Half an hour after Chapter 1 [Meeting 47: Monopoly]...
The fact that Uraraka and Midoriya were alone in the supermarket together, like a couple that'd been shopping for groceries? Preposterous! It broke one of the fundamental rules in the Deku Club!
[Note: It did not.]
It was a fucking travesty, the fact that Uraraka was out there doing who knows what, probably defiling their reputations and somehow slithering her way into Midoriya's mind like the serpent did to Eve in the Garden of Eden. It was like she was spitting on their honor!
Of course, while they were at the supermarket, Uraraka was absolutely spitting on their honor, stomping on it and disrespectfully dancing on it like it was an 80's disco floor.
"How do we deal with her?!" Iida's frantic voice shouted amongst the chaos, quieting the cacophony of rioters that were his classmates. He'd laid out an unusually large bulletin board that Todoroki had in his room [a spare in case his current one on Midoriya and All Might had ended up being completely filled at some point], and they'd already created a spider's web of ideas, ranging from immolation to framing all the way to the gallows. Any method, ethical or unethical, that was available within a 50 kilometer radius? Fair game.
"We could get Aizawa-sensei to expel her," Bakugo hissed, not completely on board with the idea considering how Round Face was one of the few people in the class he respected as a rival instead of a stepping stone. "Though the fucking ugly ugly caterpillar probably wouldn't do shit."
Iida cringed a little bit, shoulders tensing; it was clear he didn't want to hurt Uraraka, but at the same time he couldn't stand the thought of her taking Midoriya away from him, and if he was going to be the successor to the Ingenium name, he'd need the best support system ever (Midoriya), "Then we just have to try to spend all the time with Midoriya, pushing her out of the schedule!"
"That could work," Satou approved, tilting his head to the side while he weighed the pros and cons of it. "But what happens when Uraraka retaliates?" He waited for Yaoyorozu, the fastest typer in the class, to document all of their suggestions as well as any other relevant information into their Google Doc for the meeting.
"I mean, if she were to retaliate," Kaminari clicked his tongue, about to use his brain to the point of short circuiting. "Then we could always incorporate someone else into the mix for this plan, right? We've only got ourselves so far. What if we tried to get Class 1-B or maybe Hatsume to help?"
[Note: Suggesting that Hatsume would help was a good idea at the time, but in hindsight, nope.]
As Kaminari spoke, none of them noticed how the entrance to the door squeaked open, the shuffling of grocery bags soon following.
"That'd mean we'd have to explain the whole meeting to them," Todoroki countered. "Considering how Uraraka's already on her way to getting to Izuku before us, it sounds like a tight time constraint."
"Who's getting to me before who?" Midoriya's words cut through the air like hard enough nipples could cut through diamonds, silencing the Club who froze in place. It was astounding, how they'd been in school for a few months for the sole purpose of learning how to be a good professional hero, yet they were unable to discern the fact that two people had come into their dorm unnoticed.
Midoriya's soft footsteps somehow boomed throughout the common room despite being muffled by their infernal fear, a fear that only a few of them had felt after facing All for One.
He saw the bulletin board, and while there wasn't enough information that he couldn't decipher it, it was still astounding to him, and he read a little slower like he subconsciously didn't want to absorb the information.
"Uh...guys?" Midoriya's quiet voice whispered, and the discussion halted instantly. Their heads snapped collectively to the doorway, seeing Midoriya and Uraraka, carrying a ton of bags from the supermarket.
Shit! Todoroki cursed in his mind, alarms rolling off in his head. I thought they were still out shopping!
"Get the computer!" Todoroki barked, and the nearest person, Jirou, jumped for a moment before her jacks shot out towards it, ready to shut off all the evidence before Midoriya could get a good look at it.
A hand covered in green lightning stopped her, already sifting through the information more like an artificial intelligence than the emotionally supercharged teenager that they'd literally been talking to on the phone a few minutes ago.
"Why are you guys talking about getting rid of Uraraka?" Midoriya quietly began, hopeful that everything was just a nightmare. His friends wouldn't do such a horrible thing, right?
He looked around the room, and saw the guilty look on their faces. Horror dawned on his face as he saw how Todoroki and Iida glanced away, Bakugo scowled like he'd just been caught in a crime, and how the others started to fiddle with their hands awkwardly.
"U-Uraraka's my best friend!" He shouted out, backing up right back to her, who feigned complete shock that Class 1-A would ever try to get someone away from Midoriya, especially someone so close to him. They could see the telltale marks of emotion come through in tears building up in his eyes, grabbing her arm defensively.
Of course, they could easily see through the betrayed expression on her face to the shit-eating vibe she'd emitted the moment Deku had seen the board.
"I won't let you take her away from me!"
Deku Club Ranking (Overall) Updates:
Bakugo:
1st → 2nd
Uraraka:
2nd → 1st
And thus, for the first time ever since Midoriya's childhood, someone else took the top spot in his heart.
One week later…
The Main Branch of the Deku Club had fallen into shambles. Somehow, in some way, while the majority of them had crowded the top percentile of those close to Deku's heart, the majority of them had fallen out of favor.
Hell, even Iida and Todoroki had seemed to lost some of Midoriya's trust, and they were in the top 5, for fuck's sake!
Now, the top 5 had been completely upset! There were only two remaining from the old top 5, and new blood had filled the free space.
Iida's scrunched up face scoured over the same bulletin board that Midoriya had initially caught them with, this time filled with more information than even a supercomputer could even hope to properly take in.
"We...need to get him back," he rasped out. He couldn't care less about his grades, about his placement, about his studies anymore. Now was the time to fight.
His classmates fervently agreed with him, similar fires having been lit in their hearts. Aoyama had brought out his entire cheese emporium to steel his body. Bakugo had taken a rest day in both studying and working out in order to hone himself for the upcoming challenge. Kaminari had even taken up studying to increase his brain's tolerance for strenuous thinking.
Meeting 48, Main Branch of the D.C.
Meeting Purpose: Rank Change
Meeting Subject: Betrayal
Uraraka Ochako, V.2
The Fall
"You think I'm letting fucking Round Face beat me?!" Bakugo whisper-roared, ensuring that his howls wouldn't wake up Midoriya, Kirishima, Asui, or Uraraka, the last three realizing that they absolutely did not need to attend the meeting.
