Despite the heartfelt nature of the conversation that had transpired between her and Jomei, and her realizations shortly thereafter, Akiko soon found herself reflecting on what it meant to her that, after the years they'd known each other, Jomei still had to deal with her issues rather than devoting even a paltry amount of time to his own – his weekend training with Ayane notwithstanding.

She understood that Jomei didn't see it as an issue, and would always be willing to help; nothing had changed just because he asked her out, but she saw it as an issue. She'd said it time and again, but she didn't think it was fair to him that she had to rely on him to be her beacon of hope away from home, even if mutual support was no new staple of their relationship.

Perhaps it was finding friends at U.A., or Takai recently backing her up against her parents, or maybe it was even being at U.A. in the first place, but she was finally coming to realize that she needed to be stronger. Not just physically, but mentally, so that when the day came that Jomei needed her, she could return the favor and be the rock he'd been for her ever since junior high. She needed to make sure Takai's faith in her wasn't misplaced. He'd pledged his support in defense of her becoming a hero, sure, but that didn't mean she could rely on him to be there for her all the time.

Becoming more independent, at least in mental fortitude, wouldn't just be a boon to her. It'd benefit those around her, taking some of the burdens off their shoulders and letting them live their lives to the fullest, without having to worry about Akiko doing the same.

It wouldn't be easy. The battle to keep herself at U.A. and her training to become a pro merely two weeks into her attendance at the hero academy was evidence enough of that.

But it'd be worth it.

She looked at Jomei and Denki, who were chatting at the latter's desk, and reminded herself that perhaps it wouldn't be too daunting a task regardless. At least she had the faith of her friends and her older brother at her back, and fortitude all her own, so perhaps she could make good on that faith in due time. Even despite whatever stumbling blocks inevitably came her way.

It was a comforting thought if nothing else.

Jomei waved dismissively at Denki as he returned to his desk next to Akiko's at the back of the room. Being completely out of the loop, Akiko looked at him, curious.

"What was that about?"

"Oh, nothing… Denki was just asking for tips on how to embellish his story of what happened at the USJ. Said it was to 'maximize his cool factor' in the future, when people presumably ask him about what happened."

"It'd be pretty hard to do that when the real heroes there were the pros."

"That was kind of my point. That, and I think everyone who'd ever really bother to ask would be whatever fans he'd already have as a pro. They'd do the work and embellish the story for him, even if he told them how he was pushed to his limits. I mean, you only need to look at any hero forum online to know that much."

Akiko propped her cheek on her fist. "Right. Doesn't Snipe have some fans that say he once took down three dozen villains with one bullet?"

"Yeah. His story says it actually took a full clip of his pistol to do that, while his fans just exaggerate because they like him so much. Celebrity worship at its finest. Even if you don't sell yourself as one, some people are going to treat you that way once you get a fanbase."

"Looking forward to it?"

Jomei shrugged. "Eh, kinda. Not the rabid hero-worship that leads to people lying about you, though – more the whole 'people just looking up to you' angle, if that makes sense."

Akiko just started to nod when Hagakure skipped merrily into the room. Calling for everyone's attention, she flailed her arms wildly to make her invisible body even louder than her voice could be over the conversations transpiring in their homeroom.

"Hey, guys! Have you all been watching the news the past few days?"

Ojiro casually raised a hand. "I have. It's kind of hard not to lately."

"Right?!" She agreed, and she popped into her chair near him. "It's just awesome that we all got some screen time! Even though I probably didn't get noticed in the background…"

"Probably not," Shoji agreed.

Ojiro jolted. "H-hey! I think what he meant to say was that it's just kinda hard to get noticed when you're just a pair of floating gloves."

Hagakure deflated onto her desk. "I guess…"

"I like to think we're pretty big deals, though," Denki said. "The news channels love us! Pretty sure Jomei and I are top-tier though. We did some…" He struck an exaggerated flex atop his desk. "Pretty cool moves back there."

Jomei snorted. "Calm down there, Denki."

"I dunno about anyone being top-tier just because of one brawl, but I gotta agree," Kirishima said. "I think a lotta eyes are on us lately. It's crazy!"

"Probably because one of the two hero classes U.A. recruits yearly was attacked," Kyoka interjected. "We're a good story they can sell, not much else, so don't go getting an ego because of some fluke."

"Oh come on, man, let me have this!" Denki whined. "Akiko, you're on my side, right?"

"I… abstain from judgment."

Denki just grumbled in defeat as he melted into his chair.

"Who knows what would've happened if the teachers didn't show up…" Sero mused.

"Why would you say that!?" Mineta squealed. "Have you ever heard of tempting fate before!? I'm gonna pee myself just thinking abou-"

"Oh, shut up and grow a pair, loser!" Bakugo roared.

Jomei's brows raised at the outburst, but he said nothing. "Yeah, the pro teachers were amazing… but All Might was something else."

"Right?" Sato agreed. "That brain dude was super strong and All Might still beat him!"

Tokoyami bowed his head thoughtfully. "Indeed. His strength is nothing short of the stuff of legends. We would all do well to remember his example moving forward."

Overhead, the clock ticked forward. It was time for class to start.

Iida instantly surged forth to the podium. "Attention! Homeroom class is about to begin! Everyone diminish your conversations and take your seats!"

"...uh, class rep? We're already sitting," Kirishima pointed out.

"Yeah, you're the only one standing," Sero said.

Just as quickly, Iida crashed back into his seat, hunching over in what looked like a mix of embarrassment and consternation. "Curse the paradoxes of being class rep…"

"Don't you sweat it!" Uraraka singsonged.

