Hello again, everyone. It really warmed my heart to see so many of you so receptive to the last trilogy of chapters covering the USJ Arc. Now we begin transitioning into what I can only imagine has been a very anticipated one for all of you die-hard MHA fans (myself very quickly being included), the Sports Festival Arc!
Let me tell you all, so much planning has gone into my tackling this whole part of the manga, particularly into trying to strike a balance between what to keep as it was in the original in order to preserve crucial canon elements, and what to tweak around in order to put my own spin on things and keep them interesting.
It's also been another major exercise for me as a writer in terms of figuring out what events from the manga to showcase, and exactly how much. I will say there have come to be some upcoming events that I've realized are so vital for the development of some characters, they've pretty much demanded to be portrayed in their entirety here as well, considering who I plan for Kolya and Tunguska to get to know better and potentially work off of in the near future. So later on, expect to revisit some events I'm sure you're more than familiar with, in order to get to newer events as a result.
Anyway, this chapter is intended to serve as something of a breather from where we left off, but I am thinking of releasing the chapter immediately following this one tomorrow, so you can all get something much more pulse-pounding to make up for the week-long wait.
So I hope you all enjoy this chapter, and if so, please, please, PLEASE take the time to write a review and share your thoughts. All your feedback is dearly important to me.
My Hero Academia is the property of Kouhei Horikoshi and Shonen Jump. The only things I own are my original characters, and the original events and alterations of established events that occur as a result of their existence in this universe.
Chapter 13
Interim
(Переходной)
Although the day for the students of Yuuei had been cut in half, for the teachers and other staff, it started like any other, going over observations and ideas on how to improve the campus' security in the wake of the attack at USJ the other day. However, no matter how thorough or foolproof they sounded on paper, none of them could disagree that the sheer power of the Villains they were dealing with was greater than they had expected, primarily due to them having a user of a warping Quirk in their ranks.
Before the day for the students themselves had officially begun, the teachers, with the exception of Aizawa, now found themselves together in the staff conference room, at the behest of Headmaster Nezu and Detective Naomasa Tsukauchi. "I want to thank you all for coming on such short notice. I apologize for the inconvenience this may cause you in terms of performing your curricular duties, but I wanted to fill all of you in on everything the police investigation yesterday has been able to turn up…although I regret to say it's not as much as we had hoped."
Many of the teachers exchanged worried glances with each other, but especially between Tunguska and Toshinori Yagi. Given how personally attached they had become to yesterdays' events, in more ways than one, they had been left especially anxious to know what, if anything, there was to know about their mysterious new opponents. Sensing the apprehension of his fellow educators, Headmaster Nezu was quick to give the go-ahead. "Anything at all is better than nothing, Detective Tsukauchi. Please, what have you learned?"
"Based on the testimonies of All Might and Tunguska-san from what they heard on the scene between the Villains themselves, I did a thorough search for the name 'Shigaraki', and for his Quirk, which seems to entail disintegrating whatever and whomever he touches." The mere mentioning of it caused Tunguska to visibly squirm as he placed his right hand over the injured spot of his left arm, courtesy of that very same Quirk. He almost couldn't help but imagine if Aizawa would do the same if he had been here.
"I scoured the Quirk registration records of every citizen in their 20's and 30's, but…I couldn't find anything like it! It's the same story for the man with the 'warp-gate' Quirk, that 'Kurogiri' character. Either they were never picked up by the census, or they're simply operating under aliases. In any case, they are, for all intents and purposes, shadow people. They never handed in their Quirk registration forms."
This left a further tense air among the faculty. This was most troubling, indeed. If these Villains really had managed to go under the radar like this, then that left their whole society with generally few options on how to go about looking for them. Finally, the Pro Hero in cowboy garb, Snipe, was the one to ultimately break the silence. "So long story short, we've got nothin' to go on. And once the ringleader—you said his name was Shigaraki? Once he heals from those gunshot wounds, we can be sure he'll be coming back to give us some further grief."
"The ringleader…" Toshinori muttered to himself, catching the immediate attention of Nezu and Tunguska alike. "Is there something on your mind, All Might?" The scrawny form of the Symbol of Peace looked to be completely submerged in his own thoughts as he finally spoke up. "It only just came to mind, but that was a fairly daring plan they put together. I feel that, under normal circumstances, they wouldn't have gone through with it. Nevermind the meticulousness of their preparations! We're talking about an individual who, out of nowhere, rattled some dumb irrational logic that seemed coherent on the surface, plus he was careful enough to not reveal anything about his own Quirk. Yet, at the same time, he practically couldn't shut up about that 'Nomu' things' Quirk. And when things weren't going his way, it was like he got downright sick in the head."
Toshinori and Nezu both looked to still be thinking, while the rest of the Pros looked to be forming ideas and feelings of their own, while Tunguska was simply waiting for the chance to add his own perspective from everything he had witnessed. Finally, Toshinori looked ready to elaborate further: "Yet, even in his moments when he seemed to be losing his composure, it's likely he was also trying to lead my actions, given all of their Quirks. Todoroki-shonen had explained that their original plan had been to eliminate me specifically. Tunguska-san being with me was an unexpected wrench in the gears of their plan, and likely one of the major reasons things turned out the way they did."
"Nevertheless, discarding the advantage of keeping their Quirks concealed in a war against Heroes was very foolish on their part." Nezu chimed in, eager to re-instill the confidence that kept gatherings of Heroes like this in high spirits. Regardless, Toshinori looked to finally be reaching the pinnacle of his train of thought. "An absurd, fallacious line of reasoning that appears to have the ring of truth at first glance, the pride they seem to take in their 'possessions', the overly simplistic view of things that led them to believe their plan would go smoothly, and their handling of their scheme, and how quickly it was able to come apart with the inclusion of one extra Hero…if you take all of these things into consideration, then the figure of this 'Shigaraki' that begins to present itself is, well…it's as though he's got a toddlers' sense of feeling like he can do whatever he wants! Like some kind of…'man-child'."
Following his fellow Heroes' lead, Tunguska decided to straighten himself up to speak in turn. "It's all true. This Shigaraki person is…certainly more than meets the eye. His attitude fluctuates seemingly on a dime, from a meticulous schemer and…a formidable fighter even on his own…" (Once again, Tunguska found himself feeling at his arm wound) "…To practically being nothing more than a child who's had his toys taken away. Someone with an unpredictable mind like that can be very dangerous, so it wouldn't be wise on any of our parts to underestimate him for a moment."
"So what are you saying: that he's essentially like some kid with a 'power' or something?!" This outburst came from the homeroom teacher of Yuuei's Class 1-B, Sekijiro Kan, better known by his Hero name, Vlad King. He was a large, white-haired, well-built and imposing man, similar in physique to All Might and Tunguska both, but had a much more intimidating air about him, whether it was his rigid-looking square-jawed face, the fangs that protruded from his mouth, or just his overall lack of a more personable demeanor. Either way, it wasn't enough to put off his fellow Pros, such as Midnight, who had the misfortune of having to sit next to him when he'd shout like this.
"It's possible he may not have received the same Quirk counseling in elementary school like the other kids—"And?! What does all this have to do with anything?!" Once more, even despite his lack of patience and bombastic tone, nobody flinched in the face of Vlad Kings' impatience, least of all Detective Tsukauchi. "We rounded up 72 Villains at USJ the other day. They were all third-rate thugs—the types who would skulk in back alleys. The problem is that they all seemed to swear allegiance to that very same 'man-child' and followed him without question, each to the man."
This news in particular left many of the gathered Heroes apprehensive again. If this Shigaraki character was able to inspire such loyalty out of bottom-of-the-barrel alley rats like these, there was no telling the kind of trouble they would potentially be facing if he were to recruit more powerful Villain to his ranks. Finally, Tunguska could not help but to express his idea of just what they were looking at.
"I think what we need to remember, is that we live in a time where there are more Heroes now than there ever were before. As such, Villains have been progressively feeling the pressure mount on them. With 80% of the worlds' population possessing Quirks, and so many of them flocking towards the world of Heroes, that societal imbalance is inevitably going to lead to trouble. The fact is that, there are some people out there who feel completely directionless, like their Quirks aren't suited for Hero work, and in a society that praises Heroes, it can lead to resentment and anger, and as we've all seen before, that can manifest in violent ways.
"Perhaps the very fact that this Shigaraki possesses such a childlike mentality, such a simplistic idea of evil in a world that feels so complicated to them, is exactly what drew them and inspired their loyalty to begin with. History has shown that when you take any number of people that are disgruntled, desperate and angry, and you claim you have the solution to exactly what ails them, you can convince them to do anything, and they will never question you."
Nobody could think of anything to say, because they all silently knew that their Russian colleague was right. It wasn't a fact about the world they felt comfortable acknowledging, but they knew pretending that imbalance didn't exist was just downright irresponsible, if not disrespectful to those that got left behind by the world and therefore felt forced to go into that opposing side of the spectrum to begin with.
Despite the gravity of what Tunguska had just proposed, Tsukauchi remained undeterred in his more positive demeanor. "Yes, well…Heroes have also been invaluable with our being able to give conducting proper searches and investigations our undivided attention. I'll be going to assist with enlarging the police dragnet so we continue capturing more criminals."
As the detective took his leave, the rest of the Pros looked to still be taking in everything they now understood, while Nezu looked especially focused on something in particular. "'A man-child', you say. If you look at it another way, then he's essentially just like our students. It means he still has the potential to grow. Perhaps, if we were to help him, maybe give him a truly exceptional coach or mentor…?"
The stillness of the conference room was suddenly broken by the sound of Tunguska gripping one of the arms of his chair to the point it had become warped within his hand. Needless to say, this drew the full attention of all his peers, especially when they all saw the deeply troubled look in his blue eyes. "Tunguska-san, I understand you have feelings on this suggestion you'd like to share?"
As much as he didn't want to, he knew simply lying to the headmaster would help nothing. Realizing the corner he had put himself in, Tunguska let out a truly defeated sigh as he inadvertently looked out the window in thought. "It's a noble idea, Headmaster Nezu-san. However, I…this situation just conjures some…painful memories, but the kind I feel would be most pertinent to share with you all, in light of these circumstances." When he could tell none of his peers were looking to him to keep it to himself, he took a deep breath to steady his nerves, and proceeded to speak up.
"Many years ago, before my son was born, The New Bogatyrs and myself faced a situation of considerable importance. There had recently been a string of homicides spanning all across the Siberian sub-continent. We eventually discovered the perpetrator, or Villain, to be a young man, barely older than our students now. He belonged to one of the indigenous peoples that lived in that region, one that had been treated especially cruelly by the Russian government over the centuries. We figured that out because, not only did he choose to leave artifacts and tools linked specifically to his ancestral people at each scene, but because the victims were all well-known politicians and businessmen who had direct hands in the oppression and mistreatment of his people. This young man had simply decided, rather than let the system try to work things out, to simply take matters into his own hands, and he had a Quirk powerful enough to allow him to do just that.
"We were eventually able to track him down, but a great number of us, myself included; we could understand and even sympathize with the cause he was trying to fight for, misguided and serious as his approach had been. I was convinced that we could get through to him, steer him in the right direction, and help teach him to use his Quirk for good, and help bring the people left who were responsible for his peoples' suffering, to justice the proper way, like a Hero is supposed to. In the beginning, I thought it worked.
"However, as much as I didn't want to see it at first, the truth was that…this young mans' anger had grown too much, to the point it got twisted into something worse, something beyond mere righteous anger, something…something truly evil. He had gotten his taste for blood long before we had gotten to him, and there are just some things in this world that you don't come back from, no matter how hard people try to help pull you out from it. We learned that the hard way."
The gravity and hard truth to what Tunguska was saying was hardly lost on anyone in that room, many of them sharing similar looks of regret, while Nezu simply looked pensive, folding his paws over each other in serious contemplation. "I want to believe in your idea, Nezu-san, I really do. I don't like saying this any more than anyone here likes hearing it, but it's just a fact of the world we live in. Sometimes, no matter how much we want to reach out and help steer people in the right direction, there are just some who are too far gone by the time you get to them. It's a painful truth, but the sooner we make peace with it, the better prepared we can be to find the next wayward soul that may still be able to be turned around."
