The classroom of Yuei was a cheerful place the morning it's inhabitants returned after their first true push as heroes out beyond the school's walls.
Uraraka had missed it. The banter, the lighthearted talking between people, and everyone just sharing their experiences, for good or ill.
"STOP LAUGHING! It was stuck like this even after a good washing!"
Probably most amusingly was Bakugou Katsuki, who had returned from his stint as a sidekick of Best Jeanist with the most hilariously silly, push-pushed-down gentleman cut imaginable.
It looked hysterical as his friends Kirishima and Sero did not fail to point out with their laughter at the sight.
For her own part though, most of Uraraka's focus was on her friends Jiro and Tsuyu, who had gathered around her table.
"So you didn't experience any of it? Despite being SO close to it all?"
The earwhip girl had an incredulous look on her face at that bit of news.
"Well… We did help out a lot in the aftermath, but yeah. By the time we even heard about it, it was all long over."
"Man… Talk about bad luck… I'm sure Izuku and Mina would REALLY have appreciated your strength."
"Yeah… I thought the same thing."
She'd thought a bit too much about that very topic in fact.
"It was a very… Enlightening week, but yeah I didn't exactly get much real-life and death combat experience. But what about you two?"
Jiro shrugged.
"Eh… It was just evacuation procedures and logistical support. No real fighting."
"Still that's… Not nothing."
Tsuyu nodded in agreement.
"Just training and patrol for me. Though one time we did catch some foreign smugglers."
Both the other girls turned to the stoic frog girl sharply.
"Seriously? That's awesome Tsuyu!"
Uraraka grinned as well, nodding and giving her both thumbs up in agreement.
Most of the class had had pretty good weeks if mayhaps not perfect ones.
The only ones who did not seem happy at all with what they had learned p Mineta, Katsuki, and of course…
Iida Tenya was talking with Kaminari Denki, being his usual, cheery self, even when the topic that must surely have horrified him, Hero Killer Stain was brought up.
It was an act of course, or at least the cheerful part of it was.
Uraraka could tell Iida was feeling very, very down at the moment.
As he talked to Kaminari, being questioned about Stain, he made a point of acting his usual self, while talking of how he'd resolved to better himself to ensure this kind of tragedy did not repeat.
She knew better though. She knew him well enough to see the pain in his eyes, and even if she did not, she recalled how he'd been as he met her earlier by the gates. The forlorn look on his face before he noticed her.
She had given him her support and hand of friendship… Only to be surprised when Iida instead had turned around and apologized for his behavior during the sports festival, calling it, "unbefitting behavior from a hero".
Truth be told, she'd actually forgotten about the entire incident of him choosing Shoto instead of her.
At least until he'd brought it up.
And then of course there was the video. She'd seen the video. Everyone had.
She did not know Izuku had felt during that final bit with Stain, his face hidden by that black mask, but she had seen IIda's absolutely terrified expression as Stain gave his final speech, and dared him to step forward.
He was not well. At all.
As Uraraka looked sadly at Iida though, she initially missed the fact that everyone in the room was turning to look at the entrance of the room.
Only when Iida and Kaminari did as well, did she turn her head to look as well.
And… There he was.
The hero of the hour.
Midoriya Izuku walked into the room, his uniform jacket stained black, and with was the most wonderful and cheerful smile Uraraka had ever seen.
The boy had dark, dark rings under his eyes, suggesting he had not gotten a lot of sleep, but that could not be in sharper contrast against his eyes.
Or his smile.
Not only was the grin on his lips such a contrast against the dark circles under his eyes, but it was also complete and utterly unlike how Izuku's smiles normally were.
They were usually shy, awkward, kinda adorable grins.
Meanwhile, the one he sported now was… Well, it was kinda a mix between cute, and… And actually kinda handsome.
Uraraka had always thought Izuku was kinda cute, but as he stood there, just beaming with happiness as he looked over the class, it was downright infectious.
It also took most of the class aback seeing him like this. Everyone also immediately jumped to their own conclusions.
The most common of those conclusions being that he was really, really happy having actually managed to make the news as the one who defeated the Hero killer and one of the two members of the class who had defeated the Undead Nomu.
