Two weeks. Everyone had two weeks to prepare for the Sports Festival.

Mizuha glanced at her phone for the fifth time. It was already 1:55 AM.

She made a deep sigh before shutting off her laptop. The stress and anxiety was the only thing she felt for the past hour.

Sitting next to her laptop was a notebook opened at a new page that was tilted 'Emergency Schools'.

She was researching on three different schools that provided Hero Courses. It was just in case Aizawa-sensei really did plan on expelling her from U.A.

So far, Isamu Academy High School, Ketsubutsu Academy High School and Shiketsu High School were the only ones that appealed to her. Especially the last two schools.

Even if she couldn't go to any of the better schools for Hero Courses, as long as she got into another one after getting expelled was better than nothing. Just because a school wasn't as renowned as U.A does not make someone less better than someone who graduated from U.A. It was like saying private school students were smarter than public schools students.

Mizuha got up from her desk chair and decided to retire for the day (which was already the next the day).

I have to do my absolute best at in the Sports Festival. I don't know if I can get my Quirk to work normally. I'd need to have the devil's own luck in order to achieve that. There's no way they would immediately refuse promising looking student.

With the permission of the school, Mizuha entered USJ. To start off with her two week training, she decided to work on her Quirk. She went inside the hottest simulation zone in the facility; Conflagration Zone.

Ectoplasm was the one who gave her permission in such a dangerous zone.

...

...

...

"May I know why you chose the Conflagration Zone out of all the other zones?"

"Hmm? Oh... well... I have an Ice Quirk..." She half-lied, which was probably useless since she knew that the teachers were well aware of their students' Quirks. "I could get cold... I need a place that would mend that drawback. If I'm surrounded by constant flames then that should warm up my body in no time."

"... Clever, but dangerous. Perhaps I shall watch over your training from afar in case something goes wrong."

She was surprised that they were willing to watch her.

Mizuha nodded, "... Alright." As much as she didn't like the idea of being observed while training, it was obviously better than nothing.

...

...

...

Mizuha stepped inside the zone and immediately scowled. Heat. Everywhere.

They were able to crank down the flames a little so that she wouldn't be in too much danger. She didn't know how they made it possible for the flames to not spread but it was impressive. She was dressed in her own gym clothes since she didn't want to have to pay for a new set if her U.A gym clothes got burned.

Mizuha stood in the middle of zone and breathed in deeply. She extended her arms out and started visualizing what she wanted to emit. It started with a simple picture of water flowing in a circle then slowly into sphere. Despite not being able to use her liquid form, picturing water was still necessary since her solid form came from liquid.

The water then shaped into a rectangular form.

Mizuha slammed her hands down on the concrete. A similar manifestation of what she imagined rose up.

The process of creating large ice structures was repetitive.

Then, she felt it. The numbness in her arms from the cold. She was getting frostbite now. Her arms were showing layers of frost on them as they trembled. Mizuha cursed under her breath.

Todoroki was lucky to have a way to keep warm when using ice. Mizuha bit her lip as the memory of Todoroki's abilities with ice flooded her mind. Envy. That's what she felt now. No doubt it got her fired up.

I need to keep going over my limit... I need be able to create big moves and not let it take a toll on me.

It was cycle of getting frostbite and getting warm.

"You've finished training already?"

Mizuha nodded weakly, "Yes sir."

Ectoplasm examined his student. It was obvious enough that she looked drained, but still looked like she could continue. She was looking a little paler than when she first entered the Simulation Zone.

Surprisingly, her teacher actually poked one of his arms out of his trench coat. Mizuha's stared at his arm like as if it was an alien. She was aware that he had lost his legs in the line of duty but she knew he still retained arms. It was just weird to see his arm since he never flopped it out of that tan coat of his.

He took hold of her right forearm. Mizuha was pleased at the sudden warmth that flowed into her arm. She resisted the urge to smile.

"As I thought, a slight frostbite." He stated before releasing her arm and retreated his own inside of his coat.

She wanted to protest but she held back when she realized how weird it would have been to ask a teacher to 'keep his hand on her'.

Mizuha frowned, "I had the fire to warm me up." She tried to argue.

"Keep in mind that fire won't immediately warm you up."

Her math teacher turned around and started walking towards the exit of USJ, Mizuha understood that as her cue to follow him.

"While I do wish the best from all of my students, I do not wish for them to damage themselves before their Hero career has even begun."

The student's eyes widened. She then lowered her head as if she just had been scolded, "... Sorry, sensei."

They started walking up the stairs, "I see how hard you're training for the Sports Festival. It's commendable." The Hero praised, "However, keep in mind that if you go overboard then you won't be able to perform well during the event." He warned.

"Yes sir."

Well, we can't have that, can we? I don't really wanna ruin any of my chances. Note to self, do not rush to improve.

