Hero and Villain

The day progressed as one might expect, with the surprising revelation that even the best school for heroes included normal classes like math and English.

"So, which one of you can identify the incorrect sentence among these examples?" Present Mic asked, holding up a textbook. Most of the students were either bored, distracted, or dumbstruck by how mundane the hero course could be.

Present Mic raised his arm, "Come on, my listeners! Show some spirit!"

The class remained silent, and Mirai stifled a yawn behind her hand.

During lunchtime, Mirai and Midoriya made their way to the cafeteria, joined by two of their classmates. The prices were surprisingly affordable for such appetizing meals, all served by the Pro Hero Lunch Rush. The hero had an impressively large chef's hat that obscured most of his face, and a blue tube connected his mouth to his back. Trust Mirai, she had checked.

Lunch Rush gave a thumbs up, his voice muffled by his mask. "In the end, it's all about the white rice."

"Amen," Mirai said, digging into her food. She watched as Midoriya blushed and tried to hide his grin while the others ate beside her. She supposed he still couldn't quite believe he was in a school where most of the staff were well-known heroes.

Uraraka nodded, "It's comfort food."

Finally, the afternoon arrived, meaning that only a few more hours remained before they could go home. Oh, and there was also Hero Basics class to look forward to. The students settled into their seats as the bell rang, eagerly awaiting their teacher. Then, a familiar voice echoed through the room.

"I am…"

Midoriya's grin widened as he stared at the door, where All Might was making his entrance in a rather unconventional manner. His feet tiptoed along the edge of the classroom's threshold, his hands gripping the doorframe as he beamed at the students.

"…entering the room like a normal person!"

Excitement surged through the classroom, the students barely containing their enthusiasm.

"It's All Might!"

"This is so awesome! He's really a teacher here?"

"That's his Silver Age costume," one student observed, taking in All Might's red and blue suit as he strode to the desk.

All Might stood behind the desk, his imposing figure dwarfing the small wooden surface. He struck a pose, his hands on his hips, and declared, "I will be teaching Hero Basics. To lay the foundation for your heroic careers, we will engage in various types of training." He stepped away from the desk, flexing his muscles in another dramatic pose. "Today, we'll start with…" He held up a card emblazoned with bold letters: BATTLE. "Battle training!"

The students leaned forward in their seats, their eyes wide with anticipation.

All Might pointed to the wall, which split open to reveal sections filled with numbered cases. "And to accompany that, you'll need these! The costumes made according to your requests and quirk registrations."

"Costumes…" Midoriya smiled softly, glancing down at his case number. Mirai tried to feel happy for him, she really did. But when he had shown her the sketches he'd made for his costume…

Well, at least he was happy. As the students eagerly stood up and proceeded to retrieve their cases based on their seat numbers, Mirai's gaze drifted to All Might. He looked the same as he had that day. She still needed to thank him properly for that.

"Once you changed, meet me at the Ground Beta."

But for now, she pushed those thoughts aside, focusing instead on the activity, her first class to become heroes, and she actually got to do something. She tried to contain a smile as she walked to her case.

┏━°⌜ 赤い糸 ⌟°━┓

┗━°⌜ 赤い糸 ⌟°━┛

Mirai strode alongside her classmates as they exited the changing rooms, her black hooded cape billowing behind her.

"Starting with your appearance is also important, boys and girls," All Might declared at the end of the tunnel. "Be aware that from today onwards, you are heroes."

She stepped out of the tunnel, fiddling with the clasp that connected her cape to her collar.

"You all look fantastic!" All Might gave a thumbs up as Mirai glanced at her peers. There were definitely some noteworthy costumes, particularly those of Uraraka, the glasses guy, and the sparkling student whose armor was undeniably eye-catching.

However, there was one person who stood out above the rest…

The individual in question emerged from the tunnel, his teal green suit stretching seamlessly across his torso and limbs. A large, rabbit-like mask covered his head and face. The mask was a darker shade of green, almost black, with large, erect ears tapering to a point. Its silhouette bore a striking resemblance to…

Mirai glanced back at All Might, taking note of the two tufts of hair sticking up from his slicked-back blond locks. Midoriya couldn't have been more obvious in his costume design. She tried to stifle a laugh as she approached him alongside Uraraka, who beamed at the green-clad hero.