He tried to push down the likelihood of the four having a sleepover. The four of them had become abnormally close after [Meeting 47], even MORE so than when they'd come back from the yakuza raid. What the hell? That should be illegal! Two times where you four are in a group?!
"It's not just Uraraka," Ashido hissed; she'd once thought that the cheery girl who'd always showed the entire class kindness was her friend, but no. She'd cut them all off the moment it benefited her, and it hurt to have ever trusted her.
Somehow, the top five of the Deku Club always staying in the top five kept the rest in balance, the natural order of the world in place. It was similar to how All Might kept the peace in Japan, kept the crime rate lowering before he eventually retired.
In a sense, they felt that the result of the world starting to go to shit because of All Might's retirement was somehow of equal value to the natural order of the Deku Club being disturbed.
Because, as villains and crime rose exponentially with All Might's retirement, the unholy forces of the Deku Club came out like all the negative things in reality coming out of Pandora's box, all of them clawing and fighting for one of the vacant top spots.
The room turned silent, painful memories of how their schoolmates instantly turned into brutal monsters the moment the word spread that they had been caught in a meeting.
Class 1-B had always treated them with civility and kindness, yet after they'd found out, Class 1-A realized that they were just hyenas lying in wait. The general department had never posed much of a threat excluding Shinsou, but once the news spread, they'd become a force akin to the Spartan Army led by their brainwashing leader. The Support Department, the upperclassmen, all of them.
Really, they were only vying for a high spot, laboring ferociously to even think about approaching Class 1-A in terms of how close they were to Deku (excluding Mineta, who'd remained the bottom of the barrel out of everyone, including Toga).
"How the mighty have fallen," Tokoyami lamented dimly, head looking downwards as he paid respect to the fallen power that was his class.
They remembered how quickly they'd been wiped out from the rankings, knocked down more than a few pegs. Even the titans that seemed unshakable were nothing when it came to this monumental change. It held more weight in their history than the Protestant Reformation affected Europe. It held more weight in history than Leonhard Euler had on mathematics. It held more weight than one's mother in a "Yo Mama" joke. More weight than one's testicles on another's mouth in a Call of Duty lobby in 2007-2009.
How the rulers had been usurped.
Deku Club Rankings (Overall) Update:
Bakugo: 1st → 9th
Todoroki: 3rd → 7th
Iida: 4th → 8th
Just like that, three of those who'd held top 5 spots since the dawn of the Deku Club had fallen, wiped out. Uraraka remained, for obvious reasons, and Asui did, too, as she wasn't present when they were caught.
The tension in the air rose, alarm in their minds. If the three of them could so easily be dethroned, did that mean they had always sat on a throne of lies and broken bones (Not Midoriya's)? Was it always so fragile?
Yaoyorozu spoke dryly, her normally jovial yet composed tone having melted away into nothingness, "Do you think us being all sullen is going to ever get Midoriya back to us?" Her tone sounded calm, but the hidden rage bubbling underneath was akin to that of Bakugo's, who'd been very vocal about his displeasure.
"Just let us mourn!" Kaminari wailed, slapping his forehead hard enough to leave a red mark, a quiet hiss of pain mixed with regret slipping out of him. "They already stole it, anyways!"
Asui: 5th → 3rd
Froppy had quickly risen up the ranks, stealing Todoroki's spot in a flash.
"Are you just going to give up on him?" Shouji accused him, almost offended that someone could even think about giving up their efforts to win Midoriya over. It was as if he was willing to live life without any happiness ever!
"Hell no," Kaminari muttered, scoffing at the mere notion of it. Obviously, he wasn't just going to give up on Midoriya.
He was just a little dramatic, you know?
"Besides," he mulled again, head in his hands. "I thought he was one of my best friends…"
The one other person who wasn't present in the meeting room at the time, who wasn't even at the top 5 before this, rose quickly.
Kirishima: 7th → 4th
Seeing that fat "Top 5" rank on Kirishima's name was embarrassingly painful. How did he get it? He wasn't even involved in it!
"Fuckin' shitty hair…" Bakugo hummed, biting his lip while he clenched his fists tight enough that he was probably going to draw blood if he were to grip any harder.
"However, the three of them aren't even our largest problem," Todoroki whispered, almost afraid to admit it despite the reality being in his face so clearly, staring him right in the eyes.
For there had been one malicious soul that'd risen quicker than anyone else, and currently had the greatest chance of beating Uraraka for Midoriya. After what she did?
She was quickly the Main Branch's greatest enemy, including Uraraka's.
Hatsume: 11th → 2nd
Iida had always regarded her as a threat ever since he met her. Granted, it was for different reasons than now, but he knew. He knew from the bottom of his heart that the Problem Child of the Support Department was a demon from hell, probably the direct descendant of the lovechild between All for One and a pile of dog shit.
And here she was. She'd stolen his spot, and even beaten it!
Hatsume Mei.
Potentially the strongest force they'd met in a long while. She'd rapidly grown to be one of Izuku's closest friends, and if the current trend kept on continuing, she'd become far out of their reach before long. Hell, she could be the one to defeat even Uraraka, completely ending the 1-A rule!
And with the person who'd supported the idea of her being the one to win Midoriya's heart?
She was practically a symbol of their demise.
The other newcomer, while nowhere near the threat of Hatsume's level, was all too clear, surpassing the rest of her class by a mile.
Tokage: 18th → 5th
"How the fuck am I supposed to compete with her?!" Mineta whined, blood leaking out of his eyes like tears. "And she's one of the hottest women ever, too!"
They chose to gracefully disregard the second half of his statement.
Ojiro clicked his tongue, displeased, "If only it were her, but we've also got to deal with Amajiki-senpai, hot on her trail…" He crossed his arms, remembering how Amajiki had reached the top 10 in this time, despite having been 19th before.
Todoroki rapped his knuckles on the table, a determined look in his face. He'd faced villains before. Those idiots at the U.S.J. Stain. Moonfish. Midoriya Addiction. All of them.
"We keep complaining," he spoke in his Cold Shoulder™ voice, a tone he'd only used whenever he was in the most dire of situations. "But we aren't solving anything. We're only scratching the surface. Let's get to it."
As much as it hurt, he was right. They'd spent this whole time doing nothing except complaining about how they'd lost their spot, and they needed to do something if they weren't going to lose Midoriya entirely.
Iida took a deep breath, bringing up the first subject.
