Toru wasn't sure how everyone had faired on their exams. She wanted to stick around and watch Bakugo's to see if he passed, but she was sure his gang (Kirishima and Kaminari and sometimes Sero) would tell him if she was watching him and he'd see it as clingy. So, she elected to be patient and wait till the next day to find out.
She didn't have to wait long to find out Mina and Tsuyu's results. Mina texted the group chat as soon as all the exams finished.
"I FAILED!" She put a crying emoji. "Enjoy the fireworks for me…"
I already know she failed. But I should try to be supportive anyway. Even though in the long run it's a good thing. She didn't know who Shigaraki would bring to the summer training camp. He could always employ serial killers. There might be deaths there, and this meant that Mina was one of the few people safe.
"AWW! That's awful! We should march up to the principal's office and complain! I'm sure if you failed it was only because the test itself was unfair!" Toru texted back way too enthusiastically.
"Thanks Toru…. Did you two pass or are you going to join my sad training camp of just me at home?" Mina asked.
"I passed. Tokoyami and Dark Shadow were great partners." Tsuyu texted.
I expected they'd do okay…Toru thought.
"I passed too! Sorry!" Toru apologized.
"Traitors." Mina texted back.
Toru would have to wait for the rest of the results.
The next day when Toru walked into the classroom, she made sure to scan her classmates face's for any sign of failure. Kirishima, Kaminari and Sato were looking extra sad. Sero looked nervous.
Toru didn't have to wait long for the results. Aizawa walked into the classroom to make some announcements.
"Morning. Unfortunately, there are those who did not pass the final exams. Accordingly, for the training camp in the woods…" Aizawa paused and then smiled. "Everyone's going!"
Well…All my hard work just went into the garbage…. Again. Do any of these tests mean anything at UA? Toru wondered. Or was Aizawa just a big softie.
"A last minute twist!" Mina, Kaminari, Kirishima and Sato were crying tears of joy.
"We can go, too?" Kirishima asked.
"Really?" Mina asked, tearfully.
"Yeah." Aizawa agreed.
Darn. In hindsight it was actually great news that Kirishima failed. If he doesn't go to the summer training camp, he can't keep Bakugo in line and make him more hero-y. Kirishima from what I've seen is the only one who can make Bakugo act somewhat good. But now Kirishima will be around to distract Bakugo. Toru thought.
"Some failed. But nobody failed the written exam." Aizawa admitted. "In the practical, Kirishima, Kaminari, Ashido, Sato and Sero all failed."
Sero made a surprised gasp. "I knew it…." He immediately turned his surprise into despair. "Just because my team passed didn't mean I scored high enough not to fail…"
Ah. So Sero's team…Him and Mineta, beat Midnight, but because she was a harsh grader, she failed him anyway. I guess that could have been the fate Shoji had. I'm glad Shoji passed. Toru glanced at Shoji, although he couldn't tell she was looking at him.
"For this exam, we on the villain's side made sure to leave a way for the student's to win, while watching to see how you all would take on the task at hand. If we hadn't, most of you would've gotten stuck before you started." Aizawa explained.
I guess that makes sense. I knew they were holding back since Snipe couldn't actually shoot a student. Still, it seemed clear that Snipe hadn't been pretending not to detect her. His surprise at getting caught was evident so that filled her with some confidence.
"So, when you said you were really out to crush us…" Ojiro seemed confused.
"That was to make you feel cornered." Aizawa admitted. "In the first place, the training camp in the woods is one to increase strength. So those who failed need it the most. They have to get stronger. It was a rational falsehood!"
Kaminari, Kirishima, Sato and Mina looked betrayed, but they celebrated anyway.
"I was tricked again! As expected of UA! But since you lied to us twice, our faith in you will waver!" Iida declared standing up.
"That's true. I'll consider it." Aizawa agreed, accepting the criticism. "But I wasn't lying about everything. Failure is failure. We have prepared a separate time for extra lessons for you all. Frankly, it will be tougher than the extra lessons you'd get if you stayed in school."
Suddenly the people who had failed looked gloomy.
I should suggest to Shigaraki to attack during the extra lessons then…To separate Kirishima and Bakugo. Toru decided, hoping to relay the correct information.
"Your written exam scores will be posted to the wall. Your practical exam scores…Will be kept by the teachers for reference." Apparently Aizawa didn't want to make those public. His eyes shifted to Shoji and Toru.