"Deku!" Uraraka waved enthusiastically. "Your costume looks really cool and practical!"

"That's one way to put it," Mirai crossed her arms as Midoriya blushed beneath his mask. Somehow, he felt the need to cover his mouth with his hands, despite the fact that his face was already concealed.

Uraraka scratched her head, grinning sheepishly. "I should've been more specific in my costume request. It's pretty tight on me."

"The hero course is awesome," remarked a short boy with grape-like hair.

Mirai narrowed her eyes at him but ultimately chose to ignore his comment as All Might began speaking.

"It's time for battle training, everyone!" the Number One Hero announced, his voice booming across the training grounds.

The glasses guy raised his hand. "Sensei, we used this center for the entrance exam. Will we be engaging in city battles again?"

All Might held up two fingers. "No, we'll be taking things two steps further. While villain battles are commonly seen outdoors, in reality, villains are more likely to appear indoors."

He continued, "Imprisonment, confinement, backdoor deals… In this society filled with heroes, the cleverer villains lurk in the shadows. That's why I'll be separating you into hero and villain teams. The battles will be two versus two."

A green-haired girl tilted her head. "Without any basic training?"

All Might smiled and clenched his fist. "This is how you'll learn those basics. However, this time, there won't be any robots for you to destroy."

Yaoyorozu raised her hand. "How do we determine victory or defeat?"

Bakugou followed suit. "Can I just blow everything up?"

"Will you expel us like Mr. Aizawa did?" Uraraka chimed in.

"How will the teams be divided?" The glasses guy asked,

"Isn't my cape cool?" The shiny student held up his cape.

Sweat dripped from All Might's brow. "Too… too many questions!" He pulled out a small booklet, dwarfed by his massive hands. "Listen carefully. The scenario is as follows: villains have hidden a weapon somewhere, and the heroes must either recover the weapon or capture the villains within the time limit. Villains can win by protecting the weapon or capturing the heroes."

Seemingly out of nowhere, he produced a yellow box with the word "LOTS" printed on it in bold letters. "Your opponents will be chosen randomly."

Iida frowned. "Is that really the best approach?"

Midoriya spoke up, "Actually, it's quite common for pro heroes to team up with heroes from other agencies on the spot during emergencies. I believe that's what All Might is preparing us for."

Iida's eyes widened. "I see… He's already thinking ahead for our benefit." He bowed his head. "My apologies, sensei!"

All Might waved off the apology. "No worries! Let's get started!"

He proceeded to draw the lots, pairing up the students. Uraraka and Midoriya ended up together, while the octopus-like student was paired with someone whose body was half-covered in ice. Yaoyorozu found herself teamed up with the grape-haired boy, and Mirai…

Was paired with none other than Bakugou Katsuki.

You know what to do

Mirai glanced at the blond, who looked utterly disgusted by the prospect of working with her. He clicked his tongue and turned away.

Great. Just great.

"The first two competitors are…" All Might dug his hands onto the two boxes titled, Hero and Villain, then brought out two balls with an A and D on them.

D being Shiromi and Bakugou. And A, being Uraraka and Midoriya. Mirai looked back at Midoriya who looked equally surprise.

"The rest of you, head to the monitoring room," All Might instructed, gesturing towards a nearby building. "From there, you'll be able to observe the battle and learn from your classmates' performances."

"Yes, sir!" the students chorused, their voices ringing out in unison. They began to file out of the training grounds, chattering amongst themselves as they speculated about the upcoming match.

Mirai sighed, resigning herself to the inevitable.

After everyone was stationed to the monitor room, All Might led the two teams to building A, As Mirai and Bakugou was about to enter, All Might approached them.

"Young Shiromi, Young Bakugou, try to embrace the villain's mindset, as if this were a real battle. Don't be afraid to give it your all. If things get too out of hand, I'll intervene and stop the exercise."

