It was my second day at U.A. High, and walking up to the front gate, I noticed that it was swarmed with reporters.
Haa… not only did Nejire have to skip our morning run for her work-study, but now this… it was shaping up to be an annoying start to the day.
At least Nejire would be back by lunchtime, and said she would try to sit with me, but that didn't really help with the current situation.
It was obvious why the reporters had gathered.
Just last night, U.A. had announced that All Might would be teaching at the school, so this was only natural… even though it was annoying.
I really didn't want to deal with the media right now, especially when it wasn't related to me…
I looked to the edge of the crowd, watching as Jiro hesitantly tried to get through the crowd, while Hagakure was trying to push through, but was unsuccessful.
Damn reporters… couldn't they wait for the official press release?
No, of course not, because if everyone was covering that, they would get nothing 'unique'.
Haa… alright, if I do that, we shouldn't have to worry.
"Morning Jiro, having trouble?" I asked, walking up to her.
"Huh, Lukas? Ah… yeah. I really don't wanna talk to those guys…" she said, frowning.
"Then we won't talk. Just follow my lead," I said, walking forward as I held her arm, before I used my other to grab Hagakure. "Morning."
"Oh, Lukas! As you can see, I'm… having a bit of trouble," she said.
"Yeah… well, let's just get through this first," I said as I began pushing through the sea of cameras and microphones.
'Excuse me' seemed useless, so I simply pushed forward, pulling the other two behind in my wake, but eventually, I came across three reporters pushing their microphone into my face.
"How is All Might as a teacher?"
"Are there any lessons All Might has imparted on you during his first day?"
"Did he provide a reason for transitioning to teaching?"
And in front of all those questions…
"Sorry, we're in General Studies. All Might only has lessons with the Hero Course, from what I heard," I said calmly.
And just like that, it was as if we were invisible, allowing me to push my way through to the front gate, where Aizawa-sensei was standing.
"I see you three made it through… good," he said.
"Yeah… I guess they don't care about General Studies that much," I said with a shrug.
Aizawa lowered his mouth into his scarf, though I swear I saw the ghost of a smile.
"I can't believe they're all gathered like that!" Hagakure said as I let go of the two. "Can't they just line up or something?"
"That's media for you… but while this isn't optimal, it is a good way to see how annoying they can be," Aizawa said, shaking his head.
"Yeah, that was crazy… but was it right to lie like that, Lukas?" Jiro asked.
"Lying?" I said, shaking my head. "No… that was just, what was it? Ah, a 'rational deception'."
Aizawa was definitely smirking now, and even Hagakure and Jiro shared a laugh.
"Alright, get to class… I'll watch for your classmates," he said, looking forward as we walked through.
—
"Now, I've reviewed the footage for the battle trials that took place yesterday, and have compiled your scores and notes on performance in these," he said, passing a stack of papers to the Bakugo, who sat at the front. "The scores won't account for much of your grade, since it was meant as an introduction to combat, but still, take the information to heart… especially a certain four."
With Bakugo passing the stack back to the others, Aizawa looked over to him.
"Bakugo. You're talented, so don't waste it by acting like a kid," he said.
"I… know," Bakugo replied, looking away.
"Midoriya… you settled it by breaking your arm again," Aizawa continued, releasing a sigh. "Ignoring the structural damage, you also hurt yourself. You can't keep saying you can't help it because you can't control your Quirk. I don't like saying the same thing over and over. As long as you fix the control issue, there's a lot you'll be able to do. Feel a sense of urgency, Midoriya."
"Y-Yes sir!" Midoriya replied.
Aizawa then looked over to Todoroki, who sat in the back right corner of the class.
"Todoroki. You have a strong Quirk, but don't rely on it. A hero is more than just a one-trick pony," he said.
"Understood," Todoroki replied.
"Good. And Tsugai," he said, causing me to sit up straight as my eyes met his. "You did well, and it's good that you're thinking of your weaknesses already, but don't expect your opponents to not know your Quirk for every fight. That's a disadvantage that heroes must bear, so make sure not to rely on it as a tactic."
"G-Got it!" I replied, nodding my head.
He was right… I doubt I would have won without that element of surprise.
"Right. With that over with, we'll be moving on. Sorry about the late notice, but today, I'll have you…" he said. "Choose a class president."
Everyone sighed with relief at that.
I closed my eyes as a bunch of people began to stand up, shouting to make their case, before Ida stood up to silence them.
