Chapter 61: A Conversation About Heroes
The door to the monitoring room slides open as Aoi, Momo, Shoto, and Shoji step back inside after their match. The atmosphere is still charged from the previous battles, with the class gathered around the large screens replaying highlights. Almost immediately, every pair of eyes turns toward Aoi, wide with a mix of awe and curiosity.
Aoi pauses, glancing around at the staring faces, and asks with a casual tilt of his head:
"What's wrong? Why are you all looking at me like that?"
Kirishima, practically bouncing with excitement, pumps his fist and exclaims:
"Man, that kick was insane! I've only ever seen All Might pull off an attack like that. How did you do it? It split the clouds!"
Kaminari leans forward eagerly, eyes sparkling.
"Yeah, man! Come on, tell us your secret!"
Aoi shrugs lightly, a small smile playing on his lips as he answers:
"Well, there's not much of a secret to it. I've just been training with All Might as my ultimate goal since I was little. He's always been the benchmark I aimed for."
Iida adjusts his glasses, his expression one of genuine shock.
"So you're saying that since you were little, you've been training with him as your goal? How are you still alive after that kind of training regimen?"
Aoi chuckles softly, unfazed.
"I don't know why you're all surprised by this. After all, everyone here wants to be a hero, right? So your goal should be to surpass All Might, right? Or at least reach the number one position someday, right?"
Bakugou crosses his arms, scowling but nodding grudgingly.
"Well, on that, I have to agree with this arrogant idiot. I'm here to surpass All Might and become the number 1 hero. So if you extras don't have that goal, don't get in my way."
Mina tilts her head, pink skin flushing slightly as she speaks up.
"But that's All Might, right? Aren't you all aiming way too high? After all, you just started at hero school. It's only the beginning."
Aoi turns to her, his expression turning thoughtful as he explains:
"You know, All Might isn't young anymore. He's not immortal. He won't last forever. And from your reactions when I said my goal was All Might, I could see just how much this society relies on him for everything. And that's not bad—it's great, actually. He earned that trust. But All Might isn't a god. He ages, gets weaker, and there will come a point where he can't work as a hero anymore. So, in that moment, what should a society that relies on him for everything do?"
The room falls into a heavy silence as everyone absorbs his words. They had all grown up watching All Might on the news, his smiling face the unbreakable symbol of peace. The idea of a day when he could no longer be a hero was something none of them had truly considered—it felt impossible, almost unthinkable.
Aoi continues, his voice steady but carrying a warm smile:
"That's why we need to surpass All Might—so this world knows they'll still be saved when they cry out for help, right, All Might?"
All Might stands tall among them, his broad shoulders filling the space, and he looks at his students with a proud, gentle smile.
"Young Aoi is right. And that's exactly what I expect from all of you young heroes: surpass me. So that when the time finally comes that I can no longer work as a hero, I can rest easy knowing there are heroes who will keep smiling and saving people, no matter what."
Iida straightens up, chopping the air with his hand in determination.
"Professor, leave it to us. We won't disappoint you. We'll become heroes that people can trust completely."
All Might's smile widens, his eyes crinkling.
"Then I'm counting on you to surpass me, future heroes."
After this heartfelt conversation, the remaining battle exams continued without further incident and ended normally, just like the original events.
Later, in the quiet of the school infirmary, Aoi was carefully healing Izuku's lingering injuries from his intense fight. Recovery Girl watched closely, her small frame perched on a stool nearby.
"Boy, your quirk is the most beautiful healing quirk I've ever seen in all my years. But why did you have to use it to turn into a muscular man like All Might? Wouldn't it be better to inherit my mantle and become a dedicated healing hero?"
Aoi finishes the healing process with a gentle glow from his hands and smiles warmly.
"Well, I really like the feeling of fighting—of trading punch for punch, feeling the rush of battle. And besides, I have a girlfriend I love way too much, who's absolutely crazy about battles. I really like spending my time sparring with her and seeing that bright smile when she finally lands a solid hit. So I'm happy I chose this path. After all, thanks to that choice, I have her in my life."
Recovery Girl chuckles softly, her eyes twinkling as she sees the genuine joy on Aoi's face.
"Ah, young people and their romantic choices. Well, it really is good to be young."
Izuku, now fully healed and free of pain, carefully stands up from the bed and bows slightly.
"Thank you for helping me, Aoi."
Aoi waves it off casually.
"I don't mind helping heal someone I think is a good person. After all, they're the only ones I can heal anyway."
