All Might should really learn to keep his mouth shut sometimes, since lately, he has noticed that voicing his thoughts always ends with him regretting it.
He already regretted the words he had said to his successor back when young Midoriya asked him if he could be a hero without a quirk.
When All Might got home that day, after taking back what he had said to his successor and offering him his quirk, he was hit by the realization of how callous his words had been when he told his successor to give up on his dream.
Nightmares of young Midoriya ending his life in the very building where All Might had left him that day after crushing the young man's dream had been the source of All Might's unease in the following days. Luckily, it seemed that his successor remained in a positive mindset while working hard to clean the beach.
However, All Might didn't have the courage to ask the young man what he had been thinking at that moment when he left him on the rooftop, so he could only hope that his words had not caused any harm to his successor.
All Might shook that thought from his mind.
The Number One Hero was now rushing toward the training ground, hoping to catch his successor's class in the middle of an assessment test.
Ever since All Might found out that young Midoriya would be under Eraserhead's supervision, the eighth wielder of One for All had been worried about his successor.
It was well known that Eraserhead was notoriously famous for expelling students he deemed to have zero potential. And with young Midoriya's lack of control over One for All, All Might couldn't shake his concerns.
When he reached the training ground, he quickly hid himself as a group of students walked past.
Among them was his successor, supporting his injured hand with his other hand.
All Might furrowed his brows upon seeing Midoriya's state.
"Why are you creeping around my class, All Might?"
The Number One Hero nearly jumped, not noticing that the man had managed to sneak up on him.
"Ah, Eraserhead, there you are. I was just trying to see how the new generation of heroes is doing under your test. I already met with Vlad's students, so I came to meet yours."
All Might tried his best not to flinch as he noticed that Eraserhead was not buying his excuse. Luckily, the tired-looking hero didn't push the issue and simply nodded.
"Oh, by the way, what happened to one of your students? I saw him supporting his injured hand," All Might asked, hoping he didn't sound too suspicious. But the way Eraserhead looked at him made it clear that he had failed.
"Midoriya broke his finger during the throwball test. But he's proven he has potential, so he gets to stay for now."
All Might nodded, mentally cheering for his successor. He might have to ask Nezu for the recording of the exercise he wanted to see how Midoriya had performed.
"So, you just came here to check on Midoriya?" Eraserhead asked, unimpressed.
All Might waved off the assumption. "No, no, I just wanted to see how Class 1-A is doing."
Eraserhead stared at him, clearly not believing a word, but chose to ignore it.
"So, how did the meeting go? I assume it took longer than expected since you came running here."
All Might sighed, remembering the disaster that had unfolded during orientation thanks to the lilac-haired boy.
"You have no idea, Eraserhead. I wish I had skipped orientation too, just like you did."
Eraserhead raised an eyebrow at All Might's exhausted tone.
Flashback A Few Minutes Ago
Ibara had tied herself to her seat with her vines, trying to stop herself from lunging at her best friend.
Across from her, Ai stand in the middle awkwardly, laughing while staring at the image displayed on the large screen.
Ibara could feel her patience slipping away. If it weren't for Kinoko hugging her arm, she might have launched herself at Ai and smacked him.
She wasn't even worried about UA kicking them out. If it happened, she knew Ai's mentor could help them transfer to another hero school.
"Oh no, Ibara, Ai-Aino is in big trouble," Kinoko whispered, bless her heart she still worried about that idiot despite everything.
Itsuka's neck nearly snapped from how fast she turned to look between the lilac-haired boy and the display, unsure what to make of the situation.
Murmurs filled the room. Some students laughed, others sneered at Ai's misfortune, and some were simply amused.
Vlad King tapped his foot, trying to compose himself.
"You see, Mr. Itami," Nezu began after regaining his composure, "while UA does not restrict students from exploring different facets of life, we do ask that they refrain from wearing their UA identification while engaging in questionable activities that could tarnish our reputation."
Nezu zoomed in on the image, revealing that it had amassed thousands of likes.
"Though, interestingly enough, many commenters are calling you 'based' for this," Nezu added.
Ai simply shrugged, laughing. "Sorry about that. Things got hectic, and I tried my best not to cause trouble, but I guess it got out of hand."
Nezu tilted his head. "What exactly were you waiting in line for? The title here is a bit… on the nose."
Ai chuckled and pulled an item from his bag. "Tadaaa! The latest copy of *My Onii-chan Is Always Hard When He Sees Me in Leggings, So I Tease Him Until He Orgasms*!"
A loud slap echoed through the hall as Ibara smacked her forehead, groaning.
Nezu snorted this was getting interesting.
