When Hikari awoke, she found herself lying on a white cot. She pushed herself into a sitting position and took a good look at the room once her vision focused. The walls were a stark white, and a white curtain surrounded the periwinkle blue bed Hikari was lying in. The late afternoon sun poured through the window blinds. Hikari closed her eyes and stretched under the sunrays.
"Oh good, dearie, you're awake," said an elderly voice, snapping Hikari out of her thoughts. She looked down to meet a short, old lady with a white lab coat and gray hair tied in a bun with a (hopefully decorative) needle sticking through.
"You were out for a while, but I assume it's because you lacked energy," she continued as she gave Hikari some medication. "I know that you and your quirk require sunlight to function, so I purposely put you on the bed closest to the window. Take these Vitamin D supplements, dearie, and you'll be just fine."
Hikari nodded in affirmation. "Thank you, Miss, uh…"
"Recovery Girl, dearie."
"Thank you very much, Recovery Girl," Hikari continued, "What about Midoriya? Is he okay?"
"Oh, yes, he went back to class not too long ago," Recovery Girl answered. She filled a paper cup with water as she talked. "You and that boy were the only ones that came down to the infirmary. Everyone else finished training soundly with no injuries."
Hikari took the paper cup from the nurse and swallowed the pills. "I'll go back to class now, then. Thank you again." She gently pushed herself off of the bed and slowly walked, testing her balance. Only then did she realize that she was still in her hero costume.
"Your clothes are still in the locker room, don't worry," called Recovery Girl from her office, as if she read Hikari's mind.
Slowly but surely Hikari left the infirmary and made her way to the same locker room she changed out of her hero costume and back into her uniform. She took her time walking back, letting the last of the day's rays wash over her face.
Man, I hope I didn't freak anyone out when I blacked out. I wonder if anyone came to visit, or if Recovery Girl shooed them out like a regular nurse…
"Hey, Hikari!"
Hikari whirled around and saw Ochako and Kaminari walking side-by-side, a stack of books in both their hands. She waved weakly as her friend excitedly approached her as best as she could without dropping the books.
"Your match was super cool! I can't believe you were able to make that giant shield at the end!" cheered Ochako as she bounced on her heels.
"Yeah, I couldn't believe it either. Pretty risky, though," Hikari agreed, rubbing the back of her head.
"I wanna face off again," Kaminari butted in. He jabbed a thumb to his chest. "Next time, I won't go so easy on you!"
A determined grin stretched on Hikari's face. "You're on!"
The three entered the classroom and found Midoriya at the other doorway to the classroom. He was surrounded by a few other classmates, looking flustered by their presence.
"Hey, Midoriya!" Ochako shouted. She ran to his side and looked at the sling. "Why didn't she heal your injuries?"
"Oh, well, it has to do with how much stamina I'm using," he answered.
That makes sense. I guess that's why Recovery Girl gave me those supplements instead, Hikari mused to herself. She leaned against the wall, trying to save her energy, and closed her eyes. But even then, I'm still really tired. I'm gonna have a good night's sleep when I get home.
The sound of running feet interrupted Hikari's thoughts. Through her droopy eyes she saw a flash of green run away. Midoriya… what's he doing?
Mina, Ochako, and Tsuyu were looking at the front of the school through the large glass. Hikari followed suit and saw Bakugou hunkered down as he walked to the U.A gates. Midoriya appeared and began to say something to him. Although she had no idea what was being said, it looked like it only angered Bakugou. He yelled out something in return and looked like he was going to walk away but was stopped again, this time by All Might.
"I wonder what that was all about," Mina wondered out loud.
"The fated battle between rivals," concluded Ochako, her hands clenched in fists.
"Whatever Midoriya was saying, it looked like Bakugou really wanted to punch him," added Tsuyu, a finger to her chin.
