Chapter Text
Sitting at their desks, having been the first students to arrive, Izuku and Momo were patiently waiting for the bell to ring. Most of the class was already seated and chatting quietly, either continuing their conversations from their walk towards the main campus, or chatting about the battle trials the day before. Just as they looked over towards the empty desks beside them, Himiko and Ochako came barrelling into the room, with Himiko dragging Ochako along to the back of the room and taking their seats. Izuku and Momo had just enough time to give Himiko a disapproving pout before the bell rang, signaling the start of homeroom.
“Good morning students, and welcome to homeroom!” Oboro announced as he walked in the classroom, making his way to the podium. “We have a few things to discuss before I can unleash you to the rest of your classes,” Oboro started, looking around the classroom before landing on Himiko and Ochako.
“Yaoyorozu, Uraraka, UA does have a policy about running in the hallways,” Himiko and Ochako both went red in embarrassment, looking away from their teacher. “While I understand getting as much sleep when you can, especially as heroes, I suggest you leave the dorms earlier to make homeroom on time.” Izuku and Momo smirked in Himiko’s direction, watching as she slumped her shoulders and nodded, while Ochako apologized.
Oboro picked up some papers, straightening them out by lightly tapping the bottom of the sheaf on the podium, before placing them back down. “All Might and I have reviewed and marked your battle trials from yesterday. You’ll be receiving detailed marks and information on what we believe you need to work on going forward, but I wanted to make a few comments before going forward.” Oboro looked over the class, finding most of them listening intently.
“Midoriya and Jirou,” both students straightened up, paying close attention after being called. “You recognized the strengths and weaknesses of the villain team and worked together to overcome them. Congratulations on winning your match!” Izuku and Kyouka nodded in thanks, relaxing a bit into their chairs. “Shoji and Kamiji, you both showcased excellent skills in setting up defenses against the hero team. The strategy you two used could very well have won the match, if you weren’t overwhelmed by the hero team. Good job.” Mezo and Moe nodded in understanding.
“Kaminari,” Oboro started, looking towards the electrification user. “Even though you took out someone on the other team, releasing a massive attack like you did left you defenseless, leaving your teammate scrambling to protect you. I’ve read your student file, and I would like to set up an appointment with Recovery Girl as soon as we can.” Denki stiffened up for the moment as he looked down, before he felt a jack wrap around his wrist in comfort, allowing him to relax and nod towards their teacher. “Jirou will be able to accompany you, and I can also be there if you like.” Denki looked up, nodding once more in thanks.
“Sekigai and Tokoyami showcased a good strategy, but if you held back instead of encountering the villain team so soon, I believe you two would have been able to overwhelm them.” Kashiko and Fumikage nodded in understanding, allowing Oboro to continue. “Uraraka, you attempted to protect your teammate, even if he was taken out of the match. Going up against Tokoyami put you at the disadvantage, but you continued pushing forward and attempted to defeat the remaining hero. That is exactly what I like to see! Good job!” Ochako smiled softly, giving Oboro a nod in return.
“Hagakure and Kirishima,” Oboro continued, looking towards the next students. “You both showcased a good strategy in protecting the bomb, successfully distracting the hero team from the objective and capturing one of them. If Hagakure would have played more into her quirk, keeping silent, I believe the villain team would have successfully overwhelmed the hero team.” Both students nodded in understanding.
“Sero and Yaoyorozu showcased a good strategy for finding the villain team, splitting up and covering as much ground as possible in a short amount of time, allowing them more time to engage the villain team. Yaoyorozu, leaving your teammate behind left him prone to being captured.” Himiko nodded in understanding. “I would also like to touch base with you on your support items. I know you are proficient in using knives, according to your student file, but going against anybody except Kirishima could have left your foe with serious injuries.” Himiko nodded once more, looking away sheepishly.
“Todoroki,” Oboro started off, giving the other student a hard look. “You showcased immense power by freezing the building, rendering your teammate unable to help you with the villain team. You also put your classmate at risk by not taking their quirk into account when unleashing your attack. I would like to speak with you after classes today.” Todoroki didn’t respond, instead looking towards his desk. Oboro internally sighed, already recognizing the problems he was going to have with the half-and-half user, before he looked towards the other student.
