Rule #12b: Boys only think with one head…it's never the one you want.
Following the end of the exam, a trip to the infirmary where her heart was checked over was in order—lest she'd put too much strain on it following the end of the exam—and given a tick of good health. Honestly, it was more or less so her friends would stop breathing down her back—Midoriya (having seen what had happened the last time she had overworked herself) was especially pushy. Of course, that may have been a result of the fact that she had implied Todoroki was his boyfriend, which had sent the greenette into a spluttering, squawking crimson mess much to the delight of his classmates. Soon enough, they found themselves back in the arena squashed into an area where some of the debris had been cleared for the students to gather. It seemed in the time they had spent changing and getting checked over, a screen and stage had been constructed, around which they tiredly gathered.
"Ok~ay everyone, thank you for your hard work in today's exam!" Mera sighed as he stooped over the podium on the stage. "Now before I announce the results, I should probably explain the way we evaluated you" Toru gulped as anxious thoughts began to inside her mind; fuelled by the anticipation, her nerves were all but fried. "Between H.U.C and those of us at the Heroes' Public Safety Commission, we had a two-fold demerit system that we used to determine your total scores. In other words we were evaluating you based on how few mistakes you made in a crisis situation. Any~way, the names of those who passed are listed here in alphabetical order. Keep my words in mind as you search for your name"
"Wow, a lot of people passed!" Shoji muttered as 89 names suddenly filled the screen. All around her people hungrily searched the screen for their name, hoping that they passed and letting out respective noises of defeat or success when they did (not).
"H—Hachirobei, Hachisuka, Hada, Haga—ooh!—Hagakure!" Toru quietly muttered under her breath as she tried to find her name. "Hagakure! That's me! Ooh! That's me! I passed! I passed! Yes!"
"TODOROKI!" Inasa called as he strode over to the heterochromatic teen with purpose and a look of discomfort written on his features. "SORRY!" Slamming his head into the ground just as he had done before the exam, "It's my fault that you didn't pass! It's because I was too narrow-minded! I'm sorry!"
"I started it in the first place" Todoroki acquiesced, "Don't worry about it"
"But—!"
"—There were things I realised thanks to you confronting me directly, too"
"Todoroki…didn't pass?" Mina gasped in disbelief.
"Both of our top two failed?" Sero agreed.
"You really should be careful with your words!" Kaminari winked at Bakugou, who predictably exploded. "Words are important, y'know?"
"SHUT UP OR I'LL KILL YOU!" Bakugou snarled.
"So it appears that our top students ended up fighting their own egos" Mineta declared patronisingly as he clambered over Todoroki like a pervy monkey. "The hierarchy's collapsing—!"
"—Enough!" Iida grabbed the grape-haired boy by his cheeks and moved him away from the heterochromatic teen as if he were being put in time out like a toddler.
"Oh! Next we'll give you the print-outs of your results" Mera intoned as several businessmen began to disperse themselves amongst the crowd, handing out slips of paper to the students. "They include a breakdown of your scores, so you'll know exactly what areas you need to improve on going forward. We lobbed off points when you did something wrong, fall below fifty and you were done. These demerits are itemised on your result forms, as you'll see so I'd look at them"
"Hagakure?" Intoned one of the nameless men.
"Uh, yessir" Toru replied, taking the slip of paper handed to her without much complaint. Running her eyes of the slip of paper in her hands as she skim read the words written there. Essentially, her points were docked for the moments she was just standing around and recklessly confronting the villain towards the end; but for the most part she seemed to have done well enough.
Ever-curious, Toru then turned to her classmates to ask what they had gotten. "Well? C'me on! How'd you do?" She badgered Kaminari.
"Gimme a chance to look and I'll tell you!" Kaminari pouted.
"61 points? I barely made it" Ojiro read out.
"Whoa! I got 84!" Sero exclaimed in surprise. "Look at that guys! Turns out I'm actually kinda great at this stuff!"
"Wait! Yaomomo, you got 94 points?!" Jiro cried in disbelief.
"What about you Iida?" Midoriya asked his friend. "How'd you do?"
"I ended with 80" Iida replied happily, "Overall it seems like the points were in practical application. What about you?"
"I got 71 points; looks like they mostly docked me for some of the stupid things I said at the beginning and for times when I was just kinda standing around"
"I'm thankful we've been given such empirical evidence about what we should improve upon!"
