Thursday.
Mineta went through his longest school day ever. Longer than a life sentence.
First came the morning. From the moment he got off his bed, the purple sheep knew it would never be like before. Not in a good way. When he took a first step into class with knots in his stomach, he was met with a deathly silence. A mixture of distant postures which looked like disdain, distrust, disappointment from the outside. His classmates didn't even try to hide it, as it was now the norm to show how he had failed them all. His eyes fell all the way down, impaled to the ground.
As he could foresee it, the Class Rep's requirements were met and satisfied. No one engaged in dialogue with the lonely grape. He was plainly ignored. Only Midoriya took the time to say hello as he entered the classroom. An evanescent grace-filled reprieve. The next moment, Midoriya was seeking refuge close to Uraraka and his many friends. Mineta didn't exist to them.
Then started class and counting seconds to freedom.
For most of his time, Mineta attempted to establish timid contacts with the alien lifeforms around. Iida, the girls, Denki, even Bakugo. All ended in bitter failure. He was punished, period.
Aizawa-sensei's lesson in heroics went on as usual. The rejected boy couldn't tell if the teacher in ragged black outfit was privy to the secrets of those on high – namely Class 1-A's Representative. Was the teacher already informed? Would actions be taken already? Complete mystery.
One thing proved certain however: the apathetic man was also ignoring him. Whenever Mineta tried to participate in the class debates or raise his hand to ask a question, Aizawa acted like his naughty student had Harry Potter's cloak screwed all over his body. He was invisible.
Had Mineta not been a pervert, Hagakure would throw a jealous fit.
If only the lonely boy knew it was but a faked obliviousness…Aizawa actually held much interest in the boy; the type that couldn't be measured on a negative-to-positive estimation scale. Without anyone knowing, the teacher had been an indirect, almost circumstantial witness of Mineta's souring relationship with his classmates. On the previous day, he had been listening to Yaoyorozu and the rest of the class poking acrimonious fun at the absent grape imp.
His oblique eavesdropping had taught him alarming knowledge to be reckoned with. Not to mention the peeping pervert in question, whom the teacher had caught in the act of spying on them as well – having himself taken good care not to be spotted in turn. Spies spying on spies.
For the time being though, the purple dwarf would be left in the dark until Aizawa finds a credible plan of action to take on the matter more personally. This time, with better and more convincing results than following his previous attempt to turn Mineta's life around at school.
And hopefully beyond.
Later in the morning, the class went through a routine exercise: the subject of the day.
Unsurprisingly, it was a villain attack simulation. As Aizawa further detailed, the first step was to see how the budding heroes would react - in their analytical minds - when presented a case of preconceived scenarios. How the villains and heroes could interact against each other, what strategies to adopt, what to expect from the enemy, what were the possible outcomes. Along with many other calculated variables that made a hero impersonate a chess gamer.
In a dual roleplay, one student would be either the good or bad guy. Use of rational thinking was strongly encouraged, as expected from an old warhorse primarily driven by logic. It would be al; the ultimate objective would come on next Thursday - with the same exercise put into practice - so that the future Pro-Heroes could make the difference between expectations and reality.
"I really love this kind of simulation!" Midoriya enthusiastically rejoiced. "There is no better way to improve our reactivity and creativity. Thanks to that, we can become the greatest heroes!"
He had his landmark "Dreams can become reality" approach painted all over his face. Theory was the dream muscles would soon transform into a real thing. No better way to motivate him to give it his all. Unlike Bakugo, whose die-hard warmongering couldn't care less about war councils.
"I can't wait to reach the part when we move to Ground Beta!" Ashido further commented. "It's very useful to practice our Quirks and make them stronger."
And to kick your ass, damn Deku! Bakugo thought eerily, grinding his teeth in eagerness.
He didn't go at it like a bull at the gate for once, and refrained from saying it out loud. Having witnessed Iida and Midoriya's roasting of Mineta the previous day had earned them some respect. In-your-face confrontations would be saved for later, when their silly teacher would allow it.
Speaking of which...
"Did he just fall asleep again?" the whole class cried aloud. "This school is going out of hand."
The yellow, worm-like sleeping back was now reconverted into a snoring simulator.
"Hurry, we need to complete this session before he wakes up!" Iida ordered severely, cutting through the air. "Be serious about it."
The twenty students split into pairs of two. Groups took shape, depending on their respective sympathy for each other. Midoriya joined a blushing competition with Uraraka, Bakugo dragged Kirishima by the collar, Jirou wrapped her arms around Kaminari's neck, and so forth.
Mineta found it more difficult to split himself in half, as no one would want him too close. Groups of three or one still were accepted, as long as the teacher wouldn't open his eyes half-way. Fair enough. Mineta had got accustomed to being denied a right to work as a partner, from as far back as the Forest Training Camp. Generally, the refusal came from girls and it encouraged him to insist all the more, like a challenge for perverted souls.
Now that boys were doing the same, being lonely had another taste and it sucked.
He eventually gave up and worked on his own for the whole session. While group discussions flourished around, his acting skills took the things in hand and he played it personality-disorder style. He talked to himself – both roles quarantined in his head – like they were two Minetas. He gradually felt observed and judged for his ambivalent, mentally-questionable behavior. In all likelihood, he was deemed crazier than he already was, or about to become as such.
