The awards ceremony was every bit as epic as the festival itself.
Without warning, a familiar figure descended from the sky.
A gust of wind spread through the restored arena as All Might landed dramatically at its center, right in front of the podium where the top three finalists were waiting.
The crowd erupted instantly.
Present Mic, standing nearby, raised his microphone toward the sky.
"And here he is! The Symbol of Peace himself! ALL MIGHT!"
The response was immediate.
Thousands of voices cheered at once.
The noise was deafening.
All Might smiled brightly and waved toward the audience before accepting the microphone.
Then he looked toward the students standing before him.
"Thank you all for attending today!" he exclaimed.
The cheers continued.
"But above all, let's congratulate not only the winner of the Sports Festival, but every single young hero who participated!"
His voice carried across the entire stadium.
"Today you witnessed determination, courage, growth, and talent. These young people are the future. The future heroes who will protect us, help us, and continue carrying the torch of heroism forward."
The crowd responded even louder than before.
"And not only Japan's future heroes!" All Might continued, pointing dramatically toward the competitors. "Some of them may one day become heroes recognized across the entire world!"
The applause became thunderous.
And honestly, no one could disagree.
Everyone present had seen what those students were capable of.
The level displayed during the tournament had been incredible.
Even the professional heroes watching from the stands had been impressed more than once.
Above the crowd, where the Yonkou were observing from one of the upper sections of the stadium, they watched as All Might continued speaking with the finalists and presenting their awards.
Then, unexpectedly, Mirio spoke.
"It makes me nostalgic."
The blonde boy smiled as he looked down at the arena.
His mind drifted back to the beginning of his first year.
Back to the Sports Festival from two years ago.
Back to the days when he and the others had stood down there themselves, fighting for recognition and trying to prove their worth.
Raiden chuckled.
"Yeah. I don't know if it can really be called nostalgia. It was only a couple of years ago."
He crossed his arms and looked toward the stadium.
"But honestly... a lot has happened since then."
"A lot?" Tamaki repeated.
He tilted his head and started counting on his fingers.
"Let's see..."
"We got attacked."
The others nodded.
"Then we got attacked again."
More nods.
"Then there was another attack."
Raiden started laughing.
Tamaki ignored him and continued.
"Then we helped take down one of the biggest threats in Japan."
"Then we got attacked again."
Nejire covered her mouth, trying—and failing—not to laugh.
"And this year..."
Tamaki paused.
"We got attacked again."
A long silence followed.
The more he reviewed the list, the more confused he became.
His expression slowly shifted from thoughtful to genuinely concerned.
"Hey."
Everyone looked at him.
"Weren't we attacked way too many times?"
He pointed at himself.
"We're still students."
For a moment nobody answered.
Then Nejire tilted her head.
"Ne, is it only now that you're thinking about that?"
Tamaki blinked.
"...Yes."
The answer was so honest that the other three immediately burst into laughter.
Even Tamaki looked slightly offended by their reaction.
"I'm serious!"
"Which is exactly why it's funny," Mirio replied between laughs.
"Honestly," Raiden added, shaking his head, "when you put it like that, it does sound a little ridiculous."
"A little?" Nejire asked.
"A lot ridiculous."
The four of them continued laughing while below them the ceremony carried on.
Indeed, it was worrying.
The four of them laughed about it now, but the truth was that the situation had placed an enormous amount of pressure on their shoulders over the past years.
Training to become a hero did not make someone immune to fear.
It did not make someone immune to stress.
If anything, the more they learned about the profession, the more they understood just how heavy that burden truly was.
Perhaps it was a defense mechanism.
Perhaps it was simply easier to laugh about it afterward.
But somehow, many of the things that had terrified them at the time had become stories they joked about now.
Still, this time Mirio was the one who spoke.
And unlike before, there was no humor in his voice.
"I never thought being a hero could be this exhausting," Mirio muttered quietly.
The smile he usually wore wasn't there.
