The next morning dawned crisp and bright over Musutafu, the kind of early light that made U.A.'s towering silhouette look even more imposing. Students filtered toward the school grounds in small groups, chatting sleepily or rubbing the last traces of exhaustion from their eyes.
Takeshi walked at a steady pace, hands in his pockets, his expression as unreadable as ever. His body still carried a few lingering aches from yesterday's match with Todoroki — a dull, satisfying reminder of pushing his quirk to its limits.
Ahead of him, he spotted Iida, Uraraka, and Midoriya walking together. Midoriya's arm was no longer in a sling. Takeshi had seen Recovery Girl briefly during the entrance exam, but he hadn't realized just how potent her quirk was until now. Midoriya had shattered his arm yesterday. Today, he looked almost completely fine.
Uraraka waved when she saw him. "Morning!"
Takeshi nodded. "Good morning."
Iida adjusted his glasses. "We should hurry! Homeroom begins promptly, and punctuality is a virtue—"
He stopped mid‑sentence.
Because the U.A. gates were surrounded.
A wall of microphones, cameras, and reporters pressed against the entrance like a swarm of vultures.
"Students! Students, over here!" "Is it true All Might is teaching at U.A.?!" "Did you witness him on campus yesterday?" "Is he training the next generation of heroes?!"
Uraraka blinked. "Whoa… what's going on?"
Midoriya stiffened. "R‑Reporters? Why are there so many?"
Before Takeshi could react, Iida stepped forward with a bright, earnest smile and immediately launched into a speech about U.A.'s standards and All Might's merits as a teacher.
Takeshi made a quick decision the moment he saw Iida walk straight into something he wanted absolutely no part in.
He turned to Uraraka and Midoriya. "Follow me."
He pushed forward, moving through the crowd with calm, deliberate steps. The reporters naturally created space for the large teenager as he walked among them. A few tried to approach him, but Takeshi met their eyes and responded in a purposeful, heavily accented Southern United States drawl:
"I need to get to class."
The reporters blinked, thrown off by the sudden shift in tone, and quickly turned their attention elsewhere in search of easier prey.
Once they made it past the worst of the crowd and toward the main building, the tension slowly eased.
Uraraka stretched her arms. "Well… at least today can't be as crazy as yesterday, right?"
Midoriya laughed nervously. "Y‑Yeah… I hope not."
Takeshi walked beside them the rest of the way, listening quietly as Midoriya and Uraraka chatted about what the day might bring.
As they stepped into the main hall, the morning announcements echoed overhead.
Students hurried to their classrooms. Teachers passed by with stacks of papers. The building hummed with energy.
Takeshi glanced back one last time toward the front gates.
The reporters were still there.
Still pushing. Still shouting. Still trying to get in.
He couldn't help but think, with a faint curl of irritation:
No matter what country you're in… the damn vultures stay the same.
The halls of U.A. buzzed with morning energy as Class 1‑A made their way to their homeroom. Students from other classes whispered about the reporters outside, some excited, others annoyed, but all of them curious.
Takeshi walked with Midoriya and Uraraka until they reached the classroom door. Inside, the rest of the class was already settling in, chatting about yesterday's battles or the chaos at the gates.
Kirishima waved them over with a big smil on his face. "Yo! You guys survived the gauntlet outside!"
Uraraka groaned. "Barely…"
Midoriya nodded shakily. "T‑They were a lot…"
Takeshi took his seat, leaning back slightly as he scanned the room. Everyone looked tired, but there was a strange buzz of anticipation too — the kind that came after getting their first real look at the hero course yesterday.
A moment later, the door slid open.
Aizawa shuffled in, wrapped in his yellow sleeping bag like a disgruntled caterpillar who had no intention of ever trying to become a butterfly.
He stopped at the front of the room, eyes half‑lidded but sharp.
"Morning."
The class straightened instantly.
Aizawa continued, "Before we begin today's lessons, we need to take care of something important."
He unzipped the sleeping bag just enough to free his arms.
"Class 1‑A needs to select a class representative."
A ripple of excitement — and confusion — spread through the room.
"Representative?" Sero asked.
"Like… a leader?" Kaminari added.
Aizawa nodded. "Yes. Someone to handle responsibilities, speak for the class, and represent you in official matters."
He stared at them with his usual deadpan expression.
"Figure out who you want yourselves" before pulling the zipper of his sleeping bag up over his head and slumping over in the corner of the room.
"I wanna do it!" Kaminari shouted.
"No, pick me!" Mina added.
Even Aoyama raised a sparkling hand. "I shall lead with elegance!"
Takeshi watched the chaos unfold with some mild amusement. He had no intention of volunteering — he knew himself. He'd be a terrible fit for the job because he had zero desire to pick up extra responsibilities and was far too introverted for the position.
Midoriya, meanwhile, shrank into his seat, clearly overwhelmed by the sudden burst of enthusiasm around him.
Iida hand still raised higher than anyone else stated "We'll do this the democratic way. Vote. Write down the name of the person you want as class representative."
The class scrambled to get paper and pens out of their bags to write their choices.
Takeshi tapped his pencil once, thinking.
He respected competence. He respected discipline. And he respected people who took responsibility seriously.
He wrote a name. Iida
Folded the paper.
And waited.
Iida collected the votes with all the enthusiasm of someone gathering treasure.
"Alright. Let's see who we decided was the best candidate."
The class leaned forward.
Iida unfolded the first slip.
Then the second.
Then the third.
"Midoriya… Midoriya… Midoriya…"
Midoriya froze.
"W‑Wait— me?!"
Iida pushed up his glasses and then held up the stack of votes.
"Midoriya Izuku is your class president, and Takeshi Yagi is your vice president."
The room erupted.
"Midoriya?!" "No way!" "Seriously?!" "Aw, man, I wanted it!"
Iida looked like someone had stolen his entire life plan.
Midoriya looked like he might faint.
Takeshi frowned and promptly stood up placing his hands on his desk and stated, "I resign." Before sitting back down.
Iida blinked a few times and then looked bad at the votes in his hands. "In that case it looks like Momo Yaoyoroza is the vice president."
Aizawa unzipped himself from his sleeping bag.
"Good. Now that that's done, let's begin homeroom."
The class settled, still buzzing with excitement and disbelief.
Takeshi leaned back in his chair, watching Midoriya try to process his sudden promotion with his normal mix of anxiety and what looked like possibly a little excitement.
This class… is going to be interesting.