When class began, Izuku leaned back in his seat, letting Aizawa's monotone voice fade into background noise. His mind was already elsewhere, quietly turning over an idea.
He needed to help Uraraka—but in a way that didn't scream "I'm your savior." He didn't want her gratitude to turn into some awkward sense of obligation. No knight-in-shining-armor routine.
'I mean, I'm building a bloody harem,' he thought, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. 'Last thing I need is someone thinking they owe me for being nice.'
His gaze wandered out the window. Outside, first-years dashed across the training fields, some clearly late for class. He checked his timetable and groaned inwardly when he saw P.E. scheduled for later.
'I never liked P.E. Especially now… What do I even do when they say, "Run until you can't run anymore"?.' The thought made him chuckle under his breath.
Yeah, Izuku knew how to keep himself entertained.
By the time break rolled around, he found himself—somehow—planted in the middle of the girls' lunch table. All of them were here: Mina leaning forward like she was about to spill a secret, Jirō tapping her foot under the table, Tsuyu calmly sipping juice, and even Hagakure, whose giggles came from somewhere near his left elbow.
'Right… still haven't had a proper conversation with her. Gotta fix that one of these days.'
Momo, ever the composed one, set her water bottle down. "So, yesterday Izuku and I devised a plan to help everyone in class study so that we don't fail our first year."
Across the table, Uraraka's eyes narrowed slightly. "Where did you guys devise this plan? Were y'all alone?"
Momo blinked, clearly caught off guard by the question. "What? Um… we were at the library. And no, there were other students there." She straightened her posture, but he could see the tiniest flicker of unease from being interrogated by her own friend.
Uraraka relaxed… slightly. "Oh. Good."
Mina, grinning like a cat who'd found a new toy, leaned in. "So, when are we doing this study session of yours?"
Izuku rested his elbows on the table and shrugged. "That depends on you guys. I'm free at any time… as long as I'm free. Then I'm free, you get me?"
A ripple of laughter spread through the table. Even Hagakure's invisible form seemed to shake from giggling. Izuku blinked, tilting his head.
'…I didn't even say anything funny.'
Meanwhile, at the boys' table across the room, Kirishima had his eyes locked on him like a man watching a celebrity in person. "Big bro is so cool, man. Look at how the girls are laughing at anything he says."
"Yeah, I wanna be just like him," Ojiro muttered.
Mineta, resting his chin on his hands, sighed dramatically. "Just like him? No, I wanna be him. Imagine all the girls I could pull… I'd be living like that one anime with the dragon hand."
Back at the girls' table, the conversation shifted to scheduling. After a few suggestions and half-serious arguments, they settled on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the library.
Nobody seemed eager to go to Momo's house—whether from intimidation or politeness—causing her to pout in quiet disappointment.
Izuku just smirked and sipped his drink. 'This is going to be interesting.'
The bell rang, dragging everyone back to reality. Izuku strolled toward the locker room with his hands in his pockets, half-listening to Kaminari and Kirishima debating who would win in a fight between All Might and Endeavor "in their prime."
'Pretty sure I could take them both now,' Izuku thought with a smirk.
After changing into his P.E. uniform, he stepped out onto the training field where Aizawa was already standing with his sleeping-bag look.
"Alright, today we're running drills," Aizawa said flatly, as if even he found it boring. "Endurance, speed, and agility. No quirks unless stated otherwise. We'll start with the ten-lap run."
A collective groan went through the class.
Izuku rolled his shoulders lazily, jogging to the starting line. Mina jogged up beside him, grinning. "So, you think you can keep up with me?"
"Keep up?" He arched an eyebrow. "I'm more worried about you keeping up with me."
From his other side, Jirō snorted. "Cocky much?"
He shot her a side glance and smirked. "Confident. There's a difference."
Uraraka joined them at the line, tying her hair into a messy bun. "If you guys are gonna make this a competition, I'm in."
Aizawa's voice cut through the chatter. "Go."
The group took off. Izuku kept his pace deliberately casual, just enough to stay ahead without making it obvious he was holding back. Mina tried to match him, but by the fourth lap, she was breathing harder. Uraraka fell in step with him, grinning stubbornly despite the sweat forming on her forehead.
Jirō, trailing just behind, called out, "So… this is you taking it easy, huh?"
"Maybe," he replied with a smirk. "Want me to go all out?"
"Don't you dare," she shot back.
By the time the ten laps ended, the rest of the class was scattered across the track in various states of exhaustion. Izuku wasn't even winded. He wasn't sure if that made him feel proud… or just more bored.
The next drill was the obstacle course—walls to climb, nets to crawl under, and rope swings over muddy pits.
As they lined up, Momo stepped next to him. "I assume you'll finish this in record time?"
"Depends," he said. "If you trip over something, I might have to stop and help you."
She raised an eyebrow, the corner of her lips twitching. "That almost sounds like chivalry."
"Almost," he said with a grin.
When the whistle blew, Izuku breezed through the course, effortlessly clearing each obstacle while making sure to pace himself so he didn't draw too much suspicion. At the final rope swing, he glanced back just in time to see Mina misjudge her grip and slip.
In one motion, he caught the rope on his backswing, grabbed her by the waist midair, and landed on the platform like it was nothing.
"Smooth, right?" he said, setting her down.
She blinked at him, cheeks pink. "Okay… I'm impressed."
Aizawa marked something on his clipboard, his gaze flicking toward Izuku for a moment longer than usual.
' Fuck wrong with him?' Izuku thought as he looked away and went to the locker rooms.
The boys' locker room was loud—Kirishima talking about "manly saves," Kaminari replaying Mina's slip like it was a slow-motion sports highlight, and Mineta… well, being Mineta.
"Dude, you caught her midair like some action movie hero!" Kaminari said, towel over his shoulder. "You gotta teach me that move."
Izuku smirked as he pulled his shirt over his head. "It's called paying attention."
Mineta leaned forward on the bench, eyes wide. "Nah, it's called rizz. The man's got the gene."
' Bloody hell. Who still says Rizz?' Izuku thought as he cringed.
"I'm just glad she didn't fall in the mud," Izuku said casually, ignoring Mineta's weird choice of words.
TO BE CONTINUED