A/N: Hey, everyone! Apologies for the slight delay in the chapter! I've been focusing on completing some re-posts that I have been doing for some old "Phineas and Ferb" fics, plus I've been trying to hop back onto the "Pokémon" bandwagon, but without much luck. Because of that, I decided to just get back to "My Hero Academia", starting with this. I've got all the creative faculties I need for that property, and then some! :D

Alright, enough with the pointless explanations! On with the chapter. ENJOY!

P.S.: Due to the slowly improving situation regarding the coronavirus outbreak, I am going to have to remind you all about the basic steps you should take if you want to stay healthy, courtesy of my university's reminder emails:

-Wash hands often with soap and water for 20-30 seconds at a time, and/or use hand sanitizer
-Avoid close contact with people who are sick
-Keep your hands away from nose, eyes, and mouth (I can't imagine how difficult this part is probably going to be)
-Eat well, get adequate rest, and exercise regularly
-Get a flu shot if you haven't already and are able to
-Stay informed on the COVID-19 vaccines and get shots if you're able to

And if you ARE sick (I hope you get better if you are), please be a good sport and save other folks the trouble of getting sick. You can do this by:

-Covering your mouth and nose with your sleeve, elbow, or a tissue whenever you sneeze or cough
-Not sharing food and drinks with others
-Avoiding touching your mouth, nose, and eyes (Again, I understand this is probably going to be difficult)
-Avoiding close contact with others
-Cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and objects
-Staying at home if you're unwell (PRIORITY NUMBER ONE!)
-Staying calm and keeping yourself well-informed (My personal advice)

If you already know this, then great! If you didn't know any of this beforehand, please keep that information in mind as we all go through this trying time. It's a realm of unknowns at this point, and I wish myself and all of humanity well.

P.P.S.: I'd hate to go off on a tangent, but I just saw the new trailer for "The Batman" yesterday, and I must say, THAT TRAILER WAS DOPE! My excitement for that movie is just off the frigging charts, and I still can't shake off all of that raw enthusiasm! Check out the trailer as soon as you're able to; I think it's going to be an amazing, spectacular movie when it finally comes out! ...Alright, tangent now over.

NEW CLASS 1-A

Old Class 1-A students

1) Mina Ashido
2) Tenya Iida
3) Ochako Uraraka
4) Mashirao Ojiro
5) Eijiro Kirishima
6) Rikido Sato
7) Mezo Shoji
8) Kyoka Jiro
9) Izuku Midoriya
10) Minoru Mineta

New Class 1-B students

1) Itsuka Kendo
2) Yui Kodai
3) Ibara Shiozaki
4) Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu
5) Pony Tsunotori
6) Kosei Tsuburaba
7) Manga Fukidashi
8) Juzo Honenuki
9) Kojiro Bondo
10) Neito Monoma

NEW CLASS 1-B

Old Class 1-B students

1) Yosetsu Awase
2) Sen Kaibara
3) Togaru Kamakiri
4) Shihai Kuroiro
5) Kinoko Komori
6) Jurota Shishida
7) Nirengeki Shoda
8) Setsuna Tokage
9) Hiryu Rin
10) Reiko Yanagi

New Class 1-B students

1) Yuga Aoyama
2) Tsuyu Asui
3) Denki Kaminari
4) Koji Koda
5) Hanta Sero
6) Fumikage Tokoyami
7) Shoto Todoroki
8) Toru Hagakure
9) Katsuki Bakugo
10) Momo Yaoyorozu

"That we can still become the kind of Hero that people will smile at and feel safe around, especially when we say, 'I am here!'"

"Those words... That declaration... I...I know I heard something similar to that somewhere else...a long time ago... But where...?"

DING! DING! DING!

Izuku blinked in surprise, all five of his senses being pulled out of oblivion by the sound of the school bell ringing. At first, he stared ahead dumbly, unsure of what to do next. Then, he heard the noise of something softly grinding itself against the floor, and he impulsively shot his gaze at Itsuka's direction. She was standing up and packing up her school supplies, an act mirrored by the rest of their classmates.

"I gotta ask Kendo how she came up with those words on the fly," the viridescent boy thought. "...Or if she heard them from somewhere else-"

"Come on, Deku!" a voice chirped.

"Agh!" In the midst of his surprise, Izuku's leg flew upward, and his kneecap instantly struck itself against the underside of his desk. "OW!"

"Eek!" Ochako squeaked, mortified while her friend clutched his leg. "Oh, I-I'm so, so, so sorry, Deku!" She was moving her hands back and forth now, torn between aiding Izuku or not. "I-I didn't mean to surprise you there!"

"I-It's alright, Uraraka..." Izuku replied with a soft blush. "I-It was my fault. I shouldn't have been distracted."

"What were you distracted by, Midoriya?" Tenya asked while stepping in. "It's not like you to be absentminded at the end of a class day. It's not like we're gonna be doing any training exercises straight after this."

"Yes, speaking of which," a new voice suddenly interjected.

The entire class froze in their tracks and glanced at the front of the class. Aizawa had seemingly recovered from his little slumber (while he was standing upright, no less) and was now staring deeply into each and every student. As usual, his baggy, exhausted eyes nevertheless penetrated through their exterior shells and pierced their souls, keeping all of them in line and dreadful of what he had to say next.

"For any of you who are packing up, thinking that you could go back to your old classmates now that the day is over," he advised, "you can just abandon the hopeless fantasies."

"Huh?!" Neito exclaimed.

