"And because of that, we all went up against actual villains on our second day of hero training, and came out unscathed. Sure it was a bit traumatizing for most of us, but that's not nothing." My attention was particularly on Jiro who seemed the most shaken up by everything that happened.
Knowing most of it was technically my fault, this was the least I could do to remedy the situation, clear my slightly guilty conscience, and score some favorable impression points.
All for the best price.
Free.
I finished speaking and waited for a response.
Nothing.
The silence stretched. Five seconds. Ten. Twenty.
I blinked. 'Uh... did I say something wrong?'
Kirishima stared at me with an unreadable expression. Yaoyorozu's lips were slightly parted, like she'd started to say something and forgotten how. Jiro had her arms crossed, but her usual defensive posture had softened. Even Tokoyami looked contemplative, which admittedly wasn't that different from his normal state.
Ojiro's tail had stopped swishing.
'Okay, this is officially awkward.'
"Was it... bad?" I ventured carefully. "I mean, I'm not really good at the whole 'inspiring speech' thing. If it came off weird, you can just—"
"No!" Kirishima blurted suddenly, snapping out of whatever trance he'd been in. "No, man, that was... that was actually really good."
"Really good," Jiro echoed quietly, then seemed to catch herself. "I mean—yeah. Not bad. For someone who claims they're not good at it."
Yaoyorozu cleared her throat delicately, a faint pink tinge coloring her cheeks. "Yes, well. It was... surprisingly heartening, Takumi-san. You have a way of cutting through the noise and reaching the heart of the matter."
The heart of the matter? I'd literally just said 'we're alive and that's not nothing.' That was barely a participation trophy of a speech.
"Dude," Kirishima stepped closer, his tired eyes suddenly brighter. "Seriously, that was manly as hell. Like, you didn't sugarcoat anything, but you still made it sound like we did something impressive. Which we did! We survived a villain attack on day two! That's insane!"
"The acknowledgment of shared trauma while simultaneously reframing it as collective triumph," Tokoyami intoned. "A deft rhetorical maneuver."
'...I'm pretty sure I just stated facts.'
Hagakure's gloves clasped together. "That actually made me feel a lot better! Like, yeah, it was scary, but we made it through together!"
"Exactly!" Kirishima pumped his fist. "Together! That's what being a hero is about!"
I stared at them. This was not the reaction I'd expected. I'd been going for 'adequately comforting' and somehow landed on 'accidentally inspirational.'
'Note to self: low-effort encouragement apparently works better than I thought.'
Still, something nagged at me. The way they'd all gone silent at first, the way some of them were still looking at me with those odd expressions...
'What are they actually thinking?'
The thought came unbidden, and with it, a familiar itch. My Quirk had evolved recently—Meta Eye could read brainwaves now, surface thoughts, emotional patterns. I'd been careful not to abuse it, partly because invading people's privacy was a dick move, and partly because I wasn't sure I wanted to know what people really thought of me.
But right now? I was genuinely curious.
'Just a quick look. Just to see if I actually helped or if they're just being polite.'
The problem was my mask.
I'd taken it off earlier in Recovery Girl's office when explaining my Quirk to Nezu and All Might. I hadn't put it back on yet. Which meant if I activated Meta Eye, my eyes would glow red, and everyone would see it.
'Shit.'
My classmates didn't know about Meta Eye. Most of them barely knew the extent of my abilities—superhuman strength from the assessment test, the weapon creation most who frankly weren't here had seen today, maybe some vague awareness that I had "multiple aspects" to my Quirk. But the analytical capabilities? The sensory enhancements? The fact that I could literally read their thoughts?
Yeah, no. That stayed under wraps.
I wasn't going to let Nezu know about that. Or anyone else for that matter.
But...
I glanced at them again. Kirishima was still grinning, energized by whatever he'd taken from my words. Yaoyorozu had composed herself but kept sneaking glances at me when she thought I wasn't looking. Jiro seemed less tense, her shoulders no longer hunched defensively.
