chapter 8

1 WEEK AFTER THE SPORTS FESTIVAL

The Class 2-B teacher stood close to the center of the room, hovering behind her designated seat around the rectangular table. Other teachers were chatting amongst themselves around the perimeter of the room while others had taken their seats and were merely relaxing. Everyone awaited this annual meeting. The meeting that would determine the next month or so for a few select students here at UA.

The blonde raised her wrist, checking one of the four watches located on her forearm. 4:28 PM. 2 minutes until they'd start. Everyone was already here. They might as well start early—

"Irisa."

Her eyes glanced to the side without moving her head. Stepping over to her was a lanky figure dressed in all black besides the singular white scarf-like contraption wrapped around his neck. His sunken eyes stared very sleepily at her bright colors of blue and gold.

Sighing, she turned to him and gave him a polite smile as a greeting. "Shota. Glad to see you've joined the party."

"1st year Hero Course teachers are obligated to come. You, on the other hand, don't have to," he responded.

"It's necessary for all staff members to have a say in this momentous program. It remains to be one of the most important events for students outside of our beloved Hero Course."

"Good to see you too, Irisa."

"Pleasure's all mine." She smiled, almost sarcastically.

A banshee like cheer rang from their side. An arm slumped over each of their shoulders and a figure situated themselves in between the two teachers. Irisa Arima immediately ducked her head away, cringing at the loud annoyance. Shota Aizawa just shook his head. They both knew who had joined their perfectly stable conversation.

"Shota! Irisa! My two favorite teechs!"

Present Mic grinned at the two. Arima groaned and shrugged his arm off of her shoulders. Aizawa mimicked the action, but gave less of a reaction to Mic's presence.

Arima straightened up, reclaiming her authoritarian posture. "Hizashi. You came to this meeting...?"

Aizawa scoffed. "'Every staff member has a say in this momentous program, Irisa. It's one of the most important events for students outside of our beloved Hero Course, you know.'"

Arima narrowed her eyes at him. Present Mic paused, but nodded profusely once Aizawa finished. "What he said!" Mic didn't get the call back.

"Don't mock me, Aizawa," she snapped. "I already get enough of that from Tikki."

"Speaking of which," Aizawa pulled out the chair next to Arima's and sat down in it. "I was surprised to see Tikki in the Sports Festival."

Arima clenched her fists down around the head of her chair. "Oh?" She bit the side of her cheek.

Aizawa nodded. "She didn't show up for the Entrance Exam or with the Recommended... But I'm sure you knew that since it was probably your doing."

Principal Nezu hopped up onto the table on the far side of the room. He rang a small bell, capturing everyone's attention. He made a small announcement that the meeting is commencing and the teachers and other staff members locate themselves around the table, each finding their own seat. Arima slid her own chair out and sat down beside Aizawa. On the other side of Arima sat Midnight who seemed too distracted by her nails to attempt at conversation with her neighbor.

"She wanted to gain admission on her own terms. So I let her." Arima paused, hesitating. "The only thing I wouldn't let her do is embarrass herself in the Entrance Exam. That would've done her more harm than good." Arima almost rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"Embarrass?" Aizawa questioned.

Arima ignored him. "Tikki is doing her best."

"I don't doubt it. You're the one taking care of her, after all." He shrugged.

Both teachers went silent at that. Present Mic sat down on the opposite side of Aizawa and the meeting began.

The small Principal Nezu hopped up onto the table again with a remote control in hand for the projector behind him. He presented his happy smile and opened his arms wide to the staff members of U.A.

"Friends and teachers, welcome to this year's meeting of the Transfer Program. As you know, after every 1st Year Sports Festival we conduct this meeting to see which students might be applicable for our Transfer Program we have established over the years. For the staff members who might be new to our school, the Transfer Program is a chance for students outside of the Hero Course to test to see if they can find admission into the Hero Department during the school year.

"The Transfer Program is the perfect opportunity for those students who were met at a disadvantage in the Entrance Exam or Recommended Exam and instead entered the school through the General Education, Support, or Management Courses! The Sports Festival is the qualifying test to see which students might be capable of fighting for a spot in the Hero Course through the Program!"

Nezu clapped his small paws together. He pressed a button on his remote and the projector screen behind him lit up. On the screen now viewed a calendar and a leader board which started at 6 students until it finished at the final one student.

"For the next month and a half, 6 students will participate in 18 vigorous tests calculating their physical abilities, quirks, mental capacities, and their passion. We want to know that they want to be in the Hero Departament! No one has more nerve than our prospective pros!"

Nezu gestured to Cementoss sitting at his right. Cementoss stood up and looked down at a file in his hands, as if reading off a script.

