A/N: This interlude goes out to everyone who was arguing over whether Todoroki's 'betrayal' of Hikigaya was justified.
108*108*108*108*108*108*108*108*108*108*108*108*108*108*108*108
You fall in love with someone, confess that love… and become a couple. Everyone would say that's a wonderful thing. But they're wrong! In the gap between a love confession and the acceptance of that confession exists a profound abyss of loneliness that the confessor must wait to be rescued from! In accepting a confession, you become a hero that saves another person from a pit of despair! In short, in order to be a hero in all things, one must never allow themselves to be the first to confess their feelings!
Shiketsu Academy!
It's a prestigious school with an ancient and honorable origin, originally a school dedicated to teaching the students of the wealthy and powerful but which slowly over time shifted its focus of education and became the number one school for heroes in Western Japan! Although the focus on nobility has been replaced with a focus on heroism, many talented children of the upper crust of society still attend Shiketsu, which still maintains many traditions of its earlier days. Discipline! Noblesse Oblige! A uniform hat that all students have to wear, even in their hero costumes! And most importantly, a powerful and active Student Council!
Naturally, only the most extraordinary of heroes could ever be trusted to lead and bring together a student body full of aspiring heroes and the future leaders of the nation!
"What the hell? That's not passionate at all!" A tall, brawny young man, his dark brown hair buzz-cut and his triangular eyes open wide in indignation, pounded the conference table in the Student Council room furiously.
Yoarashi Inasa! Quirk: Whirlwind! Simultaneously the winner of the first place result in the Shiketsu entrance exam and the entrance exam for recommended students at Shiketsu's rival school, U.A. high! Due to his exceptional performance and passionate personality, Yoarashi has been awarded the position of Shiketsu's Public Relations Manager.
A single slender, delicate hand lifted a remote and pressed a button, pausing the display of the live broadcast of U.A.'s sports festival. The light coming from the broadcast image, frozen as it portrayed a student with twin-toned hair leading their cavalry team to attack a former ally, illuminated a dainty-looking girl with almost porcelain-white skin and red eyes that matched with the red bow tying up her hair. "Yoarashi-kun," her cold soprano voice reprimanded, "as a member of the Student Council, you should display a certain level of decorum."
Shinomiya Kaguya, Vice President of the Shiketsu Student Council. Quirk: Bamboo. Total assets: 200 trillion yen. Her family owns the Shinomiya Group, one of the top four financial conglomerates in Japan, and is famous for its charitable donations to disaster recovery and hero-related organizations. Befitting her talented lineage, she has achieved an incredible mastery of her ability to promote bamboo growth from wooden or soil-like surfaces, and is capable of using spears of bamboo to attack and restrain enemies from afar. That is Shinomiya Kaguya.
"However," Shinomiya continued, "it's not as though I don't understand your frustration." From behind dark, full eyelashes, she aimed a glance full of hidden emotion at another occupant of the room - a blond boy, tall, with an angular gaze and dark shadows under his eyes. "Seeing someone with a distinguished background such as the son of Endeavor having to resort to an ambush against a group of ordinary students is … disappointing."
The object of her attention is Shirogane Miyuki, President of the Shiketsu Student Council. Despite the crushing workload of the Hero Classes, and the fact that he came from a completely ordinary family of limited means, Shirogane's single-minded effort and devotion to studying granted him a flawless result on every practice exam offered during his first year. Furthermore, his achievements in his Hero coursework were no less inspiring. Despite the fact that his Scale quirk, which can create and shoot reptilian scales from his skin, is considered only of average power he has honed his skill with his quirk to a point as razor-sharp as the scales he creates themselves. As a reward for his diligence, he was selected to be the Student Council President despite being only in his second year.
"I disagree," Shirogane said calmly, taking a sip of freshly poured tea. "Firstly, there are no rules of the competition that would preclude the actions that Todoroki-san just took. Describing those actions as an 'ambush' would take away the blame from where it truly belongs, the students who failed to anticipate his attack."
"Are you kiddin' me? Did you see the passion those guys were fighting with?" Yoarashi interjected, shooting an incredulous glare at Shirogane.
"Secondly, and more to the point," the Student Council President continued as though he hadn't heard Yoarashi's loud interruption, "as the heir to a heroic legacy, failing to move forward at this stage of the tournament would be something truly unforgivable to Todoroki." He looked to the side, his piercing blue eyes meeting Shinomiya's mysterious red ones. "Pure necessity dictated that Todoroki acted as he did!"