1-B
They'd fought them in the practice combat, and they'd won.
Here?
Hell, they'd somehow lost in every single category.
Four days ago…
They'd noticed very clearly that something was off regarding their sister class. After they'd lamented about their plight regarding Midoriya, Uraraka, Asui, and Kirishima, 1-B had…changed, somehow. They couldn't quite place it for the first few hours, but it quickly morphed into something palpable, something obvious, something that would clearly affect them for as long as they lived.
It was quite literally only two days after Uraraka had somehow taken Bakugo's throne from right under his nose.
"Shut up, Four Eyes," Bakugo threatened, though his bark held no bite as he desperately tried to seem like he wasn't as downcast as the rest of them.
It first started when Bondo had walked up to Midoriya and asked for his help with a few math problems. Not too much of a surprise for two reasons. One, Midoriya was one of the smartest out of the first-years, only being surpassed by Bakugo, Iida, and Yaoyorozu in his class as well as a select few in 1-B, like Kendou.
Two, it was Midoriya.
Then, they would let it slide, although reluctantly.
They wouldn't admit it, but they all knew.
They were just afraid that they'd somehow mess up again and Midoriya would think that they were trying to take another person away from him.
So, whether or not they wanted it to happen, Midoriya helped Bondo study at his lunch table, surrounded by a few more 1-B students such as Komori, Kuroiro, Fukidashi, and Shoda.
Again, not too suspicious. Just a study group. 1-A as a class had frequently organized entire class study groups spontaneously in the common room the nights before summative assessments were given out, where Iida and Yaoyorozu were the frequent tutors. They couldn't exactly blame 1-B for wanting to study, especially since they'd heard something about it being a whopping 150 points. Yikes.
But, it all started after school, when they had no real business seeing Midoriya before them!
Shishida had always been cordial with the entirety of 1-A. After all, with his upbringing, he'd always learned to be polite and respectful to everyone he met, a quality many of them wished to emulate. A kind, kindred spirit who simply wishes to express himself at his best.
And a monster.
Not just because of his quirk, mind you. That would be considered quirkism. Sensitive subject, you know.
But the way he would so easily pick apart Izuku to his most basic desires and wishes? The way he could easily smooth talk him into spending time with 1-B? [Granted, this was a method that literally all of them knew but none of them abused. They really should abuse it more.] How Shishida, without any hesitation, transformed from a selfless and compassionate individual to a snake ready to crush its prey?
Horrifying.
"Ah, Midoriya!" Shishida greeted, following with the pack of hungry, uncivilized animals that 1-A had come to know as 1-B.
Huh. So that's what it's like to feel like Monoma.
It felt…wrong. An undeserved hate that truly held no merit, and they knew it, but they really couldn't stop themselves for just a moment.
But the snake-like tongue which he spoke with fit Amajiki's quirk more instead of his own, his words slimy, "I hear you do…quirk analysis, yes?"
The way Midoriya's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree didn't go unnoticed, though kept himself reserved. They could all notice the anticipation bubbling under his skin. He'd been itching to utilize the new notebook that Todoroki bought him, oh, how ironic for it to be used for 1-B, and this would be the perfect chance to do it!
He nodded meekly, though was already hooked on every word that Shishida spoke.
Gevaudan's beastly, predatory grin showed, glaringly obvious to 1-A, who Midoriya had already discarded for the moment in his mind, "If you wouldn't mind, would you mind having dinner with our class tonight? We've been practicing, but we…need additional input, you see, before we show our improvements to Vlad King."
Iida took a sharp inhale, an arrow going through his chest at his words, but he forced himself to recover.
It's okay, it's okay, they aren't doing anything horrible, they're just asking for quirk analysis. That's Izuku's wheelhouse, of course you'd ask him. You can't ask Nezu, he's scary, you can't ask your teacher in the dead of night without setting up an appointment, that's rude, and you only really have your peers to go from there. Izuku's the best bet for quirk analysis, it's fine, it's fine, it's fine, it's fine, it'sfineit'sfineit'sfineit'sfine–
"And if possible, would you mind staying over for the night? We'd like to…" Shishida shuddered so overdramatically that anybody that wasn't Midoriya, someone completely hung on his words would be able to tell that something was off. "Get to know our sister class, without any sort of need for formalities. You understand, right?"
NOTFINENOTFINENOTFINENOTFINE–
Naturally, protective of Midoriya, Iida was more than willing to stop him from even getting close to 1-B, not when the very foundation of the Deku Club that Midoriya didn't even completely know about was at risk!
"Midoriya!" Iida spoke in his Class Rep™ voice, shoulders more square than a quadrilateral where all four sides were congruent, both pairs of sides were parallel, with perpendicular bisectors as diagonals. "I must advise that you prepare for our exam in math instead of lounging about with these hooligans."
Izuku tilted his head in confusion. Sure, he wasn't a fan of being ripped from yet another person in his life, but what was Iida even talking about? That exam wasn't for the next two weeks! It was the start of the unit!
"Iida," Izuku countered calmly, clearly in favor of hanging out with 1-B for the moment. "I can study with them! I mean, we got closer as a class because of our study groups, so it should work for their class, too!"
Midoriya: 1. Iida: 0.
Damn it, he brought up a good point!
Iida cleared his throat, undeterred, "You are also forgetting! As heroes in training, it is imperative that we continuously train every day, even after classes end! Spending excessive amounts of time on distractions would only hinder our progress!"
Midoriya countered again, resembling Phoenix Wright with his foolproof defense (which, in reality, was only foolproof because Iida wasn't bringing up any good argument), "But what about rest days? Isn't it unhealthy to push your body to a point where you aren't able to grow at the fastest rate?"
Granted, he didn't have any room to talk considering his bones, but hey, pot, meet kettle. If he was using that phrase correctly.
Midoriya: 2. Iida: 0.
"God, Iida, you suck," Jirou complained, head in her hands. This was the man who was representing their class?
Iida grit his teeth. He'd have to pull out his trump card, his ultimate weapon. It was akin to throwing away any honor, courage, and moral compass he'd ever had, but desperate times call for desperate measures.
