MHA Universe, Earth, Japan, Musutafu.
The morning classes passed quickly, in what seemed like the blink of an eye, it was time for lunch. When the bell rang, all the students in all classes made their way towards the cafeteria.
"I still can't believe you guys got to fight actual Villains." Izuku said after taking a bite of his lunch. "All Might didn't even let me catch regular criminals. He even left me alone to go help you guys yesterday."
"Seriously?" Tatsuo asked, his chopsticks stopping halfway to his mouth. "But he said he was meeting with Nezu when he got the call."
"Yeah, we were practicing in one of the training halls." Izuku replied. "Then, he got a call from Principal Nezu. After that, I get a call saying that he has to handle an emergency and that I should train on my own until he got back. And come to find out, he left to give you guys back up."
"He was kinda late, though." Akatsuki pointed out while raising her chopsticks. "I mean, by the time he got there, Tatsuo-Kun was almost done with the last Nomu. He had already captured Shigaraki and Kurogiri by then, too."
"And while Tatsuo-Kun was dealing with the Villains, me, Akatsuki-San, and Alfonzo-San had already dealt with most of the Nomus in the facility." Sakura added.
"Wow! You guys are really strong." Mina said excitedly.
"Yeah, that sounds super-manly!" Eijiro cheered loudly.
The atmosphere at lunch continued in the same manner. Eventually, Tatsuo, Akatsuki, and Sakura finished their meals. Then, after a quick goodbye to their classmates, they made their way up to Nezu's office. And because time was limited after lunch, Tatsuo [Blinked] the trio to just outside the door.
*Knock!* *Knock!* *Knock!*
"Come in." Nezu said from the other side of the door.
Wasting no time, Tatsuo opened the door and held it open for the ladies. And when they entered the office, they saw that Nezu, Toshinori, and Alfonzo were all inside.
"Hanekura-Kun, Matou-Kun, Soramoto-Kun, welcome." Nezu said in his usual cheerful tone. "You had quite the eventful internship from what I've seen and heard."
"Good afternoon, Principal." Sakura said while bowing politely.
"You could say that." Akatsuki said.
"Eh~, it was just another week." Tatsuo replied with a shrug.
"And that worries me." Nezu said, a slight frown marring his face as he turned to glance at Alfonzo somewhat accusingly. "Taking another life should not be, as you put it, 'just another day'."
Tatsuo's initial response was simply to shrug his shoulders again.
"If you're suggesting that I'm some kind of sociopath, then you might be right." Tatsuo replied nonchalantly. "Then again, getting a front row seat to seeing your parents' murder can screw you up in the head… At least, that's what I've been told, anyway."
Nezu and Toshinori froze when they heard that while Alfonzo exhaled a long sigh. He then turned to look sharply at Nezu, showing the protective side he had always shown since they came to this world.
"So, are you just here to reprimand T about taking out a Villain that even All Might tried to kill for revenge several years ago?" Alfonzo asked sharply. "Because this isn't what we talked about earlier, Nezu."
"You're right, Alfonzo-Kun." Nezu replied a beat later. "My apologies."
Toshinori had a somewhat sheepish expression on his face, as well. Especially since his whole argument against what Tatsuo did was that Heroes should not kill. Yet, he had tried to Kill All for One in the past, as well. He even thought that he had succeeded until yesterday.
"Ahem…" Nezu coughed to bring the attention back to him. "I'm sure the three of you are curious to know why you were called here."
"I thought it was because I killed someone." Tatsuo replied nonchalantly as he stepped further into the room, closing the door behind himself, Akatsuki, and Sakura. "I mean, Heroes don't kill, right?"
"In normal circumstances, you would be correct." Nezu replied. "But extraordinary circumstances call for unconventional means. And I would say that running into and being forced to fight someone like All for One would fall into the category of extraordinary."
"Does that mean you're not going to punish Tatsuo-Kun?" Sakura asked in a concerned tone.
"Oh, heavens no." Nezu said with a chuckle. "In fact, were it up to me, I would reward him for his service. As I'm sure you are aware, All for One is one of the most dangerous people to ever live."
"I sense a 'but' coming." Akatsuki muttered as she took a seat next to Toshinori.
