The weekends were a special occasion that the students of class 1-B always looked forward to. After a long week of hero lectures, homework and taxing physical training, the group of would be heroes finally had the chance to bask in the peaceful nothingness that came with no responsibilities for the day. There was no class until Monday, and everyone had the opportunity to leave the school and venture out on their own. However, on this particular Saturday morning, things were a bit different.
"Thanks for helping me again with my new move. I really appreciate it." Tokage said to her freckle faced boyfriend as the two made the short trip back to their dorm. The final test run for her new move was an overall success. But she still ended up losing the pinky finger on her right hand.
"Don't mention it. I was actually really interested in seeing how you were coming along." Midoriya replied with a grin.
The young couple decided to spend their Saturday morning working on perfecting some new skills that they managed to develop over the last couple of weeks. Although he preferred to spend his mornings sleeping in and relaxing, the thought of adding a new page in his hero notebook was too good of an opportunity to pass up for the green haired boy.
When the two finally set foot in the building, they were greeted with quite the peculiar sight. Every boy in their class including most of the girls were in the common room gathered around a whiteboard. Along with chairs and snacks scattered throughout the area. But the strangest thing about this entire scene was the fact that Kaibara was tied to a chair in the middle of the room.
"Uh...what's going on?" Midoriya asked, grabbing everyone's attention.
The first person to speak was Kendou. After pinching the bridge of her nose and letting out a rather dramatic sigh, the orange haired class-rep began explaining the situation. "The boys are having a heated debate and the rest of us got dragged into it."
"About what?" Said Tokage.
"We're trying to figure out who the biggest "Chad" in our class is." Awase said without missing a beat.
"Come again?"
"We've narrowed it down to either Midoriya-san and Kaibara-san. But it appears that we've reached an impasse." Shishida further explained while staring at the board and rubbing his hairy chin.
"I knew I should've just stayed in my damn room..." The 'gyrate' quirk user moaned in a defeated tone. Long since given up on trying to escape this madness.
"Oh, this sounds like fun~." Tokage grinned deviously. This was exactly the kind of teenage nonsense that she lived on.
The two greenettes then turned their attention to the massive white board next to the television. On it were two pictures of both Midoriya and Kaibara separated by a thick black line down the middle. Under the photos were a plethora of bullet points and crudely drawn diagrams in almost illegible handwriting.
"Okay, back to what I was saying!" Tsuburaba spoke up. "The reason I'm saying it's Kaibara is because he has him beat out in looks. The girls already said that he's the most attractive guy in class."
Tokage quickly shot a sharp glance over to Kendou, Kodai and Shiozaki who were all huddled together on the sofa.
"We were coming down to get breakfast and the guys just started berating us with questions." Kendou drug her hand across her face.
"This is deplorable..." Shiozaki groaned.
"Hmm." Kodai nodded.
"You might be right, Tsuburaba-kun." Monoma suddenly announced while pointing to the whiteboard. "However, I would like to revisit evidence 3-G. Although Kaibara-kun is the most attractive, Midoriya-kun has a more muscular build."
"If it was that simple, then Bondo-kun would be at the top of the list." Shoda countered.
"Kaibara also has more of a playboy vibe than Midoriya." Tetsutetsu added.
Now it was Kamakiri's turn to talk. "You dickwads are forgetting the most important part! Midoriya's always surrounded by girls. Has anyone ever seen him not next to one? Come on, he even has that hot third year girl all over him!"
'This can't be happening right now.' Midoriya internally groaned. He was about to say something but Tokage decided to throw her hat into the ring.
"Let me take a look at this." The 'lizard tail splitter' user moved over to the whiteboard to get a better look. Taking a few seconds to review the information. "No, this is all wrong. Your methodology is flawed. You're focusing too much on physical features."
"What do you mean?" Tetsutetsu asked her.
"None of you have taken social factors into account. Like reputation and popularity. You can't make a clear decision without those."
"Why are you encouraging this?" Kaibara let out a single tear.
Already predicting that this entire situation could go left at any point, Midoriya decided that his best option was to just leave and let this matter sort itself out. The boy began making his way towards the elevator, but was stopped by Honenuki and Awase who suddenly shoved him into a chair next to Kaibara.
"Alright boys, let's take this from the top!" Tokage shouted confidently while taking control of the debate. Much to Midoriya's chagrin.
What the hell was this? Shouldn't she be on his side? Then again, something like this was right up Tokage's alley. Honestly, Midoriya would've been more surprised if his girlfriend didn't want to take part in this nonsense. She lived for this kind of stuff.
"Kaibara here might edge out Izuku in terms of general attractiveness. But he lacks the "cute and adorable" factor that Izuku has in spades. Plus...he doesn't have freckles."
"I told you motheruckers!" Kamakiri shouted smugly.
"Hold on!" Honenuki protested. "Isn't your opinion kind of biased since he's your boyfriend and all?"
"Obviously." The girl replied.
"Let's not forget that both of them have fan clubs amongst the female students, shroom." Komori put in her two cents. Holding up her cellphone to display one of the many U.A. student Facebook pages.
