Aizawa stepped up to the podium. He cleared his throat cutting through the chatter.
"Now that the circus is over," Aizawa began, his eyes lingering on Haruto for a second too long.
"You have two days to finalize your choices. For those of you with offers, you've received the dossiers. For those without, the school has provided a list of forty agencies willing to take on students who didn't receive direct nominations."
He put the sleeping bag over his shoulder, exiting the classroom.
"Choose wisely. Dismissed"
The classroom door clicked shut, leaving a brief silence—then the atmosphere shifted, and the students began chatting eagerly about their choices.
Mineta remained perfectly still, his head bowed. The light cast a dramatic shadow across his face.
"I've already made my choice," Mineta said.
"Mt. Lady. I'm going where the... growth potential is greatest. I'm ready to be stepped on by greatness. Literally."
"Mineta... my brother in humanity." Haruto said, placing his hand on the smaller boy's shoulder.
"I owe you an apology. I wasn't familiar with your game. you've actually struck gold. The 'stepping on by greatness'! It's genius!"
"Wait, what?" Kaminari blinked.
"You're taking his side?"
"Taking his side? Denki, I'm enlisting in his army!"
Haruto stood up, slamming his hands onto his desk like a man who had just seen a vision of the promised land.
"I see the vision, tiny soldier! A giant woman walking through a city, and you're just stuck to the bottom of her heel like a piece of heroic gum, seeing the world from a perspective no mortal has ever dared to dream of!"
He reached out his hand desperately toward the door.
"Aizawa-sensei, get back here! Screw the mysterious man! I'm going with the cultured grape!"
Mineta blinked, as he looked up in shock. "You... you see it too, Akagi-sama?"
"I see everything, Mineta-sama!"
Haruto declared, his voice trembling with fake reverence.
"I see a world where we aren't just heroes—we are observers of the sublime! The sheer glory of a size-500 footstep"
Mineta fell to his knees, clutching Haruto's blazer with teary eyes.
"Akagi-sama! I've spent my whole life being called a creep, a loser... but you..."
Haruto pulled the smaller boy up, holding his hands like they were about to swear a blood oath.
"Mineta-sama! Do not let the small-minded fools dampen your spirit! We shall be the twin pillars of the Mt. Lady era! One of us provides the sticky traps, the other provides the first-aid kits for when she inevitably steps on us! That's the real Plus Ultra!"
"Haruto!" Toru's voice went up, her uniform twisting sharply toward him.
"You are such a pervert! You're just as bad as he is! Worse, even, because you actually have a brain"
"Wait, what?" Mineta's head snapped toward Toru.
"I have a brain! I'm ranked ninth in the midterms! My academic standing is prestigious!"
"She means your brain is currently being used as a high-performance computer for depravity, Mineta-sama," Haruto said, patting the smaller boy's head.
"She's just saying I'm a wasted talent. It's a compliment actually"
"I AM NOT COMPLIMENTING YOU TWO!" Toru shrieked, her gloves flying up in exasperation.
"Hush, Toru-chan. You're just lashing out because you can't participate in the 'Size-Large' supremacy. It's okay. Jealousy is a natural human emotion."
"I AM NOT JEALOUS!" Toru screamed, her sleeves flailing wildly.
Mina Ashido, who was watching the scene with a delighted expression, suddenly laughed.
"Aww, look at that. Toru-chan, stop! You're totally acting like a jealous wife catching her husband trying to sneak out with his sketchy best friend!"
"I... I AM NOT!" Toru's gloves flew up to cover her face. "Mina, shut up! He is nuisance"
"Don't worry, honey. I'll stay away from the big ladies if it makes you feel better."
"I'M LEAVING!" Toru announced, her uniform stomping toward the door.
"Haruto, I hope Mt. Lady's heel is exactly as heavy as you want it to be!"
"Go ahead, Toru-chan! Run! But you can't run from the script! I'll see you at dinner—bring home some milk!"
Haruto let out a long sigh and slumped back into his chair. He looked at the classroom ceiling.
"See that? That's what we call 'character chemistry'. Write that down. It's going to sell a lot of light novels."
"Who are you talking to, Akagi?" Jiro asked.
"The fans, Earphone Jack. The fans" Haruto said, his grin returning.
"Now, Mineta-sama, let's discuss our matching 'Step On Me' capes. I think we should go with neon so she doesn't miss us."
"Genius, Akagi-sama! Pure genius!"
***
Inside the faculty lounge, A man sat slumped in a chair, dark circles under his eyes, his hair was a disheveled mess.
Standing behind an empty chair was a second man, wearing a black suit and narrow glasses.