"Say wha?" Mina asked, befuddled.

"Groping girls' boobs isn't a hopeless fantasy!" screamed Minoru.

"Hell yeah!" Kosei added in agreement.

"As part of this new class activity," Aizawa continued with narrowing eyes, "you won't just be required to share the same classroom. You're required to share the same dormitory."

"WHAT?!" Neito roared in disbelief.

"Say what?!" Mina yelled, stunned.

"YES!" screamed Minoru. "Chances to grope new boobs!"

"HELL YEAH!" Kosei added in affirmation.

Itsuka quickly raised her hand, and when Aizawa nodded at her in acknowledgment, she asked, "Um, Aizawa-sensei? Si does that mean everyone from 1-B is supposed to take all of their stuff and move it into 1-A's dorm?"

"Yes, Kendo," Aizawa replied. "That's exactly what I've been hoping to get across before you all left, thinking you will be good to prance off to your friends." He glared at Minoru in particular, the grape-haired boy recoiling under his judgmental glare. "To everyone who didn't get moved to Class 1-B, you are to help your new classmates move all their belongings to their new rooms in your dormitory." Then, the homeroom teacher noticed another hand high in the air. "Yes, Iida?"

Tenya lowered his hand. "So...what about our classmates who were moved to Class 1-B, Aizawa-sensei? Will they have to move their stuff to 1-B's own dormitory?"

Aizawa nodded curtly. "Yes. It's the same as swapping your classmates around. In addition to that, you will be swapping your classmates' rooms. Principal Nezu wants all of you to share the same space for as much time as possible during the week. Every waking day, you are to interact with your new classmates, from dawn to dusk. If there is an activity that you do in the dorms, you are to do it with your new classmates. If there is a problem that any of you have, you are to rely on your new classmates as much as you do with your friends. If there is a conflict between any of you, you are to resolve it the same way you did when you had your old classmates around." Then, he sighed. "Yes, Monoma?"

Neito swiftly lowered his hand, his eyes burning with intense emotion that unnerved the observant Izuku.

"Aizawa-sensei," he said in a slightly shaky voice, "would you mind if I voice my unconditional disapproval over this, shall I say, illicit course of action?"

"Your unconditional disapproval has been duly noted," Aizawa replied flatly. "Now then, you all know what to do. Class is dismissed."

Everyone knew there would be no arguing with Aizawa on this matter. With the school day over, the new Class 1-A roster stepped out of the room, a new air of awkwardness hanging over them.

"Well..." Kyoka said in a futile attempt to break the ice.

"Looks like we'll be bunking with you guys too..." Tetsutetsu commented in a stilted voice.

"...So, uh, does that mean our dorm's getting a total makeover or something...?" Mina asked hesitantly.

With the others shuffling down the hallway and fidgeting uncomfortably, Izuku decided to use this opportunity to step in.

"Oh, c-come on, you guys!" he cried nervously. "I-It's just for a week! S-So let's help e-each other get our new dorms s-situated, a-and we'll-"

BANG!

"FUCKING BULLSHIT!"

A startled Class 1-A watched as the new Class 1-B roster flowed through the open door and out of their own classroom, wearing various faces of surprise, apprehension, and embarrassment of their own. Inadvertently leading them was none other than Katsuki, who was fuming and sweating so intensely that he might've as well been emitting smoke from every orifice of his head like a train engine trying to expel excess coal smoke.

"First I gotta pretend you extras are my classmates for a whole fucking week," he raved, "and NOW I gotta sleep in your dorms too?! This activity is so full of shit that it's puking it up!"

"Now that's an image I didn't want planted in my head..." remarked a mortified Yosetsu.

"Calm down, Bakugo!" Denki exclaimed in a futile attempt to break the ice. "I know this is new and all, but-"

"But what?!" Katsuki snapped. "I ain't lettin' any grubby hands from those extras in 1-B touch my stuff!"

"Please calm yourself, Bakugo!" Jurota cried. "The teachers could hear-"

"YOU ZIP IT, FURRY!"

"Hey, you!" Neito cried. He marched towards Katsuki, a fire burning in his eyes. "Don't you DARE yell at my classmates in such a foul and uncouth manner!"

The ashy-blond stared across his shoulder and at Neito in confusion, seemingly trying to remember who he was. Then, as soon as he remembered, he gave him a bloodthirsty, toothy grin, looking like a predator ready to pounce on his prey.

"Well, well, well," he snarled viciously. "If it isn't the copycat. Ready for round two? This time, I'm gonna kick your ass!"

"Ah yes, sure you will," Neito replied in an overconfident drawl. "After I turn your Quirk against you and burn you so hard that you'll be regretting the day you first called my classmates 'extras'."

Katsuki promptly rolled up his sleeves. "OH, BRING IT ON, BITCH!"

But before either boy could make the first move, Itsuka ran between the two of them, stopping them in their tracks.

"K-Kendo!" Neito cried in surprise. "G-Get outta the way!"

"Move it, Ginger!" Katsuki snarled while his palms started to crackle and hiss with smoke. "I've got a pathetic ass to ki-"

"You are doing nothing of the sort," Itsuka interrupted, her voice low and yet so ominous that it sent chills running down everyone's spines. "Are you two really going to do this again?" She glared back and forth between the two blonds. "Are you two seriously going to put yourselves and both our classes in deeper trouble than they already are?! And outside the classroom too?!"

