It's a letter, covered by copious crease lines from having been folded and unfolded, all of them fluffy to the outside. The envelope, however, had arrived in pristine condition; a red dot of sealing wax with the U.A logo punctuated by melted curves had made it appear as though it traveled through a steam press rather than by the hand transference of teacher to student. A thin piece of paper is soft to the touch in Izuku's trembling hand, the handwriting done with black ink having run through the singular page. The boy's eyes roam the strokes of the pen markings, narrowed to a squint as they take in the strong lines and heavy marks.
Aizawa had informed the hero in training that one of his peers had wanted the message delivered upon dropping out of the hero course. His Sensei had tried saying the USJ was the causality of the hero potential quitting but a personalized note addressed to Izuku tells the boy otherwise. He had expected some sort of backlash reaction from his classmates, and this is just the starting opinion of one, but Izuku still feels overwhelmed by the reality of the situation. His eyelids will themselves closed, but he forces them to reopen so that he can read the letter.
Can you grow a chainsaw from your dick? -Minoru Mineta
Izuku's hand folds over the piece of paper, crumbling it into a ball that fits within the confinement of his tight fist. His tremors of anxiety shift to angry shakes and he grits his teeth to keep from yelling. Instead, a bitter laugh comes out. Whether the question was sincere or it was meant to be some sort of crude comment as a bullying parting shot, Izuku shakes it off with a shake of his head. His usual class aside, he still has to face an entirely separate hero course, and they're more up close and personal than a note. He shoves the paperwad into his blazer pocket before steeling himself to walk through the door of Class 1-B.
A blonde blur clears the distance between the classroom entrance and the collection of desks residing within, the source of that brisk movement stopping short a nose width apart from Izuku. He tries not to flinch but fails to keep himself from taking a step back. A boy with a broad grin and his hair slicked so that it's parted to the side further intrudes on Izuku's personal space before shouting, "Well if it isn't another pompous member of 1-A! I sure do hope your personality isn't as explosive as the last fill-in!"
Izuku blinks, his mind registering that the boy is talking about Katsuki. Within that split second span of time it takes for his eyes to reopen, there are suddenly more members of 1-B filing in behind the blonde. One of which is a girl with her orange hair tied into a ponytail; she has noticeably massive hands that she uses to karate chop the blonde into submission. Izuku winces, feeling a phantom pain in his neck just from witnessing the move.
"Sorry about Monoma", she shares a matching expression to Izuku's though hers is likely more from second hand embarrassment because of her classmate. When her hands shrink to an average size so that she can hold one out for a handshake, the girl introduces herself, "I'm Itsuka Kendo! It'll be a pleasure having you join our class for the day" Kendo pauses before adding, "Though I DO hope you've got more of a filter than our last guest."
At that, Izuku can't help but chuckle. Katsuki certainly made an impression on the class. Then again, he makes his personality one that's hard to forget. "Ka- Bakugo is a rare breed from me and the rest of my class, so don't worry about that..", though Izuku absentmindedly fiddles with the paperwad in his blazer pocket when he recalls Mineta's unfiltered version of profanity. He ceases his anxiety when he remembers the small pervert quit the hero course.
A girl with green hair darker than Izuku's and pointed teeth like Kirishima's straightens her posture and flashes her fangs with a grin. "Oh I dunno about that, you two seem to be keeping the stud standards the same", she places a hand on her hip while jutting it out provocatively and flips her hair just as flirtatiously. Izuku curses himself internally when he falls for the teasing, his body betraying him when he flushes red in embarrassment.
Kendo gives the girl the same karate chop treatment as the boy named Monoma, "Leave the poor boy alone, Setsuna. Can't you see you're making him uncomfortable?", shooting Izuku another apologetic expression on behalf of the class.
A boy who matches Kirishima in more ways than one pushes past the two girls, flashing shark tipped teeth while thrusting a thumb at himself. "Name's Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu!", his name is just as baffling as the rest of his greeting when he too invades Izuku's personal space to ask, "Is it true that your quirk gives you chainsaws on your arms?!"
Izuku shrinks in on himself, giving a meek nod as he braces for what he momentarily forgot about. The initial welcome of the class had lowered his guard and now he has to prepare to pay the price. "That's so metal!", he isn't expecting the enthusiastic clash of Tetsutetsu's own fists turned to steel. Izuku blanches, further surprised by the similarities between Kirishima and Tetsutetsu.
Still shaken, his body literally trembling, Izuku has to clasp each of his hands together to keep them from quivering. He wrings them together as though he's trying to bleed out his anxiety until he's able to force himself to make eye contact. "You're not.. Freaked out?", Izuku can't help but shift his gaze to glance at the 1-B girl with vines on her head.
"Well..", his eyes are drawn in the direction of a boy who's pale skin pigmentation coupled with his unique facial features makes him appear as though his head is a skull, "Shiozaki described your quirk in a pretty.." The boy pauses as he mulls over the right terminology to continue with, "..'Colorful' way … but"
"Midoriya..", Shiozaki's interjection makes Izuku jump in place but he recovers quickly. He faces the girl as she approaches him, mustering up as much fake confidence as he can.
"Yes, Shiozaki?", Izuku forces his mouth to form some semblance of a smile and tries to keep his wobbly tone as polite as possible.
His fabricated facial expression falls flat when Shiozaki surprises him by bending down at the waist. "I would like to apologize for the way I treated you because of your quirk", she starts with a sincere statement before placing her hands over her heart and raising her head ever so slightly to look up at Izuku, "My behavior was unacceptable and I'm ashamed that it took my return to my class to remember we are all the Lord's children" Izuku tries not to gawk too much when she lowers her head again and repeats herself, "Please forgive me."