Iida Tenya, the successor to the Ingenium line, had one final trick up his sleeve, something truly immoral. Far beneath Hatsume's treatment of him in the Sports Festival, far beneath the ninth circle of hell, far beneath being rickrolled, far beneath the Endeavor/Miruko fanfiction that Midoriya had stumbled upon a few years ago, lay one single tactic so horrendous it went unsaid, unnecessary to put in the Geneva Conventions.
The tattletale tactic. The tactic of cowards, the forbidden jutsu of arguments between minors.
"Well, I suppose we must consult Aizawa-Sensei!" Iida triumphantly declared, raising his hand in the most malevolent of ways.
He could see his peers, who'd poorly hidden their interest in the conversation, silently gasp in the background, clearly surprised that someone who abides by their moral compass so tightly as Iida would ever resort to such a maniacal move.
"Sensei, would it be okay if Midoriya were to spend time with 1-B instead of using his time wisely like the rest of us?!" Iida complained, hand in the air as his reputation sunk far below anything reasonable. He was gambling his whole life on this, for fuck's sake! "I feel it is improper as heroes-in-training, and that he, like the rest of us, need to–"
"He's allowed to go. It's irrational to think that bonding with those who you will work with in the future could be a negative. This class, he doesn't need to bond with as much, as you already spend all your time together in class. It's rational for him to spend time with people he doesn't know, on that matter. I encourage it," Aizawa droned from his sleeping bag, clearly uninterested in the conversation.
Midoriya: 3. Iida: 0.
In a flash, Iida had decisively lost the argument.
Midoriya, feeling true triumph, having overcome even the dirtiest of tactics, felt like he could easily defeat All for One. After all, the tattletale tactic was far worse than the Symbol of Fear.
And, to make matters worse, the evil that was 1-B just happened to be nearby when the miscreant Shishida decided to show up, like they hadn't been spying on them the moment they heard the interaction was taking place.
"Oh, is Izuku spending the night with us? With me?" Setsuna widely grinned, predatory teeth showing as she casually draped some of her separated arms over Izuku's shoulders, hands gently resting on his well-defined pecs, god Yaoyorozu would pay her whole allowance to have her hands where Tokage's were, and everything in the world seemed to stop.
Izuku nodded, though a little shocked at the sudden contact, "Yep, Shishida invited me!"
Setsuna whistled, her respect for Shishida skyrocketing right then and there before speaking in a sing-song tone, "Then, I'll cook something just for you!" She booped him on the nose, and grinned at the fiery red blush in response. "Can't wait to see you there~"
1-A all grit their teeth, ready to destroy her for the direct taunts as she interacted with Izuku with ease, a much easier flow between their conversation than what most of 1-A was able to accomplish these past few days.
Before, of course, they realized that she, while the lowest of them, was in the top 5 of the Deku Club, a prestigious rank that granted her many privileges over the others within the club.
And of course, it naturally meant that her words simply held more weight in Izuku's eyes at the time than that of most others.
"Tokage, if you're going to so brazenly flirt with one of my students, please do it at least five kilometers away from me," Aizawa advised, slightly shifting towards them. "Unlike Vlad King, I have no reluctance to administer school rules to students that I do not teach."
"S-She's not flirting with me!" Izuku defended her instantly, his face going nuclear.
Sure, she isn't, Aizawa thought. And Hizashi doesn't know the bee movie script just to spite me.
Destroy all of them!
In a sense, they were willing to do whatever it took to deal with their rival class.
"What if we called Toga? Couldn't she impersonate one of them and just…do something really bad?" Koda suggested, a far cry from his normal self.
Of course, it's also important to note that, while low on the list, Toga was in fact not dead last when it came to the race for Midoriya's heart. She was above two people: Mineta and Awase from 1-B. The act which led Awase to somehow be lower than Toga is not to ever be mentioned.
So, hey, Toga had some hope, right? Whatever.
Regardless, it was the fact that a goddamn member of the dreadful, nauseating, malevolent, horrendous, disgusting, putrid, vile, revolting, appalling, abhorrent Class 1-B had somehow infiltrated the Top 5, damn it! She'd beat out three of the original titans, and she was pretty damn close to taking down Kirishima and Tsuyu!
Jirou crossed her arms, leading closer to the table, "And it's not bad enough that she's one of the Top 5, but the rest of her class is just using her as a way to get closer to my Izuku!" She received fervent nods of agreement from the others, all of them having seen the horrendous manipulation that 1-B had used to corrupt their precious sunshine.
Yaoyorozu continued, "And of course, we can't ignore the rankings. That's too great of a risk."
Deku Club Rankings (Overall) Updates:
Kendou Itsuka: 26th → 14th
Shoda Nirengeki: 39th → 21st
Shiozaki Ibara: 298th → 11th
"Look at this!" She huffed, indignant as she looked at the change in ranks. At this point, Class 1-A and Class 1-B had been split when it came to their rankings! Before, while Class 1-A had dominated, it was now to the point where their rival class were almost taking up the majority of the top 20!
They'd knocked out previous hard hitters such as Aoyama, Satou, and Sero, and at this point they were threatening to remove Mina from the top 20 entirely, with Reiko Yanagi being the closest to doing so.
"And the fact that the teachers are assisting them…?" Kaminari hissed, clearly feeling betrayed.
No doubt their rival class was one of the biggest problems that arose from the sudden breakdown of the Deku Club.
Of course, though, much like a person with both explosive diarrhea and a throbbing migraine at the same time would know, there were many problems going on in life.
The Teacher Tyranny
They'd once thought that their teachers were heroes who supported their every endeavor and goal, all for the sake of bettering them as people.
Yet, it was evident enough that they too were waiting for the tides to turn. It was like every single thing they did somehow impeded Class 1-A.
Even Present Mic, Midnight, Thirteen, and all the other heroes [excluding All Might, who was simply happy to see his successor find so many chances of happiness through his classmates] were all willing to turn on their backs.
And oh, they learned what it was like to be surrounded by villains all day.
Three days ago…
It was a commonly known fact that Aizawa Shouta was not the most amicable of people. The only people he was ever even remotely kind to on a normal basis were his best friends, Hizashi and Nemuri.
Of course, if you were to hint at that and he found out somehow, you'd certainly receive detention.
It was still a commonly known fact that he treasured the two of them almost as much as he treasured cats.
There was one thing that was…less commonly known about Eraserhead.
