As the lights fade in one of U.A.'s gymnasiums, the grand room hushes from anticipation.
"I'm not sure if this will work," Aizawa stood in the back, arms folded, overlooking the crowd of bustling students eager to get a look at his homeroom class' upcoming performance. Togata Mirio was in the distance, propping Eri up on his shoulder so she could get a better view.
"Come on, Sho. It's your class. Have some faith!" Hizashi exclaims beside him, waving his hands to accentuate his point.
"I didn't ask you. Don't abandon your post," Aizawa tsked at his best friend.
The curtains begin to open, and cheers erupt as a result. Chants of support for Yaoyorozu in particular begin.
"Cut me some slack! I wasn't going to miss your class' event! I'll stay halfway." Aizawa knowingly eyes his best friend. There was no way Hizashi would leave a concert, even if it was half-assed. He faces the back of crowd once again.
"There are some disappointed with U.A.'s latest decisions and have placed the blame on Class 1-A," Aizawa observes. It's safe to assume they're here to find yet another reason to bash my class with.
"Sure, but many seem to be here to enjoy it. What's up with the chant for Yaoyorozu anyways?" Hizashi asks, now joining him against the wall. Aizawa shrugs, seemingly uninterested. Hizashi only grins.
"LET'S MURDER THEM, SHITHEADS!" Of course he could hear Bakugo even from where he was standing. In tune with the abrupt statement, explosions literally ensue – drums blare from the effect of Bakugo's quirk and the rest of the band follows suit to kick off their performance. A literal bang. He looks toward Mirio and Eri, who has her hands over her ears. That was not logically the best start for her.
"THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE!" Jiro exclaims from the stage. He tries to focus on the performance and Eri, concerned for both his students' desired impact to shine through as well as the child's comfort in a loud, huddled environment for the very first time.
As the music begins to gain momentum and the dance team steps into full swing, movement disturbs his left side.
"No, no, do not copy their dancing," he almost commands Hizashi, who doesn't stop synchronizing with Ashido's movements.
"Oh, come ooooonnn! It's actually fun!" Hizashi, in keeping up with the beat, adds his own spins to the choreographed moves. Aizawa can only slowly back away from the deranged man. He's meant to be a teacher for kami's sake.
"'Hero too!' You are 'a hero too,'" (Ayapeta, 2020).
Aizawa turns to the stage at the lyric, almost captivated by its implication and the message it conveyed. He only then notices Midoriya and Aoyama become the center focus.
"He better not be-," Aizawa starts, but is cut off by their following movements. "Yes, yes they would use his quirk for that. Of course," he face-palms. Midoriya had proceeded to fling Aoyama into the air, allowing him to turn into a human disco ball by shining his lasers into the audience. It was just enough force to where nobody would be harmed by them but remained visible enough for the desired effect.
"Hey Sho! Did you teach them that?! That was epic!" Hizashi had definitely long forgotten his duty of patrolling the campus and was in full attendance of the makeshift concert-acrobatics show in front of him.
Midoriya went to exit the stage, looking behind him to throw a thumbs up in Eri's general direction. Eri waves at him a little but is hesitant. She's probably disappointed that he left so soon. Out of the corner of his eye, Mineta throws up a bunch of his purple hair. Shoji had attached one of the balls to his extended arm, bouncing the rest of the balls high up into the air over the crowd.
Aizawa, following the balls, looks up to the balconies in search of his other students who hadn't yet appeared. Sero's tape, which immediately releases from the platforms above, springs out to catch some of the balls. Everything after that seemingly happens at once.
"'Hero too! I am a hero too'~"
A chill shot through the air with the chorus, and if Aizawa wasn't anticipating it, he would be shivering too. Todoroki released his right side from above, causing beams of ice to form around Mineta's and Sero's joint quirks.
Aoyama's lasers, now being drug through the air by Midoriya to continue the disco ball effect, were reflecting onto the crowd from the ice that Kirishima was also shedding. Birds flew across the ceiling, manning the lights and guiding students who were beginning to hover in the air, at Koda's instruction. Yaoyorozu even managed to pop off some streamers from her place on stage. Impressive.