Yaoyorozu snapped her booklet shut. "I wonder who'll be teaching class today… by all reason and logic, Aizawa-sensei should still be in the hospital recovering right about now."

Akiko hummed thoughtfully. "Wait, Jomei?"

"Yeah?"

"You and your mom know a bunch of people on the force, right?"

Jomei blinked in realization, and Yaoyorozu's eyes fell on him. "She's right. My mom works in the force, and she knows Tsukauchi – the guy who debriefed us at the USJ. He hasn't exactly been giving Mom a constant feed of info though. He's got things to do, and so does she."

"Understandable." Yaoyorozu nodded. "I suppose we'll just have to wait and see who's filling in the spot for homeroom teacher, then."

As if on cue, the door slammed open, and a familiar black boot-wearing foot lazily lowered itself to the ground after punishing the offensive object for getting in its way. Then, the figure behind the threshold of Class 1-A spoke.

"Morning, class," Aizawa deadpanned.

It was unmistakably him. From the hero outfit to the completely disheveled look of his hair and unenthusiastic tone of voice, it was him. His face was a mess of bandages with holes for breathing and sight, and his arms were bound in tight casts that hung around his torso. He looked like he'd gone through hell, and indeed he had, but there he was.

He sluggishly limped towards the podium like he hadn't needed emergency medical attention a few days ago.

"Jeez…" Jomei stressed. "Intense…"

Denki's jaw dropped. "How the…"

Iida's hand shot up. "Aizawa-sensei! I'm glad you're okay!"

"I'm not sure if that's exactly okay…" Uraraka said.

"My well-being is irrelevant." Aizawa finally arrived at the podium and stared down his pupils. "What's important is that your fight isn't over yet."

"Our fight?" Akiko whispered.

Jomei and her looked at each other. "He doesn't mean…?"

"More bad guys…?" Mineta shook.

"The U.A. Sports Festival is about to start," Aizawa finished.

And just like that, any potential worry was nipped in the bud.

"Yesssssssss!" Kirishima quietly cheered.

Jomei sighed in relief. "Is anyone else getting the feeling Aizawa-sensei enjoys misleading us or-"

"Alright, everyone, let's kick some ass-!"

Denki's hand smushed into Kirishima's cheek, silencing his vigor. "Wait a sec, man, something feels weird here."

"For once, Denki's right." Kyoka agreed. "Is it really a good idea to hold the Sports Festival so soon after the USJ attack? We'll all be cooped up in the same spot at the same time, it'd be an easy target for the villains to take advantage of."

"Well, apparently the administration thinks that this is a good way to signify the situation has been handled and U.A. is safer than ever," Aizawa explained. "Plus, security is being beefed up this year with extra pros are being pulled onto the site to keep things safe. Preventative care, and all that. Besides, this is a tremendous opportunity for all students at U.A. – not something to be canceled just because a few villains made a name for themselves."

"Uh, why not? It's just the Sports Festival," Mineta fretted.

Midoriya looked behind him. "Huh? Mineta, don't you know how important this competition is?"

"Of course I do, I just don't want to get murdered…"

"As I was saying," Aizawa continued, "the Sports Festival is the most important event of the year in Japan. The Olympics do still exist, yes, but stringent regulations to make sure Quirks don't give an unfair advantage in any event have led to growing disinterest in the games, at least so far as Japan is concerned. Thus, the U.A. Sports Festival is the de facto premier event for anyone with an itch to witness true competition – the kind that doesn't bar its participants from using their Quirks to their fullest. Every person in every prefecture in the country is going to be watching."

"That's right. Even Pro Heroes are going to be watching!" Yaoyorozu clenched a fist before her. "This is where you get scouted!"

Jomei smiled. "And make a name for yourself…"

"Yeah, unless you're dead," Mineta whined.

"They're right, though," Akiko mused. "A lot of people after graduating join hero agencies as a sidekick, and it's not unheard of for some to already have fans from how they did at the Sports Festival."

"And being a sidekick's just a hop and a skip away from going independent with your own agency!" Denki pointed out.

"Yeah, but that's also as far as some people go," Kyoka interjected. "They miss their chance to make their own brand after joining up with a big name and end up permanent sidekicks. It seems like your kind of gig, Denki."

"Hey!"

"It's true, interning under a hero agency can provide you greater experience and popularity, and that's why the festival matters," Aizawa said. "If any of you want to go pro one day, this event can open doors for you. One chance a year."

Jomei's face lit up with a familiar determination.

"Three chances in a lifetime."

Kyoka and Denki's expressions hardened.

"No aspiring hero can miss this festival," Aizawa finished.

Akiko nodded.

"That means that none of you can slack off on your training. Understood?"

Class 1-A responded in one voice. "Yes, sir!"

"Then class is dismissed. I'm going to go take a nap."


Finally, the bell rang, and Cementoss' latest lecture on western literature came to a close.

It had been a few hours since Aizawa had revealed the imminence of the Sports Festival, and not a single soul in Class 1-A had yet been free to vent their unbridled excitement of what the event meant for them. Lectures layered themselves one after the other, and although no one was foolish enough not to pay attention, it was clear everyone's minds were more keenly aware of the electricity in the air than their teachers' informative words. In a sense, it was reminiscent of the time everyone spent waiting for All Might to show up to their first class with him, only this time the potential rewards for their patience when the Sports Final itself finally arrived were far greater than their getting to meet the Symbol of Peace.

