Try not to bore me

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|The day after…|

…

The day of the Sports Festival finally arrived.

People from all over the country, and even from outside had come to observe the greatest talents of what could be considered the best hero school in all of Japan compete against each other.

Similar to previous years, the public eye was centered mostly on the 3rd years' stage, as they were students who had already honed their skills and could be considered full-fledged heroes.

However, surprisingly, this year it wasn't only the 3rd years that were in the spotlight, but the 1st years as well.

As to why…

"Did you hear? Endeavor's son will be there!"

"The kid that almost got eaten by that sludge villain will be there too!"

"This is something the friend of a friend told me, but it seems Ingenium's little brother will also be there"

"Really?!"

"The first years this time are looking pretty entertaining!"

… The were a lot of individuals in the first year that caught the eye of the masses. 

And although their stage wasn't as popular as it would have been if a certain villain attack had happened, that still didn't take away the curiosity that the people had after knowing the appearance of these individuals inside the Sports Festival.

Unfortunately for their curiosity, however, they would have to wait for a bit, as the events of the Sports Festival were yet to begin.

Luckily for them, hundreds of food stands were lined up outside of the stadium to make the wait more enjoyable.

Thanks to that, and the growing excitement in everyone present as the time for the grand event to begin approached, the air around the entire campus was as cheerful as it could be.

However, not everything was colors and rainbows for everyone.

In the class 1-B's waiting room, the mood was heavy. Everyone was nervous to the brim, and the fact that they knew they would have to go out at any moment now wasn't making things easier.

"Uhu~! I'm getting pumped up! I will win this thing!!" 

-Bang-

Of course, not everyone was like that. Tetsutetsu, for example, was grinning widely as he struck his fists against each other, awaiting the moment Nirengeki (The class representative) entered the room and announced their entrance.

Ibara was another one who didn't look very nervous at the moment. However, taking into account that she usually didn't show much emotion and that she was currently praying in her seat, it was unknown whether she was truly calm or not at the moment.

"Fuuh~ Damn, I can't stop my knees from trembling…" 

"Tetsutetsu, let me copy your—No, wait, Togaru, I think yours is—No, hold on, wouldn't Jurota's be better…?"

"Darkness is with me, I won't lose, I'm the invincible shadow of night…"

"I think I'm going to cough up blood…"

… As for the rest, well, they certainly weren't fine.

They were all dealing with their nervousness on their own way. Although, whether they were being successful or not, was another whole matter.

"Kinoko-chan, did you do well with your training?"

"I don't know, I did my best but… I don't think my Quirk will be that useful during the events"

"Come on, don't say that"

"Did you do well on it, Kendo-san?"

"W-well…"

Itsuka, on the other hand, was doing her best to calm all of her nervous classmates with some small talk, or giving some cheering words to them, trying to alleviate a bit of the heavy air around the room.

However, she wasn't looking all that good either, as a result, her tries to help her classmates weren't being very effective. 

The only exception to the rule was but one teenager. (Aside from Tetsutetsu and Ibara) A teenager who was sitting around a table along with others, and who was simply staring down with a blank expression while keeping his arms crossed.

Suzaku.

However, something was strange about him at the moment. His expression, which usually tended to be nonchalant or almost uncaring about everything around him, was deadly serious at the moment, his eyes behind his glasses glued to the table as if lost in his thoughts.

The sight had confused a few of his classmates. Although Suzaku wasn't exactly a chatterbox, he also wasn't such a silent person.

So, why was he like that?

Tetsutetsu, who had just finished pumping himself up, turned to look at him with a puzzled face, having expected him to say something Suzaku-like at his loud winning declaration from earlier.

And after watching him for a bit, and realizing that he was not as energetic as he used to be, he approached and tapped his shoulder.

-Tap-

"Hey, Suzaku, you okay man?"

"Huh?"

Startled over being called out of nowhere, Suzaku lifted his head and turned to look at the metallic teenager with a confused expression for a moment, before he then nodded his head right away. "Ah yeah, I'm fine… Why do you ask?"

"You seem kinda out of it, are you nervous?" Tetsutetsu asked with a concerned face.

That comment caught the attention of everyone in the room, including those who had been focused on calming their nerves until now.

"..."

Suzaku fell silent for a second, not knowing what to say in response to those words, before he eventually scoffed while a faint smile emerged on his face "Me? Nervous? Don't be delusional. I was just thinking about what I'm going to eat today after this sports thingy passes… you know, something nice like a cheeseburger, or some pizza"

"You sure are carefree" Tetsutetsu smirked. 

