"...Why is it that no matter how much time passes, you can't learn to wake up on your own? Seriously."
The day after my week-long workplace experience—which felt both long and short, yet fulfilling in its own weird way—had finally arrived. I was savoring my first sleep in my own bed in a week when the first thing I saw was the usual grumpy face of my childhood friend.
His face looked exactly the same as always, making me wonder if the chaos of the previous week had even happened. Honestly, it was a little irritating. Even though I still felt a bit unsettled about everything, here he was, acting like it was all resolved.
So annoying.
As my brain remained in a fog, I stared at Kacchan's face and felt myself starting to drift off again. He's annoying, sure, but his usual scowl is strangely comforting. It has a high "I'll probably forgive you" factor. Shoto wouldn't be like this. When that guy tried to wake me up, his eyes were terrifying. I woke up instantly.
"...Zzz."
"Don't 'zzz' me!! Get the hell up! You're gonna be late!!"
I tried to give in to the comfort and close my eyes, but I was subjected to a violent shaking. Absolute earthquake hell. Ugh, leave me alone, it's too early for this.
I headed to the living room with my bedhead bouncing all over the place to grab some breakfast. There, I found Kacchan's dad sipping coffee.
"Ah, good morning, Niko."
"Mornin'. Why is Kacchan's dad here so early...? Is this an affair?"
"Haha, poor Inko would be the one to suffer if she were stuck with an old man like me."
"I don't know about that. You're still young. Unlike Mom, you don't have a sloppy bo—" Oof?!
Before I could finish, Mom closed the distance and delivered a precision strike to my side. A sinking blow to the ribs. My breath hitched.
"Stop saying stupid things first thing in the morning!! Do you want me to clobber you?!"
You already did!
I wanted to say that, but I knew an extra beating was the only thing waiting for me if I did, so I just stood there in perfect, respectful silence.
As I ate breakfast, I listened to the plan. Apparently, since I'd leveled up to "National Celebrity" status after the Hero Killer incident, Kacchan's dad was going to drive us to school to keep me safe. The plan was to keep an eye on things for a week, and once the media frenzy died down, I'd go back to taking the train.
Now that I thought about it, I vaguely remembered Mom saying something about that last night. When I admitted that, I was met with a full-swing slap.
Hey, give me a break! I was tired yesterday!
...Ah, yes, ma'am. Sorry!!
So, Kacchan and I were chauffeured to school. By the time I finished giving Kacchan's dad a full, blow-by-blow account of my heroic deeds during the internship, we had arrived at the familiar gates of U.A. High.
As expected, the press was lying in wait. The moment we stepped out of the car, we were swarmed, but Kacchan's dad stepped up as our shield. He unleashed his overwhelming "Mature Authority," leaving the reporters completely flustered.
Man, Kacchan's dad is a beast. Totally cool. I'm seriously considering trading him for my own father, who is currently on a permanent business trip and has basically become a myth.
I finally made it to the classroom only to find everyone buzzing about their internships. I was greeted by Ochaco, who was striking a bizarre pose—like she was about to bust out some ancient kung fu.
"Haaaaaaah... Good morning, Niko."
"Mornin'. Are you about to hit me with a secret technique or something?"
"Haaaaaaah... No, I am not."
She definitely looked like she was. Leaving the possessed Ochaco aside for a moment, I headed over to join the girls. Tsuyu noticed me immediately and gave a casual wave.
"Good morning, Midoriya. You had quite a hard time, didn't you? Ribbit."
"Mornin', Niko! Glad to see you're doing okay!"
"Morning, Midoriya. I saw the news. I knew from your emails, but were you really okay?"
"Of course!"
I made sure to show them all how fine I was. I rolled up my sleeve and flexed my bicep to show off my "hardened" muscles, but all I got back were exasperated smiles.
"Setting that aside, what's up with Momo?"
I was worried about Momo, who was sitting alone in her chair with a dark cloud over her head. What happened to her?
"...Well, I get why you're worried about her, but you should probably worry about Uraraka first," Jiro muttered.
"We've been in contact the whole time... I know about her."
"You know she's like that?"
At Jiro's prompting, I looked back at Ochaco. I'd heard she was learning the basics of close-quarters combat from some guy called Battle Hero, but I didn't think she'd turn into... this. I'd noticed her tone over the phone becoming more "warrior-like," though. She actually referred to herself as "This One" at one point.
"...By the way, Jiro, where did you go for your internship?"
"Don't try to change the subject. I know how you feel, but still."
"Sometimes, only time can solve things..."
