Mr Yagi

by SassySovereign

It just didn't make sense for All Might to become a teacher at U.A. But perhaps it would work alright for Toshinori Yagi, a secretary-manager with years worth of experience of working at a hero agency who can teach the kids how to navigate working at an agency as a Pro. Hopefully no one at U.A. figures out that he and All Might are one and the same.

22. Chapter 22: The Annoucement

Chapter Summary: When classes resume at U.A., the students receive an announcement about the Sports Festival.

A/N: To my readers who had to skip over Chapter 21 due to its warnings: This chapter provides a summary during the beginning section so you won't miss anything. It was written so that the reader could infer what happened rather than being written explicitly.

In others news: Huzzah! We're finally in the Sports Festival Arc!

When Friday morning finally rolled around, Toshinori found it harder than usual to get out of bed. It would have been easy for him to chalk it up to the events at the U.S.J. taking a physical toll on him, but although he found himself favoring the cane that Recovery Girl insisted he use when he made his way downstairs, he knew that it wasn't his exhaustion weighing him down. Toshinori had grown used to being tired as much as breathing– it could be a chore, but it was just a part of living for him.

'I'm going to have to face the students,' he mused, gripping his cane tightly while he walked down the halls. Toshinori let out a tired exhale. 'What on earth am I going to say to them?'

To everyone but his protege, it looked as though he simply ran away once All Might stepped into the scene. While there was nothing he could do as Toshinori Yagi, he was still a teacher ; he should have been able to do more . Not to mention that his students were sure to question his whereabouts when he supposedly went off on "All Might's" orders.

The corner of his lips tugged into a frown. 'I hope Aizawa is doing alright… I imagine he's still recuperating from his injuries in the hospital…'

That was what brought him to 1-A's doorway that morning. When Nedzu updated him on Aizawa's status, Toshinori offered to substitute for him when no one else was available, much to his associate's surprise. He insisted, however; it was the least he could do after Aizawa threw himself into the epicenter of danger to protect their students when Toshinori could not.

With a deep breath, Toshinori slid the door open. "Good morning, cl–"

"Sensei Yagi!" shouted several voices, nearly causing him to drop his briefcase. He blinked with shock when the entire class collectively turned to regard him with equal parts surprise and delight. In a flash, Kirishima was right in front of him.

"Hiya, sir!" He greeted excitedly. "Good to see you're doing alright!"

Toshinori blinked again. "Huh?"

"Yeah!" Sero affirmed, quickly rushing up to Kirishima's side. "We heard all about you talking down to those villains down at the central plaza! When I saw you standing there, I was so freaked out!"

Kaminari sprang up behind them both and rested his elbows on their shoulders. "Hagakure and Tsuyu say that you talked to him like it was nothing! I knew you had guts when you talked back to that creepy mist dude, but I didn't know just much! "

"I–" Toshinori began, not sure what to say. "Thank… you?"

"Hey, is it also true that you flung a villain down at the landslide zone?" questioned Ashido. "Hagakure said you were like–" She threw her arms excitedly. " Whoosh! I bet it was so cool! "

A flutter of surprise hit Toshinori in the chest. "'Cool'?"

" Heck , yeah!" Kaminari rejoiced. He hopped off of Kirishima and Sero's shoulders to pantomime arm chops, emphasizing each move with a personalized sound effect. "Man, I should try to pick up some new fighting techniques so I can do that, too! Maybe you can give me some pointers!"

"Oh, I don't know if I'm the–" Toshinori tried to say, but Ashido cut him off.

"That would be so cool! " she proclaimed. Then, she went still very suddenly and looked up at him seriously. "Were you scared at all? I sure was!"

"Oh, w-well–" Toshinori stammered, then stopped to clear his throat awkwardly. "Well, I won't lie, I was a bit worried."

Ashido gaped. " Really? But how were you able to stay so calm , then?"

"Probably the same way he was able to stay calm while dealing with the press," commented Sato, chuckling a bit, " man , you gave those guys a talking to!"

"And then you said 'hello' to your friend on the air!" Kaminari added. He let out a loud laugh. "When I hopped on Discord, I saw so many new emotes with that clip!"

Ashido held up her phone with a grin. "You were trending on Twitter for almost a full day!"

"I was what ," Toshinori blurted out. Now, while he considered himself to be, by all rights and means, an old man, he wasn't completely clueless when it came to social media. He knew what "trending" and "memes" meant very well; he had gotten his first taste of them back during his Young Age when a photo of him after a beach rescue started to circle around because the seawater caused his suit to cling to him and accentuate his, ahem, assets . David sent him photos of it for weeks afterward, sometimes with photoshopped elements anytime Toshinori did something to annoy him or whenever he just felt like being a nuisance. It was usually the latter.

"Alright, alright, enough of that!" Iida ordered. Toshinori turned to see him standing at the doorway. "Class is set to start soon! Get to your seats!"

When some of them began to grouse, Yaoyorozu stood up from her seat. "Iida is right. Plus, I'm sure Sensei Yagi would rather not talk about the U.S.J. right now."

Relief caused some of the tension in Yagi's shoulders to dissipate. "Thank you, class reps. I appreciate it." As everyone settled into their seats, he stepped up to the desk at the front of the room. His eyes briefly met with Midoriya's, who gave him an understanding smile, and he felt a bit more at ease. "As I'm sure you can guess, I'll be filling in as your homeroom teacher for the time being due to Sensei Aizawa–"

Then, the door to the classroom slid open, causing everyone to turn in collective surprise upon seeing none other than Aizawa. However, much to Toshinori's horror, his face was covered in bandages and his arms were both in casts held up by slings.

"Good morning, class," Aizawa greeted, not taking heed of everyone's stunned looks and exclamations of shock. He shuffled into the room slowly and it didn't pass Toshinori's notice when he limped. "Good to see you're all seated."

"Aizawa, what are you–" Toshinori began to shout, only to stop still when he remembered the class was watching. He lowered his voice and raised a hand up to cover his whispers. "Principal Nedzu said you weren't due to come back until later ."

Aizawa regarded him tiredly as he stepped up to the desk. "My well-being is irrelevant. It's nothing to worry about."

Toshinori pursed his lips. "Well, since I'm here, I hope you won't mind if I stay here to assist you. I was planning on substituting until you recovered enough to return anyway."

"What you choose to do with your time is not my problem," Aizawa replied, causing Toshinori's brows to furrow. Then, after a moment of silence, he grunted. "But if it'll make you feel better, then… sure."

He blinked. 'Was… that his way of being nice? It's hard to tell with him.'

"Let's get on with class," Aizawa droned, his wrappings causing his voice to sound less distinct. He gazed out into the classroom and paused, only to sigh heavily. "Does anyone know where Mineta is? He's not in his seat."

"Oh," Toshinori found himself saying. He clutched his cane and frowned. "Right… You must not have heard."

Kaminari tilted his head. "Heard what? Is he sick or something?"

Toshinori shook his head. "No… I'm afraid that's not the reason that young Mineta is not here today. In fact, going forward, he won't be here in class at all." He frowned. "He was officially expelled yesterday."

The class erupted into gasps of shock and everyone's eyes collectively widened. Hushed whispers spread throughout the class, save for a select three, who went pointedly quiet. At the front of the class, Hagakure's expression was a mystery to Toshinori, though the way her shoulders slumped forward told him everything he needed to know. Asui's eyes trailed down to her desk and her hands clasped together tightly. At the back of the class, he thought he saw Yaoyorozu purse her lips.

"What did he do? " Kirishima blurted out. "We weren't even in class yesterday!"

"Yeah, what gives , Aizawa?" Kaminari exclaimed.

Aizawa let out an indignant huff. "Despite my history of discipline, this was not my doing. This is the first I'm hearing of it." His dark eyes flitted to Toshinori. "I'm assuming you know the reason for this decision?"

