Chapter 18

After her warning, Ichika had been even more motivated to prove her teacher she was able to combine everything. As promised, she had tried to keep her latest assignment, an essay about differentiation, as minimal as possible. Following it to the letter as she wrote about it.

That didn't mean she didn't do more research about it, though. She just didn't write it down anymore.

Instead of watching the television, she just sat on the couch next to her family. A book in hand as she read about differentiation. And during her English class, Yamada sensei allowed her to use her time for extra study as well. Though of course neither of them would ever tell Inui sensei about it! As promised, the voice hero had lessened her amount of homework. Stating she didn't need it, as long as she was able to keep up during his classes.

'Well, hello my beautiful angel. How are you this fine morning?'

A giggle escaped her lips upon hearing the cheesy greeting of her boyfriend. He already sat in his seat, his body slightly turned, so he was able to look at her.

'Good morning to you too, handsome.'

She smiled at him, though it was quickly replaced by a frown as she noticed his black eye. Then her eyes skimmed over the rest of his face and visible skin. The scars on his hands were nothing new to her. He's had one when they first met and gained some more while training to get a better control over his quirk.

But what wasn't a common sight, was the redness of his skin where he had clearly scraped his hand. And a couple of more scratches on his face and neck.

'A rough weekend at Nighteye Agency,' she asked as she lifted her hand to touch the discoloured skin near his eye.

Mirio just laughed it off. Telling her it was nothing he couldn't handle.

'Besides,' he added with a wink, 'the bad guy was caught. So the streets are a bit saver now, my fair lady.'

'My hero.'

Though she was sarcastic, she couldn't help but feel pride built up in her chest. Because yes, Mirio was indeed a hero. And soon the world would know his name. She was sure of it.

Besides, Mirio deserved it. He had worked so hard to be where he was right now. And he was still working hard on improving himself. Always with that smile of his to brighten everyone's day. And with his tall posture and strong built, he was always ready to save the day. Yet always modest.

'Haha. Well, I try my best.'

She laughed along with Mirio as their homeroom teacher walked in. The rest of their day went as usual. An interesting art class from Midnight, which had resulted in Kenshin Okino being covered in paint. The puppeteer quirk user hadn't been paying attention to his surroundings and had promptly walked into the table with bottles of acrylic paint.

Then there was quite an interesting class of modern literature. One of the classes Ichika liked the most.

And heroics as their last subject. A class combined with class 3-A. And instead of having All Might as their teacher, they still had Snipe.

Come to think about it, it seemed only class 1A had the number one hero as their teacher. Probably because the man was still learning how to be a teacher. Ichika had witnessed firsthand that the man wasn't exactly the best teacher. An amazing hero, yes. But not really teacher material. It made her wonder why he decided to become a teacher at all.

Then again, she had noticed he had become less active as a pro. Not that she really kept track of the pros and their activities. Only Endeavor for obvious reasons. But also All Might. He was the number one after all.

Of course, there was Izuku as well. Her younger brother never missed a chance to see the strong hero in action. And also point out every now and then how amazing it was that he wasn't the symbol of peace for nothing. The man had held the title for before either of the Midoriya siblings were born. Becoming the number one hero of Japan when their mother was just a child. So perhaps he was thinking of retirement?

Ichika frowned as she buttoned up her white shirt. Not even knowing why she cared so much about which classes All Might had. And how many. She was just glad that she was chosen to stand beside him during those classes. To have the honour of standing next to the greatest hero they have ever had and help him get the hang of teaching. Even if she herself was far from a teacher.

But something about this whole situation kept nagging in the back of her head. Not at first, of course. She had just been too eager for this opportunity to even give it a single thought. And dare she admit, fangirling as well. Yet as time passed by, she had begun to notice something odd about this arrangement.

She was always one for logic, but something about this did not seem logical. Sure, it was logical that the man wouldn't start out taking over every class from Snipe. But the more she thought about it, the more she realised that it would have been much more logical if All Might would teach one of the upper classes. Whether it was class 3-A or 3-B. Those two were close to becoming pro's and disciplined enough for a newbie to start out with.

