Chapter 45: The Coldest Lie and the Strongest Hero
The faculty office of U.A. High School was a sanctuary of organized chaos. Stacks of grading papers formed precarious towers on every available surface, and the air was permanently saturated with the scent of stale, bitter coffee and old dust.
Aokiji stood in front of a cluttered desk, his posture relaxed, his hands buried deep in the pockets of his gray school trousers. His blazer was unbuttoned, his tie loosely knotted—a uniform worn with the casual indifference of someone who had bigger things on his mind.
Sitting across from him, looking like a man who hadn't slept since the dawn of Quirks, was Shota Aizawa.
The Erasure Hero held a piece of paper in his hand—the evaluation form signed by the Banana Hero, Tadashi. Aizawa squinted at the paper, his bloodshot eyes narrowing as he scanned the content.
"Looking at the content of this report," Aizawa drawled, his voice rasping with fatigue, "you definitely completed a field internship with a Pro Hero. The boxes are checked, the signature is valid. But seriously, Kuzan... a Rank 4,000 hero? The 'Chill Vibes Agency'? You had offers from the Top 10 sitting on your desk."
"It was a fun week," Aokiji replied, a small, unbothered shrug lifting his shoulders. "I learned a lot about customer service. I don't think I regret the decision."
Aizawa placed the paper on the desk, sliding it onto a pile of other forms. He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. The fabric of his capture scarf shifted slightly.
"So," Aizawa said, his tone sharpening. "What about your absence on Monday and Tuesday?"
Aokiji didn't blink. His expression remained a mask of lazy boredom. "I had a cold."
Aizawa stared at him. The silence stretched between them, heavy and uncomfortable, amplified by the ticking of a clock on the wall.
"I feel like that is a blatant lie," Aizawa said flatly.
"Do I need to bring a medical certificate?" Aokiji asked, tilting his head slightly. "I can ask the school nurse."
"Don't bother," Aizawa waved a hand dismissively. "I saw the news last week. I don't think the students know about it, and even most of the staff missed the details in the sea of headlines. But I spoke with the Principal about it."
Aokiji's eyes narrowed by a fraction of a millimeter.
"Are you referring to the explosion at one of our real estate properties?" Aokiji asked, his voice steady.
Aizawa's pitch-black eyes locked directly onto Aokiji's. It was a clash of voids—the tired darkness of the teacher meeting the frozen abyss of the student.
"You..." Aizawa started, his voice dropping to a near whisper. "Are you really okay?"
"I don't understand the nature of that question," Aokiji replied smoothly. "I am standing right in front of you. I am fine."
"I get the feeling," Aizawa said, holding the gaze, "that you are trying to fight something bigger than yourself in secret. What were you really doing on Monday and Tuesday, Kuzan?"
The air in the room seemed to drop in temperature. Neither of them blinked. Aokiji knew Aizawa was sharp—sharper than most. He sensed the lie, sensed the weight, but he had no proof.
"You're overthinking it, Sensei," Aokiji finally said, breaking the silence. "Anyway, don't we have classes today?"
Aizawa sighed, rubbing his temples. He looked defeated, not by the argument, but by the wall Aokiji had put up.
"It's exam day," Aizawa grunted, standing up. "While you are chatting here, your classmates are about to start their practical finals. Every pair of students from Class 1-A will face a teacher. Speaking of which, I have to move. I'm heading to the arena where I'll be testing Todoroki and Yaoyorozu."
"So, Shoto and Yaomomo are against you..." Aokiji mused. "That's rough for them."
"You should worry about yourself instead," Aizawa said, walking past him toward the door. "Your opponent is waiting for you in Ground Beta. Go change your clothes. The tests are about to begin."
Aokiji turned to leave.
"Also," Aizawa called out, stopping Aokiji in the doorway. "You are the only one who hasn't submitted a Hero Name yet. Make sure you have one before the end of the week."
Aokiji paused, his hand on the doorframe.