Toshinori nodded solemnly and turned his attention to the class. "Yesterday, while I was in a meeting with Principal Nedzu, Miss Midnight came to me with a claim from one of our students that led to an investigation into Mineta's behavior… and when we recognized that there was a pattern , we held a meeting with young Mineta and his mother, where it was officially decided that he would not have a future here at U.A. for his misconduct."

"So that's it?" questioned Sero. "He's just… gone? For good?"

"For good," Toshinori affirmed. Then, he clutched his cane and narrowed his eyes. "And I would like to make something very clear to everyone in this classroom… As heroes in training, you are expected to carry the same values and ideals as the Pros that brave our streets and work to make our world a better place. That includes treating your classmates– regardless of your differences– with respect ."

The room was silent as he went on. "When I spoke to young Mineta about his behavior and how it was unbecoming of someone looking to become a hero, it became very clear that his intentions to become a hero were not to serve and protect, but rather, to fulfill his own selfish gains. During the attack on the U.S.J., he decided to use that situation as an opportunity to disrespect his peers' boundaries and breached consent with no regard for their comfort or safety." His knuckles turned white as he clutched his cane. "That is not the behavior of a Pro. In fact, it's not the behavior of a good person, period . It's base-level decency to respect boundaries and consent– doing anything less is downright shameful ."

As Toshinori finished speaking, his attention shifted to each of the boys in the classroom. He inspected their expressions and confirmed what he had thought; none of them had known. While some appeared uncomfortable, it was evident it was due to the subject matter itself and not out of guilt or shame. Hearing that someone you knew had done something terrible was never an easy thing to hear. Meanwhile, the girls seemed to be dealing with discomfort of their own and ducked away from the curious gazes of their peers who were looking around the room. When he and his colleagues had spoken with Hagakure, Asui and Yaoyorozu, it became clear that all the girls– including the ones not present during the meeting– already knew about Mineta's behavior and thus likely understood where Toshinori was coming from with his intentions. But they weren't exempt from his message; what he had to say applied to everyone.

"Speaking of boundaries," Toshinori went on, causing the class to look back at him, "I am going to request that you not interrogate your peers about this matter. The students who came to Principal Nedzu, Midnight and me did so in confidence . And if I hear any word of shaming or retaliation on Mineta's behalf from anyone, then you will have no place in this class." When some of the students began to murmur, he broke through the noise with a simple thump of his cane. "You are all heroes in training . Shaming people for stepping forward when someone has done them wrong is not the behavior of a hero. It is not your place to decide who is worthy of receiving help based on your preconceived notions. And at the end of the day, the decision to expel Mineta lies on our shoulders. Not your peers."

Silence hung in the air for a moment as Toshinori stared out into the classroom. No one spoke. He could hardly hear a breath.

"You are all heroes in training," Toshinori repeated, "and as heroes, you are going to be serving the public. Serving humanity . You're going to be helping people who are scared or hurt , just like you all probably were the day of the attack." His expression softened. "And for those of you who may have felt powerless or weak… I would like you to know that does not lessen your worth nor your humanity. It is only those who render others powerless that lose their worth. They are the weak– that is why evil will never prevail over the forces of good."

In the front row, a quiet exhale of relief came from Hagakure's desk. Asui, who had been wringing her hands since Toshinori began speaking, slowly looked up from her desk with her eyes shining like glass. At the back of the class, Toshinori thought he saw Yaoyorozu smile. Subtly, he gave her a nod and she nodded back at him.

"While you are here at U.A., you are all to treat your peers and teachers with respect," Toshinori concluded, "if you cannot do so, then you have no place in this class, school or profession." He lightly thumped his cane into the ground to emphasize his point. "And I will have no trouble dropping any one of you from this class. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes, sir," everyone replied collectively.

Toshinori nodded. "That's all I have to say on the matter. As far as I can tell, Mineta is no longer a concern of this classroom. Therefore, I don't want to hear anyone badgering their peers for information." He stepped away from the center of the desk. "Sensei Aizawa, I'll allow you to take the lead now. I'm sure you'd like to get started with class."

Aizawa regarded him out of the corner of his eyes for a long moment before turning his attention back to the class. "Now that that's been taken care of… We can discuss another matter of importance." Through the slits in his bandages, Toshinori saw his eyes narrow. "Like how your fight isn't over yet."

A twinge of unease settled in Toshinori's chest as the students began to murmur. 'What does he mean by that?'

"The U.A. Sports Festival," Aizawa went on, causing the students' eyes to widen, "is coming up."

Kirishima's sharp teeth glinted when he grinned. "Yes!"

"Ugh, why would you scare us like that?!" Kaminari groused. "We got attacked two days ago , give us a break! "

"Speaking of," Jiro interjected, "is it really such a good idea to hold the festival after we got attacked by villains?"

Ojiro nodded. "It would be a prime target… They could attack all of us once we're inside. Not just our class, but everyone – the students, staff, and attendants. It feels like it's just asking for trouble…"

Aizawa let out a tired exhale. "Apparently, this is the administration's way of showing that the threat has been handled and our school is safer than ever…" He adjusted his footing. "Plus, they're increasing security in comparison to previous years, so they think it won't be an issue."

"This is an important event for the school," Iida conceded, though his expression was pensive, "I suppose they wouldn't want to cancel it when it's so anticipated by the public…"

"Our Sports Festival is one of the most watched events in the entire world," Aizawa commented, "in the past, they watched the Olympics. Then, with the appearance of Quirks, it lowered in viewership." His gaze intensified. "To most people, the only tournament that matters is the U.A. Sports Festival."

Toshinori's eyes trailed across the faces of his students. Gone was the tension that came with his announcement and in its stead was unmitigated excitement. The students all murmured about the potential of being spotted by Pros, with names like Edgeshot or Endeavor leaking into the mix. Still, despite their anticipation, Toshinori couldn't ignore the way his insides were unsettled at the prospect of such a big event so soon after the attack.

'We thought the U.S.J. was secure, too,' he mused, his lips drawing into a thin line. He gripped his cane. 'And we all saw how that ended.'

"You only get this chance once a year," Aizawa went on, drawing him out of his thoughts, "and you only get three chances a lifetime. Your performance in the festival is the thing that sets up your foundation for your future." He nodded at the class. "So that means no slacking off on your training."

"Yes, sir!" the class replied.

Then, to Toshinori's surprise, Aizawa fished out his sleeping bag– where did he keep that thing? "Class is dismissed. You can take this time to go over class work or for whatever else you want. Just don't bother me."

Surprisingly, Aizawa managed to slip his sleeping bag on with little issue and slumped to the floor. Could he… do that? Surely Principal Nedzu took issue with that, didn't he? Or did he not mind so long as Aizawa brought in good results? He would have to bring it up later on.

'I suppose I won't bother him about it now,' Toshinori concluded, his gaze lingering on his bandaged face, 'he's still recovering…'

His eyes trailed over to the students, who began to speak amongst themselves. He watched as Midoriya grouped together with his fellow class officers at Yaoyorozu's desk and although they were in bright spirits, Toshinori couldn't bring himself to share in their feelings. The Sports Festival felt like too much too soon, not just for his students, but for U.A. as a whole. Surely there were others who took issue with the idea of hosting the festival after everything?

"Something on your mind, newbie?" droned Aizawa, causing him to blink. Toshinori turned to see Aizawa's gaze up at him from the floor tiredly. "If you're concerned about me taking a nap, I'm not concussed."

"It's not that," Toshinori answered. Planting his cane on the floor, he lowered himself down into a crouch to meet Aizawa's level. "I'm just a bit… worried about all of this. Do you really think that the Sports Festival is such a good idea?"

Aizawa let out a huff. "Of course not. I think it's a terrible idea. However, I wasn't there for that meeting and I know I can't change Nedzu's mind." He closed his eyes and settled into his sleeping bag. "We'll just have to put up with it and hope for the best."