"There's no point in having someone as great as me be nervous about an event as trivial as this one," Suzaku shrugged, before his eyes then caught sight of his worried classmates around the room.

"...-Sigh…-"

Upon seeing them like that, he sighed almost in an exasperated manner, before he turned his body to face them all as he spoke. "... Nor should anyone of you. It's not like we are going to die if we fail this time. There are still three years ahead, and therefore three more opportunities to hone and perfect our skills so that we can show the entire country the good heroes that we are. Besides, it's been less than a month since we got into this school, and from here on, we are only going to get better and better, so don't fear making mistakes, it's part of getting good"

-Paf!-

"Argh, what the hell man?!"

He then slapped Tetsutetsu's back, making the metallic teenager stumble forward as he groaned in pain.

Immediately after doing that, Suzaku smirked and looked at his classmates with a calm smile. "As of now, let's just do our best until this thing is over!"

When those words echoed around the room, everyone turned to look at Suzaku with faint smiles on their faces, having just calmed down a little with his words.

The pained expression on Tetsutetsu also made them laugh a little.

Although their nervousness hadn't faded away completely, at least now they were feeling a bit better.

They were now feeling a bit more prepared for what was about to happen.

Unfortunately, everyone's smiles faded away instantly the moment Suzaku opened his mouth again.

"Though, have in mind that when I said to not fear making mistakes, I was only talking about you bunch, as for me, I don't make mistakes, I'm perfect"

"You were doing so well, Suzaku… Why did you have to say that?" Sen asked as he looked at Suzaku with a deadpan. 

In response to Sen's question, everyone nodded their heads as well.

-Tsk-

Seeing them act like that, Suzaku clicked his tongue. "What an ungrateful bunch you are" 

After that, the air around the room got a bit lighter. The students, who until then had been too busy calming and mentalizing themselves for the festival, started chatting with each other and even joking around as if the matter that had worried everyone until then no longer existed.

As they did, however, Suzaku's smile slowly dissipated while he went back to staring at the air. Returning after a while to the same blank expression that he had earlier before encouraging his classmates.

He put his hands in his pockets, and after closing his eyes for a moment, his face lifted to look at the ceiling.

-Sigh…-

From then on, the voices and laughter of his classmates, plus the other noises like chairs moving or people doing mini-exercises to warm up before the event, all turned into background noise to him.

The only thing that prevailed and remained on his ears, was his beating heart, which the more Suzaku heard it, the more it reassembled a ticking clock measuring the passage of time to him.

-Badump-

-Badump-

-Badump-

Then, amidst that constant beating, a small muttering escaped his mouth.

"To go for it, or to not go for it, that's the question…"

-Bang!-

Immediately after saying that, the door of the room burst open, and Narengeki appeared from behind it with an alarmed expression.

"Everyone, are you ready? It's time!"

Upon receiving the announcement, the faces of everyone present immediately turned to look at their class representative with seriousness plastered all over them.

It was finally time.

Upon repeating those words in their minds, everyone nodded their heads and stood up.

Suzaku, who had been staring at the ceiling until then, snapped out of his thoughts and shot the class representative a lazy stare before ultimately nodding his head and standing up like the rest.

Then, as his entire class left the waiting room and began walking through the long passageway that led to the center of the stadium, he joined them from behind and began walking among them.

As he did, however, his complicated thoughts continued running.

'Why am I still considering it? Hadn't I already made a list of reasons why I shouldn't go for it?' His eyes slowly were directed to the ground, getting lost on a single point without moving. 'Then, why the heck am I thinking about this now? The plan is already completely laid out, all I need to do is follow it, and I'll be set'

His eyes then turned to look at his walking classmates in front of him.

'Besides, what is there to gain if I do that? Recognition from my peers and those so-called heroes that'll be watching?'

He almost snorted at that thought.

'Yeah sure, even if I did win the first place in this thing, with my Quirk I bet no one worth noting would have a real interest in me… The only ones who may be interested are the public, but aside from maybe securing some fame for the future me, is it really worth it to stand in the spotlight, just for some minor convenience in my future hero career?'

He remembered the face of that psycho doctor.

'Who knows how many more crazed bastards like him will appear… Maybe I'm just being paranoic, but even when I was a no-name kid from a random neighborhood in a random ass city, that old psycho still managed to find me, so I don't want to think what would happen if I became the first place in an event that all of Japan is watching'

He then eyed his wrist, more specifically, the spot from where usually his bone-knife would sprout.