For a moment, he simply looked down at the arena.
"At least not to this degree."
The others fell silent.
Because they understood exactly what he meant.
"Yeah, it is," Raiden replied after a few seconds.
His gaze shifted toward All Might, who was still speaking with the finalists below.
"Now I can tell that All Might's smile isn't always real."
Mirio and the others looked at him.
"It's not always for him," Raiden continued. "It's for the people he's helping. A performance of heroism. Even when everything isn't okay. Even when he's tired. Even when he's worried. He still smiles because people need to see it."
His eyes remained fixed on the Symbol of Peace.
"And honestly... I've started to understand why."
Nejire nodded slowly.
"I had to do the same a couple of times."
She hugged her legs and curled up slightly where she sat.
Her voice became quieter.
"A while ago, during a rescue mission, there were people trapped inside a collapsed building."
The others immediately paid attention.
"There was smoke everywhere. The structure wasn't stable, and I honestly wasn't sure if I could get everyone out."
For a moment, she remembered the scene.
The panic.
The fear.
The uncertainty.
"They were terrified," she continued. "And I was terrified too."
That admission surprised nobody.
Heroes felt fear too.
They simply learned to keep moving despite it.
"So I forced myself to smile."
Nejire smiled weakly as she remembered it.
"I told them everything would be okay."
She lowered her gaze.
"Even though I wasn't sure."
Silence followed.
The type of silence that only came when everyone understood exactly what the other person meant.
Tamaki scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"I don't know how you can do that."
The others looked at him.
"I've tried."
He laughed nervously.
"But honestly, I think my smile scares people more than it reassures them."
That earned a small laugh from the group.
"So I don't think that method works for me."
Then Tamaki looked at both Mirio and Nejire.
"I really admire you two for being able to do it."
Nejire smiled warmly.
Mirio rubbed the back of his neck, slightly embarrassed by the compliment.
"I can't do it either," Raiden added.
He pointed toward himself.
"When I transform, half my mouth isn't even visible."
That got another round of laughter.
"But honestly, my problem is different."
The gray-haired boy leaned back slightly.
"My telepathy transmits emotions if I'm not careful."
Immediately, the others understood.
"If I panic, people around me can feel it."
His expression turned thoughtful.
"So I always have to remain calm."
"Aaaah..." Nejire muttered.
"That's exhausting."
Raiden nodded.
"It is."
Slowly, over the years, they had begun to realize something.
Being a hero was far more demanding than they had imagined as children.
When they were younger, they saw the victories.
The rescues.
The smiles.
The applause.
The admiration.
What they didn't see were the moments behind those victories.
The emotional burden.
The guilt.
The responsibility.
The impossible choices.
They had all experienced situations where they had to comfort adults despite being teenagers themselves.
They had stood beside grieving families.
They had listened to frustrated relatives blame them because a rescue had failed.
Because someone wasn't saved.
Because they arrived too late.
Because reality wasn't fair.
Sometimes there was nothing they could have done.
Sometimes the situation was impossible from the start.
Sometimes events unfolded faster than anyone could react.
Yet people still looked toward heroes for answers.
And carrying that weight was far harder than throwing punches or defeating villains.
The physical exhaustion healed.
The emotional exhaustion lingered.
That was one of the reasons the four of them had become so close.
Their friendship wasn't built only on training.
Or battles.
It was built on understanding.
They knew exactly what the others were carrying.
The doubts.
The fears.
The pressure.
The expectations.
Being part of the Yonkou had pushed them into situations most students never experienced.
Priority missions.
High-risk deployments.
Encounters with powerful villains.
Responsibilities far beyond what was normally expected from teenagers.
As a result, they had spent far more time operating in hostile environments than the majority of their classmates.
And because of that, they had become each other's support system.
A place where they didn't need to act like heroes.
A place where they could simply be themselves.
Above the roaring stadium, while the cheers of thousands echoed around them, the four friends sat together in silence for a moment.