This may seem like the beginning a meaningless disagreement of no consequence to an outside observer. But, simmering just below the surface lay a truly heroic battlefield! You see, both Shirogane and Shinomiya were students of not only exceptional talent, but exceptional pride. During their first year in school with each other, they had both grown convinced that their counterpart was secretly in love with them. However! Due to their very exceptionality, both of them were full of resolve to become the Number One Hero! And, in both of their minds, the only behavior suitable for the Number One Hero that they could imagine was to deign to accept their admirer's feelings, rather than extend such an offer on their own! In short, the first one of them to admit their love would be mentally ceding the spot of Number One Hero to the other!
And so, over a year had passed with Shirogane and Shinomiya making exactly zero romantic progress with each other. Faced with such an impasse, both the Student Council President and his Vice-President had resolved that, rather than waiting for the other party to confess, that they would just make them confess. As such, even the most trivial of discussions and disagreements could swiftly become a battle of cat and mouse! Hero and Villain!
Oh? The President opposed that line of inquiry remarkably fast, Shinomiya thought. Is he perhaps jealous of my praise towards the student whose headbands were stolen? Hmm. If I push a little, perhaps I can get him to reveal his true feelings! "Shinomiya!" She imagined Shirogane saying, "The only one I want to hear you praising like that… is me!"
As such, Shinomiya Kaguya adopted a bashful expression, allowing a faint blush to come to her cheeks. "But, kaicho," she said shyly, "don't you find that in comparison to those who grew up in the lap of privilege, that someone who struggles and works their way up from nothing is more admirable? I mean, according to the broadcast, that Hikigaya's quirk is apparently a weak one, and they found a way to make it work for heroing work anyways. Isn't it a shame to watch someone like that be removed from the tournament?"
A powerful attack! Like Endeavor releasing a Prominence Burn, the words of praise combined with her bashful appearance were poised to ignite a flame of jealousy in Shirogane Miyuki's heart! However, Shinomiya had made just one fatal mistake. Her embarrassment, intended to be a tool of manipulation, was noticed and seized on by Shirogane as a sign of weakness!
It seems that Shinomiya is surprisingly guilty about the level of privilege she has, Shirogane thought, his eyes narrowing into a piercing stare. This is my chance! By continuing to praise Todoroki's actions, I can alleviate some of those negative emotions and cause her to rely on me! "Oh, Miyuki," he imagined her saying. "You always seem to know just what to say. I don't know what I'd do without you around."
"A true Hero is someone who needs to be able to rely on themselves," Shirogane said confidently. "They require a strong quirk, a well-rounded set of skills, and an exceptional degree of training. Just because Todoroki is from a family associated with the industry in no way invalidates the fact that he is currently superior to Hikigaya on all three of these points! In actual point of fact, I doubt that Hikigaya would have gotten as far as he had if not for Class 1-A's tactic of mutual cooperation, whereas Todoroki is displaying a strong individual strength. If anything, I feel that Todoroki is the one hewing closest to the original purpose of the competition!"
A Smash! Using the 'true purpose of the competition' as a shield, Shirogane was able to deflect Shinomiya's flames with a mighty blow, and furthermore send an attack with his indirect compliments to the powerful, well-rounded, well-trained student from an industry-associated family straight to Shinomiya's center of mass, which is to say her heart! Were she by herself, this might prove to be a devastating blow to Shinomiya! But when the going gets tough, a true hero knows better than to fight alone.
"Hmph. Rather than Hikigaya, it's Todoroki who's truly exploiting Class 1-A's teamwork to his advantage." Like Best Jeanist weaving together a wall of cloth out of nowhere, the words of a purple-haired male classmate defended against the mighty winds conjured by Shirogane's assault! But just who was it that came to Shinomiya's rescue?
Shishikura Seiji! Quirk: Meatball. The General Affairs Manager of the Student Council, Shishikura Seiji is normally an ardent defender of tradition, obligation, and dignity, and would ordinarily find a low-class ruffian such as Hikigaya completely beneath his notice. However! Shishikura has an uncontrollable crush on Shinomiya, and is incredibly jealous of any attention that she pays to the Student Council President! Therefore, in this rare situation where Kaguya and Miyuki are arguing, he will seize any opportunity to defend her position, no matter how illogical the argument!