“Bakugo, you believed you could handle the enemy team by yourself, not listening or strategizing with your teammate, telling her to defend the bomb.” Katsuki sighed, nodding and looking away. “You also disobeyed a direct order from All Might, releasing a massive explosion that could have easily knocked that building down. I will be confiscating your gauntlets until you submit a redesign that prevents you from releasing an explosion like that again. Come see me in my office during your lunch.” Katsuki nodded, already accepting his fate. “Asui and Iida, you will be marked accordingly based on what happened.” Both students nodded in understanding.
“Last but not least,” Oboro continued, looking towards the last four students. “Shinso, I would like to have a word with you on your support equipment. An extendable police baton is a useful weapon, but I believe there are better options for you.” Hitoshi nodded in agreement. “Usagiyama, running in head first is useful in some situations, but you need to determine the best time to do so. Catching your foes by surprise will always give you the upper hand in a fight, but it also leaves you wide open for an easy counter.” Rumi nodded, letting out a huff, as she lightly tapped her foot.
“Ashido,” Oboro continued, causing the other girl to stiffen up at being called on. “Based on your student file, ranged attacks will almost always be your friend. Just like I mentioned before the QAT, as much as I want to see you have fun during exercises, there are times when you need to take things seriously.” Mina nodded in understanding, relaxing her shoulders. “As for Yaoyorozu,” Oboro turned towards Momo, “You had an excellent strategy by making replica decoys, buying you enough time to distract and take out the enemy team. Good job.”
Oboro shuffled his papers once more before placing them back down on the podium. “I believe that is everything I wanted to touch base on in regards to the battle trials,” Oboro started as he walked around the podium, leaning against the board at the front of the class. “We have some official homeroom business to attend to,” Oboro glanced over his class once more, a smile forming on his face. “Picking class representatives.”
Oboro held up his hand, stopping the onslaught of questions that were sure to come his way. “Before you ask your questions, I will confirm that picking class representatives this early in the year wasn’t my choice. I would have liked to have waited until you were all better acquainted with each other before making you choose, but I digress.” Oboro dropped his hand, looking over the class. “Many of the other teachers allow their class to pick the class representatives by themselves, but I would like to offer my help, if you so choose.”
“How do other classes normally pick the representatives?” Tenya questioned at the same time he raised his hand, not even waiting to be called upon.
“There have been many ways a class picks their representatives,” Oboro responded, standing up straighter. “I’ve seen everything from quirk fights, to arm wrestles, to rock-paper-scissors, to voting for who they want.” Oboro shrugged, a smile still on his face. “Honestly, I like to keep it simple and suggest a vote, but it’s up to what the class wants to do.”
“But wouldn’t everyone just vote for themselves?” Himiko questioned.
“We could restrict it so we can’t vote for ourselves,” Momo responded to Himiko, looking around Izuku.
“What if we don’t want to run for representative?” Hitoshi questioned next.
“Those who don’t want to run for representative can withdraw their name,” Izuku said, seeing a few people nod in agreement. “Or we could have the people who want to run add their names to a list of candidates.”
Oboro watched as Class 1-A discussed between themselves for a couple of minutes before he cleared his throat, getting the attention back on him. “So we all agree on doing a vote, with the restriction on not being able to vote for themselves?” Oboro questioned, seeing most of his students nod in agreement.
“First off, how many people want to run for class representative? We have two spots: representative and vice representative.” Oboro watched as quite a few people put their hands up, nodding in confirmation, before turning around and beginning to write names on the board. “Here are the choices for representatives. I want everyone to come up one or two at a time, following your seat numbers, and place their vote beside who they think should win.”
