Another week passed by...
Interesting stuff had taken place in the span of a few days; the USJ had been attacked by a villain group calling themselves the League of Villains. It attacked class 1-A, understandably, Monoma was losing his mind over it for the week.
Class 1-B's USJ visit has been delayed due to the obvious. Many students were again, understandably, very, very upset. But they'd come to terms with it.
Time was just racing by; the first two weeks of U.A. have been very fruitful. The quirk theory lessons have really been helping Kazuki get an idea of getting a breakthrough.
He'd been getting accustomed to hanging out with the group a lot more frequently, going out every other day.
These are great people who're around him.
The situation with his father, however, remains unchanged. The same line where, on rare occasions, they'd get together and eat.
Everyone is louder today, especially since Vlad King announced that there would be an even more exciting announcement today. The energy levels are really high.
"Kazuki, you excited?" Honenuki asked, right behind him. His place had been changed as he was a bit too active with a specific group of people in class.
Kazuki turned back, surprised. Honenuki wasn't the type to initiate conversation, usually. "Um... I don't know, better not get our hopes up if it's something disappointing," he answered.
"Oh, cool." Honenuki, not a single hint of emotion on his face, before he slept again.
"Okay..." Kazuki muttered awkwardly as he turned back front.
Tetsuji was practically vibrating in his seat in front of him. "Dude, what do you think it is? Another joint training? Maybe actual hero work?"
"Could be anything," Kazuki said.
"Or nothing," Tokage added from across the room. "Maybe Vlad King's just messing with us."
"He doesn't seem like the type to mess around," Kendo said, though she looked curious too. Her enlarged hand was tapping against her desk a bit aggressively.
Monoma stood up dramatically. "Whatever it is, I'm certain it's another opportunity for Class 1-B to demonstrate our clear superiority over those pretentious-"
"Sit the f*** down, Monoma," several people said in unison.
He sat, but kept muttering about Class 1-A under his breath.
The door slammed open.
Vlad King walked in, and the room went dead silent, just as always. His expression wasn't the correct shade of stern today.
He walked to the center of the room and crossed his arms.
"Three weeks," he started. "You've been at U.A. for three weeks. Some of you are adjusting well. Others are still figuring out how to function without embarrassing yourselves."
A few nervous laughs. Though a bad attempt at humour, the class didn't want to disturb his mood by any means.
"But regardless of where you are individually, all of you are about to face the same test. The biggest test first-year hero students face." He paused, letting the tension build. "In two weeks, U.A. will be hosting the Sports Festival."
The classroom exploded.
"WHAT?!"
"Already?!"
"Two weeks?!"
"YES!" Tetsuji pumped his fist. "FINALLY!"
Even Honenuki opened his eyes, looking mildly interested.
Kazuki straightened his back. The Sports Festival. He'd watched it on TV for years. Every major pro hero, every agency scout, every media outlet in Japan would be watching. It was the single biggest opportunity for hero students to make a name for themselves.
Plus, there are internships. Kazuki, understandably, was excited about that. He'd get to see the action in real time, which would be a great opportunity to learn.
"Quiet!" Vlad King's voice cut through the chaos. The room fell silent again. "I know what you're thinking. Two weeks isn't enough time. You're not ready. You need more training."
He looked at each of them.
"You're right. You're not ready. But that's the point." He uncrossed his arms. "The Sports Festival isn't about being ready. It's about performing under pressure. About showing what you can do when the entire country is watching. About proving you have what it takes to be a hero."
Monoma's hand shot up. "Sensei, will we be competing against Class 1-A?"
"Yes. Both hero classes will participate. Along with students from General Studies and Support who want to transfer into the hero course." Vlad King's expression hardened. "This is their chance to take your spot. So I'd suggest you don't waste the next two weeks."
That sobered the room up quickly.
"The Sports Festival has three stages," Vlad King continued. "The preliminary round, which eliminates the majority of participants. The cavalry battle, which tests teamwork and strategy. And finally, the one-on-one tournament, which is broadcast live to the entire nation."
