"I hate this," I state. I know this is a horrible way to start a conversation, but this is a horrible start to my day. Therefore, everyone around me gets to suffer. Sorry not sorry.

Shouta sighs, "I hate this too, problem child. However, there is nothing we can do about it except tell the students what is going on so that they can prepare."

"But they don't even know why they are doing this! Hell, you don't even know! I know that life is unfair, but there is a difference between unfair and bullshit! It's fucking unethical!"

"Izuku, stop and breathe. You're stressing yourself out."

I follow his instructions because Shouta isn't wrong. I don't need to be scaring off the other teachers anyway since we are in the dorm living room.

Anyways, yes. I am still going off about the work study bullshit. We are telling them this morning. We were supposed to tell them on Christmas, but I didn't want to ruin the magic. If I don't have to, I won't. One day isn't going to make a difference anyway.

Oh, Tsukauchi is supposed to have that list for me today too, huh? That's something. I hope to above some want to join. Otherwise, that is just going to make me want to jump off a cliff more.

"Damn, Izu. Who are you trying to kill this morning?" Nemuri yawns as she comes in from her dorm. Huh. I must have been screaming. I am not surprised.

I huff, "The HC. You know, the usual." She approaches and pulls me into a side hug.

"I'm sorry, dear."

"Sorry enough to help me destroy them?"

"After I wake up." I forget she is a ride or die.

Shouta facepalms, "We are not destroying the HC. We are in a frustrating situation, but we have to work with what we got. You can destroy them once everything settles down."

"Okay!" I perk up a little. I have something to look forward to in the future now besides Shouta and Hizashi's wedding!

Too bad Hizashi comes in at the last sentence, "Hold up, who are you allowing Izuku to destroy? They must have fucked up if you are allowing him to destroy something for once."

"Later, Zashi," Shouta says as he goes to cling to his boyfriend. Alright then.

"That's not much better."

"Izuku will invite you when he is going to destroy them."

"Oh, okay! Izuku, you better invite me or we are going to have issues!" Nemuri steps away, groaning about how Hizashi is too loud as she moves to the kitchen.

Meanwhile, I am just happy I have support, "I was going to invite you anyway." Though I have no clue if he will actually through with it or not. He doesn't give the vibe that he will follow through, only joke about it. He's innocent. However, I will give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Good!"

Shouta rolls his eyes, "With that out of the way, we should start heading over to the class 1-A dorms. They should be up by the time we get there."

"You two are announcing the work studies, huh? Oh, Izu, do you have to go on one?!"

Well shit, Hizashi, I haven't even thought about that.

I click my tongue, "Considering the restrictions, I think I do. They didn't exclude me from the contract. I honestly haven't thought of that." Shouta curses under his breath. He forgot too.

"Well, if you need a place, you can come work for my agency!" In the background, I hear Nemuri holler 'or mine,' but I am not even considering hers.

"I'll consider it but no guarantees. With everything going on, I don't think your social media training is going to be useful right now."

Shouta adds to my point, "If anything, he should be avoiding the media. It would be better if he focused more on increasing his fighting capabilities rather than his ability to stop people from hating him."

Hizashi nods, "I understand, but the offer will always remain, kiddo."

I smile at Hizashi, "Thanks, man. Now, Shouta, shall we ruin my classmate's winter vacation?"

Shouta nods, letting go of Hizashi and getting a coat on.

Bundled up, we head out into the shitty-ass snow.

We walk for a little bit when Shouta suddenly speaks up, "If you don't want to go, we can probably get you out of it." Oh, we're back on the student work studies.

"I probably should go. I don't have a lot of actual fighting experience, especially compared to the others," I explain to him.

"You don't fight with raw strength like the others. You fight with intelligence and your surroundings. You may not be the best fighter in the class, but you have demonstrated multiple times that it's not needed. That's why you don't join your classmate's classes. Besides, you keep up with the other teachers just fine, especially after Stain's training despite your circumstance. If anything, you are ahead of your classmates. They may have more time invested and overall stronger, but your decent strength and calculative behavior is something is what allows you to go beyond. That is not to say you shouldn't practice at all. I am just saying that it shouldn't be your main focus."