Nezu didn't say anything for a moment, only sucking in a sharp breath through his teeth before finally letting out a sigh of resignation, which seemed to communicate far more to his faculty than one would have guessed. "Yes…yes, I suppose it was rather naïve of me to think, wasn't it? Thank you for your perspective, Tunguska-san. Now, I think we all have quite a lot to think about today, so I'll hereby adjourn this meeting and leave you all to conduct your respective classes. Good day, everyone."
As the headmaster and the rest of the teachers filed out to return to their classrooms, Toshinori and Tunguska both looked far more worn out than anyone would have expected, at least emotionally and mentally. Truth be told, they had both been feeling like this since the very battle at USJ the day before. "I don't know why I ever thought we wouldn't one day deal with a situation like this at some point, Toshinori-san. This Villain business has certainly made things around here a lot more serious, not to mention complicated."
As the two veterans headed down the hall, Tunguska could feel a far greater air of intensity about Toshinori, even more so than usual, which left the large Russian feeling a bit worried. Whatever was on his colleagues' mind, he actually felt a touch uncertain if he wanted to know. "Yes…yes, it certainly has, Tunguska-san. Truth be told, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since we were in Recovery Girls' office yesterday. I've had a fair amount of time to think about some things."
Suddenly, Toshinori stopped in his tracks, looking as though he was mentally coming to grips with something unspoken, for when he finally lifted his gaunt face to meet Tunguskas' gaze, there was an especially great fire of determination reflected in his own sunken blue eyes. "Tunguska-san, I would like you to join me for lunch in the break room later today. There's something very important I need to say, and I want you to be there for it. But I just need a little more time to really make sure I know what to say when the time comes. So please, be there."
Tunguska honestly had no idea just what the Symbol of Peace was thinking of at this moment, but he knew by now that the man never asked something like this without a damn good reason, and he would be a fool to turn him down.
"A SPORTS FESTIVAL?! I KEEP FORGETTING THIS IS STILL AN ACTUAL SCHOOL!" The entirety of Class 1-A erupted in surprise and excitement after Aizawa had made the announcement of the upcoming Yuuei Sports Festival. The air was abuzz with chatter of all kinds between the students. For the most part it was all excitement and anticipation, but there were some scattered expressions of concern, such as Minoru Mineta, who immediately piped in with: "Wait, hold up! That sounds like something Villains would try to infiltrate…isn't it? Will it be all right?"
Despite the legitimacy of such concern, Aizawa was unshaken (albeit this was how he was pretty much by default), as he remained resolute where he stood. "On the contrary: since we're going ahead with the Festival, it means that the school is confident it has all its bases covered when it comes to its crisis control now. I hear police presence will be five times bigger than normal, for example. What you should all be thinking about…is what a huge chance the Academy's Sports Festival presents for you all.
"This isn't some event that'll be brought to a halt by the likes of Villains. Our Sports Festival is one of Japan's biggest events! In days past, the Olympics were the sports festivity that whipped the nation into an absolute frenzy of enthusiasm! But now, as you know, the extent and population have shrunk, and it's lost a lot of substance as a result! So what has taken the place of the Olympics in Japan is the Yuuei Sports Festival!"
Aizawa's little speech lit further fire under everyone; to the point the excitement was thick in the air. However that was nothing until after Momo finally gave voice to the real prize: "The country's Top Heroes are all sure to be watching us! It's because they'll be scouting for us!" When he heard this, Nikolay felt his blood boil with excitement in his veins. This was the moment he had been constantly hearing of: the time when they would all finally be chosen by actual Pro Heroes, the Internship Period.
'I can't believe it. For just how important that was, I didn't think we would be approaching it this early in the year! And this Sports Festival is how we're gonna be judged and picked, if we're even that lucky?! Oh man, are they even going to tell us what the Festival actually involves? No, it doesn't matter, I just have to dedicate as much time as I can to train, both my body and my Quirk. This is the first big step for your new life, Nikolay Olegovich, go into it with as much determination as you can!'
As this silent motivational speech played out in his head while the rest of the class was once more in an uproar of excitement, Nikolay couldn't believe how quickly he'd let himself get past his initial intimidation, and was instead actually feeling excited for it. Of course, if he had to pick any source for his almost unnatural excitement…
"Isn't this so exciting, Kolya-kun?! Think about it, if we do well enough, we'll finally get to work alongside real Heroes! We'll get to be in the papers, maybe even be on TV! We'll be famous, and then even more Heroes will notice us, and maybe even bigger ones will want to have us intern for the next period, where we'll get even more famous, and we'll become Pro Heroes in no time!" Mina Ashido was practically bouncing off the walls; she was so thrilled.
The way her black-gold eyes were practically sparkling like obsidian the further she went, Nikolay almost didn't want to say anything, lest his natural tone somehow bring her spirits down. This was clearly one of the moments she had been waiting for with the most anticipation, he didn't want to ruin that for her. However, even his attempt at maintaining silence and letting his pink best friend run her energies' natural course didn't follow through, as she seemed to just be boundless, ultimately taking his hands in hers and pulling him up onto his feet with her. Her whole body was bouncing with so much excitement; it almost felt like she was about to start dancing, with him still clutched in her eager grip. In all honesty, it was enough to make even Nikolays' restrained excitement begin to grow.
"Do you have any idea what agencies you're hoping to get picked up by, Mina?" he finally decided to ask, anxious to help talk her down from swinging him around with her and making a spectacle of themselves. "Who wants to get picky when you're talking about working under real Pro Heroes?! Just the chance to get noticed and work with one in general, isn't that cool enough?! All I know is we're all gonna give that Festival everything we've got, and we're gonna become Pros!"
With that, Mina shot a free hand into the air and gave out an eager cheer, spurring many of the other nearby students to reflexively do the same. "And besides, maybe if we both do good enough, we'll both get scouted by the same Agency! We've already come this far together, how cool would it be to both work under the same Pro and get all that exposure together?"
The sentiment she was going for was definitely much appreciated, but that kind of astronomical chance was too much for Nikolays' more realistic perspective to ignore. "Yeah, that would be pretty nice, actually, but I really don't know if they would be okay with one Pro having more than one intern." It was admittedly a disappointing possibility, but god bless her heart, Mina didn't let that sink her spirits, as she just kept one hand on Nikolays' as she proceeded to keep expressing her excitement and hopes with their other classmates, while Nikolay was observing how everyone else was acting.
One he very quickly noticed was Ochako, who, contrary to literally any other time, wasn't smiling, but instead had an air of very serious contemplation about her. Contrasting with her usually smiling blushing face, it looked downright unnatural.
The rest of homeroom had thankfully managed to go much more smoothly once Aizawa had instructed everyone to get back to their seats and settle down. Of course, the excitement for the Festival was still downright palatable as everyone filed out of class for the next period. Nikolay still couldn't help but think about the nearly endless possibilities of the Pro Heroes he could have ended up interning under, and that was all assuming he would even do well enough to get scouted to begin with. He wasn't even sure how he could put the concerns in his head into words as he began making his way for the exit.
"Hold it, you two." Aizawas' voice called out loud and clear, even from underneath his bandages. Nikolay instinctively froze in place and turned to look the homeroom teacher in his partially obscured eyes, only to notice Mina had likewise done the same, forcing some of the other students to go around them like human roadblocks.
"U-us, Sensei?" Nikolay finally asked, instantly kicking himself for asking the most painfully obvious. "No, the other two students with the standing of being the only ones in my class currently under detention period. Come here." Neither of them wasted a moment reporting in front of his desk as he sat himself down, giving them both the silent treatment while rooting through his desk.
"I'm gonna cut right through the fat with you two. I need to take some time over these next few weeks to get my strength back up to snuff, and as such, some of my original plans for the class' curriculum have been forced to change to more classroom-bound variations, which I've fortunately already taken the time to write up. Now since these changes were pretty much the definition of 'last minute', obviously they haven't been reflected in your official paperwork."
To emphasize his point, Aizawa suddenly pulled out a considerable stack of printed packets, momentarily leaving Nikolay and Mina both clueless as to just what he was getting at. Unfortunately, he could see that clear as day. "Look, Present Mic has been keeping me up-to-date on how you two are doing in the detention periods he's been overseeing in my stead. He says that the two of you have been doing…well, relatively better in his English class, which tells me that at least in that regard, you're putting forth your best in the periods you're stuck here. On top of that, I understand you both did quite well, in your own individual rights, during the USJ incident yesterday, as far as doing as you're supposed to, and conducting yourselves when things got tough.
"I'm not letting you two off the hook, if that's what you think I'm getting at, but I'm not above showing appreciation for hard work and effort being put in. So, I'm offering the two of you a chance to work off your detention period for today. If you take these curriculum modifications to your classmates before the end of today, so they can be properly prepared for what comes over these next few weeks, I'll consider that your detention for today carried out, and you can both go home at a halfway decent time like everybody else."
Nikolay and Mina both immediately sprung on the chance he was giving them, grabbing their own respective armfuls of the papers. Any task would be worth it if it meant not having to sit in a stuffy detention class with either him or Present Mic looming over their heads, and that was the attitude driving them as they were just about ready to head out the door and get to work. Of course, that was the intention before Nikolay suddenly froze where he stood and turned to address Aizawa personally. "Forgive me, Sensei, but I just have to ask…this isn't a trick, is it? Another 'logical ruse'?"
He almost wanted to bite his tongue as soon as the words had come out, and Mina looked petrified that he had just screwed up their chance. Aizawa remaining stone still and silent didn't help matters, either. However, when he finally folded his bandaged hands over each other, despite his eyes never softening or hardening in their expression, Aizawa finally gave Nikolay his answer: "The more pertinent question is: Do you really think I would tell you if it was?'"
The next few periods had thankfully gone by without a hitch, and after their fourth period, Modern Literature with Cementoss, the time had finally come for their noonday break. Their classmates had all become abuzz with excitement over the Festival and its potential rewards once more, and those that had once been more subdued, were now letting their real determination shine, as had been the immediate subject between Nikolay and Mina as they stepped out into the halls with everyone else.
"The Festival is really exciting and everything, but did you see Urara-chan back there? I didn't think she could look so intense if she tried. It was like she…wasn't even Urara-chan just now." Mina noted, unable to hide how weirded out she felt, seeing the gravity girl put on an air of unbelievable intensity the likes of which neither of them had ever seen before, all in the name of, as Ochako had put it, 'crushing the Sports Festival'.
"Yeah, that was honestly kind of scary to see. And if the Festival is still a couple of weeks away, I'm kind of nervous to see how she's gonna be by the time it actually arrives…among other people." Nikolay agreed, whilst also shuddering at the early signs of intensity from the likes of Tenya and Bakugo, especially. Where he stood right now, Nikolay was only certain of two things: he was going to be dedicating as much time outside of school over the next two weeks to training, and he was going to be keeping his head down around their explosive classmate even more so than usual.
"Alright, let's not start getting scared now, Kolya-kun, we're gonna be A-OK before and after the Festival, just you wait and see! Now, can we please figure out how we're gonna get these dumb papers out to everyone? I really don't want to spend the evening with Aizawa-sensei giving us that cold stare again. The fact those eyes are all we can see of him right now somehow makes that even worse."
As humorous as Minas' childlike desperation to avoid their teacher honestly was, Nikolay couldn't help but agree, glancing down to the pesky curriculum sheets sticking out of his book bag and her backpack. "Okay…considering how many of our classmates we need to get these out to, and considering how tight the schedule is, doing it during the actual class periods is out of the question, and figuring out where everybody lives and going out to their houses after school would take way too long, even if we split up."
"Yeah, especially since everyone will probably be going by different train schedules, so we could end up missing some of them entirely." Mina piped in, surprisingly following his train of thought rather quickly. After another minute of mutual silent thinking, the two met each others' eyes and immediately realized they had somehow magically come to the same conclusion, as aggravating as said conclusion was going to be.
