Symbol

by silentplayermc03

Izuku Midoriya, chosen by All Might to be the next wielder of One For All. Expecting his life to be difficult, he didn't think he'd also become a father figure to a young child, find true friends, become an inspiration to others, be guided by remnants of previous OFA users or catch the attention of both villains & the HPSC. Watch as he struggles through it all while doing his best

14. Chapter 013 - Third Day of UA

Author's Notes - Hey everyone, Silent here! Hope you're all doing well and ready for the next chapter! This chapter will help set things up for what's to come. So enjoy and hope to hear from ya!

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SYMBOL

CHAPTER 013 – THIRD DAY OF UA

So this is it, huh? I can't wait until it all turns to dust. But first, I need to send a message.

Looking at the UA entrance with disdain, a pale skinned young man felt disgust and anger swirling around inside of him. For a long time he's been waiting for his chance to show the truth about the so called heroes that society had put on pedestals.

Taken in at a young age by his Sensei, he learned quickly that the current society was a farce. Most heroes were only in it for the fame, money and glory. Very few walked down those difficult paths just for the sake of helping others. That people only cared about you if you were strong and had something to offer. He learned that himself when he was but a child in a very traumatic way. He had lost everything and everyone else ignored him when he needed help while out on the streets. When his Sensei, who found him and took him in, solidified that lesson since he too said it was so, it changed him. It was on that day when he was reborn, shedding his old name and donning the new name he was given by his Sensei; Tomura Shigaraki.

From then, Tomura did his best to learn everything he could from his Sensei that ranged from tactics to physical training so he can become overpowered or 'OP' like the main characters in his videogames. It took him time however, since much of his Sensei's teachings were more hands off and more giving cryptic clues or subtle nudges in the right direction. Even so, Tomura did his best to prepare. And he was never discouraged in trying something or pursuing something. Whether it was practicing his quirk, playing videogames, using his gamer lingo to better understand things or finding things that he wanted to destroy because he disliked it. Everything he wanted to do, he was encouraged to do so.

Throughout the years he kept on training and becoming stronger. Or grinding and gaining levels as he would say while he practiced his quirk and his abilities. Though he was nowhere near the amount of power and abilities that his Sensei had, he was still a force to be reckoned with due to his deadly quirk, skill and blinding speed thanks to his slender physic. All of this was so he can one day declare his debut and show everyone how the world really works.

After so long and many preparations, it was finally the right time. Tomura was given a mission by his Sensei. He was to gather as many villains, thugs and criminals as he could to join him. Even though he viewed them as non-player characters or NPCs for short, he knew that they were needed for their plan to be successful. They would be his grunts and cannon fodder that he would use to tire out his enemies and then use the secret weapon of theirs to beat the boss of the level and win the game.

And there was one final part to that mission that he needed to complete without fail. It was a crucial objective that had to be done first otherwise the next part of their plans would be harder to implement.

Now, how am I supposed to get in there without triggering the next part of the level too soon?

Tomura's wonderings were cut short when several vans rolled into view from his position in the alleyway. Seeing the different news channel names on them, he then saw several news reporters and their camera personnel exit the vehicles. They grouped up together in front of the UA entrance but didn't go through. He watched for a little while longer and witnessed them harassing a few of the students by asking them questions about All Might as they tried to enter the university grounds. One of them tried to follow after a student but then the UA barrier activated. An alarm sounded and a steel wall quickly rose up from the ground to block the entrance that scared the reporter. She jumped back in shock while a few of the reporters around her chuckled and made some comments. However, they all stated that they wouldn't leave until they were able to see and talk with All Might.

Tomura's thin dried lips spread into a creepy smile as a plan formed in his head after witnessing all of that. Reaching for his sweater's hoodie, he put it on over his light blue short hair and retreated back into the darkness of the alley. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a flip phone and brought it to his ear after dialing a number. It only rang once before the other person answered. "Kurogiri, I found a way to get in. Get over here." Without waiting for a reply, he hung up the phone and put it away as a swirling black mass suddenly appeared in front of him…

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"It only took you six seconds this time to quiet down. You're learning but still not good enough," said Aizawa as he walked up to the teacher's podium after entering the classroom and stood behind it. His class remained silent and waited for him to continue. "I've received your battle trial videos and reports by All Might. And though most of you did the best that you could, there were too many mistakes, too many unnecessary conversations and too much energy exerted and wasted. Frankly, I'm disappointed."

Several of his students shifted in their seats nervously while a few even gulped. Barely a few days attending UA and they already knew that their homeroom teacher was strict and not someone to piss off. Especially how he was able to somehow make them feel as if a part of themselves was sealed whenever he would glare at them with narrowed red eyes. And with him saying that he was disappointed, almost all of them felt as if they were seconds away from being outright expelled.

Aizawa let out a sigh before turning to his desk. He reached over, grabbed a stack of papers from it and placed them on top of the podium in front of him. "All Might discussed your battle trials with you and I have his words summarized here. I agree with most of what he said…" He trailed off as a thought entered his head; I can't believe I just said that. When the hell did he learn to be an actual teacher? Whatever. It's pointless to think about that. But I will get back at him for making me deal with that woman. "But I've also put down what I noticed after viewing the recordings and discussions. And I will be having private conversations with some of you based on what happened during your trials later on." Several shifted in their seats again and became even more nervous but remained silent. "Hagakure."

"Y-Yes, Sensei?" responded Toru with a slight stutter over the sudden call.

"Come here."

Gulping loudly to the point of being heard by the ones seated near her, the invisible girl stood up and slowly made her way to Aizawa with fear growing in her. Her friends and several others in the class wondered if she was gonna be put on the chopping block.

The moment Toru reached the podium, Aizawa handed her the stack of papers. "Pass them out." She let out a relieved sound that Aizawa ignored before taking the papers. As she started handing them out to her fellow classmates, he continued speaking. "Go over what we wrote for you. Then for the next hour, I want each and every one of you to reflect on what you could've done better and write them all down. You may discuss in small groups. No loud noises and don't bother me unless it's important. And I will be checking it later so put effort into it and don't waste time with unnecessary chatter." The second he finished giving them directions, Aizawa pulled out a yellow sleeping bag from underneath his desk, placed it on the floor and snuggled into it to take a nap.

Knowing what they're supposed to do, most of the students of class 1A began to move into groups at once. Only a few remained by themselves who were Katsuki, Shoto and Momo who looked over their reports by themselves for the time being. After some time, Shoto and Momo grouped up with no one else joining them thanks to Momo being very silent while not looking at anyone and Shoto giving others an icy glare. Katsuki didn't move from his desk but Eijiro went to join and discuss with him. A little bit later, a few others joined the two though the blonde was annoyed over it. As everyone went over the reports, they discussed their good points, shortcomings, what they could improve and what to completely change for the most part.

In a certain group of girls, they had finished discussing their reports with one another and they still had time to spare. And so, four of them turned to the fifth and one of them spoke. "Hey, Jirou?"

Looking up from her evaluation report, Kyoka looked at Toru. "Yeah, what's up?"

"Um, just wanted to ask, how are you doing?"

"…I'm alright," replied Kyoka quietly. "I'm sorry if I was being weird by being quiet. I just…well…"

"We know," said Ochaco, making Kyoka look at her now. "After yesterday, we thought you might still want to keep your distance but we wanted to let you know that everything's okay and that we get it."

"Oh." Kyoka's gaze lowered to her report again with her mind racing and feeling multiple different things. She remembered what she talked about with her parents last night. And one thing they talked about was how they told her to open up to the ones who were trying to be friends with her. Deciding to do just that, she started speaking with her gaze still lowered. "Thanks…for that. And for having me join you on this. Um…I know that I've been…bitchy…and I probably did some things that made me look like an asshole too…I just wanted to say I'm sorry for all that. Even though…I have my reasons for that…I shouldn't have been so stuck up about it. So…what I'm trying to say…"

Looking up finally, Kyoka had a small smile form on her face as she looked at the girls around her. "I'm grateful to have classmates like you who still want to be friends. I'm so sorry for my behavior and thank you for everything."

Seeing her smile and say those words, made the girls in the group smile as well. Without warning, both Mina and Toru, who were closest to the purple haired girl, hugged her from either side.

"Awww!"

"There's that smile we wanted to see!"

Blushing from embarrassment, Kyoka at first struggled to get free from the two but then just let it happen. "Okay, okay, can you please let me go now?" pleaded Kyoka after a bit. Letting her go, the two giggled while she looked at the brunette and green haired girl who were smiling brightly at her. "Don't tell me you're gonna hug me too…"

"Yup," replied Tsuyu bluntly.

"But we'll do that later. Can't really reach across desks now can we?" said Ochaco cheekily.

Unable to help herself, Kyoka chuckled. "At least I'll be prepared for it."

"Alright!" said Mina as she clapped her hands and drawing attention. "Now its five girls on the same page! That just leaves one more!" Kyoka raised her eyebrows in response and Mina smirked. "Oh come on, you already knew our plan so don't act surprised."

"But we won't rush things so don't worry," added Toru hastily.

