Chapter 23

Perhaps because they didn't face off against the Villains directly, the event where the members of Class 1-B appeared to confront Class 1-A never happened. A few people came by during lunch to ask about what happened, but they departed fairly quickly after learning Class 1-A had evacuated before the fighting started.

In the wake of their uneventful lunch, Yaoyorozu asked everyone to fill out the schedules and request forms Aizawa had provided before heading off for their training. After that, true to the school's doctrine of 'freedom,' they basically had an entire month of afternoon classes to utilize as they pleased.

As he was still waiting for the 'assistant' Nezu had prepared for him, Izuku did the opposite of nearly every other student in Class 1-A by partaking in the optional Foundational Heroics course. Midnight was scheduled to give a presentation on Positive Public Relations, so Izuku figured he could earn some brownie points with the hottest teacher in the school by attending.

Unfortunately, not that Izuku was too surprised, Midnight's lecture was an open class, so nearly a hundred, predominately male students showed up. As a result, he was just another face in the crowd while the buxom beauty went on about the importance of networking, team-ups, and public image. This was especially true for aspiring male Heroes, as they made up nearly 85% of active Heroes. In other words, they had a lot of competition if they wanted to stand out...

Following the hour-and-a-half lecture, Midnight invited everyone for an impromptu meet and greet, allowing attendees to either shake her hand or have something signed by her. Izuku had no interest in being a part of the 'rabble,' however, so he was among the first to depart the auditorium.

With nothing better to do, Izuku made his way back to Class 1-A to see if anyone was loitering around. Odds were that they were preparing for the Sports Festival, but it didn't hurt to take a look. What he never, not in a million years, expected was to walk in on Mineta in the midst of sniffing Yaoyorozu's seat in the dark...

Not expecting anyone to walk in when the lights were dimmed, Mineta stared back at Izuku like a deer caught in the headlights. He had done his best to restrain himself after his expulsion, but the sudden appearance of Villains at USJ had reminded him that life was full of surprises. You never knew when the grim reaper would come to collect his dues, so he decided to remain true to himself, even if others couldn't understand him.

Catching Mineta by surprise, Izuku shook his head, exhaling a tired sigh as he said, "Whatever, man. Just wipe it down when you're finished, and don't let me catch you harassing our classmates directly."

Without waiting for Mineta's response, Izuku closed the door and walked away with his hands in his pockets. He would be lying if he said he wasn't appalled by Mineta's behavior, but he had once witnessed a fellow Soldier using the corpse of an insurgent as a tire stop. People did some crazy shit when they reached their limits and felt extreme pressure, so he wouldn't say anything unless Mineta attempted some of the antics he pulled in the anime.

Stopping Izuku before he could get too far, Mineta emerged from the classroom with an indignant expression and watery eyes as he exclaimed, "You don't have the right to judge me! You don't know what it's like being half the height of everyone else and treated as a pervert!"

Furrowing his brows, Izuku looked over his shoulder and replied, "I don't know what you experienced in your past, but the reason people treat you as a pervert is because you 'are' one. Also, I'm not judging you. I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt and hoping you'll correct yourself before you do something stupid. You wouldn't be here if the Principal and staff didn't believe you had what it takes to become a Hero. Remember that the next time you feel compelled to do something so...shameless..."

Finished with what he had to say, Izuku turned around, raising his hand in farewell as he walked off. Mineta had a number of reeding moments in the anime, so he wouldn't go out of his way to get the diminutive grape-head expelled. At least until he crossed a line he shouldn't...

Staring at Izuku's back, Mineta wanted to tear the sticky, grape-like balls from his head and teach the former a lesson. Instead, his anger gradually gave way to an oppressive feeling of shame. It wasn't enough to prevent him from returning to the classroom, but he at least had second thoughts and made sure to give Yaoyorozu's seat a thorough cleaning...

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With Nezu's arrangements taking longer than anticipated, Izuku elected to spend Saturday afternoon at the school's state-of-the-art gym. There, alongside an assortment of standard training equipment, they had free weights up to 10,000kgs, a specialized hydraulic press that could measure lifting forces ten times that amount, and a treadmill that simulated pulling up to six train cars.

Though his initial plan was to train alongside Shoji, Ojiro, and Sato, Izuku changed his mind when he noticed a familiar figure hanging from one of the horizontal bars. It was more accurate to say he noticed their clothes, but that was semantics.

Disregarding the unwritten rules about not approaching women keeping to themselves at the gym, Izuku made his way over to the dangling figure, asking, "Hey, Hagakure-san. Trying to get some gains in before the Sports Festival...?"

Hearing Izuku's voice, Hagakure exhaled a started, "Eep!' as she abruptly let go of the bar. She had specifically gone to a part of the gym where no one else was, so she didn't expect someone to sneak up behind her while she was focused on her dead hang.

Resisting the urge to try and catch Hagakure as she fell, Izuku waited for her to plop on the thick blue mat beneath her before offering his hand, an apologetic smile on his face as he said, "Sorry if I startled you. I noticed you were training by yourself, so I thought I'd come over to see how you were doing."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Hagakure accepted Izuku's help, rising to her feet before asserting, "You could have called out to me..." in an audibly pouty tone. She was usually the one to startle people, so she was a little annoyed Izuku had gotten the drop on her.