Not uncomfortable silence.
Comfortable silence.
The kind that only existed between people who understood each other completely.
They remained silent for a while after that, simply watching the ceremony continue below.
The crowd cheered.
The students celebrated.
The winners received their medals.
And for a few minutes, the four of them simply enjoyed the atmosphere.
Then Mirio suddenly broke the silence.
"Oh."
The blonde boy looked down at the empty boxes beside them.
"We're out of pizza and soda."
Everyone froze.
"What?"
Nejire immediately looked at the pile of empty containers.
"How?"
Her eyes widened.
"There were six family-sized pizzas!"
The realization hit her a second later.
Slowly, she looked down at her own stomach.
Then she poked it.
"...Maybe I overdid it."
The girl looked genuinely concerned.
Hero or not, she was still a girl who liked looking good.
Seeing her reaction, Raiden couldn't help smiling.
A moment later, he sent a small telepathic message directly to her mind.
"Don't worry. It won't affect you."
Nejire blinked.
Then she heard the second part.
"And even if it did, I like you."
For a second, her brain completely stopped working.
A faint blush appeared on her cheeks.
She quickly took a deep breath, trying to prevent the smile threatening to escape.
Fortunately for her, the others hadn't heard a thing.
At least she hoped so.
Meanwhile, Raiden immediately changed the topic before anyone could notice her face turning red.
"Now that I think about it..."
The others looked at him.
"This week we should start our individual agency missions, shouldn't we?"
The question successfully redirected everyone's attention.
Tamaki nodded.
"Yep."
He thought for a moment.
"But I think we'll end up working together at the agency anyway."
"Oh?" Mirio asked.
"I heard something from Hawks."
Tamaki adjusted his posture slightly.
"Apparently we're being sent to Sendai."
"Sendai?" Nejire repeated.
"For what?"
"Some kind of investigation."
Raiden nodded immediately.
"Aah, right."
He remembered the conversation.
"Kaina mentioned something similar."
The gray-haired boy crossed his arms.
"She said there was an ongoing investigation and that we might be involved."
Nejire immediately puffed her cheeks.
"Eeeeh?"
She looked disappointed.
"I only got local missions."
Mirio laughed.
"Same."
Then he suddenly pointed toward the arena.
"Oh, look."
Everyone turned their attention back to the stadium.
Below them, All Might had just finished congratulating the winner.
The ceremony was officially ending.
Students were beginning to leave the arena while reporters rushed around trying to gather interviews.
Watching the scene, Raiden suddenly spoke.
"I think I'm going to take that kid for some training."
The others looked at him.
"Midoriya?"
Raiden nodded.
"He needs to learn how to stop hurting himself."
A brief pause followed.
"Also..."
A small grin appeared on his face.
"I think it could help Bakugo too."
Nejire tilted her head.
"Help Bakugo?"
"They have some kind of weird relationship."
Mirio immediately started laughing.
Tamaki looked confused.
"Weird relationship?"
Raiden shrugged.
"It's not official."
He pointed toward the arena.
"But honestly, I think they like each other."
The three of them stared at him.
Raiden continued as if he had said something completely normal.
"Or at least Bakugo does."
The silence that followed was immediate.
"...What?"
Nejire blinked.
Raiden nodded confidently.
"He's kind of obsessed with the kid."
Mirio almost choked on his drink.
Tamaki looked even more confused than before.
"So maybe training together could work as motivation."
Nejire's eyes immediately lit up.
"Ooooh."
She leaned forward with obvious interest.
"That's spicy."
The girl looked like she had just discovered the most entertaining piece of gossip in months.
Meanwhile, Tamaki still looked unconvinced.
"Are you sure they don't just..."
He searched for the right words.
"...not get along?"
Raiden rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"Hmmm."
He genuinely considered it.
"I don't know."
The answer was so unhelpful that Mirio burst out laughing.
Nejire immediately joined him.