That certainly was the thought process of Kirishima, Bakugo, and Sero, the first which was the first of which called out to him.
"Congrats man!"
By comparison, Bakugo looked like he was about to murder someone, and it was practically audible just how hard he ground his teeth together.
Not all in the class came to this conclusion though.
"Thanks!" Izuku blushed as he said it, though the smile didn't waver, as he began making his way over to Iida's desk, and by extension Uraraka's desk behind his.
"Damn, he's in a good mood. Guess he really likes the media spotlight." Jiro noted.
"You haven't checked out Mina's social media in the last few days, have you?" Tsuyu said, looking Izuku over with that usual, hard-to-read default expression of hers.
Both the other girls looked at her funny, not really getting what she meant, only for their attention to be diverted as Iida began talking to Izuku, and once more repeating his apology for ditching him at the sports festival, along with a thanks for saving him in Hosu, though there was a bit of dialogue there that… Didn't quite make sense to her without a full picture of what had happened between them.
Izuku looked a bit plussed by that, though his obviously good move didn't go away.
On his chest, two white eyes opened up, and looked Iida over with some expression Uraraka couldn't quite read, but after Izuku kinda awkwardly accepted Iida's apology, Kirishima walked up to the two of them.
"Man, Midoriya! You really managed to make a splash, didn't you?! First the festival, then stopping the guys who wrecked Hosu city, and then finally to top it all off, you beat the freaking Hero killer and saved Iida!"
Behind him, Bakugou looked like he was about to explode like a nuke, though Kirishima seemingly hadn't noticed that fact.
"I… Suppose that's all true enough."
"Man… How did it feel to face Stain of all people? I saw the video, and how Iida was… Oh, shit man, I'm sorry Tenya!"
"It's alright… I will not deny my failures."
Izuku looked from Iida, whose forced expression did not fade, back to Kirishima, before he answered.
"Um… Well to be honest? I… Don't really remember much of the fight. I was… Kinda bleeding out from blood loss, so it's a bit fuzzy… I do remember I didn't know who he was though… I just thought he was some random villain… It wasn't before I read the news that I realized he was a big deal."
There were several reactions to that, some impressed, some gobsmacked, and some with the clear thought "Is he for real?" Behind the expressions.
"Wow… So you just… Just jumped in to defend him, even while delirious from blood loss?"
"...Yes?"
"Man, you ARE manly one Midoriya!"
Izuku blushed a bit at that praise, the huge grin returning.
Uraraka smiled, just looking at him, as he got asked several more questions about the night.
About Stain, about the Nomu, about a lot of things that had happened in Hosu that night.
Some of it brought him down, some of it made him smile, and some of it just…
Uraraka frowned.
Maybe she was reading him wrong, but to her, there was something a bit off about Izuku's expressions.
No, not his expressions, but how he reacted to what was being said.
Izuku… Did not react to the praise of his victory with joy. He did react with his usual, adorable, bashful manner when their classmates complimented him, but he did not react with joy at being reminded of his victories in and out of themselves.
On the contrary judging by his expressions, his victory over Stain, dealing the man a concussion that ultimately had taken him out, was something he was neutral about, not really mattering much to him, while he actively seemed to get sad whenever the Nomu was brought up.
He did not seem immensely proud of his victories, which she had assumed was the reason he was so happy, but no… There was something else.
What was it that Tsuyu had said?
You haven't checked out Mina's social media in the last few days, have you?
She turned to ask Tsuyu to clarify what she meant by that comment, only to be halted by the sight of said pink girl appearing through the door, and looking around clearly looking for someone.
The girl, who had gotten nearly as much press as Izuku had, rather than come talk with her girl pals as Uraraka would have expected, instead got a huge, mischievous grin on her face, and with quite some speed, and not a sound being made sneaked up on Izuku, standing behind him looking at the oblivious boy like she was a cat and he a mouse she was playing with.
The fact everyone else was focusing on Izuku just made the whole scene even weirder.
Then, in a flash, two, strong pink arms had wrapped themselves around Izuku's neck in a hug, while her head now rested itself firmly on his shoulder.
