Infectious

ch. 9

Chapter Nine;;- Why Did You Become a Hero?

Even though the world had felt so full of tumult two days ago when the villains attacked USJ, the world went on as usual. They had a day off of school, then the students were thrown back into their ordinary lives. [name] was sure that it probably felt surreal to them-- having such a huge, terrifying thing happen to you in one moment, then the next moment everything is completely normal again.

When the bell rang for homeroom, [name] was feeling the same way. With her injuries healed and the scars added to the collection that littered her body, it was almost as if it had never happened.

She heard Iida yelling at everyone to sit down inside the classroom and the feeling intensified. People aren't kidding when they say kids are resilient, huh? [name] glanced over at Aizawa, frowning at the bandages.

"And you're sure you don't want to stay home and heal? I promise I got the class," [name] reminded him again. This was the third time she had asked him this.

One could practically feel the unimpressed glare from underneath his wrappings. "I'm sure, [surname]. Don't ask again." Before she could answer, he slid open the door and greeted the class.

Sighing, [name] followed his lead. "G'Morning," she said, even though it was mostly overshadowed by the class's awe of Aizawa being there.

"Good to see you well, Aizawa-sensei!" Iida called out. "You too, [surname]-sensei!"

She smiled at him, hoping he would understand the non-verbal thanks, and stepped to the side as Aizawa got onto the podium.

"My welfare isn't important. Your fight is far from over," Aizawa said after he had hobbled his way up. Almost immediately, the students jumped to villains. Maybe they hadn't forgot about the incident as much as it seemed they had. "Yuuei's sports festival is fast approaching!"

After multiple exclamations of how ordinary it was: "We just had that villain attack. You sure about this?" Someone asked. [name] wasn't sure who it was.

"We're absolutely sure. It's necessary to demonstrate that Yuuei's crisis management protocols are sound," [name] said quickly, wanting to snuff their doubts. "Compared to the past years, there'll be five times the police, so don't worry."

Aizawa nodded. "That's the thinking. The sports festival is the greatest opportunity you'll get. It's not an event that can be canceled over a few villains."

It was Mineta who spoke up this time, his voice shaking. "You sure about that? It's just a stupid sports festival."

"Our sports festival is one of Japan's biggest events. The Olympics were once once the world's sports festival, but since that tradition has shrunk to a shell of its former self, as far as Japan is concerned, the Yuuei sports festival has taken place of the Olympics." Aizawa's tone was stern and firm. It sounded like scolding, almost, except from what [name] knew about Aizawa, he was probably just trying to get them to take it seriously because of what a big deal it is and to reassure them that the villains they seemed so worried about were not a problem.

Some murmurs rippled through the students about heroes scouting from the sports festival.

Aizawa picked up on that, probably to get away from the idea of the villains that some of them were still a little nervous about. "Naturally, you'll gain the valuable experience and popularity if you're picked up by a big-name hero, but your time is limited. Show the pros what you're made of here, and you'll make futures for yourselves." The students' faces were growing serious. "This happens once a year, so you've got three chances. If you're hoping to become a hero, this is an event you can't miss!"