Unfortunately, he couldn't hold it for much longer. I deserve it.
He was becoming fully aware of the evil he had been doing all along – or so he interpreted - and the severity of its long-overdue consequences. Here was the punishment, the real one that he had coming. No more getting away with it, because it was "in his nature". No more aiming to become a hero without putting the effort of being a dignified, admirable human. No more forgiving for the distasteful and reprehensible aspect of hero world that the short-sighted gremlin embodied. No more "boys will be boys" makeshift excuse for the whiny little snot. I deserve all of this.
Following on from years of bullying, Mineta logically kept track of his old habits.
In middle and primary school, most children teased him for his ridiculous size that made it embarrassing to hang out with a baby. Not to mention his sticky powers, worse than being Quirkless according to beauty standards. You've got the shittiest Quirk in the world, purple midget! That's a crime against Humanity.
They also hated him for his antisocial manners, his growing perversion for lack of true friends to distract him from it, and the overall absence of basic social education his family had denied him knowledge of. When he was assaulted at school, no one would defend him. Same at home. Business as usual, that knew no frontiers.
In the end, been rejected for the ninth time in high school might have been necessary. After all, was Mineta truly sincere when he had tried to make amends? Or was it just another show of hypocrisy, a lower-end ploy to ease his conscience without actually meaning it?
It didn't really make a difference.
Putting his heart and soul into it hadn't prevented the both of them from being trampled on. To awake his conscience, it had taken a real shock, all while being receptive to it. Hurting his feelings to better make him realize he had hurt many others' hearts first. Return to sender 1000.
Unwillingly, Mineta shared many common features with Bakugo, one of them being arrogance. A shell that had to be broken, justifying the hurtful forced passage through his pride the day before.
Don't give up, Mineta! Asui muttered for herself. Be strong.
She couldn't stop looking at him, as he sat in resignation. As the course neared its end, he did nothing more than brooding, like his grades or teachers' comments were side quests in this Grade F, low-quality game. Asui was part of the only ones paying attention to whom had become a disposable, trashy human detail in the background. Had the boy been showcasing a "please, hug me!" begging label on his forefront, she'd been tempted to give it a try.
Behind her vacant stare, pity and gloominess were overflowing the place. Damn, was it hard to see…
Noon break.
At the Lunch Rush Cafeteria, Mineta filled his tray with whatever he could find and fled outside. He sat on his own in the grass, ate, drank, ate, drank. The food weighed less than air and barely nourished him. Not even the thickest rice could fill the void inside.
A strayed tear fell into his miso soup. I want to avoid this overcrowded place so badly, but I can't even eat myself and drink my own juice! It would poison me. I'm a fucking poisonous food safe on legs…pathetic.
This cruel irony was a lesson in itself.
A strangely painful Forest Training Camp memory haunted his mind, from the moment he got the meaning of appetite and grasped the importance of food in whoever's life.
Frankly, food and stuff aren't really that important! What I'm here for is behind that wall…
How his gurgling tummy now regretted this presumptuous testimony.
The only place to eat was where his former friends were. Food was important. Friendship was too. He had lost the latter, hence making it difficult to enjoy the former. And he still hadn't overcome that wall, regardless of if it was meant to be climbed or not. The new wall between the inedible grape and the rest of the world was sky-high. He had built it himself, just like a lone adventurer would have pierced his own flask during a dry spell in the desert.
And the day wasn't over yet. Too bad for the Temaki rolls, but I can't go back in there.
In the meantime, Kaminari was enjoying his Katsu Curry with Midoriya and Iida. Their conversation was also food-inspired. But it tasted sour, like expired wine.
"Man, was he a pain in the ass!" the electric boy angrily lashed. "He really threw me for the loop with his pervy bullshit."
He wasn't so mad though, but despair disguised as fatigue didn't help.
"Watch your language, Kaminari-kun!"
"You're talking with your mouth full, by the way…"
Midoriya couldn't help chuckling at Kaminari's corrosive comeback. A bit taken aback, Iida hid his shame with a clever return to the original subject.
"I know it must have been hard for you to let him down, but that was a necessary decision."
"Wait, I did not "let him down"! I…I…"
He actually had but couldn't own up to it. How depressing it was.
"Kaminari…" Iida comforted him. "Mineta needed to be taught a lesson. Losing precious friends like you may – I hope it – push him to do his best to change and get them back. He already knows what to do, if he truly wants to earn your trust again. It's up to him, and I believe in him."
Giving one's best at something…
Midoriya inwardly pondered on what it meant in this particular case. Once the "useless Deku" unable to do anything right, he had turned the tide in his favor by working really hard. It had worked more than well for him. Calling it a success was legit, but Midoriya wouldn't need to be severely dressed down to actually achieve his dreams of greatness. Just a tiny bit, enough for All Might to Texas Smash some maturity into him on a desert beach. Fonds memories.
But the mere thought of last night's tongue-lashing downright frightened him, as if he was now experiencing it from the purple-haired boy's point of view. Mineta's mouth had been thoroughly washed with soap. Unlike Todoroki, Iida would never have to ask him to brush his teeth again. Not even after gulping down one of Sato's sugar cakes.
