Shihai Kuroiro

"This is why it should be illegal to spontaneously dance in public," Honenuki says at the front of the room. On the chalkboard, he has written up diagrams and logical statements to support his argument. However, there is one thing troubling me: Absolutely no one asked him to make this argument. Literally no one at all. One moment, Rin was recalling a childhood story where he saw a flash mob performing a traditional Chinese dance, then Honenuki went on a rant about how he loathed "freaking flash mobs". Awase and Tsuburaba eventually became involved, then Tokage decided to input her own opinion into the matter, prompting Honenuki—which again, no one directly prompted him—to march up in front of the classroom and began his tirade about why "crazy dancing people should get life in prison". Frankly, I never listened to his rant. It's riddled with fallacies, inconsistencies, and what else? Ah, yes… Utter foolishness. Somehow, he is more foolish than my fiendish mutt, Kagesuke, who is sleeping on my desk. It's unwise to wake him.

"Mister Honenuki, will this be on the exam?" asks Tokage, the scheming lizard who knows naught of humility.

Honenuki, retracting his imaginary pointer, replies, "Yup, but I don't think even you could get full marks. I will proudly boast that my class average is a D."

Kendo, the masculine woman who seems more of a tough mother to 1-B than this so-called "tomboy" that Manga and Tokage speak of, says, "I think that's says more about your teaching than on us."

"No one is supposed to get a good grade in my class!" Honenuki exclaims, his teeth clattering together like how a skeleton would laugh.

"I think you proved Itsuka's point there…" Inochi adds, who currently has his notes out, studying for our upcoming Final Exams. An absent-minded man, one who daydreams of stars and the galaxy realm above us, larger than we can begin to fathom. The hidden power he wields, I wish that I would see it unveiled.

Honenuki tilts his head in annoyance, glaring at Inochi. Fury, raw fury is in his eyes as if he embodied the spirit of a rampaging bull. "Inochi, I will drop you by a letter grade for backtalk."

"Sounds like I'm already failing your class, Mister Honenuki!" exclaims Inochi, "Dropping my grade down a letter won't do much other than guaranteeing that I fail."

"Well, you're kinda of a Grade A failure," retorts Honenuki, using clever wordplay—only in Honenuki's own eyes—to aid with his reply. I am not amused. Juzo Honenuki tries to be a comedian and only makes himself look like a fool—and a mean-spirited bully.

Inochi straightens his lips, making it apparent that he didn't expect the insult. An insult that wasn't meant to be taken seriously, yes, but it was an insult that was made out-of-taste. He has a look that says, Where in the world did that come from? Kendo clicks her tongue and Honenuki bows his head, giving Inochi a thumbs-up. Inochi returns the gesture and Honenuki takes his seat.

Vlad King, our splendid and glorious teacher, takes this opportunity to steal the last remaining minutes to speak. "Good, I see that Honenuki stopped ranting about flash mobs. I have no idea where that conversation came up, but I have no intention to ask."

Rin, the man who almost attained dragonhood, speaks, "Please forgive me, Mister Kan. I didn't expect Honenuki to have a...very strong opinion of flash mobs."

"I was kicked in the face when I was five! You'd be traumatized too!" Honenuki defends his position, bursting out of his chair once more. Pony Tsunotori, the foreigner and the innocent girl who everyone adores, pulls on his shirt as if she is saying, Sit the heck down! Listening to the small woman, he nods and does exactly that.

Mister Kan clears his throat. "As I was saying before Honenuki interrupted me, I'll remind you again about the Final Exams next week." In unison, most of the class groan, especially the upcoming idol named Kinoko Komori. Behind her bangs, a small frown is strewn across her lips. Frankly, I thought I saw her napping earlier. It seems like I was wrong.

Kosei Tsuburaba complains, "Can we just fail? I feel like failing."

"Do you think you can fail your Final Exam? If you fail, then you wouldn't be allowed to attend summer camp," Mister Kan replies with a blunt tone, utterly destroying Tsuburaba's weak and clumsy dreams of sloth. Tsuburaba laughs, but Mister Kan shakes his head. "I'm not joking, Tsuburaba. If you fail, then you'll be put at a disadvantage for the rest of the school year. As your teacher, I will not and absolutely refuse failure from you—both in the written and in the practical. All of you are so damn brilliant, so much better than Aizawa's pets. It should be impossible for you to fail the Final Exam. You get what I mean?"

We nod.

"Good, I'll make this simple. For three days next week, you will be taking written exams for most, if not all, of your classes. On the fourth day, you will undergo your practical portion of the exam, which will not be described until the day of. Then on the fifth, that will be your easy day. We will talk about the I-Expo and any events that'll take place during your summer break. That's all I have, but despite my short reminder, this is a very big part of your grade. Do not squander your time. Study your heart out and prepare yourself for the practical. Do you understand?"

"Yessir!" we reply in unison. Mister Kan nods and smiles, similar to how a father would smile at his children. For a bachelor, he seems like the man who would have a daughter, but I believe he's childless.

"Good!" Mister Kan smiles and looks around his class of his adoring students. He is our mentor and our guide to the world of heroism, as if he is guiding us through the Styx River and into the deep. "You kids are great people! You have each other's back, so I know you won't let anyone fail under your watch. Being a teacher, I'm definitely spoiled. It's almost enough to make a grown man cry."

"But Mister Kan, you're not crying," says Awase, a halfwit.

"I said a grown man, not me. It'll take a lot more than that to make me cry," he replies.

Reiko Yanagi—she is known as the woman who speaks in large words and has a guilty pleasure of the occult—asks, "What about onions? They are enough to make anyone cry, regardless of gender."

Mister Kan concedes, "Okay, maybe onions could make me cry, but that's more forced tears rather than genuine tears."

Yanagi continues with her argument, "What about reading horror stories on the internet? Some of those stories are more than enough to bring a man to tears, making them have extremely vivid nightmares for days or even weeks."

"Still Yanagi, I, Vlad King, don't get scared," he declares like it's fact.

Yui Kodai—a silent woman—hums, "Mmm." I do not have an inkling of what she said.

Mister Kan, surprised that Kodai actually spoke, looks at her bewildered. "What did you say? Can someone translate for me?"

Monoma obliges, "She said, my dear teacher, that you are a bonafide scaredy-cat." Kodai only said one word, and that was not a word that existed in Japanese vocabulary. It was quite literally a hum, so it would be impossible for her to say an entire sentence.

"Kodai!" Mister Kan exclaims in disapproval. "Don't think of me as that! What do you think I am? A wuss?"

"She didn't say that, Mister Kan…" Kendo assures him, "all she said was, and I quote, 'Alright.'" Inochi's head perks up, seeming to differ from Kendo's translation of her best friend's words. I swear, Kodai is another language in itself.

"I dunno about you guys, but I heard 'sure'," says Inochi.

"You two got really different translations from me," Tokage joins their conversation with a smile from her jagged set of teeth, "Yui said, 'Vlad King, o' honorable Hero, you ought not to boast about your lack of fear, for every man fears, even one who claims that he bears a stone heart, as he is the one who has the most fear out of us all.'"

"How poetic, Kodai! I never took you as the one who mastered archaic diction," Monoma says with a beaming smile, yet an evil smile. Monoma is incapable of having a pure smile like Pony or Komori.

However, Kendo does not have a beaming smile herself. Instead, she looks angry. "That's horribly wrong! Sanji and I only got one word! You had a dramatic monologue that doesn't fit how Yui speaks!"

"I-I thought Yui only spoke in hums…" Bondo speaks up, but neither of the women heard him. In fact, they are most likely caught up in their growing argument.

"Yui is our beautiful queen! She will speak however she wanna speak! If she wants to become Shakespeare, then she will become freaking Shakespeare!" Setsuna defends herself, moving past me.

Togaru Kamakiri—a foul-mouthed man and the son of a Villain—is staring at the ladies with a disgusted expression, more so than usual. "How the hell can any of y'all even understand what Deadpan is sayin'?!"

Manga Fukidashi, everyone knows how he is like, tells him, "Yui Kodai has that power. I know for a fact that she is a kuudere. With her beauty, she's able to have the world at her mercy. You'd think that Kodai can't communicate, but in reality, she doesn't need to because she's more powerful than any of us could imagine. Look at her."

Kodai is staring at Kendo and Tokage, who're now arguing over what she said. There is no emotion in her eyes—absolutely nothing. Yes, Kodai is a beautiful woman, yet I have my suspicions. She may be beautiful, but her heart is fired in pure, unadulterated chaos of the ultimate form. Yui Kodai is the embodiment of all chaos in the world, the one who feels no remorse for her actions, seemingly becoming a being higher than us mortals could ever comprehend nor understand. That is her power indeed, and we ought to be afraid. If left unchecked, then we would surely perish under her meager use of words.

"I am so confused," Tsuburaba comments.

"It's easy to confuse you, Airhead," Awase insults his best friend, like always. "It's like math. Once we introduce multiplication, your brain gives off smoke."

"Oh shut up asshole. At least my blood flow to my brain isn't being restricted by some stupid headband!" retorts Tsuburaba.

And then Awase, "At least I don't run out of breath when I use my Quirk!"

They continue arguing. Mister Kan throws his arms up in defeat and marches over to his desk, returning to grading our papers from before. My class is too much for me, the scavenger of the shadows, to handle. Here, I used to believe that I would be the one who would emit disorder, yet I was wrong. I underestimated the strength of my classmates—all of them. Each and every man and woman contribute to the growing disorder of 1-B, no matter who they are, siding with either order or chaos, disorder is created in the end regardless. It seems I am out-matched, but I am wise enough to not challenge them. If I challenge them, it would surely lead to my humiliation. Why? Well, I put effort into my schemes. They do not. They can freely disrupt the balance of stability effortlessly as if it is second nature, like throwing a ball or riding a bike. Because they did it without trying, their actions would bear the most fruit. But with effort and action, it would not be as fruitful. If I desire to cause just as much destruction as them, then I need to act in an instant, not letting my thoughts control my body, but only my instinct. That is what I must do if I want to reclaim my rightful throne as The Scheming Hero: Vantablack.

" Let's dance in the rain / Feel the music inside your brain / Sing it loud / Sing it proud / Come 'round 'round 'round! " Komori's singing. She has such a soft voice, yet explosive. Her range is impeccable, able to sing high notes flawlessly then suddenly sing so deep that it's enough to shock you to your bones. Wait—!

Curses!

Her approach! Her gaze behind her comically large bangs that reminds me of mushrooms! I mustn't let her see me so irritated at my own incompetence as Vantablack! What would Yosetsu Awase do? What would he say?

"Thighs are the gateway to a man's happiness."

No, not that.

"What's up? I'm just chilling, what about you?"

Yes, that.

I look down at Kagesuke, who is surprisingly still sleeping despite the noise. He is the definition of "chill". To imitate his current state of being, I lean against my chair, staring up at the pristine white ceiling above. Yes, I am embodying Awase's spirit of this "chill". Out of the corner of my eye, Komori approaches my desk, gently petting Kagesuke's fur. He shifts around slightly, still not waking from his slumber. For a mutt, he is an adorable puppy, yet when he grows up, he'll become a hound of twilight.

Komori whispers to Kagesuke, "You're such a heavy sleeper for a hyper little guy! So shrooming adorable! You too, Kuroiro!"

"Eh?!"

THUD!

"Ya killed Abyss, Shrooms," Kamakiri narrates my tumble. Why am I seated behind him again? More pressing matters, did Komori refer to me as "cute"?! That and a heavy sleeper?! Which comment did she refer to me as?! Either way, I need an explanation for such a brazen, unsolicited compliment!

"Komori," say I, the man who lifts his head off of the cold floor. At least the floor is pristine and not soiled. Though, one would not be able to tell that my face is dirty, since my skin color is quite literally black.

"What's up? You chillin'?" she asks, bending her body over and greeting me with a smile that makes a man's heart flutter. As a suitable reaction, I turn my head towards the wall, no longer facing her. "Aw, you're not chillin'!"

"This floor is quite cold, perfect to counteract this blazing summer's heat. If you ask me, I am quite literally performing this act you call 'chilling'," I say, embracing the coldth of the floor with my warm skin.

I hear Komori's sweet giggles. "Well shrooms! That's why you're cute like that, Kuroiro." There! The compliment again! Keep saying those words and my skin shall never be chilled again! Is she flirting with me? Or is she complimenting me? Komori often compliments the other girls in our class, and the boys sometimes as well! Yes! More likely than not, this is a platonic compliment with no romantic undertones whatsoever. That is the conclusion I have come to!

Think, prodigeic mind! What is an appropriate response? Who in this class possess an overwhelming amount of wit? There are a few choices!

Tokage. "Aw Komori, I know! But I'm not as cute as you! You're such a candy cap that I just wanna eat you up!"

Inochi. "Thanks Komori, you're a beautiful girl yourselfa true beauty of Class 1-B! The prettiest shroom of the bunch!"

Kamakiri. "Y'know, ya grow a crapton of shrooms, Shrooms, but bullshit ain't one of 'em."

Tokage is the obvious choice. Inochi relies on deflection, never actually accepting the compliment; compared to me, I desire to treasure this compliment like a precious gem. As for Kamakiri, he is incredibly crude. His responses can both destroy your ego and put himself down. His witty remarks are so unexpected that it makes the desirable effect much more potent, and his effects are not what I am looking for. But Tokage, she accepts the compliment and refutes that the other person is much better.

"Komori," I begin my calculated response, standing on my two feet that the astral twilight gods have given me, giving me the responsibility to control the darkness, "I accept your compliment! Yet, I must—I absolutely must declare that you are the cuter party! That is a proven fact that cannot be refuted!"

The entire class goes silent. They're looking at me now. Their eyes, I can see their words through their cursed eyes!

Kendo. What are you doing, Kuroiro?

Monoma. Ohoho, I always knew that you took an interest in Komori.

Honenuki. I can refute that fact. I'm obviously the cuter woman here.

Shoda. I'm trying to study…

Pony. So cute!

Kamakiri. Ya need to work on your flirtin'.

Kodai. Mmm.

Kaibara. I don't have a clue what's going on. I was napping and your voice woke me up.

Inochi. Oh? Seems like I need to don my Ally of Love t-shirt soon. (Kendo responds to him, Don't you dare! I know you've been looking for an excuse to wear it, but this isn't the time!)

And the rest of my class. All of them staring. Their eyes are prying. My judgement is coming. My body's weakening. Shame is silencing. Komori smiles, giggling. Not for praising, but for jeering.

Ah, at this moment, I feel like dying. So, I shall leave. I take my black backpack and put it in front, using my Quirk to jump inside, merging with the object. There, it's much warmer here. No more prying eyes that tear my pride into tattered pieces, nor any silent words that crush, utterly crush my spirit. I am just a mere fool who will live within his backpack for the rest of his life. Ah, I hear my classmates returning back to their idle conversations. It seems the time for arguments has passed.

The front of my backpack is gently rapped by Komori, who's looking down at me with a small smile once again. Ah, she still wants my attention. "Kuroiro, come out Kuroiro! Your compliment was really sweet! I don't hate it!" says she with a voice so calm.

