Chapter 26
Les Curieux
Three days have passed since Eri was adopted into the Girai family. Joshua Girai now sits in his boring math class. He has his head down, sleeping. Momo punches his shoulder to wake him up.
"Oww. What was that for?" said Joshua.
"Midnight was about to look your way. I don't think you want to get on her bad side," said Momo.
"I just had back-to-back sleepless nights. Taking care of a little girl hurts my sleep schedule," said Joshua.
"I could help if you needed some," said Momo.
"Eri's my responsibility. I can take care of her myself," said Joshua.
"Girai!" exclaimed Midnight.
Joshua and Momo are surprised that their teacher caught them conversing.
"Yes ma'am," said Joshua.
"What's the answer to number 12?" asked Midnight.
"107/28," said Joshua.
"Correct. Pay more attention," said Midnight.
"I will," said Joshua.
Twenty minutes pass. The bell rings, signaling that it's now time for lunch.
"It's time for lunch. Make sure to finish pages 369 and 370 by tomorrow," said Midnight.
Most of Class 1-A exit the classroom quickly. The only ones left are Aoyama, Joshua, and Momo.
"You are really good at math. You don't even have to look at the problems and you already know the answer," said Momo.
"I was homeschooled intensely by many elite tutors. I learned many things," said Joshua.
"Wanna get lunch together?" asked Momo.
"Yeah and-" said Joshua.
Before Joshua can finish speaking, Aoyama sticks a piece of cheese in his mouth. Joshua turns his head and sees Aoyama standing behind him.
"Why did you put cheese in my mouth?" asked Joshua.
Joshua eats the cheese.
"It's Pont l'Eveque. It's mild and easy on the palate. Want some more," said Aoyama.
"Nah, I'm good," said Joshua.
"Aoyama, do you want to join us for lunch?" asked Momo.
"Non! Cafeteria food doesn't fit my tastes," said Aoyama.
"Ok then. See you later," said Momo.
Aoyama walks away. He takes a seat at a desk and places a dining cloth on it. He unfolds the dining cloth and reveals a plate of food, a fork, a knife, and a glass of a liquid that seems to be wine. Momo and Joshua walk towards the door.
"Have a good lunch," said Joshua.
"You too," said Aoyama.
Momo and Joshua exit the classroom.
"He's weird," said Joshua.
"That's pretty obvious. No regular person puts cheese into a person's mouth out of nowhere," said Momo.
"Do you think that he's hiding something?" asked Joshua.
"What do you mean?" asked Momo.
"All Might told me that Principal Nezu thought that there was a mole here. Aoyama has always acted weird, so he can easily be a suspect, but it's too easy. If he is a spy, it makes no sense to act so suspicious," said Joshua.
"Maybe, he's acting so suspicious to throw us off," said Momo.
"Are you trying to say that he is intentionally acting super suspicious," said Joshua.
"Maybe there are multiple spies. Maybe Aoyama is acting suspicious to throw off suspicion for other spies," said Momo.
"You may be right. I have to keep an eye on him," said Joshua.
Eight hours pass. Joshua sits at his desk, typing on the computer. He looks at his clock and sees that it is midnight. He turns off his computer and gets out of his seat. He grabs his bag and walks towards his window and sees Aoyama standing outside his window. Aoyama panics and jumps off the windowsill. Joshua runs up to the window and opens it. He sees the Japanese kanji for "I know" created with cheese.
"I know? What does he know? Why is he stalking me?" asked Joshua.
Joshua jumps from the windowsill and lands on the ground. He runs around the corner and sees nobody. It is like Aoyama just disappeared.
"Where did this dude go?" asked Joshua.
Eight hours pass. Momo and Joshua walk towards the school.
"So, Aoyama was standing outside of my window. He placed a plate of cheese on my windowsill and ran away once I saw him," said Joshua.
"That's suspicious. Maybe you should talk to him to see what's up," said Momo.
"He'll probably pop up out of nowhere once again," said Joshua.
Right when he says this, he sees Aoyama sitting on a bench.
"There he is. Don't wait for me. I'll probably be late," said Joshua.
"Ok," said Momo.
Momo walks away. Joshua walks to the bench and sits on it.
"What do you want?" asked Joshua.
"What do you mean?" asked Aoyama.
"You were outside my window last night. Why is that?" said Joshua.
"I wanted you to taste the delicacies of french cheese," said Aoyama.
"Don't lie to me. You left me a message. What do you know?" said Joshua.
"I know enough," said Aoyama.