"Of course, there is." Tatsuo added while gesturing for Sakura to take a seat next to Alfonzo while he stood at the end of the coffee table.
"Indeed." Nezu said calmly while picking up his teacup. "Because All for One was not something known to the public, we cannot reward you for his defeat… Not publicly, at least."
"Because of that, I was able to negotiate a reward with our dear principal." Alfonzo continued with a smile.
"Yeah? And what would that be?" Tatsuo asked Curiously.
"Basically, after seeing your prowess, it has been decided that the faculty has nothing left it can teach you." Nezu explained. "And I am not simply referring to your prowess in battle. Alfonzo-Kun has submitted reports about the way the three of you handled yourselves when given free rein to act as Heroes. And your conduct was nothing short of exemplary."
"Wait, the three of us?" Akatsuki asked in a dumbfounded tone. "But we didn't fight All for One at all."
"Yes, we were nothing more than spectators." Sakura added. "It was all Alfonzo-San and Tatsuo-Kun."
"I helped, too…" Toshinori mumbled. Though, he was completely ignored.
"But the two of you did handle six Nomus on your own, did you not?" Nezu asked after taking a sip from his teacup. "There are many pro-Heroes that would struggle to do what you did. And from what I've heard, you did it without taking any damage. That is more than impressive enough."
While Akatsuki and Sakura were not completely convinced, Tatsuo, as someone who had been on four [Missions] by this point, was starting to think in a different direction.
'Is this the [System] setting up a way for us to leave this world without having to freeze it?' Tatsuo asked himself while his gaze shifted between Nezu, Toshinori, and Alfonzo. 'I mean, if we were to just disappear, it would leave a huge gap. Hell, we replaced three students from the original Class 1-A.'
While thinking that, Tatsuo met eyes with Alfonzo. When he did, he could tell that Alfonzo, despite lacking the [Mission] experience that he had, was thinking the same thing.
.'… So, you will no longer be required to attend classes at U.A." Nezu continued, completely unaware of Tatsuo's thoughts. "And at the end of what would be your third year, you will graduate at the top of your class and be granted the right to become Heroes, should your desires to do so have not waned in the meantime."
'Yup, that's exactly what I thought he would say.' Tatsuo thought to himself.
At the same time, Akatsuki and Sakura's eyes widened in surprise. Then, they both looked back at Tatsuo to see what kind of expression he was making. However, when they saw how calm he was, they ended up even more surprised and confused than before.
Seeing the expressions on the two ladies' faces, Tatsuo only nodded reassuringly, his expression letting them know that he would explain later. Then, he turned to Nezu and bowed his head politely.
"Then, we'll accept your generous offer." Tatsuo replied. "And I guess that also means that until our graduation, we won't be able to act as Heroes, right?"
"You're quite perceptive, Soramoto-Kun." Nezu said with a smile. "That's right. We can't let you act on your own… Not until you get your provisional Hero Licenses, at the very least. But you'll have to wait until your second year for that."
'Second year?' Tatsuo thought to himself. A moment later, however, he remembered the plot from the canon. 'That's right, that was supposed to be something that didn't happen until the second year. The only reason the cast got to take the exams early was because of the attack at the training camp. It gave them a better way to protect themselves, as they were constantly being attacked by Villains for plot reasons.'
"Well, I can live with that." Tatsuo replied with a shrug.
Hearing Tatsuo's response, Alfonzo nodded in approval. Meanwhile, Akatsuki and Sakura, who were not quite following what was happening, also nodded in acceptance.
"Very good." Nezu said as he put his teacup down. "Well then, I'm sure you'd like to say goodbye to your classmates. I'm sure that Aizawa-Kun has already explained everything to them while you were here. So, you won't have to worry about that, at least."
"Thank you, Principal." Tatsuo said, once again bowing politely. "Well then, if you'd excuse us."
With that, Tatsuo straightened up, gesturing for Akatsuki and Sakura to rise. Then, he led the ladies out of the office. Meanwhile, Alfonzo, Toshinori, and Nezu exchanged glances.
"Well, that went easier than I expected." Toshinori muttered.
"To be honest, it was clear from the start." Alfonzo said with a shrug. "Those three are just on a different level from the rest. Though, if they don't keep working hard, they'll probably be caught up to by the time they graduate."
