Chapter 2: To Help Those Around Us (Ep. 5-8)

Despite popular opinion, Hitoshi will become a hero.

He just needed to survive junior high first.

For someone like Hitoshi — someone in the system, someone with a dangerous quirk, someone completely alone in the world— a school like Kunugigaoka was out of the question. A school of that prestige didn't take students like him; tuition alone was a non-starter. That didn't stop Hitoshi from applying. Kunugigaoka sent multiple students to U.A. every year, and he would need to be stupid to not recognize that. The inevitable rejection didn't matter anyway; rejection was practically a main theme of his life at this point. He wouldn't get anywhere if he didn't try though, so he sent in his application. A month later, a letter of acceptance came paired with a full-ride scholarship, and Hitoshi was convinced the world was ending. (Turned out he was a little preemptive with that premonition.) It made absolutely no sense, but Hitoshi wasn't going to turn his back on his first (and likely last) big break. He accepted in a heartbeat. Not only did this increase his odds of getting into U.A. exponentially, but Kunugigaoka was a fairly good distance away from his old foster home. No one would know who he was, and he could spend his junior high days flying completely under the radar.

For the first two years, it worked perfectly. He kept his grades decent enough to satisfy his teachers and kept his head low among his classmates. He never used his quirk unless during private evaluations, and he didn't make any friends. Everything went according to plan.

But then Seo Tomoya happened.

Looking back, his first mistake was using his quirk on one of the Five Virtuosos, especially the one who was also the Student Assembly Chairman. But if given the chance to do it all over again, Hitoshi wouldn't change a thing. Even if it started his life falling apart, it also marked the day he finally felt like a hero.

Hitoshi stayed after school one day to get extra studying in when he came across Seo openly harassing another girl, using his 'brick' quirk to create a legitimate brick wall with his body to corner her in. Even from his poor vantage point, Hitoshi saw the way she cowered, pressing into the lockers like she hoped to melt into them. Disgust and fear morphed her face, lips curled but trembling. Any time she tried to stand up to Seo, he just pressed in closer, invading her space and safety with a grin on his face. Like he thought this was all a fun game. Hitoshi found himself at a crossroads. He could keep up his charade, duck his head and walk away like he never saw a thing. Or he could step up and use his abilities for good, all while risking being seen as the villain they always said he would be.

"When danger arises, inaction to protect is no greater than action to harm," his mother used to say, always the poetic one in the family. Personally, Hitoshi preferred the blunt approach. Got that from his father.

"So embarrassing," he said, scratching the back of his neck. Optimistically (naively), he hoped his presence would be enough to scare the pervert off.

Seo grunted, struggling to crane his head over his blocky shoulder. "Fuck off! School's over, get out!"

"One of the most praised people in school, and you can't even get a girl to talk to you without trapping her. Pathetic."

Seo sneered, his skin flushed a disturbing purple. He spun on Hitoshi, coming centimeters from hitting the girl with his brick wall body. She yelped and cringed, pressed flushed to the lockers. "I SAID-"

The malice vanished, words left frozen in the air. A familiar cloudy daze filled Seo's eyes, his expression dumb and empty.

Really, what choice did Hitoshi have? Seo could've seriously hurt the girl if he wasn't careful with his quirk, and he clearly wasn't backing down.

The girl lifted her head, swiveling between Seo and Hitoshi, but she didn't move more than that. Despite her attacker being subdued, the glistening fear in her eyes didn't disappear. Staring at Hitoshi, it only exasperated, nearly boiling over into tears. Her conclusion was clear. While the first threat was gone, the real villain just showed up.

"Are you alright?" he asked, trying to sound comforting. The girl whimpered and flinched, and Hitoshi sighed. "I…you can go, okay? You're safe."

Her slow steps backward said she still didn't trust him, and once she felt she put enough distance between her and Hitoshi, she turned tail and sprinted out of the school. Hitoshi rubbed his face, pressing his palms into his eyes, before grabbing his bag and walking away. Once he was out the door, he released the strings on Seo. The backlash was inevitable, but he could delay it for a moment.

Sure enough, the next day, he was called into the office. Seo was there, telling some elaborate story about how Shinsou attacked him for no reason and made him do whatever he wanted, including his homework. No matter how much Hitoshi tried to argue otherwise, he left the office with a notice to transfer to E-class that day, and a three day-suspension effective the following week.

-.-.-.-

When Yukimura-sensei asked him to introduce himself and state his dream, Hitoshi got straight to the point. "My name is Shinsou Hitoshi. I'm wrongfully being given a suspension starting next week, so our current time together will be brief. And I'm going to become a hero."

He bowed and his classmates echoed the standard welcome phrase. A boy with a lion mane muttered, "Good luck with that dream. No way you're getting into some fancy hero academy with E-class on your transcripts."

"Terasaka-kun! Be nice!" Yukimura-sensei scolded. "Forgive him, Shinsou. I'm sure you'll achieve your dream. Now, why don't you take that seat by the window?"

Hitoshi honestly didn't care Terasaka didn't think he couldn't achieve U.A. because of E-class. It was better than being told it was because he was a villain.

-.-.-.-

When he got back to E-class, there was a little green shrubbery sitting at the desk in front of him.

The boy was obviously a constant nervous mess, and Hitoshi's shining personality hardly helped. When the poor kid tried to introduce himself, Hitoshi's instinctive response, the one he's trained for the past two years kicked in first. I don't care. And it's true, he didn't care — he didn't care about his stupid plan to stay invisible and make no friends and care about no one but himself because he already fucked it all up. Terasaka was right; things didn't get worse the 3-E, so what was the point? He's at the bottom, but maybe, just maybe, he didn't have to be so alone down here.

So of course he ruined everything by brainwashing the kid during their first conversation. It was so stupid of him, but the boy seemed so anxious, anxious because of Hitoshi and is inept social skills (it's been years since he tried to make a joke, obviously it wouldn't go over well!) and Hitoshi didn't want to send him spiraling into an anxiety attack, so Hitoshi panicked and brainwashed the kid and…it definitely wasn't his brightest moment. He thought his situation couldn't get worse, and the universe took that as a challenge, apparently.

But then the kid did something no one has ever done before — he thanked Hitoshi. Thanked him, like he actually appreciated being forcibly brought down from an anxiety attack, brain turned numb and body out of his control, left completely to Hitoshi's will and mercy. Not that Hitoshi would ever do something like that, but this kid didn't know that! Yet he thanked Hitoshi and brought him coffee and missed notes the next day as if he was the one who needed to apologize. Hitoshi was dumbstruck.

Midoriya Izuku was a mystery for sure, but there was no doubt about it — he was the best damn person Hitoshi ever met.

-.-.-.-

"Shinsou? Could I ask you something?"

Hitoshi cracked an eye open. He wasn't sleeping — he rarely ever actually was, despite his heart's desires. It was lunchtime, but only Midoriya sat with him. Sugino and Nagisa chose to train instead, and Karma quickly dipped to…actually, Hitoshi had no clue what he was up to.

"Hmm?"

