"Finally," Tess says, pushing herself away from the wall with a quick movement. "I thought you wanted to sleep until noon, after your hectic night."
You blush violently. "See, I'm not the only one who had a turbulent night."
She smiles. "I know," and avoids your gaze. As you walk, she comes alongside you, playfully nudging your side.
"So? How was it? Did it live up to your… fantasies?"
Her voice is a mix of mockery and genuine interest, and you know deep down that she won't give up until she gets an answer. So you take a deep breath and turn to her.
"We…did it." You confess in a whisper. Your hands automatically tighten at your sides. Tess, however, stops abruptly, her eyes wide for a moment before narrowing to mischievous slits.
"Holy shit," she exclaims, suddenly grabbing you by the shoulders, forcing you to look at her. "Really? Oh finally! And how was it? Tell me everything."
Your heart begins to pound in your chest as you smile softly. "It was…intense. Different from what I imagined. He was…" You hesitate, searching for the right words. "So sweet. It was like he was afraid he was going to break me…like I was made of crystal."
Tess lets out a low whistle. "WOW! So our dear frozen sensei can also be sweet?" She shakes her head, laughing. "I don't believe it. Aizawa-sensei? The one who always seems pissed off at the whole world? That one?"
You can't put into words how, in his arms, you felt both safe and completely exposed, as though he had accepted all your insecurities rather than judging them. But in the light of day, that distance between you and him suddenly makes everything more complicated.
After a while, you arrive, and the U.A. campus is a whirlwind of activity. The air is electric.
Students rush back and forth, setting up stands to illustrate how the Specialization Festival, a fusion of the internship, works: a huge event where every department has the opportunity to showcase its skills… and where, inevitably, everyone competes with everyone else.
Billboards advertise demonstrations of power, while voices overlap in an excited buzz.
We didn't even say goodbye. He just left that piece of paper. Maybe he's angry. Or maybe... no, forget it. Tsk...stay focus!
While you're immersed in your usual negative thoughts, Tess oscillates between a jump of joy and a jump of panic as she approaches the group of your class.
"Good morning, little mice! Come on, this is our chance to show everyone that the medical department isn't just bandages and syrups!" she announces proudly and smiling.
"Hey!" Kaito protests, chatting with Reina. "I want compliments too, not just…"
Reina slaps him on the head. "You just have to think about not flirting with the nurse androids like last year."
Kaito turns dramatically to you, his expression bewildered. "It was JUST a sociological experiment… Eri, please, tell her!"
"Did they give you the serial number instead of the phone number by any chance?" You murmur, smiling.
"And let's remember," Reina adds with Zen calm, "that last year Ren got the doses wrong and half the first aid tent exploded."
You all turn to him with serious looks.
"That stuff wasn't pure!" Ren defends himself from the corner of the room. "The solution was unstable!"
"It was water and sugar," Reina replies.
While you're chatting about this and that, a screen suddenly appears on a large monitor above your heads, describing your class's schedule in huge letters:
- First aid on humanoid robots
- Stabilization of injured people in high-risk areas
- Use of rapid-fire medical quirks
Okay, you might say this program sounds like a nightmare to a beginner… but for you, it's just another day.
Meanwhile, Recovery Girl, tiny, yet absolutely terrifying, bursts out from behind the door. She marches across the room, handing out colorful bibs and emergency kits like medals of war, her expression razor-sharp, chest puffed out, trotting on tiptoe with the authority of a seasoned general.
"Remember," she says, looking at you over her glasses. "This is not a competition."
All the departments, at the same time, exclaim: "IT IS!"
She sighs like someone who's given up years ago. "Okay, okay..."
Meanwhile, your team gathers around you, and you meet each of them's gaze in turn. Tess scrunches up her hair with a look of intense concentration, her hair tie clenched between her teeth. Reina sprays sanitizer on her hands as if it were perfume, squaring her shoulders, her breathing already shallow. Ren, already sweaty and terrified by the medical kit, stares wide-eyed at Kaito, who casually winks at one of the many robot nurses. And finally, there's you, doing your best not to glance out into the courtyard, in the direction you know the combat unit… and that idiot brother of yours… are about to arrive.
"Okay team, eyes on me," Tess says, "Let's not get humiliated today."
"We won't be the ones to be humiliated," Kaito proclaims, polishing his stethoscope uselessly. "We're young, beautiful, and talented."
Reina sticks a Band-Aid on his forehead. "Stop talking like one of those motivational posters at the gym."
