"And you're not feeling off at all?"

"Not particularly… Why?"

It was the day after the big battle test, and so far, the morning suggested it was going to become a completely regular day.

"Because you keep using up your own blood, and yet you're right as rain the day afterwards! At first, I thought it was because you got a blood transfusion, but you didn't get one yesterday, so I'm guessing you didn't get one at all yesterday."

"No, you're not… Huh… You know that's a good point. I hadn't considered that, but you're right. Humans aren't supposed to make blood this quickly."

"They aren't? I thought that was standard. You close a wound, then unless you're at death's door, you recover quickly if you just rest."

"Shonen anime aren't a good example of how quickly people recover from injuries, Fuku."

Mei nodded.

"I agree. Which is why I was surprised to see you right as rain after yesterday. How many times has this happened by now?"

"Um… once before-No… Twice before, so… Three times?"

"Fascinating… Do you think Fuku is changing you from the inside out? Making it so that you reproduce blood at a much higher rate?"

"I… I guess that's possible?"

The idea made Izuku feel mightily uncomfortable… But she could not deny it was a very real possibility.

The fact was she didn't know anything about the exact details of how Fuku worked. Neither the science behind it nor any… Long-term effects of using him.

"Hmmm… He really is a fascinating bit of clothing isn't he?"

The discussion came to an abrupt end, as they reached the entrance to Yuei… And the whole swarm of journalists mobbing the entrance, as was usual these days, ever since All Might took a teaching post.

It was quite the hassle to get past that, as every single student would find mics shoved in their face passing them, along with a whole host of rapid-fire questions about All Might as a teacher, but Mei forcibly dragged Izuku past to the exit with a smile and a silence without saying a word.

She had an ability to just completely ignore other people focusing on her that Izuku did not.

And once inside past the gates, there would be no discussion on any of Fuku's possible changes to her for the moment, not so long as they were surrounded by teachers, cameras, and other students.

I

Their first class of the day opened up with Aizawa walking in, his usual, dour demeanor plastered on his face.

The class, who had been chattering away before that, immediately went silent at his appearance.

After walking up to the board, he carelessly put down a stack of papers on it.

"...Good job with yesterday's battle training. I went over all of your performances, and evaluated them…"

His eyes turned to Bakugo.

"Bakugo… That little display at the end was one of the most pathetic, and childish things I've ever seen."

Bakugo stiffened, and grit his teeth, but did not verbally reply.

"Stop acting like a 7-year-old… You're wasting your talents."

"...I know."

Izuku was honestly, genuinely surprised by that reaction, having fully expected him to object, rage, or complain.

"As for Shield… I see you still rely entirely on your shock absorbers…. Fix that."

"Yes sir."

Izuku didn't know Melissa particularly well, but she spoke with a lot more determinism than Bakugo did.

Aizawa nodded, feeling the matter settled apparently… Then suddenly the atmosphere around him, and by extension the rest of the room changed, becoming tense, like something horrible was about to happen.

"How does he do that?"

The sailor suit sounded absolutely fascinating.

"Now then… sorry for springing this on you all… But today…"

He paused there, looking out over his class which had all at the edge of their seats, expecting another, grueling, hard, out-of-nowhere test.

"We will be picking the class president."

The atmosphere Aizawa had made broke immediately.

As the entire class exploded into enthusiasm, Fuku seemed puzzled.

"Do you think he does that on purpose? Build up tension, then intentionally break the ice by revealing it's not as dire as he wanted one to think?"

"Sure seems that way…" she muttered under her breath."

Around them, pretty much the entire class was enthusiastically proclaiming their wish to take the office of the class president.

From the aggressive Bakugo to even the shy Koda, the boy with the rock-like head, everyone wanted to be the leader of the class…

The only three exceptions were Izuku, who really, really did not want the spotlight, Mei who completely ignored the sounds around her in favor of tinkering with what seemed to be a grappling hook gun of some kind, and another boy named Shoto, with red and white hair, who did not seem like he could have cared less about it.

Everyone else wanted it.

"I wanna be president! Let me do it!"

"I'll do it."

"In my administration, the girls will have to show 30cm of thighs!"

"Wait, what was that one?"

"The position was made for me!"

"I wanna be leader!"