"I was just, uh, wondering- well, I wanted to ask, b-but you don't have to answer if you don't feel comfortable- actually, never mind, forget I said anything!" Midoriya slapped his hands over his mouth, forcing himself silent, though his wild eyes screamed his alarm. Hitoshi sighed, slumping off the tree trunk to stare Midoriya down. Midoriya's eyes twitched, pupils darting side to side, trying to hold Hitoshi's intense gaze but unable to bare it for long.

"Midoriya?"

"Mmph?"

"Just spit it out already."

Hitoshi didn't use his quirk — in fact, he deliberately avoided it — but the floodgates still broke at his command. "I wanted to ask about your quirk!"

Instant regret slapped Hitoshi in the face. He should've just gone back to sleep and taken Midoriya at his word, forgetting he very asked. That's what he would've done in the past, if he even acknowledged the person talking to him in the first place. But he was trying to be better, trying to learn how to be a friend, a good friend (or at least a decent one), so he pushed, and now the question sat out in the open. There's no avoiding it without looking suspicious. Or like an ass.

"…what about it?"

Midoriya wrung his hands, studying the leaves. "I, uh, well. I've just been so curious. You never talk about it — not like that's a problem, I mean, no one talked about quirks until Korosensei's challenge, but, uh…you've used it on me a couple of times, right?"

Hitoshi's instincts screamed to lie, to deny everything and run away from this conversation. To go back to being the class loner that never talked to anyone about anything, especially his quirk. But that wouldn't work anymore, would it? Not with Korosensei breathing down their backs, demanding they use their quirks in their assassination attempts. Besides, Midoriya already knew about his quirk to some extent. He experienced it twice and never ran away, never got angry, never accused Hitoshi of being something he's not. So maybe…

"Yeah. I have," Hitoshi admitted, his voice embarrassingly small. He pulled his knees up to his chest, hugging them close, bracing himself for what came next.

Midoriya nodded, chewing on his lip silently for a moment. "Is it like…a hypnosis quirk? Like Ms. Jelavić? Her Honeypot Trap didn't seem to affect you, so I thought maybe…though it didn't feel like hers…"

"How so?" Even with his heart beating out of his chest, Hitoshi couldn't deny his curiosity.

"It's like- Ms. Jelavić, her quirk is like a shove, pushing you to think she wants. And it can get really overwhelming, making it hard to think of anything else, so it makes you want to do it. But yours, it's like this…this fog filling your brain, making it hard to think at all, but your thoughts are all your own and-and they're the only thing you have. You feel trapped in your head, kind of like, like-"

"You're forced to take backseat while someone else drives?" Hitoshi supplied. That's what his first elementary school teacher said the day she got him expelled for accidental quirk use.

"Yeah! Exactly! It's…really powerful, Shinsou."

"So I've heard." Powerful. Oppressive. Scary. Dangerous. Villainous.

"Do you think I could- that I could, um," Midoriya scrambled for his backpack, rummaging around a bit frantically before pulling out one of his famous notebooks — the ones he wrote all his hero quirk analyses in. This one, however, was titled differently than the rest: Quirk Analysis to Stop Korosensei. He held it up to Hitoshi with pleading eyes.

"You…want to put my quirk in your notebook?"

Midoriya nodded, humming eagerly, and Hitoshi was floored. It seemed like such a dumb, stupid thing, but even if he only knew Midoriya a few weeks, he knew those notebooks meant everything to him. It was no small honor to be featured among the pages. Pages reserved for those fighting to stop a villain — for heroes.

Hitoshi turned to the sky, hoping gravity would negate the burning warmth threatening to pool in his eyes.

"Uh, yeah." He cleared his throat. "Of course." He waited as Midoriya flipped through the pages and readied his favorite pen. "It's called Brainwashing. It's pretty much what it sounds like; I can control anyone's mind, but only if they verbally respond to something I say, and only if I choose to activate it…obviously…"

Midoriya hummed. "How do people break free?"

Hitoshi paused. "I...don't think anyone ever has? Not without me releasing them first, at least. Though I don't really use it that often, so…"

"Hmm," the green-haired boy chewed on the end of his pencil. "I hypothesize there's some kind of mental hierarchy with quirks like yours and Ms. Jelavić. Hers compels you, but yours is absolute, so she has no effect on you — your quirk is stronger, making your mental fortitude stronger. Just like two people with strength-based quirks, or speed. One is destined to be faster or stronger. Though I'd need a larger sample size to be sure…"

The boy muttered insistently, and Hitoshi oddly welcomed it, a wry smirk on his lips.

-.-.-.-

In a wild turn of events, the first to use their quirk to assassinate Korosensei wasn't anyone who volunteered during their first Quirk Training class. Instead, it was the ever-silent Okuda. The pigtailed girl walked right up to their teacher during chemistry holding three different vials and plainly asked him to drink the poisons she created.

"M-My quirk is called Chemical Breakdown. If I focus on something really hard, I can see it on an elemental level, though I get really bad migraines if I look for too long. I made these poisons based on what I believe makes up the anti-sensei matter, as well as common poisons. W-W-Would you mind drinking them?"

It was the worst assassination attempt in the world. Well, maybe not — there were plenty of failed poisonings where the assassin poisoned themselves instead of their target. But still, there's no way Korosensei would actually-

The octopus picked up the vials and tossed them back like a shot of gin. The class waited with bated breath, hoping to see their teacher drop dead. Korosensei's face twisted, his tentacles twitched…and he sprouted horns and wings.

"Excellent attempt, Okuda, though it seems your concoctions were a little off. The delivery could have also been sneakier. Most people won't drink something if you say it's poison. But that's beside the point! I'm so proud of you for embracing your quirk and trying to kill me with it! Hopefully, this will inspire your classmates to do the same!" the tentacle man said, patting the girl on the head. "I can't wait for all of you to try to kill me using your amazing quirks! Remember, I expect everyone to do it before finals!"

-.-.-.-

Because fate hated him, Hitoshi bumped into Seo again at their first assembly back on the main campus. He and Midoriya walked out together, about to head up the mountain when the big-nosed boy cornered them. He wasn't alone either, flagged by his fellow Virtuosos. In the past, Hitoshi would've been intimidated, terrified of the attention. Now, he had nothing to lose.

"Hello, Seo. Seo's bodyguards." He nodded, trying to sound as bored as possible.

Seo crinkled his nose. "Well if it isn't the villainous freak of E-class. I see you're fitting in well there. You're all a bunch full of future dropouts and criminals."

"Pretty rich coming from a guy whose face makes his own mother cry."

Koyama, a nasty-looking boy with clumpy hair and glasses, stepped forward menacingly, baring his crooked teeth. "You better watch your mouth, freak, or we'll show you what happens when E-classers step out of line," he spat. His long hair wiggled and fluttered, yet Hitoshi never felt a breeze.

"Shinsou, stop it," Midoriya said, putting himself in between Hitoshi and the Virtuosos. Despite his trembling frame, he squared his shoulders as he stared them down. "Just let us get back to our class, okay, and then we'll be out of your…hair…" One greasy clump slithered upwards, revealing beady eyes and a diamond-shaped head at the end, a small pink tongue flickering out.

While Hitoshi had nothing to lose standing up to the Virtuosos, Midoriya couldn't say the same. So when a boy with strawberry blond hair and a sadistic smile stepped forward, Hitoshi's heart stuttered. He gripped Midoriya's bicep, tugging, praying he got the signal to go.