"Any~way, moving forward" Mera sighed, "Those of you who passed can exercise the same authority as Pro heroes, but only in emergency situations. In other words: fighting villains, saving the victims of criminal acts or accidents you may act using your best judgment with no direct orders. Keep in mind that every action from now on carries a deep responsibility towards securing our society and that the world is watching you—"
"But no pressure or anything" Toru murmured sarcastically.
"—I'm sure you're aware that All Might, our greatest hero no longer has his incredible power. One of the reasons crime in this country has been so low is due to his presence. With that deterrent gone, criminals are sure to become more bolder and more wide-spread. Expect the balance we currently have in our world, to be destroyed—for things to change quickly. You young ones will be the hope for our future, so it's imperative that you become exemplary heroes, that your reputations grow to repress crime as did his—"
"They want us to be the next All Might? Are they trying to kill us?"
"—Remember the license you earned today was provisional and you still have much to do. I would like for you to think of yourselves as fledglings and be even more diligent in your studies. And as for those who fell short and did not pass, we don't have time for you to mope bitterly about your loss. Instead, we offer a chance to redeem yourselves—"
"This is sounding more and more like we're canon fodder…"
"—After you attend a three month-long special course and pass an individual test. We plan to issue a Provisional License to those of you who failed as well"
"WOOHOO!" Chorused those who had failed this time around, their relief clear on many of them. It was certainly enough to make Bakugou stop growling and glaring at anyone nearby.
"In order for us to reach the idealistic future I just spoke of, we're going to need as many good heroes on the streets as we can get. The first round was one to weed people out and we would like to grow the 100 selected in that test as much as possible. That's why we watched you all until the end, so we could see for ourselves what promise you each held; that once your shortcomings are corrected, you'll have the potential to be as great as your fellow classmates! This special course will keep you busy, as it will run concurrently with your hero studies. You're welcome to retake the exam in April, if you prefer to wait"
"OH LIKE HELL!" Bakugou refused.
"SPECIAL COURSE!" Inasa cheered.
"Isn't this great Todoroki?" Midoriya cheered, turning excitedly to his friend.
"You don't have to!" Mineta protested weakly, desperate to keep hold of his brief window of fame "Just take it easy! The hierarch—"
"—We'll root for you!" Iida encouraged as he picked up the grape-haired boy by his cheeks once more, cutting him off.
"Thank you, I'll work hard" Todoroki replied happily.
The sun had begun to set by the time they had trickled out of the arena, casting the street into a warm tangerine glow. It almost didn't seem real to the invisible girl, even as she held the small plastic card in her hand and snapped a picture to send to family and friends.
3E GROUP CHAT!
FLASHLIGHT HAS JOINED THE GROUP CHAT
FLASHLIGHT: Hey guys! Guess what I just got!
Attached Image: Provisional License Card, Prism
ENGLISH LASS HAS JOINED THE GROUP CHAT
ENGLISH LASS: Woohoo! Go girl! (^)o(^)
How'd dear ole Bakasuki do?
FLASHLIGHT: He failed, pretty epically.
ENGLISH LASS: Hahaha!
FLASHLIGHT: Expect fiery tantrums!
ENGLISH LASS: Oh! I so gotta tell auntie
about this! She's gonna freak!
FLASHLIGHT: He gets another chance, but still…
ENGLISH LASS: He's such a sore loser!
A sore shitty loser! Hahaha!
FOREVER FLAT HAS JOINED THE GROUP CHAT
FOREVER FLAT: YAS! Way to go!
PRESIDENT POVERTY HAS JOINED THE GROUP CHAT
PRESIDENT POVERTY: Well done, Toru! Good job!
GENDER HAS JOINED THE GROUP CHAT
GENDER: Congrats!
SEMI-SENIORITIS HAS JOINED THE GROUP CHAT
SEMI-SENIORITIS: Nice going, Hag!
FLASHLIGHT: Thanks guys! (^u^)
FLASHLIGHT HAS LEFT THE GROUP CHAT
Toru had barely exited the group chat when she was suddenly enveloped by strong arms that lifted her clear off the ground, pinned her arms to her sides and spun her around as excitable chatter flew through one ear and out the other. "HAGAKURE! Thereyouare!OhmyGod!Thatwasamazing!Youwerelikebamandwhamandtakethatand—ooh!—whenyouflew! Thatcombomovewasamazing! Youhavetotellmehowyoudidthat—!"
