Later that day, everyone was packing up.
Some talked excitedly about the Sports Festival. Others bragged about how hard they were training.
Itami wasn't the first one to leave, but as he followed behind Uraraka toward the door, he stopped short at the sight outside.
A crowd of students. Watching them.
What the hell is going on?
He narrowed his eyes slightly, feeling the tension ripple through the room.
Some classmates muttered, confused, until Bakugo broke the silence.
"They're scouting out the competition, idiots," Bakugo said, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "We're the class that survived a real villain attack."
Faces twisted in surprise or discomfort at Bakugo's bluntness, but he kept walking—straight toward the crowd of gawkers.
"At least now you know what a future pro looks like. Now beat it, extras," he added, calm but sharp.
Gasps and murmurs ran through the students like a wave.
Itami watched with mild detachment, adjusting his bag. A few students glanced his way, but quickly looked away when he met their eyes.
Then—A voice rose from the crowd.
"So this is Class 1-A, huh? Heard you guys were impressive, but you just sound like a bunch of stuck-up assholes. Is everyone in the Hero Course delusional, or just you?"
A student with messy purple hair and tired eyes stepped to the front. His tone was dry, bored, but carried enough weight to get everyone's attention.
Bakugo bristled. Others murmured, but Itami barely reacted.
He stepped forward, brushing past Uraraka—and accidentally bumped shoulders with the purple-haired student. No words. No apology.
He just kept walking through the crowd without sparing him a glance.
The purple-haired boy scowled after him.
"See? Prime example. Arrogant as hell."
Itami didn't look back. The crowd stirred behind him, but he tuned them out, the chatter fading as he disappeared down the hallway.
Later that night...
The moon hung low over a plain field, silver light spilling over the tall grass and bending the oak trees into soft silhouettes around the area.
Itami sat perched on a thick branch of one of the massive oaks, his back against the trunk, arms resting loosely on his knees.
A soft crunch of grass drew his attention.
He glanced down to see Akuma and Kaze walking toward him—Akuma carrying a small cooler slung over one shoulder, whistling casually.
"About time," Itami called down, voice dry.
Akuma just grinned and tossed a can up to him.
Itami caught it with one hand. He arched an eyebrow. "You brought beer?"
Akuma chuckled, climbing up onto the lower branch with surprising grace. Although the tree shook with the extra weight.
"The beers are for us," he said, popping the cooler open. The ice inside glinted under the moonlight. "You, my friend, get soda. Well... if Kaze wasn't here, maybe I'd sneak you one."
Kaze shot him a deadpan look, arms crossed.
"You're a terrible influence."
Akuma shrugged shamelessly, cracking open a can of beer. "And you're no fun."
Itami snorted quietly, taking a sip of his soda. The cold fizz did little to cool the weird heat building in his chest.
After a few minutes of easy silence, Akuma leaned back against the trunk, stretching.
"So," he said casually, "you gonna tell us why you called this little meeting?"
Itami hesitated. Words stuck like glue in his throat.
Finally, he muttered, "I... needed to ask something. About... feelings."
Kaze perked up slightly, curious. Akuma just smirked like he smelled blood in the water.
Itami scrubbed a hand through his hair.
"Every time I look at my classmate... it feels weird. Like... the same way it feels when I looked at Yukiko but not really like that you know?"
The two older boys exchanged a look—and immediately burst out laughing.
"You're kidding," Akuma wheezed, thumping his fist against the tree trunk.
Kaze, ever the more composed one, tried to hide his smile behind his can. "Oh, man... poor kid."
Itami scowled. "I'm serious. After my first mission with Shadow scale, we had to ironically enough protect her. Then we had to do a waltz's of some sort."
"Wait wait wait. You danced with her?," Akuma said cackling . "I wish I could have seen this!"
Kaze slipped with his composure as he laughed with Akuma. "No kidding? Like you actually did a full dance."
Itamis face burned red from embarrassment "Well kinda... but there's something else."
Both Akuma and Kaze looked at eachother and stopped laughing but still smiled.