"HELLLL YEAAAHHH! THIS IS AMAZING!" Hizashi pumps his fist beside him, jumping up and down. Aizawa looks to his friend and back toward those who formerly criticized his class. Giving up their intended criticism, they too break out into dance and enjoyment. He smirks and his shoulders finally slack a bit.
"Hahaha!" A high-pitched shrill breaks through the crowd and Aizawa eyes its direction. Eri's arms were waving excitedly up at the air toward those floating above her in equal excitement, due to Uraraka's quirk and Tsuyu's maneuvering. He couldn't help but fully smile to himself at the sight and hid his face inside the capture-scarf to conceal his own enjoyment.
The lyrics Jiro created for their performance resonated well with Aizawa. Anyone really could be a hero if they chose to stand up for what they believed in. It vaguely reminded him of when he had told Midoriya to stop trying, on Class 1-A's first day. He had simply been proven wrong.
This year's events… USJ, Hosu, the summer camp and its aftermath, let's not kid ourselves here, that was barely legal, and then being the one to defeat Overhaul, rescue Eri in turn, as well as bring her to a fun, normal-to-anyone-else-but-her event? All of it had quickly become too much for ordinary students to bare in their first year, but Midoriya, and now Togata, were still living with a smile.
"'I have met so many heroes in my life'~". Though the song's pace continues steadily, the new lyrics bring Aizawa's thoughts to his friends. Shirakumo, Hizashi, and Nemuri had definitely given him the crooked smile to survive all of these years, but the passing smile of Sir Nighteye shone in recent memory. All Might's unrelenting smile floods his vision to pair with it. Their sacrifices ever present in their daily lives.
Aizawa quickly searches for the older colleague, seeing if he had stuck around for the show after giving him an update on Midoriya's tardiness. He spots him in the corner closest to the back doors, leaning against the wall with his arms folded. His eyes might be deceiving him, but Aizawa believes in the tears.
Before he realizes he had even moved, Aizawa is leaning against the wall next to All Might. At least Hizashi was captivated enough by the concert to not pay attention to his friend's absence. Fortunately, he could still make out Eri and Togata from his new position.
"'Now it's my turn, to be the one to make you smile'~" A moment later and Jiro ends the song as a whole with the final strums of her guitar. Cheers erupt from the audience, still jumping in place. A chant begins as the gym's overhead lights closest to the stage come back on.
"1-A! 1-A! 1-A!"
"Thank you so much for coming! We hope you had a great time!" Jiro bows low to their newfound supporters. Yaoyorozu comes up to the microphone.
"On behalf of Class 1-A, we appreciate your attendance. We hope you have a wonderful rest of your day at this year's festival!" Yaoyorozu begins, bowing as well. The students begin to cheer singularly for her once more. "To those suspended in the air, we will assist in getting you down shortly. Please lookout for a fellow Class 1-A member and they will bring you to the ground or pull the tape toward the balconies. Again, thank you!" As the class begins to disperse for cleanup duty, Aizawa turns to All Might.
"I hope you smiled at least. That was the point," Aizawa buries his head into his scarf a little, keeping his eyes on Eri.
"I did, Aizawa-kun, I enjoyed that very much. Your class surprises me every day. However," All Might wipes his eyes with the back of his sleeve, "I now have a pupil to scold." He turns and briskly exits into the outside world to wait for Midoriya. Aizawa smirks in turn, staying in his spot to wait for Eri and Togata to meet him.
Togata, with Eri still on his shoulder, makes his way to Aizawa. He's speaking with Eri, asking her how much fun she had, and she spreads her arms as wide as she can. "This muuuch!"
"Good! How about you, Aizawa-sensei?" Togata turns to address him properly. Eri looks to him with a glittering smile and matching, glistening eyes.
Oh, to get the privilege of seeing another bright smile. Class 1-A, your feelings reached them. Aizawa smiles to her in return.
Song Lyrics Citation:
Ayapeta, Dizzy Sunfist (2020). Hero too [Yûki Hayashi Music]. On Boku no Hero Academia Season Four [Digital release]. Tokyo, Japan: Legendoor.