His mother had competed in the Sports Festival when she was at U.A. She'd made it to the semifinals before losing to the student who'd eventually become the number seven hero.
"You'll have access to all training facilities until the festival," Vlad King said. "I expect to see every single one of you pushing yourselves. This is your chance to show the world what Class 1-B is made of."
He pulled out his tablet.
"One more thing. The festival isn't just about winning. Scouts from every major hero agency will be watching. Your performance directly impacts which agencies offer you internships. Impress them, and you'll get offers from top-tier heroes. Fail, and you'll be stuck with whoever's desperate enough to take you."
Tokage raised her hand. "What if we don't make it past the preliminary round?"
"Then you won't get much attention at all," Vlad King said bluntly. "The tournament is where the real exposure happens. Everything before that is just eliminations."
Harsh, but honest.
"Dismissed. Start thinking about your strategies."
The moment Vlad King left, the classroom erupted again.
"Two weeks! That's insane!"
"I need to train my quirk more-"
"Do you think we'll fight each other?"
"I hope I get matched against someone from 1-A-"
Monoma was already standing on his desk. "This is it! Our moment to prove that Class 1-B is superior! That we are the REAL elite class of U.A.!"
"Dude, we've never even beaten them at anything yet," Tetsuji pointed out.
"IRRELEVANT! The Sports Festival will be our stage!"
Kazuki tuned out Monoma's speech and grabbed his bag. The cafeteria would be a clusterf*** today. Everyone would be talking about the festival.
"Hayashi."
He turned. Kendo stood beside his desk, twirling a strand of orange hair around her finger.
"You okay? You look..." She paused. "Actually, you look the same as always. Never mind."
"Thanks?"
"That wasn't a compliment." She picked up her bag. "Come on. Let's get lunch,"
They walked together toward the cafeteria. The hallways were already buzzing. Students from every class were talking about the Sports Festival. Some looked excited. Others looked like they were about to throw up.
"So," Kendo said casually, "two weeks. That's not much time."
"It's fine."
"You're not nervous at all?"
"Should I be?"
Kendo looked at him like he'd just said something incredibly stupid. "The entire country will be watching."
"Oh. Right." Kazuki thought about that. "Still fine."
"You're either the most confident person I've ever met or the most oblivious."
"Probably the second one."
She laughed. Actually laughed. Kazuki wasn't sure why- he was being serious.
They reached the cafeteria. It was exactly as chaotic as Kazuki expected. Every table was full. Even the normally quiet students were engaged.
Kazuki grabbed his usual. Rice, fish, soup. The lunch lady gave him extra rice without asking. She'd been doing that for a week now. He still didn't know why.
Their regular table was already occupied by Tetsuji, Honenuki, Tokage, and Shiozaki.
"Finally!" Tetsuji waved them over. "Took you guys long enough!"
"We're literally on time," Kendo said, sitting down.
Kazuki sat beside her. Across the table, Honenuki was actually awake and eating. That was concerning.
"So," Tokage said, one of her detached hands stealing food from Tetsuji's plate while she talked, "what's everyone's game plan?"
"HEY!" Tetsuji tried to grab the hand, but it floated away. "Why do you keep doing that?!"
"Because your reactions are funny," Tokage said, completely deadpan.
"I'm focusing on speed," Tetsuji said, giving up on his stolen food. "My Metal Skin slows me down. If I can move faster, I'll actually be useful."
"You're already useful," Shiozaki said softly.
"Thanks, Shiozaki. You and Kazuki are like the only nice people here."
"I'm nice," Kendo said.
"You punched me in the face yesterday during sparring."
"That was training."
"You smiled while doing it. You're a little bi-" Kendo covered his mouth as quickly as she could.
"I'm working on my vine control," Shiozaki continued. "Precision over volume. The Lord blessed me with this quirk, and I should use it wisely."
"I need better stamina," Honenuki said between bites. "My quirk drains energy too fast. If I can't maintain it during long fights, I'm screwed."
Everyone looked at Kendo.
