Here it is, the eighty-fifth full chapter of Miraculous Quirks released on the set day that I promised each week. This is a slightly different chapter in a lot of ways and is the first chapter in a while that is based off a chapter in one of the School Brief books, the fourth one in that series, which I felt like including because it is an interesting concept with a different look on things due to Marinette and Adrien's involvement of course. This isn't the only chapter in this arc that will use the fourth School Briefs book, there will be one more in a few chapters time, as that book really helped flesh out aspects of the School Festival that weren't really shown in the anime. That is all the administrative stuff I have for now though and as there are no review questions to answer or guest reviews to respond to I will end this note here. Do keep the reviews coming as I enjoy hearing from y'all. Now, though, it is time to sit back, relax, and enjoy the 85th full chapter of Miraculous Quirks.

Disclaimer: I do not own either of these great works of fiction.

Chapter 85: Different Perspective

Hitoshi Shinso grabbed the unused lumber that his class, Class 1-C in General Studies, said that they wouldn't need and began taking it to the trash deposit across campus. After that he'd swing by the classroom and pick up the paint one of his classmates needed for their class's event at the School Festival, a haunted house called the 'Labyrinth of Doom' that they were determined to be as scary as possible to make all the Hero Course students, as they so eloquently put it, piss their pants when they went through it.

As such the class as a whole was working as hard as they could on it, just as all the other classes and the clubs for those allowed to join them, were doing for their events for the School Festival. It was a little over halfway through the prep period and now they were getting permission to begin construction on booths or events that had to be done. Class 1-A's backstage team was busy working on the stage for their band, Class 1-B was making the props and scene settings for their play, and all the other classes their own things or preparing for other events like the Beauty Pageant.

For Shinso he was a little conflicted as he took the lumber to the trash and allowed his mind to wander for a moment while he walked. The reason for this sudden melancholy moment was that Shinso was reflecting on how this might be his only School Festival with his friends in Class 1-C as a few days ago he'd formally submitted his transfer request to move from General Studies to the Hero Course. If he succeeded in transferring into Class 1-B then he'd no longer be with the friends he'd made this year.

Shinso had known growing up that his Brainwashing Quirk, while powerful, wasn't the most reassuring one to exist out there and not seen as the most heroic or suited for hero work given what it allowed him to do. Still, Shinso had always wanted to be a hero and use his power for good, so he'd pursued that dream by applying to U.A. as it was the best out there. Sure, some of the lower ranked schools like Ketsubutsu would be easier to get into and might not have entrance exams that weren't great for Quirks like Shinso's, but he wanted to go to U.A. even if the chances were low that he'd pass the entrance exam.

That was confirmed to him when he took and failed said entrance exam for the Hero Course as the test did not allow him to show off what his Quirk could do seeing as it didn't work on robots. He had heard since coming to U.A. that there were hidden points in the exam that weren't related to the robots and one student had gotten in by scoring the maximum on them with no points for defeating robots, Shinso's gut told him that that kid was Midoriya if the rumors were true, but he'd clearly missed that thus failing the test.

As such he'd also applied to the General Studies course knowing he had the grades to get into it and with enough hard work and a good showing at the Sports Festival he'd get a chance at transferring into the Hero Course after his first year. What he hadn't expected when he'd gone to declare his intentions to Class 1-A before the Sports Festival was that French girl telling him that there were two open spots for transfer candidates in Class 1-B as he'd expected to be taking one of the spots of the current course hence why he'd gone to make his declaration.

Shinso had of course looked into it, and the two French transfer or exchange students, he wasn't sure what they were classified as, and it was true, there were two open spots in Class 1-B for General Studies students. It was done from time to time when the transfer program was used for foreign, mainly American and European, students who wished to be educated at U.A. and met the various requirements. Those were more than just a fluency in Japanese of course but also a level of skill on par with recommended students as they got in via some sort of recommendation system.

That had been displayed to Shinso during the Sports Festival when he'd gotten through the first round. He knew that based on years prior there'd be two spots more than Hero Course students to allow for others to shine from General Studies and he'd put on a good show ending up in 29th place which was in the lower half of the pack but ahead of several in the Hero Course.

Interestingly the other spot a non-Hero Course student got went to some insane pink haired Support Course girl meaning that she had to be a prodigy but that wasn't really relevant to Shinso. He'd made it and then had to advance to the final tournament to really show off his abilities on a stage where they'd shine the brightest because in one-on-one combat, so long as his foe answered him, no one could best Shinso, or at least he'd thought that.

His initial plan to get to that tournament had been to scout out the Hero Course and select three stragglers who looked strong, brainwash them, then hide until the end and sneak into the top 16 that way by brainwashing those who he could in the final 5 minutes or so. It was a good plan and one that he knew would work but in the end it wasn't the one that he ended up going with.

