It was official. Shouto abhorred her. He refrained looking at her for the remainder of the day and whenever he did look at her, he'd give her a scathing look before snapping his head away. Poor Fuyumi was at a loss. First Shiina hated Shouto, then she loved him, but now's it's flipped around with Shouto hating her? She was completely confused as to what was going on. Would Shouto end up loving Endeavor now? She didn't know what to think.

The next day, which was the day of the Sports Festival, Shouto even left for school a whole hour early just to avoid Shiina. He wasn't even in the house anymore by the time she woke up. She had half a mind to race to school without eating, but it wasn't a good idea to participate in the Sports Festival while starving.

After shoveling her food in her mouth, she quickly left the house and went straight for UA. When she got there, she was amazed by the growing crowd of people that surrounded the grounds in all sides. Judging by what she heard, half of them were there for the festival, the other half was protesting against heroes for their poor work on handling the leader of the Phantom Thieves.

"Is the hero association and the police corrupt?!" She heard a reporter shout.

She couldn't help but smirk as she entered the grounds. Serves those fakes right. People were beginning to lose their trust for them. It was about damn time.

The girls locker room was basically empty, meaning she was either the last girl to arrive, or there was another unfortunate sap who would be late. She got dressed into her PE uniform, which was unfortunately what everyone was going to be wearing the entire time. A few buzzes came from her phone after she slipped her pants on.

[Ryuji: Dude u will NEVER believe what Akira's disguise is!!!]

[Ann: Ur really gonna love it 😂😂😂]

[Makoto: I admit, Yusuke really outdone himself in this disguise. Even my sister was impressed.]

[WHAT'S HIS DISGUISE?!?!?!]

[TELL ME!!!]

[GIMME A PIC!]

[Akira: Nope, no ruining the surprise~]

[Yusuke: Just know that he is completely unrecognizable now.]

[Haru: You did really good on the disguise, Yusuke!]

[Futaba: Ya, I took a pic and Im gonna keep it as my wallpaper 🤪]

[Futaba: Dad laughed his ass off when he saw him]

[Ryuji: it's frickin hilarious dude]

[Omg I can't wait to see it]

[Ann: We have front row seats so youll be able to find us easier!!]

Just what was Akira's disguise?! It was driving her crazy so she quickly exited out of that conversation to reply to Ken's text.

[Kenny: Where ARE you?!?!]

[Kenny: Shouto was the first one here, so where r u???]

[Kenny: Hellloooooo? I swear to god if u fell asleep...]

[Kenny: Iida's going crazy about ur attendance. PLS REPLY!!]

[Yo, Im in the girls locker room lol]

[Kenny: omw now]

[Kenny: Why'd u come late while Shouto was early??]

[...]

[Kenny: Oh hes still mad, huh?

[Yes...]

[Kenny: Don't worry too much about it. He was just too overwhelmed with the info u guys basically threw at him and overreacted]

[Kenny: U told him that you changed your own heart, so once he calms down, he'll register that.]

[🥺🥺🥺]

Shiina finished tying her shoes and walked out only to see Ken already waiting for her outside.

"You took forever," he over-exaggerated as he led her to Class 1-A's prep room. "You also gave Iida a heart attack so get ready for a loud lecture about tardiness."

"I'm not even late," she rolled her eyes.

"You were almost late," he pointed out. "So you excited for the Sports Festival?"

"No, I couldn't care less," she snorted. "My only goal is to make sure Shouto gets to first place. I don't know how I'm gonna do that exactly, but basically I'm just gonna stay out of his way. You?"

He shrugged. "I already know where I'll be interning after this and I know they'll definitely accept me, so I'm not too worried."

"Oh?" She rose a brow. "Where'll you be interning?"

"The Shadow Operatives." He replied.

"They're a hero agency?" She asked.

"No, but they can be... persuasive." He said mysteriously, then grinned at her deadpanning expression. "Relax, I'll be able to intern under them. Hey if you want, I can ask them to extend you an offer too. But then again, once they find out what you can do, they'll probably ask for you anyways."

"I don't really care who I intern with," she admitted freely. "I've always wanted to be a fashion designer, but when Endeavor found out I had a 'Quirk', he forced me to attend UA. I don't want to be a hero. In fact, I sort of have a low opinion of them, no offense."

"None taken," he smiled sadly. "With a dad like that, who can blame you? Though, if it makes me look better in your eyes, I'm doing this because I want to protect people... and so other kids don't end up like I did. Full of hate and obsessed with revenge."

"Full of hate?" She echoed softly. "You? You seem too kind for that."

He hesitantly opened his mouth. He wanted to tell her the truth, but he was afraid of what her reaction would be.

This is Shiina, he reminded himself. I can trust her. She won't hate me... I know she won't.

"My mother was killed when I was little," he murmured. "I thought I saw a Shadow kill her, but the police didn't believe me when I said that. From then on I was obsessed with finding whoever did it and finally killing them. Then I found out the true killer, Aragaki Shinjiro. I betrayed my friends then I tried to kill him only for someone else to beat me to it. Everything became pointless afterwards and it took me a while to get over it. That's the kinda thing I want to prevent. I don't want any kid to suffer from what I went through. I want to keep as many people as I can safe."

Shiina was in disbelief. Amada Ken wanted to kill someone? And this was back when he was still considered a child too... It was hard to believe that someone as kind as him was so hateful back then.

"You've changed a lot since then," she said.

"You're not...?" He asked apprehensively.

She shook her head. "I'm not going to judge you for something like that. You were young and nobody was helping you. I can't exactly blame you for being so vengeful, but I'm glad to see that you've grown from that."

He gave her an expression full of relief. "Thank you."

"You also have a really noble reason to become a hero," she added, somewhat glumly. It just made her feel even terrible. Here was Ken who had an inspirational reason as to why he wanted to be a hero and worked hard to get where was. And then there was her who was just sent here by her rich father.

He seemed to know what she was thinking because he gave her a comforting smile. "You'll find your reason," he told her. "And hey, if it makes you feel better, I think you'll be a great hero one day even if you don't want to be one."

