In the morning news, the name Stain was blaring all over the news network. The Nomus were also mentioned, but the front pages were all about Stain, his capture, and what possibly led him to such a role as a villain.
In a little bar, Shigaraki opened the newspaper, reading through the article before slowly crushing the paper. His plan to have the world forget about Stain utterly failed. Instead, his Nomus were relegated as a side story with a connection to the League of Heroes. Nobody on the streets were talking about his Nomus and how much destruction they caused in one night. Instead, they were focused on talking about Stain. Stain this, Stain that, Stain whatever. It infuriated him!
"Calm down, Shigaraki," intoned All For One from the television set, "Though the results were not the one you desired, you can still spin this to your advantage. There is still plenty of time for you to learn, to make mistakes, and to grow."
"Yes sensei," nodded Shigaraki as he began plotting how to use this.
A phone call... is here! A phone call... is here!
Toshinori quickly picked up his cell phone, pondering who was calling him at this time. He had made it clear to his agency not to call him unless it was an emergency. Toshinori was currently on one of the beds in Recovery Girl's room, recovering from the operation. It had been quite convenient that there were still trace amounts of his stomach that Recovery Girl had found, quickly taking the cells to send into the lab to cultivate into a stomach for him, as well as another lung.
"Hello?" asked Toshinori.
"It's me brat," answered Gran Torino, causing Toshinori to immediately sit up on his bed in a panic, "Katsuki Bakugo! Seriously, thanks to him, I'm getting a pay cut and my teaching license was revoked for six months! Well, considering the extenuating circumstances, it couldn't be helped. I don't know why you sent him to me, but he's extremely brash! Same with your brat inheritor, where he moves without thinking, it's just like you, Toshinori!"
"I humbly apologize! I figured young Bakugo could learn some restraint and discipline from you personally!" apologized Toshinori, "It was due to my insufficient training that I caused you trouble! If you need some money, I can wire some to you right now! I-"
"I don't care about my teaching license," cut off Gran Torino, "I only got it to teach you so I could keep my promise to your predecessor, Shimura. Not to mention Bakugo isn't really 'your' student per se. You were right to send him to me, as most would've catered to his ego. A good kick in the ass was needed."
"And I truly do appreciate what you did. I am who I am today because of your teaching," praised Toshinori.
"You say that, but you never come to visit on your own. The only reason you called me last time was because of that freak accident with your successor a year ago," pointed out Gran Torino, causing Toshinori to stiffen in response.
"Well... ummm... It's just that my new life as a teacher is so busy," stammered Toshinori.
"Feh, I called today to talk to you about the hero killer," cut through Gran Torino, "I only saw him in person for a few minutes, and even so, he had me shaking."
"To be able to frighten someone like you, Gran Torino...," mused Toshinori before continuing, "But he's already been tied up, so what was it?"
"The pressure I felt from him was probably his strong ideology... or intimidation from his obsession," theorized Gran Torino, "I'm not saying this to praise him, but it's the same quality as that 'Symbol of Peace' title you have. To simply put it, it's charisma."
Gran Torino then began to explain his worries. That his ideology would seep into the internet, magazines, news, to any form of communication medium out there. The current age of this era was more or less suppression, whether good or bad. People influenced by Stain's ideal would start appearing, and with the League of Villains appearing at Hosu, people would make a connection from Stain to the League of Villains. The League of Villains would transform from a pack of delinquents into a group with that ideology. Soon, the League of Villains would swell in numbers under one banner, the amount of evil would be staggering.
And if the person in charge of the League of Villains assumed that this was what would've happened, then the general was cunning and crafty, also removing obstacles in his ways and setting things in motion that would aid him further. And there was only one person they knew who could do such a thing.
"The man who killed my sworn friend and your master, the previous One for All holder, Shimura, and opened that hole in your stomach... All for One must be starting to move again," stated Gran Torino ominously.
"For him to survive after that injury is a reality I didn't want to believe in," growled Toshinori, grinding his teeth in anger.
"All you can do is prepare Midoriya," sighed Gran Torino, "Luckily he's well aware of both One for All and All for One since that freak accident, but you'll have to go more into detail with him. Speaking of him... He's got the same quality as you do, if not more."
"Oh?" asked Toshinori in curiosity.
"While the hero killer froze us with his intention, the only one who could move was him. Not only that, but he inspired his own classmates to move, to ready themselves, and even rescue a girl while the rest of us grown-ups were still quivering in our shoes," admitted Gran Torino, "You chose a good successor."
"But of course," stated Toshinori, beaming with pride, almost transforming to his muscular form to emphasize it, "I saw the potential in him to rise up and surpass me!"
"Yea yea, but he's still just a wet behind the ear brat," scoffed Gran Torino, "Don't get too cocky."
"Yes sir," sighed Toshinori morosely, "Was there anything else?"
"Actually since you mentioned about wiring some money to me...," muttered Gran Torino.
"Are you having monetary problems!? Why didn't you say something earlier! I have a penthouse that you could live in since I'm not using it!" offered Toshinori.
"No no, I'm not having money trouble," said Gran Torino quickly, "I was actually more hoping to use your influence to get me a reservation at a restaurant that I like."
"Oh? Oh... OOOHHH!" started Toshinori with a grin, "You have a date! Who is it? Did you finally call the one I suggested? About time sensei!"
"None of your business!" shouted Gran Torino before coughing, "But yes. A classy lady that I met by myself, thank you very much. I doubt the one you wanted to suggest to me matched my preference. Her name is Rekai."
"Rekai?" blinked Toshinori, "Is this Rekai perhaps a blind woman, uses a cane, and who also happens to be Izuku's martial arts master?"
"She is?" replied Gran Torino, "I know that she knows the brat, but I didn't know she taught him."
"Sensei, that's the person I've been trying to introduce you to," giggled Toshinori, "It looks like I do know your preference."
"Shut up!" roared Gran Torino, "Are you going to help me or not!?"
"I will, I will," chuckled Toshinori, so happy to finally get one over one of his teachers as well as helping him find someone in his life, "Just give me the date and time you want, though it can't be this week. I'm going to be busy."