"Hiya guys!" She exclaimed cheerfully to everyone else around the room, wearing the most cheerful expression imaginable.
Uraraka just stared at her, suddenly feeling… Very, very empty inside.
Then, Mina leaned in, and wearing the slyest expression imaginable, she said in Izuku's ear:
"Hey, Midori~ "
This finally managed to bring Izuku back to his regular, bashful state, as his entire face went as red as his shoes.
Uraraka, her jaw hanging open, ended up just staring at the two of them along with most of the class.
Uraraka didn't quite manage to catch the next part, the only words that managed to pierce their way into her ears being that someone, she wasn't sure who asked the two of them if they were actually together now.
The response that was Mina's huge grin, Izuku's shy expression, and both the two of them nodding managed to hit her harder than Venom had when he had pummeled her in the arena during the tournament.
I
Katsuki Bakugo fumed.
That was not a new thing for him.
He fumed a lot. He was easy to anger, even at the best of times, when he did not have a lot of stuff to be angry about. Today was not the best of times for him.
He had interned under Best Jeanist, one of Japan's absolute top heroes, hoping to learn how to better his combat capacity after that damned loss during the tournament… And all he had to show for it was this damned haircut!
It had been a gigantic waste of his bloody time!
And if that fact hadn't been clear enough as he was forced to listen to the rest of the class around him talk about their own damned experiences last week, then the sight ahead of him drilled it into his skull like a jackhammer.
Everyone had been so damned interested in the fact that Deku and Black Cat's raccoon-eyed daughter had hooked up. As if who the hell Deku wanted to fuck was of ANY consequence to anything.
It seemed to him that HE was the only one who was able to focus on what ACTUALLY mattered. Deku's defeat of Stain and several Nomu!
Somehow that tiny little detail had seemingly been forgotten in the midst of something as banal as a couple dating. Wasn't this supposed to be a Hero school? It was Deku's combat abilities that should be the criteria for how he was judged, not his bloody dating life!
The bastard had grown exponentially. Far, far more than anyone else in the class.
That thought HURT. It made him RAGE inside.
It was a thought he had to acknowledge, but he refused to accept.
The first big challenge they got after getting back to school though… It showcased just how bloody far Deku had gotten.
The exercise was simple. Just a race to the middle of a heavily dense mock factory area that Yuei used for such exercises.
To his further annoyance, there had also been given clear instructions from All Might to NOT cause property damage, which had been bluntly directed in his direction, which did NOT help his mood.
And what actually happened once the first group started moving towards the target beacon… Didn't help his mood either.
Deku… Deku fucking blew everyone out of the water.
It was astonishing how well he moved through the city landscape, making everyone else seem sluggish and slow by comparison.
While he'd been wasting his time with Best Jeanist and the idiots at his agency, Deku had obviously gotten the luck of an actual, effective teacher in Black Cat.
He'd pulled ahead of him. Again.
As he stared at the screen showcasing Deku's damned movement through the city, Katsuki Bakugo felt his hand clench into a fist, and his molars grind together.
This… This had to change. He refused to let it continue like this.
The only question that remained now… Was how the hell he was going to go about it?
I
Izuku… Felt great.
He felt… Amazing. And not just because he once more got to take to the skies above a cityscape.
He had felt like this even before he once more returned to this place, HIS place. The place that welcomed him like an old friend.
The source of all his warm feelings was somewhere behind him, running across the roofs, jumping from one to another.
But she was there. He could feel her. Even without concentrating, he knew she was there.
The most wonderful girl in the world.
It had been an… Interesting half week of recovery before they came back to Yuei. Not all of it had been perfect, or good, nor had all their wounds healed.
When he was alone(Or as alone as he could be with Venom by his side), he often felt… Melancholy. Alone. Cut off from everyone and everything. He also still had trouble sleeping, the old dreams of himself as a spider refusing to let go.
He could not do anything about his dreams. He suspected it would be a long time yet before he would be able to truly sleep as he had before.
But when awake… when he stepped out into the world… That was a different story.
It was… Wonderful to not be alone.