She continued to train in the Conflagration Zone under a teacher's surveillance. Sniper and Midnight had been the only other teachers to actually watch her train so far. Sniper actually came inside with her to make extra sure she would be safe. He even dropped a few suggestions here and there. They knew about her kind of training thanks to Ectoplasm. Mizuha always worked very hard; it was seen in her school studies that she did her best. Hero type studies was not going to be an exception.

However, she wasn't so foolish to damage herself. Ectoplasm's words were engraved into her mind.

She ran every day during the evening. She preferred working on her endurance before showering. She wasn't a fan of showering in the morning.

She valued the time she had access to when it came to preparing for the Sports Festival. Mizuha did everything she could do increase that time. Byakuren started feeling concerned when she started skipping out on lunch. Mizuha tried to convince him that she was fine. It wasn't really effective since he knew how she was during important periods.

The bell rang and lunch time started.

Mizuha put away her books. She felt her stomach growl but she paid no attention to it. Her goal was stronger than her hunger at this point. Time was too valuable. She'd just eat something small during the break or before class starts again after lunch if time would allow it. Her mind already wandered off to her training that she tuned out everything as she gathered her things.

She never considered that someone would stop her until she felt two pairs of hands fall on both sides of her desk. The girl was caught off guard that she jolted in her seat when she looked up. She found Byakuren and Kirishima staring down at her with concerned faces.

"What?" She spat rudely towards Byakuren, she made sure it was for him by looking straight at him. "I have to go right now."

Her hand reached for her bag and almost got to it if not for Kirishima had taken it from her. The girl blinked. He was holding it behind his back. Mizuha held herself back before she could bark at him like she did at Byakuren.

"Guys, I really need to go." Mizuha sighed exasperatedly. Her clothes were in that bag.

They didn't listen to her when she told him that she needed to leave. Byakuren refused to let her out of her sight this time. Kirishima helped him bring Mizuha to the cafeteria. He was usually lenient on her bad habits but skipping lunch to go off training was not one he was willing to look the other way for. Byakuren had picked up on her habits when it came to studying for big exams during Middle School. She would sit with him and eat her waffles under a minute before rushing to the library to study not really bothering to care if Byakuren followed her or not. She would get too absorbed with the thought of studying. Sometimes she would just go straight to the library and neglect her lunch completely.

She was doing the same thing for the Sports Festival.

He would let it slide knowing she ate breakfast in the morning but this time he couldn't. The only difference was that she was training while she was hungry; it was different from studying. He was concerned that she was going to pass out in the hallway or something if she kept it up.

Kirishima was filled in on her habits and agreed that she should be eating no matter what.

Mizuha reluctantly sat in her chair at their usual table with a scowl on her face. She wasn't pleased.

Byakuren shared some of his food with her without her 'ok'. Mizuha paused mid bite and lowered her hand at the unwelcomed addition in her container.

"I'm not eating that. I'm eating my waffles and then I'm leaving." She huffed.

Kirishima bumped her on the side lightly with his elbow, "Come on, a little more won't hurt."

Mizuha puffed her cheeks out in a childish manner when she saw Kirishima give her another one of his boyish grins. It was so unfair.

He's a nice guy. Damn it, I find it so hard to refuse... This is so not fair.

"If I eat this... can I leave?"

Kirishima nodded, "We just don't want you passing out during class." He said with a worried look. He told her that some of their classmates spotted her leaving USJ a couple of times and that she looked pretty drained every time she did.

Mizuha didn't even see any of her classmates. But now that she thought about it, she was kind of absorbed in her training. She probably couldn't even notice them when she walked past them. What surprised her was the fact that they were discussing about her state. She didn't think they'd concern themselves with her by the way she distanced herself.

Mizuha sighed heavily. Without a word, she started eating her food.

"Midoriya, Hyoumei." Aizawa called.

Both students looked up from their desks.

Homeroom was done. It was currently recess.

Aizawa called them over to the front desk. Once they stood side by side in front of him, he pointed at the two boxes filled with school material. Mizuha took a peek inside and just saw a bunch of neatly tucked papers inside. He needed the boxes delivered to the teachers' office.

She scowled. There goes her plans to sleep through the next ten minutes of recess. Mizuha was hoping to get some energy back since she was feeling more tired than usual. In fact, she was feeling extremely drained.

The walk to the teachers' office was quiet.

Mizuha didn't bother trying to talk to Midoriya. She didn't know anything about him but the obvious. He was childhood friends with Bakugo. He had a Quirk that always had a repercussion on his body. He was hero fanboy. He was friends with Uraraka and Iida. And she was pretty sure he was friends with Byakuren considering how that guy talked with his classmates a lot.

"Um, Hyoumei-san?"

Mizuha blinked and she was brought back to reality. Why was his voice behind her? Wasn't he walking in front of her?