"Wait...what?" Both Midoriya and Kaibara turned to the short, brunette girl with confused looks on their faces.
"You didn't know?" The green haired girl asked. "A few of the first year guys have fan clubs. All the girls know about it. Todoroki in 1-A has the biggest. But Izuku, Kaibara and that Kaminari dude have a pretty solid following the last time I checked."
"And such things are completely immoral!" Shiozaki chided.
"Nejire Hadou and Yaoyorozu have ones too." Tsuburaba followed up as he held up his own phone. "Even Kodai's got some fans."
"Hmm?" The stoic, black haired teen slightly tilted her head.
"Alright, back to business! If we factor in overall popularity, Izuku has the clear advantage on Chad-ness. Sorry Kaibara, but you just haven't gotten the same level of exposure."
"I don't care…" The black haired boy sighed. Why the hell does he always get roped into stuff like this?
"But what the hell does that have to do with the price of tea in China? In fact, this just proves my point!" Monoma retorted. "If we're talking about overall Chad-ness, Midoriya-kun is clearly the victor. He's got the popularity, the look, the douchey haircut, everyone thinks Blizzard is his sister..."
"He's also got the most in girls following his fan page out of the two from the looks of it. But only by like thirty." Awase added.
"Let's not forget that he's the main character of this story." Fukidashi's speech bubble spelled out.
"Is my haircut really that big of a deal?" Midoriya whispered to his fellow captive.
"It's trendy." The 'gyrate' quirk user shrugged. "I know I couldn't pull it off as well as you do."
The conversation went on like this for the better part of twenty minutes. With each member of the congregation going back and forth. Pleading their cases and adding new information to take into account. With each passing minute, Midoriya could feel his soul slowly evacuate his body.
"Hey, don't we get a say in this?" Midoriya pleaded. "Isn't a "Chad" supposed to be someone who's like...kind of an...asshole?"
"Well, both of you are pretty cool. So we threw that criteria out the window before you showed up." Awase explained.
"I'd like to point out that Kaibara-san routinely receives anonymous love letters from secret admirers throughout the week." Shishida began crunching the number on his calculator. "By my calculations, he's up to thirty-five this year. He's averaging two a week."
"Seriously?" Kendou deadpanned.
"It makes sense." Tokage began rubbing her chin in thought. "With his quirk, it's no surprise that a ton of girls and guys would want a piece of him. Everyone probably thinks he'd be a fun time."
"Setsuna!"
That comment was more than enough to turn Midoriya, Kaibara, Shiozaki and Komori a furious shade of red. How can she say something like that so casually?
"Okay, okay, okay." Honenuki tried calming everyone down. "This is getting us nowhere and I still haven't eaten yet. Let's just put it to a vote."
"Good idea!" Tetsutetsu agreed.
"Everyone who thinks Kaibara-kun is the biggest "Chad" in the class, raise your hand!"
Shoda, Shishida, Tsuburaba, Fukidashi, Komori and Bondo all raised their hands to cast their votes.
"And for Midoriya?"
Tokage, Tsunotori, Honenuki, Monoma, Awase, Tetsutetsu, Kuroiro and Kamakiri all casted their ballots.
"Are you guys not gonna vote?" The leader of this totally wholesome conversation looked to the other three girls sitting on the sofa.
"I abstain..." Kendou scowled.
"I will take no part in this sinful sham of a debate." The vine haired teen answered. Why she was even still here was a mystery to her.
"Alright, it's been decided. The biggest "Chad" in class 1-B is none other than our very own Izuku!" Tokage announced with an obnoxious laugh while pointing to her boyfriend.
"This is bullshit!" Tsuburaba scoffed. "Midoriya's way too nice. He's practically the class best-boy!"
"Congratulations, Chad-oriya!" Awase patted him on the shoulder with a cheeky smile.
"Huh?"
"Yeah, you're Chad-oriya now."
"Can we please not make this a thing?" The green haired boy groaned.
"Nope!" His questionable choice of a girlfriend immediately replied. "From now until the end of eternity, you'll officially be known as Chad-oriya. First of his name, Walker of Skies, The Freckled Prince, heir to the throne of tools and douchebags everywhere!"
'Okay, she's having way too much fun with this…'
"I hereby pledge my undying fealty to you and your station...your majesty." Awase began comically bowing towards Midoriya. Getting a few of the other boys to join him.
-(o)-
~Inside Midoriya's Mind~
"I'll have to admit, these brats do have a point." Tatsumaki said while watching this nonsense unfold through Midoriya's eyes from the comfort of their shared mindspace. Even a dead person needed a bit of entertainment every now and then. And it's not like she could do much in her current position.
"He's not a complete Chad, but he's definitely hitting all the important criteria. The nerd may be a total softie, but he's pretty much got a small harem already lined up. Eh, it could be worse. At least he's not a Kyle."
-(o)-
"This is ridiculous." The verdant teen began blushing at the scene before him.