There were a lot of other things that were wonderful too, but it was that feeling… Of truly knowing he was not alone in the world, that he had someone at his side who not only made him feel better by her very presence but actually WANTED him by her side, was… Spectacular.
It made the dark clouds feel so much less… Real. Like mists giving way for the glory that was the rising sun.
Whatever doubts and worries he had, just… Did not seem nearly as scary or pressing to him right now.
And there were things to be scared of. There were the leagues, the mysterious Nomu that had to come from somewhere, and in his case, the prospects that he would soon be meeting his dad again for the first time in a long, long while.
That last one should have been absolutely terrifying, given it would happen in a day or two, but… It didn't.
Right now, as Izuku was at top of what those far, far more experienced than him in ways of relationships would have dubbed "The honeymoon phase" of his relationship, there did not seem like there was anything that could possibly worry him at the moment.
It wasn't perfect of course. Or… Not perfect wasn't quite the words to use. There were parts of this relationship Izuku… Had not been prepared for.
There was the fact that Mina was far, far too affectionate in public than he was even close to being comfortable with… But it was not something he was planning on complaining to her about.
Mina had an amazing ability to make him tongue-tied, and stiff… It made him feel awkward and embarrassed beyond words… But when she took that to the next level, it also made him feel loved. Her just being there. Making it clear how fond she was of him.
And that was a feeling… Izuku did not think Mina fully understood just how greedy he was for that feeling. How he longed for it.
I
Uraraka stared at Izuku and Mina walking in from the training exercise, having just handily won first and second place in their group, Mina having firmly clasped Izuku's hand in hers and saying something that made the green boy blush and look bashful, something that somehow Uraraka could not hear, despite the short difference between them.
Instead, not having to worry about having to take her shot at the exercise just yet as group 2 prepared for their journey into the factory area, Uraraka leaned her back up against a railing, just looking at Izuku and Mina, feeling… Somehow paradoxically feeling numb to her bones, completely beyond feeling, and yet also feeling like someone had rammed a dagger through her gut, and was currently twisting it. Hard.
She didn't even watch the actual exercise, instead, she just kept staring at the couple that now had their back turned against her, looking up at the screen.
There were a lot of things going through her head at that moment, but one of those things was utter confusion.
She hurt. She hurt so bad… But she wasn't sure why?
It wasn't before Mina leaned over and gave Izuku a peck on the cheek that it finally, truly sank in for her, as she felt a stab of bizarrely hot, ugly anger directed at Mina.
She was angry… Because she was jealous of Mina. She was hurt… Because Mina was kissing Izuku… Because she was not.
Because Mina now had something that Uraraka hadn't even known she wanted.
Soon enough, it was time for group 3.
Uraraka was not in the mood for it… But she did rise to go.
"Good luck Uraraka!"
Mina grinned as she said it, cheerfully lifting her free arm in a wave at her, her other hand still intertwined with Izuku's.
She felt sick.
There was also a part of her that felt a powerful urge to punt Mina into the stratosphere.
She blinked.
Then turned around towards the mock city, and slapped herself on the cheeks with both hands. HARD.
The pain immediately shot through them, and she blinked at it, suddenly feeling her mind clearing somewhat.
What was wrong with her!?
She forced herself to focus entirely on the mission at hand. She pushed the topic of Izuku and Mina out of her head and forced herself to redirect every single bit of energy and focus on the task at hand.
To reach the broadcasted goal somewhere in the city.
On the plus side, she blew absolutely everyone's time out of the water. Even Izuku's, Mina's, Bakugo's, and Todoroki's.
On the bad side, she also was the only one who got yelled at for causing property damage, having hit the tower roof with enough force to break it like it was fine porcelain.
Hell, even Bakugo managed to avoid damaging the environment for once. A first for him. And yet she, who had spent the entirety of last week mastering her powers, managed to shatter a roof.
Not a good way to restart her time at school.
I
"I still can't believe that YOU managed to hook the best girl in the entire grade!"
Kaminari's voice was a bit in disbelief, but his expression was actually one of being impressed, as he began buttoning up his school uniform.
The class's prospective heroes in training had varied results from the exercise. Generally, they had either managed to do it with ease, or they had struggled mightily.