She looked back and saw her green haired classmate staring at her with a confused look. He was standing in front of the teachers' office.

"The teachers office is here."

"... Oh."

Well, now she just looked stupid.

They both entered the office and was told to set down the boxes in the corner by Midnight. Mizuha spotted her uncle sleeping on his desk, legs propped up and chair pushed back as he sat with his arms crossed over his chest. He also had a random magazine on his face. Oh, how she envied his peaceful slumber.

The platinum haired student huffed in annoyance before turning around her heel and exiting the office. She didn't bother waiting for Midoriya to catch up with her. If she could return to class now then she probably could catch some sleep before recess was over. She was sure she heard Midoriya call her name, but she didn't stop to wait for him.

When she walked in the hallway, she noticed three boys from afar that were blocking her way. They were standing in the middle of the hallway, hogging all the space.

Move!

Mizuha rolled her eyes and walked to the right.

The boy on the right noticed her approaching and simply watched her get closer.

She kept a straight face and tried to not let it bother her. God knows what kind of curses was going through her head when she felt uncomfortable under that boy's stare.

Suddenly, the boy stuck his foot out in front of her feet.

Mizuha's eyes widened as she stumbled over his foot. Thankfully, she was able to prevent herself from falling flat on her face.

She heard the boy and his two friends laughing at her. Mizuha was sure that the other students around witnessed the little incident.

"Hyoumei-san! Are you okay?" She heard Midoriya asked with concern laced in his voice.

Don't screw with me, asshole!

"I'm fine Midoriya..." Mizuha growled. She turned around and kicked the boy behind his knees with her right leg. He fell down and found himself on his knees. That definitely shut them up because now they were just staring at her with shock written all over their faces. She supposed that acted against their expectations.

She didn't know if they thought messing with other students was fun or because they knew she was from Class 1-A.

Mizuha leered at him.

"Next time, I'll kick you somewhere else." She threatened before pushing him on his side with her foot.

—RING!

Mizuha groaned.

A week had gone by.

Mizuha changed her eating habits, which surprised both Kirishima and Byakuren. If what Kirishima was saying was true, then she needed to take care of herself better so that she wouldn't look so drained. Byakuren appreciated how she was now 'acting human' as he liked to call it.

Her efforts were bearing fruit. Her stamina had certainly improved. The toll on her body when her Quirk activated was lessened. But Mizuha was starting to feel the pressure more than ever. Her high school career was at stake. Mizuha was beginning to believe she couldn't stay in U.A after all.

Mizuha looked at her hands.

... And I'm comfortable this way...

She felt confident in her Quirk. She was confident in her current abilities.

"Hyoumei. Your case is very rare. How should I put it... It's like as if you had stage fright." The little old lady then tapped her temple with her finger. "I'm no psychologist, but I think it has something to do with suddenly lost confidence in your abilities."

After going through a long week of hard training, she wondered if there was really any point in fixing her Quirk. After all, she was doing great with her ice.

I'm fine. Things are fine as they are, right?

She didn't want to leave this comfortable nest.

Kirishima watched his classmates spar in front of him.

It was Kyouran who suggested that they should have a sparring session. It was a good idea since it was certainly possible that they could be facing off against other students in the Sports Festival in combat. Kirishima was quick to agree to his suggestion while Hyoumei took some time in agreeing with them.

Hyoumei and Kyouran were at it in front of him.

Kyouran stepped back just in time to avoid her right fist. He then swooped down and knocked his leg against her feet causing her to fall down.

Hyoumei landed on her side with a groan.

The white haired boy grinned and stood up straight, "Alright, let's take a break!" He said while panting. He walked over to the fallen girl and held out a hand for her. She merely stared at it with a scowl and sat on her knees.

Sensing her refusal to his kind gesture, Kyouran shrugged and left her there.

Kyouran searched for his water bottle but noticed it wasn't there. He quickly told them he'd be back once he realized he had forgotten it in his bag. He instantly sped off towards the nearest entrance to go back inside and get it.

Kirishima looked away from his retreating form and with a small chuckle. The sounds of shoes brushing against ground made him return his attention in front of him. Hyoumei was brushing the back of her rear with an unhappy expression. She must be a little sour from her loss.

He reached down to grab her water bottle and then held it out in front of him. "Here." He offered.

Hyoumei looked up and stared at it for a few seconds. She didn't register what he was doing right away until he gesticulated his hand. She rubbed the back of her neck and thanked him. She carefully took it from his hand and drank from her bottle without delay.

When she lowered the bottle away from her mouth and closed it, she saw Kirishima lift up his hand as if he was offering to take it off her hands too. Hyoumei awkwardly thanked him once more.

He merely smiled at her.

As Kirishima set down her bottle back on the ground, he remembered Kyouran's words.