Ren looks at the kit, very pale. "I've forgotten everything. I feel like I'm dying. Can I be the patient?"
"No!" You all answer in chorus.
"Can I at least mix something?"
"STRICTLY NO!" You all shout.
(You know what happens when Ren is nervous.)
Meanwhile, you try to breathe deeply. The tension in your chest isn't just from the festival, you know that well. You clench your jaw even tighter when, a few meters away, you see your brother's group arriving. You immediately recognize Ryota, from his walk and his confident expression, his shoulders held high as if he wants everyone to notice him. He pretends not to see you, and you pretend to believe him.
And then…
You feel a shiver run down your spine, as if the air around you has suddenly dropped in temperature.
Aizawa-sensei steps into the courtyard, his hair tied back in a low ponytail, a scarf wrapped tightly around his neck, clad in his signature black tracksuit, annoyingly sexy as ever. You watch him speak as he approaches with the rest of the teaching staff, his gaze impassive, as always.
But when he looks up, even for just half a second, he looks at you. An instant, or maybe two, but no longer. Just long enough to knock the air out of your lungs. Enough to remind you of that damned note on the bedside table and that crooked, hasty writing. Enough to make you wonder if he slept last night... and how. Or if he thought about you as much as you did about him.
He approaches you, his steps stealthily.
"Gather around," he says simply, in a cold tone of voice, without looking at you.
You feel your heart rate quicken. You look up to see him too. A moment, or maybe two.
Aizawa-sensei, however, doesn't look back.
Or rather, he looks at you and then immediately looks away.
Tess leans in and whispers something in your ear.
"Don't get distracted, okay? The festival is important. And then…"
She nudges you, as she usually does. "He looks at you like he knows exactly what you're worth."
You blush, look at her, but don't answer.
Aizawa-sensei opens a file, with various steps to follow.
"Let's start with the emergency room."
Kaito snorts. "Sensei, then, you know that my talent…"
"Your talent," Aizawa-sensei interrupts. "Is that you don't flirt with humanoid robots, like last year."
You all burst out laughing.
"Huh?! That's job discrimination!" he shouts, crossing his arms with an offended look on his face.
Tess doubles over with laughter. "Please, do it anyway," she says, turning to Kaito. "I want to see a robot slap you."
Recovery Girl snaps her fingers.
"Well, my little doctors! It's started! Ready or not: the patients are dying!"
The festival begins.
As the groups disperse among the stands, and just before the bell rings, you catch a glimpse of Aizawa-sensei walking past you.
"You, concentrate."
His tone is low, almost nervous. Almost too human, let's say.
"Yes, sensei."
And your eyes meet again, just for a moment. And that moment is enough to take your breath away.
Aizawa-sensei…will you be able to look at me even after all this?
You clench your fists until they hurt, and turn to your stepbrother without even thinking. You see him out of the corner of your eye as he talks to a classmate and points at you with his index finger, and in your heart you already know what he's talking about with his useless little group. You have to prove that you are more than what happened last night with Sensei. More than what you feel, and more than what Aizawa-sensei probably fears. You want to show everyone who you are, and your worth. Above all, you want to prove that a hero isn't just someone who shakes their fists.
The first alarm goes off.
The first aid test begins.
The path lights up like a war trap. Your medical team (you, Tess, Ren, Reina and Kaito) rush forward toward one of the robot mannequins lying on the ground, programmed to moan, tremble, and groan just like a real patient.
The sign next to the mannequin, written strictly by Recovery Girl, reads:
PATIENT TYPE C: "MULTIPLE FRACTURES, CONFUSION, RISK OF COLLAPSE. GOOD LUCK."
Tess kneels first. "Okay, protocol! We'll stabilize the fractures, then Eri will load him and…"
Ren suddenly appears behind you, sweating profusely, carrying a manual as big as himself.
"Guys! I mixed up the vials! If I get this wrong... will my hand explode?"
You all look at him for a second of awkward silence. Tess shakes her head, and Kaito pats him on the shoulder.
"I'll make your hands explode if we lose."
"THIS DOESN'T HELP!" Ren exclaims, his eyes widening.
Reina snorts, already frustrated and nervous. "Just make sure you don't poison the fake patient, okay?"
As if understanding Reina's statement, the nurse robot next to you flashes:
"Warning: 64% risk of poisoning."
"FUCK!" Ren screams. A long scream, too long.
