U.A. is closed the next day, but he just decides to exercise and rest. The day after that, school is in again, and Sam walks in. However, rather than silence, they greet him. He greets them back.
"Sam, did you see the news?" Sero says.
"No."
"I totally hope they took a good picture and not a bad one!" Ashido says excitedly.
"I hope they got my good side!" Toru says.
Sam and Ojiro both sweat-drop at her silliness.
Sam then sees Izuku.
"Hey, kid. You were really brave out there two days ago."
"Oh, Suzuki! Umm… yeah, I tried my best, but I didn't do much. You were amazing though! You saved me by shooting the villain away, right? Thank you! How did you manage to evade Kurogiri's sight? Did you use a technique to hide your presence? What about your accuracy, is that pure skill? What about—"
Sam interrupts with a chop to the head.
"Calm down, kid. It's fine."
Izuku nods. "Sorry, I can go off on tangents sometimes. But seriously, thank you, Sam."
Izuku bows.
Sam walks past him and pats him on the shoulder. "No problem, kid."
Sam heads back to his desk.
Aizawa comes in looking like hell.
"Your fight isn't over yet," he says, making everyone nervous—except for Sam.
"The U.A. Sports Festival is approaching."
The class erupts in excitement.
Sam raises his hand.
"No, you don't need to participate, Suzuki."
"Well, that's one half of my question. Is it really a good idea to broadcast the quirks of the students before the world? That's like showing the world your hand in poker."
"We can't let villains control us. We need to send a message that we are stronger than them."
Sam sighs. "You're also sending them everything they need to know about your powers. They'll see how it works and learn to counter it."
Sam's words hit the class hard, since they never thought about it.
Aizawa sees this. "I understand, but this is also for internships. You will soon choose to intern with a hero, and the best way to promote yourselves is to participate in the festival. You make valid points, Suzuki, but every hero is at a disadvantage. The villains will have an advantage, and yet we still win."
Aizawa gets the class's spirits back.
Sam just sighs. "Understood."
Sam lets it go. He warned them. They are free to do what they want with it.
The day goes by normally, and once again Izuku goes to Sam as he's getting ready.
"Sam!"
Izuku walks up to his desk.
"Yeah?"
"Umm… would you like to eat lunch with me, Iida, and Uraraka?"
Sam looks at him, then at the two of them. Last time, he saw the fear and hesitation when he invited him. Now, they smile encouragingly.
Sam sighs. "Sure."
Izuku's face lights up with a smile and bright eyes.
'This brat… why is he just so goddamn innocent… he's like a little puppy… there we go again! I really do have a soft spot for cute things!'
Sam's internal crisis is halted by Izuku asking Uraraka why she wants to be a hero.
"Well… money."
Izuku looks shocked and a bit… disappointed.
Iida speaks up. "There is nothing wrong with caring for your own financial well-being."
Sam nods. "Doctors are paid for their work. Public servants should be paid. As long as the job is done."
They look shocked at Sam's logic.
"That's a very mature outlook, Suzuki!" Iida says.
"…It's not much. And please, just call me Sam. The others already do it, so why not?"
Iida nods.
"But it's not for myself," Uraraka continues. "My parents own a construction company. They have worked very hard for me, and I love them. I want to help them. But they want me to live how I want. And what I want is to help them, so they won't have to worry about anything anymore."
Sam is shocked at her resolve.
'She must really love her parents.'
Iida starts clapping for her.
'She's kind of like me. Her parents love her and want only for her to be happy. My mom and dad were the same. I just hope hers don't end up like mine…'
Sam's lip quivers after thinking that. He shakes his head, forcing those thoughts away.
Suddenly, All Might appears and takes Midoriya away.
Sam narrows his eyes.
'Something stinks. Is he showing preferential treatment to broccoli head? No… now that I think about it, aren't their powers similar? Could it be?!? …a secret love child?!?'
Sam sees Todoroki coming to a similar conclusion.
'I guess a son of a hero can smell the son of another hero.'
Sam eats lunch with Iida and Uraraka despite Midoriya not being there. He gets to know them better.
Iida's brother is a hero—Ingenium. Sam sees the way Iida's eyes light up when talking about him. His brother is like what All Might is to most little kids. A divine figure.
At the end of the day, as the last bell rings, Sam is ready to return to his room. He is the first one ready to leave and opens the door—only to see a horde of brats.
"The fuck? Move," he says, annoyed by the hindrance.
The others come over to see.
Iida politely asks why they are here.
"They are scoping out the competition."
1-A understands now.
"You can finally see what the next number one hero looks like," Bakugo says, not making many friends.
'This Chihuahua is gonna bite a pit bull someday.'
Sam smirks at the thought.
He decides he's had enough and pushes through the crowd.
"Move, please."
Suddenly, he hears something that triggers him.
"Scouting the competition? No, this is a declaration of war."
Sam flinches hard.
Bloody battlefields flash through his mind. Real war.
"Hey. Indigo," Sam says coldly, getting everyone's attention.
"I couldn't care less about this dick-measuring contest you are doing here. But don't use the word 'war' so lightly. Pray none of you ever see what a real war looks like."
Sam heads back to his room.
Class 1-A watches him go and understands—he was triggered by the word war. Now that they have grown to trust and care for him, it hurts to see him suffer like that.
Sam reaches his room, still flinching instinctively. His shaky hands clutch his head.
"Fuck."
That's all he says as another episode hits.
He spends the rest of the day calming himself down.
The days go by quickly, and before anyone knows it, it's already time for the Sports Festival.