With both hands grasping his cane, he sighed. "I trust Nedzu to take care of the security measures…" Then, he spared a glance to the side and lowered his voice. "But will this really convince the public that we're doing alright when the two lead villains managed to escape and we still don't know their whereabouts? It might have the opposite intended effect."

"It might," Aizawa affirmed, not opening his eyes, "but Nedzu likes to see the glass half-full. He'll just tell us we're being cynics, even if we're being realistic about it." He let out a snort. "Besides, All Might was the one to put a stop to the League's attack. That might be enough to convince some people not to worry."

A quick cinch caused the sleeping bag to close around Aizawa's face, save for the small area that Toshinori presumed to be his mouth and nose beneath his bandages. Taking that as a sign that the conversation was over, he resisted the urge to sigh and straightened his legs out, grunting as the movement caused his bones to ache. He gripped his cane tightly and planted it firmly in the ground to keep steady.

"I'll leave you to rest," Toshinori murmured softly, "I hope you get to feeling better." Somehow, he found it in him to smile. "I'll be sure not to tell Recovery Girl you came in today. Wouldn't want her to scold you for it."

With a wince, he stepped forward with his cane towards the entrance to the classroom, where some of the students had already slipped out into the hallway. Had he been standing closer to Aizawa, he might have heard the tired man mutter out a quiet, "thank you."

Lunchtime was a welcome reprieve for Izuku. All throughout class, he found himself struggling to focus in light of the news regarding the Sports Festival. Some part of him had been worried it would be canceled and he would miss out on his chance to make a big debut during his first year, but upon learning his fears were unfounded, he could hardly keep his excitement down. He had to resist the urge to rock back and forth in his chair, opting instead to quietly squeeze his hands into tight fists before spreading his fingers out as far as he could and repeating the process throughout class.

It seemed that he wasn't the only one struggling with containing his emotions, since Uraraka made a proud proclamation to everyone in the class right as they were getting ready to head to the lunchroom. Her normally sweet face was twisted up into an expression that eerily reminded him of Kacchan whenever he was angry and she raised her fist into the air with a declaration that made some of his peers falter beneath her gaze. He could still recall the way that Yaoyorozu and Iida exchanged perplexed looks while Tsuyu shrugged and raised her own fist in solidarity with Uraraka.

The five of them all walked out of the classroom together as a unit; Iida and Yaoyorozu at the front with Uraraka, Tsuyu and Izuku tailing behind them. After the attack at the U.S.J., Izuku nearly forgot about his duties as the class secretary and was swiftly reminded when Yaoyorozu requested they eat lunch together.

"With the Sports Festival coming up, we're expected to represent our class well," Yaoyorozu said to Iida. Her eyes flitted over to the others and she nodded. "We're also going to need to coordinate with the public relations committee since they're in charge of helping promote the festival."

Iida nodded. "All the classes in our year are going to be in charge of helping with festival prep in some way." Then, he frowned a bit. "Though, I wonder how Bakugou is going to go about it since he's in charge."

Izuku's eyes widened. 'That's right. I forgot he was made the lead officer of the committee…' His hand slipped up to his lips out of habit and his brows furrowed in thought. 'What was All Might thinking when he suggested him for the job? Did he really think he was such a good fit?'

"He might need a bit of help with designing stuff," Tsuyu croaked, breaking him out of his thoughts, "if his track record is any indication, he might design some pretty scary posters."

Uraraka let out a snort. "I doubt Ashido will appreciate that. She was pretty keen on making sure the posters looked nice." She held up her notebook and opened it up, which was a bit worn at the edges. Was it an old one? "I already talked with her about the budget for supplies and she said that she was gonna talk to the guys about making posters over the weekend. They should be able to have them done well before the Sports Festival is due to start."

"Already ahead on your duties," Yaoyorozu complimented, smiling a bit, "good to see you're already adjusting well to your position."

A light blush spread over Uraraka's cheeks. "O-Oh, it's n-nothing… I was just able to tell her the best ways to save money, you know? There's a store I go to all the time that has all sorts of art stuff at a discount, so I figured the committee would get the most bang for their buck there." She closed her book and held it to her chest. "It's no big deal."

"Au contraire," Iida replied. He brought his hand up and chopped downwards to emphasize his point. "A lot of people tend to struggle in positions where they have to handle funds. It can be a daunting task for people without the experience, so your input is heavily appreciated."

"Iida's right," Izuku affirmed, nodding at her, "I mean, I've done some budgeting stuff before, but I would still be worried about getting it wrong. I think it's cool you know how to do it." He tilted his head curiously. "Say, when did your parents teach you how to budget? Was it when they started giving you an allowance?"

Something unknown passed over Uraraka's face, so quickly and minutely that he might not have seen it were he not facing her. Izuku blinked when Uraraka suddenly paused in her step and he quickly stopped walking, too. He turned to Tsuyu quizzically, who seemed just as confused as he was, and then back to Yaoyorozu and Iida, who also turned around with questioning looks. Uraraka clutched her notebook to her chest awkwardly and looked down, her cheeks tinged pink.

"Not exactly," she told him, "it's a bit more… complicated than that." Uraraka's feet shifted uncomfortably as she stood. "It's just something we've always done, you know? I've always had to budget for things…" She rubbed the back of her head. "That's part of the reason why I came to U.A."

"It is?" Izuku questioned.

Uraraka nodded. "You see… I figured if I went here and trained to be a Pro, I'd be more likely to bring in money." When all of them stared at her incredulously, her cheeks darkened and she frantically waved a hand. "I-I know how that sounds! Trust me, I know it's not exactly the most noble reason to become a hero… All of you probably have different reasons for trying to become one."

"It's nothing to be ashamed of!" Iida reassured her swiftly. He brought his arm down in a rhythmic chopping motion. "You're only trying to support your well-being! At the end of the day, that's why a lot of people do what they do!"

Yaoyorozu nodded. "That is true… But it is a bit surprising, is all."

With a sigh, Uraraka closed her eyes. "It's just… My family owns a construction company. But we've been struggling for a while now and… We're just not making a lot of money right now." She hugged her notebook to her chest. "S-Sorry, I-I don't usually talk about this with other people…"

"I kinda know how you feel," Tsuyu admitted, causing everyone to turn to her. Her eyes were soft with a deep understanding. "My family used to struggle with money, too… When I was little, my parents were both working all the time to make ends meet. I used to take care of my siblings at home until they didn't have to travel as much." She nodded at Uraraka. "It's not as bad as it used to be, but even then, we still have to be mindful of how we spend money."

A pang of sympathy hit Izuku in the chest. "That must have been really hard for you both…"

"It's not too bad," Uraraka assured him, though her smile was a bit strained, "it's just how it is, you know?" She lifted her hand up and looked down at her palm thoughtfully. "I'm hoping that once I get my license, I can help my parents out more. I suggested that I could use my Quirk to help my parents sell any heavy-lifting equipment, but…"

"They told you not to worry," Tsuyu finished. It wasn't said like a guess– she said it like she just knew .

Uraraka nodded with a sigh. "Right… They want me to follow my own dreams and not to worry about them so much…" Her hand slid down to her skirt and she clutched it tightly until her knuckles turned white. "But they sacrificed so much for me… And I want to pay them back for it ten times over." Then, she looked up to meet the gaze of Izuku and the others. "I'm gonna sign with a good agency and make good money. Once I do, I can make sure that my parents have an easy life."

The most striking part wasn't what she said– it was how she said it. She said it as if it were a simple fact of life, like it was written in the stars. He wondered just how she could be so certain when the realization dawned on him.

'She doesn't have a choice,' he thought, 'at least, to her, she doesn't.' When her gaze didn't falter, his fingers subconsciously curled up. 'She doesn't see any other way… Failure isn't an option.'

