It was the end of the week, with a holiday looming tomorrow. It was the kind of day where everyone's mind was already on their time off, forcing their heavy bodies through one last push of effort.
On this particular afternoon, I was standing in front of the class holding a dart.
Before me was a board with the list of hero agencies pinned to it. My classmates stood in a semi-circle around the target. No one was cheering.
Yes, right now, I was using everyone's favorite game of chance—darts—to decide where I would spend my workplace experience.
"Nico, I really think you should give this more serious thought..." Ochaco whispered.
"I may have helped set up the board, but I have to agree with Uraraka," Momo added.
The girls were trying to talk me out of it, but I couldn't stop now. I had no choice. I had agonized over this. Truly, I had. But I couldn't decide. To be honest, all the agencies looked exactly the same to me.
I did my research. I looked at their activities. I checked their track records and rankings. But even after all that, I didn't understand what made one "better" than the others. Since I wasn't that interested in the first place, it was all a blur. Aren't they all just doing the same thing? I wondered. Is it really necessary to classify heroes into such tiny sub-categories?
Regardless, I was out of time. Today was the deadline. This was literally the final hour of the final day.
If Kacchan and I had received a nomination from the same place, I might have just gone with him—but we didn't. He got one from... what was it? Best... Best Denim-man? Best Jeanist?
To show Ochaco I was taking this seriously, I put on my gravest expression and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Ochaco, I'm throwing this with every fiber of my being. It'll be fine."
"There isn't a single thing about this that feels 'fine'!" she squeaked.
Under the watchful eyes of the class, I took my stance and poured my very soul into the dart. This was a trial of fate. I couldn't slack off now. This was a battle with myself. Would I end up somewhere easy, or somewhere like hell?
The moment of truth!!
"Shatter into pieces, Gungnir!!"
"Don't shatter it! And why are you putting so much emotion into a single dart?!"
Ignoring Ochaco's commentary, the dart left my hand and flew true. It cut through the air, leaving the sound of the room behind—or at least, that's how cool it felt.
Thwack.
It hit the board.
"Tsuyu, do the honors!"
"I really wish you'd picked properly," Tsuyu sighed, "but if this is the result of your 'deliberation,' I suppose it can't be helped."
Tsuyu walked up to the board, pulled the dart from the list, and began to read. Suddenly, she stopped. She looked at the paper, then back at me, then back at the paper. Without a word, she gathered the other girls for a huddle.
Wait, did I hit somewhere that bad?!
"...Ribbit. Midoriya, you've managed to pierce a very troublesome spot. Honestly, I'm surprised you were even on this agency's list."
"The agency itself is one thing, but if she goes there..." Jiro muttered. "Do we really want to put those two together? It smells like a disaster."
"Nico, you really have a knack for hitting the bullseye on the craziest options. You've got 'luck,' in a sense," Ochaco noted.
"I find it quite remarkable," Momo chimed in. "To be chosen by such a prestigious agency and yet have it mean so little to her that it's decided by a game of darts... it's truly something."
"Sometimes I feel like Nico isn't a person, she's just a localized storm," Mina giggled.
"This is going to be so exciting!" Hagakure cheered.
I could hear their ominous whispering. Wh-Where did I end up...?!
"Ugh—Kacchan!"
"Tsk, why the hell should I..."
I gave Kacchan the signal to go investigate. Despite his grumbling, he shoved his way through the circle of girls to see the board. I love how he has zero regard for the "atmosphere." That's my Kacchan!!
"He complains but he does it anyway," Sero laughed. "That's hilarious."
"Don't poke the bear, Sero," Kirishima warned. "I'm not saving you when he explodes."
"He really is completely whipped," Kaminari added with a sigh. "In a way, it's manly? ...Wait, why am I tearing up?"
"Flirting with a childhood friend... how enviable...!" Mineta hissed.
"You're consistent, Mineta," Sato noted. "Though I get it. I want a girlfriend too."
"「「「Must be nice...」」」" the boys droned in unison.
"Put some heart into it, you losers!" Mina barked.
While the boys were busy being pathetic, I waited for the report. Suddenly, Kacchan blew up the list.
WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, YOU BRAT?!
"KACCHAN!! WHAT WAS THAT FOR?! If the list is gone, I'm the one who gets yelled at!! I have to turn that in right now!!"
"SHUT UP!! GET YELLED AT FOR ALL I CARE!!"
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?! I'M TAKING YOU DOWN WITH ME, YOU JERK!!"
I dropped into a "Tiger Stance" to face off against him, but the girls stepped in. Mina, Hagakure, and Jiro worked together to drag a fuming Kacchan away. Meanwhile, Ochaco, Tsuyu, and Momo came over to me.
