The second day at UA started surprisingly normally.
English with Present Mic, who turned out to be just as energetic teaching as he was presenting exams, with the difference that in the classroom the volume was technically constrained by the fact that there was a ceiling above their heads. Technically.
— GOOD MORNING, LISTENERS! — he said upon entering, making Kaminari sit up in his chair like someone hearing an emergency alarm. — TODAY WE'RE GOING TO PRACTICE CONVERSATIONAL ENGLISH! THE LANGUAGE OF ROCK AND ROLL!
— English isn't exclusively the language of rock and roll — said Yaoyorozu from the fifth row, with that polite precision of hers that came out whether the timing was ideal or not.
Present Mic pointed at her enthusiastically.
— EXACTLY! IT'S ALSO THE LANGUAGE OF POP, JAZZ, AND BLUES! WELL SAID!
Yaoyorozu opened her mouth. Then closed it. She looked at her notebook, deciding that some battles simply weren't worth it.
Mineta took notes calmly. Present Mic was loud but competent, and if one ignored the volume and focused on the content, the class was fairly useful. Math afterward was quieter. Language too. The whole morning had that slightly strange quality of normal things happening in an abnormal place: twenty future heroes learning grammar and algebra like any high school student in the country.
Behind him, Yaoyorozu was taking notes in her methodical way. Mineta knew because at some point during math, the rhythm of her pen changed when the teacher introduced something new, slower, like someone thinking rather than just copying.
He didn't turn to check. No reason yet.
The afternoon was a completely different story.
The door of classroom 1-A swung open and All Might entered, announcing that he would be the instructor for Basic Hero Training with the same energy he probably used to announce anything: the energy of someone utterly convinced that what he's saying is the best news of the day.
The class reacted accordingly.
Midoriya in the third row seemed temporarily frozen. Uraraka clapped her hands to her cheeks. Even Bakugo, who rarely reacted to anything with visible enthusiasm, had something different in his posture.
— AND FOR THIS CLASS — All Might continued, perfectly knowing when to stretch the moment — YOU WILL WEAR YOUR HERO COSTUMES FOR THE FIRST TIME!
The briefcases appeared.
The classroom erupted. Not literally, although with Bakugo in the second row that possibility could never be entirely ruled out, but with the energy of twenty people who had been waiting weeks for this.
Mineta picked up his with his usual calm and the satisfaction of someone who knows exactly what's inside because he had been designing it for three years.
In the locker room, Mineta opened the case.
Dark purple bodysuit. Shoulder pads with the pneumatic system. Reinforced soles. Helmet.
He looked at it for a moment.
Three years.
He started putting it on.
It took longer than expected because the shoulder pads needed a very specific adjustment, and finding it required four attempts and several internal comments best left untranscribed. When it finally fit, he looked at himself in the mirror.
One hundred twenty-three centimeters with the helmet. The shoulder pads added volume. The dark purple absorbed the light. Not exactly intimidating, but also not what anyone would expect from someone named Mineta Minoru.
Good. That's exactly what I want.
He stepped out.
The hallway was a spectacle.
Iida came out and immediately took a proper position because even waiting in a hallway was an opportunity for him to do it correctly.
Uraraka stepped out in her pink suit, looked at her hands with pure joy for three seconds, then checked out the rest of the suit with a slightly different expression.
— It's a bit tighter than I expected — she murmured.
Asui, behind her:
— Kero. It's fine like that.
— Thanks, Tsu.
Midoriya came out in his green suit with ears mimicking All Might's hairstyle. Kirishima saw him and lit up.
— Hey, those ears are the best thing I've ever seen in my life.
— They're… in honor of —
— No need to explain. They're awesome, period.
Bakugo came out with those huge arm grenades that in person were even more disproportionate than any description, which said everything necessary about Bakugo Katsuki without extra words.
Kaminari came out in the yellow suit and pointed at himself with both thumbs like someone who believes they've made the best aesthetic decision of their life.
— How's it look?
— You look like a plug with legs — said Jirou.
— Plugs are essential.
— For electricity, yes.
— Exactly my point.
Jirou looked at him like someone who lost an argument they shouldn't have lost and was still processing how it happened.
Kirishima approached Mineta with that energy of his that was hard to ignore even if one tried.
— Hey, Mineta! That suit is really well thought out! What do the shoulder pads do?
— Pneumatic launch system. Triples the range of the spheres.
— That's really smart, man.
— I know.
And then from somewhere in the hallway:
— STOP TALKING AND FORM UP ALREADY!
No one told Bakugo that Iida was already managing the formation perfectly because no one wanted to start the afternoon that way.
All Might waited outside the Battle Training Complex.
When he saw them arrive in their suits for the first time, he had that expression of someone seeing something they'd been waiting to see. It lasted only a second. Then he was All Might again.
— YOU LOOK MAGNIFICENT!
He handed out the team cards.
Mineta picked his up.
Team C. Yaoyorozu Momo. Villains.
Perfect.
Yaoyorozu found Mineta in the formation with that calm of hers, not needing to make obvious what she was doing.