'Although I don't doubt my capacity to kill all of them in the end, there's still no reason to invite trouble to come my way' His fist then squeezed as his eyes began narrowing a little. 'So, there's really no reason for me to strive for the first place…'

Yeah, there was truly no reason.

But then… Why was something inside him screaming at him to shut up and just go for it?

It was uncomfortable, suffocating, frustrating.

The more Suzaku felt that way, the more he began getting irritated.

-Tap-

"...?"

Fortunately, someone suddenly tapped him on the shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts.

He turned to look at who it was and saw a familiar orange-haired girl standing next to him.

"Are you okay Suzaku? You were looking a bit angry just now" Itsuka asked as she stared at him with a worried expression.

Suzaku's frown softened as he nodded. "Ah, I'm fine, just thinking about some stuff"

Shortly after, Tojiro, the mantis-like guy, walked up to them and crossed his arms as he spoke. 

"I've been feeling you a little low today, though, I'm not completely sure if it's my imagination or not"

Monoma, who was a bit away from them, then also commented on the matter "Yeah, you aren't being as haughty as usual"

Sen who was a bit ahead of them, turned his head around. "Nor as annoying"

"You guys want to get beaten up, huh?" Suzaku's eyebrows furrowed.

That shut both Sen and Monoma up.

After dealing with the pair, Suzaku turned towards Tojiro and Itsuka. "I just have a few things to think about it, don't worry"

The two nodded at his words, although looking faintly unconvinced.

However, neither of them had the luxury of worrying about it any longer, since soon, the sunlight coming from the end of the pathway blinded them, and the roaring cheers of the crowd alerted them of what lay ahead.

It was time.

Upon having that thought, the class gulped nervously in unison and walked forward. Slowly stepping into the sunlight, and squinting their eyes faintly as the deafening roars of the crowd began getting closer and closer.

And, as if announcing their entrance, soon the voice of a certain teacher echoed around the stadium.

{"Another class full of talent, and not inferior in any way to the previous one… Hero course, Class 1-B!!"}

With that presentation, they finally stepped into the field and entered the watchful eye of the huge crowd around them.

Some stared nervously around them when they realized the huge number of people that would be watching them from then on, others, however, just continued walking without minding the crowd, simply focusing on getting to the center of the field as they smiled confidently.

Their smiles, however, wavered faintly when they noticed who was there already.

Class 1-A.

The moment they saw them, a glint of rivalry sparkled within the eyes of the entire class 1-B. (Except Suzaku)

Although they didn't have any beef with them, as the opposite class of the hero course, they were still their main rivals in this festival, at least in their eyes.

As such, the moment they saw them standing there, their competing spirit was ignited.

Now, it wasn't only about winning, but also about showing which class was the best!

{"Next up, general studies, classes C, D, and E!"}

As they made their way there, other classes also emerged from their gates, getting presented by Present Mic the moment they stepped into view, and then making their stride toward the center of the stadium like everyone else.

{"Support course, classes F, G, and H are here too!"}

{"And finally, business course, classes I, J and K!"}

After who knows how many more presentations from the rockstar-like hero, the mass of students from different classes eventually all reunited in front of the stage, forming a single big group.

-Whispers…-

Unfortunately, although they were standing in a united manner, the air around the group was anything but united.

While they waited for a teacher to begin with the whole thing, intense gazes began being shot left and right.

Be it raw hostility, competitiveness, fear, or disregard, there was a mix of everything in the amalgam of classes.

It was evident by then, that none of the classes had any intentions of making friends at this event.

"Hmm?" As he scratched the back of his head, ignoring some intense gazes that were being shot at him, Suzaku caught sight of someone amidst one of the other classes and raised an eyebrow.

It was Arata.

"...!"

His friend also seemed to notice him at that moment, and the next second he smiled and gave him a thumbs up. Something that Suzaku just replied with a short nod of his head.

-Plaf!-

They, unfortunately, were not able to continue communicating with each other, as suddenly, the sharp sound of a whip hitting the air came from the stage in front of them, and caught the attention of everyone, making them turn their heads to look at its origin.

There, they saw a certain busty black-haired woman in tight white clothes that were better off in other types of jobs, rather than in the one of a hero.

Most of the people who saw her immediately recognized her, as she was in a way, an infamous heroine who had caused quite a controversy back in the day due to her… "Low-coverage" themed hero suit.

Midnight, the R-rated Hero.

Now, though, she was here only as a UA teacher, and more importantly, as the one in charge of observing the events.

"Damn, what are those clothes?"

"Is it appropriate for her to be dressed like that right now?"

"Zamn!"

Once she saw that everyone's attention was on her, although not exactly on her face, she smiled satisfiedly and spoke aloud.

