More time passed quietly, but the hero students had a feeling that wasn't going to last. Joint training was coming up again soon, and it was going to be longer this time. The LOV was strangely silent, other than Kurogiri getting captured.

The monotony was broken one day by a breaking news coverage coming on while some of the students were watching TV. Todoroki was among them, and they all started when a Nomu appeared on screen. Then, Endeavor appeared fighting it... and they all looked at Todoroki.

Momo swallowed. He didn't look so good. He was just standing there, staring at the TV.

"Uh... should we do something?" Kaminari hissed. 

"What the frick would we do?" Sero hissed back, "He's probably fine."

Wally came in to get snacks, took one look at Todoroki, and then at the TV. "Is that Endeavor?"

Momo nodded at him. 

"Holy crap..." Wally said, "Hey, uh, kid, are you okay?" 

Todoroki didn't even answer.

"Mr. West," Momo mouthed, "What should we do?" 

Wally held up a finger for her to wait, then he was gone for a second. Then a second later, he was there with Shine, who was holding Eri.

"Huh, why did you bring her?" Sero frowned.

Eri looked at them all strangely. 

"I'm going to take Eri upstairs," Shine said. She hurried off. A minute later she came back. The fight was still going on. Todoroki was still transfixed. 

"What are you going to do?" Kaminari asked, tactlessly, but Todoroki still wasn't listening.

"For now, we wait," Shine said, watching the screen, "If we tried to touch him he'd probably set us on fire."

A few more agonizing minutes dragged by. Wally began pacing, Shine had her hands folded like people do when they pray. The others just sat or stood very quietly.

Finally, Endeavor shot up into the sky with the Nomu, and no one could tell what was happening, but fire and heat flaring were visible. His fire even turned blue.

Watching this, Shine suddenly blinked, then she glanced at Todoroki... and frowned.

A few more minutes afterward, Endeavor had fallen back to Earth...and apparently, he was still alive. He even gestured at the camera. 

Todoroki let out a long sigh and sank to his knees, like all the energy had gone out of him.

The others looked at him with concern. Wally moved over and sat down next to him.

"Buddy, are you okay?"

Todoroki nodded. He didn't look okay.

Shine looked up. "Can one of you make some tea?"

Momo dashed into the kitchen so eagerly it was almost pathetic. "And a blanket...Like, I don't think he'd like me going into this room, but one of you boys," Shine said.

Sero obliged. 

"Here, sit on the couch, kid," Wally got Todoroki off the floor, he didn't fight him.

Shine pulled out something from her pocket: an old fashioned ipod from the looks of it. "Anyone have a plug-in speaker?"

Kaminari did. He fetched it. Shine put on background music that was quiet.

Todoroki began to revive slightly after Momo brought out some tea. "I'm okay," he said, "You all don't have to do this."

"It's no trouble," Momo said. Momo would have stayed up all night making tea for anyone who looked as close to a breakdown as Todoroki did. 

"It's not like it's normal to see that on TV," Shine said softly, "Believe it or not, something similar once happened to me. And Wally, you get it all the time... So surreal."

"At least he's okay," Wally said. 

"Yeah, except for his face," Kaminari said. 

Wally elbowed him. "Dude," he hissed.

Deku seemed bothered by not being able to do anything. "Can we help in any other way?" he asked.

"At a time like this, we should all just stop staring at him," Shine said ,"Maybe even go away, except for a few people. Deku, you're friends, right? You want to sit with him a while?"

"Uh, okay," Deku said nervously. 

"The rest of you clear out," Shine said, "It's overwhelming to have a crowd."

She got up and Wally did too. The other boys and girls left, Momo a bit more hesitantly, but she didn't think she'd be of any help... Todoroki wouldn't have made her leave, but he did feel better once far less people were present.

After a bit, he nodded at Deku. "I'm fine now."

Deku had been sitting there without being able to think of anything helpful to say for a while, so he was glad to hear this.

"Good... uh...yeah, that was really something." 

"Yeah--" Todoroki's phone buzzed. He held it up. "My sister... She must have seen what just happened, excuse me." He went out into the courtyard.

Later, the class talked about Endeavor at length, and whether they felt any better or worse about him. Most of them didn't know enough about his past with Todoroki to hate him. The only two who did were Bakugo and Midoriya, and they didn't really think about that. Bakugo had nothing to say on the matter, period. 

Shine had given Eri some picture books to look at while she dealt with the situation, and she decided to keep Eri at the dorms for the rest of the day till Aizawa appeared, then she told him what happened. 

"Sounds like you handled it," Aizawa said. 

"Don't your students get any training in this area?" Shine asked.

"First Aid and Rescue training cover it, but this wasn't an emergency," Aizawa said, "And lately, all you do is criticize me, my students, and UA. May I remind you you are our guest."

"May I remind you that is our choice?" Shine said, "And that you've not been the most gracious of hosts. Now, tell me what the flipping deal with that black monster thing was. Or, so help me, I will go out on the street and start asking people about it."

Aizawa knew that they couldn't keep hiding it. "You've seen news coverage."