"I know that brat," scoffed Gran Torino before hanging up.
Izuku sighed as he returned back to Kamui Wood's agency after being treated for his wounds. He received calls from Momo, Ochako, Itsuka, and Tsuyu asking him if he was alright, to which he replied that everything was fine. Thanks to the gag order, he wasn't allowed to discuss what happened over the phone but promised to let them know just what had happened.
Meanwhile, a certain video of Stain was traveling through all forms of communication. It was taken by a passerby with his cellphone. The video was a bit grainy, but the message was clear. It showed Stain making his statement for the whole world to see. The video ended there as the person recording it had dropped his cellphone in fear and panic, thus cutting the video off from Izuku stepping forward. The first time the video was posted, many quickly downloaded it before the government could take it down. After that, it became an ongoing war of people reposting the video, sharing it with many more people before it could be taken down. One certain underground dealer used it to promote League of Villains, stating that it was 'rumored' to be that Stain was a part of. The fact that Stain had actually declined to join them was never mentioned.
Soon, all the students were returning from their internships, all excited to share their own stories.
"Wow, you even got to fight villains?" asked Mina in amazement, "I'm so jealous!"
"I just helped people evacuate and did logistical support, so I didn't do any fighting, though," stated Kyoka as she twirled her earphone jack with her finger.
"It's still amazing, though!" shot back Mina, leaning forward on the table.
"All I did was train and go on patrols, too," hummed Tsuyu as she pushed her finger to her cheek, something she did as a habit, before adding, "There was just this one time when we caught smugglers from a neighboring country."
"That's crazy!" gaped Kyoka and Mina in shock, neither having done anything close as exciting to that.
"What about you, Ochako? How was your week?" asked Tsuyu, turning to Ochako, who was emanating a rather scary pink aura around her.
"It was very enlightening," replied Ochako, as if in a trance as she began practicing the punches she learned from Gunhead while taking deep careful breaths.
The girls couldn't help commenting on her state of mind while Denki and Mina observed Ochako.
"That's a huge change for just one week," said Denki nervously.
"Change? That's not it, Kaminari," lectured Mineta before slowly curling into a fetal position, biting his fingernail, "Women are all demons. They're just hiding their true personalities!"
"What the hell did you see at Mt. Lady's place!?" sweatdropped Denki, grabbing Mineta's wrist to stop him from ruining his nails, "I was kind of fawned over and had a good time. But the ones who changed the most, or at least went through the most, were you four, right?"
Everyone couldn't help but turn to the four that had been huddling around Shoto's desk, discussing Stain. Standing there were Shoto, Izuku, Tenya, and Katsuki.
"Oh yeah, the hero killer!" chimed in Hanta.
"I'm glad you guys made it out alive! Seriously," added Eijiro.
"I was so worried," stated Momo, giving Izuku a look. Izuku sighed, knowing that they would be asking what truly happened in private.
Ochako snapped out of her trance before quickly pushing her way towards Izuku, giving him a pout.
"I heard Endeavor saved you guys, right?" asked Sato.
"That's amazing! As expected from the number two hero!" exclaimed Toru.
"Like hell he did! I-" barked Katsuki, only to quickly have his mouth shut by Izuku and Shoto, with Shoto freezing his mouth while Izuku wrapped his arm around Katsuki to prevent him from doing anything else.
The class looked at Katsuki with confusion before deciding that he was just about to rant that he didn't need to be saved. Katsuki roared in muffled anger, wanting to shout out that he was instrumental in defeating Stain, and that the other three were just sidekicks until Izuku whispered in his ears, reminding him of the gag order.
"Yeah. He saved us," said Shoto, looking down at his desk. The statement felt disgusting in his mouth as soon as he said it. He really didn't credit his father for doing anything.
Izuku and Tenya nodded in agreement, not wishing to go any further.
"I saw on the news that the Hero Killer was connected to the League of Villains. Imagining someone scary as that coming to USJ freaks me out," commented Mashirao as he scratched the side in his head, sending a small shiver down a few spines.
'Stain with the League of Villains?' thought Izuku, pondering about that statement. If he was, then there was no reason for him to have killed the Nomu and save Yui. Perhaps a disagreement within the group, or something more? Before Izuku could expand more on that thought, the next statement pushed his attention away from that.
"He is scary, but did you see the video?" asked Denki.
"Video? You mean of the Hero Killer?" clarified Mashirao.
"Yeah seeing that, you can see how he's really single-minded and, like, tenacious Doesn't it make you think he's cool?" nodded Denki.
As the others began to discuss the video, Izuku let out a sigh of relief. He had seen the video himself too while staying at the hospital. Whoever was recording it had ended it right after Stain's statement, and from the looks of it, not on purpose. The camera angle, which had been steady on Stain, suddenly fell down before hitting the floor, stopping the video there. It was easy to infer that the person recording it had dropped his or her phone in shock.
Because of that, the video didn't reveal Izuku stepping forward, nor Tenya saving Yui to safety. This made it easier to sell the story that Endeavor was the one who fought and arrested Stain.
Nonetheless, Izuku snapped his mind back to Tenya, who was busy giving a speech of how the Hero Killer incident would put him back on the correct path of heroics.
While All Might brought 1-A to Gamma Field for a rescue training race, Shota was accompanying Hitoshi to another field.
"I hope you learned a bit studying under Ms. Joke," said Shota, unwrapping his capture weapon.
Hitoshi blinked as his mind flashed back to his arrival at Ms. Joke's agency.
Flashback
"Hey there, Hitoshi Shinso right? You look like Eraser Head's kid with that hairstyle and rings under your eyes!" laughed Ms. Joke as Hitoshi entered the room.
"Umm," stammered Hitoshi, unsure how to even begin dealing with Mr. Joke.
"Lighten up kid, you look like you need a good laugh, just as Eraser Head does!" cackled Ms. Joke, "You don't want to have the same personality as him, do you! Everyone could use a good laugh! Here's one, parallel lines have so much in common. It's a shame they'll never meet."