Two students at a time started getting up from their seats, approaching the front of the class, and writing their votes on the board. Some students refused to vote, seeing the whole representative thing as a waste of time, instead staying seated at their desks. By the time Izuku got up to vote, they could already tell who was going to win the representative and vice representative roles, adding his own vote beside Momo’s name. When Momo got up to vote, she could only smile to herself as she added a vote beside Izuku’s name, before quietly returning to her seat. Himiko and Ochako rolled their eyes good-naturedly.
“I think this has been the biggest landslide since I began teaching,” Oboro commented as he added up the votes, writing the number beside them. “Momo Yaoyorozu will be your representative with Izuku Midoriya being the vice representative.”
- Momo Yaoyorozu - 5
- Izuku Midoriya - 4
- Tenya Iida - 2
- Eijiro Kirishima - 2
- Kashiko Segikai - 1
- Mina Ashido - 1
- Moe Kamiji - 1
- Toru Hagakure - 0
- Katsuki Bakugo - 0
As their little group walked towards the cafeteria later that day, Momo enjoyed teasing Izuku a little about beating him by just one vote. Izuku chuckled along with the rest of their little group, accepting the teasing wholeheartedly. In hindsight, they knew their positions didn’t matter, both knowing they would work hard together in whatever they were required to do for their class. They were going to be a team no matter what.
After realizing how much hungrier they were compared to yesterday, Izuku and Momo both ordered extra food today, just in case they needed the extra fuel for their heroics class or training later in the day. When they had sat down at the table with fully loaded trays, their friends had surrounded them, looking wide-eyed at the food before the couple.
“I know we’ve seen how much you two normally eat,” Denki started off as he looked at the mountains of food, “but why do you two eat so much?”
“Denks!” Kyouka whispered-shouted, poking Denki in his side with a jack and causing him to wince.
“What?” Denki responded, looking towards his girlfriend, “You can’t tell me you aren’t curious!”
“It’s just their quirk,” Himiko replied like it was no big deal, taking another bite of her food.
“You said ‘their quirk’,” Kyouka pointed out with a jack facing Himiko, causing the other girl to pause mid bite. “What do you mean by ‘their quirk’?”
Izuku and Momo shared a quick look, while Himiko’s eyes went wide in realization. Himiko swallowed the food she was chewing before attempting to correct herself. “I just meant their quirks both require a bunch of fuel to function, and if they don’t have that fuel, they can’t perform at their best, and-” Himiko cut herself off when she felt a hand grab her shoulder, causing her to look towards the couple beside her.
“It’s okay, Himi,” Momo said quietly. Himiko relaxed her shoulders before leaning against her sister, allowing Momo to throw her arm around Himiko and pull her into a side hug. Himiko apologized again as she accepted the hug, closing her eyes and enjoying the embrace.
Izuku looked around to make sure there was nobody within earshot before he turned back towards the table. “It would be easier to show you,” Izuku explained as he held up his hand on the table. “You’ve seen me use Smoke the last few days,” Izuku started by showcasing a small amount of green smoke appearing out of his hand, trailing in between his fingers. Kyouka, Denki, and Ochako nodded, waiting for him to continue. “But I can also do this,” Izuku continued as he made the smoke dissipate before a multitude of colors appeared on his hand, a matryoshka nesting doll appearing out of his palm a moment later, looking exactly like Himiko did in her uniform.
Ochako’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the nesting doll in Izuku’s hand before he offered it towards her. She glanced up at Izuku before reaching out and taking the nesting doll, closely inspecting it. It was almost a perfect replica of Himiko, right down to her messy hair buns she always wore. Unbeknownst to Ochako, Himiko was watching Ochako as she inspected the doll, a dusting of a blush on her cheeks and a small smile dancing on her lips. “That light in your hand,” Ochako started as she looked back up at Izuku, “it almost looked like Creation when Yaomomo used it.”
“Wait a second, back up,” Kyouka said quickly, looking between Izuku and Momo. “How did you use Smoke and Creation?” Kyouka questioned in surprise before her eyes landed on Momo. “Can you also use both?” Momo nodded, holding out her free hand and showcasing a red smoke appearing from her hand, dancing around her fingers and trailing up her arm before it dissipated. “How?”
