The week came to an end with Tsutsumi finally returning to U.A.
The moment he stepped into the classroom, every pair of eyes snapped toward him. He paused, staring back at their eager, expectant faces, and asked flatly:
"Did Aizawa-sensei kick the bucket or something? Why are you all looking so excited?"
The room went silent.
Everyone: "..."
Aizawa: "..."
Aizawa, standing right behind him, dragged a hand down his face. He'd been waiting for this problem child to finally show up, now he almost wished he'd just gone to sleep instead.
"Good morning. Get to your seat," Aizawa said, making his presence known to the class.
Then, without pause. "Okay, there is something special about today's Hero Information period."
The shift in his tone put everyone on edge. Then, when they heard his next words, the tension broke into pure excitement.
"It's time to formulate your codenames. Your hero's name."
"Oh, my god! Now, this made my chest swell!"
Everyone cheered happily when they heard the news from Aizawa.
"This is related to the draft nominations by pros I mentioned the other day. The nominations will truly start mattering only after you have gained some experience, and your fighting ability is judged during your sophomore and senior years. In other words, the nominations you're getting this year are more akin to expressions of 'interest' in your future potential. It's not rare for that interest to dry up by graduation, or be dropped unilaterally."
Everyone nodded and thought that even if they received nominations, it didn't mean it was the end, and they needed to their growth, or else, they would be thrown away.
Honestly, the world of Pro Hero was so cruel, which made them smile wryly.
"Anyway. The tally of nominations is as follows."
As Aizawa's voice fell, everyone could see the nominations received by everyone.
As expected, Tsutsumi was at the top with 5,972 nominations and was followed by Todoroki and Bakugo, who received 3,758 and 3,756 nominations, respectively.
Todoroki's result didn't surprise Tsutsumi. Even if Todoroki lost in the early rounds, his father is still the number two hero, so it was natural for the nominations Todoroki received to be quite a lot.
Bakugo's result is also not bad, nearly matching Todoroki, but what puts many people off is his somewhat nasty personality
On the other hand, the number of nominations that Jiro received was also good since she received 872 nominations.
"In other years, it's been more spread out, but all eyes seem to be interested in this year's new big three," Aizawa's voice cut back in.
That made the gap sting even more for the rest. Jiro is only the top four with 872 nominations, while the fifth is Tokoyami with 420 nominations.
Meanwhile, Midoriya was depressed since he received no nominations.
However, Aizawa told everyone that even if they didn't receive a nomination, they would all have to get so-called "workplace experience" or an internship, especially after they received an attack from the villain, and this kind of thing, the faster they experienced it, the better it was.
"Now, this is where your hero's name comes in," Aizawa continued. "Naturally, your own name is fine too, but something appropriate-"
Before Aizawa was able to finish his words, he was cut off.
"Because if not, it will be hell from there!"
Everyone quickly looked at the entrance and was dumbfounded when they saw Nemuri Kayama, or Midnight.
"The names you pick now! The names you come to be known by the world as now! In many cases, they stay that way after becoming pros!"
"Midnight," someone muttered.
Aizawa ended his words in a mutter. "She's correct. I'll be having her evaluate your naming sense since I definitely can't."
Tsutsumi had already stopped paying attention. He'd decided on his hero name long ago.
After leaving everything to Nemuri, Aizawa decided to sleep since he was sure it would take a while for them to finish. Instead of waiting, it was better for him to sleep.
Nemuri didn't say anything when she saw this, and it seemed she had gotten used to Aizawa's actions, who had always slept no matter the situation.
Instead, she instructed everyone to make their hero's name and told them they were given 15 minutes to think about it. She also gave everyone a board, so they could show everyone their hero's name.
Tsutsumi received his board and wrote his hero's name before standing up and walking to the front without hesitation.
Every eye followed him. Nemuri tilted her head curiously. The board was just handed down not a minute ago, yet he had already finished.
He flipped his board around.
"Masked Rider: Decade."
"Oh? Decade? Not bad," Nemuri mused. "But can you tell us what inspired you to choose this name?"
She asks, since Tsutsumi came up with his hero name so fast, many others still haven't written anything yet.
"Because everything is Decade's fault." he said flatly, unbothered if his answer explained anything or not.
Everyone: "..."
Nemuri sweat-dropped. "That didn't really tell much… but how about we change 'Masked Rider' to 'Masked Hero: Decade'?"
"No," he refused immediately. "Before I decide to enter the hero work, I'm just a passing-through Rider. Remember that."
He set his board down and walked off.
Nemuri chuckled. "Not bad. You even have your own catchphrase."
Since the name Masked Rider: Decade isn't a bad name itself, she decided there was nothing to change about the name.
After that, the other also began to show their hero name.
Aoyama stood in front of everyone and announced his hero's name.
"Shining Hero: I cannot stop twinkling~!" Aoyama declared.
Everyone: "..."
They watched as Nemuri accepted the name by only changing it to "Can't stop twikling."
Then Ashido walks up and shows her hero name.
"Alien Queen!"
"Are you trying for the thing with acidic blood? I won't if I were you!" Nemuri swiftly rejected the name, as the name did indeed remind people of a black alien creature in a certain movie.
After Aoyama, it was Ashido, but their names were so strange that it caused the mood of the class to become strange.