My head emerges from the black. Eh?! Why is she so close?! I cannot handle the lack of personal space! I immediately sink my head back in, saying, "I, uhm, I am quite fine, thank you Komori! I am simply a bit cold, that is all, so I retreated to my holy sanctum for warmth."

She asks, "You're embarrassed, aren't you?"

"I am not," I reply, still dwelling within this abysmal object.

"You are so! Shroom oh shroom, you need to get your head in the game! We have our Finals coming up! That's why I came here! Setsuna is having a study group at her place after school! I wanted to invite you!" she informs me… Well, this is an interesting development. I would think that Tokage would invite me herself, yet Komori is. Either Tokage put her up to this, or Komori is asking me out of her own goodwill. Whichever it is, it doesn't change the fact that Komori thinks positively about me despite my lack of charm. Oh, I even see Tokage staring at me from afar. Her eyes say, When's the wedding?

Hmph. Fiendish reptile.

"Very well. I shall bring Kagesuke as well, but I may be a tad late. I will be going to handle an errand first, then I will travel to Tokage's abode," I give her my answer as Kagesuke yawns. Komori blushes from his act, picking up Kagesuke and cradling him. She took it upon herself to pose as his mother. Wait, if she is the equivalent of a mother… Then I would be—?

No, I shall not think about that.

"Good! We need to ace this exam, else we might get left behind in terms of training! And then, we'll get kicked outta the program! I need to study hard, because you know how my grades are," she says, and I know. Her grades… They're not the best they could be, I shall leave it at that.

"Indeed. You will need to study your hardest most of all, Komori. It'll be a shame if you had to depart from Class 1-B."

She responds, "Because you'll miss me?"

"Eh?" What with that sudden response?! Does she enjoy tormenting me like I'm some helpless nitwit who knows naught of charisma? Is that how Komori sees me? Or does she simply want to see me grow red? Well, the latter is occurring at this very moment! I am blushing! I say, regrettably stammering, "N-No, I mean yes! I would miss you for as you are my dear classmate and friend! If you would leave, it would surely make me upset… Yes…"

Komori giggles once more. "Y'know, you're so easy to tease and rile up like a toxic shroom. Are you like this with all girls?"

My body betrays me, speaking before I have the ability to think, "O-Only beautiful ones…" What?! Did I really say that?!

"Holy shrooms, that's an amazing response!" Komori exclaims, beaming. "You're getting better at socializing with me! Kamakiri, what do you think?"

Kamakiri, who does not have my consent to speak, says, "Explain to me why I care."

"It's Kuroiro, your best friend!" Komori exclaims, and she could not be further from the truth. "Kuroiro is everyone's friend!"

Manga interjects, "He's the chuuni of Class 1-B." What is with him and referring to me as a "chuuni"? I am no such thing. If anyone ought to be this "chuuni", then it should be Fumikage Tokoyami, the raven of Class 1-A.

"He's the annoying dramatic of 1-B," Kamakiri says, looking over to Monoma, "Broadway too. Abyss is more like that weird aunt who happens to be some sort of freakin' psychic while Broadway would rope ya into watchin' a ten-hour long play for fun." That is a very specific comparison.

"I can see it!" Komori says as Kagesuke begins to awake in her arms. She oogles, cuddling him close to her face. "Aw, this little baby is waking up. He's so cute! Kagesuke is the class mascot for sure!"

Ugh, this seems to be ample time to come out of my backpack. I jump out in front of Komori and beside Kamakiri, who's studying his notes. His handwriting is chicken-scratch; who in the world can understand it? Nevertheless, I address him, "Mantis."

"Psychic aunt," he replies.

"Kinoko Komori," and Komori joins, propping up Kagesuke. "And Kagesuke Kuroiro."

"Sen Kaibara," and then Kaibara! Goodness, what is wrong with my classmates? "Glad you finally came outta there, Kuroiro. I was tempted to pick you up and throw you out the window to see what would happen."

"Don't perform such experiments, Kaibara," I tell him with a glare. "Else we ought to see if you could fly with Gyrate."

"Can I toss Spinny out the window then?" Kamakiri asks.

"No," Komori and I say in unison. We look at each other, then back at Kamakiri. Kagesuke leaps out of Komori's arms, starting to roam around the classroom.

Komori adds, "If we're performing all kinds of shroom-tastic experiments, then we oughta see if I can make my mushrooms grow super big! Kinda like a house—yeah, a shroom house, the perfect house!"

"I'd rather not smell like a stinkcap," says Kaibara.

"That sounds like an absolute nightmare," comments Kamakiri.

"You guys are an absolute nightmare!" Komori says in offense, crossing her arms and huffing. "You just can't enjoy shrooms like I do! I, Shemage, have a more sophisticated mind than you two! Right, Kuroiro?"

The three of them turn to me.

Curses, this is a terrible situation. If I pick the men's side, I would anger Komori and I do not want an angry Kinoko Komori! However, if I pick Komori's side, then I would put myself in bad graces with the men! Of course, as a man with friends—a tad shocking pill to swallow—I do not want to squander their friendship and camaraderie, but with Komori, I do not want to upset her! I need to find the answer that is best between both worlds! I need to recall how others would say once again!

Inochi. "Jeez guys, you three are sophisticated in your own way! Whether that be shrooms, bugs, or pictures. As for me, that'll be martial arts and weaponry."

Kendo. "Kinoko, you shouldn't bully the boys this much. Sure, you could say you have a more sophisticated mind, but that'll be acting like Setsuna. Personally, arrogance belongs to her and her alone."

Monoma. "Ohoho, my friends! You all have strengths that you should be boasting about! Especially you, Kaibara! Nevertheless, with these strengths, we ought to focus our attention on 1-A rather than one another!"

Damn, I cannot come up with a viable answer! They are waiting for me to answer, yet I cannot come up with any! Curse this tongue of mine! You can say such mystical things yet you cannot answer a mere question! I'm—!

"O' Dark One," Inochi gets our attention. He holds up his notebook, where Kagesuke is currently chewing on the edge. "Did you feed Kagesuke yet? He's hungry."

"Arf!" barks Kagesuke, who stops eating his meal to look up at Inochi.

"Woof woof to you too," replies Inochi.

"Woof," says Kodai.

"Woof!" then Kendo says.

From the corner of the room, Mister Kan pulls out a bag of dog treats and shakes them. Immediately, Kagesuke hears the sound and darts over to him, hopping around in front of our dear teacher. Mister Kan throws a treat to him, which he gladly eats up. "There," Mister Kan says, "that'll keep him happy for a little while."

I bow. "Thank you. Come, Kagesuke! Sit at my desk!"

Kagesuke jumps on Mister Kan's desk. "Not on his desk! Mine!"

"Arf!" he refuses.

"Fiendish mutt! I demand you!" I shout.

"Arf arf!" he refuses again.

"You—Ugh, never mind," I say, shaking my head. Komori knocks her shoulder into mine—I jump back—she giggles.

"So, you haven't given me your answer, Kuroiro!" she reminds me. Kaibara and Kamakiri lost interest in our conversation, going back to what they were doing before. I sigh, lowering my head. They will still hear me, however…

Let's ruin my reputation. "I—"

RING!

Saved by the bell! "Ah, would you look at that, Komori? It seems that I must depart with my fiendish mutt in tow! My errand is very important!" I exclaim before I run up to Mister Kan, picking up Kagesuke and dashing out the door, being the first one to leave.

Tokage yells, "Run like the wind, Vantablack!

Then Honenuki yells, "I have no idea why you're running, but you're a coward!"

That's right, I am a coward! But I will become a coward that will survive!

To complete this errand, I must…

"Vantablack! That's a cool name, Big Bro! I can't wait until you become a Hero! I'll get to brag 'bout you so much at school!"

Yes…

I wasn't lying when I said that my errand is very important.

It's…

It's important to me.


"Little Light, how are you? Oh, here…" I place the flowers at her feet.

"..."

"Ah, I assume as much!"

"..."

"As you may know, my Finals are next week. I need to pass if I wish to receive further training. I would wish for luck, but that's foolish. I need to wish for strength and a hardened mind. With those in hand, I will vanquish my exam and be one step closer to becoming a Pro Hero."

"..."

"Don't worry, I won't fail. I refuse to fail. That is my iron resolve."

"..."

"That is why I am your older brother, Hikari. No matter what, I shall not let you down when I hold my power as Vantablack, the one who is able to morph into the night itself."

"..."

"But yes, it is day is it not? The sun is shining with its warm rays upon our bodies that our mother and father gave us. You can hear the cicadas cry, even the soft chirping of quaint little birds mingling with one another, enjoying the peace that the Heroes brought upon the Land of the Rising Sun."

"..."

"The music of the summer's day is truly something beautiful to listen to, Hikari. Believe it so. Hear the song of nature when the sun is shining bright. Why not sit on a bench and observe the grass? Attune your ears? Or perhaps take a wander over on the beach. I heard the beach has been cleaned by a lone man, so you could see the crystal blue ocean stretching into the infinity of beauty. No mortal soul could possess such beauty that can even parallel what nature has."

"..."

"Yes, I know. With our naked eyes, we can witness these natural wonders that we are blessed with by the gods above—and then, comes Quirks. However, they blessed us with curses as well, such as knowledge. The wisest men are often the greatest fools, for they know the limits of where we, as humans, can reach. They are aware of what we are incapable of, and that brings despair, for the incapable is at our fingertips, just centimeters away, but the gap feels like the distance between our world to the next."

"..."

"Worlds away, yes. That is where you and I stand, Hikari. I stand on the grass before your feet, where the wind is gently blowing against my body. I stand on this world where Heroes clash against Villains, and I, the next generation, will join the endless war in hopes to end evil—an immortal concept existing once we, humans, gained sentience."

"..."

"And you… You're off in a better world, one where you can see sakura petals bloom for eternity. There will always be peace with you. Even though… Even though you're not here in this world, you still linger like a phantom tugging at the strings of my heart. I, as Vantablack—no, as your older brother, will never disappoint you. For you are my Little Light, and to cherish your time spent on this world, I will become a Hero."

The wind blows.

"That… That is my promise."

"Vantablack, what are you doing here?" That voice! It's—! "It's exam season, right? You oughta be studying!"

Beowulf! My mentor during my one-week Workplace Studies! Why is he here?! I turn around, stammering, "B-Beowulf, I didn't expect you here! Why are you, uhm, why are you here?" He's holding a bouquet of flowers.

He answers, "Well, it's a cemetery. I'm, well, I'm here for my mom. She passed away a couple years back, and I decided that I wanna see her again. You're here for the same reason, yeah? But for…"

I nod. Kagesuke is laying on the bench near me. He jumps off and rubs against my leg; I pick him up.

"Yeah," he says, "my condonocles. Heh, I was never good handling grief, y'know! I would still act all cheery and laugh all the time. That's just how I was made!" Beowulf approaches me with his bouquet, looking down at grave marked as: Hikari Kuroiro - The Little Light That Will Be Missed.

"That's not your fault, Beowulf. Everyone processes grief differently," I tell him, looking down at Hikari's grave as well. Her voice rings in my head, "I'll be outta here in no time!"

He shakes his head. "Yeah—no, I know, I know! Man, you know this is serious when Kagesuke isn't being hyper." Kagesuke whimpers, digging himself a home in my arms.

"Indeed… Why did you want to see your mother again?" I ask him. It might be a bit inappropriate to pry, but we're both here for the same reason, I suppose.

Beowulf chuckles to himself, his eyes appearing to be remembering something from his past. "I just miss her, that's all. I never had a dad growing up, so all I had was her. She worked as a veterinarian, so I picked up my love of animals from her. But that wasn't her only job actually. She worked hard day and night, all to support me. Eventually, after I became a Hero, all that working took a toll on her body. Next thing I knew, she had a heart disease, and it was pretty serious."

"My condolences. She sounded like a wonderful woman," I reply.

"And a better mother." Beowulf sighs, lowering his head. "Once I heard the news, I spent every second with her. She hated it, because I could spend that time saving others. 'Inuro, you can't worry about me. You gotta get out there and save some lives!' she always said. But how could I? How could I save others when I can't even figure out how to save the one woman who raised me? I wasn't a doctor, but I sure as hell wouldn't give up. Too bad that her body gave up before I did. Sorry, Kurorio… During your internship with me, I was lying to you."

"How so?" I ask, turning my head towards him. Kagesuke shifts around in my arms, looking at Beowulf as well.

"Remember I said that I wanted to be a Hero just so I could get girls? Well, that wasn't the only reason. My mom—she was the other reason. Being a Hero, it's good money. With that money, I could give her a life she deserves. I know it's selfish—Stain would kill me in a heartbeat—but you'd do anything for the people you love! Even if you love them for only just a minute, they would change how you live the rest of your life. And Mom, because of her, I'll be a Hero until the day I die."

"You're gonna be just as great as All Might, right? Wait no, even better! I know you will!"

"Indeed…" I sniffle. "Even—even if their spark lasts as long as a brief fire, they can set your heart ablaze for years to come. My sister, Hikari Kuroiro, I told you about her, did I not?"

He nods. "She's the reason why you wanted to be a Hero, right?"

"Ye-yes… She… She is the sole reason why I sought to chase after heroism as a whole!" I exclaim, my words firm, but my voice breaks.

"Kuroiro—"

"The world makes fools of us all, Beowulf! They, gosh, they give children life only to take it away when their lives haven't even, ugh, even begun yet! And those left behind, they could, they could only mourn!"

Beowulf listens.

"I… We're… We're left to grieve. Beowulf, that's why we're here, are we not? To grieve for those we lost, at this cemetery?"

"Guess so. I guess so, Kuroiro."

"I'm—"

"You don't have to say anything else. Really, I might've gone on about my life, but you don't hafta do the same. You're only a kid; ya can't go talking 'bout the old days like some old man!" he exclaims, smiling.

"But—"

"But nothing! This isn't a confession booth! Whatever Hikari meant to you, I know she's still up there rooting for ya! I know it! She's counting on you to become a Hero just for her! I am too! You're an amazing guy, Vantablack! You wanna know why? It's because of her! The reasons why we wanna become Heroes tell us what kind of Pro we'll be! That's how I know you'll be great! I'm waiting for the day until I see you kick ass and take names!" He puts a hand on my shoulder.

Kagesuke starts barking, clearly fired up from his words. I say, "I know… I promised her that before she passed."

"And you better hold onto that promise! I won't be the one to take you up on it! She is!" Beowulf points to her gravestone. "She's the Little Light you cherish, right? Then you gotta make sure that you never let go of that light no matter what! Even though your entire body is Black, you still have a heart of Light! And with that Light, Hikari is there, cheering you on from within! You'll be the greatest Pro Hero, you got it?"

"You promise, right Big Bro…?"

"I promise," I say.

I take my final look at Hikari's grave, bowing my head. A few tears trickle down my face, yet I won't break.

I announce not to Beowulf nor to Hikari, but to the world, "I shall become a Hero no matter what. And I shall make true of my promise."

Beowulf smiles.

"Cruel world, by my hands, I shall rid the evils that you bear. That is my ultimate goal, for…"

I close my eyes.