Of course, Uraraka had blown absolutely everyone else out of the water, having seemingly managed to make more progress than anyone else this last week. That might have pissed off, or frustrated Bakugo and Todoroki, but Izuku felt nothing but gladness for her.
Uraraka had a goal she wanted to achieve, and she was making massive strides to do so. Even in normal circumstances, he'd have felt happy for his friend, but he might have felt a bit daunted by the ever-increasing power gap between Uraraka and everyone else.
Not now though.
Izuku felt his cheeks burn at the comment… But his smile didn't waver nor did he contradict him.
He wasn't wrong.
It was a strange new sensation for him. Izuku wasn't really a person to measure(At least not outside of empirical measures, like points or rankings) other people. It just wasn't something Izuku was comfortable doing.
But… He absolutely found himself agreeing with Kaminari's opinion.
Mina was far and away the best girl in their grade.
Though in his opinion, that was a bit off. As far as he was concerned, she was the best girl in the entire school.
Addmitingly, he was not in any way an objective source on the matter.
Surprisingly it was Aoyama of all people who disagreed, making a dismissive sound.
Izuku felt a surprisingly strong pang of annoyance, but it was Kaminari who got the first word in.
"You disagree? More into Momo?"
"No… I would certainly not be as uncouth as to rank our Mademoiselles… But I cannot agree with ranking lady Ashido as number one… Not when she continuously keeps so carelessly destroying my capes."
Several of the guys actually laughed at that.
Izuku for his part thought back… And yeah, he wasn't wrong. Mina had a strange tendency to accidentally burn holes in his cape in every single training they had together. Even when she barely used her acid in any other way, somehow they still… Wait… Had that been on purpose on her part?
"Never change man." Kaminari said with a grin.
Izuku was taken out of his musings on Mina's cape-destroying tendencies when a call was let out by the wall.
"Holy-Hey guy's look at this!"
Subsequently, every guy in 1-A other than Bakugo and Todoroki(Both of whom had already left.) Did indeed turn around to where, by an old, decaying poster, Mineta stood pointing out what was clearly a hole in the wall.
"Lookit, this hole! Just like Shawshank! Our professors must have worked really hard to make it!"
On that point, Izuku really doubted Mineta's conclusion, given just how easy any number of quirks would punch a small hole through a wall with no problem.
That assessment though distracted him for a moment from the larger, more obvious question.
Why would anyone want to make a hole like that? What would be the point when measured against the price tag of potentially being caught intentionally destroying school property?
The answer was obvious, though not one Izuku would have immediately arrived at, having grown up relatively sheltered about such manners as he was.
Mineta, however, was kind enough to spell it out for him, and the rest of the boys who didn't immediately catch the further implications of said hole.
"And on the other side is… You know what right!? The girls' Locker room."
That immediately got most of the boys' attention.
Inside his mind, Venom snorted derisively.
-Why the hell would they even need that? This is the age of digital media, porn is readily available for all!-
Izuku by contrast froze, and to his shame, the image of Mina in all her beauty danced through his mind…
He immediately felt his cheeks blush furiously, and he quickly shook the shameful thoughts away.
Which proved remarkably easy to do given what happened next.
Iida was indignant and made no secret of it.
"Stop that Mineta! Peeking is considered a major offense!"
Mineta, a wild and unhinged look on his face responded by dramatically ripping the entire poster away, and off the wall.
"Yeah? Well, little Mineta Junior is about to go on the offensive!"
He turned towards the hole, that same manic look on his face.
"Yaoyorozu's boobs! Ashido's sexy silhouette! Hagakure's floa-"
And that was as far as he got when a massive black hand closed around his head.
Not Izuku's usual black bluish hand, but a far more massive one that ended in sharp claws, and connected to an arm that was thick as a tree.
The contrast between it and Izuku's usual arm was only made even more massive by the fact that other than that, Izuku looked completely normal as he, without saying anything, and without the slightest difficulty lifted Mineta up and planted him against the wall with a thick layer of black tar as strong as steel.
Then, feeling satisfied with his handiwork, he then closed the hole with more of his black liquid.
