Capítulo 20: The Calm
"Alright everyone. Settle down." Eraserhead called out as soon as he stepped into the room, sleeping bag balled up under his arm. He looked more irritated than usual, likely because the reporters had been crowding the gate again, and this time one of them actually ended up setting off the gate.
"We have something important to take care of before your first class starts."
The class, already at their desks and mostly silent, halted any conversation at his words. They all stared at him, a slight apprehension in the air as they wondered what he would have them doing.
After the quirk apprehension test on the first day, he'd been pushing them every day since between his assistance in All Might's hero lessons and his own physical fitness exercises.
Despite that though, there hadn't been any more threats of expulsion after the first day, or at least none that were direct. He did warn them all that he was expecting them to give their all in his class. The threat there had been heavily implied.
"It's time to select your class president for the next year."
Most everyone around Izuku seemed to sigh in relief when they realized that Eraser didn't have something difficult or otherwise stressful for them to do. Some of them immediately stood up to declare that they should be chosen.
Eraserhead let them, disappearing behind the podium, presumably to sleep.
Izuku, on the other hand, was trying to figure out what exactly was happening. He had no idea what a 'class president' was. This was the first time he was hearing those words in that combination.
He supposed it was a consequence of never actually going to school, as none of his classmates seemed to be having the same issue. They all continued to shout and exclaim that they would be the best for the job.
From the words themselves, he figured that it was some sort of leadership position for a class. But for what purpose? There were already teachers to lead them, were there not?
It didn't make much sense to him, so he just settled himself further into the corner where his desk sat and resigned himself to researching the topic when he got home. Most of his classmates were vying for the job, so it wasn't likely that he would need to worry about it too much anyway.
The shouting continued until Iida's voice cut through the noise, suggesting that they take a vote to select the person who would act as class president. Surprisingly enough, most everyone went along with it, quieting down and returning to their seats while Iida tore up pieces of paper and passed them out to everyone. This left Izuku staring down at his, wondering what he should do.
If he was correct, and this was for a leadership position within the class, then obviously he should pick the person he felt would do the best job. An obvious candidate would be Iida. He had shown to be a stickler for rules, had good study habits as far as Izuku had seen; showing up early for class every day, taking diligent notes through lessons, and tackling all of their physical exercises with more enthusiasm than even Kirishima. Not to mention that he was the one to suggest the vote in the first place; he was clearly ready and able to take charge of a situation.
Other candidates included Momo and Tsuyu. Momo was obviously intelligent, proficient enough to get in through the recommendation exams, and had an analytical mind. And Tsuyu seemed like the sort of person to keep a level head no matter the situation.
Thinking it over for a minute, he wrote Iida's name down on the slip. Izuku knew more about him than he did the other two, and that made him the better option for an impromptu vote. The only other person he knew more about was Uraraka, and he felt that she likely wouldn't be the best fit. Nor did he think she actually wanted it in the first place. She hadn't been one of the ones to stand and shout when Eraser first made the announcement.
Soon enough, Iida was back to pick up all of the slips and dropped them on Eraser's desk for the hero to tally them up as an unbiased separate party.
Izuku was surprised to see that his name was one of the first to be written up with a vote next to it. He hadn't expected anyone to vote for him. That surprise quickly turned to concern, and then to some amount of dread as the count next to his name continued to rise. He stared at the board, with more exhaustion than anything else, when the tally ended, and his name held the highest number next to it.
"Well it looks like Etsumi is your class president." Eraserhead announced. "Coming in first with six votes. Iida is your vice president with three."
Izuku sighed internally. 'Of course it's me. Let's give the position to the one, single person in the class that doesn't even know what the fucking position is.'
Eraserhead immediately sunk back to the floor, already disappearing back into his sleeping bag. Izuku was glad that at least the hero wasn't going to make him go to the front of the class to speak or anything of the sort, it would take more effort than it was worth to uncurl from the corner, go all the way to the front of the room, then curl back up at his desk. Not to mention that he wouldn't have the faintest idea what to say.
Another sigh as a few of his classmates started congratulating him, none louder than Iida. 'Whatever. This might as well happen. I can't let something so trivial trip me up.'