"Nobody in our class really spreads out that far during noonday break, and if we split up, we could easily get these out to everyone before the bell for next period rings!" Nikolay surmised, only to be punctuated by his stomach suddenly growling. Only instead of an entertained giggle from his pink best friend, he and Mina exchanged worried, yet knowing, glances. "If we're gonna get this done in time…we're gonna have to skip lunch, aren't we?" she finally asked, only for her stomach to growl in kind, making them both chuckle with resigned embarrassment. As much as they both wanted to lament their situation, they knew there was no time to lose, so sucking it up, the two proceeded to head their separate ways, determination lighting a fire in their hearts to get this done and gain their timely freedom for the day.
Shortly after they had split up, Nikolay had realized just how ill-prepared their little strategy was, as he had never taken care to see just where his classmates tended to go during this time of day. He had half a mind to text Mina to see if she had perhaps taken notice of such things without him noticing, when he turned a corner to find a very familiar trio of green, brown and dark blue hair in the process of descending the stairs. No doubt in his mind as to who it was, the young Russian took off like a bat out of hell.
"Hey, guys, wait up," he called out with a bit of excess urgency, which immediately caught the attention of Izuku and Tenya especially, as their classmate had to make the effort to stop himself before tripping down the steps. "Kolya-san, what has you in such a rush? The noonday break isn't going to end for a little while. Or are you perhaps getting a jumpstart on your training for the Festival?" Tenya immediately guessed, before Nikolay hurriedly dug into his book bag and nearly tossed three copies to his surprised classmates; the three only managing to catch them in midair through sheer luck.
"Sorry to spring that on you guys. Aizawa-sensei had to make some changes to the curriculum because of his injuries, so he's having Mina and I hand these out. Sorry to interrupt, by the way," he hurriedly explained before trying to make his way further down the stairs, just blindly hoping he'd find someone else he was actually looking for this way, and not just completely running blind.
"Kolya-san, wait! There's something I actually want to ask you!" Izuku suddenly called out, bringing Nikolay to a nearly screeching halt, looking back to his trio of friends. He could immediately see Izuku had something big on his mind, and he wasn't even about to embarrass himself trying to guess. "After everything that's happened to us up to this point, and especially with you, I just can't help but wonder: why did you ultimately decide you want to become a Hero after all?"
This question visibly caught Tenya and Ochako likewise by surprise, nevermind Nikolay himself. "You're really asking me that, Midoriya-san? I thought I had actually explained myself pretty concisely on Monday. I came back, deciding to be a Hero, because I'm tired of living in the past. I want to actually try taking my life forward from now on. I thought that was pretty understandable, myself."
Izuku looked, frankly, embarrassed since he knew Nikolays' reasoning was right. It was odd; it was like the freckled boy was beating around the bush with this question, trying to work his way towards asking something bigger. "No, you're right. It's just that I've been thinking a lot recently about how we all have our own outside motivators besides our personal dreams of becoming Heroes. Like how Iida-san, you have your family history and your brother to drive you, and I have All Might to inspire me. So I'm just curious what it is for you, Kolya-san. I'm sorry if I'm being too forward," he hurriedly apologized, not noticing the intrigued look on Nikolays' face.
It was something he himself had only given sparing thought towards, having been more focused on his own personal drive towards becoming a Hero. However, now that the thought had been brought up, he found himself thoroughly reflecting on just what it was that gave him the strongest feelings of inspiration, besides his own desires for his own way of living.
"Well…I would have to say it's my parents. My mom believed I had the potential to become just as great a Hero as my dad; and in his case…I'd actually been thinking about that a lot these days. I think I've come to realize: my dad went through so much hell trying to keep us alive and safe over the years, and for the longest time, given everything that was even then happening, I never bothered trying to figure out exactly why he did so, other than maybe as some form of personal penance or guilt.
"However, now I think I've come to realize his real reasoning, at least based on his overall attitude since we came here. I think he went through all of that, precisely because he must have believed there was still a place in the world for Heroes. Even despite our homeland turning on all those with Quirks, he kept fighting because he didn't want to lose that faith; or at least that's what I've come to believe at this moment. He never lost faith, and I don't want him to think that faith was for nothing, for either of us. He believed the world still deserved Heroes, and I've found myself believing it as well, and I want to do my part to help cement that belief for both of us, if not everybody else. I want to be the kind of Hero that he, I, and everyone else can believe in, just like you guys and everybody else in this school and beyond."
The deeper meaning behind Nikolays' answer earned Nikolay looks of respect from all three of his peers, before his, Tenyas' and Ochakos' focus returned to Izuku himself, who now realized he had essentially put himself right on the spot. At least, that was his worry before Ochako suddenly adopted a more thoughtful expression; as though she were debating whether to answer his original question herself.
"Well, I guess that leaves me as the only one who hasn't actually shared why they want to be a Hero between us, huh?" It was clear to all three boys that she was really struggling to will herself to answer, and by the time she finally steeled herself to do so, Nikolay and Tenya looked about half-ready to tell her she didn't have to if it was too much.
"The truth is that…I-I want to become a Hero for the money!" The bluntness of Ochakos' answer left all three boys in stunned silence for a moment, all looking as though they had misheard the brown-haired girl. "The money?" "YOU WANNA BE A HERO FOR THE MONEY?!" Izuku and Tenya finally asked, spurring Ochako to look away in embarrassment, hurriedly scratching the back of her head to the point it almost looked like her hair would catch on fire from the sheer friction. "Yeah, I guess, ultimately."
Of course, just as quickly did that look of subtle embarrassment devolve into one of total shame. ""Man, I'm sorry, I know it sounds so lame by comparison! It sounds like I'm not being pure as a Hero! Iida-san, Kolya-san and Deku-kun especially are all doing it for high-minded principles and stuff! I'm so embarrassed!" As the normally timid girl was squirming where she stood, Nikolay felt compelled to say something, anything to try and somehow lessen the blow on her end. "You don't have to be embarrassed, Uraraka-san. I mean, with the way this society holds Heroes up so high, it's not like you would be the only one in the entire world to be drawn in by the financial benefits."
"That's right! Working hard towards a goal in the hopes of achieving a more comfortable life for yourself is perfectly understandable! It's practically been human nature since money was even a concept! There's no shame in admitting such a thing!" Tenya vehemently agreed, once more throwing exceedingly intense hand gestures to emphasize his point, while Izuku practically shrank in the face of such energy. "Yeah, though I have to admit, it is unexpected…"
By now, Ochakos' permanent blush almost looked like it was spreading over the rest of her face as she couldn't even make eye contact with them anymore, fidgeting like a twig before a gale force wind. "I'm working at my parents' construction company, but there's just no real work out there, so we're flat broke! I probably shouldn't be telling anyone about things like this, but…"
"Construction?" Tenya instinctively asked, while Nikolay and Izuku both looked like the connection should have been obvious. "Your Quirk does seem to be tailor-made for it. Of course, this is something we never really stop to think about in a fast-paced society like this. With Quirks dominating so many different business types, even outside of Heroics, what's ultimately happening to the people in those fields who don't actually have Quirks? I mean, you all saw my house; it got repaired and made to look good as new in less than a day after I nearly destroyed it. That's not even counting the fact it was built and furnished in less than two days after All Might had even first approached my dad. With an insane work force like that on hand, it's unfortunately inevitable that other people would face difficulties like that."
"Yeah, but with a Quirk like yours, Uraraka-san, if you could get permission anywhere, it'd be super economical." Izuku chimed in, to which Ochako practically turned on her heels, looking like the freckled boy had completely read her mind. "I know, right?! That's what I told my dad! But…he told me that even though I wanted to help him and mom, he said it would make him happier as a parent if I made my own dreams come true for them."
Thinking back on it was clearly a very sensitive subject for Ochako, as her lip was beginning to visibly tremble. But then, like the flip of a switch, that awkward squirming and look of total embarrassment gave way to a whole new look of resolution, as she finally lifted her head up to meet her three classmates' respective gazes, and even looking beyond, like she was seeing her goal line right in front of her. "So that's why I'm going to become a Hero, and earn money without fail, and I'm going to give my mom and dad the easy life they deserve!"
Tenya immediately began literally applauding for her where he stood, while Izuku looked to be taking her determination straight to heart. And as for Nikolay, all he could feel was a deep sense of admiration. "Your reasoning may not be as altruistic as some of our other classmates, Uraraka-san, but it's no less honorable. Take it from someone descended from a people far too familiar with centuries of living in extreme economic disparity and trying to fight against it: wanting to become a Hero to be able to give back to your parents is not selfish, nor is it anything to be embarrassed of, no matter what anyone else might say. You really are as much of a real Hero as the rest of us, and don't for a moment ever think otherwise."
Tenya was once again in full, active agreement with the young Russians' sentiment, and seeing such smiles and honest words of support from the three boys left Ochako smiling with heartfelt appreciation; her always blushing cheeks almost radiant with pink to hear them all say so.
A momentary glance at a nearby wall clock almost made Nikolay literally jump from flinching so hard. "Oh damn, I need to hurry and get these out to everyone else! I'll see you all next period!" Nikolay hurriedly excused himself, almost launching himself down the hall with book bag in hand, leaving his three classmates watching their foreign compatriot make such a sudden scene.
"Everyone here really is working hard towards becoming a Hero in their own ways, aren't they?" Tenya mused primarily to himself with a hint of admiration for all his fellows. Before Izuku or Ochako could answer in kind, the yellow-clad visage of All Might suddenly came bursting in from around another corner, coming to a nearly screeching halt on his shoes, with a tiny wrapped box hanging from between his fingers. "OOH! There you are, Midoriya-shonen! Would you care to…eat your rice with me?"
For the Symbol of Peace to ask something so typical of a teenage girl of the curly-haired boy left Ochako almost spewing with laughter, while Izuku himself couldn't help but feel both awkward to be put on the spot so suddenly, but also curious. All Might would never ask something so casual without a good reason. "Sure…"
When Izuku had accompanied All Might to the break room, he was only mildly surprised to find Tunguska there as well. However, knowing that the Quirk History teacher was also in on their secret helped him to realize that whatever All Might wanted to say was clearly even more important than he had thought, only further proven when the man himself explained exactly as much. Once All Might had reverted to his more emaciated form, he wasted no time getting right to the heart of the matter, hoping it would not spur too loud a reaction from his disciple.
"FIFTY MINUTES?!" No such luck.
"Yeah…that's my current limit. And it's getting shorter all the time. At the moment, I can manage staying in my muscle form for maybe an hour and a half if I'm stretching it." As he explained this, Izuku couldn't help but bow his head in clear shame. "I'm so sorr—"You don't need to apologize, boy! We're very similar, aren't we, you and I!" Of course, trying to reassure the boy so bombastically led the Symbol of Peace to hack up yet more blood, which never ceased to rouse a concerned reaction from Izuku and Tunguska alike.
"But more importantly, let's talk about the Sports Festival. As it stands, you still can't adjust One For All. So what are we gonna do about it?" At this mention, Izukus' shame quickly gave way to realization, catching the curious attention of his two teachers. "Actually, now that you mention it…once, against that Villain with the brain showing, I didn't feel any blowback."
After the results of every other time he had used his Quirk, this reveal brought both men to full attention. "Oh! It's just as I was saying! What was different that time?" Izuku looked to be very deep in thought, but it all finally became clear when he recalled everything Thirteen had told them back at USJ, before everything had happened. "It's the first time…I tried using my power on a person."
Toshinori and Tunguska both exchanged knowing looks, and the large Russian Hero finally decided to say his own piece. "It is an understandable change. You could ask any Hero with a Quirk based on expanded physical strength, and they will all tell you there's a world of difference between using your power on an inanimate object, and using it on a living, breathing opponent. It may not be this way for everyone, but most times, it's like our bodies just react differently, or they intrinsically know to dial back their own extent of power in order to avoid causing irreparable, or even fatal damage to another person. Of course, if that were the case for everyone, I dare say we would have far less Villains in the world today."
Toshinori looked to be in full agreement, while Izuku was clearly thinking about everything he was being told. That had to be the reason why he didn't break his arm punching that thing; it simply had to be. "Well, at any rate, even unconsciously, you succeeded in applying the brakes. In the end, you've definitely progressed. That's reassuring to hear. However, to be blunt, I don't have much time left to stand as the Symbol of Peace anymore."