That was because the French girl who'd told him of the open spots in Class 1-B, Dupain-Cheng he'd learned was her name when he'd looked into her, had already scouted him out after his declaration and made a deal with him. She'd form the team using her boyfriend and the other transfer student Agreste and a classmate who was coincidentally half French in Yuga Aoyama while he was the rider and in charge of getting the headbands.

Dupain-Cheng had proposed this because she'd learned of Shinso's Quirk and saw how it could be used to advance. He couldn't really fault her logic and plan, so he went with it. It was basically what he wanted only she'd be the one dictating where they went and who to go after and boy had it worked.

They'd easily come second in the Cavalry Battle by just waiting for the right moment to get the headbands from some of the Class 1-B teams that had gotten stuck by Todoroki's ice and then go after Tetsutetsu and his team to ensure that they would advance and stick it to Class 1-B in the process. The whole thing had really helped Shinso, and his Quirk stand out.

Yes he'd failed against Midoriya in the tournament when the boy did the unexpected and broke Shinso's Brainwashing, but he'd almost won that and that meant a lot, especially given that Midoriya was now considered one of the best in the course. Hell, Shinso should have won it but for Midoriya breaking his hold, something no one had done before without outside contact, though that had annoyed Shinso.

Still, his performance had been good enough to set the ball rolling on the transfer to the Hero Course. He knew that the gap between him and those in the Hero Course was vast and that he had to work on his own to improve his Quirk, but he had a dream, and he was driven to achieve it. He'd even begun to get help from Mr. Aizawa, Class 1-A's teacher, as the man clearly saw his potential and felt some kinship to him likely due to the nature of how their Quirks only worked on humans. Shinso planned to not let that go to vain and fight as hard as he could when the time came to prove himself.

He also knew that he wasn't the only transfer candidate. Thankfully, there was only one more, some kid in Class 1-D who'd come 45th in the first event thus just missing out but who's water-based Quirk had apparently gotten noticed by Vlad King, Class 1-B's homeroom teacher, so he too was applying not that Shinso cared. There were two spots up for grabs and he was going to try and get one of them no matter what.

There was just one problem, he hadn't told the rest of his Class about it. Sure, they knew that he wanted to transfer, he'd made that clear back before the Sports Festival when he'd announced his intentions to Class 1-A, and his top 16 showing was damned impressive for a General Studies student, but he'd not told them he'd put the paperwork in already. Honestly, he was scared to tell them because if he passed the test to transfer he'd not be their classmate anymore and he didn't know how they'd react and that worried him.

As the negative thoughts filled his head, Shinso stopped and shook his head to clear it of such thoughts. He took a deep breath of the cool autumn air and looked up at the clear blue sky as he centered himself. He knew that shouldn't dwell on this, there would be plenty of time later to do so. He had to make the most of the rest of his time in Class 1-C, he had to have the mentality that he'd pass if he was to secure a transfer into the Hero Course, and as such focus on their haunted house. It was going to be his only School Festival with them so he was going to make it the best damned festival event he could.

With a new resolve, Shinso got back to his job of taking the lumber to the trash heap behind the school. As he walked he heard snippets of what the other classes were doing or talking about that he only idly noted.

It was mundane stuff like how the teacher shaped balloons were positions, spelling mistakes on signs, how much money the food stalls would bring in and other business models from the Business Course students, Class 1-A's band or concert thing, the debate between Kenranzaki and Hado for the Beauty Pageant crown as the former went for a rare three-year sweep and whether Momo Yaoyorozu would be in it to challenge Itsuka Kendo, the fact that the teachers weren't doing anything this year, and the like. It was normal School Festival babble, but it helped keep Shinso's dark thoughts at bay as he rounded the main building to the trash collection spot and came face to face with an enormous dragon near it.

If Shinso wasn't already working to keep a poker face he would have jumped at the sight of the dragon, it was huge and incredibly detailed for sure, and he was slightly amazed by it. When he saw Neito Monoma, Yosetsu Awase and Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu working hard on it and talking about how realistic it should be, Monoma was insistent that it be very realistic, he remembered that Class 1-B was doing a play, so the dragon was being made for that.

Shinso didn't know much about it other than that it was some unique piece that combined the surviving fragments of several pre-Quirk era masterpieces, but it looked like they were really going all out for it so it might be a good play. He'd have to make a mental note of it and see if he had the time to swing by it during its performance though his own class's event and his role in it naturally came first.

With another shake of his head, Shinso continued on his path to the trash pile but kept an eye on the members of Class B as they worked and his ear open to what they were saying. These were who his new classmates would be if he got his transfer approved so he should observe them to see what kinds of people they were. They didn't seem a bad bunch though Monoma clearly had several screws lose as he laughed to the sky about how the dragon would devour Class 1-A. There might not be a cure for that guy though, so Shinso was going to be wary of him regardless.