Neither it, nor the layer around Mineta would last forever, but when Aizawa arrived about 10 Minutes later, they would still be strong as steel.
And with that, Izuku snapped up his bag with a line, and left, the last thing he heard behind him being Kirishima's exasperated tone.
"I mean… Dude… What were you expecting?"
I
Todoroki Shoto opened the door to the Yuei tech departments and looked around at the various people inside.
It did not take him a long time of searching to find the one he was looking for.
The whole room was absolutely chock full of various, eccentric-looking figures, but the one he was looking for stood out in several ways.
There was her pink hair, her giant metal tentacle arms, and the way every single person there gave her a wide berth as she worked on… Something.
What it was he wasn't entirely sure, as it looked like some high-tech sword hilt, only scaled up immensely, and without an actual blade.
Mei was completely and totally engrossed in her work, the only other thing that broke her focus was that now and again her eyes went over to various blueprints she'd plastered up at a billboard at the side she'd rigged up.
He glanced at it, but beyond the title of "Project: Sword Vigor", he honestly wasn't able to understand a thing about what the blueprints were trying to convey.
In the end, though, he did not have much time before the next class started, having hurried here after the exercise with All Might, so rather than wait, he called out to her.
"Hatsume-San?"
The girl stiffened and gave an annoyed look, glancing over at him, her eyes hidden by the same set of glasses she used when wielding her gauntlets.
"Oh… You're… Oh, Kuzan 0.4! Oh yeah, you're Endeavor's kid, right? The ice guy with a thirst for vengeance."
Her expression turned around immediately, a huge grin coming to her lips as she recognized him.
Shoto felt a sour feeling in the back of his head that that was the description she recalled him by, but he let it slide.
Until the day he finally surpassed that bastard that was the name people would associate him with.
"Yes. I have come to talk to you about the suit-"
"So you got to test it in the field right!? How did it go? How did Kuzan field over a longer period of time? Did you encounter any other bugs and kinks that need to be ironed out?"
The way she spoke hadn't changed much since the last time she saw him. Once she got going, she just kept going at a lightning pace. It was the complete opposite way that he would do it.
"No. There weren't. The suit worked just fine."
"Huh. Well, that's surprising, I honestly didn't think it would work flawlessly on version 4. But oh well. But since you're here, you obviously want some improvements right? For your… Future conquests right?"
"Well, there was that issue of salt water you promised to fix for me."
"Oh right, that! Sure I'll help you out with that, just come back here after school, and we can-"
The door behind him that Shoto had not too long ago quietly entered through and closed behind him, slammed open, making everyone in the room jump, turn around, or both, to see who had just entered.
The one who entered was Bakugo Katsuki, wearing one of his trademark scowls, as he also looked around the room looking for someone.
His eyes found Shoto, and narrowed… But then caught Mei, and in that moment it seemed like Shoto was completely forgotten.
He quickly stalked over to where the two were standing.
"You, Octopus Lady! I've got a job for you!"
Mei cocked her head.
"That's fine and all, and I don't mind taking on more assignments, but… Who are you?"
Bakugo's forehead got a rather noticeable vein as he scowled even harder at that.
"I'm Bakugo Katsuki!"
Mei immediately stiffened at that, seemingly recognizing the name.
"Oh yeah, Bakugo Katsuki… You're… Dynamight. Yeah… That was the one. Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight… No… That can't be right… Or was it…" She frowned, obviously trying to recall something.
Bakugo for his part froze.
"Dynamight… That's… Damn, that's… That's brilliant! I can fucking use that!"
"Yeah… Sure… You do that Dynamight.
From anyone else that probably would have had some air of mockery to it, but the way Mei said it was as she usually did. Energetic and honest.
Shoto raised an eyebrow.
"Are you sure you wanna go with that?"
Bakugo's scowl came back, and he glared.
"Why the hell wouldn't I? All my other choices keep getting shot down. But this… I like it. And hopefully, the exhibitionist won't bitch at for it."
"... I was referring to the "Great Explosion Murder God" bit."