Ah. I bet he doesn't want to make Todoroki and Bakugo feel bad since they were the top of the class. I won't complain. I don't want Bakugo's anger directed towards me. But boy does he show a lot of favoritism in class. Toru thought.
Class continued.
During lunch everyone went to see where they had fallen in the written exam. Mina didn't seem to care that much. All that mattered to her was that she had passed!
The new scoring was as follows:
Yaoyorozu
Iida
Midoriya
Bakugo
Hagakure
Todoroki
Jiro
Ojiro
Tsuyu
Ochako
Kirishima
Shoji
Sero
Mineta
Koda
Sato
Tokoyami
Ashido
Kaminari
Aoyama
Yaoyorozu sighed immediately when she saw her name, still at the top. "I didn't change much!"
The other scores had changed significantly besides her. Mostly the people she had tutored did better than the mid-terms, except Jiro.
"I stayed 7th place, but since the exam was pretty hard. I think I did okay…" Jiro twiddled her thumbs.
"I suppose I should have studied a lot harder." Tsuyu sounded disappointed. "I fell in rank but still passed."
Some people had improved quite a bit, Uraraka had jumped 3 ranks, and Kirishima had managed to jump 4 ranks. Nobody jumped as much as Toru who moved from 16th place to 5th place though. Most people were focused on their own score at first to notice.
"I studied lots and lots! I couldn't let you and Iida beat me!" Uraraka looked really excited. "And Deku, you studied a lot too, huh? You managed to beat Bakugo—"
"How..." Midoriya looked both frightened and a little happy. He was definitely sweating as Bakugo fumed.
"It was because I was too busy teaching Kirishima core concepts!" Bakugo defended. "He was so stupid…"
"Yeah! But I did well on the test thanks to you, man. Thanks!" Kirishima swung his arm around Bakugo's shoulder. Bakugo didn't complain and just looked away, still angry.
Some people had fallen a lot too. Toru assumed it was because they hadn't studied much.
Mineta looked especially devastated. "I thought I was just a natural genius! But I fell so much…" He sniffled. He likely hadn't studied at all.
"What happened, Tokoyami? How'd you end up as 17th?" Toru asked looking at the score board.
Tokoyami looked emo. "Dark Shadow kept whispering answers to me. Mr. Aizawa had to stare at me the whole exam to keep him under control. I assume he counted my inner darkness giving me the answer as cheating."
Ah. So that's why the rules were lax over cheating. Toru finally realized.
"It's all right." Kaminari was patting Mineta on the back as he cried over no longer being considered a natural genius. "You probably fell because a lot of people improved rapidly!" That didn't sooth Mineta's nerves. "The natural genius's like Bakugo, you and Todoroki probably got laxer in their studying."
Mineta stopped sniffling and looked at the board. Todoroki had fallen too?
Now everyone was taking note of Todorki's name. He had fallen out of the top 5. Todoroki wasn't looking too interested in the rankings.
Mina was especially shocked. "You…You beat Todoroki, Toru?" She looked at Toru like she was seeing a different person. "That's amazing!" She congratulated. "How'd you make such a big recovery though…. Last test you were 16th!"
Uh-oh. Did I make too big of an improvement? She had gotten the ranking she wanted, but now she had to combat all of her classmates shocked faces.
"And you didn't even come to my study sessions…" Yaoyorozu was truly surprised.
"How did you do it? What's your studying secrets?" Jiro asked desperately. "Did my music help that much?"
Everyone was crowding her now.
I have to answer this carefully…Play the part of the airhead so they're not quite as interested. Toru decided. "Well…Um…I just have a super strict study regimen, you know? I hit the books like BAM and then studied like there was no tomorrow! I basically only studied and just that." She laughed nervously. "I also…guessed some questions, so I'm sure my score is also based a little on luck."
"That's some amazing luck then…Give me some of it." Mina begged.
Toru's answer was way too vague for some people. Some of her classmates still wanted advice, since apparently, they had found the test difficult.
"Did you watch some viewtube videos about changing your note organization method?" Midoriya asked.
"How did you memorize the English segment so well?" Ojiro badgered.
"Oooh…Oooh did you struggle with the math formulas a lot too? How did you guess on them?" Uraraka asked.
