Katsuki was one of the first to make it to Professor Akaguro's classroom for the first 'official' period of the day, alongside Izuku. The two had split up immediately upon entering the space, sitting on opposite sides of the room and leaving several rows of desks between them. There was an awkward silence hanging in the air- one that Professor Akaguro himself perpetuated. The man hadn't offered a greeting to either of the students as they entered, instead remaining seated behind his desk and keeping his eyes locked upon his computer monitor. Everything about the situation suited Katsuki just fine, and he took out his own laptop and began pulling up the syllabus for the course, along with his email and a few other tabs he thought he might need.

But then, there was nothing else to do until class began, and his eyes started to wander.

While Professor Aizawa's classroom was bare, Professor Akaguro's made it look almost festive by comparison. Nothing had been set up- not a single poster, photo, not even a calendar on the wall or set of books up against it. There were only student desks, the professor's desk, his computer, an overhead projector connected to the device, and a pull-down screen hanging blankly over the whiteboard.

Professor Akaguro himself was equally undecorated- he wore a blue three-piece suit and striped tie in U.A. University's colors, and that was the extent of it. His dark hair was uncombed and hung loosely in ratty strands down around his face, and his eyes were wide and bloodshot. The man looked like he had recently ended a bar crawl and shambled his way into class from there, though he also seemed not to care at all about his appearance.

There was no hint of embarrassment at his unkempt state, and he made no effort to hide the gaping hole where his nose should have been. Instead, he sat typing away, patiently ignoring his students as they continued to file in. Eijiro, Daisuke, Shoto, Mina, and Momo were the last to enter as a set, just before the clock struck 9:00 AM. That was when Professor Akaguro suddenly stopped typing and stood up, grabbing a remote from the desk as he did so.

"Applied Hero Law & Ethics," the man recited in a raspy voice as he walked around the desk to stand before the class. "An important topic both to keep you all out of legal trouble, and more importantly… take measure of your morals. There will be no participation grade, attendance tracking, graded projects, homework, quizzes, or tests. Congratulations- you all have an 'A', and I'm sure you've all earned it. Your grade in this class will be revealed by your actions later in a form other than a number, and judgment may not come from me… but it will come for you, one way or another. Keep that in mind, and heed my words with your behavior. To volunteer an answer could go well for you… or not. Refusing to participate carries the same risk- running your mouth may not always be the wisest course of action here. Any questions? I'm sure there are several, so allow me to rephrase- any questions that any of you are bold enough to ask me right now, or are you just going to let this arrangement between us stand as-is?"

Katsuki's shoulders tensed as he watched Eijiro slowly raise his hand, looking like a deer in headlights.

"…uh… why?"

Professor Akaguro's stare was piercing as he focused in on the student.

"Why what, Mr. Kirishima? Make your intentions clear at all times, lest you cause a situation you didn't intend to. We are in the business of working with other peoples' lives, and potentially saving your own."

"Um, y-yes, Sir," Eijiro agreed as he straightened up a bit in his seat. He was well aware that all eyes were on him as he asked the question on everyone's minds. "I meant, you know, why do it like this? I-I'm not saying I wouldn't show up to class, but couldn't someone just… like, skip everything, get their A, and move on with life? What's to stop us from just sitting here all semester, staying quiet, not doing any work, and leaving with our credits? I know that's not ethical, but it's absolutely what some people would do when given an opportunity like this..."

Professor Akaguro allowed Eijiro to finish, not blinking once while he listened.

"If such a thing would be unethical, then why would you ask about it as though is it a reasonable option? Are you suggesting that those who would do such a thing belong here and deserve credit as much as you do, should you choose to do the assignments and engage?"

"I…" Eijiro began, getting a little embarrassed. "…n-no, of course not. I'm just curious about your perspective, is all. I don't think it'd be cool to do any of that! I swear!"

"My perspective," Professor Akaguro repeated. "Very well. My perspective on the matter is that those who would do such a thing in a class about morality do not deserve the title of 'Hero' in any sense, much less professionally. I have chosen to do things this way because I can learn more about who all of you are by allowing you to take risks and complete assignments in a way you otherwise wouldn't, should I attach some arbitrary number to their supposed quality."

Amaya's hand went up next, full of confidence as she leaned forward.

"…Miss Kan?"

"If you truly believe that people taking that lazy route don't deserve their hero certification, then aren't you enabling exactly the current trend of people going through hero universities only for the fame, money, and brand deals? If your grades could gatekeep them from making it that far, isn't running a class like this just adding to the problem and borderline unethical?"

Professor Akaguro smirked and let out a mirthless chuckle.

"Tell me something- how do you receive your official license, right before graduation? Do any of you know? What occurs right before you are handed that slip of paper, officially recognizing your chosen public hero name and status as a government-backed Hero? Miss Yaoyorozu."

"I've been told there is a defense panel, much like when someone applies for a doctorate and has to defend their thesis," the girl answered as she slowly lowered her hand. "Several professors interview the candidate and take notes on their experiences at U.A. before making a determination of whether or not the university will officially endorse them."

"Correct," Professor Akaguro praised as he walked closer to Momo's desk at the front of the group. Slowly, he put his hands on either side of the front of the desk and leaned forward, leaving only about a foot between his face and Momo's. "But you're not supposed to know that. None of you are. It's a well-kept secret, and one that you likely learned via your family's connections on account of their exorbitant amounts of money and their capacity for using it illicitly. Is that true?"