Their moment was interrupted once they finally reached the door to the prep room. Iida swung it open, scaring the both of them witless.

"You're finally here!" He shouted, then yanked them into the room. "What took you two so long to get here?!"

Hagakure perked up. "Yeeeaaaaah~! What took you guys so long, hmm~?"

"We were just talking," Ken explained.

"And 'just talking' is code word for what, hmmm?" She asked in a teasing voice.

Mina shoved her aside and leaned forward, making Shiina lean back. "You and Todoroki always come to school together. So why is it he came here hours before you did?"

"Er, well..." She glanced over at the dual haired boy only to see him boredly staring at the wall.

"Are you guys... fighting?" Mina asked in a horrified whisper.

There was no harm in telling the truth. "Yeah, sorta?" She awkwardly inched away from the devastated pinkette and stood beside Kaminari.

"Hey!" He greeted happily. "You look good in your uniform!"

"Really? Are you sure? I can't believe we're stuck wearing these ugly things! They don't make my ass look too bad do they?" She frowned to herself.

He leaned to the side to check the goods out before giving her a thumbs up, nearly drooling. "Your ass looks great!"

She smiled in relief. "Thanks. So does your yours."

He almost fainted. "You really think so?!"

She nodded affirmatively. "It's not as great as mine, but it's close!"

While Kaminari internally squealed, Iida strode forward to address the class. "Is everyone good and ready?! The event's about to begin!"

"Hey, Kiberi-chan, you sure you're good to go for the Sports Festival?" Kirishima asked, bounding towards her.

"The doctors cleared me off a loooong time ago so I'm as good as new." She assured.

He nodded in understanding and gave her a bright, shark-teethed grin. "Well, don't push yourself too hard out there, okay?"

He seems like a really sweet guy, she mused before replying, "Don't worry, I won't!"

All her attention went to Shouto as he abruptly rose to his feet and began approaching a certain greenette. "Midoriya," he called out.

"Todoroki-kun... what is it?" At this point, everyone was watching and listening in.

"Objectively speaking, I'm stronger than you. More capable." Shouto stated and Shiina furrowed her brows in confusion. Just what was he doing?

"Huh?! S-sure!" Poor Midoriya stammered, looking around for help. He locked eyes with Shiina, his green ones practically pleading for an explanation as to what was going on. She shrugged unhelpfully.

"All Might's got his eye on you, doesn't he." Shouto said, and everything began to make sense to her.

Oh my god, she thought, refraining the urge to facepalm. He's still convinced that he's All Might's secret love child?!

Shouto continued, "Now I'm not about to pry into why that is, but I will beat you."

"Oooh!" Kaminari grinned excitedly from beside her, completely oblivious to the tense atmosphere Shouto was radiating with. "A declaration of war from the strongest in the class?!"

Kirishima clearly noticed the not-so-friendly atmosphere and tried to cool Shouto off. "Hey, man, why pick a fight now?! We're about to go on..."

Shouto roughly shook him off. "I really don't care. I'm not pretending to be anyone's friend here."

Somewhere in the corner of the room, Mina let out a scandalized gasp, her unique eyes darting back and forth between her and Shouto. They're having a lover's spat?! She thought incredulously.

Midoriya looked down at his shoes. "Todoroki-kun, I'm not sure why you felt the need... to tell me that you'll beat me... Objectively speaking, you're clearly stronger... And I can't measure up to most of the others here in skill..."

Kirishima frowned. "Don't be so negative, Midoriya. No need—"

"—But!" Midoriya interrupted. "Everyone... even the kids from the other courses are aiming for the top. I'm going for it too. With everything I've got!"

"...Right." Shouto replied coldly.

The small alarm in the room then buzzed as if on cue, signaling everyone that it was time to move out. Ken walked beside Shiina as they all filed out and muttered into her ear, "You know, that's the most I ever heard your brother talk."

"I guess being suspected as All Might's secret love child has it's perks." She shrugged.

"Wait, what?"

Present Mic's voice could be heard as they neared the end of the tunnel. "It's UA's Sports Festival! The one time each year when our fledgling heroes compete in a ruthless grand battle! First up... you know who I'm talkin' about! The miraculous rising stars who brushed off a villain attack with their steely willpower! The first years of the hero course! IT'S CLASS A!"

"Whoa, look at this crowd!" Shiina marveled. "I wonder where my friends are..."

"I wonder where Sanada-san is," Ken mused, also looking around.

"Did you guys bring Koromaru?" She asked hopefully.

He shook his head with a disappointed look on his face. "No pets allowed apparently..."

"Aww," her shoulders dropped before she heard a familiar voice screaming her name.

"SHIINA! HEY, LOOK OVER HERE!"

She perked up. "That's Ryuji! Where is it—O-oh my god...!" She choked on her last sentence. At the very front row where her friends (minus Akechi), Sojiro, Sae, and Mishima. She could even see Morgana's head peeking out from a woman's bag... But the woman... looked very very familiar.

She had messy black curls, fair skin, and sky blue eyes that reminded her of a certain leader.

"Hey, Sanada-san's with them too!" Ken exclaimed, waving happily at them. "But that woman with black hair seems pretty familiar..."

"That's... That's Akira!" She choked out.

Ken stared at the woman long and hard before his eyes popped out. "Holy crap, you're right! That's the disguise he and Yusuke picked out?!"

"You're lookin' good girl!" She called out to him, receiving a wink and a blown kiss.

"Following Class B, it's classes C, D, and E, of general studies! And here come the support course classes, F, G, and H! And the business course!" Present Mic shouted.

She looked over at Class C and found Shinsou already looking her way. She beamed and waved at him excitedly, but he only returned with an adult-like nod before looking away.

Midnight stepped onto the stage and cracked her whip. "Now for the athlete's oath! Your student representative is... From Class 1-A, Bakugou Katsuki!"

"That guy?" Shiina scrunched her nose up in distaste.

"Must be because he placed first in the entrance exam." Sero supplied.