"Yeah, remember what we said before? We know things take time and we just want everyone to get along since we're gonna be practically living together for three years," reminded Ochaco.

Kyoka didn't react or say anything for a moment before letting out a sigh and nodding. "I guess I can't argue with that. But I do reserve the right to not join on things if I don't like it. And its gonna take me some time to…let some things go…and that depends on what happens in the future. Especially between me and her."

Ochaco, Tsuyu, Mina and Toru looked at one another for a few seconds before they all looked at Kyoka. "Fair enough," replied Tsuyu for them.

"Okay, so with that done, there's something we wanna tell you Jirou," started Toru.

Kyoka tilted her head. "And that is?"

Toru looked at the other three who nodded. Taking in a breath, she leaned forward with the three copying her. Getting the hint, Kyoka leaned in as well and Toru started whispering. "We hung out with the girls from 1B last night and they're actually pretty cool. We also let them know of some of the stuff that happened between you and Yaoyorozu so they can understand and since they asked about it."

"And we even told them about what happened with us and Midoriya too," chimed in Mina. "We figured it would be better that they know about that and what you told us. We hope you don't mind."

Surprised over that for several reasons, Kyoka quickly thought about that and nodded. "It's okay. I get it. And thank you for telling me."

"Of course. We should be able to trust one another and not really have secrets unless it's really personal and doesn't really involve anyone else," remarked Ochaco. Mina, Tsuyu and Toru nodded in agreement. Kyoka nodded as well but felt bad for not telling them anything about what she learned by accident. She couldn't dwell on it though since Ochaco continued. "And because of talking with them…" Looking at the three who nodded, she faced Kyoka again. "…we found out some things. Things about…Midoriya…that's probably true and we thought you should know."

Kyoka began feeling uneasy but kept her outward demeanor calm. "You did? Um, like what?"

"Several whats actually," said Mina, taking over for Ochaco. "For one, he's the one missing from our class. And it's because he's the one who got hurt from the villain that All Might was talking about."

Eyes widening, Kyoka was shocked. They had figured it out and without accidently eavesdropping on a call too. "O-Oh…h-how awful…"

Seeing her unexpected reaction, the girls became confused. They thought that this would've been much bigger news to the purple haired girl because of her behavior regarding the green haired savior. Tsuyu was the first to have an idea as to why. "You knew…didn't you?" she asked bluntly.

Kyoka went rigid before answering. "I-I…did…" The girls became shocked and seeing their expressions, she hurried to explain. "It was after our battle trials and I overheard the voicemail All Might got. It was about Midoriya. That's why I was crying when you found me. And I didn't say anything to you because I was lost in thought and didn't want to tell you something that would've made you feel bad too. And after what happened yesterday, I just wanted to go home and try to forget about it all…" Seeing them still silent, Kyoka hung her head. "I'm sorry. I should've told you. If you're mad and don't wanna be friends anymore, I get it."

Silence for a bit until Ochaco spoke that made Kyoka look at her. "I don't mean to speak for all of us but I'm pretty sure we're all thinking the same thing here. We are a little mad that you kept that from us. But we're still friends Jirou. And we get it. Thank you for thinking about our well being but don't keep things like that from us in the future. Okay?"

"Yeah, what she said!" chimed in Toru with Tsuyu and Mina nodding.

Kyoka felt relieved that they weren't mad and she was grateful that they understood. "Thank you. Really. You're all awesome girls."

"Hell yea we are!" declared Mina a little loudly with a large smile.

"Ssh!" Shushing Mina, the rest turned to look at their homeroom teacher who was thankfully still napping in his sleeping bag. Letting out relieved breaths, they all chuckled.

"That was close," commented Mina. "Oh, there's some more things we wanted to tell ya. But first, can you tell us what you heard from All Might's phone?" asked Mina.

"Sure." Kyoka began telling them what she heard and the girls became filled with different emotions during it. But they were glad to hear another source confirming that he's recovering.

Once she was done explaining, Tsuyu started talking. "Sounds like him, saving another child. That's good that he's getting better too. We'll see him soon enough from the looks of it, kero."

"Yeah! Can't wait to meet him!" exclaimed Toru since he was still on her list of possible boyfriend material. "Alright. So, we have a couple more things to tell ya. One is that we're gonna hang out with the 1B girls more and you should too." Kyoka thought for a moment but then nodded. "The other thing is about Bakugo…"

"Bakugo?" Kyoka looked confused. "What about the angry blonde?"

"Well, when we were at the café, he came in with some of our classmates and overheard us talking about Midoriya. And then he…" As Toru explained what happened, Kyoka's eyes widened and her hands clenched into fists from her rising anger that they all noticed. They couldn't blame her, especially since Ochaco and Mina were feeling the same over it…

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It was silent for what seemed like a long time even though it was probably only a minute or two. As soon as Vlad had entered his classroom, his students went quiet and waited for him. Moving to his desk, Vlad sat down on the chair behind it, put on his reading glasses and quickly went through the stack of papers on his desk to remind himself of what he read late last night.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity to several in the class, Vlad put down the papers and stood up while taking off his glasses and putting them on the desk. Looking over his students, he didn't say anything for a moment before a mad grin formed on his face. "Well done! Most of you did great and though the wins and losses were tied between both classes, I think we did better as a whole!"

"Hell yeah we did!"

"When can we challenge them again?"

"We'll whoop their butts completely next time!"

More and more questions and comments were being made until Vlad let out a quick but loud whistle that silenced everyone. "Good. I'm glad that you're all enthusiastic about competing against your sister class again. We'll definitely do that again and many more times in the future."

Several of his students cheered at that with some even glancing at their friends and grinning while commenting how they'd do even better than before.

Vlad's grin spread on his face. Can't wait for the rematch. I hope your students will put up a decent fight cause mine are gonna be ready! "Alright, settle down!" After they calmed down, Vlad grabbed the papers he was looking at and said a name. "Yanagi, come here."

"Sensei?" responded Reiko in her monotone tone of voice as she stood up and moved towards her homeroom teacher.

"Pass them out."

"Yes, Sensei." Taking the papers, Reiko began passing them out.

"Alright, these are the notes that All Might made on each of your performances," informed Vlad as they started looking over the papers that they received. "And after viewing recordings of your battles, I made notes of my own. Some of them may be the same as his, but make sure to read everything since I added to everyone's. Oh and listen up since I have one more thing to tell you."

Vlad waited until they all looked at him so he can make sure that they were paying attention. "After reading through the notes we have for you, I want you to take the next ten minutes to think about how you would do things differently. After that, we'll use the next fifty minutes to get into groups from three to five people and discuss each other's performances and what could've be done differently. Got it?"

"Yes Sensei!"

Vlad smiled. "Good. Now get to it!" Leaving them to it, Vlad went back to his desk and sat on his chair. Turning on his computer, he began going over the next joint lesson plan they would have with their sister class tomorrow.

Thinking over their reports by themselves, each student thought about how they could do better and not make the same mistakes. After the ten minutes were up, Vlad let them know and they made small groups. One such group had Itsuka, Setsuna, Yui, Tetsutetsu and Jurota.

The five of them shared their reports with one another and then began discussing things. Giving each other advice and critiquing on what they needed to improve, change or focus on, each of them wrote down their notes onto their reports.

After discussing for a little bit, Tetsutetsu glanced at the clock in the room and saw that they had some time left before their teacher ended the discussions. Glancing at Jurota, he gave him a subtle nudge with his elbow that made his friend look at him. Tilting his head towards the girls, he raised his eyebrows. Catching the hint, Jurota looked at the three girls who were still discussing their reports. Looking back at Tetsutetsu, Jurota nodded.

Tetsutetsu turned towards the girls and cleared his throat, catching their attention. "So, there's this thing that I wanted to tell you…"

"Oh? Is this where you tell us that you like…"

Setsuna was about to start her usual teasing but then her mouth was covered by Itsuka's hand. "Go ahead Tetsu," said Itsuka, ignoring the look of betrayal by the green haired girl.

"Thanks. Anyway, it's something important that Bakugo told us last night after we left the café."

"Which is?" asked Yui in her usual calm and slightly monotone voice.

Jurota spoke up this time. "That the one named Izuku Midoriya is not who you think him to be. We were informed by Bakugo-san that this Midoriya has been quirkless his entire life. And though that may not be an issue on its own, it's what the brunette from the café said last night that draws worry. How can a quirkless person jump as high as a skyscraper and have enough strength to destroy a robot as large as a building in one punch?"

The girls remained quiet as they thought about that. But before they could think of something, Tetsutetsu took over. "Sounds bad right?"

"Maybe he's a late bloomer," suggested Setsuna after pushing Itsuka's hand away. "We shouldn't jump to conclusions without any hard evidence."

"Maybe. And that's what we said too," replied Tetsutetsu. He ran his hand through his hair while letting out a sigh before continuing. "But Bakugo said that there's no way. He would've known about it, especially since his mom and Midoriya's mom are close friends and talk about everything with each other. So we can't think of anything else besides that he must've cheated or done something illegal to be able to do that. We just can't explain it. Also, Bakugo told us about how he has some nasty habits."