Momo used her Quirk to create an exact replica of the list from her palm and pointed to a specific name.
"Midoriya, this is where your dart landed."
"The fact that she just memorized the whole thing is the scariest part..." Ochaco whispered.
"True," Tsuyu agreed. "But look at the name, Ochaco-chan."
I followed Momo's finger to a name I recognized.
"The Endeavor Hero Agency?"
Wait, where have I heard that before?
"Endeavor's agency? Are you serious, Midoriya?"
I tilted my head, only to see "Peppermint"—Todoroki—joining the conversation. He looked at the printout and his face darkened instantly.
"That damn old man..."
Whoa, what a terrifying aura. Scary. Does he have a connection with—oh! Right! Endeavor is that flaming giant from the restroom! The one with the face that looks nothing like his son! The "Baldy"!
I see, I see.
"Are you going there too, Todoroki?"
"I... yeah. I am. Like it or not, he's the Number Two hero. As a person, he's... well, he's him. But as a hero, I figured there might be something worth learning."
"I see."
Choosing again seemed like a hassle, and if Peppermint was going to be there anyway, it might not be so bad.
"Alright, decided. I'm going there too. Looking forward to it, Todoroki."
"...Are you sure?"
"I don't know why you're asking, but I already said I was! Just make sure to have my back."
"I understand. ---Hear that, Bakugo?"
Wait, why did he feel the need to confirm it with Kacchan?
"LIKE HELL I DO!! HEY, STUPID WOMAN!! YOU'RE COMING TO MY AGENCY!!"
"I can't! I didn't get a nomination from there, remember?"
"---Tsk! Dammit! Then pick one that we both have on our lists—!!"
"---HO-HO! I AM HERE! ENTERING WITH A COMPLETELY NORMAL POSTURE!!"
Just as Kacchan was about to reach a new octave of screaming, the classroom door slammed open and the Skeletal Giant—All Might—appeared. The room went dead silent.
"It's All Might!"
Ochaco's shout snapped everyone out of it. The class erupted into a buzz of excitement.
"Ah, sorry for the surprise, young men and women of Class A! Do you have a moment?"
All Might looked uncharacteristically flustered. As he entered the room, Kacchan slipped away from the girls' grip and stood in front of me with a scowl.
Hey, move. I can't see the Gachimuchi.
"What is it, All Might? You better not be here for the stupid woman...!"
"Eh?! Oh, no, well, yes and no. Actually, I'm here for you, Young Bakugo. You see... there's been a new nomination for you. There was a bit of a... misunderstanding, you could say. Just... come with me for a second."
"Hah?"
Kacchan already had the most nominations in the class. Why add more now? Plus, he'd already picked his spot.
Before he could argue, All Might tucked Kacchan under his arm like a sack of potatoes and marched out of the room.
"...Is that what people call kidnapping?" I wondered aloud.
"All Might is a teacher. I'm sure it's fine," Todoroki said.
Peppermint might be optimistic, but a Gachimuchi is still a Gachimuchi. And Kacchan is exactly the kind of boy those types probably love... I started worrying for the safety of Kacchan's backside.
"Well, let's just leave Kacchan's fate to the gods," I said, turning back to the list. "I'm gonna go turn this in."
"...In that case, want me to come with you? Since we're going to the same place, the teacher might have something to say to both of us."
"Hm? Sure, let's go."
"Eeeeek! I sense a beginning! The winds of romance are howling!!" Mina squealed.
"Nico! Nico is with... awa! What about Bakugo?! This is bad!!" Ochaco panicked.
"Bakugo is going to lose his mind," Jiro sighed. "I just hope I'm not nearby when it happens."
"Ribbit. Jiro-chan, you do sit right next to him," Tsuyu noted.
"I am quite concerned for his mental state," Momo added.
"Haha, well, what will be, will be, right?" Ashido laughed.
When Todoroki and I went to turn in our forms, the Mummy-teacher looked at me like I was a rare, slightly dangerous animal.
"Aren't you going with Bakugo?" he asked.
What is that supposed to mean?!
First Peppermint, now the Mummy-man. Why is everyone acting like Kacchan is my babysitter?! How incredibly rude!
I was officially "Pissed-Off Nico"!
I'M THE ONE WHO LOOKS AFTER HIM, DAMN IT!!
***
"HEY! LET ME GO, ALL MIGHT!!"
I ignored Young Bakugo's struggling as I held him under my arm, suppressing a heavy sigh.