A girl from the General Ed course said snidely, "The hero course entrance exam, you mean."

Sero winced and whispered, "It's obvious she hates us."

"And it's all Bakugou's fault." Kaminari whined.

The whole place fell silent as Bakugou walked up to the stage. And then he spoke. "I pledge that I'll be number one."

"I KNEW HE'D DO THAT!" Everyone in Class 1-A screamed.

"You dirty bastard!"

"Don't get cocky, Class A!"

"Why must you show contempt for the dignity of this event?!" Iida shrieked.

"You'll all make great stepping stones for me," Bakugou continued.

"Now everyone hates us more," Ken sighed.

Bakugou stepped off the stage and the screen behind Midnight lit up. "Now without any delay, let's get the first event started. These are the qualifiers! It's in this stage that so many are sent home crying every year! And the fateful first event this year is... This!"

OBSTACLE COURSE RACE the screen read.

"It's a race between every member of all eleven classes! The course is a four kilometer lap around the stadium itself! Our school preaches freedom in all things! Heheheh... So as long as you don't go off the course, anything is fair game!"

"SHIINA, YOU BETTER FRIGGIN' WIN THIS!" She heard Ryuji scream, and winced as everyone turned to look at her.

"Boyfriend?" Uraraka asked teasingly.

"N-no!" Shiina stammered as the countdown began.

Better get ready, she thought. While she wasn't aiming for the number one spot, she didn't want to lose on the first round so quickly. Besides, it was a race. If she failed this one, she'd never hear the end of it from Ryuji.

"Racers to your position..." Midnight began.

DING!

"STAAAAART!"

The second she dashed into the gate, she was immediately squished against the wall as other students barged in. Growing annoyed, she quickly summoned Tullia.

"Get them out of my way!" She barked, and the terrifying entity swept through the gate, knocking people down and leaving a good enough path for her to run through. Much to her dismay, a handful of kids were already ahead of her. Even more ahead was Shouto, who sent a trail of ice towards them. She leaped off the ground just in time to avoid being stuck to the ice.

"I ain't letting you get ahead that easy, half n' half!" Bakugou shouted, blasting towards him.

This is so annoying...! Shiina pouted to herself, struggling to carefully run through the slippy ice path.

Mineta jumped into the air and quickly aimed a sticky ball at her brother. "Good thinking, staying two steps behind Todoroki. Now it's my turn! How about a taste of my killer—"

WHAM!

Whatever he was about to say was cut off as a giant robotic fist slammed him to the side.

"Multiple targets acquired...!" It said in a mechanical voice.

"The faux villains from the entrance exam?!" Someone shouted.

"It's the zero-pointers from the exam! Too many! There's no way past!"

Shiina's jaw dropped. "The hell, you guys had to fight robots...?"

Shouto instantly froze the ones in his way and continued running, purposely leaving the robots half-iced so they could fall. While that was a problem, there were still many other robots that Shouto didn't bother to waste his time on. Bakugou soared above them through his explosions, Tokoyami and Sero quickly following suit.

"1-A's Todoroki! Busting through and sabotaging the others in one move! This guy's cold!" Present Mic screamed.

Shouto, I love you, but I gotta one-up you... She thought to herself before calling Tullia out again. "Maeigaon." She stated, and all of the robots were enveloped in a dark explosion. People screamed and ducked for cover, and she took her chance to dart forward.

"EHHHH?! Class 1-A's Kiberi just destroyed all of the robots in one move! This girl's plain vicious!" Present Mic gawked. "The current leaders of the pack are overwhelmingly from Class A!"

Initially I thought Kiberi was just a spoiled brat who got in because of her rich father, Aizawa thought, closely watching the scene. But she's more than that. She reacted with no hesitation, faster than the rest of her class and they went through a villain attack... She even destroyed all of the zero pointers in a single move... Just what did Endeavor teach his kids?

When Shiina came across the next barrier, she literally felt her heart drop. It consisted of a bunch of pillars of earth, separated by at least fifty or so feet with only a thin line connecting the to one another. She peered down at the edge and paled some more. All she could see was endless darkness.

I wish I had a Persona that could fly, she moped, getting into a crawling position. Tullia and the other Personas could float above the floor a few feet up, but for some odd reason they needed something solid under them. It didn't really make sense to her (nor did it make sense to the author 'cause the Personas could float, but they couldn't fly the Phantom Thieves up to reach Kaneshiro's floating bank...).

Shouto was already way ahead of her, as were a few others from her class. When she was halfway to the other side, the rest of the student body finally arrived.

"So the first barrier was a piece of cake?! How about the second?! Fall and you're out! You gotta crawl across if you wanna make it!" Present Mic laughed grandly. "Meanwhile, the leaders of the pack move on undaunted!"

"The cameramen better get good shots of my ass," she grumbled to herself, trying not to look down at the dark and scary abyss. She was soon overcame by Iida, who used his jet engines to speed across the lines. Up above, she even saw Shoji soaring through the air like a flying squirrel. There was also a pink haired girl from the support course that was quickly getting passed her too.

Almost there, almost there! She thought. She only had two more lines left to cross.

"The leads keep breaking ahead, while the rest of the pack is bunched up! Our racers don't know how many will get to move on, so all they can do is aim for first place! And our leader has reached the final barrier! That is to say... this minefield! A quick glance is enough to reveal the mines' locations! So keep both eyes open and watch your step!"

"A friggin' minefield?!" She huffed, finally finishing with the second barrier.

"I should mention," Present Mic spoke up again. "Our mines don't pack a deadly punch, but they're loud and flashy enough that you might need a change of underwear when it's all over!"

Change of underwear? I'm beginning to regret this more and more, she thought as she finally reached said minefield. The minefield was wide, and she could see small, but somewhat noticeable lumps on the ground which was most likely where the mines were. But she highly doubted that was all. There were probably more, better hidden ones around.

In the corner of her eye, she could see Ken neck and neck with her. They locked eyes and grinned.

As she carefully ran, she snapped her head up when she heard a loud explosion and saw a spiky blonde head of hair zoom passed her brother's dual haired one.

