Chapter 13: Class 1-B

"Everyone, as you can see we have a new member of our class today. Whatever your personal feelings on the issue may be he has earned his way into U.A., and he will be your classmate moving forward so I expect you to act appropriately towards him. You aren't those 1-A muscleheads, so prove that you can actually follow school rules unlike those delinquents who are suspended."

The voice of 1-B's homeroom teacher Vlad King was doused with a grim severity which revealed his own feelings on this development, but Hiroto was able to look past that because he honestly didn't care about how the man thought of him right now. So long as his teacher's opinions did not impact his grades they were ultimately irrelevant to him: in fact Hiroto welcomed the challenge presented by this. After all, earning Vlad's respect via hard work and potential would be a sign to others in the class that he was worthy of such esteem. U.A. students seemed to really look up to their teachers after all, so winning him over would likely have a domino effect.

Still, the usual smugness present in Hiroto's behavior was absent as he looked out at the class before him.

Standing at the front of the classroom was nerve wracking for Hiroto in a way he hadn't expected. Sure, he was finally here, where he had dreamed of being...but now that he was here he had a whole new set of trials before him. Facing down the League of Villains, people willing to kill him no doubt if he displeased them, didn't send chills down his spine the way his classmates were right now. For the former villain Mustard it was just his first day in class, but what would be a typically nervous first day was made all the more complicated by a shared narrative with the members of this class.

Beside him were two people, one he was all too familiar with as it was Pony standing there in her school uniform he was learning to appreciate, while on the other was the hulking Vlad King who would be his new homeroom teacher. Similar in physique to Gunhead, the white haired homeroom teacher possessed a far more menacing look to him thanks to his resting scowl and lack of cute mannerisms Gunhead was prone to. Ever since Hiroto first arrived in the classroom he felt that the man was doing his best to accept his presence while also ignore him.

Chances were he wasn't a fan of having the 'delinquent' Mustard in his class. At least 1-A seemed to be having issues of its own...

"Now, I am going to have him introduce himself, but Pony wanted to speak first so I will let her do so. Remember, these two and a few more of you beat all of Class 1-A, so remember that when you are practicing your teamwork this week!"

With this said he stepped aside, allowing another to take his place at Hiroto's side: Midnight. She had arrived with him of course, having shown Hiroto through the building and given him a basic idea of what was where. He was uncertain as to why she was lingering around, but he hoped earnestly that she wouldn't use this opportunity in front of his twenty classmates to embarrass him...though he was well aware that such hopes were most likely futile.

While Midnight moved to his side Pony used the opportunity presented by Vlad to speak to everyone, smiling brightly and waving at everyone before gesturing over to her friend, "Hi everyone, this is Hiroto. You likely remember him from training camp where he use sleeping gas on us, but he is friend and now a part of class. He is very sorry for what he did and wants to be your friends, isn't that right Hiroto?"

She was trying to be sweet, to soften some of the edges her classmates no doubt would present to Hiroto...but it still felt like a form of pity and made Hiroto's stomach twist. Perhaps they ought to have coordinated what would be said beforehand, but it was too late for planning at this point.

If you all want an introduction I guess I'll give you one...sorry Pony, but I'm handling this my way.

Looking at the nineteen students sitting before him still gave Hiroto a weird knot in his stomach, but he pressed onward in spite of his social unease to say exactly what was on his mind, "I'm not going to lie to you: I don't actually regret using my Quirk on all of you, nor will I waste time pretending I am because I am not. The League of Villains were the only people in my life until just recently who treated me like an actual person, who didn't cast me aside or abandon me, so making some other kids go to sleep so I could keep the closest thing to family I had is not something I'll regret."

Some gasps were let out by members of the class, but a look from Vlad kept everyone quiet for the meantime: it was quite obvious Hiroto was not finished, so he wanted to hear him out fully before others cut in.