He notices across the room a few hero students with mutation quirks who watch the entire interaction with keen interest. He wonders if they had a frank discussion with her to lead to this change of opinion. "Of course I forgive you, Shiozaki!", Izuku accepts her apology regardless. He gives her a smile, a genuine one this time, to show he doesn't hold a grudge. "It's okay, really, lots of people react that way! A- Actually, I think you took it better than most people do..", he even goes as far as trying to make her feel better by comparing previous ridicules. However, when he sees everyone staring at him with wide eyes, he realizes that his comment had the opposite effect. He forces a chuckle that only sounds awkward while trying to smooth over his mistake, "N- Nothing I haven't heard before.. I- I mean, I heard worse!"
"Dude.. That is NOT okay..", Tetsutetsu shakes his head while giving Izuku a look of pity. Even the blonde boy named Monoma shares a similar look from his spot on the floor upon recovery.
"Midoriya.. I must apologize again", Shiozaki bows a second time, "I didn't realize you had received such harsh mistreatment prior to my own, only further worsening my scrutiny."
But Izuku frantically waves his hands in a gesture for her to stop, "No! Really! It's fine! Water under the bridge!"
Seeing the tail end of that interaction, Monoma forces himself up from one knee and begins brushing himself off. "Good! I'm glad that's behind us!", though he has to duck down to avoid a repeat of his collapse from a Kendo karate chop, "Because we have much more pressing matters!"
"Here he goes again..", a boy with a headband keeping his hair pointed up rolls his eyes at his classmate's antics.
"We made a pact with the other courses to see what we're dealing with! We can't back out now!", Monoma tries and fails to keep the whine out of his voice while desperately attempting to convince his class to play along.
"What are you talking about?", and Izuku can't help but raise a brow upon having his own interest piqued.
Kendo releases a deep rooted sigh before explaining, "With the Sports Festival approaching, a bunch of people thought it'd be a good idea to visit 1-A's homeroom to see what all the fuss was about after the USJ" She frowns and threatens Monoma with a raised hand once she finishes with Izuku, "Which we are NOT doing!"
She stops when Tetsutetsu feigns a cough into his own hand. That same hand reaches around his head to scratch at his nape while he awkwardly explains why he's siding with Monoma, "Actually.. I do kinda wanna see what the competition is like.."
Monoma's face flashes with relief before settling into a grin, "See?! That's one in favor! Everyone else?!"
A few mumbles increase before becoming a chorus of commotion, almost indistinguishable and unintelligible, but they all seem to be a form of agreement at the very least.
"Fine! Fine!", Kendo eventually caves and accepts the majority opinion of the class. "But everyone be on their best behavior!", not without shouting at them as they funnel into the hallway though. She turns towards Izuku as they pass by and gives him an apologetic smile, "Sorry, Midoriya."
"I- It's okay! I don't think anyone will mind", he returns the expression before following suit. However, he does try to linger behind to avoid the coming interaction as much as possible.
In doing so, he's joined by a blonde with horns protruding from her golden locks. "Hi! I'm Pony! Sorry if my Japanese bad! From America", she speaks in a broken dialectic and a strong accent but Izuku manages to comprehend her words enough.
"H- Hello, Pony, it's nice to meet you", he forgets about honorifics and traditional greetings when she holds out her hand to shake, "And don't worry, your Japanese is just fine!"
"Oh, good!" At that, she clasps her other hand over his while still hanging on. Izuku becomes flustered and looks around when he realizes she has no intention of letting go. "I wanted to say I were bullied because my quirk too", but his panic settles when she gestures with the horns atop her head and she says, "I understand."
He gives her hands a squeeze to show he comprehends her meaning and nods. "Uh, s- sure, thanks.."
Monoma stops when he notices the two lagging behind and shouts over his shoulder, "Hey! Don't be getting all cuddly with a member of 1-A just because you feel sorry for him!" Pony lets Izuku go and they quicken their pace to catch up as he continues his rant, "We're still going to be competing against each other in the festival!"
Kendo fixes him with a glare to cease the tirade, "Leave them alone, Monoma!" And the rest of the journey to Class 1-A goes relatively smoothly from there. It's a short walk, afterall.
When they arrive, they discover that the other classes beat them to their destination. It seems Katsuki and a few others are already having a heated encounter with the other courses. Among the sea of students, Izuku spots Gen Ed and Business mingling around the Support Department. At the head of the herd stands a purple haired boy, his voice tired but still carrying over the crowd. "Gotta say.. I'm a little disillusioned if this is what you're offering.."
The sunken eyebags carry a weight like his words as he continues, "There's a lot of us who didn't make the hero course and got stuck in General Studies or other departments. However, depending on the results of the Sports Festival, did you know we could get transferred classes? It's my understanding a student dropped out and left a spot available in your class.. Consider this a declaration of war to claim that open position."
The students in his way part for him to pass through until he reaches Izuku. He's taller, eyes aimed downwards like Izuku is a pebble in his path. It's a stare that Izuku is familiar with. The boy shoulder decks Izuku and carries on after their brief moment of locking eyes. But Izuku turns and watches the boy leave even after that.
If this whole controversy taught him anything, it's that he'll have to earn his place in the hero course.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
I liked the idea that Class B would be a little more supportive of Izuku's quirk, especially since they didn't ACTUALLY get to see it in action, but the main point of this chapter has been fulfilled nonetheless in setting up the Sports Festival. We got the classic Shinso declaration of war, Mineta opting out, and Shiozaki's apology! Now it's time for the fun to begin!