"What do you mean enough?" asked Joshua.
"I know that you love my cheese," said Aoyama.
"What?" asked Joshua.
"Yesterday, you ate the cheese that I put in your mouth. If you didn't like my cheese, you would have spit it out. All I wanted to do was help you love cheese as I do," said Aoyama.
"That's it?" asked Joshua.
"That's it," said Aoyama.
"You could have just asked me to taste your cheeses," said Joshua.
"I could have, but I like surprising people," said Aoyama.
"Ok. Next time, don't stalk me. It's weird," said Joshua.
"OK. I won't," said Aoyama.
Joshua gets up and walks away. He pulls out his phone and clicks on an app.
"Unbeknownst to Aoyama, I was recording the entire conversation. All I have to do is plug in my phone to my computer and analyze his response. I can tell if he's lying. If he is, I will continue to investigate him," thought Joshua.
Joshua turns the corner. Aoyama looks in both directions and gets up. He walks towards the opposite corner and turns it. His phone buzzes and he pulls it out. He answers the call.
"What is it?" asked Aoyama.
"You were just talking to Girai. What did he want?" asked the raspy voice.
"He's getting suspicious," said Aoyama.
"He is really smart after all," said the raspy voice.
"What do I do?' asked Aoyama.
"Act normal and he won't know a thing," said the raspy voice.
"Ok," said Aoyama.
Aoyama hangs up.
"Why did I sign up for this?" asked Aoyama.
Twenty minutes pass. Joshua now sits in the Class 1-A homeroom, waiting for Aizawa to enter the classroom. Mina stands up and walks away from her desk.
"Check it out!" exclaimed Mina.
Mina starts to breakdance on the floor.
"Break it down Mina!" exclaimed Sero.
"This must be how she stays fit all of the time," said Joshua.
"Maybe I can do that," said Izuku.
"Show her your moves," said Kaminari.
"Let's dance boys!" exclaimed Mina.
Kaminari pushes Joshua and Izuku and they end up in front of Mina.
"Are you guys going to just sit there and do nothing? Let's dance!" said Mina.
Izuku starts to awkwardly dance like he never danced before. Joshua starts to dance like he's an extra in an 80's music video. They keep on dancing until the bell rings. They hurry to their seats. Aizawa's sleeping bag stands up and he unzips it.
"I didn't know this classroom was a nightclub. Importantly, I have to announce something. The school festival is just around the corner," said Aizawa.
"The school festival!" exclaimed Kaminari.
"This is going to rock!" exclaimed Sero.
"Is it responsible to hold a school festival with the way the world is going right now?" asked Kirishima.
"That's a prudent viewpoint. Remember that U.A consists of more than just the hero course. The sports festival is where the hero course gets to shine. The school festival highlights everyone else. This event doesn't get the largest amount of attention, but it's supposed to be fun," said Aizawa.
"So, what you're saying is that it wouldn't be fair to them," said Kirishima.
"Correct. That's why we can't just simply cancel the event. This won't be like in the past. Only students, staff members, and a few outsiders will be allowed to attend. We aren't competing this time with the other classes, but each class will have to have an exhibition of their own. You guys will have to choose what you want to do and practice. For the rest of today's homeroom, you guys can discuss what you want to do for the school festival. I'm going to get some sleep. As class president and vice president, Momo and Joshua can lead the conversation," said Aizawa.
Aizawa zips up his sleeping bag and falls to the ground. He starts to sleep. Joshua and Momo walk up to the podium.
"Ok. Who has any ideas?" said Joshua.
The class rapidly raises their hands.
"Me!" exclaimed Class 1-A.
"One at a time," said Momo.
"Kaminari," said Joshua.
"What about a maid cafe?" asked Kaminari.
"Maids providing a service isn't a bad idea. Who's next?" said Joshua.
"Uraraka," said Momo.
"What about a mochi stand?" asked Ochaco.
"That could work," said Momo.
"Who's next?" asked Joshua.
"What about an arm wrestling competition?" asked Kirishima.
"That would be hard and intense, but I don't believe the girls would want to participate," said Joshua.
"Who's up next?" asked Momo.
"What about a haunted house?" asked Hagakure.
"Halloween is going to be here in a month, so that could work," said Momo.
"Who's up next?" asked Joshua.
"What about a crepe stall?" asked Sato.
"That sounds sweet and smart. People could eat and walk around," said Joshua.
"Who's next?" asked Momo.
"What about a dance?" asked Mina.
"I think that a lot of people like to dance like you," said Momo.
"Who's next?" asked Joshua.