“We’re not exactly sure on how it happened,” Izuku explained, getting Kyouka, Denki, and Ochako to focus on him. “But we believe it has something to do with my quirk.” The three people across from them nodded in understanding, accepting the explanation. “But to answer your earlier question, both of our quirks require a substantial amount of fuel to function. As a result, you’ll see Mo and I eating much more food than a normal person would require. We, uh, kind of have to be ready to use both quirks, I guess.”
“Is that why you’ve both offered to cook for us?” Ochako questioned curiously.
“That is partially the reason we offer,” Momo smiled in response, looking over at Izuku and finding him smiling in her direction. Their friends were taking it quite well. “We’ve never really had to cook for ourselves at home, so Izu and I love the experience of working together to make a delicious tasting meal. Being able to share that meal with our friends just makes the experience that much more worth it.”
“You’ve never cooked at home?” Denki questioned, looking between the three students opposite of them.
“Occasionally,” Izuku responded, “whenever Mo wanted a midnight snack.” Kyouka snorted, quickly bringing a hand up to her mouth to cover the smile, as she looked between the other couple.
“Excuse me, Mister,” Momo responded, giving Izuku a glare in return and causing him to chuckle. “It was you who wanted a midnight snack, and I just couldn’t say no to your cooking.” Izuku chuckled again, causing Momo and Himiko to respond in kind. “Mother and Father hired the best personal chefs Japan had to offer,” Momo explained as she looked towards their friends. “We’ve never really had the opportunity to cook for ourselves, so it’s a wonderful experience that I get to share with Izu.” Izuku nodded in agreement, a smile on his face.
SECURITY LEVEL THREE HAS BEEN BROKEN! ALL STUDENTS, PLEASE EVACUATE IN AN ORDERLY FASHION!
The alarm began blaring throughout the cafeteria, making everyone react instantaneously. Himiko and Kyouka both cried out in pain, with Momo quickly hugging and covering Himiko’s ears, while Denki did the same for Kyouka.
Izuku looked around at the panicking students, knowing that their table was seconds from being overwhelmed. Reacting as fast as he could to prevent it, he summoned Smoke all around them, using his Solid Smoke to thicken the smoke and prevent anybody from crashing into them.
As he continued looking around the cafeteria, he could hear multiple students cry out in pain, either being pushed or stepped on by other students as they attempted to rush out of the cafeteria. Thinking quickly, Izuku jumped onto the table they were seated at, quickly looking around for anything that could help him. He noticed Tenya pushed up against the window, and Izuku could just barely hear him say something about the press. Looking above the students' heads, Izuku could see out the massive windows towards the entrance gate, noticing a bunch of news reporters scrambling onto campus in front of teachers that attempted to hold them back.
Creating a megaphone out of his arm, he silently apologized to Himiko and Kyouka that were directly below him before he took a deep breath. “Attention Students of UA!” Izuku yelled out as loud as he could, making sure the sound of the megaphone traveled over the racket of the cafeteria. He noticed quite a few people stop and look towards him, finding him standing above most of the other students. “We need everyone to calm down! You are putting your fellow classmates at risk of injury by pushing them aside or by stepping on those who have fallen!”
Izuku watched as people started listening to him, looking around and down towards their feet, some even helping other students that had fallen, while others elbowed the panicking students to get them to focus. “We are students of UA! This is NOT how we should be acting in an emergency! Someone who can see the entrance gate, can you tell me what you can see?”
“It’s the press!” A few people yelled out at once, all trying to talk over one another, “They’ve broken onto campus!”
“It’s only the press!” Izuku responded, turning on the spot as he looked towards the rest of the students, noticing most have stopped to listen to him now. “You’ve put your fellow students at risk over the press!” Izuku took a deep breath as people started scratching their heads or turning red in embarrassment. “Everyone needs to calm down and take a deep breath! We are supposed to be evacuating in an orderly fashion, not in a panic like you were!” Izuku watched as most students nodded before they started leaving the cafeteria much calmer than before, allowing Izuku to nod towards them. He jumped off the table, landing beside Himiko. “Are you okay, Himi?”