"Leadership training," she said, then paused. "And maybe some new techniques. My Big Fist is strong but predictable."
She glanced at Kazuki when she said that. He didn't notice. He was focused on his fish.
"What about you, Hayashi?" Tokage asked.
"Don't know yet."
Tetsuji looked shocked. "You're ranked first in our class. You must have some kind of plan."
"Not really. I'll probably just do what I always do."
"Which is?"
"It's really hard for me to explain my strategies, don't do that to me, please."
Honenuki actually smiled at that. "I respect the simplicity."
"It's not simple, it's stupid," Tetsuji said. "You need to think about matchups, counters, stamina management-"
"Or," Honenuki interrupted, "we just perform better than they do," he said, as if it was obvious.
Everyone else nodded in agreement. Tetsuji just raised his eyebrows, confused. "What?! Why are you all agreeing with him? Am I missing something?"
Before anyone could respond, there was a commotion from across the cafeteria. Kazuki turned to look.
Class 1-A's table. That Bakugo kid was standing up, shouting at Midoriya about something. The green-haired boy looked like he wanted to disappear into his seat.
"What's his problem?" Tokage asked.
"Anger issues," Honenuki said flatly. "I've seen people like him."
Kazuki studied the 1-A table. They all looked capable.
Especially Todoroki. The guy had placed first in 1-A's assessment, apparently.
"Hey."
Kazuki turned. Midoriya was standing beside their table, notebook in hand, looking nervous as usual.
"Uh, hi," Midoriya said quickly. "Sorry to interrupt. I just wanted to say good luck. For the Sports Festival. To all of you."
There was an awkward pause.
"Thanks?" Tokage said slowly. "You too?"
"Right! Yes! Good luck to us, too!" Midoriya laughed nervously. "I mean, not luck exactly, because we're kind of competing against each other, but like, may the best person win? Or the best students? I don't know, this sounded better in my head-"
"We get it," Honenuki said. "Thanks, Midoriya."
"Cool! Okay! See you guys later!" Midoriya hurried back to his table, where the brown-haired girl was definitely laughing at him.
"He's weird," Tetsuji said.
"He's nice," Shiozaki corrected.
Kazuki's phone buzzed. He checked it under the table.
Dad: Sports Festival in two weeks. Do you need anything from the company? Support gear, equipment, etc.
Wow, he really does know everything.
Kazuki stared at the message. That was... surprisingly low-pressure.
He typed back.
Kazuki: I'll think about it.
Dad: Take your time. Let me know.
Huh.
"You good?" Kendo asked.
"Yeah. Just my dad."
"Oh." She paused. "Everything okay with him?"
"Yeah, actually." Kazuki put his phone away. "He's being... normal. It's weird."
"Normal is good though, right?"
"I guess. I'm not used to it."
Kendo smiled at that. "Well, maybe he's trying."
"Maybe."
Lunch ended too quickly. The afternoon classes were a blur of hero law and quirk theory. Kazuki took notes but couldn't focus. His mind kept drifting to the Sports Festival.
Two weeks. Fourteen days.
He needed a plan. Or at least a general idea of what he was doing.
When school ended, Kazuki headed to the train station. Most students were going home but a few were still lingering around.
"Hayashi! Wait up!"
He turned. Kendo was jogging toward him, bag bouncing against her hip.
"You taking the train?" she asked, slightly out of breath.
"Yeah."
"Cool. Me too." She fell into step beside him. "Which line?"
"Yamanote. You?"
"Same. We've probably been on the same train this whole time and never noticed." He was in the same line?
"Probably." She's in the same line?
They walked together toward the station. The sun was setting, casting everything in orange light. Other U.A. students walked in small groups around them, talking about the Sports Festival.
"So," Kendo said casually, "two weeks of training. You ready?"
"Not yet."
"At least you're honest." She adjusted her bag strap. "I'm kind of terrified, honestly."
"You'll be fine."
"You keep saying that."
"Because it's true."
She smiled at that. "See? You can be nice when you want to."
"I'm always nice."
"You're always polite. That's different."
