Chapter 31: Waiting Room 2.
Waiting Room 2 was alive with the smell of sweat, Salonpas patches, and the buzz of adrenaline crashing into exhaustion.
"Man! That was intense!" Kaminari groaned, slumping onto a bench, his U.A. tracksuit slightly singed. "I thought the stadium was gonna collapse during the final!"
"Did you see the size of that flower?" Sero mimicked an explosion with his hands. "It was like something out of a fantasy movie. Kuzan is on a different level."
"And scary..." Mineta squeaked, changing his pants in the corner. "I'm never making him angry. Being frozen looks way worse than being burned."
Midoriya sat on a bench, his fingers heavily bandaged, chatting with Uraraka. Despite the injuries, there was a brightness in his eyes. "But the strategy... he completely neutralized the explosions by freezing the environment first. It was brilliant. His ice was bla-bla-bla while bakugo explosions were bla-bla-bla--"
"You mumble too much, Deku-kun!" Uraraka laughed, though she looked happy. "But yeah! It was amazing!"
The door to the waiting room slammed open.
"Attention, little listeners!"
Midnight strode in, her presence commanding immediate silence. Trailing behind her were the three finalists: Todoroki stoic, Mina beaming, and Bakugo who looked like he wanted to murder the floor tiles.
"Everyone, listen up!" Midnight cracked her whip against a locker. "Is Yaoyorozu here?"
Momo Yaoyorozu perked up from her seat. "Yes, Midnight-sensei?"
Midnight scanned the room. "Quick math. How many students qualified for the second round, the Cavalry Battle? Total count."
Momo tapped her chin, her eyes darting as she calculated. "Forty-two students qualified for the second event as I remember."
"Right. Forty-two," Midnight nodded. "I need you to make ice skates for all of them. Right now."
The room went silent.
"E-Excuse me?" Momo blinked, her jaw dropping slightly. "For... everyone? That's... that's over forty pairs of complex footwear! In... in just a few minutes?"
"The arena is a giant sheet of ice thanks to our champion," Midnight explained, gesturing vaguely toward the door. "We can't have the students slipping and sliding during the closing ceremony. It would look undignified. We need skates. More than this, we will use this icy arena for our favor."
Momo looked at her hands. Creating that much mass, with specific sizes... it was a massive calorie drain. "I... I don't know if I can make that many in such a short time..."
Midnight stepped closer, her expression softening from the Sadistic Hero to a genuine teacher. She placed a hand on Momo's shoulder. "I know it's a tall order. But I'm asking you because I trust your Quirk and your judgment, Yaoyorozu. You're the only one who can save the ceremony."
Momo's eyes widened. Trust...
She took a deep breath, her expression shifting from doubt to determination. She stood up straighter.
"I understand," Momo said firmly. She exposed her arms. "If you are placing your trust in me, I will get it done!"
POP. POP. SHING.
From her elbows and forearms, leather and steel began to materialize. The screech of creation filled the room as pair after pair of U.A. standard-issue ice skates Clattered onto the floor.
"Excellent!" Midnight grinned. She turned to the rest of Class 1-A. "Don't just stand there gawking! Grab these! Find every student who made it to the second round. One by one. Tell them: 'Put these on and line up at the North Entrance.' If they refused, tell them it's an order from Midnight. Go!"
"YES, MA'AM!" the class shouted in unison.
The energy shifted instantly. It became a logistical mission. Midoriya grabbed three pairs, some of his fingers were wrapped in bandages. Kirishima and Sero loaded their arms.
Midnight scanned the room, her eyes narrowing. She looked at Todoroki, then at the brooding Bakugo. "Wait. Where is the other 3rd place winner? The one with glasses?"
Todoroki looked around. "Iida?" He frowned. "Now that you mention it... I haven't seen him since the intermission."
"Hey, guys?"
Mina Ashido's voice came from the far corner of the room. She was standing in front of Iida's locker. There was a piece of paper taped to the metal door.
"There's a note here," Mina said, her voice trembling slightly.
The students gathered around. Even Bakugo looked over.
Aokiji walked into the room at that exact moment, hands in his pockets, looking relaxed. "Hmm... it's nice and warm in here. Why is everyone huddled in a corner?"
Mina peeled the note off and read it aloud:
"My friends. I apologize, but I cannot attend the closing ceremony. I wished to see the outcome of the match between Kuzan-kun and Bakugo-kun, but... I received shocking news. My brother, Ingenium, was attacked by a villain. I have to leave immediately. This festival was truly enjoyable. Goodbye."
The silence that followed was suffocating.
"Ingenium?" Midoriya gasped, his face paling. "But... he's a top hero. He's invincible."
"A villain got him?" Uraraka whispered, covering her mouth.