Momo shrank back into her seat, leaning back as far as she could and looking uncomfortable.

"My… father warned me about it when I first applied. I-I was unaware that it was supposed to be a secret…"

"And does that absolve you of the guilt and regret you now feel, having been lured into sharing it?" Professor Akaguro asked as he leaned back, narrowing his eyes. "Your privilege leaves you better prepared than anyone else in this room… but even that only goes so far. Now, you've shared that privilege with your classmates, and the playing field is level once again. Had I not prompted you, and you had been aware of the information's secrecy… would you have shared it?"

Momo didn't answer immediately, leaving Amaya time to jump in and draw attention away from her.

"I shared information about the nature of the entrance exam with everyone, and I did know it was supposed to be kept under wraps. Yaoyorozu had no control over this whole moral conundrum until right now, so trying to call her out about it isn't fair… and you didn't even answer my question, after all that."

The professor's gaze turned to Amaya immediately, though he kept his expression entirely neutral. He rubbed at the side of his face and offered Amaya a nod before retreating to his desk and leaning back against it.

"Correct on both counts, if you interpreted my probing as 'calling her out' and believe that my point was finished before I make it now. My intent was to make her think. To make all of you think, and carefully consider your actions… as well as what information you need about a given situation, and whether or not that information can be obtained within the constraints of hero legislation. All of that was to say that I, too, will let you in on a secret which will answer your question, Miss Kan- I am on that advisory and defense board, and will be a major part of determining whether or not any of you graduate. Your actions here will have quite a bit of sway on my opinion of you… and what information I share with the other professors. So no, I am not keeping the mill of unworthy heroes going. I am merely wasting their time before cutting their careers short."

There was a moment of tense silence before the professor continued, his tone lightening up ever so slightly.

"But now, we are getting into the weeds before we've even really begun for the day. Perhaps this is too much tension for our literal first conversation, so let us move on to something related to what Mr. Kirishima and Miss Kan brought up previously. The reasons you all are pursuing hero certification in general."

Finally, Professor Akaguro raised his remote and clicked a button, prompting the projector to turn on. Upon the screen was a presentation, the first slide reading Most Commonly Answered Perks of Being a Professional Hero with a list beneath it. The man stepped aside to stand next to the screen as he gave the students time to read the list and associated percentages… and studied their expressions carefully.

1. Financial Stability (72.3%)

2. Public Recognition (64.1%)

3. Brand Deals & Company Endorsements (63.9%)

4. Networking Opportunities with Other Heroes (58.6%)

5. Legal Opportunities to Fight Utilizing Quirks (56.4%)

6. Frequent Time Off (53.2%)

7. Opportunities to Better Society by Apprehending Villains (47.3%)

8. Paid Travel Opportunities (47.1%)

9. Unofficial Gifts & Services from the Populace (36.6%)

10. Opportunity to Meet & Interact with Non-Heroes (29.4%)

"This survey was conducted earlier this year, anonymously amongst professionally recognized heroes worldwide," Professor Akaguro explained. "What you see here are the frequency of responses within a hero's top five so-called 'perks' across tens of thousands of responders. There were other responses as well, but what you see here paints a clear picture of what we're dealing with in hero society at the moment. We will be having a longer discussion about this during our next class, but I want to give you ample time to study the data and come up with meaningful questions. That being said, the impulse to comment is an understandable one, so… are there any immediate reactions that any of you feel are necessary to share?"

Katsuki put his hand up immediately, feeling rather incensed as the professor gave him a nod.

"How the hell did things get to this point?" the boy growled. "The top five are the answers I'd expect from an actor, not a pro hero."

"An… actor," Professor Akaguro repeated. "How… apt. I would suggest that your answer is exactly how we got to this point, Mr. Bakugo. All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. Much- going by the statistics, most- of hero society is made up of actors. Actors with a conveniently gifted power, be it from some cruel messiah, secret government intervention, genetic mishap, or whatever else, who care more about what their Quirk can do for them than what it could do for those unable or unwilling to carry the burden of the title 'Hero.' We have reached this point because the incentive for being a selfless protector is no longer enough in this poisoned culture of excess, selfishness, and uncertainty. Of course, there is much more to discuss and specifics we could get into… but I wanted you to see this only as an introduction. As an explanation of why this course was needed, and a launching point for later."

Professor Akaguro clicked away to a blank slide, removing the list from sight as he looked out over his small audience.

"Your first homework assignment- ungraded, as always- is create your own top five reasons, as they are not yet perks for you, behind choosing this career. I want you to use your own language, and you may elaborate beyond simple bullet points if you so choose. That will kickstart the conversation that will occupy most of our next class. Once I have your answer, I will send you the list you just saw so that you might study it and come prepared for the discussion next time. For now, though… we're going to have an entirely different introductory discussion. One that I am quite curious about."

With another click, the slide shifted to a small, crudely drawn cartoon of a stick figure standing near a lever and some tracks, with a speeding cable car next to him.

"…The Trolley Problem…"

Author's Note:

Next time, we really get into the weeds in terms of the students' philosophies…

-RD