"Can't you just invent a random name for me, Sensei?"
"Take it seriously," Aizawa scolded, though his voice lacked heat. "That is the name the world will call you by in the future."
Aokiji felt a cold pang in his chest. The future...
He thought about the threat hanging over his head. The extraction of his Quirk. The end of his path as a hero.
"I'll think about it," Aokiji muttered.
He walked out of the office, closing the door softly behind him.
The blue hallway of U.A. stretched out before him, bathed in the morning light. Aokiji walked slowly, his footsteps echoing on the linoleum.
I can't involve the teachers, he thought, his mind churning. There is no confirmation that they would be useful against a threat like this. Not when my family is already in the crosshairs. If All For One has spies, or if he's watching... telling Aizawa could trigger the attack.
He clenched his fist in his pocket.
There is only one solution. Meeting this 'All For One' face to face. My fate will be decided in that moment.
His mind drifted back to the "lost days"—Monday and Tuesday.
He hadn't been sick. He had spent forty-eight hours prowling the streets of Tokyo and the outskirts of his family's estate. He had patrolled alleys in the dead of night, looking for a trace, a sign, a contact.
He had frozen petty thieves, scared off stalkers, and stopped a convenience store robbery. But it was all futile. Finding the bogeyman of the underworld by walking the streets was impossible.
I realized that my search was barren, Aokiji thought bitterly. Instead of looking for him, I have to wait for him to come to me. Just as he told me.
He reached the locker rooms.
He changed quickly, shedding the school uniform and stepping into his hero attire. The white suit, the waistcoat, the indigo shirt. It felt different now. Less like a costume, more like armor for a battle he wasn't sure he could win.
He walked out toward the entrance of Ground Beta.
"Aokiji?!"
A shrill voice broke his concentration.
Coming around the corner, looking battered and dusty, were Mineta and Sero. They looked like they had just been through a war zone.
"You finally came!" Mineta shouted, a look of joy in his eyes.
"Yo," Aokiji raised a hand lazily. "How are you doing, Smurf?"
"Where have you been the last two days, man?" Sero asked, walking closer. He had dirt smudged on his cheek.
"I caught a cold," Aokiji replied, the lie rolling off his tongue automatically now.
Sero laughed, slapping his knee. "I thought you were the cold in person! How does the Ice Man catch a cold?"
"It happens," Aokiji shrugged.
"Anyway," Mineta pointed down the hall. "Your exam with Midoriya is coming up soon. Come with us to the observation room. We can watch the others."
"Aren't I supposed to go straight to Ground Beta?" Aokiji asked.
"You have to meet your partner first," Sero explained. "Midoriya is in there stressing out."
Aokiji nodded and followed them.
They entered the observation room—a dark room filled with screens displaying the various battlegrounds. Most of Class 1-A was gathered there. Some were cheering, some were bandaged up, others were nervously pacing.
When Aokiji entered, heads turned.
"Kuzan!" Kirishima grinned. "You're alive!"
"We missed you, man!" Kaminari called out.
"I had a cold," Aokiji repeated for the third time.
"Seriously?" Kaminari laughed. "That's ironic!"
The class chuckled, the tension easing with his arrival. But in the back of the room, one person didn't laugh.
Momo Yaoyorozu stood near the screens, her eyes wide.
When the laughter died down, a flash of a news report crossed her mind. The explosion at the Kuzan estate in Hokkaido. Total destruction. The CEO, Soichiro Kuzan, refused to comment on the cause.
Because of her family's high status, she was privy to business news that high schoolers ignored. She looked at Aokiji—his calm demeanor, his 'cold' excuse.
He's lying, she realized, a knot forming in her stomach. Something terrible happened.
"Yaoyorozu?"
Todoroki's voice snapped her out of her daze. He was standing next to her, ready for their match.
"It's our turn," Todoroki said calmly.
She blinked, realizing the entire room was looking at her. She had been staring at Aokiji for too long.