"Don't give up on her! You're probably the only one who can snap Uraraka back to her senses. It's creepy, so do something, fast!"
I'm not the only one who thinks it's creepy, huh? To be honest, I'm terrified too. She looks like she's about to charge a meter and blast me.
As I was agonizing over what to do with Ochaco, I noticed Kaminari and Mineta whispering to each other while watching her fire off precision palm strikes. I listened in, thinking they were talking trash, but they were just genuinely scared.
"Her personality did a total 180 in just one week..."
"A change? No, Kaminari. You're wrong. Women... they've always hidden their demonic true natures deep inside!!"
"What exactly did you see at Mt. Lady's place?!"
Looking at Mineta's face, I was genuinely curious. What could possibly make a girl-crazy freak like him say something like that?
"Well, I actually had a pretty good time at my internship. I got pampered and all that. But man, the ones who really changed—or rather, had the hardest time—were Todoroki and the others."
Kaminari's gaze shifted to Shoto, who had slipped into his seat at some point, and Iida, who was standing beside him. Naturally, they looked at me, too.
Then Sero, the class's premier jokester, poked his head in to say something unnecessary, as per usual. I had a feeling someone was about to get blown up.
"Right, the Hero Killer!! I saw it, Midoriya! The video of your finishing move!"
"Oh, I saw that too! Man, I was on the edge of my seat. You were being way too reckless, Midoriya."
Kirishima joined in as Sero spoke enthusiastically. Yeah, I definitely smelled an explosion coming.
"Come to think of it, Bakugo was nearby for some reason. Why was that? I tried asking him, but he wouldn't tell me."
"Huh? What are you talking about, Kirishima? Obviously, when the wife is in a pinch, the husband is going to be nearby. It's common sense."
"I mean, when you put it like that, it sounds normal, but it was during the internships—"
A massive palm slammed down onto the heads of the two boys. No prizes for guessing who: it was Kacchan.
"Having a fun little chat, are we? —HEY!! Step outside for a second!!"
"NOOOO! Midoriya! Mrs. Bakugo! Help meeee!"
"Accept your fate, Sero. I'm going in."
I heard some explosions coming from the corner of the classroom after that, but I'm sure it was just my imagination. A scorched smell? Purely coincidental.
The commotion drew everyone else over. It seemed everyone was curious about the Hero Killer incident. Since officially Endeavor was the one who defeated him, the questions were mostly directed at Shoto rather than me. Endeavor is his dad, after all.
Shoto explained things calmly. He seemed a little hesitant when the word "saved" came up, but his explanation was consistent. His blunt, unsociable attitude was the same as ever, making everyone offer wry smiles, but compared to before the Sports Festival, he felt different—brighter, somehow. Good for him. It's way better than that gloomy face he used to wear.
...Still, he kept glancing at me for some reason. I wonder what that was about.
The conversation moved on, and Ojiro brought up the link between the Hero Killer and the League of Villains.
"I heard on the news they were connected. It gives me the creeps, honestly. To think a monster like that could have shown up at the U.S.J."
At those words, Kaminari muttered, "But you know..."
"I watched the videos, and he was shouting right before Midoriya took him down, right? About heroes and all that. He was scary, sure, but he was also... I don't know, single-minded? Obsessed? It was kind of... cool, actually—"
"Shut up, way-to-go."
"Ow!"
I used a bit of physical violence to shut Kaminari's mouth, worried that Iida might flip his switch. I checked on Iida and was relieved to see he looked calm.
"...Thank you, Midoriya. But please, don't worry. I've... I've made my peace with it. He was certainly a man of conviction. I can understand now why some people would call him cool. He possessed that much weight."
Iida looked down for a moment, taking a breath to reset his emotions.
"However, Kaminari. As those who aspire to be heroes, we cannot affirm him. No matter how noble his convictions may be, the moment he chose the violent path of 'purgatory'—the moment he lost faith in the hearts of others—his words and his convictions lost every shred of righteousness."
Iida's arm shot out in a sharp, robotic gesture.
"A hero is someone who believes in people and saves them! Just as my brother did! There is no room for hierarchy in that mission! A forced justice... has no place in this world!"
Kaminari, who was on the receiving end of that pointing finger, was breaking into a cold sweat. I get it, you didn't mean it that seriously, right? But man, your timing was terrible. This is your life now. Just take the lecture and move on.
Iida proceeded to lecture Kaminari on hero theory until the very start of class. By the end, Kaminari was apologizing through his tears. Apparently, there's going to be an overtime session later, too.
Rest in peace, Kaminari.
***
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