At that moment, Katsuki and Neito both finally registered that they were still out in the school hall, directly beside their classroom doors. To everyone's relief, both of their homeroom teachers hadn't stepped out to intervene, but judging by how the doors to the rooms were still ajar, it was virtually impossible for either of them to not have heard the commotion erupting outside.

"Because if you are," Itsuka continued, "then it makes me wonder why the two of you signed up for the U.A. Hero track in the first place! This sort of childish behavior is gonna get you both expelled in short order!"

Katsuki gritted his teeth tightly, but he knew better than to continue the argument. Instead, he gave Neito one last stare of silent fury, which was reciprocated by a deadly gaze of the Copy user's own. Then, he turned on his heel and marched off, his steps punctuated by soft booms. He passed by his new class roster, the students hurriedly parting like the sea to make way for him lest they incurred his wrath. The crackling of his fists had ceased, but the ashy-blond was now leaving trails of wispy, pungent smoke in his furious wake.

"Just you wait, Copycat!" he hollered, his voice echoing through the hall. "By the time this week is over, I'm gonna see to it that you will have regretted insulting me in the cafeteria!"

As soon as Katsuki rounded the hallway and went out of sight, the new Class 1-B faced their 1-A counterparts.

"Sooooo..." Setsuna Tokage said, her voice soon trailing off.

"This is..." Mashirao began, before his own voice trailed off.

"Awkward," completed Juzo.

"That's putting it mildly, ribbit," Tsuyu replied.

Another awkward silence settled over both classes, before Itsuka chose to break it.

"Well!" she announced, catching the attention of her classmates who still remained in 1-B. "Guess we'll be seeing you at the dorms shortly!"

"Y-Yeah," Reiko Yanagi replied. "See you there, Prez."

With that, the 1-B students, old and new, departed to follow Katsuki, leaving behind the 1-A students in the hallway. As they left, a cold, hollow silence followed after them, with the old students unable to interact with the new ones, or even unwilling to, in some cases. But Izuku wasn't focused on them and the awkwardness that continued to keep both of the Hero classes in its grasp.

"H-Holy whoa," he thought as he watched his childhood friend go. "Kacchan's really not happy about this arrangement." Then, he glanced at Neito's direction. "And he's not the only one..."

Then, Izuku watched as Neito pursed his lips and clenched his fists so tightly that they quivered, and the One For All user became concerned that he would draw blood. Itsuka noticed it too, for she swiftly approached her classmate and latched her hands on his shoulders, catching his attention.

"Monoma," she said, her voice perfectly balanced between concern and strictness. "I know you're frustrated with our new class arrangements, and with this new activity. But I need you to keep your cool and stay focused on the true goal here. I want to pass this activity with you, and with everyone else...regardless if they're 1-B or 1-A. Please."

At the sound of Itsuka's voice, Neito progressively grew calmer, surprising Izuku. Then, after a minute or so passed in a tense, awkward silence, the blond took a deep breath and gave his class president a reluctant nod.

"Okay, Kendo," he replied. "I'll bite. For now."

"No for nows, Monoma," Itsuka interjected strictly. "I need your word that you'll do your very best to cooperate, because I know you're better than this."

Neito took another, deeper breath, then he curtly nodded again. "I promise I'll cooperate and do my best, Kendo."

"Good." The redhead gave him a bright, cheerful smile. "Just don't let Bakugo get to your head, 'kay?"

"Fine..." Neito grunted reluctantly. Then, he glared at the rest of Class 1-A, specifically Izuku's classmates, and snarled, "But there's no way I'm gonna let anyone from 1-A lay their filthy hands on my stuff."

"H-Hey!" Rikido cried. "Our hands are not filthy!"

"Every last possession in my room was handpicked by me based on its high quality."

"Seriously," Kyoka deadpanned, "what is it with you and 1-A?"

"Since when were you a judge on 'high quality'?" Rikido asked in confusion.

"Uhhh, is there really any other way we could change our dorms?" a voice asked.

Everyone glanced at Pony's direction, and they were surprised to see her cheeks florid from slight nervousness while she twiddled her fingers.

"I-I don't want anyone from 1-A t-to see my room..." she stammered softly.

"Ahhh, come on, Tsunotori!" Eijiro exclaimed. "I-It can't be that bad!" Then, he noticed how the blonde exchange student seemed to shrink a little in embarrassment. "C-Can it?"

"Ditto on the room changes," Manga piped up, glancing at the 1-A students. "No offense, but it's not like I'm comfortable with showing you guys what I've got in my room. I mean, I barely know you guys! O-On a personal level, th-that is!"

"Mm-hm, mm-hm!" Kojiro squeaked with a frantic nod of his head.

"Mm," Yui vocalized with a soft nod of her own.

"Ohhhhh, come ooooon!" Mina cried, her eyes now twinkling with intense curiosity. "We don't bite, you guys! Promise!"

"I really don't like the way you just said that," Manga replied apprehensively. "And with that face too..."

"Guys, guys, guys!" Itsuka interjected, catching everyone's attention once again. "You heard Aizawa-sensei! This is all a part of the new activity! If we're gonna get along and get rid of the tension between our classes, then we have to act like this has always been the roster we've been in for the past year! So what if we're gonna be seeing each other's rooms for the first time?! I've seen your room, Pony, and was there anything to embarrassed about?!"

"N-N-No..." Pony replied with a hesitant shake of her head. "B-B-But i-it was y-you who was seeing the room... You and the rest of 1-B..."

"Well, there's nothing to worry about, Pony." Itsuka looked at the old 1-A students. "I'm sure you guys have given all of your classmates a tour of your rooms. Was there anything to embarrassed about?"