"And who might you be?" Asano Gakushu asked. "I don't recall seeing you before…"

Midoriya finally took a step back, but he was too slow, still too close. Frighteningly quick, even for people who spent their days with Korosensei, Asano reached out and brushed his fingers against the smaller boy's arm.

"Oh, I see," Asano said, his eyes glowing an unnatural silver. "I remember my father talking about you. You're Midoriya Izuku, the quirkless transfer that was immediately sent to E-class."

Just as quick, quicker than Hitoshi's brain could process it all, Midoriya wrenched his arm free and took off, bulldozing through the bullies as he beelined for the mountain. Hitoshi watched him go, speechless, useless to protect him from Asano's cruelty. Cruelty Hitoshi knew about spending the past two years at school with him, witnessing him abuse his quirk and status as the principal's son to suppress anyone around him. Cruelty he failed to warn Midoriya about, and now it was too late. He probably hated Hitoshi for it. Who could blame him?

"It's sad, really. He truly was born to be a failure," Asano said. Hitoshi gritted his teeth.

"Shut up," he hissed. Their leader glanced back apathetically.

"You should know better than to use your quirk on us, Shinsou. I doubt the administration will be so forgiving with a second incident." The other Virtuosos laughed, mocking and jeering Hitoshi laughed humorlessly with them, and like magic, they all fell silent. It was all too easy…

"That's funny. It really is," he said. "Because unlike you, I don't need my quirk to make people submit."

With one last scornful look at Asano, he pushed through past the bullies. Maybe, if he found him quick enough, he wouldn't completely lose his first friend in over two years.

-.-.-.-

He found Midoriya in a tree. The little piece of shrubbery nearly blended in with the leaves. Hitoshi wasn't really kidding when he said he looked like a bean stock; part of him assumed it was related to Midoriya's quirk.

"You know what they say about people who assume, Toshi," his father joked once when Hitoshi was only seven.

"No? What do they say?"

"It makes an ass-" His mother whirled around, smacking his father in the back of the head. His father keeled over while his mother smiled sweetly.

"To assume without correction is to purposely paint a wrong impression," she said, compensating for her husband's blunt delivery with words that sang.

"Midoriya? You alive up there?" he called. Only sniffles responded. If that was Hitoshi up there, he'd want everyone to go away and leave him alone. He'd need the privacy, hating how vulnerable crying in front of others made him. But this was Midoriya, and Midoriya was a notorious crybaby. This wasn't any different, right? Except this time he was crying about...

Hitoshi climbed up, settling on the branch next to the smaller boy. They didn't say anything for a while. Hitoshi, despite his quirk, was never much of a talker, relying on others like Midoriya to fill the silence. He pulled out his phone and messed around with it while Midoriya gazed at the sky, silently brooding. For once, the brainwasher missed his friend's mumbling.

"I wasn't trying to lie to you," Midoriya said suddenly. Hitoshi stopped scrolling and glanced up. The boy now resorted to staring at the ground, a light blush on his cheeks. "I wasn't trying to lie to anyone, really. It's just, well…no one asked and I thought maybe I could pretend to fit in for once. I didn't have to be the pathetic quirkless boy everyone treated like glass or like I had some disease."

Hitoshi said nothing. Midoriya wiped away his tears as they started to form.

"Who was I kidding, though? It's not something I could ever really keep a secret. You were bound to find out; if not by that- that jerk, then during Quirk Training. I should just accept it by now...I'm never going to be anything but a quirkless loser. My dream of becoming a hero is a joke."

The brainwasher sighed. His mom was the best at giving him comfort, back when his quirk manifested. What would she say right now? "I don't know what it's like being quirkless. I won't pretend I do. Hell, sometimes I wished I was, and I bet you think that's pretty shit of me to say, but it's the truth." He rubbed the back of his neck, pretending it was the soothing hand of his parents. "I do know what it's like to be treated like shit for though, discriminated against because of a power I didn't ask for. I know how cruel people can be; how quickly they'll turn against you when they find out. I know what it's like to be scared of their reactions and to want so desperately to hide it from this world. Bury this major part of yourself with shame so you don't get buried by their scorn.

"But at the end of the day, what good does that bring? One wrong move and people like us get sent straight to the end — straight to E-class. We're all a bunch of losers here, Jolly Green. So I get it, wanting to keep it secret, but...do you really think being quirkless will make them think less of you?" he stated, finally looking up to meet Midoriya's wide, teary eyes. "Quirk or not, you're still one of the best analysts in the whole class. We all know without you and Nagisa we're never killing Korosensei, and if we don't do that, the world ends, so..."

It felt so lame, leaving it on that note, especially now that Midoriya was openly weeping, tears and snot getting everywhere. Hitoshi grasped Midoriya's shoulder just like his father would do when praising Hitoshi. "You're more than just quirkless to us, Midoriya. And you are going to become a hero. You and me, we're going to prove them all wrong, go to U.A. together, and become the greatest heroes of all time."

-.-.-.-

Midoriya chose to keep quiet about being quirkless a little longer, which Hitoshi respected. It's not like he was racing to announce his quirk either. It takes more than one pep talk to get over years worth of anxiety and bad memories. Being outed to his closest friend by Asano with his omniscience-based quirk definitely didn't make it any better. The best thing either of them could do was tell their classmates 100% on their own terms. Besides, there were bigger things to worry about, like making sure Korosensei didn't quit being their teacher after midterms. The villain declared he would run away, ruining any hope of his assassination and the salvation of their planet, unless all of 3-E placed in the top fifty of their class.

In other words, the world was definitely going to end.

Karasuma was more high-strung than ever during their next Quirk Training. Instead of students volunteering to present their quirks, he wanted them to come up with a class-wide assassination attempt, strategically planned where eight people used their quirk in surprise manners while the others tricked Korosensei into thinking it was a normal class effort attempt.

"It's not confirmed whether he will hold true to his word or not, but we must be prepared in case this is the last week we have to kill him. I want this to be the best plan yet — no holding back," Karasuma explained before sending them off to start strategizing.

"Alright, let's do this, guys," Isogai said, kneeling over a large sketch pad they had set out to brainstorm. "Data Duo, do you have any ideas off the top of your heads?"

Midoriya and Nagisa glanced uneasily at each other. "Well, it is kind of hard considering we only know a handful of everyone's quirks," Nagisa said. "Does anyone have a quirk they feel could be super useful they would like to share?"

Everyone glanced around uncomfortably before Kimura finally raised his hand. "My quirk is called Sticky Feet. Basically, my feet have a natural gravity adhesion so it's practically impossible for me to trip, and I can even run on vertical surfaces for a few seconds. I could attack Korosensei from different angles this way, I guess..."

Nagisa nodded. "Anyone else?"

Hitoshi felt Midoriya's gaze linger on him, but he kept his face stoic. He knew his quirk; it was incredibly useful...until he lost his element of surprise. Once someone knew how it worked, all they needed to do was never respond to him again. He likely only had one real chance with Korosensei, and there was no way he was going to mess it up. His attempt must be perfect. With so many people involved in a plan like this, the margin of error was astronomical.