"Pick me!"

In a normal school, the position would have just entailed mundane tasks, so nobody really wanted it. But at a Hero school, where everyone wanted to be the boss of their own agency one day, the position of leader over others was highly valued.

It gave experience, authority, and often connections later in life.

That was Izuku's take on it anyway.

The chatter went on a bit longer before suddenly Iida cut through the clamour.

"QUIET DOWN EVERYONE!"

There did indeed become a moment of silence as everyone turned to look at the boy, who had raised himself from his seat.

Aizawa just raised an eyebrow.

"This is a task laden with responsibility where you must carry and pull everyone else's weight… Just because you'd like to do it, does not mean you can! This is a Holy office that demands great esteem and trust from those around you…! The only truly worthy leader will emerge from a democratic choice reflecting the will of the people… Which is why this must be settled by vote!"

It could have been a good speech, but the ridiculously serious way he delivered it, made the whole thing way more comical than it had any right to be.

One of the boys, named Kirishima, apparently agreed.

"This is just a classroom man! Not Congress!"

One of the others, a girl named Tsuyu, had a more practical opposition argument.

"It's still too early to have developed any trust in each other, at this point."

Kirishima nodded.

"Everyone will just vote for themselves!"

"That is precisely why anyone who manages to earn multiple votes… Will be the truly appropriate one for the job, no?"

He turned towards their teacher.

"Will you allow this Sensei!?"

"...However you do it, just make it quick."

I

The class eventually got a vote box and sheet organized, but before that, Mei walked over to Izuku.

"We're voting for Tenya, right? I mean, I don't want the job… And I doubt you do either."

"Sure!"

I

In the end, only two students got more than one vote.

Iida and Momo, both at 2.

Izuku was far, far more baffled by the fact that she had gotten one vote, despite not voting for herself, to wonder why Momo had gotten two.

Had Iida voted for her?

The second round, held between Iida and Momo, was a landslide.

Only a few of the class voted for Iida, with most voting for the tall, beautiful raven-haired girl instead.

That left Iida as the vice president of the class.

Iida took it with his usual melodramatic manner.

"Only 5 votes… I thought as much… This is the reality of this sacred office…"

"And if you'd voted for yourself in round one, you wouldn't have lost."

Mei commented in her usual manner.

At that comment, Momo the victor turned her head sharply.

"Wait! He voted for someone else in round one?"

"Yeah, me and Izuku-Sama voted for him. Instead, he voted for her."

The girl seemed… Bizarrely shaken by that piece of news, but most of the class still focusing on the conversation, instead shook their heads.

"Dude… You're the one who proposed the election… What do you want Ida?"

Izuku and Fuku both wondered the same thing… But as they had gotten the matter out of the way, Aizawa restarted class again, leaving no room for further questioning.

I

During their regular school day, the only time where all the 3 courses of the school came together was during lunch.

It was a mass of kids mingling, friends and cliques forming or having formed, sitting down together to eat.

In class 1-A, only a few such groups existed so far. Uraraka Ochako and Melissa Shield seemed to have hit it off somehow, and a few of the boys had found one other male buddy amongst the class to hang out with. Kaminari and Mineta being the most obvious, while at the other end of the gender spectrum, Jiro was hanging out with Momo.

The largest group though was the Trio of Izuku, Mei, and Tenya, who had found a set together around a table, after getting their food.

Izuku had gotten used to this… But it was that day, as she was preparing to chat about the election and the results, that Izuku noticed something she hadn't on previous days.

"Is… Is it just me… Or are a lot of the other students glaring at Mei-san?"

A lot of the other students in the other courses were glaring absolute daggers, or giving angry looks in their direction… Very clearly aimed at the pink-haired gal.

"No, it's not your imagination Izuku-Sama. You see, a lot of students who never get into the Hero course, regardless of whether they go into General or tech, really, really wanted to be in the Hero course, only to be crushed like chumps at the entrance due to mediocre powers or personal capacity."

She lifted up a huge roll of Sushi and began chewing, only continuing once the fish had entered her stomach.

"Those guys REALLY resent us for having what they do not. And me especially, because I'm balancing both the Hero course and Support Classes. It also doesn't help that I do most of my support classes later in the day when all you guys go home, so it seems to them I only show up for a few classes."