"You shouldn't crowd her so much!" Iida advised, "But you made a big improvement, Hagakure. Please, tell us your study secrets." He was interested too.
Hmm…So I guess vagueness won't work for this answer. And I don't want anyone getting me in trouble with Aizawa for guessing. I guess I'll just tell them my real study method since they're looking for tips. I'm sure some of them have tried it before. She could put some truth in this to explain her improvement.
"Well, one of the things I did was withheld food and sleep until I got the correct answers on study guides!" Toru said chipperly, waving her arms.
Suddenly her classmates looks of desires changed into confusion. Some of it mirrored horror and she wasn't sure why. Should she explain better?
"Heroes are always putting themselves in life-or-death circumstances, right?" She explained.
They nodded, trying to follow her thought process.
"So, I put myself in that mindset. Every wrong answer meant less food and soon enough with such life-or-death circumstances memorization was easy! Honestly, I think this study method is really effective. Maybe you guys could try it too and rise up!" Toru suggested, trying to sound friendly.
Her classmate's facial expressions were pale. Some of them had looks of pity. Yaoyorozu was covering her mouth. Tsuyu looked honestly sad.
Hmm…Was that not normal enough for them? But it's what works. Should I have said I watched quiz shows or something? Toru wondered.
Mina hugged her. "Toru…" She said sadly.
"I know the method you're talking about." Todoroki finally said, his eyes lit up. "Nothing wrong with it."
With the popular Todoroki agreeing with Toru, the silence finally ended, and more people joined her side.
"Well…I have to admit I also go without sleep sometimes when studying…I haven't thought of restricting food as well…That doesn't sound very healthy, but I'm glad you have something that works for you!" Midoriya tried to say, finding common ground.
"Maybe she just accidentally said it more seriously than she meant it?" Kirishima whispered. Sero hurriedly nodded and smiled, agreeing with him.
"I don't think people normally call pulling All Nighters life or death though…" Uraraka whispered.
"I do." Tokoyami defended.
That shut people up. Some of Class 1-A were over dramatic weirdos.
"Your parents must be pretty strict to let you study like that." Tsuyu commented, looking sympathetic.
Toru didn't confirm or deny that. She didn't actually have parents. "I don't know why you all look so sad! It's not so bad! I just tried to take things seriously for once…I've been told I don't take tests seriously enough." She huffed.
That cheerful attitude got people smiling again.
"I also had a motive. I'm getting a reward for scoring so highly!" She admitted. "If I got top ten I'm allowed to get a new cell phone! I'm so excited!" She jumped up and down, joyfully.
"Reward can be used as a good incentive for study as well…" Tokoyami nodded. "But be warned about the top, Hagakure. It is a hard place to guard for everyone at the bottom wants to usurp you." He said mystically.
Toru nodded. "I'll take note of that!"
"So, you're getting a new cell phone, Toru? Do you have something you're looking for in particular?" Mina asked. Once the topic shifted to talks of shopping, people started dispersing away from the written exam board. They had seen the scores and were no longer interested.
"Mm-hmm!" Toru excitedly bobbed her head. "But I'm a little out of my depth too…." She admitted. "Will you help me? I'm thinking of going to the Kiyashi Ward Shopping mall after school!"
"Oooh! I love the Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall! It's the greatest mall in the prefecture and it's so large and cool! It has everything!" Mina nodded. "Great choice!"
"…Everything, huh?" Toru pretended to think. Everybody else was mostly gone now. "Do you think it would have camping supplies too?" Toru asked excitedly.
"You bet it will!" Mina shook her hand pumped up.
"How about we invite everyone else then? Make it a class A trip!" Toru suggested, "I want to do fun things with everyone else!"
Mina grinned. "That's an amazing idea! Let's ambush them after class."
Mina's become my ally in my plans now…And she's able to use her loudness and popularity to convince almost anyone to come. Toru thought. Things were working out well for her.
Toru and Mina patiently awaited the perfect time to ambush their classmates. It didn't take long for the opportunity to present itself to suggest a class A outing.
"A week of training, huh?" Iida asked, looking over course guides about what they should bring and prepare for.
"We'll have to bring a lot with us." Midoriya noted.
"I don't have a bathing suit or anything!" Kaminari complained. "I'll have to buy a bunch of stuff."
"Night vision goggles—" Mineta suggested for not-good reasons.
