Chapter 72
The next day, Aoi, already feeling much better and nearly back to full strength after a solid night's rest, woke up slowly in his large bed. The morning light filtered through the curtains, casting a soft glow over the room. He glanced to his sides and saw Rumi, Ryuko, and Nemuri still sleeping peacefully beside him, their breathing steady and calm. The sight brought a small, affectionate smile to his face, but it also reminded him of the intense scolding he had received the night before when he finally arrived home—first from his mother, then from Ryuko, who had been waiting anxiously for news.
Aoi thought quietly to himself as he carefully got up, moving with deliberate slowness so as not to wake them: "This is definitely the downside of having multiple girlfriends. If you pull off something stupid or even necessary but reckless you end up getting scolded by each one of them individually. It's like a relay of lectures."
Shaking his head with a mix of amusement and resignation, Aoi slipped out of the room and headed to the bathroom to take a refreshing shower and get ready for school. The hot water helped clear the lingering fatigue from his overexerted body, washing away the remnants of the previous day's battle.
After a while, feeling refreshed and dressed in his school uniform, Aoi came out of the bathroom. He returned to the bedroom briefly, leaning down to place gentle kisses on Rumi's forehead, then Nemuri's, and finally Ryuko's, each one soft enough not to disturb their sleep. Satisfied, he left the room quietly and headed downstairs to have breakfast.
Arriving in the spacious kitchen, he saw his mother, Rei, already up and preparing breakfast as usual the aroma of fresh food filling the air, a comforting routine in their home.
Rei turned, looked at her son with a mix of relief and lingering concern, and said warmly:
Here, sit down and eat well. After everything that happened yesterday, you really need to eat properly to recover fully.
Aoi nodded gratefully and started having his breakfast, digging into the nutritious meal his mother had prepared.
Rei watched him for a moment before speaking again, her voice soft but firm with maternal worry:
—You have to be more careful from now on, Aoi. The girls told me in detail how dangerous what you did was—pushing your body to that extreme. Do you have any idea how worried I was when I found out there had been a full-scale attack at my children's school? How my heart nearly stopped thinking something irreversible had happened to you or Shoto?
Aoi sighed softly, setting down his utensils for a moment, and replied honestly:
—Well, I didn't intend to use that technique at all originally. But when I saw that Shoto was also in serious danger and at real risk of being killed, I couldn't just stand by and avoid it. I had to step in and do whatever it took.
Rei responded, her tone still carrying a hint of reproach:
—Even so, you were very reckless—far too much for my liking.
Aoi smiled gently, meeting her eyes:
—Mom, you know better than anyone that I'm not exactly what society expects or wants in a traditional hero. The main reason I chose to become a hero in the first place is that in this society, only licensed heroes are allowed to freely use their quirks in public. I don't want to put either my own safety or the safety of the people I love in the hands of complete strangers who might not care as much. That was the core reason I became a hero to take control myself. And when Momo and Shoto were in immediate danger, I couldn't hesitate for a second. Because if I fail to act in those moments, all my promises of becoming a hero to protect those I love would ring completely empty and meaningless.
Rei fell silent for a long moment, processing his words. She then smiled softly, reaching over to stroke Aoi's distinctive blue hair with affection and said:
—Well, I'm truly glad that's the reason driving you—it's a good one, coming from the heart. But please, be more careful. In the same way you want to protect us all, everyone in this family also wants to protect you just as fiercely. Whether it's Rumi, Nemuri, Ryuko, and Shoto out there as heroes, or Natsuo and Fuyumi helping run the company behind the scenes—we all want to support and help you however we can, in our own ways.
Aoi said sincerely:
—I know that, Mom. And it's exactly because of that unbreakable support that I can fight without holding back or worrying about anything else. Knowing I have all of you behind me gives me the freedom to go all out.
He then looked at her with a lighter smile and said:
—Well, I have to head out now, or I'll be late for class.
Rei smiled back and said:
—All right, go on then. Just make sure to tell your brother to stop by here later after school. I want to personally check if he doesn't have anything wrong or some hidden injury he's trying to downplay. I'll ask Morgana to do a full check-up on him too, okay, Morgana?
