[Time: Three Days Later][Location: Esuha General Hospital – Orthopedic Wing]
The hospital room smelled of lilies and antiseptic.
Sunlight streamed through the open blinds, illuminating the sterile white walls. On the bed, Mirio Togata lay propped up against a mountain of pillows.
His right leg was encased in a heavy plaster cast, suspended in a traction sling. Wires and monitors beeped steadily beside him.
Knock, knock.
Mirio looked up from the comic book he was reading.
"Come in!"
The door slid open. Reiji walked in, wearing his U.A. uniform. He carried a small plastic bag from a convenience store.
"Kurobane!" Mirio's face lit up, though the dark circles under his eyes betrayed his exhaustion. "You came! I thought you'd be too busy training to visit a cripple."
"Don't call yourself that," Reiji said, pulling a chair up to the bedside. "Recovery Girl said with physiotherapy, you'll be walking in six months. Running in a year."
"A year..." Mirio looked at his suspended leg. "A year is a long time in the hero world."
Reiji placed the bag on the bedside table. He pulled out a melon soda and handed it to Mirio.
"You kept your quirk, Mirio," Reiji said quietly. "That's what matters. Bones heal. Quirk factors don't."
Mirio took the soda, staring at the condensation on the can.
"I know," Mirio whispered. "If I hadn't dodged... if I hadn't listened to your warning... I would have lost Lemillion forever."
He looked at Reiji, his blue eyes intense.
"But because I dodged... Overhaul had time to crush my leg. And he had time to fuse with Nemoto. The fight got harder because of me."
"We won," Reiji cut him off firmly. "Overhaul is in Tartarus—well, what's left of him. Eri is safe at U.A. That's the victory."
"Is it?" Mirio asked. "Sir Nighteye is in the ICU. He took a rock spike through the stomach protecting Bubble Girl. He's alive, but... he'll never work as a hero again."
Mirio gripped the soda can until the metal creaked.
"We survived, Reiji. But we didn't walk away clean."
Reiji stood up. He walked to the window, looking out at the city below.
"That's the job," Reiji said, his voice cold but not unkind. "We aren't comic book superheroes, Mirio. We're firefighters walking into a burning building. Sometimes... you get burned."
Reiji turned back, offering a fist.
"Heal up. The Big Three needs its leader back. And I need someone strong to spar with."
Mirio stared at him for a second, then let out a laugh—the first genuine laugh in days.
He bumped his fist against Reiji's.
"You're terrible at comforting people, you know that?"
"I'm working on it."
[Time: 08:30 AM (The Next Day)][Location: U.A. High School – Class 1-A]
The return to normalcy was jarring.
Just forty-eight hours ago, Reiji had been fighting a four-armed kaiju in an underground dungeon. Now, he was sitting at his desk, listening to Present Mic conjugate English verbs.
The classroom was buzzing with a strange energy. The news of the Hassaikai Raid had broken, but the details were classified. All the public knew was that a massive operation had taken place.
Midoriya sat at his desk, his arm in a cast (from the 100% output backlash), staring blankly at the blackboard. Kirishima was absent, still recovering in the hospital from his injuries.
SLAM.
The door opened. Aizawa walked in.
He looked worse than usual. His face was covered in bandages, and his arm was in a sling. But his eyes were as sharp as ever.
"Quiet down," Aizawa rasped.
The class went silent instantly.
"As you know," Aizawa began, standing behind the podium, "several of your classmates participated in the Shie Hassaikai raid. It was... a success. The hostage was secured."
"Sensei!" Ashido raised her hand. "Is it true Reiji fought the boss alone? The internet says he's a secret vigilante!"
"The internet says the Earth is flat," Aizawa deadpanned. "Don't believe everything you read. However..."
Aizawa looked at Reiji, then at Midoriya, Uraraka, and Asui.
"...they did face situations far beyond the scope of a provisional license. They survived. That is all that matters."
Aizawa sighed, scratching his cheek through the bandages.
"But the world doesn't stop because you fought a villain. Life goes on. Which brings me to the next agenda."
He pointed at Bakugo and Todoroki.
"You two. Your Remedial License Exam is coming up. You failed the first time because of your attitudes. If you fail again, you're expelled."
Bakugo slammed his hands on his desk, sparks flying. "HAAAH?! I'm not gonna fail, you mummy! I'll crush it!"
Todoroki nodded stoically. "I will do my best."
"And for the rest of you," Aizawa continued, "morale is low. The dorms are gloomy. The teachers have decided that we need to remind the public—and ourselves—what U.A. stands for."
Aizawa pressed a button on the remote. The blackboard screen lit up.
[U.A. SCHOOL FESTIVAL.]
"The School Festival is next month," Aizawa announced. "It's a cultural event. No fighting. No villains. Just entertainment."
"A FESTIVAL?!" Kaminari and Mineta jumped up, high-fiving. "FINALLY! SOMETHING FUN!"
"Music! Dance! Food!" Hagakure cheered, her uniform jumping up and down.
Reiji sat back in his chair, watching the class erupt into excitement.
For a moment, the darkness of the Yakuza raid seemed to lift. They were just teenagers again.
"A festival, huh?" Reiji muttered.
He pulled up his System HUD.
[Quest Log Updated.][New Quest: The Remedial Course.][Optional Quest: The Gentle Criminal.][Main Quest: Prepare for the High-End Nomu.]
Reiji smirked.
"I guess I can take a break from saving the world," he thought. "But knowing my luck... the trouble will come to me."
Across the room, Jiro was already twirling an earphone jack, looking thoughtful.
"If we do a festival..." Jiro mumbled. "We need a band."
Reiji sank lower in his seat. 'Don't look at me. I'm not singing.'
Jiro looked at him.
'Oh no.'
End of Chapter 123.
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