One day after the exams, the members of Class 1-A held a welcome party for the last students to rejoin the program.
The support and reception from his friends filled Iida with warm emotions. He couldn't help but thank Sero for his strange yet effective motivational talk.
For his part, Sero was tackled by Kaminari and Mineta, the latter excitedly recounting his near-glorious death at the chest of a certain Heroine. The worries and nerves over the exam had passed, and now everyone felt at ease and joyful.
They even went as far as persuading Tetsumaru to convince Aizawa to allow them a day off to go to the beach or something similar.
—And why don't you ask him yourselves? As I recall, I am neither the Class President nor the Vice President— the shinobi had replied coldly while helping in the kitchen and wearing an apron. No one could take him seriously.
He had to give in to the insistence of a rowdy Mina and a tireless Hagakure.
—Tetsumaru agreed!— the invisible girl cheered, earning praise from everyone else as if she had accomplished an impossible feat.
—Toru-chan... That is an impossible feat!— Mina whispered with sparkling eyes. The shinobi rolled his eyes, focusing on the task at hand for some reason.
—Why the hell am I doing this?— he asked himself, genuinely lost.
A fist slammed against his head and a piercing gaze drilled into the back of his neck, giving him chills. He stopped complaining and tended to the kitchen in silence.
—Good bitch— Mei congratulated, inappropriately pinching his butt without anyone noticing.
Tetsumaru felt violated.
From another spot in the room with a view of the kitchen, Bakugo stole casual glances at the kunoichi and the shinobi, a bold glint flashing in his eyes.
The boy hadn't come out of the exams very happy.
Yes, he had obtained his license along with the rest of the class, but he knew he was nowhere near the most outstanding. From his first moment at UA, he had ceased to be.
It was already hard enough for him to accept the presence of such annoying people who could stand up to him or even surpass him, but since things began to get turbulent and unnecessarily dangerous for his class, he had done nothing but stay in the background of a story where he should have been the star.
His gaze then drifted to the calm boy with red and white hair who was blushing for some stupid reason while being approached by Hagakure.
Bakugo knew a bit about his circumstances and frankly respected the guy. But he was starting to feel a certain animosity toward him.
The snacks were served and vanished instantly, forcing the cooks to double their speed and workload. Conversations filled the large room here and there, most of them centered on their exploits during the exams.
Aoyama annoyed Tetsumaru trying to recreate a scenario "like the one from last time", which caught the attention of the more observant boys. The shinobi wrapped the blond in a mass of sand and tossed him into a corner, refusing to answer any questions.
At some point, Tsuyu approached Iida and made a casual comment about the prosthetic everyone had been deliberately trying to ignore. However, far from feeling uncomfortable, Iida inwardly appreciated that someone mentioned it.
The boy recounted in great detail the ridiculously advanced technology he wore like a pirate's peg leg. Most couldn't even understand what he was saying and, frankly, neither did he.
He was only repeating what his family, the doctors, and the staff had blathered about.
At midnight, the party had gotten slightly out of control, and Aizawa burst in with a terrifying look, paralyzing almost everyone instantly.
Jiro had brought out her sound system and was playing what the man considered garbage music. Mineta lay stuck to the ceiling with his Pop Offs, accompanied by a sleeping Aoyama, who was hanging from a literal cocoon of sand.
Tables and chairs floated through the room, courtesy of Uraraka. A couple of ice sculptures were beginning to melt in the corner and one in mid-air, representing a highly detailed young woman in a dress with an uncomfortable resemblance to a certain kunoichi.
Splashes of paint stained the place, and several suspicious toy guns lay scattered about. Momo flinched when Aizawa set his eyes on her.
—... I am not going to ask what the hell happened here— Aizawa began, his tone sharp and harsh. It was not a good sign. —Clean up this mess. Yaoyorozu, Iida, tomorrow I want a report on those involved so I can assign punishments myself. You will also give me a report on those not involved, but who were aware of the events.
His statement made, the man headed to the upper floor in absolute silence. Those left below looked at each other awkwardly before starting to tidy everything up with dejected expressions.