Kirishima looked interested in that suggestion, probably unable to figure out that Mineta had not great motives.
Before Mineta could talk anymore, Toru decided to time her attack. "Oh! Since we're off tomorrow and we just finished our exams, why doesn't Class A all go shopping together!?" She suggested trying to radiate friendliness, love and good vibes,
"Oh! Good idea!" Kaminari agreed. "Wouldn't that be the first time we all hung out together?"
"Hey, Bakugo, you're coming, too!" Kirishima had already signed himself and Bakugo up as Bakugo walked away.
"Like I'd do something so irritating." Bakugo huffed.
"Will you come too, Todoroki?" Midoriya asked politely.
"I visit my mom on our days off." Todoroki replied back politely
"You guys are such party poopers!" Mineta cried. "Get a clue, you clueless guys!"
Good. Only Todoroki and Bakugo decided not to come. And since they're the prone to throwing themselves into a fight, this works out well. And Midoriya's coming! Everything went well! Toru grinned to herself.
Mina grinned at Toru and gave her a thumbs up. Now it was her job to lead everyone to the chosen mall!
The next day, 12 of Class A, all that Toru and Mina had managed to wrangle up, arrived at the shopping mall.
"And so here we are!" Mina announced. "With the most stores in the prefecture, the newest and coolest, most advanced-Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall!" Mina said excitedly.
I know I suggested this place to Mina, but I'll let it appear like she was the one who chose the location to the rest of the class. It wasn't too suspicious to choose to go to this shopping mall though. As Mina had said it was a large and cool one, new and would draw teenagers like them in.
The 12 UA students who had ended up agreeing to go to the shopping mall were Tokoyami, Shoji, Kirishima, Kaminari, Mineta, Midoriya, Iida, Uraraka, Jiro, Yaoyorozu, Mina, and Toru. A little over half the class, which should prove good enough.
Everyone was chattering and trying to decide where they would like to go first. Who should I drag into my cellphone adventures? Toru wondered trying to listen in to what people wanted to buy.
"I need to buy a big carry-on bag…" Jiro said.
"Oh my? Why don't we go together?" Yaoyorozu suggested even though she could just make one.
I shouldn't interrupt their time together, and I want to avoid Yaoyorozu suggesting that she'll just make one for me…Toru thought to herself.
"Where can I get lock-picking tools and small drills?" Mineta said to himself.
Ew. Gross. Toru turned her attention to Kaminari.
"I don't have any outdoorsy shoes, so I want to go buy some." Kaminari explained.
"Oh! Me too, me too!" Toru said jumping up and down. I'll jump into Kaminari's group and then bring us into cell phone shopping! His group is bound to have other people too since he's somewhat popular.
"The guide said to bring shoes that were already broken in-! Oh, but I see, perhaps we should choose based on utility?" Iida quickly budged into the conversation and then sidetracked himself.
Ah good. If Iida comes with us to go shoe shopping, I can separate him from Midoriya who's still rambling and can easily be left behind. Toru noted. Midoriya was lost in the splendor of the mall.
Kirishima sighed. "Everyone has different things they want to do. So why don't we decide on a time and meet back?" Kirishima was the first one to suggest splitting up which suited Toru just fine.
"I agree!" Mina proclaimed
"Then let's meet back here at 3'oclock!" Kirishima yelled.
"Okay!" Everyone agreed. And with that they dispersed.
The group that Toru eventually found herself in, 'the shoe shopping group' was Mina, Iida, and Kaminari. Plenty of people to serve as her alibi.
Midoriya as planned had been ditched, left alone to his own rambling self. Toru had briefly looked around trying to spot Shigaraki, but had not been able to see him in the crowd, which was probably a good thing. All of Class A had seen his face and might recognize him unless he was heavily disguised.
"Oh! Shoot!" Toru stomped her feet momentarily. "I forgot I came here specifically to go cell phone shopping! Not shoe shopping!" Toru pretended to recall, acting ditzy.
Mina snickered. "You forgot that?"
Toru drooped her shoulders sadly. Mina pat her back.
"Does anyone want to come with me to go cell phone shopping before getting to the shoes?" Toru suggested.
Kaminari frowned. "I would love to see the electronics but…."
He might be too reliable, honestly. He looks like he knows a lot about electronics. He might be able to convince clerks that you can get a cell phone with high specs for a cheap price ensuring that I don't end up at a secondhand goods store…Toru found herself nervous.