Akiko was as enthralled as everyone else about the festival, but she was equally interested in the passage Cementoss had been going over when the lunch bell rang. Jomei may have nearly fallen asleep during the lesson, but she was more than eager to pick up the slack and even read ahead.

Besides, it wasn't like she'd be missing out on any conversations around her. She could juggle reading and listening.

"Ok, that villain stuff sucked, sure, but I'm pumped for these games!" Kirishima cheered.

Sero leaned his arm on Kirishima's shoulder. "We put on a good show and we're basically on the road to being pros!"

"Yeah, this is why I'm here in the first place!" Sato said.

"We get so few chances…" Tokoyami murmured. "It's exhilarating, I must admit."

Hagakure flailed her arms. "Hey, hey! I'm getting really nervous about the festival! I need to come up with a cheer or something! I have to get myself noticed! Ojiro, any ideas?"

"Uh-"

"Dearie me," Aoyama interrupted. "What's a boy to do? I stand out even when I'm not in my costume! I almost envy you two for being so plain. The curse of being so distinguished…"

"Wait, what'd you say?" Ojiro deadpanned.

At least Koda was there to catch Aoyama before he hit the ground.

Denki sighed peacefully. "You know, Jomei, you're super lucky – your Quirk was made for this kind of event!"

"Trust me, I know." Jomei leaned back in his chair. "I hit the freaking jackpot when it comes to my Quirk. If I was missing any element of it or it was just a little less flashy or powerful, then I don't know what I'd be doing right about now. Still! I got it, and I'm totally going to do work with it at the Sports Festival."

"None of what you said was incorrect," Yaoyorozu said, "but nevertheless, you still have to balance flair with usefulness. A well-trained user of an unimpressive-looking yet versatile Quirk will often overcome overly flashy fighters who rely on a handful of moves to win all their fights."

"Eh, don't you worry, I've got it covered! You may have seen a lot of what my Quirk could do during the battle trials, but don't count me out yet! I've still got a trick or two up my sleeve, and I'll be more fired up than ever when the festival hits!"

"No doubt Denki's going to make a scene too once he fries himself," Kyoka snickered.

Denki glared at her. "Hey! I didn't short myself out back at the USJ, and we were on the ropes back there! Shut up!"

As Kyoka tried to suppress her clear urge to giggle at her friend's indignation, Tsu had made her way next to Yaoyorozu, though her attention was clearly fixed on someone else. Akiko couldn't quite tell who she was looking at.

"What about you Takara? You've been pretty quiet about all this, ribbit."

Akiko shook her head lightly. She knew it was inevitable she'd be drawn into the conversation, so she wasn't all that surprised. The relative peace and quiet she'd been enjoying within the confines of Cementoss' assigned reading had been pleasant enough, but all things came to an end some way or another.

It also helped distract her from something that was far more imminent.

She bookmarked her page. "Well, I am excited, but… I do have a lot on my mind right now. Jomei can vouch for me on that."

He raised a hand. "Vouching."

'And Ashido isn't listening in to mortify me, so at least there's that.'

"Well, I certainly can't blame you for feeling that way." Yaoyorozu stood. "U.A. keeps its students busy, and it's up to us to make time for our personal lives in addition to the workload. Our training to become pros presses our time management skills to their limits, to speak nothing of our bodies and minds."

"Still," Akiko continued, and she began putting away her things. "I'm going to do my best. It's going to be crazy, being at the biggest event of the year as one of the people participating, but I have to prove myself. All of us do."

"No arguments there," Kyoka concurred. "Good point."

Akiko stood and donned her bag. She could've sworn she felt Jomei smiling at her, but an interruption grabbed everyone's attention before she could check.

"Alright, everyone...!" Uraraka growled, an unusually fierce expression on her face. "Listen up! When the Sports Festival comes around, I'm going to do my best!"

Iida, Midoriya, and Ashido cheered her on.

She punched a fist up and whirled towards Akiko's group. "Did you hear me? I'm going to do my best!"

This time… she received a slightly-less steady cheer.

Jomei was into it, at least.

"You sure you're okay though…?" Denki asked. "You look kinda nuts…"

"One more time, for everyone else!" Uraraka roared. "I'm going to do my best!"

"Yeah…"

"Got it…"

"Seriously, is she okay?"

As Uraraka's moment of unbridled fierceness continued, Akiko stared in confusion, awe, and curiosity all at once. She was normally the most laid-back girl in Class 1-A, but she was also the bluntest – Akiko had witnessed that trait of hers firsthand. Perhaps that was why she was being so absolutely wild right now?

It wasn't the most implausible reading of a person Akiko had ever had. In fact, in this case, Akiko was convinced that she'd hit the nail on the head, that Uraraka's bluntness and open nature led her to be more evidently excited than anyone else in their class. But she also knew Uraraka wasn't the only one amped up for the upcoming festival. Everyone was, and everyone would be at the top of their game for it, as what happened there could very well decide a great deal of what their futures would look like.

Only one question remained – could she match them?


It was a proposition that poked at the back of Akiko's mind. It wasn't something that caused her unease or concern, but instead, it left her feeling simply unsure if it was a question she could answer, which only lead her to further dissatisfaction with her unawareness.

Physical readiness to go toe-to-toe with her classmates wasn't a concern. She may have been lither than any of the girls in Class 1-A, but she certainly made up for her lack of muscle in the department of power and technique, at least so far as she was aware. She knew how to take care of herself – or more specifically, her body – no matter what was going on in her life, that much was a constant.

Mental readiness was another matter entirely.