"Attention! I believe the best method to determine our class' president would be to do so democratically with a vote!" he said, chopping his hand. "Is that acceptable to you, Aizawa-sensei?"
"I don't care, just get it finished by the day," he said.
Things moved quite quickly after that, as Yaoyorozu created a box and asked everyone to write their vote on a piece of paper.
I wouldn't mind being the president… but from how she acted, I think someone else was a bit more deserving.
And as the results were tallied up… well, there was quite a surprising result.
Lukas/Tsugai - 4
Yaoyorozu - 4
Midoriya - 2
Everyone else save for Ida, Uraraka, Jiro, Tsu, Todoroki, Tokoyami, and Hagakure.
"We have a tie… what a conundrum," Yaoyorozu said at my side. "What should we do?"
"Well… we could just leave it to chance…" I said, tilting my head in thought. "How about we discuss it over lunch first?"
We sat at lunch together yesterday anyway.
"That… sounds reasonable," she said, nodding her head. "Then the other will be vice-president, I presume?"
"That sounds like a good plan," I replied.
Looking back to the class, it seemed that everyone was fine with the results, save from the glare Bakugo was giving to his desk.
"Yaoyorozu and Lukas… no matter who wins, I'm happy with that!" Kirishima said.
"Hell yeah! They both had awesome analysis yesterday too!" Ashido added.
And like that, I became the class president… well, almost.
—
With Aizawa-sensei finishing Hero Law, which was today's class for the hero-based academic time slot, everyone began heading out for lunch, with me included.
At least… that was the plan.
"Hagakure. Tsugai. Stay back for a moment," he said, causing both of us to look at each other in confusion.
Uhh… did I do something wrong?
With Yaoyorozu sending me a worried nod, and the door closing behind her, the three of us were left in the room.
"Now… I'm sure you're wondering why I asked you to stay behind, so I'll be straight," he said. "I noticed the two of you went to the equipment room during yesterday's personal training time… now, I don't want to assume anything, but what were you two doing there?"
I flushed in embarrassment at what he might have been assuming, and from the squeak Hagakure let out, she had felt something similar.
Now how to answer this… I didn't want to say anything by myself, considering this was Hagakure's secret…
"Uh, Aizawa-sensei…" she said, holding my hand. "It's because… of what I learned about Lukas' Quirk."
Understanding what she meant, I activated Nullification, causing Hagakure to become visible, and surprising Aizawa enough to cause his eyes to widen.
"I… I'm going to start trying to do this by myself… and until I can… I want to keep it private, if that's possible…" she said, averting her eyes. "And that's also why I didn't want anyone seeing… but I wasn't sure it would work at first."
Aizawa brought his hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose.
"I see… and you intend to help her with this, Tsugai?" he asked.
"Yes, Aizawa-sensei," I replied.
"Hmm… I understand the sentiment, but I don't want you to sacrifice your training time for this," he said, crossing his arms.
"I… should be able to train at the same time, since her Quirk doesn't come right back as long as I'm near her," I said, letting go of her hand as Hagakure started to turn translucent. "The plan was to have her try to understand the feeling of 'invisibility' as it slowly returns while I focused on my training."
"I see… that's logical, but how did you expect to train effectively while staying in that storage room?" he asked.
I… did not have an answer to that.
I looked to the side, watching as Hagakure's face dropped.
She really wanted to work on this… and I wanted to help her. But if Aizawa didn't let us, we would need to find the time outside of school-
"Haa… alright. I'll give you two permission to use a separate training area that's large enough for Lukas to work on his mobility training as well. That would be the most efficient," he said, leaning against his desk. "But first… I should say congratulations, Hagakure. It's only the second day of school, and you're already finding a way to massively expand your Quirk. You should be proud."
Hagakure's face lit up at the proposed solution, and even further at the praise.
"T-Thank you, Aizawa-sensei," she said, a little teary-eyed as she began to completely disappear.
"Don't mention it. Now head off to lunch, you don't want to do training on an empty stomach," he said, getting up. "Oh, and while I'm giving you the room, I'm also trusting you to use it properly. Don't make me regret trusting you two."
"Got it, Aizawa-sensei!" Hagakure said.
"We won't, sir!" I added.
"Good. Now it's nap time, so get out," he said, reaching under the desk for his yellow sleeping bag.