"We have a new leader! Get excited, mass media! You guys love this sort of tun-around! But the rest are catching up! But with these two grappling for first... Can they hold on to their lead?!"

"Almost there, Shiina, you're almost done with this bullshit..." She muttered to herself with a pleased smile. That all faded away by the loud explosion that came from behind her.

"A giant explosion from behind?! What caused such a blast?! An accident or was it intentional?! OH! And Class A's Midoriya rides the wave in hot pursuit... or something!" Present Mic let out a loud gasp. "He's passed them! Our former leaders have called a cease-fire to chase down Midoriya! When a common enemy appears, people stop fighting! Well, actually they're still fighting, just not each other!"

Aizawa's tired voice came out next. "What are you even trying to say?"

Shiina made the simple mistake of turning her attention towards Shouto when she accidentally stepped on a mine. She heard it beep once before she squeaked in fright.

Suddenly she was yanked away from the pink blast.

"You okay?" Ken coughed, swatting the pink gas away.

"Just fine," she breathed out. "Thanks for that."

"No problem. Come on, we're almost there so let's finish this together."

"Right!"

As they dashed for the remaining few feet, Present Mic was going crazy with the commentating.

"And Midoriya blows off the competition with no time to lose! Your class is something else, Eraser Head! What're you teaching those kids?!"

"This isn't my doing." Aizawa replied. "They've been spurring each other on all on their own."

"Well, who could have predicted such an incredible turn of events so early on?! The one who made it back to the stadium first is... NONE OTHER THAN MIDORIYA IZUKU!"

Shiina breathed out a sigh of relief as she finally finished with the race, just a bit behind a handful of others. She ended up in sixth place, with Ken as fifth. Shouto was second (like Endeavor, lol) and Bakugou was third.

"Second place... that's still really good... Should I go congratulate him...?" She wondered to herself.

Ken overheard her gave her a helpful push towards his direction. "It won't hurt to try."

She shook her head furiously. "No, no, no, I shouldn't. He's probably still pissed and getting second place just made him madder."

"Shiina," he said firmly. "Just try."

She gave him a pleading look. "But Kenny!"

He opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by Midnight's voice. "So it's finally over. Let's check the results!" The screen lit up, showing the students' faces with their placement number beside them. "The top 42 from this qualifying round will move on! But for those who placed lower, don't worry! We've got another way for you to show your stuff! And now the main selection really begins! The press corp's going to be jumping out of their seats, so give it all you've got! Now on to the second event! I already know what it is, of course... This!"

CAVALRY BATTLE the screen read.

"What's a cavalry battle?" Shiina asked Ken.

"A cavalry's a bunch of soldiers who fought on horseback." He answered.

Her eyes lit up with joy. "We're gonna ride horses?!"

He chuckled. "Er, no, I don't think so."

Midnight began explaining the rules. "Participants will, on their own, form teams of two to four members each and get into a horse-and-rider formation! The rules are fundamentally the same as those of an ordinary cavalry battle—snag your opponents' headbands while guarding your own, but with one exception... Each of you has been assigned a point value based on your ranking in the last event!"

"So the point value of each time depends on its members!" Kirishima realized.

"I'm about to explain it so just shut up already!" Midnight barked at those who kept yelling. "Anyways, yes! And your individual point values start at five at the bottom! So the student who took 42nd place is worth five points, the 41st is worth ten... get it? But... our first place participant is worth... TEN MILLION POINTS!"

Everyone snapped their heads towards the petrified boy.

"The higher ranked students are the ones to aim for! This survival game is a chance for a comeback. It's anyone's game!"

"So I'm basically like 30 points right...? No wait, that's not it...! Ugh, I suck at math..." Shiina grumbled, trying to figure her worth out.

"The match will last fifteen minutes. Each team's points are determined by it's members," Midnight smirked. "The rider will wear a headband displaying the total number of points! Until the match ends, you'll all compete to grab each other's points and maintain the ones you have. Any headbands you grab must be worn around the neck or higher. The more headbands you've got, the harder they'll be to manage! Most importantly, even if your headband's taken... and even if your horse formation is broke... It's not over 'til it's over!"

"Okay, okay, so 42 times five is, like, uh... I don't know, but I gotta subtract that by six, right? No, no, by thirty and that's how much I'm worth, right...?" Shiina was still trying to figure out the math.

Ken watched her think with a painfully blank face.

Midnight waved her whip around. "Quirks are allowed, so it'll be a brutal battle! However, it's still a cavalry battle! Maliciously attacking another team with the intent of making them fall will get you a red card! And that means you're out of the game! You've got fifteen minutes! Time to form your teams!"

"Wanna team up?" Ken asked.

"Huh?" Shiina said dumbly.

He sighed. "Were you not listening?"

Her cheeks reddened. "I was trying to figure out how many points I'm worth—"

"—180," he cut her off. "And I'm 185. Together we'd be 365 points."

She blinked in amazement. "Wow, Kenny, you're so smart!"

He shook his head, amused. "It's literally simple math... Anyways, let's team up. Maybe we can get your brother to join too."

"My brother?" She said unsurely. "I dunno..."

"Didn't you say you wanted to congratulate him too?" He pointed out. "Come on, go up to him."

"Er... fine...!" She sighed in defeat, and trudged towards him. He was just standing there at the moment, so this was her chance...

"Hey, Sho-chan...?" She said weakly, shrinking under the cold glare he gave her before he stormed away.

"Ouch," Ken grimaced sympathetically. "Okay, maybe it wasn't a good idea..."

"He's still pissed..." She sighed.

"That's fine, we don't need him anyway!" He assured her. "The two of us are more than enough, especially if we bring our Personas out—"

"—Hey, Kiberi." A dull voice called out.

Shiina whirled around, her miserable expression lighting up a little when she saw who it was. "Oh, hey, Shinsou—" Her voice suddenly died out and an empty look crossed over her face.

Ken looked at her in concern before narrowing his eyes at the purple haired boy. "What did you do to her?"

