Chapter 8

"I have the results of the evaluations for class C. Based on what you wrote, we were able to determine which students will be grouped together. I have the results right here." Aizawa explained, holding up the small stack of papers in his hand. "This will count as a participation grade and an exam grade, with which you will be scored by how you train and help the students in the class, your continued evaluations on them, and how well they improve. You will be placed in groups of four, meaning three students from either class A or B or both will work together to help one student from class C. This participation grade affects all of you. If one of you doesn't pull your weight, everyone will be marked down."

"But Sir, why are we helping them? Wouldn't they be better off training with the teachers instead?" asked Tsuyu with a finger to her lip from thinking it over.

"The villain attack on the dorms has left the staff in a bit of a handful. All Might's retirement has spiked a rise in criminal behavior. Many villains are coming out of the shadows and it's putting a strain on the heroes that are already trying to keep the streets safe. Because of that, the public has insisted that all schools with hero academics, including U.A., move the training courses up. However, the attack on the dorms has resulted in many students being completely withdrawn from the academy. The staff is still trying to ward off the press and keep the grounds safe for everyone to continue classes, but all of that on top of teaching and enrolling new students has left us with a limited amount of time. Principal Nezu pitched this idea based on the results of last year's tournament. As an entirety, both classes A and B made it to the final round along with a few lower class students. He believes that you all have obtained the necessary skills to be able to aid fellow underclassmen."

"Is that why we aren't doing the tournament this year?" asked Kirishima.

"So you've already heard that, eh? I guess it's only fair to explain. No, none of you will be in the tournament this year."

"What?!" asked half the class.

"But why-?" asked the other half.

"The underclasses had more student withdrawals, not just because of concerned parents, but also because they weren't trained or prepared to go through such an attack. We need more students back in the hero course. We hope that the tournament will be able to do this as well as gather more candidates for hero understudies more quickly. Since the demand for heroes has increased, my class and Professor Kan's will be absolved from the event. However, in order for us to host the tournament, at least one class needs to attend to represent the Hero Department, and that will be class C. Think of this as immunity. Right now, your position attending the hero course will not be compromised by other competitors."

"But still, shouldn't they be learning from people with more experience?" asked Ochaco.

"Have you been listening to what I've said?... We are limited in both staff and time. These students need to be granted the same opportunity as you to obtain good agencies that will conduct their understudies. That's not something we can provide for them at this time. You and class B have been granted this, they have not. However, since they earned their spot in the hero department in the Entrance Exams, Principal Nezu has given them this golden opportunity to become better. The same rules of the tournament still apply, the underclassmen from the business and support teams can still take their place. It's your job to help them keep it. You've all gotten as far as you did though all the training and experience over the last couple of years. We feel that the similar age groups will provide adequate cooperation as well as good results… The tournament is in three months, you have that much time to work in your groups. Your grade will be determined at the tournament. Any other questions?" Aizawa explained.

When he got no answer, he handed the papers over to Ida.

"Post this on the bulletin board. Your groups have already been decided. Starting third period, you will meet at the front entrance where you will be given back your evaluation notes and escorted to Ground Omega to begin your group training. I have a meeting I need to get to, so I will be busy for the next couple hours. Don't cause any trouble for me."

"Yes, sir!" They all said aloud.

With that said and done, he walked out of the dorm, and almost immediately, everyone began to crowd around the board to see who they were paired up with. There was a great amount of pushing and shoving involved.

"Looks like I got you, Emiri." Said Jiro, turning to her excited, beaming face.

"Great. Let's work well together!" she replied. "And it looks like we're working with two people from class B."

"Aww man! There's not a single woman in my group!" cried out Mineta, his eyes overflowing with dramatic tears. "This isn't fair!"

"Like any girl wants to work with a perv drooling at her feet." added Hagakure sarcastically, making sure he heard her.

"Aww sweet! I got the armor guy! Who'd you get, Baku-?" Kirishima paused once he saw the concerned look on Bakugo's face. He looked as if he was about to blow up or kill someone.

"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS BULLSHIT?! I DON'T WANNA WORK WITH HER!" he screamed aloud.

"Who're you talking about?" Kirishima asked, looking down at the bulletin board.

As soon as he found his name, he looked over at who he was training. Guess he hadn't fully recovered from that altercation in the gym last week. Then again, he has been pretty mopey lately, even before it happened.

"What're you getting so worked up about? Hattori was in the top ten in her class, and you saw how powerful she is. Training her will be an easy grade."

"I don't give a damn about the grade!"

