"You really had nothing happen during your internship? Nothing at all?" Itsuki was looking at Tora with a bewildered look on his face. Tora just shrugged.

"Yeah, nothing special anyway. I got to see the administrative side of heroics, we did some patrolling and a bit of training. That's about it."

"Really? Come on! Something must've happened. You were in Nagano, near the Japanese Alps. No mountain climbers that needed rescuing? An avalanche that needed stopping? Nothing?"

"The agency did get a call-in about a mountaineer who broke his leg and was stuck in the Hida Mountains, but I can't really help with that, can I? They have Heroes who can fly and helicopters for that."

"I guess you're right… But still, wasn't it boring then?"

Another shrug from Tora. "It wasn't the most exciting, but it was interesting to see that it's not all glamour. There's quite a few other things Heroes have to do."

"I do not understand how you can find things like laws and paperwork interesting."

"I don't! But it's something we'll have to do anyhow, so might as well get familiar with it sooner rather than later."

It was the morning of the first day after their week of interning at their assigned agencies and the students of 1-A were trickling into their classroom for the first hour of homeroom.

Before Itsuki and Tora could continue discussing their own internships, Teiden walked into the classroom. He looked exhausted and dejected. The usually lively teen slogged to his desk and let his head fall on top of it. His two friends were quick to join him.

"What's up with you?" Itsuki inquired, "Tiring weekend?"

Teiden didn't raise his head, but did respond. "I spent the entirety of last week being a glorified errand boy. Grabbing coffee and delivering messages… My weekend was fine, because I could finally escape that hellhole! Please tell me someone else had a bad internship as well so we can sulk together."

Itsuki and Tora shot sideways glances at each other. While Tora's internship wasn't exactly exciting, it was what he had expected and Itsuki's had been great. His parents convinced the school to let him intern at their agency and they had given him a lot more freedom than was technically allowed, so he had a blast and even had his first encounter with a Villain, even if it was just a small-time thief.

After an awkward silence, the gloomy aspirant Hero raised his head. "So you had good internships? Great… Now I'm even further behind on you two…"

Tora was quick to offer some words of comfort. "It's just one week, Teiden. I'm sure you'll have plenty of opportunities to show what you're capable of."

"I knooow," Teiden whined, "but you guys have these wonderful, combat-oriented Quirks. I was hoping I could get some training during my week in the field. Instead I was turned into free low-skilled labour…"

"Ah, don't worry Denkyuu!" A female voice rose from behind Teiden and a hand slapped him on the back. "We'll get our time to shine. And once we can fight, we'll have our Quirks to supplement our fighting while these bozos will only have their fighting."

The three friends turned around to see a big grin underneath a tousle of red hair.

"I'm guessing your work experience went well, Tsuchioru?"

The girl gave the boys two thumbs up. "It went great. I got some pointers on how to better use my Quirk in combat and I'm pumped to try it out in our next training exercise."

This did not encourage Teiden, who let his head drop on his desk again.

"Let him sulk. He'll come around soon enough." Yukai made a dismissive gesture and turned to the two non-depressed Heroes-in-training. "How did you guys' internships go?"

Tora gave a quick summary of mostly seeing how administrative work was done and what patrolling was like. Itsuki, on the other hand, told about his week with his parents with fervour, gesticulating wildly while he explained how he caught the thief. Class started before Tsuchioru could tell her story, but she promised to fill in both of them at some point or give them a demonstration during the next exercise.


Classes went by slowly, but it was a welcome change from the hustle and bustle of the internships. Because they just spent an entire week out in the field, Sero decided that today would just be regular classes, but promised there would be some more practical classes the next days, so everyone could show off what they'd learned.

In between second and third period, Tora was talking to Yui, going over some grievances the students had about their internships. After Teiden noisily complained about his experience last week, some other students came forward with concerns about theirs. Nothing as worrying as Teiden's, but there were some occurrences that Tora felt should be brought to the attention of the faculty.

Their conversation, however, was interrupted when Tora felt someone tap his shoulder. He turned around to see that Cheikatsu was trying to get his attention.