"Well, my quirk, Snapshot, allows me to freeze the motion of anything in a 30-meter radius for one second," Okajima said like it was a totally normal and casual thing. The class gaped.

"AND YOU HAVEN'T USED IT YET?"

Fuwa shook her head wildly. "Okay, back up. You're saying you have the ability to keep Korosensei from moving, and you didn't feel the need to share this with us? What is wrong with you?"

The boy surrendered his hands as his irritated assassin classmates slowly closed in. "Hey, c'mon now. It's only for one second. And besides, all of you would be frozen too. I'd have to be the one to stab him, and I'm not exactly the fastest person in the world."

"Why not shoot him then? A bullet would move more than fast enough," commented Hayami. Okajima shook his head sorrowfully.

"Doesn't work that way. The moment the bullet leaves the chamber, and I'm technically no longer touching it, then it freezes like everything else. I also have to be careful how much I use it because boy does it wipe me out for days afterward!"

"I bet you could make it stronger though," Midoriya said encouragingly. "I've heard some quirks are like muscles, and you just need to exercise to make them strong. I'm not sure how much you can do in a week...but it doesn't hurt to try! Even just half a second more is a lot of time with Korosensei."

Okajima brightened under the praise, and Maehara patted him on the back. Nagisa nodded, scribbling on his notepad.

"Well, adding the four from last class and you two, we still need of two more volunteers. Anyone else?"

"Hey, I didn't say nothing about helping you posers out," Terasaka snapped. Isogai frowned, exacerbated.

"Now is not the time, Terasaka. This might be our last chance. We need all the manpower we can get."

The lion-boy scoffed. "Then find it in someone else. It's not my fault you losers are too weak. My gang and I are going to take the octopus out on our own, and that's final. Figure it out without us."

The boy stomped away, his three friends trailing after him without objection. Karma sighed dramatically.

"Well, that's one way to lift everyone's spirits," the boy commented unhelpfully. Hitoshi crossed his arms, watching the scene with heavy-lidded eyes.

"Oh, Karma! What about your quirk? I bet it's super powerful," Sugaya said, followed by a murmur of agreement.

"I'm kinda surprised you haven't used it yet," Yada added. Karma tilted his head to the side, looking annoyingly innocent.

"Hmm? What do you mean? I've been using it since the beginning," the boy drawled.

"HEH?!"

Hitoshi's drowsy eyes snapped open. When? Only when he was napping? No, everyone looked shocked; even Karma's best friend, Nagisa, sat there stiff frozen, pencil dropped to the ground.

"What are you talking about, Karma? You...You haven't...You don't act any differently from before..." Nagisa's face fell, looking a little betrayed.

"Oh? You mean you haven't noticed?" Karma acted surprised with sardonic condensation. "What about you, Midoriya? Don't tell me even you missed it."

"U-Um! Well, uh, I guess you're the only one who can go toe-to-toe with Korosensei in a battle of wits, and if you've been using it since the beginning without anyone noticing, then maybe it's some mind-enhancing quirk? Not like the kind that lets you know anything and everything instantly, but more like one that lets you figure stuff out really quick? It would explain how you figured out Korosensei's weaknesses so quickly, and how you understand new material almost instantly...am I even close?"

Midoriya squeaked at the end, cowering behind his notebook as Karma's smirk grew more and more triumphant. "Well, what do you know. You hit the nail on the head. Good job, Midoriya." The compliment actually sounded sincere, which was even more unnerving. "I call it Innate Capability. My genius brain can instantly understand any complex system I see, even if I have no background knowledge or past experience with it."

Silence.

"That wasn't as cool as I thought it was going to be," Hitoshi stated truthfully. Unlike most people he interacted with, he understood Karma (well, as much as anyone can understand an enigma like Karma). Insults didn't phase him; if anything, they amused him.

"Aw, don't hate on mental quirks, Shinsou. You should hold yourself to a higher esteem," he said, head tilted like a curious child, but eyes sharp as a predator. Hitoshi tensed. Creepy know-it-all…

"Still terrifying and very fitting, nonetheless," Kataoka added. "So Karma is the brain of the operation, I guess, but we still need two more people."

"Well, I can mimic animal sounds, and sometimes communicate with them, though my animal language skills are very poor. I'm sure I could get a group of woodland creatures to attack Korosensei with us," Kurahashi offered. Hitoshi really wanted to ask if her quirk was called Fairytale Princess.

"Okay. One more?"

Surprisingly, Nagisa raised his hand. "I'm not sure if it'll work, but my quirk might help catch Korosensei off guard."

Isogai quirked an eyebrow. "How so, Nagisa?"

"My quirk, Misdirection, basically makes me super forgettable. I, um…I'm still not entirely confident in how it functions, but I think I project an aura to those around me so I'm less noticeable."

Midoriya nodded. "It's perfect! Stealth is the biggest factor for assassination. Korosensei's super-enhanced senses make it hard for any of us to sneak up on him, but if your quirk works as you say, we just need to get you close enough for your Misdirection to work. While he'll probably be fast enough to react and get away, it'll definitely throw him off."

"We should immediately follow with the Snapshot quirk. Even if it fails, having two shocking attacks like that should throw him off for the rest of the assassination attempt," Kimura added.

And just like that, they all started putting their heads together to plan the perfect assassination attempt on their teacher.

-.-.-.-

It failed miserably, but Korosensei was proud nonetheless.

"Wonderful attempt students! You had me worried there for a moment. Well, one whole second, to be exact," he said, patting an exhausted Okajima on the head. "I couldn't help but notice, however, that except for Nagisa and Karma, your classmates with the flashiest or most offensive quirks were the only ones to try. I know the world of heroes has created an ideal that the best combat quirks need to be offensive or flashy, but assassination is a whole other ballpark. You see, the best assassins are sneaky. They don't have blatantly obvious or 'heroic' quirks. Out of everyone in that attack, Nagisa was the closest to landing a hit thanks to his invisibility-type quirk. You need to understand the strength in subtly if you ever want to be able to kill me."

Hitsohi exchanged a look with Midoriya, unease settling deep in his stomach. Subtle things...

-.-.-.-

The midterm tests, despite all of Korosensei's efforts, were blatantly rigged, and barely anyone placed anywhere near the top fifty. Hitoshi barely made it out with rank 72 with 361 points. Midoriya, despite being a freaking genius, was still only 31.

They were all nervous that Korosensei was going to keep true to his word, but then Karma, of all people, saved the day, shying a few points away from a perfect score.

"So they tried to throw a few stupid questions at us. I used my quirk to my advantage, just like you said, and figured them out in seconds," he drawled. "Even if we didn't all make it to the top fifty, what does it matter? You taught me all that I needed to know, and that's all that really matters in my opinion. Don't use this as an excuse to run away like the big scaredy-cat you are. It's unflattering, really."

This- This was why Hitoshi felt like he understood Karma. Two socially inept kindred spirits that used antagonization to take others out. He smirked haughtily and scratched the back of his neck. "If you're really that scared we'll kill you, then just say so, teach."

A vein bulged on their teacher's head, and the class joined in on the teasing, baiting their teacher into staying. And just like that, the dumb test results no longer mattered. No one was going anywhere because, in the end, there was really no place better than E-class.