"Oh that. Yeah… Probably gonna get rejected… Sounds pretty awesome though…"
Personally, Shoto felt that it sounded exceptionally childish.
Then, seemingly realizing Shoto was distracting him from why he had actually come, he once more turned around to Mei.
"But enough about that, I came to get you to make something for me!"
"Obviously. What do you need?"
"Armor."
"So you don't keep getting taken out in one shot?"
Katsuki's face was a mask of angry emotion, but the scowl was actually forced down, as he looked Mei straight in the eyes.
"I've got the speed, and I've got all the power I could want… The only bloody thing I lack… Is durability!"
"So you want me to make something that makes you able to tank blows without sacrificing speed and mobility?"
"Yeah, exactly, and-"
There he stopped, and a blush crept to his cheeks, as he glanced around, glaring at everyone else in the room who was watching the scene with either annoyance, hostility, or curiosity.
He stepped closer to Mei and whispered something in her ear.
Whatever it was, Mei didn't bat an eye, instead just saying:
"Sure. Neither of those should be a problem. I'll have something for you after school tomorrow."
"Thanks," Katsuki said begrudgingly. "Also, I don't want it to look fucking retarded okay? And I don't need superpowered power armor or some shit to replace my gauntlets. Just more protection!"
Mei just nodded, the smile not leaving her lips.
Shoto for a moment just looked after him, then turned to Mei again, an eyebrow raised.
"You're a very generous person," Shoto noted.
"You think so?"
"Most would not have responded to such treatment with actually promising aid… Unless you intend something nefarious of course."
"Nah… I like a challenge. Not to mention that Dynamight is going to have a future ahead of him. And as the one who designed his final costume, my name is going to be the one that will be recalled with every fight he will ever be in."
She seemed quite certain that Katsuki would make something out of himself. Curious… There was an implication here, especially with the way she'd handed Katsuki a name he'd loved, but she'd already associated him with that name.
Katsuki might have been too distracted by a name he both liked and could finally actually use, to realize the full implications of it, but Shoto was not.
But the fact was… He did not care either way. He didn't care if the implication was actually really there, accurate, real, or whether Mei might be even more insane than he already thought she was.
He was here to finish his suit, not to make friends with her.
I
Mina felt great.
It was hard to imagine that just half a week ago, she had truly, utterly felt like complete shit.
Not all of that had gone away… In particular, there had been a dream about… Chasms… That she really, really hoped she would not get again. And there was the aftermath of her just going to town with her Xeno-acid as well, as her skin still screamed whenever she tried to summon even the tiniest bit of acid.
It would be well over a month before she fully got back on her feet in that regard.
She also really did not like thinking back on that night, and every single time someone brought it up she would suddenly start to feel sick.
Thankfully, the girls and the rest of her classmates had been blessedly devoid of interest in that topic. Instead, the only thing they had cared about since her return to school, was the reason that Mina's mood was so chipper in spite of it all.
Her new Bae
Romance had always been one of Mina's greatest passions in life. She had adored romance, whether in real life or in fiction since she was old enough to understand it.
There had rarely been anything during her younger years that had piqued her interest as fast as when her friends had crushes or asked someone out.
Frankly speaking Mina(Especially in her younger years) had always dreamed of a relationship of her own.
Admittingly, her one and only attempt at romance before high school had ended in flames, but whatever! That was in the past.
This was the now. And the now was burning bright!
And it was a now that was just as good, if not even better than she had always imagined!
She loved being able to just be with someone who just made her feel great just by being besides her! There were a lot of things she loved about Izuku, but on the absolute top, was that. That being with him, whether it was teasing him, watching a movie, or in her darker times, the adorable boy lit up her life!
She was in such a good mood, that when Aizawa during their last class for the day tried a bit of "Rational Deception" to Troll his students, she completely missed it.
Which was rare. She was usually amongst the most gullible of the entire class in that regard.
"…Summer Vacation is at hand soon."
He said it in that monotone tone of his that a small number of the class had begun to notice being just slightly off from his usual tone, signifying that he was either being serious, about to have some fun trolling them, or both.