"Take a wild guess," Shinsou goaded, smirking.

"Whatever you did—" His words died out too, followed by an equally as blank look.

Shinsou chuckled to himself. "Too easy."

— ❤ —

The first thing she heard when she came to consciousness was Midnight's voice yelling, "TIME'S UP!"

Shiina blinked and looked around. She was still on the stage, and the audience was cheering wildly. But 'time's up'? When did the event even begin?

"Huh...?" Ken muttered beside her, equally as confused.

"Do you guys know what's going on?" Ojiro asked furrowing his brows. He clutched the side of his head as if trying to force the memory out.

"The Cavalry Battle's over!" Ken's eyes widened. "But I don't even remember—?!"

"In third, team Tetsu... huh?! Whoa! Team Shinsou?!" Midnight announced in astonishment, and that was when everything clicked in Shiina's head.

"Thanks for your help," Shinsou said slyly, only to jump back when Shiina rounded in on him. Ken followed after her, leaving poor Ojiro in his confusion.

"You brainwashed us!" She gasped, shoving an accusing finger at his face. "Ken and Ojiro I understand, but me?! Is this because I keep pointing out your eye bags?! I only do that out of love and consideration you know!"

Shinsou sighed in relief when he heard her last statement. He was initially worried that she was genuinely mad at him. "Sorry," he apologized, scratching the back of his head. "I needed to assemble a team fast and you were my first choice," he admitted, cheeks flushing slightly pink. "But I was worried that you'd go to your brother first so I brainwashed you."

Ken's eyes widened. "Brother? So... he knows—?"

"—A-anyways!" Shiina hastily interrupted. "I guess I can forgive you. Just promise me that you'll let me take you shopping soon so we can get you some products for those dreadful eyebags."

He rolled his eyes. "You're always obsessing over them—"

"—Because they're so noticeable! You should've at least worn concealer before coming to the Sports Festival!" She scolded.

He turned away. "Right, good point. Scuse me while I go to the bathroom. I'm gonna put some concealer on right now."

Ken turned to her once he disappeared. "So does he know about Shouto or not?"

She gave him a sheepish look. "I met him before I came to UA. I told him that I had a brother in the hero course and well... he thinks it's Kirishima."

He burst out laughing. "I can actually see that...! The two of you do have the same shade of vibrant red hair."

Once the one hour lunch break was announced, Shiina and Ken quickly headed off to the lunch hall to find their friends only to see that they've already nabbed themselves a rather large table.

"Yusuke, you—are—amazing!" Shiina breathed out as she snapped pictures of Akira.

The bluenette smiled. "Why thank you. He's completely unrecognizable, isn't he?"

"He doesn't even look like a 'he' anymore!" Ryuji exclaimed. "It's like starin' at Akira's twin sister or something!"

"Don't call me Akira though," he warned. "For now, my name is... uh..."

"Akiko?" Morgana suggested, popping his head out of the bag.

'Akiko' shrugged. "Good enough for me."

"What I'd like to know is how you guys managed to give him such realistic looking breasts," Sae mused.

Makoto nearly spat out her soda. "S-sis!"

"I'm merely curious. This doesn't look like the typical 'stuffed bra' situation. So? What did you boys do exactly?"

Yusuke was happy to answer. "The costume store we went to had a sale on silicone breasts that worked as a bra. We spent at least a whole hour trying to find one that would fit him the best. I believe we may have scared off the employees from how dedicated we were, though."

"And you guys gave him contacts too?" Ken asked, noticing that he was no longer wearing the usual glasses.

Akira grinned. "Yep. Aren't my eyes pretty?"

Akihiko rolled his eyes, but he was clearly amused by all of this. "He's been bragging about how good looking he was as a girl. He seriously wouldn't shut up about it."

"I can either be a handsome boy or an attractive girl," Akira boasted. "That's not something all men can do."

"To be honest, not all men are willing to try," Sojiro snorted.

"I admit that you make a really pretty girl, Kira," Shiina drawled. "But you can never get on my level."

Yusuke nodded in agreement. "True. Shiina's level of beauty is something a high percent of people can only dream to reach."

"Exactly," she grinned.

Mishima shook his head with a small smile on his face. "Great, now we're stuck with two vain girls."

"It's not easy looking like this," Akira feigned a sad sigh, before his face turned hard. "I got some unwanted attention after I left the bathroom."

Ann narrowed her eyes. "Who was it?"

"Yeah, and what'd they do?" Mishima frowned in concern.

Akira shuddered. He actually shuddered. Whoever he ran into must have been bad. "It was that short kid from your class," he told Shiina and Ken. "The one with the balls on his head?"

Haru gasped. "The one who attached himself to that poor girl during the obstacle race?"

Ken's face darkened. "You must be talking about Mineta..."

"Of course it was him," Shiina hissed. "He just can't leave a girl alone."

"What'd he do?" Akihiko asked seriously.

"Well," he grimaced. "He caught me walking out of the boys bathroom."

"Oh no..." Sae winced.

He nodded. "Yeah, then he accused me of doing 'lewd things' and said that he was going to tell on me. The only way he'd 'forget about it' was if I let him feel me up."

"That disgusting creep!" The girls blew up.

"You guys have someone like that in your class?!" Sojiro turned to Ken and Shiina with wide eyes. He was more concerned for Shiina though, since she was more of a desired target than Ken.

"Scratch that, how'd that useless perv even get admitted into UA?! His Quirk's totally useless and he has the personality of a slime ball!" Morgana fumed.

"What'd you say to him?" Akihio asked.

Akira smirked in his Joker-esque way. "I said nothing. I simply summoned my gun and pointed it at him and he ran away while promising to keep silent."

Shiina banged her hand on the table as she burst out laughing. She imagined the priceless expression on the little pervert's face when it happened and laughed even harder as everyone joined her. "The shithead probably crapped his diaper! Hahahaha!"

"Usually I wouldn't condone that but..." Sae wiped a tear from her eye. "Well done." She commended.

Akira preened.

