Well, I'm back! After nearly seven months, 100 Percent Hero returns! Luckily for you guys, this will be a long chapter, so you'll have plenty to read up on. Enjoy!
All the students of Class 1-A had made their way back home. The cloud of despair loomed around the classmates, and each felt there was no dispelling it. Among the students, Shoto Todoroki was silently returning to his abode. He'd never thought things could turn out so horribly. He'd tried to pay Mob back for the kindness he'd shown Shoto, and all he did was burden him with even more grief and guilt than ever before.
The train home was quiet, with only a few people standing in the train car with him. This silence only worsened Shoto's growing feelings of shame and guilt, as the thoughts were drowning his mind amidst the unpopulated train car. Thoughts of their past interactions flooded his mind. When he'd comforted Shoto after he was feeling uncertain about using his flames, when he stood up for Shoto at the hospital when his father had talked to Kageyama, when he'd given himself up to the League of Villains to protect the class, and when he protected Shoto and his other classmates from All For One's attack at the warehouse, all of these moments, Kageyama had put Shoto before himself. Now, he was locked up in the highest security prison in the country.
The teenager exited the train and went to his house, feeling his legs grow heavier with every step. Now that he was about to get home, he realized his father would be waiting for him. What would they say to one another? How would they tackle this problem? They had to add this mess to the pile as if their relationship wasn't already complicated enough. When Shoto reached the front door of his house, he paused. Taking a deep breath, he steeled his nerves and prepared for whatever would come next.
When the teenager opened the door, he saw his father patiently sitting on a chair. It looked as though Endeavor had been sitting there for quite some time.
"Shoto, if it's alright with you, we should talk." The tone of Endeavor's voice was not harsh and demanding as he'd grown accustomed to during his childhood, but soft-spoken and hesitant. The teenager briefly hesitated before nodding his head in agreement. Endeavor got up from his chair and guided them to the living room, where they both sat on the couch. The father and son remained silent for several seconds, neither knowing how to begin this conversation. So much had happened, so much to talk about, and so many churning emotions were building inside them.
After this brief silence, Endeavor attempted to be brave and broke the silence. "...Shoto, I know you must feel incredibly hurt and conflicted about this. If it would be of any comfort to you, I can listen as you vent your emotions. If not, then I'll walk away right now and leave you to yourself." The number two hero watched patiently for an answer, and another brief silence overtook the two Todorokis. But the silence lasted far less than before, and Shoto spoke with a shaky voice.
"...I never imagined things could have ended up so horribly," he muttered, "Ever since the villains attacked the camp, I've had to be a spectator, watching as Kageyama suffered for the sake of Class 1-A. I thought... I could do something for him. I thought that with the rest of our classmates, maybe we could help him when he was scared and alone. But instead, our actions just led him into an even deeper pit of despair." The teenager's body began trembling, and the hero shared in his son's somberness.
"The blame is not with you, Shoto. There was no way you could have predicted this. The one who deserves to carry the blame is me." Endeavor reminisced on the moment when the disastrous battle had taken place. "I was there both when Kageyama fought All For One and when he went on a rampage. Both times, I could do nothing to aid him when he needed it most. Even with my skill and training, I was of no worth."
Now that his son knew about Kageyama's rampage, it was time for Endeavor to reveal the truth about his previous interactions with Kageyama, the young boy's role in shaping Endeavor. It could lead to Shoto respecting him even less, realizing that Endeavor's change of heart had not come from his introspection but from the perspective of a mere teenager, but it was he felt his son should know regardless.
The hero closed his eyes, his body sagging forward. "I had hoped to be able to repay him for everything he had done. The truth is, Kageyama is the main reason for my change of heart. At the Sports Festival, I wanted to speak to him and tell him not to hold back in his fight against you. But he ended up scolding me for my selfish behavior. He did not heed my rank as the number two hero and exposed my flaws. Then, when he chose to surrender in the finals despite having the advantage, it was a decision I could not understand. That's why I spoke to him alone the day you and your friends were at the hospital after the Hosu incident. He made me realize the price I was paying to become the strongest and opened my eyes to the sins I'd committed." Endeavor hunched his shoulders even further in shame.
"I imagine you're shocked and disappointed that my desire to atone didn't come from within myself." The hero waited for his son to begin his tirade and explain the shame he felt, knowing a teenager was the only reason his father became better. But to his shock, no such speech came. He looked at his son and noticed his eyes were solemn, deep in self-thought.
"I already knew Kageyama was why you started to become a better person." Endeavor let out a small gasp and flinched his body back. "Back at the hospital, I was curious why you wanted to talk to Kageyama alone, so I followed you two and listened in on the conversation." The teenager sighed and leaned backward, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.
"I'm not sure I can judge you for that. The truth is, Kageyama was just as responsible for me changing as he was for you changing."
"What do you mean, Shoto?"
"After my battle with Midoriya, I felt conflicted about using my flames. I wondered if it was the right thing to do and what it meant for me. Then Kageyama came to visit me. I'd been nothing but rude to him and dismissed every offer of friendship, but he was still there for me. He didn't tell me what to do or how to feel; he only offered me empathy and kindness. He made me understand that I'm the protagonist of my story and that I can make my own choices. Thanks to his words and actions, I've started to open up to others and not let myself be consumed with bitterness and hatred. If it wasn't for Kageyama, I'm not sure if I would've become a better person. So, in a sense, I owe who I am now to him, just like you."
Shoto clenched his hands into fists, his body trembling with frustration. "But I haven't been able to repay him for what he's given me. Every time I've tried to do right by him and give him the support he needs, it always ends up backfiring, and he needs to be the one who makes the sacrifices and bears the most pain. I'm a disgrace of a friend."
The flame hero could see his son's pain even more than after his return from the League of Villain's hideout. Endeavor placed his hand forward. Would he go through with it this time? Was he worthy of showing his son affection after everything Endeavor had put him through? But the hero realized then that it wasn't about whether Endeavor deserved to show affection to Shoto. It was about Shoto needing emotional support from his father. So steeling his resolve, Enji inched his hand forward and gently placed it on his son's back. The teenager flinched: being shown affection from his father was unheard of.
Endeavor expected his son to swat the hero's hand away fiercely, but to his shock, Shoto made no motion of rejection. He merely sat silently, wondering how to feel about his father's gesture. He'd never known the experience of having a father who was emotionally available and considerate of his feelings, so he was unprepared for how to react.
While Shoto was processing this, Endeavor was sharing in his son's pain. He understood all too well the guilt of having failed to pay Kageyama back, and now that he knew Kageyama was responsible for helping his son become a better person, it only fueled his sense of shame over his failure.
"Shoto, you can't blame yourself for something outside of your control," Endeavor said, "What transpired... the responsibility rests on my shoulders. I was there when Kageyama lost control. I should have been able to use my power and skill to keep his power in check. But even with all my years of training and experience, I was again useless, unable to help Kageyama when he needed it most. I could not save him from being overcome by despair."
Endeavor clutched his heart with his other hand. Shoto looked up and gasped when he saw tears misting in his father's eyes. Though he had heard his father shedding tears over the phone, seeing Endeavor crying before him was something he could've never prepared for. "I never imagined a person's heart could produce those kinds of emotions. So much pain, regret, sorrow, guilt, all of it continues to stir inside me. Being flooded with these emotions made me realize something else..."
The flame hero turned to meet his son's eyes, tears streaming down his face. "These are the emotions you must have been carrying. You, Rei, Natsuo, Fuyumi and... Toya. You all must have been suffering like this all these years. All because of me and my hubris." These feelings overcame the flame hero, a mixture of Kageyama's energy and the shame of his sins tearing away the aloof mask he'd worn all these years. Endeavor placed his hand over his face, struggling to regain his usual composure.