Huh. Shouta has way more confidence in me than I have myself. Like, yes, I can fight the teachers and win. Yes, I have been training with Stain and am able to dodge him much better than before. Yes, I spent too much time stalking people with Nezu in order to figure out what the hell their next move probably is going to be.

Yet, it doesn't feel like enough. Not after Deika City. I was just starting to recover from the Shinso incident when that shit happened, so I am pretty wrecked in the brain. There's only so much I can do, and I want to expand that obviously.

While I would love to ignore Shouta, I know that he is much more stable than me. I am also aware that any other person other than me will provide a more accurate assessment of myself rather then, well, myself. This is especially true for Shouta, who is constantly there watching my progress.

In Shouta's words, it would be illogical to try and look at myself when I can't even see myself in the first place.

That begs a different question though.

"Okay, so I shouldn't invest all my time into training. What would you recommend then?" I question.

"Focus on yourself and connections. More so yourself. It wouldn't help you or anybody if you are doubting yourself on the field." He isn't wrong on making sure I ain't a bitch baby. That one is going to take time and effort, so I am certainly not expecting immediate results.

"Makes sense, but what about the connections? You just said to avoid the media."

"I said the media. You should get other heroes to trust you. You're likely going to be a leader, so you need them to trust you. If they don't trust you, they aren't going to listen to you."

"And that would mess everything up. You're right. So focus on gaining power and controlling the hero system. Got it!"

Shouta rolls his eyes, but he doesn't correct me. I think I am correct.

We enter the class 1-A dorm building, and I am just happy that it is somewhat warm here. There are students wandering about, probably getting ready to leave for their nonexistent vacation or studying or whatever else teenagers without the world's expectations upon them do.

Momo is the first to notice us and approach, "Good morning. Is there something you need from us, sensei?"

Shouta sighs, "Yeah. Can you and Iida gather all the students and bring them here? I have an announcement."

"Yes, sir!"

Thankfully, it doesn't take long for them to gather, and Shouta doesn't hesitate to start,

"I know this is sudden, but we just got this message from the HC yesterday. During winter break, all students with provisional licenses are required to participate in a work study. I recommend that you look back at your offers and choose from there or, if desired, request one from a previous internship or work study. If you have any questions or need help, ask Izuku or I."

Throughout the announcement, I can see the shock in my classmate's faces. Some of them seem concerned, and they have every fucking right to be. I wish I could tell them the reason why, but it's classified.

However, some of them seem excited and determined to participate in a work study. That's something, I guess. They don't know anything. I am willing to take anything positive at this point.

Once Shouta finishes, class discussion starts, and he takes the chance to sneak out. I can't blame him. Unlike him, I decide to stick around to watch my classmates and see where they go.

"Well, that's sudden," Kaminari says, and everyone nods.

"It's unfortunate. I had plans to visit France with my family, but this is what it takes to be a hero, " Momo sighs, and I can hear 'rich' from Ochaco.

No shit, Ochaco. No shit.

From their, everyone dissolves into their own little discussions groups, and I decide to walk around and help where I can.

Eventually, I hesitantly approach Ochaco and Iida, "How's it going over here, you two?"

Iida chops the air, "Uraraka already has hers chosen, but I don't know where I should."

"Well, in my opinion, I would recommend Manual. As long as you don't run off like last time, I think you have plenty to learn from him!" Iida tenses from my statement, but I am only telling him the truth. If he doesn't do stupid shit, Manual is a good pick for him.

"I see...that is a good recommendation, Izuku! Thank you! I will go contact him now!" With that, Iida zooms off, leaving me with Ochaco.

I turn to Ochaco, "Ryukyu agency?"

She smiles wide, and it takes a lot to not close in on myself. I know it's not her fault that she got stabbed and sucked blood from-

Wait. Hold on.

