The new EMF reader had become a permanent staple to the class as a whole, even to Aizawa. The class wasn't surprised at all to find that the man had become just as fond of Izuku as the rest of them had.
Mei truly was a blessing. A hurricane in human form and a chatterbox with no off switch, but a blessing nonetheless. The new EMF worked like a charm. Izuku was clearer than ever before, and during quiet time - with enough pleading looks and promises to behave - Aizawa would set the EMF reader on his desk, not recording, so they could see the antenna shift about the room like it was attached to an invisible string. Everyone's attention was split between their work and the EMF, and they had to suppress their excitement and nervousness when Izuku hovered close.
Some days, if Aizawa was feeling especially soft, they would have free time to themselves during class. Days where they had proper hero training in the training grounds and days where they had free time to chat with Izuku were the students' favorite. They would all push their desks in a rough circle, put the EMF reader with the person doing the most talking - either Iida, Yaomomo, or on the rare occasion Bakugo - and they would just sit around, relaxing and asking the little ghost any question they could think of while they casually worked on their homework.
Izuku seemed just as appreciative. As soon as class free time would be announced, the lights would buzz and flicker briefly, a clear sign he was excited, and they would laugh and tease as they set up their desks. Aw, someone's excited for some company .
They would ask Izuku minor things at first. Things like his favorite color and food - those paying attention saw Bakugo mouth 'Katsudon' along with Izuku with an exasperated eye roll - and they would teasingly ask who his favorite student was, everyone groaning and laughing in disbelief when Izuku called out " K̢aach̵an! K̴a͟ac͞han! " as the antenna moved over to Bakugo. Kaminari and Kirishima jokingly asked for answers to questions they got stuck on, and looked absolutely thrilled when Izuku gave a correct answer, according to the class president. At least until Aizawa immediately banned asking Izuku for help on homework or tests.
Shinsou, during one of said moments, asked the kid if he knew their names or not, which prompted the entire class to do a roll call of sorts, and Izuku called out Sero, Kirishima, Kaminari, Mina, and Katsuki with childish pride in his voice. The bakusquad squealed and laughed with one another while the others pouted good naturedly.
Bakugo grinned into his palm.
Their questions would turn serious on occasion. Things like if he remembered his living life, if he was happy where he was. Mina was brave enough to ask if Izuku knew All Might or if something had happened, to the slight disapproval of the rest of the class. But Izuku answered honestly, if not vaguely.
" We̢ ̢m̴e͢t on͝ce. ̵B́ad ҉męmo͏ri҉e̛s͝ ͜mák̀e ̕m͢e̴ s̛a̵d,̶ um, but I̴ d̢o̢n'̀t̕ no̕t̕ ͟líke him! "
He wouldn't say anything else on the matter. The class didn't push.
Iida, with a curious smile, asked if Izuku had a favorite teacher yet. When they played back the recording, they all turned to their teacher with swelling hearts.
" Aiza͜w̢a҉! He҉'̵s rea͞ll̕y ̢n͘i̡ce, h̨e̴ ͜st̴ays͝ ̀with̴ me ҉when͝ n̶ob̸ody'̕s he̴rè. "
The new EMF reader was a staple in their classroom. With that being said, there were more than a few close calls with the fragile machine.
Kaminari, after nearly dropping the thing onto the floor and overcharging it twice , was strictly banned by both Bakugo and Yaoyorozu from ever handling it again. Satou almost crushed it by accident, and Mina almost tripped over it during one of the after school chats. Each time the perpetrator would get scolded about being careful, and each time their hearts leaped into their throats when they thought the EMF had been broken. Relief was palpable in the classroom when it was discovered that the machine was safe.
Something had to happen eventually, what with so many kids and so many quirks that came into contact with it on a daily basis.
It was an after school test of sorts. Shinsou and Kaminari were the ones to propose the idea of seeing exactly where Izuku could wander and how far his access to the school could stretch, and when Izuku admitted he had never tried to leave the classroom before out of nerves, he was convinced into trying it out.
With a supervising Aizawa working on papers at his desk, the students slowly left the classroom with the EMF, starting from outside of the doorway. With the device clutched in his hand, Bakugo checked in, and when a fuzzy Stįl̛l̡ ̧h̵e͞re͘! would come through the recording in response the large group would push farther out into the building. They stretched out into the hallway, down the hall, and down the steps, and only then did they get no response from Izuku. They walked back up the stairs and checked in, Izuku greeted them sheepishly, explaining how i̕t̶ ͞ẃas ͘a ̴tu҉ggi͟n͘g̨ f͠èęli̸ng̀ ͝in͢ ̕my͟ t̵ummy,͞ I c̛óu̡lḑn't ̷walķ! , so they pressed onwards, avoiding the floor below.
