The car hummed softly beneath us as I turned onto the usual path toward UA. Mina slouched comfortably in the passenger seat, one leg tucked under her, hair still a little messy from the night before.
She stretched with a groan, arms arching back until her chest lifted just enough to make me glance. Not that she didn't notice.
"Eyes on the road, handsome," she teased, catching me mid-look with a smirk.
"Hard not to glance when my passenger's doing stretches like that," I shot back, tapping the wheel with one hand. "You're a distraction."
She winked. "I prefer the term motivation."
I snorted. "That's what you were aiming for this morning?"
"Maybe, you didn't seem to mind."
She leaned her head against the window, watching the buildings pass. "Y'know, this is kinda nice. You driving, me vibing. Almost makes me want to do this whole school thing more often."
"Almost?"
"Well," she said, flashing a grin. "I could use some tutoring from the English expert."
I gave her a sidelong glance. "Is that right, am I getting any reward out of it?"
"Oh, I'm sure you'll earn it. And when you do you'll really enjoy it." she said confidently.
I shook my head, returning my attention to the road.
I coasted down the road with one hand on the wheel, U.A. slowly coming into view. As I rounded the final turn, I eased off the gas and tapped the brakes.
There was a swarm of people gathered outside the main gate.
Dozens of reporters pressed against each other, microphones and boom mics thrust forward, camera shutters snapping nonstop. Though they took care not to actually go inside, they were still jostling for good angles and crowding the students making their way in.
Up near the front, I caught sight of a head of blonde hair. It looked like he was trying to get past the crowd, all while pretending to stay calm. His fists were clenched at his side, but he forced a tight-lipped smile that didn't reach his eyes.
I was pretty sure that was Monoma from Class 1-B. Poor guy looked ready to explode.
They were probably bombarding him with questions about All Might. And since Class 1-B wasn't the one being taught by him, I could imagine just how well that was going over. Maybe this is the foundation for his grudge against Class 1-A.
Shame. You guys are just the background class.
Or maybe it's a good thing?
Being in the class taught by All Might was going to bring attention. And I already knew just how dangerous that attention will be.
Speaking of which—I spotted Tomura's bitch-ass lurking across the street, half-hidden by a utility pole. He was watching the reporters, fingers fidgeting like he was itching to pull something. Should I do something about him now? Or wait until USJ and actually kill him there?
Oh well, whatever it is, I'm sure I can handle it.
Mina leaned forward in her seat, eyes narrowing. "Are those reporters?"
"Yeah," I muttered. "Looks like it. Good thing we don't have to use that entrance."
I veered off toward the vehicle gate. As I approached, a pair of hovering security drones dropped into view—one flanking each side of my car. A faculty staff member stepped into sight and raised a hand, signaling for me to stop.
I grabbed my UA Student ID and tapped it against the scanner. It beeped once. The gate slid open a second later with a mechanical hiss.
"Definitely more security than yesterday," Mina murmured.
I parked in what was becoming my usual spot, killed the engine, and grabbed my bag. Mina did the same, falling into step beside me as we headed toward the education building.
The halls were already buzzing with chatter from other students. We weaved through the noise and went up the stairs until we reached the 4th floor to make our way to Class 1-A.
When we stepped in, I noticed two empty seats near the back between Momo and Kirishima. They saved spots for us again.
Mina grinned and plopped down beside Kirishima without hesitation. That left the seat between her and Momo for me.
"Morning," Kirishima said with a grin, spinning a pen between his fingers. "Did you guys see the crowd outside? It was impossible trying to get through!"
"Yeah," Mina said, stretching her arms behind her head. "Crazy stuff. Glad I didn't have to deal with it."
"We saw them while I was driving," I added. "Reporters swarming the main gate like flies."
Momo looked up from her notebook. "Ah, I also saw them while my driver was bringing me to school today. I overheard some staff saying they've been camped out since dawn."
"What?! Seriously? I'm the only one who actually had to walk through them? Maybe I should get my own car too!" Kirishima leaned back, shaking his head while groaning. "You know, I said one thing about All Might teaching us yesterday and boom—they wouldn't leave me alone!"
"It makes sense," Momo said thoughtfully. "All Might's presence here is a major story. And Midnight isn't here yet; she's supposed to be instructing our morning class."
"She's probably tied up with the press too," I said. "It's not a big deal."
The conversation drifted for a few more minutes. Just enough time for the last few students to trickle in and the room to settle.
The door slid open, about 3 minutes after the class was supposed to start.
Midnight stepped through first with a confident stride, followed by Aizawa, who somehow looked even more exhausted than usual.
His hair was a bit messier, while his scarf was lazily wrapped around his shoulders instead of snug around his neck.
He took one step forward, hands in his pockets. "Midnight gave me thirty minutes," he muttered. "So I'll try not to waste your time, that wouldn't be rational."
The class sat up straighter, within 3 days Aizawa had already cemented his position as the scariest teacher.
"Decent work yesterday during the combat trials with All Might, I reviewed the footage and results. We'll talk more about the details in my afternoon class."
There was a pause. A longer one than expected.
Then his eyes narrowed and he continued, "Let's not waste any time. This next task will determine your future."
The room stiffened all at once, every student was on edge. I could feel the class collectively holding their breath.