-.-.-.-

"Do you think if you brainwashed Korosensei and told him to kill himself that it would work?" Midoriya asked out-of-the-blue one day. Hitoshi almost choked on his coffee.

"Well, um," he mumbled, clearing his throat. "I've actually been wondering about this a lot. Since he's arrived, actually. It's just...obviously I've never used my quirk like that before, and I'm worried if I try and it fails then I'll miss my one chance to kill him."

Midoriya nodded. "Makes sense. It'd be pretty cool if it did work, though..."

Yeah. It would, wouldn't it?

-.-.-.-

Following midterms, the whole school scheduled a trip to Musutafu, home of amazing heroes like All-Might and Endeavor, and where U.A. high school was located. It was hardly a trip for Midoriya, given this was his hometown, Hitoshi actually looked forward to it. He's dreamed of U.A. for years, but to actually see it...

Though, in typical E-class fashion, it quickly turned into a sightseeing assassination attempt. Karasuma gave them instructions to lure Korosensei to specific sights on their tours where the Hero Commission set up professional snipers and top heroes. They hoped the distractions of the city would give them an edge. He also encouraged them to use their quirks to keep Korosensei cautious of the students instead of other threats.

"Wait," Hitoshi interrupted. "Isn't it illegal to use your quirk in public? Because I don't know about you guys, but this city is literally crawling with heroes, and the Musutafu police holding cell wasn't exactly a sight I'm planning to see."

Karasuma pursed his lips but pulled out a stack of cards. "That's already been taken care of," he said, holding them up. They appeared to be some kind of ID, with everyone's name and face. "Technically, you are all employed freelancing agents for the government, which means you are entitled to government quirk immunity. This allows you to use your quirks in public if so needed. I've held onto them out of fear what…some of you would do with them."

He looked pointedly at Karma and the delinquent group, who all just grinned wickedly.

"What? I thought we proved my quirk was relatively harmless," Karma drawled. Nagisa stared at his best friend blankly.

"Any quirk would be dangerous so long as it's you with it, Karma."

-.-.-.-

They broke into groups of six or seven. Hitoshi's group consisted of himself, Midoriya, Nagisa, Sugino, Karma, Okuda, and a girl Sugino enlisted because of his obvious crush on her, Kanzaki Yukiko. Hitoshi never really interacted with her before, but she seemed very sweet and helpful, if not a little shy. She was also an excellent tour coordinator and took charge with organizing their entire trip in her planner so they wouldn't have to lug around the dictionary-sized tour guides Korosensei made them. She was even able to very calmly deal with an overexcited Midoriya who wanted to visit every single site where All-Might took out a villain.

"Hey, Midoriya, weren't you originally from Musutafu before you transferred here?" asked Nagisa when they were making a list of places to visit. "Have you not seen all of this already?"

The green-haired boy scratched his head sheepishly. "No, not really. My mom and I kind of lived on the poorer outskirts of the city, not really all that close to the action. I was occasionally able to see some rookie heroes and sidekicks that got booted to the less exciting jobs, but never anyone of significance. My mom was also always so busy with work that there was never any time to go sightseeing in our own city. I guess it is kind of sad to think I lived so close to my dream school almost my whole life and rarely saw it," he said. Hitoshi patted his shoulder awkwardly. That's what friends did to comfort each other, right?

"But it's okay!" Midorita said, perking up. Huh. Maybe shoulder pats really do work. "Because now I get to do it all with my best friends! Also, Kanzaki, is it too late to add the place where All-Might defeated Toxic Chainsaw?"

-.-.-.-

Just before the bullet train arrived, A-class passed by 3-E, getting to ride first class VIP. The elitism projected off the students in suffocating waves, and Hitoshi stepped back to gain some distance. Midoriya mindlessly followed, his attention more focused on the tour brochure. They didn't realize how far they got from E-class until a literal brick wall formed in front of them.

"Oh, looky here. It's Villain and Quirkless, the fearful duo of 3-E," snickered Koyama.

"Where do you two think you're going in such a hurry? You couldn't possibly be running away, hmm?" Seo jeered as the Five Virtuosos appeared and loomed over them. Midoriya shrunk back slightly, but Hitoshi refused to be bothered, staring blankly.

"You'd think everyone you meet running away would be enough for you to catch a clue, Seo."

Not waiting for a response, Hitoshi grabbed Midoriya's wrist and pushed past the bullies, giving Asano a wide breadth. Midoriya, stumbling and jittery, didn't have the same mindset, and all it took was Asano jutting out his shoulder to harshly bump into the smaller boy. He probably would've fallen flat on his face if Hitoshi wasn't already holding on to him.

The Machiavellian boy peered down at Midoriya. "You've got to be joking. You actually believe someone like you could become a hero?"

The other Virtuosos burst out laughing, saying that a quirkless loser would be lucky to even meet a hero. Before worse could be said, Hitoshi dragged his friend away like their lives depended on it, not stopping until their class was in view. It wasn't enough, though; the damage was done, and Midoriya was already breaking down into tears. Hitoshi scowled, stewing as he eyed the packed compartments. He spotted an empty corner in the back of the train, away from where the rest of the class was sitting, and tugged his friend to follow him.

"Those better be tears of joy because of how ecstatic you are to go visit U.A.," Hitoshi stated. The green-haired boy snorted but didn't respond. The brainwasher sighed. "C'mon Jolly Green, we already talked about this. You and I are going to become heroes together and prove everyone wrong, remember? Musutafu, U.A., it's where so many heroes get their start, and we're going to do the same, no matter what those asshats say."

That at least got his friend to smile. Hitoshi smiled back, relieved he did something right. Maybe he wasn't as bad at this friend thing as he thought...

"Just remember, you're training to become an ass-kicking assassin. If you focus hard and really throw yourself into training, I bet not even All-Might could touch you. The dude couldn't even stop the villain we're tasked with killing, so you already one-up him that way."

Midoriya snickered and pushed at him lightly. "You need to focus on combat training too then, Shinsou. I mean, you said it yourself; someone figures out how your quirk works, and you're as useless as me."

"You little-" Hitoshi scoffed, more flabergasted than offended "Fine, you little brat. I'll train with you, and whoever is the best fighter by the end of the year gets to design the other's hero costume."

"I'll hold you to that," Midoriya challenged, holding out his hand. Hitoshi shook it with a triumphant grin. And while it was a stupid little bet, this moment, this promise felt like so much more.

The sound of a nose being blown shattered the intensity into pieces.

"So sweet! Two of my students making bets on who will become the superior assassin and later hero. I'm so proud!" Korosensei cried, peering in through their compartment window while holding onto the speeding train from the outside. The two friends blinked slowly.

"WHAT THE HELL, KOROSENSEI?"

-.-.-.-

They arrived at Musutafu without any more major incidents, though Kanzaki did lose her planner at some point, leaving her devastated. They traveled going off their memories of what they planned; it wasn't a huge issue, given Karma and Midoriya were in their group. As they walked around, discussing the best way to incorporate the tourist attractions into killing Korosensei, Sugino sighed loudly.

"Not that an assassination vacation isn't fun and all, but I was kind of hoping to use this trip to get away from all the shooting and stabbing," he commented. "I mean, what does Musutafu have to do with assassination anyways?"