She'd promised herself that she'd try to be more emotionally stable so that those closest to her didn't have to worry about her so often, and that decision wasn't one she would be taking back. But none of this planning to create her own brand of determination meant that it would necessarily happen. She'd do her best, but it wasn't unlikely that she'd still need to use tremendous effort to keep her worryful nature under control. Unfortunately, one slip-up, one moment of weakness would be all it would take to ruin her chances in the Sports Festival, and that was without knowing the exact details of what events would transpire there this year.

Nonetheless, she was aware that she could only wait and see what the Sports Festival would bring. The first step to being a better version of herself would be to try and clamp down on her brain blasting her with worst-case scenarios, after all.

Again, that was easier said than done, but still. Progress had to start somewhere, right?

She grabbed a second tray and, after a brief explanation to Lunch Rush that she was getting Jomei's lunch too, began dishing out his serving. All she needed was a good distraction and the fact she needed to make sure Jomei didn't lose his opportunity to copy her literature notes would be more than enough to keep her occupied for the time being.

Besides, making sure he didn't slack off was always a fun time, and maybe it would even help her not think about whatever else would be happening with them later that day.

That, and the sight of increasingly familiar indigo hair.

Shinso wasn't someone Akiko saw often, this was nothing new. But it wasn't like they were actively avoiding one another either. Sometimes she'd see him at lunch or vice versa, their eyes would meet, Shinso would give his nebulous nod of acknowledgment, and for whatever reason, the pair would thereby ignore each other for the rest of lunch. Whether this was because of their mutual choice or a shared lack of feeling an urgent need to contact one another, Akiko wasn't sure. Denki, Kyoka, and Jomei kept her occupied a lot of the time though, so at least she had some semblance of an excuse.

So far as she was aware, Shinso didn't have that same luxury. Then again, she wasn't aware of a lot of things that were potentially going on in Shinso's life, as they'd only spoken a whopping two times to one another. For all she knew, he simply had friends of his own in the mess hall to keep him company.

She somehow doubted it, though.

It was clear that today would be different. Instead of merely nodding when he made eye contact and leaving it at that, this time, he actively moved to meet her at the end of the lunch line, his own tray in hand. As she moved out into the open, Akiko consciously decided not to try and predict his intentions, instead opting to just go with the flow. Shinso was a stoic and hard-to-read person at the best of times.

He arrived next to her and glanced at her trays. "You aren't just deciding to become an animal like everyone else here, right?"

Akiko sighed. "No, I'm kind of just getting food for a friend – he was half-asleep during literature today and I'm making sure he doesn't have an excuse for falling behind."

"Must be one hell of a hard worker, then, to be falling asleep in class," Shinso said, impassive. "I'm afraid I can't relate."

Looking Shinso in his tired eyes, Akiko couldn't tell if that was supposed to be a joke or not.

"Anyway… the Sports Festival is coming up."

"Right…?" She wondered where he was going with that.

"You know how the festival's set up?"

'Does he not know?'

"Yeah, I do," she started. "Every year classes are divided into groups depending on their years, with each year getting their own day dedicated to the events so that there aren't any unfair advantages in terms of experience. Year groups are then split up further into sub-groups – the support, hero, business, and general studies departments all end up fighting each other in the preliminary trials. Whoever makes it past the initial games faces off in the finals. It's sort of like a multi-stage tournament."

"That's how I'm getting in."

"What?"

"Takara, the Sports Festival has the eyes of anyone who's worth anything on it." Shinso's tone was firm. "The hero course always takes the spotlight because their Quirks are the most well-explored, and they get to practice with them more than anyone, but that doesn't mean the other courses don't have their uses for the festival as well."

"I… never thought of that. I've watched the Sports Festival every year, but I've never realized…"

"That's because the only thing people care about nowadays is heroes, and the festival is where a lot of them make a name for themselves before they even become sidekicks. The hero course would get the spotlight even if none of them made it to the finals – you guys are always the ones with the flashy Quirks. Every other course still needs the Sports Festival, too, though. The support course uses it like an expo to show off whatever gadgets they can come up with, and the business course uses it as a practice trade show. To both of them, the festival is a chance to get noticed by companies and agencies for their talents."

"Which leaves the general education course…"

Shinso nodded. "Which almost no one wants to be in, to begin with. I think that it goes without saying what a lot of us are going to try and do during the Sports Festival. The spotlight may always land on the hero course, but that doesn't mean the rest of us can't try."

Akiko bit her lip lightly. "I know this is about to sound stupid, but why are you telling me this stuff?"

"Because I'm warning you for your sake. People may not be gunning for you in particular, Takara, but everyone else at U.A. is going to have their eyes on the hero course, and 1-A – especially after the USJ incident," Shinso elaborated. "Good job on not getting yourself killed there, by the way."

She barely processed the compliment. Perhaps it was because she had saved him, or because she seemed to be the only person he bothered to talk to, so far as she was aware, but it didn't matter. Everything Shinso had just told her was true, and it didn't seem like he had anything to gain by misleading her after telling her so much, but still…

"This doesn't explain what your exact plan to get yourself transferred is, though."

"That I'll explain later," Shinso deflected. "No offense, but I'm not someone who likes to repeat himself over and over because I enjoy the sound of my voice. I'm planning to make exactly what my intentions are known to 1-A by the end of the day. Unless you have somewhere to be, you'll learn the details there. I'll see you around, Takara."

Just as suddenly as he had come back into Akiko's life, he was gone. They rounded a corner, Shinso stepped into another moving line of students and disappeared into the crowd with little more than a look that indicated his unspoken goodbye. For a few moments, Akiko stood frozen in place, just processing his sudden departure and the information he'd given her.

