After a bit more talking to Kendo, Dante finally went home, the door clicking shut behind him.
He flicked off his shoes, tossing his school clothes into the washing machine and took a deep breath. The smell of saltwater still clung to his hair, but beneath it all, he felt stable. His body had somehow recovered. The weakness was gone. His strength had returned.
He exhaled a sigh of relief, running a hand through his messy wet hair as he walked to the sink, pouring himself a glass of water. "I'm okay now," he muttered, reassuring himself. "I'm… okay."
But then—
A low voice slithered in from behind him.
"Are you?"
Dante froze. He didn't need to look behind him to know that Little Dante clearly wasn't impressed.
He turned slowly. The blurry, childlike figure stood in the middle of the room, eyes wild with a feral glint. His small hands twitched with agitatation.
"You're seriously getting soft at a time like this?" Little Dante sneered, stepping forward. "Playing at the beach with that girl. Laughing. Smiling. Playing pretend when father is rotting away in prison for no reason."
Dante turned his back on him, drinking his water in silence.
"Are you forgetting? He literally told us the other day about what they did. This world is corrupt, and you're going to sit here and let it be corrupt, for what? A crush?"
"Just shut the fuck up, please," Dante spat, placing the glass in the sink a little harder than he meant to.
"No. YOU shut up." Little Dante's voice was sharp, harsh. "You're wasting time. You agreed to help me. You agreed to stop with this pathetic hero bullshit, and you're sitting here preparing for an exam? Come on. You disgust me."
"I want to be free." Dante said, his voice low. "If I agree and drop the hero shit and become a petty villain like you want me to, I won't ever be free. Even after I get your revenge, the law will be on me forever."
Little Dante let out a scoff. "You haven't changed at all. You're forgetting who you are, but thankfully, it seems like you have gained a little bit of your anger back from me. We can grow infinitely stronger by absorbing our enemies, we can grow stronger than anyone. No one will stop us."
"No," Dante said firmly, turning around. "I may have some of my anger back, but that means nothing. I won't let it control me."
The room went quiet. The two stared at eachother, like reflections from different lives, one built of rage and revenge, the other clinging to hope and freedom.
Little Dante's lip curled. "You're gonna stay weak forever."
"Maybe," Dante said with a small shrug. "But I'll still be stronger than you, and I won't be alone either."
And with that, little Dante vanished into nothing, leaving Dante standing alone. He looked at the empty spot where the ghost of his lost emotions had stood.
Then, quietly, he walked over to the couch, sat down and closed his eyes.
…
…
The next day in school, class 1-A was filled with the usual morning chatter. Dante sat slouched in his chair, head on the desk, eyes closed tight.
Aizawa stepped in, wearing his scarf as per usual and the classroom fell silent almost immediately. He looked around, pausing for a beat before speaking.
"Summer break is coming up."
A wave of murmurs rippled through the class, a mix of excitement and curiosity. Many students grinned, clearly already thinking about beaches and barbecues. Dante didn't really react, he wasn't a huge fan of breaks, there wasn't anything to do.
"But before you start daydreaming," Aizawa interrupted, voice firm. "We have work to do."
That quieted them down instantly.
"During the break," he continued, "you'll all be attending a special training camp. It'll be in a forest, away from any distractions, with the intent of pushing yourselves to the next level."
Many students perked up, about to yell in excitement.
"But—" Aizawa said, raising his voice just enough to cut through the noise, "—I'm sure not all of you will be going."
The room went dead silent.
Aizawa scanned the class, letting the tension settle.
"Final exams are next week. If you fail them, written and practical, you won't be attending the training camps that includes anyone slacking off or underperforming. This is your last warning."
Groans broke out across the class. Kaminari slumped in his seat. Mina whimpered and even Sero looked a little anxious, scribbling notes frantically already. Dante leaned his cheek into his palm and sighed.
"Seriously?" He muttered under his breath. "Those midterms were easy but there's even more?"
Aizawa didn't miss it. "That includes you too, Dante. Just because you've had a… situation, doesn't mean you get a pass."
Dante straightened a bit, raising a brow. "Right… figures."
Aizawa sighed, rubbing his temple. "I can hear you."
The class chuckled, but the pressure was still there, not really, Dante was fully confident he could pass with flying colours all he needed to do was a bit more work here and there.
Dante sat back again, staring out the window. It never ends. He was looking forward to it though.
…
…
At the end of the lesson, Aizawa stood at the front of the class, a small stack of papers in hand.
"Before you leave for your next lesson," he said dryly, "these are the results of your midterm written exams. Study them. If you failed, prepare to study even harder for the finals."
He walked down the aisles, handing out the papers. Some students stared at their results in dread, others in pure disbelief. Groans and complaints spread through the room.
"Last place?!" Kaminari yelled. "I actually studied this time!"
Mina was laughing despite her being in 2nd to last.
Meanwhile, Dante looked at his paper with a calm expression. "Full marks." It read at the top, his first place was tied with Momo Yaoyorozu.
He gave himself a slight nod and folded the paper, sliding it into his bag. He wasn't trying to impress anyone, but it did feel good to be first place.
Aizawa packed up and headed for the door. "I'll leave you to panic. You've earned it," he said, leaving the class.
Students erupted into conversation almost straight away. Questions and bickering back and forth, comparing grades… etc.
Dante stood up, slinging his bag over his shoulder, just as the classroom door slid open from the outside.
All heads turned.
In walked Itsuka Kendo.
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
"Wait—what's she doing here?" Someone whispered.
"Is she here to pick a fight?"
"Kendo?" Momo tilted her head.
But kendo ignored all of the whispers and walked straight up to Dante with a smile. She didn't even hesitate.
"Remember to come over tonight," she said casually, then turned and walked out.
The room fell into stunned silence.
Someone even dropped a pen, real dramatic.
"…did she really just say that?" Mina asked Dante, eyes wide.
"Hey… Dante, what's going on with you guys?" Kaminari blinked, no longer focused on his exam. "Did you two—?"
"Holy crap," Mina continued. "That was so bold…"
Iida looked disturbed, "Dante… dating will distract you from your studies…"
Dante, with a deadpan expression, blinked slowly. "It's just for a haircut," he said plainly.
But no one believed him.
The murmurs and giggles only grew louder as he walked out of the classroom.