"Hey, Bakugo? Wanna trade?" asked Mineta overhearing their conversation with a sly smile. "I could teach her a thing or two about being a hero… and then some."

As much as he truly hated the Hattori bitch, he hated this little fucker more. The disgusting little freak… Igniting his hands, he bolted right over to him, but Kirishima grabbed him back by the shoulders.

"You sick bastard!"

"Enough of this! It's too late, they've already decided who we should work with. There's no point arguing about it." Said Ida, gesturing his arm to the three of them.

Bakugo growled in response before he released his quirk and shoved Kirishima to let go of him. He hated this. He did not want to be paired up with her, of all people. After the news, it became apparent how annoyingly loud it was in the room. Everyone beside him wouldn't shut up about how they got to work with someone they liked. What a fucking joke… There was no point in him sticking around if he was only going to hear that.

Angrily, he went back up to his room. As he laid on his bed, he contemplated whether or not to chat with Aizawa about changing him to another group, but that thought hit a bump in the road. If the teachers picked the groups, then they probably did that for a reason, not just at random, especially considering they're practically making them teach class C for them. On the other hand, knowing Aizawa, he more likely wouldn't allow the change. Either way, training with her was going to be a major pain in the ass…

Back in the infirmary, Recovery Girl had finally attached the last bandage to Yuto's torso and gave him a clean gym uniform to wear. The top, he only draped across his shoulders; he would need some time before the bandages could come off. The shirt would only irritate it. The nurse offered to help him stand up by using the side of the bed to help keep balance, but her small stature left him doing most of the work on his own, and he couldn't follow through.

Akane immediately stood up from her seat against the wall to help him. For the first time in a long time, she ignored her fears and took his hands to pull him up. His stance was a bit wobbly, as to be expected from Recovery Girl's quirk taking out most of his energy. She willingly rested his arm over her shoulder, held onto his side, and walked him out of the room. Her heart was pounding a million miles a minute at his touch, and it took a great amount of composure to keep her from panicking. Every once in a while, she would have to look at him to physically remind herself that he was not dangerous, which surprisingly worked and eventually calmed her down.

Yuto caught her stare and gave her a soft smile. "Y'know, you really don't have to help me, but knowing you, it wouldn't have mattered what I say."

Even though he was dismissed from the nurse's office, his body still looked pretty badly beaten. The bandages may have covered it up, but that didn't mean the injuries weren't there. What Midnight said was probably good advice. She should always go all out with every battle out of respect for the opponent, but this was different when it came to a close friend, especially Yuto. Despite their unusual relationship, she cared for him a lot. It was still surprising that she allowed herself to touch him like this. To be honest with herself, it wasn't that bad. Sure, it was a little awkward, but it was different when she actually looked at him. Just knowing that he was really there made it bearable. Yuto understood that she was taking a giant step for him and that meant a lot. Unfortunately, there was no way to simply ignore the guilt weighing down on her seeing him so broken.

"How are you feeling, Yuto?"

That voice immediately grasped their attention. Looking up, they saw Midnight standing in the hallway, waiting for them as planned.

"It'll still be a while before I'm completely healed, but aside from that, I'm great." He answered.

"Glad to hear it." She smiled.

Soon after, she escorted them back to 1-A's dorm, giving them both a rundown on all the information regarding the tournament evaluations. Yuto was granted a couple of days to recover, same as the others in Class C, before the training could begin. As they entered the living space of the dorm, a few classmates who were already down there approached them asking all sorts of questions regarding his health. Akane was starting to feel the unwanted pressure and quickly helped him to one of the couches to sit.

Before leaving, she pulled him close enough to where only he could listen.

"I want to talk after dinner." She whispered.

Yuto then met her gaze directly and nodded. She didn't usually speak to him, but when she did, it was important.

Pulling away, Akane left him to go up to her and Ochako's room. She had been sitting in the infirmary nearly all day for Yuto and desperately desired to relax herself with a nice hot bath. Guaranteed, she was going to need it. Once she made it down the hall, she pushed the elevator button and pulled out her phone while she waited. It had become abundantly clear in that time she sat with Yuto that she wasn't going to be able to focus properly with that note in her bag. Many countless hours were spent going back and forth about telling someone about it. It was really risky to get help for things like this, especially considering that the villains were able to infiltrate U.A. so easily. If they were determined enough, they could do it again. That was something her mom, Mae, had proven to her time and time again when she shadowed her on the force.