"Of course, it would be absolutely irrational for all of you to take a whole month off…"
For a moment, almost every member of the class was struck by horrible fear that summer vacation was about to be canceled in favor of horribly tough summer training here at Yuei.
"Which is why you'll be doing a training camp in the woods."
The tension burst to pieces immediately, as the mundanity of the fact that they would be spending a regular high school trip in the woods took the edge off their fears.
Had they been wiser, they probably would have recognized the fact that a "Training camp" by Yuei standards was not the regular kind of school trip.
Mina for her part had only been partially been paying attention to what he was saying, and as the class began talking amongst themselves(With Aizawa for the moment not doing anything to quiet them down), she chimed in with her hope for a rousing round of "truth or dare" amongst others such as "Fireworks", "Hot Springs" and "Curry".
She grinned. And she'd get to go to the woods with her boyfriend too! This was going to be fun.
After about a minute of letting the class talk amongst themselves, Aizawa finally put a stop to it.
"However…" He said, with a voice that cut through all the talk and enforced silence almost immediately.
"Anyone who does not pass the upcoming Final Exams for this term…"
He grinned one of his parodies of a sadistic smile.
"Is in for summer school hell, right here."
That immediately restarted the panic, and this time Mina was amongst them. The fact that the final exams were so close was something that had completely slipped her mind. Crap.
However, this time Aizawa did not let the silence build up.
"Also… Speaking of trips… In the first week between the Exam and the training camp, there is another trip… This one is optional though."
He pulled out a sheet of papers that was quickly passed around the class.
"The trip will be a week-long excursion to I-Island in the Atlantic. Which I know all of you are well versed in, as it is going to be a big topic on the history portion of your exam."
As it was, she actually was, in comparison to most stuff anyway. Her cousin lived on the island… Well more technically she was Ben's cousin, but Mina had never cared much about the fact that she didn't share blood with Peni and her father. They were her family, blood or no blood.
As it was though, she got really excited at this news.
I-Island had always sounded like an awesome place to visit. She got to meet Peni, and just like the camp, she'd get to spend time there with her boyfriend! Win-win!
In the excitement over that thought, and listening to Aizawa telling everyone who wanted to join the trip to get their parents' signatures, as well as get the mandatory stuff outlined on page 4 if they wanted to participate in certain events on the island, Mina completely forgot about the fact there was an exam coming up.
I
The class finally moved out, leaving behind only Mineta who was left with Aizawa for "Discipline training".
She sauntered up to Izuku as he closed the door behind them. She had both her hands behind her back in an innocent way, resisting the urge to grab his hand.
After all, she had something much more fun planned at the moment.
"So Midori… I heard it was you who dealt with our little pervert back there."
She motioned with her head back towards the classroom.
Izuku blushed, and one of his hands went back to scratch his head, clearly flustered.
"O-oh you… Heard that?"
"Sure did. I have pretty good hearing."
Izuku froze as he realized that what she actually meant was that she'd heard the whole debacle directly through the wall. He blushed even more at that, which was what she knew he would.
She left out that it was actually Jiro who had been the one to inform the girls exactly what had happened, and how.
Mina actually had a whole plan to tease him even more, involving a bit of surprise chocolate she had in one of her bag pockets, and some flowery dialogue about chivalry, knights, and ladies, but the fact that the whole class moved around them, and forced them to move forward and on their way out to towards the exit kinda put the kibosh on that.
Bother.
That hadn't really been a problem during their half week at the hotel.
It wasn't like she minded teasing and flirting with Izuku in public when there were other people around… On the contrary, she liked showing off their relationship. Make it clear for all to see that he was hers and she was his… But there were lines she just could not cross with other people around.
Not without taking her teasing and flirting from playful romance, to humiliating and hurtful.
Though Mina didn't know it, in this regard she was very much her mother's child.
It was the same dance her mother had danced in both her only two serious relationships. The question of how far to push, when, where, and how? The thrill of pushing all the way up to the boundaries, and seeing juuuust how close you could go without going over that invisible line.
The partner was different, and the steps were new, but the dance… The dance remained the same as it had been 40 years back in time, when a young woman and a vigilante with the same name that Izuku now bore, had danced this dance across the rooftops of New York.