As they walk out of the building and walk back to the car waiting for them, Midoriya slowly comes to the realization of what just happened. That police officer, Officer Mihara, protected her. She's a hero. Without Midoriya uttering a single word in distress, that woman understood what Midoriya was going through and defended her. But then Midoriya wonders why the other officers didn't. Is it really just because they were all men and couldn't understand? They even defended Taka Nobita, asking questions like they were trying to prove the assault wasn't his fault or that maybe it never happened at all. Midoriya's never felt so… humiliated. At least, not since the incident itself.

Those type of people will be responsible for whether or not Taka Nobita gets convicted. Even with a confession from him, it wasn't enough. Even after he's described at length the things he did and the times and places he did them, it's still not enough.

Then it occurs to Midoriya, could they possibly keep making excuses and twisting the story even if Rose Omoda shows them her memories? After all, she's just one girl. Even if she shows it to them, forces them to experience it themselves, once she takes the memories back, they won't remember anything, so they might just accuse her of playing some kind of trick or that the memories don't prove the crime, just what she personally believed she experienced. From those officers' point of view, rape is subjective and can't be proven, especially after time has passed and any injuries have healed, so it's… it's easier to just tell the victim that it wasn't rape at all, that she's mistaken somehow, that it didn't happen the way she says it did. Given how they reacted to Officer Mihara, it's likely they believe that women are just exaggerating… that sex is sex and rape doesn't really exist. Come to think of it, Midoriya has heard before that rapists often convince themselves that the victim also enjoys it and wanted it from the beginning.

…Then another frightening realization dawns on Midoriya. Taka Nobita, at the very least, never made that mistake. He never convinced himself that the girls he assaulted wanted it as much as he did. He wanted to humiliate them, to make them afraid, to crush them… At the very least, he understood the difference between sex and rape… But these officers don't… The fate of that monster… is in the hands of people who don't even understand what he did wrong.

All at once, Midoriya feels sick again. She feels sick, and angry, and helpless… But all she can do is unleash a torrent of tears as she whimpers and sobs… next to All Might, who nearly jumps out of his skin. "Mi-Mi-Midoriya, kid?!" On reflex, he starts to rub her back consolingly, and in a fit of despair, she wraps her arms around his withered torso and starts to cry into his shirt.

Before long, they arrive back at the school. She manages to return before classes are completely over, but instead of going up to the school building, All Might makes sure she goes back to the dorms instead, insisting that she needs her rest. Seeing that she's made him worry, she understands that the very best thing to do is comply. No more saying, "I'm fine," and stubbornly refusing. So she goes to her room, lies on her bed, stares at the ceiling in thought for a while…

And wakes up when she hears someone knocking on her door. She hadn't even realized she had fallen asleep, but she looks over at her clock and realizes it's almost time for dinner. Quickly, she gets up to answer the door.

"Midoriya-san!" Yaoyorozu sighs energetically. "How are you feeling? Don't tell me, did I wake you up?"

Midoriya smiles warmly, like he would at a child afraid of upsetting her parents. "It's okay. Did you need something?"

"Ah! Well, I was hoping to talk to you some more about our assignment. I have an idea."

"Sure! Come in."

As the two sit down on the floor, Yaoyorozu opens the notebook she brought with her to show him a diagram and explain the idea. As soon as they encounter the villain, Bakugo, Todoroki, and Yaoyorozu all jump some distance away and attack from different sides, confusing the target. This is similar to what she pulled off with Oojiro and Aizawa, but even more efficient. Once they're all a fair distance away, Todoroki will freeze the floor to keep the villain in place, Bakugo will hit the villain with several long-distance AP shots, and Yaoyorozu will wait until the right moment to spring the electric net on the villain.

It's perfect. With the way Kacchan flies through the air so fast, he'll have no problems learning to go even faster and do AP shots at the same time. Midoriya imagines he'll have fun training for that. It perfectly utilizes each of their strengths and is quick and efficient. Once again, she's really outdone herself… And it took her less than a full day to come up with it. Something about that makes Midoriya's smile unconsciously fade. Yaoyorozu-san, she's really amazing…

"Midoriya-san?"

"Ah! Yeah, this is amazing! Let's go with this!"

"Are… Are you sure it's okay? I couldn't find a place to fit you into the plan…"

Midoriya only just now notices that, but he does his best not to let his disappointment show on his face. "It's fine. It's for the best. You guys will be a lot faster without me anyways. It's not like we can do a hostage scenario all the time either."

"Ah, yes. I also think that it just isn't safe for Midoriya-san. What kind of heroes would we be if we kept putting you in danger just for an assignment?"

"…Yeah, you're right," he reluctantly agrees.

For a second, she seems to wilt a bit and asks, "Do you think Todoroki-san and Bakugo-san really will approve?"

"…I don't think Kacchan really meant what he said earlier. He'll always choose the best idea no matter who came up with it. Todoroki-kun too."

She brightens a bit at his encouragement, and Midoriya can't help smiling a bit at her childlike innocence. "Then… I look forward to working on this with all of you! Thank you so much, Midoriya-san!" And with that, she stands to leave, not wanting to disturb him any longer.