And Hagakure...
Hagakure was invisible.
Hold on. Come to think of it, I had never really focused my quirk on her before, had I?
The last run in I head with an invisible guy was several months ago, and back then, my Quirk was out of whack. Miles off compared to what it was now. Not to mention it just got an upgrade.
Which meant if I activated Meta Eye, I'd finally see what she actually looked like.
'Oh no.'
The realization hit me like a truck. Back then when I had been unskilled in using it, Meta Eye had could detect the outline of an invisible figure—a vague humanoid shape defined by heat signatures and spatial displacement. But now? With the brainwave upgrade? If it could map neural patterns, it could probably reconstruct a full visual profile.
Which meant...
'She's wearing gloves and boots. ... And ... Nothing else.'
My brain short-circuited. 'Nope. Absolutely not. Bad idea. Terrible idea. Do NOT activate Meta Eye right now, you absolute idiot—'
"Ken?" Kirishima's voice cut through my internal panic. "You good, man? You just kinda... zoned out."
"Fine," I said quickly. Too quickly. "Just tired. Long day."
"Yeah, no kidding." He clapped me on the shoulder. "But seriously, thanks for that. I think we all needed to hear it."
"Agreed," Yaoyorozu added softly. "Your perspective was... grounding."
I nodded, forcing a smile, and shoved the temptation to use Meta Eye into a mental box labeled 'DO NOT OPEN.'
Some things were better left unknown. Especially when they involved accidentally seeing your invisible classmate naked.
"Hmph! When did you get so inspirational, Takumi?" In the midst of my chaotic thoughts, a snide comment came from behind us.
Everyone turned. Bakugo had apparently finished his interrogation—or more likely, been released because the officers couldn't stand him anymore. His costume was still intact, but his expression was stormy, eyes sharp with barely-restrained irritation.
"And here I thought all you could spew out was trash talk. Regardless, what you're saying is trash."
"Bakugo!" Kirishima called out. "You good, man?"
"Do I look good?" Bakugo snarled, though there was less heat in it than usual. "Spent the last thirty minutes getting grilled by cops about what I saw, what I did, who I fought—like I'm some kind of suspect instead of a victim."
"Welcome to the club," Jiro muttered. "We all got the third degree."
Bakugo's crimson gaze swept the group, lingering briefly on each face before moving on. "You all look like shit."
"Pot, kettle," Jiro shot back.
"Shut up."
Despite the hostility in his words, there was something different about his tone. Flatter. Less explosive. Like he'd burned through most of his anger during the interrogation and was running on fumes. I could bet he was still mad at being captured by Team B during the training exercise.
Well, partly mad anyway. After what happened today, he was probably mad at a lot of things.
Kirishima, ever the optimist, tried to bridge the gap. "At least we all made it out okay, right? That's gotta count for something."
"Made it out?" Bakugo's lip curled. "We got saved. By some shadow bastard we couldn't even see. We didn't do anything."
"We survived," Yaoyorozu said firmly. "Against overwhelming odds. That's not nothing, Bakugo-san.
"Survival isn't victory," he shot back. "It's just not losing yet." Then he turned to me. "Stop framing it as if they did something spectacular. If not for one thing, we would probably all be six feet under by now."
The group fell quiet. It was hard to argue with that, even if none of us wanted to admit it.
I decided to cut in before the mood tanked completely. "You're not wrong. But survival is the first step. Can't win if you're dead. Plus, you do know you're not excluding yourself right?"
That seemed to touch a nerve.
"Hmph! What do you know? If I wasn't restrained by these idiots, that warp guy wouldn't have gotten the chance to send me away with these losers."
"Says the same person captured by said losers ..."
"WHY YOU LITTLE ..."
Bakugo's eyes snapped to me. For a moment, I thought he'd explode—literally—but instead, he just scoffed and looked away. "Whatever. Don't expect me to thank you for your little pep talk."