Recovery Girl tilts her head curiously.
"What does that mean, dear?"
Aoi explains with a light shrug.
"It's nothing major. But it's just a weakness of my healing quirk: I can't heal people I don't have good feelings toward. In other words, if I don't like the person even a little bit, my healing power doesn't work on them. Well, even though I don't see it as a weakness, but as a blessing. That way I don't have to use my power to heal villains. After all, it wouldn't work anyway, even if I tried."
Recovery Girl nods thoughtfully.
"That's a very curious weakness indeed. But considering that quirks can be affected by thoughts, traumas, and even the way the person was raised, it's not that strange at all."
Aoi then stands up fully, stretches a bit, looks at Izuku, and says with a friendly smile:
"Well, I don't mind helping a kind idiot like you. Even though I can't be a person like that myself, I don't mind helping those kinds of people if I can."
He adds:
"Well, let's go, Izuku. Classes are over for the day. The others are waiting for us to leave together."
Izuku turns quickly and thanks Recovery Girl once more. She smiles kindly and replies:
"It was nothing, dear."
She then turns her attention to Aoi and speaks seriously.
"Young man, I know your healing quirk is incredibly strong and you want to help your classmate, but I ask that you only use it when it's really necessary. For two important reasons: first, he can't depend on your help forever. There will come a time when you won't be able to help him. He needs to learn to control and use his own quirk properly. If he just relies on your help to push his quirk recklessly, he'll never truly master it. And second—the most important one: I saw how strategically important your quirk is during the entrance exam, when you healed all those injured people so quickly. Your quirk is strategic-level in real emergencies. So you should avoid using it carelessly. After all, from the way you looked afterward, I could tell that healing many people takes a big toll on you physically and mentally, right?"
Izuku and Aoi fall silent, absorbing her words. Izuku speaks first, his voice resolute.
"Yes... Aoi, what Recovery Girl says is true. You can't keep healing me all the time. Otherwise, I'll never learn to use my power properly. And if I don't learn, and we're out in the field saving someone, if I have to pull your attention away from saving civilians just to heal me... I'll never forgive myself."
Aoi nods slowly.
"Well, if that's what you say, I can't argue anymore."
Recovery Girl concludes firmly.
"I'll handle the boy's regular injuries. I'll only call you if it's something beyond what I can manage. Is that okay with both of you?"
Aoi agrees.
"Well, if you've both decided, then let's do it that way."
Aoi and Izuku then say their goodbyes to Recovery Girl and head toward the school exit, walking side by side through the quiet hallways as the sun begins to set outside.
As they walk, Aoi breaks the comfortable silence.
"You know, Izuku, All Might chose a great successor for his power."
Izuku stops in shock, turning to look at Aoi with wide eyes. Seeing the surprise on his face, Aoi smiles reassuringly.
"Yes, I know about your power."
Izuku stammers:
"But how...?"
Aoi explains calmly, still smiling.
"You know, I know why All Might offered me to be his successor, but I turned it down Because I don't have enough hero qualities to carry all that weight. Inheriting this power means being willing to become a true symbol of peace. A hero willing to sacrifice his life—and everything else—for the safety of others. Whether it's his social life or even the idea of building a family someday. After all, why doesn't All Might have a family? No kids, no wife. I bet it's not for lack of suitors. So there's only one reason: he knows he couldn't be a good husband or father because he'd almost never be around. He wouldn't be able to take his kid to the park like a normal person. Plus all the villains who hate him and would be more than happy to target and kill the number one hero's family."
Aoi looks directly at Izuku as they continue walking.
"In other words, this power demands the determination to sacrifice yourself completely for the cause—for true heroism. I'd never put a bunch of strangers above my family and the people I love most. So that's why I'm glad I turned down this power when it was offered. That it fell into your hands: someone who really is capable of living up to the ideals this power demands."
Aoi picks up his pace slightly, walking a few steps ahead. Izuku stops for a moment, staring down at his hand—the one that holds the inherited power—and thinks deeply: "So this power carries so much weight... so many expectations... Well, but I should have thought about that from the beginning. This is the power of the symbol of peace. A flame passed from generation to generation with the sole purpose of saving people."
Izuku takes a deep breath, clenching his fist with renewed resolve, and says aloud:
"Well, I won't disappoint All Might who trusted me enough to pass this power to me."
Aoi glances back over his shoulder with an approving nod.
"Well, that's good determination. Then let's go, Izuku."
Izuku hurries to catch up, smiling faintly.
"Yes, let's go."