"...I am Vantablack."


Neito Monoma

"'There are many aspects that create a proper Pro Hero that is universal for all Hero-bearing countries. Though there are differences, such that China focuses more on Hero Families compared to South Korea's emphasis on entertainment and Idolism, both countries have the core principles of heroism in place, and both are striving to instil these values in the next generation of Heroes through Hero Schools.'

"My friends, do you recognize where the passage is from? It should be obvious. We read excerpts from it during Heroism with All Might."

Awase raises his hand. I say, "Anyone?" Awase scowls and raises his other hand. Now it looks like he's cheering at a rollercoaster. Rin finally raises his hand! Good! "Hiryu Rin, I'm glad you raised your hand! Please answer!"

"The True Hero, the author's, uhm… It's a French man… Ah, it's Julien Legarde! He's one of the most notable heroism philosophers. In his book, he defined four key values that every Hero should have. He called these the 'Four Heroic Cornerstones'," Rin answers spectacularly! We weren't assigned to read the entirety of Legarde's book, but All Might heavily hinted that we should! I'm pleased that Rin has! The True Hero is an amazing read! For our Heroism essay, this will be instrumental for a passing grade—no, for an excellent grade!

Let's see…

Click!

"Greetings, fiends!" Kuroiro walks through the door with a smile. Ah, so he's here! I swore I heard Kagesuke barking in the other room where the ladies were at! Here, in the library—and also a study—we, the men, are studying for our essay in Heroism! Well, most of the men. Two are off with the women. "What are we—?"

I point at him with a meter stick. "My dear friend, Shihai Kuroiro! Legarde's Four Heroic Cornerstones, recount one of them quick!"

"Magnanimity," he begins with a smirk, "'All Pro Heroes ought to possess Magnanimity, for that word contains Generosity and Benevolence along with others like Nobility, Kindness, and Selflessness, as it is the Word that contains All Other Words, surely being the most important of the Four Heroic Cornerstones; it is the beginning towards Heroic Action, and without a beginning, Heroic Action will never exist.'"

That is the short paragraph that only begins to describe Magnanimity. Kuroiro has read the book as well! I exclaim proudly, "You read the book too! It seems All Might's hints prove fruitful, and the seeds of those fruits will bear sweet sugar that we call 'heroism'! Now for you, Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu! Name another cornerstone!"

Tetsutetsu pumps his fist into the air with conviction in his movements! "Self-sacrifice! That's the only one I remembered! We gotta sacrifice our lives so we can do our jobs! It's not enough that we gotta think 'bout it, we gotta commit to it!"

"Great!" I exclaim, resting my eyes on Manga Fukidashi. "Manga, you're next!"

"Me?" he asks, raising his head and pointing to himself.

"Who else would I be talking to? Name another of Legarde's values for heroism!" I tell him. Manga panics and quickly sits up straight, muttering something to himself, something that I cannot hear.

"A heroic Quirk! A Pro Hero needs to have a heroic Quirk that assures the masses that they're good-willed individuals with a good-willed power, and that power has to be enough to protect them from harm. You can't be an effective Hero with a villainous Quirk," Manga explains, and he's right! He did study! I smile and nod; he reacts with a sigh of relief.

I put a hand on my chest, leaning just a little forward towards my dear friends! "And for the last cornerstone, that will be 'Rejection of Villainy'! Legarde described, 'A proper Pro Hero, with every part of their being, ought to utterly and supremely believe in the Rejection of Villainy, as Villainy is the cause of the world's Evils while Heroism is the reason for Virtues, as if it was spoken from God Almighty to become a Hero of Justice—and thus, a Champion against Injustice—because a Pro Hero requires the Hate of everything that is Evil while also possessing the Love of everything that is Good."

That is the Four Heroic Cornerstones. Legarde said that these are heroism universals, values that every country accepts no matter the differences. Much like culture who has universals, heroism has these. Heroism is not just a class that teaches how to become a great Pro Hero, but also a class that provides the context and the background.

Shishida perks his head, pushing his glasses up. "This may be off-topic, but how do you speak so theatrically, Monoma?"

"Like how you speak formally, Shishida! We have our natural ways of speaking, like how Kuroiro relies on the mystical while I embrace the joys of theater and plays!" I answer as Kuroiro sits down next to Manga, who's currently reading a manga.

Shoda raises his hand; I nod. "Uhm Monoma, if I can ask, why, uh, why are you tutoring us again? You don't have to do this…"

"Of course I have to! You are my friends and allies! All Might, along with the other teachers of U.A., will be reading our essays! We have to score top marks, otherwise we won't be able to attend summer camp and be put at a serious disadvantage!" I say, looking around the room.

"'Cuz we gotta beat 1-A, right?! I gotta beat Kirishima!" Tetsutetsu asks, exclaiming. His notes are absolutely illegible.

I announce, answering his question, "Yes, but most importantly: We have to be good Heroes for Japan. As much as it may shock you, I'm not completely obsessed over 1-A—"

"Shocker," Kaibara interrupts, smirking. Oh Kaibara, the sarcastic man he is.

"Yes yes, I know. I'm more obsessed with becoming proper Heroes for Japan in our own ways! We ought to pave our own roads as we walk upon them! Japan may beg us to fit their molds, but I refuse! We dealt with their insults and jeers during the Sports Festival, and we survived! We are still here! We haven't been swept away! By that fact, it means that it is possible to become Heroes by our word, and not some malevolent force out there!" I say to the room, who are more or less paying attention to me. Juzo Honenuki in particular is focused.

He says, "That's a little optimistic, Monoma."

"How so?" I inquire.

"We can boast that we will become our own Heroes or whatever, but when push comes to shove, that'll be hard. You forget that heroism is heavily regulated—laws that restrict our actions, laws that restrict our words, laws that restrict our everything, the whole shebang. They tell us what we can or can't do," Honenuki explains, kicking his feet on the table in front of him. Such an interesting perspective. I never thought of it that way.

I say, "Honenuki, I—"

"Hold on," he interrupts me, "I'm not finished."

"Very well," I give him the floor. Everyone in the room gives him their undivided attention.

He begins, "I get that the media sucks; they are absolute douchebags. They are just as responsible for what happened with Hifumi Osuhashi as the rest of us, but they are virtually blameless. Alongside that, we have the Hero Public Safety Commission who wouldn't hesitate to sweep scandalous things under the rug. Then we have the National Diet with their legislation that they might or might not pass—"

Bondo interjects, stammering, "W-Why are we t-talking about politics…?" That is an interesting question indeed. I believe that I'm starting to understand where Honenuki is leading towards. Our actions are restricted, and thus, so will be our character.

Awase nods, saying, "Yeah dude! We don't hafta worry 'bout that political crap at our age—"

"We have to," Honenuki tells Awase, his eyes shooting him an uncharacteristic glare, "that 'political crap' will affect our lives. Can you even name the current Prime Minister, Awase?" Honenuki's tone has gotten a lot more hostile.

Awase notices it too, gulping. "Uhm—"

"Thought so. It's Masaki Hanahito, also the current president of the Democratic Heroism Party. Currently, they're trying to pass a law that will make it easier for the Hero Public Safety Commission to suspend active Pro Heroes. But the Free Heroes Party is trying to prevent that," Honenuki says, clearly being well-informed on current events. I myself am somewhat acquainted. The DHP has the highest number of seats, but only barely, being rivaled by their rival: Free Heroes Party. They both stand for different beliefs. DHP believes in government-regulated heroism to promote order and stability. On the other hand, FHP argues against regulations because it will be the exact cause for chaos and anarchy, thus believing in a loosely-regulated system. Their beliefs are highlighted in the Hero Public Safety Commission, a separate entity that was established by the federal government. Both parties have laws and restrictions on heroism depending on the contents which is a rabbit hole in itself. But, the Commission is quickly becoming an entity who has a lot of pull on Japan, which is what the DHP wants, but the FHP is very much concerned. You can say that the Commission reflects which party has the most power. It's the constant battleground of the struggle between the two rivaling parties in Japanese government, but that makes smaller parties, such as the Liberation Party (a party that was created after the Meta Liberation Army made their marks around the world. Some individuals believed in their cause, but not through violence), that much more integral when it comes to voting.

I finally get my chance to say, "I understand what you're trying to emphasize, Honenuki. You're saying that being ourselves would be impossible—"

"Not 'would be', Monoma. It is impossible. One way or another, the laws and restrictions will inhibit the kinds of Heroes we'll be, kinda like Midnight and her costume. We all know what happened during her first appearance," he informs us, and yes, we know. Tsuburaba is snickering to himself, cheeks red. Oh Midnight, such a lustful woman… Why are you a teacher again?

"But we will still become individuals!"

"But the purpose of the laws heavily guide us to become factory-made Heroes, if you aren't outstanding like All Might or Hawks. And let me tell you, those kinds of Heroes are extremely rare. Only one of us in 1-B will probably be a Hero like them."

We know who that someone is.

"Yet—!"

"Why we stressing 'bout crap like that!" Tetsutetsu exclaims, standing up and slamming his fist against the table. "All this talk 'bout politics and confusing stuff like that, it doesn't matter! We'll be Heroes either way! We'll save people and punch the snot outta any Villains who get in the way of that! If ya don't like it, then we'll just change the law or whatchamacallit! We aren't just some useless sacks of flesh who get bossed 'round! Once we get famous and shit, the government just hafta listen to us! At that point, we've done so much for Japan that it'll hurt 'em more to ignore us!"

"Not a bad idea," Kaibara says. Why is his voice always so masculine and firm? "That's what all of our teachers say anyway: we're the next generation. We see the wrongdoings of the current world and we should be the ones to fix it."

Rin adds, "If it should be fixed. Those who are overzealous and arrogant to try to change the world will find reasons justifying the change, only to end up changing the world through destruction. History has shown us this." Ah, Rin and another one of his wise sayings! He means: We shouldn't change the world for the sake of changing the world, nor should we be arrogant during our crusade; if not, then our efforts will only contribute to the world's eventual destruction.

"...You guys are way too smart for me," Tsuburaba comments. "You're talking about changing the world while I'm focusing on simple stuff."

"That's youth for ya!" Awase exclaims, smiling.

"We're all pretty much the same age," Tsuburaba replies.

"Well, you're older than me, Tsuburaba."

"Yeah, I'm your senior."

"Okay, elderly man."

"I'm not elderly!"

"You have gray hairs, dude."

"You have gray hairs too!"

"Nope, mine's black and white like Inochi's."

"Now that's just wrong! Your hair is 99.99% black! Inochi's a lot more split, and honestly, his hair is a little weird."

Kuroiro asks, "What do you mean? His hair is like Todoroki's hair, which also has two colors. It's normal considering what other mutations are in this school."

Tsuburaba clears his throat, explaining, "That's kinda my point actually—mutations. Do we see anyone else that has two hair colors?"

Kaibara says, "Kazeha."

"Yeah, her. Her Quirk is plant-based, specifically sakura-colored, so it's naturally pink and green, just like her hair," Tsuburaba says, bringing up an interesting point.

I ask him, "What are you trying to say, Tsuburaba?"

"Look guys, Todoroki's hair is a mutation from his Quirk, right? And Kazeha's hair is also a mutation. Then what about Inochi? What if his hair is a mutation of his Quirk? If I'm actually right, then how so?" he proposes.

Manga immediately answers, "His Quirk is split into two parts!"

Kuroiro suggests, "He's reverting into the moonlight, his true form."

Rin asks, "Uhm, maybe he has Marie Antoinette syndrome?"

Awase says, "I got it! His Quirk turns his hair black!"

Shishida counters, "That does not make sense. White hair means a lack of pigment. How is his body producing black pigment? It is much more probable to lose pigment."

Kaibara simply tells everyone, "All of that sounds too complicated. Inochi was just naturally born with two hair colors, that's it."

Oh dear, Tetsutetsu… "What if he's wearing a wig?"

Honenuki argues, "That's stupid! Everyone knows Inochi is an alien like Ashido!"

I announce, "As much as I adore you all, some of these possible theories made me severely question my sanity."

Honenuki whispers to Kuroiro, "He's talking about you." Kuroiro scoffs.

I sigh, putting a hand on my hip. "Let's move on."


Munch munch!

"..."

Munch munch!

"Hey—" Munch! "—guys, why are you looking at me so much? It's kinda creepy..."

Kaibara holds Manga by the head. "How do you eat?" I silently nod. It's...terrifying watching Manga eat up close. The food goes into his speech bubble and disappears, as if his head is a portal to another world. Then his skinny throat enlarges as the food goes down, then it shrinks back to its original size. There is no possible way that I will ever understand how some Mutation-type Quirks work when it comes to everyday tasks such as eating.

"...Like a normal person," Manga answers, squeezing himself out of Kaibara's tight grasp. He shivers a little before looking back at his manga that's resting on the table. "You guys should read manga. You'd like it, Monoma."

"Because I'm dramatic?" I slyly ask, smirking.

Manga answers, "No, you're a theater nerd. There's a ton of live-action shows based off of anime and manga."

Kaibara whistles. "He's right, y'know."

"Really? Both of you are admitting that I'm a nerd?" I inquire from both of them with a slight frown across my face.

Kaibara says, "You were singing a song from an American musical earlier. If that doesn't scream out 'nerd', then I dunno what will."

"It's not that different when Shojo sings an anime song," Manga adds.

I puff one of my cheeks. "How rude. Anyhow, let's not talk about whether or not that I'm a nerd—"

Kaibara whispers to Manga, "He's trying to change the conversation." Manga nods. These men… When will they know that no one else ought to hear you whispering? That is the whole point of the verb! No one else is supposed to hear!

Anyhow, I continue, "How about we talk about something else? The small little debate with Honenuki is still lingering in my mind." He presents an interesting argument, really. That's the difference between idealists and realists. An idealist sees the horizon in the distance, knowing that he'll reach it one day, even when the odds are literally zero; a realist sees the horizon and knows that the horizon can't be reached on this world, and so, he thinks it's impossible and resigns himself to that fact. But where the two meet, the perfect balance of two worlds would travel towards the horizon even if it would mean a thousand-year journey.

"We'll become our own Heroes," says the idealist.

"Yet the world will force us to become their Heroes through laws," says the realist.

"Who cares about that? We'll change the laws so we can become our own Heroes," says the balance.

Juzo Honenuki, he's the man you would least expect to be a genius. He is a jokester, a comedian who makes everyone laugh, or tries to at least. Really, he's one of the smartest men here. There is a reason why he was accepted through recommendations, and this is the reason. Honenuki can perceive the world in a much more mature lense than we realize, but then again, so can we. I'm not saying that he's wrong. He is wrong as much as I am wrong, and I am right as much as he is right. The battle of realism and idealism is a battle is a subset of the war between good and evil. There's realistic good and idealistic good, realistic evil and idealistic evil. And here, call it a civil war if you will, we are fighting for the same cause always: the annihilation of villainy.

Kaibara shrugs. "What is there to say? In the end, we'll be Heroes. I'm content with that. As long as the Commission—or anyone else out there—doesn't stop me from doing my job properly, then I'll be fine."