"Wasn't asking for thanks."
"Good. Because you're not getting any." Kirishima laughed nervously. "Come on, Bakugo. Ken's just trying to help."
"I don't need help," Bakugo growled. But he didn't leave. He just stood there, arms crossed, radiating aggressive energy like a human thundercloud.
Tokoyami spoke up, his tone measured. "The shadow entity that intervened—did the authorities ask you about it as well?"
Bakugo's jaw tightened. "Yeah. Kept asking what I saw, how it moved, if I recognized it. Like I'd know some random vigilante."
"They think it's a vigilante?" Ojiro asked.
"What else would it be?" Jiro said. "Some random hero who decided not to identify themselves? That doesn't make sense."
"Unless they had a reason to stay hidden," Yaoyorozu mused. "A Quirk that's difficult to control, perhaps. Or a method that wouldn't be approved by hero regulations."
Bingo.
I kept my expression neutral. "Either way, they saved your lives. That's what matters."
"Easy for you to say," Bakugo muttered. "You got to fight alongside All Might. Meanwhile, we were just... extras waiting to be saved."
There it was. The core of his frustration.
Bakugo Katsuki, the prodigy, the powerhouse, the one who'd been told his whole life that he was destined for greatness—reduced to a damsel in distress while others played hero.
That had to sting.
"You weren't extras," I said carefully. "You were outnumbered and outmatched. There's no shame in that."
"I'm not looking for your pity," he snarled.
Good god! This boy was hard to get to.
"Good. Because I'm not offering any." I met his glare evenly. "You want to be stronger? Then get stronger. Use today as motivation. But don't tear yourself apart because you couldn't solo forty villains on day two of hero school."
For once, I wasn't trying to add salt to his wounds, but I was no Deku. And if he kept picking this up, I would give him a good spanking here and now.
For a moment, the air between us crackled with tension.
Then Bakugo clicked his tongue and looked away. "Tch. Whatever."
Which, in Bakugo-speak, was probably the closest I'd get to agreement.
Kirishima grinned. "See? We're all on the same page. We survived, we'll get stronger, and next time—"
"There won't be a next time," Yaoyorozu interrupted quietly. "U.A. will increase security measures. Not to mention, the only way the villains were able to achieve this was due to the quirk of that warp villain and signal jammers. He's ..."
She paused with her words. ".... Gone. This kind of breach shouldn't be possible again."
"Shouldn't doesn't mean won't," I pointed out. "But yeah, they'll definitely tighten things up."
"So what happens now?" Kirishima asked, his earlier enthusiasm dimming. "Do we just... go back to class like nothing happened?"
"Classes are suspended for the rest of the day," Yaoyorozu said. "The police need statements from everyone involved. They've already taken preliminary accounts from us, but they might want more details later if something new comes up. Who knows."
"Joy," Jiro muttered. "Can't wait to relive today over and over again."
"Better than the alternative," Ojiro said softly. Nobody argued with that. Before anyone could say more, heavy footsteps echoed down the hallway.
We all turned.
Aizawa emerged from around the corner, looking even more exhausted than usual—which was saying something. His capture weapon hung loosely around his shoulders. His eyes, swept over us with the practiced efficiency of someone cataloging damage.
"There you are," he said flatly. "I've been looking for you."
"Sensei," Yaoyorozu straightened immediately. "We were just—"
"Save it." He waved a hand. "I know what you were doing. Debriefing, processing, trying to make sense of today. That's fine. But you need to be with the rest of your class. Come on."
He turned and started walking without waiting for a response.
We exchanged glances, then followed.
The walk was silent, punctuated only by the sound of our footsteps and the distant murmur of police radios. Aizawa led us through U.A.'s winding corridors, past areas still cordoned off with yellow tape, past windows that showed emergency vehicles still parked outside.