This declaration left the green-haired boy visibly upset, but Toshinori knew he couldn't afford to go soft now. "And there are those biding their time within the hive of Villainy who have doubtless already noticed. The reason I granted you this power is because I expect you to inherit my 'self'! And in order to ensure that that happens, I'm going to dedicate all the time I can to aid you in your training, Midoriya-shonen! And…I won't be alone in that, either."
Finally realizing they were at the point as to why he needed to be here for this discussion, Tunguska cleared his throat and sat up tall, forcing Izuku to look him in the eye when Toshinori motioned for the man to take the floor. "I wasn't sure when, or if I would ever have the chance to tell you this, malenkii Midoriya, but ever since the Entrance Exam, All Might has personally asked me to lend my aid in your training in whichever way I feasibly can.
"In order to become the Top Pro Hero as you say, you're going to need the guidance, training and overall mentorship of more Heroes than just the Symbol of Peace. I've seen the way you conduct yourself, in training and during the incident at USJ. You have the heart of a real Hero, and I aim to help cultivate that in order to help you become the Hero we all believe you can be. It won't just be him and me, either. With the Yuuei Sports Festival coming, you'll be given an opportunity to receive the mentorship of god-only-knows how many Pro Heroes out there working the streets today. There's never such a thing as too much preparation and training, malenkii Midoriya, and we're all going to see to it that you receive only the best."
These words of reassurance and determination left Izuku looking deeply inspired, perhaps even moved. He had been dreading the fact that All Might was essentially working against the clock, and to hear him even say that his time as the Symbol of Peace was coming to an end, was nothing short of heartbreaking. However, to know that even with that time limit, he and so many other Heroes were going to be there to help him achieve his dream, it almost made him want to shed tears of gratitude.
"Thank you…thank you both so much! I…I'm going to do my very best! I'm going to train as hard as I possibly can so I can live up to all your expectations! I'm going to become the kind of Hero you and everyone else can be proud of!" Tunguska and Toshinori both couldn't help but smile in approval to see Izukus' spirit and determination ignite to a new level like this. However, there was still a hint of uncertainty even in the boys' stalwart gaze, and neither of the veteran Heroes missed it. "Is there something else on your mind, malenkii Midoriya?" As soon as the words came out, Izukus' inner fire couldn't help but dim as he tried to find the particular words.
"Well, I mean…I'm truly grateful that you're stepping up to help train me, Tunguska-sensei. I'm just…I guess I'm just kind of confused why you're not offering the same thing to your own son. I would have thought Kolya-san would've taken more of a priority for you than me." Tunguska couldn't rightfully lie to the boy for asking something so logical.
With a heavy sigh he fell back into his chair, trying to think of how best to explain this bizarre shift in priorities, especially for being a father. "Truthfully, I've tried to be a mentor to Kolya for so long already, trying and failing to help him gain some kind of grasp on his Quirk, all while also trying to live below the radar. We all saw how that resulted. I've tried being a teacher for him long enough; it's time that I started simply being a father for him, instead. Besides, in the time since this year started, with the guidance of other Heroes, he's already improved so much, in strength, in using his Quirk, and just in his overall attitude, although that came from a variety of sources.
"The point is, Kolya needs the guidance of other mentors, as well as his own determination and his own goal, to help steer him in the right direction for his life as a Hero, just like you and all the other students, malenkii Midoriya; and I intend to fill that role for all of you as best I can. I took this job when it was offered to me, not only in the hopes of helping me and Kolya start a new and better life, but also because it would be a chance to finally impart my knowledge and experience from over the years to the future Heroes this world needs, especially at a time when I was beginning to think there wasn't a world for them anymore. In the end, for me to simply hoard all of that knowledge and pass it down to one person who could hardly receive and retain all of it, instead of to as many potential Heroes as possible, in order to help make the world a safer place, would be just downright selfish and irresponsible of me as a teacher, and as a Hero."
Izuku looked deeply moved hearing the normally stoic Tunguska admit as much. It was hard for a young boy like him to actually consider such things from a parents' perspective, but his overall feelings and intentions were still downright admirable. It honestly felt kind of strange, albeit in a pleasant way, to hear the man essentially say that he viewed all the students like his own kids, hence why he took this opportunity to help make them all the best Heroes they could be, and treated it with such clear passion.
Pleasantly realizing just how much his Russian colleagues' heartfelt sentiments had gotten through to Izuku, Toshinori knew the time had finally come to make his ultimate statement, the whole reason he had called for this impromptu get-together in the first place. Izuku was continuously showing he had the strength, spirit and heart to keep carrying forward, and now the Symbol of Peace knew the time was finally right.
"Midoriya-shonen, the Yuuei Sports Festival is a big event the whole country will be taking note of! What I'm trying to say is none other than this: as the 'All Might' of the next generation, the Symbols' offspring egg…YOU, MIDORIYA IZUKU, HAVE ARRIVED! AND I WANT YOU TO MAKE THAT KNOWN TO THE WORLD!"
Both Izuku and Tunguska alike looked utterly shell-shocked by that declaration, looking at Toshinori, even if only for a moment, like he had gone completely mad. "Toshinori-san, are you serious?! Malenkii Midoriya has the spirit and heart of any great Hero, but even if he had managed to use it without breaking a bone once now, he still isn't nearly experienced enough with One For All to make such a bold statement! Do you have any idea the kind of pressure you're putting on him this early on?!"
Izuku himself looked visibly shaken, trying to process exactly what his mentor was asking of him. He was asking him to pretty much declare himself the new All Might for all the world to see, even with as little training as he had ultimately gotten at this point? His logical self was decrying this as utterly rash and poorly thought out. But his heart was trying to also understand All Mights' reasoning to begin with. Surely he had thought of doing this so as to give the people hope for the future, rather than risk even a moment where society would be left to wonder what they would do without their Symbol of Peace.
"You want me to tell them…that 'I've arrived'…? But how should I…?" "You know how the Yuuei Sports Festival works, right?" Toshinori immediately asked, spurring Tunguskas' full attention, since he himself had not yet been fully informed of exactly what the Festival was going to entail.
"Yes, of course! The respective departments of Support, Management, General Education and Heroics will mix into a hodge-podge and organize various competitions as preliminary elimination rounds for each grade level: Freshman, Sophomore and Senior. The winning students move up to compete in the main events…the so-called all-grade round-robin."
While Tunguska was visibly digesting all of this new information, Izukus' explanation seemed to fire Toshinori up, as he pointed both fingers at his disciple like he was the definitive genius in the room. "Correct! In other words, IT'S YOUR CHANCE TO PRESENT YOURSELF!"
"Huh." The outright blunt way in which Izuku voiced his realization of this fact hit so hard, that Toshinori literally fell back, bringing the entire sofa down with him, while Tunguska nearly looked like his massive frame had gotten smashed across the head with a 2x4. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, 'HUH'!" Toshinori exclaimed from on his back, utterly blindsided by the last kind of reaction he had been prepping himself for.
"I'm sorry, I know that what you're saying is quite right. But, to be honest, in the aftermath of…you know…I'm still struggling with how I nearly didn't make it, I mean. And I'm already kind of being groomed by you, both of you now, so I'm just sort of lacking the motivation to really stand out at the Festival. And at present, feeling like this—I just don't think I'll be able to stand out all that much if I tried. That, and I'm no good at physical strength tests anyway."
"What are you even talking about, malenkii Midoriya?! Just because you already have a Pro Hero and a veteran training you, doesn't mean you can just slip on past an opportunity like the Festival and act like it doesn't make a difference! And how long do you think an excuse like lack of skill at physical strength tests is going to last you for? If you want to become a Top Pro Hero like you say, then you need to make the effort to improve at them, especially with One For All at your disposal, otherwise you're just going to condemn yourself to a short-lived profession made up of single hits and broken bones!"
Tunguskas' imploring of Izuku to adjust his attitude came much more impassioned and loud than the boy had heard from his history teacher to this point, which left him looking the slightest bit shaken. However, Toshinori, even from where he lay, could fully agree with how incensed his colleague had been made by the boys' non-answer.
"Tunguska-san is absolutely right, Midoriya-shonen! And let me just add: even if you think you have absolutely no standing in the world of physical strength outside of One for All, I'll tell you just where you stand completely unmatched as of right now: IN THE WORLD OF COMPLETE AND UTTER NONSENSE!" This exclamation really seemed to hit Izuku hard, as if he had just realized what a truly immature and foolish thing he had actually said to the two men who were essentially putting their all towards making him the best kind of Hero, like he had always wanted.
Tunguska hurried to help Toshinori back to his feet, though neither of them took their eyes off of their now-shared disciple. "Listen and listen well, Midoriya-shonen. There's a difference between those who always aim for the top and those who don't. It may feel slight at first, but it's that slight difference that makes the biggest waves in society!" "Exactly. Keep in mind the butterfly theory, malenkii Midoriya: the batting of a butterflies' wings in New York can cause a world-class hurricane in the Philippines. Even if you think you're already at a good enough level as you are right now, know that there are those at a much different class than you, and you'll never be able to reach their level, let alone that of a Top Pro Hero, if you don't try to cross that one little distance of difference between you."
Once Toshinori and the couch were back upright, the emaciated Hero set himself back down, letting out a tired, weary sigh as he gave Izuku a look that he knew would strike the most important chord in the boys' heart. "I understand how you're feeling right now, Midoriya-shonen, so I won't force you. However, I only ask that you don't forget how you felt at the seaside park that day…when I passed my 'self' down to you."
Nikolay had been running at full throttle from the moment he had left Izuku, Tenya and Ochako, searching high and low for any of his other classmates. After ten minutes of fruitless wandering, however, he had been just about ready to call it quits and resign himself to another evening confined to the detention class. He could only hope that Mina was somehow getting more results.
Ring, ring
The chime of his cellphone suddenly going off snapped him back to reality, and he opened it up to find a text message from the girl herself. 'Hey. Any luck so far?' Nikolay didn't even bother trying to stretch the truth, knowing she would have found out inevitably if he did. 'So far, I've only managed to get them to Midoriya, Iida and Uraraka. Haven't found anybody else. How about you?'
When he didn't receive an answer after a full minute, he was about ready to confirm she hadn't gotten lucky either. But then another ring came out, and he found himself greeted with a veritable wall of text. 'Oh, yeah, I've seen some of the places in school the others hang out at for lunch, so finding them was no problem. I've gotten them to Yaoyorozu, Hagakure, Asui, Sato, Ojiro, Sero, Kouda, Shouji, Aoyama, Bakugo, Todoroki and Fumikage.'
Nikolay nearly fell to his knees in gratitude at this fortunate turn, but didn't want any passersby to look at him like he was crazy, so instead opted to write as such: 'You're a veritable lifesaver, Mina. I didn't think you would find that many so fast.' Almost immediately he was met with several smiley and laughing faces, before another message reading: 'Hey, I can be useful when given the right motivation, and getting to leave school with everyone else and not have to sit in that detention room is plenty of that.'
Nikolay couldn't bring himself to sink to the level of actually writing out his amused laughter, but instead decided to be straightforward with his gratitude: 'You're definitely right about that. I owe you big time for helping with this.' Once again, Mina was right on him with her answer: 'I'll be sure to remember that. So that just leaves Kirishima, Kaminari, Mineta and Jirou. Surprised I haven't found one of them yet.'
Nikolay felt his stomach growl again just as he was about to start typing again, grimacing in discomfort. 'They can't be too far; maybe I'll get lucky. I just hate that we had to skip lunch for this.'When the next chime for an answer came, Nikolay was greeted with a message that practically silenced his gut and lifted his spirits more than he thought it would: 'Don't you worry about that; I've got something in mind to make us both feel better, but let's save that for after school gets out. Now, back to the hunt!'
With that, Mina signed off, and Nikolay was left to his own thoughts once more. His hunger was making it bad enough, but the cryptic nature of that statement made his curiosity add onto it. Was she actually suggesting them going out, after school hours, and eating together? That honestly sounded like the kind of thing reserved for…dates.