There was no way for her to get stabbed except at the provisional license exam, and I would know if she was stabbed. The only person who has been stabbed by her student wise, as far as I know, is me.

Shit. Fucking shit. Fucking donkey on a roller coaster.

She isn't the UA traitor, is she? I know she's broke, so I can see it as a possibility, but I feel like we would have caught her by now.

"Izuku!" Ochaco loudly says, and I look up at her to see her worried, "Are you okay?"

Stay calm, Izuku. You're fucking losing it. You need to straighten your shit out and figure out what is going on.

I give her a fake smile, "Do you mind if we talk privately? I know this is random, but I have something to ask you."

"Oh, um, sure! Where do you want to go?"

"Mind if we go to your room? I don't want anyone walking in on us."

"No problem!" Ochaco leads the way, and I follow beside her, taking this as a chance to calm down. We get to her dorm quickly, and she sits on her bed with the concern there again, "What's wrong?"

It takes me a moment to figure out how to ask the question, but I am glad I am smart, "I know this is random, but how do you make money? I know your family is tight on it, and UA doesn't allow students to work jobs, so what are you doing there?"

Ochaco is clearly confused, but she answers anyway, "Well, I do odd jobs for the neighbors...I do those surveys online! But they don't give a lot...oh, and I donate blood!"

I barely manage to hide my own excitement. She isn't the UA traitor! Thank fuck! I don't have to drown myself in my bleach bath tonight!

However, after that relief that she isn't the UA traitor, I realize that I may have found another clue about the League of Villains or whatever the fuck they are calling themselves now.

I should not be surprised that I found it through Ochaco donating blood for some money, but I still am. This is just a goddamn comedy show at this point. I hate it.

"Okay, this is going to be the oddest thing I ask ever probably, but where do you donate your blood at?"

"Jaku General Hospital. They pay the most there," Ochaco wipes her confusion away to focus on her concern, "What is going on?" Isn't that hospital well-known? No wonder they would pay alot.

"It's classified, but let's just say your blood is being used for something else rather than saving lives. Here's the deal: I will pay you double whatever that hospital was paying you however many times you go a month if you don't go and donate blood."

Ochaco's eyes widen, "I looked to make sure it was fine! I guess I didn't look far enough. I'm sorry. "

"Of course you didn't know. I didn't know either until you told me, and I certainly would not have worried either since that is a well-known hospital. You may have just gotten unlucky or you may have accidently helped us a huge amount. Either way, you helped us in a different way rather than donating blood. For now, I rather not help them more, so I'll pay you not to donate blood."

"Okay...is what you mentioned why you haven't been around me as much?" Fuck. I thought I was being sneaky about that.

"To some extent, but I'm working through a lot of issues right now. None of this is your fault. None of us know any better."

"Anything I can do to help besides not donate blood?"

"No-" Then I remember what I said to myself when I realize that Toga had some of Ochaco's blood, "Actually, hug?"

Ochaco seems happy at that request since she immediately tackles me into a tight hug. I hesitate for a hot second, but I manage to recover quickly and hug her back.

And, to be honest, it's nice. I can't describe it, but it's nice.

Eventually, Ochaco pulls back, "If you need help with anything, you can count on us, Izuku," She gives me a smile, "We're your friends too."

I smile back, "Thanks." If only she knew that she and the rest of our classmates might be forced to join a war, but it's not my job to share that or deal with the parents who certainly should kick the HC's ass over it.

Despite that, I will try to keep them out of it as much as possible because they don't deserve to go through that shit.

Thinking about it, if I tell my mom and aunt Mitsuki, they could probably take them down. Mom is overprotective of Bakugo and I, and aunt Mitsuki, to put it bluntly, really doesn't believe in authority. Put them together and they might as well be a machine gun. I'll consider that later.

We end up retreating back to the dorm living room where all the homies have a plan of who to go to. Bakugo seems to be the only one who doesn't, but I don't consider him a homie, so whatever there.