"I'm sorry for everything, Shoto. I'm sorry for being such a worthless parent. I'm sorry for ruining our family. I'm sorry I couldn't help Kageyama and spare you further pain. Now, not only am I a failure of a parent, but I'm a failure of a hero."
Endeavor continued to shed these tears of pain and shame, all while his hand rested gently upon his son's back. Watching his father express these emotions, to cry in front of him openly, was nothing like the father he'd known growing up. It was a human side to him that Shoto was never sure Endeavor had in the first place. But now, he was bearing witness to the inner turmoil that his father had been experiencing.
But despite the hero's pain, Endeavor refocused his mind. Though he was overcome with pain, it was not overwhelming enough to make him forget about what he was doing here, sitting with his son. He hadn't come to wallow in his misery. He'd come to support his son, and he would see it through. The number two hero wiped the tears away with his free hand and gave his son another gentle pat with the hand resting on Shoto's back.
"I'll do whatever I can to help Kageyama and return him to U.A. That, I'll give you my word. And if there exists any way to help our family, I'll find it." Shoto gazed into his father's eyes. He could see that there was now a smoldering willpower. Not the obsessive willpower that had compelled him to train Shoto ruthlessly throughout his childhood, but a sort of willpower that came from the heart. It was similar to the determined expression he'd seen in Midoriya and Kageyama. He understood his father was dedicated to helping Shoto's friends and their family. For this, Shoto could not help himself as a small smile spread across his face.
"Thank you." The father and son continued exchanging looks, each reading the emotions of the other through their gaze, fully taking in the moment. There had been so much damage Endeavor had caused his son, but at that moment, a part of Shoto felt glad to know his father was at his side. Gone was the glory-obsessed madman who pushed his son to the limit and trained him with no mercy. Instead, sitting next to him was a father showing tenderness and a gentle touch, ready to help his son however he could. This was the kind of man Shoto wanted to know would continue to be by his side, and he wanted to be there every step of the way.
Though the number two hero and his youngest son had shared a tender moment, the same could not be said for the rest of Class 1-A. After having learned the truth about Mob's rampage and the disaster he'd unwittingly caused, each of them had returned to their homes overtaken with shame and despair. They could feel no real joy or relief in knowing their status as students at U.A. High was secured, for the cost to maintain that status had been too great.
Nevertheless, they felt obligated to return to the school and move in. After all, Kageyama's loss of control stemmed from the desire to keep Class 1-A enrolled in U.A. High. Quitting now would only make his sacrifice and his loss meaningless.
Among the students of Class 1-A, Mezo Shoji was about to take the metro to the station closest to U.A. High. Unlike most of his classmates, Shoji was traveling light since he had practically no belongings to bring to the dormitories. The solemn teenager had made his way from his house to the station. He hadn't gotten much sleep, for his mind had been racing with thoughts of everything that had transpired the day before. It was a very harrowing thought, knowing that the star of their class was being held prisoner in Tartarus.
But as he'd walked through the streets, his mind was torn away from these thoughts when he noticed something odd. Several bystanders had given him a series of unnatural looks. Some were mixed with fear; others were mixed with anger. He had never seen so many of the citizens of Musutafu with these kinds of looks before.
When he reached the station, he noted how several bystanders took special care to stand several feet from him. Now, it looked as though people were purposefully distancing themselves from him. Shoji entered the train car and sat as the metro arrived, placing the few items on the seat next to him. As the other passengers entered the metro, they grabbed onto the poles several feet away. For some reason, none of them sat in seats parallel to Shoji.
"Doesn't anybody want to take those seats?" Shoji asked.
"We're fine," a passenger replied, while others merely looked away. As the metro resumed its course, the train car was silent. The other train car passengers continued to avert their gaze from Shoji, which only furthered the confusion and uneasiness within the mutant. What was causing the population to act like this suddenly? Though he was no stranger to being shunned and ignored as a mutant, this behavior was scarce in larger cities like Musutafu.
As the metro came to the next stop, one of the passengers let go of the pole to prepare to exit. However, the metro came to an unusually sudden halt, causing the passenger to lose balance and fall. The force of the stop caused the passenger to fall toward Shoji, knocking his belongings out of the seat. The passenger's entire body began to quiver like a leaf.
"Please... I'm, I'm so sorry," he said.
"No need to apologize," Shoji replied. While one set of arms grabbed the belongings off the floor, the other set attempted to help the passenger. "Here, let me help you-"
But as soon as the mutant touched the man, he yelped and shot back up. "Please don't hurt me!" he said.
"Sir, I promise I–" But the passenger didn't wait to hear the rest of Shoji's sentence. As the doors opened, the man bolted out as fast as he could. Meanwhile, the other passengers whispered among themselves, appearing even more frightened. Shoji grimaced from behind his mask. Something was wrong. This kind of overwhelming fear and paranoia against mutants was something prevalent in the rural town he grew up in. But now, it appeared that the citizens of Musutafu were beginning to experience this same kind of fear and prejudice. What was happening? What could have been the cause of this?
Shoji mulled over what had just happened until he finally arrived at the station. As he exited the metro, he somberly walked over to the school. While walking, he saw Tokoyami and his parents parked a reasonable distance from the entrance. He had never met Tokoyami's parents before, but as their son, they both had avian heads, reflecting their status as mutants. It appeared they were unloading all of Tokoyami's belongings in preparation for the move into the dorms.
"Good morning, Tokoyami," Shoji said.
"Yes, and to you as well, Shoji," Tokoyami replied, "These are my parents. Mother, father, this is Mezo Shoji."
"A pleasure." Shoji respectfully bowed toward the two parents, and they both gave warm smiles in return.
"It seems you're packing rather lightly," Tokoyami's father said, "Don't you have any more belongings that you plan to bring now that you're moving into the U.A. dorms?"
Shoji shook his head. "I don't own much in the first place. Call me a minimalist, but I've never been the kind of person who wants to fill their room with junk."
"Fascinating," the father replied.
"Don't forget your sword, Fumikage." The mother grabbed an ornate sword from the back of the car and placed it in the middle of the boxes Tokoyami was carrying. The avian student felt a light blush stain his cheeks: why did she have to bring up the sword in front of his classmate casually?
"It looks like you have a lot to carry. I can help you if that's okay with you. My Quirk is useful for carrying multiple objects."
"Oh, well, thank you," Tokoyami's mother replied, "That's very kind of you." Shoji used his Quirk to generate an extra set of arms, and each pair of arms took a box from the car. He was now carrying eight heavy boxes while still holding onto his belongings.
"I think that's everything," Tokoyami said. Well, mother and father, this is goodbye for now." The avian family embraced one another. "I will call you once I've finished unpacking."
"You be safe, Fumikage," the mother said.
The parents returned to the car and gave the teenagers a final wave. "Thank you again for helping our son," Tokoyami's father said, "I hope you enjoy living in the U.A. dorms."
The mutant parents drove off, leaving the two U.A. students alone. "Well, we should start walking. Don't want to be late for the move-in," Shoji said.
"Indeed." As the two teenagers made their way to the dorms, they remained silent. It was hard to converse after everything that had transpired the night before. Nevertheless, Shoji decided to make an effort, for he felt it needed to be discussed.
"Did you get much sleep last night?" asked Shoji.
"Sleep evaded me. And you?"
"I couldn't get much sleep, either. It was hard to clear my mind with so many racing thoughts of everything that happened yesterday."
"Indeed." The avian teenager lowered his head in solemnity. "As I said yesterday, I got to know Kageyama better during our internship at Hawks' agency and saw a side of him he never showed our class. It was clear there was some deep-seated trauma from within him. But to think the trauma was deep enough that it would cause him to lose control like this. I could have never imagined it."