Nikolay felt his whole face grow hot the instant the word crossed his mind, but hurriedly shook it away, tucked his phone back in his pocket and was quickly on the move again, just counting down the minutes until break would finally be over.
As soon as he rounded the next corner, he felt downright touched by serendipity, to find Eijirou, Denki and Minoru all sitting and eating together against the wall. Maybe his and Minas' chance at freedom today wasn't out of the question, after all. "Hey, guys," he called down to them; hurrying over by the time they finally noticed his arrival. "Hey, Kolya-san, what's got you in such a rush? Lose your way to the cafeteria?" Eijirou joked, before Nikolay hurriedly dug into his bag and pulled out three packets. "No, but had to forego lunch, either way. Aizawa-sensei made changes to the curriculum cause of his injuries, so he's having Mina and I pass these out to everyone."
As the three boys took a copy each, Denki couldn't help but snicker to himself. "I was just about to say, I almost didn't recognize you, being by yourself. At this point, it's just downright weird not seeing Ashido hanging onto you. Since the year started, she's been constantly doting on you like a baby, or a lost puppy or something."
He and Minoru couldn't help but chuckle in mutual amusement, while Nikolay naturally looked embarrassed, being on the receiving end, and Eijirou was the only one to actual take note of it. "Hey, come on, guys, cut him a break, would you? It's not like she's been giving Kolya-san any real special treatment. I've known her for almost four years; Ashido is like that with all her friends."
"Oh, give us a break, Kirishima-san! You and Ashido both came from the same middle school, and I've never seen her be so constantly protective and always at the ready with the emotional support for you. Hell, I've seen her get all chatty and friendly with some of the other girls, but no, the way she always talks to and treats Bezpalov-san here, is on a whole different level!" Minoru argued with surprising vehemence. Nikolay could already feel himself growing increasingly uncomfortable as he tried to make an exit from the conversation, before the diminutive purple-haired boy suddenly pointed an accusing finger at the young Russian.
"I mean, look at his hand for crying out loud! That band-aid with the freakin' hearts on it! Are you seriously telling me Ashido would go that far for just any one of us? No, nobody goes that far for just any old friend!" The instant Minoru had pointed out the band-aid still on the back of his hand, Nikolay instinctively tucked his hand into his pocket, turning visibly red in the face, while Eijirou simply rolled his eyes at the implication.
"I hate to break it to you, Mineta-san, but if the idea of friends actually treating each others' wounds is so hard for you to imagine, then you clearly must not have had many friends worth noting before you came to Yuuei." That argument seemed to really hit Minoru in his weak spot, as he grimaced, unable to actually argue to the contrary. Figuring he still had room to go on further, Eijirou got back up to his feet, standing loyally at Nikolays' side, practically ignorant of his friends' embarrassed squirming.
"And for the record, the reason you don't see Ashido constantly on the protective with me is because she knows my Quirk protects me from harm from most things. And the reason she isn't always there to give me the emotional support talks like she has been with Kolya-san, is because she knows me well enough to know I can look after myself, let alone know what's best for myself."
Despite the good intentions behind his words, Eijirou didn't realize just what kind of seed they had planted in Nikolays' head. Was that really the reason why Mina was so consistently at his side and always being so friendly with him? Was it out of some kind of pity, or did she see him as some kind of wayward soul for her to help steer in the right direction out of some altruistic sense of duty? Reason made him want to write that notion off as total rubbish, but his inexperience with having friends like her kept him from doing just that.
Unwilling to dwell in this train of thought for a moment longer, Nikolay took a step back and looked Denki and Minoru square in the eyes, giving off an air of seriousness that made their self-satisfied smirks waver just a bit. "If the two of you have a point you're trying to make, would you please stop tip-toeing around it and just say it?" he asked, having no further patience for their games.
Finally, Denki just shrugged his shoulders, shaking his head with a sarcastic smile on his face. "No need to get impatient, Kolya-san. I'm just saying it's kinda crazy seeing just how close you and Ashido have already gotten in less than two weeks. Anyone who didn't know you two, would think you're already way more than friends. Better be careful there, Kirishima-san. People might start whispering about how our local Russian is moving in on your girl."
Nikolay and Eijirou both nearly went into a spasm fit at Denkis' implication, albeit for very different reasons. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, back the hell up, Kaminari-san, you're jumping way out of bounds! Ashido and I are just really good friends, and that's it. If you two really think we're a thing, just because we came from the same middle school, then you guys are reading way too much girly manga for your own good. Make no mistake here, I just respect and admire her as a really good friend, nothing more."
While the words easily could have come across sounding especially desperate to prove a point, Eijirou was speaking with a surprising air of confidence and calm in exactly what he was saying. Anyone listening closely would have been able to tell that the red-haired boy wasn't trying to hide anything. His feelings, and the words he was using to express them in plain Japanese, were spoken with the utmost honesty.
As for Nikolay, he could feel his whole body flaring up likewise, but again, for a very different reason. Was that really how people were seeing him and Mina when they were together? Did people really think they had the potential to be a couple? Did he? It was true he had come to really like being around her, and she clearly really liked being around him, but was it possible to one day feel for each other something beyond their already strong friendship? He had spent so much of his life convinced he would never get to that point, that to now be facing it felt overwhelming to say the very least.
Of course, by the time the Russian had found the wherewithal to get out of his own head and back to reality, he was greeted with a statement from Eijirou that made him want to immediately retreat back: "And if you guys still don't believe me, then you can believe this: if, by some chance, Kolya-san and Ashido did actually end up becoming a couple, then you're looking at a man who'd be giving them 110% of his support, no question!"
It was a miracle Nikolay didn't instinctively start screaming from the Olympian-amounts of embarrassment he felt himself get sucker-punched by with that declaration, but that didn't stop him from immediately taking off running, desperate to get away from this conversation more than anything else.
Once he forced himself outside to get some air, Nikolay was panting like he had just run a damn marathon. Why the hell did that conversation have to take such an awkward direction like that? And how the hell was he going to be able to go the rest of the day without those thoughts swimming around in his head? Those were the only things he could think as he tried to bring his heart rate back down from nearly exploding in his chest.
After a few minutes of this, Nikolay fortunately felt like he was actually able to speak without devolving into a panicked scream again, which was about as much as he could hope for. Picking his feet up off the ground in an attempt to try and get his mind set back on the job at hand, Nikolay began repeatedly thinking to himself: 'There's no way. Damn Kaminari and Mineta, they're just trying to get in my head and mess with me. You see, Nikolay Olegovich? This is what happens when you let guys like them just say whatever they want; they get you over-thinking things. You and Mina are just good friends, just like with Kirishima. There's no way it would get to a point like that so soon. Who's to say it would get there, period? Forget those guys, just keep walking forward.'
As he entered the nearby courtyard, Nikolay felt the spirit of good fortune smile upon him again, as he easily spotted the lone figure of Kyouka Jirou sitting by herself on one of the park benches. She didn't even look to be busy eating, but was instead bobbing her head in rhythm to whatever was playing on her trusty pair of headphones. For once, Nikolay didn't stop to think if he was being rude, knowing he was literally one last classmate away from securing their freedom for the day.
"Excuse me, Jirou-san?" he called out, making sure to wave the packet in his hand in order to get the purple-haired girls' attention. Thankfully, the slight gust of air his flapping caused managed to get her attention, as she momentarily looked surprised to see him of all people out here. "Oh, sorry, Kolya-san. You weren't trying to call out to me for long, were you?" she instinctively asked, halfway expecting him to confirm. Her tendency to get lost in her music had caused such issues in the past.
"No, I just found you. Good thing, too. Aizawa-sensei has Mina and I passing out some curriculum changes, and you're the last of our classmates I needed to find," he explained as he handed her the papers once again, which she took with only a slightly grateful smirk.
"Well, I don't know how much longer break has to go, but I'll let you get back to it. Sorry for interrupting," he hastily excused himself, ready to head back to 1-A and face the rest of the day with something akin to anticipation. "Hey, Kolya-san, hang on a minute." Kyouka suddenly called out to him, bringing the boy to a sudden stop as she hurried after him with intent in her steps.
"Is something the matter?" he instinctively asked once Kyouka started rifling through her backpack. "No, nothing's the matter…well, not really. It's just that, ever since that party at your place last Saturday, I haven't been able to stop thinking about that look on your face when I put some of my music on. I didn't think it was possible for anyone these days to look like they were hearing something from a whole other world. Honestly, the feeling that somebody could grow up so cut off from all the sounds there are out there just doesn't sit right with me."
A look of satisfaction flashed in her onyx eyes as she suddenly produced a tiny plastic looking square device that looked even smaller than the palm of her hand, with two strange bud-like objects connected by a wire. With a smile of what looked like determination, Kyouka suddenly held the strange device out for Nikolay to take.
"I found this lying around somewhere in my room, I've got plenty of others. I even rifled through some old international music my parents collected when they were younger and put it all together on here for you. Go ahead and take it, there's plenty of stuff they and I have been listening to for a while that might as well be new for you on it. I even got lucky and found some actual Russian rock music on there to help you acclimate better. Apparently my dad was into that stuff for a little while in college."
Nikolay was honestly speechless, having no idea how else to react other than to take this impromptu gift of hers, tucking it into his uniform pocket. It was honestly kind of surprising to see the normally so reserved and serious Kyouka Jirou actually act this sociable, even going as far as gift giving. It honestly was kind of cute, in a semi-unnatural way, coming from her, especially as she was currently trying to avoid eye contact. Nikolay knew he needed to say something to make this a little less awkward.
"You really do love music, don't you, Jirou-san?" 'THAT'S the first thing you come up with, you dumbass?' It was so painfully obvious at this point, but Kyouka could tell he was grasping, which is why her initial response was to giggle in amusement at his display. "Yeah, that's one way of putting it, I guess. Honestly, if my scores at the entrance exam hadn't been good enough, music school was probably going to be my second choice."
By this point, Kyouka was visibly blushing, clearly having not expected to be this open about herself with someone like Nikolay. But in a way, he couldn't help but feel flattered, or perhaps honored was a better word, to know that deep down, she trusted him enough to actually share something that personal with him.
He didn't want to make this interaction any more awkward for them than it already was, so Nikolay began to turn around and make his way back to class. "Thank you for the gift, Jirou-san. I'll give it a listen tonight and let you know what I think," he called back to her, only for her to brush it off with that same smirk she usually wore. "It doesn't make a difference to me what you think of it, I'm just trying to get you out from under that musical rock you've been living in."
He figured she would have tried to play the whole thing off like so, so Nikolay felt considerably lighter as he continued on his way, not even noticing Kyoukas' footsteps catching up with him until he could just feel her presence walking alongside him. When he looked, he was curious when he saw there was a contemplative look in her triangular eyes, like she was trying to figure out how to voice her latest thoughts.
"You know, Kolya-san, this is just coming from my opinion, but your singing is good. I would just suggest you maybe stray away from the songs that call for a more bass voice. Yours is naturally higher than that, and it sounds a little awkward when you try to simulate going that low."
Nikolay was now the one to freeze like a statue, his eyes wide with horror as he looked at Kyouka like she had just spoken in tongues. Judging by the grin on her face, she had clearly been expecting such a reaction. "How…how the hell do you know all that?" he finally asked, barely able to form a coherent sentence, he was so horrified that she somehow knew his secret alone-time hobby. Much to his chagrin, her initial response was once again to chuckle at the look on his face.
"Again, last Saturday, when your dad brought us all to your house after meeting us at the station, he wanted to somehow make sure we weren't coming to find an empty house. So, I volunteered to check, and I plugged one of my earlobes in the wall, and I heard you singing in the kitchen."
Nikolay looked and felt like he was just about ready to die from embarrassment, only stopped from actually wishing so when Kyouka suddenly held up an extended pinky finger. "Hey, don't worry, alright? It'll be our little secret, from one music lover to a…well, let's just say 'potential' other music lover." In this moment, Nikolay couldn't think of a reason not to take her promise for what it was worth, and after momentarily locking his own pinky with hers, he hurried off back to class on his own, silently thankful this whole curriculum ordeal was finally over.