Despite all of Izuku's missteps since he began his training, he always had a tether to keep him from falling too far. When he flubbed it at the exam after spending the night cleaning up the beach, Recovery Girl had been there to heal his broken bones. When he couldn't trust himself not to blow his arm out during the Quirk Assessment, he knew that a broken finger wasn't as much of a task to fix as a broken arm and was willing to make the sacrifice. No matter how short he fell from grabbing onto the next ledge, some part of him knew that, even if his leap wouldn't get him there, he had something to keep him from falling to certain death. Was Uraraka's lack of a tether the very thing that propelled her forward to the next ledge? Because she knew if she didn't, then… That was it? Not just for her, but for everyone who depended on her to succeed?

A loud series of claps snapped him out of his stare and he turned to see Iida clapping his hands over his head. "So noble! Bravo! Bravo! Bravissimo –"

"Iida," Yaoyorozu interjected, though her smile let Izuku know it was good-natured, "we're still in the hallway. Maybe save the theatrics for another time?"

Almost instantly, Iida's cheeks turned a shade of red and his arms went right down to his sides rigidly. "Ahem… My apologies. I forgot where we were for a second."

"We should head down to the lunchroom, ribbit ," Tsuyu commented, gaining everyone's attention, "otherwise, we'll be waiting in line forever."

"Oh, that's right," Uraraka replied, her cheeks turning pink, "sorry, I didn't mean to hold everyone up."

Yaoyorozu smiled at her. "It's alright. We still have plenty of time. And while we're in the lunchroom, we can–"

"Ahem," coughed a voice. Izuku turned in tandem with his peers to see All Might standing nearby– man, it was still so strange to see him at school where everyone else could see. Was he ever going to get used to that? "Young Midoriya. I hate to keep you, but I was wondering if we could have lunch together."

"Huh?" he blurted out. His eyes flitted over to his fellow officers before going back to his mentor. "U-Um, how come?"

All Might smiled. "I wanted to take a moment to talk with you. That is, if you're alright with it?"

Izuku turned to Yaoyorozu and Iida. "Is it alright if I…?"

"We can catch you up after lunch," Yaoyorozu assured him with a smile. Then, she turned to All Might and nodded. "I hope you're well, Sensei."

"I am," All Might told her, nodding in acknowledgement, "I hope you're well, too." He shot the group a thumbs up. "Have a nice lunch, class officers. I'll be sure to get young Midoriya back to you in one piece."

Uraraka giggled. "You have a nice lunch, too, Sensei!"

His mentor offered up a wave. "I will. I'll see you all in class, alright?"

Needless to say, it was… Strange for Izuku to see All Might talk to his peers so casually. In the months since he had met him, he always had a hard time gauging what was appropriate to say or how to talk to him without crossing any unknown boundaries, and yet, there they were, simply speaking . Then again, none of them knew that he was the literal Symbol of Peace , so what was there for them to be nervous about?

"You coming, young Midoriya?" asked All Might, breaking him out of his thoughts. His mentor tilted his head with an arched brow. "You haven't moved."

With heat rushing to his cheeks, he quickly stepped forward. "S-Sorry!"

A chuckle rumbled out of All Might's throat. "It's alright, my boy. Let's go ahead and settle in so we can eat, okay?"

As his mentor took the lead down the hall, Izuku quickly joined him at his side, though he couldn't ignore his unease. What exactly was it that All Might wanted to talk to him about that couldn't wait until later?

Shoto wasn't used to being around so many people at once. Whenever he ate lunch in between training and studying, it was always in solitude. His father was especially strict about him eating promptly and efficiently so that he could get back to training as soon as possible.

"Socializing will only distract you," he could hear him say like he was waiting in the lunch line with him, "you can't lose focus, Shoto."

He resisted the urge to frown and settled for clenching his fist. The Flame Hero wasn't present at U.A., thank God – Shoto was sure that if he were, he wouldn't be able to keep his composure nearly as well. For most of his classmates, they were always excited to head home for the day, but he could never share their sentiments when his home provided no relief from whatever stress his academic life brought him. He would take hours of lectures any day over his father's company.

'He'll probably be present during the Sports Festival,' Shoto mused, recalling Sensei Aizawa's announcement. He clenched his fist just a bit tighter and had to focus to keep any chill from slipping into his palm. 'He'll want to see his masterpiece perform well.'

"What do you think Sensei Yagi wanted with Midoriya?" questioned a familiar, startling Shoto out of his thoughts. "I hope it's nothing bad."

Shoto's eyes slowly slid over to see Uraraka standing with the other class officers in line just a couple feet away. While he normally didn't make a habit of listening in on his peers' affairs, he couldn't help but feel an inkling of curiosity. What did their Public Relations teacher want with Midoriya during the lunch hour? Was it a matter of discipline? Considering Mineta had already been expelled just the afternoon prior, it was a possibility to consider.

Iida shook his head. "I don't think Midoriya is in trouble. In fact, I think he might want to thank him." He brought his hand down in a chop. "I heard from Hagakure that he jumped in to protect Sensei Yagi whenever one of the villains tried to attack him."

"He did, ribbit ," Asui affirmed, causing Shoto's brows to nearly raise with surprise. He had seen Midoriya come in to help All Might when he was fighting, but he had no clue about their teacher. He hadn't even seen hide nor hair of him when he arrived with Bakugou and Kirishima to join in the fray. "That's how he broke his arm, you know. That creepy brain villain grabbed it and twisted it."

Yaoyorozu brought a hand to her lips with a wince. "Oh, dear… Thank goodness for Recovery Girl. I'm glad she was able to fix that, at least." She let out a sigh and laid her hand on her chest. "Sensei Yagi must want to express gratitude towards Midoriya for his bravery."

"I don't think it's just that," Asui shared, and with that, everyone blinked, "I think there's a bit more to it than that."

"You do?" Uraraka replied. She leaned in a bit closer. "What do you think it is?"

Asui croaked quietly. "Well… Back when we were at the central plaza, Sensei tried to talk to the villains… I think he was trying to distract them to buy time for the rest of the teachers to get there. And while he was talking, he started talking about All Might."

"What about All Might?" Iida asked, lowering his voice a bit. "Was he trying to learn why the League wanted to kill him?"

After a moment of silence, Asui spared a look around the others and gestured for her fellow officers to come closer. Shoto subconsciously leaned his head a bit back to listen better.

"He said that he used to work for him," Asui murmured softly, "apparently, he was a secretary at his agency."

Shoto's breath hitched as the image of the Symbol of Peace flashed across his mind and that time, a sliver of ice slipped out of his palm. With a frown, he brought his left hand to his right and brought the slightest bit of heat to rid himself of it. Even after it dissipated, he didn't let go.

"Whoa, really? " Uraraka blurted out, nearly jumping back with surprise. She quickly adjusted her tone and leaned back in, pointedly ignoring the people who stared at her in confusion. "Are you sure?"

Asui nodded. "I'm sure, ribbit . He talked about how he likes to drink a lot of coffee and said he was bad at paperwork."

"No," Yaoyorozu breathed, "you're joking ."

"Well, that certainly explains why All Might is always bright-eyed and bushy-tailed when on the job," Iida commented. Then, he arched his brow. "But what does that have to do with Midoriya?"

Uraraka let out a hum of thought. "I mean… his power is a lot like All Might's… You brought that up on the bus, didn't you, Tsu?"

"That is true…" Yaoyorozu affirmed. She perked up a bit. "And since All Might was there at the U.S.J., he might have seen Midoriya's Quirk for himself. Maybe he was interested in him and wanted Sensei Yagi to talk to him on his behalf?"

"How lucky!" Iida proclaimed. "He might even want to have him for an internship!"

The heat from Shoto's left palm was the only thing keeping the chill from his right contained. How exactly was his teacher so close with All Might? His own father certainly didn't make a habit of building bonds with his secretaries and usually left his sidekicks to interact with them. So why would All Might go out of his way to reach out to an old colleague who didn't even work for him anymore?

'Better yet, why did the press assume All Might was hired by U.A. when Yagi was the one they hired?' he pondered. Once the cold left his fingertips, he exhaled and loosened his grip on his hand, but did not release it. 'It's too strange to be a coincidence.'