"Zhao…can't…breathe!" Toru wheezed as diamond arms squeezed her in a tight hug, cutting off precious oxygen as her hands flapped uselessly at her side like a obese penguin.
"Haha! Oops! My bad!" The second year instantaneously dropped her arms, letting her go.
"No—no worries" Toru sucked in a breath as she wobbled slightly, trying to regain her balance. "I—"
"—ZHAO! IT'S TIME TO GO!" Waved one of her peers from the steps of their bus.
"KAY!" Zhao replied before turning to Toru. "Nice meeting you!"
"You too" Toru smiled, "Good luck with the special course"
"Thanks!"
Not long after the Seiai Academy and Shiketsu students had disappeared, 1-A was bustled onto their own bus and set the course for UA, much to the relief of their teacher who clearly wanted to take a nap at least. No sooner had Toru's head met Aoyama's shoulder, did blessed sleep descend on her, with the rocking of bus and endless chatter of her classmates lulling her off.
Once back at the dorms, a few of the class sat littered about the living room, adorned in various stages of pyjamas and loungewear as the last of the dinner plates were packed away. The oversized t-shirt Toru wore bore a happy glow-in-the-dark lightbulb with the question: Watt's up? and was half tucked into the cat-patterned pyjama shorts underneath; although they were barely seen when she propped her feet up on the coffee table in front of her and sank back into the couch cushions with a yawn. "So we're back to normal classes tomorrow, right?" Jiro sighed as she sank down on one of the spare ottomans.
"S'pose there's no rest for heroes" Yaoyorozu agreed.
"Man! I could use a vacation!" Added Sato.
"I'll not forget this summer for the rest of my life" Tokoyami ended.
"Amen to that" Toru murmured, recalling the events at the beginning of the summer as she let her lids fall shut and the sounds of her classmates washed over her.
"You—!" Bakugou snarled as he stalked through the living room.
"Eh?" Toru peeled open an eye to see the blonde elbow-check Midoriya who stood off to the side with wide-eyes and a startled expression. "Oh…"
"Um, okay…" Midoriya agreed, turning to watch his childhood friend walk away.
Later, once everyone had gone to bed save for Toru, who remained squished on the couch and so immersed in her phone that she barely acknowledged Bakugou and Midoriya slipping outside. Far too consumed by more of the hero v villain propaganda she was watching on her phone and the fat cat purring on her stomach, she wouldn't have even known they'd gone if it weren't for the creaking of the floorboards as they snuck out. "Huh?" She peered over the back of the couch to see the two walking quietly together. "Eh" With nothing amiss, she turned back to her phone and forgot all about them.
Scrunching up her face at the hand shaking her awake, Toru groaned as she rolled over and received a surprised yowl from the cat on her stomach as she did so. The headphones which had once been tucked in to her ears now dangled between her and the couch as her phone slipped from her chest on to the cushions below—not to mention the pink crazy straw glasses that (she had apparently fallen asleep using) now sat crookedly on her nose. She grunted and groaned trying to return to sleep despite the persistent hand shaking her into wakefulness. "Nngh?" Eventually she flopped back onto the couch and blearily peeled a tired eye open to find Aizawa peering over the back of the couch, impatiently waiting for her to wake up some.
"Go to bed, Hagakure" Aizawa instructed as his scarred hands slid through Kuro's long fur, much to the pleasure of said feline whose purrs reverberated around the empty living room. "It's late"
"Nngh!" She groaned stubbornly as she rolled back over, far more content to bury her head into the cushions of the couch and soak in the warm spot left by whichever cat had been sleeping there. The soft singing in her ear from the headphones squashed haphazardly between herself and the couch were slowly lulling her back to sleep even with her teacher standing over her. In fact she had totally forgotten he was there until the couch suddenly tipped forward far enough that she was tossed onto the floor with an undignified squawk. Propping herself up onto her elbows, she glance back over her shoulder at Aizawa who gently set the couch back down.
"Bed"
"…Yessir" She mumbled, her voice slurred from sleep as she dropped back onto the ground, smushing her face into the carpet as the telltale sounds of Aizawa's footsteps wandered away.
Eventually Toru hauled herself to her feet, collected her things and shuffled over to the kitchen, trying her best not to walk into anything. It was a lost effort, that one. After wrapping her headphones around her phone and setting them both off to the side, Toru set about tiredly cleaning her dirty dishes as the Miwa Hiroshi's (her old neighbour) ear worm song about the Yoshiwara district ran 'round and around in her head, forever stuck on loop.