Despite his aversion to fun, sunlight, and supposedly Ms. Joke (Don't you dare say that he likes her in public, that was only because Hizashi let it slip that the two of them went out on a date once!), Aizawa Shouta was in fact not the most boring person on Earth. That title goes to the person who invented homework. And the color beige, probably.
Regardless, Aizawa was, of course, not a fan of how his problem child somehow wooed every person on Earth, the Moon, and probably a few galaxies away. (This can, of course, be seen within literally any meeting that has ever transpired within the Deku Club.)
So, naturally, when he found out that the hellions that he called his students were in complete disarray because of some sort of…teenager stuff, he wasn't going to peer too deep into it, he knew that he finally had a chance to strike.
And, of course, it wasn't going to be him to deal the blow. No, no, no, his students were far too accustomed to him doing his trademark Rational Deception™ to really be affected.
But if it were someone they trusted?
Like Hizashi?
…
Well, Shouta might've finally found something.
"Who's ready for another day of fun?!" Hizashi whooped, his directional loudspeaker only somewhat activated to stimulate the class. Of course, while Class 1-B were all amazing students, each of them with their own personalities that worked well together, they just weren't as…energetic as the amalgamation of chaos that was Shouta's class.
With people like Kirishima and Sero, who passionately responded, "Yeah!" or people like Yaoyorozu and Iida who nodded excitedly all the way to those like Kaminari and Ashido who would occasionally break out into some sort of little groove, there was so much energy in the class at all times that Hizashi just couldn't help but love being able to teach them.
Hell, even those who were quieter like Shoji or Kouda had their own forms of participating in the general vibe of the class, even if it weren't as vibrant as the others'.
Remember, remember, Hizashi reminded himself again for what felt like the fifth time in the past few hours. This is to get Shouta to come with us to karaoke!
Yes, of course Aizawa would have to somehow bribe his best friend into doing this. After all, Hizashi was a pretty big funder of the Midoriya/Jirou betting pool.
"Wait, you guys have a fucking betting pool?" Aizawa had asked once, when he heard Nemuri and Hizashi gossiping about it.
Nemuri only nodded whimsically, shuddering as she hugged herself tightly, "Of course! It's just such a beautiful thing, young love!"
Shouta wasn't sure whether to be shocked at his friend's words or disgusted.
"So!" Hizashi continued smoothly, swiping open his device to show the schedule for today. "We're gonna be working on some good ole' group projects!" He saw the students sit up, clearly interested. After all, it became an all-out war to partner themselves with Midoriya, and with a teacher like Present Mic who was chill enough to let everyone choose their own partners, they were expectantly waiting for the same thing as always to happen.
In a sense, they had been conditioned to expect to be able to be with Midoriya for a group project.
The perfect target, Aizawa was convinced when he walked up to Hizashi to ask for the favor.
As he explained the group project, he could see them shift anxiously in their seats as they looked at Izuku like he was a fresh piece of meat in shark-infested water. Shoulders tensing, legs bouncing, hell, even tapping on their desks. He could've sworn that Todoroki was calculating the shortest distance from him and Izuku while accounting for the movement of his classmates.
Maybe they would've even used their quirks if Hizashi let them. Who knows?
Hizashi realized, Wow, so this is the power trip that Shouta feels whenever he tricks them!
"And of course, we'll be having four groups, just like normal! Four groups of five people each, got it?!" He called out to the class again, receiving fervent nods in response. He saw Mina bite her lip in excitement, Hagakure tapped her feet on the ground a ton, and Yaoyorozu lean forward, as if intently capturing every word he spoke.
"However, this time around," Hizashi shuddered, understanding the euphoria that Shouta had when he spoke his next words, "I'll be choosing your partners for this project!"
Part of him didn't very much enjoy the way almost all of his students' smiles were wiped off of their faces at the speed of sound.
But oh it was fun, feeling the power belong completely to him. Is this what All for One felt? Maybe.
Maybe Hizashi understood why the supervillain did as he did now.
"See, it has come to my attention," Hizashi began to bullshit in a way that even a politician would be jealous, "that some of you need to get your grades up! As a result, I'll be grouping you accordingly!"
Of course, there were only two people who had bad grades in the class, and the two of them were in the same group (Poor Bakugo, who'd have to carry them), so the logic wasn't there.
But he was the teacher, not them. So? His choice.
"Please, please, please, Shouta, can't I at least have this one?!" Hizashi implored after hearing Shouta's terms of negotiation.
The sleep-deprived hero stared motherfuckerly at Hizashi before shrugging, scoffing as he muttered, "Fine."
Hizashi beamed.
"So, the first group!" Hizashi began, holding up a single finger. "Midoriya!"
Their breaths hitched; who was going to be with Midoriya? Who was blessed by fate?
"Uraraka!" Okay, Iida decided then and there that an assassination similar to that of Julius Caesar's was necessary. "Kirishima!" Awesome, it turns out that Bakugo and Kaminari were going to annihilate him during heroics class later. "Asui!" Wonderful, looks like Tokoyami was going to send her to the shadow realm like in Yugioh. "And Jirou!" Yaoyorozu gasped, almost shooting up from her desk as her eyes widened in shock.
"No…" She whispered in defeat, seeing Jirou take the opportunity instantly as she grabbed her bag and shifted over to Izuku faster than the speed of light. She looked at Present Mic, who'd clearly had favoritism with Jirou especially with their affinity for music.
The realization that Present Mic had purposely chosen people just to be with Izuku?
Horrifying.
After the rest of the groups were announced, who all gathered listlessly like zombies, Present Mic dealt the final blow, "Now, every single day in class, these groups will work together the whole period for the next week!"
The cries of anguish as they left the classroom were a sound that Present Mic could easily learn to appreciate.
Maybe Shouta had a point when he messed with his students as much as he did.
We need to overthrow U.A!
They looked at Jirou, who held the biggest shit-eating grin on her face.
Jirou Kyouka: 9th → 6th
She was literally the only person to rise in Class 1-A aside from Kirishima, Asui, and Uraraka after everything had happened, and she had become a pretty damn good rival with Setsuna in that matter.
And it was fucking Present Mic who facilitated that. Who let her do that. Who literally let Midoriya spend time with her alongside people who were in the top 5, so she, by association, rose higher!
And he knew! He fucking knew!
They realized from the moment that they saw Aizawa's content grin despite not having done anything to send his students to oblivion, they could tell. They could tell how close Aizawa and Present Mic were. And the way that Present Mic was clearly on a power trip?