"Yeah. She's totally different. She's really holding back. Mizuha only acts like this because she's pretty shy around new people. It's like a mask. I mean she is brave and you're also right about the caring part. Trust me, I've known her longer than you."

The red head glanced at her as he pulled himself back up. She wasn't looking at him at all. She was staring blankly into the distance.

The red head leaned away from the table and had a conflicted look on his face, "... Well, now that you told me this... I think I need to see that for myself."

Byakuren leaned back in his seat with a soft smile, "Well, just know that if you finally get to know her this way... it's not a bad thing."

"Why is that?"

"Because once you get past that second layer, you can see that genuine part of her that you call a nice girl."

Kirishima's lips curved, "Hyoumei."

Hyoumei turned her head and looked at him. She didn't answer him with words but with her stare.

"How's your training going for the Sports Festival?" He asked hoping to strike an on going conversation with her. The simplest topics could branch off into better ones; that's how friendships develop.

"Um... it's going fine. I've been training everyday non-stop." She replied.

He was aware of that. Kirishima didn't want to tell her because he feared he might creep her out but he was actually aware of what she was doing in order to improve her Quirk. He actually followed her out of curiosity. He couldn't help it! At first, he found it odd that Kishokei was following her to the Conflagration Zone in USJ. The math teacher called him over and asked him what he was doing sneaking around. Kirishima answered him sheepishly and honestly.

Then he found out what she was doing, her training that susceptible to frostbite. That's why she was under surveillance when she trained.

Kirishima noticed her expression when she activated her Quirk. Every creation of ice was gazed upon by Hyoumei. Then her expression would twist in an unsatisfied manner, as if what she made wasn't impressive at all.

It also seemed like she was aiming high.

"Are you planning on winning the Sports Festival?" he asked curiously, tipping his head lightly.

Mizuha didn't answer. It shouldn't matter if she told him the truth. Now that the Sports Festival was approaching, she was beginning to inwardly admit to herself that she didn't have much faith in herself to begin with. She probably gave up on the possibility of reaching Aizawa's expectations; it just took a while to realize it. Now, she was truly leaning towards the having better luck at another school.

With a defeated sigh, Mizuha took a seat next to Kirishima, sitting criss cross with her right elbow on her right knee to prop up her head. "I might be changing schools."

Kirishima blinked. Did he hear that right? That was not an answer he was expecting. He quickly sat down next to her, "What? Why?"

Mizuha casually picked up a small rock with her index and thumb, and started rolling it around in the palm of her hand. "Aizawa-sensei told me I needed to show him something with my Quirk." she lightly tossed the rock up and caught it. "But I don't think I can show him what he wants. It's... impossible."

"He's asking you to do something that you can't do? How does that make sense?"

"It makes perfect sense because I used to be able to do it before." she stopped rolling the rock. "Apparently, I was told that it had to do with my lack of confidence in my abilities. That's what Recovery Girl told me."

Mizuha tossed the rock in front of her and boringly watched it fall.

"... Was there any way we could have helped you? Why didn't you ask us for help?" he frowned.

"Huh?" Mizuha glanced at him.

"If you can't do it by yourself then maybe you need someone to help you."

"It's too late for that. I'm out of time." she lowered her gaze. "Plus, I don't want to bother anyone with my problems, especially Byakuren. I rely too much on him. Besides, I'm used to dealing things on my own."

"It's not a problem if people are willing to help." Kirishima argued and leaned closer to her. She reflexively leaned away in surprise. "There's nothing wrong in needing help and relying on others! In fact, asking for help can be pretty manly!" He grinned.

Mizuha sweat dropped, I'm a girl though...

"But seriously, it's not too late to ask for help." He said with a more serious look.

He considered her to be his friend, and knowing that his friend was in a pinch like this, he really wanted to lend his help if he could. He didn't want her to change school. But she didn't want help.

Mizuha shook her head once again, "It's fine. I'm just hoping that my performance at the Sports Festival might help with my registration to a new school if I need it." She said with a shrug with her eyes fixed on the small rock.

Kirishima furrowed his eyebrows, She's already given up?

"I'M BACK!"

Mizuha and Kirishima instantly looked at Byakuren who was running towards them and waving his water bottle in front of him.

Mizuha exhaled heavily before standing up, "Took you long enough." She spat with a sour tone like as though their conversation didn't happen.

The only response she got was Byakuren tossing over his water bottle to her when he got a little closer. She caught it effortlessly then purposely dropped it on the ground without a second thought.

Mizuha arched a brow. She tossed his bottle on the ground.

"Gahh! Mizuuhaa!"

"Don't throw stuff at me." She spoke casually before feebly nudging the bottle and letting it roll away to the side. Byakuren made several attempts to try and retrieve his bottle as it kept rolling away from his finger tips. He nearly tripped over his feet.

Sorry for the lack of update! I had a serious case of writer's block, specifically for that last part of this chapter...