Chapter 36: Lessons and Lectures
As Izuku walked toward his seat, he felt a familiar pair of eyes on him.
Turning slightly, his gaze met Momo's.
For a brief moment, she seemed uncertain, as if debating something in her mind.
Izuku gave her a small smile and raised a hand in a casual wave.
Momo paused, blinking once. Then, after a second of hesitation, she returned the wave with a small smile of her own.
"Well, that's a good sign."
Satisfied, Izuku turned away and placed his bag on his seat.
But just as he was about to sit down.
He noticed another pair of eyes watching him.
Across the room, Ochaco Uraraka was glancing at him from behind her desk.
Not staring directly, but peeking occasionally, as if trying to see his reaction.
When their eyes met, she froze.
Izuku didn't hesitate.
"Good morning, Uraraka," he greeted casually.
Ochaco straightened immediately. "O-Oh! Morning, Midoriya!"
There was a brief pause, then she rubbed the back of her head. "Uh… you doing okay?"
Izuku raised an eyebrow. "Yeah. Why?"
Ochaco hesitated, glancing at Momo for a split second before quickly shaking her head. "No reason! Just… y'know, wondering!"
Izuku stared at her for a moment, then smiled. "I appreciate it, but I'm fine."
She nodded quickly, then turned back to her desk, clearly flustered.
"Was she worried about Momo? Or was she just awkward about what happened in the exercise?"
Either way, he didn't dwell on it.
Because Iida had arrived.
And he looked serious.
Izuku barely had time to react before Tenya Iida stood directly in front of him, arms crossed.
The class representative stance.
"Here we go."
Iida took a deep breath, adjusting his glasses before speaking.
"Midoriya," he started in a formal tone, "I believe we must have a conversation regarding your actions during the Battle Training exercise."
Izuku resisted the urge to sigh.
Instead, he simply smiled. "Alright, Iida. Go ahead."
Iida nodded, clearing his throat. "As students of U.A. High School, we must remember that our actions reflect not just our personal progress but also the ideals of heroism."
Izuku nodded along.
"While your performance in the exercise was undeniably effective," Iida continued, "it was also far too aggressive."
He pointed toward Momo, who had returned to reading her textbook. "You knocked Yaoyorozu unconscious without even giving her a chance to fight back!"
Izuku remained silent.
Iida straightened. "Our school's motto is 'Plus Ultra' that means to go beyond! But that does not mean we must harm our fellow classmates in the process!"
Izuku let Iida continue, maintaining a calm, polite expression.
"U.A. is a place for us to grow, not to fight each other as if we are enemies!" Iida declared. "And while I understand that you were merely doing your best, I must remind you that a hero must be mindful of the consequences of their actions!"
Iida paused, waiting for a response.
Izuku smiled.
"You're absolutely right, Iida."
Iida froze mid-motion. "I… what?"
Izuku nodded. "I agree with you. I should have been more careful."
Iida's expression twitched slightly. It was clear that he had been expecting more resistance.
After a moment, he quickly regained his composure. "Ah. Well. I am… glad you understand!"
Izuku simply nodded again, still smiling.
With his lecture completed, Iida adjusted his glasses once more.
"Very well! I shall take my seat now," he announced. "Please, do not take my words as scolding. only as a friendly guidance!"
Izuku gave him a thumbs-up. "Got it, dude."
Iida gave a firm nod before returning to his seat.
As soon as he walked away, Kaminari leaned over, whispering.
"Dude, you handled that like a pro."
Izuku smirked. "I try."
With that, he finally sat down.
The classroom had mostly settled by now. The initial tension from Izuku's arrival had faded, and conversations had returned to normal.
But Izuku still had one more thing to do.
Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a bottle of chocolate milk and stood up.
Walking toward Shoto Todoroki, he placed the bottle in front of him before sitting in the chair next to him.
Shoto, who had been idly flipping through a textbook, looked up at Izuku, then at the chilled bottle sitting on his desk.
"...What's this?" he asked, his voice as flat as ever.
Izuku smirked. "A peace offering."
Shoto's heterochromatic eyes flickered between Izuku and the drink before he slowly reached for it.
He turned it in his hands, studying the label.
Then, in a calm tone, he said, "I prefer strawberry milk."
Izuku blinked. Then, after a moment, he let out a small chuckle.
"Seriously?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
Shoto nodded, completely serious. "Yes. Strawberry milk is better."
Izuku shook his head with an amused smile. "Alright then. Next break, I'll get you a strawberry milkshake."
Shoto gave a small nod, taking it as a firm agreement.
Just as their conversation was wrapping up, they both noticed a presence nearby.
The shortest student in Class 1-A was standing right next to Shoto, eyes locked onto the bottle of chocolate milk in his hands.
His expression was a mix of curiosity and hunger.
Shoto turned his head slightly. "…Do you want this?"
Mineta nodded immediately. "Yes. Absolutely."
Without hesitation, Shoto simply handed the bottle over.
"Thanks, man!" Mineta grinned, clutching the drink like a prized possession. "I'll remember this!"
The entire classroom had been watching the exchange, and at that moment and then Laughter erupted.
Kaminari was the first to speak, laughing as he pointed at Mineta. "Dude, were you just waiting for Todoroki to reject the drink?!"
Sero chuckled. "Mineta, you're like a scavenger, man!"
Kirishima grinned. "Todoroki, that was probably the most casual thing I've ever seen you do!"
Mina wiped a tear from her eye. "You didn't even hesitate! Just 'Do you want this?' and handed it over!"
Even Jiro, who usually just rolled her eyes at Mineta's antics, was smirking. "Guess we know how to get Mineta's attention now."
Mineta, unbothered by the teasing, simply opened the bottle and took a deep sip.
"Hey, free chocolate milk is free chocolate milk," he said, looking pleased.
Shoto, meanwhile, remained completely unfazed by the laughter.
"I wasn't going to drink it," he said simply. "It would have gone to waste."
That only made everyone laugh harder.
Izuku, shaking his head with a grin, leaned back in his chair.
"Of all the things that could break the tension today, I didn't expect this."
He glanced at Shoto, who had already returned to flipping through his book like nothing happened.
"Guess I'll be buying that strawberry milkshake soon."
And with that, the classroom finally felt normal again.