Mirai glanced at Bakugou, whose head was turned towards the green-suited boy in the distance. "If it gets too wild, eh?" she murmured, "Right… we'll see if you can manage that."

All Might tilted his head, "Huh?"

Mirai shook her head, waving off his concern. "It's nothing. Oh, by the way, I've been meaning to say this to you." She met All Might's gaze, "Thank you so much for saving me… well, us, back during the Sludge Villain incident. I'm truly grateful."

All Might laughed, his booming voice, "It's no problem at all, Young Shiromi. That's what heroes do."

Mirai fell silent for a moment, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. "Young Shiromi…" she repeated, chuckling softly. "Sorry, that just reminds me of a friend of mine."

All Might stiffened, his body incredibly stiff. But Mirai didn't seem to notice, or if she did, she chose not to comment on it. "Is that so?" All Might coughed, clearing his throat.

Bakugou, whose attention had shifted to their conversation, scoffed in annoyance. "Are you done? Let's get moving." He stomped into the building, his heavy boots thudding against the concrete floor.

Mirai sighed, her shoulders sagging slightly. All Might offered her an apologetic smile.

"Sure thing, Bakugou," Mirai called out, her voice echoing in the empty space. "Let's get this over with quickly." She strode into the building, her cape fluttering behind her as she followed the explosive blond.

Mirai made her way to the second floor, taking in the layout of the room. Metal drums, wooden items, and cardboard boxes were scattered haphazardly, along with stacks of wooden sticks piled in the corners. With Uraraka's quirk, it would be wise to move these items as far away as possible.

At the end of the room stood a large, imposing object resembling a nuclear weapon. Its black and red exterior seemed to promise destruction, but as Mirai approached and knocked on the surface, the hollow sound of papier-mâché echoed through the space. She found it surprising that they hadn't used real metal, considering the sheer number of robots the school had thrown at the students during the entrance exam.

"Oi," Bakugou's gruff voice cut through the silence. "So, Deku has a quirk?"

Mirai kept her expression neutral. "Apparently."

"Apparently?" Bakugou whipped his head towards her, his narrowed eyes widened slightly, "Are you telling me you didn't know?"

Mirai met his gaze unflinchingly. "No. No, I did not."

Bakugou scoffed, his face twisting into a sneer. "Ha… so that nerd has been tricking you too. Fucking hell…"

Mirai bit the inside of her cheek, "Do not paint my friend in that light. I know he didn't do it to trick me."

"Because you guys are just so damn close,""Exactly." She smiled, "Now, before you go on a rampage and attack Izuku, don't even think about using those gauntlets on him." Bakugou seemed taken aback as she continued, "Those heavy gauntlets soak up your sweat and act as a means to set off explosions from a distance, correct? Effective and powerful. Too powerful, in fact. You do realize they would cause more than just property damage? You could kill someone." She narrowed her eyes at him.

"He'll be fine if he dodges it.""If."He glared only to turn his back, "Stay out of my goddamn way, I swear, I still can't believe the likes of you cling to a pathetic creature like him.""That's funny."

"Ha? What'd you say?" Bakugou growled, his fists clenching at his sides.

Mirai remained silent as a loud buzzer echoed through the building, "Nothing," she looked back to the weapon, "I'll make sure it's protected."

Bakugou clicked his tongue in annoyance and stalked away, as if he couldn't stand to be in the same room as her for a moment longer.

As his footsteps faded into the distance, Mirai let out a slow breath, her shoulders sagging slightly. She knew that working with Bakugou would be a challenge, but she hadn't anticipated just how difficult it would be to keep her own emotions in check. Tricking her? That's absurd, the Midoriya she knew wouldn't ever do that to his friends. And gods fuck that guy will hunt Midoriya down and give him an unnecessarily hard beat down and she won't be there to keep him in check.

She breathed heavily, calm down, Bakugou may be abrasive and temperamental, but he's not dumb. He wouldn't do anything that would jeopardize his future, and she suppose that included killing his classmate.

Well..she glanced at the room with all the materials placed randomly, at least she had something to do while Bakugou did his thing.