"Nasty habits?" repeated Setsuna.

"What do you mean?" asked Itsuka with worry while Yui remained silent.

"Well, one of them is that Bakugo told us about how he used to be followed all the time by Midoriya like a stalker in the past even though he never really was friends with him. He also said of how he would mutter under his breath practically all day. That he would talk about being a hero all the time but never actually did anything for it, as if he was better than everyone else. How he stressed out his mom to the point of becoming overweight and getting health issues but he hasn't done anything to help her or to change it. But the worst thing is how he has these notebooks that he uses to draw and write about heroes in disgusting ways."

"Disgusting? How so?" asked Yui while Tetsutetsu took a breather.

"Bakugo-san stated he only saw the inside of one of those notebooks once but it was a drawing of Mt Lady and she was drawn looking very…I'm sorry I can't repeat the word he used to describe it but it was very provocative. Along with that, there were very inappropriate things written about her," explained Jurota while feeling uncomfortable about the entire thing.

"What?!" The girls were shocked to hear that and started feeling a little revolted.

"Yeah, and Bakugo told us he took the notebook and burned it with his quirk before tossing it out the window to teach him a lesson on doing messed up things like that," added on Tetsutetsu. "We're telling you this because we want you to know the truth. And since you became friends with the girls from 1A, they might listen better to you than to us and you can tell them this so they won't be tricked by this Midoriya. Whoever he is."

"I see," started Itsuka, sharing looks with Setsuna and Yui before looking at the two males with them. "Thank you for this and we'll think about this…warning you gave us and we'll tell the girls too when we get a chance."

Jurota nodded while Tetsutetsu smiled before he spoke. "Cool, thanks for listening! We just don't want you to get tricked by some asshole."

"Understood," replied Yui.

"Aw, aren't you sweet, looking out for us," said Setsuna with a grin. "Well, as nice as that was, you'll need to do a lot more to get any kind of reward from us." Blushing and sputtering in response, the two males couldn't retort and Setsuna started laughing.

Itsuka let her have that one and Yui didn't say anything since the two were thinking about what they were just told. They both wondered if this Midoriya could really be as bad as what Bakugo was saying and if perhaps he was playing games with the girls from 1A with his 'heroic' actions. But it just didn't make sense because of what they were told by them. Thinking about it all for a bit, they couldn't come up with anything that resembled an answer. But they both knew that something wasn't adding up. They would have to talk with the girls from 1A again to try and clear things up. And they hoped that they could find an answer before things got too complicated…

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Sometimes, he wondered how things would've been if he didn't have his quirk. Where would he be? How would he get by? Would he be doing as others like him would be doing? These and several other questions would come to mind every now and again. Luckily for him, they only happened whenever he'd come across something that puzzled or interested him greatly, which only happened rarely. Though right now, it was one of those times.

Sitting in his cushy office chair with his eyes closed, the principal of UA was in heavy thought over the information that he just reread for the fifth time in less than an hour. Nezu wanted to know just what exactly Eri's quirk is. Even with his quirk that enhanced his intelligence by an incredible amount over that of a normal human, Nezu still didn't have the young girl's quirk completely figured out. Even with all the information and blood work that he and the elderly nurse compiled along with the input given by his green haired future student, he just wasn't there yet. He knew that if he saw the quirk in action, he would definitely figure it out. But not being able to do so at the moment left him with just this path to take.

I'm so close. I know it. Opening his eyes, Nezu reached out to grab the tea cup in front of him. Taking a long sip, Nezu let out a content hum afterwards. Setting the cup down, he turned towards the screen in front of him. "Perhaps saying things out loud may help. Let's start from the top. Eri is her name. She's six years old. Her quirk deals with her horn which grows larger as energy accumulates and is also where energy sprouts from it. She also…"

*WWWWRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE*

Sudden alarms blaring cut off Nezu's reading and he immediately reacted. Pressing a button on his desk, multiple things happened at once. The documents he was looking at on the screen closed while automatically saving and then brought out the surveillance program. At the same time, multiple monitors lowered down from the ceiling and stopped in front of him. He didn't contact his staff just yet because they knew what to do in situations like this. Looking through the many screens as quickly as he could, Nezu was trying to locate the cause of the alarms. While doing so, he noticed how his students were behaving in a crisis and from what he was seeing, he wasn't impressed. He made a mental note about that while continuing his search.

Fortunately, it didn't take long for him to find the cause. "What bothersome pests!" he growled after locating the source of the problem while glaring at the right most screen. Around a dozen or so reporters with their camera crews had entered UA grounds. He also saw two of his staff members already in front of the large group. "Well, this just went from bothersome to complete disaster. Hopefully he can keep the loud one in check."

"Nezu!" Nemuri had entered his office while calling out to him and continued speaking without waiting for a reply. "It's the reporters. They got in somehow. We should go and back them up."

"They did indeed," replied Nezu as he noticed something on the video feed that made him narrow his eyes after zooming in towards it. "Let's go. After getting rid of these trespassers, there's something else we need to check on. Oh and call Hizashi and tell him to get to the cafeteria immediately to calm our students down." The two of them hurriedly left the office while the screen the principal was looking at kept showing the ruined UA barrier…

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"Hey, get off me!"

"How could UA get attacked?!"

"Out of my way!"

"What's going on?!"

"This never happened before!"

"Fuck! Who stepped on my foot?!"

"Stop pushing!"

"Why isn't anyone moving?!"

"I'm getting squished!"

"Who grabbed my ass?!"

Pandemonium was the best way to describe it. Most of the students of UA were in the cafeteria and eating their meals when the alarms blared. It didn't take long until panic spread and soon enough, almost everyone made a mad dash towards the exit in fear. As a result, they became stuck with the exit becoming bottle necked since everyone wanted to escape first and no one wanted to be left behind.

Even the small handful of students who didn't become filled with fear and panic at once were swept up into the madness of it all. While stuck in the panic stricken mob, they tried to tell their surrounding classmates and fellow UA attendees to calm down but it was no use. Most of them weren't listening and if anything, made them become even more adamant to escape from there. They didn't know what to do in order to make them all stop.

"YEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Luckily for them, they didn't have to do anything since Present Mic showed up and used his quirk to scream at everyone. Every single student there stopped moving and clutched their ears while grimacing in pain from his loud voice.

After several seconds of keeping it up, Hizashi finally stopped once he noticed them all frozen and no longer stampeding. Clearing his throat, the pro hero started speaking normally, which was still pretty loud, when the students lowered their hands from their ears. "Alright listeners, listen up! Nothing's wrong. It was just a bunch of reporters that got into the school grounds that tripped the alarms. Everyone head back to your homeroom classes in an orderly, calm fashion and wait for your teachers there."

Slowly, the large amount of students there began heading out of the cafeteria towards their respective classrooms. Most began heading out of the cafeteria silently while only some started whispering to their friends about the whole situation. When they all left, Hizashi made his way back outside to where all the staff members were currently at.

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"And that's the last of them."

"Good riddance."

"I'm all up for interviews but they were just annoying."

"Still, how'd they get inside?"

"How the fuck should I know?"

"I wasn't asking you since you clearly wouldn't know."

"And what's that supposed to mean?!"

"Quit being so sensitive."

While his staff discussed around him, the principal of UA studied the ruined barrier of his school. He wondered just what exactly caused it to crumble into mostly dust and some pieces of leftover rubble. Our barrier is constructed of the strongest composition of steel with concrete and several other components to it that can withstand anything and everything short of a nuclear explosion. So what in the world could cause it to break down like this?

Cautiously moving around the dust and rubble, Nezu took in the ruined environment. His sharp eyes looked over everything and he noticed several things. Coming up with a few theories, he decided it would be best to share them and get this fixed up as quickly as possible. Moving his paws behind his back and holding them, he stood up straight on the ground and closed his eyes. "Everyone."

"Yeah, Boss?"

"What is it?"

"Find something?"

Opening his eyes, Nezu turned around to face his staff while keeping his hands behind his back. "I believe so. However, we shall discuss this in private after the students leave for the day. Also, Aizawa and Kan…" He turned his gaze to the two and gave them a look of disappointment. "I will let the other staff members know of their classes. But please teach your students how to properly respond in events of emergencies and crisis. The cafeteria stampede was not something I would expect from such hero hopefuls."

Sekijiro nodded with pursed lips while Shota's eyes narrowed. Nezu motioned to them that they can go. Both teachers turned around and swiftly made their way back to their classrooms with disciplining their students over their less than stellar behavior in mind.

Watching them leave for a moment, Nezu turned his gaze back towards the destroyed barrier. "Ken and Higari, please do your best to get this fixed up as quickly as possible. Ectoplasm, please provide them support and along with Ryo, I want you guys to oversee some patrols over the grounds for anything unusual." Hearing their collective agreements to his commands, Nezu began heading back to his office with one of his staff going with him.

"Any idea who or what caused this?" asked Nemuri after they walked part of the distance to his office.

"Ideas? Yes. Some more worrisome than others. But I cannot say for certain until I have some more information unfortunately."