"I doubt we have to worry about that." Nezu said cheerfully. "Those three work very hard from what I've seen and heard."
"I can't argue with that." Alfonzo said with a smile. "Anyway, since T won't be attending the school from now on, there's no reason for me to keep working here, either. So, I guess this will be the last time we'll be colleagues, huh?"
"You're welcome to continue as a teacher, Alfonzo-Kun." Nezu said with a smile. "But I doubt you'll accept. Your family is your main concern, isn't it?"
"Yeah." Alfonzo replied as he stood up. He then walked over to Nezu's desk and picked up three documents. "I'll focus on training those three. I probably won't even patrol until they're ready to be Heroes. Hell, they have even more potential than I do. So, I'm looking forward to what kind of monsters they'll be in three years."
The documents Alfonzo picked up were explanations of why Tatsuo, Akatsuki, and Sakura would no longer be attending U.A. Something to keep their parents from worrying.
'Damn… This [Dimensional Chat] has thought of everything.' Alfonzo said to himself while reading over the documents. 'It even says that they'll be boarding with me in a secret location to keep them from being targeted after Villains around the country find out what really happened. This is crazy.'
While continuing to read the documents, Alfonzo turned away from Nezu's desk and started making his way out of the office.
'The Hanekura and Matou Families are even being relocated to keep them safe, too.' Alfonzo thought while continuing to read. 'It's a perfect reason why they won't be seen after this, too. Just what kind of being created this [Chat] and these [Missions]?'
"Anyway, I'm sure I'll see you two again.' Alfonzo said as he stepped through the door to Nezu's office. "Until then, take care of yourselves. Especially you, Toshinori. Don't need you dropping dead before Midoriya is ready to take the mantle, after all."
"Don't worry, I plan on Making Sure Young Midoriya is ready before I leave this world." Toshinori replied in his All Might voice. "I've still got a few good years left in me. So, there's nothing to worry about."
'Yeah, I'm definitely worried.' Alfonzo thought to himself while waving at the two. 'Hopefully, we'll be able to get a reward that could heal his injuries. Or maybe, we'll even be able to find someone with the power to heal him as a member. Either way, I'm sure we'll be back before too long.'
With that, Alfonzo left Nezu's office, closing the door behind him.
Meanwhile, Tatsuo, Akatsuki, and Sakura were walking through the halls of the main building, opting to walk so that Tatsuo could explain the situation.
"I see." Akatsuki said in an enlightened tone. It makes a lot more sense now."
"I wasn't expecting anything like this." Sakura muttered. "Elicia-San just disappeared when it was time for her to leave my world."
"That's because her presence would not be missed." Tatsuo explained. "Plus, it's a lot more common for Magi to go into seclusion than for heroes and Heroes in training."
"I guess that's true.' Sakura replied.
"Anyway, the only things we have left to do are say goodbye to the people we've met here and choose a new member for the [Chat]." Tatsuo said with a smile. "So, do you two have any idea who you're gonna nominate yet?"
"Definitely not Hatsume-San." Sakura practically hissed.
"I have an idea." Akatsuki replied while rolling her eyes at Sakura's predictable response.
Tatsuo chuckled at Sakura's response while patting her head. And while doing so, he nodded at Akatsuki's response.
"I guess you plan on keeping it to yourself until we talk to everyone else." Tatsuo said while Sakura melted under his head pats.
"Pretty much." Akatsuki replied with a nod. "Anyway, I wonder how this will go. I mean, the time is supposed to be frozen in all the other worlds while we're on a [Mission], right?"
"Yeah." Tatsuo replied with a nod of his own. "I'm curious to know, too."
The trio continued to chat until they reached their classroom. Yet, because classes were still ongoing, they did not enter the class immediately. Instead, they continued to chat until the bell rang, and Nemuri left the classroom once her class was over.
Exchanging a few words with their Hero Ethics teacher, the trio eventually entered the classroom. Then, they said their goodbyes while gathering their belongings. Luckily, with the promise of meeting again in the future, the goodbyes did not get too dramatic. Finally, just before the bell rang for the last class of the day, Tatsuo, Akatsuki, and Sakura left the classroom for the last time.
The trio then headed to the Static Shock Hero Agency to start the process of voting for the next member of the [Chat].