"No, not really," Mina replied.

"There was some hesitation here and there," Eijiro added. "But no real judgment was thrown around."

"Except when it came to Mineta, that is," interjected Ochako.

Minoru slumped his shoulders in dismay. "You girls still haven't had the chance to see what my room looks like..."

"See, guys!" Itsuka looked at her classmates from 1-B. "There's nothing to be ashamed about, nothing that needs to be hidden, n-nothing like that at all! They're Heroes-in-training just like us, and like it or not, we are stuck with them for the next week, just like how they are stuck with us. We have to accommodate each other, for better or for worse!" However, her classmates still looked uncertain, prompting her to shoot them a softer, knowing smile. "Oh, come on! All of us were getting along fine at lunchtime! And it's just our rooms we're talking about! Nothing too valuable."

Then, she crossed her arms, her smile still in place. "Hey, if push comes to shove, I will just give a karate chop to anyone who has any unwelcome comments about the rooms. Got it?"

Itsuka's implicit threat towards anyone teasing was what convinced the holdouts in the end. Izuku quickly found himself playing the role of spectator as Katsuki, Tsuyu, Shoto, Momo, Denki, Hanta, Fumikage, Toru, Yuga, and Koji moved all of their belongings from their rooms, aided by their new classmates. At the same time, these rooms were being occupied by the belongings of Itsuka, Neito, Tetsutetsu, Yui, Ibara, Juzo, Kosei, Pony, Manga, and Kojiro, who were being assisted by their own new classmates.

Fortunately, Pony's fears of any judgment being cast on anyone's rooms and their belongings were assuaged by the kind and friendly reactions from Class 1-A.

Naturally, Eijiro and Tetsutetsu teamed up to transport the latter's belongings, which primarily involved a lot of exercise equipment and posters that just reeked of manliness. After they were done, Eijiro showed Tetsutetsu around in his own masculine-themed room, which the Steel user wept at despite it looking virtually identical to his.

As for Mashirao, he helped Kojiro move his numerous plastic models, which had filled up his own room and was instantly proving themselves to fill up his new room just as abundantly. Mashirao quickly complimented Kojiro's craftsmanship and asked to borrow a couple of the models, something that Kojiro eventually agreed to after some supportive prodding from Itsuka.

Mezo politely stepped in to help Pony with her belongings, since they were abundant and required the use of his multiple arms. Pony was embarrassed when he laid his eyes on her anime collection, but her concerns were tempered somewhat when he complimented her for her tastes.

Rikido was quick to be astounded by Manga's manga collection, so hefty and well-developed that they had to carry it out in stacks. As they were moving the materials out of 1-B's dorm and into 1-A's, he learned that Manga had been working on a manga of his own on his spare time, and he was swift in supporting his new classmate in the endeavor.

Tenya found himself surprised to see that Juzo's old room had been arranged to resemble a massage parlor. Even so, he volunteered to help Juzo design his new room to accommodate his belongings as much as possible and retain the parlor-like appearance his old room had taken on.

The only conflict in the task of moving around Class 1-B's belongings was with Mina and Ibara. The former found herself slightly unnerved by the latter's Christian-themed paraphernalia, and although this was slightly balanced out by the Vine user's ownership of various potted plants, Ibara was extremely protective of them due to Mina's Acid Quirk.

Of course, Minoru and Kosei were swift in moving the latter's belongings to his new room. No one wanted to know what exactly the Solid Air user had in his possession, but they had a clear idea of what it was, judging by the drool practically dripping from the two perverts' mouths and how enthusiastic they were as soon as they retreated into Kosei's new room.

Kyoka and Itsuka teamed up to move the Class 1-B president's possessions into her new room, and that was when Kyoka became aware of the redhead's love of motorcycles. She had no comment on them besides an awestruck and downright earnest "Hardcore".

Ochako remained stuck in a highly awkward situation when she assisted Yui with her belongings. Fortunately for her, all she had to help her counterpart with was with her textbooks and beddings. However, she couldn't help but feel that Yui was hiding something from her, especially when she spotted the Size user holding a small bag that was clearly filled up to the brim with something.

And then, there was Neito.

Izuku watched on as the Copy user dragged his belongings over to his new room, having copied Mezo's Quirk in order to make the task easier for him. For the entire time, Neito had been extremely protective of his stuff and turned down any and all attempts by Class 1-A to help him. He would only accept help from his classmates in 1-B, which was only fleeting given their efforts to move their own stuff or help 1-A with their own moving process. The only one who didn't try to step in and help him was Izuku himself, for he knew how exactly such an effort would end.

Compounding the awkwardness of the moving process was how often the two classes had to mingle with one another as they helped out the transplanted students. In particular, Katsuki and Neito had to pass one another several times as they were moving stuff around. Like Neito, Katsuki was extremely unhappy over having to move his stuff to 1-B's dorm, and the two boys' anger and exasperation hung precariously over the two Hero classes like a mushroom cloud. Forced to hold themselves back, Katsuki would just growl and curse Neito under his breath, just enough for his new rival to hear, while the Copy user quietly reciprocated the moves by spitting increasingly creative insults for the ashy-blond.

"Jeez," Izuku thought, just as he watched a muttering, rambling Neito drag his beddings into his new room. "If it weren't for Kacchan and Monoma, we'd be passing this activity with flying colors already. ...We wouldn't even be having this kind of activity in the first place! ...I think Kendo's gonna have to keep an eye on Monoma-"

"I'm gonna have to what?"