Hagakure and I then went down to the cafeteria, and thankfully, due to the line moving quickly, we soon found ourselves sitting down at a table with Tsu, Midoriya, Uraraka, and Ida, and right after we did, Yaoyorozu and Jiro came to join us.
"I am curious, what exactly did Aizawa-sensei need to talk to you two about after class?" Yaoyorozu asked. "Ah, only as long as I'm privy to such information, of course."
I looked over to Hagakure.
Again, this was her secret.
"Ah, well… Lukas and I are going to be doing some private training together! Aizawa-sensei told us that he can prepare a room!" she said, pumping her fist.
Not a lie, but not exactly the whole truth either.
"I… see," Yaoyorozu replied before looking over to me. "And speaking of you, Lukas… do you want to discuss who shall be class president now?"
"Yeah, that's fine… but what do you guys think?" I asked the rest of the table.
Tsu put down her chopsticks.
"I voted for you, Lukas, ribbit," she said plainly. "You're a good strategist, and have a good Quirk for supporting us. Besides, you're blunt like me, which makes things simple."
"I-I voted for you as well, Lukas! I… well, I think you know why," Hagakure said, her voice moving away as if she looked to the side.
"Me too… healing me after I hurt myself was one thing, but your Quirk is also amazing! I've never heard of anything like it!" Midoriya added.
Uraraka and Ida both looked away from the green-haired boy.
Those two must have been the ones to vote for him, huh?
"And I voted for Yaoyorozu here… so doesn't that mean that Todoroki and Tokoyami both voted for her too? Since their names had no votes…" Jiro said.
"Interesting," Yaoyorozu said, holding her chin. "I wonder why-"
"Not exactly," I interrupted her before gulping down some rice. "One of them must have voted for me, since I voted for you, Yaoyorozu."
The table widened their eyes at that.
"Really? Did you… not want to be a class president?" Uraraka asked.
"No. I'd happily take the honour, but I thought you seemed a bit more… fit for the job, I guess? Especially the communication aspect," I said with a shrug. "But since I had four people vote for me… well, with their support, I can't exactly give it up like that, even if I did choose you."
Yaoyorozu smiled softly in response.
"Nor would I want such a thing. We will be partners regardless, so-"
"Oh! Lukas! There you are!"
While I wanted to hear what Yaoyorozu had to say, when I heard that familiar voice, I couldn't stop my head from turning to see the streak of periwinkle blue running towards me.
"Nejire, you're back," I said, lowering my chopsticks as she wrapped her arms around my neck from behind.
"Yep! And I got a capture too!" she said, placing her chin on my shoulder. "Oh, are these your friends? I'm Nejire Hado! Nice to meet you! Did you know? Lukas and I are actually best friends! We met on the first day I went to U.A. and we've been hanging out ever since-"
"Nejire… one thing at a time," I said, reaching up to pinch her lips. "Not everyone can handle you like I can."
"Mmph," she nodded before I released her lips. "Right. Sorry about that! But when I saw Lukas' friends, I couldn't help but get excited! And they're my kouhais too!"
The others, who had been stunned due to her sudden entrance, slowly recovered.
"Right… I assume you're a third or second year, then?" Yaoyorozu asked.
"Yep! Third year hero course student, Nejire Hado!" she replied cheerfully.
"And Lukas… he calls you by your first name?" Hagakure asked.
"Yup!" Nejire replied.
"Do you think such affectionate conduct is appropriate for school grounds!" Ida shouted.
"If it's me and Lukas, then obviously!" Nejire smiled. "Ooh! By the way, what are your Quirks, everyone? Lukas told me a bit, but-"
An alarm bell rang, interrupting Nejire's rant.
"There has been a level 3 security breach. All students please evacuate immediately."
Nejire instantly let go of my neck as the entire cafeteria sprang into motion, everyone immediately racing towards the exit.
"Dammit… we'll get crushed!" I said, as our group soon found ourselves in the middle of the crowd.
Nejire, thankfully, had already used her Quirk to float above the rest, trying to get everyone to calm down, but to no avail.
"Ow!"
"This is… quite a conundrum!"
Hearing Yaoyorozu and Hagakure from behind, I immediately reached to bring them closer to me, protecting them, especially Hagakure, from the crowd as I thought of what to do.
I would need to make sure Hagakure remained near me, as she could easily get elbowed due to her Quirk.