Nemuri hummed in response but said nothing else. Once they reached Nezu's office, they went over everything as carefully as they could until the school day ended. It was then that Nezu contacted the 'Symbol of Peace' and informed him to join the rest of the staff for an emergency meeting as quickly as possible…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

It's been about thirty minutes since the first year hero class students started running laps around the field. In a rare occurrence where both Shota and Sekijiro had the same punishment in mind, they had their respective classes change into their gym uniforms and meet up with them at the track field. That was after each teacher chastised their students and let them have it for their disappointing reactions during the alarm. Once they were ready to go, their teachers told them to keep running laps until they were told to stop.

Some of their students bravely, or perhaps foolishly, complained about that while saying that this isn't fair. That they were never expecting something like that to happen at UA and that they were never told what to do in such a scenario. Their excuses however were brushed off by their teachers and instead were told that they should always be prepared in case of emergencies and remain calm, no matter where they are or what they're doing. Unable to argue back, the ones who complained were also told to do a set of pushups before starting their run. Wisely keeping their mouths shut in fear of adding more unto their punishment, they performed their extra exercises before the running started for everyone.

"How much longer do you think we should keep them going?" asked Sekijiro.

Checking his watch, Shota thought for a moment. "We'll have them go a bit longer," he replied back while lowering his arm.

"Hmm. By the way, what did you think of your students' performances yesterday?" asked the blood hero while keeping his sight on the running students.

"I'm impressed by a few, disappointed by some while the rest barely met my expectations." Rubbing his forehead, Shota let out a sigh. "I've gotta deal with a handful of issues that I wasn't even aware of. And that's not even counting the problem children. I'm too tired for this shit," grumbled the underground hero.

"That bad huh?" replied Vlad before shaking his head a bit. "I'm not gonna lie. I got a couple I need to deal with as well."

"The same ones from our meeting that you talked about?"

"So you do care to remember?"

"Shut it. I remember things even when I don't want to."

"Riiight. Anyway, Monoma and Kamakiri. Their battle trial let me on some things that I was suspecting. Both have some serious issues that need to be worked on. I might have to sign them up for counseling with Ryo whether they like it or not. Hmm, and I might have to talk with Tokage even though her team won in the trials. I need to make sure she understands to get serious and stay serious when needed."

Shota nodded his head in understanding. "I might have to do that too. Counseling for some of my students might help. Yaoyorozu, Jirou, Bakugo and Mineta were very disappointing. The former two were too busy arguing and insulting each other to be able to work together and apparently it involves someone else from what we've gathered. Mineta kept up his perverted antics even during trial. And Bakugo refused to work with his partner and instead ordered her around. He got lucky with his win due to time limit being up. In my eyes, I count it as a loss."

Sekijiro started chuckling and Shota glanced at him. Before the underground hero could say anything, the blood user spoke up. "Well, it's gonna be one hell of a busy year for the both of us."

Letting out another sigh, Shota closed his eyes. "Unfortunately. I'm never gonna get any decent sleep with how things are going and if they continue like this."

Both homeroom teachers said no more and silence enveloped them while they kept watch over their students. After about fifteen more minutes, they decided it was enough and Vlad blew on his whistle. "Alright, you're done!" About half of their students dropped to their hands and knees from sheer exhaustion while the rest did their best to remain standing. A few even vomited out their lunch thanks to the long run. "Get up and get over here!" yelled out the blood hero.

Their students made their way to their homeroom teachers and took positions in front of them that turned into a half circle. Some were standing while most were leaning against each other for support or hunched over with their hands over their knees. But every single one of them was drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. They waited in silence, using the opportunity to get some rest and maybe get their breathing under control.

They didn't wait long though since Shota started speaking a handful of seconds after they all gathered around them. "That's it for the first part of your punishment and now…"

Many eyes widened and several let out gasps and whines. Immediately they were cut off when Shota activated his quirk. Seeing his hair stand up with his eyes glowing a menacing red, all thirty nine students went quiet and still while feeling as if a part of them was sealed away. It was at that point that the 1B students finally learned the reason as to why their sister class was afraid of him.

"Good. Now stop making me use my quirk all the time. It gives me dry eye," stated Shota with his quirk deactivating after seeing them pacified. He took out a small bottle from his pocket and had a few drops of liquid fall from it into his eyes. Blinking his eyes several times, he shook his head and put away the bottle. "Now, as I was saying. That completes the first part of your punishment. The second part that both Vlad and myself agreed on is that all of you are going to write a three page essay explaining why one should always be prepared for emergencies and how staying calm even in stressful and dangerous situations is important."

Seeing the expressions on their faces made both teachers stare back with one of them responding verbally to them. "Oh? We were gonna give you until Friday to turn it in. But if you have a problem with that, I've got another offer for you. Either write the essay or you can continue running right now and this time it'll be for two hours," offered Vlad before smiling cruelly with Aizawa doing the same.

None of the students spoke up since no one wanted to keep running. And every single one of them believed that they would just collapse within the first few minutes if forced to do so. Not to mention their eerie smiling just put them off.

"Alright then. Essay it is. Due Friday first thing in the morning. And remember this. Next time something like this happens, there will be even more severe lessons taught. Understood?" shouted Vlad.

"Yes, Sensei!"

"Same goes for you lot. Got it?" asked Aizawa.

"Yes, Sensei!"

"Good. You're all dismissed for the day. Clean up and go home. And don't forget it's Wednesday. Have everything ready for the UA movers. They'll be there at the scheduled times so I suggest you don't waste time and all of you go straight home right after this. We'll see you tomorrow." Without waiting for replies, both Eraserhead and Vlad King turned around and headed to the principal's office.

Watching their teachers leave, the students of both classes didn't move at first. In fact, most of them couldn't even if they wanted to. Instead, most of them just dropped to the ground and either lied down on the dirt track or sat on it. Only a handful was able to function enough at the moment and began slowly making their way to the locker rooms.

Shoto and Itsuka were two of the first ones able to function enough thanks to their rigorous training throughout their lives. Katsuki was the third but it was thanks to his incredible stubbornness that refused to look weak or tired. And the fourth was Momo, after Shoto covertly glared at her as if to say that she better start moving and not look weak. The young heiress couldn't argue and she forced herself to get up while groaning in pain and stumbled her way to the locker room while thinking a million different things.

"I…hate…them," gasped Setsuna while sprawled all over the ground and breathing heavily.

Yui turned to face her friend after getting into a seated position on the ground. "Who?"

"Girl Scout…that beautiful icy bastard…the angry…pomeranian...and Yaoyoyo."

"Hmm."

"Hahaha…*cough*cough*…hey, don't make me laugh right now!" complained Mina but she kept laughing and coughing with several going through the same thing as her thanks to Setsuna's words.

"Don't…care. It's…true," replied Setsuna in between heavy breaths.

"What about…our…teachers?" questioned Tetsutetsu in between breaths once he calmed down a bit.

"Well, we did deserve our punishment," started Tenya, drawing attention to him with some glares. He had recovered quicker than most but remained behind with them since he was stuck thinking about what their teachers said. "Our behavior was not appropriate for ones training to become pro heroes in the future. I'm ashamed to say that I too panicked and nothing came to mind on how to stop things," he explained further. He began making his way to the locker room while speaking. "We have to do better."

"I must agree. We should push ourselves at every opportunity we get," added Jurota as he too began making his way.

"Yes, we mush," whispered Kinoko to herself but wasn't able to move yet even though she tried.

"Agreed," voiced Ibara as she got to her feet and helped up Reiko and Pony who were near her and they thanked her for her assistance.

"Yeah, yeah, we got it," muttered Hanta as he forced himself into a sitting position and the ones around him started to move too.

"You…alright?" asked Tsuyu as she turned to look at Ochaco who could only nod in response. She didn't trust herself to speak since she was feeling nauseous. "C'mon, let's go." Forcing herself to her feet, Tsuyu then leant down and helped Ochaco up before the two of them assisted each other to the locker rooms.

"Hold up! I'm coming too!" said Mina as she slowly got up onto her feet.

"Hey, what about me?!" whined Toru from the ground before she got an idea. "Ochaco, use your quirk on me!"

"Can't right now. Too queasy. Sorry!"

"Aaaaawwwwwww! C'mon!"

"Hagakure…"

"Yeah, Jirou?"

"I don't mean to be rude, but please stop whining. You're hurting my ears with your high pitch and I already dealt with too much today."

"My bad!"

"C'mon Toru. I got you." Mina helped up Toru and the two turned towards Kyoka who was struggling to get up. Without a word, both of them lent down a hand.

"Thanks," said Kyoka as she reached up and grasped both their hands. After pulling her up, the three of them headed towards the locker room with Kyoka trailing a bit behind them.

Little by little, the students from both classes got up and made their way to the locker rooms. Only one was unable to do so. "How…the hell…can they move already?! This…was torture!" whined Minoru, who was still unable to move at all from his lying position and panting heavily but able to see everyone get up and walk away.

"C'mon buddy. We gotcha," said Denki as he and Sero helped up the smallest member of their class.