---
A few classes later, and everyone was heading to lunch. Iida and Uraraka were walking alongside him.
Iida was going on about how much of an honor it was to be the vice president. Something about the legacy of the school and how they had been chosen to represent their class.
Actually, with all of his ranting and droning on about the subject, Izuku was starting to get an idea of what would be expected of him. From what he could tell so far, he was meant to essentially be a liaison between his classmates and the school, and to lead them in general. Informing them of any extracurricular activities or events, and then supervising at said events, for one. He'd still have to look into it once he got home though.
Iida was just getting into how his brother had apparently been class president at some point when he rounded a corner and walked straight into the wall of muscle that was All Might. Izuku, seeing the man coming ahead of time, stopped just in time, pulling Uraraka to stop as well.
"Ah! Young Etsumi!" All Might exclaimed, waving off Iida's apologies with an ever-present smile and a pat on the shoulder. "Just the person I was looking for!"
Izuku raised an eyebrow at the man. "What can I do for you?"
"I was hoping we could speak for a moment before you went off to lunch." He said, pointing a thumb over his shoulder, in the direction of the faculty lounge, Izuku assumed.
"Okay." Izuku responded.
He couldn't think of anything the man would want to talk to him about – actually, no. That was a lie. He could think of several things he might want to discuss with Izuku – but he figured that All Might probably just wanted to meet up with him like they used to. They hadn't had the opportunity to have lunch together since before the entrance exams.
He looked over at Uraraka and Iida. "I'll catch up to you shortly."
"Okay! We'll make sure to save you a spot!" Uraraka said, before leading Iida away.
A moment later, All Might was leading Izuku through the halls. They traveled in silence until, as expected, they reached the faculty lounge.
As soon as the door shut behind them, All Might immediately shrank into his smaller form, releasing a cloud of steam. He led Izuku over to a coffee table, sitting on a couch that sat in front of it while Izuku settled directly across from him. The two sat there in silence for a few short minutes, Yagi resting his chin on his hands, looking like he was lost in his thoughts. Izuku was curious about what had put the man in such a state, but was content to wait until he decided to speak.
"I wanted to talk to you about One for All." Yagi started, cutting through the silence.
"Anything specific, or just in general?" Izuku asked, the corners of his mouth drawing up into a grin. "Because it is an incredibly broad and fascinating topic."
"About potential successors." Yagi said, not drawing into Izuku's attempt to lighten the mood. "We're about a week in to this year. I was wondering if you've seen anyone yet that might be a good fit."
"There are a few." Izuku responded, growing more serious with the topic. "Three, to be exact."
Yagi gestured for him to continue.
"Bakugou, Kirishima, and Uraraka." He said. "But there are issues with each one."
"Bakugou is obviously skilled. The amount of fine control he has over his quirk is astounding, and it's clear that he has the sort of drive necessary to master an additional quirk. Not to mention that he might take to it relatively easily given that his own quirk is an emitter that functions in a similar manner. The only problem is that I have no idea if his personality would fit the role you wish to fill. I don't think I've heard him speak a single word since school began. I know nothing about why he wants to be a hero or why he has the drive that's made him as strong as he is. But other than that, I feel as though he would make a decent successor."
"Uraraka is a potential candidate for similar reasons. Though her quirk doesn't require as much minute control as Bakugou's, she has a similar drive within her that's allowed her to push herself as far as she has, both in her quirk's limits and her learning martial arts. She would have what it takes to master One for All. Her issue, however, also lies in her personality. She would do great things with the quirk, but I feel as though her goals don't match up for what you're looking for. She wants to become a rescue-oriented hero. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm guessing that whoever you choose, you'd want them to eventually fill your role as the Symbol of Peace."
"I would be lying if I said that wasn't part of it." Yagi responded. "Whoever I choose, I'd support them in whatever they decide to do. But if I were looking at two completely identical candidates, and one had the goal of being the top hero and the other wanted to be a support or rescue hero, I'd likely choose the former."