"Same, I guess… I was never one to worry about laws and stuff… That's out of my realm of comprehension," Manga says, trying to focus on reading and eating his snack, but his attention is on us. How do I know? He's been reading the same page for two minutes.

"Well, that realm may be approaching us sooner than we expect," I say as if it is a matter of fact, and it is. The days as teenagers are waning as the luminescent moon, and what replaces it will be an eternal night where the clouds block out the sun. "Laws, then contempt, then disorder, then chaos, then anarchy. All these 'thens'... I don't mean to be pessimistic, but Pax Heros we knew is disappearing before our eyes."

"How can you tell?" Kaibara asks me, crossing his arms. "Is it because All Might is dying? Or that the League of Villains is the hottest thing since the Meta Liberation Army?"

"Both, and then some more, Kaibara." I lean my head back, staring at the ceiling. "Our generation will be an historic one, that's how I know. Already, we made history, only a mere precursor of what's about to come. Izuku Midoriya, a boy that All Might is incredibly fond of, is—what I feel—will be in the middle of it. He, along with the rest of 1-A, carry the spotlight when a hundred years from now, people would look back on us. They will read about them, not so much as us."

"What about Inochi?" Manga inquires, finally looking at the both of us. "I'm sure he'll get noticed. He's legally Quirkless and all."

"I'm sure he will, in his own way. Kaibara, remember I told you that he is the axis in which Class 1-B rotates around?"

"Uhm, I'm pretty sure you told me something about that, just not those exact words…" he answers.

I nod, chuckling just a little. "Hehe, perhaps. My point still stands. Someone like him, what he represents will surely impact the world."

Manga says, "What about you, Monoma? You're just as influential as him. In fact, you're kinda like him."

"What do you mean?" I ask. There's no possible way that I'm like Inochi. I'm his foil, after all! The selfless hero and the selfish thief! The perfect foils to one another! Wait, I know how! I answer my own question, "Ah, is it because of our Quirks? If so, that makes sense. His Adoptive Muscle Memory is only effective when near others, and Copy needs other Quirks to function. In that sense, I'm legally Quirkless as well."

I chuckle again, shaking my head. There's many memories behind that term: legally Quirkless. Especially if you're a child who has all the signs for a Quirk, yet your Quirk isn't apparent such as the boy who has a long neck or a girl who has eyes on the palm of her hands. Really, you'd be confused. I wonder how Inochi deals with that feeling? Knowing that you have a Quirk, yet it's nearly impossible to discover just what exactly is it! There has to be a reason why he can't use his Quirk. At this point, it can't be merely an issue with activation…

Manga sighs and nods. "Yeah yeah… I guess that's one reason." What is with that response? Is there something else he wanted to say?

Kaibara leans his shoulder against mine, frowning. "Monoma, he's telling you that you should give yourself more credit. You help bring us together just as well as Kendo and Inochi."

"Ha!" I laugh. "Of course I give myself credit, silly Kaibara! I'm the one who help unite the strong hearts of 1-B! I had to do it when 1-A was hogging all the glory for themselves! Otherwise, how else could we be noticed?!"

"Oh boy, you triggered his anti-Class 1-A personality," Manga says to Kaibara, and he's right! I did not expect him to touch me like that!

"Thanks for telling me the obvious, Captain Obvious," Kaibara retorts as he stands up, pulling on my blonde locks. "I will drag you to Kendo if you don't shut up."

"And then what?" I ask, teasing.

He answers without a change of expression, "I'll take a picture of her choking you to death while Inochi is trying to pull her off."

"Please do. I'm a very photogenic man, especially when my skin is blue as a blueberry," I tell him, an arrogant smirk forming on my lips. His grip on my hair tightens.

"Y'know, I'll make you blue—"

Manga interrupts, "Uhm guys, I'm right here." Kaibara and I turn to him in unison. You guys are freaks, he says with his eyes. What he actually says is, "Please stop, I feel like screaming."

Slowly, Kaibara releases his grip on my hair, sitting back down. He whispers, "I'm not done with you yet, trouble student." I chuckle.

"Neither am I. I enjoy this little game of ours," I whisper in return, my smirk growing wider. "As much as I like terrorizing our rivals, I enjoy this a bit more."

"Can I ask why?"

"I'll answer that question in due time, my dear friend."

"If Kendo doesn't kill you."

"She absolutely adores me."

"Enough to kill you."

"My fans are very devoted."

"Uh huh."

"You're devoted too."

"Heh…"

Manga says, "If I could hear you guys, then you aren't whispering."

"Oh."


Setsuna Tokage

"Dang Setsuna! I will never get over how huge your place is!" Kinoko exclaims with a cute little smile, bouncing around the halls with a dandy little lift in her step. She's absolutely adorable. Everyone is adorable, especially the masculine tomboy named Itsuka Kendo. She isn't with us right now. She's off with Sanji, and hopefully, we'll catch them doing something scandalous. Oh right, there's one other girl too, but I lost her—and Kagesuke.

Beside me, Pony is happily munching on an apple. "Yup yup! I loved the bathrooms! You have such a big bathtub! It's a small swimming pool!"

Wait, hold on. "Did you actually sit in the bathtub?" I stop in the hall, and so does everyone else, just so we could stare at Pony. She innocently has an apple in her hand, cheeks stuffed with sweetness—a sweetness that Togaru loves in two ways—staring at us with her big blue eyes of hers.

"Yeah!" she answers with a smile. "Your bathtub was really rocking!"

"'Rocking'?" Reiko asks with a head tilt. "Why did you use 'rocking'?"

"'Cuz it is! Reiko, y'know when something's just so cool that you gotta use 'rocking'?! It's the perfect word for it! Ya wanna know why? 'Cuz fling!" Pony explains, hopping up and down on her horse legs. Pretty sure she tried to say "slang" not "fling", but hey, sometimes our fling gets pretty confusing.

"You mean 'slang', do you not?" Ibara says, and Pony replies with an excited nod, completely enthusiastic about her mistake.

She takes a big bite of her apple, gulping it down. "Yup! Slang slang good ol' slang! I've been talking to Honenuki 'bout it! It's really cool beans and all that cheese!" I have no idea if Honenuki was trying to prank her or was just hungry. Either way, I question his choice of foods… Who the heck eats cool beans and cheese? He sounds like one of those people who are obsessed over canned beans.

"Mmm." Honenuki is a weird guy.

"He is indeed, Yui. But it wouldn't be 1-B without him," I respond to her, pointing just to add some extra emphasis. The first time I met Honenuki was at the Recommendations Exam back in junior high. We exchanged one sentence, and that was all him. He said to me, "I am so freaking dead." Then again, we saw Todoroki there too, showing off his Quirk on one of the tests. I couldn't blame him. All of us thought that we would die.

"I still don't understand how you can translate Yui Speak, for shroom's sake," Kinoko comments, clicking her tongue. "Seriously, I dunno if her hums are, 'Hey Kinoko, you are adorable!' or 'Hey Kinoko, you're so stupid that even a stinky shroom is smarter than you.'"

"Mmm." You're very cute, Kinoko.

Kinoko puts her hands on her head, groaning to the ceiling above as if God is there. Sorry, the only light is the ceiling lights, not God's. "You're killing me, Yui! Other than hums, say something else!"

"Something else," Yui says. Technically, she did what Kinoko asked, and I'm proud of my beautiful emotionless girl. Kinoko reacts by groaning loudly, dramatically slamming her head against a wall, shaking the paintings that're hanging there.

I whisper to Ibara and Reiko, "She learned that from me. Yui's my little girl."

BANG!

"Yuiiiiii, you're gonna be the death of meeee!" Kinoko whines.

"Okay," and Yui replies.

BANG!

Ibara puts a hand over her mouth, shocked. "Kinoko, you ought not to damage yourself so much! Such an act is terrible for your own body; nonetheless, it could be a gateway to sin."

"Additionally, you need your brain cells for the Final Exams. What you're doing now...is not helping that cause." Reiko watches Kinoko as she bangs her head one more time before stopping.

Kinoko sighs in relief, cracking her neck. "I needed that, guys. Anyway~! Can we see your room, Setsuna? It must be absolutely shroomtastically gigantic! You must have a balcony where you can see the entire city from below, cars like tiny ants, people even tinier!"

I shake my head. "Sorry, don't have that. It's not like a movie where in Paris, somehow, every single apartment has a window that looks out into the Eiffel Tower."

"Specific example, but it's fitting," Reiko says, "though, I am also interested in your room. What about you, Pony and Ibara?"

Pony finishes her apple, humming. "Of freaking course! This will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity y'all!"

"Indeed, especially if it's Setsuna's room," Ibara agrees, and so does my cheeks. They're agreeing by being red.

But here's the thing—

—I can't let them inside my room.

Not because it's my humble sanctum where I conduct sorcery that could cast armageddon upon the world—I really want to, but that's impossible—but because of something else. It's about Okichi's offer to dismantle the Meta Liberation Army. I kinda used my room as an operation room. In my off-time, I made my personal walk-in closet the exact place. If you move the clothes outta the way, you would see boards of information, threads of red yarn, pictures, maps, stuff that a normal teenage girl would have. All of it… All of it is for Okichi's plan. I haven't given him my answer yet. Something like this, I need to go through simulation after simulation for any possible success. I have to account for unknown variables, whether or not that my friends would help, if David Shield would be a possible ally, 1-A's assistance if they're going to the I-Expo too, heck! I even considered a scenario where Sanji would awaken to his Quirk, but even then, I don't nearly know enough about his Quirk. There's so many variables that I can't account for, too much for comfort.

But this plan embodies "high risk high reward" mindset.

Much like what's happening now. We're girls and all, so naturally, they would wanna check out my closet and find that I'm planning an operation that could possibly take down the leaders of one of the most powerful forces in Japan. Yup, this is the average year for Setsuna Tokage. Might as well make a movie based off of my life.

I stop in front of my room—the door is closed thank God—and scratch my neck. "Guys, you don't wanna go into my room."

Pony gasps. "You're hiding something, ain'tcha?! Spill the cool beans and cheese, Setsuna!" I have no idea how to react to that.

"I'm hiding my collection of stuffed human heads that I display on my wall," I deadpan.

"Consider my curiosity raised," Yanagi says.

"Consider my shroom-sity raised," then Kinoko.

"What is the real reason?" Ibara asks like a normal girl.

"Mmm." I'm not surprised, Setsuna. Thanks Yui.

I explain on the spot, also lying, "Well, you guys might not like my room. You're getting your expectations too high, and when you look inside, it'll crash like a meteorite. I mean, it's like buying the world's fanciest cheese and finding out it's American cheese."

Pony immediately looks offended. "Hey! American cheese can be fancy if you use it right! I know ten ways to fancy-spancy it up!"

We stare at her. "..."

"Moving on," I say, glancing at my closed door, "I hope you guys understand. Sometimes, imaging a life of luxury isn't all that exciting or—"

Click!

That's my door.

"Why are you people so loud?! I'm trying to read My Neighbor's a Pro Hero?! in peace!"

"Eh?!"

"Shojo?!"

"Shojo!"

"Shojo…"

"Shojo."

"Howdy!"

What the hell?! That's why I couldn't find Shojo earlier! She was hiding in my room the entire time! "Why are you in my room?!"

"Arf!" Kagesuke barks from within. He's laying on my bed.

"Why is Kagesuke also in my room?!"

"I wanted peace and quiet, okay?!" Shojo tries to—but horribly—defends herself, "Kagesuke had the same idea! We decided, 'Hey, why don't we hang out in Setsuna's room? It's probably cozy in there!' and it is! It's very cozy and warm!"

"Arf!" Kagesuke agrees… I guess… I don't speak Dog. Wait a second—

Reiko says, "I thought Kagesuke wasn't fond of you, Shojo."

Shojo gasps in offense, putting a hand on her chest—she doesn't have a big bust—and replies, "Kagesuke loves me. We are best friends of the highest caliber. I would die for him, and he would do the same for me."

None of us are believing her crap. Not even Pony. If Pony doesn't believe you, then you know you're a terrible liar. Ibara clicks her tongue in disappointment. "My dear Shojo, it's frowned upon to lie in any given circumstances, but should I even refer to it as a lie when you yourself believe it?"

"It's not a lie!" she exclaims, looking back at Kagesuke. "Kagesuke, you love me, don't you?"

Kagesuke doesn't say anything. He just stares at us with his cute puppy eyes.

"C'mon Kagesuke! Don't—!" Kagesuke hops off the bed, where Shojo's backpack is laying on the ground. It's open, and Kagesuke goes right inside. "Don't you dare go in there, fiendish mutt—!"

He pulls out an open bag of dog treats and starts chowing down. Oh, now I see it. Shojo bribed Kagesuke with puppy treats so she could hang out with him. Poor Shojo, she lied to herself that Kagesuke loves her. And now, she's on her knees on the verge of tears. Man, she cries a lot. Yesterday, she cried about a character death in one of her mangas. Actually, that's a good reason to cry.

Pony, being the supportive gal she is, goes up and hugs Shojo as tears begin to flow down her cheeks. Kinoko tugs on my sleeves as we watch this show. "So Setsuna… Can we go inside your room? Shojo already invaded your space."

"...Yup."

"To the first question or my thing about Shojo?"

"Good question. Let's head inside." From hearing me, Pony brings Shojo into my room while the rest of us follow behind her. Kagesuke takes his bag of treats and decides to eat under my desk. Ibara, Kinoko, Reiko, and Yui start to look around my room. It's nothing much, honestly. My walls are the rich-kind of brown, the color is enough to invoke a feeling of warmth. So does the floor, but there's some dashes of gold and other colors in the mix too. Along the walls are a few paintings, both before the time of Heroes and during. And there's some miniature models of dinosaur skeletons in glass displays too, because I love dinosaurs—who can blame me? A girl's gotta indulge in her hobbies. As for my bed and stuff, my bed's probably three times as large as I am. As I said before, I have a walk-in closet and a couple of dressers. At my desk, I have a personal laptop—cutting edge technology I know—and a few other neat toys. That's about it, really. It's kinda what the average person's imagination of a rich girl's room.

"Are these real dinosaur bones?" Kinoko asks. ("...Totally.")

"Mmm." You have a pretty room. ("Thanks, especially since it's coming from the Shakespeare of 1-B!")

"I was not sure what I was expecting, but I am not disappointed," Reiko says. ("You're a sweetheart.")

"This room fits you," Ibara calmly comments. ("Aw, you're making me blush.")

Pony brings Shojo onto my bed, letting her flop face-first into one of my pillows. Pony decides to do the same thing to my other pillow. Great, now I got two cuties on my bed! I sit on the edge, kicking my legs around a little. Dramatically, as the Queen of 1-B, I throw my arms out—not literally this time—and say, "Are you not impressed?!"

Ibara confusedly says, "I am impressed, Setsuna. Should I be? It's a lovely room, yet judging from the tone of your voice—"

I dismissively wave my hand. "It's just a movie reference, Ibara! A joke! Sorry, I thought you would get it."

"Ah, forgive me… I'm not very well-versed with pop culture…" Her eyes waver towards Shojo, who's mumbling words that don't sound Japanese. "Nor that culture as well."