"I kind of miss him, actually…" Kaminari confessed.
"Miss him? He's still in your class, Kam–"
"His friendship, Iida-kun. I miss being friends with him."
In the Blonde boy's troubled mind, good and not-so-good memories played hide-and-seek. Some of his favorite moments – from his recent lifetime – had been shared with the pervert, but endearing grape dwarf. Many, many memorable slices of life…
The Great Cheerleader Scheme. A timeless triumph of epic proportions, that had definitely convinced him that gutsy Mineta had something between his ears. For the wrong reasons, but he could let it slide. Until recently.
Rummaging around the girls' rooms during their Best Room contest – Fumikage's proclaimed "Forbidden Gardens" – without feeling dirty at all, unlike some uptight, long-tailed hero like Ojiro. Plenty of good memories were associated with that excursion in foreign territory. Like calling Jiro's bedroom "not girly at all", which had earned him an Earphone Jack shot. Much to his undisclosed delight, as short-circuiting his brain into a giggling idiot was already his trademark seducing technique. Or watching Mineta palpating Hagakure's lingerie. The Plus Ultra! air of adventurous victory in the nosey parker's eyes had made his day. Seeing him getting trussed up by Sero as a punishment too.
Talking of the cellophane wielder, there was a well-received head-on source of levity in Kaminari's past with the grape terror: Sero's X-rated confidences during the Provisional Hero License Exam, about the Shiketsu bodysuit girl found completely naked by the rocks with Midoriya. Funniest moment ever. Mineta's overreacting to the curly-haired hero being a smooth talker and a sexual maniac was bringing Kaminari on the brink of laughter, even though he had joined his friend in his outburst of jealously.
Without him properly realizing it, Kaminari's thoughts had turned into whispers. Much to Midoriya and Iida's curious embarrassment.
"No matter how critical and reproachful I can be, I still think we had lots of fun together. One hell of a fun! All these plans we plotted together…it was pure madness. I loved it."
"Most of them failed…" Iida sternly reminded him.
"So what?" the Pikachu mascot defended himself. "It was fun anyway."
To prove his point, Kaminari brought up the story of their not-so-failed attempt at coming upon the girls in their bikinis at the swimming pool. How they had tricked Midoriya into asking for permission from Aizawa, under the pretense of water-related training – using him as a credible guarantee to bait the teacher. Multiple setbacks had foiled the plan, but somehow, Mineta's "lack of standards" still had left him excited and satisfied with the school-issued swimsuits. To Kaminari's dismay at the time, but much to his self-mocking amusement in the present time.
Upon learning of this, Midoriya's face turned tomato-red.
"What are you talking ab–no way!" innocent Midoriya screamed, as the hard reality was hitting back at him. "Did you really do that, to me? I can't believe I fell for this scheme!"
The same exact words as Yaoyorozu's in her cheerleader outfit. It sounded odd in a boy's mouth though. Iida also had his share of discomfiture. How he had congratulated them for this amazing idea of them now made him feel stupid.
From the table next to them, it was one of the girls' turn to eavesdrop at will.
Jiro's Earphone Jacks, plunged into the ground, allowed her to listen to the three boys' conversation. Deep inside, she couldn't find a valuable reason why she wanted to spy on them in the first place. Hearing the Grape Juice Hero name mentioned multiple times initially sickened her. As much as finding out about Kaminari's own perverted nature, and his involvement in several of Mineta's schemes.
Or so she felt until the boys' chit-chat switched to Kaminari's suspected love life.
"Aren't you preoccupied Jiro might find out about it?"
Iida's words took Kaminari by surprise, in appearance. His flirty relationship with the Earing Hero was barely a secret, save for some purely-naive souls like the boy sitting next to Iida.
"She already knows. I am not the smooth talker I once used to be, or we'd not be dating."
To Iida's indirect question about his romantic status, Kaminari had daringly opened up and admitted to being in love with Jiro. Time had come for the sneak preview of an open secret.
"What are you talking about? Is that really…true?"
Once again, Midoriya was found guilty of knowing virtually nothing about it.
"Don't tell me you didn't see it, Midoriya!" Kaminari hilariously knocked on the table and stamped his feet. "How she laughed every single time I short-circuited myself…"
"Is that supposed to be a mark of love?"
"Mind-reading isn't what you're best at, pal. You must learn how to read between the lines. If a girl inexplicably laughs at you doing something silly, it most likely means that she's into you. To be honest, it doesn't matter if I have to "abuse" my Quirk's limits, end up like a zombie clowning around with his thumbs up and be her laughing stock for a while. As long as she likes it and laughs…I'd do anything to hear her delicious, sensual singer voice!"
The electric boy slightly blushed upon thinking about his girlfriend's cute face. Jiro's face turned pink too. Not to mention Midoriya's. I wonder if Ochaco-chan ever saw me doing something silly…
"Hmm? What did you say?"
"N-nothing!" he shook his hands in panic.
Jiro eventually understood why her instinct had dictated her to spy on them. It was funny and cute. I knew Ochaco's feelings for Midoriya were reciprocated! When I tell her that…
A short-lived mood though.
"I'm looking forward to Mineta finding a girlfriend too. One day!" Kaminari vainly hoped, like he wished upon a star. "If only I could stun him out of his perverseness…"
"I'm sure he'll learn from his mistakes and move forward." Midoriya was back to his optimistic self. "He needs support, not to have his brain fried."
