you during training."

Jiro smirked, joining in. "He does. And what about Amelia and Izuku?" she teased, raising an eyebrow. "I see the way he looks at her."

Amelia felt her cheeks heat up immediately. "W-What? Izuku doesn't… he's just… he's being friendly," she stammered, trying to laugh it off. "You know him. He's friendly with everyone!"

Mina gasped, pretending to be shocked. "Friendly? Girl, he lights up like All Might when he sees you!"

The other girls burst into giggles, and Amelia, face now redder than before, crossed her arms and leaned back. "I think you're all imagining things."

Just as Amelia managed to get them off her case, a shout of "I'll do it! I'll conquer that wall!" from the boys' side caught their attention.

A few minutes ago, across the wall, some of the boys had caught onto the girls' laughter and teasing. Denki sighed, his shoulders drooping. "Man, I wish I knew what they were talking about."

Kirishima, chuckling, nudged him. "Well, it sounds like they're talking about us."

Mineta, however, saw this as his cue. "What if I told you I could make that wish come true?" he said, looking around dramatically. "I'll claim and conquer the wall, boys! We'll see exactly what's going on."

The others immediately voiced their disapproval, groaning and rolling their eyes. "Don't even think about it, Mineta!" Kirishima warned, waving him off.

Just as Mineta began scaling the wall, Kota, perched as a lookout, spotted him and frowned, his little fists tightening. "Stop being a creep! If you're going to be a hero, start acting like one!" With a swift push, he sent Mineta tumbling down the wall.

The girls cheered from the other side, hearing the commotion. But before Kota could regain his balance, he lost his footing and accidentally glimpsed the girls in the bath. His eyes widened in shock, and he fainted, toppling over the edge. 

Izuku, who had been keeping a careful eye on things, darted forward just in time to catch the small, unconscious Kota. With a sigh of relief, he lifted the boy carefully, making his way toward Mandalay's office. Just as he turned a corner, he nearly collided with Amelia, who had come rushing out of the girls' side after hearing the commotion.

She froze, looking from Izuku to Kota, then back to Izuku. "Oh, hey! Everything… alright?"

"Uh, yeah," Izuku replied, trying to keep his composure. "Kota just fainted. Caught him in time." He set Kota down gently, brushing his hair back and glancing up at Amelia.

It was then that they both realized the situation: Izuku was standing there in just a towel wrapped around his waist, his face bright red. Meanwhile, Amelia, slightly out of breath, was wearing a large, slightly damp T-shirt that clung to her from rushing out of the bath. They blinked at each other, the realization hitting them at the same time.

"Uh… I… should… get dressed," Amelia mumbled, cheeks flushed, looking anywhere but at him.

"Yeah… same!" Izuku stammered, scratching his head with a bashful grin.

They shared a quick, embarrassed laugh before slipping away in opposite directions, each red-faced and trying not to dwell too much on the unexpected meeting.

Once dressed, Izuku found himself in Mandalay's office, where Kota rested on a nearby couch, still faint from the shock. Mandalay gave Izuku a grateful smile. "Thank you for catching him. Poor thing must've been terrified."

Izuku scratched the back of his neck, glancing down at Kota thoughtfully. "Why does he… hate heroes so much?"

Pixie-Bob entered, folding her arms with a sigh. "Kota's parents were heroes who died in the line of duty. He feels like they chose their work over him."

After a moment, Izuku nodded solemnly, a newfound understanding softening his gaze. Stepping out of the office, he found Amelia waiting nearby. She looked up as he closed the door behind him, and for a second, they both remembered the earlier moment, cheeks tinged pink as they exchanged shy smiles.

"I, uh… I'm glad I caught him," Izuku muttered, looking down.

"You did great," Amelia replied, bumping his shoulder lightly. They exchanged a lingering glance before each of them turned away, not sure what to make of the feelings left between them.

As Amelia headed back to her room, she replayed the scene in her head, her face heating up even more. "How could I let that happen?" she muttered under her breath, barely aware of her footsteps echoing softly down the hall.

"I knew he'd only have a towel on… how could I forget something like that?" She buried her face in her hands, her mind racing with embarrassment. "Stupid, stupid, Amelia." Despite her best efforts, the memory kept flashing back: his surprised smile, the warm look in his eyes, and the way they'd both stammered as they tried to act casual.

Sighing, she finally slipped into her room, shutting the door behind her. She flopped onto her bed, letting out a long, muffled groan into her pillow.

"Okay, deep breaths," she whispered to herself. "It's just Izuku... just Izuku."

But as she lay there, Amelia knew that her heart was still racing. After all, it was for just Izuku...