Even after she's gone, he thinks aloud, "No… It's nothing. I really didn't… do anything." Normally he would dwell on that and convince himself that he was totally useless today. He can't lie, it does hurt. But he's not ready to give up so easily. This isn't about him being the hero. It's about doing his best to assist everyone else in any way he can, and in this case it means… doing… absolutely nothing.

The next day, the two are ready to go over the game plan, but as they're describing the steps, Bakugo's mood slowly darkens. "You…" He glares at Yaoyorozu, "What's the big idea cutting Midoriya out of it?"

Yaoyorozu, a bit more confident now than yesterday, replies firmly, "I don't believe it's necessary to endanger Midoriya-san for this attack. I couldn't have made my idea work without all of his data, so he's already done plenty. Now it's our turns to make good use of all his hard work."

Bakugo doesn't want to admit that that's a pretty good answer. But still, he glares at Midoriya. "You… You're okay with this? You're not, right? And don't even think of fuckin' lying to me."

Midoriya steels herself. "I think Yaoyorozu-san's idea is better than anything I could've come up with. Kacchan, we were so focused on trying to mix both winning and saving that we forgot the real goal of the assignment. We're just supposed to show how we would resolve an issue as heroes, and we're supposed to do it efficiently. Our ice wall was a good idea overall, but it's still just not as efficient, and that's why Yaoyorozu-san is still in first place."

She knows that nagging Kacchan about how they haven't won so far should be enough to get under his skin and make him listen. But then he counters, "But everyone in the group is supposed to be in the demonstration. How're you gonna explain that to Aizawa?"

Yaoyorozu interjects, "I think that Aizawa-sensei would understand! It's just not 'logical' to endanger a fellow classmate!"

"You don't know what he thinks!"

Todoroki cuts in. "In that case, why don't we just ask?"

"He's not here today!"

Ah, that's right. Aizawa had to leave them on their own to go handle something in the city. From quietly observing him, Uraraka, Kirishima, and Tsuyu, Midoriya was able to guess that something big is going to happen soon, something that they can't talk to anyone else about, probably some kind of secret operation that Aizawa's involved them in. Even if they can't tell her what it is, she's been cheering them on in her heart.

But in any case, this means they can't wait for their teacher to give them the okay. They can't expect him to hold their hands and make the decision for them. They have to decide something today, right now.

"Kacchan, that's enough. We don't have time for this. I'm fine with not being part of the attack this time. I can't always play the civilian. It'll hold you guys back."

"…You," he growls, "I knew it. You're still thinkin' like that, like everything you do is holdin' us back. Since when have I ever said you held me back, huh?! Our moves were good! Last time and especially the time before! So what if somebody else is faster?! If we don't win with our moves then what's the point?!"

…She didn't want to go this far, but it looks like she has no choice. She immediately knows just what to say. The only thing that'll shut him up and get things moving is… "You're… embarrassing me, Kacchan. Saying you only want to use my strategy… It's obviously because you like me."

Bakugo's eyes widen in disbelief and some betrayal.

"Don't let your feelings get in the way. If we lose just because you have a crush on me, I won't forgive you."

There's an indescribable look in his eyes as he stares back into hers. She looks disappointed… so disappointed in him. And something in him shuts down, his eyes losing their luster. Like he's unable to say even one more word to her, he abruptly turns around and walks away with his head hanging.

Midoriya knows she'll have to apologize to him later, after all of this is done. She can guess what he's thinking. He thinks she's looking down on him, mocking him even, implying that he's weak and lets his feelings get in the way of what's important and drags them all down. She knows it'll take a while for him to recover from her words. But at least now, he'll probably do what everyone else wants him to do for the betterment of the group. She can't afford to put her own feelings first, and obviously neither can he.

Meanwhile, Todoroki watches the scene in shock, while Yaoyorozu is visibly flustered and turning pink. She'd kept hearing rumors from their classmates, but was it basically confirmed that Midoriya-san and Bakugo-san had feelings for each other? But if Midoriya-san liked him in that way, would she really be so cruel? Is this another one of their miscommunications? Yaoyorozu is at a total loss for words and has no idea how to smooth this over.

But before she can say anything, Midoriya turns to the both of them and says, "Sorry about that. Let's hurry up and get started. I'll watch from the side and take notes. You guys go ahead." They both hesitate a little, looking at her, at each other, at Bakugo (who's sitting on a nearby rock, looking blank, like he's trying to unravel the meaning of life). "Kacchan will be fine." Her tone is firm and certain and loud enough for Bakugo to hear from a distance. Despite what she said to him just now, she never really stops believing in him, so he knows he just has to prove that her confidence isn't wasted on him.

But as they start practicing Yaoyorozu's strategy, Midoriya notices something. Despite Kacchan putting in a lot of effort, working up a sweat, obediently following Yaoyorozu's advice and adjustments, something seems off about him, like he's missing something. And it starts to reflect in his movements. They're not as sharp, not as fiery, not as fast. They're not entirely unacceptable, so Midoriya can't bring herself to call him out on it, but they're… just acceptable. She feels like she's watching a different person.