"AGH!"

In his surprise, Izuku twirled around to face the newcomer and tripped on his own leg in the process. He tipped over and was about to fall to the floor when a hand reached out and grabbed him by the wrist, holding on tightly with soft fingers. All of a sudden, such a position and sensation caused Izuku to feel a twinge of nostalgia strike his heart, but he instantly ignored it due to his current precarious position.

"Jeez!" Itsuka cried in concern. "You have to be more careful, Midoriya! And what'd I tell you about your surroundings?"

"M-M-My surroundings?" Izuku stammered while the redhead pulled him back to his feet. "Ummmm... W-Well, um, y-you said, uhhh... Um, uhhhhh..." He could feel his entire head grow so hot that it might've as well exploded. "Uhhhhh..."

Itsuka sighed and then raised her index finger. "Always be attentive of your surroundings, and keep a good purchase on your emotions."

"R-Ri-Right!" Izuku gulped in embarrassment. "Th-That..."

"Better keep that in mind, Midoriya! You never know when you're gonna need that advice!"

Izuku nodded eagerly. "R-Right! I will!"

"Good. 'Cause we don't know what the week has in store for us now. Now then..." The redhead crossed her arms. "What was it that you wanted me to do again?"

"H-How'd you-?" Izuku began, before remembering the answer to that question. "N-Never mind. Uh, I-I was wondering if you had to, y-you know..." He nervously twiddled his fingers. "K-Keep an eye on Monoma...?"

"As if I wasn't already?" Itsuka replied sardonically. Then, she gave him another bright grin and patted his shoulder with a chuckle. "Oh, Midoriya. You're a monitor, just like me. We're partners for this week! While I do appreciate your faith in me to keep Monoma in check, you have to understand that Aizawa-sensei is relying on the both of us to keep him and all the others in line."

"Really?"

"So let's do it, everyone! Let's prove ourselves to the school and to the world by accomplishing the class activity!"

"...It makes me wonder why the two of you signed up for the U.A. Hero track in the first place! This sort of childish behavior is gonna get you both expelled in short order!"

"There's nothing to be ashamed about, nothing that needs to be hidden, n-nothing like that at all! They're Heroes-in-training just like us, and like it or not, we are stuck with them for the next week, just like how they are stuck with us. We have to accommodate each other, for better or for worse!"

Izuku shyly looked down. "You seem to be doing just fine without me..."

Itsuka blinked in surprise, then she sighed and gave him a softer smile. "Even so, I'm just one person, Midoriya. I will be needing help every now and then. Everyone needs help. And if what Aizawa-sensei said was true, then you're, without a doubt, the most qualified person to help me out in this task."

"M-Me, the most qualified person?" The boy blinked in literal disbelief. "B-But why?"

"It likely has to do with your ability to inspire people."

"Do what you always do!"

"Do what I- Wait, what?"

"You know, your inspirational stuff! Inspire your classmates to get along with mine!"

"Wait, what inspirational stuff?!"

"What, you don't know?"

"Uhhh... Wh-When you said 'inspirational stuff', back in the cafeteria...wh-what did you mean by that?"

"Hm?" Itsuka blinked in momentary confusion, before chuckling softly. "Oh. Well, I've heard rumors flying around school, saying that you have a way with inspiring people to go beyond and do their very best. Plus Ultra kind of stuff. A-At first, I thought it was a bit baloney, especially since it was coming out of Tsuburaba's mouth and I know how obsessed he could be with harem anime. But then I saw that quality of yours up-close and personal during the Joint Training Battle."

"Huh?!" Izuku looked up at the redhead. "Really?! When was that?!"

"When you cheered up Uraraka and Ashido. They looked like they were down before you guys faced off against Monoma's team."

"Oh..." Then, he remembered. "Oh, yeah! I remember!" Then, he gave her a nervous chuckle and scratched his freckled cheek. "W-Well, i-it was nothing. I-I was just trying to keep the team's morale up before the round. Anyone in my shoes would've done that."

"Well, clearly those are some pretty big shoes to fill if the rumors are true." Itsuka crossed her arms, impressed. "As my uncle would say, anyone who does their very best to bring out the greatest in others and is humble about it afterwards is the greatest soul one could possibly find!"

Izuku started scratching the back of his head this time. "I...I suppose..."

"Well, at least you know now that people think of you that way. And you should be proud of the image that you've made for yourself! It could've been a whole lot worse for a Hero-in-training, you know, so you have to hold your head up high and do the right thing!"

"Hold my head up high and do the right thing..." Izuku repeated to himself, awestruck by the class president's words.

"And the right thing to do now is be my partner and help me corral both of our classes!" With a wide grin, Itsuka clasped a hand around his shoulder and shook it slightly. "Because I can tell there's still some hurdles for us to get over if we're to pass the class activity! So now that you know about how you inspire others, you'd better put that quality to good use, 'cause we're gonna need it now more than ever!"

"Y-Ye-Yeah," Izuku stammered, still unsure of himself. Then, he recalled something else that Itsuka said. "Uh, Kendo?"

"Mm-hm?"

"Wh-When you said rumors..." Izuku gulped in nervousness and embarrassment. "Wh-Who exactly is spreading rumors about me...?"

"Ah, just the usual gossipers. There's nothing to be worried about, Midoriya, honest."

"O-Okay..." He started twiddling his fingers again. "S-So...wh-what else do they say about me...?"

The redhead stifled a derisive snort. "That you're in a harem with all the girls in 1-A."