Softening his caustic tone a bit, Hiroto looked from Midnight to Pony and then back to his class, at which point he bowed his head to them all, "With that said, the League abandoned me too, but in their place I have an actual family I don't want to lose. So long as I can be with them I'll do what I can to make amends, but that begins with explaining that I won't be bending down on my knees and asking forgiveness. I'll prove my worth here just like any of you, and when I have whether you forgive me or not will be up to you."

While a former Villain, Hiroto was not about to lie and proclaim severe regret and devotion to his classmates when he felt neither really. It would mean acting and pretending every time he spoke to them, which was going to soon be nearly every day and most of said days, so he simply couldn't be bothered with such deceit. It would be exhausting, the idea didn't appeal to him, and so he wasn't going to feign the civility they likely expected him to after his actions.

The effect of this on the class could most likely be expected by most, with a resulting yell from Tetsutetsu as the passionate boy rose from his seat and jabbed a finger out at Hiroto.

"I can still kick your ass kid, so you better watch it!"

That actually helped ease some of the tension from Hiroto's gut, even as he sensed that several others generally agreed with Tetsu's sentiment.

"Maybe you can, but the others? Not so much. They did so poorly against my Quirk that U.A. is now outsourcing Hero jobs to the Villains," Hiroto stood up to grin as he mocked their shared situation, though to the surprise of the class he once again bowed to them, "But like I said, I don't want to lose the family that has been given to me here, so I won't do anything like that to you guys again. Hopefully, in time, you'll be my family too."

If he was to be earnest he was going to be so completely and lay all his cards out on the table: he wanted to make this work even if he didn't feel remorse. He wanted to one day perhaps share bonds with these other students the way he did with Pony, if perhaps not that close. Being deprived on companionship and starved of affection for years had left him feeling empty, but it did not mean he did not desire those things in the first place. In his mind the way to earn such things was to prove himself, to show that he was worthy of their attention and affection, and so he was determined to prove that now.

That it would be easier if he had softened some of his sentiments did not really cross his mind, but overall it still had an effect: some of those previously disposed towards disliking Hiroto outright thanks to his attack on them now felt conflicted, and others already leaning towards sympathizing with him based on what they have learned from Pony realized that while he was rough on the edges he seemingly meant what he said concerning family.

With the class quieted by his honesty and uncertain how to proceed, Hiroto did them the favor of breaking the silence which followed his bow. Standing up straight again and clearing his throat, he gestured to Midnight in a way that mirrored how Pony had done to him earlier. He had been doing his best to not look at either of them this whole time lest he lose his nerve, but now he felt like he had to address Midnight's random presence since she had been uncharacteristically quiet which no doubt was confusing her students.

"I guess I should explain why Midnight's here," Hiroto spoke as his mind tried to figure out what to say next, eventually deciding on a simple route, "Without divulging too much information, she's my mother. As in my actual mother, not my adoptive one...I was living with an adoptive family until recently, but given recent events that has changed. You don't need to know more, but I figured I should inform you of that much."

Murmurs rose again in the classroom, some faint whispers reminding Hiroto of that boy who was obviously lusting after his mother in 1-A, and so he quickly spoke up before the rumor-mill could kick into full swing.

"Oh, and because I can't get her to change her personality or how she dresses, if I catch any of you looking at my mother the wrong way, calling her a 'MILF', or doing anything like that they will never find your body...got it?"

His sudden protectiveness was actually endearing to many present, as it was funny seeing a kid make such a proclamation concerning his mother and no-one took the threat too seriously. At an earlier point the situation with Hiroto had been explained to them, including his ankle bracelet tracking his movement and the fact he was not immune to his own Quirk, so despite his accomplishments and power he was right now just a small kid defending his mother's honor.

Midnight used this opportunity to lean over and hug Hiroto as Pony giggled a bit beside him, the quirky U.A. teacher grinning out at the whole class, "Awww, my little man is so protective. You know, people say the way a boy treats his mother is how he'll treat his wife some day. Keep that in mind ladies!"

If there had been tension in the room prior it was mostly diffused by Midnight being Midnight, with some of the class laughing at her antics while Hiroto was left regretting ever opening his mouth even if he did mean every word he has said so far.

