AM N. NOT.šš»(ļæ£ć¼ļæ£)
As Nemuri's car disappeared into the city streets on her way back to her condo, U.A. was far from quiet.
Most of the teachers were still working.
In one classroom, Shota Aizawa sat slouched at his desk, reviewing training plans for the ever-confident Class A. His expression darkened slightly as he scribbled adjustments. They were talented.
Too talented.
And talent without discipline was dangerous.
Elsewhere, Present Mic had already left an hour earlier. He had a podcast recording scheduled. Being a sub-class teacher made his workload lighter. English was his subject, after all.
Though sometimes he wondered how useful grammar lessons were when the world was being invaded by anomalies that barely spoke.
Still, communication mattered.
Even during chaos.
And then there was All Might.
He was not at U.A. at the moment.
He was patrolling.
The transition from Symbol of Peace to teacher had not been smooth. Experience in battle did not translate easily to paperwork and lesson plans. Nezu knew this. That was why an assistant had been assigned to handle the administrative side of things.
Technology and documentation were not All Might's strengths.
Fighting was.
As he leapt across rooftops, wind rushing past him, his thoughts drifted back to the beginning of his teaching career.
He had originally applied to U.A. for one reason.
To find a successor.
He hadn't expected to find one so soon.
He remembered the first time he met the green-haired boy.
Izuku Midoriya.
The question the boy had asked still echoed in his mind.
"Can someone without a Quirk become a hero?"
All Might had told him the truth.
No.
Not like that.
The words had been harsh. He knew they would wound the boy. But he had seen too many comrades fall in war. He had watched heroes bleed and die protecting strangers.
Heroism was not a fantasy.
It was sacrifice.
To let a powerless child chase death in the name of a dream would have been crueler than honesty.
And yetā
Fate had intervened.
When he saw Midoriya rush toward danger, charging at a villain to save his captured friend despite having no power, something inside All Might shifted.
His body had moved on its own.
He defeated the villain in seconds, but his eyes stayed on the trembling boy who had run forward anyway.
Was it guilt for crushing his dream?
Was it pity?
Was it because he saw himself in him?
Perhaps all of it.
"Okay," All Might had whispered to himself back then. "I'll do it."
He chose him.
He passed on One For All.
There was no turning back after that.
He remembered the months of training at the beach. The American Dream Plan. The day Midoriya didn't show up.
Five months ago.
All Might had worried. Called him. No answer.
His mind had raced with possibilities. Had the boy given up? Had something happened?
Then the message came.
"Sorry, All Might. I have a really heavy headache. I'll try to come later. Wait for me."
All Might had told him to rest.
But that day, something had feltā¦ off.
He couldn't explain it.
Still, the training continued. The beach was cleared. The final day arrived.
And he transferred One For All to him.
During the entrance examination, All Might watched proudly as Midoriya wielded the power.
But there were momentsā
Subtle.
Unsettling.
A flicker of arrogance in his expression. A strange composure that didn't match the boy he had first met. Something had changed.
All Might noticed.
But he didn't dwell on it.
Because something else had entered the stage.
A boy named Maki.
From the first time All Might saw him, he felt it.
Those red eyes.
They carried the weight of someone who had already lost something precious. The same emptiness he had seen in anomalies and hollow beings he had fought before.
And yetā
When Maki spoke to him, there was warmth.
Dangerous presence. Calm demeanor. Measured words.
During their handshake, One For All reacted.
It stirred.
The sensation left All Might momentarily speechless.
He dismissed it as residual instability after transferring the Quirk.
But deep down, he knew it wasn't that simple.
Maki was a mystery.
An enigma walking into an era where All Might was no longer in his prime.
Coincidence?
Perhaps.
Or perhaps something greater was unfolding.
All Might laughed softly to himself as he continued his patrol.
Now, more than ever, he felt inclined to teach at U.A.
To guide this new generation.
To see what difference they would make.
And especiallyā
To see what kind of future that red-eyed boy would carve into the world.
!!ć½(ļ¾Š“ļ¾ć½)(ļ¾ļ¾Š“ļ¾)ļ¾!!
AM N. NOT.