Chapter 81 Support Course Activities

After a week-long hero internship, the students of U.A. High School returned to their normal lives.

Among them was Midoriya Izuku, who belonged to both the Hero Course and the Support Course. This was the result of winning the championship at the U.A. Sports Festival and a decision made by the school.

After the U.A. Sports Festival and the hero internship, Midoriya Izuku was supposed to return to his regular school life. However, he received a notification from Hatsume Mei:

"Equipment and Tools Appreciation Contest?"

"Kukuku, that's right!"

In the support department's workshop, Hatsume Mei sat across from Midoriya, raising her index finger and speaking in an exaggerated tone:

"We're already halfway through this semester, and the upcoming final exams aren't just a headache for the hero department."

"If support students fail their final exams, they might even face expulsion!"

"Uh… yeah, that's true…"

Midoriya remembered this with a bit of a headache. The final exams at U.A. High School are like a blade hanging over every student's neck, especially for the support department… it's more like being hung up on the gallows.

The support department's classes usually let students work freely, but in exchange, the final exams are extremely strict. If a student fails, they face the possibility of expulsion.

"So, does the Equipment and Gadget Showcase have anything to do with the finals?"

"Of course it does!"

Curious, Midoriya asked, and Hatsume Mei stood up, spun around, then raised her arms above her head, striking a "praise the sun" pose.

"Originally, U.A. High didn't have this event. But with how strict the support department's finals are, past students created it themselves, organizing this showcase in the middle of the semester."

"At first, the purpose was to let other students give feedback on each other's gadgets to improve and refine them, but eventually, it turned into a big competition."

"Seeing how impressive someone else's 'babies' were made everyone want to compete. Something like that."

Hatsume Mei, clearly interested in the upcoming event, sat down again and explained the 'Equipment and Gadget Showcase' to Midoriya.

"In short, it's a tradition that the support department started to make it through the final exams safely. Over time, it became a school tradition."

"Even though it's not an official school event, U.A. has recognized it as a tradition, so teachers will come as judges too."

"So that's how it is…"

Midoriya Izuku was a bit moved. Lately, he had been spending so much time attending hero classes that he didn't even know the support department had this long-standing tradition. How embarrassing.

"Midoriya-chan, you'd better get ready, or it'll be really embarrassing later!"

"Don't worry, I'll give it my all."

---

In Class 1-A of the hero department, Takeyama Urei sat at her desk, feeling incredibly bored. This hero activity had been terrible for her... She had interned at her sister's agency, "Mount Lady's Hero Office," but instead of learning anything useful, she'd just been pestered with questions about Midoriya, to the point of exhaustion…

Meanwhile, Uraraka Ochako, sitting beside her, looked absolutely fierce, as if she was radiating fighting energy. Takeyama Urei wondered if she'd been training in "Fist of the North Star" during her internship.

Although Takeyama Urei's internship hadn't gone well, returning to U.A. High at least gave her something to laugh about.

Bakugo Katsuki, looking like he wanted to kill someone, had gone to intern with Best Jeanist, the no.4 hero. Let's just say he'd had a terrible time…

Best Jeanist's Quirk, "Fiber Master," seemed aimed at taming Bakugo's wild temper. To start, he'd changed Bakugo's appearance, giving him a new hairstyle with his Quirk that couldn't be washed out.

Bakugo's usual spiky explosion hairstyle was now a neat comb-over…

When Kirishima and Sero first saw him like that, they burst out laughing, practically spitting out their drinks. Bakugo looked like he was going to explode, but it only made the rest of the class laugh even harder.

Takeyama Urei couldn't help but laugh too, though she buried her head in her desk to hide it—gotta keep up the lady-like image.

--- One week later ---

"That's strange... Midoriya hasn't been coming to Class A much lately."

A week had passed since the hero internships, and Takeyama Urei had noticed something odd. Midoriya Izuku, who usually visited the hero course every chance he got, had recently only shown up for the "Hero Basics" class, and was otherwise nowhere to be seen.

"Yeah, it's strange. Could Midoriya be hiding something from us?" 

Uraraka Ochako joined in, equally curious. She had also been noticing Midoriya's absence lately.

The two girls exchanged glances, sensing that something was up, and nodded in agreement.

"Let's go check out the Support Course after school!"

...

After making their decision, Ochako and Takeyama Urei headed over to the Support Course area once classes in Hero Course Class A were over. This time, they noticed something unusual.

When they reached the Support Course, they saw that the usually independent Support Course students were now buzzing around like it was a celebration, actively working on various projects.

"What's going on with them...?"

"Not sure... let's just find Midoriya."

Dodging the students who seemed hyped up on adrenaline, Ochako and Takeyama Urei made their way to Midoriya Izuku's workshop. They'd been here before, so they knew where to go.

By the way, U.A. High School's schedule is similar to other high schools for the Hero Course and General Studies; they finish classes around 3 p.m., leaving the rest of the day for personal time or to go home.

As for the Support Course, there's basically no formal schedule. You can't expect a bunch of invention enthusiasts to sit through classes. With fully equipped workshops and easy access to materials, it's like a paradise for creators.

Most Support Course students stay until the school is about to close, reluctantly leaving their workshops to go home. And some, like Hatsume Mei, don't even leave at all! She treats the workshop as her home, often working late into the night and just sleeping on the floor.

This has even become a tradition at U.A. If you need to find a Support Course student, you can find them in their workshop until the school doors close.

And so, when Ochako and Takeyama Urei reached Midoriya Izuku's workshop, they found him and Hatsume Mei busily working together, too focused to even notice the girls had entered.

"Screw number three! Hurry, pass one over!"

"I don't have one here. Just hand me the wrench first!"

"No way, I'm still using it. Go find another one yourself!"

...

Seeing how hard the two were working, Ochako and Takeyama Urei quietly backed out. It seemed like the best idea not to interrupt them at a time like this...

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