Hitoshi couldn't help letting out a small laugh, which Ms. Joke ruthlessly pounced on and activated her quirk. Soon Hitoshi was laughing out loudly with no control over it. His eyes widened in shock as he tried to stop laughing, only to fail.
Ms. Joke let it last for 10 seconds before releasing Hitoshi from her quirk.
"See, a good laugh never hurts," smiled Ms. Joke, "So where is Eraser Head? I thought he'd be coming with you."
"He's busy," gasped Hitoshi, trying to regulate his breathing.
"Boo, I was hoping he'd come here and finally accept my marriage proposal," pouted Ms. Joke, causing Hitoshi to spit take on that, "Oh well, still got that date! Now c'mon, we got work and training for you!"
Flashback ends
"Interesting," commented Hitoshi, "Ms. Joke had me try out one of her custom laugh masks she uses to see if my Quirk still works through it. Turns out it falls under the same category and blocks my quirk from activating when talking to someone."
"That'll be something to think about adding to your list of equipment," commented Shota, "Be sure to head to the Support Course for that."
"Ah, Ms. Joke already offered to have one built for me," replied Hitoshi sheepishly, "Said something about having you owe her another one? And she also says she expects to be wooed on her... date?"
Shota's eyes flashed red as his hair stood on its end.
"I see," stated Shota as he began to approach Hitoshi, who was nervously stepping back now, "I'll deal with that later. For now, I have to 'teach' you a lesson."
Hitoshi dearly wished he could've used his quirk, but against Shota, he stood no chance. He didn't regret going to Ms. Joke's agency though. He learned a few jokes and taunts to let him get under his opponent's skin as well as a few grappling techniques from Ms. Joke, but none of these were going to have any effect on Shota. Hitoshi could only sob in fear as the sparring started.
Back at Gamma Field
Everyone was walking back to the changing room, having finished their training for the day.
"So frustrating that I'm not that fast," bemoaned Ochako, unhappy with her time, "I don't know how you do it Deku!"
"Well it might help you if you invest in learning parkour," suggested Izuku, "You usually make yourself light that you can jump far, but you end up making yourself sick. Instead you could probably lighten yourself a little and keep a constant speed in an urban environment like Gamma field. Master Rekai had me do take several sessions at another gym."
"That sounds fun!" grinned Ochako.
"Indeed, it would be beneficial for you," nodded Momo, who had placed a first in her group with the utilization of skates, clawshots, and various other gadgets.
Their conversation broke off when they arrived at their respective changing rooms.
"That was some hard training we just did," commented Sato as he took off his mask.
Our first class in a while made me sweat," puffed Yuga as he wiped off his sweat with his towel.
"I need to work on my mobility," sighed Eijiro to himself.
"You must compensate for it by gathering information," advised Fumikage, adjusting his tie.
"That'll put me a step behind everyone," complained Denki, "I'm jealous of guys like you and Sero. Midoriya pretty much blasted his way through with those sick moves though."
"Yea seriously, where'd you learn that?" asked Eijiro.
Before Izuku could answer, Mineta interrupted him.
"Hey, Midoriya! I discovered something crazy! Come here!" Mineta waved Izuku closer to reveal a small hole in the wall that had been covered by a poster, which had conveniently peeled off, "Look at this hole, Shawshank! It's probably thanks to the efforts of those who came before us! Next door is, you know~~ The girls' locker room!"
The 'discovery' of a lifetime had a few boys interested in it before Tenya came barreling in.
"Stop this Mineta!" reprimanded Tenya, "Peeping is definitely a criminal act!"
"My little Mineta is already a criminal act!" cried Mineta as he completely tore the poster down, already peeking in the peephole.
"Yaoyorozu's ample yaoyorozu-boobs! Ashido's slender waist! Hagakure's floating underwear! Uraraka's fine Uraraka body! Asui's unexpected boobie-!"
Before Mineta could even see the inside of the girl's locker room, Kyoka's earphone jack slammed into Mineta's eye, causing him to cry in pain. What he didn't notice was that behind him, several students had crushed whatever they had been holding or clenching their fist when a certain name that Mineta wanted to peek at came up.
Meanwhile, at the other side, Kyoka was slowly withdrawing one of her earphone jack while the other one was connected to the hole above to listen in on what was being said. The only reason she had done it was because Mineta wasn't exactly quiet about his intentions. Kyoka wasn't sure if she was happy or not to hear that Mineta didn't say anything about her. She didn't want the pervert perving on her, but to hear him not even mention any sort of quality about her was also displeasing. She was aware that compared to her classmates, her body wasn't as curvy or gifted compared to them. Kyoka's body had a more petite frame.
After school was done, Izuku found himself in the teacher's lounge with Toshinori, who had requested him to meet alone.
"You went through a lot, huh? I'm sorry I couldn't be nearby," Toshinori started the conversation.
"Huh?," questioned Izuku before realizing that Toshinori had been referencing the Hero Killer incident, "That's not something you need to apologize for Sensei. You were busy treating your injury. By the way, how did the results go?"
"Good, good," nodded Toshinori, "There was enough to culture and grow my stomach and lungs. It's being grown as we speak and should be ready to be transplanted into me before the summer break. But enough about me, what I wanted to speak to you was One For All and All For One."
Izuku gulped as he sat up straighter.
"Do you remember what I told you about One For All and what the predecessors told you about it during your little episode when I gave it to you?" asked Toshinori.
Izuku nodded at that. It wasn't exactly a memory he'd be forgetting anytime soon. Toshinori had also gone over with him about how One For All couldn't be stolen by force, but transferable by force.
"I believe it's time I gave you more information about All For One," stated Toshinori with a solemn tone.
From there, Izuku was given a small info dump about All For One. How the first appearance of quirks lead humanity into an era of chaos, and how All For One seized power of Japan with all this confusion. How One For All was derived from it, and how the younger brother of All For One passed it on. And finally, how All For One was still alive despite his age and the injuries Toshinori inflicted upon him, most likely due to the quirks he had stolen over the centuries.
