One More Step (Would It Make Me Free?)

Love

Life slowly seemed to be improving for Hitoshi. He was doing great with his lessons with Nedzu and Midoriya had been helping tutor him further in reading (something the green-haired boy was actually really good at; Hitoshi wondered if he'd ever considered becoming a teacher). His literacy was improving rapidly thanks to the extra help, something he was endlessly grateful for.

He'd also taken up Aizawa's suggestion on training with someone who had a non-combat oriented quirk. The man had asked Uraraka if she'd be willing to stay after school a few days a week to help Hitoshi train. "I figured she was the best option," Aizawa had explained to him. "She's someone clever, with a non-combat oriented quirk, and you already know her so it should be easier than with someone unfamiliar." The girl had readily agreed, and so the two of them regularly spent time training together under Aizawa's supervision. Yaoyorozu eventually joined them, as well; he was nervous at first, but they actually got along really well. Hitoshi was pretty sure he'd noticed himself improving already.

Kaminari had dragged him to meet his friend group not too long after the whole restaurant thing. They were certainly...something. They weren't lacking in energy, that was for sure. Hitoshi hadn't known just how much a person could talk until he got to know Ashido and Kirishima. Sero was a bit calmer, but still definitely more than Hitoshi was used to.

Bakugou was an interesting contrast to the rest of the group. Nowhere near as cheerful, but just as loud. His anger had set Hitoshi on edge at first, but after no one in the group took it seriously and Bakugou did nothing more than yell insults, Hitoshi had found himself able to relax.

Time went by before Hitoshi realized it, and suddenly he found himself at the end of June. With less than a month left in the semester, everyone had been busy studying for exams. Hitoshi, too, had an exam he'd been studying for, though one quite different from everyone else's.

His mental health had been improving steadily due to his therapy. He'd slowly been getting better at socializing thanks to the friends he, against all odds, had made. His ability to read was better than ever and his other lessons were rapidly getting easier as a result. He'd improved a lot since his lessons first started.

Nedzu had decided that with all these improvements, Hitoshi was due for an exam at the end of the semester. Both his academics and hero training would be tested, just like all the other hero course students - though his requirements would of course be a bit different. If he could pass, he could be transferred into 1-A as soon as the second semester. He would still take separate remedial lessons at times for subjects such as math and Japanese - a single semester was not enough to make up for years of missed school, no matter how good a teacher Nedzu was - but he'd be a part of all hero training the class partook in, as well as subjects easier for him to join in such as science and history. He'd be able to join the harder classes once Nedzu determined he'd progressed enough in their remedial lessons.

This was huge. This meant Hitoshi had been doing a good job. This meant Hitoshi actually had a chance at becoming a hero. He could hardly believe it. Even with a whole month ahead of him, he had thrown himself fully into his studies. He knew he'd probably have other opportunities if he failed this exam - Principal Nedzu did originally intend for him to transfer at the start of the second year, after all - but he couldn't bear the thought. He could do it. He'd spent so much time trying to catch up to his peers. He needed to know it had paid off.

He perhaps had been studying a little too much because of this. He'd found himself ignoring the class group chat despite being able to read it much better now and even spending his lunch breaks pouring over the material he needed rather than spending time with anyone in 1-A like usual. He really only took breaks anymore when Eri wanted to spend time with him - he could never let her down.