If it wasn't for the clear open spots in Class 1-B for when they became 2-B then Shinso would have assumed he'd make it into Class 1-A given Aizawa's help with his training. Still, he would make sure that these people, even Monoma, were good classmates if the time came that he got to transfer into that class and kept a note of them as he dumped the lumber in the trash pile and moved on with his job to get the paint from Class 1-C's homeroom.

As if on cue, Shinso saw all the girls of Class 1-A except Kyoka Jiro and Momo Yaoyorozu practicing the dance for their own piece while several of the male members of the team, Minoru Mineta, Rikido Sato and Mezo Shoji if Shinso identified them correctly, taking a break nearby while the other members were likely elsewhere doing their own things for Class 1-A's event. Shinso decided to pause for a moment to observe and listen to them as they worked and chatted, they would be his fellow heroes one day so he figured it would be a good idea to observe them for a few moments.


The girls were just finishing up a practicing their latest moves with a focus on the harem moment of the dance where Mineta got his chance to shine during that part of the performance. As they were doing this, the pervert in question was getting into his latest gripe about the injustices he perceived that he was suffering, the beauty pageant.

"I'm going to send in a formal complaint, I'm serious." Mineta fumed to Shoji and Sato who were stuck listening to him. "We should have been told about it from the very start."

"Calm down Mineta." Shoji said with a sigh as the girls joined them. "There's a reason why Aizawa didn't tell you about it."

"Because he's Mineta." Mina said as the girls joined them. "That's reason enough not to tell him."

"But it's the beauty pageant, that should be required notice!" Mineta wailed. "Yaoyorozu could have been in it to represent us and worn even less than her costume so we would have won for sure."

"I heard that the pageant requires so much time that the girls in it, and their assistants as each girl gets one other girl from her class as an assistant, can't do anything else during the School Festival." Marinette said already wary of where anything with Mineta would go. "Momo told me the other day because Kendo was put into it by Monoma and now she can't help out her class's play despite being their class's rep."

Of course, Marinette knew this after a practice for the second song where Momo had let them know about the beauty pageant but still it was good to know that Aizawa hadn't told them about the pageant as it would have cost them two needed girls and Mineta would have caused issues by trying to sneak off to watch the preparations for it. Marinette herself was more intrigued by Class 1-B's play more because she actually knew the base material for their mashup so it would be interesting to see how they mixed it together and what had actually survived from her day regarding those works.

"But I could have still scoped it out." Mineta said miserably, which if he did would have probably earned him more trouble than he was normally in for his lecherous ways and confirmed Marinette's suspicious of his intentions regarding it. "I'm totally going to give Aizawa a piece of my mind for this clear failure as our teacher."

"Sure, you are." Mina said glaring at the pervert. "One look from him and you'll cower away in fear, maybe even wet yourself again."

"That was one time and there were extenuating circumstances there." Mineta said. "I don't do that normally and Mr. Aizawa wouldn't make me do it anyway."

"Mineta, he wasn't messing around when he justified it." Sato added. "Seeing as we took so long ourselves this would have only added to it he felt and Dupain-Cheng just pointed out an additional problem with it, losing two of the girls to it."

"Meh my idea was…" Mineta began.

"Highly inappropriate so leaving you out of the discussions wouldn't have been a big loss." Tsu said. "But I do agree with Mr. Aizawa, it was for the best."

"Besides, we've got our own thing to focus on." Mina said. "So, get up off your ass Mineta because it's time to incorporate you into this part of the dance."

"Yeah, this is your chance to shine." Ochaco said. "We're giving you this, so you'd better make it worth it."

"Well then show me, my lovely harem dancers." Mineta said with a grin and a lecherous look that made all of them shiver a little, especially those who were putting aside the fact that they were in love with other guys, and in Marinette's case actually dating Adrien, to allow for this. "I want to see what you are doing so I can approve of it."

"Fine but pay close attention." Mina said looking at the other girls. "Ladies, back up and get into position, Marinette if you would be so kind as to create something to represent Mineta so he can see how where he'd be in all this."

"Sure, it will be a useful visual effect." Marinette said as she held out her hand to the side and thought of her goal, something to demonstrate their dance.

There was a flash of pink in the air and then a Mineta sized doll landed on its feet on the ground. It had no bits so no gender and was just there for reference purposes though it did have the pattern of Marinette's PE kit as that was what she was wearing on it.

"Damn, I know I shouldn't be surprised but I always am by how useful Lucky Charm is." Mina said before clapping to get the other girls' attention. "Alright ladies, on three. One, two three."

