Chapter 13: The Arrangements
"Eh? You're a Hero Course student too!?" Togashi froze for a second, then did something that caught Yoshikage Kira completely off guard—he took off his hair!
Yes, for some unknown reason, Yuta Togashi was wearing a wig. After removing the thick hairpiece, he revealed a somewhat boyish face. He scratched his cheek, looking embarrassed. "As you can see, this is my true appearance. For a Hero Course senpai to do something so shameful... I'm sure I'll be laughed at by my kouhai..."
"If you're talking about a hobby of wearing wigs, then no, I won't laugh. It's your own hobby; you don't need anyone else's approval," Kira said, shaking his head. "Besides, I don't think it's strange at all. In the real world, you see plenty of programmers who like to wear wigs. And I like to collect figurines..."
"A wig, huh... I think we might not be talking about the same thing," Togashi said with a small laugh. "But figurines... I like those too. If we have the chance, we should go to Akihabara together sometime."
"Sure," Kira said, nodding in agreement, though he didn't quite understand what the other boy was talking about. "Senpai, I have to get going, so I'll be on my way."
There's something strange about this guy...
"R-Right. Okay." Togashi let out a sigh of relief. It was a good thing his kouhai had suggested leaving; he was desperate to end what felt like a torturous conversation.
As Yoshikage Kira walked out of the small grove, he glanced back. Togashi seemed to have remembered something painful. He clutched his head and began to groan softly. After squatting for a moment, he stood back up and put the wig back on.
He spread his legs, covered his face with one hand, and held the other out with his fingers splayed, striking a pose that looked somewhat like a JoJo pose. He began to chant something at the Student Council building in front of him, letting out an occasional manic laugh.
"Could this senpai be... a chunibyo?" Kira thought to himself.
The next morning, Kira asked Momo Yaoyorozu if anything had happened with Erina Nakiri after he had left.
The response was unexpected. "You mean Eri-chan? She's wonderful!" Momo said with an excited expression. "Not only did she tell me how to better manage the class and create a personalized meal plan for me, but she also treated me like a good friend and invited me to visit her home!"
"...Well, isn't that nice," Kira said. He couldn't believe it. In just one afternoon, the earnest, bright-eyed Momo Yaoyorozu had been completely won over and had defected from the revolutionary ranks.
Perhaps it was unexpected, but it also made a certain kind of sense. Someone with as much charisma as Erina Nakiri could easily win the trust of others. If Momo and her became good friends, it was probably for the best.
During the morning homeroom meeting, to Mr. Aizawa's surprised expression, Momo stood at the podium and laid out the arrangements for the Sports Festival.
"After communicating with the Student Council Secretary, the Hero Course will be participating in the preparations for the Sports Festival this time. First, our class needs to send two students to help move heavy equipment at a designated location after classes each day. It should only take about twenty minutes each day to finish."
Seeing that no one below the podium was interested, Momo continued, "After discussing it with the Class Rep and Mr. Aizawa, anyone who helps out this time will receive a 'Test Exemption Pass,' which can be used on a failing grade. In other words, even if you fail a test once, you won't have to take the makeup exam."
"No makeup exam!?" Mina Ashido's eyes lit up. She waved her hand frantically. "Pick me, pick me! I'm willing to help!"
"Hahaha, Ashido, with a physique like yours, how do you plan to help? Aren't you afraid of being crushed by something heavy?" Yuga Aoyama covered his mouth with one hand as he laughed elegantly. "To be willing to do manual labor just to avoid a makeup exam... how tragic it is to be a person with poor grades!"
"I can make the ground slippery with my acid and just push things along. And are you saying you want your clothes to be corroded again? Hehehe..." Mina Ashido produced a low-acidity slime on her hands and gave Aoyama a sinister smile.
In that instant, Aoyama remembered the miserable state of his cape from before. His face soured as he turned his head away stiffly. "I wouldn't deign to associate with someone as uncouth as you!"
Although Mina had dealt with Aoyama's mockery, she hadn't managed to persuade Momo.
Momo scanned the students who had their hands raised for a moment before saying, "Shoji-san and Kirishima-san, would that be alright? According to the previous grip strength test, you two are the strongest. There shouldn't be anything too heavy for you."
Mezo Shoji silently nodded. His Quirk was Dupli-Arms, which allowed him to grow multiple arms, making him perfectly suited for carrying things. Although his grades were decent, he would never pass up an opportunity to help others.
Kirishima hardened his arms, striking them together to create sparks. "Thanks, Yaoyorozu! I really need that test exemption!" he said with a grin.
Much like Tetsutetsu from the class next door, Kirishima wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. His schoolwork was merely average, and he often hovered right on the edge of a passing grade.
"Next, the Department of Management needs us to send one person to test the sensitivity of their monitoring equipment. It would be best to have a student who is relatively fast." Looking at Tenya Iida, who was sitting ramrod straight with his hand raised as high as it could go, Momo sighed. "Alright, we'll go with Iida-san."
"The Support Course needs..."
Izuku Midoriya stared eagerly at Momo. Each time she announced a task, he shot his hand high into the air, but each time, Momo overlooked him, seemingly not considering him at all.
Kira watched as Midoriya's expression shifted from excited to disappointed over and over again. He couldn't help but chuckle. After a moment, he turned to Midoriya with a serious expression. "Midoriya, you don't have to raise your hand anymore. We've already discussed it. You won't be considered for any of the work this time."
"Why!? Kira-kun, did I do something wrong!?" Midoriya asked, stunned.
"Do you even need to ask? You should know that your body can't handle your own Quirk. If Momo and I let you help, asking you to use your Quirk would be irresponsible of us."
"But I can do it without using my Quirk..." Midoriya said, unwilling to give up.
Kira cut him off. "Midoriya, the fact is, without your Quirk, you're only slightly stronger than an average student. You wouldn't be of much help."
"Haha, Deku, did you hear that? I'll admit your Quirk is pretty strong, but when you can't use it, you're still the same hopeless loser you were in middle school!" Bakugo, having overheard Kira's words, turned to mock Midoriya.
Although he had seen Midoriya's strength during the USJ incident, in Bakugo's mind, Midoriya was still Deku—the same snot-nosed Deku who used to trail behind him.
"Bakugo, if you're going to talk like that, then why don't you raise your hand?" Kira looked at Bakugo with disdain. He was trash-talking Midoriya, but he hadn't volunteered for anything, which meant he didn't want to help. "As I see it, Midoriya is much stronger than you. At least he's desperate to help others."
"Tch." Bakugo clicked his tongue and turned away, annoyed. "Stay out of it. This is voluntary, isn't it? I'm not going to waste my time fighting over an opportunity that only a failing student would want."
A loser, huh... Izuku Midoriya thought of what All Might had told him and clenched his fists.
I will make my debut at the Sports Festival!
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