"I… I see…"

"That is highly unbecoming behavior, of anyone who wishes to join the Hero course! Resentment against others, due to one's own shortcomings can only lead to bad outcomes!"

"Wow, we actually fully agree on something, Iida. That's rare."

"I suppose it is. Regardless, the point still stands."

"Weaklings, all of them… What's the saying you humans have? The weakest Fox speaks the loudest?"

"The smallest dog barks the loudest…"

"A bit crude… But not an inaccurate way of describing such behaviour. It is important to know one's limits, and act to either better oneself or step back accordingly."

"Was that why you voted for Izuku-sama?"

The comment took Tenya aback… But only briefly.

"Indeed. Midoriya possesses both the guts and judgement when it counts. I voted for her because I knew she could carry us through when."

Izuku felt a moment of being genuinely, truly touched by his words. The idea somebody thought she was competent and had the guts to see things through was… Far more intoxicating than she would have thought it would be.

Mei though wasn't.

"But you did want to become president, right? Heck, you had the perfect shot and all. You, me, and Izuku-Sama are the only one in class with more than one person that they have a decent relationship. I assumed you set the election up specifically to take advantage of that. That's what I would have done if I wanted the title."

"Again… Volition has nothing to do with one's suitability. I did nothing more than follow my own judgement on the matter."

Izuku smiled, actually feeling pretty good about herself for once.

"You're so proper Iida-Kun."

Tenya stiffened at that, to which Mei immediately noticed.

"Indeed he is… It's obvious his parents must have drilled that into his skull from a young age. Probably uppercrust I'd guess."

"Upper crust?"

Iida seemed indignant at that description.

"Yeah, you know, rich folks who's had prestige for a while and settled into it. That sort of family. You don't see this kind of stuffiness in the nouveau rich."

Tenya glared at her. Then coughed, before replying.

"I don't really like it when it's brought attention to… But if I must talk about it, then yes, my family has been in heroics for generations. I am currently the second son?"

Izuku immediately beamed at that revelation, being the Hero Otaku she was, Mei merely kept her eyebrow raised, while Fuku seemed taken aback by it.

"The second son? That sounds like the recipe for disaster. Don't older sons have a tendency to turn on their brothers as they grow up to challenge them? Or get tragically killed so the younger sibling swears vengeance against their killers?"

Ida, who could not hear Fuku, continued on, oblivious to the suit's macabre comments.

"Tell me, do either of you know of "Turbo Hero Ingenium"?"

Izuku being Izuku of course immediately knew who it was he was talking about.

"Of course! He's a super popular Hero who's hired as many as 65 sidekicks at his office in Tokyo! You don't mean that you're…"

"How informed you are."

His expression changed to one of pride, as he readjusted his glasses with a finger on the middle while raising his head high backwards, looking exceptionally proud of himself as he did so.

"But yes, he is my brother! He leads his people with an unwavering adherence to the rules and regulations! A truly beloved Hero! It is his example I aspire to when I become a Hero one day!"

His expression turned more calm, more melancholic, and sad smile.

"As such, I think it might be too soon for me to be in a leadership position. As things stand now, Midoriya is clearly the better Hero between her and me. Hence she was better suited for leadership."

"That's quite some pathos you've got there… But in the end, Neither of you ended up as the leader. Instead, it went to Momo."

"Indeed. Things do not always go as we plan… But I have no regrets. I laid forth the prospect of having it decided by vote. I can hardly complain about the outcome."

"True enough. Not that anything's gonna change it at this point."

They began their usual bickering at that point, though this time there were plenty of short pauses thanks to the consumption of food and drinks.

Izuku for her own part, remained silent, lost in her own thoughts.

Thoughts of Heroism… But more on family.

Izuku, like many, many others, had been inspired to become a Hero by All Might, the beacon of heroism and might.

However… It had not been All Might who had made her into who she was now.

He had not molded her into the person she was… He had not lifted her up in her darkest moments, Nor had he given her the powers she needed to achieve her dreams.

That was all something she could thank her parents for… And more than anyone else, her dad.

It usually hurt to think back on her dad… But not today.