"One for All is a power inherited to defeat All For One, so to speak. You may one day have to fight against this great evil. This may be harsh on you, but-"
"I'll do it," declared a determined Izuku, his eyes narrowed with concentration, "I'll do whatever you ask of me, no matter what it is! As long as you're with me... no, as long as all the predecessors are with us, I can do anything! One For All is a gathering of wills from past predecessors, all with the same goal, to ensure All For One's defeat! With the two of us, we can do it! That's what I believe."
Toshinori hesitated in telling him the truth. That when the time came, Izuku might have to bear this fight alone. Without One For All, he wouldn't be able to fight. That he might follow his predecessor's path of living a short life. However, before he could, his mind flashed back to Nana's words.
"Now live your life, teach your successor, and don't show up in the afterlife until you die of old age!"
"But know that even if you've passed on One for All, you're never alone."
'She's right,' thought Toshinori, 'Even though I've passed on One For All, I'm never alone. Even if I can't fight anymore, I can still be there for him. To aid him in his fight, just as Gran Torino did.'
Toshinori gave Izuku a weak smile.
"I believe in you. You're far stronger than when I first inherited One For All. I believe you'll surpass me. But it doesn't mean you can slack off on training!"
"Yes sir!" saluted Izuku.
"Good, get going," nodded Toshinori, "You have much to prepare for!"
'Oh speaking of prepare, Itsuka said she wanted to say something to me tomorrow on Sunday,' pondered Izuku as he grabbed his backpack, 'Said she needed time to prepare. I wonder what's that about.'
At a cafe
"So we're all decided?" asked Itsuka, holding a secret meeting with Momo, Ochako, and Tsuyu.
The trio nodded in reply. They didn't want to wait any longer. Itsuka had managed to convince Yui to spill the truth of what had happened. It wasn't hard to connect that Yui had been involved, as the video had her on the scene. Yui gave them general details about it, telling them that it had involved the four boys in 1-A and how they were the ones that had captured Stain. She explained about the gag order and why it was done. About how they all ended up in the hospital with Izuku having a lot of gashes, but Tenya had more serious wounds. She wasn't sure how the fight went, as she hadn't been there, but she assumed all four of them had taken on Stain.
With that information, Itsuka found it hard to hold back her feelings any longer. They were in a field where they would be risking their lives. She knew it was unlikely that one of them could just die, but it was something that pushed her forward to confessing. It was what pushed them all. Tsuyu especially as she also had participated in a hazardous mission during her internship.
"I've texted Izuku to meet us tomorrow afternoon at Dagobah Municipal Beach," said Itsuka, "This should give us plenty of time to get some sleep and gather our courage."
The girls nodded as one until Ochako raised up a point.
"What's going to happen to the rest of us if or when he chooses one of us?" asked Ochako meekly, bringing up the awkward subject they had been choosing to ignore.
None of the other girls knew how to reply to that for a second there until Momo cleared her throat.
"We continue as we always have been, good friends," stated Momo, "We swear that we won't jealousy get in our way of our friendship that we've built here."
"Kero, that sounds fair," nodded Tsuyu.
"Then we're all in agreement," said Itsuka with a firm nod, "Tomorrow for sure!"
Sunday.
"Don't know why mom had me dress up," grumbled Izuku as he made his way to Dagobah Beach. He had come back from his workout, took a shower, and told his mom that he was heading out to meet up with Itsuka and the others.
"What do you think you're wearing young man!?" shouted Inko, surprising Izuku.
"Ummm street clothes?" blinked Izuku, looking down at his t-shirt and shorts.
"Not like that," snapped Inko, pushing Izuku back to his room before rummaging through the closet, pulling out his collared shirt and semi-casual pants, "You're going to look nice on your date today!"
"Mom!?" blushed Izuku, "It's not a date! We're not even dating yet!"
"Yet," emphasized Inko with a smirk.
"You know what I mean," stammered Izuku, "I told you, Itsuka wanted to see me today. That's all to it. Momo, Ochako, and Tsuyu are also there. They probably just want some information about the Hero K... Test! The Hero test that's going to come up!"
Izuku hadn't told his mom about the Stain incident, and he was going to do his best to not mention that incident to her. She didn't need more stress in her life.
Luckily, or unluckily, Inko had focused on one thing. That three more girls would be there. Of course, one would think it was just a hang out for friends. But Inko's mind decided to interpret that another way.
"Oh my," giggled Inko, "I didn't know I raised such a player. Four girls at once? And at the same time?"
Izuku's face bypassed crimson as it dove into a realm unseen.
It took some time for Izuku to finally fight down that blush as he walked towards the beach. It didn't take long for Izuku to find the others, who were lying on some towels and enjoying the sun.
"Hey!" shouted Izuku as he jogged over to them, "You guys wanted to see me?"
"Izuku!" yelped Itsuka, quickly kicking up to her feet.
The other girls quickly scrambled onto their feet, combing their hair as they did so.
"So what's this about?" asked Izuku curiously, "Did you want to know more about the Stain incident?"
"Yes on that later, but rather we have something important we need to say to you," stated Itsuka with a serious tone.
"All of you?" blinked Izuku, "What's the important announcement?"
"Err... this is kind of hard to say," admitted Momo.
"What we want to say is...," sputtered Ochako, trying to spit it out.
"We all have a crush on you and want to date you," blurted out Tsuyu bluntly.
"What she said," blushed Itsuka.
"Oh, I see," nodded Izuku in understanding before pausing and blinking, "What, WHAT!?"
Izuku slowly looked at each girl, who nodded while blushing when he met their eyes. It didn't take long for the analysis program to malfunction and shut down his systems. In short, he fainted.
"Urgg what a dream," groaned Izuku as he slowly opened his eyes, noting he was lying on something soft and comfortable, "I dreamed that four of the cutest/hottest girls I know confessed to me."
"That wasn't a dream," voiced a voice from above.
Izuku's eyes slowly readjusted itself before the face of a blushing but worried Momo appeared. Izuku realized that he was resting on Momo's lap, who had used her quirk to create a pillow for him to rest on.
"Oh good, you're awake now," stated Itsuka as Izuku quickly sat straight up, "Now we kind of do need an answer."
"Yea," chirped Ochako, looking at Izuku with an intense look on her face.