"Lukas!" Nejire shouted from above, her eyes serious. "It's the media! There's no danger, but I can't calm them down at once without using my Quirk!"
Right, and it was obvious why she couldn't do the latter.
I mean, everyone was already panicking, so having an energy Quirk suddenly fly overhead would only make everything worse.
So what… what could communicate to everyone to calm down, since there was no danger.
Something loud, that is commonly used for crowd control.
But where would I even find-?
"Lukas? Urg! W-What is it?" Yaoyorozu asked, with Jiro sticking close to her side.
…Perfect.
"Make a megaphone," I commanded.
"A megaphone? But why- of course! Give me a moment and some space!"
She quickly understood, and with me using my arms to block anyone from coming between the two of us, and Hagakure sticking close to my chest, the glow of Yaoyorozu's Quirk lit up from under her shirt as she soon produced exactly what I had asked.
"Here!" she said, passing it to me.
"Good! Nejire!" I shouted, throwing it towards the girl.
Nejire instantly took charge, turning on the tool before she shot towards the exit door.
"Calm down! It's just the media! There is no danger present!" she shouted, causing much of the commotion to calm right away. "You are students of U.A., are you not!? Exit in an orderly fashion, and make sure that everyone has adequate space! Ensure your schoolmates are not injured and exit the building calmly!"
And just like that, the emergency practically came to an end as the students all followed her orders.
I guess that was what experience got you.
The power to calm a crowd in an instant… it was amazing, and I don't think it was wrong to say she looked incredibly hot while doing so.
"Haa… honestly, that was annoying," I said.
First this morning, and now this?
Aizawa-sensei was right about the media.
"Y-Yeah… thank you, Lukas…" Hagakure said, still in my arms.
"Oh! Right, sorry," I said, releasing her. "You didn't get hurt or anything, right? I was worried, considering…"
"Nope! All good! And you don't need to apologize!" she replied happily.
We slowly walked out of the building into the courtyard, spotting the large crowd of the media near the entrance that was currently being handled by the teachers.
"Ahem. While Nejire-senpai was quite amazing, I do have to recognize your quick thinking, Lukas," Yaoyorozu said, smiling at me. "I think that by itself serves as a conclusion to the choice we needed to make, no?"
The choice…? Ah, right.
"I agree. Even though I voted for Yaoyorozu here, I don't mind you taking the lead," Jiro added, crossing her arms.
"Mhm! I believe in you, Lukas!" Hagakure added. "Or should I say, president!"
And so, it seemed that I had found myself as president of class 1-A.
—
It was the end of a week of classes, and for today's practical heroics lesson, we would be heading to an external facility to train in disaster rescue situations.
As for how the week had gone, it had been quite good.
I had been working on my movement, just as Aizawa had suggested, and when I found myself struggling on the second day of trying to improve, he advised me to watch my classmates for inspiration.
As for who I used?
Well, after some observation, I noted that Tsu and Bakugo were probably the best to copy, as they both kept low to the ground and had high manoeuvrability.
Of course, I didn't have the physiology of Tsu, nor did I have Bakugo's Quirk, but I didn't need to be as good as them, I just needed a way to improve.
But still, with having only spent a few days on it, I still had quite a lot of issues.
I had also been helping Hagakure while training my movement by nullifying her Quirk and staying near her, helping her get used to the feeling of being visible and having her Quirk be something she could control rather than a natural fact of life.
She had been trying her best, but obviously, she wouldn't be able to change what she was used to for the last 11 years so easily.
I had also been telling her what I felt when I used Empowerment and Empathy Healing to give her advice on what emitter Quirks felt like and how to feel and control an 'energy'.
It was difficult to explain, since it felt as natural as breathing to me, but Hagakure said it has helped, and she is starting to sense a difference in being visible versus invisible.
Tiny steps, but with enough time and effort, a lot of distance could be crossed.
"Everyone, I have been waiting for you!" the muffled voice of Thirteen said, bringing me back to the present.
The class, who were all dressed in their hero costumes, released a hum of excitement at the appearance of the special guest.
"It's the Space Hero, Thirteen!" Midoriya said, his costume being replaced by the school exercise uniform, since his was still being rebuilt from the battle trial. "The gentlemanly hero who has rescued tons of people from disasters!"
"Oh! I love Thirteen!" Uraraka exclaimed.
"Let's go in without delay," Thirteen said, gesturing to the large dome behind her.
Going through the front door, we were met with quite the amazing sight.