"I'm sorry, Young Bakugo. This was my mistake. I wanted to handle this myself, but the other party is... well, they're extremely motivated."
"---?! What are you talking about?!"
It all started during lunch today. Since I don't have a stomach anymore, I don't really need meal times. My routine usually involves Downing a high-nutrition jelly and spending the rest of the time reading. Today, I was working through 'Even a Total Moron Can Be a Teacher! 108 Rules for Educators.'
"Oh, All Might. Bakugo got another nomination," Cementoss said, looking up from his laptop.
I closed my book and peered over his shoulder. "I don't recognize the name."
"It's right here. It apparently arrived two days ago, but since Bakugo had so many, it got buried in the pile."
"Well, with a surge like his, it's understandable," I noted. "But who would send a late nomination to a high-profile student like—"
I looked at the name Cementoss was pointing to, and my breath hitched. Flashbacks of my youth flooded my mind, and a phantom chill made my entire body tremble.
"A-All Might? What's wrong?"
"No... nothing. I just... remembered something from a long time ago."
"You look more terrified than I've ever seen you. Do you know this agency?"
"It's not the agency... it's the hero who runs it. He was my teacher."
"Your teacher?! You mean a UA teacher—" Cementoss paused, tilting his head. "Wait, I've never heard of a pro named Gran Torino."
"He was only a teacher for one year. Very few people remember him."
"I see."
As I was relaying my traumatic memories while drenched in a cold sweat, my phone began to ring. I had a very bad feeling.
"All Might, your phone," Cementoss noted.
"Y-yeah. I'll take this in the hall."
I stepped out and checked the screen. The name I expected was staring back at me. Gritting my teeth against the phantom pain in my non-existent stomach, I answered. The voice of a high-energy old man roared through the speaker.
"Yo, Toshinori! You still alive?! I heard you're still being reckless! And I heard you finally decided on a successor!"
My stomach—or where it used to be—ached at the bluntness.
"G-Gran Torino... long time no see. I'm glad you're doing well. Who told you about the successor...?"
"Hah?! What, you actually remembered me? Hahaha! You never call, so I figured you'd forgotten all about me! Nighteye told me about the successor. Said he wasn't happy about your choice. Told me to give you a piece of my mind. Anyway, who cares about that! I saw the Sports Festival! It's that kid, isn't it?! You found a real live wire, Toshinori!"
It seemed Gran Torino had already made up his mind. He didn't even give me a chance to speak.
"W-well, he's certainly a talent, but I'm still reconsidering the successor situation. I've decided to respect the student's feelings and—"
"Eh?! I can't hear you! My ears have been acting up lately! What was that?!"
I took a deep breath and shouted into the phone. "I SAID—!!"
"Yeah, anyway, I saw the festival! That kid is something else! You found a good one, Toshinori!"
"---I already heard that part! As I was saying—"
"Send him to me! You probably haven't handed it over yet, but you will eventually. So I'll break him in for you! I'll give him a foundation that'll never crack!"
"---No, listen—!!"
"His Quirk is a lot like mine, after all! It'll be fun to train him!"
"GRAN TORINO! ARE YOU LISTENING?!"
I was practically screaming, but he just kept laughing, clearly not listening to a word I said. But then, a detail in his rant caught my attention. I felt a new wave of foreboding wash over me.
"Wait! Gran Torino! You said 'his' Quirk is like yours?! But—!!"
"Haaah?! What are you talking about, you moron? Who else would I be talking about? He's clearly a boy. I know your body is a wreck, but has your brain rotted out too?! ...Actually, you were always a bit of an idiot. Shimura used to say the same thing! Hahaha!"
The bad feeling grew. A massive misunderstanding was taking shape.
"Listen to me! Gran Torino!"
"Alright, I'll be waiting! Make sure you send that brat here—that explosive punk, Bakugo!"
NO!
NOT THAT ONE!
I tried to shout the correction, but the line went dead. I tried calling back several times, but it wouldn't go through. Gran Torino's agency used an ancient rotary phone; it didn't even have an answering machine.
"...What am I going to do?"
In the end, I decided to pull Young Bakugo aside and try to persuade him to accept the offer. Gran Torino is an exceptional hero; there is much he could teach him. For a boy who aims to be a top-tier hero, it wouldn't be a bad thing... right? It shouldn't be a bad thing.
I had effectively kidnapped the boy, but my heart was already full of regret. Because the look in Young Bakugo's eyes, as I carried him through the hallway, was one of pure, unbridled rebellion.
How am I going to explain this? I continued down the hall, searching for a quiet place to talk while desperately trying to find the right words to save my own skin.
***
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