Chapter 173: Aftermath of Heroism

The warm glow of the common room's lights slowly came into focus as I opened my eyes, my head still spinning from the events of the test. I was met with the concerned faces of my friends, their expressions a mixture of worry and relief. Before I could even process what was happening, Ochaco rushed towards me, her eyes wide with concern. "Vesper! Are you ok???" she asked, her voice trembling with worry. I smiled weakly, trying to reassure her. "I'm fine, Ochaco," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. Todoroki stepped closer to me, his eyes filled with guilt. "I'm sorry, I didn't know the flames were going to hit you," he said, his voice laced with regret. "But that was heroic to do," he added, his words sincere. Without warning, Todoroki hugged me tightly, his arms wrapping around me like a vice. I winced slightly, feeling a twinge of pain from my burns, but I tried to reassure him. "It's okay, it was just a mistake," I said, trying to calm him down. But Todoroki couldn't shake off the guilt, his mind replaying the events of the test. He thought he could have killed me, and the weight of that realization was crushing him. As Todoroki held me, I reached into my pocket and felt the crumpled pieces of paper with the phone numbers on them. I pulled them out, smoothing out the wrinkles, and typed in the numbers. I sent a text to both Inasa-kun and Shindo, my thumbs flying across the screen. The messages were simple: "Thanks for looking out for me" to both of them. I hesitated for a moment before hitting send, wondering how they would respond. As I waited for their replies, Todoroki slowly let go of me, his eyes still filled with concern. Ochaco hovered beside me, her hand on my arm, checking on me constantly. The room fell silent, the only sound the soft hum of the fluorescent lights overhead. I glanced around at my friends, their faces etched with worry and concern. We had been through a lot, and in that moment, I knew that our bond was stronger than ever. My phone buzzed, and I smiled, seeing the responses from Inasa-kun and Shindo. I showed them to Ochaco and Todoroki, who smiled back, relieved that I was okay. The tension in the room slowly dissipated, replaced by a sense of camaraderie and friendship. We had faced danger together, and we had come out on top. And as I looked around at my friends, I knew that no matter what challenges lay ahead, we would face them together, as a team.