"I've got so little things for this trip! I need shoes, swimsuits, new clothes…. My mom buys all my clothes and I've never gone camping in my life, so I just need so much!" Kaminari admitted. "I'm sorry!"
Toru mentally sighed in relief. "That's fine!" She looked at Mina.
Mina looked away guiltily. "I…Um…Gotta go shoe shopping…. Kaminari reminded me I have no outdoors shoes, and it's just fun to look at shoes and…"
Crap, she doesn't want to go. She said she'd help so can I guilt her into it? She knew likely what was happening was that Mina had gotten distracted by something she deemed more interesting than boring electronics shopping.
"I'll go with you, Hagakure." Surprisingly Iida volunteered in an almost robotic voice. "I don't approve of anyone being left alone after what happened at USJ. As the class representative it's my job to accompany anyone who needs me!" Iida seemed to think this was his duty.
Good. We left Midoriya alone, but he doesn't notice that because he's too busy helping other people in class A. His sense of responsibility will be his undoing, since although he's trying to be safe, he doesn't realize that Shigaraki is actually in this mall. Toru thought.
"Thank you so much, class Rep! I won't argue against your reasoning!" Toru bowed. She linked her arm up to Iida's. "Well then Mina, since Iida's so smart and (rich) I should be okay! You don't have to feel guilty for spending time doing what you want! It's okay!" Toru said chipperly.
Mina smiled. "I'm glad!"
Darn. Perhaps my voice was too chipper and reassuring and now she believes my words at face value. Well…That's fine, I guess…Iida's loud. He can provide a good alibi. She was a little bitter that Mina had ditched for shoe shopping, but she moved on.
It was time to bounce back from the mistakes.
"Do you any new electronics?" Toru asked politely as Iida walked with her to the big, fancy, electronics store. He walked like a bodyguard protecting his Master. It wasn't on the level of a friendship and Toru needed to fix that.
Iida thought for a moment. "Hmm! Perhaps they have some camping gear that is required on the guide!" He swung out his guide and meticulously looked. "Nope!" He replied enthusiastically.
No electronics were required for the summer training camp.
Ugh. This is really awkward then. How am I supposed to feel like he's not just here to babysit? I should use this to foster a good relationship with Iida. Toru thought.
They arrived at the big electronics store and started weaving through the aisles. Toru pretended to look at cell phones.
"So, do you do much shopping, class Rep?" Toru asked, again trying to garner some reaction. "You're part of a big pro family, right? A rich kid!"
Iida nodded. "I am part of a big pro legacy. But I do not do much shopping. We mostly order things online. If we need something really big, we hire, like new home décor, we hire someone else to shop for us."
The picture of a rich kid. Toru thought.
"What about you, Hagakure? Do you…like this sort of thing?" Iida seemed to be trying to create a connection at an equal level of awkwardness.
"Yep!" Toru said quickly. "Shopping is kinda my hobby!" I read in a teen girl's magazine that that's a hobby girls have nowadays.
Iida nodded awkwardly and rigidly, trying not to mention how stereotypical that was, as to not insult her. "…I see…"
There was an awkward silence.
"Oh! I do think I go to some shops! I went to a high-end Posh glass store the other day-" Iida trailed off.
That's not very normal. Pro families live in a world of their own…Toru thought to herself.
Iida must have picked up on the silence. "Does your family go out in regular shopping excursions to malls like these? Since um, shopping is your hobby?"
Toru went down the next aisle pretending to not see any phones she liked. "No. I go with my friends normally! It was a big thing in the middle school I went to, to hang out at the mall after school."
To create a relationship, you have to open up and get someone to trust you. I'll give Iida some snapshots that I've chosen of my life. Toru decided.
Iida smiled. The image seemed to have worked. "I can't say that I'm surprised. You've always struck me as a very friendly girl, Hagakure."
"Thank you!" Toru replied. "You're pretty friendly yourself, class rep!" Good. The friendly image is what I was going for.
Iida smiled a bit bashfully too at that. But once they were done complimenting each other there was another awkward silence. Toru was too busy pretending to shop to badger him with questions, and they didn't have much in common.
"Do you have any siblings, Hagakure?" Iida finally asked curiously. "Oh! Not to say you should be out shopping with them instead of me! I hope I didn't give you the wrong impression! It's just I like hearing about people's siblings—You know I look up to my brother a lot and-" Iida started rambling.