"Mom..."

In a reversal of Hiroto's own behavior, Midnight went from speaking about something silly to being quite serious, being the next to bow her head in shame before the class. Ever since this situation unfolded she had been unable to truly speak of her grief to her students, as while they were hurt indirectly because of her she had been unable to discuss her part in it. Even now she was uncertain how much Hiroto would want her to say given his unwillingness to talk about such things even to her, and so she did her best to convey her sorrow while not upsetting her son.

"As for why I am here, I wanted to speak with you all now that Hiroto is joining you. I ask that you do not judge him too harshly, and that if you are to be upset with his actions to levy your anger at me. It is Hiroto's place to tell you what he wishes, but know that I take responsibility for his actions as I was the one who caused them. I wish I could have been there for him when he needed me, but I wasn't, and you all were hurt because of it, so I am sorry and ask for your forgiveness."

Hiroto mentally checked out as his mother apologized on his behalf and was forgiven so easily by his classmates, particularly the female members who perhaps could empathize with her plight a bit more, and found himself finally looking over at Pony. She was already looking at him, so when he did she gave a smile to reassure him, only for it to cause him to quickly avert his eyes and blush in embarrassment.

Despite how things were softening up for him Hiroto could still sense general apprehension about him being there, so he knew that while this was helping his start with some of the others he was far from finished making amends. It was just that, a start, and he was wary of how those who still (rightfully) harbored distrust would behave during training exercises.

When the class had collectively given their sympathies to Midnight she thanked them, spoke of how she would see them all later in the day for class, and left the room after giving Hiroto a hug goodbye. This of course embarrassed him further, but he figured he was going to have to gradually grow used to that sensation given who his mother was. With her gone Vlad took her place and spoke again to his students, still doing his best to not focus too much on Hiroto himself.

"Now that that is out of the way, I want you to introduce yourselves. Knowing one another will be important moving forward as we continue to work on our team exercises, so inform your new classmate about whatever it is you think he needs to know about you."

It came to no-one's surprise, especially not the wary Mustard's, that Monoma was the first to stand up and greet Hiroto to their classroom.

"I am Neito Monoma, as you already know. I am the Phantom Thief whose Quirk allows him to borrow the Quirks of those I touch for a time. You are now one of us, so I welcome you with open arms!" as he said this he outstretched his arms in an exaggerated fashion, only to shut his eyes and add darkly once he was done, "Just don't make me regret doing so."

Hiroto nodded, though he said nothing. He was jealous of Monoma's relationship with Pony and envious of the time they had been able to spend together so far, but so long as things did not progress beyond friendship he felt that his own similarities to this glory hound were enough to form a solid basis for a friendly rivalry. The one thing he didn't want to compete over though was Pony.

Touch Pony and I'll make you regret living. Otherwise I think you and I will get along just fine.

It was petty, he knew, but he had never had feelings like this before and so had little defenses against them: he liked her and did not want to share.

After Monoma was another member of the class who was quite outspoken, that being Tetsu who pounded his fists together as a show of force even as he grinned at Hiroto playfully, "I'm Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu, Hero Name: Real Steel! My skin can turn to steel, perfect for punching the faces of sassy children like yourself! Looking forward to training, Hiroto!"

His energy was somewhat contagious, and Hiroto actually found himself wanting a rematch with the other boy. After all he had lost their last fight against one another, and his pride left him wanting to settle the score. Not only that, but finding out how to defeat foes like Tetsu would be an important part of his training here at U.A. now.

Bring it on, Terminator.

From beside Tetsutetsu came the next introduction, it being the orange haired girl who fought alongside him at the training camp to defeat Mustard, "Calm down Tetsu, you'll have plenty of time for that tomorrow," her voice was warm and knowing, like she was used to her classmate's enthusiasm and one-track mind.

