The next day... following the chaotic Quirk Apprehension Test, the students‘ official school life at UA began. They arrived early, buzzing with anticipation, wondering just how special the lessons from active Pro Heroes at Japan's premier academy would be.
"Which of these four sentences has a grammatical error?! Hey, everybody! Come on! Shout it out!!!"
The English lesson taught by Present Mic was remarkably... normal.
"It‘s normal."
"Quite normal, indeed."
"Exceedingly normal."
Everyone shared the same sentiment.
"It is time for Physical Education... First... you shall begin with one hundred laps."
"""NOT NORMAL AT ALL!!!"""
During Michikatsu‘s PE class, his cold command to run a hundred laps caused everyone except Momo and Himiko to turn pale.
"If you intend to become Heroes... do not whine over such trivialities. Do you not preach 'Plus Ultra'...? Then go beyond... and run."
"""He‘s the only one from a completely different genre!"""
Michikatsu tapped a wooden sword against his palm as he stared at the protesting students.
"Run."
Momo and Himiko had already started. The others hesitated until they met Michikatsu‘s six-eyed glare, at which point they scrambled into motion, terrified.
"Kyoh-hoooooooooo..."
"Hoooooooooooooo..."
Himiko and Momo maintained Total Concentration Breathing as they circled the track. The others were a different story. Most dropped out after twenty laps. A few eventually collapsed at fifty. Only Himiko and Momo finished the full hundred—and they hadn't even broken a sweat.
"Pitiful... I see I must... rebuild your endurance from the ground up."
"""YOU MONSTER!"""
Michikatsu silenced their complaints with a sharp rap of his wooden sword and immediately moved into strength training.
"Midoriya... Bakugo... Todoroki... Kirishima... Iida. I shall train you five with even greater intensity... You show promise."
Michikatsu noted that these five had managed to push past fifty laps, showing a level of grit he could work with. Furthermore, he could see they had an innate aptitude for Breathing Styles.
However, he still had no intention of teaching them. He only mastered Moon Breathing, and even if he could teach them the basics of breath control, he didn't feel it was necessary to grant them that power just yet.
"Hah... hah... Tsugikuni-sensei... is too hardcore..."
"I‘m going to die..."
Ochaco Uraraka and Mina Ashido lay flat on the ground, gasping for air. Momo looked at them with a sympathetic, bitter smile, while Himiko struck a "fighting pose" to encourage them.
"Stand up... the lesson... has not ended yet."
Michikatsu‘s six eyes scanned the fallen students.
"""SAVE US!!!"""
The screams of Class 1-A echoed across the campus.
.
.
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Lunchtime
Lunch at UA is special. In the cafeteria, students can enjoy gourmet food at prices cheaper than a standard convenience store. The food is prepared by the Cook Hero: Lunch Rush—a Michelin 3-star chef whose culinary skills even 5-star hotel chefs bow to.
"I think... I‘m actually dying..."
"Mina-chan, you‘re melting, ribbit..."
"Honestly, Tsugikuni-sensei‘s class... ugh... I feel like I‘m going to puke because he worked us so hard..."
Mina, Tsu, and Ochaco shivered as they ate, recalling the morning‘s brutal training.
"Is that so...? To think such a small amount... made you feel like dying. I suppose that means I can... increase the intensity even further."
""EH?!""
A deep, bone-chilling voice vibrated from behind them. It was a familiar, terrifying tone. The girls froze instantly, their expressions stiffening.
""Ts-Tsugikuni-sensei?!""
"Why are you here, Sensei, ribbit?" Tsu asked calmly, wondering why a teacher was in the student cafeteria.
"Faculty may use the student cafeteria... Teachers do not have their own separate dining hall."
"I see. But... why are Momo-chan and Himiko-chan with you?"
Tsu tilted her head, genuinely curious about the trio's arrangement. Mina and Ochaco‘s eyes immediately sparkled as they leaned in to investigate.
"Husband... Sensei... may I tell them?"
"I have no objection..."
At Michikatsu‘s approval, Momo nodded and turned to Mina, Ochaco, and Tsu.