"I don't understand half of Shojo's shrooming references anyway," Kinoko grumbles, sitting next to me. "Earlier, she said that Awase would be the kind of guy who would pick up girls in a dungeon."

"I mean, he would do that," I defend Shojo's statement while she's literally not even a full meter away from us. I don't think she's paying attention to our conversation anyway.

"True true! But what about the time when she asked Inochi about his 'Breath Style'. What in the shrooms is a 'Breath Style'?! How can you breathe differently than normal?!" she exclaims, and I actually think Kinoko doesn't realize that Shojo is still not a full meter away from us.

Pony picks her head up. "Kinokoooo, Shojo is right here." Kinoko sees Shojo, then she laughs nervously.

Shojo picks her head up too. "Kinoko, I'm going to unleash my Breath of the Mangaka on you."

Ibara asks, "Excuse me?"

Reiko reiterates, "Her 'Breath of the Mangaka'."

Kinoko tilts her head to the side. I, being a good friend, hop off my bed and wander off to my desk where Yui's at. She's holding Kagesuke in her arms, with him nibbling on her finger. She deadpans, "Fight."

Kinoko, somewhat frantically looking around, nervously asks Shojo, "Uhm, what in the shroom is a…'Breath of the Mangaka'?"

"You shouldn't have asked that, Kinoko!" Pony exclaims as she hops off the bed too. Kinoko starts to hyperventilate as Shojo slowly sits up, bringing her face out of my pillow. She pushes her glasses up as if to say, I am going to absolutely obliterate you. Before we know it—

MANGAKA BREATHING - FIRST FORM: TEARS OF DESPAIR!

Shojo delivers two unexpected hits with one of my pillows, forcing Kinoko to fall down staggered and weak. But unexpectedly, Kinoko's face lands on a piece of paper, the one that Shojo uses to draw. Kinoko lifts her face up and stares down at the paper before bursting into tears, sobbing hysterically. "Aw sh-shrooms!"

Silently, Yui grabs a towel out of my dresser, throwing it onto Kinoko's face. She uses the towel to dry her tears as she continuously sobs into it. Yup, that's Shojo's Quirk alright. It's actually pretty powerful if used correctly. Mangaka can force certain emotions out through drawings. If she really wanted to, Shojo could make the entire school cry. Or she could inspire them so much that they would fight for friendship until they die.

Ibara disapprovingly shakes her head, kinda like a mother scolding their child. "Shojo, was using your Quirk necessary?"

Shojo puffs her cheeks, nodding. "Yes. But… I guess it's a bit of a mean thing to do." Taking the drawing from earlier, she puts it away face-down, then brings out another drawing. "Here Kinoko, this one will make you happy."

Kinoko takes the drawing and her tears immediately stop. A massive smile forms on her face, and she starts giggling like a serial killer. That's a bit unsettling… "Thank you so much, Shojo! You're so shroomtastically great!"

Shojo makes a blank face. "Thanks." She shoots everyone else a look of, My Quirk is too powerful for its own good.

We nod in agreement. I sigh, curling my hair around my finger. "When I imagined taking a break from studying, it wasn't this."

"Well, this is an enjoyable break," Ibara says, smiling, "though your antics are questionable—" She looks at Shojo. "—it's enjoyable nonetheless. There isn't any major harm being inflicted on one another."

"Other than the one Kagesuke's inflicting on Yui," I say, glancing at these two again. Kagesuke is really chewing on her finger, and Yui doesn't care whatsoever.

"Mhm." Kagesuke's adorable.

Pony sighs happily and starts hopping around my room, having her arms out like an airplane. "We should talk 'bout something! Something funny and interesting and cool and cheese!" She's still on this cheese thing, huh? Damnit, Honenuki.

"How about love?!"

"How about love!"

"How about love?"

"..." Me, Shojo, and Kinoko immediately look at one another. We all said the same thing at the exact same time.

Reiko droops her arms down to her sides, frowning. "Why is it always love with you three ladies?"

"I'm a romantic!" I say.

"I'm obsessed with romance mangas," Shojo answers, holding a volume of My Neighbor's a Pro Hero?!.

"I'm also a romantic!" Kinoko exclaims; I think the effects of Mangaka are still active. I need to ask Shojo how long it lasts.

Ibara briefly gives us a look of disappointment before finding a nice chair to sit on. "So romance it is. Setsuna, I believe you want to start the conversation then?"

I nod. "Naturally, my goddess. Instead of gossiping about our lovely two stars of 1-B, we ought to talk within our own circle. By that I mean, who are you guys interested in?" My main focus of attention is on Pony and Shojo.

"Why are you looking at me?" Shojo asks, cleaning her glasses off with one of those soft fabrics, "I'm not interested in anyone."

I frown, Yui frowns, Reiko frowns, Kinoko frowns, Kagesuke frowns, the entire world frowns. The only ones who are oblivious are Ibara, Pony, and Shojo herself. Kinoko says, getting a chance to speak before I do, "Really? Last Friday, you went on a date with Awase—"

"It wasn't a date!" Shojo exclaims, her face immediately turning red. "It was a platonic hang as platonic pals!"

"'Platonic pals'?" Reiko asks. "How interesting, Shojo. That sounds like a phrase used out of embarrassment and denial."

"What are you trying to imply, Reiko?"

"Unless you fluster at the thought of romance so easily, then you know exactly what I'm alluding to."

"I have no idea what you just said!" Pony jumps in, exclaiming. "Who are we 'luding too? What does that word even mean anyway?"

"Implying, dear," Ibara answers in a calm voice.

"Oh!" Pony blinks for a second then nods. "What is Reiko implying again? Something 'bout Shojo, that's for sure!"

Shojo waves her hands around in a crossing motion, her cheeks still flushed with a betraying red. "Nope, don't you dare say it! If you keep talking about my obviously not-real crush on Awase, I'm gonna have a heart attack!"

Yui does her Yui thing, "Hehe." Cute.

"Translation?!" Shojo asks, yelling at any of us, mainly me. I'm the only one who's an expert in Yui Speak.

I say, "Yui mentioned that we never said anything about a crush." With that said, I smirk. Yui never said that, but I'm using her as my weapon, and she doesn't care in the slightest. Shojo reacts by glaring at Yui, trying to intimidate her. But Shojo is so cute that it's impossible for her to be intimidating. It's like a tiny kitten acting tough. I see why Awase has a crush on Shojo. She's short, absolutely cute, and has amazing thighs.

"Die," Shojo asks Yui, and Yui shakes her head.

Ibara turns her eyes to me, focused and steady. "Let's move on, Setsuna. There was someone else you were looking at too, correct? Other than Shojo?"

"You're right, beautiful goddess," I answer before setting my sights on Pony Tsunotori, who's innocently looking at us with her Prussian blue eyes. "Pony, it's your turn—"

"Are you guys seriously gonna ask Pony?" Kinoko asks with no faith in us whatsoever. "As much as I wanna know, you kinda have to say it bluntly in order for her to understand."

"Understand what?" Pony searches the room for an answer, and none of us are quite ready to tell her directly. Well, as the Queen of 1-B, I have to be the one who does it. Ibara simply cares too much for her heavenly heart, Kinoko would be too anxious, Yui is Yui, Reiko would say so much that Pony would be lost five seconds into the conversation, Shojo is Shojo, and Kagesuke can't talk.

I answer her, as blunt and direct as I can be, "Well, are you in love with someone?"

"My mom and dad!" she exclaims. Kinoko and Shojo facepalmed together. Well, Pony technically answered my question, and I'm pretty happy that she loves her parents.

I ask again, "Other than your parents, Pony! What I mean is, is there any handsome, rugged, possibly angsty guy that makes your heart flutter? Do you have any feelings that might be considered...romantic?"

"Kagesuke?" Pony answers in the form of a question. Well, she did answer my question…

"Everyone loves Kagesuke, don't worry!" I say, giving him a good old head rub. "Look, I'll just say it even more bluntly, okay? Prepare yourself, Pony Tsunotori! Think you can handle my directness?"

"Uhm—"

"No 'uhms'! As a Hero, are you ready?!"

"I am! I'm super am! Hit me with your best shot, Setsuna! Ask me so hard that it'll be like hitting me over the head with a bat!"

"That's incredibly violent, but okay! Are you in love with Toga—"

Knock knock!

We turn to the door. "What the hell are ya doin' in there?" Speaking of the devil. Ibara stands up to open the door, but I sprint over there first. She immediately takes a step back, her eyes slightly wide.

Ibara whispers, "Is something wrong?"

"No, but let me handle this," I whisper back before opening the door. Togaru Kamakiri, the second-tallest guy in class, is standing in front of me with a scowl. This is the man who probably likes Pony. Aw, he's probably a big softie underneath if he has feelings for her. "Heya Jack Mantis, whatcha doing here?"

"Wonderin' where the hell the girls are at. Looks like I found 'em," Togaru peeks inside, seeing almost every girl there. Itsuka's the only one who's missing. "Quirkless an' Fists are together as usual."

"Did I win a bet?" To my left, Ibara scoffs. She doesn't like that we're betting on Sanji and Itsuka, but she doesn't hate us. That's all I want—for her to not hate her dear friends.

"Nope, they're just bein' stupid as always." Togaru huffs for some reason. I glance behind me and I see why: Pony's waving at him.

Pony urges him, "Come inside, Togaru! We're talking about love! Setsuna was about to ask me 'bout it just before you got here!"

"Lizard Head asked freakin' what?!" Togaru yells before glaring down at me. "Lizard Head—!"

"Yo."

"Why the hell ya askin' Horns 'bout crap like that?! She doesn't know any better!" he begins to scold me while I'm putting up a blank face. I hear Pony shouting at Kinoko to unplug her ears, which is good. Pony won't hear anything that Togaru is saying—and what I'm going to say.

I bat my hair, spinning around fabulously like the beautiful heiress I am! I spread out my arms before tucking them close to my chest, creating a heart with my hands over where my actual heart lies! "I am an Ally of Love, Togaru Kamakiri! For when I catch a whiff of the sweet nectar of romance, I become drunk, craving more and more until I see the flower of love bloom so flagrantly like honey! And for you, dear Jack Mantis, redeemed son of Executioner Wasp—!"

"Why ya gotta bring that up now?" Togaru asks, not liking that I brought his dad up. Heh right, even though it has been what? Months since Catharsis? His dad is still somewhat of a sore topic, but he's moving on. It's not tying him down anymore, and so he can devote his full attention to U.A. and himself. I'm happy for him. His time of drama is over, and so he can be a normal teenage guy who looks like an insect. And being a normal teenage guy, he has a cute little crush!

I gesture to Kinoko to plug Pony's ears even more. She can't hear what I'm about to say! I announce in a spectacular and noble voice, "For you, Jack Mantis, your bladed heart is dulled by Pony Tsunotori!"

"Drop the dramatics," he says.

I deadpan, "You like Pony."

"..." Togaru's face gradually gets red, like Shojo's face earlier. "No."

"Yes."

"No."

"You're blushing."

"I have a fever."

"You should be dead then."

"I wish I was."

"You need to stay alive for Pony—and me!"

"Lizard Head, I will kill myself then you if you don't shut up."

"Aw, you would break the laws of nature for me?"

"And your bones."

Ibara joins our little banter, "Kamakiri, even I must admit that your affection for Pony is quite obvious. And frankly, it's adorable. I never would have imagined that a girl like her could steal your heart."

With her words, Togaru's blush gets worse. He sputters out a swear, turning away from embarrassment. "Ugh… At least I'm not oblivious to the fact that ya stole someone's heart from the very beginnin', Vines…"

That asshole! He's trying to shift the conversation to my crush on Ibara! I laugh, playfully—not playfully—punching his chest. "Oh shut up, Togaru! Ibara stole all of our hearts!"

"Friendship-wise, indeed… But romantically…" Ibara looks down, thinking for a brief moment. "I stole someone's heart? Whose? You know the w—" She clears her throat. "—the man's name, don't you?"

Togaru laughs, crossing his arms. "'Course I do! Though ya might be mighty surprised, Vines!"

"No she won't! It's just a student from the General Courses," I say, waving my hands around. "A lot of guys have a crush on Ibara because she's so beautiful! Like an angel descending from heaven itself! Ithink even Kaminari from 1-A has a crush on her too!"

A tinge of red appears on Ibara's cheeks. Jeez, I made her think that she's well-loved in U.A.! Well, that is true, but to the point of blushing? I both feel terrible and blessed that I could see her blush! "How interesting… But—" she says.

Togaru interrupts her, "Nah, ignore Lizard Head. This person is in our class! In fact—"

"In fact, I think Togaru should leave!" I push my hands against his chest, trying to kick him out of my room. It's not working. He's a lot stronger than I am unfortunately. Dangit all, I need to sweep his legs out from under him and then he'd be at my mercy! Ibara, as we argue, is looking back and forth like a confused girl! Damnit, she must be so out of her realm!

"I'm perfectly fine where I'm at, thanks!" he shouts, gently pushing me away with a single hand. "Look Vines, this mysterious person is—"

I can't let him finish that sentence! I'm sorry, Kinoko!

"Well, we haven't addressed Kuroiro's crush on Kinoko!" I yell loud enough that everyone shuts up. Togaru frowns, realizing that I've thrown her under the bus to preserve myself. Yes I have, but she'll recover…

She'll recover…

"I'm sorry, what?" Kinoko asks. "I was busy dealing with Pony that I only heard my name. What did you say?"

Reiko doesn't hesitate to answer, "Shihai Kuroiro. Setsuna believes he has a crush on you."

"Oh." Kinoko doesn't seem to react. "..."

"Are you okay, dear?" Ibara checks up on her.

Then Kinoko shrugs. "I don't think he likes me that way. He's just shy around girls, that's it." ...When did Kinoko become so observant? Wow, I totally pegged her as a girl who would assume a guy has a crush on her when he shows any affection, even if it's a little bit. "Why do you think Kuroiro likes me?"

"Many reasons," I answer. Togaru tries to say something, but I shut him up by putting my hand over his mouth. "I—"

BURST!

Pony suddenly jumps out of Kinoko's arms, making her fall on her butt. "I can hear again!" Pony exclaims as she starts—?!

Holy crap, she's running straight at me and Togaru! "Setsunaaaaaaaa!"

"Pony, no—!"

BAM!


"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"This was a great break," I comment as everyone, including Togaru, sits around in my room. I'm sitting at my desk; Yui, Kagesuke, Kinoko, and Shojo are on my bed; Ibara and Reiko are on a couple of chairs; and Togaru and Pony are sharing the floor.

"Shut up, Lizard Head," Togaru snaps at me. He has a bandage over his cheek. Yup… I caused that somehow.

"Yeah, I'm sorry guys," I apologize to everyone; it's a genuine apology this time. I even sigh too. "Guess we got a little carried away with romance, didn't we?"

Yui nods. Thanks Yui, you always know what to say. Reiko actually says, "Yes we have… Is Inochi an Ally of Love too, correct? How hasn't he imploded a room yet?"

