All Might slamd his fist on the desk with a force that made the nearby monitors vibrate slightly.
"Young Yaoyorozu, that was splendid!" His enormous smile seed even brighter than usual as he pointed to the freeze-fra replays of the match.
"You took the initiative from the start, analyzed your partner's strengths, took advantage of the environnt, and forced your opponents to constantly react! That's exactly what I expect from a team leader!"
It took Momo only a mont to react. Being praised by the number one hero was different from being praised by Reiji, even though he had given her the confidence to carry out her plan.
Finally, she bowed respectfully.
"Thank you, Professor." All Might continued watching the recordings for a few more seconds before turning his gaze to the other mber of the winning team. "And you, young Toga."
Several eyes automatically shifted to Reiji.
He stood a few steps behind Momo, his hands in his pockets, his expression as calm as ever. From the outside, he looked more like a spectator than soone who had just participated in one of the most solid matches of the day.
"Your physical performance was splendid. You followed your partner's instructions perfectly and never once doubted what was going to happen, holding off both opponents long enough to end the match at the right mont."
Reiji stared at the screen for a few seconds before replying.
"Thank you."
The response left several students waiting for a continuation, even All Might expected sothing more.
It never ca.
"Is that all?" Kaminari asked.
Reiji shrugged.
"I just followed the plan." Then he glanced briefly at Momo. "All the credit is hers."
For the first ti since the match ended, Momo looked away from the screens.
That statent caught her slightly off guard.
Because she knew perfectly well it wasn't entirely true.
Yes, she had devised the strategy.
But she also knew that a large part of the reason she had been able to execute it with such confidence was because Reiji never questioned any of her decisions. And even this arrangent, precisely to do everything Momo required, wasn't sothing just anyone could do to contain Todoroki and lissa without even getting hurt.
A small smile appeared on her lips before she could hide it.
She didn't contradict his words; he might have his own reasons for not wanting fa, or it might simply be his personality. Either way, it felt good to receive praise.
anwhile, Todoroki and lissa approached from the other side of the room.
The difference between them was evident.
lissa seed frustrated, trying to figure out how things had gone so wrong.
Todoroki, on the other hand, remained completely silent.
Her expression remained as calm as ever, though her eyes were fixed on the replays projected on the screens.
lissa was the first to speak.
"They didn't give us any room to react." Her gaze shifted from the screens to Momo. "It's like our actions were so predictable they were part of the plan..."
lissa pointed to one of the replays.
"I'm surprised that the fact that I even thought about circling the building was part of the plan." Then she smiled. "It was brilliant and chilling that you thought that's what I would do."
Momo lowered her gaze slightly.
She still struggled to accept such direct praise.
anwhile, Todoroki continued watching the footage.
Finally, he spoke.
"There's sothing I don't understand." Several people turned to him.
"What is it?" lissa asked.
Todoroki pointed to the screen.
The image showed the final monts of the fight.
The exact mont they had both been immobilized.
"When did they put the handcuffs on us?"
There was a brief silence.
The question was valid.
Many hadn't noticed either.
Momo watched the replay for a mont before answering.
"You during the final collision." Todoroki frowned slightly. "When Reiji pushed you, he entangled you with his Quirk, trapping his blood in the handcuffs to hide it."
The image skipped forward a few seconds.
"And lissa got hers right after the impact of my tal bar." Momo pointed again, before turning slightly to lissa. "Sorry about that."
lissa blinked.
She looked at the recording again.
Then again.
And finally, she let out a small, incredulous laugh.
"I didn't realize."
"That was the idea," Momo replied.
The simplicity of the answer provoked further reactions.
As the conversation continued around them, Reiji turned his gaze back to one of the screens.
The words VILLAINS WIN kept appearing over the final recording, followed by the next match.
Heroes: Camie Utsushumi and Katsuki Bakugo.
Villains: Denki Kaminari and Pony Tsunutori.
It was finally the last match of the class; everyone else had already had their turn, gaining their first combat experience.
Katsuki had already left, and Denki and Pony were chatting as they also left the room. Camie, who had been talking with Mina, also started to leave the room for her match.
'It'll be a good match.'
***
The cafeteria terrace was much quieter than the interior of the main building.
Most of the students preferred to stay close to their newly ford groups inside the enormous cafeteria, where the constant noise of conversations, trays, and announcents created a much more lively atmosphere.
Outside, on the other hand, the breeze freely drifted across the tables arranged along the railing, accompanied by the distant sounds of the sporting activities still taking place in different parts of the campus.
Reiji was in the third-year cafeteria, inevitably making him the center of attention for the day. Although it wasn't as if he cared much, he continued eating in silence, as was his custom, his gaze lost among the trees in the lower courtyard.
Himiko was beside him, leaning on the table with one elbow, cutting her food with a relaxed smile. She didn't care about the stares around her; she was used to it anyway.
She had a certain reputation in the area, the dark horse of the previous festival.
"So you won?" she asked between bites, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.
"Yes," Reiji said without looking up. "My partner planned a good strategy; we crushed the opponent."
Himiko narrowed her eyes at Reiji. Almost every ti he didn't specify a gender, it was a woman. It annoyed her that he changed his words, thinking it would bother her, which was almost paradoxical.