"I don't need your help, Deku!" Bakugo screams. Goddamn bitch.

I raise an eyebrow at him, "The lord says otherwise."

"DEKU!" Why do I bother?

I am considering walking away when Todoroki approaches us, "Izuku, do you need a work study too?"

"ARE YOU IGNORING ME, ICY HOT?!" As he fucking should.

I turn my attention to Todoroki, "I think so, why?"

"You and Bakugo can come with me to Endeavor's agency. You both would gain plenty of experience there, and you can bully Endeavor for me." Goddamn, what did Endeavor do to make Todoroki want to send me to bully him?

"I feel like it is more so the second part."

"He won't stop calling and texting me, and he already made me unblock him after I blocked him."

"Oh, that's understandable. I'll consider it! Thanks, Todoroki!"

"Let me know and I can let him know."

"Gotcha. For now, since everyone has an idea of who they want to go to, I'm going to head out. Let the others know for me? If I go to them directly, Ashido won't let me leave."

"No problem."

Before I head out, I see Bakugo considering the offer. Good. Endeavor is literally a perfect match for Bakugo all the way to the abuse! If he can not be abusive as an adult as he was to me as a child, I did something right. Endeavor can show him that it's not a good idea.

I somehow manage to slip out of the dorms without being noticed, and I head back to the teacher's dorm. Meanwhile, I consider Todoroki's offer.

I know for a fact that I have to get approval from Shouta before going on this. I deny Shouta is going to let me go just to bully Endeavor, so I need to consider logical benefits for actually going to Endeavor's agency.

Let's see, Endeavor is the number one hero. Sure, Shouta said I should stay out of the light, but when Endeavor is literally the light, I don't think that matters so much. He also likely has plenty of connections, which is what Shouta suggested. If I can get along with his agency, that's a huge asset in my part. He may be a terrible father, but even I can't deny that he is a good hero despite his flaws. He has a good agency and sidekicks. If I have them following me, it should encourage others to follow me as well. I don't think Endeavor can teach me anything directly though besides to not be an asshole. A quirkless isn't going to learn much from a hero who relies heavily on his quirk.

However, I still need a way to communicate with Hawks, and it would make sense for Hawks to communicate with Endeavor. I wouldn't be surprised if he already has. If I go to Endeavor, I have a guarantee communication line with that damn bird. That's huge, and I can't overlook that.

I have noone else anyway. My choice could be worse.

I enter the teacher's dorm living room, go to the couch that I know Shouta is sleeping on, and kick the leg of it, "Wakey wakey!"

Shouta groans, running a hand over his eyes, "What?"

"What about Endeavor's Agency?" That gets him to open his eyes to look at me. He looks over me to see if I am pulling his leg. I'm not. He sits up to match level with me.

"Why?"

"Well, you said someone with connections, and I assume the number one hero has plenty of connections. Besides, if I have him on my side, others will join too."

"And he is in the spotlight."

"Enough to take the attention off me."

"...why are you really going there?"

"Classified. I can tell you that it will make my life much easier if I go with him though."

"And how are you going to convince him to accept you? You two already have issues."

"Oh, I'm not! Todoroki is!"

"And what did you offer him?"

"Nothing! He's the one who made the offer! He just wants me to bully him in exchange."

"And you have nobody else?"

"Nope."

"Fine. However, you have to return here at night. I'm not letting you stay there overnight."

"Because you'll miss me?"

"Because you'll probably get yourself killed for doing something stupid at night there."

"Not if I kill him first!"

"Izuku."

"Fine fine, I'll return. No need to get your dick in a twist."

Shouta sighs, laying back down, "Good. Anything else I should know?"

"I'm heading out to the police station. I need to see if a project of mine is possible. I also figured out somehting, so I'm making a meeting for tonight. I suspect I won't be back until late."

"Stay out of trouble."

"Won't do!"

"Problem child."

Too bad I am already leaving before he can truly try and lecture me, "Toodle loo!" I slide outside.

