Ticked Off [Boku No Hero Academia]

2: SPORTS FESTIVAL: SHINSOU

"Wh- wh-what's going on?!" Uraraka exclaimed, round brown eyes staring in surprise at the crowds of students gathered outside the large classroom door.

Izuku paused, just about managing to recall what happened last time as he saw Kacchan stomping towards them, his posture slouched and his features set into a characteristic glower. The boy hastily dashed into the doorway, waving his hands a little awkwardly and offering a grin he hoped didn't betray his nerves.

"It's, um... It's good to see everyone is so enthusiastic about the Sports Festival. I'm looking forward to help show off what UA has to offer! So, um... Let's all do our best!" It wasn't his best speech, but the amount of eyes staring him down made him uneasy, even if he was used to being in the spotlight due to being a popular hero in the alternate timeline.

"I came to see what the famous Class 1-A was like." A familiar voice easily cut over the chatter, deep and drawling, as the owner slipped through the crowd, standing at the front with his hands in his pockets. "You don't look like much. I almost don't believe you won against villains."

"Oh, Hito- you're Shinsou-kun, aren't you? Your Quirk is so cool! Imagine how helpful it could be in a hostage situation, or-" Izuku cut himself off with another sheepish smile, bowing his apologies. "A-ah, sorry! That was rude of me. I'm Midoriya Izuku."

Shinsou raised a slim purple eyebrow, staring down at the other boy with vague interest in his exhausted eyes. "Since you somehow know my Quirk, wouldn't it be fair if I knew yours?"

"Don't you fuckin' dare, Deku." Kacchan growled from somewhere inside the room.

Izuku merely nodded amicably. "You're right. It's strength enhancement!"

The tired student's lips curved up in a faint hint of a smile as he tilted his head, the messy shock of lavender-hued hair shifting with gravity. "You'd better make it to the finals, Midoriya-kun; you seem like a worthy opponent I'd like to beat."

"You too, Shinsou-kun!"

Only when Kacchan started yelling at the crowd did the people start to disperse. Izuku comfortably settled into step besides Uraraka and Iida, happy that he'd been able to make a good first impression on everyone – especially Shinsou.

*

Following the footsteps of the other timeline served him well, keeping the audience and some students curious about his Quirk in the first race. He put on a good show by collecting up mines and soaring through the air in a blast of pink smoke, falling with style and sailing smoothly into first place. The temptation to use his Quirk grew stronger with every passing minute, because he knew that he could easily sprint towards or away from anything he wanted without anyone being able to stop him.

Few things changed when it came to the cavalry battle and his one million points bounty, but it was mostly just apologetic glances from other students when he caught their eye with the hope of teaming up since he'd made a good impression on many of them. Shinsou looked like he was tempted to approach the boy, but stopped at the last second. Izuku partially wanted to warn Ojiro about the purple-haired student's Quirk beforehand, however it didn't really feel fair to force Shinsou to lose the element of surprise, even if it was entirely justified to tell his classmates.