With that they began to dance in rhythm based off the song that Jiro had written for it then one by one starting with Mina as she was the tallest and then Toru, Ochaco, Tsu, and lastly Marinette so that they were going in descending height order, well Toru was actually an inch shorter than Ochaco but with her being invisible it was better her between Ochaco and Mina. The one thing this had shown them was that Marinette was the smallest girl in the class which had surprised them given her larger than life impact on the class and formed a star.

Then in timing the four behind Marinette slid to the side while Marinette leapt up and backwards in a standing backflip to land behind the Mineta replica making a star around him to show it off. They finished it off with a dance around the doll, their arms pointed out to the crowd as the music would play. There was one more thing at the end, but they couldn't do that outside of the gym, so they were waiting for that to add it and as such they ended the dance to see how the three guys liked it.

It got a cheer from Sato and Shoji but not the man it was for in Mineta. It was a cute and charming routine that put Mineta in the spotlight and the girls at the same time and looked good, seriously having people like Dupain-Cheng who could move like that really added to it all. Alas the star himself was less than pleased with that.

"That's tame." Mineta said shaking his head. "You're my harem so try acting like it."

"You do realize that if you try anything I don't think there's a wall in the school tough enough to stop Adrien putting you through it." Marinette growled. "After I do so first that is, and he won't be weakening it with his Quirk either."

"I'll admit I am curious." Tsu said putting a finger on her chin. "How is a harem supposed to act anyway?"

"You're supposed to be in love with me and desperate for my attention so how about some wiggly, jiggly action and a little grinding." Mineta said lust filling his eyes. "And of course, you'll barely be wearing anything so really showing off the goods during the real thing, don't worry Dupain-Cheng, all harems have a flatter girl in them, so we can really get some skin on skin. Here, I'll give you a taste of…"

Mineta didn't finish as he'd suddenly lunged mid speech at Tsu to give her a demonstration of his plans, hands out in a groping action, when it happened. Tsu had just begun to send out her tongue to stop him, but she was too slow, far to slow, because one of them had acted a lot faster.

The moment Mineta called her flat, which she wasn't she was just smaller than the rest of the class except Jiro, and besides Adrien loved them regardless, Marinette was acting. She knew that giving Mineta a harem was a bad idea so now it was time to beat some sense into Mineta.

As such, she launched herself from her position at Mineta as he leapt, dismissing her item with a thought so she passed through where it had been and then as she reached him pulling her body up in midair and leaning back to execute a perfect bicycle kick into Mineta's chest as she flipped backwards. The force of the kick winded the pervert and launched him behind her and into the side of the school with a crash where he stuck to the wall upside down with his arms spread and eyes white.

She wasn't done as after the kick she pivoted her body in midair to land in a crouch with her left hand on the grass to steady herself, sliding a bit from her moment as she watch Mineta slam into the building and then pushed herself off the ground with enough force to shift the soil as she shot at Mineta again. As she moved, flashed of pink appeared on her left hand and her knees to protect her as she was about to come to a jarring stop herself and with her strength she might actually break something if she launched herself into a solid building at full speed.

Mineta had barely begun to slide half dazed down the building when she reached him and slammed her right forearm into his throat pinning him to the building as she reached it. Her left fist punched into the concrete base of the building and her knees hit it hard enough to jar her but otherwise she was fine thanks to her Quirk creating protection for her fist and knees. She then used the impact to get her feet under as she held a still upside down Mineta against the wall by his throat.

"You've been given this harem, don't abuse or waste it because we will just get rid of it if you try anything perverted." Marinette hissed in his face applying enough pressure to make it uncomfortable but not render him unconscious though he was clearly near that point anyway. "So don't try any of your pervy shit with us, got it."

"Yeah I'll be good, I promise." Mineta croaked out.

"Like we'd buy that, but this is for the class, so you'd better behave and if you do you'll get your little harem moment." Marinette said. "And remember, I am in charge of costumes, and I can assure you that they won't be skimpy."

"G, got it." Mineta said.

"Good." Marinette said as she let go and he fell to the ground, the balls on his head protecting him as he landed headfirst on the ground before he fell to the side to groan there. "Get up, we have work to do."

Mineta gasped on the ground for a moment as he recovered from his latest beating. He'd messed up, again. He loved the ladies and everything about them, this harem was a great idea, but, well, he had to contend with her. Dupain-Cheng, the one girl in the class that was very clearly off limits, the one who had a boyfriend and no doubt slept with him making Agreste on lucky bastard, but most of all she was the one girl he actually feared.

There was no debate for most of them, Marinette Dupain-Cheng was the strongest in the class when it came to combat, and she didn't hold back with Mineta as the other girls all congratulated her on her actions and the boys showed him no pity. He'd better watch himself while she was around as he got up to resume his practice because there was no way in hell that Mineta would ruin his harem moment.