"Thank you!" cried Minoru as the two practically carried their small friend between them via his arms.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"I'm sorry it took me a while," apologized Toshinori as he entered the principal's office and saw that everyone else was there already.

"No problem. We actually haven't been waiting that long," replied Nezu as he gestured to the only remaining seat available. After Toshinori took his seat, the white hybrid animal continued. "Now, we're all here and time to go over things. And please, no interruptions as we do so. Nemuri, would you be so kind?"

"Sure Nezu." Clearing her throat, Nemuri recapped what happened. "So sometime during lunch today, our sensors picked up unauthorized entry into the UA grounds and sounded the alarm. Because of that, the students that were having lunch panicked and made a mad rush to flee. This caused some injuries but thankfully they consisted of just bruises and mild scratches. Though a few did use the opportunity to grope others and cop some feels from some who complained about that but we don't know who they were. Hizashi was able to stop them from going completely nuts and had them go to their homeroom classes and wait for their teachers."

Nemuri took a breath before continuing. "The alarm itself was caused by intruding reporters and their camera crews who were able to get through the barrier. And they were able to get through thanks to someone or something completely destroying it. The reporters were detained and escorted off school grounds thanks to law enforcement. Higari and Ken are still rebuilding the barrier but they're almost finished with it. Ectoplasm and Ryo are patrolling the grounds as we speak." Nemuri shifted her gaze towards Nezu. "I believe that's it."

"Thank you Nemuri." Nezu looked over his staff for a moment before he continued. "This is the first time something like this has happened. I wanted to ask if any of you might have an idea as to who or what might be brazen enough to do something so brash."

"What do you mean?" asked Sekijiro.

"I believe this action was the start of something else. A declaration of war if you will."

His staff had expressions of surprise or shock over his statement. "You can't be serious."

"I am Nemuri. Someone wanted to make a statement and get attention. And what better way to do that than to stir up something at UA where a lot of our movements are watched by many. And the reporters were a part of it."

"The reporters? Why would they do something like that?" questioned Hizashi in confusion.

Nezu shook his head. "Apologies. I meant to say that they were unwitting participants. Someone else probably used them as a distraction to gain entry into the school grounds."

"And that's why you're having Ryo and Ectoplasm on high alert and searching the grounds," commented Sekijiro before crossing his arms and locking his eyes with Nezu. "But so far, nothing's been found."

"Correct."

"So we got nothing then?" asked Chiyo.

"I didn't say that." Nezu started using his computer and the large screen behind him on the wall mirrored what he was doing. "After dealing with the reporters and checking out the destroyed barrier, I came back in here and combed through the surveillance cameras. Even with Nemuri helping, we almost missed it."

The screen showed Nezu going through the security system. He selected the camera system for the staff area that consisted of the lounge, break room and work area. Selecting one camera out of the many available, they watched the recording as it started to play. After some time, they noticed an extremely fast moving object in the bottom right corner of the video that was barely caught.

"Wait, what was that? Is that it? In the corner?" asked Snipe.

Nezu paused the video and brought his mouse courser to the corner and circled the area several times to emphasize the location. "Yes. Right there. We almost missed that. And the other cameras show the same thing. It would seem that we had an uninvited guest during all that."

"But, who could that be? And I thought there were no blind spots in the security system," voiced Toshinori in concern.

"I don't know. And that's what we believed as well. Either this guest is so fast and knows how to get into any camera's blind spots or it could be a quirk at play that hinders the effectiveness of electronic devices. Or a quirk that helps hide its user or others. Whatever the reason, it looks like Higari and I have even more work to do in upgrading our systems. And we're supposed to test out the upgraded security systems in the dorms tonight too. No rest for the wicked I'm afraid," chuckled Nezu.

"Was there anything stolen from the staff area?" asked Anan, her helmet off but still wearing her costume that was basically a white, puffy astronaut suit.

Nezu shook his head. "No. That's the odd thing. We checked and found nothing amiss. No documents missing. No items missing. Nothing was left behind either."

"Maybe they took pictures of what they needed?" suggested Shota.

Silence filled Nezu's office. Until the principal turned towards his computer. "Now that you mention it, that's more than likely what they did. But what they took a picture of is the question."

"I don't like this," spoke up Sekijiro. "I got a bad feeling."

"I agree. We should probably increase security for the next few weeks," suggested Shota.

Nezu shook his head however. "No. If we do that, then it'll show that we know more than we should. Everything so far points towards our unknown guest believing that they were able to slip in undetected. If we increase security suddenly after today, even with the excuse of the reporters getting in, then they'll know and go into hiding."

"Are you saying we should use our students as bait?" asked Toshinori with narrowed eyes. His mind brought up that accursed image of his successor impaled against the wall again and did his best to not let it affect him.

"Of course not," answered Nezu quickly with a frown. "Our students' safety from threats is our top priority. However, we don't have enough information and I don't want us jumping the gun that could backfire on us. For all we know, they might want us to increase security so that other places become more vulnerable. And we cannot risk that either."

"Then what do you suggest we do, Nezu?" asked Chiyo.

"We shall be extra vigilant from now on. As I said before, Higari and I will update the security system tonight after the dorm system check. It'll probably take a few days at the very least though. And I've already informed our trusted contacts in the police department of the situation and they're ready to go at a moment's notice."

"Okay. I guess that's not bad," commented Ectoplasm.

"What do we do in case of an emergency or something comes up?" asked Higari.

"First step is to try and establish contact with each other so we'll all know what's going on. If you're with students, escort them to the nearest safe area. Once done or you're by yourself, rendezvous with the one who made the initial call if possible or regroup near them to help them out. And if we aren't able to communicate for any reason, we'll regroup to the closest emergency safe spot. Any questions?"

"Nope. We got it," replied Hizashi.

"Good. Hopefully we won't need to use any of this but better to be prepared." His staff agreed by nodding or vocally saying so. "Oh, while we're here, we might as well get an update." Nezu turned his gaze towards Toshinori. "What's Midoriya's status? I heard he was released from the hospital earlier today by Chiyo and Nemuri."

A smile grew on Toshinori's face. "Oh, everything's going well actually," he answered, making a few in the room smile as well. "I'd say he's fit as a fiddle and ready to come back. He's anxious to finally join his fellow first years."

"I see." Nezu turned towards the elderly nurse. "Is he cleared to join us?"

Chiyo didn't answer immediately. Instead, she took in a breath before exhaling it out. "I can't lie. Normally, I would've said to wait until next week at the minimum for him to attend UA after what he's been through. Even with the incredible and lucky healing. But I have to admit, that he's as healthy as he can be. If he wants, he can finally attend starting tomorrow."

Nodding in agreement, Nezu faced Toshinori. "There you have it. Our resident nurse gave her approval. Bring Midoriya with you tomorrow before lunch the latest but to me first."

"Nezu?"

Seeing the questioning look on his face, Nezu chuckled. "I have my reasons for wanting that but one such reason is about the little girl. Did you forget about Eri?"

His eyes widened. "Oh right! Eri."

"Who's Eri?" asked Snipe for many of them.

"The little girl that Midoriya saved and in the process of it, got injured to the point that he had to be absent from my class for several days until he recovered. And I had to visit him a couple times to check on his status and used my quirk on the girl a few times as well because she can't control her quirk at all," explained Shota with a clearly annoyed tone.

"Oh," remarked Sekijiro before he suddenly understood and then spoke a little loudly. "Wait, that's the fourth problem child you were talking about, wasn't it?! The one who you said was the worst one of them all and that you should expel him just for making you miss out on sleep!"

Shota was about to say something when he and everyone else felt it. A very hostile feeling began applying pressure onto them all. The underground hero could barely move his gaze to the source that was causing it. And when he locked eyes with that person, he felt fear fill him as it never did before.

Toshinori was angered over what he heard, though he was able to keep his fury in check since he knew Shota's personality and obsession with sleep. And a part of him knew that the class 1A teacher only said things out of annoyance or frustration and that he would only continue with his threat if he had to.

But as furious as he was, Toshinori was nowhere near as angered as Nemuri was, who was absolutely livid. The R-rated pro heroine would not stand for such things to happen to her precious and innocent Izuku. She had learned a great deal about the young man in just a few months of assisting in training him and helping him get over his social anxieties that he's still learning to get over.

Sure, she has fun doing so with her teasing antics. But he had also helped her in ways that she was unable to explain. And after knowing about the things he had gone through in his life, especially just recently, she had made a vow that she would do all she could to help him and protect him.

Glaring at Shota with a rather frightening look, Nemuri stood up and slowly made her way towards the underground hero who didn't move an inch. Stopping in front him, she crossed her arms over her chest, learned forward and growled out the following words after locking eyes with him. "I don't care what he did…I don't care how much sleep you lose because of it…Izuku Midoriya will not get expelled over that or anything else related to that. And you will treat him with respect. Or you'll get a lot worse than before. Am. I. Clear?!"

Shota was unable to look away from the intimidating and furious dominatrix in front of him. There were only a few things that scared him and the woman in front of him was one of them. He didn't want to deal with her anger again. And that reminded him that he still needs to get All Might back for throwing him under the bus. He'd have to wait for that though. Unable to do anything else, he slowly nodded.