The rest of the school day thankfully passed without any further hiccups, much to Nikolay and Minas' relief; even more so when no further word from Aizawa came regarding their having to report to detention. For once, their homeroom teacher had actually decided to be straight with them and was essentially easing their sentence by a day.
Of course, that relief was quickly snuffed out when they, as well as the rest of the class, found themselves unable to leave their classroom. Why?
Because the doorway and the outside hall was practically filled to the brim with a mish-mash of all other kinds of students peering in at them like they were watching a nature display in action. Needless to say, this unexpected obstruction was more than a little off-putting, and anger inducing, in Bakugos' case.
"WHAT THE HECK?!" Ochako instinctively cried out as soon as she had realized what was going on, while many of the other students were exchanging nervous mutterings with each other, since their unexpected guests were unfortunately not speaking.
"They're all crowding the exit! What are these guys even here for?" Minoru asked, practically shaking in his tiny shoes, while Bakugo stepped forward, practically staring them all down. "They're scoping out the competition, idiot. They want to see the gang who came through the Villain ambush yesterday. They're checking us out before the big battle, asshole."
Judging from the looks he could make out on many of the outside students' faces, Nikolay found himself actually agreeing with Bakugos' assessment. And if the attitudes he was getting from them was anything to go by, he could tell these students were gearing up to bring everything they had once the Festival actually came. Just the thought began to make his stomach twist and turn.
"It's useless for you all to be standing there and staring like a bunch of morons, so why don't you just piss off, you goddamn mob." Bakugo suddenly spat at their surprise visitors, leaving many of the 1-A students flinching out of sheer gut reflex. If those students out there weren't chomping at the bit to beat them in the Festival before, then his attitude was going to ensure it without question. "Bakugo, don't go calling people you don't even know 'a mob' right off the bat like that!" Tenya even went far enough to shout in reprimand, able to sense the likewise indignation of the rest of his peers.
"I came to see what you kids are made of, true, but I didn't think you'd be this arrogant. Are all the kids enrolled at the Department of Heroics this way?" An unfamiliar voice suddenly spoke out from within the crowd, and it was clearly enough to set Bakugo into standoff mode, as opposed to his still searing arrogant calm.
From among the rest of his classmates, Nikolay tried to get a view of just who out there was finally speaking up, and had made it just in time to see a boy with a head of long, messy purple hair and pronounced dark bags under his eyes, step out from the crowd of onlookers, practically looking down his nose at Bakugo and the rest of them.
"I have to say, I'm a bit disillusioned. So that's it, huh? You know, there are lots of kids who wind up in the General Education Department or other Departments because they failed the Heroics one. Did you know that? And based on the results of the Sports Festival, people can even be put under review to be potentially transferred to Heroics. And, of course, the reverse is also a possible outcome."
He had no idea just who this boy was, but the instant he heard those last words, Nikolay felt an unsettling chill go up his spine, and he could tell many of his classmates felt the exact same sensation. Had Aizawa cared to mention that little tidbit, maybe they wouldn't be once again feeling the very fear of God inside them at this moment. 'Once again, the threat of falling off the Hero rails is over our heads. It just never ends, does it?'
"You think I'm scoping out the competition? If nothing else, a General Ed kid like me is thinking: 'Hey, why don't I try pulling the rug out from under those Heroics kids while they're on their high horses?' You can all go ahead and consider those words a declaration of war."
Just as intended, those words sent a foundation-shaking tremor through the guts of every single student in 1-A, not helped by the fact this purple-haired boy and Bakugo were continuing to stare each other down even after all was said and done. "Is it just me, or does that kid seem to actually be just as in-your-face as Bakugo?" Mina tried to whisper into Nikolays' ear as quietly as she could, lest she draw the ire of either one of them. Nikolay could only give her a very anxious nod, not even trying to hide how intimidated he was feeling. The thought of someone else with just as awful an attitude was simply too awful for him to comprehend, nevermind the two actually coming to a head.
Of course, thinking back on what the antagonistic boy had been saying about Department transfers did force Nikolay to recall what he understood about the different Departments Yuuei had. General Education basically spoke for itself, it was virtually the same as a regular non-Hero school. The Support Department was apparently for those with Quirks related towards supporting those in the Hero department, primarily through building and making adjustments to the appropriate costume mechanics and tools. Lastly, the Management Department was for those with Quirks geared towards strategizing and planning, as opposed to actual in-field combat.
Just the thought of students from all those different departments coming together in the Festival was both intimidating, yet also exciting in its own way. Nikolay could only hope that Bakugos' attitude wasn't going to completely turn every single one of them against their class.
"Hey! You! I'm from Class 1-B!" Another unfamiliar voice suddenly shouted from within the crowd. Once again trying to get a look, Nikolay saw the other students in the hall being forced out of the way by another boy, this time with what looked like messy hair made out of metal, with metallic shards protruding from around his beady eyes. His face looked to be set in a permanent furious sneer, and he had sharpened teeth just like Eijirou. Worst of all, he had his eyes squarely set on Bakugo, and if that hothead didn't get his attitude in order fast, there was no telling what might happen, as this new kid was clearly chomping at the bit for a fight.
"I heard you knocked around with Villains or whatever, so I came to hear it direct! But I don't wanna hear from some snot-nosed punk! Don't embarrass us during the main event, you hear me?!" Nobody could find the words to say, not even Bakugo. Clearly seeing that they had made their point, the two most confrontational boys took their leave, and like the ringing of a funeral bell, that was what finally set Bakugo off as he nearly tried to chase after them, screaming after them down the hall.
As the rest of the 1-A students either began chastising Bakugo for making them new enemies for no reason, or discussing among themselves about the importance of working their way to the top, Nikolay collapsed in the nearest seat he could find, his knees beginning to shake uncontrollably. "Are you feeling okay, Kolya-kun? Those kids out there were pretty agro, huh?" Mina asked with a semi-nervous chuckle as she sat in the desk across from him, just waiting for him to give the go-ahead that he could walk.
"Yeah, they were, and Bakugos' attitude certainly didn't help. Still, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. It's like everybody has been saying since the beginning: we're all working towards becoming real Heroes in our own ways, and those kids out there aren't any different. I guess in a society like this, and especially in a school like this, that kind of aggressive competitive spirit is just inevitable." Nikolay felt a strange sense of better understanding saying this; an understanding that getting to the level of a Pro Hero like he wanted was clearly going to be much harder than he had ever expected.
Once Class 1-A was finally able to leave the school, Nikolay was once more about ready to just head home and hit bed, all while knowing he was no doubt going to have to force himself up more than a little early, especially if he was going to get a decent start on his self-training for the Festival. Yes, it was still a little more than two weeks away, but that time was going to fly by faster than he would expect, and if he slacked off even a little, the consequences would be dire. This was what he had to keep mentally reminding himself of, no matter how tired and achy his joints felt just thinking about it.
"Hey, Kolya-kun, wait up!" Minas' ever-present voice called out before the pink girl ran up to catch up with him as he had begun taking the usual route home. Even after a jam-packed school day, there was still that irreplaceable energetic pep in her step. "You know what? We should both get a head start on our training! What do you say we jog home today, maybe every day after school? Building up cardio has to be a great advantage in the Festival, don't you think?" Nikolay could tell she was just waiting for the go-ahead, already practically jogging in place. Her enthusiasm and dedication was, of course, nothing short of contagious.
"I can't argue with that, but my house isn't that far from here, remember? If we jogged, we'd be there in less than a half hour." To his surprise, Mina only met his explanation with a burst of greatly amused laughter. "Oh, you're funny, Kolya-kun. I wasn't talking about your place. I was talking about us jogging to mine. It's much farther, a little near the middle of town. It'd be a way better workout, plus you get the bonus of getting to jog back to your place from there." There was clearly no wiggle room in what she was proposing, this was her plan, and she was going to stick to it, no matter what he said. Of course, Nikolay wasn't about to lie to himself and act like the idea of jogging as far as she was suggesting wasn't at least a little intimidating, but neither could he deny the potential benefits of doing so regularly in preparation. Figuring there was no use trying to negotiate, Nikolay gave Mina an agreeing nod, which left her practically bouncing in excitement before immediately taking off, spurring the young Slavic boy to follow suit.
The two carried on like this for a good short while after they had passed the Bezpalov house, but before long, the silence and repetitive sounds of their breathing and footsteps was getting to be too monotonous. Of course, there was also the ever increasing burning in his legs the further they went, taking more and more prominence in his head.
That was when Nikolay suddenly remembered the now-blessed gift he had received just earlier that day, digging into his book bag while trying to keep up his pace with Mina, who didn't look to be even breaking a sweat. He soon managed to pull out the tiny music player that fit snugly in the palm of his hand, and after struggling to fit one of the tiny buds in his right ear, he hurriedly quickened his pace in order to offer the other to Mina as well. She simply looked between it and him, before her already eager smile only grew that much brighter, and she happily accepted it and stuck it in her left. This was of course going to make staying in perfect pace that much more vital, but if it could liven up this last-minute training exercise of theirs, then it would be totally worth it.
[Molchat Doma – Utonut' (Drown)]
As the music played, almost perfectly matching the rhythm of their jogging, Nikolay felt utterly captivated, hearing his native tongue against music so unlike what he had grown up familiarizing himself with. If there was more like this that Kyouka was able to get her hands on for him, he was going to have to find some way to make it up to her. He still frankly couldn't believe she'd actually gone out of her way to make something like this for him.
"You just continue to be full of surprises, don't you, Kolya-kun? I was convinced you were probably the last guy on Earth who didn't even have an MP3 player." Mina suddenly commented, breaking Kolya out of his latest distant train of thought, but thankfully managing to keep the pace up. "Oh, no, Jirou-san actually gave this to me earlier today during break. Said she'd been wanting to help me expand my horizons in terms of music since last Saturday."
For him, it was as simple as that. However, what he least expected was for Mina to start giggling to herself before giving him a very mischievous-looking cheeky grin. "Well, now, you really are turning into Mr. Popular, after all. If you could already get someone like Jirou-chan to actually give you gifts this early, you're gonna have every girl in school fawning over you by graduation."
Nikolay nearly tripped over his own feet, and that was on top of his face growing hotter at her implication. Unfortunately for him, that was exactly the cue Mina needed to play her next little trick. "So tell me, Kolya-kun: do you think Jirou-chan is cute by any chance?"
She was half-expecting the boy to come to a screeching halt, which was the only reason the two of them didn't both end up eating pavement as Nikolay came to a rigid stop, visibly speechless at such an out-of-nowhere and unbelievably loaded question. He looked like a deer caught in the headlights, and in a situation like this, that was just too much for Mina to resist, as she immediately started laughing hysterically, almost hunching over from laughing so hard.
"Oh, man, you are so easy! I'm kidding!" She could barely even speak through her gasps for air between her bouts of laughter, but thankfully after a minute or two, Mina was able to regain her composure, and Nikolay looked at least a little less likely to have a heart attack from sheer embarrassment. With that all being said, the two began to regain their jogging pace again, but Nikolay felt himself being overcome with the desire to someway, somehow get back at his pink best friend for constantly catching him off guard like that.
That's when a devious idea suddenly reoccurred to him. What had started out as one of the most embarrassing moments of his adolescent life may have just become his momentary ace in the hole. "You know, Mina, you might want to be careful asking questions like that, joking or not. Some people might actually mistake your teasing for jealousy." The pink girl didn't have an immediate answer, which to him was a good sign that he had her attention.
"Earlier today, I ran into Kirishima, Kaminari and Mineta, and we had a pretty interesting conversation. Kaminari and Mineta especially seemed convinced that you and I are already like an official couple, since we spend so much time together. Kirishima even told them that if we did actually go that far, he'd give us his full support. Sounded pretty serious about it, too."
For once, Nikolay found himself just waiting for Mina to come to a sudden stop; and much to his silent delight, that was exactly what she did, for once not turning to address him immediately. However, just the thought of that pink face of hers turning red with flustered embarrassment felt oddly satisfying in this moment. He was now simply bracing himself for a reaction.