"Now he's being kept in a maximum-security prison for an indefinite period," Shoji said, "Who knows how long he's going to be there."
"We can only hope that Endeavor keeps his word and gets Kageyama out of there as soon as possible."
As the teenagers were walking, Shoji's eyes again spotted citizens on the other side of the street, giving them fearful or angry looks. "Tokoyami, have you noticed something odd with the people's behavior?"
The avian teenager's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Seeing that Tokoyami wasn't getting his point, Shoji decided to try to get a little more personal. "Like me, you must have experienced discrimination for your appearance, correct?"
Tokoyami's eyes once again went to the ground. So that's what Shoji was referring to. "Indeed. When I was growing up, there were times when fellow students or citizens would belittle me for my appearance. I'm fortunate to have grown up where this discrimination was minimal."
"That's good to hear. I'm bringing this up because all morning, I've felt that citizens have begun to grow frightened of me. When I was on the metro, a man who accidentally bumped into me ran away in terror out of the misguided belief I'd hurt him. It's as if paranoia and fear have begun to spring up among the citizens in Musutafu."
"Really?" Since Tokoyami had spent his time preparing to pack, he had yet to interact with any of the citizens, so he hadn't noticed any of this behavior. "That's quite disheartening, especially since Musutafu has always expressed tolerant views of those with Mutant Quirks. What could have caused this surge in prejudice?"
"I'm not sure..." Though the students had not been made aware of it, there was a root cause of this sudden rise in discrimination. With the repeated attacks from the League of Villains and their Nomu, many citizens had begun to categorize the Nomu as those who possessed Mutant Quirks. The recent attack in Yavin Forest had only stoked the flames to higher levels. For the uneducated and willfully ignorant, another Mutant of the League of Villains had targeted U.A. High, and this time, All Might had been caught in the crossfire. The indestructible Symbol Of Peace's vulnerability had been exposed. In the minds of these people, it was only a matter of time before more mutants unleashed their rage on the rest of society, and so the embers of paranoia and fear were slowly taking root in the citizens of Japan.
Tokoyami and Shoji arrived at the entrance to U.A. High. From there, it was only a five-minute walk to Alliance Heights. As the two classmates reached the dormitories, they saw several other students walking in and out of the building. It looked as though several of their classmates had already arrived. Kirishima was among the students entering the dormitory. But as the two approached the red-haired teenager, they could see that a sullen, heartbroken demeanor had replaced his usual energetic and confident attitude.
"Good morning, Kirishima," Tokoyami said.
"Mornin', guys," Kirishima replied.
"Have the rest of our classmates arrived?" Shoji asked.
"I think we got a few more we're waiting on, but almost everyone's here. Most of us are just bringing our stuff in." The three teenagers entered the dormitory together. Now that they were finally inside the dormitory, Tokoyami and Shoji took in the surroundings of the new place they would call home. A set of couches with a long, green rug was underneath them. Several tables were positioned together at one end of the room. Several long, expansive windows were aligned, allowing the students a fantastic view of the rest of the campus. There was a bookshelf stacked with several volumes of different genres of books, as well as two giant television screens. U.A. High had gone out of their way to make this place a good home for Class 1-A.
Several of the students of Class 1-A were walking through the central area. It appeared the classmates had placed some belongings into separate piles and were waiting for confirmation of where their rooms would be. Some of the students were carrying boxes and organizing the piles of their belongings, while others were silently sitting on the couches. Overseeing all the students, Mr. Aizawa stood leaning against the wall like a den mother, looking over their children. He had instructed the students to wait in the central area until everyone from Class 1-A had arrived, so now he patiently waited for the entire class to explain how Heights Alliance was structured.
As Tokoyami and Shoji observed their classmates, they could see that they all had the same tired, saddened look on their faces as Kirishima. Sitting on the farthest couch seat, Izuku Midoriya's expression was blank, staring out into emptiness as all of the usual fighting spirit he carried was gone. It was clear that all of them were still in deep shock and pain over Kageyama's fate. Even Mr. Aizawa's usual stern face was mixed with a look of sadness, the same face he'd carried the day before. Though this day was meant to be one of new beginnings, it was not a beginning they could truly enjoy.
After a few minutes, the last students, Yaoyorozu, Tsu, and Hagakure, arrived. As with the rest of the class, they all carried a look of sadness. Even for the invisible student, while her face could not be seen, her clothes allowed everyone to see her slouched, defeated stance.
With these three students organizing their belongings, Aizawa did a headcount to ensure everyone in Class 1-A had arrived. "Ok, I count nineteen students. Now that all the students in Class 1-A are here, I'll explain the Heights Alliance layout."
All the students got up from their places and gathered around their homeroom teacher. Seeing that he'd gathered their attention, Aizawa began his dormitory tour.
"Each student dormitory holds one class. Girls are on the right, and boys are on the left. The entire first floor is a common area. That's where you'll find your kitchen, baths, and laundry rooms. Living quarters start on the next floor. Four boys and two girls on each level. Everyone gets their own room." Mr. Aizawa went to the next floor to give the students a first-hand look, and the class followed him. After walking up a flight of stairs, the teacher led them to a group of four rooms. He opened the doors for three of them, allowing the students to enter and see what the rooms were like.
"Everyone gets their room. Hopefully, it'll be comfortable enough for the class. You've got your own A.C., toilet, fridges and closets. There's even a balcony where you can sit and get a good view of the school." Once all the students looked at the rooms' layout, they exited and waited for Mr. Aizawa to finish the tour.
"Once we head back to the main living space, I'll place a list of the dorm assignments on the table. You'll spend the rest of the day getting unpacked and settled. I'll tell you more about your next few lessons tomorrow. Understood?"
"Yes, Mr. Aizawa."
Now that the tour had been finished, the group returned to the main living area, where the homeroom teacher placed the sheet with the layout of dorm assignments on the table. Many students were desperate to know whether the missing student was listed on the dorm room layout. To their mild relief, they found Kageyama's name listed on the fifth floor, directly opposite Yaoyorozu's room. This gave the students a slight sense of hope and affirmation that Kageyama would return to U.A. High and rejoin them as a part of their class. But this tiny spot of hope could not dispel the overwhelming gloom hovering over Class 1-A.
The rest of the day was met with silence and disorganization. The class could not find the words to say to one another as they moved into their assigned dorm rooms. How could they find the will to stand firm as a class and take this new transition with a positive attitude? They had only made it here because of Kageyama's rampage. They had maintained their freedom as U.A. students but at the cost of Kageyama's freedom. Their future was now marred with the blood and tears of both Kageyama and the innocents who had been caught in his rampage.
On the second floor, Minoru Mineta was silently unpacking his belongings from his boxes. As an especially hormonal-driven teenager, Mineta had several debaucherous magazines and posters of mature women in his possession, and he had packed quite a few of them when he'd prepared to move to the dormitory.
Opening one of the cardboard boxes, he reached for one of the posters he'd packed. Seeing a mature woman would typically make his heart race with exhilaration, but staring at it now, he couldn't help but feel a sense of revulsion. Mineta scowled and stuffed the poster back into the box. He lay on the floor, staring blankly at the ceiling. How the hell could he think of perverted things at a time like this?
As with the rest of the class, Mineta was shocked and troubled by the news of Kageyama's rampage. During the dormitory tour, facts that would have usually brought him elation, such as the baths in the common space, meant nothing to him. How could they at a time like this?
Mineta took a glance at the cardboard boxes filled with all the pornographic material he'd brought. What would Kageyama say to him if he saw Mineta owned these things? After all Kageyama had taught him about respecting women? Mineta remembered his time as a U.A. student and the progress he'd tried to make in this regard.
