MHA: Hands on, Quirks Up!

I leaned back, letting out a quiet breath, then settled into my usual spot.

I glanced to my right. That's where Kirishima was sitting, except his posture was straighter than usual. He had his hands folded in front of him and wasn't chatting with whoever was closest. No grin, no jokes. Just quiet focus.

"You alright, dude?" I asked, keeping my tone light.

He blinked like he'd forgotten I was there, then turned to me with a quick shake of his head. "Yeah. I'm just... thinking about things."

"Sure. Well, if you ever want to talk, you know I've got your back."

"Sounds good," he said. No smile, but his voice had more steel in it than I was used to.

We left it at that. 

But something had definitely shifted in him. Maybe the USJ incident shook something loose. Or maybe it lit a fire. I couldn't tell exactly what it was yet, but it wasn't the same old Kirishima sitting beside me.

It didn't seem like a bad thing, though.

I turned left slightly, catching Momo out of the corner of my eye.

Her posture was composed, as always. Her arms were crossed loosely underneath her chest as she stared ahead with an unreadable expression. The only thing off was that her fingers were fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve.

Looks like everyone's having revelations today.

"You did well, you know," I nudged her shoulder gently.

She looked up, a flicker of uncertainty crossing her face. "I don't know. Maybe. I keep thinking about whether I should've done more. Or said something different. I was the one left in charge after you stayed behind."

"You did everything perfectly," I told her, more firmly this time. "You followed my instructions, and made sure everyone else stuck to them. That's exactly what I needed you to do."

Her brows furrowed. "But—"

"But nothing." I cut in, leaning a little closer, "If there were any mistakes, they're on me. Not you. You didn't hesitate, you didn't panic, and you kept the class together. I couldn't have asked for a better vice representative."

She blinked, then let out a soft breath. The uncertainty in her posture hadn't vanished completely, but something in her shoulders relaxed slightly.

"Yaoyorozu, listen to me. I trusted you to lead the rest of the class when I was gone. And you didn't let me down. Don't doubt yourself."

A faint smile tugged at her lips as she looked at me again. "Thank you. That means a lot coming from you."

"Don't thank me for telling the truth." I leaned back slightly, but my eyes stayed on her. "Just stop overthinking it."

She rolled her eyes, lips twitching like she was trying not to smile wider. "Not likely."

With those conversations done, I got up from my seat and started making my way around the classroom, checking in on the others.

Kaminari was the first to grin and clap me on the back. "Dude, you were cool out there! Almost like a sacrifice scene from an anime character boom, except you actually came back!"

"You know," Sero added from the desk beside him, giving me a two-finger salute. "If they're handing out medals, you better be first in line."

Sato nodded, arms crossed but clearly impressed. "That was some next-level stuff. I didn't have any idea what to do back there, and you were composed the whole time."

I laughed and gave them a small wave. "I appreciate the praise, guys. Really. Just doing what needed to be done."

It was nice, honestly. Proof that everything I'd done—every bit of effort, every move—had been worth it. They believed in what they saw. They believed in me.

I made my way to Shoji next, and gave him a firm nod. "Hey, just wanted to let you know that your quirk helped a lot more than you probably realize. Having extra eyes on the field helped me track every villain's movement. It made everything easier to plan out."

Shoji blinked, surprised, but his voice was steady. "Glad I could help. I didn't think I'd contributed much."

"You definitely did," I said, clapping a hand to his shoulder. "Don't underestimate yourself. Let's keep working together in the future, that kind of support's a game-changer."

He gave a small nod, but I could see it in his posture, he sat a little taller after that.

Next up was Hagakure. She sat near the back with her arms on her desk.

"Kyuuuutaaa!" she wailed, and latched onto my arm. "You almost gave me a heart attack, I was terrified when you didn't come with us!"

Woah, first names already?

"Hey, hey, I'm fine, aren't I?" I laughed, raising my arms like I was showing off my lack of injuries. "Not even a bruise."

"You sure?" she asked, voice small but teasing. "Not even a teeny little scratch I can fuss over?"

I smirked. "Sorry to disappoint you, but you'll have to wait for next time. You shouldn't get your hopes up though."

She gave my arm a playful smack. "Next time, don't play the lone hero."

"I won't, I promise."

I was just about to head over to Midoriya when the door slid open again.

Mina stepped through, accompanied by Aoyama and Asui.

"Yo!" she called out. "Bakugo, Toru, and Iida. Midnight-sensei says you're up next, head over to the principal's office."

Without missing a beat, she made a beeline straight for me.

"Well," she said, placing her hands behind her head, "since we've got the rest of the week off, I say we go out and celebrate. Have some fun, you know?"

Before I could respond, she was already pulling me toward the door. I gave the class a quick wave as I was half-dragged out.

"Eh…" I raised an eyebrow. "Where are we even going? It was kind of a tiring day, you know?"

Mina winked, that mischievous glint in her eyes. "I meant the other kind of fun."

Oh.

I let myself be dragged along.

Not a bad way to end a big day.