Oh, the entire institution was corrupt. Except maybe for Nemuri. She'd always been very supportive of all of their pursuits of Midoriya, with the sole exception of Mineta.
It went the same for every teacher they had except for Midnight. Ectoplasm rearranged the seating chart. Cementoss emphasized individual work. Aizawa was Aizawa. All Might and Snipe both literally just did everything they did normally, since Izuku was all too focused on heroics to even be affected by romantic affairs. Most of the other staff members were just fine. Recovery Girl just sorta lectured Midoriya, Lunch Rush cooked Katsudon which was sick, Thirteen was in the USJ, Hound Dog listened to "Hound Dog" by Elvis, so that was all fine.
Which led them to Power Loader…
Hatsume Mei
And his student.
The worst of their enemies had come. With the support equivalent to an army, the drive of Midoriya, and the ingenuity to pull off anything, she was horrifying.
And she wasn't fighting alone.
Two days ago…
Hatsume Mei. The Problem Child of the Support Department. Likely 30% demon DNA. Yet, an undoubtedly prodigal, if just a little (extremely) eccentric inventor and engineer. Despite being just a first-year, she'd spent more time in the support lab this year at U.A. than anyone, sometimes to the point where Power Loader had to forcibly drag her out of the lab to stop because she was willing to spend more time there than even he was.
She'd made inventions that'd helped the teachers, helped the students, helped other staff, and even just helped quality of life at U.A. despite its long history allowing for these innovations to have occurred long ago.
And yet, Hatsume Mei had burst onto the scene, creating things that some of the support students couldn't have even dreamed of creating without having to delve into some sort of magic force. She was the Nikola Tesla of the support department without a Thomas Edison to take all the credit and profit from her.
Which, of course, meant that there were an abnormal amount of failures that followed her wherever she went, which usually expressed themselves in explosions that would make even Bakugou jealous. After all, not even prodigies succeeded 100% of the time. There was a reason that "You learn from your mistakes" is such a popular saying, after all. It has to have some merit to have become a saying, right?
This, of course, became Hatsume Mei's life motto. Failure is only a lesson.
And Hatsume Mei took this to mean that she should find every single way to fail, so that she gets all of that garbage out of the way. She'd learn everything she needed to, and then some. She'd learn faster than anyone in her class, anyone in her grade, anyone in Japan, for that matter!
It just so happened that there was someone more than willing to see past all of those failures, see all of those learning experiences and understand how they made her stronger.
Midoriya Izuku, the Problem Child of the Hero Course. Mr. Bone Breaker himself.
First, she'd seen him and thought of him as just a cash cow, a perfect way to market her products in the best way possible at one of the most televised events in Japan. Of course, at that point, he definitely was, being first place in the first event, after all. Makes a pretty big impression on people.
But as she got to learn more about him, see more of him, talk with him, understand all the data and analysis he did, and especially experiment with her very own creations and children with him, a sort of new flame erupted within her. She knew deep within her heart that, whenever she listened to her gut, great things happened.
And her gut told her that being with Midoriya Izuku at all times in any way possible would be the best possible decision possible.
The two of them, even from an outsider's perspective, melded well together. They simply…worked well together, in a sense. It was a different sort of feeling right together than what Uraraka and Izuku had, and a different sort of feeling right together than what Todoroki and Izuku had.
But it was still that same sort of feeling. That feeling that the two of them just…clicked.
And, of course, since Izuku was always improving himself, always finding new ways to solve problems and think up solutions, the means to those solutions just so happened to be accessible through Hatsume Mei herself.
So the two of them saw each other.
A lot.
A lot.
"In hindsight, we should've seen this coming," Sero grit his piano teeth that could definitely play Moonlight Sonata if he were to be punched right in the mouth. "They see each other all the time! Why didn't we think of her as a threat?!"
His tone was incredulous, and with Iida's pre-existing suspicions of the girl, his shock was unsurprising. She'd already been a target in the class rep's eyes, why didn't that suspicion spread to everyone else?!
They only knew why as of late.
Hatsume Mei, despite being as outgoing as she was, never stood in the spotlight. It wasn't really her nature as an inventor. No, she loved inventing for the sake of inventing, being able to see the gear she created work and function in the real world on heroes that used them every single day. Seeing the gear she made actually help people was more than enough, because it came from her mind, her hands, her actions.
Marketing her creations was just part of the process to get more resources to build with.
And of course, she slipped away, and as a support department student did, supported Izuku from the sidelines, waiting for the time to give him everything she had.
With all the turmoil and the shakiness of the Deku Club, its very foundation being destroyed as they had to rebuild?
It was the perfect time to strike.
"This is it," Uraraka whispered grimly to Iida, who stood with a downcast expression right next to her. Todoroki and Kaminari had come to accompany the two of them, the latter because he'd been there more often, and Todoroki for moral support. Plus, he wanted to see Izuku. "You ready, Iida?"
"Temporary truce, right?" Todoroki quickly reminded Uraraka, who nodded in response. Despite their…current disputes, this was a threat great enough for them to put aside those differences, fighting against a common enemy for the time being.
The tall, blue-haired teen gulped, shakily breathing as he steeled himself. His shoulders tensed further as his hands became sweaty, but he nodded nonetheless.
"Just…gotta do this," he whispered, the word feeling like broken glass in his throat. His hand reached out for the metal door, though it was shaking far too much for it to be anything normal.
And suddenly, right before he knew it, an incredibly simple face popped out of the metal door, and only the face. No body, no hair, nothing. Just a simple smile, simple eyes, simple everything.
"Hey!" Mirio's cheerful voice greeted them, a hand popping through the door to wave at the group. "Whatcha doin'?" Iida jumped back, the tension in his heart springing out like the Pop-Goes-The-Weasel toy.
"M-M-Mirio-senpai!" Uraraka jittered out, equally shocked.
"Come here to talk to the support department?" He inquired casually. And see if you can find Midoriya? The unsaid question was lost in the air.
A few awkward nods, and the third-year opened the metal door, theatrically bowing to let them in, "Well, come on in! Got something to hand over, so I came here!" He shrugged, strolling like he wasn't one of their biggest threats at the moment both in and out of the Deku Club. Being able to take down all of one class with a single punch to each person does hold some weight, after all.