There was a central plaza with a large fountain directly in the middle, which the staircase we were at the top of lead down towards.
Then, surrounding that plaza, were six different areas, which I could only assume were for different disaster simulations.
"Wow! It looks like USJ!" Kirishima said with wonder.
Ah, that was the amusement park Nejire wanted me to bring me to, right?
Unfortunately, that was right before her work-study started, so she ended up forgetting, but maybe we should try to do it during the summer or something.
"A shipwreck… a landslide… a fire… a windstorm… et cetera," she said, spreading her arms outwards. "It's a training ground that I made with different types of accidents and disasters. It's called… the Unforeseen Simulation Joint! Or USJ for short!"
…It really was USJ.
Was that meant to be a pun or something?
"Thirteen… where's All Might?" Aizawa said, walking over to the spacesuit-themed hero. "He was supposed to meet us here."
I moved my attention from their conversation, looking over the disaster simulations below.
Damn… it was amazing.
But why was there a slide going down the mountain in the water zone? Was it to simulate a rapid current or something?
"Let's see…" Thirteen said, bringing my attention back to the front. "Before we begin, let me say one thing… or two… three… four… five… six… seven…"
Why was she counting up?
"Ahem! Everyone! I am sure you are aware of my Quirk, Black Hole," Thirteen said, raising her hand. "I can suck up anything and turn it into dust."
"You've been able to use that Quirk to save people from all kinds of disasters, right?" Midoriya said.
"Yes, but it is a power that can kill easily," Thirteen said bluntly, causing the mood in the class to lower at the weight of her words. "Some of you also have Quirks like that, yes?"
A few people looked down at their hands, likely contemplating what kind of power they had, and what kind of effects it had.
"In a superhuman society like ours, personal Quirk use has been strictly regulated, so it doesn't seem like a problem at first glance," she said. "However, please do not forget that there are many Quirks that can easily kill with one wrong step. With Aizawa's Quirk apprehension test, you found out about the possibility of your own powers. And with All Might's combat training, I think you experienced the danger of using these powers on another person."
I looked down at my own hand.
Destructive power… I don't think I had a lot, but I had enough to need to be responsible.
I wouldn't be destroying buildings, no, but one wrong strike could easily kill…
"This class is a fresh start," Thirteen continued. "You shall learn how to use your powers to save lives. You do not have powers so you can harm others. I hope you leave here today with the understanding that your Quirks are meant to be used to help others. That is all!"
Helping people… yeah, I mean, that's my entire reason for wanting to be a hero.
When I first realized that most kids had a father, I was upset, and felt a little lonely. And when my mother started focusing on work more when I was five, that feeling only increased.
Mm… it was painful.
And when I used Empathy Healing to help another for the first time, I had learned that my Quirk could take that pain away.
But there were people I couldn't reach.
Others with more pain than I could imagine begging for help.
I couldn't take away all the pain in the world, nor could I keep everyone safe, but if I could do a bit… relieve pain that would have previously been ignored… make others smile without the worry of being lonely or unsafe…
Then I would do it in a heartbeat.
That was my dream.
And being a hero?
I had no connection to the title, nor did I aim to be a symbol like All Might, but it was the most efficient path to achieving my dream.
And if, along the way, I beat up the villains who were causing innocents such pain?
Well… that was just an added bonus.
"All right then, first-"
Aizawa's words were cut off as the lights to the building flickered.
Huh?
What was that?
The class looking around in confusion, I found my gaze trailing down to the central plaza, where a small dot suddenly appeared in the air… and then got bigger… and bigger.
"Aizawa-sensei. The fountain," I said, pointing out the oddity.
Aizawa was already turning that way by the time I finished, his hands reaching for his scarf as we all looked down the staircase.
The dot exploded into a giant wall of black, with purple wisps around the ends.
"Gather together and don't move!" Aizawa said, reaching out his hand. "Thirteen, protect the students!"
The atmosphere instantly changed from calm excitement to oppressive anxiety.
"What's that?" Kirishima asked as something stepped out of the wall.
No… not something.
Someone.
And then, right after, there were more…
"Is this like the entrance exam, where the lesson's already started?" Kirishima asked, walking forward.
"No," I said, stepping to the front as I placed my hand on his shoulder. "And stay behind me."
"Listen to your class president and don't move!" Aizawa-sensei said, raising his goggles onto his face. "Those… are villains."