"After the results of the Sports Festival, we have narrowed down our list of potential Transfer Program students to 8. It is our job to vote on who we believe the top 6 candidates are to test in the program. If any of the students drop out before the tests begin, they will not be replaced. So it is our duty to pick correctly."

Nezu clicked on the button again and the slide changed. A picture of a student now presented itself to the staff members. The striking red hair of the female student was a hard feature to forget.

"Firstly, we have Hana Fujimaki."

Arima grimaced from her seat. Aizawa glanced at her reaction but doesn't say anything.

"Fujimaki is from the General Education Course and made it the farthest in the Sports Festival among those who are not in the Hero Department. Of course, she made it the farthest because her first opponent was also someone who was not in the Hero Course, but she did make it through at least one matchup. She evidently lost to Sayuri Uchiha from Class 1-A." Cementoss gestured to the screen which changes again. "Fujimaki's physical abilities are amplified by her Iron Splinters quirk which makes her a deadly opponent. She participated in the Entrance Exam but failed to rank in the top 40. However, she did then receive admittance into the General Ed. Department."

Cementoss motioned to the teachers, wanting them to discuss. No one said a word for a few moments. But that didn't last long.

"If she made it the farthest, she should obviously be allowed into TP." Snipe said from across the table.

Midnight nodded in agreement. Arima stayed silent. She wouldn't let her own grievances interfere with another student's future at U.A.

"Anyone disagree?" Cementoss asked the group.

No one responded. He put the file down and placed a large blue "ACCEPTED" stamp across the center of the page. Nezu flipped to the next slide.

A purple haired male now stared lazily into the frame of the picture.

"Hitoshi Shinsou of the Gen Ed Course, similar to Fujimaki..."

Accepted.

"Mei Hatsume of the Support Course..."

Rejected. Power Loader argued she was happy in the Support Course and gave no sign of wanting to transfer. Everyone agreed with him based on her... performance... at the Sports Festival.

"Yasutake Ren of the Support Course..."

Accepted. A girl of many talents whose quirk allows her to heal her own wounds just by being conscious.

"Ando Toshiyuki of the General Education Course..."

Accepted. A shy but capable young man with the ability to stretch his skin out as far as he pleases.

"Arata Masahiko of the Management Course..."

Rejected. Two words: management course.

"Tamura Tamotsu of the General Education Course..."

Accepted. He can create magnetic poles between two objects, attracting them together for as long as he remains touching either one.

"Tikki Shimamura of the Support Course."

Arima opened her eyes, having closed them just from listening to the other teachers' debate over students. This was the one she was willing to vouch for. But it appears she wouldn't have to.

"Accepted."

Every teacher and staff member in the room turned to Arima's direction. But they weren't looking at her. Instead, they were staring at Aizawa who had also been silent the entire time. Arima raised an eyebrow at him.

"Um... what was that?" Cementoss asked from the front.

"I said, Accepted." Aizawa leaned forwards, pressing his elbows to the table. "Unless you all have any arguments."

"Actually," one of the General Education teachers raised their hand. "I gotta question for you. Why jump the gun on a student that lost so spectacularly to someone that wasn't even in the Hero Course? With those injuries, I'd be surprised if she still wants to be at UA."

Arima gripped the edges of the table, turning her hands white. She opened her mouth to argue but never got the chance to. Aizawa was already ten steps ahead of her.

"Tikki Shimamura is fully capable of joining the Transfer Program. She lost to Fujimaki, but even you could tell—if you were watching the match closely like most of us were—that their matchup worked against Shimamura. Fujimaki was, in almost every way, a direct foil of her. Shimamura didn't give up without a fight even when she started bleeding out. If I had to guess, she would've kept fighting even if it killed her on that arena."

Arima stared at Aizawa in disbelief. Why was he sticking up for her niece after the nerve he had to say he was shocked to see Tikki at the Sports Festival? He had to be pulling her leg here.

"And," Aizawa continued, "Tikki Shimamura is the daughter of a pro-hero."

The room went silent... more silent than it was before, anyway. Everyone could hear a pin drop. Cementoss hung his head down, fumbling with his over-sized thumbs. Everyone recognized the Shimamura name. He didn't need to point it out... But right now, they needed to remember it.

"If she's anything like Orina was, then she deserves a chance. The Transfer Program is her chance. What do you think, Irisa?"

Arima looked up from her lap to Aizawa who was staring at her, emotionless. Arima swallowed. A memory of her sister resurfaced in her mind just hearing her name. She blinked, washing away the thought.

"Just as you said, Aizawa. Tikki is Orina's daughter. She knows the legacy she has to uphold." Arima's voice had become soft.

The teachers turned to stare at Cementoss. Without a word, he dropped the file onto the table and passed it to Nezu. Nezu took his stamp with a smile and pressed it firmly against the page.

Accepted.