I spent the afternoon surviving most of my classes—which I hadn't attended in a week—through the power of sleep-learning.
Finally, it was time for Hero Basic Training, another thing I'd missed for a week. Naturally, the man in charge was the ever-popular, most muscular teacher at U.A.: the Meathead himself.
"Alright, I AM HERE—or something like that, yeah. Hero Basic Training! It's been a while, boys and girls! Are you all fired up?!"
Maybe it was because of the one-week gap, but even for a guy whose only real trait is being over-enthusiastic, All Might's opening was a bit... soggy. As the premier entertainer, Niko-chan, I couldn't overlook such a lack of flair. I wanted a refund for all the effort and struggle I'd put into changing into my hero suit.
Well, whatever. I am the super-idol Niko-chan, after all—a goddess of mercy who doesn't hold grudges. I pushed my complaints deep into my heart and gave the Meathead a sympathetic pat on his massive shoulder.
"It's still the first semester, Meathead! You can't be flagging already! You've got to nail the intro!"
"Don't talk to me like I'm a stand-up comedian, Midoriya... wait, no, you're right. I am an entertainer. Even a single lesson must be a spectacle! Haaaa-ha-ha-ha! It is time for Hero Basic Training! I AM—"
"So? What are we doing?"
"—Let me finish! At least let me get the 'HERE' out!"
Since the Meathead was practically begging me, I had no choice but to nod. He's a massive pain in the neck in my private life, but he actually looks after me quite well during class. I'm a girl of my word, so I try to help him out when I can. I'm a pure, righteous soul who believes in repaying favors. Plus, I have the kind of beauty that could be mistaken for a celestial goddess. It's almost scary how much of an angel I am.
"Alright, everyone, listen up! The last bit didn't happen. It's a total redo. Keep your lips zipped until the Meathead nails his pose. ...Alright, go for it!"
"I can't do it now! You've completely killed the mood!"
Wait, he's not doing it?
I tilted my head in genuine confusion, which only made a vein pop in the Meathead's forehead.
"Yep, I'm certain now! You're doing this on purpose! I had a bad feeling when I heard you slept through your morning classes, but surely you aren't planning to burn all that stored energy right here?!"
"Oh? Japanese is... very difficult. Me no understand."
"You were born and raised in Japan, one hundred percent! How can you say that with a straight face?! I'm worried about your future, kid!"
"...Midoriya is really on fire today," Jiro whispered.
"No kidding. I think she's channeling all that energy from her nap into being a menace. Her tension is through the roof," Asui added.
"Ochaco has been acting weird since this morning too, so she's not one to talk," Jiro replied.
"J-Jiro! Don't say that!"
And so, Hero Basic Training began.
The lesson was a Rescue Training Race. We were using Field Gamma—a place that looks like a sprawling industrial complex—to see who could reach the goal first. I thought we'd all go at once, but apparently, we were being split into groups of five. The rule was to keep building damage to a minimum. All Might didn't say it directly, but he was looking straight at Kacchan.
When I gave Kacchan a "sucker" hand signal, he shot me a look of pure loathing. I didn't care. That's what you get for being a public nuisance. It was a well-deserved "sucker" if I ever saw one.
"Midoriya, that goes for you too."
"What did you just say...?!"
He called me out by name?! You... you bastard!
Predictably, Kacchan sent the "sucker" signal right back at me. Grrrr!
+++
"Yaoyorozu, mind if I sit here?"
The groups had been assigned and the explanation was over. As we waited for the first group to start on the monitors, Momo sat down next to me. She'd been looking down since this morning, which had me worried, but she seemed to have recovered a little. I figured bringing it up might ruin her mood, so I kept my eyes on the screen while I looked for the right words.
The five students were currently warming up. Midoriya stood out the most.
"...Momo, who do you think is going to win? My money's on either Midoriya or Sero."
"I wonder. Given the number of obstacles, those two definitely have an advantage since they can ignore the ground and attack from the air."
The boys nearby overheard us and started making their own predictions. Those two names kept coming up.
"Hah? Obviously it's the stupid woman," Bakugo barked.
"O-Oh. Right. Figures you'd say that."
Bakugo is surprisingly honest about her in the weirdest ways. If he talked to her like that in person, they'd probably be dating by now. Seriously, how much does he trust her?