Finally, we reached a classroom.Our classroom.
Aizawa pushed the door open, and immediately, voices erupted.
"Kirishima!"
"Yaomomo!"
"You're back!"
The rest of Class 1-A was there—Team C and the remaining members of Team A. Ashido practically launched herself at Kirishima. Kaminari and Sero crowded around. Iida, Ochaco, Sato, and Asui crowded me and Koda who was overwhelmed at the attention received, and even Todoroki looked up from his seat with something that might have been relief.
Tsuyu's gaze swept the group with her usual directness. "You all look terrible. Ribbit."
"Thanks, Tsu," Jiro muttered. "Really needed to hear that."
"I mean you're alive but traumatized," Tsuyu clarified. "That's the look you have."
"She's not wrong," Ojiro admitted quietly.
"Alright, settle down," Aizawa's voice cut through the noise like a blade. The room fell silent immediately. "Everyone sit. Now."
We scrambled to our seats. I ended up near the middle, Yaoyorozu to my right, Kirishima behind me. Bakugo slumped into his seat near the front, still radiating hostility.
Aizawa stood at the front of the class, arms crossed, and surveyed us with those tired, calculating eyes. "I'm going to keep this brief," he began. "Today, U.A. was attacked by a villain organization called the League of Villains. Their objective was to kill All Might and disrupt hero society. They failed."
A ripple of unease passed through the class.
"All Might is fine," Aizawa continued, cutting off the question before it could be asked. "Injured, but stable. He's currently recovering. The villains who participated in the attack are either dead or arrested,"
He paused. "I'll be blunt. Today was a failure. U.A.'s security was breached. Students were endangered. If not for several fortunate circumstances, we could be having a very different conversation right now."
The weight of his words pressed down like a physical force. "That said, you're all alive. Some of you fought. Some of you fled. Both were correct responses depending on your situation." His attention fixed on Team B. "Those of you who were teleported and witnessed... what you witnessed... counseling will be mandatory. No exceptions. This isn't a punishment. It's protocol after traumatic events."
"For the rest of you, Regardless of where you were, you're all victims of this attack, and you'll all be treated as such. That means counseling will be made available as well. Although not mandatory, I strongly suggest you take advantage of it."
Yaoyorozu raised her hand slightly. "Sensei, can you tell us about the ... Thing that saved us?"
"Yeah. He also took the bodies of the two leaders of all this."
Aizawa's expression darkened. "That information is currently classified as part of an ongoing investigation and is none of your concern as students. Frankly, you have other things to worry about."
"Classes are suspended for the rest of today and tomorrow," Aizawa said. "Your parents are being contacted as we speak. You'll be allowed to leave campus once the police have finished their preliminary investigatios. Those of you who were directly involved—" His eyes swept over Team B and me. "—will be called in for more detailed statements over the next few days if need be."
Ashido raised her hand tentatively. "Sensei... are we safe here?"
It was the question everyone was thinking.
Aizawa's expression didn't change. "U.A.'s security is being overhauled as we speak. Additional pro heroes are being stationed on campus. The police are investigating how the breach occurred and closing those gaps. Will it be perfect? No. Nothing is. But yes, you're safe here."
He paused, letting that sink in.
"The principal will address the entire school once school resumes. Until then, go home. Be with your families. Take care of yourselves." His gaze hardened. "And if anyone—anyone—tries to play hero by investigating this on their own, I will personally expel you. Understood?"
A chorus of "Yes, sensei" echoed through the room."Good." Aizawa exhaled slowly. "If you have questions, ask them now. Otherwise, you're dismissed once the police clears."
Nobody else asked anything.
"Alright." Aizawa turned toward the door. "Stay here until dismissal. Don't wander. Don't cause problems. And..." He paused, glancing back over his shoulder. "You all did well today. Better than you should have had to."
And with that, he left.
The room remained silent for several long seconds.
Then, slowly, the tension broke.
___
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