"Tetsutetsu, what's wrong with you? Did you seriously go to Class 1-A and tell them off just because they survived a villain attack?!"
Standing in front of Class 1-B's resident steel Quirk user and his group of friends was Itsuka Kendo, the class representative. She didn't bother hiding her disapproval, her sharp glare making it clear how she felt about her classmate's actions earlier during lunch break.
The past week had been filled with one unexpected event after another for Itsuka and her friends.
They had met new people, made new friends, encountered several amazing Pro Heroes all in a single day, and even had the chance to showcase their strengths—while also discovering their weaknesses—during their heroics classes.
All of that alone had already made their first week at U.A. Academy a unique and unforgettable experience for the Class 1-B representative.
But the chain of surprises didn't stop there.
In fact, that same week had been plagued by one incident after another.
First on the list was the media break-in fiasco. The sudden intrusion had caused panic among the students, leading to chaos and several injuries during the commotion. One of those injured was her friend Reiko.
Thankfully, of all people, Itami had managed to stop the situation from spiraling further—albeit through intimidation and a very clear threat directed at whoever had shoved Reiko. Itsuka wasn't sure how she felt about that. Part of her wanted Itami to find the person responsible.
Another part of her was afraid of what he might do if he actually did.
Because of everything she had seen so far, Itsuka could already tell—based purely on her understanding of Itami's attitude—that the moment he got his hands on that mystery pusher, he wouldn't hesitate to throw a punch or two.
Just like how he hadn't hesitated to kick a teacher square in the face.
Itsuka couldn't help but let out a weary sigh every time that moment resurfaced in her mind.
It all started because of that sweaty asshole from their sister class. Komori had gotten hurt after the jerk landed a cheap shot on her the moment she turned her back, thinking the encounter was over after a few verbal insults. Unfortunately, she was the only one who thought that way.
Lowering her guard had been a mistake—one that ignited the entire commotion.
Itsuka still remembered the shove from the side, followed by the sound of an explosion ringing in her ears. Instinct took over after that. Her body moved before her thoughts could catch up, and she let her fist fly, connecting cleanly with the sweaty jerk's face and sending him crashing into a nearby table.
But before she could even check on Komori's condition, she felt her feet leave the ground.
Her entire body was slammed onto the floor, a heavy weight pinning her down as the teacher restrained her, rendering her completely unable to move.
That didn't last long.
Midway through a lecture about how "illogical" she was for attacking a fellow student, the teacher was sent rolling across the floor when a brutal right kick from Itami smashed straight into his face.
What happened after that nearly made Itsuka vomit—a sickening mix of guilt and anger twisting in her stomach as the hobo-looking teacher angrily expelled her classmates in front of everyone in the cafeteria.
She was about to speak up, ready to defend them—
—but Itami answered first.
With a simple middle finger.
Then he turned around and carried Kinoko toward the infirmary. Before leaving, he paused just long enough to ask Itsuka if she was okay. The concern in his eyes caught her off guard, and despite everything, it honestly warmed her heart.
After that, she barely remembered what happened in the cafeteria. She and the others followed Itami to the infirmary and waited in tense silence while Recovery Girl treated Kinoko's burns.
Itsuka had been so worried about her friend that she didn't even notice when Itami slipped out of the infirmary, leaving to do something she never learned about.
Only when Recovery Girl assured them that Kinoko was fine—and that her injuries were nothing serious—did Itsuka finally let out a relieved sigh. Unfortunately, that relief didn't last long. The moment her thoughts drifted back to the expulsion threat hanging over her friends' heads, the knot in her chest returned.
When she asked Itami about it, the boy merely laughed it off, casually telling everyone that everything had already been handled and that there was nothing to worry about.
True to his words, the gossip circulating the day after the incident confirmed it. Not only had Itami avoided expulsion, but the hobo-looking teacher had apparently had his hero license temporarily suspended instead.
To say Itsuka was flabbergasted by the outcome would have been an understatement.
Her friend dodging expulsion was understandable—after all, the punishment would have been absurdly harsh for an incident started by another student. But the fact that the teacher had been punished instead? That was something else entirely.
It didn't take long for her to learn why.