"Time for the player's pledge!" Midnight said, as she then lifted her whip, staring at a certain redhead among the students. "Representing the students is… Suzaku Suzuki, from class 1-B!"

The moment his name was called up, Suzaku lifted his head and gave a lazy nod. Making then his way to the stage with slow steps.

""...""

His slow pace irritated some students of the other classes, who were feeling rather impatient at the moment. However, with him being the student's representative, no one dared to say anything.

-Rustle-

As Suzaku finally got up the stage and approached the microphone, he took out a crumpled paper sheet from his pocket, and opened it just a bit below his eye level, planning to read it while he spoke through the microphone.

"Seriously?"

"Did he not have the decency of learning it?"

"He doesn't look like he is taking this seriously"

Some comments began being heard by the students once they saw Suzaku nonchalantly take out the paper. However, as soon as Midnight struck the air with her whip again, their complaints died down.

Suzaku hadn't really cared though. He just wanted to get done with whatever he was supposed to do here and go back down with the others. Something that should be pretty simple, as long as he read the piece of paper in his hands.

The speech he had to give, or in this case, the player's pledge, simply required him to speak in the representation of everyone participating in the event, saying they would commit to fair play, maintain their integrity, and have good sportsmanship throughout the event. With that, he was good to go.

The paper in his hand had a basic speech he had copied and pasted from QuirkGPT, and although it wasn't the most inspirational speech in the world, it did the job of what he had to do.

As such, after tapping the microphone for a second, he cleared his throat and began to read, his tone monotone, almost as if he didn't want to be there.

"Sensei, as a representative of all competitors, I pledge that we will approach this festival with honor and integrity. We commit to giving our best efforts, respecting our fellow participants, and upholding the values of fairness and sportsmanship. In the spirit of friendly competition, we will strive to improve ourselves and push our limits, not just for victory, but for the growth of our abilities as heroes-in-training…"

He then stopped.

His eyes landed on the last line within the paper.

May the best among us rise through hard work, determination, and respect.

His mouth tried reading that last line out loud. However, something within him stopped him.

'Why am I doubting?' A frown covered his face immediately upon hesitating to say that last line.

It was but a simple line, why was he hesitating to say it?

The moment he asked himself that, his eyes landed on a certain part of that line.

{May the best among us rise...}

The moment he read that, he realized what was happening, letting a low groan that only he heard.

'Why am I thinking of this again…? Didn't I make it very clear for myself? Striving for first place will only bring me trouble…'

He then turned to stare at the last line in the paper again.

'It's as easy as reading this line and then going down... So, come on, mouth, do your fucking job!' He frowned and tried pushing his voice to come out.

However, the moment he felt his voice about to escape his mouth, he closed it in a hurry. Causing Suzaku to frown, as his eyes closed in contemplation.

'Why am I doubting so much about a decision I thought I had already accepted? Why me, of all people, is having second thoughts about not trying to get first place?'

He looked at the crowd, where several Pro-heroes could be seen seated observing the spectacle.

'Do I want to impress those guys so much?! Do I care so much about how I will look to them?! Do I care so much about securing my internships?! No, that's not it, I wouldn't care less about that... Then, why—?'

The moment he made himself that question, the face of a certain someone emerged briefly in his mind. Making Suzaku widen his eyes for a second, only for his frown to then deepen.

'Ah, right… It's because of that bastard…'

Irritation began surfacing on Suzaku's face.

His hands, which were holding the paper delicately until then, suddenly crumpled it in one swoop.

'It's because of his damn words, that I don't feel comfortable with my decision anymore....' His teeth ground against each other. '... It's because of his damn last words, that not trying feels wrong…'

As that realization dawned on him, he turned to stare at the bright blue sky, his frown now completely adorning his face.

'Second place is for sissies... That's what that fucker said... Hah, yeah, he sure liked to run his mouth a lot... What is wrong with third or second places? Why did that old piece of shit have to say something like that, just on the last time we would see each other?!'

His gaze then fell to the microphone in front of him.

'... Fucking old man, why did you have to die?'

The moment that thought crossed his mind, his angry expression faded, and was instead replaced with an empty look.

Suzaku just stared at the air without expression, letting his thoughts run wild.

Eventually, however, he put an end to everything.

'Whatever'

The next second, he grabbed the microphone and turned around to face the giant group of students.

"Everyone… Do your best and…"

His eyes then landed on several of the class 1-A.

"... Try not to bore me too much"

…

-To be Continued…-

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(A/N: My man Suzaku angering everyone)

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