Izuku immediately started muttering and blabbering incomprehensibly, all while his face became as red as a tomato. The Big Fist user giggled heartily and patted him on the shoulder once again.

"Don't worry, Midoriya! That, I knew it was a whole bunch of baloney."

"Wh-What, w-w-was it Ts-Tsuburaba who said it too?"

"Oh no, it was Tokage that time." Then, Itsuka hesitated for a moment. "Now, I know it's not really my place to comment on such things, but since she still hasn't gotten a move on already, I'll just put it out there, for her sake."

"What?" Izuku blinked, now curious. "What're you putting out there?"

"Well, Tokage's got a major crush on you, for starters."

Izuku started muttering and blabbering again, and it took her several minutes to calm him down.

"Please don't use the Lord's name in vain, Tsuburaba!"

Izuku and Itsuka were venturing down the staircase when they heard Ibara shout out. Looking at one another in dread and a little surprise, the two then rushed to the ground floor and ran into the living room, where they found much of the rest of their class lounging and mingling about. On the sofas, Ibara was confrontationally towering over a seated Minoru and Kosei, both of whom were reading magazines with beautiful, scantily-clad women plastered all over the covers; Mina was currently flanking Ibara, and just as affronted.

"And you too, Mineta!" Ibara barked harshly. "God weeps for your souls, truly!"

"I can't believe you two would have the gall to read those dirty books out in the open!" added Mina.

"No, we don't have the gall," Minoru replied in a smug drawl. "We have the ba-"

"Tsuburaba," Itsuka interrupted, her voice now stern and harsh; it caused Kosei to hitch his breath and straighten up as rigidly as a board. "Are those the same rags that Pony read when she went into your room last month?"

"Yes," Kosei replied guiltily, his voice trembling with fright. Then, he yipped at the sight of Minoru's wide-eyed, outraged look of betrayal and swiftly backtracked. "I-I mean, n-n-no! No, they're not!"

Itsuka narrowed her eyes ominously. "Really?"

"Y-Yes!" Then, Kosei overheard a gagging noise coming from Minoru. "I mean, no, they're not!"

"Ooh, ooh!" Pony cried, lightly jogging over to Kosei's side of the sofa with twinkling eyes of intrigue. "Is that the newest volume of Sakura-chan?! I hope she hasn't gone into that room of worms yet-"

"Guess I'll be taking these out of your hands now," Itsuka interrupted, having strode over to the sofa. Minoru and Kosei could do nothing to stop the class president from yanking the magazines out of their hands. "Thank you very much."

"NOOOOO!" Minoru shrieked, dramatically reaching his hand out towards the retreating gravure idols. "My pretties!"

"I-I swear, Kendo!" Kosei squealed pathetically. "I-I couldn't bear to just keep them hidden like that! Th-They needed to be admired by the eyes of true artists!"

"Oh?" Itsuka quirked an eyebrow in amusement. "You and Mineta are artists, huh?"

"I-I didn't mean for it to come out that way, b-but-"

"JUST GIVE US OUR MAGS BACK!" Minoru shrieked madly. "PLEASE! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD AND ALL THAT IS HOLY!"

"The more you sully the Lord's name in such an uncouth manner," Ibara replied distastefully, "the more I weep for your soul, Minoru Mineta. You should be eternally grateful to Him for assigning the burden of class monitor upon Kendo's and Midoriya's shoulders, because I know that sort of responsibility would be too much for you."

"GUH!" The grape-haired boy recoiled at Ibara's bitter voice. "My...My heartstrings..." He dramatically clutched at his own chest. "I...I just can't live...without...porn..."

Meanwhile, Kosei collapsed to his knees and bowed before Itsuka. "Please, Kendo! Can't you see what you're doing to my new bro?!"

"Oh, yeah," Itsuka replied dryly while shooting an amused glance at Minoru. "I can hear the guitars already."

"Please, just give us the mags back, a-and we'll be more respectful in reading them, I promise!"

"This coming from the two guys who declared themselves 'perverts-in-crime' earlier today?"

There was nothing but awkward silence from both Kosei and Minoru.

"Yeah, thought so."

Itsuka rolled up the magazines and lightly hit Kosei on the top of his head with them, causing him to fully collapse to the floor with a moan. This elicited a pathetic whimper from Minoru and a derisive snicker from Mina.

"Yeah, you go, girl!" Mina exclaimed encouragingly. "Show those shameless perverts what for!"

"Once again," Ibara added while closing her eyes, "the president guides Tsuburaba back on the path of righteousness. As for Mineta, well...his soul cannot be saved. He is cursed to an eternity of withering and toiling in the flames of Hell."

Mina looked at the vine-haired girl, stunned and a little mortified. "Uhhhhh... I-I wouldn't say that Mineta can't be saved, b-but-"

Minoru's head perked up at the words. "Wait, what was that, Ashido?!"

The horned girl blinked, fully realizing what she just said. "Ummmmm... F-Forget that I-"

"YES!" Minoru started jumping up and down with joy. "ASHIDO BELIEVES IN ME! SHE BELIEVES IN ME!"

"Great," Kyoka commented from the other side of the room. "Now you've unleashed a monster, Ashido."

"SHE BELIEVES IN ME, SHE BELIEVES IN ME, SHE- Ack!"

Minoru collapsed to the floor, on the verge of unconsciousness, while Itsuka deflated her fist.

"Obviously you weren't given a lot of discipline back at home," she commented with a hint of exasperation.