The hobo-looking teacher was Class 1-A's homeroom teacher—meaning he was responsible for that sweaty jerk who had gone out of his way to start the fight, throw the first punch, and nearly burn her classmate's face off. And yet somehow, she had been the one reprimanded for defending her friend.
With that context, the shoe that had connected with the teacher's face back then suddenly felt… a little justified. At the very least, all of her friends agreed.
That sentiment wasn't limited to Class 1-B either. For some reason, the upperclassmen—especially the hero course seniors—seemed to be having the time of their lives over the incident. Based on the rumors floating around about that teacher, all the jeering and mockery he was receiving felt completely earned.
Still, one thing didn't add up.
How had Itami managed to walk away from the entire mess completely unscathed?
Curious, Itsuka tried asking Ibara about it. The vine-haired girl only smiled gently and told her that Itami had some very reliable people looking out for him.
That answer didn't really answer anything.
In the end, Itsuka decided to leave it at that and move on. She had no desire to dive down Itami's rabbit hole and uncover even more about her friend's mysterious connections. Being neck-deep in his "lore" during the very first week of knowing him was already giving her a headache. Whatever else there was to learn could wait—preferably a year into their friendship, not now.
And when she finally thought that the chaos of the week was over—when she believed everything had settled down and she could finally breathe—
The week ended with a bang.
Literally.
It turned out she was wrong. Or maybe she'd jinxed it when she dared to think things were finally calming down.
Because the last day of their first week at U.A. still had one final, massive surprise waiting for everyone.
The USJ was infiltrated by a large group of villains.
And their sister class, Class 1-A, was forced to fight for their lives after being caught in the middle of a full-scale villain attack.
The information available to Itsuka was limited—restricted to what U.A. was willing to publicly disclose. Apparently, a group of villains with the goal of killing All Might had managed to breach U.A.'s highly secure facilities with the help of a villain possessing a teleportation Quirk.
According to Principal Nezu during the press conference held after the incident, a total of seventy-eight villains had successfully infiltrated the USJ. They were led by a villain named Kurogiri, whose powerful teleportation Quirk allowed him to bypass U.A.'s barrier and move throughout the facility undetected, slipping past every security sensor in place.
Nezu was quick to add that, as a result of the incident, all of U.A.'s security systems were being upgraded to ensure nothing like it would ever happen again.
He spent several more minutes reassuring the public that, while the USJ attack had caught everyone off guard—something he promised would not happen again—the situation had been swiftly handled by U.A. staff, professional heroes, and All Might himself.
A back-and-forth followed between the media and the principal as questions were asked and answered.
But one question stood out—one that captured not only the media's attention, but the public's as well.
How had a group of first-year students managed to fight back and survive an overwhelming number of villains… including weapons specifically designed to kill the Symbol of Peace?
To say Principal Nezu was eager to emphasize his pride in his students would have been an understatement.
He openly praised Class 1-A, highlighting how they not only survived the onslaught but managed to hold their ground long enough for the heroes to arrive. He stressed that such a feat was something most hero students across the country would be incapable of accomplishing—especially not in their very first week at a hero academy.
Class 1-A, Nezu concluded, was a perfect representation of why U.A. stood as the number one hero school in the country.
Because U.A. accepted only the best among Japan's countless aspiring heroes.
Nezu also announced that the public would soon be given a glimpse of the future top heroes, as U.A. would be moving forward with this year's Sports Festival.
The declaration sent waves of excitement through both the media and the public. With rumors circulating that the U.A. Sports Festival might be canceled due to the villain attack, the confirmation only fueled the hype—especially among those eager to see what Class 1-A was really made of.
To say the Class 1-A hype was real would have been an understatement.
The promotional posters for the upcoming event literally featured their silhouettes.
Principal Nezu certainly knew how to turn a disastrous incident into a profitable advantage for his school.
Class 1-A was no longer just the name of a classroom—it had become a title, synonymous with "top heroes in the making." And whether people liked it or not, everyone was buying into it.
And that was how Itsuka found herself standing in front of her classmates, wearing a deeply disapproving expression.
Because one idiot had marched straight up to Class 1-A's classroom door and started yelling nonsense—accusing them of having massive egos just for surviving a villain attack, and even going as far as to declare war on them.