Izuku looked at them all, trying to analyze the situation. Soon enough, he was about to mutter when Itsuka stopped him from doing so with a poke to the forehead. Itsuka had known Izuku long enough that he had been about to mutter and stopped him before he could make any headwind.
"You were about to start again," reminded Itsuka gently.
Izuku sighed as he looked up at them all, once again his mind racing. They all liked him? Him, of all people? Trying to buy time, Izuku decided to ask why they wanted to date him. Each girl gave him a deadpan look, as if asking if he was really asking that question before acquiescing with his request.
'I've known Itsuka for the longest. We both know each other pretty well. But that's not to say that Momo and Ochako don't know me just as well. Tsuyu, we don't know each other as well, but I can see that she wants to know more about me. That's what dates are, isn't it? To get to know someone better?' analyzed Izuku mentally, 'Okay, maybe physical attraction... nope they all have their charms, cuteness, and hotness. In terms of body, they're all hot, most likely due to the training they put themselves into.'
Izuku then tried to look at it in another situation, 'Ok, I can imagine dating any of them. What happens if I picture Itsuka dating someone else.'
As soon as he mentally constructed such an image with a faceless man with Itsuka, he instantly crushed it, regretting that decision. It hurt him to even think of that.
'Does that mean I like Itsuka the most?' thought Izuku, 'I've always thought of her like... a big sister, who protected me. But now I think of it... I didn't think like that anymore when she moved away.'
Before he could voice his answer, the image of a heartbroken Momo and Ochako appeared in his mind, causing him to hesitate.
'Oh no, not this,' paled Izuku as he subconsciously applied the same test on Momo and Ochako. It was the same result, with him crushing the image before it could form as it was too much to bear.
'Crap, I've fallen for the other two, too,' thought Izuku before his mind ran off with Tsuyu. This time, his mind constructed a slightly more complete image before he crushed it. It didn't hurt as much as the other three girls did, but the feeling was still there. Izuku could imagine himself exploring it more with Tsuyu.
'So what do I do,' wailed Izuku to himself, unsure how to even begin to respond to the confessions.
The girls could see the mounting pressure on Izuku's head and started to frown, thinking that they had put too much on Izuku's shoulders. Fortunately, Tsuyu decided to charge ahead with her own suggestion.
"Kero, how about dating all of us?" suggested Tsuyu.
"WHAT!?" shouted Ochako, Momo, and Itsuka in shock.
"Mmm, hey yeah that could work," nodded Izuku before registering what Tsuyu had said, "Wait WHAT!?"
"How could you even suggest that?" blushed Ochako.
"Because it was easy to see the Izuku has feelings for all three of you, and maybe me," stated Tsuyu with a blush, but still charging forward, "Instead of having him decide right now, he could go on a few dates with each of us to see who he likes best. We all get to have our chance to see who he likes the most, or if there's something between us that could prevent us from really becoming a couple. Mind you I don't mind doing this because I know I'm fighting an uphill battle against you three kero, having known Izuku the least."
The three girls flinched at this, knowing Tsuyu had been 'late' in the game.
"Plus, can you see Izuku hurting any of us by choosing one?" asked Tsuyu.
"She's right," sighed Itsuka, "Even if Izuku chose one of us, even though we made an agreement not to be jealous, I know I'd be heartbroken and cry in private."
Momo and Ochako, looked down, knowing they'd probably do the same if they weren't chosen. Most likely the two girls would've commiserated with each other with lots of ice cream if Izuku had chosen Itsuka or Tsuyu.
"Kero, so instead of having him choose right now, he just dates us all to see which one of us is most suitable for him," nodded Tsuyu.
"A suitable plan that I can agree with," acknowledged Momo.
"It's a plan... but there's a problem with that," stated Izuku, finally shaking off the shock, "I sort of did a mental test to see what would happen if I let Itsuka go. I crushed the mental image instantly before a body could form next to Itsuka. The same happened with Momo and Ochako. Tsuyu's was a little longer before I did the same."
Izuku sighed as he sat back down on the sand, his hand holding his head, "I'm scum. A jerk. Selfish brat. I can't even imagine letting any of you girls go. I somehow fell for all of you. I don't want anyone else dating you, or my own heart will hurt."
Ochako then surprised him by wrapping his head around her arms before pulling him close to her chest.
"You are not scum, nor a jerk, or anything bad," whispered Ochako gently while stroking his hair, "If you were, then you wouldn't have saved me back at the entrance exam. You wouldn't have risked your points and your chances to save an ungrateful boy if you were a jerk. You wouldn't have risked your life to fight the Nomu at USJ to ensure everyone's safety if you were selfish. You are one of the selfless people I've ever had a pleasure to meet, a great friend, and the man I fell in love with. If it means sharing you, then I am willing as long as the others are."
Seeing Ochako finished with her statement, the other three girls nodded in agreement before closing in on Izuku, each of them finding a part of Izuku to hug to convey their feelings.
"In the end, it may be the best solution for us all," hypothesized Momo, "I've seen friendships shattered because said friends liked one person. And I would very much like to keep the friendship we share now."
It was true, as the heir to the Yaoyorozu family, she had seen boys who were best friends fight over each other for her attention back in middle school, some leading to disastrous results. It didn't help that her beauty and wealth factored heavily into those. Even couples broke up when the girl became jealous her boyfriend kept staring at Momo.
"So we're in agreement then?" asked Itsuka, "It's not what I expected... but if I have to share Izuku, then I don't mind if it's with you girls."
"Kero, all of it worked out fine," smiled Tsuyu.
"Are you girls sure about this?" questioned Izuku in shock.
"Why, you don't want to?" asked Itsuka with a smirk now, "Four babes are all asking you out, and you don't want to accept?"
"Indeed, it would break our hearts," caught on Momo.
"You don't want to do that, do you?" asked Ochako.
"If you're all willing to do this... then so am I," stated Izuku.
"Good, now give us a kiss," demanded Tsuyu.
Before Izuku could do anything, the five heard a voice.
"That was... so beautiful!"
"Damn that was manly!"