The festive mood evaporated instantly. The reality of their world—the dangerous, bloody reality of Hero society—crashed into the locker room. Faces that were smiling seconds ago were now heavy with worry. Even Midnight looked grim, her playful demeanor vanishing.
Momo stopped creating skates, her hands trembling. "Iida-san..."
The air was heavy, thick with sympathy and fear.
"Arara," Aokiji's voice cut through the silence. It wasn't loud, but it was distinct.
He walked past the stunned students and leaned against a locker. "There are fifty thousand people in the stands. Millions more watching on TV across the country. The media is waiting for a show."
He looked at the depressed faces of his classmates.
"Are you sure this is the right time to mourn?" Aokiji asked bluntly. "We can worry about the class rep later. Right now, the show isn't over."
"That's cold, Aokiji!" Kirishima snapped. "Iida is our friend!"
"And panic won't help him," Aokiji replied calmly. "Focus on the job."
Midnight looked at Aokiji, surprised by his pragmatic, almost pro-hero mindset. She clapped her hands sharply, trying to get the attention of the students.
"He's right!" Midnight announced. "Pull yourselves together! Empathy is good, but letting it freeze you is bad. Focus on what is in front of you. Distribute the skates. We will deal with Iida's situation afterwards."
The class hesitated, then nodded. "Yes!"
The students scattered, running out to find the participants from other classes.
Aokiji walked over to Yaoyorozu. She was breathing heavily, a sheen of sweat on her forehead, a pile of skates at her feet.
"That looks exhausting," Aokiji noted.
"It is difficult to refuse a teacher when they ask so politely," Momo huffed, forcing another pair out of her arm.
"If I got an annoying task like that," Aokiji drawled, "I'd probably fake a stomach ache." He glanced at the pile. "Save yourself the energy on mine, Yaomomo. I can just form ice around my shoes."
Momo looked up at him, wiping her brow. She offered a tired, genuine smile. "Thank you, Kuzan-san."
"Kuzan!" Midnight barked. "What are you doing standing there? Grab a stack. Help distribute them."
Aokiji blinked. "Hah? I'm the winner. Shouldn't I get a break? Ask the angry losers over there." He pointed a thumb at Bakugo and Todoroki.
Todoroki ignored him, busy lacing up his own skates.
Bakugo, however, snapped. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING A LOSER?! I'LL KILL YOU, ICE SCUM!" He lunged forward, but Kirishima held him back. "Dude! Chill! Not the time!"
Midnight sighed, rubbing her temples. She grabbed three pairs of skates and shoved them into Aokiji's chest.
"You're the champion," she said, steering him toward the door. "That makes you the face of the festival and of the class as well. Go convince the other classes to participate. You're the best person for it."
"You chose the absolute worst person for social interaction," Aokiji complained as he was pushed into the hallway.
"Is your brain frozen too?" Midnight smirked. She spun him around and gave him a playful, firm kick on the butt. "Get to work!"
....
Aokiji sighed, walking down the concrete corridor, balancing the skates in his arms.
"What a drag..." he muttered. "I just want to sleep."
After a minute of lazy walk, he turned a corner.
He was about to collide with the shape of a random student who was turned at the same moment. But just as impact seemed inevitable—
BEEP-BEEP! WHOOSH!
The metallic boots on the girl's feet hissed, firing a precise jet of compressed air. Her body twisted in mid-air, defying gravity, arching perfectly around Aokiji in a calculated dodge. She landed smoothly behind him.
"WHOA!" the girl shouted, spinning around. "That was close! Did you see that?! What do you think of my baby?! Automatic Danger Sensor with Omni-Directional Evasion Thrusters!"
Aokiji blinked, looking at the girl. Pink dreadlocks, crosshair eyes, grease on her cheek. Mei Hatsume.
" seems a bit excessive for walking in a hallway," Aokiji deadpanned. "Anyway. Take these." He held out a pair of skates. "Go to the North Entrance."
Hatsume looked at the skates like they were garbage. She waged her finger. "Tsk, tsk, tsk! You don't get it at all, Kuzan-boy!"
"Kuzan-boy?"
"I would never wear such simple, primitive technology!" She pointed to her heavy iron boots. "Look!"
Click-Clack.
She tapped her heels together. Instantly, retractable, serrated blades snapped out from the soles of her boots.
"Retractable Cryo-Traversal Blades!" she announced proudly. "Integrated into the Hover Soles! What do you think?"
Aokiji stared at the blades. "I'm mostly annoyed that I can't get rid of one of these skates now."
"Tell your father about me!" Hatsume grinned, leaning into his personal space. "I provide top-tier tools for CEOs. Though..." She tapped her chin. "I've seen the specs on some of the cooling units from your family's company. The thermal regulation is sloppy. Lots of room for improvement."
Aokiji let out a short, surprised laugh.
"What?" Hatsume asked, tilting her head.