So why class 1-A?

And then there was the strange sudden departure right before or just after class ended. More often than not leaving things to Ichika to handle as the hero dashed of in an awkward way. It just didn't make any sense. Was the man hiding something?

'Hey hey, what's taking you so long?'

Ichika was snapped out of her thoughts by Nejire. The periwinkle haired girl sat at the bench, waiting for Ichika with a pout.

'Oh, nothing important. Let's go.'

'Finally.' The girl sighed as she sprung to her feet, making her way over to the door of the changing room. 'So, do you have anything planned for the summer break?'

'Nothing yet. I guess I have to work at Endeavor Agency. And other than that, we have nothing planned. What about you?'

Nejire shook her head, telling Ichika she hadn't had anything planned either. Then she suddenly smiled brightly as she waved at her classmate, Yuyu Haya, before facing Ichika again.

'Hey, I've got an idea!' She clapped her hands excitedly. 'How about you, me and Yuyu go shopping! There must be a day when all three of us can meet up.'

'Uh, yeah, sure.'

Truth be told, Ichika didn't like the idea of shopping that much. Not with Nejire, at least. While she loved her bubbly friend dearly, she was a pain in the butt when it came to shopping. Every time they went shopping, Ichika was dragged along to try out outfits she didn't even like. Even if she had to admit Nejire had been right about her looking cute in them. It just wasn't her style.

Turning a corner, the two of them made their way towards the exit, where Mirio and Tamaki

'Just let me know when the two of you are available and I'll see what I can do about my schedule with Endeavor. We all know that old man has a soft spot for me, even if he will never admit it.'

She winked at Nejire, who giggled at this. Then their attention was drawn to a voice comming from behind them.

'I'm afraid there'll be a slight change in plans concerning your summer break, Midoriya.'

Standing behind them, was the homeroom teacher of Izuku. His wild black hair even more disheveled than usual as he eyed the third years with tired eyes.

'Sir?'

'Hado, I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation.' Ichika noticed he did not look sorry at all. 'But I need to have a word with Midoriya. Midoriya, if you could follow me please.'

Not that she really had a choice. She knew little of Aizawa, other than that he was a strict man. He preferred getting straight to business, instead of beating around the bush and often kept to himself. So the fact that man wanted to have a word with her, meant that she had little say in the matter.

'Yes, of course, sir. Though let me message Izuku real quick. He's supposed to be waiting for me at the gate.'

She reached for her phone, but the monotonous voice of the teacher in front of her stopped her from doing so.

'Your brother is aware of your delay.'

'Oh, okay.' Ichika turned to look at Nejire with an apologetic smile. 'Well, I guess I'll see you next week then.'

Nejire, who was still stunned by the sudden appearance of the quirk erasing hero, just gave a curt wave and then left. Probably to find Mirio and Tamaki to tell them Ichika was being held up. While Ichika herself started to follow Aizawa to see what he wanted.

'Sit down.' Ichika did as told, as she sat down across Aizawa. Her taking a quick scan of his desk as she did so. 'I'm sure you are aware of the two tests the first years had to do.'

Ichika simply nodded. His desk was unusually messy today. She had not expected that from the usual organised man.

'And has your brother also told you about the summer camp?'

Once again, Ichika nodded as a reply. Of course he had told her about it. He was so excited! Two weeks of intense training under the guidance of pro heroes. It was a dream come true for him.

'I figured as much.' Aizawa was not impressed. Not in the slightest. Though it seemed he was relieved, judging by his sigh. 'That saves me time explaining a thing ot two, I guess. That means I can get straight to the point. I want you to come along and help me.'

Now that was a surprise! Why would the pro hero need her help? Wasn't the pro hero Vlad King joining him? He was the homeroom teacher of 1-B after all. Shouldn't he be joining his class?

'There'll be 40 students and only two teachers,' Aizawa explained her unspoken question. Though it probably wasn't that hard to guess what she was thinking. 'I've asked the help of the Wild, Wild Pussycats, but seeing as there are a handful of students who have failed the practical test, I need another hand to help out.'

