The next day, I walk with Mic to school, hoping to get there early enough that I can't be bombarded by everyone at once. He uses the time to discuss Panic with me. 

Apparently the sound triggers something in people's brains that activates the desire to go somewhere safe. Wherever that person deems "safe" is where they will go. Of course, this helps get civilians away from danger, but I was confused as to why it helps in a battle. 

"Only an idiot would think they're safe when they're fighting. Heroes know that we're stronger together and that it's a smart plan to…ya know, make a plan! That's why all the heroes retreated to meet up," he explains as we walk. 

"As for the villains, you have to understand that they're not stupid. Their intentions may not be morally correct, but they often are very intelligent. At least intelligent enough to know that when they're out in the open, they're never safe. They have to stay vigilant, yo!"

"Which is why they retreated," I sign. I've been going back to sign language, at least with those that understand it, since the internship finished. "They all went to their hideouts and stuff."

"Exactly!" Mic cheers, giving me a fist bump. "Yo, we should work on this and maybe next time, we can get some trackers on 'em before they can escape. The League would lead us right to their headquarters!"

I motion for him to quiet down. I don't really want for him to be spouting plans out in the open where anyone can hear. We don't know who's listening. He seems to get the hint and changes the subject to my performance and how I'm gonna react to my new fans. 

"I'm just gonna act normal," I respond. "I mean I'm a person and so are they, so why would I need to act any different?"

He just smiles knowingly and ruffles my hair. "You have so much to learn about fame, kiddo. Good luck!"

He stops in front of UA and pushes me forward before anyone can see us walking in together. Shockingly enough, when I walk inside the building, I get stopped by a few people even in the hallway. 

"Hey!!" A third year girl squeals as she leaves her group and bounds over to me, periwinkle hair swinging. I immediately shrink into myself. "Aren't you that hero in training who did that big dance number this past week?!?"

I nod nervously, still walking to try and get past her, but a giant muscled chest blocks my way. I stumble back to not run straight into it. Looking up, I have to do a double take to make sure it isn't All Might in a UA uniform. This boy looks so similar. "That's a good way to get yourself noticed!" He winks, bending down and putting his face inches from mine, his eye dangerously close. I can almost feel his eyelashes on mine. "I'll certainly be keeping an eye out for you!"

I once again stumble back, but the girl places a hand on my shoulder to keep me from running away. "Don't mind him! He's just friendly!"

Third years are insane. Should I consider switching courses?

"You're making her uncomfortable," a quiet trembling voice says from somewhere, but I can't place it. The two friends, however, know exactly where to look. They glance over at a raven haired boy who is sitting (actually sitting) with his knees pressed up against his chest, facing the wall. Pointed ears, much like an elf's poke out from his hair. I notice his entire body is shaking, but his friends either don't notice or don't care. 

"Aww, c'mon!" The blond boy says, blue eyes twinkling. He throws an arm over my shoulder which I immediately try to twist my way out from. "We're just supporting our rising heroes!"

I finally get out of the third year's grasp. Sending a thankful look over my shoulder at the trembling boy, who doesn't seem to notice, I run down the hall and up to our classroom. I ignore anybody else who tries to stop me in the hallway. And trust me, there are plenty of people trying to get my attention.

Sure, that was probably a little mean, but they were being much too forward. 

At least, I ignore everyone else until I round a corner and run into someone. When I look up, I'm relieved to see Shoji.

"Hey, Yamada," he says, turning around to look at me. "Are you okay?"

I push my flyaway hairs out of my face and nod, illusing, "yeah, just running away from people who recognized me. This whole getting recognized thing is a lot harder than I thought. Third years are weird, dude."

He chuckles as I lean over to take some deep breaths. Recovery Girl didn't want to use her quirk too much on me and, as a result, the damage my lungs had attained from the smoke inhalation hadn't been entirely healed. She said I would be short of breath for a few days, but it was to a point where it would heal by itself.

Shoji takes off his backpack and turns around, kneeling down. "Hop on. You look a little worn out from running. I'll make sure nobody bugs you."

I just about collapse in gratitude, letting him lift me in a piggy back. And this, ladies and gents, is why I always wear shorts under this skirt. "Thank you so much!"

"It's no problem," he says, taking the stairs slowly so I won't bounce uncomfortably on his back. "How many more times do you think I'll have to save you from crowds?"

I stifle a giggle, thinking back to the cafeteria evacuation, cavalry battle, and the quirk training before the internships when he gave me food because I was having a rough day. "Another few times at the very least," I quip, setting my chin on his shoulder and squeezing him in a hug from behind. "You're just my knight in shining armor, aren't you?"

He scoffs and shakes his head, but his eyes are alight with amusement. "I'd say my hair shines brighter than my armor," he says, his tone dripping with sarcasm as he dramatically tosses his silver locks to the side.

"Okay, Aoyama," I retort, laughing as we approach the door to our class. "Thanks again."

He sets me down on the floor and puts his backpack on. "It's no problem. You ready to face them?" He asks, gesturing to the room.