"Hey Saotama, could I speak with you for a moment? Alone." He wasn't slouched over, making him about a head taller than Tora. The only other times Cheikatsu didn't have his slouched posture was during Heroics exercises and times of stress. Whatever he wanted to talk about, it was important.

"Sure." Tora told Yui they would continue the conversation later and went with the blood manipulator. "What's up?"

"It's about Gatsu."

"Hmmm, he did seem under the weather this morning. Did you find out what's gotten to him?"

Cheikatsu and Kumodoku had become good friends over the few months they'd been studying at U.A. Unlike most of the class, who were full of energy, they were calmer, so they naturally gravitated towards each other. They weren't asocial, but it was clear they preferred each other's company compared to the more quirky characters of class.

"Not exactly," Cheikatsu scratched the back of his head, trying to give as much details as he could, "but it think it has something to do with his internship. He told me it got cut short for some reason. I think he's still stuck on that. You're good at picking up people's spirits, right? Could you talk to him and see if you can get through? I just don't know what to do right now. He's not telling me anything."

Tora placed a reassuring hand on Cheikatsu's shoulder. "I'll go talk to him. Do you know where he is?"

Kumodoku had left the classroom immediately as the bell signalling the end of the period rang. Tora could think of a few places he could be, but asking his best friend was easier.

Chihiro offered a small smile and pointed his thumb to the end of the hallway. "I think he went to the vending machines. He likes sitting there to think."

"Alright, you get back to class. I'll be back with Kumodoku soon."

Tora walked towards the aforementioned vending machines. He wondered what could have gotten the gas breather so down. He was usually rather stoic. In combat, he showed little signs of stress unlike Kikai or Mienairu, or enjoyment, unlike Netsuka or Denkyuu. In class, he was attentive and one of the top performers. Something major must've happened if it managed to shake him.

Tora found his target leaning against the wall next to the vending machines, hidden from sight behind them. He was drinking from a can of hot coffee and staring into nothingness, deep in thought. He didn't notice Tora approaching.

"Hey Kumodoku. Mind if I join you?"

"Not at all. The vending machines are for everyone, aren't they?" Despite Gatsu's voice being muffled by his mask and filters, Tora could hear the weariness in it.

Tora chose a carton of juice and put himself opposite Kumodoku. After a few sips he spoke up. "Someone's very worried about you. And seeing you here, I can't blame him. Mind telling me what's going on?"

Kumodoku sighed a sigh so heavy a bit of gas escaped through his filters. "I figured someone would talk to me sooner or later. Chihiro sent you, didn't he?"

Tora nodded.

Gatsu let himself slide down the wall until he was sitting on the floor. "How much did he tell you?"

"He told me your internship got cut short and he figured that's why you're so down."

"Well, he's right on that. I didn't tell him much else anyway. My week got cut short, because my mentor and some of his sidekicks got hospitalized."

Tora's eyes widened and he stopped leaning against the wall. "Are they alright? What happened?"

"I happened. Primal wanted to teach me some hand-to-hand combat so I could defend myself if there were civilians around and I couldn't use my Quirk. During the fight my mask got knocked off and because I was winded and breathing heavily the room was filled with gas before I realized what was going on. The doctors said they'll be fine, but they wouldn't be in any condition to train me for the rest of the week."

"And you feel guilty for doing that?"

"More than that," Kumodoku hesitated for a brief moment before continuing, "Saotama, before I go on, can you promise me something? Will you answer my next question truthfully?"

Tora didn't hesitate with his answer. "Of course, I'll tell you what I really, honestly think." He wasn't sure what the question was going to be, but he knew that lying know was only going to make things worse.

"Do you think I can be a Hero?"

"What makes you think you can't?!" Tora exclaimed.