Shinso just blinked at what he saw. Seriously, if Mineta kept this up he'd get expelled for sexual harassment one day for sure, and if not he might be killed by Dupain-Cheng or maybe one of the other girls. Shinso had seen that girl's skill first hand in the Cavalry Battle, she was one smart girl with a keen battlefield eye, sharp mind, and leadership skills for days. Hell, just watching her return to the other girls in her class as they congratulated her and swarmed her was enough to see that she was their leader as clear as day but all that paled in comparison to her combat ability.

When Shinso had looked into her, he'd been confused by the nature of her Quirk and even after seeing it in the Cavalry Battle he was still unsure how to gage it, but it was versatile and strong, that much he could tell. Then, when he saw her in the tournament and her epic semifinal bout against Todoroki where she took a beating second only to the one Midoriya had inflicted on himself the round before, also against Todoroki, and still pushed the half and half boy to the edge, well Shinso understood her talents by the end of that battle.

Clearly she'd upped her game since then as he'd barely been able to track her when she'd attacked Mineta there and the fact that she had punched a hole in the concrete showed her raw strength. He knew one thing, he was glad she was a hero student but if his transfer was a battle test then he didn't want to face her in the field, her Quirk alone was troublesome, but her strength was unreal as well. She would be a force as a pro and really hammered home the point to Shinso that he had a large gap to overcome if he got into the hero course for next year.

With yet another shake of his head Shinso walked away from it as the girls of Class 1-A resumed their practicing and went back to the school to get the paint from the classroom. Usually, the school was locked on a Sunday like today, but it was the festival prep period, so it wasn't and as such he was able to walk in and head to his classroom. As he was making his way there though, he heard voices coming from one of the rooms he was passing and paused to check it out by peering into the classroom through the doorway.

Inside there was a drum kit, two electric keyboards, 3 guitars, and a microphone with the desks cleared away. Instantly Shinso knew that it was Class 1-A's room and that this was where the band, which he noted consisted of Kyoka Jiro, Momo Yaoyorozu, Katsuki Bakugo, Denki Kaminari, Fumikage Tokoyami and Adrien Agreste, had set up their practice space for the day.

They weren't practicing at the moment, however, they were all just sitting around taking a break as Yaoyorozu poured tea for them from a thermos. Again, Shinso paused to observe the scene briefly as he might one day call these kids his classmates in the Hero Course.


"Here Kyoka, it's a milk tea for your vocal cords, gotta protect them after all and you did say you had some discomfort yesterday so I thought it would help." Momo said producing a second thermos and pouring two cups from it. "And you too Adrien, we're practicing that later when Marinette gets done with that part when Mina observes how Midoriya, Aoyama, and the others in that part have been doing."

"Thanks Yao-Momo, that's really thoughtful of you." Jiro said accepting the tea and sipping it. "Mhm that's good."

"Momo does know her tea." Adrien agreed as he sipped some as well, he hadn't done the second song yet today as this was mainly the full band one, but it helped to keep the vocal cords soothed. "Never really understood the breadth of the stuff till I came here."

"Thank you." Momo said with a smile.

"Yeah this really hits the spot." Kaminari said as he enjoyed the normal tea he'd been given. "Always a good refresher."

"It's tea, there's nothing much to it." Bakugo said having drained his in a few gulps without much sentimentality to it. "Though this one is a little sweeter than yesterday's one."

"I should have known that your palate would be able to tell the difference Bakugo." Momo said to the explosive member of the brand who's observational skills were still as impressive as ever. "You are quite right in that regard. Today's is a second flush Darjeeling. Yesterday's was a first flush."

"What's the difference?" Jiro asked curiously. "Sorry, I don't know teas well."

"I think only Momo does." Adrien said. "Even the brits I know back home aren't this good even if they are extremely particular about their tea."

"I never got into the British stuff, but I respect their dedication to the art of the tea leaf." Momo said. "As for the difference between a first and second flush, a first flush refers to tea leaves picked during the spring while the second is picked later, during the summer. That is the difference though few can really tell."

"Huh, I never knew that." Jiro said.

"Kinda a bit like wine then." Adrien said. "Differences in season, climate, soil and grapes alter the wine subtly so that no two vintages are the same."

"None of us are old enough to drink." Bakugo pointed out. "So, we wouldn't know."

"Trust the French to know though." Momo said. "It's a bit earlier there for drinking, right?"

"Yup, I've even had some with meals already back home though I'm still too young to buy alcohol there as the drinking age is 18 with some exceptions for when you're 16." Adrien said. "It's much more socially acceptable to drink as a teen there but I don't here because I respect the law in Japan."

Before anyone else could say anything, Dark Shadow suddenly emerged from Tokoyami and began to complain again. Tokoyami had already finished his tea and was inspecting some power cords at the time so no doubt Dark Shadow as the perfect time to get involved.

"Hey Fumikage, give me something to do in this." Dark Shadow said getting all of their attention.