It was a regular day at U.A. High. The halls were lively, and the students were ready to start their classes. Walking through these halls was Minoru Mineta. The recently reformed student had been enlightened by Mob's words to respect women. Now that he'd begun to try to improve himself by joining the Body Improvement Club, it was time to focus on his attitude towards women. He had no idea where to begin but still had to make the effort.
As he walked through the halls, he noticed three girls leisurely chatting with one another. They were all attractive, well-built students who would undoubtedly turn heads. The short teenager briefly stopped next to the girls and was about to comment on their impressive busts, but at the last second, he paused. Was commenting on their chests perverted? He wouldn't try to insult them! It was a genuine compliment! So surely that couldn't do any harm!
The three girls noticed Mineta paused near them and gave him an uneasy look. "Um, is there something we can help you with?" one girl said.
"Oh, umm... nothing!" Mineta aborted his mission and rushed straight through the hall. The girls stared at each other, confused. What was that all about?
But as Mineta hurried through the hall, the teenager caught Kageyama's eye. "Hey, Mineta. Why are you running? Class doesn't start for another 15 minutes."
"Oh, hey, Kageyama..." Seeing that Kageyama was the one who guided him on the path to improvement, he decided to share with him the problems he was experiencing while trying to be better. "I was just runnin' cuz I made a dumb mistake."
"What's that mean?"
The two teenagers walked together through the hall as Mineta gazed out the windows. "I saw a few girls with killer bods and was about to compliment 'em, but I stopped cuz I wasn't sure if that'd be disrespectful. I really do wanna try to do what you said and respect women. But I still don't know how to do that. Is it rude to tell a girl she's got an awesome bust? Isn't that what every girl wants to hear?"
"Oh, ummm..." Though Kageyama had been the one to encourage Mineta to treat girls better, all the steps that came along with that were still rather hazy. "Honestly, I don't know the best way to talk to girls, either. But I'd probably say that mentioning a girl's... chest might not come across as a compliment. Maybe stick to smaller things like their hair? You might want to look this stuff up."
"Yeah, that's a good idea," Mineta replied.
"Still, it's great to see you caring about this stuff." The short teenager looked up at his friend and saw a smile across Kageyama's face. "The fact you're asking about this means you're working hard to improve yourself. If you keep it up, I'm sure girls will fall for you one day."
Mineta's eyes sparkled, and a smile also appeared on his face. Hearing these compliments from the strongest student in the class and the one who set him on this path made him believe that all the effort he was putting was worth it. Even if he had some hiccups, maybe he could be more than the perverted jerk-wad all the girls in the class thought he was!
Mineta sank back to the floor. These were the words of encouragement Kageyama had given him all those months ago when he'd first started his journey of self-improvement. He'd believed in Mineta to be a better person who respects women. Owning so much of this pornographic material would undoubtedly sicken him!
The ball-haired teenager sighed: after all that had happened, Mineta wished he could pay Kageyama back and give the guy a break for everything he went through. Just what was waiting for Kageyama? Could he really reunite with the class?
On the fourth floor, another one of the male students from Class 1-A was taking his time unpacking his belongings. The chivalrous student, Kirishima, hung posters of manly settings, like raging rapids and positive mantras for strengthening oneself. Staring at these posters in front of him, he felt he was unworthy to hang such messages on his wall. These posters belonged to a real man, and Kirishima had proven this entire week that he was no man. Every decision he'd made had caused his friends to get hurt. First, he stood by when the villains attacked the camp, and Kageyama gave himself up for their safety. Then, he risked the lives of his classmates by trying to save Kageyama themselves, but only ended up serving as bait for the main villain to use to weaken Kageyama. And for the cherry on top, their violation of school rules had caused Kageyama to go on a rampage, landing himself in prison and getting dozens of people killed. What kind of man was that?
Kirishima gazed down at the rest of his belongings. Sitting as the largest object in the room was the heavy bag he used for personal training and to vent his frustration. More importantly, it was one thing he used to strengthen his body. Kirishima sighed: Kageyama was more dedicated to that goal than anyone else. Though Kirishima had suggested reforming the Body Improvement Club, he only suggested it because he'd seen how passionate Kageyama and the previous club members had been about strengthening their bodies and helping one another. Thanks to him, Kirishima had tons of memories with his class as they worked together to become stronger...
"Come on, guys! Keep going!"
At the U.A. High gym, the members of the Body Improvement Club were working as diligently as ever. Though it was summer vacation, the principal had allowed the students of the hero course to use the gym for their practices. As a bonus, the gym was far less crowded, allowing them to take full advantage of all the equipment the school owned. For this training session, Mob decided to focus on the upper body, so the club members took turns doing bench presses while Mob supervised all of them.
Momo Yaoyorozu was taking her turn for the bench press in one of the sets when Uraraka spotted her. Yaoyorozu's face was red as blood flowed to it. She was bench pressing more than 500 kilograms, far more than anything she'd ever lifted. Her uniform was drenched with sweat, and she could feel the cold sweat beads dripping down her face. Nevertheless, she refused to give up, and Uraraka was there to provide the extra support she needed to see the exercise through.
"Come on, Yayorozu, you already got seven reps! Just three more to go!" Momo let the bar drop down just an inch above her chest, and after taking a deep breath, she exhaled and pushed the bar back up. The pressure was beginning to weigh on her. She wasn't sure how much more she could take! But she was so close! She repeated the action, but lifting the bar back up took even more time. Her arms felt like they were about to give out! Still, with only one more rep, that exhaustion could wait!
With a final push, the teenager lowered the bar. With all her might, she tried to push it back up. But her muscles weren't doing their job! The exhaustion caused her to struggle, lifting the bar more than an inch upward. She could do it! But staring from above, Uraraka could tell her friend was at her limit. So, to keep her from injuring herself, Uraraka gently helped lift the bar and placed it back on the rack.
"You did it, Yaoyorozu! Ten reps!" Yaoyorozu's arms fell limp at her side, and she struggled to catch her breath. Having watched her push herself, Kageyama approached Yaoyorozu and gently knelt beside her so he could face her at eye level.
"Good job, Yaoyorozu," Kageyama said, "Bench pressing that much is amazing."
"No kidding," Uraraka added, "She's a star member of the Body Improvement Club!" As she relaxed her body and controlled her breathing, Yaoyorozu's lips formed a smile, and she gave both Kageyama and Uraraka sincere looks of gratitude.
"Your words are greatly appreciated. Thank you for helping with the final rep, Uraraka. I probably wouldn't have been able to finish the set without you."
"Well, that's what we do at the Body Improvement Club," Uraraka replied. Yaoyorozu turned her head in the other direction to see how her other classmates were doing. On the adjacent bench press, Tetsutetsu was spotting Kirishima, but unlike her, he could bench press a far greater weight. At a whopping one thousand kilograms, Kirishima's determination allowed the manly student to push through and control the weight he was carrying above him. Though Tetsutetsu was spotting him, the steely teenager could see that Kirishima could handle this even without his help.
"And that's... 20." With a final push, Kirishima lifted the bar above his neck and, with a bit of coordination from Tetsutetsu, guided it back onto the rack. "Man, I never knew I could bench that much."
"No kidding, man. With that kind of body, no villain will ever beat you in a contest of strength," Tetsutetsu replied.
"Thanks, man."
Kageyama looked at the remaining stations and saw that the rest of the club members had already finished their sets and were merely catching their breath.
"OK, I think everybody's already finished their sets. Since it's already 8:00, I think we can call it a day," announced the esper, "Tomorrow, we'll work on the lower body."