Regardless of whatever the answer may be, Shoto knew one thing for sure; if Izuku Midoriya had truly shown enough potential to catch All Might's attention, then that meant he would be the one to beat when it came time for the Sports Festival. Shoto would just have to make sure that his father saw him do it– on his own terms.

"Fifty minutes?" Midoriya blurted out. "That's it? "

Toshinori held back the urge to sigh as his young protege gaped at him. "Yeah… That's about how long I can use my power now. I overdid it too many times, I'm afraid." He was certain if Tsukauchi or Nedzu were there, they'd shoot him a look that said, "I told you so." He was thankful they weren't. "That Nomu was a real tough customer… At this point, I can barely look like All Might for an hour and a half."

Some part of him could acknowledge the oddity of referring to himself as another person, but that was how it was with most Pros. How someone presented themselves to the public didn't always translate to their private lives and he knew that. Just the afternoon prior, he watched as Midnight, who was usually so composed and extravagant in the public eye, lost her composure during their meeting with Principal Nedzu regarding Mineta. He was certain if Nedzu hadn't been present, she might have lunged at the young boy.

"I'm so sorry," Midoriya said softly, startling Toshinori a bit, "I should've just–"

Iron coated the inside of Toshinori's mouth when a laugh bubbled out of him. "You don't have to apologize for anything, my boy! Man , we are alike, you and me!" When the boy merely stared at him with wide eyes, he set down the fresh cup of tea he made. "Here, have some tea. You like green, right?"

"Oh," Midoriya murmured. He took the cup into his hands and held it in front of him as the steam rose out of it. "Thanks."

Toshinori offered him a reassuring smile. "We're not here because I'm mad at you, I swear. I would have said something a lot sooner if it were. I just wanted to talk to you about the Sports Festival, that's all."

"The Sports Festival?" Midoriya repeated. "What about it?"

"Well, it's coming up," he reminded him, trying not to frown. He didn't have to let his protege know that he didn't entirely approve of the decision nor did he have to tell him that Nedzu already made it clear he wasn't changing his mind about it. That was his own problem to deal with. "And while you've made a lot of progress with One For All, we still have some work to do before you have complete control over it. You're only able to use 5%, right?"

Midoriya nodded a bit solemnly. "Right…" Then, he perked up, nearly spilling his tea. "Oh, but wait! I managed to use it at 100% back at the U.S.J.! I used it on Nomu, remember?"

The memory of the harsh winds that circled around the Nomu as it protected Shigaraki flashed across Toshinori's mind. "That's right… And you didn't even break your arm that time, either." He brought a hand to his chin. "What exactly was different about that time?"

"Well, it wasn't training," Midoriya answered, "and we were going up against real villains… Maybe that was part of it?" Then, his brows furrowed with thought and he clenched his fist. "And you know, back when I was in the simulation with Kacchan, I was worried about using my Quirk then, too… I didn't want to hurt him. But when I used it against him, I didn't lose control." He blinked and gazed up at him. "Do you think that's why I didn't lose control with the Nomu, either? Because I worried about potentially hurting someone?"

Toshinori let out a hum of thought. "It may have been subconscious… Kind of like how people are able to stop themselves from biting down on their fingers at full force. Some part of them is holding them back, whether they know it or not." His eyes met with his protege's. "Is that how you were able to avoid breaking your bones the second time?"

"Ah," Midoriya faltered aloud, "that, um… I-I only used 5% that time around… I didn't want to risk it."

"That's fair," Toshinori replied, which made him blink, "it was a high-pressure situation, so I imagine you had to weigh your options." He nodded at him. "Since you seem to have some comfortability with 5%, we have to see what you can do with that. We don't have much time in between now and the Sports Festival, so we'll have to get creative."

His protege nodded. "Right…"

A frown tugged at Toshinori's lips. "Something on your mind?"

"Huh?" Midoriya blurted out. He shook his head. "Oh, no, i-it's nothing… J-Just thinking, is all…" He brought his tea to his lips and took a long sip, though his eyes seemed to be in another place. "I've always watched the Sports Festival at home, but now that it's coming and I'm gonna be competing… It's a lot of pressure. Especially after…" He exhaled. "Everything."

Sympathy hit Toshinori in the chest. "Most of the villains at the U.S.J. were taken in… But unfortunately, we still have yet to find Shigaraki and Kurogiri. Tsukauchi and his team are hard at work on the case, but…" He closed his eyes and tried not to clench his fists. "We still don't have all the answers."

Silence hung in the air for a long moment and with it, the tension became palpable. Some part of Toshinori clung to the thought that Shigaraki and Kurogiri were just a couple of small-time thugs that would be caught in no time, that Shigaraki's bratty disposition would be his undoing and he'd be behind bars, unable to hurt his students or anyone again. However, in all his years of service, he knew that people like that didn't simply disappear or go down without a fight. It was a matter of when– not if.

"My mom is still pretty worried," Midoriya murmured, causing him to look up. The boy's lips drew into a thin line and he clutched his cup. "When I went to leave for school this morning, she hugged me real tight… It felt like she didn't want to let go."

The memory of Mrs. Midoriya rushing into the infirmary and drawing her son to her chest brought an unexpected weight to the pit of his stomach. When he had been given One For All as a young teen, he didn't have a mother to worry about– the closest he ever got was his mentor, who had long since passed. Still, in the short time he did have her, the love she gave him was enough to bring him the strength and resolve to keep powering through, no matter the trials he faced. On some days, he thought he could feel her hand guiding his fist.

'Would I have ever been able to reach this height without you?' he mused, gazing into the reflection of his tea. He clutched his cup and watched as his green-tinted reflection showed his contemplation. 'You were blessed with the ability to float, and yet you were always more focused on helping me rise…' He thought he felt a sting in his eyes. 'You were wind beneath my wings, Master.'

"All Might?" Midoriya questioned quietly. Toshinori blinked and glanced up from his drink to see his protege staring with concern. "Are you… alright?"

Toshinori cleared his throat and straightened up. "It's nothing, my boy… Just lost in thought, I suppose." He took a sip of his tea, which had cooled down a bit. "Your arm still feeling alright?"

"O-Oh, yeah!" Midoriya answered. He held it up in a gentle flex and inspected it. "Recovery Girl did a good job fixing it up. I think she was glad I wasn't the one to break it that time."

"You've been doing well to avoid it," he noted, "you haven't lost control since the Quirk Assessment. I have to say, you've improved your control in high-tension situations. That's going to be a big help during the festival."

Midoriya blinked. "You really think so? I… always worry that I'm gonna mess it up." He peered down at his cup. "That's why I wound up breaking my finger during the assessment… I didn't trust myself not to mess up… And neither did Aizawa, I guess."

The memory of his associate's behavior towards his protege on the first day of class nearly made him grimace. He knew that he only took it so personally due to his connection to Midoriya, but the way that he glowered at him and spoke down to him before he got the chance to perform his throw left a bitter taste in his mouth.

"There are those who genuinely want to make a change…" Aizawa's voice echoed in his head, "and then there are those who are overzealous and idealistic like All Might. Midoriya seems to fall into the latter."

At first, Toshinori disparaged the very thought. Midoriya was so much more than a fanboy looking to emulate his idol– that much had been made clear in all the months he spent training him. However, in the days that passed since their talk, he found it harder to ignore the implications of Aizawa's words. The boy spent the night before the entrance exam cleaning up the beach when he had no reason to do so and as a result, his performance suffered, landing him in Recovery Girl's infirmary.

"I-I wanted to s-show that I-I'm not h-helpless— " Midoriya stammered out as he stood in the light of the rising sun. Toshinori didn't know everything that the boy encountered to make him doubt his worth so much– it had been decades since he had been a Quirkless boy himself and even then, the world had been so different back then. With All For One's influence still ingrained to society, one would have thought that Toshinori had seen the worst the world had to offer when he was a young boy. However, as an old man, Toshinori realized that he had only scratched the surface– there were things lurking in the dark that many didn't want to face or acknowledge for fear of what would come should they step into the light where everyone could see. That was why Toshinori did his best to destroy the darkness to begin with so there would be nowhere to hide.