Despite his great hopes invested into his classmates, Iida looked skeptical.
"Are you sure about it? As far as I can remember, Mineta's already been punished many times for his actions. His eyes had a rough time when he first misbehaved in the locker room, but it didn't stop him from making another attempt. What about the hot springs in the forest? He suffered a nasty fall when Kota pushed him…"
The Stun Gun Hero cackled noisily.
"I especially remember his naked ass falling right on Iida's f–"
"Don't you mention it, Kaminari-kun!"
The Class Rep pushed his glasses back upward, in a theatrical manner to make him look more authentically angry. It worked and Kaminari didn't push any further with his cheeky comments.
"I honestly can't tell when Mineta's finally going to learn…" the wide-framed Representative hesitantly affirmed. "That boy thinks spying on girls requires dedication and is a mark of bravery. Not only does it put him down, but it drains him of his motivation when the time to be a hero actually comes. He gets flustered, loses focus, succumbs to fear and cries relentlessly. He always messes up when it has to behave like a hero, just because he spends his energy on questionable hobbies and yields to his cowardice. That's just…depressing!"
Jiro fully agreed. Iida really was bright-minded. Contrary to a certain battery with feet, the Class Rep's best way to short-circuit was a bit of overthinking. For all that, she felt empathetic toward Mineta. This whole situation was a terrible pity to begin with.
"Now that's we're at it, Kaminari nervously asked, are you going to report about Mineta to Aizawa-sensei?"
The Class Rep's hand went back and forth on his pointy chin, then correcting the angle of his rectangular glasses even when not needed, like a nervous tic was coming to life.
"I'm still thinking about it. My duty is to help my classmates overcome their problems, not be expelled because of them. The only sure thing about Mineta is that he needs to tell his teachers about his issues and get help. Now."
"Like…a therapist? Can heroes do that?"
"If they couldn't, time would make villains out of us all. Hero life isn't easy. We get to see some truly nasty things out there. Having professionals by our side to help get over them can save lives, starting with ours."
What Iida had already witnessed - crying by his crippled brother's hospital bed - was enough to know what he was talking about. Both his friends explicitly nodded in agreement.
"You're right, Iida!" Midoriya supported. "What most people failed to see yesterday – us included – is that Mineta still tried to apologize. Too bad for him that it ended in disaster. It's partly our fault. We should have waited for him to explain what had happened before we came…"
"…And we cannot say that he's been a coward, this time. I've never seen him so bold and courageous! He suffered the whole class' wrath at once and he endured it without batting an eye."
It was slightly exaggerated, as the Blonde boy had left the show way too early.
"That's why I'm going to meet with Aizawa-sensei…and speak up for Mineta! " Iida decided solemnly. "By pleading his cause and asking for clemency, it may help him still feel accepted. He needs it too."
Both boys were deeply moved by Iida's change of heart.
"Iida-san!" they cried.
"In the meantime, the Rep added, we should observe him without rejecting him. I might have asked Mineta to keep a low profile, but I think we may want to be here for him anyway. That's why I, Representative of Class 1-A, say it is once again possible to talk to him of our free will. At least if he wants to talk, or if something serious happens that requires verbal intercourse."
His two interlocutors didn't notice it, but Iida had a mixed feeling that tasted like a bad one. A voice was telling him that they may have to reconnect with the boy sooner than expected, or else, nasty things could occur. Was it his conscience? Hard to say.
Having heard it all, Jiro had to admit Iida was not wrong. Far from it. I'll have to tell the other girls about it.
But she'd not be the only one with an opinion regarding Iida's. At the same time, another spy was carefully listening to the same group of people without any of the four knowing.
Hitoshi Shinso. Mineta Minoru, huh?
The controversial General Department student looked from a distance. He still had his failure at entering Class 1-A stick in his throat. Being rejected as a potential hero, based on the negative reception of his abnormal, freaky brainwashing Quirk, was the worst of all injustices. Just because it was considered unfavorably in combat against training bots, didn't mean the Mind-Controller had no future in heroic fields. But he barely had any chance at turning tables.
His narrow, limited curriculum development in higher education had made a bitter young man out of him. One repulsive, pervy freak as I heard. Even they say he is a problem student.
For the positive part, Shinso had grown some admiration for Midoriya, following their first confrontation and upon learning of his further achievements. The promising successor to All Might had gained respect from him, thus making him a legitimate future hero to his eyes. Back during their first face-to-face encounter, Shinso had taken on the wrong target in the person of Midoriya. He had since learned from it, sharpening his wits and judgment parallelly.
Shinso nevertheless remained hostile to most of Class 1-A students, whom he regarded as fakes, spoiled and unworthy wannabes with much room left for improvement. Among them was a new candidate for his witch hunt. Someone to track and hunt down, someone whom he would corner and confront, until Shinso found out how wrong – or maybe right - had been the choice to let that perverted boy seat on a chair meant for the worthy.
He finished his ramen soup, casting one last glance at Iida and his friends as they moved away. It looks like they try to defend him anyway. There're absurdly attached to him…
Wrongly or rightly? He couldn't tell.
