All Might's Class 1A

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Toshinori tried to stay up long enough to see that his master was safely home. He really did try, but in the end Gran Torrino's "light workout" proved too much for him and he fell asleep on an armchair in the Livingroom.

"Hey Toshi. About time you got a move on. Gran Torrino isn't kind to people who are late."
Toshinori blinked and opened his eyes to see his master, standing over him. Sunlight streamed through the windows and outlined her in golden light.

She is ok. All for One didn't get her, Toshinori thought sleepily.

"Toshi! You listening to me. Aw well. Guess it doesn't matter. Your butt that is gonna get whopped for this. Not mine," She said, turning away.

Toshinori yawned, rubbed his eyes and shuffled off to the bathroom. He stood under the spray of freezing water from the shower for a moment and then got out, shivering to get dressed in his school uniform.

He went to the kitchen to get breakfast and found his master sitting at the table with her usual mug of black coffee.

Now that he could see more of her, he frowned. She wasn't wearing her normal lounge around the house clothes, a tank top and sweat. She wore her hero costume, a white sleeveless shirt and pants with a black belt and yellow cape.

"I thought you normally patrolled at night," Toshinori said.

"I do. Today is a little different though. I am coming to U.A. with you," She said.

"What?" Toshinori asked.

He pictured his master sitting in a school desk next to him with her arms crossed. Was she so worried about him that she was going to try and play bodyguard?

"Gran Torrino thinks something at U.A. stinks. After poking around a bit last night, I agree. There is something funny going on, but I can't quite tell what it is. I know Principal Nezu well. I am going to talk to him. I am investigating as hero though, which means I gotta use the full outfit," Nana said.

No. You can't poke around U.A. If Ishi sees you... Toshinori thought.

The face he was making must have been worried because his master smiled at him.

"Don't worry about me, kid. The Sports Festivals coming up. It will only be the entire world watching so, no pressure," She said.

And it will only be your life you lose if Ishi reports your snooping back to One for All. No pressure there either, Toshinori thought.

The entire morning came and went.

Toshinori took notes, answered questions, and acted as normal as possible, but he felt like a machine. What did math problems, sentences, or history matter when his future rested on the Sports Festival. What did any of it matter when he need to protect his master from All for One.

"Hey, Toshinori. Do you have a minute?"
Toshinori blinked and looked up to see Ishi standing in front of his desk.

Anger burned through the fog around Toshinori's mind like one of Enji's fireballs. He stood up and shouldered past Ishi.

"No. I don't," he said.

Ishi tried to follow him, but Toshinori pushed his way through the crowd of students headed to lunch and as far away from his classmate as possible.

Some part of his mind recognized that he was acting like a jerk. He didn't care. Ishi was a spy for All for One. He could get Toshinori's master killed by merely reporting her presence. Toshinori wasn't going to be nice to him.

Toshinori went through the line to get his food and realized that Shota and Yamada were nowhere in sight. He must have pushed past them when he was getting away from Ishi.

Scanning the cafeteria for their usual table, Toshinori spotted a familiar face sitting among a group of support students.

"Hey, Jiko," Toshinori said, walking over to the table.

Jiko looked up.

"You remembered me after all," She said.

She slid to the side to make room for him on the bench she sat on and Toshinori put his tray on the table and sat down.

"Hi, I am Toshinori," Toshinori said to the boy across the table.

He had spiky white hair and had what looked like a blueprint spread on the table by his tray. He was muttering under his breath as he looked at it, ignoring his food.

"You will have to forgive him. Hero students aren't the only ones preparing for the festival. We in the support course are trying our hardest as well. Building all kinds of gadgets for the games," She said.

"You are allowed to use support items?" Toshinori asked.

"You mighty hero students can't. Support students can though. It is a great opportunity to for field testing. I myself have several especially interesting surprises I can't wait to show off," Jiko said.

Toshinori thought of the Vertigo inducing band she had worn and shuddered.

"Guess I have to watch then," he said.

"I wouldn't worry too much. Your cool so I won't hit you with anything too nasty. Now red, spiky, and angry over there," Jiko said nodding towards where Enji stood looking at Toshinori with disdain. "I got something extra nice planned for him."

"Remind me never to get on your bad side," Toshinori said.

Jiko grinned.

"If I have my way, this year it won't be a hero student who wins. For the first time in U.A. history, a support student will beat them all single handedly," She said.

"If anyone could do it, you could," Toshinori said sincerely.

Jiko finished her food and stood up from the table.

"From now until the Sports Festival it is go, go, go," She said then she was gone.

Toshinori smiled at her.

She is right. Now isn't the time to lose focus. I have got Shota helping me look out for trouble at the Festival. I don't know enough to predict what All for One will do. So all I can do is focus on the Festival and wait for Ishi to make his move, Toshinori thought. As Jiko said. It is time to go, go, go.

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All the prepwork is done. So next week will kick off with the first event of the Sports Festival! Come back to read all about it in "Solo event."