"Oh, Lemillion," Power Loader regarded him with a calm tone, almost thankful. "You needed to give something to one of my students?"
He only nodded, before sticking his thumb out to Hatsume's designated area. Power Loader blinked, almost confused as to why anyone would willingly head towards an actual minefield, before shaking his head, exasperated. After all, it wasn't like the Big 3 of U.A. were the big three because they were ordinary people with a predictable mindset.
The Support Department teacher watched him walk off for a few moments, before clicking his tongue and looking back at the first-years, "So, what do you need? Got some gear to request?"
Iida nodded, pain building agonizingly quickly in his throat, "Y-Yes…I wanted to see if the…auto balancers were still available." Ah, one of those machines that Hatsume forced onto him.
"Goddamn it," Todoroki cursed, ready to pull his hair out at his naivety. "We should've accounted for the fact that the teachers are against us, too!"
Iida blanched, only nodding. He should've realized the unusually joyful tone in Power Loader's voice when he spoke to them, but no, he didn't.
"I'll mark it down, you'll be next. Need Hatsume in particular, or are you fine with someone else?"
Their voices caught, seeing Hatsume barrel out of her little section where not even God dared to venture.
With Midoriya right in tow, somehow out of breath. Midoriya Izuku, who'd trained every single day for probably the past year excluding days he was in the hospital, was out of breath before Hatsume Mei was.
He wondered where the hell she got all of that energy from.
"Someone say my name?!" Hatsume brightly grinned, an excited glint in her eye as she finally registered that there were actual people behind the voices that'd called her. "CEO of Hatsume Industries, at your service!" She pulled out three business cards from somewhere that they couldn't even begin to comprehend, presenting them to the shocked students in front of her.
Uraraka opened her mouth to speak, before Lemillion called out again, just as positive as before as he caught up to them, "Wait, Hatsume! Midoriya! I still have to hand you this!" He waved two tickets in the air, catching up to the two of them, his simple face somehow not properly relaying his true intentions to the rest of them.
"Huh?" Midoriya blinked, reaching out for one of the tickets, peeking at it curiously. "What's this?"
Mirio whistled, looking Iida, Uraraka, and Todoroki straight in the eyes as he declared, "I got myself three tickets to the next HeroCon! And it just so happens that Hado and Tamaki are both unavailable for it." If Midoriya or Hatsume caught on to the fact that he probably didn't even tell them about it, they didn't make it clear. "So…would you two like these extra tickets?"
Their eyes lit up, glancing at each other. HeroCon, goddamn it! It was perfect for the two of them! Not only would you be able to see a ton of hero merch and be able to collect more rare items like Izuku would intend, but you'd also be able to see historic Support Gear from throughout the years, used by past legendary heroes! It was amazing for both Izuku and Hatsume!
And hell for Uraraka, Iida, and honestly even the devil himself.
He went on to keep explaining, "HeroCon's coming up pretty soon, so if you want these tickets, you two would have to go together." He huffed dramatically, clearly enjoying how the Deku Club members other than Hatsume were attempting to force their way into the conversation. "It's a bit of a hassle to keep up with both schoolwork and my own training, you know? Add in trying to find someone to take these off my hands, and you got–"
"We'll take it!" Midoriya interrupted, snatching the tickets right out of his upperclassman's hand, before sliding one over to Hatsume! "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, you got these! I've been looking everywhere for a ticket! How did you even get it?!"
[Note: Being someone that even the top heroes have their eyes on as a rival tends to get you some connections.]
"Ah, don't worry about it," Mirio shrugged offhandedly, the same dopey look on his face as he easily shrugged off the murderous glares he was receiving. "Just make sure you stay safe, mhm?"
Hatsume furrowed her eyebrows. Everything was going a little too well, and while she was glad for it, there had to be some sort of catch, right? "Are you…gonna be coming with us, or something?"
"Nah, nah," Mirio wholeheartedly laughed, patting Izuku firmly on the back. "Just make sure you two have fun together, okay?!"
Izuku and Hatsume looked at each other for a moment, pure, unmonitored joy leaking into their expressions, before they high-fived much to the horror of the spectators nearby, and shared a quick "Awesome!" before getting back to work.
Iida, Todoroki, and Uraraka all gawked, looking at the leader of the Big 3 like he'd just committed a heinous act that violated the Geneva Convention. Todoroki, in particular, grit his teeth, left side ready to spurt flames even though he knew that Mirio could just phase through it unharmed.
But he was prepared for that, too.
He patted the backs of Iida and Todoroki, before ruffling Uraraka's hair a little bit, and leaned down just a tad closer to them to whisper, "Midoriya and Hatsume make a good couple, don't you think?"
He didn't wait for their answer, only walking away from them with a parting message, "Personally…? I think they're a match made in heaven."
Defeat Mirio and Mei!
"The fact that she's got his support?" Iida hissed out, memories of Mirio's unusually powerful punch coming back to him. "Preposterous!"
A constant string of curses slipped from Bakugo's mouth, spilling out with more negative impacts on the environment than the BP oil spill in 2010.
However, before the debate could go even a moment longer, he was interrupted by an obnoxiously loud noise, "Good morning, guys!"
The cheerful, chirping voice that'd terrorized them this past week caught their attention, and they turned their heads to see the smug look on Uraraka's face yet again.
Their moods instantly soured. The 1st Place Holder in the Deku Club, Uraraka Ochako, had oh-so graciously chosen to grace them with her lovely, Deku-wooing presence.
Bakugo instantly scowled, "The fuck are you doing here…" He quickly shifted his head away, nose tilted downwards in disgust.
Of course, it was a stupid question, considering how the twenty of them literally lived together at this point.
"Well, Deku, Kirishima, Tsu-chan and I just had the most wonderful sleepover last night!" Uraraka hummed contentedly, a pep in her step as she practically skipped down the stairs. "And guess what? Deku-kun's such a cute sleeper! He fell asleep on my shoulder, too!"
Had the words come from anyone but her, they would've appreciated the selfie that she took of the two of them, even if it was in poor lighting. Hell, the picture could've come from fucking Setsuna or even Tsuyu, but from Uraraka?
It just felt so much more vile.
She put one of her fingers on her thumb before speaking in the fakest pondering tone that anyone could ever hope to muster, "But he said he had to wake up early today, so he asked the three of us to leave…said he had to do something…do you guys know anything about that?"