"I explained yesterday that I can't." Tokoyami said shaking his avian head. "The stage will be lit up from all angles with powerful lights so you can't be out then, you wouldn't be able to handle them Dark Shadow."

"But I'm part of this too." Dark Shadow complained. "I want to get in on it as well."

"Yeah why not." Kaminari perked up. "We could use another guitarist I feel."

"No, it would throw off the dynamic with the two keyboards already in use." Jiro said thoughtfully. "Though maybe Dark Shadow could play the bass."

"It's too intricate for him." Tokoyami said shaking his head. "The practice alone is too much for him to handle, and his hands won't be able to get the strings to strum for it to be in synch with us."

"But I wanna play." Dark Shadow complained and Adrien was a bit amazed at how much the thing could talk, he'd learned as part of the band that Dark Shadow was more than he'd originally assessed but this showed clear sentience on some level. "Everyone else in the class is part of the School Festival but me."

"Stop whining you baby." Bakugo snapped causing Dark Shadow to flinch, he knew that that human was one of three Fumikage had told him were bad matchups and had seen it first hand twice from the spikey blond, and once from the other male though the short lithe girl with black twin pigtails he still didn't understand why Fumikage said she was a bad matchup against him. "If you want to play then bang on something in time with my beat, that's about as much as you can do."

"Banging?" Jiro asked as an idea came to her. "Yes, that might work to aid the percussion. A tambourine is probably best for Dark Shadow. It's simple and could add to the performance if done right."

"I'll give that a go." Dark Shadow said happily. "I'll bang that tambourine."

"One sec then." Momo said, she'd looked up how to make one a while back so quickly remembered it and used Creation to make a simple tambourine and handed it to Dark Shadow. "There you go, that should do."

"Cool." Dark Shadow said as he began to jangle it excitedly glad to have something to do.

"Just don't throw off the rhythm." Bakugo grumbled.

"Aye, aye, Mr. Explosion." Dark Shadow said.

"That's Lord Explosion Murder to you bird brain." Bakugo yelled as everyone laughed and enjoyed their tea unaware of Shinso watching the whole thing.


Shinso just blinked in confusion at all that. Somehow Bakugo seemed to have calmed down a little since the Sports Festival which surprised him, but he knew that he shouldn't linger so he quickly moved on as the band continued to enjoy their break and enjoy their tea. He was interested in seeing how that went if he had the time during the festival, though he heard that it would be filmed so he could see it after the fact, but he had to quickly get to his classroom and get the paint for his own class's event.

He quickly got the paint and left, passing Class 1-A's band in the process right as they went back to practicing their song, and heading out of the building to return to his class's haunted house. He'd never really thought that a Sunday would be anything but studying, or training for the Hero Course, but he'd forgotten that U.A. was a high school as well so they made sure to have high school events like this so that the students got the full high school experience. It was an oversight on Shinso's part, but he was glad for it, the School Festival would be fun.

On his way back however he stopped again, this time because of a familiar voice from around a corner that caused him to stop and confirm that it was indeed that of Izuku Midoriya. It was and he was rooted to the spot as Midoriya, along with his classmates Yuga Aoyama, Tenya Ida, and Mashirao Ojiro, sat around in a circle taking a break and playing of all things the newlywed game for some reason. A game where the hint that Shinso heard was white and referred to Aoyama's skin that glistened like fresh snow.

That was seriously weird and really gave Shinso pause. He had no idea why they were playing the game, or why it was mainly between Aoyama and Midoriya with Midoriya constantly getting it wrong, but they were doing it. Shinso wanted to move on but couldn't mainly because this was Midoriya, the guy who beat him in the Sports Festival, who showed Shinso the gap in their abilities by breaking his hold when no one had ever done so before and then beating him in a test of strength, so he was rooted to the spot as he eavesdropped on their conversation.

Apparently the purpose of the game was to get Midoriya and Aoyama in synch for something they were doing in their performance that involved a spinning Aoyama sparkling for all to see. At this point Shinso was completely lost with what Class 1-A would be doing for their School Festival event as he thought it was just a musical performance but there was dancing as well, some random Aoyama and Midoriya stuff, and he had noted that a few of the class hadn't been seen yet so he had no idea what the likes of Todoroki or Kirishima were going to do during it.

Then, to add to everything, Ida suddenly shot up and did a robot dance. That was really confusing to Shinso, but it did lead to suggestions to see the Support Course's Mei Hatsume who was friendly with most of Class 1-A as she'd be able to help with showing Ida how robots moved.

That suggestion got an immediate protest from Ida and if Shinso recalled she'd been the one to trick him in the Sports Festival to be a human billboard for her products during the one-on-one tournament and then withdrew much to his embarrassment. Add in that Dupain-Cheng beat him in the quarterfinals in less than 10 seconds and Shinso couldn't imagine that Ida had had a good time during the battles though he had advanced farther than Shinso had.