Having friends had never been Shinso's priority. Maybe that futile thing called "friendship" was blinding their judgments, and stood as the real cause explaining why Mineta still hadn't been ostracized. Shino would soon address this issue and make sure to know the truth. If that tiny goblin with ball-shaped hair really was the so-called antihero everybody despised, he did not deserve to be here. Not in a Hero Course at U.A. High School, the world's hardest and most prestigious school for heroes. Someone was better than him.
Shinso would ensure justice be served.
He wiped his mouth clean with a napkin, then left Lunch Rush without following the trio. He already knew where Class 1-A was.
When Jiro had something to talk about to her female classmates, she'd not wait to meet them physically. Blessed were phones and group-chat technologies.
Private session opened. You and six other friends have joined.
(12:40 a.m.) Jiro: "Hello girls, and sorry for the disturbance."
(12:40 a.m.) Jiro: "First, how are you? I want to make sure you all recovered well from the events of last night. For my part, I've had trouble sleeping and didn't feel like talking this morning. So here I am now."
(12:43 a.m.) Yaoyorozu: "Let's say I'm OK. I haven't slept neither; blame whom it may concern."
(12:43 a.m.) Uraraka: "Me neither. I don't feel so lonely now^^"
(12:44 a.m.) Hagakure: "Same for me. Seen better, seen worse. ;)"
(12:44 a.m.) Ashido: "Doin' great, Jiro. A bit bushed but that's hero life yo. U ok?
(12:44 a.m.) Asui: "Hi Kyoka-chan, thanks for asking. I'm fine. Indeed, you looked really tired this morning. Is everything alright for you?
(12:45 a.m.) Jiro: "I'm glad to hear that. And yes, I'm doing alright. Now…I have to tell you something important. It's about Mineta."
As Jiro waited for answers, "is writing" notifications appeared and disappeared. Most girls were hesitant on their answers.
(12:45 a.m.) Yaoyorozu: "Is it really necessary to talk about him now?"
(12:45 a.m.) Hagakure: "I agree with Momo-chan. Iida-kun has already said what had to be said. He'll let us know when we can talk about him again, or not."
(12:46 a.m.) Uraraka: "Still can't believe he stooped so low. :( Making such a scene just to prove he was right about wanting to apologize and setting the whole class against him was…pathetic."
(12:46 a.m.) Hagakure: "I couldn't agree more!"
The mass outpouring of criticism lasted for a while. Quickly though, doubt and hesitation re-entered the fray to replace hurt feelings.
(12:49 a.m.) Jiro: "Call me stupid, but I think that his apologies were actually sincere."
(12:50 a.m.) Asui: "I felt the same."
(12:50 a.m.) Ashido: "Are you sayin' we've been too mean to him? :O"
(12:50 a.m.) Jiro: "Not mean, just a tad too impatient."
(12:50 a.m.) Uraraka: "Impatient?! He's the one who rushed us through his apologies!"
(12:50 a.m.) Asui: "You both have a point. He's gone too fast, that's for sure. But he still was sincere. I do believe it."
(12:51 a.m.) Hagakure: "I still think he's a liar."
(12:51 a.m.) Yaoyorozu: "Probably…"
(12:51 a.m.) Asui: "You might be wrong."
(12:51 a.m.) Hagakure: "What, are you gonna defend him now?"
(12:51 a.m.) Asui: "Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you."
(12:52 a.m.) Hagakure: "No wait…I'm sorry too :8 Shouldn't have said that but I'm very tired right now."
(12:52 a.m.) Asui: "Don't put too much blame on yourself. What occurred yesterday wore us all out. It's Mineta. That student is complicated."
(12:52 a.m.) Yaoyorozu: "To say the least!"
Their animated conversation was interspersed with minor clashes and disagreeing opinions for another couple of minutes. Surprisingly, Jiro was – despite her past rants against Mineta - first to bring their differing opinions together and mention the purple sheep in a positive light. Sort of.
(12:56 a.m.) Jiro: "We all know there's one way to be sure if that boy is being honest or not…"
(12:56 a.m.) Uraraka: "When he cries? :p"
(12:56 a.m.) Yaoyorozu: "You took the words right out of my mouth! ))"
(12:56 a.m.) Ashido: "Same here yo. And my mouth thanks U lmao"
(12:56 a.m.) Jiro: "Exactly. And I can tell you that he really was crying last night."
Yaoyorozu nearly pressed "send", but refrained and deleted her text message instead. Indeed, Mineta had cried. Indeed, she had stiffly roasted him about it. And indeed, she wasn't so proud of herself. If the Everything Hero could, she'd have eaten back her words.
(12:56 a.m.) Hagakure: "You're right. When the lil' dude loses his grip, he always tells what's on his mind. For better or for worse."
(12:56 a.m.) Hagakure: "MOSTLY for worse :/"
(12:57 a.m.) Jiro: "Yesterday, he was not like his usual self. I don't know…he looked miserable and it felt true. His face…"
(12:57 a.m.) Ashido: "You talkin' 'bout him like you're in love! Lol just kiddin'…"
(12:57 a.m.) Jiro: "Very funny, Ashido. But I'd rather lose my hero license!"