The door creaked open.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Mysterious-man!" Haruto chirped, stepping into the room with a grin.
The slumped man, didn't reply. He just let out a long sigh.
Haruto turned his gaze toward the man behind the chair, his grin widening.
"Hello to you, Mr. Secret-Service-Man! Love the suit."
Haruto didn't wait for an invitation. He grabbed the empty chair, spun it around, and sat backward, resting his arms on the headrest.
"I am Mera Yokumiru from the Hero Public Safety Commission," the slumped man muttered
"I should be sleeping right now. My schedule had a thirty-minute window for a nap, but instead, I'm here. Because of you."
"The Commission?!" Haruto squealed, his eyes sparkling.
"The glorious, flawless, totally-not-shady-at-all backbone of our society? Oh, Mera-sama! It is my life's greatest ambition to be a cog in your magnificent, perfectly balanced machine!"
Mera flicked his eyes toward the man in the suit.
The associate's eyes glowed, watching Haruto for a moment, before giving a nod.
Mera groaned, rubbing his face.
"What? Really? I thought you hated the rules"
"Hate them? I want to marry them!" Haruto continued.
"If it were up to me, I wouldn't even allow heroes to breathe without a permit to certify that the oxygen was used for authorized heroic purposes! No unauthorized panting on my watch! It's peak civilization, Mera-sama. Truly!"
The associate nodded again.
Haruto clasped his hands under his chin, his eyes shimmering with mock-tears.
"And the way you've turned life-saving and public safety into a high-stakes popularity contest? Pure art! I want to be a product, Mera-sama! Brand me! Sell me! Put my face on a box of cereal so the public can digest my heroic essence every morning!"
Mera glanced at his associate. He gave him a confused nod.
"He's telling the truth... Are you kidding me?"
Mera let out a sigh, and buried his face in his hands.
"Stop, please.I don't have the caffeine levels for this. You told a stadium full of people that blind obedience is a flaw. Why? What are you actually after?"
Haruto leaned back, putting one leg over the other.
"Seriously. This talk about rules is getting repetitive" Haruto said, his voice losing its bubbly tone.
"I couldn't care less about your politics, Mr. Mera. I'm not looking to lead a parade or burn down the Diet building. That speech? It was a whim. I felt like saying it, so I did."
The associate nodded.
"The current system is fine by my standards, It keeps the lights on, it keeps the convenience stores stocked with cheap ramen and it's very comfortable. I'm perfectly happy to live here."
He looked directly into Mera's eyes.
"But you and I both know how fragile it is. You're sitting on a powder keg of your own making"
The associate stood perfectly still for a moment, then gave a single nod.
"You're a headache, Akagi. Really. But people at Commission think you are talented, they see you as a potential asset. "
He let out an exhale.
"But talented is one word for it. 'Walking liability' is the one I prefer"
The man in the suit— Mr. Secret-Service —stepped forward.
"Because of your... unique performance and your 'disqualification', the standard internship route is closed to you. No agency wants to be the one responsible for a problem student"
"Ouch. My brand is hurting," Haruto deadpanned, placing a hand over his heart.
Mera reached into his briefcase and pulled out a single document.
"This is a list of agencies on that paper. They need an extra pair of hands for general patrols."
He sighed, sliding the paper across the table.
"Choose one. This will be a probationary internship, Akagi. You follow the lead of the Pro Hero assigned to you. And make sure you don't engage in philosophical debates with villains. Can you do that? Please?"
Haruto scanned the list. His eyes skipped past the agencies in Musutafu and Shizuoka. And locked onto: HOSU.
"Hosu sounds good"
Mera paused, his hand halfway to a cup of coffee. He slowly looked up, his eyes blinking in disbelief.
"Hosu? Are you serious?"
"Deadly. It's a lovely place. Great alleys. I hear the local tourism board is really struggling with the 'urban vigilante' demographic lately."
Mera let out a groan, and slammed his forehead onto the table.
"Of course you chose Hosu. The place where the police and Heros are having a collective nervous breakdown because of the Hero Killer. I should have known. I should have just written 'Chaos' on the list and saved myself the time"
"Don't worry Mera-sama, I'll be a saint. A perfect, obedient cog. I'll polish the sidewalks with my own hoodie if it helps the Commission"
Mera didn't even look at the associate this time, he just waved a dismissive hand toward the door.
"Just go. I have another meeting in ten minutes. If you cause a diplomatic incident in Hosu, don't call me. I'll be busy being legally dead"
"Understood! Good luck with the soul-crushing bureaucracy, Mera-sama!" Haruto chirped, already halfway to the door.