Today she remembered happier times with her dad. Times they'd spent together, times he'd explained Hero history to her, or the times played with her, indulging in her dreams of being a Hero.

He'd always seemed a beacon of strength in her life. Someone she could always turn to, and be inspired by no matter how bad things got.

He'd instilled in her many things, including a deep, deep love of family… Even now that only one such remained to her.

She understood Iida. His admiration and love for his brother… Far more so than she understood Mei, and what made her tick.

Family… Family was important. It shaped you, it nurtured you, and it inspired you. It made you do incredible things… Like inspiring you to follow in their footsteps… Or creating new, sentient life to grant other superpowers.

The suit she wore wasn't just a means to achieve her dreams… He was also a living symbol of how much her dad had genuinely and truly loved her.

And that thought… Made Izuku feel a warmth she rarely felt anymore.

She had missed this feeling.

I

Shigaraki Tomura was an oddball, even for the very oddball company that was Japan's criminal underworld… The ones who had survived All Might's rise that was.

At 175 cm, with white hair, red eyes, and a black set of shirt and pants that looked like he was wearing pajamas, he was utterly unremarkable… Well, other than the fact that he had about a dozen hands clamped around his upper body, anyway.

That kinda was the most outstanding part of his appearance.

Even without those, he was an utterly unremarkable man, and with deep circles under his eyes, countless smaller scars on his face, and his unkempt and unwashed mane of hair, he was about as unattractive as he could possibly be.

Which made the appearance of an attractive young lady sitting in his lap and fawning over him all the bigger as a contrast.

"Aw… Can't the mission planning wait, Darling?"

The girl had a cute face, and a long, massive mane of strawberry blonde hair that tumbled down her back, like a waterfall. One eye was hidden underneath that massive mane, which on the front was styled so it covered that side completely. Out from those bangs, however, lines of burn scars centered around where her left eye should be crept out.

Those scars were about the only physical imperfection on the young woman and were also a sharp contrast to her otherwise silky smooth skin.

Beneath her slender neck, she wore a simple mini dress with frilly bottom edges, as well as a fully open cleavage, putting a rather generous set of breasts on full display. The dress seemingly had nothing keeping it in place, no lathes, no straps around arms, shoulders, or neck.

She was currently not wearing anything on her feet, having discarded a set of pink, high-heeled gogo boots by the entrance, along with a sheathed Katana in a pink scabbard.

The man she was fawning over, ignored the girl sitting on his lap, as he looked over a set of maps and security information.

"Come now, darling... You cute little Nui deserves a reward! I came home with the maps from Yuei's storage just like you wanted! No one even saw me!"

Despite the admission of her successful mission, Shigaraki felt the usual, massive pang of annoyance as he always did when he had to deal with Nui.

The fact that she was the one thing he had never managed to just destroy, despite many, many tries, made his skin itch that of so familiar itch.

He considered his options.

He could just keep her there… He knew from experience that she wouldn't deliberately interfere with what he was doing… But she wouldn't actually go away until he gave in… But for once, he actually did want to make some effort into what he was planning to do. It was like preparing for a raid.

And there was nothing more annoying than being constantly badgered while preparing for a raid.

"Fine… I'll have some fun with you… After the invasion tomorrow…"

"Yay!"

Nui suddenly got an incredibly cutesy, and in Shigaraki's opinion Annoying smile on her face, plastered a smooch on his chin, and with a bit of humming, finally left him alone as she walked out.

He felt a huge pang of relief as she did so.

His "Bride" as sensei called her, was one of the most annoying people he had ever met. Admittingly, pretty much every single person he had ever found annoying had ceased to be very shortly after meeting him, but still.

As he wiped away the pink lipstick mark she'd left, he leaned in over the maps and began considering.

He quickly looked over each section of the school, all of them very neatly detailed in the maps Nui had recovered from their storage.

He did not question how she had done so without being detected.

As much as he'd hated her, ever since Sensei brought her to him a year ago, the girl was very, very useful. Far more dangerous than her appearance would suggest.

As he went over the maps, he quickly decided on the spot.

The big dome, where the stupid hero kids would hold "Rescue training".

It was the most isolated, and also the most separate from everything else on campus.

He could work with that.

"I wonder… How will the world react… When the symbol of peace dies tomorrow?"