"Sounds good," Mineta replied.
But before the club members could begin filing out, Kirishima stood where all the members could see. "One chant for the road. Body Improvement!"
All the club members felt goofy grins spread across their faces and pumped their fists in the air. "Fight on!" With the practice ending on such a high note, the club members all filed out of the gym with their smiles still plastered over their faces. Kageyama and Kirishima stayed behind to collect a few things and tidy the stations before leaving.
"Man, this was an intense practice," Kirishima remarked. I never knew I could bench press that much, especially without my Quirk."
"Yeah. It's incredible how strong our classmates have gotten. Even the last Body Improvement Club members never bench-pressed as much."
"Really?" Hearing Kageyama mention the past members of the Body Improvement Club brought up a question he'd wanted to ask for a while. "You know, you don't talk much about the club's original members. What're they like?"
"Oh, well..." Remembering the previous members of the Body Improvement Club brought back a sense of nostalgia and sorrow. "They were all pretty great. Like I said, they always helped and pushed through with me, even when I had no real muscles."
"Could you let me know their contact info? Maybe you could have them swing by and show them the new Body Improvement Club at U.A. High. I'm sure they'd be honored to see you start the club at a top hero school."
Kirishima's enthusiasm briefly waned when he saw Kageyama's gaze meet the ground, almost as if mentioning them was a sore spot. "...I lost their contact information. They all moved away, too, so I can't get in touch with them."
"That's a bummer. Would've been real nice to meet them."
"...But, if I ever get the chance to reunite with them, I'll be sure to tell them all about you." Kirishima's eyes widened in mild shock. Even though the pain of being separated from the club and his loved ones hurt, Kageyama was still determined to meet them one day. "I know they would've loved to have a member like you in the club. I mean, you're the one who suggested we reform the club in the first place, so in a way, you're the one who's kept their memory intact."
His friend's words of approval floored the teenager. To be regarded as such a man by Kageyama was one of the highest honors Kirishima could receive. The manly student gently approached his friend, struggling to stop tears from misting in his eyes.
"Thanks, man. That means a lot, coming from you."
Kirishima extended his hand for a manly handshake. The esper smiled and reciprocated his friend's handshake. Their camaraderie, formed through their passion for the Body Improvement Club, was more solid than ever, and it would continue to grow as the club grew and pushed their bodies past their limits.
Kirishima tightly clutched the edge of his desk. Things had been going so well back then. The Body Improvement Club had brought their class together and allowed them to grow stronger than ever. He had truly believed things would work out for the better and that Kageyama would get to show the world what a real man he was. But now, Kageyama was being held in prison, treated like a low-life criminal. That wasn't the way a man like Kageyama deserved to be treated. But even so, there was absolutely nothing Kirishima could do to help. Everything he'd tried had only made things worse.
Kirishima's overwhelming sense of despair caused the teenager to lash out. With his hardening Quirk, he slammed his fist through his punching bag, splitting the bag in two. Kirishima was a disgrace. After all the despair Kirishima had inadvertently caused, he no longer had any right to call himself a man. He was nothing but an incompetent coward...
On the fourth floor, another passionate member of the Body Improvement Club was unpacking her belongings. Ochaco Uraraka's usually cheerful and bubbly disposition had vanished. It was replaced by dimmed, despondent eyes with a soul in terrible conflict. Though she would generally feel ecstatic about living in a room the size of her house and in a dormitory with facilities she'd never dreamed of, there was no way she could feel content after this week's events. Uraraka had never imagined things would turn out this way.
Back when the members of her class had argued in favor of rescuing Kageyama, she'd been one of the students who'd rejected this idea. Though she'd wanted to help Kageyama, she had believed interfering and trying to save him themselves would only make things worse. She had tried to dissuade the others and remind them of what Kageyama would want, but they hadn't listened. Even then, she'd believed that Kageyama would be rescued before her classmates could get to him, that somehow things would work themselves out. But they didn't.
Because she hadn't done enough to stop her classmates from breaking the rules, they ended up endangering their lives, getting nearly all of the class expelled. It would've been a devastating blow to their careers as heroes. But then, things were made even worse when they learned that their enrollment at U.A. High was safe, at the cost of Kageyama losing control of his power and being thrown into Tartarus. Now, the friend who'd helped their class and been there to make them all better people was being treated like a criminal. She felt so guilty. Maybe if she'd been more assertive and tried stopping her classmates from going off on their own, none of this would've happened, and Kageyama would be moving in with the rest of the class.
Uraraka leaned against the wall and slid down until she sat on the cold, hardwood floor. Her mind raced with thoughts of her imprisoned classmate. Though Uraraka had always felt more inspired and fascinated by Deku's drive and focus to become a hero, Kageyama still profoundly impacted her in his own way. If she was being honest with herself, Uraraka had always been a bit jealous of Kageyama. His telekinesis and ability to float himself and so many objects were far beyond her capabilities. But after getting to know him better, that jealousy quickly faded. He was a gentle, soft-spoken person who would focus on cooperation and bringing the class together. He didn't care about winning or being number one the way Deku did, but his drive inspired others to follow him. It was one of the reasons she joined the Body Improvement Club, and it was thanks to that she'd gotten stronger alongside Kageyama and the rest of her classmates. But even outside the Body Improvement Club, Kageyama had demonstrated his kindness to her...
It was late afternoon at U.A. High. The members of the Body Improvement Club had already finished their training. Kageyama stayed late to take some more lessons on human anatomy with Recovery Girl. Though he'd made tremendous progress in healing Ingenium's spine, he still had much to learn before regrowing organs.
After finishing his lesson with Recovery Girl, Shigeo returned to All Might's apartment. Exiting U.A. High, he realized he had forgotten something in his locker after the Body Improvement Club practice. So he returned to the gym lockers and cut through the training grounds. But as he was walking, Shigeo spotted one of his classmates alone. To his shock, it was Uraraka. She was still in her gym uniform from the Body Improvement Club practice. What was she still doing at the school?
What was more perplexing was that Uraraka was floating in the air. From what he'd seen of her power, she could only use her Quirk to float other objects, not herself. So when did she get the ability to levitate herself? However, Kageyama could see this was a work in progress. She was no more than three feet off the ground, but even that looked like it was taking all her strength to manage. It took only seconds before she lost her focus and fell on the ground, vomiting an odd rainbow-colored substance as she always did whenever she overexerted herself.
"Uraraka?" The bob-haired girl looked up and saw the club president approach her with a look of concern on his face.
"Oh, hey, Kageyama..." Uraraka got back up and awkwardly placed her hand behind her head. "I didn't think I'd see you here so late."
"What're you doing out here all by yourself?"
"Just training my Quirk."
"How long have you been training out here?"
"Not too long. Just since the end of the internships, so about a few days."
"How come?"
Uraraka let out a sigh and stared out into the sky. "When I saw those photos of you and Hawks in the air, I was pretty amazed. Your Quirk lets you float yourself and so many objects. You don't have to worry about a weight limit for the objects you control or making yourself nauseous, and it lets you see the world from such an amazing view. I just... wanted to see if I could look at the world from that kind of view and use my Quirk with as much control as you use yours. So, these past few days, I've come out here and tried working on my Quirk to make that fantasy a reality."
The esper was quite surprised. He'd never known Uraraka to be so fascinated with testing her power or looking at the world with such a view. But that vision wasn't as much of a fantasy as she believed it to be.
"If you want, I can help you with that." Ochaco's eyebrows raised in confusion. What did he mean by that? "Since it's late, I could use my power and take us up high for a view of the sky. I don't think any teachers would be here to scold us."