"Good." The pressure she was releasing was suddenly lifted and Nemuri moved back to her seat. Sitting down, her arms remained crossed over her chest but she also crossed her legs as well and stared straight ahead of her.

Seeing that everything was settled, Nezu wisely moved things along. "As I was saying, we should have Eri along with him. As far as I've seen and been informed of, Eri is still quite attached to Midoriya and would probably not be able to leave his side for so long without relapsing. Even if it's not much progress she has made, every little bit helps and we shouldn't allow her to go backwards if we can help it. And so, I suggest you bring Eri with Midoriya to me first so I can explain some things to them at the same time and we can go from there. Plus, I believe spending more time with her will allow me to figure out her quirk completely and in turn, help her in using it properly."

"I see. If that's the case, then Inko should come as well."

"Who's Inko and why?" asked Anan.

"Midoriya's mother and Eri has become a little comfortable with her too," answered Toshinori.

"Splendid," remarked Nezu. "That should make things far easier for what I have planned."

"Which is?" asked Hizashi.

"I don't want to spoil things but you twisted my arm," remarked Nezu with that smile showing on his face again. "Once they arrive here, I wish to speak with them and see how they're getting along. Then, I will inform them of a few possible choices for Midoriya's dorm, options for Eri and perhaps even his mother Inko. We'll go over some things and if all goes well, we'll have Izuku join his class after lunch."

"You mean during the rescue training we have planned for tomorrow?" asked Anan.

"Correct."

"Is that wise?" spoke up Sekijiro, drawing attention to him again and he continued after a second. "The rescue training will be difficult and nerve wracking. Our students barely know each other and barely able to work together at the moment. They'll probably be weary of him and not want to work with him during such an important and hard training session. Don't you think it'll be a little harsh for us to basically throw him into the fire like that?"

"You may have a point. But isn't a hero supposed to be able to overcome hardships?" questioned Nezu.

"Yeah, that's…true. But they're still students, not pro heroes. We're supposed to help them out. Not just throw them to the wolves. Won't it be better to have him join next week on Monday as a fresh start for everyone?"

"I understand what you're saying and thank you for thinking about young Midoriya's well being," spoke up Toshinori, answering for Nezu instead and they all looked at him. "But he'll do just fine and in fact, I believe he'll exceed your expectations."

Sekijiro let out a sigh. "I know that you have some special interest in that young man from what I've gathered but even so I…"

"Don't worry about it." Sekijiro stopped talking when he was interrupted by Nemuri. He turned his gaze and locked his sight with hers. "My Izuku can handle anything thrown at him especially after everything he's been through in his life. I guarantee it."

Hearing Nemuri say that with such conviction in her voice shocked many of them. They couldn't believe it since they had never before heard the woman compliment anyone in such a way before. And what baffled them even more was how she said 'my Izuku'. They realized how she must be harboring some sort of strong affection for the young man and wondered if there was anything going on between them.

Toshinori, Chiyo and Nezu however knew the reasons behind Nemuri's words and actions. They didn't comment on it or become surprised. One of them smiled over it. The second rolled their eyes. And the third just remained quiet for a moment.

Nezu cleared his throat and attention went back to him. "Well, there you have it. Midoriya will join his fellow first years during heroics class tomorrow after lunch. And there shouldn't be a problem since there'll be more than enough set of eyes to watch over him and the other students. Right?" Shota, Sekijiro, Anan, Nemuri and Toshinori all agreed by either nodding or voicing their agreement. "Good. Any important updates any of you wish to share at this moment?"

"I might have some things but I'll let you know next week. Gonna use the next couple of days to confirm what I've learned about my students," said Sekijiro.

"I see. And what about you Shota?"

"The same as Vlad."

"Anything else?" No one said anything. "Alright then. You're all dismissed. Have a good day." His staff got up and began leaving one by one. When he was finally alone, Nezu closed his eyes and brainstormed about the next steps that should be taken regarding everything. He wasn't allowed to ponder over it much since a sudden email ping caught his attention and he shifted his attention to his computer screen. "Oh, I wonder who remembered me this time…"

Chuckling a little, Nezu opened his email program and saw who it was sent from. Reading the email, his eyes widened a bit and though he became angered, he controlled himself. He had to admit that this was a possible and somewhat smart move that he should've anticipated. However, Nezu was slightly surprised over it because he didn't think that the former sidekick would do something so rash.

After he finished reading the email, Nezu leaned back in his chair and shook his head. "Oh Nighteye…you really have fallen so far. Of all the things to do, this is by far one of the stupidest things you could've done to try and convince Toshi. I wonder though…will the HPSC actually see the advantage we have and be able to do things right this time? Or will they end up messing things up even more? Just like with those two..." Nezu took in a breath. "Well, either way…Nighteye, you have completely obliterated any remaining chance of reconciliation. And you also made an enemy of me too now."

Nezu contacted the number one hero and informed him of this new complication. Hearing the anger in the hero's voice, Nezu told him to remain calm. He also told him that he's already working on a plan and told Toshinori to contact the HPSC and request an emergency meeting. Along with that, he told him to not do anything else for the moment and to go to Might Tower for the time being in case they had someone tailing him until he contacted him again. Though Toshinori had plans to go visit his successor again, he reluctantly agreed and ended the call from the other end of the line.

After the phone call, Nezu kept his eyes locked onto the screen as he came up with many plans and contingencies to deal with this new predicament. After some time, Nezu took in a long breath before exhaling it out. Grabbing the tea cup in front of him, he took a long sip before setting the cup down. "Oh Nighteye…you're gonna regret this decision for the rest of your life. And that's without me getting involved. But with my touches, you'll end up being haunted by it too. But don't worry. You won't be alone with that. Since I'll make sure that you'll have company to share with your misery. Especially if they don't take my offer."

A manic glint was shown in Nezu's eyes with that eerie smile planted on his face. For the principal of UA won't tolerate government involvement with his students. Even if it is the HPSC. For they have no business interfering with the way he ran things, his students' lives or in the lives of the ones they love and want to protect. Nezu swore that the HPSC putting their crosshairs onto the successor of the number one hero and the young girl that he just recently saved would become their biggest mistakes in their entire history of existence…

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"So yeah, I told the girls in my class. What about you?"

"Nah, didn't have the chance since everyone went home to get things ready. I'll tell them tomorrow."

"The sooner the better."

"Yeah, I know. I don't want Mina to get hurt."

"Mina? Oh wait, that's the pink haired and pink skinned girl from your class right? The one you talk about all the time."

"Yeah, that's her. I just hope she listens cause she can get pretty stubborn sometimes."

"Ah, I gotcha. And don't worry bro. You two have been friends for a long time, right? She'll listen."

"Yeah, I hope so man," he replied back before sighing.

"Oh, did you talk to Bakubro yet about confirming the schedule?"

"I hit'em up earlier but he said he was busy and hung up without waiting for me to say anything."

"Heh. Sounds like him."

Silence for a couple seconds. "Hey Tetsu…"

"Yeah? What's up Kiribro?"

Eijiro let out a sigh. "I was wondering…do you…do you think…" The doorbell rang suddenly and Eijiro looked towards the door and then at the clock in the living room. "Oh shit, I think it's the movers. I gotta go bro."

"Alright dude. We'll catch up tomorrow since mine should be here soon too. Remember to tell them and we gotta start on our training."

"Got it and we will, for sure."

"Cool. Later bro."

"See ya bro."

Hanging up the phone, Eijiro slipped his cell phone into his shorts pocket while making his way to the door. Opening it, he saw four people dressed in grey clothes with UA's symbol on the right side of their chests. "Hey guys. Thanks for this."

"No problem and you're welcome. It's our job," said the one closest to him. "Is your stuff ready?"

"Yup." Turning to the side, Eijiro pointed to the three stacks of boxes that were placed against the wall. "It's just that. Heads up, the last stack is kinda heavy."

"Thanks for the tip." He glanced back at his crew. "Alright, you heard him boys. Let's get to work." Facing forward, he lead the way inside and the four of them started re-taping the boxes with special UA brand tape before picking up the boxes. Eijiro went to help them but the one he spoke with, waved him away. "No. It's our job and we're paid for this. Plus, Nezu will know."

Eijiro was stunned. "Really? Is Principal Nezu really all that?"

"He's respected and feared for several reasons," spoke up another that started walking out the door.

"Yeah kid. Don't ever get on his bad side and piss him off," said the first worker.

Eijiro didn't say anything for a moment. Until he decided to just go with what they said. "Alright. Thanks for the tip."

"No problem."

After that short exchange, they didn't say much else to one another. The movers didn't take long at all and soon enough they finished taking Eijiro's packed up belongings. Before they left, they showed an itemized invoice that had a list of the amount of boxes they took and noted that they were sealed in front of him with UA's special tape. Signing it and receiving a copy for his records, the lead man said his farewells and left.

