"Bye-bye, Aino! See you tomorrow!"
"Please head straight home after your detention. We still need to discuss the incident from earlier.,"
"Girl, you sound like his mother."
"A spooky mother."
"Goodbye, sir."
After the Quirk Apprehension Test, Vlad King had asked his class to return to their classroom for a quick discussion about their results. He displayed their rankings and provided feedback on how they could improve their skills.
While the rankings were somewhat important for assessing their standing in class, Vlad King made it clear that they were not the definitive measure of a student's strength as a hero-in-training.
The blood-themed hero emphasized that being a hero wasn't just about firepower. He encouraged the students not to be discouraged by their test results, reminding them that their time at U.A. would be spent training and studying to become adaptable heroes capable of handling any situation.
With that, Vladking distributed the Hero Student Handbook, instructing the students to take it home and read through it. He explained that the book contained everything they needed to know about the school's rules and the facilities available exclusively to hero course students. He urged them to take full advantage of the training resources provided.
Kinoko and Ibara bid farewell to Ai, who had to stay behind for detention due to his earlier tardiness. Vladking also needed to go over the important details from the orientation that Ai had missed.
Unlike Kinoko, who looked apologetic about leaving their sobbing friend alone with their teacher, Ibara had no such reservations. She even took the opportunity to threaten Aino, warning him to behave himself during his time with Vladking.
The other girls watched the scene unfold with amusement.
Setsuna let out a cackle as she observed the boy tied to his chair with vines, while Ibara gave him a stern '''I'm not mad, just disappointed''' look.
Itsuka shook her head, finding it hard to believe that someone had already landed themselves in detention on the very first day of the school year.
Yui, ever the kind one, handed the sobbing boy a piece of candy while gently patting his head. "There, there"
"You girls should head out now. Tomorrow will be even more demanding than today, so make sure you get proper rest," Vladking instructed.
The girls bowed to their sensei and bid him goodbye before hurrying off to their classroom.
"Hey girls, want to hang out for a bit? We still have time for some quick fries and a drink."
Itsuka and the girls looked at the group of boys waiting for them in the hallway.
Aside from a few absences, almost all the boys in Class 1B were gathered there.
"Kaibara and Tsuburaba here have invited the entire class to visit WcDonald's, the one along the path to U.A. Since we got dismissed pretty early today, I thought this would be a perfect opportunity for us to get to know each other a little better," said Jurota Shishida.
Itsuka had a good impression of the big guy; despite his beastly appearance, he was actually quite gentle and intelligent.
When Itsuka first heard that the two boys were inviting them to hang out, she was ready to reject their invitation, using the excuse that she wanted to train more. She had heard them whispering all day about girls and other things, so she wanted to avoid them for the time being.
However, since it was Jurota who had come up with the idea of a quick get-together, she had no problem going along with it. They were going to spend three years together, so she might as well get acquainted with everyone in her class.
Itsuka looked at the girls behind her, silently asking for their opinions.
Setsuna was quick to agree, running toward the boys and chatting with them.
Pony hesitated a little, but when Reiko spoke to her in English, the horned girl beamed and nodded.
Yui simply nodded, so that probably meant yes. Maybe.
Kinoko tugged on Ibara's arm, asking if she wanted to go.
The vine-haired girl tilted her head thoughtfully before nodding. "We still have time for a quick snack with the class, so I suppose it's okay," she said.
Some of the boys cheered when all the girls agreed to come along.
During the walk, Class 1B was in high spirits, talking and laughing together.
Meanwhile, Setsuna walked beside Ibara, grinning at the vine-haired girl. Her eyes glinted with mischief as she tried to tease her. "Are you sure your boy toy wouldn't be jealous if he found out you were hanging out with some boys without him?"
Ibara rolled her eyes, already noticing the teasing smile etched on her new friend's face.
"I'm with everyone in the class, Setsuna—not just the boys, but everyone."
Ibara took out her phone, typed a quick message, and sent it.
Setsuna chuckled, unfazed that her teasing didn't get the reaction she was expecting.
Then her eyes darted to the small girl clinging to Ibara's arm, and she let out a big smile as she locked onto her new target.
"What about you, Kinoko?"
Kinoko looked at Setsuna in confusion.
"I'm asking if your new boyfriend wouldn't be jealous seeing you hanging out with guys."
"B-Boy... boyfriend!?"
