Once More (My Hero Academia)

34: Unsurprising

The next four days of the internship week went by quickly.

Sir Nighteye worked with his sidekicks and Izuku to research the Shie Hassakai. With the help of Izuku's notes (unbeknownst to the sidekicks, of course), the agency gathered enough information to get a basic understanding of what was happening to Eri.

On the last day of the internship, Izuku stepped into Nighteye's office.

"You leaving?" Sir Nighteye asked without looking up from a stack of reports on the Shie Hassakai.

"Yes, Sir," Izuku nodded, "Do you think we'll be able to carry out the rescue plan?"

"I still need time to decide about that. But the best case scenario is... it can happen in the next month or two."

Izuku tightened his grip around his costume case, "Understood."

The hero looked up from his papers and adjusted his glasses.

"Midoriya. On the first day of the internship, you asked me why I gave you an offer. Well..."

He looked toward his wall at the All Might poster.

"I was impressed," he continued, "Specifically by how you raised your fist. That was the tipping point."

Izuku followed the hero's gaze to the picture of his predecessor.

Because Izuku wasn't looking at Nighteye, he couldn't tell if there was a smile in Sir's voice when he said, "Thus, I wanted to ensure that you would become the best successor you could be."

•••

"Pfft... HAHAHAHAHA!!!" Kirishima's laughter boomed in the classroom, followed by Sero's strangled giggling, "Holy crap! What the heck, Bakugo?! What on Earth did Best Jeanist do to you?!"

"SHUT THE HELL UP YOU MORONS!! I'LL KILL YOU BOTH!"

"I'd like to see you try, pretty boy!!"

"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME?!" Bakugo roared, his slick-back hair instantly exploding back into its spiky form.

"Iida! Todoroki!" Mina squealed, "Did you two actually get caught up in the fight with Stain?!"

Iida and Todoroki both nodded.

"How did you guys make it back alive?" Kirishima asked.

"Endeavor saved you guys, right?" Hagakure said.

"...Uh, yeah," Todoroki replied, "He did."

"Dude," Kaminari pulled up a video on his phone, "Stain's gone viral!"

Izuku stood from his chair, "May I see the video, too?"

"Sure," Kaminari set his phone on a desk, and both of them watched the edit of the Hero Killer.

Izuku frowned slightly. The videos differed from his last life since the event changed so much without the nomu attack.

Izuku wondered bitterly if Stain was still going to inspire more villains.

Later in the afternoon, All Might took the class to Field Gamma, the training ground characterized by long winding pipes. Izuku remembered that this lesson was the first time his class learned about his ability to... Well, not break his bones. This time, with a few bounds and leaps, he easily surpassed his classmates and won the race.

By this point, his classmates were not surprised at Izuku being the top student. Bakugo just huffed in annoyance but didn't cause a scene.

Classes and training almost seemed to return to normal...

...Until the very next day.

"Midoriya," Iida said as they found a seat in the cafeteria, "about that day before internship week...when you said I can talk to you if I need it... I apologize for my attitude. I was angry about my brother's injury, but I was wrong to take it out on others."

"Apology accepted. I'm just glad you're OK now," Izuku smiled warmly.

Suddenly, Izuku's smile disappeared when he watched Kaminari sprint toward him like a lightning bolt, zigzagging through the cafeteria crowd.

"What's wrong?" Izuku asked when Kaminari tried to catch his breath next to their lunch table.

"OK, so..." Kaminari gasped for air, "Someone caught a glimpse of the documentation in the teacher's office and mentioned it and told this guy in class B who then told it to this other guy then I heard about it and now the entire school probably knows..."

"Kaminari, what are you talking about?"

"I'm trying to say... you're taking the provisional license exam over the weekend??!!!!"

"What?!" Iida spun toward Izuku. Uraraka, who sat at a nearby table with Asui, also stood up and stared incredulously.

Oh boy.

Izuku didn't really think this part through. But obviously, he would attract attention for his decision sooner or later.

The cafeteria had gone uncomfortably quiet as students glanced at the first-year tables in confusion.

"Yes," Izuku breathed, "I am."

"Are you serious?!" "What?" "That's crazy!"

Murmurs of surprise rippled through the surrounding students.

"Dude," Kaminari initially looked shocked but then laughed, "I don't know if I should be surprised anymore. That's... Pretty damn cool, not gonna lie."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Uraraka scrambled to Izuku, "Why didn't you tell us?"

"I was going to eventually."

"But very few first-years attempt the exam," Iida said, "much less the first semester."

A few tables down, Bakugo just huffed in annoyance again.

Then, before Izuku could explain himself further, a group of students made their way to his table. A crowd was also starting to form.

Oh great, second-year students.

"Midoriya Izuku," the leader of the second-year group, a boy with orange-red hair and a contemptuous glare, approached Izuku. "You're taking the exam over the weekend?"

Izuku stood up from his seat.

"We happen to be taking it on that day, too," the older boy (psychologically younger, considering Izuku's time travel) said, "although, unfortunately, we'll be in different sites since it's a U.A. rule to split up different classes."

Izuku simply raised an eyebrow. The second-year glared even harder but then grinned as if amused.

"What would you say to a sparring match with me?" he sneered, "After school, in Gym Beta."

Now, Izuku recognized him -- Amari Masaru. He wasn't the best student among U.A. second-years, but he was definitely one of the stronger ones. Izuku didn't remember clearly, but this guy might've gotten third or fourth at the sports festival.

"You can turn it down," Uraraka whispered to Izuku, "These people are a year older than us!"

Izuku smiled at Uraraka, then turned his gaze back to the crowd, scanning the second-years and landing on Amari.

"I'll see you after school, then," Izuku said.

A/N: Long time no see, dear readers! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Starting from the provisional license exam, there will be a lot of my original characters since this event didn't happen in the actual series (Amari, for example). Please respect this fact, and I hope you find this new arc interesting. Love you guys and happy holidays!