"But hey, he doesn't do shit like that to you, does he?" Akihiko frowned over at Shiina, who smiled in reply.

"Oh definitely not. He can barely get anywhere near me since Sho-chan's always around. Plus there's my fanboys." She giggled.

"Speaking of Todoroki-kun..." Yusuke trailed off.

A sad expression crossed over his face. "He's still mad at me. He hasn't spoken a word to me since last night."

Ryuji gripped her shoulder comfortingly. "Things'll look up soon." 

She sighed. "I hope so..."

"Enough about Shouto already, this is getting depressing," Futaba snapped. "Let's talk about the Sports Festival! You one-shotted those robots!"

Ann furiously nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that was impressive."

Akihiko nudged Ken's shoulder. "You should've done that too!"

"Unfortunately, Shiina beat me to the punch." He shrugged.

"But what was goin' on with you two during the Cavalry Battle? You guys were acting... off." Ryuji frowned.

"You guys didn't talk or smile once," Mishima added. "Actually, your faces stayed the same the entire time! It was creepy."

"Oh that was Shinsou, the purple haired boy," Shiina explained. "He has a Brainwashing Quirk and he used it on us before the event started."

"A Brainwashing Quirk?" Haru gasped. "Isn't he from the General Education course, though?"

She nodded.

"A dude like that should be in the hero course!" Futaba exclaimed. "He can KO anyone easily!"

"That's what I was thinking too!" Shiina said just as a figure approached their table.

It was Aizawa and for some reason, seeing him made Akira stiffen. "I saw you feeding some sort of animal in your bag. Pets aren't allowed in here."

Akira smiled and spoke up in what he hoped sounded like a feminine voice. "I don't have any pets, sir."

"Right. Open the bag."

Akira sighed in defeat and revealed Morgana.

Aizawa stood and stared at him. "Never mind. You can keep him here, just make sure he stays hidden."

"...That's it?" Ryuji said as Aizawa walked away.

"Guess he's got a soft spot for cats?" Ann shrugged.

"Guys," Akira said in a low voice. "That's the Pro Hero that captured me during Niijima-san's heist."

Ken's eyes widened. "My homeroom teacher caught you?"

"He's your guys' homeroom teacher?" Akihiko asked. "The mummy?"

"He got beat up a little during the USJ attack," Ken explained, waving a hand dismissively. "Anyways, this was after the attack, wasn't it? So you're saying he caught you while injured?"

"No!" Akira said defensively. "I let him capture me. It was part of the plan anyways."

"What a small world," Sojiro mused. "First it was Shido, now it's Class 1-A's homeroom teacher."

Meanwhile, a few feet away from them, they were being watched by a certain group of students.

"I strongly advise against this!" Iida cried out, but he was ignored.

Momo sighed. "They're too curious about Kiberi-san's friends to really listen..." 

"I know who that girl is!" Mina squealed in her seat. "That's Takamaki Ann! She's a model! I've seen her in magazines and oh my god, she's so much prettier in real life!"

"Forget that, look at the muscles on that guy!" Kirishima gushed, gazing at Akihiko's direction. "He looks like he can wipe a villain out in one punch!"

"Oh, oh, maybe you should ask him for workout tips?" Hagakure suggested.

Uraraka giggled as the blonde boy threw an arm around Shiina's shoulders. "They're so dating." She said, gaining multiple reactions.

Mina stopped fangirling over Ann immediately. "What? No! They can't be!"

Hagakure nodded wildly in agreement. "Shiina-chan said they were just friends!"

"Eh? But look! He's so intimate with her!" The brunette exclaimed, pointing at the couple.

"S-so what if he has his arm over her?! That's perfectly normal!" Hagakure cried out, refusing to allow someone to wreck her ship.

"Let's ask Todoroki-kun, he'd know!" Mina decided determinedly.

Momo winced. "I don't think that's a good idea..."

"Yeah..." Midoriya agreed, glancing over at the side. "He doesn't look very happy at the moment..."

They all followed his line of direction and saw the aforementioned boy just a few tables away, glaring darkly at Shiina's table while stabbing into his soba noodles with his chopsticks.

Everyone shuddered and looked away before they could get caught.

"I wonder what made him so angry..." Jiro said.

"Yeah! He's never that mad, especially not with Kiberi-chan!" Kirishima emphasized.

"They're just having a lover's spat." Mina said defensively.

Kirishima blinked at her. "Lover's spat? You think they're dating?"

"Not yet."

"Todoroki-kun does follow her around a lot..." Momo trailed off.

"And he's super overprotective." Jirou added.

"And he gets jealous easily too!" Uraraka chimed in.

Kirishima gave them a weird look. "I dunno about that... He seems more like a brother to her than anything."

Mina laughed. "Pfft! That's insane, Kirishima! Todoroki? Brother? No way."

Kirishima slumped his shoulders in defeat, unaware that Midoriya was mentally agreeing with him.

Meanwhile...

"Hey, Shiina-chan~" Kaminari sang as he and Mineta approached their table with wild blushes on their faces.

"What?" She said, glaring at them. Or, well, one of them in particular.

"All the girls have to be part of the cheer squad after lunch! Like them, over there!" Mineta pointed towards the group of American cheerleaders.

"That's total bullshit," Ryuji spat, recognizing who he was through Akira's description. "You just wanna perv on her, huh?"

Kaminari paled. "Uh, n-no...!"

"Y-yeah!" Mineta agreed. "The other girls are already changing too! It's true, we're not lying!"

"An announcement would've been made," Yusuke said loftily. "Or perhaps a staff worker would be sent to spread the word to the girls. I highly doubt they would trust two boys to do the job."

"Admit it, you guys just want to be pervs!" Ann glared at them. She pointed a finger at Mineta. "I saw you grabbing onto that other girl during the race! You're a disgusting cheat!"

"You're not going to fool us with your lies, so you should just leave." Sae said firmly.

"Yeah, you're ruining our appetite." Akira said, not bothering to hide his masculine tone. Mineta, who didn't see him before, paled automatically.