"Tsugikuni-sensei... Michikatsu is my betrothed, and he is Himiko‘s older brother."
"""WHAT?!"""
The three girls stared in stunned silence for several seconds.
"Oh! Is this a forbidden love between master and disciple?!"
"I love stuff like this!"
"It‘s a bit embarrassing, but me too, ribbit."
The girls looked at Momo and Michikatsu with newfound excitement. Momo softly explained the nature of their relationship—the arranged marriage pact made by their grandfathers, their bond as childhood friends, and how they intended to marry after graduation. She also shared how Himiko had been saved and adopted into the Tsugikuni family.
The three girls were moved to tears, sniffing as they listened to the story.
"What a romantic and touching story!"
"But I have one question, Momo-chan, ribbit." Tsu tilted her head. "How old is Tsugikuni-sensei? The term 'childhood friend' is bothering me."
"Now that you mention it, I‘m curious too!" Mina added.
This time, Michikatsu answered himself.
"I am... sixteen years old."
"SAME AGE?!"
"You're the same age as us but an active Pro Hero?!"
The three were in total shock. While they were still "seedlings" just beginning their education, someone their own age was already a seasoned veteran who had survived the field and become an instructor.
"Though we are the same age... while at school... you shall address me properly as 'Sensei.' I trust... you can distinguish between professional and private matters."
"""Yes, Sir..."""
Looking at his physical stature—towering and muscular—and his mature, stoic demeanor, the girls realized that treating him as an "equal" was likely impossible.
"Hey! You six-eyed freak!"
Katsuki Bakugo, having overheard the conversation, stomped over with a ferocious snarl.
"You're the same age as us and you‘ve been acting all high and mighty this whole time?! Hah?!"
"Kacchan, stop! He‘s our teacher while we‘re at school!" Midoriya tried to intervene.
"Shut up, Deku! Hey, Six-eyes... you‘re pretty full of yourself just because you became a hero first, huh?"
Bakugo couldn't stand it. His pride, which reached into the heavens, wouldn't allow him to accept that someone his own age was so many steps ahead of him in every possible category.
"Bakugo-san... you are being rude to Sensei," Momo said coldly. "Regardless of age, he is a superior in this school. Show some respect."
"That's right! Your words are too much!" Himiko chirped.
"Shut up! Ponytail, Buns!"
"Enough..."
As the cafeteria grew noisy and the attention of other students began to focus on them, Michikatsu set his chopsticks down with a sharp clack. He spoke in a low, vibrating tone.
"You are noisy... Katsuki Bakugo. I shall give you one warning."
Michikatsu stood. At 190 cm, he loomed over the 172 cm Bakugo. Staring down with all six eyes and releasing a trace of pressure, he made even the explosive teen flinch for a split second.
"Do you... wish to test your strength against mine?"
"Heh... that‘s exactly what I want, Six-eyes!"
"Then... you must first defeat Momo and Himiko. Both are my top disciples. And..."
Michikatsu delivered a stinging blow to Bakugo's pride.
"Compared to you, a mere fledgling... the difference is like heaven and earth. You are but... a frog in a well. Understand this, Bakugo... the world is far larger than you think."
"Hah?!! You‘re saying if I crush these two, I get a piece of you?!"
"If you can best them... I shall accept your challenge. Though... I doubt you can."
Bakugo glared at Momo and Himiko. Neither of them backed down; instead, they looked back at him as if he were an amusing, harmless child.
"Fine... I‘ll crush these two, then I‘ll crush you to show you who‘s on top, Six-eyes! Just you wait!"
"I expect very little."
"WHAT?!! You bastard!! Hey, Deku! Let go of me!"
"Stop it, Kacchan! People are watching! It's embarrassing!" Midoriya was struggling to hold back the rampaging teen.
"Damn it! I‘ll definitely break you! Just wait, Six-eyes!!!"
"Kacchan! Calm down!"
Midoriya looked like he was suffering a slow death trying to restrain Bakugo.
"Honestly, he‘s so unrefined," Momo sighed.
"Right? He‘s so annoying!" Himiko pouted.
The two were already thinking of exactly how to put Bakugo in his place for speaking so rudely to their Husband/Brother.