In response to Izuku's previous question, Hagakure took a moment to fix her gym clothes as she begrudgingly explained, "I placed 19th in the last Quirk Apprehension Test, just above Mineta-kun. I don't want to remain at the bottom of the Class, so I decided to work on my strength and stamina in preparation for the Sports Festival."

"Ah, I see..." replied Izuku. Then, with a genuinely curious look, he asked, "Have you ever trained like this before?"

Rubbing the back of her invisible head and smiling awkwardly, Hagakure replied, "Not really. I was a part of the Cheer Squad in Middle School, but this is my first time hitting the gym seriously. Why, was I doing something wrong?"

Shaking his head, Izuku answered, "Nah, I was just curious. And, once again, sorry for before. I didn't mean to startle you."

Finished with what he had to say, Izuku motioned as if he was about to leave. Before he could, Hagakure called out to him, asking, "Hey, where are you going? Didn't you come over here because you wanted to train together or offer me advice?"

Looking back at the invisible girl, Izuku regained his smile as he replied, "As I said, I was just curious. Seeing a girl's gym uniform hovering in the air was pretty conspicuous, so I came over to confirm it was you. Now that I know, I'll leave you to your business. Just let me know if you need anything."

Raising his hand, Izuku turned as if to leave but was once again stopped by Hagakure, this time grabbing his sleeve as she muttered, "You have a slim and athletic body, so you must know a few training methods. Teach me some of them..."

Turning to face the presumably blushing girl, Izuku's smile broadened as he teased, "If you're the one who's asking, I don't mind disclosing all of my secrets. Just tell me what you want to improve upon, and I'll suggest a suitable exercise. Fair warning, though, I take my training pretty seriously. If you want my help, I expect you to make an effort."

Stamping her foot and balling her invisible hands into fists, Hagakure half-exclaimed, "I'm in the Hero Department too, you know!? I won't give up or slack off just because things are a little tough...!"

Nodding his head, Izuku replied, "Then I'd be glad to teach you. Though, considering we're rivals in the upcoming Sports Festival, I won't be here to watch over you every day. I have my own special training prepared, so this is just a temporary arrangement until then."

Prompted by the words 'special training,' Hagakure brought her right index finger to her chin, head tilted slightly to the side as she parroted, "Special training? Is it related to your Quirk...?"

Nodding a second time, Izuku explained, "It's supposed to be a secret, but I recently experienced a breakthrough that allows me to drastically enhance my physical capabilities for a short period. If I'm to have any hope of defeating Todoroki, I'll need to stabilize my power before then."

Blinking her invisible eyes in surprise, a faint smile developed across Hagakure's face as she linked her hands behind her back and leaned forward slightly, asking, "It's a secret, huh? Does that mean you haven't told Ashido and the other girls~?"

Pretending he didn't know what Hagakure was getting at, Izuku shook his head, confirming, "Other than the Principal and a handful of our teachers, you're the only one who knows about it. Why?"

Shaking her head, though it was difficult to tell since Izuku could only see her clothes, Hagakure answered, "Oh, no reason. I was just curious. And don't worry, I won't reveal your secret to anyone. In exchange, you can't tell anyone you're helping me train. Okay?"

Raising his brows, Izuku pointed out, "I don't mind, but we're far from the only people using the gym. Anyone who looks over here, especially from our Class, will realize I'm lending you a hand."

"..."

With Hagakure remaining silent for several seconds, Izuku's expression became marginally concerned as he asked, "Hagakure-san...?"

Coming to her sense, Hagakure shook her head a second time, stating, "Forget it. Let's just focus on our training, and if anyone asks what we're up to, we'll feign ignorance. Sound good?"

Though he was certain there was something else Hagakure had wanted to say, Izuku didn't hesitate to respond, "Sounds good." Then, for the rest of the afternoon, he acquainted Hagakure with the very basics of strength and endurance training. What he didn't know, or at least pretended not to, was that, for a very brief moment, Hagakure had considered removing her clothes so that no one could see them training together...

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After what felt like an excessively long period of time, Izuku's first week at UA finally came to a close. However, while everyone else in Class 1-A was enjoying their single day off, he was half-awake, dragging his feet to campus in order to make use of the Support facilities.

Since his original ensemble had been met with mixed reception, the first project Izuku was planning to work on was a new Hero costume. He had yet to settle on a design, but he was considering something like Captain America's outfit from Avengers: End Game. Or, if he wanted something to compliment his hair and eyes, a variation of a Green Lantern's outfit...

With such thoughts in his mind, Izuku entered the Support Department's Development Studio, expecting to find it empty or occupied by one of the on-duty teachers. Instead, he encountered a girl with prominent, salmon-pink dreadlocks and unusual golden eyes reminiscent of crosshairs. More importantly, she was staring back at him in a black tube top and a black boilersuit whose upper half was half-tied around her waist...

Speaking before Izuku could regain his senses, the pink-haired girl said, "You're not supposed to be in here." in a flat, matter-of-fact tone of voice. However, when she noticed the briefcase-like tool case he was carrying, one of the most expensive on the market, her reticle-like eyes appeared to focus an excited grin blossomed across her face...

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(A/N: Best girl has appeared, humu...)