"Exactly." Izuku nodded. "So while Uraraka would be able to handle the quirk and do great things with it, she doesn't have the goal of becoming the greatest hero. She wants to be a rescue hero in order to support herself and her family. Not to mention that I don't know if she'd be willing to accept the quirk when she's gotten so far under her own power."
"Then there's Kirishima. His quirk is a transformation-type which, if I'm correct in my speculation, has the potential to be improved with the addition of One for All. It could also help protect him from any potential backlash when he's learning it. His fighting style matches up closely to yours, closer to boxing than any sort of formal martial arts. He's very open about his desire to be a hero and his personality is easily the brightest in the class. I don't know for sure his reasons for becoming a hero, or his exact potential in terms of how easily he'd be able to master the quirk, but he's a good candidate nonetheless. Actually, because of how open he is, I'd almost be willing to say that he's the best of the three."
"I see." Yagi said after a few moments of silence. "I'll try to keep a closer eye on them in the future."
He sighed. "I'm sorry for having this conversation with you out of the blue like this. It's just been on my mind all day. An associate of mine, one who's aware of my injury and my quirk, has been pushing me to take on his suggestion for a successor and I'm hesitant to do so."
"Is this person's suggestion a worthy candidate?" Izuku asked.
"That's just it. They absolutely are. They're actually a third year here at Yueii. A young man by the name of Mirio Togata. His strength has earned him the title of one of the 'big three' here, and his personality would, and has, allow him to bring hope to whoever he saves."
Izuku quirked an eyebrow. "Then why not go with him? Instead of searching amongst the first years?"
Yagi sighed. "I don't know for sure. I don't want to say spite, but it might be exactly that. This associate of mine has been pushing me, ever since I got this injury," he brought a hand to his side, "to retire and pass my quirk along before it's lost. With how insistent he's been recently, it seems as though it's more about One for All than it is about me. That he simply wants to ensure that it carries on when I'm gone. And as much as I know he reveres me, I imagine that attitude has been passed along to Young Mirio. To the point that the young man likely wouldn't hesitate to accept any offer that comes from All Might himself."
As Izuku listened to Yagi's explanation, he found himself beginning to dislike whoever this 'associate' was – he had a few guesses as to their identity, but nothing certain yet –. He could understand wanting to protect something as special as Yagi's quirk, but with what he was hearing, it sounded like they viewed Yagi as little more than the carrier of the quirk. Not to mention the fact that it sounded almost like they were grooming this Togata person to fit the role.
"If you don't want to, then don't." Izuku said, interrupting All Might, who looked at him questioningly.
"In the end, you're the one who will make the final decision. That's a given with how One for All is even passed along; completely willingly on both sides. If you have doubts about this associate or their suggestion, then all you have to do is say no and they have no right to say anything more about it."
"I suppose." Yagi said. "But I fear he may be right. I should find a successor soon."
"And you will. The year's only just begun. You have plenty of time to find someone. And when you do, I'll be here to help them."
Yagi leaned back on the couch, laying his head back. "I suppose you're right, Etsumi. And I do appreciate your words."
He sighed. "I've simply been thinking about this too much recently. It has been occupying my thoughts. I should focus on other things, such as my teaching duties."
The two lapsed into silence once more, until a minute later, when Yagi suddenly stood up.
"Well, I won't hold you up any longer! I'll let you return to your friends!" He said, a cheerful attitude forced back into his words.
Izuku rose up from where he'd settled. "Alright then. I'll see you later. I trust you'll have something interesting planned for us."
"Maybe not today. Today we will continue our combat lessons. But we do have something interesting planned for the near future that I think you all will enjoy!"
Izuku nodded to him as he moved to the door. "I look forward to it."
---
Izuku settled down next to Uraraka, a bright smile on his face. He was in a good mood after the more serious discussion with Yagi, and not just because he was about to eat gourmet-level Katsudon for lunch. He'd finally gotten his cookbook signed by the Chef Hero: Lunch Rush.