"It's now or never." I push open the door to see much of my class has already arrived. They must've all wanted to catch up with everyone after their internships. I try to sneak back to my seat under the cover of Sero and Kirishima's laughter, but I glance over my shoulder when I hear a familiar voice that's uncharacteristically quiet. 

"Stop laughing," Bakugo says, twitching from anger. I'm confused for a moment before I see his hair. It's combed down and brushed out of his face in a side part. He looks like a frat boy! In my shocked state, I trip over a desk and stumble to right myself, cackling with laughter. "My hair's gotten used to this and I can't get it back the right way. Did you not hear me? I'll kill you both."

I find myself laughing even harder at his docile tone. I illuse across the room, "now, now, Ducky, isn't that a little harsh?"

In an instant, his hair explodes back to its spiky state. His voice reverts back to screaming, "WHAT DID YOU CALL ME?!?"

Still absolutely losing it, Sero and Kirishima point to his head, shouting, "there it goes!!"

Bakugo climbs over his desk to attack them while I walk over to my own seat. I nod politely at Todoroki, Midoriya, and Iida who are gathered around the half and half boy's desk. I tune out everybody for a moment, but soon find everyone looking back at the three boys. 

"Oh yeah! The Hero Killer!" Sero pipes up from where he's been horse collared by Bakugo. 

"Glad you guys made it back alive, seriously!" Kirishima says from the same position on the explosive boy's other side. 

"I worried about you too," Yaoyorozu says, holding a hand to her heart, though I notice she's only looking at Todoroki. Now, I'm not blind. I can see that the other girls in the class definitely have a thing for him. I mean, who wouldn't? But at the same time, it just twists up my insides to know that, when compared to Yaoyorozu, I have no chance. They even look like a perfect couple that belongs in magazines. They're easily some of the most attractive people I've ever met. 

"You were lucky Endeavor showed up and saved you guys," Sato says, leaning up against Yaoyorozu's desk. Immediately, all our classmates start making their way over to the three boys, crowding around them. I choose to stay in my seat, knowing they probably want some space. It takes everything in me to not shove them all away when I see Todoroki's shoulders tense at the boy's statement. 

"So cool!" Hagakure gushes. The boy looks back and forth between them. "Just what I'd expect from the number two hero!"

Todoroki looks down at his desk, hiding his eyes in case they deceive his true feelings. "Yeah, that's right," he says quietly. "He saved us."

It seems as though a weight is lifted off of Midoriya and Iida's shoulders. I'm sure they were concerned about whether or not Todoroki would keep up the lie. I turn back to my desk as the rest of the class discusses the Hero Killer. However, all that's on my mind is our outing yesterday. I can't help but wonder when the next time we get to hang out will be. On one hand, I don't want his father to be so harsh that he's pushing his son out of the house, but on the other, I certainly want a repeat of yesterday. Maybe not the part where I cried, but the part where we actually had fun and got to know each other. 

"It's time for class to begin!" Iida shouts, shocking me out of my thoughts. I jump in my seat, turning to see him with his hands in the air. "Everyone, please take your seats!"

The class begins mumbling amongst themselves as they head towards their desks, ignoring our class rep's babbling. Our usual morning classes pass as usual, though I find I've forgotten a bit of my math during the internships, so I make a mental note to study that later. Maybe I could get together with Ochaco and we could make a study group or something. We all definitely need to be prepared for our finals. I'll bring it up later. 

Finally, our last morning class is called to an end and we make our way to the cafeteria. On the way, I nudge Kirishima and sign, "hey, I'm gonna have lunch today with Ochaco, but I'll sit with you guys tomorrow. I just feel like I haven't been spending enough time with her lately."

He sends me a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about it. I know she's your friend too! Oh, I almost forgot!" He wraps me in a side hug as we walk. "I'm glad that you're okay! That nomu situation had me sorta freaked out. I know we were all really worried about you. I guess I'm just tryna say I missed ya."

I squeeze him back, wanting to assure him that I'm okay through the action. We pull away, but keep an arm wrapped around each other. I can't imagine how worried he was, but I know this is making him feel better, so I let him leave his arm over my shoulders as we enter the cafeteria and go to the food line. 

When we get to the front, I pull away to order and pay, waving to him as I grab my tray and walk over to my other friend's table. I sit next to Ochaco with Tsu on her other side, across from Todoroki, Midoriya, and Iida. I silently eat my rice and broccoli as I listen to them discussing their internships. 

"I thought it was very enlightening," Ochaco says, seeming to exude a dangerous aura as she punches the air. I notice her punches have become quicker and more precise. She quickly returns to her bubbly personality. "Not to mention, Gunhead was a real sweetheart!" 

"My mentor was pretty cool too," Tsu says, placing a finger on her chin thoughtfully. "Though he mostly had me keep up the ship, we did catch some drug smugglers."

"How intriguing," Iida says. "I learned much about running an agency and all the logistics behind it. I only hope I can honorably follow in my brother's footsteps."

"I'm sure you'll do your family proud, Iida," Midoriya chirps. 