"That's because Inochi's a responsible guy!" Pony exclaims, practically beaming with positive energy. "Like a princess, he's pure of heart!"

Cough cough!

Togaru and I immediately cough out anything we might've had in our mouths. Shojo nervously laughs. Yeah, we reacted the same way. What Pony just said wasn't true. Sanji, as much as I wouldn't like to admit it, isn't necessarily pure-hearted by conventional terms. And I'm not saying that because he's goofy, I'm being serious. He…

"I promise that I'll rip every tendon from your bones."

He said that. I remember him saying that during our fight with Catharsis. I look at Togaru, and he's looking at me. We nod. We remember him saying that. After what happened, I guess we kinda forgot about it and moved on. Sanji still acted like his goofy self, but I guess I should've been more… How do I say this? Reactive? I should've reacted more to that side of him, that realistic side of him. He knows that sometimes, you have to kill a Villain, but I never thought he would do it so willingly. And he tried to kill Catharsis too by throwing a knife at him. God, why am I remembering this now?

I'll just push this thought down. I still love Sanji despite him being secretly too mature. Overall, he's still my sweet, goofy boy.

Ibara asks the three of us, "Are you three okay? You reacted quite strangely to Pony's comment."

"Nothin's wrong, Vines," Togaru answers for us. "I was rememberin' when Quirkless made a not-so-savory joke. Got me laughin' for awhile, Airhead too. Not Headband though, he was the butt of the joke."

"What about the time when he looked through one of Manga's obviously safe-for-work mangas?" Shojo asks, giggling a little. "After he read it, he put it down and sighed, and that was it."

"Yeah—"

Bzzt!

My phone. Okichi texted me.

Okichi: "Setsuna, time is only getting faster from here on out. Do you have an answer for me yet?"

It's about I-Expo. I sigh, looking around the room. "It's Okichi, guys. Don't worry, it's nothing super important." That's half a lie.

Togaru tells me, "Tell him to shove a stick up his—" Pony grabs his cheek and tugs on it, stopping him from finishing his sentence. Ibara sighs and closes her eyes, not having the energy to scold Togaru again.

"I want to, but I gotta be nice to him," I say, pulling out of the conversation. Everyone starts to talk about the Final Exam. I know what it'll be. The written portion is obvious, and the practical is just more Faux Villains.

Me: "Not yet"

Okichi: "After our finals, it will be about two weeks until the I-Expo starts. Do you remember the strength of the M.L.A.?"

M.L.A.: Meta Liberation Army. I hate those initials now.

Me: "I know, no need to remind me"

During the first advent of the Meta Liberation Army, they were able to lay siege against multiple governments around the world. They had an army that had a chance at conquering the world like Alexander the Great. The second time around, under Rikiya Yotsubashi, it's contained mainly in Japan. From what Dad said, they have over a hundred thousand soldiers waiting on his command, including Pro Heroes. If I reveal this to the wrong person, then it would spark a civil war.

What Okichi is asking me is simple: obtain a list of all of the soldiers in the M.L.A.! That's simple… Yup…

Okichi: "Good, you are still having doubts, are you not?"
Me: "Of course I am"

Okichi: "I knew it!"

Okichi: "Don't doubt my genius, my dear Setsuna!"

Me: "It's hard not to"

Okichi: "Perhaps, what I am asking of you is insane and suicidal"

Okichi: "But nonetheless, this could prevent the loss of thousands of innocent lives"

Me: "Or begin a war that will kill thousands more"

Okichi: "Maybe not. What did your father say about the Commission? Did he tell you to not tell them?"

Why is he asking about that?

Me: "Yes, he told me that they will immediately go into war against the M.L.A."

Okichi: "That's wrong, dear"

Okichi: "Your father doesn't trust the Commission with this information"

Okichi: "He believes that they will mishandle it"

Okichi: "Trust me, they are much more competent than we know"

That's...not impossible. During the Musutafu Suicide Spree, they purposefully hid Catharsis's identity to the public. As a result, he fell out with the League of Villains and acted on his own, leading to his arrest. Because of them, it became possible that we were able to defeat him.

But Dad, it's true that he doesn't trust the Commission. The only person he trusts is himself and his company. The only reason he's investing in U.A. is for a profit and inside information on the heroism industry, especially on the Commission. It's not a bad thing though. Information is power here, but... Dad never explained to me why he doesn't trust the Commission. I just know he doesn't through his actions and words.

Me: "What are you trying to say?"

Okichi: "We will deliver any information we gather to the Commission"

Okichi: "Simple as that"

...I should've seen this coming.

Me: "Incredibly risky"

Okichi: "Riskier than a war with little-to-none information?"

Okichi: "Let's say the Commission wages war immediately after our successful operation, and the M.L.A. retaliates"

Okichi: "They have information that can be instrumental to the war, and as a result, our allies would be able to act much more efficiently than without the information"

That's...not a bad point.

Okichi: "Setsuna, let us be frank, we'd either be speeding up or delaying the inevitable here. The M.L.A. will go to war with Japan eventually, whether it be tomorrow or when cherry blossoms bloom"

Okichi: "It's a certainty, not a possibility"

Okichi: "The only possibility is when they go to war"

Okichi: "Frankly, I'd rather have information than go without"

There's still something I need to know.

Me: "Why are you doing this, Okichi?"

Okichi: "Why?"

Okichi: "I want to save lives."

Me: "Is that it?"

Okichi: "Yes, that's all. As much as you may think otherwise, I absolutely detest villainy as a whole"

Okichi: "Who would overthrow society with brute force? Only savages who believe that they are right"

Okichi: "No, who believe that they are entitled to be right, and through that entitlement, they believe society should be torn down for their disgusting beliefs"

Me: "You're telling the truth, aren't you?"

Okichi: "Of course I am"

Okichi: "You don't need to be a Hero in order to be a good person"

Okichi: "For sinful and selfish I may be, this world is worth believing in"

Okichi: "And I shall fight until my last breath in any way I am able"

Jeez… I always thought Okichi is one of those snobby rich jerks—well, he is, but he has a good heart. It reminds me of Sanji actually…

Me: "Cool"

Okichi: "Indeed! Remember, if you refuse, then I will not tackle this monumental task by my lonesome"

Okichi: "My fate is entirely up to you"

Okichi: "Yet believe that the world is not your father's words"

Okichi: "The world is whatever your eyes can see!"

Okichi: "Let that influence you"

Okichi: "Now I must go! Good luck on your exams, Setsuna!"

Me: "See you"

I turn off my phone. When was everyone laughing? All of them are laughing… Heh, the joke was probably funny, wish I could've heard it, but once again, the heiress I am is stuck with a decision that can change the world.

What Okichi said…

"The world is whatever your eyes can see!"

But Dad, he knows more about the world than I do. I'm only just a stupid kid. Whatever he says, I have to take it as fact. It's opinion, of course, but he lived through life longer than I have. The only life I know is the one he gives me.

So how can I see the world when I only witnessed a drop in an ocean thus far?

Again…

Do I just do what Dad says—

—Or go along with Okichi's idea?

I need to ask someone, yet the only person I can ask is God. This is a decision that only I can make, unfortunately.

Heh…

What would everyone else think?

Maybe then…

I would find my answer.


Itsuka Kendo

"Sanji—"

SLAM!

"You alright? Besides from brain damage, I mean."

"Besides from brain damage… Yeah, I'm okay." Sanji lifts his head up, tufts of his hair swaying back and forth kinda like a pendulum. I gotta ask—how is he keeping his hair so fluffy? It's like each strand of hair has a mind of its own, so light like a feather even. Not to mention how soft it must be—but nothing can beat Ibara's hair. Oh, what about his even softer grey eyes? I used to think the color was a little boring and dull—grey isn't a pretty color compared to bright purple or blue. I changed my mind though, because grey looks great on Sanji, along with his usual color scheme of black and white. However, how his eyes look isn't the focal point I'm paying attention to. It's how he uses them. Whenever he's talking to me, his eyes narrow slightly, seemingly focusing on every word I say like it's fact. It's so subtle, yet I notice this small detail every time we have a conversation. And it isn't narrow like, "I'm incredibly suspicious of you" but as, "I'm interested in you". There's this little light in his eyes—not literally obviously—that makes anyone he talks to feel special—he always makes others feel special honestly—but when I'm around, he's treating me more than that. That's because even when he's not smiling, his eyes take over; in fact, it's always smiling. Heh, I still remember the time when I caught him with his eyes white during the beginning of the year. That was strange, but alluring, like some kind of hidden power was underneath.

"Itsuka," Sanji says my name. I hear a laugh trying to escape his throat, and he's doing his best to stop it.

"Huh?"

"Should I call you the daydreamer now? 'Cause you were staring at me for a second longer than socially acceptable." Oh damnit, I was staring? I'd admit that to Sanji, but he would tease the crap outta him. It's my fault, because I can't help but think that he's cute.

I deflect what he says, "Wow, 'socially acceptable', this is coming from the man who promised to wear a cheerleaders outfit for Setsuna's birthday."

"It's very socially acceptable, Itsuka!" Sanji exclaims, sitting up straight in his seat with his arms crossed in protest. His right cheek is puffed up—aw, he's pouting. "I have the body to pull it off. You're just jealous."

"What about the incident with the cable box?" I recall.

"Which one?" Sanji asks with a smile as if he's happy that he is pretty much useless with anything involving that damned cable box.

"There's the time where it took five hours for you to program it—"

"Record time."

"You accidentally turned on the 'Audible Assistance Mode'. You thought there was a Villain in the house—"

"In my defense, it sounded like one."

"You barged into my room wielding a katana like you were about to assassinate me."

"I wanted to make sure you were safe!"

"That would literally be the last thought in my mind."

"Really? You would immediately think that I was trying to assassinate you? Like a rivaling noble in the Sengoku Period?"

"Exactly! It's not my fault that your Hero Costume resembles a modern-day samurai."

"That's not even relevant to this conversation!" Sanji says, raising his voice a little. He tries to say something else, but decides not to. Shrinking himself in his chair, he sighs and puts his three middle fingers against his forehead, his elbow on the table. He looks irritated, cutely irritated. "You know that I won't try to kill you. Ever, right?"

"Yeah I know," I reply, smiling back. I put my arms on the table, slightly folding inwards towards me, and then I rest my head on them. "I'm just teasing you. It's hard to rile you up since you take everything with pride, but I know just enough to push your buttons."

Sanji laughs, looking at me with the very same eyes I described earlier. His fingers fall off of his forehead, resting on his lap. "Speaking of button-pushing, shouldn't we be, y'know, watching everyone else?" He looks around Setsuna's home and… Yeah, we should. The boys and girls separated themselves into their own groups. The boys are in the library/study while the girls are… I have no idea where. Might be in Setsuna's room? But Sanji still makes a good point, namely because of one individual: Neito Monoma—well one more individual: Setsuna Tokage. These two can ignite chaos with one small spark, and that chaos will eventually lead to some blood, then some tears, then a lot more tears.

I should be watching them, but I know they can behave themselves here. This is Setsuna's home after all. Her parents are out—don't get me started on Fuyushiro Tokage—and everyone knows better than to cause damage. That, and our Finals are next week. We need to study for them more than having fun and messing around. Those are the two reasons why I can sit with Sanji and don't have to worry about anyone blowing something up. As much as I love my friends, I also love hanging out with him. We spend most of our time with each other anyway, but it's always fun. "We should, but they're capable enough to behave themselves in public, don't worry. You on the other hand, I need to keep an eye on ya."

"Not literally right?" he worryingly asks.

I giggle, lifting my head up a little. "I'm not gonna pull my eye out like Setsuna. Besides, I'd be giving myself nightmares. You'd be immune to it of course."

Sanji's eyes frown for just a brief moment. "Yeah…" Then they smile like normal. Yup, Sanji doesn't dream like the rest of us. He's incapable of dreaming. Ironically enough, he does a lot of daydreaming though.

And speak of the devil, he's spacing out right now. I pick up my head and take my phone out, setting a timer. Let's see how long he lasts.

Three minutes and a half. This is a lot longer than I expected. In the first minute, I spent my time just staring—not creepily—at him, but I had enough time to check my emails and stuff. I should pop him out of his head.

I get up and walk over to his left. Even when I'm moving around, he still hasn't noticed me whatsoever. Hehe, he looks so peaceful daydreaming. Too bad I'll snap him out of it. He usually has a funny reaction when someone pokes him, so I bring out a finger—?!

GRASP!

"Eeek?!"

"Itsuka, what're you doing?" Sanji just grabbed my wrist! Shit, that scared the hell outta me! God, now he's smirking, his eyes slyly staring into mine. Those are the kind of eyes that say, I knew what you were doing all along; I'm one step ahead of you. This jerk!

"N-Nothing!" I say, which I would've liked if I hadn't stutter, but my body isn't always on the same wavelength as my mind. "Just trying to wake you up, that's all…"

Sanji chuckles, his eyes smiling but his smirk unchanging. "Heh, isn't this novel?"

"Eh?" that sound comes out. This? Novel? How is this anything resembling a novel? And what genre would it be anyway?

With his voice deep and calm, he explains, "Ah, being an Ally of Love, I'd think this is a perfect scene. The woman sees the man distracted, seemingly lost in thought in a sea of emotions. Like Sleeping Beauty but reversed, the woman decides to wake him up from his day-slumber. Sneaking over to his side, her heart brimming with a surplus of affection, and to rid of this surplus, she plants a gentle kiss on the man's cheek."

"...?!" What the hell?! What goes on inside his head?! I wasn't going to kiss his cheek! Far from it! "Don't get any wrong ideas, Sanji! I was trying to poke you, that was it!"

Like the stupid romantic he is, Sanji goes on, "And the woman dismisses her action, seemingly equating it to nothing. But of course, everyone knows that this 'nothing' shows 'everything' with one small little kiss."

Seriously?! What's up with him today?! "It's just a poke! Where are you getting a kiss from?! I'm—?!"

Sanji grips my wrist tighter, standing up. He's a lot taller than I am, enough to cast a shadow on me. He says in a low voice, almost sultry, "As a novel though, the roles ought to be reversed, shouldn't it?"

What is he doing?! I… It's making my body heat up! "S-Sanji—!"

We do a dance. Whenever he steps forward, I step back. Somehow, my back hits a white pillar. I yelp, seeing as I am now cornered by him, who's still holding my wrist. With his other hand, he presses it against the pillar to the right of my head, forcing me to tilt it the other way. His gaze is the most uncomfortable part; it's too focused. Almost like he's trying to seduce me or something…

It's…

It's not a terrible attempt…

This is the guy who thinks I like someone else? There has to be something more to it…

"Itsuka…" Sanji says, his voice trailing off. He moves his head closer, and closer, and closer… He's not… He's not going to kiss me right? But he's leaning in! No, this isn't like him at all! I know how he is! He's goofy, he likes to play jokes! There's no way he's this kind of man! "Heh…"

Now he's laughing again! Sanji doesn't move in to kiss me, but instead moves his face close to my ears. Okay, that's a little more uncomfortable than a kiss! I hear him quietly sniffing my hair too! The hell?! "What are you—?!"