Unfortunately for Itsuka, she had been too late to stop Tetsutetsu. She'd been caught off guard by his sudden antics and his loud declaration toward their sister class.
Worse still, she'd also been too late to convince the rest of Class 1-B that targeting Class 1-A was not only a terrible idea, but an incredibly insensitive one.
Her classmates weren't having it.
They unanimously decided that they were going after Class 1-A—to prove to the world that Class 1-B was the superior hero class.
The decision had been made during what they called a "class meeting."
A class meeting that conveniently took place while most of the girls—and Itami—were absent.
"Kendo, you need to understand," one of the boys said, frustration clear in his voice. "We can't let our class be overshadowed by them. We're hero students too, but everyone only ever talks about Class 1-A."
Tetsutetsu flashed a toothy grin as he punched his fist into his open palm, a clear sign of defiance as he stood in front of Itsuka.
"That's why we're going through with the plan," he said confidently. "For the Sports Festival."
Itsuka shifted her gaze to the boy who had spoken from behind Tetsutetsu, her frown deepening at what she'd just heard.
A plan?
"You mean the plan you and the other guys cooked up without including us?" Setsuna shot back before anyone else could. "You held a little 'meeting,' didn't even bother asking for our input, and then decided that everyone in the class would go along with it—regardless of how we ladies felt about it?"
She could practically hear the exasperation in Setsuna's voice as the girl chimed in beside her.
She couldn't blame her. Itsuka felt the same way. The boys had completely ignored their opinions.
"What's wrong with that, Tokage?" one of the boys scoffed. "We're going to crush those arrogant jerks during the festival and put our class on top at the same time. Those fame-hungry bastards are acting like they own the place and treating us like we're beneath them."
Itsuka's eyes widened as she turned toward the mantis-like boy who had spoken—Kamakiri. The sheer aggression in his voice caught her completely off guard.
When had this level of hatred even started?
She tried to recall if anything else had happened between their classes—something she might have missed—but nothing came to mind. The cafeteria incident had already been settled. The sweaty jerk had received a month-long detention, and his homeroom teacher had his Pro Hero license temporarily suspended. Everyone in Class 1-B had been satisfied with the outcome.
As far as she knew, nothing else had happened since then.
So why did Kamakiri—and the other boys—sound so furious whenever Class 1-A was mentioned? It was as if their sister class had committed some kind of unforgivable crime.
"Whoa, whoa—what the heck?" Setsuna cut in, clearly startled. "Relax, dude. You sound like you're about to barge into 1-A and start throwing punches."
Itsuka glanced around the room, finally taking in everyone's reactions.
The girls looked shocked, disturbed, and confused by Kamakiri's words. The boys, on the other hand, looked excited—some of them even nodding in agreement.
That was the problem.
Itsuka shook her head and stepped forward. She needed answers—now—before this spiraled any further out of control.
"Hold on!" Her voice cut through both the tension and the excitement, drawing every pair of eyes in the room to the Class 1-B representative.
"What is going on here?" she demanded. "Why are you all so aggressive toward our sister class? Did something happen between you and Class 1-A, or—"
She bit her lip, hesitating.
Because if she was right, it meant the boys in her class were being jerk, petty, and borderline cruel for no reason other than jealousy.
"—or are you just angry because they're getting attention for what happened at the USJ?" she finished, her voice rising. "You do realize that everyone in that class almost died that day, right?"
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw several of the girls nod in agreement, and she felt a surge of relief. At least the girls understood how ridiculous—and heartless—this sounded.
"Yeah," Tetsutetsu said immediately, grinning without a hint of shame. "They're acting all high and mighty just because they fought villains. We can do that too, you know. They just got lucky—got sent to the USJ before us and hogged all the action!"
He punctuated his words by slamming his metal-coated fists together, the loud clang echoing through the room.
Itsuka's mouth fell open.
She couldn't believe what she was hearing.
What made it worse was the fact that the sentiment clearly wasn't limited to Tetsutetsu. Several of the boys chimed in, confidently declaring how they would have done better than Class 1-A if they'd been in that situation.
This was bad.
She needed to do something—say something—before this entire situation spiraled completely out of control and blew up in their faces.
End of Chapter 27