They knew it would take them a couple of hours, if not more. That meant they would spend a torturous and sleepy day in class tomorrow.
Meanwhile, in the girls' dorms, Aizawa walked with a tired and annoyed expression to Terumi Mei's room, knocking on the door a couple of times before hearing movement inside.
She opened the door a crack and peeked her head out, her hair messy for reasons Aizawa chose not to imagine and her face twisted in a look of annoyance.
—What?— she asked listlessly.
—Tetsumaru— Aizawa said in the same tone.
The door closed and Aizawa heard a thud, followed by a low curse.
The shinobi emerged after a while, equally annoyed at being awakened after a grueling session of physical activity.
—What the fuck do you want at twelve at night?— Tetsumaru questioned.
—I was sleeping peacefully, when suddenly I was awakened by Nezu's system and informed of your classmates' ruckus. Now I have paperwork to finish and my nap was ruined, so get your ass to my office and help me— Aizawa demanded.
Tetsumaru remained silent for a moment, watching him with a dead expression. More so than usual. —Tomorrow they will run until their lungs melt— he declared in a vengeful tone.
—And then we will sleep— Aizawa agreed with a malicious smile.
As they went down and left the dorms, both cast disapproving glares at the fools who had condemned a night of sleep and ruined a potential beach special episode.
************************************
The day after his return, Iida put his prosthetic to the test during a cruel physical conditioning punishment entirely dedicated to endurance.
The only one spared from such a fate was Sero, whose physical state after the torture and hospital recovery—both periods in which he barely moved his body—earned him the mercy of his Sensei.
Everyone else ran as if nothing else in the world mattered, dedicating the second half of the day to that purpose. Even Mei paid the consequences.
When the kunoichi complained to Aizawa and proclaimed her innocence, he rejected her flatly with an accusation regarding the school's code of conduct for engaging in sexual activities on institutional grounds.
—I knew it, you damn degenerate!— Mei lashed out. The act did her no good, and she went to run along with the others anyway.
—Why do you insist on making her mad at me lately?— Tetsumaru asked with a sigh, looking at the back of his infuriated other half.
—It only happened twice, because I was inconvenienced by your shit twice. It's only fair that I drag you down with me somehow— the Professional Hero replied, lying down on the floor in his sleeping bag.
—So my punishment is sex? I'm starting to believe Mei's accusations, Aizawa.
—It's still Aizawa-Sensei to you, brat. And I'm good at analyzing people. I'm also a good observer. I have analyzed and observed that when she gets angry, your gait is awkward and pained the following day— Aizawa replied, directing a piercing and slightly smug look at Tetsumaru.
The shinobi's eyelids flickered involuntarily, and Aizawa caught it. A cunning glint flashed in his eyes.
—The law and ethics prevent me from giving you a beating, Nezu prevents me from interfering in whatever it is you and she have between you, and I can't punish you for technically doing nothing wrong. So yes, your punishment for indirectly annoying me is being drained dry.
—... I expected more from you, Aizawa-Sensei— Tetsumaru shook his head, disappointed.
—Don't think it ends there— the Hero warned, to Tetsumaru's annoyance. —Soon you will accompany me to resolve high-level matters. Now that you have a license, it will be less problematic to drag you along and put your ass to work.
—Hm, so you'll exploit your student and your pupil. You are a sadistic man— Tetsumaru commented, preparing a Satetsu sofa for himself and lying down on it without ceremony.
—It wouldn't be ideal given everyone's personalities, but I can't bring anyone else with me. They aren't qualified, and your sister is going to do God knows what with the HPSC. I have to settle for you— Aizawa clarified, his eyelids closing bit by bit as his students began the run.
—I'm just warning you that you need to integrate him with the others somehow. Adding him just like that will cause problems— the shinobi pointed out, closing his eyes as well.
—Ojiro is gone, whether it hurts us or not. They are going to be Professionals, Tetsumaru. Losing comrades is part of the job, and accepting new members to take those spots is also part of the process. If they can't handle it, then they can abandon the idea of a successful career— Aizawa declared.
Class 1-A (except for Sero) ran for hours, waiting for an announcement from the sleeping Aizawa to stop. An announcement that never came.