"During the dance... it got cut short," Itami continued.
"Villains crashed the gala. I fought one of them—got her out safely. But in the fight, he saw my face."
He paused, the memory flickering sharp and raw.
"He said my father's name."
The humor drained from Akuma's face. He straightened immediately.
"You sure about that?"
Itami nodded once. "Yeah. He called himself Lucien. We tried scanning him through the database—nothing. But... get this—"
He lowered his voice. "He's one of us."
Both Akuma and Kaze choked—Kaze actually spitting his drink.
"You're saying we've got a rogue?" Kaze wiped his mouth quickly.
Akuma narrowed his eyes. "Damn... Do the elders know?"
Itami shook his head. "No. Team leader wants to keep it under wraps until we know more. But what's bothering me the most—"
He clenched his hands slightly.
"Lucien knew who my father was. And he acted like I wasn't supposed to be alive."
For a moment, no one spoke.
The wind whispered through the branches above.
Akuma finally broke the silence, crushing his empty can.
"Well... let's take one thing at a time," he said, his voice lighter than before, trying to lift the tension in the air. "You survived. You protected the girl. We'll track this bastard down eventually."
Then—without missing a beat—he smirked and threw another can of beer at Kaze, cracking open another beer for himself.
"And speaking of surviving," Akuma grinned, leaning toward Itami with a sparkle in his eye. "Tell me more about your little feelings, Romeo. C'mon. Spill it. I need all the juicy details."
Kaze gave a helpless shrug, smiling. "Might as well get it over with."
Itami groaned quietly, burying his face in his hands while Akuma and Kaze kept laughed in the background.
"Come on, don't be shy," Akuma teased, nudging his shoulder. "Tell big brother Akuma all about your ballroom romance."
"You're not my brother," Itami muttered, looking back at them.
"Could've fooled me," Kaze said, sipping his drink calmly. "You act like the bratty little sibling half the time."
Akuma leaned back against the tree trunk, swinging a leg lazily.
"Listen, kid—feelings are weird. Especially the first time. One minute you're living your life, the next you're staring at someone like they're the last beer in the cooler."
Kaze gave a small chuckle. "You'll figure it out. Feelings don't exactly come with a manual."
Itami sighed as he said. "So... you're not gonna tell me what this is?"
Akuma grinned wide. "Where's the fun in that?"
"Yeah," Kaze said, a small, knowing smile on his lips.
"Part of growing up is figuring it out yourself."
Itami looked away from the both of them with an annoyed look. "You both suck."
Akuma held up his beer can like a toast. "Cheers to that, Romeo."
Kaze tapped his beer can against Akuma's with a quiet laugh.
"You're lucky, you know," Kaze added after a moment, more serious. "Some people never get a chance to feel anything real. You do. Don't waste it."
The words sank heavier than the teasing had.
Itami leaned back against the trunk, looking up at the sky. The night air was crisp, and the stars stretched endless above them.
For a few minutes, none of them spoke. Just quiet breathing, the occasional fizz of a can cracking open, and the distant rustle of grass.
Then Akuma, when Kaze wasn't looking, dug into the cooler and tossed something lightly up to Itami.
He caught it automatically,realized it was a beer, and looked down at Akuma.
Akuma winked. "You're growing up faster than you think, kid. Welcome to the club."
Itami smirked faintly, tucking the can beside him for later.
After a beat, Itami let out a slow exhale. "So... the elders are still on about opening a hero agency?"
Akuma chuckled dryly. "Looks that way."
"It's so damn stupid," Itami muttered, flicking a small spark from his fingertips. "For years, they said heroes were mascots, jokes. Now suddenly it's good for business?"
Kaze laughed quietly. "Money talks louder than tradition, apparently. I'm surprised old head Geto is spear heading it."
Itami shook his head. "If they're serious about it, they should just make you the face of it, Akuma."
Kaze nearly spit out his drink, laughing harder. "Him? As a hero? He'd scare more civilians than villains."