"Yes, it's called a nomu or something,and had multiple quirks. I know that," Shine said, "After Deku dropped the name, Wally and I looked it up at the school's library. Amazing, all the free time we have now..." she smirked. 

Aizawa sighed, then began to explain the USJ attack that started all this in some detail. He omitted stuff he though was unimportant, but Shine got the gist of it.

"The one that fought Endeavor was different, though," Aizawa said, "The news hasn't covered it extensively, but it was clearly more intelligent"

"Ew," Shine grimaced, "Like  Grimm but worse. And who's creating these monstrosities?"

"That's classified, Miss Likstar," Aizawa said, "even for me. I know about at much as the news and other heroes have told me. Some villain named All for One was captured. He seemed connected, but that's all I know."

"All for One?" Shine said, "Creepy."

"Very...Are you satisfied?" Aizawa said.

"I wish, just one world, there wasn't some vile psychopath trying to destroy it," Shine said.,"I miss Arindelle..." she sighed, "I guess I'm in the big leagues now. Most DJs don't deal with this stuff."

"Assuming I believe you, why do you deal with it?" Aizawa said.

"I think it's dating Wally, personally," Shine complained, "His world tries to get ended every two years, for crying out loud. It's like it's catching. And no, before you say it, it's not his fault. There's a lot of crazy people there."

"Sounds like a picnic," Aizawa said sarcastically, "And may I ask, why are you terrorizing Shinso now? Is that any of your business?"

"I just gave him some realistic advice," Shine shrugged, "You should give him advice, too, since you clearly work with him." 

"What? Who told you that?" Aizawa gave a start.

"Uh, you know who he is, you're bringing him up to me, and the only way you'd have known that is if he told you because your own students never tell you anything," Shine said, "Except Iida, and he wasn't there. It's pretty obvious you must talk to Shinso. Plus, you have a noncombat type quirk. So does he. Who better to help him? The only reason you made it into the hero course is because you can level the playing field for yourself. We both know that. Well, he could too."

"Why are you interested in  him?" Aizawa said, "Why does it concern you?"

"I'm interested in people's stories, Eraser," Shine waved.,"That's all... I'm sorry, was it bad advice? Or am I just speaking sense?... Then again, I'm asking you. I heard All Might say you hate the Press. But don't think Shinso will get away with bad PR that way you can. A quirk like that, people will villianize him if he doesn't work hard to seem non-threatening to them."

"Is that fair?" Aizawa said.,"If he wants to be threatening, why can't he choose that angle? Some pros do."

"Well, some pros are not too bright," Shine said staunchly, "Doing that dehumanizes you to the public, and you can lose yourself...Sure, more villains are scared that way, but I've never believed going around scaring villains was a valid use of anyone's time, unless they balanced it out with showing care and compassion to the innocents. I'd like to see that encouraged at a gosh-danged hero school, that's for sure."

"It's not even been two months, and you think you know everything about heroes, Likstar," Aizawa said shortly, "How arrogant."

"It's not even been two months, and already all this is apparent," Shine said flatly, "I am scared to know what else I'll find out at this rate... and clearly, UA doesn't want it known. But the public won't be fooled forever, as a wise man of my country once pointed out. {Abraham Lincoln, if you want to know} My question is, what happens to me if I figure it out? And, why are you letting me?"

Aizawa scowled. "Don't imagine I'm letting you do anything. Nezu is in charge of that."

"We both know that's not true," Shine said, "By now you could have gotten us in serious trouble. I enjoy these little tete a tete's we keep having, but I confess, I'm getting curious. Could it be that, maybe, some of what we're saying is striking a chord with you?"

Aizawa just scowled further. "I don't have time for this. Just stay away from Shinso, if you can't control yourself."

"You make it sound like I hurt him," Shine rolled her eyes, "And FYI, he started it. With Bakugo. Maybe try telling him not to pick fights with other hero students...By they way, why do you allow that? Bakugo's way of talking to the others is unacceptable."

"Try controlling him," Aizawa said with the weariness of an overworked teacher.

"I actually find it rather easy," Shine said casually, "He seems teachable. I think you just don't give a crap."

Aizawa looked up sharply. "Don't question my concerns. You are not their teacher."

Shine's eyes gleamed. "Well, fine," she said, "But, I do have a well behaved class, and I know how to deal with brats-- or, whatever Bakugo is. Don't get me wrong, I kind of like the kid myself, but I have a much thicker skin that those 1-B people... I believe you teachers like the competition. You let Bakugo do it so they'll want to beat him more. You want Shinso to be pushed harder. It's your whole mantra, to go higher and higher and higher into the very clouds."

She was right... and Aizawa wondered how she got all that so quickly when the students didn't. She was glaring at him too.

"You have an issue with that?" Aizawa said dryly, "And you're going to tell me, though I couldn't care less about it."

"You scare your class regularly, and I can't voice my opinion on the strategy?" Shine said, "I put up with your crap for weeks, you know. I earned it. " She drummed her fingers on his desk. He shoved them off with a file holder. 