The five quickly turned towards the source of the voice, all of them paling when they saw Mina and Eijiro standing on the sidewalk.
"What are you two doing here?" panicked Izuku.
"And how long have you been standing there?" asked Tsuyu.
"I came here because I wanted to see this beach as it was close by," chirped Mina, "Heard it used to be a dump, but somehow that all changed and is a local hot spot for people to ask each other out, for dates, and even marriage proposals. I wanted to see the view and also plan a time to come swimming here! I grabbed Eiji to come with me."
"Yea I heard about this spot, but about a different rumor about how there was a guy who trained here and took out all the trash. It sounded manly! I was planning to come already, so I thought why not when Mina invited me," nodded Eijiro.
"But enough about that, I'm so much more curious about the five of you!" grinned Mina, quickly closing in onto them, "How's it going to go? What's it going to be like! And Uraraka, that was, like the hottest confession I've ever seen and heard!"
Ochako's face was blank before it turned into a full-on crimson blush with steam coming out her ears.
"I'm so telling everyone about this!" grinned Mina eagerly.
"Wait, you can't do that!" panicked Momo. Having a relationship with a boy was one thing. Having a relationship with a boy who had three other girlfriends was another.
"Why not?" asked Mina.
"Mina, it could cause a scandal," whispered Eijiro to Mina, "With that, it could be detrimental in their hero career."
"But Midnight has those sidekicks, the Midnight boys," pouted Mina, "You don't see that affecting her career. They're all crazy about Midnight, and you can't deny the rumors how Midnight personally rewards them one by one or all at once."
"Those are different things and you know it," sighed Eijiro.
"What are you two doing here then?" asked Itsuka, having enough time to come up with a counter-attack thanks to Eijiro's distraction.
"Huh? Like I said, check out the view," shrugged Mina.
"Oh? And you invited Kirishima knowing that this was a hot spot for dates? Did you want him to ask to be his girlfriend or was it that you wanted to ask him to be your boyfriend?" asked Itsuka.
Eijiro stiffened up in shock, activating his quirk at the same time at this sentence while Mina flinched while blushing crimson.
"Nono, like I said I wanted to see this place," stammered Mina.
"Oh? And you couldn't have done it by yourself?" smirked Itsuka, "Or maybe invite Hagakure instead? But instead, you chose Kirishima. I wonder what'll happen if I tell that to her."
Mina couldn't stop a full-body blush from coming out. Just a few vague words, and it would be easy to be misled.
"Kero, of course, if you don't say anything, we won't" chimed in Tsuyu.
"Grrrr... Fine, deal," pouted Mina.
"Excellent," nodded Momo, "Ochako, are you alright?"
They all looked at Ochako, who had whirlpools in her eyes now before finally fainting, dragging Izuku with her.
"Ochako/Uraraka!"
"I can't believe I did that!" moaned Ochako the next day as she, Momo, and Izuku were walking their way to school.
"I can't believe that I'm in a relationship with four girls," replied Izuku, though his hands were currently holding both Ochako and Momo.
"I can't believe we decided to share," nodded Momo, though not regretting it.
"So how are we going to do this?" asked Izuku, "I mean, I should take you all on dates, right? Do I take you on one on one dates? Or two on one? Th-"
Momo quietly placed a finger onto Izuku's lip, "We can debate about that at a later date, after school. We still have a little time to figure everything out."
They were soon all seated in the classroom, with Mina trying to stare at them whenever she had the chance too. Luckily for them, Mina sat in front of them all so she couldn't stare at the back of their heads. Unluckily for Tsuyu as she sat right behind Mina, Mina could tap on her desk or pass notes to her, pestering her for more information.
"Well, it's almost time for summer vacation, but of course, it wouldn't make sense for you to rest for the whole month," announced Shota as class began.
"Don't tell me...," whispered Denki to Eijiro, who seemed out of it for some reason.
"During summer vacation, we'll have a training camp in the woods!" finished Shota.
The class as a whole cheered in excitement at this announcement. Mina instantly became distracted from her curiosity with Izuku and the others as she began to imagine the training camp. Mineta, much to a few annoyances, kept reminding everyone about the baths. A few others wondered what sort of training they would be involved with.
"However," declared Shota as he activated his quirk, silencing all his students, "Those who don't pass the final exam before that... will be in summer school hell."
"Everyone, let's do our best!" shouted Eijiro in excitement and nervousness.
"This is stupid," scoffed Katsuki as he leaned back on his seat.
The days passed by for them all, allowing them to enjoy a more peaceful time as students. Izuku managed to sneak in a few dates with the girls during that time, such as: going to a new mochi shop to eat with Ochako, a trip to the aquarium with Tsuyu, a private walk around the beach with Momo, a coffee cafe with Itsuka, and finally, a group date to watch a movie. Each date was quite successful, ending with a peck on the cheek and a hug. Izuku would've loved to spend more time with each of them, but with training, studies, and the lack of a job (as they were students), they barely had time. Soon, the last week of June arrived with one week left for the end-of-the-term exam.
Shota had just finished reminding them that for the hero course, there would not only be a written examination, but a practical component to it when the bell rang. The students all nodded in reply as he left, leaving only silence until...
"I haven't studied at all!" cried out Denki and Mina in unison, though their reaction to it was quite different. Both were currently second to last and last place in their class from the results of their midterm. Not only were they last, but their grades themselves were quite appalling. Mina was laughing, though it could've been that she had given up hope while laughing.
Denki had a more panicked reaction as he scrambled his hair, "With the sports festival and internship, I didn't study at all!"
He of course subtly ignored the days that had been free for him to study as he used it to play video games.
"It's true we had one event after another, but..." sweatdropped Fumikage, who was currently 14th place in the class. He himself wasn't confident either.
Sato was conversing with Koji in worry about the exam, both of which were placed in the lower middle of the class, with Koji at 12th and Sato at 13th.
"It will be tough since there is a practical exam, too," said Minata, though with a smug look on his face. He had gotten 9th in the class, meaning he was already doing better than half the class despite his looks.
"And here I thought you were one of us!" cried Mina.
"Traitor," hissed Denki, "Where's the demand for this type of crap!?"