Akuma just gave a slow, knowing smile—one that didn't quite reach his eyes.
"Me huh..." he said, voice low and strange. Almost sad.
He knocked back the rest of his beer, crushed the can in one hand, and tossed it cleanly into the cooler.
Kaze elbowed him, oblivious. "Yeah, you're right. He's too ugly anyway."
Itami grinned, finally feeling the weight in his chest loosen just a little.
The three of them sat there under the stars, teasing and throwing insults, soda and beer cans scattered like trophies around the base of the tree.
Akuma cracked open another beer with a lazy flick of his wrist. "Man, if only every night could be like this. No missions. No clan bullshit. Just us idiots."
"Speak of the devil..." Kaze muttered, nudging Akuma and pointing with his chin toward the field.
Itami followed their gaze — and sure enough, two figures were approaching, silhouettes lit silver by the moonlight.
Yukiko, wrapped in a soft white jacket, walking with calm, even steps. And Lyra... storming ahead of her, boots kicking up little tufts of grass.
"Tch. Look at these fools," Lyra huffed as she reached them, hands on her hips. "Getting drunk under a tree like you're still kids."
"We are still kids," Akuma shot back, smirking. "At heart anyway."
"You have the brain of a kid, that's for sure," Kaze added under his breath.
Yukiko smiled softly, her gaze finding Itami almost immediately. "We figured you'd be out here."
"Can't hide from you two," Itami said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.
"Wouldn't bother trying." Lyra hopped on the tree branch next to him with ease, crossing her arms and leaned against the trunk beside him. She kept her face turned away just slightly, but Itami caught the quick glance she shot him. Quick, sharp... almost worried.
Not that she'd ever say it out loud.
"So what's the special occasion?" Yukiko asked, settling down onto the grass beside Kaze.
Akuma shrugged, waving his beer can vaguely in the air. "Nothing much. Just the little wyvern here finally growing up. Catching feelings for another girl."
Lyra blinked.
Yukiko covered a laugh with her hand.
"Feelings?" Lyra repeated, raising an eyebrow. "You? Feelings? For who?"
There was an edge of teasing, but underneath... something else. Curious. Guarded.
"No one," Itami muttered, glaring at Akuma.
"His classmate," Akuma said in a sing-song voice, ignoring Itami's death stare. "A little waltz, some handholding... real romantic stuff."
Yukiko leaned in, smiling gently. "That's a good thing, you know. It means you're learning to open up."
Lyra scoffed, kicking small branches with the tip of her boot. "Tch. Figures. He finally grows a heart for some stuck-up rich girl."
Itami bristled a little at that. "At least she's not as annoying as you."
Lyra didn't respond at first. She just looked out at the field, the wind catching strands of her hair.
"Well I obviously look better" she muttered, her face pouting slightly.
Akuma howled with laughter. "God I love this, she is off the charts tonight."
"Shut up!" Lyra snapped, cheeks coloring slightly.
Kaze snorted into his drink. "Some things never change."
Itami shifted uncomfortably, heart thudding for reasons he didn't fully understand.
Before the awkwardness could grow heavier, Akuma clapped a hand onto his shoulder. "Anyway! Speaking of stupid ideas... you guys hear the clan's planning to open a hero agency?"
Itami rolled his eyes so hard it almost hurt. "Yeah it's true. Great timing too. They don't like me succeeding so there throwing their hands into the mix. We were just talking about how they should have Akuma be the first hero."
Akuma puffed his chest out dramatically. "Damn right. The people deserve me."
Kaze scoffed. "The people deserve a refund."
Yukiko giggled. Lyra cracked a smirk despite herself. "They'd riot after one day."
Everyone laughed — even Itami — but he didn't miss it.
That tiny flicker of something in Akuma's face.
The way his smirk tightened, just for a second.
Like he knew something they didn't.
Like maybe the joke wasn't as far off as they all thought.
Itami made a mental note to ask later.
For now, he just let himself laugh with them.
For tonight...
Under the stars...
It was enough.