He whispers into my ear, almost sensual, "Y'know… I don't doubt that you know how to push my buttons, but I know exactly how to push yours—in ways a lot more than one." I freaking knew it! This was all a joke! He was getting back at me for teasing him earlier so he decided to pull this stupid stunt!

"I hate you!" I exclaim, finally pushing his face away from me. He lets go of my wrist, giving me some space, but not a lot. His laughs don't stop too; it fills the silence in the room. The heat in my chest doesn't go away. I'm still overwhelmed from what happened. To think that Sanji would go this far to tease me, that's saying something, isn't it? Before, we would only banter and argue like a married couple. Yet to actually make me think that he was trying to seduce me? I think he's…

"Hahaha!"

Heh, it makes someone like me dream. His laugh is still adorable. I shake my head, doing nothing to stop the smile on my face. "Ha ha, you got your revenge, jerk. What made you try this?"

"Nothing," Sanji answers, smiling. "Nothing at all. Just felt like doing it, seemed like it was the right thing to do."

"Uh huh, for me, kicking your ass seems like the right thing to do," I snark, copying his laugh from earlier.

"Later, we're houseguests, remember?" he reminds me, unconsciously inching his face forward. I'm still backed against the pillar; he isn't letting me go. Jeez… "By the way, did you change shampoo? Your hair smells different."

He could tell that?! Wait, better question: He smelled my hair before?! I—Never mind, I shouldn't be surprised, especially when he has me pinned against a pillar. I sigh, nodding. "Yeah, remember my commercial with Uwabami?"

That was a terrible time.

"...How could I forget? I have it saved. But that was hairspray, right?"

"Yeah, but I got the shampoo. It was free because I did the commercial for them. Do you...like it?"

"Of course! It looks beautiful as ever. Considering that it's you that we're talking about, that's always a given." He presses his hand against the pillar again like before, but he acts like himself this time. Sanji has that stupid smile...

There he goes again. He makes it too easy for me to blush. "You—!"

CLICK!

The front door opens.

"Oh! Uhm, are we interrupting something?" It's Haruto! Right, he's Setsuna's chauffeur! He's here?! Wait, did he say "we"?!

"When Setsuna told me that her class is coming over for a study group, I imagined a class of well-mannered Hero Students having the drive to prove themselves as Heroes," Fuyushiro Tokage says, stepping out from behind Haruto with a black briefcase in hand; he's frowning. "Never did I imagine that I would catch two of the most responsible students in an implicating position like this. I'd thought you would be studying."

Sanji immediately backs off, putting his hands up. I stand beside him, facing Haruto and Mister Tokage with my heart pounding like a drum. Damnit all, of course we were caught by him! He tries to explain, but I twist his arm. I explain instead, bowing, "I'm sorry, Mister Tokage. We were studying until this guy decided to go off-topic. One thing led to the other and you caught us like—" I pause. "—that. We weren't planning to do anything...unbecoming of U.A. students."

"I see," Mister Tokage says before turning to Haruto, who takes off his blue cap and rests it against his chest. "Haruto—"

Before Mister Tokage finishes, Haruto nods and says, "I'll go watch the men. I know how much you treasure your books, sir."

"Wait, you know that they're in the library?" Sanji asks before I do.

Haruto gives us a bright white smile and nods, tipping his cap to us. "Just intuition, I suppose! Seeing as you two are out here alone—" He clears his throat. "—yup, alone. It's only natural to assume that your class separated themselves into gender. With that, the ladies would go in Miss Setsuna's room and the boys would want to be in a large room, so the library. That, and I hear your friend, Neito Monoma, from where I'm standing."

"I can't hear him," I say.

"Neither can I," Sanji agrees.

"So it seems," Mister Tokage follows up, sighing.

"Am I correct though?" Haruto asks.

I nod, putting a hand on my hip. "Honestly, I'm not certain if the girls are in Setsuna's room, but there's a good chance. So I think you're completely right, Haruto."

"Awesome!" he exclaims, hopping up in the air. Mister Tokage glares at him and Haruto immediately composes himself, clearing his throat again. "Excuse my sudden outburst… I'll go watch the men now."

Awkwardly, Haruto tries to—and fails—march towards the library like he's in a band. His movement is wonky and way too over-exaggerated. Sanji laughs a little, and I elbow him in the side. He groans in pain and frowns, giving me his sad eyes. Mister Tokage gets our attention by walking over to the main area where the couches and chairs are, all on a rug. There's a massive TV attached to a wall that isn't turned on right now. We watch him sit down on the couch, taking out his laptop from his briefcase, opening it. "Miss Kendo and Mister Inochi, sit down. We're having a private conversation."

He didn't sound like he was asking us. Sanji looks at me worryingly, his eyes saying, Will we survive this? Aw, he's being a goof again. I nod, patting his back, signaling him to do what Mister Tokage says. We take the smaller couch to his left, sitting next to each other. I make sure we have a gap between us. Mister Tokage doesn't say anything yet, only typing something down.

I remember when he punched Sanji. That was a fun time. And then, we had to impress him and the other investors enough that Sanji wouldn't get kicked out of the Hero Course. That was also a fun time, and when I first got feelings for him. One way or another, Mister Tokage is a massive influence on our lives. With one word, he could recommend that we would be removed from the Hero Course. Whether we like it or not, we have to do what he says. Do I like it? Not really. When I look at Sanji, he doesn't seem too fond either.

Yet he's the first one to speak, "Mister Tokage… Why did you want—"

"Let me finish my email first," Mister Tokage snaps. "Don't interrupt your elders. Have some manners."

This—!

Sanji grabs my hand, preventing me from cussing Mister Tokage out. He doesn't whisper anything to me except for his eyes; they say, Calm down. I know you give your fists out indiscriminately, but not now.

I fume, pulling my hand away from him. There's a lot of things I could say about Fuyushiro Tokage, the head of Tokage Industries. I can't pinpoint what exactly, but there's something awfully strange about him—Setsuna too. Maybe he's the reason why Setsuna's been hanging out with us less after school. Whenever I see Setsuna interact with him, she acts differently than when she's with us. Hmph, there's too many things that I don't know yet. What I do know is that he's a scumbag one way or another.

Sanji and I, we wait until Mister Tokage finishes his email. His fingers speedily run across his keyboard with his eyes sweeping the screen left to right. When he finishes, he finishes with an annoyed sigh, shutting his laptop and putting it to the side. He says, "Kids—"

I correct him, "We're not 'kids', sir." Mister Tokage tilts his head with irritation stricken across his face. Beside me, Sanji frowns, probably thinking about how rude I am. To Mister Tokage, I'll give him as much respect as he gives us.

"If you keep insisting that you're not, it makes you seem even more of one." He glares at us—well, only at me. "But I digress. I wanted to have a private conversation to speak about current events. Such as Mister Inochi's interview with Present Mic."

Sanji picks his head up, his mouth slightly agape. "M-Me? Uhm, what about the interview? It was nothing much."

Mister Tokage crosses his legs, explaining, "That 'nothing much' resulted in the highest number of Listeners this year thus far on Put Your Hands Up Radio. Mister Inochi, whether you like it or not, you're famous. You're in the public's eye; no one will not know your name."

"I...know," Sanji replies, his eyes frowning. This is incredibly, and unfortunately, ironic. Sanji is the only person I know who detests fame, yet he's the most famous student in the entire school.

"What's your point, Mister Tokage?" I ask him, crossing my arms.

"My point is: Japan is looking for results from Mister Inochi. He is expected to rise into the top ten Pro Heroes once he graduates. And I, frankly, aim to aid him in this endeavor," he answers with a small, mischievous smile. Ah, now I know where Setsuna got her smile from.

"Wait—"

Sanji interrupts me, asking, "Aid me? Wait, are you talking about—?"

Mister Tokage nods, humming. "Yes, your Quirk. Your Quirk defines who you are, Mister Inochi. Without a Quirk, you are nothing—"

"That's not true whatsoever," I comment.

Mister Tokage laughs, his dark green hair bouncing on his head. "How you feel doesn't matter in this society. Your Quirk determines everything, and for your friend, it's the one and only aspect that everyone focuses on. I'm sure that U.A. is trying to force a Quirk Awakening out of him, correct?"

I stay silent. "..."

"So I thought," he says, turning back to Sanji, "I have a better method rather than rigorous training, more so than you already partake in. Well, if I tell the truth, Setsuna initially proposed the idea."

"What did she say?" Sanji presses immediately afterwards.

He responds, "The I-Expo. David Shield—I'm sure you know of him—is one of the world's greatest metaologists and support scientist. He's stationed at I-Island for research. Seeing as your Quirk is locked away, he can find a method to unlock it—a key essentially. Of course, I need your consent."

I step in, "I think—"

"I'll do it." Sanji?! "Even if it doesn't awaken my Quirk, it's a step forward nonetheless. I have no reason to deny this opportunity."

"Are you sure about this?" I ask him, "we haven't talked to Mom or Grandpa about any of this! I'm sure that they would have a say or at least an opinion about this!"

Sanji replies, "They'd agree with me. Itsuka, there's no possible way that I could effectively save people without a Quirk. Quirks are exactly what differentiates from life and death. As much as people see me as the Symbol of Quirklessness or whatever, I'm not meant to become that. I feel like a false hope for them."

"There's so much more to you, Quirk or not. If you look at our friends, there's a reason why everyone admires you so much," I tell him, putting my hand on his shoulder. His body relaxes; he was tensing his body. Sanji sighs and lowers his head, not saying anything else after that. I look over to Mister Tokage who's silently watching us. "Why do you want to help him so much? You punched him before."

"Because he interfered with Setsuna's livelihood, but that doesn't matter now." He stands up, his hands behind his back. Slowly, he walks towards the large window that looks down upon the streets of Musutafu, where everything looks like ants. "For Tokage Industries, it's in our best interest to invest in Mister Inochi. He's a promising individual. Personally, I myself believe in his future as a Hero. You can have bright ideals, but without strength to power them, then your light will fade.

"And…Setsuna believes in you. Originally, before the school year started, I originally planned for her success as a Pro Hero and the next head of Tokage Industries all by herself. I never accounted for her friends; I never accounted for Class 1-B. For the first few hours on the first day of school, everything went according to plan. Then everything afterwards, nothing went right—namely a few major factors such as a transcript error and an untimely suicide. As a result, I had to change my plans. The only way she could be successful if both of you are successful."

"So you're not doing this for us. You're doing this for her," Sanji says. And why Mister Tokage punched Sanji, but that isn't relevant.

"Correct. You wonder why she spends less time with you after school? This is why. My plans have changed dramatically. I can barely predict tomorrow as it is, let alone Villains like Catharsis. One day, I will come home and hear that my daughter has been kidnapped or worse. I mean no offense, but you attract trouble, Class 1-A even more so. There's no possible way I could let her wander out and about when troubling variables are springing up every second. It's begging for her to get hurt, and I can't have that."

I stand up as well. Sanji sees me and stays sitting, but his eyes are on me. I see Mister Tokage's back. He's standing tall like nothing can faze him. "Is that how you're raising Setsuna?"

"I am," Mister Tokage answers, turning around to face me, yet we're only ten or so meters away. "I'm raising her to live successfully in this world."

"That's—"

"By a schedule," Sanji says. "A schedule. You've been controlling Setsuna's life down to minute details." A what? A schedule? What does he mean by that? Why would Mister Tokage need to give Setsuna a schedule? Why…?

Oh.

"Sanji, please explain," I ask him, my voice nearing the edge of anger.

He shakes his head out of frustration, rubbing his mouth. "I didn't understand it at first, but I think I do now. Mister Tokage, ever since Setsuna was born, you've been controlling what she does every day. Study time, Mom time, things like that."

"Setsuna told you, didn't she?" Mister Tokage says. He clearly didn't want her to tell anyone, but he doesn't seem angry. In fact, I think he knew this would be revealed some time soon. What kind of a fucking father is he?

Sanji nods. That's all he does: nod. Trying my best to not yell, I say, "That's...disgusting. You're raising our best friend like that? It's borderline obsessive, abusive even. How can you call yourself a father?" Dad, my dad, would never do something like that. He would push me to become independent, do my own thing. No way in hell would he control my life. Ever since I was born, he wanted me to walk on my own without some stupid forsaken schedule dictating my life. It feels like I'm in a Japanese drama for crying out loud!

"It's natural that you don't agree with my methods—"

I interrupt, "Yeah, I feel more than just 'disagreeable', sir."

Mister Tokage grabs his tie and straightens it. "As I was saying, it's needed—don't interrupt me again—to be who she is meant to be: a Hero and the head of our company. That is her place in the world, and so she must learn to live as that. Unless one of you is the heir to a very important family, then you won't understand."

I look at Sanji.

He sucks in a deep breath from what Mister Tokage says, shaking his words out of his head. I briefly glance at him before focusing my eyes back on the man before us, the man who's undoubtedly crooked. Filtering my thoughts, I say, "You're a terrible man. You said that you want her to be successful, but what about being happy? You don't want her to be happy?"

"What do you believe?" Mister Tokage asks me. "Do you believe that a man in such a high status such as me can be happy? Who's powerful enough to ruin a country's economy, but not powerful enough to heal what ails mankind? But those are just rhetorical questions. No matter what answer I give you, you will never forgive me. The only way you can understand me by wearing this suit."

"You—!"

"Nothing. I won't put in stock into this silly argument any longer. Remember, I'm only doing this for my daughter, not you. If you—and Mister Inochi—weren't so integral to Setsuna's success, then I would've gotten rid of unneeded variables." With his arms at his side, Mister Tokage approaches me. No, he passes me. He grabs his laptop and his briefcase, tucking his laptop under one arm and holding his briefcase by the handle. "As I said before, both of you are the most responsible students in your class—the two axises in which it revolves around. If I were you, I would train for the practical of your Finals. It won't consist of Faux Villains."

WIth that said, Mister Tokage walks off into the hallway on our left, probably going into his office. We hear the clicking of his footsteps as they fade away. I groan, sitting back down next to Sanji, who immediately moves closer, our shoulders touching. He says, "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about Setsuna's thing earlier… She told me during our ball months ago."

"It's fine… I honestly didn't expect you to understand. You weren't raised in conventional means," I reply, smiling softly. At least Sanji isn't hiding big secrets anymore… Actually no, he is hiding something: his family. During his interview with Present Mic, he talks about his father. I explicitly remember that Sanji told me, Mom, and Grandpa that he doesn't remember his family. But that, I'll let him keep it a secret. I won't pry about his family until he's ready to talk about it.

Sanji laughs, scratching the back of his head. "Yeah, but now I understand. That isn't normal. Do you think Setsuna's okay?"

"I...hope so. I always knew there was something off with her, but I didn't expect it to be this. She's like a bird in a gilded cage, I swear. I mean, we can't do anything about it either. Mister Tokage is too powerful, but it doesn't mean we can't support Setsuna," I tell him.

"Then let's give it all we got—Plus Ultra style!" Sanji brings out his fist, grinning. Uhm, he hasn't done that before. "...Itsuka, please fist bump me."

"Alright, fine."

Knock!