Morgana's voice responded promptly from the home system:
—Yes, ma'am. I'm at your disposal.
Aoi said, snapping his fingers as if remembering:
—I almost forgot about this.
He then reached into his pocket, took out the bracelet, and handed it carefully to his mother, explaining:
—Here, Mom. Take this bracelet to my private lab at the company. Give it to Morgana she'll know what to do. Have her perform the extraction and start the antivirus project right away.
Rei took the bracelet, examining it briefly before storing it securely, then looked at Aoi and asked:
—Is that all, son? Anything else?
Aoi confirmed:
—Yes, Mom. That's all. Well, now I'm really going, or I'll definitely be late.
He then dashed out of the kitchen, grabbed his keys, ran to the garage, hopped on his motorcycle, and accelerated toward school, the engine roaring as he weaved through morning traffic.
After a few minutes of riding, enjoying the wind against him, he finally arrived at the gates of U.A. High School.
Aoi parked, entered the building, and as he walked down the hall, he looked around and saw the whole class gathered in the common area, chatting animatedly. He smiled casually and said:
—So, how are you all holding up?
Hearing that familiar voice, everyone turned toward the entrance and saw Aoi standing there, looking completely recovered.
Momo reacted first, running over and throwing her arms around him in a tight hug. She then pulled back slightly and said, relief evident in her voice:
—It's so good to see you're okay really okay.
At that moment, Mina jumped excitedly onto his back with a cheerful leap and said:
—See, everyone? I told you he's brand new after a good night of rest no doubts!
Aoi looked over his shoulder at her and smiled, saying:
—Well, I really appreciate your confidence in me, Mina. It means a lot.
Izuku looked at Aoi with concern still lingering and asked:
—Aoi, are you really okay? That looked intense yesterday.
Aoi replied reassuringly:
—I'm fine, seriously. That was just the consequence of a forbidden technique I used to boost my power temporarily it takes a toll, but I'm recovered now.
Kaminari said excitedly, eyes wide:
—But man, I don't know how it happened, but some videos of you fighting those monsters popped up on the internet overnight. There are already millions of views and people commenting everywhere that you're already so strong at this age and would be a strong candidate for the number 1 hero spot after All Might retires. They say with this strength now, when you get older and more experienced, you'll be even stronger unstoppable.
Bakugou, hearing this praise directed at Aoi, got visibly angry and shouted explosively:
—You extras! I'll be the only one to take the number 1 hero spot no one else!
Aoi, who had heard every word Kaminari said, fell silent for a moment. He thought to himself seriously: "Well, it's better I find a way to shut down these expectations they're building about me before this shit spirals completely out of control and becomes a burden."
Shoto, looking with a serious expression after Kaminari's comment, sighed quietly to himself, knowing full well that the last thing his brother wants is to be the number 1 hero and carry the responsibility for the safety and lives of countless people that kind of massive, public burden is not something he can or even wants to shoulder.
Tsuyu, noticing Bakugou's irritation, said calmly:
—But Bakugou, to be the number 1 hero, besides being strong, you need charisma. And you don't have it.
Everyone burst out laughing hearing that blunt observation.
At that moment, they heard a familiar voice saying:
—It's good to know that all of you are okay after yesterday's events.
They turned and saw Professor Aizawa entering the room, his usual tired expression in place but moving without visible pain.
Izuku asked, still worried:
—Professor, are you okay? You were very injured when the reinforcements finally arrived.
Iida said:
—Yes, Izuku is right, professor. You should be resting more.
Everyone nodded in agreement.
Aizawa said flatly:
—I don't have time for extended rest. My injuries are irrelevant in the grand scheme.
But Aizawa hadn't even finished speaking when a ball of blue fire suddenly hit him, enveloping his entire body and immediately starting the regeneration process on his injuries the flames working precisely and efficiently.
Everyone then turned their attention to Aoi, who smiled apologetically and said:
—Sorry for the delay in healing the professor properly. But I was completely passed out yesterday and couldn't do it sooner.
Aizawa, feeling the regeneration take hold, sighed tiredly but with a hint of gratitude. When the fire finally went out and his injuries were fully healed, he looked at his students and said:
—Well, now that you all know I'm okay and back to normal...