Much to Izuku's joy, they discovered that he had free rein of the entire floor. As long as he didn't go down a floor - later they learned up wasn't possible either - then he was free to wander. They began their long trek back across the building, letting Izuku ramble in excitement to them via the EMF, stopping him to pause and listen every once in a while. Iida and Yaoyorozu took it upon themselves to point out certain rooms Izuku might find interesting or would enjoy. The staff room happened to be on their floor - Kirishima and Kaminari not-so-subtly asked Izuku to share anything he heard in there - as well as the school library. The trip back was peaceful, uneventful.
When they arrived at 1-A, however, a figure blocked their path inside. It was Monoma, a smug grin painted on his features and his standard pompous air radiated around him.
The second he caught sight of the EMF, his usual taunts were silenced for a little more...personal ones. So self indulgent, he mocked, pointing to the little machine in Bakugo's careful hands. Class 1-A basking in the fact that their own classroom is a curse. Just another reason Class 1-B is so much better - at least we aren't haunted.
The large group as a whole bristled angrily, staring death glares at the smug blonde as he walked past. They began to walk as well, sneers and scowls on their faces as they grumbled to themselves. Just as they crossed, Monoma managed to catch his fellow blonde off guard and rip the EMF out of Bakugo's grip, and he backed away quickly as alarmed shouts and panicked expressions spurred him on. He held it close to his face, making a show of inspecting it and ignoring Kirishima desperately holding a furious Bakugo back.
A toy, Monoma dismissed with a scoff, and chucked the thing behind him. It cracked against the ground, the noise echoing around the suddenly very quiet hallway, and the antenna snapped apart from the mechanism, the soft whirring of the machine fizzling away and dying as something inside of it was dislodged.
There was a moment of total stillness. A calm before the storm, and the storm was Bakugo.
An enraged roar bounced off of the walls. One blast to a distracted Kirishima's side was enough to dislodge the redhead, and Bakugo ran over to Monoma with pounding footsteps, full-on mini explosions popping and crackling in his palms. Monoma turned as white as a sheet, then he turned tail and ran as fast as he was able. The class watched him go, glancing at each other in a silent question as they disappeared around the corner: should we stop him?
The Hero Course didn't move for a moment, most of them figuring no, they shouldn't, but then Iida volunteered to chase after the two - whose footsteps had now been traded with the smell of gunpowder and Monoma's pain-filled shouts - and sped off.
Yaoyorozu looked teary eyed as she scooped up the broken EMF and antenna. She handed the pieces to Uraraka, telling her and Kirishima to go to Mei and see if she was still on campus while she explained what had happened to Aizawa, who was already sliding the door open to glare at them, looking ready to give the lecture of a lifetime.
They hurried to the support course classroom, practically bursting through the doors, and when they spotted a cheerful Mei settled at her usual work station they began shouting all at once, a flurry of noise and mixed words in their rush to explain quickly. Mei shushed them and demanded they explain properly, and when they did, she took the broken pieces and immediately got to work, unscrewing the back cover and taking off the piece that held the antenna in place to scrape out the broken bits of metal still in the cavity.
She worked with the wires, clicking and snapping things back into place, experimentally attempting to turn the device on and off. When it began to whir once again, she clicked it off and walked over to a cabinet, pulling out another set of antenna with a wink in Uraraka and Kirishima's direction. I made backups, just in case .
Mei attached them in their proper place. She handed it back over, softly whirring, and kindly shooed them out, still reassuring them if they needed anything fixed to not hesitate to ask. They headed back to class, solemn, quietly talking to one another about what had transpired and just waiting for the antenna to reveal Izuku's presence.
Unsurprisingly, the second they stepped back onto the floor of their classroom was when the antenna bobbed and weaved in front of them, anxious and full of buzzing energy. Uraraka had it record, told Izuku it was recording, and waited.
" T̡h͠a͢t w̨a͟s so ͏s͞c͟a̧ry! Ca̸n̡ yo͘u̧ hea̛r̀ me̛?̡ W̷hy҉ c҉an't y҉ou he͟ar ́me͡?͟ W̸h́y̡ di̵d͝ h̷e ͜do ̸th͜a҉t͢?̵ Wh͠o ́w̕a̴s̸ t̸h̴a͏t? W͘h̕e̵re's Ķa͏acha͟n҉?̕ " Izuku rushed out, desperate and pleading. Uraraka reassured him they would explain a little later when everything was calm, and if he wanted to follow them back to the classroom then she would try and figure things out. The antenna stayed pointed next to Uraraka as the group walked back to the classroom and inside, where Yaoyorozu, Sero, and Iida were talking in quiet voices next to Aizawa's desk.
Uraraka approached, asking what was going on. Bakugo's been suspended for the next three days, Iida explained, adjusting his glasses, Sero muttering disagreements on the punishment next to him. Monoma is currently in Recovery Girl's care - he will be fine and fixed a little later today.
Quick, nervous taps resonated from Bakugo's desk. Uraraka gently set the EMF on the desk and recorded.