She nudged Reiji's leg with her knee.
"Hey! What was that?"
"Idiot..." Himiko muttered with a huff.
"Ah, here you are!" A cheerful voice interrupted the small scene. Nejire Hado appeared at the top of the terrace stairs, waving as she approached with her tray of food. Her blue hair billowed in the breeze, as did her boundless energy.
"I've been looking for you for like ten minutes!"
"That explains why my phone vibrated a couple of tis," Himiko said.
"Because you never answer!" Nejire blurted out, puffing out her cheek in an annoyed pout, which only had the opposite effect. Before she could get a response, she took the empty chair without waiting for an invitation.
"Hi, Reiji~"
"Hi," he replied calmly, taking another bite of his food without any expression.
"Are you keeping your distance because you want so peace and quiet? Am I bothering you?" Nejire asked, looking at them both with genuine joy.
Himiko shook her head.
"You're always annoying, but I just can't get rid of you." Himiko's response made Reiji raise an eyebrow; it sounded like sothing Reiji himself would say.
"I knew you liked !" Nejire replied, laughing as she took a juice from her tray and popped a croquette into her mouth without missing a beat. Like Reiji, they had also had a sparring session to see how much they had progressed.
Although it wasn't as simple as the first-year classes, but that was a separate matter.
"Did you see what Kamari did in class today? She almost knocked the teacher unconscious with that floating motion of hers! I swear even she doesn't know how she does it."
Himiko laughed, nodding. "Yeah, it looked like a horror scene… Although I have to admit it was pretty accurate."
"And then she tried to apologize by floating another chair as an offering!" Nejire raised her arms as if mimicking a levitating chair. "Who apologizes for flying furniture?!"
Reiji ate in silence, his fork pausing occasionally when laughter reached his ears.
"And you, Himiko, how did that weird thing you did in class go?" Nejire asked with a smile.
"I never do weird things," she replied, tilting her head with feigned innocence.
Reiji looked up at this, imdiately noticing sothing odd.
"Oh, really? And stealing the instructor's card while he was explaining to Saito that you can't bite your classmates?"
"It was a... strategic accident," Himiko defended herself. "I was... practicing stealth."
Reiji glanced at her sideways.
"Covert training, of course."
Nejire took a long sip of her juice and looked at Reiji, her eyes narrowed, assessing him with her typical overflowing enthusiasm.
"How are your classmates?! What do they do? What are their Quirks?" Nejire suddenly snapped out of her daze and started asking questions while taking a bite of the food on her tray.
"Normal, I guess."
"Normal, like the impressive, heroic kind? Or normal, like the boring kind?"
"Well, Reiji ca in first in both the entrance exams and the physical aptitude tests, and now, he masterfully won his first combat training," Himiko began, adding to the conversation. "And he calls it 'normal' all the ti. So I think his classmates are more inclined to think 'normal.'"
"He really ca in first in all that? How did you do it? Was it really difficult?"
Reiji looked at Himiko with a raised eyebrow, trying to contain Nejire's overwhelming curiosity, but it seed Himiko, on the other hand, wanted to fuel it.
His sister just laughed mockingly, ignoring his predicant.
"Yeah... I mostly train with Himiko, so comparing myself to first-year students isn't really sothing I should be doing," he explained briefly, quickly getting out of the situation.
"Hmm, that makes sense. Anyway, the first of my generation was Hagi, and yet he's fifth among us, behind Mirio, Tamaki, Himiko, and . Do you think anyone could steal your spot?"
The image of Katsuki, Todoroki, and lissa flashed into his mind. They had great potential, but lacked experience. So, if they trained well and gained enough experience, Reiji didn't see the possibility of being surpassed as so far-fetched.
"Probably, everyone wants to be number one. As long as I can live in peace, I'm fine," Reiji said, taking another bite. That was truly his thought; the only problem standing in the way was the presence of AFO and Shigaraki.
So, it was much more complex than it initially seed, and with Himiko working for Ryukyu's agency as a hero, she would undoubtedly get involved.
"Is it always that simple?" Nejire asked, shifting her attention to Himiko, her main source of information at the mont.
"Most of the ti," Himiko replied, shrugging. "Although he's much more expressive than he talks."
"Can you stop talking like I'm not here?" Reiji interjected before Nejire could.
"No! The first school lunch we'd have in years was supposed to be really chatty, heartwarming, and enjoyable! Instead, all you did was eat!" Himiko accused, frowning, making Reiji freeze for a mont.
Having lunch with Shinso so many tis might have changed his perception of what a peaceful school lunch was, but this definitely wasn't it.
"Oh, sibling rivalry. I always get asked what one would be like," Nejire comnted from the other side, staring at them with a grin. As if this were sothing out of a soap opera or sothing.
Reiji, like Himiko, couldn't help but let out a snort at the absurdity of her comnt, instantly lightening the mood.
"I made you laugh! Can I be the third sister among you?!"
Before Reiji could speak, Himiko spoke up.
"Of course! The three of us can be siblings and be together for life!"
'What the hell is with that phrase?'
"Yes! Then let's continue discussing!"
"Perfect!"
Reiji had truly lost track of the conversation.
***
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