"Well, that didn't take long. Probably have to move fast since they're picking up everyone's stuff today," remarked Eijiro out loud to himself. Looking at the receipt, he then moved to his room and put it in his desk drawer. Afterwards, he went to his bed and plopped onto it with his back. "Man, I'm beat…"

It was then that he suddenly remembered the essay he had to write. "Uugghh…" After letting out a disgruntled groan, Eijiro didn't feel like doing the essay at all. Knowing he should but not in the mood, he pulled out his cell phone and looked at the time. Hmm…Mom and Dad won't be home for another hour or so. I'll just chill until they get home, have dinner with them and then I'll start on it.

After making that plan, he was about to put away his phone when an image of his childhood friend appeared in his mind. Opening up his contacts, the first page on it was his favorites and at the top of the list was a picture of her while winking and sticking out her tongue at him. Smiling to himself, he wondered if he should give her call. We haven't really talked since starting UA and it's been three days...

Lost in thought, he didn't realize his thumb was hovering over her picture when he accidently pressed it. Hearing the call connect and it start to ring in the dead silence of the room, he realized what he just did. Out of shock, he hurriedly ended the call and let the phone drop onto his chest. Covering his face with his arms, he let out a frustrated sound. I hope that didn't go through but…damn it…what am I doing?

He was about to mentally chastise himself some more when his phone rang. Sitting up quickly, his action caused his phone to fall down onto the floor. "Shit!" He reached for it and ended up falling off the bed himself. Hitting the floor shoulder first, he ignored the pain as he reached for his phone. Grabbing it, he looked at the screen and his eyes widened. Quickly picking up the phone, he brought it to his ear as he spoke. "H-Hey, how's it g-goin?"

"Hey Kiri."

Hearing her speaking in her usual cheery voice made his heart skip a beat. "Hey! So what's up? What do you need?"

"Uh, you called me," replied Mina with a confused tone.

"W-What? No, no..."

"Uh, yea you did. You hung up pretty quickly too."

"R-Really? I did?" replied Eijiro, thinking quickly to come up with some sort of believable excuse and he said the first thing that came to mind. "My bad. It must've been a butt dial or something."

On the other end of the line, Mina's eyebrows rose. "Uh-huh. Sure. Well, if that's the case, I guess we'll just talk later then."

"W-Wait, hold up!" said Eijiro quickly.

"Yeah?"

"Since we're already on the phone, we might as well catch up," suggested Eijiro.

"Hmm, well, if somebody wasn't hanging around with some asshole, then maybe we wouldn't have to catch up," remarked Mina with an accusing tone.

Sitting up on the floor, Eijiro leaned against his bed with his back. He let out a sigh before talking. "Mina, you know I didn't mean to do that. We just got busy. UA is nothing like we thought it'd be. We were both busy and I'm pretty sure both of us were tired as hell. Plus, we were both trying to make new friends. If I'm not holding that against you, why are you holding it against me?" he asked her with a slightly saddened tone of voice.

No sound for a few seconds before he heard her let out a sigh of her own. "Okay, yeah. That was unfair. I'm sorry Kiri."

He smiled a bit. "It's alright Mina. So, how are things for you so far?" he asked her.

"Well, everything's awesome for the most part."

"What do you mean?"

"Girl drama."

"Oh…you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good. It's a couple others actually."

Eijiro thought for a bit before saying something that was on his mind. "Is that why Ya…Yaoyo…"

"Yaoyorozu."

"Yeah, her. Thanks! Is that why she's distancing herself from everyone besides that Todoroki guy?"

"Yeah but there's a lot behind that."

"Damn. Must be pretty complicated and bad then."

"Yeah…" Mina bit her lip on the other end of the line to prevent herself from blurting everything out to her childhood friend. Instead, she quickly came up with something else to say. "So, anyway, besides that, things are going well. Made friends with the other girls in our class and with the girls in 1B as you saw when you ran into us at the cafe."

"Yeah and that's awesome! Same here! Shishida and Tetsu from 1B are pretty cool and tough. We're already working on a training schedule. And Bakubro will be with us like I told ya before and I was thinking of getting Ojiro, Kaminari and a few others to join us too." Mina stayed silent as he spoke and he took a quick breath before continuing on. "And hey, you and the girls should come too! It'll be fun and we can help each other get stronger and better! We can even work on the stuff they told us to from the trials!"

Mina didn't immediately reply. Instead, she made a humming sound as if she was thinking. After a few seconds, she finally answered. "Sure, I think that'll be fun! Especially with the girls there too!"

"Awesome! I'm pretty sure that…"

"As long as the asshole doesn't come."

Mina's statement that interrupted his words made Eijiro go silent at once. He knew who she was talking about. "Mina…that's not nice."

"What?!"

Eijiro moved the phone away from his ear because of Mina's high pitch tone. Bringing the phone closer, he replied back. "I know he could be a hothead but he's not that bad."

He couldn't see it, but Mina had a dumbfounded look form on her face before she replied back. "Are you serious?! He insults everyone around him, acts like he's the biggest badass around, he was talking down to you and he was rude to me!"

"Ah c'mon Mina, he doesn't really mean it. He's just trying to help us in his own way. And he's focused on becoming a hero so it's very admirable and…"

"No!" snapped Mina, making Eijiro go quiet while an uneasy feeling began to slowly fill him from her tone of voice. "I don't know what the hell you're on, but you need to stop being so stupid and wake up! Bakugo's an asshole and treats everyone horribly! You're following him around and acting like his damn groupie! Stop hanging out with him! He's a bully Kiri!"

Eijiro wasn't sure what was happening right now but he was also starting to get a little angry. Never had his childhood friend ever spoken to him like this. Even when he did other stupid stuff, she was never like this with him. And she never insulted others or him before either. But something changed and he wasn't sure from what. Even so, he wouldn't just take it lying down. Not even from his childhood friend. "Hey, I know I'm not perfect and I've made mistakes before but that doesn't mean you can talk to me like this!"

On the other end of the line, Mina realized she was letting things affect her too much. She took in a deep breath and exhaled it out slowly to calm down. "Kiri, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have insulted you. But you have to see that he's a bully and if you're not careful, he's gonna turn you into one too!"

"What, don't think I can take care of myself or smart enough to notice things? Is that it?" he asked with his anger starting to show in his tone of voice. Not only that, but it was starting to cloud his judgment.

"No Kiri, it's just…"

"Just nothing!" shot Eijiro, interrupting her and Mina was shocked into silence. "I know what I'm doing! I'm not stupid! I can see who's bad and who's not! If anything, you're the one who needs to wake up!"

Hearing those words made Mina snap out of it and she started getting angry too. "What?! I'm not the one who's blindly believing everything from someone else!"

"Oh yeah? What about you?! How's it different with that Midoriya guy?!" he growled.

Mina's heart skipped a beat. "M-Midoriya? What does this have to do with him?"

"Apparently everything! Ever since you were saved by that green haired guy, you've been acting weird. And that's his name isn't it? Bakubro told me and the other guys about him. And that's when I figured it out when he described how he looked. Midoriya is the one who saved us back at the supermarket and ever since then, you've changed! You've been thinking about him all this time, haven't you?!"

Mina's anger came rushing back to her defense over his accusation and tone. "And what if I have?! What's wrong with thinking about the one who saved you?" she countered back.

"Nothing if it's just gratitude!"

"And what's that supposed to mean?!"

Eijiro however ignored that question. "Look, all I wanted to tell you is that Bakubro told us about that guy and it's not good!"

"Oh, that's great! An asshole saying someone else is a bad person! Don't you see the irony in that?!"

"Mina, you have to understand! That guy is bad news. Bakubro told us about his nasty behaviors last night and I didn't have a chance to tell you till now. He said…" And so, Eijiro told Mina everything that the blonde bombardier told him about this Izuku Midoriya. When he was done, Eijiro stayed quiet for a bit. A little bit later, he spoke again. "Mina?"

Eijiro didn't know but on the other end of the line, Mina was at a loss. Multiple different emotions had sprung up and filled her to the point that she didn't know what to think or feel about all this. Is…is this all true? Could he really be as bad as Bakugo says he is? How…how can I find out the truth? What do I do? It was at that point that she remembered something and an image formed in her mind. She let out a gasp that made her childhood friend ask if everything was okay but she didn't hear it.

It was her green haired savior holding up the broken pillar while giving her a reassuring smile with his eyes twinkling with strength and compassion.

Seeing that image in her mind, Mina remembered what her friends told her. How he saved Ochaco during the entrance exams. How he helped out Kyoka and her family with a delivery. How he prevented Momo from becoming a plaything for villains. How he helped Tsuyu's sister find her. How he got hurt by a terrible villain while protecting a little girl from what Kyoka overheard from All Might's voicemail and told them. And that's not to mention what he did for her and Kiri…

Back with Eijiro, he was starting to worry since Mina had been silent for a long time and didn't answer his question. No sound and the line was still connected. Maybe I should've waited till tomorrow to tell her? He was about to say something when he heard chuckling. And it soon turned into full blown laughter. "Mina?" he asked with confusion and concern coating his tone of voice.

Mina laughed for a little while longer before finishing up and replied to him. "Wow. I just…I can't believe it…I almost fell for it."