Yes, he'd made her aware that the hero course had a target painted on their backs. Yes, he'd expressed some iota of hidden humanity in congratulating her for her surviving the USJ. Indeed, he'd even gone so far as to give her a hint as to his grand scheme to get into the hero course, and yet despite all the insights Shinso had given her into what was going on with him, she was left with even more questions than before.

What, deep down, made him the way he is?

What exactly had him so confident about his plan?

And why did she, despite not knowing the first thing about it, believe in it?


General confusion aside, lunch proceeded without incident from that point. Akiko didn't run into anyone who felt the need to blow her mind or, in what would've been Ashido's case, drag her to a 'girls-only' conversation, and she arrived at her social circle's table with plenty of time to spare. Of course, Jomei picked up on her sense of bewilderment in short order, as did Denki and Kyoka. She may not be the sparkling conversationalist of their group, but she typically did more than thoughtfully stare at her vegetables on a normal day at lunch.

Fortunately, none of her off-centeredness seemed to cause them any unwarranted concern. After informing Denki and Kyoka of her 'history' with Shinso and what he'd recently told her, her truthful admittance that she was simply confused as to his plans to get into the hero course quickly led her friends to lay off. She was able to get Jomei back on track in terms of copying her literature notes before lunch ended, the quartet enjoyed some socializing, and things genuinely started to feel normal. Or as close to normal as life could be for them, given all that had happened in the past two weeks.

That relative peace didn't last, though.

At the end of the school day, as soon as Uraraka opened the door to leave, there was a veritable swarm of people crowding the hall outside Class 1-A's homeroom.

It was at that moment that Akiko was surprised… to find out she wasn't surprised.

'Shinso wasn't kidding about everyone having their eyes on the hero course…'

"Um… what the heck are you all doing here!?" Uraraka incredulously asked.

Iida stepped up beside her. "Do you have some kind of business with our class?"

Mineta was next. "Why're you all blocking our doorway? I won't let you hold us hostage!"

"They're scouting out the competition, idiots." Bakugo started walking towards the gathered students. "We're the ones who survived a real villain attack. They want to see us with their own eyes."

"I suppose such a thing is possible…" Iida pondered.

Bakugo glared at the crowd. "At least now you all know what a future pro looks like. So if you're done staring, you can get the hell out of my way, extras."

"Language, Bakugo!" Iida reprimanded. "You can't just go around calling people extras because you don't know who they are!"

"Seemed pretty tame compared to how he was before…" Jomei mumbled.

'If this is the other courses scouting us out, where's…?'

"So this is Class 1-A?" Shinso started. As he began making his way through the crowd to meet Bakugo face-to-face, he continued. "I heard you guys were impressive, but you just seem like an ass. Real hero material. Are most people in your class this delusional or is it just you?"

Akiko counted herself lucky to be at the back of the room right now.

Shinso was walking on very thin ice saying such things to the living bomb of Class 1-A.

At least she was outside Bakugo's potential blast radius.

"How sad to come here and find a bunch of egomaniacs." Shinso stopped before Bakugo, displaying not a care in the world as to who he was talking to. "I wanted to be in the hero course, you know. But like a lot of people here I had to choose a different track. Such is life."

Bakugo's gaze hardened.

"I didn't cut it on my own, but now I have another chance. U.A. hasn't decided to fill any vacant spots in the hero course yet, it's true, but that doesn't mean exceptions can't be made. And if they don't, and they still want to throw in a student who's worth a damn into the hero course…? Well, they can always move people out to make room."

Akiko's eyes widened. Kyoka, Denki, and Jomei all spared their own looks at her in turn.

Shinso had just laid some of his cards on the table. All the buildup and mystery behind his plan and he just went ahead and revealed it all in the most public way someone in high school could without making too big a scene. Yes, he had implied that the publicity of the Sports Festival was vital to his plan, and made no secret of his desire to work his way into the hero course, but to declare his intent so bluntly, and in front of Bakugo no less…

Akiko didn't know what Shinso's Quirk was. She got the feeling that until the festival itself started, she wouldn't even have a chance to know what it was… but she did know a few things about Shinso. He was confident in what he was doing, and she found no surprise in the fact she believed in his determination. Whatever flashiness his unknown Quirk lacked, she knew that he very well could get himself into the hero course, as he had more than enough willpower to do so. All he needed now was a little luck on his side.

Or, looking at the utterly lackadaisical look on his face, perhaps he didn't.

Maybe he'd be the one in control of his future from now on, with the Sports Festival being the forge in which he found the tools to do so. It'd be his trial by fire, and maybe even his ultimate triumph of a debut. The parallels between what the festival meant for him and her both didn't escape Akiko.

"And as for scouting out the competition…? Maybe some of my peers are, but I'm here to let you all know that if you don't bring your very best, I'll steal your spot right out from under you," Shinso affirmed. "Consider this a declaration of war."

"Where the heck did this guy come from!?" Sero whispered.

"He certainly exudes confidence," Shoji concurred.

"He's super intense, ribbit."

"Akiko!" Denki whispered. "You made this guy seem freaking tame from what you told us! He's crazy intimidating! What's his deal?"

Akiko couldn't find it in her to respond. Instead, she focused her attention on the eerily silent staredown that was taking place between Bakugo and Shinso. Neither of them so much as moved a muscle, and even the crowd behind them was entranced by the pressure of such strong demeanors meeting. Eventually, it wound to a close, though.

"No response? Oh well, and here I was hoping the hero course had some courage. I'm done here."