"I think UA pushes their students too hard," Shine said, "This entire culture is obsessed with being the best. I hear it all over this dang school--not just in the hero course. And I can't figure out what the deal is. I believe in excellence, to be sure, but not everyone can be the best at the same thing, and it's not realistic to push so many diversely talented individuals to do so. Quirks are so unique they cannot be ranked or rated like other talents. It's like trying to rank different kinds of music. It's a personal preference, and we both know, circumstances alone dictate how useful the average quirk is. Yet these kids are sorted and pressured within an inch of their lives, then, after a hard experience happens like that rescue mission for Eri, you don't ease up or reward them, you double down and guilt trip the 1-A kids, who've taken the hits for this whole danged school. And let the other students think they somehow have the right to look down on them, all to push them to be the best heroes they can be?"

She frowned. "If I didn't know you, I'd tell you to get bent for treating anyone, let alone a teenager and student, with that kind of callousness. As I do know you, I can't quite figure out why you would willingly participate in this. Explain it to me, Aizawa."

"Likstar, you can't begin to understand the pressure of being a hero," Aizawa said, "This is all to prepare them."

"Sure, I understand it," Shine said, "Again, I date one. If there's one thing I learned from hanging around Wally and his friends, it's that it's imperative heroes have time to not be heroes. Not be on all the time...When they don't take that time, they snap. Badly. You know why Wally needs me? I give him a reason to be normal...human... just like his friends do. And, I'd like to know why UA can push the student so hard, while they take it so dang easy themselves."

"Excuse me? We put our lives on the line for these students," Aizawa said. 

"No, you put your life on the line for them," Shine said dryly, "Most of the staff here doesn't do jack for them. Nezu certainly doesn't. It's like you're playing these twisted mind games with them all the time, and they can't even win... That's not real life, and it's not good. You will make them unsatisfied with every victory they have... In fact, I already see signs of that happening. This isn't hard to figure out, Aizawa. Do you know that Deku can't admit to having human weaknesses? That Bakugo cannot have a normal conversation with anyone in the class? That Momo is jumpy and worried about her classmates well-being constantly, and I don't mean in a normal way. Todoroki is suspicious of every adult he knows, from what I can tell. I could go on, and mention Mineta, and Tokoyami, but I don't know if I really need to. Not to mention 1-B's not much better."

She sighed. "I like some of them quite a lot, but they are the most paranoid bunch of highschoolers I ever met. Which must be partly UA's doing--I can't imagine they were all that way when they arrived."

"Whatever you're seeing, they are also the strongest bunch of first years ever to be in this hero course," Aizawa said.

"Their strength is brittle," Shine said, "One tap and it'll go to pieces... I could do it myself, had I a wish to tear this school apart, but I don't. It would be so horribly simple that I keep waiting for the axe to fall, myself. Do you think I want it to? The last thing I want to see is that happen to a kid... Why do you get this with Eri, but not with your own students?"

That actually had some effect. Aizawa flinched. "You can't compare--"

"I can," Shine said, "It's a good comparison."

Silence. 

"That will be all," Aizawa rubbed his eyes.

Shine stood up. "I won't keep wasting my breath if you don't want to hear this, but something is going to happen soon if things don't change around here, and it won't be glossed over, and you can't put a band-aid on a gaping wound."

She walked out of the room.

That evening, Todoroki stayed in his room, thinking, and someone knocked on the door. "Come in," he said.

Shine opened to the door, carrying a tray. "You didn't come down for dinner, so we made you some," She said. 

"I'm really fine..." Todoroki noticed it was soba, "I mean... thanks, I guess..." He took it.

"I didn't know how to make it, so Momo showed me," Shine said, "It wasn't too hard...I don't really like it myself, but, to each their own. I'll leave you to it." She slipped out.

That was nice of Momo, Todoroki thought, and Miss Likstar too for that matter...

Momo was actually a wreck. She confided to Shine that it was nerve wracking "not to be able to do anything to help her classmates." Shine could only think that what she said to Aizawa was only too true. She tried to comfort Momo.

"You did plenty, really. It doesn't take a lot to make an impression at a time like this."

"You two knew what to do," Momo said.

"Oh, we've seen enough disasters to know how it goes. There's no perfect approach anyway," Shine said.

Momo sniffed. "Yeah, I suppose... It's just so frustrating as heroes... I'm sorry, I shouldn't be burdening you with this." 

"Sister," Shine said, "you have no idea how good it feels to hear this. Please, keep going," she leaned on the bed post, "It's a relief for me. You all keep it together constantly. You're the only one who ever tells me what you're feeling."

"I'm pathetic," Momo sniffed, grabbing a tissue. 

Shine hit her with her own pillow. "Stop staying that! You are not pathetic! Sheesh, you're only the nicest person in the class... You need to ease up on yourself."

Momo only cried harder. Shine started patting her back gently. "It's okay," she said gently. 

"Hey, it's okay if you're not okay right now 

You have plenty of time to figure it out ...

 And I already can't wait to see how you'll grow ...

 And I'll tell you all of the things I love about you

I'll tell you about all the times that I've smiled because of you 

And you'll realize

It's okay if you're not okay right now"

Eventually Momo stopped crying and fell asleep. Shine left the room as silently as possible.