It was instant. Setsuna giggled as she watched the mushroom girl explode in red, repeating the word boyfriend like a broken record. This was the reaction the dinosaur-loving girl had been aiming for.
It took quite some time before Ibara managed to calm her friend down, reprimanding Setsuna for teasing Kinoko and making her flustered.
Setsuna, however, only laughed, waving off Ibara's scolding. "Come on, I was just joking! Kinoko knows that, right?" she said with a grin.
Kinoko, still red-faced, pouted and crossed her arms. "You're so mean, Setsuna…" she mumbled, though there was no real anger in her voice.
Ibara sighed, shaking her head. "Let's just go. The others are waiting."
With that, the group finally made their way toward WcDonald's, the lively chatter of their classmates filling the air. :
---
"Bro, look at those cuties," Itsuka turned in the direction Tsubara was pointing and saw a group of girls walking ahead of them.
"Those are the girls from Class 1-A. I told you they looked hot, didn't I?" Kaibara excitedly provided the identity of the group to his friend.
"My, my, aren't you two a little too excited about checking out girls from another class instead of paying attention to us?" Setsuna brushed her hair back, flicking it while giving the two boys a knowing grin. "Girls hate being ignored, you know. You might have just ruined your chances of dating any of us."
Setsuna cackled as the two boys stumbled, nearly planting their faces on the ground, if not for Jurota, who managed to catch them in time.
Meanwhile, Itsuka shook her head. She had already decided that she would dedicate all her time at U.A. to training and becoming an amazing hero, so dating was not a priority for her.
"I didn't see them at orientation earlier. Their seats were vacant," a smaller guy with a chubby build, whom Itsuka remembered as Nirengeki Shoda, added his two cents to the conversation.
"Their teacher skipped the orientation and went straight to the training ground for the Quirk Apprehension Test. That explosion earlier? That was probably them in the middle of their test."
"How do you know that?" Jurota asked, looking at the boy named Juzo Honenuki, curious about his source of information.
"A neighbor of mine from second year saw them heading to the training ground instead of the orientation hall. Apparently, their homeroom teacher is known for being eccentric."
Juzo glanced at his classmates and continued, "We're kind of lucky. That teacher is infamous for expelling students if they fail to meet his standards."
Everyone in Class 1-B gasped at Juzo's words.
Some were thankful for avoiding that class, while others claimed they would have been up for the challenge. Regardless, the students of Class 1-B continued their walk, chatting amongst themselves.
As they exited U.A.'s protective barrier, Itsuka's eyes were drawn to a familiar face, though she couldn't immediately recall where she had seen the person before.
Standing opposite their position was a little girl, seemingly accompanied by her mother. They both looked frantic, scanning the crowd of students emerging from the U.A. barrier.
Itsuka racked her brain, trying to remember where she had seen them. Then, her eyes widened in realization.
That little girl… She's the same one from the video Principal Nezu showed during orientation when he asked why one of her classmates was late!
She quickened her pace to catch up with Ibara and tell her about the mother and daughter duo.
Ibara looked surprised at the mention and quickly darted her eyes toward the pair. After a moment of observation, she confirmed, "It's the same little girl from the video."
"You guys go ahead. I'll catch up later," she told her classmates. However, despite her words, the entire class chose to stop and wait as Ibara and a few other girls walked toward the mother and daughter.
Noticing the approaching group, the mother held her daughter's hand and stepped forward to meet them.
"Good afternoon," Ibara greeted politely, bowing her head. The woman returned the gesture.
"Are you, by any chance, looking for something or someone?"
The mother nodded and urged the little girl to tell them who they were looking for.
At first, the little girl hid behind her mother's legs, peeking shyly at Ibara and her friends. But after a moment of hesitation, she bravely stepped forward and asked,
"I-I'm looking for K-KyoyaHero. Do you know him?"
Itsuka and the rest of the girls tilted their heads in confusion, trying to recall if there was a pro hero by that name. All U.A. teachers were rather famous, so anyone aiming to attend the school would be familiar with them.
That was why Itsuka, Kinoko, Yui, Setsuna, Pony, and Reiko were wracking their brains, trying to remember if there was a U.A. staff member named KyoyaHero.
Ibara, on the other hand, simply smiled at the little girl. She crouched down to meet her at eye level and gently asked,
"Does KyoyaHero have this hair color?"