"I'm sorry, goodbye!" He squeaked frightfully before bolting away.

Kaminari, realizing he was all alone now, bowed his head and trudged away.

"Oh and Kaminari?" Shiina called out.

The boy turned around.

"Your ass is so not great anymore."

Poor Kaminari had an emotional breakdown in the middle of the lunch hall.

— ❤ —

"So, uh, you wanted to talk?" Midoriya said. "About what...?" He looked over at Shouto and gulped at the cold look he was giving him.

Scary... he shuddered.

He tried again. "Um... you wanted to talk? The dining hall will be packed if we don't hurry... Um..."

This guy's nothing like Kacchan... A much colder sort of intimidation...

"You overwhelmed me," Shouto began. "So much that I even used my left side. Iida, Kaminari, Yaoyorozu, Tokoyami, Uraraka... None of them felt it. In that last instant, I was the only one feeling that pressure. I experienced All Might's true power up close. I felt the same pressure coming from you. So... are you All Might's secret love child or something?"

.

.

.

Midoriya's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "You think I'm—?! No, no, no, you've got it completely wrong! I, well... I mean, I'm denying that, but... obviously, if I really were his kid, I'd try to deny it, so I realize I don't sound very convincing here... but, no, that's not it... So... let me ask you, then... Why would you think that I..."

"'No, that's not it.' Interesting way to phrase it..." Shouto noted. "There's definitely something you're hiding. I'm sure of it. You know, my father is Endeavor. The second greatest hero of all time. So if you're somehow connected to the number one guy, then all the more reason for me to crush you."

Midoriya began to nervously fiddle with his fingers. The way he glares at me reminds me of Kiberi-san from that day...

Shouto continued, "Yeah, he's gone all out to make a name for himself as a hero, but... he's always seen that living legend, All Might, as a roadblock and an eyesore. My father could never beat All Might on his own. So he came up with another plan."

"What's this about, Todoroki-kun? Why are you telling me this?" Midoriya asked hesitantly.

"Quirk Marriages," Shouto said, completely ignoring his question. "You've heard of them yeah?"

"H-huh...?"

"They started becoming a problem during the 2nd and 3rd generation after Quirks appeared... Strong individuals would choose a partner and force them into marriage for the sole purpose of passing on a strengthened version of their own Quirk. Those earlier generations were lacking in ethics. With his wealth and fame, my father made my mother's family agree to the marriage. All to get his hands on her Quirk. He raised me as a hero who could exceed All Might, just to fulfill his own ambitions. He fueled my little sister's hatred for me and started to use her too once her Quirk manifested. Endeavor never cared for her. He always locked her up to starve and suffer because she was initially Quirkless. He drove her crazy with hate and envy... And now that she has her Quirk, he's using her as 'backup'..."

Midoriya tensed up. Little sister? I know Endeavor has a daughter, but isn't she older...? Todoroki-kun's little sister... could it really be...? It was hard for him to imagine Shiina as 'locked up and starved' because she always looked like she was in prime health. But there was the bright red hand mark he saw on her back. The burnt clothes and the blood...

But Kiberi-san doesn't hate Todoroki-kun... Midoriya frowned to himself.

"I hate it!" Shouto spat. "Being no more than a tool for that human garbage. As I remember it, mom was always crying... 'I can't stand to see that left side of yours'... she said, before throwing scalding water in my face."

Goosebumps appeared on Midoriya's arm. The scar was from his mother?! But—but it was never reported...! Was that why she was sent away so long ago? The media never really disclosed what the reason was... Or maybe I just couldn't remember it...?

"In short, not using my left side against you was my revenge on him. Never using my rotten father's Quirk... No... By rising to the top without using it, I'll have denied him everything."

We live in totally different worlds. It's chilling. Midoriya thought. We're both aiming for the top, but... we're still so different.

Shouto began to walk away. "Your connection with All Might... Keep it to yourself if you want. Either way, I'll rise above you with just my right side. Sorry for wasting your time."

Midoriya stepped forward. "I've... always had help," he began, making Shouto stop. "No matter the situation... I... I've only come this far because other people helped me. All Might... I wanna be like him... for that, I have to become the strongest. It might seem like a lame motivation compared to yours... But I'm gonna lose. All the people who've helped me... That's how I'll repay them. Let me return your declaration of way with my own... I'm... I'm gonna beat you!"

Shouto regarded him coldly. "Good luck then."

"Wait, Todoroki-kun!" Midoriya called out before he could walk away again, but he wasn't listening. "Todoroki-kun, wait! It's about your sister!"

That caught his attention. Shouto finally turned to face him.

Midoriya let out a breath. "Something's been bugging me lately... You claimed to have a little sister... But I don't remember hearing about that... I always thought you were the youngest, so how...?"

"Weren't you listening? She was Quirkless." He stated.

"But I still don't understand..."

Shouto's heterochromatic eyes hardened. "My old man's always been good at covering things up. In this case, he covered up her entire existence. He couldn't let anyone find out about him having a Quirkless daughter... Even though she turned out not to be."

Just like me... She was Quirkless just like me... Midoriya thought, eyes widening. "Can you tell me her name?"

Shouto turned away. "Figure it out yourself."

Unbeknownst to them, a certain blonde was listening to their conversation the entire time. And he was figuring it out too.

— ❤ —

After lunch, she hurried off to the stage to try out the recreational activities, but had to leave Ken behind since he needed to use the restroom. It was a good thing he was gone too, since she instantly ran into Endeavor before she could reach the stage.

"Ew," she said with clear disgust. "You're here too?"

"I've been here the entire time," he growled at her, eye twitching with annoyance. "I watched your performance. While Shouto did poorly, you did even worse. Sixth place?! If you hadn't been so lazy this entire time—"

"—If I wanted, I could've put everyone to sleep and frolicked my way to first place with ease. You of all people should know how powerful my Dormina is,"  she interrupted with a smug smirk as he fumed. "This competition's nothing but shit to me. You forced me into this school because I wasn't Quirkless anymore. I agreed. But I never agreed to be your mindless slave. I'm not gonna bother getting first place for you because I know what you're doing."

