A lot had changed since their internships. Mostly on the social front, in Katsuki's case. All of the sudden he didn't just walk to school with Izuku but also with this insomniac kid from general studies. Shinsou was a chill guy though, never talked all that much before he had his morning coffee, so Katsuki could tolerate him.
Another change was the fact Todoroki seemed to think they were friends now. The socially awkward boy circled around him and Deku like an annoying mosquito, always coming back no matter how many times you swat him away. Katsuki came close to exploding several times a day, but he always managed to remember the lessons Mirko taught him.
To choose his battles, to allow others closer, to let them assist even if you don't need it. It builds trust, an essential part of a pro hero's image. Of course that didn't mean he had to change his personality, Mirko had made that point very clear. But it would allow him to create a safety net, people who would support him and back him up in case he needed it. It was purely strategic, nothing more.
Yeah, so when Kirishima asked him to tutor him in order to prepare for the exams, he agreed. Not because Kirishima was his friend or they sparred in basically every class that allowed it, but because he'd owe him. Yes, purely strategic.
"Oh Blasty, teach me too!" Kaminari whined, clinging onto Bakugou.
"Math is my worst subject by far!"
"Oi! Fuck off dunce face!" Katsuki hissed. Strategic or not, he couldn't deal with all the idiots all at once and definitely not for longer periods of time. Izuku chuckled as he watched the scene unfold from a distance, seeing Ashido and Sero join in with their pleas as Kacchan was clearly trying to keep himself from harming anyone while Aizawa sensei could see it.
"Maybe we could organize our own study session, Deku-kun?" Uraraka suggested, making the green head look aside at the girl.
"Preparation is key to good results! Study sessions are required if we want to pass the exams!" Iida agreed.
"Oh, we can study at my place! It's definitely big enough" Izuku smiled.
"Can I join in as well?" Todoroki asked, as formal as ever.
"Of course! The more the merrier! Besides, you can teach me Classic Japanese while you're at it. You're at the top of our class together with Iida, after all" Uraraka stated. Right, Iida and Todoroki always scored top grades in every subject, together with Yaoyorozu and of course Kacchan! Oh, speaking of Kacchan-
"Hey Kacchan! Why don't we combine our groups for one big study session? We're doing it at my place" Izuku suggested as he walked up to the group.
"That's a great idea Midoriya!" Kirishima smiled while Bakugou groaned. Great, he was gonna be stuck with all these fucking extras anyway...
"What day fits best for you guys?" Uraraka asked.
"Let's see, uhm, maybe Friday?" Mina proposed.
"No, I'm way too worn out after the intense battle training Aizawa sensei puts us through on Friday" Kaminari whined.
"That's true... What about Saturday?" Izuku asked, looking around the group.
"Fits for me!"
"I'll need to ask my father, but I don't think it'll be a problem"
"Yeah, works for me too"
"Ugh, fine" Katsuki groaned.
"But I better be allowed to explode the hell out of some targets in the basement afterwards, got it nerd?"
"You're always allowed to use our training facilities Kacchan, you know that" Izuku giggled, confusing the shit out of their classmates. They all knew about his dad's job, but most of them didn't seem to have realised what that entailed.
To say some jaws dropped when Saturday rolled around was an understatement.
"Whoa, Midoriya, your place is huge!" Denki gasped.
"Well, we do live here with quite a lot of people when all the rooms are taken" Izuku shrugged.
"It can get quite crowded at times"
"Fucking annoying, you mean" Katsuki grunted, pushing past his classmates and walking down the hall.
"Bakugou comes around a lot huh? He really seems to know his way around the place" Uraraka chuckled.
"He lives nearby and no gyms around here allow quirk usage so we often train together" Izuku happily explained.
"Well, more so before UA... Now we have the training facilities at school, you know?"
"Ah, the hero hopefuls have arrived..." Shinsou sighed as he stepped out of the elevator. He was wearing his training outfit, which consisted of a simple tank top and black sweatpants. A towel hug over his shoulders, his eyes still as dead as ever.
"Hey, you're that guy from the sportsfestival!" Kaminari exclaimed, making the purple head roll his eyes.
"All the first years have to participate in the sportsfestival so you're not being very specific" Hitoshi mumbled.
"Oh come on Shinsou-kun, don't be like that" Izuku chuckled.
"Why don't you come study with us? Our regular courses are practically the same so it should work out!"
"...I'd rather not" he answered, seemingly hesitant.
"Oh, well that's okay too" Izuku smiled.
"I'll see you at dinner then?"
"Yeah, I'll see you around" Shinsou said with a small smile, giving him something that resembled a wave as he left for his room.
"I didn't know he lived here too? So you already knew him before the sportsfestival" Uraraka asked as the insomniac turned the corner.
"Ah, uh, no, not exactly. You see, Shinsou-kun is a new resident here-"
"Oi! Are you fucking nerds coming or what?!"
"Sounds like Kacchan is getting impatient, so we better get going!" Izuku laughed.
"Yes! We came here to study and we've already wasted enough time lingering in this hallway!" Iida stated.
"Where to, Midoriya?!"
"Just follow the hallway, the cafeteria is at the end"
With that they all made their way over to the cafeteria and after they settled down, they finally started their study session. It was even more productive than Izuku thought it would be. He was never able to study with friends like this before, let alone at his place. The only one who ever studied with him was Kacchan... Which is also why he was able to interpret his aggressive teachings more clearly to the others.