"Oh, well..." Uraraka was a bit unsure. It seemed risky to use their Quirks so openly for leisure. But the curiosity and adventurous side of her couldn't resist the offer. "You know what? Let's go for it."
The esper smiled. His blue aura activated, and his hair stood up. Uraraka was soon enveloped by the same aura, causing her lips to tremble with nervousness lightly. They were really about to do this!
"Hang on." In an instant, the two friends soared up into the air. Ochaco felt adrenaline pumping throughout her entire body. She'd never gone this high or this fast in her whole life! Was this what it felt like for Kageyama whenever he used his Quirk?
Not wanting to do anything too crazy, Kageyama decided to stop just above the cloud line. Now that the two were steady and stable, she could truly take in her surroundings. And it was far beyond anything she could've imagined. The sun's light orange glow from the horizon gleamed across the sky in a beautiful display. The warm light bounced off the clouds, mixing to create a colorful ocean of mist around them.
"This is... amazing," Uraraka said.
"It really is," Kageyama replied, "I'd never thought about the experience of soaring up here. But when I interned with Hawks, he helped open my eyes and made me see how great it is to look at the world from up here." Ochaco looked directly down, and she marveled at how small everything looked from this height. The imposing U.A. High facility seemed little more than a tiny square in a maze of boundless buildings and forests. Seeing the world from this angle suddenly made her even more determined.
"One day, Kageyama, I'm gonna take in this view beside you with my Quirk!" Shigeo could hear the deep-seated passion in his friend's voice. That was precisely the kind of passion Midoriya had always carried within him, and it looked like this passion was rubbing off on Uraraka as well. The esper gave Ochaco another one of his small smiles.
"I'm looking forward to it."
Uraraka sighed. It had been quite some time since she'd made that promise, and she'd spent much time working on her Quirk. The teenager touched her hands together and began floating several feet in the air. Her back was now leaning against the ceiling, and she could see all her belongings from a bird's eye view. While before, floating this high would've ended with the room being sprayed with vomit, Uraraka's training allowed her to maintain her balance and float this high without trouble. But floating herself right now felt like an empty endeavor. What purpose would all this training have if Kageyama wasn't in the sky alongside her?
Uraraka slowly floated back to the ground and took her previous defeated stance. Now that he was imprisoned in Tartarus and treated as a criminal, he might never be able to leave. Though Endeavor had insisted he'd do what he could to get Kageyama out of prison, the fear that he'd never be released still weighed heavily on her. How could things have gone so wrong? It wasn't fair to Kageyama! It wasn't fair the class had to suffer like this!
On the third floor, one of the other female students took her time unpacking her belongings and decorating her room. Kyoka Jirou, like the rest of her class, was in a state of shock and sadness over Kageyama's rampage and subsequent imprisonment.
Things had unraveled so quickly since the camp. One minute, she was doing the test of courage, and the next minute, a poisonous gas knocked her unconscious. When she woke up, she was caught up to speed on everything that had transpired. She watched the video of Kageyama fighting All For One and couldn't believe the person on her screen was the same classmate she'd come to know. To imagine the shy, reserved teenager she'd come to know displaying such unbelievable bravery and resilience was an inspiration and a sight to behold. She was eager for him to return to U.A. High so she could congratulate him, but then, the news hit that nearly all of the class had been expelled. It had been a massive shock to believe that only she, Hagakure, and Kageyama would remain at U.A. High because a group of her classmates had tried to save Kageyama themselves while the others did nothing to stop them. She'd felt a great sadness, wondering how she'd interact with Kageyama now that only three members of Class 1-A were left. Then, suddenly, Mr. Aizawa reversed his decision. It had been both a shock and relief, but the relief disappeared when the class learned the horrifying truth: Kageyama went out of control, forcing their homeroom teacher to reverse the expulsion to calm him down.
Jirou wasn't sure how to sort out all of these feelings. So many ground-breaking events had occurred while she'd been unconscious. She was witnessing the choices of the rest of her classmates and how those choices had led to this disaster. It felt like she'd been a spectator watching a tragedy play out before her.
While mulling on these emotions, she unpacked all the boxes and sorted out her room, taking out all the instruments she owned. She had a keyboard, an electric guitar, an acoustic guitar, and a drum set, each of which she could play with incredible skill. She took out a notebook filled with her notes on music from her backpack. As she placed the book on her desk, she flipped to one of the pages with a list of lyrics for a new song. Jirou smiled: she'd nearly thrown that page away, but Kageyama had been there to help her look at things differently.
At Yaoyorozu's abode, the students had all been working diligently. The final exams were only three days away, and the Class 1-A students still needed to cover several topics. Though Yaoyorozu was an excellent teacher, the content was still tricky for the students to understand. Because of this, the group of students was currently on a break. Yaoyorozu had guided most of them to the kitchen to give them more options instead of the terrible-tasting biscuits Momo's mother had prepared. However, Kageyama and Jirou decided to stay behind, for neither of them felt especially hungry.
Jirou's body was sprawled over one of the nearby couches, and she was relieved that they had finally gotten a break. "Man, who knew classical Japanese could be so advanced?" she said, "And I thought I had a pretty good handle on it."
Jirou waited for Kageyama to respond but noticed that he was still immersed in his studies. "Hey, Kageyama." Hearing his name managed to break the esper's focus and draw his attention to Jirou. "We're on a break. You don't have to push yourself so much."
"I know, but I want to finish this last set of problems. Yaoyorozu's put a lot of work into teaching us, and I feel she wouldn't stop until she finished every question."
"Huh..." The young heroine felt a smile creep across her face. He admired Yaoyorozu, and that was something the two of them had in common.
But as the esper finished the problems, he noticed another journal in Jirou's spot, which was adjacent to his. Unlike her other journal, which she'd been using to answer questions, this one had a unique design.
"What's in here?"
With his limited social skills, Mob saw no problem opening the journal without permission to see what was inside. Jirou looked up to see what Kageyama was doing and immediately jolted when he saw the esper going through her music journal.
"Are these lyrics?" Jirou's face flushed red, and she rushed to grab the notebook. Acting impulsively, she ripped the page out of the journal and tore it apart into dozens of tiny pieces.
Kageyama was slightly baffled by his classmate's reaction. "I'm sorry, I didn't know it was so personal."
With the initial panic fading away, Jirou looked at the scraps of paper in her hand and felt a creeping sensation of embarrassment. "No, you're fine. I guess I just got a little bit too panicked."
"So what was that? Are they lyrics to a popular song or something? It is part of like a music journal?" A light tinge of red appeared on Jirou's cheeks, and she awkwardly clicked the two earphone cords dangling from her ears together.
"I promise I won't make fun of you if that's what you're worried about."
The female teenager shook her head, realizing the kind of amazing person she was talking to. "Yeah, I know you wouldn't. This journal's a list of my notes on music, and the page I ripped up is a list of lyrics for a new song I've been thinking of."
"That's nothing to be embarrassed about. Can you play instruments, too?"
"Yeah, I'm pretty good at the guitar, piano, and drums, but..." The heroine continued clicking her earphone buds against one another, her eyes meeting the ground. "It's not the kind of stuff that's important for being a hero. It feels like showing my music ideas and skills to the rest of the class would be weird."
The esper got up, for he could not agree with his friend's reasoning. "Jirou, you shouldn't view those skills as lesser. You really care about this, and you shouldn't just toss away the things that matter to you." Kageyama's aura came to life, and his energy was now imbued into the journal. Kyoka gasped as the torn pieces of paper were reassembled into a single page. The journal opened, and the reformed paper was returned to its original spot. The esper smiled and handed the book back to Jirou.