"Well," Nagisa answered, "I guess it doesn't have to do much with assassination, but it's one of the most famous hero-villain cities in the world. And if you think about it, taking out Korosensei is technically taking out the world's Number One Villain."

Sugino blinked. "Huh. I guess you're right."

After visiting a few more sites, they put their assassination plan into action. Midoriya led them to a back alley on the outskirts of the city, completely secluded and perfect for assassination.

"This isn't all that far from my old place," the green-haired boy explained. "That's the only reason I know about it."

They began to plan out where they would hide and attack when they heard footsteps approaching.

"What the hell? Deku?" a poofy blond-haired boy asked. He also wore a school uniform, likely local, and stared at Midoriya with unadulterated disdain.

"The fuck are you doing here, Deku? I thought you finally pissed off for good," the boy spat. Ah, they had history. That made sense, being so close to Midoriya's old neighborhood. Old classmates, perhaps? Whatever the case, they certainly weren't friends.

"O-Oh, hey Kacchan. It's, um, go-good to see you again," the quirkless boy stuttered. Poofy bared his teeth, practically snarling. Without thinking any plan through, Hitoshi stepped in front of Midoriya, glaring at the newcomer with total scorn.

"We're just here on a school trip. Who the hell are you?" he said. Poofy zeroed in on him and looked as unimpressed as Hitoshi felt. At least it was mutual.

"What are you, some shitty eggplant guardian angel?" the blond spat, skipping over the question. "Get out of the fucking way; this doesn't concern you."

The threat was clear, and E-class sprung into action, slipping into a defensive formation with Midoriya in the center.

"Don't take this the wrong way — or do, I don't care — but we really don't have time for playground bullies," Karma stated, harshly disinterested. "It's best you just get out of here before we make you regret it."

Poofy's face twisted, lips curled back like a snarling dog. "You think I'm fucking scared of you? You're all just a bunch of rich prisses! I could take you on any day."

Karma scoffed. "Well, I did warn you," he hummed, lashing out suddenly and smacking Poofy in the face with the palm of his hand, sending the other boy to the floor. The bully reacted surprisingly quick for a street rat, somersaulting backward to his feet. He balled his fists and shook them at Karma.

"Try that again, bastard, I dare you!" he yelled. Karma smirked, happy to oblige.

"KARMA, DON'T!" Okuda and Midoriya shouted at the exact same time, but it was too late. Karma approached the boy again, kicking his leg out to attack when an explosion went off, seemingly out of nowhere. Karma flew backward, crashing against the rough concrete. Nagisa and Kanzaki rushed to his side, pulling him up off the ground. A trickle of blood dribbled out his nose and past his lips, and his uniform smoked from singed fabric, but his skin seemed miraculously clear of burns.

"I thought I noticed something odd about his chemical makeup," Okuda said. "I figured I was just seeing things wrong, but it looks like the sweat on his palms is made up of nitroglycerin!"

Midoriya nodded. "It's his quirk. It lets him create explosions, and it's extremely dangerous!"

"Please," Karma scoffed as he wiped away the blood off his chin. "Nothing is more dangerous than us." Karma reached for his bag and tossed a balled-up piece of paper at Sugino.

"Make bullets, energy boy!" he said. Sugino caught it cautiously, squinting at the paper wad before his eyes widened, toothy smiling curling on his face.

"Is that a fucking piece of paper? What kind of weapon—" Poofy didn't finish his sentence. The paper ball hit him in the stomach at lightning speed, knocking him back into a trash can. The boy let off another explosion, sending trash everywhere.

"Kacchan! Please, stop!" Midoriya cried, running up to the boy and grabbing his arm to keep him from punching Sugino. Poofy growled and knocked the green-haired boy to the floor.

"Piss off, Deku!" he shouted, letting off another explosion. Midoriya cried out and somersaulted away, his uniform fringed and his arm cut and bleeding. Hitoshi sprinted to his side to steady him. Midoriya looked dazed and battered, but nothing worse than that. That didn't make Hitoshi any less pissed.

"You're gonna pay for that, Poofy," he said darkly. The boy let off another small explosion and raised his fist.

"What'd you say, Eggpla-"

The strings appeared, and Hitoshi latched on, tying Poofy down as tight as possible. The explosions settled, debris falling like snow, and silence filled the alleyway.

"My, my, my. What ruckus," a foreign voice drawled before Hitoshi could give any order. He spun around and found a large green slime creature looming from the entrance of the alley, the casted shadows making him look more like a shadow monster. It held Kanzaki suspended in the air, slowly pulling her into its slimy mass. "You should really be more cognizant of your friends when fighting. You never know when a bigger threat might appear."

Hitoshi felt Poofy fighting against his quirk, trying to break free of the mental restraints. It was no use. The only one who could free him was Hitoshi. And right now, they needed an attack dog more than anything.

"Poofy, explosion!" He pointed, and the boy obeyed, charging at the sludge villain with an exploding fist. The monster batted him away like a fly, sending him crashing into Midoriya, their heads connecting with a painful crack that reverberated all the way up Hitoshi's strings, snapping them in half. Huh. So it was possible to forcibly break free of his quirk. Would've been nice to know when they weren't under attack!

"Kanzaki!" Okuda cried. Sugino frantically threw a nearby rock, and it sped like a bullet and embedded itself in the villain; however, the slime monster didn't even seem fazed in the slightest.

Poofy shook his head, holding it in his palms. Midoriya reached out, trying to help him stand. Poofy grabbed his hands only to throw Midoriya back on the ground once he regained his bearings. He wobbled back unsteadily, right into the slow approaching slime villain. The monster's nasty large eye stared at the boy hungrily.

"When I snatched the planner off the girl on the train, hoping to trap her alone, I never it to lead to such a glorious buffet of quirks," he hummed. "I think I'll take you instead."

In one swift movement, the villain released Kanzaki and swallowed Poofy up, trapping the boy and squeezing him into his body instead. Okuda and Nagisa raced to Kanzaki's side, helping her stand up as she hacked and struggled to breathe again.

"C'mon, let's get out of here!" Sugino said, taking off for the alley exit. The others followed, Nagisa and Okuda each supporting Kanzaki and helping her walk. Hitoshi grabbed Midoriya's arm and pulled encouragingly, trying to get him to stop staring at Poofy and the villain.

"We gotta go, Midoriya!" he said, but the boy wouldn't budge. He turned his head slowly, his eyes watering.

"We-We can't just let him die, Shinsou! We've got to help him!" he cried. Poofy let out a string of explosions as he tried to break free and Hitoshi flinched. Was this not the same jerk that had Midoriya scared shitless? Why would he risk his life to save him? Hitoshi thought that last bit over a bit more and realized, oh yeah. This is Midoriya. That's why.

He also knew the boy was correct, and that they couldn't just let Poofy die, but that didn't make Hitoshi any less irritated. He sighed and pulled out his anti-sensei gun.

"It's really annoying when you're right. Just thought you should know," he said sarcastically, earning him the shaky smile he was going for. Rolling his eyes, the brainwasher pointed his gun and fired at the sludge villain. Unsurprisingly, it did nothing, but it did get the monster's attention. He lashed out, sending a mixture of sludge and fire at the duo, which they scrambled to dodge. Hitoshi's hands scraped against the uneven concrete as he pushed back to his feet.