Himiko nodded but Izuku could see the tears in her eyes, knowing that the loud alarm probably hurt her sensitive ears. He stood up and embraced both Momo and Himiko in a tight hug, keeping his Solid Smoke summoned around their table. Izuku and Momo shared a look before nodding towards each other, tightening the embrace.
Izuku looked over towards his friends, seeing Denki was holding Kyouka in a much similar way, tears in her eyes. Her jacks were retracted all the way up her ears while she silently cried in the embrace. He could only imagine how painful it was for his friend, knowing she was probably focusing on listening to their quiet conversation before the alarm started blaring.
Ochako was worriedly looking between their friend beside her and her crush in the Izuku and Momo embrace, knowing she couldn’t do anything immediately to help them. Izuku smiled in her direction, catching her eyes and conveying that Himiko would be okay, seeing her relax her shoulders in relief.
As the noise began to die down in the cafeteria, Izuku looked around to find that most of the students had already left. As Izuku stood up, he also brought Momo and Himiko along with him. Izuku looked over towards their friends, noticing they were also getting up with them. “We’re going to go see Recovery Girl,” Izuku said towards them, seeing Denki and Ochako nod in response. “I want to make sure Himi is okay, and Jirou could probably use some of her gummies.” Denki nodded again as he looked towards Kyouka, carefully guiding his girlfriend behind the other couple, with Ochako taking up the rear.
Hearing a knock at the door, Oboro called out that the door was unlocked, already knowing who was on the other side. Katsuki opened the door, taking a step inside the room and looking around a second, before closing the door behind him. Oboro gestured towards the chair across the desk from him, prompting Katsuki to sit down. Once Katsuki was seated, he looked down towards his hands, running them over one another.
“Do you know why I wanted to talk with you, Bakugo?” Oboro questioned, leaning back in his chair and watching his student.
Katsuki was silent for a moment, running his hands over one another, before releasing a sigh. Leaning back into his own chair, Katsuki looked up towards Oboro, giving him a nod. “It’s about what happened in the battle trials,” Katsuki responded quietly.
Oboro nodded in return, “That is part of the reason, yes.” Oboro leaned back towards the desk, typing a few things on his computer before turning the monitor towards Katsuki. “But there are a few other reasons too.” Katsuki looked up to the monitor, seeing him confronting Izuku in the dorms right after his talk with Nezu and Oboro. Oboro clicked another button, switching the video to cameras that showcased the forest behind the dorms, explosions sounding from within with flashes in different areas. Oboro clicked another button, showcasing the battle trials the day previous. It showed Katsuki not listening to Tsuyu and waving her off before rushing out of the room immediately, and him not listening once more to All Might’s commands about his gauntlets.
Oboro leaned back in his chair, waiting until the video completely finished, watching as Katsuki hung his head once more. “After talking with Nezu and myself after the QAT, I really hoped you would take our advice and smarten up.” Oboro watched as Katsuki stiffened up, his hands pausing their looping nervous tic.. “Can you explain to me why you decided not to listen?” Katsuki stayed silent, as he resumed passing his hands over one another again, prompting Oboro to release a sigh. “You know you’re already on thin ice, and based on these few incidents, I should be expelling you.” Katsuki stiffened up again but still didn’t respond. “The only reason you are sitting here today is because Midoriya didn’t report the dorm incident.”
“I fucked up,” Katsuki finally said after another beat of silence, looking up at Oboro for the first time since taking a step into the room. “Is that what you wanted to hear? I fucked up.” Katsuki released a huff before looking away, going silent once more. Oboro knew he wasn’t done speaking so he decided to keep quiet for the moment, letting Katsuki get his thoughts straight.
“I confronted Deku because I wanted to know where he went after leaving Aldera. I haven’t heard from him in almost nine years, and he suddenly shows up at UA with a quirk!” Katsuki continued as he looked back up at Oboro. “And the fucking nerd wouldn’t say where he went! The Old Hag was worried something happened to them when Auntie wouldn’t return her calls!” Katsuki was taking deep breaths now, his anger getting the better of him. “Deku said I fucking bullied him when he was at Aldera.”