'You were the one who showed me the light in the first place, Master,' Toshinori thought, eyeing his protege's contemplative expression, 'how do I convince him of his worth like you did me?'

"Young Midoriya," he began, causing the boy's head to snap up, "I'm curious… What kind of hero do you want to be?"

Midoriya furrowed his brows. "I… I want to be the type of hero that people can look up to and feel safe knowing I'm there. I want people to see my fearless smile and not be afraid."

Toshinori tried not to purse his lips. "That's not what I mean. I mean what kind of hero do you want to be? Who do you want to be?"

"I… want to be a hero who helps people," Midoriya answered, "that's why anyone wants to become a hero, isn't it?"

It was a simple answer to a not so simple question. But Toshinori knew there was more to it than that– the drive that Midoriya held was not one born from idealistic fantasies and naivete. It came from somewhere deep within him, even if he didn't fully understand it himself. When he first stood before his own mentor all those decades ago while she held the key to his future in her grasp, it had been with shaking hands and blurry eyes. He had grand ambitions and yet, he had no idea of the weight that came with them, nor did he fully understand the path that would lead him to his destination. The trail he walked upon was one he blazed through trial and error, the flame of his mentor pushing him to go forward when he had nowhere else to go. On days where he felt like he could no longer go on, he would think back to their days of training, when she would help him up off of the ground and back to his feet.

"Remember where you started," she would tell him, "as long as you remember where you began, then you will find the strength to push past your limits. By knowing your roots, you'll know where you need to grow."

"What made you want to help people, my boy?" Toshinori asked. "Do you remember?"

"Huh?" Midoriya blurted out. "What do you mean?"

Toshinori smiled. "Wanting to help others is a fine reason for becoming a hero… But it has to come from somewhere to truly push you forward. After all, if you don't know where you started, then you won't know where you need to go."

"I…" Midoriya trailed off, "I don't understand. I've wanted to be a hero for as long as I can remember. It just… made sense." His expression sobered a bit. "Even if it didn't to everyone else… I mean, no one thought I could do it when I was Quirkless."

"I know how you feel," Toshinori affirmed, nodding sagely, "because I used to be Quirkless, too."

The boy's face shifted into a mask of shock, frozen in place for what felt like an eternity. Then, his eyes widened and his body seemed to swell with the gasp he took in. A tremor overtook his hands and with it, his cup fell onto the floor, spilling its contents into the brown carpet. He stared at Toshinori, unblinking.

"You?" he questioned, his voice unbelievably small. "You… You mean it?"

Toshinori smiled softly. "It wasn't that rare of a thing back then… But it was still uncommon." The corners of his lips only spread further as the image of his mentor's smiling face came to the forefront of his mind. "I had big plans and ambitions, but at the same time, I had no idea how to achieve them… Luckily, I came across someone who gave me that chance."

"Your mentor," Midoriya breathed, his hands still shaking. Then, he clutched his pants and leaned forward. "Y-You never told me that!"

"You never asked," he pointed out, and the boy blinked, "which is a bit surprising , all things considering." He huffed a chuckle out through his nose. "But I suppose I also didn't know how to bring it up… It's not something I can exactly talk about, you know."

His protege seemed to be unable to stop staring. "I… I just can't believe it… You were Quirkless?"

"I was," Toshinori confirmed, "and when I first began my training with my mentor, I thought that held me back… I thought that because I had no power of my own to add onto One For All, I had to work twice as hard to prove myself." He clutched his cup of tea, which had long since cooled. "But despite my doubts, my mentor never once faltered in her faith. She believed in me, even on days when I couldn't believe in myself."

" You used to doubt yourself?" Midoriya blurted out. "B-But you said you took to One For All so quickly! You didn't break your bones or lose control like I did!"

A laugh rattled out of Toshinori. "Give yourself some credit, kid. One For All grows each time it's passed along. You had quite a bit more to work with than me when I first got it." Then, he pointed at him. "Which is why you need to focus less on trying to be more like me and think about how you want to use this power."

"But…" Midoriya tried to say, his hands clutching his pants tightly, "but you're the reason why I wanted to become a hero in the first place. T-That's why I want to help people." He furrowed his brows. "How else am I supposed to do it?"

"There's no one way to be a hero, my boy," he reminded him, "there are so many heroes out there who dedicate themselves to saving people every single day and they do it on their terms, regardless of their ranking." He thought back to his talk with Nedzu all those months ago and nodded. "By focusing on how you can be like me, you're limiting yourself."

Silence hung in the air as Midoriya seemed to take in what he said. After a moment, he looked down at his shoes and bunched the fabric of his pants up in his hands. "It's just… I've always wanted to be just like you. I watched you since I was little and I knew– I knew I wanted to do what you did." His hands began to shake. "I used to watch that video where you saved all those people from that disaster every single day… You saved so many lives . If it weren't for you, then…"

He didn't finish, and Toshinori didn't need him to. For many of the Pros on the scene that fateful day, it looked like a bleak situation. Fires raged all over, leaving the fire department's hands full, and the police were already trying to sanction the civilians away from the disaster. Heroes were all over and yet, they were spread thin, leaving little room for progress. It was chaos all over.

However, when peace was no longer an option, hope found a way to shine in the dark. The moment that Toshinori arrived on the scene, his feet carried him before he could think and in a matter of moments, he had piled several civilians onto his shoulders. He didn't know how many times he ran back into the fire to pull people out and he didn't have to know– all that mattered was that no one was left behind. He may not have known those people or the lives they lived, but regardless of such, Toshinori couldn't just stand by and do nothing.

Then, it hit him all at once.

"My boy," Toshinori addressed softly, "do you remember the day we met?"

Midoriya didn't lift his head, but Toshinori saw his eyes slide up a bit to peer up at him hesitantly.

"Young Bakugou was in danger," he reminded him, "and when everyone else was struggling to know what to do, you came running into danger with no regard for yourself." He held his gaze with the young boy. "Do you remember what you said to him?"

Slowly, his protege lifted his head. "I… I said that…" He swallowed thickly and blinked hard. "I said I couldn't stand by and… and watch him die ."

"And do you remember what you said to me the day I passed One For All onto you?" Toshinori prodded gently. When the boy shook his head, he smiled. "You said that you knew what it felt like to be helpless… and that you never wanted anyone else to feel the same way that you did."

He planted his cane into the ground and with a grunt, he stood up from the couch. Midoriya blinked and looked up at him as he stepped over to him in confusion. Once he reached him, he crouched down to his level and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"That," he stressed, "is what made you want to be a hero, my boy. It wasn't just because you wanted to be like me." He gave his shoulder a squeeze. "It's because you saw all those people caught up in that disaster and knew that one day, that could be you in there. And if you were ever to be stuck in such a position where there was nothing you could do, you would pray for a hero to come save you." His smile only grew as Midoriya held his gaze. "The reason your feet carried you to young Bakugou isn't in spite of your Quirklessness…"

Midoriya let out a shuddering breath. "It's because of it."

"Precisely," he affirmed, "you lived a good portion of your life as someone without power and as a result, you feel like it's something to overcome. But it is that experience that has forced you to think outside the box and cultivate new ways to overcome adversity." He chuckled. "I mean, you cleared out the entire beach by yourself when I only assigned you a small section to do. I didn't think it was possible. But, I suppose the old saying goes: 'The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it.'"

"Is…" Midoriya said softly, then he swallowed and raised his voice a bit, "is that how you were able to do what you do?"