"The world, I guess," replied Mineta with a condescending tone.
While Izuku (3rd) and Tenya (2nd) tried to cheer the two up, Shoto's (5th) harsh words about being able to pass if one had just paid attention to class caused them to sink down in depression.
"If you two need help, I may be able to be of assistance with the class lectures," offered Momo, having gotten 1st place in the midterms.
The two quickly bowed to Momo in thanks and praise for the offer, knowing that her help would help raise their chances of passing than if they tried to study by themselves.
Kyoka (7th), Hanta (17th), and Mashirao (8th) all quickly asked if they could come too, to which Momo happily agree before unintentionally 'slapping' them all with how rich her family was with her words, but the fact she was so eager and bouncy to help them to the fact it was cute made everything alright.
"I don't mind helping out too," offered Izuku, "It would be harsh to have Momo bear all the load."
"It wouldn't be much trouble," waived off Momo, but glad to have assistance anyways.
"Do you want to join?" Izuku offered Katsuki as he turned towards him.
"Fuck off!" shouted Katsuki, having also gotten 3rd in the midterms, tying with Izuku.
"You can literally just jog over to her house with me after our morning workout," reasoned Izuku.
"Don't care," shot Katsuki.
"What a difference in virtue, eh?" grinned Eijiro (15th), "I was going to ask you, but I think a study session with them might be better."
"I can do it too! Want me to beat it into you!?" growled Katsuki.
In the end, both Katsuki and Eijiro ended up joining Momo's group due to Mina pulling Eijiro over.
Ochako let out a sigh of relief, having gotten 10th in the midterm. It was definitely thanks to living with Momo that she didn't score lower, being able to ask Momo for help at any time and being able to do homework with her. Meanwhile, Yuga was currently in denial about his grades despite being 18th.
At lunchtime, Izuku was sitting with Momo and Katsuki, planning out a lesson plan for the study group with Ochako, Tenya, Tsuyu, Shoto, and Toru sitting at the next table when someone's elbow smashed into Izuku's head. It didn't hurt Izuku at all, but it did still annoy him as he turned around.
"Oh sorry. Your head was so big that I accidentally hit it," Neito sarcastically apologized, "I heard you guys met the hero killer. Just like the Sports Festival, you guys in Class A have to have all the attention, huh? You even roped in poor Kodai into it, traumatizing her. But all that attention isn't because people have high hopes for you, but rather because you keep attracting trouble, right? Perhaps you should quit the hero course if you're going to involve innocent bystanders into your rabble, other innocents might die from your actions! Wouldn't that be sad, wouldn't it, WOULDN'T I-"
Neito was interrupted from his rant with a well-placed chop to the back of his neck from Itsuka.
"Geez, I look away for a second and you're already here taunting Class A again," sighed Itsuka, "Seriously, get over it. He beat you in the Sports Festival even with you borrowing Endeavor's power. Just because your stock plummeted because of him doesn't mean you can take it out on Izuku."
With a careless toss, Ituska threw Neito right onto a seat with his tray landing perfectly in front of him. Though his wine glass full of grape juice didn't land neatly, splashing its contents over his rib-eye and shirt.
"So, you guys preparing for the exams?" asked Itsuka, noticing the notes displayed all around the table.
"Yea, we're preparing a study group," answered Izuku, looking at Momo for a second.
"Did you want to join us?" asked Momo, catching Izuku's glance while also excited to have more people over, "You can bring your friends too!"
"If you don't mind, I'd like to," nodded Itsuka, "I got 3rd in my class midterms, and some of my friends asked if I could tutor them. I'll ask if Komori, Setsuna, and Reiko want to join. Yui said she had something else planned. I think most of the guys are getting tutored by Honenuki, Shoda, and Shishida. Pony and Ibara are studying together as Ibara is better at explaining and translating things for her."
"That works out fine," smiled Izuku.
"Long as fucking copyshit there doesn't come," barked Katsuki, pointing at Neito.
"Any idea what the practical is about?" asked Izuku, ignoring Katsuki at the moment.
"I asked an upperclassman. They mentioned that it'll be combat against robots like the entrance exam, though much tougher, of course, along with more restrictions," replied Itsuka.
"If it's like that, it shouldn't be too much of a problem," hummed Izuku, "However, have they kept the exams the same as the previous years?"
"Whether it's people or robots, it doesn't matter if you beat 'em up!" barked Katsuki.
"True," shrugged Itsuka to both boys, "But it's a start."
At the same moment, Tenya felt someone tapping his shoulder. Quickly and mechanically looking up, he saw Yui standing there.
"Ah, Kodai! How can I help you? Is your shoulder alright?"
"It's fine, thanks," nodded Yui, "Listen, I'm having a little trouble with science. Think you can tutor me one on one?"
"Ah," flinched Tenya. He had been planning on visiting his brother for most of the week, opting to study at the hospital while spending time with his brother in recovery. It had only been recently that Tensei was finally able to respond to visitors. However, such an honest plea from a fellow student was something he couldn't ignore. Not to mention his mind was flashing back to that kiss on the cheek that Yui had given him.
"Please?" asked Yui once more, her usually stoic face slightly breaking into a pleading one.
Tenya averted his eyes, looking everywhere before noticing Izuku's table all staring at him, with Izuku giving him a nod and motioning his hand to accept.
"I will be unavailable today and tomorrow, but after that, I would be glad to help you," Tenya finally answered.
"Much appreciated," smiled Yui before leaning over to Tenya's ear, "And please, just call me by my given name, Yui."
With that, Yui left a dazed Tenya, who slowly turned back to his curry only to notice Ochako, Tsuyu, and Toru smirking at him, all of them forming a heart shape with their hands (Though Toru's was difficult to tell if she was doing so, being invisible and all, but it was probably safe to assume she was.).
Across the table from them, Mina looked like she was trying to contain herself with all this juicy romance gossip.
After School
"How are you doing, brother?" asked Tenya as he looked up from his book.
"Doing better," answered Tensei, stretching his arms, "I'm no longer hooked up to a respirator. Speaking of which, I heard you encountered Stain. What were you thinking!?"