The hero had been somewhat surprised when Izuku showed him the book and made the request, but that had quickly made way for excitement as he all but snatched it from Izuku's hands to sign it. Evidently, it wasn't something that he experienced very often, given that most of his time was spent at Yueii, and the students weren't the type to get into that level of cooking. Since Izuku had come in a bit late, and there wasn't anyone in the line behind him, the two had actually discussed a few of the recipes within the book, both of them listing out their favorites. The conversation even ended with Lunch Rush offering to teach Izuku a few that had never made it into any book, that existed only with him.
His other classmates, consisting of Uraraka, Iida, Tsuyu, Tokoyami, and Ashido, noticed his mood as he settled down. He'd been a little surprised when Ashido started sitting with them, but he hadn't questioned it; she seemed to be trying to make friends with everyone in the class.
"What's got you so excited, Etsumi?" Ashido asked. "I don't think I've seen you this happy since school started."
He held up the cookbook in response, holding open the cover to reveal the signature on the inside.
"Finally got it signed." He said. "I've been wanting to for quite some time. It's fortunate that he happens to work here."
"Oh! Do you like to cook then, Etsumi?" Tsuyu asked.
Izuku ignored the stupidity in that question; would he get a cookbook signed if he didn't enjoy cooking? He was much too happy to even be privately snarky.
He nodded. "I do. I cook all the meals in my home, have for a while, and I've found it quite relaxing. It's also satisfying to start something from scratch and end up with a delicious final product."
"You cook all the meals?" Iida asked. "That is quite admirable of you to take on that responsibility, so your parents don't have to!"
Izuku's smile dropped. Whoops, he was beginning to navigate into questionable territory. Uraraka was already aware of his and Rei's situation considering she lived with them – he could see where her smile had dropped some as well – but none of the others needed to know.
"Sure." He said, forcing the smile back into place. "Let's go with that."
"Anyways." Izuku said, looking to change the subject. "Can we talk about why I somehow ended up as class president? Who even voted for me? Because I know I didn't."
"Oh, I did." Uraraka responded.
"As did I!" Iida said.
"I did too." Tsuyu and Tokoyami said at the same time.
"I uh, actually voted for myself." Ashido said.
Well, that answered part of that question. He'd almost understood Uraraka voting for him, and maybe Iida; he was closest to the two of them after all. But what were the other two thinking? And who were the two that were missing?
"I'm actually inclined to believe that you're the most sensible one here." He said, gesturing at Ashido.
"What are you saying, Etsumi?" Iida questioned. "I'm sure you'll do just fine. You wouldn't have gotten so many votes if other people didn't think that as well."
Izuku just gave him a deadpan stare. "Are you all forgetting that I was homeschooled my entire life? I literally had no idea that a 'class president' was even a thing before today. I've absolutely no idea what I'm even supposed to do."
Iida faltered at that, but it didn't slow him down for long. He very quickly launched into what Izuku felt was about to be a lecture on the duties of a class president.
Before he could get more than a few words out, however, an alarm started blaring through the room, cutting him short. An automated voice screeched out 'Security breach level three! Please evacuate the building!'
The cafeteria was frozen for a full three seconds before everything erupted in chaos as everyone scrambled for the doors.
"Stop." Izuku ordered when he saw his classmates start to follow suit. "Stay in your seats."
"But there's been a security breach!" Uraraka exclaimed. "The intercom told us to evacuate!"
"It said level three." Izuku responded. "That just means that someone unauthorized has gotten past the gates. It doesn't necessarily mean anything else. I wouldn't be surprised if it's simply the reporters outside that decided to do something stupid."
"Besides." He said, gesturing at the clusterfuck that had been formed by the other panicking students trying to get out. "Do you really want to try your luck in all that? I, for one, am content to sit here and finish my lunch. If this breach is serious enough that they, whoever they are, make it here, then I will deal with it as it happens."
To his surprise, they actually listened to him, sitting back down as the alarm continued to blare and the students all crowded the doors.
"We should at least try to do something to calm the students down!" Iida said. "At this rate they're likely to hurt themselves!"
Izuku looked back over at the crowd. Quite a few of them were being sandwiched against the walls. Iida was probably right, it wouldn't do to have this mess go on for much longer. Who knew if someone was being trampled in the middle of all that.