Toshinori nodded. "I was… When we first met, I saw a bit of the old me in you. But I'll say right now, you've exceeded my expectations time and time again. And I have no doubt that in the future, you'll do amazing things with your power." He gave his shoulder another squeeze. "You say you want to be a hero like me… But instead of trying to be just like me, you should focus on ways to apply this power in a way that works for you . It belongs to you now, my boy."

With one blink, tears began to form in the rims of his protege's eyes. "A-All Might… I…"

"Hey, now," Toshinori said softly, "I'm not saying this to make you upset. I'm telling you this because I know you have the potential to succeed." He tapped him on the nose and Midoriya sputtered for a moment in surprise. "If you can't believe in yourself, then believe in me . You can do that, can't you?"

"O-Of course!" he stammered out frantically. "I-I trust you, All Might!"

Toshinori arched his brow, though he couldn't hold back his smile. "You know you're allowed to call me Yagi, right?"

Midoriya simultaneously looked as though his world were turned upside down and as though he were given the final piece to a puzzle that had been vexing him for sometime. He blinked incredulously once, twice, three times before furrowing his brows.

"Oh," he uttered quietly, "are… are you sure?"

"My boy, we've spent the past year together," he told him, chuckling a bit, "I'd say you more than earned the privilege. Besides…" Then, he released his shoulder and ruffled the boy's curls. "I'm not gonna get mad at you for calling me Sensei! "

For the first time since they started talking, a genuine smile spread across Midoriya's lips and he giggled. "I just didn't know if it was okay , that's all!"

"Of course it's okay," Toshinori reassured him. He withdrew his hand and placed it over his own on top of his cane to better steady himself. "I'm surprised you haven't made a habit of doing it since classes started."

"Because you never told me you were taking a job at U.A.!" Midoriya replied, still laughing. "You nearly gave me a heart attack when you walked into class!"

Toshinori blinked. "I did?"

"Yes!" he exclaimed. After a moment, he managed to simmer down a bit. "You gotta warn me next time, alright? Didn't my mom just get onto you about secrets, Sensei?"

The memory of Mrs. Midoriya's angry face flashed across his mind and he found himself gripping his cane a bit tighter. "Fair enough… I suppose I just didn't know how to bring it up." He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly and chuckled. "That's on me."

"Well, it's a good thing I never accidentally called you 'All Might' during class," Midoriya stated, "that would have been awkward…" Then, he blinked and he spared a look down at his watch. "Oh, crap , class is gonna start up soon. I should probably eat so that I'm not starving during training."

"Ah, right," Toshinori acknowledged, "time really flies, doesn't it?" He prodded the boy's lunch over to him. "Hope you like what I got you. I picked it up from Lunch Rush earlier."

As his protege began to unwrap the food and eye it with excitement, Toshinori couldn't stop himself from smiling. With how smart he could be, sometimes it was easy to forget that his protege was still just a young boy, grappling with the way their world worked and his place in it. Although he felt good about their talk, he could only hope that his words made the impact he intended.

'Give yourself some more credit, kid,' he mused, 'One For All isn't the only thing you got going for you.' He held back a chuckle as Midoriya opened up his package of bunny shaped candies with surprised delight. 'I'm sure that by the time the Sports Festival comes around, those kids won't know what hit 'em.'

With all the work that the supposed League of Villains had done to instill fear into the populace, Katsuki found his return to U.A. to be entirely mundane. Some part of him expected some sort of fanfare or shift in energy, and yet, school went on business as usual. The only thing that seemed to be on everyone's minds was the Sports Festival.

Which, unfortunately, brought with it a new nuisance for Katsuki to deal with:

"We get to make posters! " exclaimed Pinky, who clapped her hands excitedly. "Oh, I already have so many ideas on what to make!"

Shitty Hair let out a chuckle. "Knowing you, you'll probably want to throw in glitter ."

Pinky's cheek puffed out indignantly. "It makes them flashy! "

Katsuki resisted the urge to groan aloud at his desk. After everything that had happened, he had completely forgotten about his appointment to lead officer of the public relations committee and how he was apparently supposed to work with a bunch of extras from his class. Now, the lot of them were grouped around his desk with absolutely no regard for his space. God damn that Grim Reaper for picking him of all people.

"Did Uraraka get back to you with our budget for supplies?" asked Tape Arms. How did those work, anyway? Were they always sticky? Just thinking about it made Katsuki ick. "How much did she say we could spend?"

Pinky held up a piece of notebook paper triumphantly. "She actually gave us a list of stuff with prices on it so we wouldn't have to guess! There's this shop that has their stuff on sale, so we should be able to get a lot of supplies to make posters no problem!"

"Awesome!" cheered Sparky, leaning onto Katsuki's desk and nearly bumping into him. "So what's a good day for us to work on posters? I can set aside some time on Sunday!"

"Good question," Shitty Hair replied. He turned to Katsuki with a brow raised. "What do you think, lead officer?"

Katsuki inhaled deeply through his nose to ease his nerves; it did not work. "I don't care."

"Oh, so Sunday's not an issue then?" Tape Arms affirmed. He leaned back in his chair with a grin. "Sweet. So, where should we meet up?"

"We could come on campus and do it," Pinky suggested, "that way when we're done, we can go ahead and put them up without having to drag them from someone's house." She gasped loudly and put her hands to her cheeks. "We could get pizza afterwards!'

Sparky snapped his fingers into his finger guns. "I'm on board with that! Maybe we can set aside some of the budget just for that."

"Idiot," Katsuki snapped without thought, "that's for the supplies, we'd get in trouble if we did that." His eyes cut towards Sparky sharply. "Do you want to get expelled like Grapehead?"

Sparky blinked with surprise and almost instantly, Katsuki felt a twinge of… something inside his chest. He didn't like it.

"Yeesh, sorry," Sparky remarked, holding his hands up, "was just making a joke… We don't have to do it."

"Bakugou's right, though," confirmed Shitty Hair, which made Katsuki turn towards him, "I mean, if Mineta can get booted out during the first week of class, then we shouldn't be messing around with this." He nodded his head knowingly. "You guys heard Sensei Yagi."

Tape Arms nodded. "Yeah, I don't know what he did, but from the sound of it, it wasn't good…" He shot Katsuki a cheeky grin and winked playfully. "Guess it's a good thing we got you to keep us in check, huh, Bakugou?"

Katsuki merely stared at him. "You can keep yourselves in check just fine ."

"Ah, lighten up!" Shitty Hair commented, nudging his shoulder lightly. When a growl rumbled out of Katsuki, he withdrew with a sharp-toothed smile. "This'll be fun! We get to help with festival prep. Don't you think that's kinda cool?"

Before Katsuki could respond with his thoughts, a loud exclamation cut him off: "Why the heck are you all here?! "

Collectively, Katsuki and the rest of the group turned towards the doorway, where there was a sea of students forming a wall that blocked off their classroom. He arched a brow– had the mundaneness of the day finally run out?

"Do you students have some sort of business with our class?" questioned Ponytail, who stepped ahead of her peers to regard the crowd. "Why are you blocking our doorway?"

Glasses brought his arm down in a vicious chop. "You're crowding the exit! That's a fire hazard, you know!"

Katsuki let out a huff. "So it looks like everyone came to check out the competition…"

"Huh?" blurted out Sparky. "What do you mean? Is this just something that happens at U.A.?"

"I think he means our class in particular," Shitty Hair pointed out quietly, "we did survive a villain attack the other day." His crimson eyes flitted over to the doorway. "I guess they're just curious about us."

Katsuki nodded. "Seeing is believing, after all."

Some part of him wanted to shout for the crowd to get lost, but he held back the urge. None of those people out there mattered and he knew it. If that was their best attempt at trying to intimidate him or his classmates, for that matter, then the Sports Festival might not have been as much of a challenge as he thought.

"So this is Class 1-A," drawled one voice from the crowd. Slowly, some of the students stepped aside to reveal a tall, indigo-haired boy. Even from his desk, Katsuki could see the dark circles under his eyes as clear as day. "How curious… So this is who everyone is talking about. I'm not sure what I expected."