(12:57 a.m.) Ashido: "HIM losing it would be fairer. Just sayin'…"
(12:57 a.m.) Hagakure: "Atta girl! x)"
(12:57 a.m.) Ashido: "Didn't mean it though. Would be a shame if it happened."
12:58 a.m.) Jiro: "Anyway, I have something else to tell you."
The details of Kaminari, Iida and Midoriya's conversation came to their knowledge, including their Representative's new recommendations. As they reviewed and proceeded through them, the girls slowly changed their minds and their hearts warmed up.
(01:15 p.m.) Uraraka: "They're not wrong, I admit."
(01:15 p.m.) Hagakure: "He deserves help like anyone. We'll need to talk to him."
(01:15 p.m.) Yaoyorozu: "…and make sure he learns the lesson for good. "
(01:15 p.m.) Asui: "I think it already happened. When time comes, he will know from us that he still has a chance to be welcome again."
(01:15 p.m.) Ashido: "His last one."
(01:16 p.m.) Jiro: "Time will tell if we were right."
A collective agreement was reached. As a matter of fact, Iida's wise words still resounded in their minds. Conversation was open again, but Mineta was to mull over his faults, mistakes and weaknesses. And he had to do it alone – in a himself-to-himself dynamic - first and foremost. It would take a week-end for things to settle down, as everyone needed to find their breathing space individually.
Hagaruke, Yaoyorozu and three others have left. Private session ended.
Yaoyorozu turned off her phone. On her way to the classroom with her stomach full, she pulled what she thought was a piece of rubbish out from her pocket. It was her list of "Mineta-bashing" Special Moves. She blushed in shame. I should get rid of it. I don't feel good with that on me.
She suffered a disgust attack, as her sentence unintentionally reminded her of a certain grape-wielding boy attached to her back. However the feeling of aversion in question might not have been directed at him. Maybe I shouldn't be saying that, but…I'm sorry, Mineta. Saying all these nasty things about you was…well, nasty. Nasty of me. I don't quite feel like lecturing you anymore.
She didn't throw the paper away. It would be a reminder that hurt people couldn't for all that hurt other people in turn, or the cycle would never be broken.
Right behind her, Asui walked on her own in the same direction. She was worried. Rarely had she felt so much difficulty expressing how she felt. Writing about Mineta to her friends had been a tougher effort than originally expected. Besides, maintaining her distance and resisting being moved by strong emotions – as she casually did most of the time – was getting harder over time. Now that the Rainy-Season Hero realized it was not a matter of black and white, talking about Mineta etched a stinging sensation somewhere underneath her chest.
The purple boy's antics had taken their toll on her. Or was it another feeling she had about him? Good or bad? Asui didn't have a single clue to cast a light on it.
Last time she had lost her composure – to the point of crying – was the night Aizawa-sensei had introduced Class 1-A students to their dorms. Following Bakugo's rescue from the hands of the League of Villains, she had confessed her regrets about bluntly speaking out against her friends' decision to go out and save a classmate. At least in this case, she knew the reason behind her moment of emotional vulnerability. She deeply cared for them, after all.
Her thoughts on the turbulent dwarf were another, yet similar story.
Asui was capable of showing great focus during a stressful situation. Now, she was on the verge of breaking down in anxiety. Concern was in the air, sultrier than before a thunderstorm. A danger awaited to show up. Something wasn't right with Mineta. Whether in his schoolboy life or private sphere, the green-wearing hero knew something was wrong.
So wrong it had shaken 1-A up, disrupted the order of things and upset even the most experienced ones. Midoriya, for instance, had reacted in an out-of-character way. He, of all, knew better than the world itself how anyone willing to change deserved a chance. He had denied Mineta access to such prospect, for a personal reason of his own business that escaped Asui.
It didn't modify the fact that Mineta's feet were made of brittle, flimsy clay.
In all likelihood, one couldn't change so boldly overnight. Something had most likely happened to him, hurting him enough to trigger a full-scale self-questioning process. People could say whatever they wished about Mineta; it had taken him quite a large dose of courage, to resist the charge of nineteen angry mouths and stand up. Denying it would further injure his feelings and aggravate his case.
What could be done before it was too late? And why was she so obstinately assuming the worst like she could have the boy's fortune told? She didn't know, but had to find out.
Nothing quite heroic on the teachers' menu in the afternoon. Mainly mathematics and algebra, again.
This lesson was notably easier than the previous one, hence the spike in participation from the class. Numbers flew from a corner to the next, entering and exiting most students' heads along with clouds of smoke. A few of them got distracted – Bakugo politely asking his unsolved equations to be deceased at once, Ashido not even trying, Aoyama shining anyway, Kirishima hating the unmanliness of numbers, Fumikage's thoughts going dark, or Jiro losing her mind over Kaminari "freezing himself over" in a common case of calculation overdose.
Iida's loud calls to order limited the overall unruliness. It still failed to identify one thing. Mineta wasn't moving or speaking at all. He hardly breathed.
It was unusual. The boy had scored 9th place during the Midterms Exams. He was intelligent and clever, not only in battle. In fact, he was downright brilliant with his grey matter and imagination. Contributing answers to a math course had been his daily hidden pleasure, since the time he had taken the seat with his number attributed to it. More than once, he had proved a serious competitor to Yaoyorozu's hegemony. Save for the previous session, badly diminished by his seventh nightmarish night as he had been.