"My Quirk is extremely dangerous and volatile. If I don't have my mask on, I poison everyone around me just by breathing. Cooperation is nearly impossible and I can't work in city centres, because I can't use my Quirk around other people. I'd end up doing more harm than good. I got in through the recommendations program. If not, I would've hurt other contestants trying to fight those robots during the entrance exam. My old classmates always joked I would become a Villain. Maybe they weren't jokes at all…"

Gatsu's voice was beginning to break and Tora saw his eyes glistening with the beginning of tears. Tora sat down next to his despairing friend.

"Before I answer your question, let me ask you something. Do you know the Hero known as Bombing Run?"

"O-Of course, he's the number two Hero in all of Japan. How could I not know him. But what does he have to do with me?"

"I'm getting to that. So you know his Quirk allows him to create explosions in his hands, right? Explosions don't care if a friend is caught in their blast. They hurt everyone and yet, a guy with such a volatile Quirk has managed to climb his way to the very top of the leaderboards. He's incredibly popular, many Villains surrender just by him being on the scene and he never hurts anyone he doesn't want to get hurt. Why? Because he wants to be a Hero. He wants to be the very best and he never stops training to reach that goal. He's working to dethrone Deku and nothing's going to stop him."

Kumodoku was silent throughout the entire story. His tears had dried and he was looking at Tora with wide eyes.

"Do I think you can be a Hero? I do, because you want to be one. It doesn't matter what your Quirk does or how dangerous it is. As long as you have the will and dedication to push yourself, I believe you can be Hero." Tora softly punched Gatsu's shoulder. "Hell, with your smarts and insight, I bet you could make to the top in no time."

"You truly believe this?"

"Absolutely! You're a great Hero-to-be."

Tora saw a weak smile forming on Kumodoku's face. "Thanks, Saotama. I really needed to hear that."

The class president got up and offered his hand to pull his friend to his feet. "Come on, we should get back to class. The next period has already started and we shouldn't keep the teacher waiting."

Kumodoku grabbed Tora's hand and lifted himself to his feet and followed him back to class. They did get chewed out by Aquila, an eagle-themed Hero that taught them mathematics. Being late for class set a bad precedent for aspirant Heroes, she said. Both students endured the lecture and then went to sit down at their desk. On the way, Tora gave a quick thumbs up to Cheikatsu, putting the student's mind at ease.


Tobuga was sweeping the floor of the classroom. As part of their training, the students of the Hero course of U.A. were tasked with keeping their classroom clean. A more thorough cleaning was still done by janitorial staff on a weekly basis, but students were expected to clean their classroom to keep their feet on the ground and foster a sense of duty for community work. They may be training to become Heroes, but they could not lose sight of their duty to society as ordinary citizens.

Class 1-A had decided to take turns. Everyday, another member of class stayed behind to sweep the floor and today it was Yui's turn. She didn't mind the menial labour. It gave her a calm environment to think.

This first day after the internships had already been eventful, even if classes themselves were less active than usual. Denkyuu had plenty to complain about. His week had been a total bust, being reduced to a servant instead of being treated like a Hero student. There had been other, minor complaints. Distance to their workplace being a common one. There were plenty of Hero agencies in and around Musutafu, but not enough to accommodate for forty students from the U.A. Hero course, let alone all the students from the Hero schools around the city, so some had to be sent farther away. Still the complaints had been filed with the faculty and hopefully they would be taken into consideration.

Then there was the case of Kumodoku. Yui didn't know what had happened to the boy, but something seemed to have shaken him. He was the withdrawn type, but this morning had been more worrisome than usual. So worrisome, that Cheikatsu, his best friend, had asked Tora to talk to him. Thankfully, everything had worked out fine. Whatever the problems, Tora had managed to pick up his classmate and the rest of the day Gatsu was back to his usual self. He still kept to himself, but the aura of uncertainty around him had disappeared.

The next person Yui's thoughts went to was Netsuka. She was most confident about her internship, stating she had learned a lot and was eager to show everyone. But Yui couldn't shake the feeling that something was off about the girl.