'I'd love to help you out, sir,' she began after letting it all sink in. 'But I am far from being ready to teach. Besides, I am supposed to spend my break at Endeavor Agency.'

'Hound Dog has already taken care of that. You are dismissed for your shifts during the duration of the camp.'

He looked at her, watching her surprise turn into irritation. And he couldn't really blame her. They had gone behind her back and called her mentor. From what he's heard, Endeavor and the older Midoriya seemed pretty close. He'd even overheard Todoroki complain about his father having a closer bond with her, than he had with his own children.

Which is why Hound Dog had pressed on it being a great opportunity.

'It's still your choice to make,' he then added after a moment of silence. 'If you'd rather work for Endeavor during your break, that's fine by me. And you don't have to give me your answer straight away. Though I would like it by the end of next week.'

And so Ichika found herself in the car with two of the four Wild Pussycats a couple of weeks later. How could she not? Like Aizawa had stated, it was indeed a great opportunity for her to focus on her didactics. Even if Endeavor didn't like the idea at all. He even tried to convince her to change her mind. But Ichika had made up her mind. Especially after the incident at the Kiyashi Ward shopping mall, where Izuku had once again faced a dangerous villain. Though this time, alone. And from what she had heard, he had stood powerless against Shigaraki. The villain had him by his neck, all but one finger touching his skin, thus preventing his quirk to activate. But why? Why did the decay villain had it out for Izuku? Once again attacking her younger brother in broad daylight. Or had it been a mere coincidence? Was it another student he was targeting, but had Izuku been the one he could get his hands on - literally. Or had it been a coincidence that he had yet again that Shigaraki had stumbled upon class 1-A and was his target someone else entirely? A hero, perhaps?

Not that it mattered. Class 1-A had been targeted by villains too often already in such a short amount of time. It was clear to Ichika that they could use all the help they could get to defend themselves, should the occasion call for it. So if their teacher thought Ichika could help out, then she could try her hardest. Anything to protect her brother.

'They're here.'

The voice of Mandalay snapped her out of her train if thoughts. Her eyes shifting from the green mountains behind them, to the brunette leader of the Pussycats.

'Let's give them a warm welcome then,' Pixie-Bob replied with a grin. Her bright blue eyes sparkling mischievously as the blonde licked her lips. 'What'd ya say, Phoenix?'

'Ah,' Ichika gave the pro hero a sceptical look. Doubting she held the same meaning to "a warm welcome" as Ichika had. 'Sure.'

The woman gave her a wicked grin, as Mandalay stepped out of the car.

'Hey there, Eraserhead,' she greeted the homeroom teacher of class 1-A, while Pixie-Bob and Ichika stepped out of the car too.

'Long time no see,' the man replied with a polite bow.

'Your feline fantasies are here,' Mandalay then immediately started upon seeing the students, beginning to move for her pose, 'say meow.'

'Purrfectly cute and catlike girls. You can call us -' Pixie-Bob continued following suit in her own pose, before finishing together with Mandalay.

' - the Wild, Wild Pussycats.'

As the two of them finished, They both striked a pose on the opposite of the other. Their cat-like gloves curled like claws, their fake mechanic tails swishing enthusiastically. While they had done the same while introducing themselves to Ichika, the girl still felt uncomfortable watching them strike a pose. Especially now that there were just the two of them. With Ragdoll and Tiger appointed to class 1-B. But this time it was different as well, as she now stood to the side of them, with a child next to her.

Ichika glanced over at Kota, the young boy now staying with Mandalay after his parent's demise. Seeing whether or not he felt self-conscious of ashamed. But the kid stood there motionless. A stoic look in his eyes, watching the two adults with his hands in his pockets.

She wanted to ask him whether or not he was okay, knowing about his history. But her attention was drawn when her name was called. Her hero name, that is.

'I asked Phoenix to help along as well,' Eraserhead said as he threw a thumb over his shoulder to point at the said girl. 'Her training with the number two hero and familiarity with your class, should be a great asset during your training camp.'