Come around here, don't come around here
Don't come around here no more
Come around here, don't come around here
Don't come around here no more
There's a place I'm protecting
Just like family I'm defending
Yeah I know what you don't know
'Cause I found safety here in numbers
Got my pack, my pride, my sisters
And they go where I go
Feet tapped creaky floorboards and head nodded along to the tune in her head as she went about filling the sink with water and soap, clearing out the few dishes left stranded there as she did so. She tried her best to keep quiet, wincing a little at the supposedly earth shattering noise that came when she dropped her spoon into the sink. She shot a look towards the stairway leading to the bedrooms, hoping that she didn't wake anyone.
You don't want to go 'round here no more
You don't want to go 'round here
You don't want to go 'round here no more
This is our wasteland, contamination
Runs in our veins and we'll never give it up
This is our wasteland, contamination
No you can't take it
The sins are in our blood
"Geez!" Toru hissed, jumping in fright when Kuro and Momo twined themselves through her legs. Clearly the two felines thought that since the kitchen was occupied, that meant they were in luck—that certainly seemed the case when Kenta jumped up on the kitchen counter and meowed in her face. "Just like my brother, aren't ya munchkin?" She scratched him under the chin to which he chirped hungrily again.
See you creeping in the shadows
Hear you whisper at the windows
Get no sleep, can't get no sleep
Picked a fight with the Yakuza
Feel the heat, we are the fire
Burning deep, 'neath the streets
Delving into the soapy suds in the sink, Toru awkwardly rinsed and washed the dishes left there as best she could before placing them off to the side to dry. Bopping her head along to the ear worm song in her head, her hips began to swing and she quietly sang the lyrics to herself as she did so.
You don't want to go 'round here no more
You don't want to go 'round here
You don't want to go 'round here no more
This is our wasteland, contamination
Runs in our veins and we'll never give it up
This is our wasteland, contamination
No you can't take it
The sins are in our blood
As the song hit the climax, she found her dance moves get wilder as she spun, flicking soapy suds about the place with a smile on her face, and just let herself go in a pure moment of relief from self-conscious thoughts. Spoons became impromptu drum sticks, hungry cats her dance partners. Picking up Kenta with soapy hands, she danced and spun around with him clinging to her t-shirt and chirping in her ear.
We are the breakdown, we are the fallout
This is the take down before the lights go out
We are the breakdown, we are the fallout
This is the take down, there's no escaping now
This is our wasteland, contamination
Runs in our veins and we'll never give it up
This is our wasteland, contamination
No you can't take it
The sins are in our blood
She didn't mean to get louder, nor did she mean to miss the entrance of her peers and teacher, but it wasn't until the sound of the floorboards creaking behind her that she quieted instantly and plucked a spoon from the sink. Spinning on her heel with cat still in hand, Toru flung the soapy utensil towards the intruder. What happened next, woke her up right away. No sooner had the spoon left her hand did her stomach climb into her mouth and a hand slapped over her mouth when she realised who was standing there. Both Midoriya and Bakugou were splattered with plasters & band-aids with a few yellowing bruises peeking out from beneath Aizawa's tightly bound bandages. But it was the Pro in question who had garnered her reaction. "Oh my God! Sensei!" Toru gasped, her own eyes equally as wide. "M sorry!"
"There…is no need to fear young Hagakure" All Might swallowed as his dark eyes trailed over the twanging spoon now embedded in the wall behind him. It probably would have been believable if not for the trickle of blood weeping from the corner of his mouth and the weeping wound on his neck from where it had sliced him. Rule #41 indeed.
"I thought I told you to go to bed" Aizawa appeared from the shadows behind the trio with a look of barely restrained rage concealed in his eyes.
"Yessir!" Toru squeaked as both boys suddenly froze up at the sudden appearance of their teacher. All Might may have been the (former) number one hero, but Aizawa was the number one teacher to fear when punishments were in order—he could be rather creatively cruel. She shuddered to think what they would have to endure as she slipped passed the group and headed up to her bedroom.
It didn't take long for her to tuck herself into bed, cracking a window to air out the room a little. "One more couldn't hurt, right?" She muttered to herself as she picked up her phone and headphones once more. "I mean, it's just a quick video, nothing to worry about. One more then I'll go to sleep" She meant to go to sleep—honest—but the list of video suggestions were just too alluring and before she knew, the next morning had arrived without a blink of sleep.