After I send a quick text to Todoroki to start his convincing process, I head to Tsukauchi's station.

During the walk there, I set up a meeting for tonight with the League of Villain's stalker squad and the president. I got questions, but I tell them I will explain everything tonight.

It doesn't take me long to get to Tsukauchi's station. I slip past the front desk and go straight to his door where I knock.

Tsukauchi opens the door and lets me in, "You're later than I expected. I thought you would be here first thing in the morning."

"I wanted too, but I had to help students find a work study since we decided not to tell them until today," I explain. He takes a seat at his desk, and I sit across from him.

"That's nice of you."

"I didn't want to ruin the Christmas magic. Now, please tell me you have good news."

Tsukauchi passes me a thin file, "Hate to break it to you, but I only got a couple here and there who are interested. They don't want to put their lives out on the line."

I huff, slightly angry, "Which is understandable, but a police officer's job is to do that anyway. The heroes just made it safer." I open the file and scan through them, "There seems to be some potential. I'll see when I do my tests. Can you tell them that it will be tomorrow evening? I want to see this as soon as possible, and I rather not test during work studies."

"I can do that. Are you having to do a work study?"

"I was never excluded, so yes. Trust me, I thought I wasn't involved until Present Mic said something."

"That means you're going to have an extremely limited schedule."

"Yeah, but I'll figure it out."

"Just don't overwork yourself, got it?"

"Shouta's keeping an eye out if I try along with the others."

"Good. You deserve to relax."

"Somebody out there says otherwise," I say as I roll my eyes.

"Of course. You know, if you have time, we can go around and talk to the officers interested. That way, you can decide early one if they have a personality you are willing to deal with."

"Yeah, that's actually a good idea. Time to go do some Q&As, Detective!"

Tsukauchi sighs, but he deals with the ride he just threw himself on.


Who knew talking to officers would take so long?

My afternoon disappeared, but I can at least say that it was productive. I have no issues with any of the cops that will be testing, and I consider that a good sign.

By the time I finished talking to the last officer, Tsukauchi and I had to run out to get to the meeting on time. Thankfully, Tsukauchi has a cop car, so we were able to get to the HC building just in time.

We head to our meeting room and jump straight to it. The meeting only lasted an hour surprisingly enough, so I don't see the point of actually detailing the entire thing. Therefore, I will just be mentioning the major points.

Since I was the one to schedule it, I got to start off with my discovery with Ochaco. The traitor thing did come up, but after some explaining, that was wiped off the board rather quickly. We decide to have a couple of nurses do an infiltration on the hospital and see what they come back with. I deny that they will come back with much, but it's better safe than sorry.

Hawks is living the life of a yandere victim now. The president told us that the League of Villains (Liberation Army, Dumbasses, whatever you prefer) have placed listening devices all over his feathers, so now he can't even do his business without someone listening in on him. That puts a damper in communications, but after I told them about my planned work study with Endeavor for that purpose, the president agreed that it was the best option.

Oh, and we also learned that Hawks had to fake kill Best Jeanist, so that's fun to learn!

Sir Nighteye returned back with their finances, and boy, do they have a lot of money. It's good to know that they have that money, but I rather they not have it at all. More money means more resources which means more bullshit we have to deal with. We decided to send someone to infiltrate that company as well to see if we can learn anything there, but I deny we will learn anything too big. The company just seems to be a money source. That's all.

Finally, Tsukauchi and Gran Torino returned with results from Kurogiri. It turns out that he is a Nomu. I can't help but be a little sad about that since I do like the guy. He's polite. I like polite people. Anyways, they decided to do a DNA testing to see if they can figure out who it is. The results won't come back for a while. Annoying, but there's nothing we can do about that.

With that, the meeting concluded. I'm glad I set the meeting up today because there was quite a bit to be learned.

After dealing with the world's bullshit for the day, I return to the dorms earlier than expected, eat dinner, and lock myself in my workshop to work on something. I don't know what, but I need to tinker with something to forget the world, even if it is just for a little bit.