— Team C — she said.
— Villains — added Mineta.
— Yes. — She pulled out a blank sheet. — We have four minutes. Shall we start?
Straight to work. Good.
But before they could start strategizing, All Might announced the first matchup of the day.
Team A vs. Team D. Midoriya and Uraraka as heroes. Bakugo and Iida as villains.
The rest of the class waited in the Monitoring Room while the four entered Building Gamma. The screens showed the interior in detail.
Mineta positioned himself for a good view and watched.
Next to him, Yaoyorozu had the sheet and pen but wasn't writing yet. She was just observing.
What happened in Building Gamma was exactly what Mineta remembered, but seeing it in person carried a different weight than remembering it from a screen.
Bakugo from the first second with that energy of someone for whom this was personal long before it even started. Iida, meanwhile, did something most of the class wasn't doing: taking the role of villain completely seriously. He built a real defense around the weapon, analyzed access routes, patrolled. While Bakugo went for Midoriya, Iida simply did his job.
Midoriya, arm in a sling, used his analysis notes to anticipate Bakugo's moves. The shoulder throw made several students in the room make involuntary noises. Bakugo, not considering being redirected, was redirected.
Then the Detroit Smash toward the ceiling, the sacrificed arm, the air blast, the floating debris that Uraraka converted into ammunition. Iida arrived late. Uraraka touched the bomb.
Victory for Team A.
Midoriya on the floor with a destroyed arm. Bakugo silent, which was worse than if he had yelled.
The room processed all of that quietly for a few seconds.
All Might evaluated, pointing out what worked and what didn't. When he asked if anyone wanted to add something, there was a moment of silence.
Then a voice from where Mineta was:
— Excuse me, All Might-sensei. If I may…
Mineta didn't need to turn to know who it was.
Yaoyorozu stepped forward. She had her usual composure, but there was something different: the posture of someone who knows what they want to say and has decided to say it, even on her second day and with the whole class watching.
That required a kind of courage that wasn't obvious from the outside but was there.
— The analysis tends to focus on Midoriya-kun and Bakugo-kun, which is understandable. But I believe the MVP of the exercise was Iida-kun.
Silence. Iida wasn't expecting to hear his name.
— He was the only one who took the villain role completely seriously — continued Yaoyorozu, with that clarity of hers that wasn't pedantic, just precise. — He established a real defense, analyzed routes, patrolled. At no point did he stop doing his job. That they lost is not his fault: Midoriya-kun created conditions where that work wasn't enough. That's different from not doing it.
No one said anything for a moment.
— That is exactly correct, young Yaoyorozu — said All Might, with genuine attention. — The final result is only part of the information.
— Thank you, Yaoyorozu-san — said Iida, with his usual formality but something behind it that was real.
— It's simply what I observed — she replied, returning to her position.
Mineta had heard everything without turning.
That analysis was correct. I would have reached the same conclusion given more time. But she articulated it in thirty seconds in front of the whole class.
That's not the same as just having the correct analysis.
All Might called Team C.
Mineta and Yaoyorozu walked toward Building Beta with four minutes available. She pulled out the sheet as they walked. She didn't comment on what she'd just said in front of the class. She had said it, it was correct, and that was that.
Mineta noticed and didn't comment.
— Do you know who we're up against? — Yaoyorozu asked.
— Team H. Kaminari and Jirou.
Yaoyorozu thought for two seconds.
— Area electricity and vibration detection. In a closed space that's a serious combination.
— Yes. But electricity in a closed space bounces unpredictably on conductive surfaces. If we prepare the building before they arrive, we can control how the electricity behaves when discharged.
Yaoyorozu looked at him.
— Spheres on the walls as dispersers.
That was exactly what he had in mind. And she came up with it in four seconds.
— Yes. And if we add copper wires, we complicate the discharge even more.
Yaoyorozu noted it down.
— Thirty seconds to produce the wires. How do we communicate during?
— Simple. One sphere near your position means I have the upper floor under control. Two means I need more time. Three means I'm changing route.
— Understood.
They reached Building Beta.
— I'm Mineta Minoru, by the way — he said as they entered. — We didn't introduce ourselves yesterday.
Yaoyorozu processed that with a slightly embarrassed expression that in her was almost imperceptible but there.
— You're right. Yaoyorozu Momo. — A pause. — It's a bit embarrassing to have overlooked it.
— We were busy.
— Still. — She said it like someone who applies the same standard to everything, including herself. — From now on, we know each other.
— From now on, we know each other.
They entered.
The four minutes of preparation were quick and silent.
Yaoyorozu produced the copper wires with that efficiency of hers that didn't need commentary. Mineta distributed the spheres, pointing out key points with the precision of someone who has thought about environmental control for years.
They didn't need to talk much because the plan was clear, and both understood it the same way.
This is what working with someone is supposed to be, thought Mineta as he placed the fifth sphere at the north wall corner. The other person understands the logic without you having to explain it all.
Mineta placed the last sphere thirty seconds before the signal, turned, and saw Yaoyorozu reviewing the wire layout with the expression of someone mentally checking off a list.