Ah. So, he's easier to get along with if you have a sibling, I'm guessing. He wants to see if we have anything in common. Toru realized. "I have no siblings." She answered simply. Don't really want to answer questions about my family or my life so I better change the subject soon.
"Oh, so you're an only child, huh?" Iida said flustered by how she had responded.
"Oh! Is your brother doing okay, Iida? I saw on the news that he was hurt! Is he okay? It was the hero killer, right?" Toru asked too intrusively to stop Iida from questioning her any further.
The ploy worked because Iida forgot any of his questions. He nodded. "You are correct…I'm sure all our class has heard by now that he was attacked by the hero killer." His face got sad. "But he's doing all right now." He tried to reassure. "He's alive…And that's more than some victims can say…But he's accepted that he can no longer be a pro. He's retiring and…. The Ingenium name will be passed down to me."
Iida was visible shaking. It was clear by everything how much he cared for his brother and how devastated he was by all of this, despite the miracle of him still being alive.
He's retiring? Why? Toru didn't really look up from the really expensive iPhone she was pretending to consider. "Wait, didn't Ingenium just lose feeling in his legs? Why can't he be a pro anymore?" She asked, trying to get the dirt.
Iida's eyes widened as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "He can't move his legs anymore. The doctors say there's no hope of recovery so there's no way he can be a pro-"
"Yeah, but I thought he had engine arms, not legs?" Toru didn't really care enough to filter herself. "Why can't he be a wheelchair hero?"
Iida stopped speaking as if he was trying to come up with a response. "T-there's never been a wheelchair hero…" He responded like it was unheard of and couldn't be done. He seemed lost in thought as he was considering his response. "Although, I suppose it's the job of heroes to represent the populace and heal their hearts too…Huh…I never thought about it like that." He was quiet.
Toru moved aisles and when she saw Iida wasn't following her, she returned to him. He was still standing in the middle of the aisle frozen and lost in thought.
"Could…My brother really return to being a hero? Is that really true?" He was mumbling to himself.
Toru sighed and put her arms on her hips. "There are lots of support companies that would probably be excited about designing a combat wheelchair. I know I'm really close to Mei. You remember her, right? That girl who you competed against in the sports festival from the support course—"
"Ah! Yes! The girl who abused my goodwill!" Iida recalled.
"She'd be all over designing a wheelchair for your brother. She loves this kind of thing." Toru said casually.
Iida perked up. "Hatsume's inventions were very good, even if they were used against me in the sports festival. But students can't design for pros without a license." He seemed to be making excuses, but the idea that his brother could return to hero work someday did cheer him up.
Iida turned to Toru, he looked at her and just smiled from ear to ear. He grabbed her hand and aggressively shook it.
"Thank you, Hagakure! It never occurred to me nor my brother that he could still be a pro in his own ways. The Iida family has always been a legacy of heroes who ran. But why can't we be fast heroes in a wheelchair? There's no reason we shouldn't be!" Iida was grinning.
He had a very brisk and big handshake. Toru had to struggle free.
"You're welcome—" I wasn't planning to actually help a hero. I just was curious why they had discounted the idea of wheelchairs. I really hope this doesn't hurt Master's long-term plans. He never spoke about the Iida family though. I don't think he thought they were as big as they thought they were.
Iida was grinning from ear to ear. "You really might have saved Ingenium, Hagakure! You are healing people's hearts with your suggestions. Just as a hero would!"
Oh boy. Now I feel gross. Toru rubbed her arm. "Umm…I hate to change the subject, but all these phones are out of my price range. Could we switch stores?"
Iida looked confused. "The phones don't seem that expensive here…"
"You're from a pro family, Iida. I'm not. Normal people's budgets are a lot less than these phones." Toru gestured to the huge price tags.
Iida looked horrified. "Are you in similar financial circumstances to Uraraka?"
Toru shook her head. "No. I just have a normal financial budget. I'm not rich like you, Yaoyorozu and Todoroki."
Iida looked surprised at that fact. It took him a moment to process the fact that Todoroki, he and Yaoyorozu were rich. He nodded. "Let us move stores then!"
Toru headed to the secondhand shop she had been ordered to go to. She didn't know when the mall would be shut down from the attack of Shigaraki after all.