Fortunately, Tsuyu somehow fixed the situation with her cute name.
"Rainy Season Hero: Froppy."
When the mood was right, no one hesitated, and they showed their names one by one without worry.
"Sturdy Hero: Red Riot!"
Kirishima shows off his hero name, paying homage to his favorite hero, Chivalrous Hero: Crimson Riot.
Then Jiro stepped up.
"Hearing Hero: Earphone Jack."
"That's good," Nemuri nodded.
"That's lame," Tsutsumi cut in.
The room froze. This creates a somewhat awkward tension in the class, as all eyes turn toward Tsutsumi.
Jiro rolled her eyes. "I'd like to see you come up with a better name."
"Aria. Like the solo piece sung by one singer." He fired back without hesitation.
Everyone blinked. Admittedly, the name Aria didn't sound bad at all.
Jiro muttered, "Fine. Hearing Hero: Aria."
Annoyingly, she has to admit this name does sound better than using her quirk's name, and it also fits her theme of music.
The other continue showing their hero name, with a few plain ones like "Tail man", "Sugarman", and "Pinky". Tsutsumi didn't comment on any of those names since he doesn't even remember their actual name to begin with.
Then, unexpectedly, Todoroki turned to him. "Tsutsumi, do you have any idea for my hero's name?"
"That's your name, why are you asking me?" Tsutsumi replied, caught off guard that this usually cold loner had suddenly decided to start a conversation with him, of all people.
"You seem to have a better naming sense, so I wanted to ask you," Todoroki said plainly, not bothering to dress his words.
Tsutsumi tilted his head, studying him. "Have you decided on who you are?" He wanted to see if Todoroki had finally figured out whether being a hero was something he truly wanted for himself, or just something forced upon him.
Understanding the weight behind the question, Todoroki gave a small nod. "I have. Being a hero is a dream I've had since I was a child. I was simply blinded by rage and anger, unable to see that I've been holding myself back. I forgot that this… is my own power."
Hearing the conviction in his voice, Tsutsumi allowed a small smile to surface. "Frostfire."
Todoroki accepted it with a nod before stepping forward to reveal his chosen hero name.
One by one, the others followed suit, each name being approved by Nemuri with little issue, until:
"King Explosion Murder."
Bakugo's name was instantly shot down, Nemuri rejecting it without hesitation.
The class snickered, but time was almost up. One by one, students finalized their hero names, leaving only Bakugo, Ida, and Midoriya without one.
Ida's name wasn't worth mentioning; he literally just went with his first name.
Meanwhile, Midoriya, of all things, chose "Deku."
Somehow, his view of the word flipped into you can do it.
Tsutsumi found that… somewhat laughable. In Japanese, Deku primarily means "wooden doll" or "puppet," but it also carries a less flattering edge, "blockhead," "fool," "useless person." Midoriya, of course, tried to twist it into something resembling dekiru, "can do." Turning an insult into a hero name.
In context, it reminded Tsutsumi of Kamen Rider Joker. In English, "Joker" can mean wild card, but in playing cards it's also the clown. Whether you're a trump card or just a joke depends entirely on you.
The problem was, Midoriya didn't embody the optimistic meaning at all. Choosing the name used to insult you as your codename doesn't carry much weight when your actions only reinforce the insult.
Midoriya couldn't control his own power without shattering himself, making him useless in a way. He was a fool, a stubborn blockhead who didn't know when to back down, despite having nothing to prove. Yet he still pushed himself, desperately trying to meet the expectations of others… or of someone important to him. Which only made him look more like a puppet dancing for an audience.
So to Tsutsumi, the word "Deku" wasn't just a nickname. It was an accurate description.
"Lord Explosion Murder!" Bakugo roared next, slamming down his board.
Nemuri instantly shot it down.
"Bakugo!" Tsutsumi called out, already looking bored.
"WHAT!?" Bakugo barked, fury snapping toward him.
"Ground Zero," Tsutsumi said flatly. "The point on the earth's surface directly above or below a nuclear detonation."
Bakugo blinked, then smirked. "Tch! Fine, Ground Zero it is!"
Nemuri nodded in approval, then Aizawa took control of the class once more.
"Your internships will last a week. These are all good workplaces. Those with nominations will receive a personalized list. Pick one. The rest of you get this list of forty participating workplaces from across the country. Choose one…"
He went on with the details before finishing with, "Turn them in within two days."
"So early!?" several students groaned in unison.
Meanwhile, Tsutsumi glanced at his own nearly six-thousand options, then casually walked up to Aizawa's desk.
"Mind helping me narrow it down? Or should I go to Nezu with a giant mousetrap and some cheese?"
Aizawa: "…"
Right. He had almost forgotten, the real reason Tsutsumi even bothered with the Sports Festival was to use the internship system as a chance to find people who once worked with his mother… to find her.
"I'll send you the filtered list later," Aizawa finally muttered.
Tsutsumi gave a small nod. "Thanks." Then he turned and walked straight out of the room.
Aizawa stared after him, letting out a long, tired sigh. He still didn't know how, or if he should tell Tsutsumi the truth about his mother. His thoughts stalled, then his eyes widened.
"…Wait. Class isn't over yet."
He rushed out into the hall, only to find Tsutsumi already gone.