" K̹͍͉̮̦̲̯͐͂͊̈́͊͆a̵͔̖̎͋̎̀͋ͦ̀ä̜̥̜͔́ͅc̩̝̥̰̺̐̾̕h͉͕̮̅͒ͥͯ͗̕͜͟a̤̣͖͖͛̿͗͋̄͗ͦ̂͝n̳̫̦ͤ̇̀̑̆̓̀? K̔͛̆̊̋̋̃̑͏̢͔̻͙̣̥̥̼̗̯͍̥͖̕ą̛͖͎͇͉̫͚̰̭̪̓ͣͭ̽̈́͐͂̍ͩ̎ͯ̍ͦ̃̔̓̕͞͝ͅa̲̰̻̼̱̞̰͚̺̫͍̙̒ͮͣ̀͗̊̈́̊̂̕͘͠c̶̞̣̯͉̣͔̑̿́̓́͢͝͞hͣ̄̓͊͝҉͎͇̤͇̥̥a̸̧̝̘̯͖͚̞͎̿͗ͨ́̀͟͡n̸͌ͩ̾̊̓̑ͭ̑̇͐ͮ͟͏̺̞̭̫̭͕̳̖͔͜͝ͅ?̡̐͗͊ͥ͑̇̂ͬ̂ͬ̉͊ͭ͏҉̶̮̦̭̥̥̺̮̪͍͚̻̥̭͉ "
The static grew with Izuku's increasing alarm. Iida gently explained it again, trying to stress that Bakugo wouldn't be gone forever, but the tapping abruptly stopped and a silence fell on the room, a crushing weight to the atmosphere as the cold from the corner began to slowly creep its way through.
Yaoyorozu sighed and turned off the EMF, saying Izuku just needed time. She tucked the machine away in the back of the class and began to walk to the doors.
There was a flicker.
The lights flashed for just a second, and in between the moments that they remained unstable and buzzing, the students could've sworn on their lives a form was settled on Bakugo's desk, curled in on itself with hunched shoulders and curly, messy hair. Transparent. Ghostly.
Their stomachs dropped . No one dared to move. They hardly breathed as they stared wide eyed at Bakugo's empty looking desk, frozen, chills licking up their spines as goosebumps crawled up their arms and legs. The hairs at the back of their necks stood up, body tense. Waiting.
Nothing happened. No matter how long they waited, the figure - Izuku - didn't appear again. They looked at each other cautiously, and slowly, they began to exit the classroom, glancing behind them with every other step.
Uraraka still wished him goodbye. Iida and Yaoyorozu were silent.
Even with Aizawa's explanation the next morning, Izuku still wasn't hearing it.
Word spread very quickly about what happened, and they asked again and again if Izuku could do it for them too, but they got no real response. He seemed to be focused on Bakugo's absence more than anything else. There was nothing on the EMF - no voice, and the antenna were still - which made the students think that Izuku was searching the floor for the blonde. When he was in the classroom, soft, slow taps resonated from Bakugo's chair and desk, pleading and sorrowful, Bakugo's nickname drifting through the EMF in a tone of a child calling for their older brother and filled to the brim with static. The students tried to pay attention to their work the best they could, but the room felt permanently frozen over, and for the first time in a long time Yaoyorozu, Todoroki, Tokoyami, and Mineta had to be shifted to the front of the room to ensure they wouldn't be jumpy and irritable.
Even so, Aizawa refused to relent the punishment and held his ground, telling his students that if they minded the cold so much they were more than welcome to bring jackets and coats to class for the duration of Bakugo's suspension. The Hero Course students were seen for the next three days bundled up nice and warm, even though it wasn't nearly cold enough for such attire.
Those three days felt as though they stretched on for weeks.
The morning Bakugo's suspension ended, the students shuffled in, all fear momentarily forgotten as they cheerfully greeted Izuku and jumped at the chance to lift his morale, attempting to convince him that Bakugo would be arriving any minute. Bakugo is on his way, they said with sympathetic smiles. He's almost here.
There was no response on the EMF, antennas pointing in the default position, and the students wondered if Izuku was even there.
When the door abruptly slid open and the antenna swiveled to face the figure in the doorway, they supposed they had an answer. Iida began recording as Bakugo casually sauntered over to his desk, the antenna following him as he did.
" K̡aac͢h͏an ͠i͡s͟ b͟ack͢! ̵H͟e͏'s her͟e҉!̷ "
The temperature slowly rose, and the students began to remove their many layers of clothing, sighing in relief.
Aizawa walked in shortly after, and pinned Bakugo with an annoyed glare. Don't pull that again. It was freezing in here for days.
The new EMF didn't leave the classroom after the incident. They asked Tokoyami if he would lend his whenever they went exploring with Izuku instead, not daring to risk breaking the machine again. Izuku didn't reveal himself either, and the class began to settle back into their normal routine.
If Monoma avoided Class 1-A after that, well, it was probably for the best.