"Oh, no…are you saying that they…that they already caught on to me?" Her voice was so soft, nothing like what he was used to from her, being her usually energetic and boundless self. It was honestly the last reaction he expected. When Mina finally brought herself to turn around and look at him, Nikolay nearly felt his heart catch up in his throat.
Minas' normally bright smiling face was indeed a darker shade of pink with blush, and her black-gold eyes were utterly shimmering in the sunlight. She looked utterly radiant, dreamlike even. "I thought I was doing good, trying to keep it hidden, but I…I didn't think anyone would figure it out so quickly, that I…that I have been developing feelings for you, Kolya-kun."
Just the way she said his name in that moment made Nikolays' skin prickle in the most inexplicably pleasant way possible. It was like Mina had become a totally different person all of a sudden, and he found himself completely entranced by it.
At least until the silence was broken by yet another round of raucous laughter, as Minas' expression once again returned to that cheeky smile of boundless energy, almost crying from laughing so hard at the dumbfounded look on the Russians' face. "Oh my god, you're just proving easier and easier to get, Kolya-kun! You've gotta up your game, otherwise you're gonna take the fun out of teasing you," she finally cleared the air, assuring him it was yet another joke. A part of Nikolay almost wanted to cry at realizing the truth, but the majority of him was just glad to be out of that moment and back to something akin to normalcy between them. He wasn't sure how he would've been able to process that if she had really been serious.
As they once again began to pick up their pace, Nikolay felt the need to give voice to one of his legitimate concerns, and could only hope he wouldn't screw things up by bringing this out into the open. "Actually, Mina, there was one thing they brought up that I admit I haven't been able to help but think about since then. You see; Kaminari brought up the fact that you do seem to spend all your time with me, as opposed to virtually any of our other classmates. He and Mineta even described how you're constantly hanging around me and helping me with everything…as like something akin to a baby or a lost puppy. And I just haven't been able to stop wondering if there's…any truth to it at all."
As he had feared, this brought Mina to a complete stop again, but this time she was looking back, and there was no trace of humor, only worry as to just where he was going with this. With a defeated sigh, he finally got to his point: "Is there any truth to that, Mina? Is it possible that the reason you spend so much of your own time with me so insistently is out of perhaps some trace of pity, knowing what you and everyone else now knows about me and what I'd gone through up to this point?"
If his eyes hadn't been glued to the ground, he would've seen just how hurt that accusation had left Mina, as she frankly couldn't believe what she was hearing. Fortunately, she made that feeling very clear as she urgently stepped in and placed a firm yet supporting hand on his shoulder, forcing her Russian friend to meet her imploring eyes.
"Kolya-kun, please, please, please listen to what I'm saying, okay? I am not babying you, and I'm sure as hell not hanging around you out of some kind of obligation, or anything as demeaning as pity; because I've already seen and know you're so much stronger than that. You've already proven to me and everyone else that you're someone who's capable of making even the hardest decisions for yourself, and that you don't back down from taking the harder option if it's ultimately for the best. You actually choosing to come back to Yuuei after everything else is proof enough of that.
"Kolya-kun, I'm constantly hanging out with you and caring towards you because we're friends, and I really do care about you, and I really do like spending time with you. Although…yeah, I admit I could definitely be making more of an effort to get to know the girls better, at least. I mean, I'm already on a nickname basis with Tooru-chan and Urara-chan, but…I think you get what I mean."
To Minas' relief, her words really looked to be getting through to Nikolay, as his look of uncertainty gradually softened as he took her sentiment to heart, before ultimately giving her the accepting and grateful nod she had been hoping for; driving the relieved girl to give him a brief hug to help ease any remaining concern he had. Of course, she felt that constant desire to tease him begin coming back when she saw the guilty look in his green eyes.
"Aw, Kolya-kun, you're already so cute just as you are, but when you get all embarrassed like before, you're just downright adorable!" She had to resist the urge to try pinching his cheeks as he once again began squirming in visible discomfort at her most common of compliments for him. Good, that left him open for exactly the point she knew she needed to make to put his uncertainty to rest, hopefully once and for all. "But if those cute looks were all you had going for you, believe me; I wouldn't enjoy spending time with you nearly as much as I do now, and I frankly wouldn't want to spend nearly as much time with you as I do already. Doesn't that tell you something?
"Kolya-kun, I know I've said it before, and I'll say it as many times as I have to for you to understand and believe me: it's that good heart of yours that I've seen in you since pretty much the beginning, despite everything else. That's what's drawn me to you all this time. That's why I want to help you open up and become friends with everyone, so they can all see it, too."
By this point, Mina honestly couldn't help but genuinely blush herself, but that was nothing compared to the conflict going on in Nikolays' head, taking everything she was saying into consideration. He'd come to recognize her sincerity without problem, but that didn't make figuring out how to respond to her saying things like this any easier. However, the important thing was that she had effectively cleared the air between them of any further doubt or misunderstanding, and that was all either of them needed to know and assure themselves of, as Mina once again took the lead in continuing their jogging, with Nikolay quickly following suit.
"Let me ask you one more thing, Kolya-kun: do you really need a logical explanation or reason for everything; let alone why I like you, why I like being around you, and why I want to keep being friends with you?" Nikolay knew he should have seen that question, and also knew he couldn't possibly not give her an answer. He had just gone and called the intentions of her friendship into question, even after how far out of her way she had gone on Monday. There was no way she wasn't going to try and ensure there wouldn't be any future moments of doubt between them anymore.
"No, I don't," he finally admitted to both of them with a sigh of honest relief. He of course felt his heart lighten even further when he saw the shining smile of deep satisfaction on Minas' joyful face. "See, doesn't it feel good to say? Being friends with someone isn't something you should feel like you have to study, analyze or anything like that. It's something we all should just hang onto and take for what it is: something to enjoy and cherish."
Nikolay couldn't help but inadvertently blush to hear her say something so lofty and childlike, but it honestly added to that overall wholesome and sweet-hearted air about her that he honestly really liked being around as well, even though he wouldn't even know how to begin admitting that to her or anyone else.
After a short while of further jogging, Mina took the lead by turning off the sidewalk to a moderately sized apartment building, while never breaking her pace even as they went up several flights of stairs. By the time they finally got to the door to her apartment, Nikolay was halfway to being hunched over, trying to catch his breath from the sudden uphill exertion.
"Yeah, I guess I should've expected that, this being your first time jogging that far, I'm sure. Would you maybe wanna come in, have some water or tea before heading home? Don't read too much into it, though." Minas' sudden invitation was certainly unexpected, and that last little tease certainly didn't help Nikolay feel any less awkward, but he wasn't about to turn down an honest offer like that, especially with his chest currently feeling like it was on fire.
When they both stepped inside, Nikolay was surprised to see an apartment noticeably bigger than most he had seen pictures of in Japan, and it was certainly decorated more extravagantly than those. The floors, furniture and walls were all adorned with numerous decorative fabrics, posters and other odds and ends, almost all sporting a variation of brilliant colors, primarily among them what he had come to see as Minas' primary favorites: black, turquoise and an assortment of varying shades of pink.
"Well? Cute, isn't it?" Mina suddenly asked as soon as the front door had shut, snapping Nikolay out of his momentary reverie. "It's certainly more colorful than I expected…though I don't know why I expected any different," he admitted with surprising ease, causing Mina to chuckle with amusement. "I'll take it. If you can't feel free to express yourself through where you live, then where can you, honestly? I mean, for example, you said you love movies. Maybe you should see about getting some posters for your room, breathe some real personality and life into it, you know?"
Once again, Nikolay had been left with something to really consider. His room's natural starkness had been starting to silently get to him recently. As he once again took in these new surroundings, he could tell the silence was beginning to get more uncomfortable than just plain awkward; especially since, unbeknownst to him, this had actually been the first time Mina had anyone from school over since she had moved here.
"I have to say, I'm surprised this place is as big as it is. I'd always heard that single-person apartments in this country were at most half this size." Nikolay finally decided to say the first thing that came to mind to break the silence. While appreciative of the distraction, Mina couldn't hide her somewhat embarrassed smile. "Yeah, m-my parents actually found it for me. They cover my rent, too. They were so proud of me when they saw my entrance exam scores, they pretty much insisted. It's not like they're in any kind of financial difficulty, anyway, so who was I to say yes or no…you know?"
The mention of parents and money couldn't help but make Nikolay think back on what he had heard from Ochako earlier that day. That sharp contrast between the two girls, despite being in the same class, was jarring to someone like him who had only ever been around people in the same economic slump as everybody else. "I'm sorry if this sounds like I'm prying but, are your parents rich, by any chance, Mina?" He finally asked, immediately regretting doing so as soon as he had.
Thankfully, Mina didn't look to be offended or put on the spot. "No, no, definitely not to the level I'm sure some other students' parents are. They're just lucky enough to be in positions where they make good money with their work. That's, uh…that's not a problem, I hope." Nikolay didn't even try to hide his confusion at this sudden sentiment, even more so when he realized Mina was, for once, having difficulty looking him in the eye. "I mean…given where you come from, and that whole 'everyone is equal' thing I read about Soviets, I just hope knowing my parents make good money isn't a problem."
Nikolay practically rushed to Minas' side, this time with his hands on her shoulders to make her look and see the sincerity on his face. "No, no, no, that's not even remotely a problem! I was still barely more than a baby when that whole thing died out; remember? I'm Russian, but that's it. Whatever someone or their families' financial state is doesn't make any difference to me."
Mina looked like she nearly wanted to kick herself for giving voice to such a nonsensical worry. It had just come so suddenly, and she'd let her own sense of rationality go out the window. Thankfully, his reassurance that she was worrying over absolutely nothing visibly brought her spark back as she smiled in appreciation for his words. "Besides, there was a time where if you had asked me if anyone would've been remotely bothered by that, I would've probably said my dad, but given our circumstances and his overall attitude these days…I wouldn't be so sure of that, either. So don't worry about any of that, okay?"
The silence between them was suddenly broken by both their stomachs growling in hunger, leaving them both blushing with great embarrassment, which thankfully gave way to mutually amused laughter as Mina began making her way to the small corner kitchen. "Go ahead and have a seat anywhere, Kolya-kun. I can't believe I almost forgot, I promised something to make up for us missing lunch."
After a few minutes sitting alone at the tiny dining room table, Nikolay was visibly caught by surprise when Mina came back with a large platter assorted with what looked like several different kinds of bread and pastries. "Whoa…did you make all of these?" he immediately asked, almost salivating when he could still smell how fresh they were despite no longer being warm.
"Pfft, I wish. No, Sato-kun actually made these. When I gave him the papers from Aizawa-sensei, I ended up telling him how we had to skip lunch to get them out to everyone, and so he insisted I take some for us." As soon as both teens took a bite, their eyes went wide with what could only be described as a euphoric delight. "Oh…my…God! These are so good!" Mina exclaimed with absolute joy as she began eagerly eating the two rolls in her hands, only momentarily remembering to maybe not eat so messily when she saw the crumbs all over Nikolays' face, as he had been eating very much the same way, only stopping himself when Mina started giggling in response.
"I have to admit, Sato-san being into baking, let alone being this good at it, I never would have guessed. Maybe if I asked, he'd give me some advice. There have been a few baking recipes I'd been curious about trying my hand at." Nikolay admitted once they had finally finished everything. Of course, admitting so only earned him yet more adorable giggling from his pink host. "I just can't get over how cute it is that you like cooking so much, Kolya-kun. If being a Hero doesn't work out, you'd still make for a really nice house-husband at least."
By this point, though, the two had been left so tired that neither of them could keep up the teasing and prodding by this point, instead simply basking in this pleasant moment; thankful for the fact they got to share in it together.
As soon as he stopped feeling quite as bloated from their unconventional meal, Nikolay was about ready to start making his way home, thanking Mina for her hospitality all the while. "Of course. You're always welcome over if you want, Kolya-kun," she offered without a hint of trepidation. Nikolay momentarily froze in the doorframe, smiling to himself before turning back. "Thank you for saying so, Mina. And…you're always welcome at my place, as well."