"Nothing," Aokiji smirked, his black eyes glinting. "It's just the first time I've heard someone criticize that old man's business to my face. It feels strangely good."
"Business is war, Kuzan-boy! Efficiency is king!" Hatsume saluted. "I'm heading to the North Entrance! Bye bye!"
She turned around.
He also turned and walked on his way. There was a calm in the first but then..
BOOOOSH.
Her boots fired like jet engines. She didn't walk; she accelerated.
Aokiji moved his head back to look at her, but she was gone, leaving only a cloud of dust and the smell of burning fuel in the hallway. "...I probably should have forced her to wear the normal skates. This girl is going to kill someone."
...
Another minute passed, Aokiji arrived at the door of Waiting Room 1-B. He could hear voices inside while looking at the Sign.
He sighed, adjusted the skates in his arms, and pushed the door open.
The room went quiet. Twenty students turned to look at him. The atmosphere wasn't welcoming. It was heavy with rivalry.
After seconds of silence, a mocking voice drawled, "Well, well, well..."
Neito Monoma sat on a table, legs crossed, a smug grin plastered on his face. "The star of Class 1-A. The 'Champion'. Has came for us personally? Did you come to gloat? Or did you get lost on the way to the podium?"
Aokiji ignored the tone. He walked in and dropped the pile of skates on a bench. "Midnight-sensei wants everyone at the North Entrance. Wear these. The arena is ice."
"Hah!" Monoma laughed, throwing his head back. "Look at this! The arrogance! He creates the mess, then hands us the tools to walk on it? Is this charity? Do you think Class B needs your charity?"
Itsuka Kendo, the orange-haired class rep, sighed and stepped forward. "Monoma, stop it." She looked at Aokiji. "Sorry about him. And... thanks for the skates. It would be hard to walk out there without them."
"It is a beautiful sculpture," a girl with vines for hair, Ibara Shiozaki, said softly, clasping her hands. "Though a bit... violent in nature."
Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu slammed his fist into his palm. "Man! I wanted to fight you! That ice looks tough! But next time, I'll smash through it!"
Aokiji looked around the room. It felt different from Class A. Less chaotic, more... united in their annoyance at Class A.
"Hey, Aokiji."
A bulky student with thick lips and brown hair walked over. He was eating a small bag of sugar cookies.
"Sato," Aokiji nodded. "Ah, I almost forgot this is your class.."
"Yeah," Rikido Sato smiled, offering the bag. "Want one? I baked them this morning for energy."
Aokiji took a cookie and ate it. "Not bad."
Monoma's eye twitched. "Sato! Don't fraternize with the enemy! He's looking down on us! Can't you see that lazy look in his eyes? He thinks he's better than us!"
Aokiji swallowed the cookie and looked at Monoma. He didn't look angry. He looked bored.
"You're loud," Aokiji said.
Monoma froze. "And so?"
"Class A is loud too," Aokiji continued, scratching the back of his neck. "A lot of them screaming about being number one, or crushing eachothers today, or proving themselves. It's exhausting."
He looked at the students of Class B.
"You guys seem... quieter. More normal." Aokiji shrugged. "I like that. I'd rather hang out here than in my own waiting room. Less headache."
The room paused. Monoma opened his mouth, but no insults came out. He had expected arrogance, condescension, or hostility. He wasn't prepared for... casual indifference toward the rivalry itself.
"You..." Monoma narrowed his eyes. "You're a good person brother! You understand that class B is better than A right right??"
"Just put on the skates," Aokiji said, turning to the door. "Sato, bring the bag of cookies. I might need more sugar to deal with the ceremony."
Sato laughed. "Sure thing."
Kendo smiled, grabbing a pair of skates. "Alright everyone, let's go! We can't let Class A show up alone on the ice!"
"YEAH!" Class B shouted—except Monoma, who was muttering suspiciously while putting on his skates.
A few minutes later, the door to Waiting Room 2 opened again.
Midnight looked up, and her eyes widened.
Aokiji walked in, looking as relaxed as ever. Behind him, trailing like a procession of ducklings, was the entirety of Class 1-B, all wearing skates, with Sato and Kendo chatting with Aokiji near the front. Even Monoma was there, though he was glaring at the back of Aokiji's head.
"I brought the neighbors," Aokiji said, pointing a thumb over his shoulder.
Midnight beamed. "My, my! That's a good haul, Kuzan! You actually got them all?"
"It wasn't hard," Aokiji yawned. "They have good snacks."
Midnight clapped her hands, looking at the assembled students of Class A and B, plus the support course students arriving in the hallway.
"Alright, everyone!" Midnight shouted, pointing her whip toward the tunnel. "Lace up tight! It's time to show the world the future of heroism! Get ready to skate!"
The students cheered—some nervously, some excitedly. Aokiji stood in the middle of it all, the calm eye of the storm, ready to step out onto the ice he had created.
.
.
.