Izuku finally felt like a proper hero at UA when Momo genuinely expressed her thanks for not only expelling Mineta, but also for having a part in his arrest. She was grateful that he couldn't do to others what he had done to her. The trap was improvised, but it was something only Momo and Jirou knew about, and so they had been out of sight. After school, Izuku, Aizawa, and Toshinori all explained how they had set up the midget, and apologized that they couldn't alert them. Izuku personally apologized by bowing as low as he could while in the suit, and said, "I know you are supposed to trust us, and I can't help but think that I broke it with this plan. Hopefully you can live with the result." The girls, to their credit, accepted their apologies, but did ask for a single favor from Izuku. And he was forced to accept. The next day, Monoma was now a part of Class A. And he was much more subdued. Perhaps it is a change of heart, but I'll keep an eye on him, just in case. The next few months passed without any major incident. Most of the teachers believed in Monoma, but Izuku held reservations. After all, How can a person turn from that much hatred to calm resolution so quickly? Those kinds of beliefs are deeply entrenched. Far too much to be reversed in less than a week. But, there was nothing to worry about, as Izuku was able to write the majority of his book, but the exams did arrive, and most of them had passed. Monoma, Denki, Mina, Rikido, Sero and Yuga all failed the exam in one way or another. On a happier note, only Monoma had failed the history portion, as he wasn't in his class... and everyone would be attending the training camp regardless. Class B didn't do so well on the exam's history portion, but most of them still passed in general. As Izuku wasn't a hero through technicality, he was not allowed to be a part of the practical, which was fine with him... but what happened after that terrified him. The girls turned in their favor... and it was to spend the day with him at the mall. He was nervous as he couldn't wear the LEAF suit to the mall. He wasn't a hero, and it was considered too much for the area... and people would have questions. So, as a precaution, he carefully detatched and took the god-hand. He'd attached it to a single battery, so that it was operable. As he waited, he was surprised by Qrow, who wrapped an arm around his shoulder, "Hah! Finally get to see you without that exosuit. Gotta say you're rather short." He huffed in annoyance. Qrow was just as tall as he was in the suit, so being with him right now... the boy dwarfed him. "Says you. You are literally almost as tall as Shoji." "True." He stood up and stretched, waiting for the rest of the classmates to arrive. He pulled out his flask and took a swig. He offered it to Izuku, "Want some?" The greenette just looked at him with a pointed expression. He sarcastically said in response to his gaze: "Riiiight. You're my age." "You're a dick." His sly grin beamed as he countered, "You only just noticed?" "Midoriya!" Turning, he saw the rest of Class A looking at the two of them. "Is Qrow giving you a hard time?" The ravenette just laughed, "Nah, just wanting to spend some time with the coolest teach." Mina responded, causing Izuku to blush in embarrassment. "That's fair." Iida, ever serious, asked them: "What does everyone need to get for the summer camp?" Most of them had similar goals, so they split into groups, and soon, it was just Qrow and Izuku. They didn't have anything in particular to get, but Qrow was interested in getting another bottle of whiskey. As they meandered, they talked about a variety of things, and what stuck with the greenette was how bad the luck could get. It once had him survive three villain attacks one after the other... It's why he was in a constant state of intoxication. "...so then I told Ironwood to f*ck off and he stood there dumbstruck until he was then hit by a car. That prick then had to get a whole new arm. Man... that was a funny moment." Izuku wasn't sure what to say... when he tripped on a crack in the pavement. Falling forward, Qrow caught him and deftly moved him to a position in order to keep him on his feet... but his eyes were not on Izuku. When he was sure of his footing, he was shocked to recognize the man who was right behind him. He had fallen to the ground, but only due to trying to lean around him and grab him. The man wore a black hoodie and pants, and his hair was instantly recognizable: A deathly pale/blue shimmer. While the man's face was not familiar, the hatred inherent in his eyes was. It was Shigaraki. Qrow's bad luck was both a blessing and a curse right now. They were face to face with the leader who tried to kill them before, and it saved his teacher from the clutches of that madman. He decided to speak first. "Ah, what a surprise! I didn't think I'd see you here..." The ravenette was attempting to play it off as a friendly encounter, and the man in black smiled. Well, that was being generous. Smiles put people at ease. This was a grimace, spiteful and poisonous. It threatened to dampen the mood of anyone who bore witness to it. His voice was the equivalent of nails on a chalkboard as it rolled down a road of broken glass... at least that was its effect on those who heard him. "Agreed..." Using his cavalier to lower suspicion, the ravenette asked, "What brings you here?" "I went for a walk..." Izuku was about to ask, when Qrow did so more tactfully than the greenette thought he would, "So, a bigshot like you, just walking around? You ain't afraid of being recognized?" "No." He was annoyed, but his mind was clearly elsewhere. Izuku finally got in a question, "You seem distracted by something..." This seemed to be the core of the issue. People were still going about their business, and they were close enough where Shigaraki could remain unheard as he explained: "I attacked the USJ, I struck fear into people... yet... they forget so quickly..." Qrow stayed quiet, not having a response. Izuku thought aloud, "You... nobody knows what you want. Nobody knows who you are, or why they should care. Infamous historical figures were always known for what they stand for and why. Since you have neither, you will always be forgotten. And, that attack was considered a failure by most." Shigaraki's face grimaced as he contemplated that. "Is that why Allmight is so loved? Because everyone believes the lies he spews?" "He may not tell the truth at all times, but he has a unifying message. You don't even have a concept besides kill everything, and that will never appeal to anyone." "I see... it all links back to Allmight..." It was now that he tensed, his cruel voice speaking out, "If you don't let me go... I won't be happy... and I'll kill as many as I can before you can stop me." Izuku raised the god-hand. "You won't get to the first one. I'll make sure of that." This made the villain physically nervous, and he decided to use a burner phone to text for an exit. Instead of making a portal in the middle of the mall, it opened in the alleyway right next to them. Izuku made an ultimatum. "Leave through that portal, and we won't follow." "That was my plan." The lanky villain turned, and walked into the alley. Nobody was any the wiser, but Qrow knew what this meant. The villain was now going to refocus and commit to his course, and they'd have to be ready