Those in the meeting seemed taken aback; Deku had organized something and it'd eluded all their sources of information? How? They'd even borrowed hidden cameras from Nezu to set up literally all around campus!
So, what were they missing?
Frantic knocking came at the door. Impatient rapping, followed by a second of silence, before another fit of passionate knocking.
"Hold on!" Kaminari called out, lips curled into a frown. Who the hell was trying to do this at this time of day? He rolled his eyes before nodding to his classmates as he got up to open the door.
"Sorry, I'm getting impatient!"
Those were the last four words Kaminari heard before he was forcibly removed from the land of the living.
BOOM!
A massive explosion erupted from the door, sending Kaminari flying back into the common room at Mach 4. The hole that was ripped in the door building was certainly not going to be great with the taxpayers who'd have to rebuild that. After all, rebuilding all the crap that heroes and villains destroyed already increased taxes by 75% in the past ten years (no wonder there were villains with a goddamn scam like that. Maybe All for One had a bit of logic behind his plans.).
"Where's Izuku?!" Hatsume Mei's booming voice rolled through the entire dorm building, and a shiver went down their spines similar to how Kaminari's spine was just broken in seven different places.
Oh.
They realized then and there that the information hadn't eluded them.
It'd just horrified them enough that they blocked it from their memory, unable to withstand the emotional pain it brought.
"E-Eh?!" Izuku's frantic voice came from upstairs. "I-I'm coming!" He bolted downstairs, though his natural instinct of anti-self-preservation eventually led to him falling down every single stair that existed in U.A.
But there he was, dressed up in clothing that didn't involve his daily exercise or other normal hero-related things. He just…existed, wearing casual clothes with his…less than ideal fashion sense. A T-shirt with the word 'pants' on it, poorly covered up by a jacket that looked like a college student who was simultaneously going through a mid-life crisis. Cargo shorts. White socks that went way too high up. Every clothing sin under the sun, almost combined to make the ugliest outfit ever.
Yet on Deku, he looked oddly…sexy to them.
[This applied to any outfit he would ever wear.]
"You ready?!" She slung him up excitedly, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and pulling him way too close for the Deku Club's comfort. "I can't believe that Emoji-face gave us two tickets, you know!"
Deku, to their horror, nodded just as energetically, as if unaware of how close the two of them were. "Mhm! I've been waiting for this for forever!"
"Then let's get to our date!" Hatsume declared, and even though Izuku's face burst into the brightest of reds possible, it was the most terrifying thing in the Deku Club's entire history to see Izuku meekly nod, as if aware of the fact that he was going out on a date with Hatsume Mei.
A romantic excursion involving love.
And not just aware, he was accepting of the fact that he was going out on a DATE with someone who wasn't them!
As Hatsume dragged Izuku out of the dorm building at the speed of light, Uraraka's smug smile was wiped off her face, her eyes turning blank like Shinsou had just brainwashed her.
Deku Club Ranking (Overall) Updates:
Uraraka Ochako: 1st → 2nd
Hatsume Mei: 2nd → 1st
The next sentence that Uraraka uttered was one that they could all agree on.
"I'm going to fucking kill her."
Final Decision of Meeting 48 (Retrieval): Worry no longer about Uraraka! Focus solely on Hatsume Mei!
Small Aftermath Event:
Bakugo'd never specialized in stealth missions. He was a much more…gung ho sort of person, the type to explode onto the scene and blast away all his problems.
Yet, here he stood in the shadows, guided by someone not much stealthier in the form of Kaminari and Ashido, having decided to take matters into their own hands and find a way to destroy Hatsume in a way that Midoriya would reduce the time he spent with her.
Goddamn stupid crosshairs… Bakugo furry-growled quietly, seeing the way she so easily touched his Izuku's body like it was nothing, clearly enjoying the way he squeaked at some of her touches. How she so casually pressed up against his body, and despite his earlier squeaks, he was clearly more comfortable with her incredibly close contact than before.
How many times has she done that…? Ashido wondered, gritting her teeth at how close they were together.
And he smiled, still maintaining conversation with her.
Oh, in ANY other situation, they'd feel blessed to be graced with his beautiful smile that could probably turn Shigaraki to the side of heroes, but right now?
They were feeling nothing except pure, boiling jealousy within their hearts.
"Oh, so you want something that can act as a sort of silencer, right? So you can voice your thoughts out loud and make a plan without villains hearing it?" Mei chirped, already feeling the inventor within her bubble energetically. As Izuku flashed her another smile, she could only feel her motivation go even higher.
"Mhm!" He excitedly responded, with just as much vigor. After all, with all the data that he could supply her with even outside of official matches, it opened up a whole new world of possibilities for the two of them to explore. What Izuku could and couldn't do, what sort of output the gear needed to be able to handle, the materials that he could hypothesize to be ideal, and so much more. It was like the two of them were in a candy shop, Izuku for the fact that he could probably get anything he wanted and Hatsume for the fact that she was able to access literally all the information she needed instead of needing to create hypothetical situations to account for. She could make the perfect gear for him, and she'd do it in a heartbeat.
The three stalkers investigators could only watch in abject horror as they witnessed Hatsume and Izuku joyfully slave over the blueprints that the two of them had begun to draw up, the way that their shoulders were so close to each other and neither of them could bat an eye at the occasional contact. They knew that, if it had been any of them, Izuku would barely be able to focus on the project because of the contact, but with Mei?
It was like second nature for him at this point.
Their blood boiled when she slung her arm over Izuku's shoulder, pulling him closer to her as her fingers, poking out of her fingerless gloves, tapped rhythmically across his toned tricep.
Their fists clenched when she grabbed his forearm with ease, before leading it over to a particular drawing on the paper.
Their eyes saw red the moment that Izuku scooted closer, paying no mind to the lack of distance between them.
And their minds snapped when Mei spoke again.
"Now, let's make some babies together!" She hummed contently, dragging an Izuku who, for some forsaken reason, didn't seem against making babies with Mei.
"Okay!" Midoriya nodded, stars in his eyes as he followed Mei with a glint in his eye.
…
"WHAT?!" Bakugo's voice boomed, clearly unwilling to continue the stealth mission as he took off, chasing towards the soon-to-be baby-making pair.
Now, if only Ashido and Kaminari were willing to still be stealthy instead of chasing after the two with the exact same rage.
