Orion carried Death Arms, his figure flickering several times in the darkness. In less than a minute, he had brought Death Arms to a relatively safe location near a hospital.
"How on earth..." Death Arms felt somewhat numb toward Orion's wind-like speed. He was merely curious about how someone whose Quirk was supposedly Hypnosis could possess such overwhelming combat power.
"Ten months ago, if I were the one in danger, you would have rescued me without hesitation, wouldn't you?" Orion found a comfortable spot and helped Death Arms lean against a wall.
"But in the end, you were the one who defeated it," Death Arms leaned his head back against the wall. "Though you strongly denied it, I know you were the one who beat that sludge monster."
"Your Quirk is Hypnosis, and the other kid's is Explosions. The only Quirk capable of driving that sludge monster mentally insane is Hypnosis."
"Fine, it's over now. We're even," Orion stood up and looked into the distance. "The hospital is over there. You can make it, right?"
"We're even? Wait, what do you mean?" Death Arms reached out and grabbed the hem of Orion's shirt. "You... shouldn't you come to the police station with me? Do you know who that man was? That was Stain!"
"The Hero Killer Stain—of course I know him." Orion pulled away with a slight exert of force, breaking Death Arms' grip. "I don't want the police to know about this. So, as for the station, I won't be going. Let's just act as if nothing happened."
"You didn't save me ten months ago, so why save me now?"
Hearing this, Orion paused for a moment. "Because I find you somewhat likable."
"..."
"Wait, I feel like I've forgotten something?" Orion turned around, muttering quietly to himself as he walked away without looking back.
Ten minutes later, as Orion walked home at an extremely slow pace, he finally realized what was wrong.
The groceries he had just bought... were all left in the alley where he fought Stain...
"..."
The incident with the Hero Killer Stain was nothing more than a minor, negligible interlude for Orion.
The next day, he arrived at U.A. High School on time for class. However, as soon as he entered the classroom, he was called to the office by the teacher.
Along with him was Katsuki Bakugo, who looked incredibly frustrated and radiated a hostile aura.
"Ah, what a headache." Inside the office, Shota Aizawa still looked as lethargic as ever. "I didn't expect such a thing to happen in my class on the very first day of school."
The "thing" Shota Aizawa referred to was, of course, the incident yesterday where Orion, in a moment of irritation, knocked Katsuki Bakugo unconscious.
"Orion, I hope you understand that using your Quirk for personal brawls is prohibited within the school." Shota Aizawa's gaze suddenly became sharp. "Otherwise, I have the authority to expel you at any time."
"And you, Bakugo," Shota Aizawa sat up straight. "I don't expect you to change your personality, but I hope you can restrain yourself a bit and stop causing so much trouble."
"Tsk, I know." Katsuki Bakugo kept his hands in his pockets and turned his head away reluctantly.
"And you, Orion?" Shota Aizawa turned to look at Orion.
"I'll try my best."
"...Considering this is a first offense, I won't put a disciplinary mark on your records. However..." Shota Aizawa took a folder out of his drawer and handed it to Katsuki Bakugo. "The two of you will be responsible for the school's indoor cleaning duties for the next month."
"HUH?!!" Hearing this news, Katsuki Bakugo immediately exploded. He shoved the folder back onto Shota Aizawa's desk and pointed his right index finger at Orion. "You mean I have to clean up with this damn pink-eye?!"
"Yes, you will clean together every day after school." Because his eyes were bloodshot, Shota Aizawa's smile felt somewhat terrifying.
If glares could kill, Orion figured he would have died several hundred times by now.
Katsuki Bakugo held it in for a long time but eventually couldn't resist. "Damn pink-eye, I'm gonna kill you!!!"
"..."
The morning courses at U.A. High School consisted of required subjects, including ordinary classes like English. They were unexpectedly simple—practically at an elementary school level.
However, there were perks, such as being able to enjoy top-tier cuisine at low prices in the large cafeteria at noon.
Orion felt the best thing there was the ramen. The price was absurdly low; a bowl of ramen was only 100 Yen!
After lunch, the afternoon course finally arrived: Hero Basic Training.
"I AM... COMING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!" In the afternoon, just as the bell rang, All Might entered the classroom in an extremely exaggerated pose, wearing a red bodysuit, bulging with muscles, and sporting a blue cape like a superhero.
"Oh my god, it's All Might!"
"Wow, I heard rumors, but I didn't realize All Might was actually a teacher at U.A."
"Wow, look at him! That's the Silver Age costume from American comics! Combined with those muscles, it's... it's... perfect!"
"The art style is so different it's giving me goosebumps."
Seeing All Might, everyone turned into total fans, especially Izuku Midoriya, who looked like he was about to drool.
All Might walked to the podium, hands on his hips, his voice booming with energy. "Hello everyone! The course I am responsible for is U.A.'s Hero Basic Training—a course where you undergo various types of rigorous training to build the foundation of a powerful hero. Naturally, it also grants the most credits of any course."
"Without further ado, the training we will conduct today is—Battle Training! And along with that, we have these! Everyone, look over there!" All Might pointed his finger, and everyone looked in that direction.
Square boxes emerged from the wall in an orderly fashion, marked with yellow numbers.
"Inside these boxes are your Hero Costumes. These were custom-made based on the Quirk reports and requests you submitted before enrollment."
"Everyone, right now! Change into your training suits and assemble at the training ground in order!"
"OHHH!!!"