Our schoolmates on work studies were making impressive progress, it seemed. Many had had public debuts and gained some notoriety. I overheard them congratulating each other in the main room.

"Your name! Your hero name's in the news!" Kaminari called out to Kirishima. I could see Bakugou grumbling in the background, as frustrated as I felt.

"Tsuyu, Uraraka! This is too cool! Your names' here too!" called Ashido. "New recruits at the Ryukyu agency"

"Heh - pretty exciting I guess!" blushed Uraraka.

"Where'd they get that picture from?" asked. Asui.

"I love it! Bet you've laready got hordes of fans, just like Mt Lady!" Asui smiled.

"Provisional licenses or not, we are now heroes when we step onto those mean streets. Wonderful job!" Iida told them. "But a student's primary concern is academics! No slacking off now!"

"Gotcha, Iida!" said Kirishima, who this was mainly directed at. "We're ready to learn and all that."

"Yeah!" added Midoriya.

"You suck at school, though," Kaminari told Kirishima. "You gonna be ok?"

"SEnsei's gonna be giving me some extra lessons," Kirishima explained. "Maybe I should join you?" dded SEro. "KEeping up this doulbe life is tough."

"Everyone learns at their own pace," Yaoyorozu interjected.

"You always know just what to say!" Kaminari smiled at her.

Midoriya, as soon as nobody was looking at him, became serious again, that new miserable expression he always wore these days. It only grew worse and worse as the days went by, as he looked more and more like someone had deeply hurt him in a way I'd never seen him hurt before.

One day with him and Iida at lunch, I felt it was time to ask him about it. He had been staring listlessly at his Katsudon in silence ever since we sat down.

"Not eating?"

He jumped, and spoke as if defending himself to the cops. "I-I was just about to!"

"Is everything ok?" Iida asked him.

"You've been looking a little depressed ever since your work study started," I added as I sluped my soba.

'Really? Have I?" said Midoriya. A very, very fake calm.

Iida chopped his hand towards him, suddenly, as if to make sure Midoriya noticed. "If it ever gets to be too much, and you need to talk, just say something'" It sounded like a quote. "'I'm your friend. That's what you told me, back when I was acting like a fool. Before our internships -"

And to my shock, Midoriya began crying.

Iida jumped. "Hey?! Hey!"

"Sorry, I'm fine," muttered Midoriya, wiping his eyes desperately. It's nothing..." He pulled up his head, eyes brimming with tears. "Heroes don't cry!"

He valiantly tried to go on with lunch. I sat there for a moment, reelign a bit from this. Then I told him what I knew he needed to hear. "Nah. Even heroes cry when they have to, I think."

Pretending to have no emotions...that's the way to end up like my old man.

"You want half my noodles?"

"You can have my beef stew too!" Iida threw in.

"Th-thanks..." Midoriya sniffled out.

"Want scallions with that?"

"Sure, thanks."

It wasn't much. In the wake of what Midoriya was suffering, whatever it might be, it was probably nothing, but for now it was all we could do.