“Did you?” Oboro inquired, sitting up a bit straighter in his chair as Katsuki revealed information about his past. He was opening up, and Oboro was hopeful that they could make some real progress.
“I don’t know!” Katsuki responded and Oboro could hear a few pops coming from his hands before he clenched them tight. “Asui found me after I released some of my anger in the forest, and she asked me the same thing. Back then, I didn’t think it was bullying, it was helping a friend get stronger.” Katsuki slumped his shoulders as he released a sigh, his anger dissipating. “We were best friends when we were kids, and now Deku wants nothing to do with me.”
Oboro hummed in acknowledgement, taking a few notes down on the computer in front of him, before turning back to Katsuki. “What happened during the battle trials?”
“I wanted to prove that I was better than everyone else, that I didn’t need help defeating the enemy team,” Katsuki responded quietly, running his hands over one another again. “All through Aldera, I was told that my quirk was perfect for heroics.” Katsuki released a sigh, slumping his shoulders once more. “I realized I fucked up yesterday, and I put Asui and the Ice Princess in danger.” Katsuki looked up, and Oboro could see the decision behind his eyes. “Keep the gauntlets, I won’t be submitting a redesign.”
Oboro nodded, making another note about the gauntlets. He believed that Katsuki would change his mind in the future, so instead of ordering the support department to destroy them, he made a note to put them in storage for the time being. Once Oboro was done typing, he looked back up at Katsuki. “What does this mean for us going forward?” Oboro questioned, causing Katsuki to look up towards him in confusion.
“Are you going to leave Midoriya alone? Will you start listening to your teachers? Because if you end up in this office again, you will be expelled. Do you understand me?” Katsuki nodded, looking back down towards his hands. “I see a lot of potential in you kid, but if you’re not willing to listen to All Might, myself, or the other faculty, there is no future for you here at UA. You will do well in remembering that.” Katsuki nodded again, not looking up towards his teacher.
“We’re done here for now, Bakugo. Please enjoy the rest of your lunch.” Katsuki nodded once more, quickly getting up and moving out of the room, closing the door behind him. Oboro shook his head and released a sigh, slumping back in his chair, looking towards the old photograph on his desk. It was a picture of himself during his second year at UA, standing beside Nemuri, Hizashi, and Shota. “I bet you would’ve expelled him already, had you become a teacher,” Oboro said quietly, “Ain’t that right, Sho?”
SECURITY LEVEL THREE HAS BEEN BROKEN! ALL STUDENTS, PLEASE EVACUATE IN AN ORDERLY FASHION!
Oboro was out of his chair in a flash, years of training in both the limelight and underground leading him to react immediately. Opening a window in his office, Oboro hurled himself out and summoned Cloud beneath him, softening his landing and allowing him to sprint towards the news reporters.
Seeing how spread out the news reporters were, he summoned a massive amount of Cloud, throwing it around the news reporters and preventing them from advancing further onto the campus. He was quickly flanked by other teachers on campus, Nemuri being directly to his right and Hizashi being directly to his left, before they started shuffling people back towards the entrance gate.
Within a few minutes of the alarm going off, locking down the campus in a level three security threat, all of the news reporters were escorted back through the destroyed entrance gate. Oboro combined all his Cloud, layering it up and replicating the entrance gate, preventing any more news reporters from entering the campus.
Oboro walked over towards the now-destroyed entrance gate, kneeling down to inspect it. He noticed that Nemuri was standing beside him, also inspecting the ruins of the gate, reminding him of all the times they had teamed up in the past. “Someone had managed to destroy the entrance gate and let them in,” Nemuri commented quietly, stating a fact more than asking a question.
“It would appear so,” Oboro responded. Reaching out, he picked up some pieces of the destroyed gate, watching it disintegrate even further as he rubbed it between his index finger and thumb.