She took out her phone and showed the keychain attached to it, a color that matched Ai's hair. Ibara's smile widened when the little girl's eyes lit up, and she eagerly nodded.
"Hmm! Hmm! That color! And, And gold eyes!" the little girl added excitedly.
Itsuka looked at the child, realization dawning on her.
Ibara then opened her phone and showed the little girl a picture of Ai. The moment she saw it, she jumped up in excitement, tugging at her mother's shirt and pointing at the screen.
"He's my friend," Ibara explained with a gentle smile. "But I'm afraid he'll be staying in there for quite some time." She gestured toward U.A. "Did you need something from him?"
The mother hesitated before asking why Ai couldn't come out. Ibara explained that Ai was in detention but reassured her that there was nothing to worry about. She emphasized that helping the little girl earlier had been far more important, and Ai would be just fine.
The mother then explained that her daughter had wanted to come and thank her hero personally and give him a small gift of gratitude.
Ibara looked at the little girl and gently asked, "Would you like to give me the gift? I can pass it on to Ai when I see him, since he won't be coming out for a while."
The little girl nodded and reached into her satchel. She pulled out a misshapen mug with wobbly lines decorating its surface and "KyoyaHero" written on it.
Ibara blinked. There was something oddly familiar about it—it almost resembled Ai's appearance when he transformed into his gentle form. The black glaze of the mug, the colorful lines running through it… it was so undeniably Ai.
The mother explained that the little girl's class had visited a pottery studio, where each children had the chance to make their own mugs. She had made three, and this one was for Ai.
Ibara smiled warmly and accepted the gift. "Thank you. I'll make sure he gets it."
After that, the mother and daughter thanked Ibara once again before bidding their goodbyes.
Ibara secured the gift in her bag and nodded to the girls, signaling them to return to their classmates.
"So… KyoyaHero?" Setsuna asked, unable to hide her amusement.
Ibara quickly covered her mouth to stifle her laughter, her shoulders trembling as she struggled to keep quiet.
"Sorry, sorry," she said between giggles. "It's an inside joke between me and Ai. The child just mispronounced it a little."
The girls nodded, waiting for further explanation.
"I think she meant 'KuyaHero' instead of 'KyoyaHero.'"
Kinoko tilted her head. "KuyaHero?"
Ibara nodded. "Ai's master is from the Philippines, and he spent a lot of time there. 'Kuya' means big or elder brother, so when she said 'KuyaHero,' she meant 'Big Brother Hero.'"
The girls nodded in understanding.
"Not gonna lie, that's actually a pretty cool hero name," Setsuna remarked.
The girls giggled at the thought and continued walking back to their classmates.
Meanwhile, in Class 1-B's Homeroom
"…So that's why it's so complicated. They're siblings, but the more they tease each other, the stronger their feelings grow. And now, it turns out their father has another daughter."
A heavy silence filled the room as Vladking sat at his desk, giving Cementoss a deeply disappointed glare.
"Keep in mind," the boy continued, "this father is basically a waifu factory, sleeping with different women and fathering heroines that the MC will inevitably fall in love with. That is, until the big reveal… that she's actually his sister."
He took a breath before dramatically adding, "The series drags out this storyline for ten whole volumes until, at last, the father drops the ultimate bombshell, the son was actually adopted all along! And oh boy, they take that revelation as an open invitation to go full throttle into horny town. Blah, blah, blah..."
Vladking sighed. The detention had been going smoothly—the boy had promised to behave while listening to his lecture. But then Ken Ishiyama, better known as Cementoss, entered the room, choosing to wait there until the lecture was over.
Unfortunately, midway through, Ken casually asked the boy about his game.
And that was all it took.
The boy immediately launched into a full-blown explanation, passionately diving into the lore of the game he was playing.
No matter how hard Vladking tried to cut him off and steer the lesson back on track, Ai continued his endless monologue about an MC who kept falling in love with his sisters.
Eventually, realizing that he had completely lost the boy's attention, Vlad just sighed in resignation. He grabbed a notebook and began jotting down all the important information Ai had missed during orientation, so at the very least, he could read it at home later.
Meanwhile, Ken sat beside him, looking deeply apologetic.
"I owe you a drink," Ken muttered under his breath.
Vlad King didn't even respond. He just shook his head and kept writing.
End of Chapter 17