Aizawa then looked seriously at them and said:
—There's something more important we need to resolve right now.
Everyone got nervous immediately, tension rising.
Kaminari said fearfully:
—Don't tell me there are more villains coming...
Kirishima said:
—It shouldn't be that, right? We just got through one attack.
Tsuyu said:
—After all, we just barely recovered from everything.
Aizawa looked at everyone steadily and said:
—The U.A. Sports Festival is coming up soon.
Everyone shouted together in surprise and excitement:
—That's completely normal! Wait, really?
Jiro looked at the professor skeptically and asked:
—Are you sure it's okay to go through with this? We were just attacked by a league of villains. Is this really a good idea so soon?
Aizawa explained calmly:
—This is precisely a way for the school to demonstrate to the public and the world that U.A. is still the best hero academy in the country, that you students are safe here, and that such an incident won't happen again. We'll have several pro heroes on site to help reinforce security to an unprecedented level, so you can all rest easy and focus on performing.
Aoi added thoughtfully:
—Well, in the end, we still have to get used to being targeted and attacked by villains periodically. After all, everyone here is training to become heroes, and dealing with villains facing them head-on is one of the main requirements of this job. It's part of the path we chose.
Aizawa nodded and said:
—Aoi is right. You're all in the hero course, so it's impossible to avoid any contact with villains entirely. What you can do is take this recent experience you've all had the fear, the fight, the survival and use it to become even stronger, more prepared for the future.
Everyone got serious hearing that, reflecting deeply. After all, Aizawa was absolutely right. Everyone in that room intends to become professional heroes one day, so it's impossible for villains not to target or attack them at some point it's inevitable.
Aizawa continued:
—Well, anyway, our Sports Festival is the biggest opportunity you'll have to showcase your abilities on a national stage. It's not an event that can be canceled just because of the attack from some villains it would send the wrong message.
Kaminari said, still confused:
—Isn't this just a normal sports festival? Isn't it just an idiotic school festival with games and those silly things like in other schools?
Izuku said:
—Kaminari, don't tell me you've never properly watched the U.A. Sports Festival.
Kaminari admitted:
—I saw some videos online. But I never managed to watch everything from start to finish.
Aizawa explained patiently to him and the class:
—Our Sports Festival is one of the biggest annual events in all of Japan viewed by millions. Back in the day, the Olympics were one of the biggest events in the world, and the whole country got excited about them. But as you know, with the existence and rise of more and more people with quirks, traditional sports lost their importance over time, becoming a mere shadow of what they once were in the past. That's why the U.A. Sports Festival has become so crucially important today it fills that void and draws the nation's attention to the next generation of heroes.
Momo said thoughtfully:
—The nation's top pro heroes will all be watching closely, right? They'll be evaluating our performance in detail, right?
Kirishima said excitedly:
—They'll evaluate us and potentially hire the ones who perform well for their hero offices, right? Scouting the best talent!
Jiro said realistically:
—Well, although most who get noticed are hired initially as sidekicks and many can't climb to a better position, ending up as permanent sidekicks forever. Well, something that would probably happen to Kaminari if he got picked.
Aizawa said matter-of-factly:
—Naturally, if you're chosen even temporarily as a sidekick to famous pros, you could gain incredibly valuable real-world experience and significant popularity boost. But the window of time for you to show what you're truly capable of and get chosen by those top heroes is limited and competitive. So give it your absolute all don't hold back.
Everyone got serious hearing that reminder of the stakes except Aoi, who suddenly felt a growing headache just thinking about the inevitable fight and decision when it came time to choose whether he'll intern/work with Rumi or Ryuko after the festival.
Aoi thought to himself, rubbing his temple: "I think I'll go with Rumi. Ryuko already has her own established team to take care of and lead. I don't want to interfere with her or the mechanics and dynamics of her team they work well as is. And with Rumi, it'll be just the two of us we can have fun together kicking some bandits' asses, fighting side by side without complications. Well, it's decided. I'll go with Rumi no drama."
Aizawa looked at the class one last time and said:
Well, that's all for this morning announcement. Class will continue normally until the lunch break no further interruptions today.