Right then, he felt his phone vibrate. He pulled it out to see Rei messaging him.
"Just a second." He said, directing his attention to the device.
12:58 [Rei]-
-'Are you okay? I just saw that the Yueii security system has been breached.'
12:58 [Izuku]-
-'So far, so good. Haven't seen anything beyond students panicking. Are you able to tell what caused it?'
He waited a minute for her response as she, presumably, checked around.
1:00 [Rei]-
-'The front gate is gone. Looks like it was turned to dust. But it's all just the media standing out there, and it looks like the teachers are already handling it.'
1:00 [Izuku]-
-'Sounds about right. I'll update you if anything else happens. And if you can, please turn off the alarm. It's probably the loudest thing I've ever heard, and easily the most annoying.'
"Right then." Izuku said, putting his phone away and raising himself up from the table, several feet higher than normal. "You all might want to cover your ears."
He saw them all comply fairly quickly, though with looks of confusion.
Pulling on a strength quirk, he spread his arms out to his sides. Then, taking a deep breath, he brought his hands together as hard as he could with an immense clap.
The noise cracked through the room just as the alarm went silent, causing most of the panicking students to stop and cover their ears. With the room now completely silent, they all turned to look at him.
"If you all could kindly shut up and either evacuate calmly, like rational people, or sit back down, it would be much appreciated. There is no intruder, it's just the media being stupid. And the teachers are already handling it."
He looked around at all of them. "You all are students of Yueii. The least you can do is act like it."
With that, he lowered himself back down to the table and picked up his fork to continue working at his meal. He could hear the sound of the other students walking back to their own tables. After a moment, he looked up to see his classmates staring at him.
"Yes?" He said, swallowing a mouthful of food. "Did you need something?"
"That's your answer, Etsumi." Tsuyu said. "That's what a class president does. They lead and set an example."
He quirked an eyebrow at her words, before shrugging. "If you say so."
As he returned to his meal, his mind returned to Rei's message about the gate apparently being turned to dust. Something about that didn't sit right with him. He wasn't sure if it was that detail itself, or if it was something else about the situation.
Either way, he hoped the situation had been handled.
---
Oni stood on one of the many skyscrapers littered through the city. This one in particular was one of the tallest. His head was tilted back, looking up at the stars as he took in the breeze.
Something was wrong.
He didn't know what it was, or if it was even accurate to say 'wrong.' Maybe it would be more fitting to simply say that something felt off. Either way, something in the air was making him anxious and absolutely didn't like the feeling.
He hadn't quite noticed before, but the feeling had started in the Yueii cafeteria with the security breach. The thought about the gate being turned to dust had lingered, shifting and evolving until now his instincts were putting him on alert, even though everything else told him there was nothing around him.
This was part of the reason he'd come up to the tower, to confirm that he was as far away from everything else as he could be.
But despite that, coming all the way up here had actually made it worse. His skin crawled, and he didn't realize that he'd pulled on his claw quirk until his fingers were shifting and sprouting scales. He decided to leave them there for the moment, absentmindedly running scaled fingers against each other.
He took a deep breath, savoring the slight bite of the chilled air.
After a few minutes of standing in place, studying the stars and trying to calm himself, he finally realized what he was feeling. He'd experienced it so many times before, just not from this perspective.
It was the calm before the storm. The final moments of peace before the storm comes along to throw it all into chaos.
Normally, he is that storm. He is the one to disrupt the peace and bring fear and chaos and destruction to the criminals he fights. But now?
Right now, he's the one whose peace will be upturned. Or, at the very least, he isn't on the side bringing the chaos and was standing somewhere in the path of the storm.
He didn't like the feeling.
"Call Shadow." He said. "Let him know I won't be joining him tonight."
"Did something happen?" Rei asked.
He was silent for a few moments, before turning and walking to the edge of the building.
"Not yet."
He dropped off the building, drifting down towards one of the much smaller ones below. For now, he would limit his activities to Musutafu. He didn't want to stray too far from home.
Something was going to happen, something big, and it would happen soon.
Estado de energía semanal
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