"What about you, Todoroki?" Tsu asks. 

We all turn to the boy as he takes his time finishing his current mouthful of food. "I'd say I learned a fair deal over the past week," he says simply, immediately going back to eating in silence. I smile to myself, hoping he's not only talking about his internship. 

I can't miss all the eyes on me as students pass by. A group of second year business class girls walks by. All of them turn away and whisper to themselves when I glance their way.

I spot a mess of lavender hair walking over to an empty table. Pretending to listen while Iida explains the legal requirements of a pro agency, I illuse right in Shinso's ear, "don't you dare think you're sitting by yourself."

I watch as he jumps, looking around to see who spoke to him. After a brief second, he seems to realize it was me and scans all the tables. When his gaze meets mine, I give him a little wave. He rolls his eyes and makes his way over. 

"Where're you looking, Koto?" Ochaco asks. Everyone immediately follows my gaze to see the tall boy walking over to us. 

"This is Shinso," I illuse as he arrives at our table. "I interned with him."

"You're the one who fought against Midoriya in the festival, right?" Tsu asks. 

"Yeah!" Midoriya responds quickly, already getting out his notebook. "I was meaning to ask you about your quirk. I would've done it in the hospital, but I didn't have my notebook with me. I've already portioned out a section for you, I just need to ask you a few things to fill in the information."

"Oh, umm… Yeah sure," Shinso says, setting his tray down next to mine. 

I smile to myself as Midoriya peppers him with questions, the others piping in occasionally. I find it mildly amusing to see him so taken aback, but it's also very heartwarming to see them showing that they care. I know Shinso was worried about them thinking his quirk is villainous, but I knew these guys would be welcoming to him. 

I try to pay attention, but my skin crawls, knowing so many people are watching and talking about me. My eyes flick over to a table of support class students. They look between me and their tablet, playing a video of my performance. A couple boys argue before sketching on the notepad between them. I look down at my plate, letting my hair shield my face.

Todoroki and I eat quietly as the rest of the group fires question after question at the new boy, forcing him significantly out of his comfort zone, I can tell. I notice he glances over at my tray briefly, waiting until Midoriya is writing in his notebook and mumbling to himself to bring up what's on his mind. 

"How are you not still sick of vegetables?" The purple haired boy asks me. 

I glance down at the broccoli floret in my chopsticks and respond by illusing, "I don't know. I guess I've just been used to it for so long since this is my usual lunch."

"What do you mean? Did you guys only eat vegetables during your internship?" Tsu asks. 

I nod. "Yeah, Nyikang had a greenhouse and everyday, we would have to pick and cook our own food."

Shinso adds, "I think he's a vegetarian or a vegan cause it didn't seem to bother him that that's all we ate."

"I mean, he never ate with us, though. So who knows? He could've been in his office, eating from a secret stash of beef jerky and laughing at us."

Midoriya flips to a new page in his notebook and starts making notes. "Wait, you said he never ate with you guys?"

"Yeah," Shinso nods, his gravity defying hair waving softly as he does so. "Yamada pointed out that he never took his helmet off around us either. Since he would need to take it off to eat, we figured he just didn't want us to see his face."

"Intriguing," Midoriya says, tapping his pencil against the table before hunching over and writing furiously as he mumbles. 

"There he goes again," Tsu says blandly, going back to eating her own food. 

Iida opens his mouth to speak, but Midoriya pops up and hastily asks, "you guys had to cook everything?"

"Yeah, he said every hero should have at least some skill when it comes to cooking," I illuse, taking a sip of my lemonade. "But it took a little longer since I had to teach Shinso. I can almost trust him with a knife now."

"Hey, I'm not that bad," he refutes.

"Maybe not now, but the moment you said, 'you don't need to watch over my shoulder. I'll be fine,'" I illuse his voice to mock him, "you cut your finger, so I wouldn't apply to culinary school anytime soon if I were you."

He just scoffs and goes back to eating his food. I glance across the table to see Todoroki has put his bowl down and is staring at me with a pensive expression. I smile at him, but he just goes back to eating his cold soba noodles. 

That was strange, I think, going back to my own food. But I guess it's normal for him. Maybe I can ask him what that was about later.

After lunch, I stand with the rest of the table as we bring our trays to the trash. I feel the eyes on me as I walk. When we exit the cafeteria, Shinso nudges me and falls to the back of the group as we start up the stairs. I slow down to walk beside him. 

"Look, it was nice and all," he says quietly, "but you don't have to pity me. I don't need you to try to make friends for me. It's honestly a little insulting."

"Wait," I illuse after him as he turns the corner and walks away. Ugh. I didn't mean it like that. Of course I wanted him to make friends. And I thought he would get along with those guys. It seemed to go fine. He's completely overreacting! All I did was invite him to sit with us. Sure, I hoped he would make friends, but is that so wrong?

I'm snapped out of my thoughts when I walk straight into Iida's back. I stumble back a little and illuse, "sorry," before rushing into our classroom and taking my seat.