"What about a petting zoo?" asked Koda softly.
"That would be cool and cute," said Joshua.
"Who's next?" asked Momo.
"What about a banquet for the disciples of darkness?" asked Tokiyami.
"I think that it's too edgy to work," said Momo.
"Who's next?" asked Joshua.
"What about my very own sparkling show?" asked Aoyama.
"This is an event for the class to participate in, not just you," said Joshua.
"I know," said Aoyama.
"Anyone else?" asked Momo.
"What about open mic comedy?" asked Jiro.
"That would be cool, but I don't think everyone here is a good comedian," said Momo.
Five minutes pass. Joshua finishes writing the suggestions on the board.
"I think that we have everyone's suggestions. Now, it's time to eliminate the most unreasonable ones," said Joshua.
Joshua swipes some of the suggestions, deleting them. Once he does this, he hears a large groan from his classmates.
"Why don't we combine the food options?" asked Jiro.
"Asian and french food don't mix," said Sato.
"We still have a large number of suggestions to go through. We have to finish before class is-" said Joshua.
Before Joshua can finish speaking, the bell rings. Aizawa's sleeping bag stands up. He unzips it and exits the sleeping bag.
"Well, that was a sloppy meeting. You guys have until tomorrow morning or we will have a regular class open house," said Aizawa.
"Regular class!" moaned Class 1-A.
"You guys better make up your minds. I don't like waiting until the last minute," said Aizawa.
Aizawa exits the classroom.
"We all should meet up after class in the dorms. I'm sure that no one here doesn't want to have fun and showcase their talents," said Joshua.
"Yeah. Let's do that," said Mina.
"I guess that settles it. We'll meet at seven in the common room. Class dismissed," said Joshua.
Ten hours pass. Class 1-A stands or sits in the common room.
"So, what did you guys come up with?" asked Joshua.
The class doesn't respond.
"I'll take your silence as nothing. Well, Mr. Aizawa said that the other classes are stressed out. We should plan to do something that diffuses that stress," said Joshua.
"I agree. As future heroes, we can't ignore problems that we had a hand in causing. On that note, the students here are accustomed to Lunch Rush's culinary creations. I doubt that we could satisfy their palates," said Momo.
"So, no food stalls?" asked Hagakure.
"No food stalls. No offense Sato, but your cooking doesn't stack up to Lunch Rush's," said Joshua.
"None taken," said Sato.
"I'm a fan of some kind of an interactive experience, but the suggestions that you guys have given are either unrealistic or too difficult. What are we going to do?" said Joshua.
"We could all just dance. That would be good enough," said Mina.
Shoto stands up and walks over to the couch.
"Yeah, we could dance," said Shoto.
"That was unexpected," said Mina.
"Can I see this?" asked Shoto.
"Sure," said Joshua.
Shoto grabs the laptop and opens it. He searches for a video of an audience going crazy at a concert. One minute passes and he finally finds it.
"Here it is," said Shoto.
He clicks the play button and the video plays. In the video, the audience goes crazy once the band's hit comes on.
"When did you become such a party animal?" asked Sato.
"I didn't. I just believe that Joshua is right. We should do something fun. My last hero license class taught me this," said Shoto.
"What are they teaching you in those classes?" asked Sato.
"We're a bunch of amateurs. How are we going to learn how to dance?" said Sero.
"I can teach you guys!" exclaimed Mina.
"Mina's a good teacher. I became a master dancer in just a couple hours," said Izuku.
"We can't just dance without music. We also need sick beats and the best musician here is Jiro," said Joshua.
The whole class turns to look at Jiro.
"Me?" asked Jiro.
"We could hold a live performance with your instruments," said Hagakure.
"Wait a sec," said Jiro.
"You're amazing at teaching people how to play. You always have a smile on your face when it comes to music," said Ochaco.
"Your hobbies are based on your abilities. My hobby is just a hobby. It's nothing to be special about," said Jiro.
Kaminari stands up. He walks over to Jiro and paces his hands on her shoulder.
"That's a lie. Your musical abilities are amazing," said Kaminari.
Jiro blushes. Koda runs up to her.
"Your talent can make people smile. That's a hero in my book," said Koda.
"We can't pressure Jiro into giving up her instruments. It's her choice," said Momo.
"Turning down all of these requests wouldn't make me a rockstar," said Jiro.
"So, are you in?" asked Joshua.
"Yeah, I'm in," said Jiro.
"Ok. Class 1-A's exhibition will be a dance club with a live performance!" said Joshua.