"You should always pick up the things important in your heart." Jirou gently took the book back from Kageyama. She had never imagined any of her classmates would be so supportive of her hobby. But here Kageyama was, encouraging her to embrace it wholeheartedly and without shame. The young girl gazed back at her classmate and gave him a rare, heartfelt smile. She was glad to have Kageyama as both a classmate and a friend.
Jirou gently brushed her fingers over the page that Kageyama had repaired. Those words meant a great deal to her, for they had allowed her to slowly overcome the unease of introducing her hobbies to others and made her realize that music wasn't embarrassing to hide from her friends. He had given her important kindness that day. And now, he was being held in Tartarus under the tightest security possible. How did someone so kind end up in such a terrible spot? The teenager grimaced at the pain he and the rest of her class were going through. But of all the classmates, Jirou felt most worried about Yaoyorozu. She knew how close she and Kageyama were, so how was she managing this situation?
As Jirou feared, Yaoyorozu was having an unimaginably difficult time with this entire situation. The Class 1-A vice president had attempted to bury her pain and feelings in her work, doing all the measurements and calculations to add all the furniture and other accessories to her room. By the time she had finished, she realized she'd overestimated the size of her dorm room since she'd based it on the size of one of her closets back at her home. But even having put all this work into finishing her room as quickly as possible, the weight on her soul had not diminished.
Yaoyorozu exited her room and looked at the room directly across from her. This was the room Kageyama had been assigned. The teenager opened the door and made her way inside the vacant space. If things had gone as they should have, Kageyama would be in this room now, unpacking all his belongings. She'd greet her friend with a smile and a nice cup of tea, and the two would discuss what they thought of the new dormitory they'd be living in. Instead, Kageyama was being kept locked up in a maximum security prison, vilified for something that wasn't his fault.
Yaoyorozu opened the door to the balcony and stared out into the distance. She should have never let this happen. Yaoyorozu had been there when Kageyama was fighting those Nomu in the forest by himself. If she'd just stayed with him, thought of the proper object to create or the proper tactic to employ, things could have ended differently, and Mob wouldn't have been forced to sacrifice himself for the sake of their class. Then, there was the incident at the warehouse. Yaoyorozu had gone with the rest of her classmates to try and save Kageyama from the League and pay back the kindness he'd given them all. Instead, she and her classmates had been nothing but distractions All For One used to weaken Kageyama. She'd needlessly endangered herself and her friends and forced Kageyama to save them like he'd always done. To top it all off, nearly all of their class would have been expelled thanks to her recklessness, and it ended up causing Shigeo to go on some rampage, getting dozens of innocents killed.
Momo grabbed the railing of the balcony, her hands trembling with pain. She felt tears beginning to mist in her eyes. Why couldn't she be there for him? After all the kindness he'd given her, all the encouragement and faith that had allowed her to embrace her talents and improve as a hero, why could she not pay him back? Momo took a glance at her wrists: on her left wrist, there was a flower bracelet. Her lips curled into a small smile: this was a gift Mob had given her not too long after his run-in with Tomura Shigaraki at the mall. She could remember that day as if it was yesterday...
The Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall was as busy as ever. The shoppers were looking through the different shops, marveling at the various unique items all the stores offered. Among the shoppers were two of U.A. High's students, Momo Yaoyorozu and Shigeo Kageyama. The pair of teenagers were walking through the long pathway. Though Yaoyorozu walked with a jubilance in her step and a smile, Kageyama's eyes were constantly darting to different shops, trying to do anything to take his mind off the situation and ease his jittered nerves.
"I asked Jirou to come with us, but she told me she had already made plans with her parents, so I suppose that just leaves you and me. Last time we were here, we didn't get much opportunity to go to the different shops, so why don't we take some time exploring the mall?" Yaoyorozu asked.
"Sure thing..."
Yaoyorozu's smile briefly faded when she saw how tense Kageyama was acting. "Kageyama, is something wrong?" The young teenager immediately began to assume the worst. "Is... returning to this mall bringing up some sort of trauma for you?"
Kageyama's eyes instantly went to Yaoyorozu to dispel this belief. "No, that's not it. I just..." Kageyama couldn't find a way to spit out how unbelievably nervous he felt. He was spending a day together alone with a beautiful, talented, compassionate girl from his class at a shopping mall. Any person who saw them would think they'd be on a date. When he'd first gotten the text from Yaoyorozu asking if he wanted to accompany her to the mall again, he'd felt his brain had gone into overdrive. His timid side had felt tempted to make up some excuse not to go, but lying and rejecting her offer felt too cruel. So here he was, all alone with Yaoyorozu. If he was spending the afternoon with her, he might as well try to be upfront.
"I usually don't go shopping with friends, especially classmates, and since it's just the two of us, it's hard to know what to do or say."
Was that really what was concerning him? Yaoyorozu gently placed her hand on his shoulder, causing the esper to shudder at her touch. "Just relax, Kageyama. You've spent plenty of time with me and the rest of our class this semester. So simply act like you always do." She briefly tightened her grip on Shigeo's shoulder. "I just felt after our visit to the mall was ruined by Tomura Shigaraki's arrival, it was only fitting that we try again."
Yaoyorozu's kind words briefly tempered Shigeo's frazzled nerves. She'd gone out of her way like this just for him? "Ok then," the esper said.
"Great. Now, how about we try that electronics store?" Yaoyorozu said, pointing at the store several dozen feet away, "I'd noticed a few things in there that caught my eye."
The esper did as she suggested and walked with her into the store. As the two entered, they were amazed at the many different kinds of devices the store provided. There were several different AirPods and noise-canceling headphones, but there were even sets that accommodated those with mutant Quirks. The esper had been to a mall before with Izuku, but he'd never been to one with these kinds of products.
"Oh, look." Mob spotted a stand with a Nintendo Switch on display. "They've got Smash Bros Ultimate as a demo for customers to play."
Yaoyorozu approached the stand and briefly gripped the controller. "I've never played on any gaming consoles before."
"Really?"
"Most of my childhood was spent studying and reading books, so I never had the chance to play such games."
"Why don't we try playing some Smash Bros then?"
The young woman shrugged her shoulders. It couldn't hurt to try it out, so the two teenagers took hold of the joysticks and prepared to play the game.
"I've played this game a lot with my younger brother, so I think I can teach you how to play. First, pick a fighter."
There were dozens of fighters to choose from, so it took a few moments to determine which fighters stood out to her most. After a dozen seconds of looking through the options, she decided Zelda would be the best option. Shigeo chose Ike, and when they were given the option to choose the stage, Shigeo decided to go basic and selected "Battlefield." The two fighters were now placed into the arena.
"Since you've never played this game before, I'll try to explain the basics," the esper said, "You press the A button for neutral attacks, and you press the B button for special attacks." Momo did as instructed and spent some time experimenting with these controls. She figured out how to adjust the attacks' direction based on the joycon's arrows.
"You press the L and R buttons to grab your opponent, the buttons you grip with the tips of your index fingers." Shigeo brought Ike directly next to Zelda so Momo could see what the grab controls looked like in action. "If you press those buttons while moving to the right or left, you dodge attacks. The buttons below the L and R buttons you use to block. Does all that make sense?"
Momo took another few seconds to tinker with all the controls and try the different button combinations. "Yes, I think I'm getting it now."
The esper gave a tiny smile. "Then we can try and start." The two teenagers officially began the brawl. Due to her inexperience, Shigeo cut his opponent slack and allowed her to try her moves. Though Mob had far more experience, Yaoyorozu could still hold her own. The young woman felt her lips forming into a smile, the excitement of the video game beginning to take hold. Such fun was a luxury that she'd scarcely gotten the chance to enjoy, and now that she had the opportunity, she found it was quite a pleasant experience. She was sharing it with Kageyama, and the esper reciprocated the sense of contentment. As they continued, a Smash Ball appeared.