That did lead to Ojiro commenting on how the festivals were very different with how the Sports Festival was basically a battle tournament that showcased the Hero Course while this was very much a traditional School Festival. The talk of the Sports Festival did get a shift to it and Shinso listened as Ojiro commented on how lucky the others were for getting through to the battles when he didn't.

Ida and Midoriya gave credit to their teammates and plans but did note their face off in the Cavalry Battle that Shinso had only heard off as he hadn't been able to see it during the event because of Todoroki's ice, but it was Aoyama who really got his attention as Aoyama had been on his team. That was what really keyed Shinso in on their conversation and he listened carefully to it.

"Oui we got through thanks to Marinette's plan even if I didn't shine during it." Aoyama said clearly disappointed that he didn't shine in the Cavalry Battle. "Zat honor went to our rider Shinso, we wouldn't have advanced without him."

"Right, his Brainwashing Quirk." Ojiro said as Shinso's heart leapt into his throat at the conversation. "How'd you guys know to use it and that it would be so effective? It seems like it's a useful Quirk for such a situation."

"Marinette, she was the brains of the team, but we all know zat now." Aoyama said. "She got Adrien to get me, we French must stick together, and knew of Shinso's Quirk so used him as the rider, directed us and took out our targets with ease so we got more zan enough points to advance. It was très magnifique."

"That makes sense." Midoriya said, his voice low as he began to mumble so Shinso strained to hear it. "She's brilliant at tactics and understanding combat, probably the best in the class. I learned from my work study the advantage of information beforehand and she got that clearly to know of Shinso's powerful Quirk. Then she used it to her advantage, along with how I had the 10 million headband and the fact that for as much as she stands out now she wasn't as high on the class's radar back then, so we overlooked that she came 5th behind Agreste in the Obstacle Race. Add in that she used the one General Studies class student as the rider, and we really didn't factor her as a threat during the Cavalry Battle."

"Not that we wouldn't now." Ojiro said. "She showed us in the Sports Festival that she's not to be underestimated. It wasn't just the Obstacle Race and the Cavalry Battle but the tournament as well. She bested Kaminari and you Ida in seconds by simply creating the perfect items for the situation. I wasn't sure what to make of her Quirk until then, but she really showed how powerful it is during the tournament."

"Yes I was greatly humbled by Dupain-Cheng in the quarterfinals." Ida said seriously. "She showed me true speed with her quick reflexes and that sleight of hand she used to distract me from the real threat at my feet. I was too focused on her body as she leapt up to avoid me to notice that she'd already used her Quirk and too slow to reach her before I ran right into those marbles she made. It really gave me the inspiration to get faster and be more observant to my surroundings in battle."

"And let's not forget her battle with Todoroki." Midoriya said. "That was unreal. She forced him to use his flames on her and she took a direct hit from them and that still didn't stop her. She was almost as badly hurt as I was in the end, that's how much it took to best her. Really showed that she's as tough as they come, that enhanced constitution of hers is no joke."

"Right, though she was a little indecent at the end." Ojiro said and Shinso had to agree, he recalled how Dupain-Cheng had ripped her own top off when Todoroki burned her to fight the rest in just her bra while showing off her wounds though it did make sense as said top had been on fire at the time. "And all that coming off your own battle with Todoroki, Midoriya. That was a battle for the ages, even Dupain-Cheng and Bakugo's battles with him couldn't compare in the end."

"I gave it my all, but I came up short because I lacked the control over my Quirk at the time, but I won't lose again." Midoriya said seriously. "But I was lucky just to get there."

"How so?" Ida asked. "You mean your battle with Shinso? Didn't Agreste warn you of his power and you still fell for it."

"Yeah he did but that brainwashing was so powerful and intense that I didn't know what hit me." Midoriya said as Shinso listened intently. "It's a rare Quirk as well, not many mind control Quirks out there and that one is strong for sure. It's a great hero Quirk though. I mean just think of it, the power to stop a villain in his or her tracks without harming them or causing damage to the surroundings is unreal. Then there's the civilian side to it, the ability to calm a crowd and stop panic so as to coordinate an evacuation, it would be great to manage that. Truly an amazing Quirk. Plus…"

That was enough for Shinso to listen to for the moment and he turned and opted for a different route back to his classmates a mix of frustration and joy filling him at Midoriya's words and assessment of his Quirk. For the first time someone else had truly seen the potential of his Quirk and appraised it for the heroic potential that it had. It gave Shinso a starting point for sure, a motivation to get stronger and prove Midoriya and the other Hero Course students that he was their equal. He couldn't rest on his laurels, he had to work twice as hard to get that transfer approved.