"On behalf of Class 1-A," Tenya said politely, "I do apologize for Mineta's misogynistic behavior. We have tried our best to keep his focus elsewhere, but he is constantly enticing himself to commit more and more depraved acts as the semester goes by, and he is proving to be a bad influence on Kaminari!"

Itsuka smiled at her fellow class president. "Ahhh, no worries, Iida. I know exactly how to deal with guys like him. By the time this week is over, he'll have turned a new leaf for the better!"

"Well," Mina commented while pointing at the floor, "then you've got a looooong week ahead of you, Kendo."

Izuku and Itsuka both followed the direction of Mina's finger and saw what was happening. Minoru had quickly recovered from the karate-chop delivered by the redheaded class president, and he was now trying to crawl towards her legs so he could look up her skirt. He was trying his best to be subtle about it, which did not amount to much effort.

"HEY!" Izuku cried, springing forward.

"NOOOOO!" Minoru shouted overdramatically while the green-haired boy grabbed him by the collar and pulled him away from Itsuka's legs. "LEMME SEE, MIDORIYA! LEMME SEE!"

"Yep." Mina nodded her head, her pink hair bobbing along with her movements. "A long week indeed."

"He truly is damned to an eternity in Hell," Ibara commented, startling the other girl. "Even so, I must pray for his soul."

To the Acid user's surprise, the vine-haired girl then clasped her hands together and started reciting a prayer. Mina could only watch in flabbergasted confusion as her schoolmate-turned-classmate fervently muttered to herself.

"Jeez..." the pink-skinned girl whispered to herself. "This is the girl Kaminari had been drooling about during the Sports Festival? She doesn't look like she has a whole lot of fun in her downtime."

Despite Mina trying her best to be quiet, her whispers reached Ibara's ears regardless. The vine-haired girl's eyelid gave a single twitch, but she apparently disregarded all external stimuli as she continued with her prayer.

As soon as Minoru calmed down (courtesy of a thinly-veiled threat by Kyoka about burning the porn magazines), the new Class 1-A began making arrangements for their first dinner, just as the sun began to set. Under the shared supervision of Itsuka and Tenya, some of them started taking food and drinks out from the cupboards, while the other students got the chairs positioned and the table set up.

While the students continued setting up their dinner, Izuku took the opportunity to break away from Minoru, Kosei, and Juzo and approach Ochako, who he found attempting to chat with Yui, unsuccessfully so.

"S-So, uh...d-do you like playing games?"

"Mm."

"Uhhh...wh-what kind of games do you like to play?"

"Mm."

"...Did you even listen to a word I said?"

"...Mm."

Ochako turned away, blushing brightly in both exasperation and embarrassment. "What kind of answer is that supposed to beeeee?!"

"H-Hey, Uraraka!" Izuku greeted, deciding to break the ice for her.

"Huh?" Ochako laid her chocolate-brown eyes on him, and her blush quickly receded to just her cheeks. "Oh, hey Deku!"

"Do you need any help over there?" Izuku looked over his friend's shoulder and saw that she and Yui had been scouring through a certain section of the cupboard in search of something. "It looks like you two are trying to look for the mochi."

"That, we are." The Zero Gravity user beamed at him. "You know me so well, Deku."

Izuku's face immediately turned red. "W-We-Well, o-of course! Y-Y-You're my f-f-fr-friend, after all! Wh-Wh-Wh-What kind of friend w-would I be i-if I-I didn't know wh-wh-what you l-l-li-li-liked?!"

Ochako giggled sweetly at his stuttering, even though her face turned just as crimson. In an effort to break the tension, Izuku walked past Ochako and approached the cupboard, his hurried footsteps attracting Yui's attention.

"E-Excuse me, K-Kodai," he stammered.

"Mm," Yui replied.

"So it's always an 'mm' from you?!" Ochako wheezed to herself.

The cerulean-eyed girl nevertheless stepped out of the way, as quietly as a falling leaf, while Izuku stuck his head in the cupboard in search of the prized rice cake. After looking around and shuffling through the contents for a few seconds, he let out an exasperated moan.

"I could've sworn this is the place where we keep the mochi," he said. "Unless Kaminari or Sero moved it around again."

"I know," Ochako replied. "Those guys just can never remember the system we set up."

"Maybe we should tell Iida to put it in writing. It's not like we made this system an official rule, after all. Hmmm..." With a furrowed brow, Izuku decided to move aside all of the food containers, only to be met with the same results. "Nothing. Not even in the back of the cupboard."

Ochako rolled her eyes. "Knowing Kaminari, he probably put it in the freezer again like the last couple of times."

"Okay, I'll go check it out."

Izuku took his head out of the cupboard and headed towards the kitchen. As he passed Ochako, however, she suddenly reached out and grabbed his forearm, stunning them both.

"H-Huuuuuh?!" Izuku exclaimed, trying his best to stay calm despite being touched by a girl. "Y-Ye-Yes, Uraraka?!"

"U-Um, w-well I..." Ochako replied, mentally cursing herself for making such a move. "I-I just wanted to know i-if y-you were o-okay."

"O-Okay?" He blinked in confusion. "Okay about what?"