"What are you guys doing? We have to go!" Okuda shouted as Midoriya stabbed at the villain uselessly. He flipped backward to avoid the retaliation and Hitoshi couldn't help but pause. When did Jolly Green learn to do that?

"We're being heroes!" Midoriya answered determinedly, making the rest of their group stop running. Karma snorted, pulling out his own knife.

"Well, we can't let you have all the fun then," he said, charging at the sludge villain.

Sugino joined in, throwing various objects at top speeds. They were mainly just trying to act as distractions to keep the villain disoriented until they came up with a real plan to stop him, but they were losing energy quickly. Sugino's throws got slower and slower, reverting to normal human pitching speed. Hitoshi regretted all the times he gave half-effort during cardio.

"We could really use a plan right now, Blue's Clues!" Hitoshi shouted back at Nagisa, who hid behind a trash can with the girls as they thumbed through Korosensei's emergency trip guide.

"We're trying! Korosensei made this thing way too thorough! Who needs to know 'how to cheer themselves up after realizing a lot of Midnight's merchandise is only available for purchase by those 18 and up?'" Nagisa shouted back.

Hitoshi wasn't paying enough attention to the fight and got blown back by an explosion. "Just. Hurry. Up!"

"Wait, I got it! 'What to do when you or a nearby civilian get attacked by a dangerous villain in a secluded part of Musutafu!' That's eerily exact," Nagisa commented. Hitoshi grunted as he ducked so Karma could propel himself in the air off his back and fire his gun midair.

"That's great, Nagisa! Could you please read it?" Midoriya pleaded, rolling out of the way of the flames.

"Step One: Blow this custom-created Koro-Whistle," Nagisa said, pulling out a tiny wooden whistle. He passed it to Okuda who tried to blow in it, but no sound came out.

"Uh, guys, I think it's broken!" she cried.

"Step Two: Notify the authorities in the flashiest way possible." Seconds later, the largest explosion yet went off, throwing everyone backward. Hitoshi's shirt bunched up, letting his skin drag, the burn lighting up his back.

Hitoshi groaned. "I think that was pretty damn flashy!"

Kanzaki stood up shakily and ran to her bag. "Just to be safe," she said, and pulled out — was that a video game?

"What the heck, Kanzaki? Now is not the time!" said Sugino, but the girl ignored him. She turned the game on and then covered the screen with her palm. The entire device began to glow, and the light just kept on growing until a life-sized All-Might formed, floating high above the rooftops.

"All-Might?" Midoriya squeaked right before a glob of sludge hit him in the face.

"Not really. It's my quirk," Kanzaki explained. "It's called Gamer Zone. It lets me materialize video game characters from any game I touch into the real world. Unfortunately, they are just holograms and can't actually do any damage, but it can be pretty eye-catching at times!"

Yeah, no kidding. If the sight of All-Might above an explosion didn't bring a crowd of people, nothing would.

"Uh, guys? I think something's up with the explosion dude," Sugino said, pointing tentatively. Sure enough, Poofy appeared to be convulsing; any longer, and they would watch the boy suffocate to death.

"KACCHAN!" Midoriya screeched, running widely at the villain.

"Jolly Green!" Hitoshi shouted, while at the same time Karma said, "Midoriya! Go for the eyes!"

Midoriya, seemingly having lost all his weapons after getting tossed around so much, threw the last thing he had — his book bag. The thing flew widely, opening midair and letting the items inside go flying. The giant tour book Korosensei made them shot forward and struck true, nailing the sludge villain in the eye. Those stupid books were turning out to be surprisingly useful. Hitoshi made a mental note to thank Korosensei later — assuming they all made it out alive, of course.

The monster screeched in pain, and it was enough of a distraction for Midoriya to reach out and pull at Poofy, freeing his head so he could breathe.

"Deku — what the hell?" the blond boy gasped.

"I've got him! Someone hit the monster again!" yelled Midoriya. Karma didn't hesitate, firing directly at the villain's eyes. The monster cried out again and Poofy inched free just a little bit more.

"It's not strong enough! We need to hit him harder!" Nagisa observed. "Sugino, do you think you can do it?"

The black-haired boy looked uncertain but pulled a baseball out of his bag nonetheless. He wound up, building up potential energy in his body, and chucked the energized ball at the villain's eye. It freed Poofy's arm completely, but the rest of his body was still stuck.

"Damnit! I used up too much energy earlier!"

"Nagisa, what's step three?" Okuda questioned desperately.

The boy looked up from the book, blatantly distraught. "Step Three: Don't die!"

"What kind of advice is that?!" Midoriya screeched, tears falling like a waterfall as he resorted to uselessly slamming his fists against the sludge villain. Just when Hitoshi was sure they were screwed, a large yellow blur shot by, slamming into the sludge villain. There was a large explosion of muddy sludge and fire, and when the dust cleared, Korosensei stood there triumphantly. In one tentacle, he held a gasping Poofy, and in the other was the sludge villain stuffed into an empty soda bottle.

"Never fear! Koro-Might is here!" he said, morphing his head to mimic the famous hero's iconic bunny ears and features. The students stared blankly.

"Please never do that again," Hitoshi stated.

Their teacher deflated visibly. "You guys are no fun," he grumbled. "But nonetheless, excellent job handling the villain attack! I couldn't help but notice you followed my manual to a T. The custom whistle blows at a frequency only my ears are capable of hearing, and that All-Might hologram was very realistic, Kanzaki. Of course, not as convincing as my super cool All-Might disguise!" He turned back into the caricature of the famous hero, and Hitoshi couldn't help but fire his gun Korosensei's face.

"Party pooper!"

Before the bantering could continue, Poofy came to, shaking his head and staring blearily at the octopus holding him up.

"Wha — What's going on? Who the fuck are you?" the boy shouted, trying to scramble out of the creature's grasp. Korosensei sweatdropped.

"Uh, what do you mean? I'm All-Might, clearly!" the octopus said in a pitiful impersonation of the hero's voice. Poofy growled and let off an explosion, making Korosensei drop him.

"Like hell you are, you tentacle freak!" he spat, backing up against a wall. "You're the dude that blew up the fucking moon, aren't you? And you bastards are what — poor excuses for villain extras? What the fuck, Deku?"

"So much for a state-protected secret," Nagisa mumbled. Karma scoffed and stepped forward.

"Whether we are or aren't doesn't matter. It's keeping you quiet that does," he said, cracking his knuckles. "Luckily for you, I happen to be very experienced at keeping witnesses silent."

Poofy bared his teeth, looking ready to fight again when the sound of police sirens made everyone freeze.

"Crap!" Sugino said. "We've gotta get out of here, Korosensei!"

"We can't just leave Poofy, though! He'll tell the cops and then we're screwed!" argued Hitoshi. He did not need another thing on his permanent record.

"Oh, I've got it!" the octopus said before disappearing and reappearing with a disgruntled Maehara. "Maehara here can help us out with this! Now, go make him stop thinking what he's thinking!"

The ginger boy gave his teacher a weird look but wordlessly obeyed, walking right up to Poofy and staring him in the eye. The explosive boy's eyes glazed over and he blinked, looking blatantly confused about the stranger in his face.