Katsuki arched his brow. 'Just who exactly is this dude?'

It seemed that he wasn't the only one thinking it since Pinky stood up from her seat. "Um… And you are…?"

"Just a student from Class 1-C," the boy greeted flatly, "pardon for the intrusion, but I was curious to see the class that supposedly fought villains and survived in person." His eyes scanned the room silently for a moment. "Have to admit… I can't say I'm impressed."

Tension made its residence in Katsuki's shoulders and he clenched his fists. Just who exactly was this extra to decide that based on looks alone? It's not like he was there during the U.S.J. attack.

"That's a completely unfair statement!" asserted Glasses. He brought his arm down in a rhythmic chopping motion repeatedly. "Tearing down your peers is not becoming behavior for a student at U.A.!"

Deku managed to pause his movement by grabbing his wrist. "Iida, calm down ."

Dark Circles met Glasses' stare evenly. "You know, I wanted to be in the hero course, too… But like a lot of the people here, I was forced to choose a different track." He shrugged. "Such is life."

"What's that got to do with us?" murmured Tape Arms, which nearly made Katsuki snort.

"I didn't make the cut the first time around," Dark Circles went on, "but now, I have another chance. If any of us do well in the Sports Festival, the teachers can decide to transfer us over to the hero course." Then, the corner of his lip quirked up in a crooked smile. "And they'll have to transfer people out to make room… Though, if rumors are to be believed, then that means there already is a spot open, isn't there?"

The memory of the Grim Reaper's announcement from earlier that morning caused Katsuki's fists to clench just a bit tighter. 'So that's what this is all about, then.'

Dark Circles' eyes trailed across the classroom. "Some people may be looking at you as competitors… But I'm here to make one thing clear: If you don't bring your best, then someone could steal your seat out from under you." He gestured to the crowd behind him with a sweep of his index finger. "And if one of your own really managed to get himself thrown out of class before the first week was up, then you might get more than one new face on your roster once the festival is over."

"Oh, get over yourself," Katsuki snapped, his irritation growing palpable, "you think it'll be that easy? "

Everyone in the class turned towards him collectively as he stood up from his seat, his bag slung over his shoulder. While everyone's face was a mixture of shock and surprise, Dark Circles regarded him curiously.

"You think just because a spot is opened up that means you're already guaranteed a victory?" he went on. He stepped away from his desk, ignoring the way that Shitty Hair and Sparky followed after him with hushed pleas. " Please . If anything, that just means you don't know what you're up against."

Dark Circles raised his brows. "Are you saying that you're better than me?"

Katsuki scoffed. "I'm saying that despite where you came from, you aren't guaranteed shit here at U.A. You already tried out for the hero course once before and didn't make it in. You said yourself that's just life ." He stopped walking once he reached the doorway, leaving only a couple feet between them. "You may think that you're the top dog of your class, but here at U.A., you're starting at the bottom with the rest of us. You'll have to work to get to where you wanna be… but even then, that might not be enough."

"Meaning?" Dark Circles questioned.

"It means that you're willing to settle ," Katsuki hissed, practically spitting the last word out, "and that won't get you anywhere . You say you want to get into the hero course, but then what? You expect that to be it? " He held onto his bag tightly. "One of our classmates already got booted out. You think that you won't have to fight to keep your spot once you're in?"

The crowd began to murmur amongst themselves and behind him, Katsuki could feel his classmates' anxiety rise. Meanwhile, Dark Circles' expression became unreadable, though his eyes betrayed a storm of emotions that Katsuki didn't care to identify.

"Just 'doing well' isn't enough ," Katsuki continued, "some people are willing to settle… But I'm going to be fighting to get to the top." He narrowed his eyes at the taller boy. "And I won't have my victory undercut by someone who isn't trying to do the same."

Silence hung in the air for a long moment as everyone stared at the two of them. Dark Circles held his gaze for a long moment until a smile spread across his lips and he chuckled, which nearly made Katsuki growl.

"Well, now," he drawled, "I guess maybe there's more to your class than I thought… I expected some ego-maniacs, but this is a welcome surprise." He arched his brow. "What's your name?"

"Katsuki Bakugou," Katsuki answered, "and I'm gonna win the Sports Festival."

A chuckle rumbled out of the boy's throat as everyone else gasped. "Hitoshi Shinsou. You've certainly given me a lot to think about." He offered up his hand. "Now I'll be sure to give it my all."

After a moment of consideration, Katsuki took his hand firmly. "You fuckin' better ."

"Language!" Glasses reprimanded.

Katsuki ignored him. "If you want a spot in my class, then you're gonna have to fight for it." He gave his hand a squeeze. "Got that?"

"Loud and clear," Dark Circles replied, returning his grip, "consider this a declaration of war."

Murmurs overtook everyone as the two of them released one another and stepped back. Dark Circles nodded at Katsuki and turned back into the crowd, who parted to let him through with wide eyes. When no one else had anything to say, he adjusted the strap on his shoulder and began to step out into the crowd.

"Hey, you! " exclaimed a random voice. Resisting the urge to groan, Katsuki's eyes slid over to see a silver-haired student standing up amongst the crowd with a grimace. "I'm from Class 1-B next door to you! We heard you fought some villains, and I came to see if that was true! But you're just a bunch of brats who think you're better than us!"

With a tired exhale, Katsuki didn't even reply. He kept walking down the hallway and ignored the stares of everyone who cleared the path while the loud-mouth behind him kept shouting. None of it mattered to him– he was going to beat them all, anyway.

"Holy crap! " blurted out another voice. Katsuki just barely looked up in time for Shitty Hair to bump into him and flash him a smile. "What an exit! That was so manly!"

Katsuki frowned. " Why are you following me?"

"It's the end of the day," said Tape Arms, who took up residence beside him, "we're all going home, dude. We just so happen to be going the same way"

"Yep!" affirmed Pinky, who popped up in Katsuki's path. He sighed and stepped around her, but she didn't seem to notice. "You know, maybe we can stop by the store this afternoon so that way we'll have it for Sunday!"

The reminder of their plans nearly caused him to groan out loud. God, he forgot all about that.

Sparky slung an arm around Katsuki and Shitty Hair's shoulders with a grin. "Are we still on for pizza afterwards? I hope you guys like pepperoni!"

"Can we also get meat lovers'?" asked Shitty Hair. "Gotta stock up on protein with all the training we're gonna do!"

As everyone around him continued to chatter about their weekend plans, Katsuki closed his eyes and clenched his fists. 'Goddamn you, Grim Reaper.'

A/N: (Meanwhile, elsewhere)

Toshinori: (puts a hand to his chest) ooh...

Aizawa: What? What is it?br /

Toshinori: Sorry, it's just... I got this... weird feeling in my chest... like something just went into motion...

Aizawa: That could be a stroke.

Present Mic: A lot of weird feelings in your chest could be a stroke.

So, I wanted to take a moment to bring this up: I have made a side series for this AU. Now, it's anything *big*, but it covers story ideas that I really want to explore in the scope of this continuity I've created without it taking the forefront of the AU. I have a *lot* of ideas but I don't know if I'll be able to do them justice by peppering them into this fic, so a spin-off just made sense to me.

Some chapters include:

- Katsuki learning to work with the public relations committee (and also potentially having a rivalry with 1-B's committee)

- Toshinori interacting with his work associates outside of work

- Integrating the OVAs in this AU (like the rescue training redo)

And various other ideas, which have yet to be published. Due to the shifts in the storyline, there are a lot of things I want to explore in their own right that exist within the context of this AU. Don't worry, you'll still be getting some good ol' Mr. Yagi- this is just bonus content.

I *also* have ideas for My Hero Academia: Two Heroes in the works, but it's all drafting and outlines right now. The spin-offs wouldn't be necessary reading, but I feel they would add onto the main storyline as supplemental material.

I hope you enjoyed reading~