In the end, Izuku was pretty sure everyone had learned something from their study session. Goal accomplished! Yeah, today was a successful day!
"See, that wasn't so bad Kacchan" Izuku smiled as the last few people left to catch their train.
"Tch, I'd rather study with just you. At least then I only have to listen to your mumbling and not all of their idiotic bullshit" Katsuki grunted.
"Kacchan!"
"Oh shut up nerd" Katsuki sighed, swinging his bag over his shoulder.
"See you tomorrow, kay? We need to get some extra sparring in before the practicals too"
Since they were part of the hero course, they had normal written exams but also a practical exam after that. Whether it would be combat or rescue or something else entirely had yet to be seen since they switched things up every now and then.
"Yeah okay, I'll make sure we've got a room to ourselves then" Izuku said while Katsuki nodded.
"Alright, bye Deku"
"Bye Kacchan! See you tomorrow!" Izuku called after him, closing the front door as the ash blonde left. He smiled to himself as he made his way to the kitchen to grab a little snack. He deserved it after all the work he put in today!
Yeah, if he continued like this, the exams wouldn't stand a chance against him!
...
"Come on Eraser, they wouldn't stand a chance against him" Yamada sighed.
"Well, he shouldn't be participating in the first year exams to begin with" Aizawa countered.
"Sho, we talked about this. There aren't enough teachers for this otherwise and getting some outside hero is a big risk to the reputation of UA in case anything goes wrong. At least he knows how to control himself around the students, right?" Present Mic explained for what felt like the millionth time.
Aizawa understood where he was coming from, knew why Nezu had asked him to arrange it this way, but that didn't mean he had to like it. No, arranging duos for the practical exams was a tedious task, definitely when the number one hero was one of the enemies and certainly when his top three combative students would rather fail than face him. He didn't want to put Midoriya, Bakugou or Todoroki against All Might, but they were one of the few who actually stood a chance, even if the pro hero was compromised.
Besides, he already planned out to make Yaoyorozu more confident and needed Todoroki to be teamed up with her against him. He also couldn't possibly put Bakugou and Midoriya together, that would be an unfair advantage since those two flawlessly worked together without having to say a word. Splitting them up was easy enough, but the problem was that there still had to be a duo that had to go against All Might and neither group had the power to face him.
"Let's word it like this, which of your students would stand the best chance against him? Be honest with me Sho!" Yamada said while Midnight walked into the teacher's lounge.
"Oh, are you two still discussing the practicals?" she asked, leaning over Aizawa's desk to get a peek at the paper with the planning on it.
"We still have no one to face off against All Might" Mic sighed as she grabbed the paper.
"Oh, what about Midoriya? He was first in the entrance exams, right?" Nemuri smiled. Yes but Nezu gave All Might a restraining order so it's impossible. That's what Aizawa wanted to say, at least, but almost no one knew about that. Most teachers weren't informed about All Might's role in the USJ accident, thinking it was just a system malfunction that had since been checked out and solved.
"And uh... Oh! And Bakugou! He scored second, didn't he? There you have it, Eraser. Your two strongest students" Midnight smiled.
He had thought about it before, but he didn't want to put either of them against All Might if he could help it. Yet it was clear that if one of them had to fight that man, he wouldn't hesitate to put them together. Midoriya would need the mental support when facing One For All and Bakugou would need someone to keep him rational, preventing any further incidents. They were a perfect team... And All Might was their biggest enemy, even outside of this exercise.
"See? Midnight agrees with me on Bakugou!" Yamada stated, pointing at Aizawa before turning to the woman.
"He just won't listen to me, Nemuri. For some reason he just doesn't want to put him against All Might! And I'm given zero explanation!"
"What? But this combination makes the most sense!" Midnight stated, now frowning at Aizawa.
"You know that as well as I do, Eraser. Where has your rational side run off to? Don't tell me you're playing favourites!"
"I don't have favourites" Aizawa stated, even though he was clearly putting the comfort of some students before the others. With a valid reason, but not one he could explain to his colleagues.
"Then prove it. Put Bakugou and Midoriya against All Might, you coward" Midnight grinned.
Sometimes Shouta regretted becoming a teacher with his friends from UA because unlike the other teachers, they weren't as scared of his wrath. Right now was such a time. If he didn't give in, they'd tease him about this for the rest of the year, probably even longer than that. They'd cornered him and they damn well knew it, these bastards.
"Okay fine" Aizawa sighed.
"I'll write it down and have Nezu approve of it later today"
"Yes! That's the spirit, Sho!" Present Mic exclaimed, celebrating their victory by throwing his hands in the air. Midnight also let out a small cheer, making Aizawa roll his eyes. He'll have to warn his problem children ahead of time because he knew how Midoriya would freak out upon hearing he had to face All Might and that kid needed time to process it. He just hoped that if he explained it to them, they'd understand why he had to do it. He didn't want to make an enemy of the Midoriya family, after all.
No, after receiving the information about the doctor from Kurogiri, who apparently had a transportation quirk, he'd quickly gone to work. It was quite the scare to see black mist suddenly appear in the corner of his classroom when he was correcting tests over lunch, but he managed to get through everything they had and contacted a few underground heroes he trusted to do some further research. So hopefully if All Might didn't kill Izuku during the exam, neither would the doctor afterwards.