"A-About being our monitor." Ochako shyly looked away, her foot awkwardly nudging itself against her other foot. "Y-You looked like you were, you know, uncomfortable with the job e-ever since Aizawa-sensei assigned it to you. A-And I know y-you d-didn't like it when you were voted class president when we first started here, a-and that's why Iida's now th-the class president, s-so-"

"I-I'm fine, Uraraka," Izuku blurted out. When Ochako looked at him with uncertainty, he gave her an optimistic grin and patted the fingers still clasped around his forearm, much to his discreet embarrassment. "R-Really, I am. I mean, I've got Kendo to help me out, a-and it's not like it's gonna be a permanent thing for me! It's just for a week, after all!"

Ochako quirked an eyebrow, stunned by Izuku's newfound confidence. "Really? Are...Are you sure you're up for the job, Deku?"

"Well..." Izuku sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "I mean, Aizawa-sensei said he picked me and Kendo after doing some observations of our class. That means he picked us for a good reason..."

"But do you think that reason's good enough for you to take on that kind of responsibility?" Ochako asked in concern. "I can already tell you're relying on Kendo to do the heavy-lifting for you-"

"Even so, I'm gonna try and do better!" Izuku blurted out suddenly, with renewed resolve. "Just you wait, Uraraka! When this week is over, I'm gonna be more confident and more of a leader! The kind of leader this class would look to! Just like Kendo!"

Ochako blinked incredulously, her cheeks getting brighter in their pinkness. "O-Okay. W...W-Wow... You really wanna do this, don'tcha?"

"Y-Yeah." The freckled boy chuckled, his resolve giving way to embarrassment. "I-I suppose Kendo's being a pretty good influence on me. Like she makes me want to try my best as well."

"Yeah..." A certain glow came to Ochako's face, and she gave him the widest and brightest of smiles as she let go of him, all concerns about his emotional well-being dissipating. "Well then, I can't wait to see the confident leader you'll become when the week's over, Deku!"

Izuku blinked in surprise at Ochako's words, and the emotional charge behind them. Then, after taking a brief moment to absorb the confidence she had of him, the viridescent boy returned her smile with one of his own.

"I can't wait too!"

Izuku hummed a merry tune to himself as he half-skipped towards the refrigerator. Thoughts about a certain chocolate brown-haired girl raced through his mind at high speeds, and a wide, goofy smile adorned his freckled face.

"That was a nice conversation with Uraraka," he thought. "It's always nice to talk to her. She gives me a lot of faith and confidence in myself. I should definitely talk to her more often. As if I haven't been already, heh heh heh..." He reached out a hand towards the handle on the freezer door. "Uraraka's an inspiration to me. After all, she's the one who allowed me to accept the name of 'Deku' and make it my own-"

His thoughts suddenly broke off when he recalled Itsuka's rousing speech in the cafeteria.

"That we can still become the kind of Hero that people will smile at and feel safe around, especially when we say, 'I am here!'"

By that point, Izuku's fingertips were now touching the metal surface of the freezer door's handle, but its coolness barely traveled beyond that. He was too absorbed in his thoughts about Itsuka at this point to even think about anything else, even Ochako. There was just something about her bold choice of words that nagged at him, and he momentarily cursed himself for not bringing up the issue during their conversations in the classroom and outside Neito's new bedroom.

"This is so weird," he thought. "I have to ask her about that speech of hers. I just have to. I...I feel like I've heard those words before somewhere..."

A/N: And that marks the end of this newest chapter! This one proved to be even more difficult to write than the previous chapter, and I'm still a bit unhappy on how this turned out. I feel like I lollygagged a little, especially when it came to the interactions between the 1-A and 1-B students. But we are definitely moving somewhere in terms of the plot; that, I can confirm. And I'm confident that it'll be smoother sailing once we get to the training exercises, which will be soon.

Oh, and yes, Izuku and Itsuka will be having that conversation soon as well. You don't have to worry about any pointless lollygagging when it comes to that. Keep your fingers crossed! :D :D :D

Also, Setsuna Tokage having a major crush on Izuku is a bit of a throwaway joke. You don't have to worry about Setsuna getting involved in the thick of it and becoming a major player in this fic. I already have a couple of love triangles laid out for this story and I don't want to get the battlefield all crowded. XD (But maybe you can expect to see a small dramatic scene or two involving Setsuna...?)

Well, I'd like to thank the following people for reviewing:

-Phantommore: Why yes, yes he does. And you can expect to see Monoma scheming around in the following chapters, as well as Itsuka being a total mom to him. XD

-acosta perez jose ramiro:

1) You're very welcome. :D

2) Well, fortunately for him, he's got Itsuka as a source of good influence and inspiration for him, as you can already see in this chapter!

3) I most certainly will, and you keep up the good reviewing!

-Funny-Little-Cute White Fox: Is that all you have to say for your reviews? Just some one-liners and a request for me to update soon? I'm very sorry, but I really need you to be a little more in-depth with your reviews. I can't just have brief comments. If I am going to keep up with this quality in my updates, then I'm going to need you to be a lot more specific on what you like, and more importantly, what you are NOT liking so far. Is there anything that I need to look at from a writing standpoint? Any questions or curiosities that you feel need to be addressed by me quickly? Please, I do not mean to sound picky or pushy, but I need all the feedback I can get. Thank you.

-whiteleopard1124: I'm glad you chanced upon this story and are liking it so far! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and cross your fingers for more excitement, action- and shipping-wise, in the chapters ahead! :D

-KHfan98:

1) Well, now you know why Itsuka knows all about Izuku's inspirational qualities.

2) Well, that's too bad, because I like Monoma, and I intend to give him a bit of a redemption arc here. I hope it'll be to your liking!

Well, hope you enjoyed this late chapter! TheCartoonFanatic01 is out. PEACE!