"Better you than me." Kaibara gave Midoriya a weak chuckle. "Can we go now? I have somewhere I have to be in like an hour."
"Probably on another date with one of those girls from the business course." Kamakiri quietly snickered to Fukidashi.
At that moment, the main door to the building opened up, revealing one exhausted looking Reiko Yanagi. The grey haired girl typically wasn't an earlier riser, especially on the weekends. She usually slept in longer than anyone else when they didn't have class. With one quick look at her, the students of 1-B noticed that the bags under her eyes were heavier than normal.
"Ghosty, where the hell have you been? You almost missed the coronation ceremony." Tokage said to her pale classmate.
"You okay, Reiko-chan?" Kendou gave the girl a concerned look.
"Too tired...early morning...Hatsume-san...torture...going back to bed." Was all the 'poltergeist' user had the energy to say before dragging her feet towards the elevator. Looking even more like a ghost than usual. Whatever the hell her classmates were doing right now had to wait until after she got some rest.
After all the excitement of the morning died down, Tokage went back to her room to shower and unwind for a bit.
As the 'lizard tail splitter' user laid down on her bed, she couldn't help but stare at the missing appendage on her hand. Years of training up her quirk gave the girl a pretty good idea on how long it would take something to grow back after she lost it. And by her estimate, her finger should return to normal in about two hours. However, the girl couldn't help but wonder if she could do something about that.
When it came to her regeneration, Tokage never really focused on it all that much. It may have been a secondary ability of her quirk that was incredibly useful. But her father and Kayama beat it into her head as a kid that she couldn't rely on it in a dangerous situation. Which made a lot of sense. There wasn't much that she could do to train it after all. Doing so would mean that she would need to intentionally injure herself. And something like that was definitely off the table.
'Still though, I wonder…'
Suddenly, Tokage sat up and began focusing on her hand. She had only tried this a few times before in the past. And each time ended up making her pass out. But now that she was older and had a lot more stamina, maybe it would work out this time. Especially since it was such a minor injury for her.
Forced regeneration was something she always considered. But the cost was a rapid drain on her stamina. The basic requirements to regrow lost limbs was a sufficient amount of calories and energy. This wasn't something that she could do on the fly. But right now, she was in the comfort of her room and had a belly full of breakfast.
The girl's face contorted into an ugly expression as she flexed the non-existent muscles in her missing finger. The feeling wasn't something that she could describe to someone very easily. But the best way that she could put it was applying pressure from the base of her knuckle and forcing it upwards.
As the seconds passed, Tokage could slowly see her pinky finger reforming bit by bit. Bone fragments appeared and were quickly covered up by tendons and ligaments before finally seeing muscles. And eventually skin.
'Damn, this is rough.' The girl winced and sucked in a bit more air before giving one final push to complete this task. And sure enough, like magic her finger was back to its former glory.
The second she released her quirk, Tokage felt a wave of nausea hit her and her stomach immediately began growling. She quickly laid back down on her bed and took a moment to breath before checking her work.
"Even just one finger was enough to completely drain me, huh? Makes sense, I'm not used to this kind of thing." She said out loud.
The girl couldn't help but wonder if her mother found a way to work around this. From what her father told her, she could regrow an entire hand in about ten minutes with almost no issue. Tokage herself found the very idea to be insane since doing something like that would be pretty much impossible for her right now. Almost all regeneration quirks were different. And it sucked that the one person who was an expert on this particular one wasn't around anymore.
Considering the cost, it was no wonder why Urie made it point to tell her not to rely on it as much. Doing so would just be irresponsible on her part. But the more she thought about it, the more she knew that if she ever wanted to cut it as a rescue hero she would need to master this.
"I guess that's just one more thing I need to work on. Maybe I'll stop by Recovery Girl's office on Monday and get some advice from her."
With that, the 'lizard tail splitter' user carefully drudged over to her nightstand and grabbed some dino-themed snack crackers from the bottom drawer. Her little stunt left a hole in her stomach that only her favorite snack in the world could fill. Along with a fogginess in her head that she might as well start getting used to.
'This is going to be total pain in the ass.'
A/N: Just a quick intermission "comedy" chapter to lighten up your weekend. I'm having writer's block right now with the whole terrorist raid (I'm trying not to go too dark for one scene.). And I was sitting on this for a while. So I thought I might as well post it now. I want the entire class to have more moments like this, and I have a few ideas. So expect some more of these when the tone of the story lightens up.
1. I'm about halfway through with the first chapter of the raid mission. I can't give a good estimate on when it will be finished. So sorry for that. But I'm shooting for late next week.
2. The roster for the Joint Training Class has been decided, thanks to everyone who made a suggestion. I was working on the outline for it and I think it's going to be really entertaining. Certain characters are also going to make their long awaited debut in those chapters. So I'm looking forward to finally writing it.
3. I want to switch things up for the Cultural Festival a bit. So if any of you have any ideas for that, I'm more than open for suggestions.
Like always, thanks for reading and don't be afraid to leave a review/comment!