Yui sat at the back of the class, so her wings didn't block anyone's vision, so she had a good overview of the class and today, it didn't take her long to notice that the short, blue girl was restless. She kept glancing around the classroom, but because Netsuka sat at the far left column of desks, it was hard to say who she was looking at if anyone at all. Yui wondered what was on the girl's mind, but figured it would come out sooner or later.

Where Tora had a very direct approach to things, Yui let things come to her. It made them a good combination for class president and vice-president.

Tora talked to people if he saw something was bothering them. It often turned out to be something simple, like having slept little that night or a fight with a sibling and they often appreciated the concern Tora showed and sometimes he did manage to dig up some deeper doubts, like with Kumodoku today. Other people, however, felt he was intruding on their privacy and completely closed down. Yamabushi was a great example. A few weeks back, the stoic teen ran around with a scowl the entire day. During lunch, Tora approached him and asked what was wrong. Yamabushi was offended that Tora perceived him to be in need of help and shouted him down.

Yui figured that if people had serious problems or doubts, they or a friend would come to her for advice or help and that had worked out well so far. Tora had come to her on their first day and they'd become good friends over the months. Mienairu had approached her over some upperclassmen that decided to pick on him and a stern talking-to had solved that.

She was sure that whatever was on Netsuka's mind, it was nothing serious or she'd approach someone over it. Netsuka had a stubborn streak, but she wasn't overly prideful.

Her thought were interrupted when she heard the classroom door slide open.

"Tobuga, can we talk?" Netsuka stood in the doorway and she looked even more conflicted than she was during class. Her ears hung limp, she didn't look directly at Yui, even when addressing her and her hands were fidgeting.

Yui smiled. Speak, well… Think of the devil. "Of course." She put the broom to the side and sat down on one of the nearby desks. "What do you wish to talk about?"

Netsuka slowly approached, still refusing to look at the person she wants to talk to. "Can you not talk to anyone else about this?"

"Don't worry. I won't tell a soul."

She finally looked at Yui. Searching her onyx eyes for the confirmation that her words already gave. When she found it, she took a deep breath.

"Have you ever had a boyfriend before?"

Yui was surprised. This was not the subject she was expecting. Many of her classmates, Yui included, believed Netsuka to be so focused on becoming a Hero that she would not busy herself with crushes and love. Only Tsuchioru believed she would find a crush soon, but she had paired nearly every person in class with someone in her head, so she wasn't exactly reliable. Then again, the heart is a fickle thing and it often makes you feel things you do not want or expect.

"I have not, nothing serious at least, but I have had a crush or two. I'm guessing you have a crush?"

Kaira quickly nodded. "Do you think you can help me?"

"I would be glad to offer any help I can."

"W-what do you think I should do?" Kaira was getting more nervous as the conversation continued.

"Do you wish to chase this crush or do you want to move past it?"

"I- I don't know… I like him, but how do I know if he likes me back? How do I know I like him that way? What if it doesn't work out? Will we stop being friends altogether?" Kaira was rattling off all kinds of doubts she had, but Yui interrupted her.

"Kaira, you're sixteen. If this doesn't work out, it's not the end of the world. Don't worry too much about what could go wrong. You'll have plenty of other chances. How do you feel now? Do you want to see how far it goes?"

"I… I guess you're right," Kaira gaze steeled and she looked back at the vice-president with some determination pushing away the doubts, "I want to go further with how I feel, but I still don't know what to do…"

"Hmmm," Yui stayed silent for a moment while she thought about how to approach this, "I would say that what you do would depend on where you know him most. Is he from U.A. as well?"

"Yeah, he's in our cla- in our school."

"Well, then I believe it would be a good idea to go somewhere outside of school grounds with him. You know him in an academic environment and you probably talk about classes a lot. If you go somewhere else, you'll see another side of him and it can give you some more clarity on who he is and if you like that side of him as well."

"So, like, go on a… date with him?" Kaira cheeks began to glow at the thought.

"It doesn't have to be a date. Just an outing between friends."

"Y-Yeah, that's what it is. Just a day out and about, not a date." Kaira laughed nervously. She was clearly not convincing herself. "Thanks though. I think I'll do that. Thanks!" Kaira was out the door before Yui could get another word in.