"What's that?"
"It's a smash ball. If you break it, it lets you use the character's Final Smash." Curious to see Zelda's Final Smash, Yaoyorozu broke the smash ball and saw Ike being compressed into a Triforce, eliminating one of Ike's stocks. Alas, Mob still had more experience and, after a minute, took out Yaoyorozu's final stock. But she was not at all disappointed with her loss. On the contrary, this had been a pleasant diversion for Yaoyorozu.
"That was more fun than I expected," she said.
"Yeah. You're a pretty fast learner."
"Thank you. But I think I've seen enough of this store. Why don't we go try looking in one of the clothing stores? We can help you find some clothes for the training camp. And..." Yaoyorozu bashfully placed her hands behind her back while raising her foot so that only the tip touched the floor. "If it's not too much trouble, maybe I could look at some dresses I saw on display."
Mob was slightly surprised. He'd never imagined Yaoyorozu as the type of girl who loved clothes shopping, but he wasn't one to stop a girl from shopping where she wanted. "Ok."
With that, the two students exited the electronics store and went to one of the nearby sports clothing stores. The two students had taken their time going through the different options. However, the esper decided to let Yaoyorozu call the shots regarding fashion, for it was an area in which he had practically no expertise. The young heroine picked out a pair of t-shirts with dark-colored designs and some pairs of loose-fitting shorts. After the esper tried them on, he found them relatively comfortable and decided they'd fit well for the training camp. As they made their way to the check-out, Momo insisted that she pay for the clothes due to her family's wealth.
After buying the clothes for Kageyama, they next went to one of the fancier clothing stores at the mall. Yaoyorozu's eyes glistened with joy as she focused on a gorgeous light blue dress with a unique flower design. The young woman's eyes were glued to a few other eye-catching garments that she could not resist taking a closer look at.
"Kageyama, I'm going to try these on and see how they fit. You can sit in the waiting area next to the changing room. I'll probably ask your opinion after choosing the dresses I like best if that's alright with you." The esper nodded in confirmation, and Yaoyorozu hurriedly made her way to a dressing room. Watching his friend show such enthusiasm and excitement for this activity allowed Mob to see a side of her he hadn't seen before. Suddenly, an idea popped into his mind. Maybe he could surprise her with a present. She'd be in the changing room for a while, giving him time to look for something nice. But it would have to be a small present, enough that he could hide in his pocket. Mob had noticed how much she liked the dress with the flower design. Maybe some sort of flower bracelet would be nice. But the esper hesitated. Would buying a gift like that come off as weird? Did friends get expensive gifts like this for one another? And how would it come across to Yaoyorozu? Would he appear creepy in her eyes?
These thoughts of insecurity festered in his mind and briefly weakened his resolve. But then Mob remembered the moments the two had shared as friends thus far. In the battle trial, during the Sports Festival, and studying for the final exam. All of these times, Momo had been someone Mob could depend on, who'd guided him through challenges and helped him become the kind of better person he'd been striving to be. He had to pay her back somehow, and this seemed like a decent start. So, the esper hurriedly scrambled to the store's jewelry section. Surely, they had to have some flower jewelry in the store. After searching the shelves, Shigeo found precisely the kind of jewelry he sought. The tag on the bracelet reads, "Jeulia Full Blossom Bracelet" for 22,000 yen. Though the esper briefly balked at the price, All Might had given him a monthly allowance, and he had enough money to cover it. So, with mad haste, the esper grabbed the bracelet and purchased it at the register at the jewelry department as quickly as possible. After buying the bracelet, the clerk gave Mob a complimentary jewelry box to store it in, a gesture the esper appreciated. Now, he just had to make sure Yaoyorozu didn't find out until they were finished shopping, so he returned to the waiting area as quickly as possible.
"I hope I made it in time..." To his relief, the esper found Yaoyorozu had not left the fitting room, meaning his secret was safe for now. Shigeo waited about a minute for his friend to finish trying all the different dresses until he finally heard her voice calling for him.
"Kageyama, what do you think of this?" Shigeo felt a rush of heat surge through his body. She'd chosen the first blue dress she'd seen in the store, but for good reason. The way the color mixed with her onyx eyes and the manner it fitted her, Mob felt at a loss for words. Yaoyorozu could see her friend appeared dumbfounded and felt a smile spread across her face.
"I take that means you like it as well?" Unable to give a verbal answer, Shigeo merely nodded his head. Yaoyorozu was pleased with the reaction; hopefully, her parents would find the dress just as appealing.
The rest of the day went by in a flash. The two continued exploring the mall, looking at the different stores and attractions throughout the area. They had even encountered a small area of cats where the citizens could stop and admire, even pet the adorable bundles of joy. Throughout all of this, both Shigeo and Momo felt a sense of joy and serenity. Who knew that passing time together like this could be so much fun?
The sun had begun to set over the city, and the mall's liveliness was dying. At the entrance, both Kageyama and Yaoyorozu stood with bags full of all the products they'd snagged throughout their venture.
"Thank you for coming out here today with me, Kageyama," Momo said, "I really had fun."
"Me, too," Shigeo replied. Now that they were about to leave, the esper figured it was time to give her the gift. Yaoyorozu's eyes furrowed in confusion when she saw Mob enter a sudden fit of shyness. What was this all about?
"Umm... while you were in the fitting room, I got a present for you." The esper took the jewelry box out of his pocket and gave it to Yaoyorozu. "I just wanted to thank you for all the help you've given me and for being such a good friend."
A tinge of red appeared on Yaoyorozu's face. Had Kageyama gotten her a gift? The young woman opened the box to see what was inside, and her onyx eyes glistened in awe at the beautiful bracelet inside. Kageyama's paranoia suddenly began eating away at him as she took this gift. Was it too creepy, as he feared? Did she not like it? Was this the wrong kind of gift to give to a girl?
"It's beautiful..." Yaoyorozu placed the bracelet on her left wrist, admiring its glow in the setting sun. Hearing this, Mob's paranoia was quickly replaced by relief. Thank god she liked the present. But as it turned out, this gesture meant more to her than he'd ever expected. In an act of compassion and gratitude, Yaoyorozu approached her friend and wrapped him with a gentle hug.
"Thank you, Kageyama. This means a lot to me." Shigeo's entire body began trembling like a leaf. Yaoyorozu was hugging him! Never in his whole life had a girl actually hugged him before! It took his brain a few seconds to start thinking properly again, and he decided to reciprocate her gesture by hesitantly wrapping his arms around her in return. While doing this, Yaoyorozu couldn't help but notice Kageyama's body tremble. Was he afraid of receiving a hug from her? But sensing her friend reciprocating her kindness put these fears at ease, and another smile crept on her. Once again, she was reminded of how lucky she was to have him as a friend.
Staring down at the bracelet, Yaoyorozu could not stop herself as the tears flowed down her face. One of her closest friends and compatriots, who'd been there for her through thick and thin, who'd always shown her kindness through his words or these gifts, was now being treated as a criminal. There was so much she wanted to say to him. She wish he could be there right now. She wished he was here so she could hug him and tell him how sorry she was for failing him, for not being there for him when he needed it most. But alas, his fate was now out of her hands. All she could do now was stand there and lament her failures, grieve like the rest of her class over their strongest classmate's terrible fate.
So, as we see, Class 1-A isn't dealing with this too well! Thanks to the recommendations of some users, I decided to make this a flashback-oriented chapter to show the many ways the class has bonded with Kageyama and just how much of an impact Kageyama has made on everyone in the MHA world. Now, you'll have to see how the class manages this overwhelming despair in the next chapter, so stay tuned!