'Hey.' She waved at them, a smile on her face. 'Seems like you're stuck with me for the next two weeks.'

There were a couple of cheers, mostly from the girls. A scoff from Bakugo and a perverted mumbling from Mineta - which Ichika ignored. She's gotten used to his outspoken attraction towards the feminine curves.

'I can't believe it!' The sudden nerdy outburst of her brother made her giggle as he stared at the two pro heroes next to her. 'One of the four hero teams dat founded the Union Affairs Office! They specialise in mountain rescue operations and are veterans in their field! They've got 12 years of experience on them...'

Though before Izuku could continued his word vomit, her was cut off by Pixie-Bob. The blond had quickly dashed over to Izuku to clasp her hand over his mouth - or face, actually - to effectively stop him from uttering another word.

'I'm sure you've got your calculations wrong,' she darkly stated as she glared at him. 'I'm eighteen at heart!'

Ichika sighed at this, thinking it to be sad that a grown woman though like that. But then brushed it off. Instead focusing on Mandalay as she explained the reason for stopping in the middle of nowhere. With the whole area being their privat property, the students would be allowed to use their quirks freely. Which was the whole idea of the summer camp. To focus on training the quirks.

But upon realising that their actual destination lay way ahead in the mountains still, confused some of the students. But upon realising their training was starting right now, class 1-A made a run for the bus.

'It's 9:30 am right now,' Mandalay said with a wicked grin as she watched them run away from the overview. 'If you're fast about it, you might make it by noon.'

'Kittens that don't make it before 12:30, won't be eating lunch,' Pixie-Bob added, before slamming her hands to the ground, sending class 1-A flying.

'You really have a way of telling your students their training has already started, sir,' Ichika said humorously, watching the teens fall down the cliff, as Mandalay told them they could use their quirks freely. 'It's much more different from Inui sensei.'

'Hound Dog's way would not work on my students.'

Ichika simply nodded. Intrigued by Aizawa's way of teaching. A bit unorthodox, but apparently it did work. Class 1-A was incredible. There were talented students among them, some naturally strong like Bakugo. Others working hard to get to were they were now, like Izuku. And she was curious how much they would grow during this training camp. Though the startled screams coming from down below, didn't sound promising.

'Out of curiosity, sir.' The man looked down at the teen in front of him. Her green eyes the same as her brother's. Big and filled with curiosity. 'Why the fast pace in training them? I can't remember my training as a freshman was like this. Especially not before summer break. From what you've told me, there are some skills I learned at the start of my second year. Yet you want to get started on that during these two weeks. Why is that?'

'Yeah,' Mandalay agreed, walking over to the two of them. 'I was wondering the same thing. It's quite the crazy pace for these kids.'

'Very observant of you, Phoenix,' Aizawa complemented the girl. Not that he was surprised. As different as the siblings were in their ambitions, the similar they were in their observation skills. 'You're right about some skills being taught until the start of their second year. But we're here now because they need to learn them sooner than later. Hence the sped-up pace.'

Ichika nodded in understanding.

'So it's because of the fact that they have been targeted by the villains on multiple occasions. And class 1-B is out of precaution?'

'You could say that.' The man looked over to where the shouting of his students was coming from, along with the sounds of fighting. 'They need provisional permits for quirk use in emergencies.'

'They'll need to up their self defence skills then.'

Aizawa silently nodded at her reply. Then, he turned his attention towards Pixie-Bob, who stood close to the cliff. Her mechanic tail swishing from left to right excitedly as she commanded her dirt monsters.

'I trust that I can count on you, Pixie-Bob?'

'Ooh, leave it to me!' The blonde threw her arms up in the air in enthusiasm, before pulling them close to her body again. 'My fur's standing on edge!'

Then all but Pixie-Bob left, making their way to the campsite.

A/N: I'm sorry it took so long. I was working hard on writing a couple of essays and studying for my final exams. But for now, I'm done. I graduated my lv 4 education and will continue my bachelor after summer break.

Unfortunately, that means updates will continue being slow-paced...

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

I'd love to hear your thoughts :)