Yet another turn of events today that Tobuga had not expected. Of all the people in class, Netsuka was on the very low end of the list of people she expected to fall in love at U.A. with only Kagaku and Yamabushi seeming less likely to her. Life really was full of surprises.

Yui turned back to sweeping the floor while she considered what Netsuka had said. She wondered who she had a crush on. The smitten girl had accidentally dropped that it was someone in their class, so that narrowed it down considerably. A few names came to mind.

Kirishima was lively like her, but he was less confrontational. He could keep up with her energy while not clashing with her like Denkyuu did.

Gekitai was similar in personality to Kirishima, but less optimistic. Something she could see Netsuka get annoyed at.

She hadn't seen Netsuka and Kemono interact much, but they both had mutations that made them stand out. It could be something they had bonded over. Yui had bonded over that same subject with Taoshima. Her snake hair and snow-white skin made her stand out as much as Yui's wings did, but she admired how Fumiko seemed to revel in the attention, making sure that everybody knew how unique she was.

Kemono and Netsuka could have similar experiences with his beastly appearance and her blue skin and her tail and ears, though Yui doubted they specifically enjoyed the attention.

And then there was Tora. Both students lived in the 1-A dorms and they were the only two out of their class that did. They had plenty of time to talk and get to know each other, though the class president did not strike her as someone Netsuka would get along with. Tora was too mellow compared to the girl. Netsuka seemingly always had energy to spare while Tora liked doing things at his own pace, despite being as motivated as everyone else. Something that did reflect on his academic grades, and not in a good way.

Yui imagined Netsuka would get annoyed at Tora's slower pace.

Well, whoever it was she had developed a crush for. Yui hoped the short girl would be successful in her endeavours.


Tora was sitting at his desk trying to work his way through the literature assignment they had been given that afternoon. He was falling behind in class and it was beginning to show. Tora hadn't expected studies to be rigorous at U.A. He knew the hero course students would have to pass national curriculums, but U.A., as per usual, went above and beyond what was necessary.

His studies were interrupted by a knock on his door. It was late in the evening, so Tora wasn't sure who it could be. Kaira was usually already asleep by now and there was no one else living in the building. Could it be faculty staff?

He opened the door. It turned out to be his only dormmate after all.

"Hey Kaira. What's up?"

"I wanna make up for yelling at you that one night. You haven't gone out a lot because you were looking after your brothers and sisters, so this weekend I'm going to show you around my favourite spots in Musutafu."

It sounded like Kaira had rehearsed the lines like they were for a play.

"You don't have to make up for that. We both said things that night we regret. It's fine."

"It's not! Besides," Kaira was beginning to blush, "I want to hang out with you outside of school."

"Oh… We can do that if you want. You sure you're okay? You've been acting kinda strange lately."

"I-I'm fine! Just… got a lot on my mind… Yeah! Lots of stuff to do and I just want to unwind this weekend. With you!"

"Oowwwkaaaay. This weekend then?"

"It's a date! We'll leave after lunch on Sunday. Don't be late."

With that, Kaira turned around and stiffly walked back to the stairs to the girls' side of the building.

Tora closed the door, but kept staring at it to process what just happened. Kaira had been acting strange for a few days now and it was getting worse. Why did she suddenly want to do things with him outside of school? They talked often during breakfast and dinner, or when walking between the school buildings, but they mostly had their own groups of friends. Was she having trouble with something and wanted a more casual environment to discuss it? Or maybe he was looking too much into it and she really just wanted to unwind after the stressful months they'd already had. Tora had to admit that he wasn't averse to the idea. A day hanging around in the city could be a load of fun.

Wait! Did she say it was a date? No, that was just a figure of speech, right? This was just an outing between friends, not a date between a boy and a girl to see where things would or could go.

Right?


A bit of a hodgepodge of scenes.
I took the opportunity to give a bit more life to some characters and will likely do so whenever I can without it being too jarring.

As always, feedback is welcome.