With a small bow of her head she redirected her attention to Hiroto, her voice diplomatic but the fact she was forcing it told him that she was one of the ones who did not trust him...him shooting at her with a gun probably helped with that, "Hello again. My name is Itsuka Kendo, Hero Name: Battle Fist, and I think you remember my Quirk well enough. I am the Class Representative, so despite our previous differences I now represent you and the rest of the class, so if there is anything you need just let me know."

It would be difficult for him to ask for help from someone he knew disliked him, but Hiroto begrudgingly accepted that he may have to at some point: she was his class rep now and nothing he did would change that fact.

"Fine," he responded sourly, less able to mask his emotions compared to the mature girl.

A girl with a messy mop of green hair came after Kendo, bowing in an overly polite manner while clasping her hands together as if she was praying for some reason.

"I am Ibara Shiozaki. My Hero Name is Vine, and I pray for your soul now that you have returned from the darkness."

So she was praying...what the Hell is up with this girl?

Uncertain how to handle someone being religious towards him, Hiroto just nodded and accepted that he was likely going to sit at whatever lunchtable this girl was not at, "Uh, okay?"

And he thought Pony could be weird...

"Hey there, I'm Juzo Honenuki, but you can call me Mudman if you want. It's nice to actually meet you, Pony's talked about you a lot you know," said the next member of the class to do their self-introduction, Juzo smiling with his disturbing mouth as he did so. It seemed like he lacked lips, and so Hiroto found it a bit difficult to look at what looked like a mutilated boy, but his personality seemed quite cheerful.

What allowed him to actually properly face this other student was the mention of Pony, who nodded in confirmation when Juzo mentioned her. Despite this Hiroto still found himself asking if he was serious, as the thought of Pony talking about him to others made him have to fight the urge to blush.

"She has?"

"Yeah, I'm one of the only ones who can speak English well in the class so I'm usually on translation duty. Guess we can share that role now!" Juzo sat back down, but spoke up again a second later when something came across his mind, "Oh, and my Quirk 'Softening' allows me to soften inorganic materials I touch. Thought you should know!"

You don't seem that bad...too bad looking at you is creepy. Guess it's better than looking creepy and being mean.

The boy after was short and plump, with his appearance being just out of the ordinary enough for a U.A. student that Hiroto sort of recognized him from the Sports Festival, "I'm Nirengeki Shoda, and you can call me Mines. My Quirk, Twin Impact, allows me to remotely detonate a second, stronger impact if I've hit something."

"You gave up at the tournament because of the mind-controller, right?"

Said student was now a part of 1-A, or so Hiroto heard, so he was quite tempted to have a face off with the purple haired kid.

Shoda nodded to confirm Hiroto's question, "Yeah, that's me. I didn't think it was right to win without being conscious of it."

"A win's a win, but that's your decision," Hiroto commented, sensing that the other boy didn't quite like him from the moment he spoke and thus not caring about offending him further.

After the short kid of the class came another boy, one who Hiroto didn't recognize at all but who seemed annoyed to see him, "Yosetsu Awase, 'Welder' is what I'm called. As my Hero Name suggests I can weld any two objects together at an atomic level, just like I welded a tracking device to that monster of yours which nearly sawed my head off."

That explains the attitude...

In this instance Hiroto couldn't really blame the guy for being mad: he wasn't knocked out like the others, he was almost sawed to pieces. Still, Hiroto didn't have anything to do with the deployment of the Nomu and actually didn't like it, so he found himself sympathizing with Awase unlike most the class.

Hiroto nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I was planning on gassing that thing if it tried hurting Pony, but never got the chance to deal with the Nomu because someone broke my mask."

His words put Awase off-guard, surprised that he was not arguing with the new kid about what happened. Perhaps he wasn't too bad after all?

Tetsutetsu felt the need to interject based on Hiroto's accounting of events though.

"You shot my mask!"

Ignoring him, Hiroto turned to face the next student, "Moving on..."

The next person was the most generic kid Hiroto has ever encountered in his life, and he was certain he would forget him the moment he left class that day only to be reminded of him on occasion during class. With a plain face and plain brown hair there wasn't much to say about this kid, and his introduction was as large as his presence.