But much to the detriment of class dynamic this time, the Everything Hero and Midoriya were left as exclusive distributors of right answers. Taken out of circulation by his sole will to disappear, the mute boy went unnoticed. His new-found stealth skills rivaled Hagakure's and blended him in the classroom, erasing the unmoving goblin from time itself.
It went on smoothly. Until a slim man with a spiked tuft of blonde hair took over.
"Heeeeey boys and girls, wassup today?" Hizashi Yamada soundly asked. "Are you ready for a once-in-a-lifetime lesson in the most beautiful language in the world? Geeeeeeet set!"
The jovial teacher blurted out some of his welcoming jokes with his headphones – as any good radio host would. His eccentric persona and high-level of excitement had its beneficial effect of rising the class' spirits. The course started with some dance steps from the Shakespeare addict in high boots. He waved his gloved hands vigorously, like a musical director conducting a full orchestra. His large smile enlightened the room.
But it, too, failed to catch the attention of everybody.
On a normal day, the classroom would have been filled with Mineta's cries of agony. The boy was horrified by Present Mic's sharp, ear-piercing voice. He could usually be found half-hanging on his desk, covering his eardrums as they threatened to implode. Yamada wouldn't even notice the boy's distress, drowned in the flow of his own words as he covered the board in Latin letters. It was another normal class, and he didn't notice the boy not showing any signs of agony.
Mineta stood shamefaced. He looked almost exactly like a depressed, highly-tormented cloned version of Asui. Like a recently cast, expressionless statue of himself.
Lost in Present Mic's racket, rumors went strong and well.
The boy wouldn't move, turn his head, stare into space or look at anyone. No questions, no remarks. He listened passively, or so he pretended. Every now and then, he took notes, rubbed his eyes and scratched his neck, whilst a rising tension in the classroom overheated it like a magma chamber. Die, sweat! Bakugo swore internally, wiping the heat off his neck as well.
Words had spread about Iida's relaxing of his own restrictive code of interaction with the ostracized boy, to soften his punishment and deter further harm. The only trouble is, the refusal to talk no longer came from Mineta's classmates. Now he was the one denying them this right.
They tried many times, failing systematically. Not even Kaminari was successful in his attempts to bring the abashed dwarf back to Earth. When complied to answer by the teacher, head motions were Mineta's only form of linguistic communication. His fingers and lips trembled, most likely out of anguish, and fear of being asked to talk whereas he had already said too much.
At least, according to classwide criticism on the previous night.
A peculiar aura emanated from him. Not these sordid and grubby waves of perversion that characterized him on a daily basis. It basically had reduced itself to a protective cover that shielded him from the outside world. He had completely withdrawn into himself. He was adrift, lost in his own world. Lost.
As they looked for each other, Iida and Midoriya's regretful and apologetic looks crossed paths.
Mumbling anxiously for himself, the green-haired hero did his best to block an overexaggerated grimace from overwhelming his stiff, emotionally-taut facial traits. He felt like he had regressed back to his insecure, vulnerable former self, who lacked confidence around a cruder Bakugo constantly haranguing and belittling him. Except for this time, somebody else than himself was the non-expressive, tearful soul being looked down on until he suffered a breakdown.
I used to be pretty much like you. Everyone against me! Midoriya suddenly scanned his own past, as though he had magically realized the obvious. But I never got to see how it felt from the outside…
The more Iida watched as Mineta further closed himself off, the more he wanted to punch himself in the face. He was angry at himself and contorted with frustration, his heart raced like a danger was imminent, and he could literally feel what the boy was going through with nothing but his eyes. Watching him drown in so much despair pulled the Class Rep into a similar pond where he barely could touch the bottom. His tensed face was a real pain to read, but too compelling to plainly ignore.
In their worried thoughts, they were soon joined by Kaminari's, Asui's and more to come. Until the full class – save for one purple lad - was reunited in a spontaneous opinion. He needs help.
09:00 p.m.
Locked away from the world, in the emptiness of his undecorated bedroom, Mineta decided it was time to investigate. He searched the internet for answers about "people like him".
Before he even had to skip to Google's second result page, the boy chanced upon several articles that explicitly described - and condemned "Mineta-like" conducts.
In keeping with the theme of heroes, Mineta's vivid interest focused on gutter press. Among the most sensationalistic news were poignant accounts of once top-ranked celebrities, whose inner demons had proven stronger than the angelic adviser. Fallen heroes tarnished by accusations of sexual misconduct, publicly condemned, stripped of their licenses, put on trial, found guilty, sentenced, rejected and ostracized until oblivion gulped them down.
"Today in Heroes Weekly, we travel back through time to follow the rise and fall of Captain Fabulous, a highly controversial hero – once compared to the great All Might himself - whose devious actions and costly lawsuits caused his downfall. Parental Advisory for explicit content."
"The Banana Man Chronicles, or The Complete Guide to killing your own career by forgetting to educate yourself about sexual conduct. Click here to find more of our exclusive news about heroes-turned-villains!"
Their doomed fate would be the only thing worth remembering about them. Sad, sad stories.