“Oboro, Nemuri,” Nezu called out as he approached on top of Sekijiro’s shoulder. Oboro stood up and turned around to face the principal, Nemuri following suit, both of them already in hero mode and ready to report. “Report.”
“The news reporters that you informed us about this morning appeared to have destroyed the entrance gate and swarmed onto campus,” Nemuri commented.
“There is no doubt a quirk is involved,” Oboro continued as he gestured to the destroyed gate behind him. “The gate has been completely disintegrated, but it appears to have been a controlled hit to destroy just the gate. The surrounding walls and the machinery to raise and lower the gate haven’t been affected.”
“Hmmm,” Nezu hummed to himself as Sekijiro kneeled down and allowed the principal to jump off his shoulder. The mammal approached the destroyed gate to better inspect it himself. “I scanned the news reporters this morning to confirm how big of a threat they were, cross referencing them with the quirk registry, and none of them had a quirk registered that could have done something like this.”
“This reeks like a coordinated attack,” Higari commented as he inspected the gate and security sensors himself. “This gate was crafted to rival the level of security that Tartarus boasts about, and to be destroyed as easily as this, it's troubling.”
“I suspect there is some foul play going on,” Nezu said.
“Foul play?” Hizashi questioned.
Nezu nodded. “I believe the gate being destroyed was a distraction.” Nezu walked a few steps before looking down one of the massive walls that bordered UA and protected them from most major threats. “But I am unsure as to why they would need a distraction. No other alarms were triggered throughout campus, which means the person was already inside the gates of UA, or their mission was unsuccessful.”
“Are you thinking that it was a distraction for one of the students?” Oboro questioned. “I know you’ve put in stricter protocols in the last couple of years, after you invited All Might to teach here.”
“It’s very possible a student slipped through the cracks,” Nezu responded as he walked back towards the teachers, standing in the middle of them. “But it could also be another case of Himiko’s quirk, Transform. When she passed the entrance exam, I had to adjust the security measures for her quirk, and it’s possible that someone with a similar quirk was able to pose as a student.” The teachers all nodded in understanding.
“Higari,” Nezu said as he turned towards the support course teacher, “I want this gate rebuilt as soon as possible, with extra security measures in place. I also want you to figure out how to counter a quirk like the one that was used here. I don’t care what it takes or how much it costs, just that it gets done.”
“Understood, Sir.” Higari responded, already making his way back towards campus.
“As for the rest of you,” Nezu continued, looking over the rest of the teachers, “I want you all to return to your classes and inform them it was just the press. Don’t mention anything else until I have some concrete evidence. We don’t need anything leaking out to the press by mistake.” All the other teachers nodded in agreement or gave verbal confirmations. Nezu turned back towards the gate, looking over the damage once more. “What are you after, I wonder?” Nezu mused quietly to himself.
After visiting the medical bay and getting checked over by Recovery Girl, and being dismissed from their classes for the afternoon, the small friend group was walking back towards their dorms. Once Izuku and Momo had confirmed that Himiko was alright, Himiko had practically pounced on Ochako, allowing the other girl to practically carry her when they left the medical bays. Izuku and Momo knew they were exchanging quiet conversation as they walked, with the occasional laugh from both girls.
Kyouka and Denki were walking in the middle of their small little group, both whispering sweet nothings to each other, as Denki practically carried Kyouka back towards the dorms. Kyouka had tried to put up a small fight but had eventually given in and melted into the hug that Denki had provided. Kyouka had explained to them that the alarms had instantly caused her a massive migraine when they began because she had been so focused on the conversation they were having. Recovery Girl said nothing was damaged, but had given the girl some gummies to help with the pain and the migraine.
As the six of them entered the dorms, Himiko and Ochako had peeled off to head up to Himiko’s room, wanting to drown in the plushies she had before dinner. Kyouka and Denki had also departed to head up to Kyouka’s room, mentioning they would be back down for dinner if Kyouka was feeling up for it. Izuku and Momo let them know they would make extra and put it in the fridge if they ended up missing dinner and came down later. Kyouka and Denki thanked them profusely before they retreated up the dorm stairs.