"Well, I guess I'll go...I'm Kosei Tsuburaba. I can create walls with the air I breathe."

Boring...

As they were going across the room the next person to make an introduction was not actually present at the seat which had been reached, instead still being at the front of the class where she stood in support of her friend: Pony.

Pony smiled as she took her turn, briefly pumping a fist up into the air out of joy for it being her turn. This done, she brought her index fingers up to touch the horns atop her head as she began to speak, "I'm Miss America, Pony Tsunotori! I can use my horns in all sorts of ways, like shooting, stabby stabby, and even flying! Midnight-sensei helped me pick name since couldn't think of one before."

Having watched her body move as she pumped her fist up into the air, Hiroto couldn't exactly argue much with the name...instead he found himself averting his eyes from her entirely. That was exactly the kind of name his mother would help someone choose.

"It's fitting," Hiroto mumbled, confusing Pony a bit and making her look over to the shy boy.

She wasn't the only one confused, with Tetsutetsu leaning over towards Kendo to ask her about what Pony's Hero Name was in reference to or why Mustard would be embarrassed, "I don't get it."

Sighing from beside Tetsu, Kendo shook her head as she wrapped her head around the title herself, "Miss America is an American beauty pageant, and Pony's from America, so it's exactly the kind of idea Miss Midnight would come up with."

"Oh, so it's because her boobs are big enough to win a beauty contest, right?"

"Tetsu!" Kendo chided as fiercely as she could while remaining in a whisper.

Hiroto's face went pale as he tried to blank his mind from the conversation being had at the moment, while Pony just giggled as if Tetsu said something funny...it was hard to tell if she understood what Tetsu said or if she was amused by his bluntness, but whatever the case her not being embarrassed helped Hiroto calm himself at least a bit. It was hard for a boy at his age to not spend his time glaring at her chest, so having attention explicitly drawn to it was absolute murder for his state of mind.

With a glare from Vlad indicating that they should move on, the next student rose from his seat. Quite tall, he was a beast of a man figuratively and literally: he was hairy like a gorilla and quite well built unlike the other boys in the class who tended towards being lanky.

"Ahem. I am Jurota Shishida, Hero Name 'Gevaudan', and I am able to transform into a beast to increase my physical capabilities."

Another short intro...guess Beast doesn't like me. Never was my favorite X-Men character anyways.

Next after Jurota was a Chinese boy who was also quite terse, "Hiryu Rin, call me Dragon Shroud. I can grow and fire scales from my body or use them as body armor."

Whatever, Spike. Just don't get in my way.

A more lively member of 1-B followed, that being a boy with pitch black skin and white hair who gave a wicked grin to Hiroto during his introduction, "Shihai Kuroiro, Vantablack is my Hero Name. I can merge with and control anything that is black, so remember that when you are choosing how to dress."

Don't wear black then? Our school uniform has black in it! That's unfair...at least the girls wear nice skirts.

Oh wait, he can control their skirts.

...

He is not allowed to be around Pony. Don't care what anybody says.

A short girl introduced herself next, being the only one seemingly shorter than Hiroto except for the plump boy. Her hair was reminiscent of a mushroom, and so the words which followed came as no surprise to Mustard, "I'm Kinoko Komori, my Hero Name is Shemage, and I can spawn spores which can grow mushrooms on any surface. The more humid it is the better for my Quirk."

"So the mushroom girl makes mushrooms. How fitting," he wanted to think that one, but couldn't help but snark about it out-loud.

Pony chimed in with enthusiasm befitting someone who had always thought the same thing but hadn't talked about it with anybody before, "I know right?!"

Komori nodded with a small smile, but Hiroto got the feeling that she was just being polite: she wasn't glaring at him like some of the others, but she wasn't sort of on his side like Tetsu or Monoma.

Given the hypothetical power of her Quirk...well he was a bit worried about that. She was one of the only members he would rather stay on the good side of.

Beware the Goomba...