"A secondhand goods store?" Iida looked confused. He looked at Toru concerned for her financial situation again.
"It might be more in my price range!" Toru defended. "I'm just a student, class rep, don't panic. I just don't get a GINORMOUS allowance like you do. I'm fine." She reassured.
This calmed Iida down a little.
Toru knew her phone was waiting for her.
Toru went to the counter. The man waiting for her seemed bored. That was a good sign. That meant not many people came to this store and there was less of a gap between when Shigaraki had dropped off the old phone, to when she would pick it up.
The store owner did not recognize her since Toru's identity must have been kept absolutely secret. So, she instead asked if there was a phone with the specs of Shigaraki's old phone. It had good wi-fi and a great GPS from what she remembered. High end.
"Yeah, we have one like that. You a gamer?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
Oh. Toru had just recited the specifications by memory, not really knowing what they meant. But of course, Shigaraki's old phone was a gamer phone. Thanks, Shigaraki. Now I'm going to have to pretend to be obsessed with phone games. "Yeah! I like the ones about collecting cute monsters!" Toru lied.
The man nodded not wanting to make too much conversation with his customers. He wasn't a very good salesman. "Just a warning, our phones are dirt cheap but not for good reason."
Toru gasped. "Are they…Ugly and broken?"
"No!" The man waved his hands. "They're fine. They've just been confiscated by villains, a lot of them. Some of them get sold to me directly of course…But a lot of them have to be wiped of unsavory images. Is that cool?"
Iida looked confused. "…Confiscated from villains? Like stolen from them? Isn't that illegal?
"They're sold by the police." The man defended. "It's standard practice to confiscate any of the stuff that's connected to crimes. So, you have a 50/50 chance of getting a phone with a bad history. One that's been owned by a villain or one that's been sold by a normal person. That's why my store is called 'The Gamble'." The man chuckled. "They are the latest models though and they work really well."
I already know where my phone came from because it was just sold though. And I know what it looks like so I can say no if there happens to be two phones with the same specs.
Toru pretended to think. "Hmm…Are there still unsavory things on them?"
"No, they've been cleaned. But they don't come with any warranties." The man warned trying to be ominous.
Iida frowned. "Uraraka did say she got cheap furniture from police auctions…So I suppose this thing is normal for people who are looking for a bargain—"
"I keep telling you I'm not poor." Toru glared. Iida seemed to blend all not rich together.
"So, it should be fine!" Iida finished.
"I'll look at what you have of the specs I asked for." Toru decided. The man showed her one phone, Shigaraki's old phone.
Toru pretended to look it over and consider. She made thinking noises since Iida and the salesman couldn't see her face.
"I'll take it!" She finally declared. "It's super cheap!"
Iida nodded. "I'll have to tell Uraraka about this place…"
The salesman wrapped up the purchase and put it in a bag. Toru danced and jumped up and down. "YAY! A new phone! I haven't gotten a new phone in three years!"
Iida clapped. "You did it, Hagakure! I am happy for you. Should we go join Kaminari and Ashido now then?"
Toru nodded happily. "Mmhmm!" She agreed.
As the two of them walked to meet Mina and Kaminari Toru noticed police streaming in from the bottom level.
"Please, shoppers, stop what you are doing!" One said on a loudspeaker. "There has been a reported sighting of a league of villain member in this mall!" He announced.
Iida froze.
"So that the police and pros can investigate, please everyone do not go to the central plaza, evacuate in a single file line. Customers in the plaza will be questioned." They loudly announced. "Thank you."
Iida and Toru were not in the plaza. They were on the third story.
"…The league of villains? No…Do you think they were tracking us?" Iida asked, terrified. "I have to go…We should look for our other classmates- make sure they're okay." He seemed panicky.
Toru put her hand on his arm. "Class rep, calm down." She advised, noticing how frightened he looked, likely from his trauma at USJ. She stopped him before he dashed off. "They said sighting and reported. That means it's not confirmed and that no injuries or deaths took place! And since there's enough police here now, I'm sure the league won't do anything." Toru reassured.
Iida nodded. "You're right. And we aren't pro's yet…We can't just do what we want. We should follow police order." He agreed, now calmer. "Thank you for being so observant and calm…You are a truly good hero student."
Toru pretended to blush and fumble with her feet as they both followed the evacuation order.