"Huh? Where am I? Who are you?"

Before he could notice the rest of the commotion around him, Karma ruthlessly punched the boy in the face, knocking him out cold.

"Karma!" Midoriya and Nagisa cried. The red devil looked up, feigning innocence.

"What? We couldn't let him realize what had happened. It would completely defeat the purpose of having Maehara erase his memory."

"Can you really wipe people's brains, Maehara-kun?" Kanzaki asked. Hitoshi perked up, admittedly intruiged. It didn't sound too dissimilar from Hitoshi's, and she sounded more impressed than scared...

"Not entirely." Maehara shrugged. "I can just make them forget their immediate thoughts when I look them in the eye. I can't really go that deep. It's called Thought Blocking."

Hitoshi choked on a laugh. "That's an ironic name for someone like you…"

Korosensei nodded. "He tried to use it on me to make me disoriented so he could kill me. Almost worked too. And by almost, I mean not even close, but a terrific effort!"

As they all sighed exasperatedly, the sirens got louder, making everyone flinch. "We should really get out of here before it's too late," Nagisa encouraged, and everyone nodded, not needing to be told twice. They ran out of the alley, careful to avoid any police cars as they made their escape. Before they left, they placed Poofy inconspicuously in the alley with the bottle next to him and a forged note from All-Might, claiming he saved the day but was very busy and didn't have time to stick around.

-.-.-.-

The rest of the trip went as expected. That is to say, the sniper attempts failed miserably, the Pro-Heroes became Korosensei's spa clientel, and there were no more childhood bullies from Midoriya's past ("His name is Bakugou Katsuki," the green-haired boy had explained later when it was just the two of them. "We were best friends when we were little, but it all changed when I learned I was quirkless..."), or surprise villain attacks. For the remainder of the trip, they actually got to take the vacation they very much needed.

Hitoshi reclined his lounge chair, content to relax for the next few hours. Next to him, the rest of his group (sans Karma, who disappeared once again) formed a circle around Kanzaki as she schooled them all in a Pro-Heroes battle royale game.

"You're so good at this, Kanzaki! Does your quirk give you innate ability at video games too?" Midoriya asked. The girl smiled sweetly, her focus still zoned in on the game as she talked.

"Not exactly. It doesn't directly make me a better player, but I've found that being able to bring the characters to life in front of me and interact with them really helps me understand their true potential," she explained just as her character of All-Might knocked the computer's Endeavor out of the ring. "It's interesting, though. I used to be a crazy huge fan of Endeavor until I met his video game character. He's much more arrogant than I expected."

"That's interesting. I wonder how accurate your holograms' personalities are to the real thing…" Midoriya mumbled to himself as he produced one of his famous notebooks seemingly out of thin air and began scribbling in it.

-.-.-.-

Later that night, as the boys all gathered in their dorm, they formed a circle to discuss which girls they thought were the cutest. Hitoshi, upon hearing the gossip, instinctively pulled out his phone and entertained himself with pictures of kittens.

"Hey, Midoriya. Which girl in our class do you like the most?" Isogai suddenly asked. Though he didn't care for this kind of gossip, Hitoshi Hitoshi couldn't help pause to hear Midoriya's answer.

The boy flushed a bright red that clashed sharply with his green features. "U-Uh, well, I-I mean Okano's quirk is super cool, but Okuda is also super smart and really nice when you get to talk to her. Kataoka is super cool and independent, while Kanzaki is so thoughtful. Kurahashi is really cute and sweet too, and Hara always makes us such yummy treats, and Nakamura is really easy to talk to, and so is Yada. Oh, did I mention that Kanzaki is also very pretty, and so is Hayami when she's not glaring at you, and Fuwa…" the boy continued to ramble on and on about every girl in their class, even going back and repeating a few. Hitoshi clenched his teeth to keep the laughter bubbling in his chest at bay.

"I'm sorry we even asked," murmured Mimura. A snort finally broke through, mistakenly bringing attention to Hitoshi.

"What about you, Shinsou? Any girl catch your eye?" Maehara asked. The brainwasher pursed his lips in a very firm line.

"I haven't really talked to any of them. Okuda and Kanzaki were in my group today, but we spent more time fighting that dumb sludge monster than actually interacting. So, I can't really say any of them have caught my eye yet, no," he answered truthfully. It apparently was not the reply the others were anticipating.

Kimura shook his head. "I guess we shouldn't be so surprised. Besides Karasuma, you're the only boy who can resist Bitch-sensei. And unlike Karasuma, you've got a working nose if your ability to smell coffee a mile away is anything to go by."

The boys erupted into a fit of giggles, all remembering the manhunt Hitoshi went on when he smelt an espresso Bitch-sensei brought in one day. It probably scarred the woman for life.

Suddenly, the bath door slid open, revealing a freshly showered Karma towel drying his hair, and their laughter only intensified. Karma frowned, the confusion on his face unnatural. With his quirk, it probably was,

"Hmm? Something wrong?" he asked.

Okajima was practically crying. "What's up with your hair, dude?!"

Karma's normally solid bright red hair transformed into some odd red to white ombré. If someone would have added a white puffball on top, it would've looked like he was wearing a goddamn Santa hat.

Hitoshi couldn't remember the last time he laughed so hard. He couldn't help but take pictures, not even fearing for his own safety. Korosensei suddenly appeared beside him, coaching him on what angles to get the best photo. Perplexion followed by unease crossed Karma's face, and he marched over to snatch the phone out of his hand. The look of horror that came next was hysterical.

"What the- What the hell was in that shampoo?" he snapped. Korosensei scratched the back of his head guiltily.

"It would appear you accidentally used my super intense Koro-poo, capable of washing anything and everything out of hair — apparently including color. I'll have to add that to the list of possible side effects before I put it out on the market." Karma gritted his teeth, a knife materializing out of nowhere, and began attacking their teacher mercilessly.

"Wait a minute, Korosensei," Hitoshi commented. "Why do you have a shampoo brand? You don't even have hair."

"That doesn't mean I can't implement my clean agenda on the rest of the world!" their teacher said, pausing in front of him to answer. Karma took that moment to throw his knife at teacher's head, narrowly missing it. Korosensei squealed.

"Okay, Karma, you win, I'm sorry I turned your hair white! I promise I'll fix it!" There was a wild blur and then suddenly Karma's hair was wrapped entirely in tin foil. "That should do the trick! Your hair should be back to its demonically red color in no time."

Midoriya blinked owlishly. "You can dye hair too? How'd you learn so much about hair care, sir?"

"It's just a little trade secret of mine," the teacher replied, grinning impishly. "Now, what's this I hear about girls?"

-.-.-.-

So junior high wasn't exactly what Hitoshi planned. Being in E-class kind of made that impossible. His grades kept getting better and better, and he couldn't exactly ever fly under the radar anymore. He didn't want to. He opened up about his quirk to one person and actively planned to show it to his teachers and classmates.

And most of all, he had friends. Real friends.

So what if being in the 'end class' was a blip on his resume for U.A.? Here, learned how to fight and kill his teacher, the Number One Villain. Here, got the skills he needed to succeed in achieving his dream.

He might've been a nobody yesterday, and an assassin today. But tomorrow, he will be a hero.