"What do you mean? Mina, I…"

"Don't even start Kiri," interrupted Mina in a rarely used serious tone of voice. Hearing that tone was enough to make Eijiro freeze and remain quiet. "I can't believe you. You were there. You saw how he risked his life for us. And you heard Ochaco say how he saved her. And he also saved Yaoyorozu from some villains who wanted to do things to her, helped Tsu's sister find her family and helped out Kyoka's family with a delivery!"

"W-What?" Eijiro was surprised over everything he just learned and he couldn't believe it. "He…helped them…too?"

"Yeah, he did!" snapped Mina, her anger getting to her. "So tell me, would the kind of person that Bakugo described do any of that?! Would someone as disgusting as he says he is…someone who does all those nasty and horrible things…would someone like that do such heroic things for complete random strangers and not ask for anything in return?!"

"Um…I-I…"

"Well?!"

"I-I…don't know…"

"Seriously?!" Mina's frustration and anger was starting to get to her to the point that her eyes were starting to become watery. "You say you can think for yourself and can notice things yourself! Yet you can't figure out that your so called new friend is lying out his ass! And I don't know why, but you can't see him for the bully that he is! You believe that asshole over what you've seen with your own eyes and your best friend!"

"Well, how do I know that the girls aren't lying about what he did?! It's basically just he said, she said!" argued Eijiro.

"You idiot!" snapped Mina angrily, making Eijiro move the phone away from his ear again but he could still hear her as she continued speaking. "Girls don't make up stories like that about a guy saving or helping her! And how would five different girls who never met before coming to UA talk about the same guy around their age with green hair and freckles?! Explain that!"

"I don't know alright! But there has to be an explanation! And we'll figure it out! I just don't want you to get hurt by an asshole!" replied Eijiro as he brought the phone closer to his ear.

"Oh, really?! Well, that's both ironic and funny!"

"It's true! And what's that supposed to mean?!"

"Oouf, never mind! Just listen to me and believe me Kiri! Not that asshole!"

"I want to okay?! But it just doesn't make sense! If you and the girls are telling the truth…and Bakubro's telling the truth…then what's going on? Did someone get tricked? Is there someone else who looks like this guy? Or if its all lies, then who's lying?!"

"We can't both be telling the truth Kiri and there's no way to trick doing the stuff that he did! And you've seen how that asshole treats others and behaves! More than likely he's jealous and wants to spread rumors! He's a bully! But if you can't figure it out when it's staring you right in the face with more than enough proof that we're right and he's wrong, then you're an idiot Kiri!"

Anger and frustration filled Eijiro completely over her words and overtook his senses. Before he knew it, he was yelling. "Well then, if I'm such an idiot, what does that make you huh?! You were friends with this idiot all your life! And the one time I don't go along with what you say, you start calling me names! If you ask me, you're the one who sounds like a bully here!"

He couldn't see her face right now but Mina had a shell-shocked expression form on her face with her eyes letting out tears now. She hated bullies and to be called one herself was a colossal insult to her. "Kiri, how could you say that to me? You know I don't really mean those words! It's just my frustration! But how co-"

"I don't wanna hear it!" interrupted Eijiro, not letting her say anything. For the first time in his life, he was so angry with her that he just brought everything up that his mind was bringing forward without thinking. "You always mess with people, tease them, play games, spread gossip around and you always want things to go your way! You force things on others with your stupid shippings and stick your nose into other people's business too! And when things don't go your way, you start whining and bitchin! You call Bakugo an asshole because he speaks his mind?! Why? And why would he lie? What would he benefit from it? He's always been straight forward and never sugar coated things these past few days! I don't agree with everything he says but he's right that y'all shouldn't be so sensitive and emotional about things! And you know what, yeah I'm gonna believe him since he makes sense and he's got no reason to lie about this stuff! Especially when it's compared to some thirsty ass girls that fell for the first guy who did something nice for them!"

Finishing with his rant, Eijiro panted a little. He was waiting for Mina to counter back but the line stayed quiet. The silence dragged on from the other end of the line for a long time. Because of that, his anger faded away only to be replaced with worry as he realized that he probably went overboard. "M-Mina?" he said in concern.

Silence. "Mina…I'm sorry." No answer. "Seriously, I'm sorry Mina." Again, there was no answer. "Mina, please say something. I'm really sorry. It's not an excuse but I'm just so confused, lost and frustrated. I don't wanna assume things but I don't wanna stand around and do nothing when it involves someone I care about. Even if it's not true what Bakugo said, I still had to warn you and want you to be careful cause I don't want you getting hurt by some asshole."

Finished with his words, he waited for a bit but again no answer and that made him become filled with an awful feeling. "Mina…please say something."

A few more seconds of silence went by and then he heard her take in a breath before she finally answered him. "I appreciate the concern. But you're too late because I was hurt. Just now and not by just anyone. But by the one who I thought would never hurt me. Who I believed would be beside me through thick and thin. Who knew when I was just teasing and joking before he became brainwashed. Who knows that I rarely get upset and don't really mean my insults when I'm upset. And this person was someone that I…that I had…some feelings for…" She didn't continue but started sniffling as if to hold off from crying.

When Eijiro heard those final words and the sniffling through the call, his heart sunk into his stomach and he started shaking slightly. "I…Mina…look...I…made a mistake. And…you know I'd never hurt you intentionally. I-I'm so sorry. I'll do anything to make it up to you. Just give me a chance. And, I should've told you this earlier but part of the reason I went crazy is because I care about you so much cause I also have fee-"

"Stop!" snapped Mina, silencing him at once. "I...I…" She started crying and right when Eijiro wanted to say something to try and make her feel better, she spoke again. "I can't…I just can't…it's broken…"

Eijiro's heart started thumping so loudly he could hear it in his ears. "Mina…I'm sorry. Whatever's broken between us…I swear I'll fix it!"

"It…it won't be…the same…"

"Mina…please…I'll-"

"I'm gonna go…"

"No, wait! Mina, I…"

"I can't talk to you right now. Goodbye Kiri…s-shima."

Eijiro couldn't believe it. She had never said his full last name and he felt as if someone just ripped out his heart when she said it with such a sullen tone. "What?! No! Wait! Mina! Please, I-"

*CLICK*

"Mina?! MINA!" Moving the phone so he could see the screen, he saw the call was ended. He hurried to call her back. It rang a few times before it was picked up. "Mina! Look I-"

"I s-said…I d-don't wanna t-talk right now."

*CLICK*

He called her back immediately and she picked up again. "Please don't hang up! I fucked up okay?! Please, I'll do anything to fix things! Anyth-"

*CLICK*

"No…no no no no no…" He called again and after just a couple rings, it went to voicemail. "NO!" He hung up and tried calling her again. This time it went immediately to voicemail. "SHIT!" Hanging up again, he went into his text messages and wrote out a text message, apologizing and asking her to call him back. Sending the text, he watched as the screen showed that the message was being sent. "C'mon! C'mon! Get there already!" Unfortunately, his wish did not come true since a notification popped up that the message failed to deliver. "WHAT?!"

Moving back to his contacts, he tried calling her again. But instead of ringing or going directly to voicemail, he was greeted with something else.

"The number you have dialed has been changed, disconnected or no longer in service. Please check the number and try again."

His eyes widening and his heart starting to beat like crazy, he couldn't believe it. "No…s-she…blocked me?!" He hung up the call and immediately tried it again.

"The number you have dialed has been changed-"

"No! Please…Mina…" He hung up and tried calling her again.

"The number you have reached-"

He tried again.

"The number-"

"FUCK!" yelled Eijiro while becoming lost in a whirlwind of emotions.

And in that moment of feeling rage, sadness, disbelief and frustration, he chucked his phone against the wall with all his strength. Colliding against that wall, his phone broke into a dozen pieces but he didn't care. He let out an emotional scream filled with his despair, anger and frustration.

When he finally finished, he let himself drop onto the floor in a depressed heap. His head was hung with legs spread out in front of him and his arms hung loosely against his sides. His throat hurt from his long scream but he ignored it. None of that mattered to him right now. The only thing he was thinking about was how he just made the biggest mistake in his life and he had no idea as to how he could fix it.

Tears started pouring out from his eyes as the image of the girl who first became his childhood friend, then became his best friend and then became his crush, formed in his mind's eye. "Mina…"

---

Author's Notes - Ouch, no amount of hardening powers is gonna help Eijiro deal with that pain. So many things happening and another bad guy is starting his stuff. Let me know what you guys think as I do want to hear your thoughts and comments so remember to review, fav and follow!

Also, the next chapter, chapter 14, is already up for pa tre on members! I'd really appreciate it if you can become a member and if not, that's fine. You'll just have to wait longer to read. To become a member, just add /silentplayermc03 to the end of pa tre on's website.

Writing is still continuing for all of my stories but "Symbol" has been taking the main focus as of now because of all the ideas that are flowing through my head. If you're reading my other stories, I ask for a little more patience and I'll get them going again soon. Thanks!

Hope all is well, that I hear from you all and take care!

My Active Stories (Take a look!)

The Blue Spirit

Tale of the Forsaken

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Symbol