Once all of class A was outside, most of them noticed Midoriya was not reuniting with them.
The policemen approached the group and showed them a picture of Shigaraki. "Did any of you see this man in the mall? And what stores did you go to?"
Iida responded with their entire trip. The other students chimed in with their responses. A lot of clothing ventures.
The policemen sighed. "The suspect before the attack was sighted to have been in numerous stores, several different clothing stores, a WcDonalds, GameSop, secondhand goods, some cheese shops, a candy store, and numerous other things. He made some purchases and possibly stole some candy."
Ah. I see. He went into a bunch of stores before our arrival to not appear suspicious. After all, selling a cell phone at a second hand goods store was one of his goals. Toru thought to herself.
"There seems to be no rhyme or reason to his trip. Perhaps he was really just going shopping before he noticed the UA students…" The policeman sighed.
Mina looked frantic. "Did something happen? You said attack…And Midoriya isn't with us…Is he okay?"
Iida also looked just as frantic. "Did…Did something happen to Midoriya?"
"I'm not at liberty to say." The policeman walked away.
"Deku's fine! Don't worry!" Uraraka reassured.
"Are you saying that because you know it or think it?" Kirishima asked worriedly.
"I spotted Deku…With Shigaraki. They were talking and Deku was taken hostage. But Shigaraki released him and walked away. Then we reported things to the police. I think they're likely just still questioning him." Uraraka reassured.
Yaoyorozu sighed.
Iida looked horrified. "So…He did target UA students!" He shook his head. That didn't sound right with all the other shopping he had done. "Or was he shopping, but then he stumbled upon Midoriya and recalling him from USJ sent him into a rage? I'm unsure." Iida scrambled his hands in his hair. "WE SHOULD HAVE ALL USED THE BUDDY SYSTEM? Why didn't the rest of you use the buddy system? We were just attacked a few weeks ago! Use the buddy system for safety!" Iida lectured.
"Midoriya wasn't alone." Kirishima pointed out. "When we left Uraraka was with him."
Uraraka blushed, likely because she had left him behind at some point and that was when Shigaraki had struck. "…I left to go shopping on my own. I then returned to him and Shigaraki had already made contact. He's fine though! Everything's good!" She slapped her cheeks.
Kirishima raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms judgingly.
"I wonder what Shigaraki spoke to him about." Tokoyami wondered.
"Did none of us seriously run into him before the attack? Any of us could have been targeted if he was going for UA students." Iida pointed out. "Who were you with and where were you?"
"That's my question!" The police officer knew Iida was stepping on his interrogation. "Where did you go and who did you see?"
Mina frowned. "I went to various shoe stores with Kaminari. Iida and Toru were just about to join us. They left beforehand for the cell phone store."
"Tokoyami and I were at the mutant clothing stores. We saw no league of villains members." Shoji explained.
Tokoyami nodded. "There wasn't enough dark clothing."
"We went to clothing stores too." Jiro admitted, pointing at herself and Yaoyorozu. "But we never ran into Tokoyami and Shoji. We must have been going to more high-end places."
"Less mutant-y places." Tokoyami huffed.
"No, she's right. I did purposefully choose going to the cheap stores." Shoji piped in before they all fought.
"I was on my own honestly for a bit…" Kirishima confessed. "But I saw no Shigaraki! I did see Mineta outside a swimwear store. I dragged him away and we decided to go to hardware places to look for those cool night vision goggles he was talking about. Like imagine how many cool bats you can see in the dark and cool techniques you can make in the darkness?" Kirishima was pumped up.
Tokoyami nodded approvingly.
Toru, Mina, Yaoyorozu and Jiro sighed because they knew that wasn't the reason Mineta had suggested the night vision goggles.
"Well then…If none of you were alone for long and none of you saw anyone suspicious you can go…" The policeman offered.
Class A was let free and left the mall like most everyone else. The mall was closed down because of the sighting of Shigaraki, but Toru couldn't be happier.
Everything had gone perfectly and now she was ready for the summer training camp. She hoped Shigaraki had gotten what he wanted.
It wasn't long before the summer training camp.
I wrote this before surgery, and ended up posting it now! It's been awhile since I looked at this story, hopefully my health will get better and I can come back soon. Sorry for taking so long!
Yes, I know in canon Toru went to the shoe stores with Iida, Kaminari, and Mina.
Please review!