He narrowed his eyes. "Oh? And just what do you think I'm doing?"

"You're purposely pushing me and Shouto into a corner. You want us both to succeed but everyone knows there's only one first place here. You want to pit us against each other so you'll know which child to focus on more, don't you? You don't know how strong my Quirk is yet, so you're hoping that this competition will give you all the data you need. If Shouto wins this, then you'll discard me like you did before and continue working with him. But if I win this then you'll start working with me while discarding Shouto. That's your diabolical plan, isn't it? You want to know which of us is stronger."

Endeavor said nothing, but his face was growing redder and his flames were growing hotter.

"Your plan's stupid, by the way," she commented idly. "'Cause first of all, I managed to figure it out. Second of all, nobody knows I'm your kid. What're you gonna do if I end up being your 'supreme masterpiece' hm? Tell everyone about how you kept me hidden? Good luck with that. And third of all, I'm not about to let you treat Shouto the way you treated me. So you might as well remove me from the ringing."

"So what?!" He spat. "You're just going to lose the festival?! Just for your brother?!"

"Yeah," she replied flatly. "Because Shouto wants to be the hero, not me. This isn't important to me."

"You're going to ruin your future for him?!" He said incredulously.

"I never had a future in the first place because you took it away from me!" She hissed.

He shook his head. "It seems like you've inherited your mother's insanity."

"You were the one who drove her to that madness." She said darkly.

"I don't tolerate delusions, Shiina," he said gruffly. "The next event is the one-on-one fighting tournament. If you half ass this then I'll—"

"—What, you'll beat the shit outta me?" She asked dully.

His flames grew hotter. "I SHOULD DO THAT RIGHT NOW—!"

He stopped himself when the sound of spraying water caught their attention. The two peered around the corner to see Bakugou standing in front of a broken water fountain.

"Ah fuck," she heard him say.

Endeavor harrumphed. This whole conversation was pointless. "I'm leaving," he muttered under his breath storming away.

"The fuck you looking at?!" Bakugou snapped at her once he was gone.

She didn't reply. Her eyes were focused on the water fountain's pipe which was spewing water out like crazy. The pipe had snapped in half, but that wasn't what caught her attention. It was the burnt edged of it. It was purposely damaged... She looked back at Bakugou, her teal eyes scrutinizing him.

Did he blow the pipe up on purpose...? Did that mean he heard?

"...Thanks." She said to him.

"Dunno what the fuck you're talking about." He grumbled. "But whatever. I'm going to the stage. Don't fucking follow me, Milk Jugs."

Unfortunately for him, she did end up following him, mainly because she needed to go to the stage too. She at least had the decency to stray a few feet away from him, her mind buzzing with thoughts.

Bakugou had clearly heard everything. And he definitely heard Endeavor threaten to hit her, which was why he reacted quickly and blew up the pipe to stop that from happening, an act that she was grateful for.

As much as she hated to admit it, she was completely wrong about Bakugou. Sure he was loud, mean, and cocky, but he wasn't anything like Endeavor...

Great, now I feel bad for comparing Bakugou to him... She sighed.

When she entered the stage, her prior negativity was washed away by the sight of her female classmates all adorning cheerleader uniforms.

"CLASS A? WHY?!" Present Mic shouted.

"Oh my god," she grimaced, speed-walking to them. "You guys actually listened to those two idiots?!"

"I don't know what I was thinking!" Uraraka wailed. "I never should've listened to them!"

Jiro quickly ducked behind Shiina, who didn't bother to move since she felt bad for them. "How did they not manage to trick you too?"

"I had backup," Shiina grinned. "And where'd you get the uniforms anyways?"

"I made them..." Momo said shakily, dropping her pom poms to cover her face in shame.

Shiina looked over at their darkened faces and sighed. "If it makes you guys feel better, I think you all look great."

"I want to hide under a hole, kero." Tsuyu said.

"Hope everyone enjoys this little recreational competition! Once that's over, we're on to the final event. Between the 16 members of the four winning teams... we'll have a formal tournament! A series of one-on-one battles!" Present Mic announced.

Midnight walked forward with a box labeled 'Lots'. "The matchups will be decided by drawing lots. Once that's settled, we'll move on to the festivities and then the tournament itself! It's up to each of you 16 finalists whether or not you participate in the fun. I expect some of you would rather take a breather and save your strength. Now, let's start with the first-place team..."

Ojiro's hand shot up. "Um... excuse me. I'd... like to drop out."

"Ojiro! Why?!"

"This is your chance to get noticed by the pros!"

"The Cavalry Battle... I have no memories of anything that happened up until the tail end. It's probably his Quirk that did it..."

Shiina shot a quick glance at a blank-faced Shinsou.

"I know this is a great opportunity. And I know how stupid it must seem to throw it away... But this final tournament... everyone else made it here by their own strength. Yet I'm standing here, and I don't even know how or why. I just can't take it."

Shiina quickly walked over to Ken. "You're not gonna drop out of this, right?" She whispered. "'Cause the only reason I'm continuing here is the small chance that we get to fight."

He smirked. "Don't worry, I'm staying. I hope I get to fight you too."

Midnight happily accepted Ojiro's withdrawal and allowed a member from Class B to switch in with him.

"Nobody else wants to withdraw?" She asked. "This'll be your last chance!"

Nobody said anything.

"Alright then! Here are the matchups!" She exclaimed, and the screen lit up.

Shiina searched for her name and felt her heart drop.

KIBERI VS TODOROKI

— author's note —

Can someone explain to me how Akechi's Personas work?? Loki isn't his Ultimate right? Somehow the dude got two initial Personas rather than just one. So does this mean I gotta make up an Ultimate Persona to him? Would that be okay with you all? I mean, it'd be fun to do that, but I just wanna make sure I got my facts right.

Anyways back to the chapter:

SO MANY THINGS HAPPENED HERE OMG WHAT DO U GUYS THINK???

(and oh look another cliffhanger)

*insert troll face here*