The last thing Shinso did before leaving sent a message towards Akiko. His tired eyes met her mismatched ones, and for once, the message was as clear as day, as if the words had been spoken aloud.

"There you have it, Takara. I'll see you around."

A few steps later, and he was gone, leaving Bakugo as still and silent as he had been during the entirety of his 'declaration of war.' Knowing Bakugo's temper, his lack of a reaction was borderline unsettling.

"Did he just break Bakugo...?" Akiko wondered.

"Or was that him just putting up with Shinso to avoid making a scene?" Jomei continued. "But then… how does a guy go from calling everybody 'extras' to not even making a comment back that whole time?"

The pair looked at one another. Just another mystery to add to the list.

"Hey, you!"

Kyoka sighed. "What now…?"

Taking advantage of the vacuum of attention Shinso had left behind was another student, his dry voice and his head both worming his way through the crowd. His hair was a grey mess that fell to just above his shoulders, peculiarly still despite his swift movements, and his eyelashes were lined with a thick, jagged substance of a similar color – presumably a byproduct of his Quirk. It didn't go past Akiko that he somewhat reminded her of Kirishima – he even had a similar set of sharpened teeth.

"I'm from Class 1-B right next door to you! I heard you fought some villains and I wanted to see if that was true! But you're just a bunch of brats that think you're better than us, huh!? Talk all you want, it'll just make it even more embarrassing when you're all wiped out!"

As the newcomer's tirade finally paused, Bakugo then did something that shocked everyone. He started walking away, not looking even remotely interested in the second person to assail him and Class 1-A both.

"Uh, hey, Bakugo! Where are you going? You're the reason they're all hating on us!" Kirishima called.

Bakugo stopped. "I'm only going to say this once. None of these people matter."

"Huh?"

"The only thing that matters is that I beat them. End of story." He glared at the students blocking him. "Now get out of my way."

To no one's surprise, the crowd obeyed, and Bakugo was gone.

"Hey! Don't you ignore me!" The 1-B student yelled.

Kirishima clenched his fist. "Damn… that was such a manly exit…!"

"Oh, you think that was manly, huh!?" The other student shouted, and his eyes snapped towards Kirishima. "Well I'm Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu, and I'm here to tell you that I-"

Suddenly, a slender, feminine hand shot out from the crowd and landed on Tetsutetsu's chest, cutting him off and causing him to stumble back with a surprising amount of force. Not long after Tetsutetsu started growling and futilely pushing against the hand that now held him at bay, its owner stepped out from among the crowd.

For starters, the girl that had stopped Tetsutetsu appeared to be rather short. She wasn't as short as Kyoka or Tsuyu, but she was barely a centimeter or two taller than Uraraka. She was neither muscular nor lanky and was rather pretty – if a bit plain-looking at a glance. Her hair was a simple deep brown, similar to her eyes, and was tied up in an equally simple ponytail that flowed straight down to just a little above her shoulder blades. Overall, she was relatively harmless-looking, and the only oddity concerning her appearance were the two tight armbands near her wrists. They were black and were almost hidden by her uniform's sleeves, but they looked almost uncomfortably tight.

Yet somehow she looked completely at ease – both with her armbands and holding Tetsutetsu at bay. That latter point alone had earned her most of Class 1-A's attention.

"Sorry, sorry! Forgive Tetsutetsu, he can be a bit hard-headed sometimes," she apologized.

"And who might you be?" Iida asked.

Tetsutetsu squirmed against her, but she paid him no mind. "Oh, me? Jean Kumo- I mean Kumo Jean! Sorry, still getting used to this whole Japanese introductions thing, but that's beside the point. You can just call me Jean! Or Kumo. Whatever you guys are in the mood to call me." She pushed firmly against Tetutetsu's chest, and his rebellion ceased. "Anyway! As opposed to this guy right here, I for one am just here to congratulate you guys on your whole 'heroism' dealie. It's so cool that you all came out of that attack at the USJ unscathed!"

Obviously indignant over being ignored, Tetsutetsu huffed, crossed his arms, and glared daggers at Jean – who still casually refused to dignify his behavior with a response. It was then that another boy emerged from the mass of students, sliding in between the two members of 1-B.

His skin tone instantly stood out from among the crowd. Whereas the majority of those present were by and far rather fair in their complexions, the third newcomer had distinctly bronze-colored skin. While this wasn't particularly unusual, given the fact Ashido's skin was outright pink, her pigmentation was a byproduct of her Quirk – his skin tone looked to be all-natural. Beyond that, the intrigue continued as one looked up towards his face. He was clearly well-groomed and his uniform's neatness reflected this, and his hair was slicked back in such a way that he wouldn't have looked out of place in some western film set in the industrial era.

Most interesting out of everything were his eyes, though. Both were hazel and mechanical enough in appearance that one didn't need to look closely to detect what looked to be the lines of circuitry therein. Considering the contrast between how formally he carried himself and his age, most quickly fell under the safe assumption that his eyes' appearance was more likely a byproduct of his Quirk, rather than some horrid accident in his past.

"Jean. It's rather rude to investigate the strengths and weaknesses of one's competition by feigning friendliness," he said flatly. "At least the one with the indigo hair was upfront about his intentions."

"Hey! Don't you forget me!"

"Tetsutetsu too," he deadpanned. "Brushing up on your Japanese couldn't hurt either, though. You already have an accent as it is – do try to improve your understanding of the culture."