Yaoyorozu wouldn't notice that Kacchan isn't at the top of his game. She wouldn't notice because she hasn't been watching him all this time like Midoriya has. Was Midoriya really too hard on him this time? But he wouldn't have backed down otherwise. Besides, he'll… he'll be fine. They've already gone through so much together. She can't start doubting him now. He'll pull through this like he always does, and this time they'll win. This time there's nothing standing in their way.

Another day passes this way. That same day, at lunch, Midoriya confides in the girls about his experience during the police interrogation, and of course, they all sympathize with her and spit curses at the male officers, praising the heroic female officer that they all remember. Midoriya doesn't have the heart to tell them the epiphany he had shortly after.

Then one of them mentions Rose Omoda. She says that Rose apparently offered to show the police her memories with her quirk. They declined. It was obvious to her that they couldn't trust her or her quirk, and they claimed they didn't need it and that it wouldn't count as evidence. But to Midoriya, the real reason was clear. They were afraid. They were afraid of what they would see, and it was a very easy excuse to say that she could possibly manipulate the memories so that they were distorted, untrue, and manipulative. Those officers had absolutely no intention of believing any of them…

And they had no intention of sending Taka Nobita to jail either.

The only chance they had left was the judge… a single judge… who was likely also a man… And depending on his ruling, Taka Nobita would probably be given a few years suspension and would be instructed to "apologize and promise to reform his actions", implying that his previous actions were all an accident and that he wasn't in control of himself when they happened. Just like that, he'd be let off the hook. After all, he's an intelligent young man with a large community of people who love him and a bright future ahead of him. How could they let such a promising youth spend 5 or 6 years in prison all because of a few… "mistakes".

…Mistakes… That's all these girls are to them… "Mistakes". Again, Midoriya feels a crushing powerlessness wash over her and loses her appetite.

Then on Wednesday, the feeling still lingers as she watches her teammates continue to practice and perfect their moves. Kacchan still looks a little off, and she notices that Todoroki seems worried about him too. But of course, she can't do anything about it, because she's the one who did that to him in the first place.

The day passes by in a haze for her, but the one other thing she notices is that Uraraka, Kirishima, Tsuyu, and even Aizawa are all gone. They must all be on the mission that Midoriya had guessed. Midoriya thinks about her canceled internship. She thinks about what kind of missions she could have gone on with Togata-senpai and Sir Nighteye. She wonders what they're doing right now… She wonders when she'll get her body back.

Midoriya doesn't see her classmates again until the next morning, since they must've come back home late. But when she does, no one in their class misses the indescribable look of loss on their faces. She wants to ask them what happened, but she knows it's none of her business anyway and that they might not tell her.

It's Thursday now, and Aizawa told them they could have an extra day to practice if they needed it, but they all insist that they'll be fine. Each team does their respective moves, and since there's fewer teams now, they manage to get it done in one class period. To Midoriya's disappointment, not only is Bakugo off his game again (despite them setting the record again for fastest performance), but the classmates who were absent yesterday are also a bit off. It's not that their moves aren't developed enough. It's more like, similar to Kacchan, they just don't have the spirit to bring their best.

Again, since there are fewer teams, Aizawa manages to grade them all in one afternoon while the class is being taught by their other teachers. So at the very end of the school day, he announces the results.

And once again, Midoriya's group comes in second place.

This time, Iida's group, which would've been eliminated in the trios for being the second worst performers, made a surprising rebound, despite adding Mineta to the team. Midoriya notes that Iida must've really given it his all not to embarrass the name Ingenium again. And almost immediately without anyone asking anything, Aizawa turns to the members of Midoriya's group and tells them that they lost points for not including Midoriya in the demonstration. This was something he had warned Midoriya and Bakugo about from the beginning, and it was unfortunate that they had forgotten. Had they remembered, it's likely they would've taken first.

Sitting from behind Kacchan, she can just barely see the look on his face. He looks absolutely shattered, staring in open-mouthed shock. In that moment, from the bottom of her heart, she wants to apologize to him. This was her fault. She was wrong. She knew she had the power to push him too far, and she abused it and said things she shouldn't have… again… She wonders when she's going to stop messing up. She wonders when this feeling of hopelessness will go away. She wonders when she'll get her body back. She wonders if things will ever go back to normal.

Then Mr. Aizawa gets a call. Like he immediately knows who it's from, he answers it. They watch him say a few words, nothing specific, nodding his head, but for a moment, Midoriya and a few of the other students notice the three who were gone yesterday suddenly tense up, watching their teacher with rapt attention.

Aizawa hangs up the phone. For a long moment, he stands in silence, like he's trying to figure out how to say something important. But in the end, he gives up and decides to be straightforward.

"I regret to inform you all that your upperclassman Mirio Togata has just passed away."

Note: In Japan, there's typically just a single judge in court cases, not a full jury. A full jury is only gathered when a case takes longer than expected to reach a verdict with just a single judge.