I can only wonder what that means for the two of them…
/
Hikari was already running late to school (curse the lack of energy from yesterday's training!) and the fact that she was still sleepy did not help her foul mood. Despite the bad start, she ran, determined to get to school on time… or so she thought.
Reporters with large cameras and microphones crowded the U.A gate, blocking any ability for anyone to squeeze through. Hikari held her breath and pushed through the horde of reporters.
"Can you tell us what it's like to have All Might as a teacher?" a reporter aggressively interrogated, shoving her microphone to her face.
"Was that not public knowledge…?" Hikari muttered. She strained her neck to avoid getting impaled.
Big mistake. The noise of reporters grew deafeningly louder at her remark. More questions hurled her way, frantic to find out more from her. Exasperated, Hikari elbowed her way through the crowd and made it just in time for class.
She sat behind Midoriya as Aizawa reviewed his and Bakugou's performances from the combat training.
"And Hinata," Aizawa drawled. Hikari snapped to attention as she waited for his input on her performance. "Although you weren't injured like Midoriya, you'll need better control of how much solar power you have left. I don't want a repeat of you falling unconscious."
"Uh, yeah!" Man, he still scares me! I thought he was gonna expell me!
"Let's get down to business," Aizawa continued. "Our first task… will decide your future."
Is it another quirk test? Hikari felt queasy at the thought.
"You all need to pick a class representative." Oh good, just normal school stuff. At this everyone burst into shouts, declaring their candidacy.
"Pick me guys! I wanna be class rep!"
"Hey, I'll take it!"
"Yeah, you're gonna need me."
"Someone with style —"
"I'm totally the right pick!"
Yeah, I'm no good at this leadership stuff, thought Hikari as she stifled a laugh at her classmate's antics. If it's gonna be anyone, I'd definitely pick-
"SILENCE, EVERYONE, PLEASE!" Everyone turned to look at the back of the classroom where Iida had shouted.
"The class representative's duty is to lead others. That's not something anyone can do. You must first have the trust of every student in the classroom," Iida explained to 1-A. "Therefore, the most logical way to fill this position is democratically. We will hold an election to choose our leader."
It's pretty obvious you want us to vote for you, Iida. Still, his explanation wasn't a bad one.
Some students wondered aloud about who to trust, but they settled down as papers were passed out for them to pick their representative.
Hikari looked down at the slip of paper she received. Slowly, she wrote her choice.
/
Well, that didn't go at all how she expected.
I got zero votes… but I kinda expected that. Hikari's name was near the bottom of the list. She scanned her eyes up the list. Yaoyorozu had two votes, and the person who received three votes…
"HOW DID I GET THREE VOTES?!" Midoriya cried in shock.
"Okay, you idiots, who voted for him?!" barked Bakugou, rising from his seat. Hikari could practically feel the smoke shooting out of his ears. She also could've sworn that she heard sparks pop in his palms.
Well, I didn't vote for Midoriya, but I thought Iida would be the one to win, Hikari thought as she glanced across the classroom. With his fists clenched, Iida tearfully muttered, "I… I appreciate the one vote, but I can't argue with the system I chose."
"So you voted for someone else, huh?" asked Yaoyorozu.
"But you knew it was best to vote for yourself, right?" Satou agreed. "What were you trying to prove, Iida?"
"Alright, the class rep is Midoriya, and our deputy is Yaoyorozu," announced Aizawa without fanfare. Even though Yaoyorozu looked calm and collected, Midoriya was a bundle of nerves.
I wonder how this will play out…
/
"It's always so crowded in here," noted Ochako as she ate her rice with a pair of chopsticks.
"That's because students from the support, management, and hero courses all share the same cafeteria," explained Iida as he ate from his own lunch.
"It's still a lot of people. It's a miracle everyone can get their food," Hikari added, setting her tray next to Midoriya's.
Midoriya, meanwhile, looked crestfallen. He lowered his chopsticks and sighed. "Guys, I'm kinda worried about the class rep thing. I don't think I'm qualified," he confessed.
