Chapter 11: Fair Distribution
"Ahem, that being the case, let's not get caught up in these minor details. At the end of the day, we're all gathered here to discuss the work for the Sports Festival, are we not?" the young man with glasses said, spreading his hands to placate the room. He turned his gaze to Erina. "Secretary, what are your thoughts?"
"This is your own issue to sort out. I am merely here to help coordinate. Does anyone else have an objection?" Erina Nakiri looked up and scanned the room. When everyone shook their heads, she shrugged. "If there are no objections, then the meeting will continue."
Erina had only made a passing comment; she hadn't expected such a strong reaction from the students of the other courses. However, she quickly guessed the reason. This year's first-years not only had the enviable privilege of being taught by All Might, but Class 1-A had also been thrust into the national spotlight after the villain attack. The internet was flooded with praise for them, calling them the hope of the future. How could these other so-called "chosen ones" be content with playing the role of supporting characters?
But it would be a grave mistake to think of Erina as some petty, scheming girl. What she enjoyed most was crushing her opponents with her own overwhelming ability, making them feel ashamed of their own inadequacy. There was no way she would let Yoshikage Kira leave so easily; she had come up with many methods to make him submit to her completely.
"I imagine your time in the Hero Course is quite precious, so I'll just get straight to the results of our earlier discussion," Erina said. With a small wave of her hand, a student stood up from their seat, walked to the power switch, and turned off the lights.
The room was plunged into darkness. A spherical device mounted on the ornate chandelier overhead came to life, projecting a 3D model of the school onto the table they were all gathered around.
"As you all know, the U.A. Sports Festival is divided into three separate events, with the first, second, and third-years all competing in different stadiums. Although I am a second-year and should be competing or watching the second-year event, what can I do? I'm part of the Student Council. I can't relax even if I want to," Erina Nakiri sighed, as if she were truly annoyed by the whole affair.
"Since this is your first time organizing this event, I, your upperclassman, have been assigned to help you coordinate. As the class presidents, you all need to listen carefully."
As the other students looked on with admiration, Erina smiled. She then noticed that Yoshikage Kira wasn't looking at her at all. He was leaning against the wall with his head down, completely lost in his own world, having apparently delegated all authority to the girl beside him.
"First, the General Studies students in charge of setting up the event venue... or that was the original plan. However, you've reported that due to the distance to the venue, some of the heavier items are impossible to move. Therefore, the Hero Course will provide two students from each class to assist you. But don't think you can slack off; you must prepare everything that is within your own capabilities." Erina looked at Momo and Kendo. "Since you two are the class presidents, I trust you can make that decision, correct?"
Kendo stood up, about to speak, but Erina continued, "Don't be so quick to refuse. You should be well aware that this Sports Festival is a stage prepared for you. However, the workload for the General Studies students is indeed a bit too heavy. Don't you think you should shoulder some of that burden?"
"...You're right," Kendo said after a moment, her voice muffled. She sat back down, her mind already calculating how to persuade Tetsutetsu to help...
"I have no objection," Momo said. It was a reasonable request; she had no grounds to refuse.
Next, Erina began assigning specific areas and tasks to each class, arranging for the students sent by the Hero Course to transport designated items to the stadium from a specific location after their classes ended...
"Next up, the Department of Management. You are responsible for recording the events. The necessary equipment can be found in the building next to the Student Council office. Any problems? What's that? You need students from the Hero Course to help test the equipment to prevent it from failing during the competition? Hmm... that is a valid point. Well then, would that be acceptable, you two presidents?"
One by one, Erina proposed a series of seemingly reasonable requests that required the help of the Hero Course students. Each task sounded like something that only they could handle. Kendo and Momo exchanged a look and nodded helplessly.
Yoshikage Kira found it all very strange. Not because Erina's requests were unreasonable, but because they were perfectly reasonable. The tasks she proposed were all things that could be completed with a little effort. If he assigned them to his classmates, they would complain for a moment before getting it done.
But it was precisely because of this that Kira felt something was off. Ueno had told him that Erina was gathering information on him and would likely try to make things difficult for him in some way...
Yet, based on her performance so far, Erina was acting like nothing more than a kind and diligent senpai, dedicated to helping the first-years successfully complete their mission. Her distribution of tasks was so meticulous and detailed that no one could find any fault with it.
Aside from that one passive-aggressive jab at the beginning, all of her work had been conducted to everyone's satisfaction...
Thinking of this, in that instant, Kira understood Erina's true intention. Yes. In this hero academy, she intended to make everyone feel satisfied!
U.A. High School. This was a school people enrolled in with the goal of becoming a Pro Hero. Even the faculty of the general courses were among the best in the country, but the focus was always on the few dozen students in the Hero Course. U.A. used this as its selling point, shamelessly pouring resources into the Hero Course and designing all of its activities with the goal of producing Pro Heroes.
U.A. was unfair. Everyone knew this. The dirty work, the heavy lifting, cleaning up the venues—all of it fell to the General Studies students, even if they had no chance of becoming heroes themselves. The Management Course built data models so the Hero Course students could improve their Quirks. The Support Course, needless to say, revolved entirely around supporting the Hero Course and Pro Heroes.
The students in the other courses knew this. After complaining, they accepted their fate, working tirelessly for the benefit of the Hero Course, hoping that one day they might be noticed by a Pro Hero and get a job working for them.
But Erina Nakiri was different. From the very beginning of the meeting, she had been treating everyone as an equal, giving each person an equal sense of responsibility and duty. Even the two class presidents from the Hero Course couldn't find anything remotely uncomfortable about her arrangements...
Ah, so that's her plan.
Kira watched as she earnestly provided reasonable explanations for every question raised, and he couldn't help but lower his head with a wry smile. It was possible she was indeed collecting information on him, but when it came to something as important as the Sports Festival, she was taking it seriously. She wouldn't deliberately target him here...
I shouldn't have relied on stereotypes. Because of what Ueno had said, he had become wary of Erina. That's why he had told Momo they needed to put on an act, to engrave the impression of her being Class 1-A's soul into everyone's minds, thereby diverting Erina's attention onto her...
But now, it seemed that was all completely unnecessary. Erina had never intended to target him in the first place.
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