"Bakugo might say that, but I have a feeling it'll be Iida. Niko is amazing, but still," Ochaco chimed in.
"I think it'll be Iida, too," Asui added.
Bakugo raised an eyebrow at their comments. I knew he was about to snap.
"Hah? Like that damn Four-eyes could—"
"—It'll be Midoriya."
Todoroki cut him off, interjecting with a flat tone.
The girls, who had all been whispering about the "Is Todoroki crushing on Midoriya?" theory started by Ashido, were visibly shocked by the sudden intervention. I couldn't hide my surprise either. Are you serious?
"Iida is at a disadvantage because of the obstacles," Todoroki continued. "His Quirk provides speed, but it sacrifices maneuverability. He can't move in a straight line, and with poor visibility, he'll lose even more time. Even if he takes the shortest route, I don't see him catching up to Midoriya's direct approach."
By that logic, Sero should be in the running too... but Todoroki didn't even mention him. Not even a little bit.
"Wait, Todoroki. Sero can do the same thing, can't he?"
Kirishima's oblivious question sent a wave of tension through the girls. They were all dying to hear his answer. I mean, so was I.
Todoroki thought for a moment before speaking.
"Sero... I don't know. I have nothing to compare him to. I've only seen his Quirk up close during the Sports Festival."
He's actually being normal?! The girls looked visibly disappointed by the boring answer.
"The only one I truly know is Midoriya."
WHOA?! He just went full throttle!
The girls immediately perked up at the juicy comment. Ochaco's eyes were widened so far it was scary. She was looking at Todoroki at an angle that made me wonder if her neck was broken. It was terrifying.
"WHAAAAAT?! The hell do you think you know about that stupid woman, huh?!"
The fire had spread! It was a total disaster zone! Are you for real?!
Momo, who was vibrating with excitement, started shaking me, but I ignored her to watch the two of them. Bakugo had gotten so close to Todoroki I thought their noses were going to touch. He was glaring with everything he had, but Todoroki didn't flinch.
"Say something, damn you! Well?!"
"Say something? I don't know why you're so angry, but we were doing hero work together during our internship. It's only natural that I'd know about her Quirk."
"...Hah?"
...Wait, the mood is getting weird. Usually, this is where someone says "You got a problem?" and they start brawling, right? Is this what "real life" is like?
No, that can't be it. Even Momo and Ochaco—and even the dense boys—were wearing awkward expressions. Todoroki was definitely the weird one here. Even Bakugo looked like he didn't know how to respond to such an unexpected answer.
"So you only know... about her Quirk?"
"? Is there something else...?"
"...Nothing. Forget it."
And just like that, it was over. Nothing was resolved, and the vibe was just... dead.
In the middle of that awkward atmosphere, the first group's race began. The result was exactly what the class predicted: Midoriya took first place, followed by Sero in second. Then came Ojiro, Iida, and Ashido.
Honestly, Midoriya was in a league of her own. It made sense that the two top-tier students had predicted her win. Normally, trying to pull something heavier than yourself is a risk because you'll end up being pulled instead—but she manipulated that force perfectly. She was flying over the obstacles with such grace you'd think her Quirk was actually Flight.
To beat Sero, who uses a similar movement style, by over a minute without any interference is incredible. Knowing how she usually acts, it leaves me with a very complicated feeling...
A short while later, Midoriya returned to the monitor area, wearing a massive smug grin. Bakugo, who still couldn't be honest even after seeing that performance, started hurling insults at her. I was watching Midoriya puff out her cheeks in protest with a smile... when I heard a sound.
It was the sound of something hard grinding together.
I looked over, and Todoroki was standing there with his usual expression... but he was grinding his teeth. His face was perfectly calm, but his jaw was working overtime.
I'm not dense enough to miss what that meant. I turned to Momo, who was whispering, "...Jiro, look at that," and shook my head.
"Momo, we didn't see anything. Got it?"
They say those who interfere in love get kicked by a horse, or something like that. Yeah. I'm staying out of this. Whether it's love or just the sting of having a close friend "taken" by someone else, this is definitely going to turn into a massive headache.
Since it was clearly born from jealousy, we decided to leave them to it and headed to the starting line for our own race.
Midoriya... well, good luck, I guess. I'm rooting for you.
***
10 Advanced Chapters Available on my Patreon!
https://patreon.com/Well_being