"For the first nine minutes, Todoroki was perfectly content to avoid attacking his classmates and reaped the benefits of not being attacked by them," Shishikura said, doing his best to nit-pick and criticise. "Had the blonde flier… let me check my notes here. Monoma, yes. Had Monoma not copied his power, Todoroki's tactic of immobilizing his enemies meant that he would have been able to continue sticking to one-on-one engagements where his powerful quirk meant that he had superiority." It was a calm, professional tactic, the sort that Shishikura himself would have employed, and he couldn't help but let a note of admiration creep into his voice. Seeing the quizzical looks of everyone trying to follow his argument, however, he quickly coughed and recollected himself. "It's, uh, a coward's tactic. Only fighting when he knows he can win. Not hero material."
"Huh? But that sounds, like, totes smart, though? Why you hatin'?"
Utsushimi Camie, the Media Affairs Representative. Quirk: Glamour. Every year, a single student is elected to the student council by the student body, rather than being appointed by the faculty. Camie's bubbly personality and exceptional beauty made her the dominant favorite among all the male students of Shiketsu, sweeping her to victory despite the fact that her mental assets are by no means as impressive as her physical assets. Unfortunately for Shirogane, Camie's contributions to his argument are about as effective as a no-name hero like Manual coming to All Might's rescue! Despite the fact that Manual's water control could theoretically counter Endeavor's flames, in practice her aid in a logical argument is completely meaningless!
"Like, it's just a competition?" Camie said quizzically, pouting full lips and brushing a length of straight, light brown hair behind her ear. "And he didn't, like, break any rules? So isn't it fine?"
However, through desperate effort, when others are in danger, even the most ordinary of heroes can step up to the plate and provide truly extraordinary assistance!
"And, he's like, hella eye candy, OMG, for real, so I'm like, super happy I get to see more of him."
… Sometimes, anyway.
"The reason? The reason is that he lacks passion, Camie-senpai!" Yoarashi Inasa shouted, his youthful enthusiasm once again running away from him. "Look at his competitors! Every single one of them is out there giving their all and doing their very best to show their capabilities to the audience! But Todoroki…" He grit his teeth in frustration, and then pointed an accusatory finger at the screen. "Todoroki's quirk lets him use fire if he wants, but he spent the whole fight using ice! Even when someone copied his quirk and used fire, he didn't use it, so it's not because he was keeping the fact he could use fire secret! He's looking down on people, just like the way his old man did when I met him!"
Despite the power of All Might, even he would have trouble holding his own against three of the top pros at once! Yoarashi's additional opposition to Shirogane's argument was like adding Hawks to the duo of Best Jeanist and Endeavor opposing All Might! No matter how powerful a single hero is, no matter how well-reasoned a single argument may be, either can be dragged down by weight of numbers!
"Well, it seems that you're outnumbered, President," Shinomiya said, a sly smirk stealing across her face. "Besides, President, aren't you from an ordinary background yourself? I'd have thought that you'd be more supportive of someone struggling against students that have a head start."
Damn, Shirogane Miyuki thought to himself. I've been cornered. If I continue to push my interpretation of Todoroki's actions, Shinomiya will catch on. "Oh, were you perhaps so favorable toward Todoroki because he reminded you of me?" Miyuki imagined Kaguya saying. "How… cute." But, if I just give up right away without a fight just because I'm outnumbered, that comes with its own set of problems! Think… think… outnumbered, that's it! Right now it's three against one and a half, but if someone else joins in praising Hikigaya, it wouldn't be strange for me to bow to the will of the crowds, and if they join in on my side, I have an excuse to keep arguing.
Shirogane first looked to the corner of the room, where Ishigami Yuu, the club's treasurer, was sitting and typing at a laptop. As usual, the long feathers that served as Ishigami's hair were drooping down in front of his face, while a pair of heavy-duty headphones were wrapped around Ishigami's head, cutting off all outside noise. As if those two barriers from the outside world weren't enough, Ishigami had also wrapped the massive pair of wings that his Heteromorphic Swallow quirk gave him around himself, interposing them between himself and the rest of the Student Council.
Ishigami's not going to be of much help, Shirogane decided. In that case, I only have one option left! "Chika," Shirogane said to the pink-haired final occupant of the Student Council room, "What do you think?"