Tensei had already been given the full unedited truth from Kamui Woods. It almost caused Tensei to almost go into a heart attack when he heard his little brother had gone hunting for Stain.
"I wasn't," sighed Tenya, "All I was thinking of was revenge. The worst part was that it took the villain himself to point out my wrongdoings, along with my friends getting injured because of it."
"At least you and your friends are alright," sighed Tensei as he leaned back on his bed before motioning Tenya to come closer.
Curious, Tenya obeyed, scooting his chair closer until he was in arms reach of his brother when...
"Arg! Brother, stop that, it hurts!" yelped Tenya as Tensei wrapped his arm around Tenya's neck, pulling him closer while giving him a noogie.
"Nope! Not until I'm satisfied," grinned Tensei before finally letting him go. He smirked as Tenya's usual straight-laced appearance and hair was all crooked due to his noogie. In all honesty, he believed Tenya was a little too stiff, inflexible towards the rules. If he continued such a path, Tensei was worried he would miss out on plenty of opportunities. Luckily, it seemed as though he was starting to relax a bit more now.
"Was that all?" huffed Tenya as he tried to straighten his appearance once more.
"Whoever told you that I'd want you to go hunting for revenge?" shot back Tensei, causing Tenya to once again flinch, "I'm pretty sure I've never advocated for revenge."
"I know," sighed Tenya once more in shame.
Tensei nodded before grabbing Tenya once more, this time giving him a hug, "Seriously though, I'm glad that you're alright. I was terrified when Kamui Woods told me the whole truth about the event. Good job arresting him though, even if you didn't get the credit. I'm proud of you."
"Brother," sniffed Tenya, trying to fight the tears from gathering in his eyes.
"Now on a separate note that I have you here right now, what's this about a girlfriend?" grinned Tensei, slyly pulling out his phone to reveal a photo of a crimson Tenya that Kamui Woods had sent.
Tenya was soon matching that photo image and perhaps surpassing it when Tensei managed to weasel out the girl's name that caused such a reaction.
Due to exam week, the heroics class was cut short to allow the students to study. Of course, Shota warned them that just because they were being released early didn't mean they could slack off on their hero studies. Soon, Saturday rolled by as Denki, Eijiro, Mina, Kyoka, Hanta, Mashirao, Setsuna, and Reiko stood outside the Yaoyorozu estate, looking awed at what they saw. Actually, they couldn't even see the manor from the gated entrance at first glance, allowing them to know just how rich she was. And considering that this was merely one of the lands that the family-owned... it was overwhelming for them.
"I knew she was rich, but I didn't think she was this rich..." gaped Denki.
"Stop staring and get fucking moving," barked Katsuki, kicking Denki and Eijiro forward.
None of them had noticed Izuku ringing the doorbell, nor Momo buzzing them in as the gates opened. Izuku and Itsuka quickly led them to the manor. Sadly, Tsuyu had been unable to come as she had to stay home to take care of her siblings, though Izuku promised to send notes to her later. Soon, they were sitting in the dining hall, all with their notebooks out. The ones that had never been here before were nervous while Izuku, Kendo, and Katsuki were setting up a whiteboard and some notes. Katsuki had never been there before either, but he didn't give a shit about how rich Momo was. He would get rich enough with his goal being the number 1 hero.
The door opened up, and in came Ochako and Momo, both rolling a trolley of snacks and tea for them all.
"What is it?" smiled Momo, her infectious bounciness causing the lot to calm down.
"Ah, Ochako, when did you get here?" asked Mina, realizing her presence, "Did you come after or before us?"
"Actually, I live here with Momo," blushed Ochako, scratching the back of her head, "I was planning on living by myself at an apartment that my family helped build, but Momo invited me to live with her as she's pretty much living by herself too, just with maids to help clean the place. My parents live kinda far from U.A., so it's easier to commute from here."
"Indeed, it does get lonely with just me here," nodded Momo, "My family home is about two hours away from U.A. using the Shinkansen (bullet train, the fastest train in Japan). So instead, my family bought this plot so it would be simpler and faster to get to U.A."
Mina looked at Ochako, then at Momo, then at Izuku, her body shaking as she wanted to say something. Luckily, Eijiro managed to pull her down before she said anything.
The subjects were divided among Izuku, Momo, Katsuki, and Itsuka based on their strengths. Izuku took care of Heroic Studies and applications, including modern hero art history. Katsuki took Math and Physics. Itsuka took English. And finally, Momo took Japanese, Biology, and Chemistry, though capable of helping in the other subjects as they weren't exactly a 'weak' point for her.
Each one of them had their own unique style of teaching, though all of them still managed to drive the information into each of them. Katsuki's style was harsher as he kept whacking them all with a rolled-up paper book when they made a mistake, pointing out which formula they should've used. He would've preferred using his Quirk to drive the point in, but was expressly forbidden from doing so.
"Don't forget, we also have to keep our body ready to fight," reminded Izuku as they took a small break.
"If we're fighting robots, it'll be a cinch!" exclaimed Denki, who was holding an ice pack on his head. Not only did his brain overheat from all the learning, but there was a bruise from where Katsuki whacked him several times.
"Yea, I can melt them easily," chirped Mina, who was also sporting an ice pack to the head.
"What if it's not robots?" sighed Izuku, causing the two to freeze, "They might change it."
"They wouldn't be that cruel, would they?" cried Denki, "I can't adjust my quirk that easily!"
"Nor can I," moaned Mina. It was easy to go full out on robots, not caring about control. The villains they fought in USJ were cannon fodder, meaning Mina barely needed to use her Quirk to attack, merely using her punches or kicks. Not to mention she had mainly played defense, melting her opponent's attacks.
"You can always ask Bakugo for advice," pointed Izuku, "He's learned how to control his explosion despite his temper."
Mina and Denki stared at Katsuki in disbelief. Him, the hot headed one of the class with a huge temper, knew self-control? It seemed impossible.
"The hell are you looking at?" barked Katsuki, "I can control my explosions to make sure my opponents are almost dead."
"That's not helping your case," sighed Izuku.