— Ready — she said.
— Ready.
The signal sounded.
Jirou will detect movement on the central staircase first. Forty seconds, maximum a minute.
Yaoyorozu moved toward the central staircase deliberately, steps audible enough to signal but not enter the range where Jirou could locate her precisely. Mineta took the left side staircase, where the spheres on the walls generated enough ambient noise to blur his vibration signature.
Kaminari will go to the third floor. Always the third, where the weapon is. First we resolve the reach.
He arrived on the third floor thirty seconds before Kaminari appeared at the end of the corridor.
Kaminari stopped.
He looked at the corridor.
Spheres on the walls. Copper wires on the floor at irregular intervals. The long corridor with that quality of environment that shouldn't have that quality because it was training, yet clearly did.
— Hey. This wasn't on the plan.
— No — said Mineta from the back. — Welcome.
Evaluate. How long before Jirou climbs up to assist?
Kaminari looked at the spheres.
Looked at the wires.
— If I discharge here it bounces in my face, right?
— On several faces. Including yours.
Two minutes. Yaoyorozu can hold Jirou on the central staircase for two minutes if needed.
Kaminari thought with the expression of someone honestly coming to terms with a complicated situation.
— This is a problem.
— Yes.
— Can I think for a moment?
— Technically I can't stop you from thinking.
Kaminari looked at the fake nuclear weapon at the end of the corridor.
— What if I run really fast?
Mineta looked at the corridor. The spheres on the floor. At Kaminari.
He can try. The spheres are forty centimeters apart in the first three meters. At running speed, there's no way to avoid them all.
— You can try.
Kaminari tried to run.
He got two meters before his feet touched a floor sphere and stuck, producing the specific sound of someone running and suddenly not running. Kaminari ended up on the floor looking at his feet with the expression of someone realizing in hindsight the reason this wasn't a good idea was obvious.
— Ah — he said.
— Yes — said Mineta.
From below came the sound of Jirou and Yaoyorozu, far more technical and far less comical than what was happening above. Jirou trying to locate positions through vibrations, Yaoyorozu moving just enough to keep him occupied on the first floor.
Good. Yaoyorozu holds.
Kaminari, lying on the floor, turned his head.
— How many spheres can you put on the floor?
— Enough.
— Is that a quantity or a philosophical answer?
— Both.
Kaminari looked at the ceiling for a moment.
— And if I scream and Jirou comes?
— Yaoyorozu has held him on the central staircase for two minutes. If Jirou climbs, Yaoyorozu climbs with him.
Kaminari shut his mouth.
He's processing options. Good. Let him process. Time is on our side.
— Today has been very educational — he said after a moment.
— The best days usually are.
The time-limit signal sounded. The weapon was still there. The villains won.
In the Monitoring Room, All Might reviewed Team C.
— Good work! The environmental preparation before the heroes arrived was smart. — He looked at Mineta. — You used the spheres for two purposes at once: dispersing electricity and blocking movement. That's leveraging your quirk.
He looked at Yaoyorozu.
— The copper wires multiplied the plan's effectiveness. And you coordinated well for two people who've known each other since yesterday.
Kaminari raised his hand.
— Can I say something?
— Go ahead.
— Mineta explained to me exactly why everything I tried wouldn't work. Before I even tried it.
All Might looked at him.
— And what's your conclusion?
Kaminari thought for a second.
— That I should have listened to him the first time.
— That's the correct lesson — said All Might, with genuine satisfaction.
Sero patted him on the shoulder.
— Dude, today you lost twice and came to the correct conclusion both times. That's growth.
— It's been a long day — said Kaminari.
— Yes.
— Yes.
At the end of the day, as the class dispersed back to the classroom, Yaoyorozu approached Mineta in the hallway.
— About the spheres on the ceiling and walls before Kaminari-kun discharged. How long did it take you to calculate the angles?
— About four seconds. But it wasn't an exact calculation; it was more seeing if it was irregular enough that no single point concentrated too much. That was enough.
Yaoyorozu thought.
— Sufficiency instead of precision. Makes sense when there's no time.
— When there's no time, precision is a luxury.
— My quirk defaults to precision. — A pause. — That can be a problem when you need something quick even if it's not perfect.
She said it without drama, like someone who has thought about her own limitations and knows them well.
— All habits create biases — said Mineta. — The important thing is knowing when the bias helps and when it hinders.
Yaoyorozu looked at him for a moment.
— Yes. Exactly that.
They reached the classroom, gathered their things, and went separate ways.
That night, in the notebook:
Second day. Morning classes. Afternoon suit, and it worked. The shoulder pads worked. The pneumatic system produces exactly the calculated range.
Team C with Yaoyorozu, villains. Victory. The plan of the two together was better than either individually.
Iida's analysis as MVP was correct and she said it in front of the whole class on her second day. Courage without fanfare. The self-critique on precision was honest, not said to look good.
Now we know each other's names.
A pause.
I don't know exactly what this is yet. But it deserves attention.
He closed the notebook.
Second day. This has just begun.
End of Episode 15.