After the mushroom girl was another cartoonish member of the class, though in this instance it was more literally cartoonish: his head was a speech bubble one would see in a comic book or manga.

This, to Hiroto, was incredibly weird and it left him wondering how he eats.

"My name is Manga Fukidashi and my Hero Name is Comicman. I can make onomatopoeia come to life in the form of giant text that has the characteristics of the word."

Fitting...

Hiroto nodded, pointing a thumb over at Pony beside him, "I bet it goes right over Pony's head. That's hard to really translate I would think."

After the Manga-man was someone whose introduction was given as bluntly as possible, looking bored as he did so

"I'm Sen Kaibara. You can call me Spiral, or not. Don't really care. I can rotate parts of my body like a drill."

Another generic looking guy...did U.A. run out of its character creation budget with 1-A, or is there actually anything special about these two?

Given how little he said, and the fact the boy seemed personally miffed at Hiroto, made the new 1-B member think maybe Sen held a grudge over the training camp events. It wasn't distrust like he was feeling from some others, but rather it felt more like the attitude of a sore loser who got beat.

Hiroto could relate, not that he would admit it.

The girl who stood up after Sen was of a similar disposition towards Hiroto, not even feigning a smile as she grimaced at her new classmate, "Setsuna Tokage, and my Quirk allows me to split into numerous pieces. My Quirk name is Lizardy, and that's all I've got to say."

Another outwardly hostile one...that's fine Gecko. Hope you'll learn to stay out of my way too.

While it was hard to say what the look upon the next student's face was, Hiroto thought he heard a more positive sounding voice than the previous few.

"I am Togaru Kamakiri. Hero Name: Jack Mantis. Obvious, I know, but my Quirk is a little less so: I can protrude blades from anywhere on my body."

His name was quite fitting given his appearance, being an insectoid-human cross who Hiroto had not forgotten even though it had been quite some time since he first saw him.

"I remember you from the cavalry battle," Hiroto stated in a neutral tone, trying to not betray his feelings in this one matter. After all, if he explained why he disliked this boy so irrationally not only would Pony know of his crush, but he would quickly become the class laughingstock: something Hiroto was eager to never be again.

Mantis guy...yeah, I remember you. I'll enjoy testing my Quirk on you when I get the chance.

While his distaste of Monoma was more due to the fact he could pose as a hypothetical romantic rival, in this instance Hiroto just didn't like the idea that some other guy got to ride on Pony's back, especially since his mind has been clouded with innuendo day in and day out due to Midnight. It was petty again, but he was still learning how to handle these new feelings he was having and his temperament left him emotionally vulnerable to any form of threat to his relationship with Pony.

After all, if you possess a deep inferiority complex and are surrounded by the best students in the nation it's hard not to wonder if maybe the pretty girl you like might like one of these relatively normal guys who don't have the same baggage and personality flaws you do. Despite proclaiming superiority it was in fact the opposite of how Hiroto truly felt, which is why he had to try and constantly prove to himself and others that he was special and that he did deserve their affection or attention.

Kojiro Bondo's introduction soon afterwards was quiet much like the tall boy, and quick since he and Hiroto already knew eachother well enough that a deeper explanation was unnecessary. This allowed for the next person to introduce theirself, that being a girl with a seemingly permanent blank expression on her face.

"Yui Kodai. Rule. I can resize inanimate objects."

...that's it?

Unlike some of the others it seemed less like the girl was being abrupt and rude, and more that she just wasn't a talkative person. Hiroto was somewhat understanding of that, as he wasn't that social either...but when he got talking he kept talking as Pony liked to nag him about since it impacted his fighting ability.

Rather than press the issue of the quiet girl not saying much, Hiroto just looked onto the next and last one of the class...finding what seemed to be another emotionless girl, though this one had white hair instead of black and was holding her arms out in front of her like some stereotypical ghost might.

"My name is Reiko Yanagi, and I can tell you are less hateful than before so you can call me by my Hero name Emily too. My Quirk 'Poltergeist' allows me to telekinetically control nearby objects up to a Human's body weight."