Jean scoffed. "Pff! How dare you assume that my proclamation of admiration for Class 1-A isn't true! And my Japanese is fine, thank you very much, Mr. 'perfectly lacks an accent.'" She turned her back on the boy before she suddenly whirled back around to 1-A. "But, right, you guys are still here. My bad! Uh, where was I… oh yeah, admiration and alleged backstabbing. Seriously though, I really didn't mean anything by coming here! I'm just kind of a geek for Quirks – but I don't count analyzing people on the side as evil or anything."

It was at that moment that Jean must have detected the collective look of complete bewilderment that painted the faces of those left in Class 1-A. She suddenly stopped speaking and her eyes darted between her unnamed peer and a still-confused Iida.

"Oh, right, right, sorry! Keep on getting ahead of myself. I already introduced myself and forgot about him… well, let me introduce you too…" She struck a 'ta-da' sort of pose and splayed her arms out to present the stoic boy next to her. "McKennan Thaddeus! But I just call him Thad. I think he likes it."

"I have no preference as to what people call me."

Jean nodded. "He likes it."

Iida raised a quizzical brow but otherwise maintained his composure. "Thank you for the introductions. However, as Class 1-A's representative, I must ask why you two seem unfamiliar to both myself and my peers? From everyone's reactions, it appears as though none of us have come across either of you at U.A. since the start of the year."

Jean took in a sharp breath. Her eyes glittered with excitement, and she opened her mouth to respond-

Only for Thad to interrupt as the back of his hand covered her lips.

"Forgive me, but as you may have gathered, Jean would take far too long to explain our origins here at U.A. in a timely fashion," Thad began. "To put it simply, as you may have gathered from my name at large and Jean's given name, we aren't from Japan. We're two foreign exchange students that signed up to participate in 1-B's program. As may be clear by name alone, we both originate from America."

"Classes are supposed to be made up of 24 students," Midoriya piped up, "does that mean there are two more foreign exchange students like you guys in 1-B?"

Jean swatted away her classmate's arm. "Nope! We're the only two people from our school back home that qualified to attend U.A.'s foreign exchange program! It's kinda like we're recommendation students from abroad!"

Thad's arm returned to its clasped position behind his back, and he looked at Iida. "Such an interpretation of our presence here isn't inaccurate, though I would hesitate to inflate our egos by allowing Jean to oversell us. Indeed, we are a cut above the rest of our peers back home, but I wouldn't be so quick to interpret that as meaning we're of the level as Japan's home-grown recommendation students here at U.A."

Iida nodded. "Then I thank you for your humility."

"Leave it to Thad…" Jean mumbled, but her usual pep returned an instant later. "But, anyway! I really am looking forward to the Sports Festival! Everyone is, and I think it's just got everyone all riled up – it's awesome! My Dad's from Japan, so hearing about the festival for so long and finally getting to participate in it…"

"Jean," Thad warned.

"Sorry! Going on a tangent again. Look, I wasn't lying when I said I came here to congratulate you guys on fighting real villains, but I also wanted to let you guys know that even though 1-A has experience fighting real villains, Class B's going to give it their all too – you can count on it!" She declared, clenching a fist before her.

"Yeah!" Tetsutetsu agreed, fiercely mirroring her pose.

"Yeah…" Jean did a double-take in her other classmate's direction. "Thad, come on, we're doing a thing here!"

"I would sooner perish."

Without hesitation, Thad began walking in the opposite direction down the hall. Jean didn't wait even a moment before she started storming energetically after him, and Tetsutetsu threw one of his hands up in the visual equivalent of saying 'I'm watching you' towards Kirishima before marching after his peers. Not long after, the crowd of students began to disperse, and 1-A was left to process what exactly had just happened.


To say that 1-A was taken aback by what looked to be the rest of the first years at U.A. showing up at their homeroom's doorstep would be the understatement of the century. No one in a million years would ever say with a straight face that they didn't expect some attention from their peers after the USJ incident, but Shinso and 1-B's moments in the spotlight were something else.

Akiko thought she handled it all rather well. Granted, she didn't exactly take any major part in what had happened, but neither did she find herself ruminating too deeply on what was said either. Shinso's declaration of war was something she'd quickly gotten over, and his plan to join the hero course was something she could only wait to see unravel. Even the three members of Class 1-B she bore witness to and their combined spirit of competition – or the evident lack thereof, in Thad's case – didn't unsettle Akiko in any way. If anything, it was yet another reminder that U.A. was indeed the top school in Japan, and the fiery determination birthed in its students' psyches with the Sports Festival on the horizon reflected this.

The only thing that Akiko felt truly stumped about was what to make of 1-B's foreign exchange students. They weren't particularly odd, but… she just didn't know how to interpret their behavior. She felt she was getting better at reading people, sure, but each of their personalities felt like they could be interpreted in very drastically different ways.

Fortunately, Jomei was perhaps better equipped than she to process the pair's personalities.

Class 1-A had already mostly vacated their homeroom when Jomei and Akiko began their journey out of the building. Denki and Kyoka would've been with them, but they'd left quickly at the former's behest to 'grab grub' out of school and hang out while she and Jomei waited for things in the halls to settle down a little. When they got outside, Akiko noticed Tetsutetsu was gone, and Jean seemed to still be lecturing Thad about 'being a team player when it comes to posing.' Despite Jean's impassioned speech, however, Thad appeared to be hardly paying attention, more-or-less just letting her speak at him while he occupied himself thumbing through a small notebook of his.

The scene only confused Akiko further as to the foreigners' dynamic.

She didn't stop moving alongside Jomei, though. "So Kum- I mean, Jean seems nice, if a little…"

"Airheaded?" Jomei finished.