You stand up, grab his jacket, and look him in the eye. "Focus, Ren. Breathe and stay calm. Look at the blue vial, not the red one."
"BUT…I DON'T SEE THEM BLUE OR RED ANYMORE! THEY'RE ALL…COLORFUL!"
Kaito approaches and snatches the manual from his hands. "Please, turn off your brain. Just try to follow orders."
After that, Ren bursts into tears silently.
Tess, on the other hand, is already operational: she immobilizes the robot's leg, checks the parameters, applies an anti-bleeding bandage and performs a rapid electrocardiogram.
"Eri, prepare for transport!" she orders.
You nod, then stretch your wings, which open with a gentle rustle. The feathers glow with your healing aura, and you hear a "wooow" from someone in the stands.
"Patient ready! Stabilized! Go, go!"
You hug the patient robot and have it sit behind your back. At a certain point, the robot, in a metallic voice, opens its mouth:
"Recognition: transport comfort increased by 37%."
"Thank you," you say, smiling.
The robot responds with an electronic "you're welcome."
"Move! What are you still doing here?!" Tess shouts. "The path activates in…"
CLANG!
The mechanical traps and side barriers rise and begin to move: you see some rotating blades (fake but very loud), high-pressure water jets, and a vibrating floor. Reina pulls down her safety glasses and huffs.
"Okay, this is the fun part."
"For who?" Ren sobs, still drowning in tears.
You finally take flight, at very low altitude and with the robot behind you. Kaito watches as he runs toward you, clearing the way with completely unnecessary but very convincing poses. Reina dodges the water jets with moves worthy of a ninja, and Tess calculates every obstacle by eye, with that "total coolness" look on her face.
A few meters from the finish line, however, a mechanical arm surprises you all, positioning itself right in front of you.
"Shit, what now?" you whisper, looking around.
You brake suddenly, not expecting it to be able to move both forward and backward. You almost lose the patient, you feel him slide against you from behind, when… From the sidelines, Aizawa-sensei watches in silence. You notice him. Arms crossed, his gaze fixed solely on you. You meet his eyes, just for a second.
Look at me, Aizawa-sensei… I'll become strong, just like you.
You stretch your wings with a decisive blow, opening them even wider. They tremble, but it doesn't matter. You leap fearlessly over the metal arm (strangely, you feel very relaxed), and land, sliding sideways and crossing the finish line in time.
Tess raises her arms to the sky, hopping on the spot.
"DONE!"
Kaito strikes an All Might pose, arm raised. "Of course! We were meant to shine!"
Reina slaps him on the back of the head again. "Shut up."
Ren, on the other hand, collapses onto the floor, clutching the vials, his eyes rolling skyward.
"ARE WE… FINISHED?" he asks.
The robot patient, still in your arms, suddenly lights up:
Result: Stabilization successful. Team assessment: optimal. Note: Avoid Ren in the future.
Ren: "WHY?"
The crowd laughs as the atmosphere heats up. Yet, as everyone else celebrates, you feel a shiver run down your spine.
Tess comes closer, hugging you and kissing you all over:
"He's eating you with his eyes…alive."
"What?" you ask, confused.
"Aizawa-sensei. He looks at you every two minutes, and then pretends to look at the chart. It's pathetic."
You blush. "He's not looking at me."
Tess laughs softly. "Sister, you're a mess."
After about a ten-minute break, the second round of the Festival of Specializations begins with a devastating roar. People in the stands begin drumming and singing in stadium chants, while a few young people dance around cheering you on. Your adrenaline levels skyrocket.
You find yourself on a set where the entire urban area is simulated: the buildings are made of reinforced cardboard, the smoke is artificial (non-toxic), the lights are stroboscopic and there is the extraordinary exemption to the use of some quirks that you don't see but which you will surely perceive later.
Recovery Girl taps her stick on the ground, turning to face you.
"Objective: stabilize two injured people in an unstable environment. But be careful, collapses will be random and... there will be unexpected events planned. Good luck!"
You all swallow hard. But your team still lines up in a circle.
Tess: "Okay, Eri and I will take the first injured person. Kaito, Ren, and Reina, you handle the second."
Kaito nods solemnly, rolling his eyes.
"Entrust us with the fate of precious lives."
Reina: "Don't talk like you're in a B-series drama."
Kaito: "You break my heart every time."
Ren, trembling: "Aizawa-sensei will break my spine, I'm sure of it."
So, off you go.