It's been almost a full week since she got the note, and there was no guarantee that the villains would come back. It hasn't even been proven that the note was made by them in the first place. It could be a fluke for all she knew, someone just messing with her, but who would do something like this? The paranoia twisted painfully in her stomach. Hopefully, Yuto would be able to offer some good advice. So far, he, Mae, and Tsuki were the only ones she could trust right now to talk about it. She sent a couple of text messages before the elevator made it to the ground level.

Ding! The elevator door opened revealing the green-haired boy named Midoriya, his brows perked in surprise to see her. He stepped out in front of her, holding the door open with his hand.

"Hattori, can I talk to you for a second?"

Curiously, she thought about it. What could he possibly have to say to her? Maybe it had something to do with the tournament training or the evaluations. She didn't have a chance yet to look at the bulletin board to see who she had been paired with. Maybe he was in it and had been looking for her. He appeared to mean no harm, so she allowed him to speak with a nod and stepped onto the platform. Deku released his hand to close the door and she pushed the level button. Now it was just the two of them.

"I've got to say, your quirk is really amazing, and your reflexes are great too. Your strength looks to go beyond human capabilities whenever your body turns red. You're pretty perceptive too. When you fought Hatsumodo, I noticed that you were timing his attacks and the direction they were coming in. That allowed you to make a move and take him down."

Although he was praising her efforts, it felt bitter reminiscing how badly she hurt Yuto.

Deku noticed the change in her look and immediately freaked. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to upset you!"

She only shook her head in response. It wasn't him that she was upset about. It was then that Midoriya reminded himself why he was here.

"In truth, that's not the reason why I wanted to talk to you."

She looked at him questionably.

"I think you're being followed by someone dangerous."

"?!" How did he know that?!

"The other day at the mall, I saw someone stalking you and Hatsumodo. It wasn't until you two separated that I realized he was following you. I didn't get a good look at his face. He was wearing a mask, you see. I followed him to make sure he didn't try anything with you, and he nearly got close when you went into the book store, but I think when he saw Kacchan walking in there right after you, he decided not to."

Who's Kacchan?

"When you went to the food court, he started moving behind you again. There were too many people around and made it very difficult for me to catch up, but I was still able to see and I saw him put something in your bag. I don't know what it was, but I feel it may have been that note that fell out of your book. He got away before I could reach him, and I even spent the rest of my time there trying to find him. He had already left. I should've just ran beside you instead of tailing behind. You could've gotten really hurt. For that, I'm truly sorry…"

She could see the pain of guilt on his face clearly. He wasn't lying. She knew the look of regret all too well just from looking in the mirror. Before the elevator reached the final level, she pushed the stop button. So her assumptions were true after all, the villains were coming back. There was nowhere for her to hide if they were able to figure out where she was so easily. Deku was overcome with a mix of surprise and fear of what she was about to do next. Whatever was going to happen, she clearly didn't want to get out. Either way, that did not come off as a good sign.

"The dorm attack… do you know?" she said rather quietly, as if afraid to hear the inevitable truth.

"I know. They were after you. Do you have any idea why?" he asked.

She had a theory, but she didn't want to tell, so instead she shook her head no.

"Then, was I right about the note? Did they write you a message?"

Akane hesitated answering that. There was absolutely no way in Hell that she would purposely be involved with those villains, but in view of the circumstances, it didn't look good that he saw it happen. What would he say?

"You're not answering, so I can assume I'm correct."

Her heart started pounding like a drum, making her clench her shirt in anguish. At this point, she was panicking. Here it comes, he's going to call her a villain and get her kicked out of U.A. He's going to think they've been talking all this time and that she's some sort of spy working undercover. This wasn't going to end well. Turning to the floor, she braced herself for the worst.

"Hey, are you okay?" Midoriya asked, which forced her head to jerk up. His complexion did not read as menacing, but rather, concerned. She didn't know what to say to him. "I know that what your class went through was very terrifying. Our class has survived Villain attacks before too, but we barely made it with our lives. You were lucky not to get kidnapped, but even still, your dorm burned down. The whole campus has been pretty shook up ever since it happened, though your classmates seem to be handling it okay. You on the other hand, I'm not so sure."

She squeezed her shirt again and looked back to the floor. Her tired eyes probably weren't helping her case, they were just as noticeable now as they were this morning. It had all been pent up for days, keeping her from having good dreams.