Ochako, Hikari, and Iida were quick to reassure him. "Your courage and quick thinking under stress will help make you a worthy leader, not to mention the strength you demonstrated," Iida explained, "Those are the reasons I voted for you, at least."
"You were one of the three?!" gasped the greenette.
Ochako turned to Iida and asked, "Didn't you want to be rep really badly? I mean, you do look the part, cause of the glasses."
"Well, I voted for you, but not because of the glasses," Hikari began, "You had the guts to get onto Bakugou the first day and you also did great on the battle training the other day. " She paused to take a bite of food. "You're also a good leader Iida, don't beat yourself down about it."
Iida's face flushed at her praise. "Thank you for the vote, Hinata. Even then, wanting a job and being suited to it are quite different things. Observing the Iida Family's Hero Agency has taught me that much."
"Agency?" the trio chorused.
"Hold on, what does your family do?" Midoriya asked.
"Oh, uh, it's nothing…"
"You know, I've been wondering something about you," Ochako wondered, leaning closer to observe Iida's face. "Admit it, Iida: you're filthy rich, just like Hikari!"
Hikari choked on her rice as Iida's face paled at her declaration.
"O-Ochako! You can't just say things like that out loud!" she coughed, thumping her fist to her chest.
"I was afraid people would treat me differently if they knew about my family," Iida admitted. He turned his head away in shame. In curiosity, Hikari, Ochako, and Midoriya leaned forward, pressing the blue-haired boy to explain.
"You see, the Iidas have been pro heroes for generations. It runs in our blood," he explained as if he were lecturing a class. The trio gasped in surprise. "Are the three of you familiar with the Engine Hero: Ingenium?"
Midoriya slammed his hands down on the table as he leaned forward in excitement. "I know all about him! He's a super popular pro with sixty-five sidekicks working alongside him at his Tokyo agency!" He paused his rambling. "Wait, don't tell me…"
"He's my elder brother!"
"Woah, that's amazing!" blurted Hikari out loud as her eyes widened. "That's a lot to live up to!"
"Ingenium is an unmatched commander who honors the hero code. As the second oldest Iida son, I strive to be just like him. However, I think it might be a bit soon for me to be in a real leadership role. You, for example." Iida turned to look at Midoriya "You have been an example of what the judges were looking for in the practical exam. A rep needs that sort of insight."
Hikari was left speechless. Not a good leader, my ass! Iida could lead an army if he wanted to!
"Wow, Iida, I think that's the first time I've seen you smile!" Ochako teased.
"Wha-What do you mean? I smile all the time!" Iida shook his head. "Nevermind that. Hinata?"
Hikari jumped in her seat. "Hm—?!"
"I believe Uraraka mentioned that you are somewhat like me?"
"Uh, yeah." She cleared her throat before continuing. "Well, we're not exactly the same. My dad is just a secretary at the International Hero Agency, nothing big. He tells me that he only does hero work in case there aren't enough pros working—"
"The Shielding Hero: Aegis, right?" interrupted Midoriya, stars shining in his eyes. "I can't believe I didn't make the connection sooner! Your quirks are so similar!"
Hikari was stunned silent, eyes wide and somewhat flattered. "Wow, yeah, that's him. He isn't that popular or well-known, I'm surprised you know him, Midoriya. How'd you know?"
His face flushed red as he looked away. "Ah, well, it's just that I really like pro heroes and look up to them, that's all!"
The teal-haired girl smiled as she began to eat again. "It's nice to know that there's at least one fan of my dad's out there, after my mom—"
RRRRRRRIIIIIIIINNNNNNGGGGG!
"Warning, level three security breach. All students, please evacuate the building in an orderly fashion."
A/N: So, uh, I'm not dead, I pinkie promise y'all. I thought I'd get more writing done during quarantine but guess who's a college kiddo? This (demi)gal! N e ways, to celebrate, I'll give y'all a new chapter. Thanks for reading!