Kazuki thought about that. "Is it?"
"Yeah. Polite is 'thank you' and 'excuse me.' Nice is actually caring about people."
"I care about people."
"Do you?" She looked at him. "Name three things you know about me, something really observant."
Kazuki opened his mouth. Then closed it.
"See?" Kendo laughed.
"I know things."
"Like what?"
"You..." He tried to think. "You have orange hair."
"That's observational, not personal."
"You're third in our class."
"Still training-related. Strike two."
Kazuki was quiet for a moment. Then: "You twirl your hair when you're thinking. You laugh at Tokage's jokes even when they're not funny because you don't want her to feel bad. And you always sit facing the door in the cafeteria."
Kendo stopped walking. Just for a second.
"Oh."
"Are those enough things?"
"Yeah. That's... yeah." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I didn't think you noticed stuff like that."
"I notice things."
"Apparently."
They reached the station entrance. It was crowded with students and commuters. They made their way through the turnstiles and onto the platform.
"So," Kendo said as they waited. "Since you know three things about me, I should know three things about you. Fair trade."
"Okay."
"Not training-related."
"That's harder."
"I know." She grinned. "What's your favorite food?"
"Don't have one."
"Everyone has one."
"I eat whatever's available."
"Boring answer. Doesn't count." She thought for a moment. "What do you do when you can't sleep?"
Kazuki considered lying. Then decided not to. "Look at old videos of my mom. Hero footage, mostly."
Kendo's expression softened. "Oh."
"Do you miss her?"
"I don't really remember her that well. Just... pieces."
The train arrived. They got on and found seats near the door.
"That's two things," Kendo said, settling into the seat beside him. "One more."
"You're very persistent."
"I'm thorough. There's a difference." She looked at him. "Come on. One more thing. Anything."
Kazuki thought about it. "I don't know how to talk to people."
"What?"
"Talking. To people. I don't know how to do it." He stared at the train floor. "My middle school friends did most of the talking. I just listened. Now they're gone and I'm supposed to make new friends but I don't know how to start conversations or keep them going or understand when people are joking versus being serious."
Kendo was quiet for a moment. Then: "You're doing pretty well right now."
"This is different."
"How?"
"I don't know. It just is." He glanced at her. "You make it easier."
Her face flushed pink. "Oh."
"Is that weird to say?"
"No. Not weird." She smiled again. "Actually, it's really nice."
They sat in silence for a few stops. Kazuki was just scrolling through reels on his phone.
"Kazuki?"
"Yeah?"
"Can I ask you something?"
"You're already asking something."
"Smart-ass." But she was smiling. "Do you think you'll ever want to date someone? Like, eventually? Not now, obviously, but... someday?"
Kazuki thought about it. "I don't know. Maybe."
"That's it? Just maybe?"
"I don't have time to think about that stuff."
"Right. Training." Kendo's voice was flat. "Of course."
"Is that wrong?"
"No. Not wrong. Just..." She sighed. "Do you even notice when someone's interested in you? Like, hypothetically?"
"Interested how?"
"Never mind." She looked out the window at the passing buildings. "Forget I asked."
But Kazuki was curious now. "Why would you ask that?"
"No reason. Just curious." She still wasn't looking at him. "If someone, hypothetically, liked the quiet, honest type... would you think that person had bad taste?"
"No. Why would I think that?"
"Because most people want someone exciting and outgoing."
"Sounds exhausting."
Kendo laughed. "Yeah. It does, doesn't it?"
"Yeah."
The train announced Kendo's stop. She stood and grabbed her bag.
"This is me," she said. "See you tomorrow?"
"Six AM?"
"You remembered." She smiled. "Don't be late."
"I won't."
She started toward the door, then stopped and turned back. Her face was slightly flushed.
"Oh, and Kazuki?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks. For the conversation. And for noticing things." She paused. "You're better at talking to people than you think."
Then she was gone, disappearing onto the platform before he could respond.
Kazuki sat there for a moment, watching her walk away through the window.
"Okay... wow."