"Great! Now, Mister Tokage completely changed the practicals for us! And honestly, I'm kinda scared. What do you think U.A. has in store?"

"Something incredibly stupid, that's for sure."

"We can handle it though, right?"

"Right, partner."

"Heh, you know it."

Jeez… Next week, it'll be our Final Exams. Let's hope we're ready.


Sanji Inochi

"Mister Kan, why are we here?" Setsuna asks him. Well, that is a very good question. I thought we would fight at Ground Beta or something. Right now, we're outside of school with a ton of buses around us. We finished our written portion of our Finals yesterday. Thanks to studying all of last week, I feel like I actually did good on it! But here, the practical is another battle. My wavering mind cannot affect my physical body, else that'll lead to an easy defeat. Beside me, Itsuka's looking around, trying to figure out what our practical's gonna be since it's not Faux Villains this time.

We have: Mister Kan, Cementoss, Ectoplasm, Midnight, Snipe, Thirteen, Power Loader, and Present Mic.

"Aren't we fighting those stupid robots again?" Tsuburaba asks, sighing and waving the sweat off his face.

Mister Kan answers, "Actually—"

"Change of plans!" Principal Nezu suddenly leaps forward from behind Mister Kan, jumping on his shoulder and standing proudly. "Instead of those rusty old machines, we'd thought that another test would be better! One that challenges your heroic senses and your decision-making ability among a myriad of other skills! You may ask, 'Why the sudden change, Principal Nezu?' Well, I'll answer you!

"You all need more battle experience because of recent events that transpired! That is why, from now on, you will be having battle simulations that reflect combat in your daily life! And for your Final Exam, I am happy to announce that you will be fighting your very own teachers!"

"Shrooming what?!"

"Ya gotta be freakin' kiddin' me!"

"We're dead."

"I did not expect this sudden revelation."

"This is a plot twist of epic proportions!"

Everyone got pretty much a bomb dropped on them. Itsuka and I aren't that surprised. Setsuna doesn't seem too shocked either. It seems like only the three of us know that our practical isn't around fighting Faux Villains, but to think that we're fighting our own teachers is a scary thought. They are Pro Heroes who have battle experience like none other. We are certainly outmatched, especially me, but they wouldn't have given us this test if they didn't believe that we wouldn't pass. How would we fight them though? There's a reason we're outside the school and not on campus.

Principal Nezu laughs and sits down on Mister Kan's shoulder, nodding along to the outcries of my friends—his students. "And we also have a special guest! Kendo and Inochi, I think you'd be somewhat surprised!"

"Huh?" I ask, turning to Itsuka. "Did you know about this?" She shrugs, shaking her head.

Nezu continues absolutely brimming with enthusiasm, "Why don't you reveal yourself, guest star? Come out from behind those buses!"

"I honestly don't know why we had to do this, Principal Nezu…" That voice!

"Mom?!"
"I'm not fighting her!"

Around us, everyone murmurs, whispering to each other about our very special guest star: Hayami Kendo! She emerges from behind a set of buses with both of our motorcycles beside her. She's wearing casual clothes with a beige bag around her shoulder. Rolling the motorcycles up with the rest of the teacher, she greets everyone with a kind smile—especially Itsuka and I. That's why she was giggly this morning! I knew she was planning something devious, and here it is! Hayami says, "You would lose if you tried to fight me, Sanji. But I won't be fighting you, that's someone else's job."

"That's right!" Nezu exclaims, jumping off of Mister Kan's shoulder to jump on my motorcycle. "If all of you are unaware, both Kendo and Inochi have Hero Vehicles registered with the Hero Public Safety Commission! Miss Kendo here has finished tinkering with their motorcycles, and now she personally asked me if her kids can test them out, and I said yes! That's why she's here! For Kendo and Inochi's Final Exam, they are allowed to use their Hero Vehicles!"

"Holy crap!"

"That's awesome!"

"Now I really wanna see them fight!"

"Let's hope they don't crash them."

Awase steps up from the crowd and asks, "Miss Kendo, can I be your son?"

Hayami giggles and shakes her head. "Sorry, I already have one."

?!

THUD!

"Oh dear, I think you just killed Inochi," Midnight...says…

"Inochi, can you still participate in the exam? Is anything hurt?" Mister Kan asks…

"My heart…" I answer.

Itsuka groans and lifts me up by my arm. "Stop being so dramatic, Sanji." Behind those kinda harsh words, there's a smile. Heh, guess I really am apart of the Kendo Family now. If you'd tell me this five or six years ago, I wouldn't have believed it. I'm happy that Hayami thinks of me as her son. How she casually said it was like a shot to the heart.

"I'm alive!" I announce, grinning.

Hayami rolls her eyes at me, her stupid little man, and digs into her bag. She tosses a green and gold bracer to Itsuka; to me, she tosses a black and white bracer with a four-pointed star on the forearm side. Oh, this one is for my left arm, the one that uses a grappling hook. This, however, is a lot thicker, larger, and heavier, but not by much. Everyone around us starts to gather around, taking a peek at our new bracers. These will be our electronic link to our bikes. Earlier last month or so, Hayami made a prototype for Itsuka's bike. It worked for the most part, just had some small...kinks…

Yeah, let's go with "small".

Hayami explains, "These bracers will allow you to link up to your gorgeous bikes made by me. For you Sanji, this replaces your left bracer. Don't worry about your grappling hook. This one is a lot more compacted and efficient. However, there's a few changes: it's now attached to the bottom of your bracer and has a lot more recoil than your old one. That's about it though! Put it on, you two! Don't keep me waiting!"

I do what she says, taking off my old bracer and replacing it with the new one. Out of the corner of my eye, Itsuka can barely contain her excitement. Her arms are literally shaking from the thought of using our Hero Vehicles in combat. Which is the only reason why I'm the first one who puts my bracer on. Immediately, the center of the four-pointed star begins to glow blue. Ah, that's supposed to be a feature. Hayami told me that our bracers need a way to recognize us, so fingerprint it is! I press the tip of my index finger against the center, and the star begins to spin clockwise like a loading screen in a video game. When it finishes loading, a white screen replaces the black that was once there. I see an infographic of a mini-version of Hayami greeting me with the exclamation of "Hiya Sanji!". That's adorable. Mini-Hayami pulls in an empty text box and asks, "Give your motorcycle a name, Armory!"

Tetsutetsu puts his elbow on my shoulder, amazed by what he's seeing. "Holy crap bro, you need to give your bike an awesome name! How about 'Steel Hand'?! That's a good name, right?!"

"For you, Tetsutetsu, but you aren't riding it," Kaibara tells him. "Inochi, name it 'Arsenal' or something."

"No no no, he oughta name it 'Yosetsu Awase is the Best!'" Do I even need to know who said that? It should be obvious, and so should my answer.

"That's one of the worst names I ever heard," Manga comments. "Please name it something cool! This name will stick with you for the rest of your life!" I'm pretty sure I can change it, but that's a fair point.

Honenuki snaps his fingers. "Like Comicman!"

Manga retorts, "Oh that's not fair, Mudman! I changed my Hero Name too!"

Kuroiro suggests, "Heh, give your Hero Vehicle a name fitting for the Hero you desire to be. Ponder your thoughts, search deep within your soul for a name that calls to you, then embrace it!"

"I agree!" Monoma exclaims, "your Hero Vehicle is an extension of yourself! You are Armory, so what should your motorcycle represent? Weapons? Or should it be something else altogether?"

Something else altogether…

"Especially them! There's an infinite amount of stars out there, and each one of them contains a dream of each soul in Japan. Not enough people realize that dreams hold immense power that nothing can match—so really, its power is infinite as well. Hold the stars, and you hold dreams; you hold dreams, and you hold infinite power. Simple as that!"

"I'm the Weaponry Hero: Armory. Itsuka called me this during Golden Week, and I liked the sound of it. And, wouldn't you know, I can use virtually any weapon in the books. Maybe, when I can use my Quirk, this name would change. Let's hope I can come up with a good one."

I enter: Yume-no-Kami Ude.

Monoma claps his hands in delight, pleased with my name. "'Arm of the Dream God'! That has a nice ring to it! Additionally, it sounds like a name that Kuroiro would choose!" Kuroiro chuckles to himself, probably nodding even though I can't see him. Tetsutetsu laughs and pats my back, supporting my choice.

"I did have to channel my inner dramatic side," I say, looking over to Itsuka. "Itsuka, what's the name for yours?"

"'Golden Hand'. I'm naming it after Dad's Hero Name," Itsuka tells me with a smile. "After all, this was his Hero Vehicle before I inherited it. I might as well pay homage to him." That's so much like her. The People's Fist is always thinking about others, that's for sure.

Anyway, Mini-Hayami registers the name of my motorcycle, Yume-no-Kami Ude, and presents me with an interface of...a lot of stuff that I cannot decipher at the moment. This is like a phone honestly, but a lot more confusing. There's about ten features though. I look up at the real Hayami, who's wiping a tear away from her eyes. She clears her throat, recomposing herself. "Anyway, I'll explain the features for each of your bikes later. Principal Nezu needs to explain the rest of your Final Exam."

He pats the handles of my motorcycles, nodding. "That I do! As I said before, you will be fighting your teachers! We have already decided the pairs, and in one case a trio, and their opponents! We picked your teachers based off of your strengths and weaknesses! So listen up, Class 1-B! I won't repeat it again!"

"Manga Fukidashi and Kinoko Komori! You will be fighting Present Mic!" ("Wahooo! Don't hold back, kiddos!")

"Togaru Kamakiri and Pony Tsunotori! You'll have a showdown with Snipe!" ("Hah, that's right boahs. I ain't holdin' nothin' back, y'hear?")

"Setsuna Tokage and Kosei Tsuburaba! Guess what? You'll be fighting me! How crazy is that?!"

"Shihai Kuroiro and Reiko Yanagi! Beware of the many Ectoplasms, for he's your Villain!" ("Please put forth effort, my students.")

"Ibara Shiozaki and Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu! You will face Cementoss!" ("I don't expect you to go easy on a blockhead like me.")

"Juzo Honenuki and Nirengeki Shoda! It's time to fight Power Loader!" ("Don't think you'll be getting past my traps.")

"Yosetsu Awase and Kojiro Bondo! The beautiful Midnight will be your enemy!" ("Oh my, don't you dare hold back your youthful strength!")

"Hiryu Rin and Yui Kodai! Although she values rescuing more than fighting, Thirteen will still put up arms to face you!" ("Rin and Kodai, I expect great things from you two!")

"Neito Monoma, Sen Kaibara, and Jurota Shishida! You will go up against none other than Vlad King!" ("I picked you three myself. Show me what you're made of.")

And then there's me and Itsuka. We step forward from the crowd, closer to Principal Nezu and the rest of the teachers. There's only nine here and they've been assigned a pair. However, Itsuka and I will be fighting the tenth unknown teacher. Ever since I got here, I've been wondering where he was. He, out of all of the teachers here, would be most interested in Heroics, especially when it comes to combat. That's right… I think once Principal Nezu announced that we'll be fighting our teachers, I knew who I was fighting against.

So a large shadow covers the sun, enveloping all of us in a temporary darkness. The wind whistles, practically cheering as the man jumps down in front of Itsuka and I, landing with his fist slammed down against the concrete, shattering it into pieces. He looks up, his blonde hair swaying slightly in the wind, his body being twice the size of ours combined. Everyone gasps as our Villain shows himself.

"I AM HERE!" he announces heroically as ever, "Come, Blade and Fist! Show me your heroic heart!"

All Might.


The Final Exam arc is here! It will be a total of four chapters (including this one). I won't be skipping any fight scenes, meaning that I won't have a paragraph that says "This and This defeated That Teacher". Each match-up *will* have a scene, so you can see all 10 matches in action. For next chapter, it will have 3 matches, after that is 4, and the last one has 3 again.

The next chapter is called: Come, Blade and Fist

You know who has the main focus next chapter.

Final Exam Arc: The Final Exam Arc is kinda iffy for me to write actually. I didn't know what I should focus on because it seems out-of-place being stuck in-between the Hero Course Tutoring Arc and the I-Expo Arc, but then as I started to write this chapter (and Come, Blade and Fist), I began to make this arc the "recap arc". Meaning, you will see how the past has affected the characters up to this point and how they use it to fight. With characters that haven't been developed, then they will receive more development because 8 of the 10 matches have a character who has a POV in this story. Because 2 matches have both characters that do not have a POV scene yet, then it means that two of them will join the many POVs of Dreaming of Stars. One of which will definitely be Hiryu Rin because I've been building up to his arc ever since Chapter 29.

With this said, I hope you enjoy the next three chapters because it will almost contain fight scenes.

Vantablack: Fun fact - I had to change his arc last minute when writing this chapter. It just didn't fit in with the story in a way that I liked. I wanted to reveal his backstory before the Final Exams, but instead, his backstory will be revealed during the Final Exams. So with his two scenes here, you will find a glimpse of it (and find a glimpse of how adorably anxious he is). Seriously though, when I wanted to plan his backstory, I cried. It'll definitely be one of the sadder backstories in Dreaming of Stars, but fitting for the theme.

Monoma and Honenuki: Idealist vs realist. That's all I have to say about them. In the beginning, Honenuki was one of my most least favorite characters to write because I just didn't know what to do with him, but now, he's a pretty great character to write. He is the perfect example of a "hidden genius". With his antics, you wouldn't suspect that he's absolutely mature and capable of thinking for himself, but has a more realistic view on society than his classmates. Especially with the Democratic and the Free Heroism Party. (Hint hint: These two will be incredibly important later on in the story. Who doesn't like a dabble of political drama?)

For Monoma, you know how he's like, but I alluded to his backstory in his second scene. Like Kuroiro, his backstory will be revealed during the Final Exam, so look forward to it.

Meta Liberation Army: Again, I'm building up to the I-Expo arc where Class 1-B will somehow fight the MLA with Setsuna as the reason why they're fighting against one of the most dangerous organizations in Japan. 'Tis a normal year of high school for Setsuna Tokage. Going to school during the day and taking down massive Villain organizations by night. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by the I-Expo arc, especially with a new character that will make his appearance in the story. With Itsuka's scene, it only builds up to Setsuna and her troubles.

Blade and Fist: But with the star duo of 1-B fighting All Might? Well, that'll be a fight to see! Like how Bakugo and Midoriya had to fight All Might, it's reflected here! However, U.A. wanted to test Sanji and Itsuka's teamwork against All Might precisely because they want to work together when they become Heroes. They might as well reinforce their relationship now instead of splitting them apart. With Yume-no-Kami Ude and Golden Hand, how exactly will they fight All Might with their Hero Vehicles in hand?

The Quality of This Chapter: Ugh, 23k words long. The ending is not the best in my opinion. I did not have enough space to include Master Kendo's thoughts on the Final Exam and that sucks. I could've had the final scene be the beginning to the next chapter, but we won't be able to *cut directly* to the fights from the get-go. So I made a sacrifice to have a subpar ending for this chapter in order to have a good beginning for the next chapter. And editing this chapter was hell mostly because I'm fighting a cold.

But I hope you enjoy this chapter nonetheless!