Uraraka had a small smile on her face as the school day came to a close. She leaned forward against her desk, chin resting on the back of her hand while she watched Ectoplasm finish up the lesson at the front of the classroom. Chalk dust hung faintly in the air, and the quiet scrape of chairs shifting filled the room as students started packing up.

  She blinked lazily and let her gaze drift across the classroom. It settled for a moment on the group of classmates who had been with her during the incident. Just seeing them made the memory creep back into her thoughts. Ever since that day she had been carrying a strange, uncomfortable guilt that she still couldn't quite explain.

  A finger tapped her shoulder, snapping her out of it.

  She looked up to see Robinn standing beside her desk with her bag already slung over one shoulder.

  "C'mon let's go, everyone's leaving." She said nodding towards the door.

  Uraraka smiled and quickly gathered her things, sliding her notebook into her bag before standing up. The two of them stepped out into the hallway together, merging into the slow flow of students heading for the exits. As they crossed the doorway they nearly ran into Iida and Midoriya, who were standing just off to the side like they had been waiting.

  "Hey guys." Robinn said in greeting.

  They both said hi back, though the energy stalled for a second as the four of them simply stood there. The hallway buzzed around them with other students talking, lockers closing, footsteps echoing toward the stairs.

  "We should get going, if not we're going to miss our train." Iida said quickly diffusing the silence.

  Midoriya and Uraraka nodded, and the group started down the hall together. Iida naturally took the front, walking with his usual upright posture. Midoriya followed beside Uraraka, while Robinn trailed a few steps behind, adjusting the strap of her bag as she fell into pace with them.

  For a little while they walked in quiet unison through the busy corridors until Uraraka spoke up.

  "What's everyone's plans for the term?" She asked lightly.

  Iida replied first, swinging one arm in a wide gesture as he spoke while still walking. "I'll be focusing on being a better example for my class, as class representative it's my duty to uphold a certain standard."

  Midoriya and Uraraka both smiled at that. Seeing Iida still acting mostly the same after everything that had happened helped in a way neither of them said out loud.

  "I guess I'm going to be working on my quirk really hard, I've still got a long way to go." Midoriya said, glancing down at his palm as they walked.

  Robinn quickened her pace and caught up to them just as he finished speaking, nudging him a little too forcefully with her shoulder.

  "That goal doesn't count, everyone's doing that aren't we?" She said with a smile, slipping between Uraraka and Midoriya.

  Midoriya looked up at her briefly before nodding.

  "Yeah... I guess that's true... So what are your plans then Robinn?"

  She kept the small smile but her eyes drifted forward down the long hallway, past the other students moving around them.

  "Well the same as always, training to be the next symbol of peace."

  That earned a few quiet nods from the others, though the air between them went slightly awkward afterward. Their footsteps echoed softly on the tile floor as they passed through the front doors and out toward the school gates.

  Midoriya broke the silence again.

  "I think I'll focus on getting to know my limits better then."

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  He glanced up at Robinn as he said it, almost like he was trying to judge whether that answer was good enough for her. She didn't seem to notice though, instead turning her attention toward the girl walking beside her.

  Uraraka had been looking down at the pavement ever since she asked the original question. When she finally spoke again her voice was a little softer.

  "I'm not really sure what i'm aiming for this time, I'll just go with the flow maybe?" She offered up a thin smile.

  The others didn't have much time to react because they had already reached the school gates. Students were spilling out toward the street in clusters, some heading toward buses while others walked toward the nearby train station.

  Midoriya stopped and shifted the grip on his backpack straps.

  "Uraraka, Iida, go on ahead. My club is having a meeting in a few minutes... but good luck on the way home." Midoriya said gripping his backpack as he looked at the two.

  "Thanks Midoriya, best of luck to you too." Iida said with a swift nod.

  Uraraka smiled and gave a small wave.

  "Bye Deku, see you tomorrow." Then she turned to Robinn. "Are you going home yet Robinn?"

  The taller girl seemed to snap back from wherever her thoughts had wandered. She considered it for a second before answering.

  "Nah imma hit the gym." She said simply.

  They split up quickly after that. Uraraka and Iida headed toward the train station with the rest of the afternoon crowd, while Midoriya and Robinn ended up walking in the same direction down the sidewalk that ran along the edge of campus.

  The noise of the street slowly replaced the chatter of the school behind them. Cars rolled past on the road while the late afternoon sun stretched long shadows across the pavement.

  "So what's your club meeting about?" Robinn asked Midoriya as they walked.

  Midoriya glanced up at her, surprised that she had started the conversation.

  "I'm not very sure, but I heard a new second year was joining us."

  Robinn raised an eyebrow as they passed a row of vending machines close to the gates.

  "You can switch clubs? since when?"

  "Only us first years can't, and with third years working all the time they can't join clubs either." He replied.

  "Huh..."

  She walked a few more steps before something seemed to click in her head.

  "Wait if someone switched in that means there was an open spot right? So why did the Quirk reasearch club reject me saying it was full back in the start of last term?" She said after, her tone less relaxed, quick and a little irritated.

  Midoriya looked up at her, surprised again.

  "You tried joining?" He said at first.

  His mind briefly jumped to his own less than pleasant experiences with the club so far. The memory of Kacchan and Monoma arguing across the table nearly every meeting flashed through his head.

  "I think its because another second year left the club..." He added more slowly.

  Robinn gave a small nod, though the expression on her face tightened a little.

  "So who's the oh-so important second year that transferred in?" She asked, her tone almost sarcastic now.

  Midoriya shook his head and pulled out his phone as they walked.

  "I don't know..."

  He opened the club group chat and started scrolling through it, passing a long string of aggressive stickers Monoma had been sending earlier that day.

  "Well it says here they added someone named Togata, so them I guess?"

  Robinn blinked twice. The name clearly didn't stand out.

  They had reached a fork in the path without either of them noticing. One direction curved toward the school gym building, the other continued down the road toward the club rooms.

  Robinn didn't slow down.

  "Bye." She said waving behind her and leaving Midoriya behind.

  Midoriya had stopped walking when the paths split. He watched her disappear toward the gym for a moment before answering.

  "Bye..." Midoriya said weakly, frowning slightly before turning down his own path.

  Uraraka had said bye to Iida a few minutes earlier. Now she sat quietly on the train, her bag resting in her lap as the car rocked gently along the tracks.

  The train wasn't very full at this hour. A few other students were scattered across the seats, some talking softly while others scrolled through their phones. The steady clatter of the rails and the occasional announcement over the speakers were the only sounds filling the space.

  With nothing else to focus on, her thoughts started drifting again.

  School feels so normal.

  After everything that happened, she thought things would feel different somehow. She thought everyone would still be shaken up by it.

  But those three seemed mostly the same.

  She rested her head against the cool window and watched the city blur past outside.

  She had done everything she could that day. She had given it everything she had, helping civilians and clearing debris. She never even saw the actual fighting. Not once.

  Even though she had spent her entire internship training to fight.

  She knew she couldn't have helped over there. She knew it logically. But the thought still sat heavy in her chest.

  She hadn't even had the chance to try.

  And that kid...

  Her thoughts were interrupted when the train slowed into her station with a quiet screech of brakes.

  Uraraka stood up with the rest of the passengers and stepped out onto the platform. The cool evening air greeted her as she made her way toward the exit and started the familiar walk home.

  Her stomach rumbled as she passed a small corner shop that sold really good mochi. The sweet smell drifted out through the open door.

  She slowed for half a second, glancing inside.

  Then she shook her head and kept walking, a small frown settling on her face as she continued down the street.

  Author's note: