Chapter 74: Scalding Coffee and the Metrics of Heroes
[National Dagoba Arena - The Anteroom]
The heavy, soundproofed sliding doors hissed shut behind Aokiji, instantly cutting off the chaotic roar of the battlefield outside.
He stepped into the anteroom, a massive, brightly lit lounge designed for the examinees who had successfully passed the first phase. It was mostly empty. Only a handful of students had cleared the crushing hurdle so quickly.
Aokiji didn't look for a place to sit. He bypassed the plush sofas and the medical cots, walking with a slow, deliberate shuffle directly toward a row of glowing vending machines lining the far wall. He scanned the illuminated buttons, his eyes settling on a small red icon. He dropped a few coins into the slot and pressed it.
Thunk.
A small steel can of premium black coffee dropped into the dispensing tray.
Aokiji reached down and picked it up. The aluminum was scalding, radiating a fierce, stinging heat that bit pleasantly into the pads of his bare fingers. He wasn't freezing. The micro-vents in his suit had done their job, and his physical extremities were perfectly fine—no frostbite, no numbness.
But ever since Kamino, a strange, phantom chill seemed to settle deep in his chest whenever he pushed his quirk. It wasn't a physical drop in body temperature; it was an emptiness. A void left behind by the absolute zero he had forced his body to channel. Because of it, he had developed a sudden, almost psychological addiction to blistering hot drinks immediately after combat. The heat grounded him. It reminded him that his blood was still flowing.
He popped the tab. Hiss. A thick plume of aromatic, bitter steam rose into the air, swirling around his face.
"You used to be able to encase this entire stadium in ice without breaking a sweat."
Aokiji paused with the can halfway to his lips. He turned his head lazily.
Shoto Todoroki was standing a few feet away, leaning against the sterile white wall. His dual-colored hair was slightly damp with sweat, but his breathing was even. He had clearly passed with his usual efficiency.
Todoroki looked at the steaming coffee, then up at Aokiji's eyes. He didn't ask if Aokiji was injured. He just observed the hot drink and deduced the truth. A silent look of profound, mutual respect passed between the two elemental users. They both knew the heavy toll that came with their genetics.
Aokiji let out a soft chuckle, a puff of white mist escaping his lips before being chased away by the steam of the coffee.
"Yeah, well," Aokiji drawled, taking a slow sip. The scalding liquid burned his tongue, but he swallowed it gratefully. "Things change. Honestly, I bet your ice is a lot stronger than mine right now, Todoroki."
Todoroki didn't smile, but his heterochromatic eyes softened with genuine concern. "How do you feel?"
Aokiji leaned back against the vending machine, holding the hot can with both hands. He looked up at the ceiling, searching for the right words. As he did, from the corner of his eye, he noticed a towering figure across the room.
Inasa Yoarashi from Shiketsu High was standing perfectly still near the water coolers, his massive arms crossed over his chest. He was glaring in their direction with a silent, burning intensity that felt heavy enough to crush bone.
Aokiji ignored the giant for a moment, looking back at Todoroki.
"It's hard to explain," Aokiji began, his voice quiet, lacking its usual lazy sarcasm. "Imagine someone who just drowned in the ocean. They swallowed far too much saltwater, their lungs collapsed, and they sank to the bottom. Then, miraculously, they get pulled to the surface and saved moments before death."
Aokiji took another sip of the bitter coffee.
"Even after they are saved, even after they are safe on dry land... do you know that taking a simple breath would be agonizingly painful for them? Their lungs are damaged. The very act of doing what used to be natural suddenly hurts."
Todoroki's eyes widened a fraction of an inch as he absorbed the weight of the metaphor.
"You're saying you lost something essential," Todoroki murmured, his analytical mind connecting the dots. "You lost the ability to 'breathe' with your quirk. And because of that trauma, you can no longer release your full power without feeling that pain."
"Sort of," Aokiji nodded, staring into the dark liquid in his can. "To be completely honest, Todoroki... I don't know if I'll ever return to how I was. This is the first time in my entire life I've been in a situation where my talent isn't enough to fix the problem."
He sighed, the vulnerability evaporating as quickly as it had appeared, replaced by his usual nonchalance.
"Anyway," Aokiji gestured vaguely with the coffee can toward the other side of the room. "I feel like someone is trying to set the back of my head on fire with his eyes."
Todoroki shifted his gaze, finally noticing the towering Shiketsu student. Inasa's glare was indeed ferocious, his teeth gritted in silent, absolute fury.
"Don't worry about it," Todoroki said smoothly, turning his attention back to Aokiji. "He isn't staring at you. He's staring at me."
Aokiji raised an eyebrow, surprised. "You know him?"
"No," Todoroki replied, his tone entirely blank and unbothered. "I don't remember ever seeing him in my life. Just ignore him. He'll tire his own eyes out eventually."
Aokiji let out a genuine snort of laughter. Todoroki's sheer, unintentional bluntness was a weapon in its own right.
Before Aokiji could reply, the heavy sliding doors hissed open again.
The quiet atmosphere of the anteroom was instantly shattered.
"WE MADE IT!"
Izuku Midoriya stumbled into the room, his hero costume scuffed and covered in dirt, his face shining with sweat and relief. Right behind him, Ochaco Uraraka was leaning heavily against Tenya Iida, looking incredibly dizzy.
"I think... I think I used zero gravity too much," Uraraka groaned, her face distinctly green. "I'm going to throw up..."
"Hold it in, Uraraka! A hero must maintain control of their bodily functions!" Iida chopped the air frantically, though he himself was panting heavily.
One by one, the familiar faces of Class 1-A trickled into the room. Mina Ashido was complaining loudly about the dust ruining her eyeliner. Mezo Shoji was quietly stretching his multiple arms. Tsuyu Asui hopped onto a bench, letting out a tired "Ribbit."
The tense, gladiatorial aura of the exam vanished, replaced by the chaotic, comforting noise of a high school classroom. Aokiji watched them, the heat of the coffee seeping into his palms, feeling a strange sense of contentment. The golden cage of his childhood had been quiet. This... this loud, messy camaraderie was infinitely better.
Suddenly, the doors flew open with the force of a small explosion.
"OUT OF MY WAY, YOU DAMN EXTRAS!"
Katsuki Bakugo stomped into the anteroom, looking absolutely murderous. Small sparks of nitroglycerin were still popping off his palms.
"I CAN'T BELIEVE I WASN'T THE FIRST ONE IN HERE! WHO THE HELL BEAT ME?!" Bakugo roared, scanning the room until his crimson eyes locked onto Todoroki and Aokiji. "YOU TWO! YOU BASTARDS CHEATED!"
"We didn't cheat, Bakugo," Todoroki said flatly. "We were simply faster."
"I'LL KILL YOU!" Bakugo shrieked, lunging forward, only to be grabbed by the collar by Eijiro Kirishima.
"Whoa, chill out, man!" Kirishima laughed, his hair slightly flattened from sweat. "We passed! That's what matters! Right, Kaminari?"
Denki Kaminari staggered into the room behind them. He looked profoundly traumatized, his eyes wide and vacant. "That Shiketsu guy... he turned me into a lump of meat... I was a literal meatball... I have no bones..."
"Get over it, Pikachu," Kyoka Jiro smirked as she walked past him, twirling one of her earphone jacks. "You look better with a little less ego anyway."
Aokiji finished his coffee, tossing the empty aluminum can into a nearby recycling bin with a satisfying clank. The room was filling up fast. The 100-person quota was nearing its limit.
A high-pitched chime suddenly rang through the anteroom, cutting through the chatter.
The massive digital screens lining the walls flickered to life. Yokumiru Mera's face appeared. He looked even more exhausted than before, resting his cheek on his palm, his eyes half-closed.
"Ahem. Test, test. Is this working?" Mera mumbled into the microphone. "Okay... it appears exactly one hundred of you have passed. Good job, or whatever. I really, really want to go to sleep."
The room fell silent as the remaining students paid close attention.
"The first phase tested your combat ability and situational awareness," Mera continued, stifling a massive yawn. "But a hero's job isn't just about fighting villains. It's about saving lives. Which brings us to Phase Two: Rescue Operations."
The screens split, showing footage of the arena outside. The terrain Class 1-A had just fought in—the shattered rocky ravines, the half-destroyed urban zones—were now smoking, full-blown disaster zones.
"We have deployed the Help Us Company, or H.U.C. for short," Mera explained. "They are professional civilian actors trained specifically to grade your rescue protocols. They are currently scattered across the disaster zone."
Aokiji leaned forward slightly, his eyes narrowing.
"You will be graded on a point-deduction system," Mera's voice grew slightly more serious, though his posture remained slouched. "If you do something a hero shouldn't do—like mishandling a victim, ignoring protocol, or panicking—you lose points. Drop below the threshold, and you fail. Period."
The heavy blast doors on the far side of the anteroom began to hum, slowly sliding open to reveal the smoking, ruined landscape of the second phase.
"Act like real heroes," Mera finished, his image fading from the screen. "Phase Two begins... now."
The tension returned instantly. The slice-of-life moment was over.
"Alright, Class A!" Iida shouted, taking the lead. "We move out! Remember our training! Prioritize civilian safety above all else!"
Midoriya tightened his gloves, his green eyes burning with determination. Bakugo cracked his knuckles, a feral grin returning to his face.
Aokiji stepped away from the vending machine, rolling his shoulders to loosen the stiffness. He looked out at the smoking ruins, his breath escaping in a small, frosty sigh.
"Rescue, huh?" Aokiji murmured to himself, slipping his hands into his pockets as he followed his classmates out the door. "Guess it's time to play paramedic."
.
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