As Shinso took the long way back he ended up running into Mr. Aizawa for the first time in a while. What with the festival prep and Mr. Aizawa's trips to the hospital for Eri, though all Shinso knew was that he was doing hero work, he hadn't been around much since the start of the semester, so Shinso had been training hard in his absence. Aizawa asked about that, after asking about Class 1-C's preparations, and Shinso told him that every second of training counted and that ended the talk there as Aizawa saw Shinso's unshakable determination and left it that.

Well, that and as Aizawa was leaving he accidentally ran into one of the second-year classes practicing their meows as they were doing a cat café where they were the cats for some reason, Shinso decided it was best to just not question that one. It did spark Mr. Aizawa to make a comment about how little girls liked cats, fashion wise, which Shinso didn't get anymore clarity on as the teacher left without another word and he realized that he was now really confused by everything and carrying paint for his class.

That snapped Shinso out of his thoughts and he hurried back to his class now determined to tell them about his transfer. It wasn't so much a sudden confidence moment from viewing many of the current hero students in his year but more that the announcement would cut off his escape routes and really focus his efforts on succeeding. However, as he was returning to his class he stopped once more as they were on a break and hadn't noticed his return, likely because of the time he'd taken to get the paint, and he pulled up short when he heard what they were saying.

"After the School Festival, that's when we should do it." One of the class said. "It's the best time for it after all."

"Yup, Shinso won't know if we pretend that this is just the wrap party for after we scare those Hero Course kids." Another said as Shinso instinctively hid behind a wall of the haunted house they were creating to listen. "But really, when do you think he'll tell us about that transfer request? It's not like we haven't known about it for a while, he basically proclaimed it before the Sports Festival and after his performance there we knew it was just a matter of time before he submitted it."

"I guess Shinso is just more thoughtful about how we'd take it then we realized. "A third in the class said showing that the class already knew about Shinso's plans. "He's probably worried that we'll take it the wrong way what with him planning on transferring out of the class."

"Well Class 1-D's transfer candidate already declared it to his class and they're preparing him for it, we can't let them outdo us in this." A fourth said as Shinso blushed at the support and how dumb he'd been for not realizing that they already knew. "That's why we've got to throw him an awesome party, really light a fire under his ass and remind Class 1-D that we got the best General Studies student in our class."

"He is our rising star after all." A fifth said. "We gotta make sure he doesn't fail this time around."

The others cheered and Shinso felt his body clench in a mix of pride and responsibility. That fire was fully lit now and becoming an inferno as he solidified his conviction and prepared his upcoming declaration to them. He was going to get into the Hero Course, he swore it, and he had his classmates to thank for it. Many of them had tried and failed to get into the Hero Course just like he'd failed but they were putting aside their egos and dreams to lift him up, he couldn't let them down now. He had to rise to the occasion like a hero would and he'd do just that.

With that conviction he rose to take a loop around and rejoin his classmates and friends. He might be saying goodbye to them at the end of the academic year, but their friendship and warmth would be with him on his new path. With that, he promised to make this the best damned haunted house ever as he rejoined his class determined to enjoy their one School Festival together before he moved to the Hero Course and they resumed their work because one thing was now certain, this School Festival was going to be great, Shinso knew it.

Well, there you have it, a behind the scenes prep chapter with a twist as it is mainly from Shinso's perspective. Been a while since we've seen him but y'all know he's coming again so this is just a teaser for that moment. for those wondering, this chapter is based off the second chapter of the 4th School Briefs book which is entirely done from Shinso perspective in the book. I've changed it to allow for the focus on Marinette and Adrien's groups more, as well as how they impacted those bits, while also shifting a few things around as in the book there is of course more dialog in the Class 1-B and Aizawa bits and Kirishima, Koda, and Sero are with Mineta and the girls while Todoroki is with Midoriya and the others but I felt that they should be off doing their own thing and I didn't want to just blindly follow the book with Marinette and Adrien thrown in so this was how I went for it. There will be another School Briefs inspired chapter in the School Festival set after the band performance with my own spin on it of course but y'all will just have to wait and see on that front as I am sure you know what is coming next. Also for those of you wondering about the heights of the girls, the shortest in the class without Marinette is Tsu at 4 foot 11 while Marinette, according to her wikia page which is based of Zag official material, is 135 cm which is 4 foot 4 or so making her the shortest by a fair bit so I kept it as such though she'd probably be a few inches taller at 15 as the height is from when she was 14. That is all I have for y'all however so I will leave this chapter off here. As always, if you like it or have any questions please let me know in reviews or PMs, I will try to answer them as best I could and post any questions asked between uploads at the start of the next chapter and do follow and favorite this, so you are alerted to future uploads. Do keep the reviews coming as I like hearing from y'all as you enjoy my work, it motivates me to keep producing the best work I can for y'all to enjoy. Until next time.

Stringdog