Student council secretary, Fujiwara Chika. Quirk: Blossom. The daughter of a powerful minister, Fujiwara Chika is a talented pianist, speaks five languages, and is exceptionally athletic, mixing hand-to-hand combat with her ability to conjure a telekinetically controlled swarm of flower blossoms from her skin to devastating effect in her hero classes. She is also… a natural airhead rivaled only by Utsushimi Camie in the student council! Normally, her allegiance to one side or another of an argument would be completely unpredictable, making her an unreliable ally, but Shirogane's cunning plan has thoroughly negated that potential weakness! All he needs for her to do is participate in the discussion!
"I think…" Fujiwara Chika said, bringing one finger up to her finger and tilting her head in a way that set the black bow mysteriously attached to her bangs to swaying, "that those two are a super cute couple!" She pointed her finger dramatically at the shirtless Hikigaya Hachiman and the equally shirtless Hagakure Tohru, her blue eyes sparkling with excitement. "Can you imagine? Fighting side by side on the battlefield, you get hurt, your boyfriend jumps in to protect you and patches up your wounds, and then he kisses you to take your mind off the pain? That's super romantic!"
"Whoa, Chika, that's a hot take!" Utsushimi Camie sat up, now equally excited and invested in the discussion. "I totally ship it!" For some reason, she dug out her phone and began tapping frantically at the screen, but none of her fellow Student Council members were in the condition to notice.
Non Sequitur. A French phrase, meaning 'it does not follow'. Fujiwara Chika's unintentional mastery of this conversational gambit allows her not just to derail the thread of a conversation, but also her fellow students' trains of thought!
"It's okay… President..." During a rainy night, on a battlefield inside Shirogane Miyuki's imagination, Shinomiya Kaguya lay wounded, her hero uniform attractively torn. "They're too strong… you should escape without me."
With a shing, both of the imaginary President's arms were covered in reptilian scales the same piercing blue color of his eyes. "Don't worry, Shinomiya!" He shouted bravely. "You just sit back and watch. I'll protect you to the bitter end!" A fierce battle against nondescript shadowy figures commenced, but all the while, the imaginary Shinomiya's eyes gradually began to overflow with gratitude… and adoration. Then, finally, she -
"No way!" Yoarashi Inasa shouted, interrupting Miyuki's daydreams just when they were getting good. "Here, give me the remote," he said, snatching it from a strangely unresisting Shinomiya Kaguya and rewinding roughly a minute or two, to where Monoma Neito and Tokage Setsuna were flying over the center of the battlefield. "I agree that patching up your girlfriend on the battlefield is passionate, but this! Clinging to each other tightly, teaming up on the battlefield and defeating all comers? That's the Ultimate Passion!"
Ultimate Passion… Ultimate Passion… the words reverberated in Shinomiya's head, evoking a scene not unlike the one that had just taken place in the mind of her love interest! A wall of bamboo rocketed out of the ground in the shadowy battlefield, effortlessly imprisoning the nondescript shadowy antagonists who had dared to oppose her! Meanwhile, with one arm wrapped around her shoulders, the President pulled her into the warmth of his broad chest while firing off scales or something, contributing to her fight in a not very specific but less useful than her sort of way. "You're amazing, Shinomiya," he said, his mouth curving into a smile. "We make a pretty good team, don't we?"
Out of habit, Shinomiya looked over towards the real President, hoping to use his angular features to make her fantasies even more realistic - only to notice that he was looking in her direction as well! Both Shinomiya and Shirogane blushed bright red, quickly avoiding further eye contact by turning to the paperwork in front of them. "E-Enough of this kind of discussion!" Kaguya shouted.
"Right!" Miyuki chimed in. "This meeting is supposed to be for us to be analyzing UA students' quirks, not their love lives!"
"I think we've seen enough of the cavalry battle, don't you Pres?" Shinomiya suggested. Internally, of course, her line of reasoning was more along the lines of knowing that she wouldn't be able to see most of the later half of the broadcast without blushing, but she very naturally covered her tracks with impeccable logic. "Some more straightforward one on one fights sound like they would help everyone else stay on track better."
"I agree, Shinomiya." Shirogane said, coughing into his fist. "Let's move on." Reluctantly, Yoarashi handed the remote over, and Shinomiya quickly was able to find the timestamp in question. "First match… Midoriya versus Shinso."
"Thank you, Shinomiya." Shirogane Miyuke stated, grasping his pen once more with a flourish and poising it over a blank sheet of notebook paper. "Everyone? Let's begin."
108*108*108*108*108*108*108*108 Todays Result: Draw. 108*108*108*108*108*108*108*108
"Hmm… what hashtag should I put this under? Oooh! I know, PresidentialTreatment!"