Vlad King stared at the ground, his shoe glued to the cement. He glanced at Cementoss, who gave him a look that said, calm down.
"So," Nezu continued, "do you think it was worth missing your first day at UA the top hero school just to buy this game?"
Ai scratched his cheek. "Not really. Everything should have gone smoothly I planned to grab the game at 5 AM, meaning I had plenty of time to get to UA. But then a villain and a hero decided to have their tango on the national road, causing a traffic jam that delayed the game's release. So… yeah, sorry about that." He glanced at the image on the screen and smirked. "Also, about that photo" He brushed off his uniform. "I didn't think it would be a big deal."
Nezu nodded. "Do you think it was worth it? You could have bought the game the next day. Being a hero is more important than a game, wouldn't you agree?"
Ai shook his head, wagging his finger. "Ah, that's not an option. You see, this particular copy is rare."
He raised a finger. "First, the voice actress for the heroine retired, and this is her last project in this series. *My Onii-chan* is on its 17th volume, meaning it's been running for eight years. After this release, all her voice lines will be AI-generated, based on her voice but it won't be the same."
He raised a second finger. "Second, the first 10,000 copies were signed by the voice actress herself. So, if I wanted a signed copy, I had to get it on release day."
He raised a third finger. "And third… what's the point of being a hero if I can't enjoy peace myself? If being a hero means I can't go out and live my life, then why bother maintaining peace?"
The murmurs in the room grew louder. Nezu, All Might, and the rest of the pro heroes exchanged glances, raising their eyebrows at Ai's words.
Ibara and Kinoko widened their eyes in shock.
The other students had mixed reactions some were thoughtful, others were irritated.
Nezu tilted his head. The boy's perspective was intriguing.
"So, you're saying you wouldn't be a hero if it meant sacrificing your way of life? Isn't being a hero about self-sacrifice?" Nezu pressed, curious to see how Ai would respond.
Ai laughed. "Self-sacrifice is just a glorified way to die. I'm not a big fan."
Many pro heroes furrowed their brows at his words. Although none of them wanted to make that kind of sacrifice, they all understood that sometimes the situation left no other choice. In a profession that required throwing oneself into danger, accepting the possibility of sacrificing one's life to protect others was part of the job.
Needless to say, Ai's statement did not leave a favorable impression on the gathered pros.
Nezu, however, nodded thoughtfully at the boy's words.
"So then, what's the point of you attending the hero course?" Nezu asked, his expression unreadable. "Wouldn't it be better to let someone from Gen ed who wants to be a hero take your spot and place you in General Studies?"
Ai placed both hands on his hips, completely unfazed by the judgmental stares directed at him. "Because it's convenient."
Nezu gestured for him to elaborate.
Ai nodded. "You see, my friends are going to be heroes. That means they're going to put themselves in danger. I need to make sure I can get to them if they need my help and I can't do that legally without a license." He stretched his arms as if loosening up before continuing.
"Also, if I want to finish my education, I need Eve beside me. If she's not in the same class, no one's going to keep me in check, and that would be a disaster."
Ai glanced over at the General Studies section, smirking as he caught sight of their taunting glares. Without hesitation, he raised a hand and waved at them mockingly.
"And I'm sorry to break it to you, sir," he added, turning back to Nezu, "but unless you're willing to lower the standards of the hero course by giving some wannabe failures a pity seat, then by all means give my spot to one of them."
His words sent a wave of tension rippling through the room.
A commotion broke out instantly. Nezu would have chuckled maniacally at the chaos if doing so wouldn't have made him look bad in front of the General Studies students.
The faculty members braced themselves as many General Studies students shot up from their seats, their anger palpable.
Ibara sighed, already resigning herself to the fact that her time at UA might be coming to an end. 'Well… it was fun while it lasted.'
Itsuka's eyes nearly popped out of her head. The sheer 'audacity' of this guy was unreal.
Kinoko did her best to hold back tears. Hearing the furious shouts of the General Studies students directed at her friend made her want to grab Ai and drag him away from this mess.
Vlad King, watching the scene unfold, turned his gaze toward Ai, genuinely curious to hear what reasoning the boy had for making such an inflammatory statement.
All Might, on the other hand, couldn't take his eyes off Ai. He had met plenty of people in his time, but never someone who could completely steal the spotlight from him when he was in the room. Usually, he was the one stealing the show.
Ai, grinning widely, soaked in the hostility directed at him. Ever since he arrived, the General Studies students had been shooting him dirty looks, which he did not appreciate. Now, thanks to Nezu, he had been given the perfect opportunity to throw their attitude right back in their faces.
Unbeknownst to everyone present, Ai's sharp tongue was far from finished.
End of Chapter 11