Just as Izuku and Momo were about to retreat up to Momo’s room for a few hours, they noticed Shoto get off one of the couches in the common room, making his way towards them. “Midoriya, Yaoyorozu,” Shoto monotoned out, his face staying expressionless, “is the offer to talk still available? The one where you wouldn’t tell anybody?”
Izuku and Momo shared a quick look before looking back towards their classmate. “Of course, Todoroki,” Izuku responded, “is there somewhere you wanted to talk?” Shoto looked around the common room, seeing some of their classmates hanging around, before looking back towards the couple and shaking his head. “Would the rooftop work?” Izuku questioned, watching as Shoto shrugged and turned on his heel.
They followed Shoto up to the rooftop, watching as he looked around the small area that was available to them and finding it empty, before he made his way towards the seating area. Izuku and Momo followed behind him, watching as he took a seat on one of the couches, allowing them to take a seat across from him. Shoto didn’t say anything for a few minutes, looking over the horizon, before he let out a sigh and looked at the couple.
“Shirakumo pulled me aside when he dismissed classes earlier,” Shoto began, keeping his face blank, “and he asked me why I wouldn’t use my fire side in the battle trials.”
“I thought it was strange that you were hindering yourself during the fight against Bakugo,” Izuku commented, watching as Shoto’s eyes returned a hard glare back towards him.
“My Mother’s ice should have been enough to defeat Bakugo,” Shoto commented a bit bitterly, “but I wasn’t expecting Bakugo to become such a troublesome opponent.” Shoto closed his eyes, letting out a frosty breath as he dispelled his anger, schooling his emotions once more. “Endeavor wants nothing more for me to use my fire to surpass All Might, and I refuse to allow him to live vicariously through me, not since he sent my Mother away.” Shoto opened his eyes, looking back towards the couple. “This is why I only use my Mother’s ice.”
Izuku and Momo shared a quick look, communicating silently between themselves, wondering why Shoto had worded it the way he did. “Do you not realize that you’re only hurting yourself by limiting yourself to only one aspect of your quirk?” Momo questioned. “By not using your fire side, you are putting yourself at risk of freezing over like in the battle trials, which could prevent you from helping people in the future.”
“I will NOT use Endeavor’s fire!” Shoto shot up to his feet, anger flashing across his face, before returning to the emotionless stare. “I will prove to Endeavor, to everyone, that I don’t need his fire to become a hero, to surpass All Might and claim the number one spot.” Shoto turned around on his heel, beginning to walk away from the couple. “I will prove to everyone that my Mother’s ice is enough.” Shoto exited the rooftop, allowing the door to slam behind him, leaving the couple worriedly looking after him.
“This is much deeper than we originally thought,” Izuku commented as he turned back around, Momo following suit. Izuku reached out and grabbed Momo’s hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze, and getting one in return. “Did you notice how he kept referring to parts of his quirk as ‘Endeavor’s’ and his ‘Mother’s’ quirk?”
Momo nodded, leaning against Izuku as they watched the sun fall slowly in the sky. “Do you think we made it worse?” Momo questioned quietly after a few moments.
“I don’t know,” Izuku responded, lightly tapping a finger along the back of Momo’s hand, bringing comfort to both of them. “But if Todoroki doesn’t soon realize the dangers overusing his cold side will bring,” Izuku looked towards Momo, catching her eyes and seeing his worry reflected in her own, “I’m afraid of what could happen when he gets out into the field.”
Momo nodded in agreement. “We’re going to help him, somehow.” Momo stated, seeing Izuku nod in confirmation. “Hopefully he doesn’t shut us out after this talk.”
“If he does, there’s not much else we can really do,” Izuku responded. “We promised we wouldn’t mention it to anybody.” They both fell back against each other, both feeling the other take a deep breath, before melting into the embrace. “I just hope we can reach out to him before something bad happens.” Momo nodded against Izuku as they both fell silent, thinking about the conversation they just had.