"Have you heard about the Villain attack at U.A. 's training camp last year?" he asked, to which she nodded. "That attack was on us. While we were spending every waking minute pushing our bodies to the limit to strengthen our quirks, they were plotting to kidnap our classmates. At the end of the day, we were all so exhausted, and that was when they decided to attack. Several of us were severely injured, some knocked out from poison gas, but the worst of it all was when they took Kacchan… My body had been so badly broken that I couldn't move, I wasn't able to save him and that tore me up the most. I can't imagine the kind of things they might've or already had done to him. He doesn't like it when it gets brought up in conversation, and usually keeps to himself about personal things. I don't know exactly what you're going through, but he probably can relate better than me. Just know that if there's ever something wrong or you feel like you're in danger, you can always tell me."

That last sentence somehow brought a soft smile to her lips. It was so good to hear that he wasn't accusing her of being a Villain. Yet, there were a few things she still didn't understand.

"Who's Kacchan?" she asked quietly. Midoriya's face went blank for a split second.

"Kacchan's actually Bakugo. Weren't you in U.A. when it happened?"

She shook her head. "This is my first year… I transferred."

"Wait! This is your first year? You seem to be at such an advanced level already."

She nodded to confirm it. Now, Deku was actually impressed. If she had only enrolled at the same time as everyone else, she might actually have been in the same class as him. Aside from that, she was still in the class that needed to be trained.

"Kacchan is definitely a powerful person, but talking to him is almost like talking to a bomb that's gonna go off any second. There's no filter to the things that he says, so most often it'll come off menacing, especially with me. We used to be friends when we were younger, but when he obtained his quirk, he developed an inflated ego along with it. He hasn't treated me well ever since, and even told me that I was better off dead rather than to become a hero, but that's something I always wanted to be. People mostly tend to avoid him, so I can only warn you to be careful around him."

Okay, that's strange. Seemed unusual to give that kind of advice, but whatever. It's not like she was going to actually go up and talk to him about it, especially now that she had to consider those other things. She had made a good effort into avoiding him ever since the incident, and it wasn't her intention to keep trying to make amends. He didn't seem to give a damn at all about her apology. Why would she waste the effort to talk to him? Either way, she knew that Deku was only trying to be nice. Knowing that gave enough closure to feel a bit trustworthy to him.

She went to push the button, making the elevator move again.

"That note, what did it say?" he asked, turning the conversation completely back around.

There was a long pause.

"They might come back for me…" she whispered.

Ding! The door opened and she stepped off the platform. Deku hesitated for a moment before holding the door and running right after her.

"Hattori, wait!" he called, to which she stopped and turned back to him.

She had hoped the talk would end there, but apparently not.

"Aren't you going to do something? Shouldn't we call the police? You're not safe."

"I'll be okay… Thank you, Deku."

"Hattori, y-you're not-?" he paused. "You're not with them, are you?"

Her brow narrowed at such an awful question. She knew that it was bound to come up at some point, but hearing it out loud didn't make it any less offensive. Akane stepped until she was a bit too close for comfort and leaned in his face. Midoriya instantly fell alert at the defiant look in her eyes. It was the same daring eyes that Kacchan had whenever he felt threatened. Here comes the blow.

"I will never become a monster like them…"

As soon as she finished that sentence, she went to her room, leaving a frantically disturbed Deku behind. He felt at a loss for words.

Uraraka wasn't in the room when she entered, which gave a bit of relief that she wouldn't have to worry about prying into her situation. She was a sweet person, but she didn't even want Yuto to know about it, much less Midoriya. She didn't have much of a choice of that though.

Now that she had time to calm herself down, she realized how shitty it was that she ended the conversation that way. He looked terrified when she said that. All in all, she told the truth. There was no way she would ever be one of them. They would have to kill her to try. Meeting him just added on more stress.

She desperately needed some physical relief, so she rummaged through her belongings and grabbed her soap and some fresh clothes before heading to the bathroom. Like her old dorm, this one came with a large bath and shower area for the girls. Thankfully, there wasn't anyone around to bother her, which allowed her to get a long, relaxing soak. When she was all nice and clean, she dried off and put on her lounging clothes.

She returned her sundries back to her room, grabbed her books, and headed downstairs to meet with everyone for dinner. As soon as she walked into the commons area, Emiri stepped away from her group of friends and called her over.

"Akane, did you figure out who's in your group?" She looked at her questionably, to which she decided to explain further. "For the training? Yuto has Kaibara, Ayoma, and that intelligent man, Ida. I almost feel jealous of him. I got Awase, Bondo, and Jiro."

She shook her head.

"Oh, well the groups are listed on the board over there."

She pointed to the wall and Akane went over to see. As soon as she found her name, she felt her stomach flip. Now it made sense why Midoriya had said that stuff about Bakugo. They were being paired together, along with Sato and Shishida from Class C.

Shit… That was the only word that fit it best.