"I don't know. Maybe… scatterbrained? She can't be airheaded since she made it into the foreign exchange program. Unless she lied about the qualifications for some reason, right?"

Jomei adjusted his backpack. "Yeah… you're probably right on that. Don't get me wrong though, I'm still trying to wrap my head around them too. Trying to process what their dynamic is when they aren't even our classmates is a bit of an ordeal, though."

"First impressions, then?"

"Jean seems like she's friendly, but can be a bit of a chatterbox. Seeing as she's here at U.A. though, she has to have some kind of a good head on her shoulders. Thad seems more like a robot than a person, though – unless he's trying to be super stoic on purpose, in which case he's making Todoroki seem as expressive as Ashido by comparison."

Akiko hummed. "Maybe it's just a weird personality trait, then. It wouldn't be the weirdest thing we've seen at U.A. so far."

"True. Guess we'll just have to wait and see if we're right, for now. It's not like they're going to drop off the face of the map just because we don't share a class with them, you know?"

Akiko nodded, and a lull in their conversation formed as the pair slowly made their way through the emptying halls. This wasn't unusual – neither of them were typically unsettled by silence between them. In fact, seeing as Akiko hadn't even spoken a single word during the first few weeks of their friendship, silence in their case could often be just as comforting as hours of conversation could ever be. It was familiar, often companionable, and harkened back to a time in their lives when things were both infinitely more and less complex than their lives at U.A. were turning out to be.

But this time, there was an elusive element in the silence that made it feel less than comforting. It wasn't painful or stress-inducing on either of their sides of things, but rather… awkward, and for reasons obvious to both parties. With nothing left to discuss concerning the events of the day, Akiko was forced to face the reality that the event they'd been planning on happening since after the USJ incident was rapidly approaching. Akiko understood it was inevitable that it'd be brought up, but that didn't make the ground they were about to cover any less mysterious and new to her.

As usual, Jomei was the first to break the ice.

"So…" He started cautiously, "are you ready for tonight?"

She felt her heartbeat quicken, and a slight blush crossed both her face and crystal core before she reeled it in. "I… I am."

"You know if you don't feel like going tonight, we could wait until after the Sports Festival, or-"

"No," Akiko interrupted. She sighed. "No, I think this is probably just what I need to take my mind off… well, everything, for once. It sounds dumb but… I feel like it's true."

Jomei nodded. "Is it weird that we're talking about our date so bluntly, though?"

"I don't know. My experience with dating only goes as far as romance books, and those aren't exactly… accurate, to real life," Akiko mused, and she looked at him. "Should it be weird?"

"No. Probably not," Jomei guessed. "It'll be like hanging out, only this time it means something more? Maybe? That's the best I've got."

The front gate of U.A. came into view, and they stopped.

"Yeah… so, I'll see you later?" Akiko lamely asked.

"Yeah. I'll… see you soon."

Jomei waved, and Akiko returned the gesture as they parted ways. Sure, they could've gone further and parted at their usual place, but they knew one another well enough to know that, with their date on the horizon, doing so would've made their goodbyes even more awkward than they already turned out to be.

Despite this, though, Akiko forced herself not to become stressed. Instead, she busied herself with thinking about how Jomei was probably right about the nature of their date. Sure, the world of dating could've been some parallel universe for all she knew about it, but neither of them were different people just because they decided to test the waters of their potential romance. Jomei was still himself, Akiko was still herself, and hopefully, both of them would understand that they didn't need to do anything extraordinary come later that evening.

Still… why couldn't real life be like some of the romance novels she'd read? Yes, she knew and had even stated they weren't accurate, but at least those were things that she could comprehend as opposed to the real deal.

But did she even want something like that? Did she want to be swept off her feet by some idealized paragon of romance? Or did she want something more tangible, more realistic, and more closely linked to her heart, like Jomei was? Indeed, she'd entertained the fantasy of someone like Jomei coming along, but that was just that. A fantasy. A flight of fancy she'd indulge in from time to time, but never really think about becoming a reality.

Well, just a few short hours would need to pass from now and she'd know what her heart truly longed for out of a relationship. The very prospect sent her heart aflutter.

She forced herself to calm down, though. She still felt some redness in her cheeks, but she knew that getting inside her own head now would only serve to sabotage what could be one of the most important nights of her, and Jomei's, lives in recent memory. It was going to be new, it was going to be strange, but… she was looking forward to it.

And somehow, that was enough.


Authors Note: Not gonna lie, this was definitely an in-betweener chapter, and I ain't gonna pretend otherwise. Granted, the start of Season Two in MHA proper was also heavy with setup, but then again, it has the benefit of snappy animation and the main plot on its side so… 50/50 shot this setup chapter is equally valid, eh? Regardless, Jomei is indeed not forgotten! He's just… not in the POV right now, but he's gonna get some love soon! I'd try to juggle Akiko and Jomei evenly in terms of POV, but eh… I'd rather not give POV to the wrong character just for the sake of even 'screen-time' so to speak.

As for the chapter itself? I'm hype! Shinso's setup, the introduction of two more all-original cast members (that I loved writing, omg), and the completion of the pre-date setup for Jomei and Akiko – all of it was lovely, and all of it is most assuredly coming back around in due time. Though, of course, the last of those listed things is far more imminent than the others. For obvious reasons.

I hope you stick around! Next chapter's going to be a big first for me, and though Jean and Thad have quite a while to go before they (and 1-B) get highlighted, I do think you'll enjoy them when they show up from time to time! Stay awesome, possums!