Mina almost looked like she was about ready to start crying with happiness to finally hear him say something so sociable of his own volition, but managed to keep it in check so as not to make him feel like he'd said something wrong. "I'm gonna hold you to that, you know. We should still try to get some of the others to come by so we can do that movie night idea I talked about last week." At this, Nikolay didn't even try to hide his smile as he gave her the most affirming of nods. "Yeah…yeah, I'd like that."
With that, he finally bid Mina goodbye until tomorrow and proceeded to start jogging all the way back to his house, all the while unaware of the absolutely joyous sensation Mina was feeling in her heart. Finally, he was beginning to open up, just like she'd been hoping he would.
As Nikolay continued to keep up his jogging pace, he found himself once more reflecting on that uncomfortable conversation back at school; to all those implications Denki and Minoru had been throwing his way. This time, though, he only looked back on it with a humorous smile on his face. 'Those two have no idea what they're talking about. Mina and I are just really good friends. She really is one of the best friends I could have ever asked for, really.'
Just as expected, dedicating himself to training every moment he wasn't at school, cooking or studying, the next two weeks practically flew by for Nikolay Bezpalov, and now he was glad he had spent it the way he did.
Every day after school, he and Mina made the same jog to her apartment, then him alone back to his house. Every morning he woke up a couple hours earlier than usual to engage in martial training with Oleg in the basement, and in his alone time at home, primarily on Sundays, he spent his time either squeezing in more jogging, or using the jungle gym at the nearby park to try and help sharpen his grasp on controlling not only his balance in relation to his Quirk, but also how to more precisely control exactly how much kinetic energy he would release in a moment's notice, whether it was with both his hands, or one. It was incredibly difficult, but he never let that bring him down, and now he actually felt a degree more confident in what he could do with his Quirk.
One aspect over the last two weeks he had found surprising, was how often he found Oleg instructing Izuku Midoriya specifically during break times at school, or even on the occasions he found his father during his training out in town. Had his green-haired friend actually approached his father for help in his training, or was it an assignment passed down to him from All Might or the rest of the school? Nikolay honestly had no clue, but if his dad was really dedicating himself to his new position as a mentor by going out of his way to help one of his classmates and friends like this, who was he to say otherwise?
Putting all of those past details aside, all that mattered now was that after two surprisingly quick weeks, the day had finally come: the day of the Yuuei Sports Festival! The entire campus was practically abuzz with activity as spectators, reporters and Pro Heroes alike flocked to the massive stadium in which the students would all put their skills to the test for all the country to see.
As had been promised, security for the entire school had been beefed up considerably, and that wasn't even taking into account the added police presence, and the staggering numbers of Pro Heroes now on the grounds. Taking it all in as he tried to find his spot amid the aisles wherein he would get to observe everything, Tunguska couldn't help but feel a touch overwhelmed by the sheer scale of it all, while Toshinori was visibly taking it all, seemingly in stride. It was always hard to tell with that skinny face.
"When everyone was saying what a huge event this Festival is, I can't believe I didn't even stop to think about how many news reporters and cameras there would be." Tunguska finally admitted once they had found their spots; granting them a perfect view over the entire arena. "Does that prospect worry you, Tunguska-san?" Toshinori asked, able to read his colleagues' mind like an open book.
"Honestly…yes, a little bit. I hope Kolya doesn't notice them right off the bat. He's been working so hard to get ready for today, the last thing I'd want is for him to get stage fright. I mean, any one of the Heroes here could potentially be his mentor, he needs to be able to make a good first impression." Tunguska explained, not even trying to downplay the potential humiliation his son could inadvertently subject himself too if he froze up out here.
"Take a breath and try to relax, Tunguska-san. You've been watching Bezpalov-shonens' training, just like we've both been watching the entire class' training. Not one of them has been anything close to a slouch in their preparation for today. They all know how important it is that they give their absolute all out here, and I'm confident we're going to be seeing exactly that."
Tunguska was silently, yet immensely, grateful for Toshinoris' confidence, as he did as was asked and took a breath to help steady his nerves. The man was right, Nikolay had been going at it like he'd never seen the boy do so before, and even if he couldn't voice it now, he was indescribably proud to have seen such dedication from the boy.
Of course, the same had to be said for the rest of Class 1-A. He had dedicated his focus to helping both Nikolay (at least in the subjects he wanted help in) and Izuku with their respective training, but he had seen in bits and pieces what everyone else had been doing to prepare, and not one of them left anything in their own right to be desired. Their shared dedication was exactly what he looked for as a teacher, and in a way, it couldn't help but instill a sensation of parental pride in his chest to see his pupils work so hard.
No matter what, Tunguska swore to himself he was going to be cheering for that whole class like there was no tomorrow once these festivities finally commenced.
As the entirety of Class 1-A was sitting anxiously in the waiting room, many had taken to their own means of passing the time until they were called up. There were those like Izuku, Minoru and Eijirou doing their own stretching exercises to limber up, or those like Denki and Sato bickering among themselves, or Bakugo and Kyouka simply choosing to keep to themselves, saving their energy for what actually mattered.
"Everyone, are your preparations complete? We're set to enter in no time!" Tenya finally announced upon his return, sparking everyone to get moving, while Mina looked surprisingly glum for a moment. "Aw, damn, I really wanted to wear my costume out there," she momentarily complained, and although there were others among them who looked to be feeling similar disappointment (i.e. Aoyama), nobody said so to make her not feel like such an odd man out. "Yeah, but they're disallowed so that they can even the playing field as much as possible for everyone, remember?" Mashirao Ojiro chimed in, matter-of-fact to a fault.
"I know, I know. It's just such a cute outfit, I wanted everybody to see it." Mina went on to moan in disappointment. "This isn't a fashion runway, Ashido-san. You can worry about wearing your costume for a crowd when the internship period starts. But right now, you need to focus on doing your best out there." Momo stated with the firm authority her position as vice-president demanded, just as the rest of the class began to get themselves ready to head out the door at first notice.
Having at least let her one grievance out, Mina got back to her feet, hopping up and down where she stood to help herself limber up, stretching her shoulders and legs in preparation; her former disappointment now replaced with that always reliable excitement.
She couldn't help but look over all her classmates in their matching P.E. uniforms, feeling her excitement steadily build up as the Festivals' start was literally only minutes away. However, she quickly noticed that among the rest, who all looked equally determined and focused, Nikolay looked to be off in another world, deep in thought about something else.
"Hey, are you okay?" she instinctively asked as she eagerly came to his side. Nikolay swallowed a considerable lump of nervousness in his throat as he took in the faces of all his classmates, the faces he had come to be much more familiar and closer with over the last month. "Yeah…I-I think so. I'm just…I'm just still trying to get over the fact that once we go out there, we're essentially gonna be competing against each other directly.
"I know it's nothing personal, it's about showing the extent of what we can do in order to get ourselves into an internship, I get all that. It's just that I never had friends up to this point, and I've never really had to consider the idea of actually competing against people I would call my friends before. It just can't help but make me feel a little uneasy, trying to one-up people that I care about, that's all."
For once, Mina didn't have an immediate answer for Nikolay, and although he couldn't see it, many of his surrounding classmates couldn't help but feel the sentiment behind what their Russian classmate was trying to say. Clearly it was hard coping with something like friendly competition when one went for so long without having actual friends to compete with.
"You know, I can actually get what you're saying, Kolya-kun, but try to remember: this is just another part of our training to be Pro Heroes. There aren't gonna be any hard feelings once this is all over, it's just friendly competition in the end. I mean…maybe there'll be some hard feelings depending on who we're talking about coughBakugocough, but just because there might be some points today where we have to compete against each other, doesn't mean we all aren't still gonna be friends after today.
"No matter what happens today, we're all still going to be cheering each other on in our own ways, and we all just need to go out there and do our very best together!" Minas' seemingly endless supply of enthusiasm and moral support was downright contagious, as many of the other students began visibly smiling and nodding in agreement with her sentiment. Even Nikolay finally found it in himself to smile with anticipation, giving his pink best friend a warm smile and nod of gratitude for her comforting words.
Elsewhere in the line, Izuku was feeling equally stressed as well, unable to help but think back on the last two weeks of training All Might and Tunguska had been helping to see him through. Every step of the way he had wanted to believe it would be enough, but now that the day had finally come, he wasn't so sure anymore.
"Midoriya." A stoic, perhaps even cold-sounding voice suddenly spoke out from next to him, and he looked to see he was being addressed by none other than Shoto Todoroki, whose eyes seemed to be looking him up and down like he was sizing him up. "What is it Todoroki-sa-?" "On an objective basis, I think I'm above you in terms of physical strength."
The outright forwardness of Shotos' statement rendered Izuku mute with surprise, barely even able to stutter a proper answer for him. "You've managed to get All Mights' eyes on you, right? I feel no need to pry into that, but…I'm going to beat you." By this point, nearly everyone in line was unable to help but listen now, with some like Denki even jokingly prodding at this sudden declaration from the oft-regarded 'strongest kid in class'. Among them, Bakugo was the one to feel the most aggravation in the face of the whole thing.
Like a shot, Eijirou was quick to try and intervene, lest this sudden conversation devolve into blows. "Yo, Todoroki, what's with the attitude, all of a sudden?! Don't spring this on him right before—"I'm not here to play nice and make friends. But whatever." Shoto knew he had made his intentions clear, and he could easily see that his words had already given Izuku much to think about as well, as the freckled boy never took his green eyes off his own two hands.
"I have no idea what you want from me by telling me all that, Todoroki-san. I mean, you're definitely stronger than me…in fact, I think the vast majority of people are probably no match for you…looking at it objectively." By this point, Eijirou had now been finding it more pertinent to get in-between the two, rather than try to pull them apart, trying to not look as serious as the situation itself felt. "Hey, c'mon, Midoriya-san, don't be so negative—"Even so! Everyone…even kids from other Departments are aiming for the top with all their might! So not even I…can just let myself lag behind the rest!"
Even with his normally stoic expression, Shotos' brown and blue eyes narrowed ever so slightly, silently intrigued by this sudden change in Izukus' demeanor. Finally, the green-haired boy, with fists clenched tight, lifted his head to meet his challenging classmates' eyes in kind. "So I'm going to go for it with all my might, too!" Shoto had nothing to say, for he had no need to. Izuku had basically met his challenge with his own, and one way or another, he was going to give the boy just that before this day was over.
"IT'S THE FRESHMAN STAGE! AND THE STUDENTS ARE MAKING THEIR ENTRY NOW!" The cacophonous echo of Present Mics' voice on the arena loudspeakers was nearly consumed by the absolutely biblical wall of noise that was the cheering crowds, as the announcement had finally been made. Walking in tandem with the rest of his classmates in all their matching P.E. uniforms, Nikolay felt like a well and truly well oiled part of a single functioning unit of Heroism.
But even that sensation paled in comparison to the outright gravity well of power that he felt build up inside him once they finally emerged into the daylight, to even more thunderous applause, like a team of well and truly decorated Heroes coming home to their adoring countrymen.
Everyone around him took in the scope of the arena and the absolutely incalculable number of people all around, watching their every move. Some looked understandably nervous, being the center of so much attention, while others simply took in the applause, yet remained focused on the goal ahead. He tried to remain the latter, but it was such an alien feeling, being even a part of so much focus and cheer.
With every step forward they took, the gravity of today finally seemed to cement itself in his head. For Nikolay Bezpalov, it all finally registered with not a flicker of doubt or absentmindedness to be found: today was the day they had all been working for. This was the day that would help form one of the most important parts of their Hero education.
The Yuuei Sports Festival had well and truly officially begun!
And there was the newest chapter, and the beginning of our foray into the Yuuei Sports Festival Arc! I hope you all enjoyed, and if so, please take the time to write a review and let me know what you thought. As I said before, to reward you all for waiting the past week, I'm going to put up the chapter immediately following this one tomorrow so you can still get some more traditionally exciting material, and there may be another instance in the coming weeks where you'll get another two chapters over a single weekend, but again, this is not going to be a regular occurrence. So I will see you all with the next chapter tomorrow on 03/21!