As he hunted for further details, Mineta's self-esteem took a heavy hit. He came across a forum about what general audience users, hero connoisseurs or random netizens thought of U.A.'s student batch. Caustic reviews of Mineat's poor performances at the Sports Festival were legion.
"It's sexual harassment we're talking about here! This guy engages in "pervy gags" in front of a youth audience from around the world, and he doesn't seem to care at all! Not even a bad anime director would want that kind of annoying archetype of perversion as a character or comic relief. Somebody calls the police already!"
"This awful creep disgusts me. Anyone please reminds me how he got there?"
"He, a good guy? Certainly not! He's not even funny. Thinking that he's taking a spot in a class of heroes puts me off. I can't stand that creepy douchebag. He's shitty af."
"I hate his guts so much! That crappy bastard is unlikable, he acts like a whiny coward and drags everyone down in a whole fuckin' school that unbelievably accepts him. His behavior is borderline criminal. And U.A.'s blind decision to keep him in, downright villainous."
"He catches my ire by just existing. I hate the hell out of him! That gross motherfucker should be rotten wine on a jail cell floor by now…"
"He's physically lacking anything a normal human should have. His god-awful Quirk is dope. No future for losers like him. If there's a good Samaritan out there with a petition to remove him from U.A., I want to sign it."
Most of them ignored the controversial hero's real name, or wouldn't bother treating him like he could bear one. Thank God, Mineta wasn't really famous yet, regardless of the reason.
His fruitful imagination took a turn for the worse, as he pictured the future hero Mineta thought he was to become. Embarrassing for U.A., debated about in tabloids, divisive among fans of heroes, hated by a crushing majority and forgotten by his former classmates.
"Obsessive voyeurs, ill-natured fetishists, sexual predators"…he kept searching.
Was Mineta a self-centered, megalomaniac narcissistic pervert thinking the world owed him a living? No. A true madman with Narcissistic Personality Disorder would have been unable to apologize or feel guilty, as it'd have been an insult to his greater Self. Mineta felt no vital craving for admiration, suffered no exaggerated feeling of self-importance and did not struggle with empathy. It couldn't be that.
"Sexual perversion, the erotic expression of hatred." he read on a scientific website, highly knowledgeable in that field.
Hatred. Was it against himself? His mother? Women in general? He couldn't tell. For lack of anything better or more substantial to read in General Discussion Forums, the frustrated grape-haired student stepped into feminist territory. Women being his main subject of interest, ending up in "enemy zone" was logical.
"All men were created evil. There's a rapist behind every cock on the planet."
"Boys should all be raised by strict women to teach them some ways. No forgiveness for bad seeds."
"Violating one's consent, for whatever reason, is bad. End of the debate."
That was the last straw. The boy angrily hit his computer screen with his bare hand, and unceremoniously turned off the machine by unplugging it without further ado.
"Screw this bunk! Screw consent and all this crap! Life never asked for my opinion when it fucked me. People still think that life is good, but life fucked me bad. Why should it be any different for others?!" he yelled until the walls shook in awe. "You think I'm evil, huh? Have you ever checked behind my dick to make sure of it? You bunch of…stupid-ass whores! Your bullshit comments make me feel dead-sick. And I WAS raised by an unforgiving mother, you idiotic chicks! Guess what? That bitch made me hate you ALL!"
He hit his screen again. It would be the last fit of fury against the world, before a sudden realization strikes him hard right in the heart.
"What the fuck did I just say?" he smacked his cheeks to bruises. "I'm expressing myself like…like a frustrated sex-addict. There was more disrespect in my swearing for the last ten seconds than in a convicted murderer's mouth taunting his victims. How can I judge women on their opinions about men, knowing that I've been talking shit about them for ages? This was just folly, how I've been blaming them for all my personal issues, and taking it out on them to get my own back for a pain that was none of their concern and make up for my shitty life. All of that because…I can't control my stupid urges. That's horrible. I disgust myself!"
Already halfway to insanity, this blatant truth hurt him so much that he broke down in abundant tears. His keyboard would never recover.
"I've lost my right to revenge. From the moment I became the monster I had sworn to fight. I Revenge-of-the-Sithed myself, Anakin barbecue style. I've never had the higher ground in this life, anyway. To be honest, I'm already a villain. If I die, I'm not going up there!" he declared while glancing up at the ceiling. "You might have suffered Mineta, but no one will ever understand why you're acting that way. They don't have to. It's your problem and people can't pay for it."
Mineta wasn't fundamentally bad and he knew it. He also knew that no matter how devoted heroes were in fighting crime, evil still existed. Not because it was stronger than goodness.
But because some heroes are bad.
If they were all so perfect, why would most media show dissatisfaction and hostility to venerable institutions? Like U.A., home to the noblest Hero Training Course, and from where some of the world's greatest heroes had graduated? There had to be an explanation.
People like me are bad and I'm a U.A. student. That's why.
His mind was filled with harsh words. The ones repeatedly written on so many websites criticizing adolescence and the dangers it embodied. Hormonal teenagers lacking education were the roots of evil, opening the gate to the worst drifts into villainy. One bad-mannered teen equaled a potential sexual predator; sufficient justification for the world to regard him as an unworthy human being.
It was more than enough to make an opinion, as he wiped his eyes. A final one.
"I don't belong here." he spoke emptily. "It's not worth it."