Less hateful? What is that even supposed to mean, Boo? Some kids are really weird...

"It...it's nice to meet you?" Hiroto responded, unsure of himself since while she sounded nice he was also instantly weirded out by her way of speaking.

With the class finished with their introductions, Vlad spoke up again in his gruff voice, "That's enough everyone. It's time for your next class."

Hiroto sat down in a seat added to the room to accommodate him, its placement such that it allowed him to sit right beside Pony which no doubt was engineered by the school to have the 1-B member he knew best nearby him. Pony was no doubt going to be his morality chain here, something Hiroto and U.A. were well aware of, but in truth they didn't have to worry...he had no intentions of leaving Pony, Midnight, or even Gunhead now behind. This was his new life, and he was incredibly grateful for it.

So it was a small thing that he was able to sit next to Pony, but he appreciated it all the same: they wanted him on his best behavior and so facilitated that by keeping someone he liked so close that he wouldn't even think about doing anything bad.

It also made it easy for him to lean over and ask a question quietly, as now that he had his own desk he came to the realization he didn't know what they were going to go do next.

"Do you have a class schedule? I'm curious what's ahead of us..."

Midnight had his schedule at the house, but he had been so nervous this morning he forgot it and much of the other materials he prepared for the day. It took some willpower to face down the group of people he attacked and admit he didn't feel remorse since it was what he needed to do to have his 'family' at the time, but he did it now and things were beginning to feel easier bit by bit.

Pony was all too willing to help, handing over a personalized version of the class schedule she had made, "Uh-huh, here go."

He wasn't too surprised by the fact Pony had small doodles on it, specifically of a lightning bolt rainbow, a group of apples, some gems, sparkles, a butterfly, and then some party balloons, and it made him blush as he thought about how adorable this girl was. He hated that his mind was saying that so clearly as it felt more like a Midnight statement than something he would say, but he couldn't really blame Midnight since he had feelings like this rush to his head even before he even really knew his mother...blaming her now wouldn't help anything.

While attempting to silence his mind's affection with Pony Hiroto began to read the schedule over, though Pony chiming in to help didn't actually help him get his mind off her.

"Is Monday, so English with Loud-sensei, then Mathematics with Team Plasma, after that is literature with Cinderblock-sensei, and then History with...Midnight-sensei."

Her brief pause before saying her nickname for Midnight pulled Hiroto out of his reverie just long enough to read the schedule closer, noticing now more than just the subjects listed: she had nicknames written instead of teacher's names, and they all matched right up until the end where Pony's self-censorship revealed itself.

Sugoi Dekai Oppai-sensei...

Thoughts of Pony being adorable were replaced with Hiroto trying to keep himself from laying down on his desk and letting out a deep, disappointed sigh.

"You wrote 'Super Big Boob-sensei' under History."

Realizing she was caught, Pony shrugged at him and giggled: she liked having

"Where is lie though?"

A/N: I apologize for the long wait, and for this chapter being a bit of a breather plot-wise, but things will pick up next chapter I promise as Hiroto experiences his classes! I got super busy working as a teacher IRL which caused me to have issues being able to write since I ended up with about 2 hours of free time a day, which I needed to just decompress from work...now I have a much more open schedule though so I can actually do things for fun again which is quite nice.

Special thanks to Spartan3909, reza0807, BlackendReaper, John Prodman, and CrazyBigDinAZ for your reviews last chapter, and to lilmarten02, RedFlowerInk, AinzNamikazeD, SirD95, action.1.9.1999, Amadeus Amadeus, Aether0119, Royalist Samurai Oni, LilyRose25, crazy soul dx, CrazyBigDinAZ, albertocervantes569, Khavassa, Veevee32, Truered11, ChesterCheshire, Z75, and AdilPerez for your favorites/follows! It is your support that allowed me to come back from the abyss known as working all day, and so I am most grateful, and apologize again for the delay.

Thank you for reading, and I hope to hear your thoughts in the reviews below! Happy New Years!