"Ah... yes. Right," she stammered, composing herself.
"Focus," Todoroki said quietly as they walked to the door. "Our opponent isn't easy. It's Aizawa-sensei."
"Yes," she nodded, her face hardening with resolve. "Let's go."
As they left, Aokiji walked over to the green-haired boy who was muttering frantically while looking at a notebook.
"Yo," Aokiji said, looming over him. "I heard you're my partner, Midoriya. But can someone explain the rules of this final exam to me?"
Midoriya jumped, nearly dropping his notebook. "Kuzan-kun.. I was watching kacchan and hakaguri, I didn't noticed you've came."
He adjusted his gloves, smiling nervously. "The rules are actually quite different this time."
Midoriya held up two fingers.
"Ways to Win:
Capture the Teacher: We have to place these special handcuffs on the teacher's wrists.
Escape: At least one of us has to reach the designated Escape Gate in the battle area."
"I see, I see," Aokiji nodded. "Simple enough."
Other students chimed in, eager to fill him in.
"Time Limit:" Iida chopped the air with his hand. "We have exactly thirty minutes!"
"Handicap:" Uraraka added. "To make it fair, the teachers are wearing 'Ultra-Compressed Weights.' They weigh about half their body weight! It's supposed to slow them down and limit their movement."
"Joint Success:" Asui croaked. "If one person escapes, both pass. Even if the other one is knocked out or captured."
Aokiji rubbed his chin. "Weights, huh? Sounds like a somewhat easy exam."
"LOOK!" Kaminari shouted, pointing at the main screen.
On the monitor, Ground Gamma was a wreck. Cement pillars were shattered everywhere.
Bakugo was panting heavily, blood trickling down his forehead. He slammed the handcuffs onto the wrist of Cementoss. In the background, invisible Toru Hagakure was struggling to pull herself out of a pile of drying cement.
"Bakugo and Hagakure... WIN!" the announcer's voice boomed.
Sementos grinned, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "You really did it," he said, his voice carrying a mix of amusement and awe.
Bakugo muttered incomprehensible words, his frustration bubbling through the garbled syllables. He collapsed, unconscious, a smudge of sticky cement marking his cheek.
Another screen lit up, showing an urban district. Todoroki and Yaoyorozu were entering the frame.
"We have to go," Midoriya said, looking at the clock. "Our match is next."
"Can't we watch Shoto's fight?" Aokiji asked, looking at the screen where Aizawa was surely lurking in the shadows. "It looks like it'll be interesting."
"We don't have time!" Midoriya insisted, grabbing Aokiji's sleeve. "We need to strategize on the way!"
"You're annoying," Aokiji sighed, but he let himself be dragged out of the room.
"Good luck!" Mina waved after them.
They walked down the long for minutes, concrete corridor leading to the entrance of Ground Beta.
Over the loudspeakers, a buzzer sounded.
"Todoroki Shoto and Yaoyorozu Momo have successfully captured the target! TEAM PASS!"
"They did it!" Midoriya cheered, pumping a fist. "That was fast!"
"We missed a good fight," Aokiji complained, hands in his pockets. "So, anyway. Who is the teacher we are fighting? Is it Ectoplasm? Or maybe Midnight?"
He walked calmly, the rhythm of his boots echoing.
Midoriya stopped walking. His expression shifted from nervousness to a kind of terrified awe.
"No," Midoriya whispered. "It's not them."
Aokiji stopped a few steps ahead. He turned around slowly.
"Who is it?"
Midoriya swallowed hard.
"It's... All Might."
Aokiji stood frozen in the hallway. The name hung in the air like a physical weight.
The Symbol of Peace. The Number One Hero.
Aokiji's eyes twitched.
"Seriously..."
He looked up at the ceiling, a look of utter disbelief crossing his face.
"Out of everyone in this academy... why him?"
The strongest student versus the strongest hero. Just as Aokiji was preparing to face the strongest villain...
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