The Class That Cried Werewolf

22 - The Name of a Hero

-Tatsuya's POV-

Two days have passed, and I'm still somewhat recovering, but I'm good enough to follow through with my responsibilities, not that I have a choice. My ears were still sensitive, but I should be able to get around okay with the earplugs Hagakure gave me. I haven't thanked her yet for being supportive at the festival, but I'm hoping to get the chance to do that today.

Fortunately, I was still able to hear everything from the outside world because my ears perked up at someone whispering as we were traveling to school via subway.

"Hey, you. Excuse me?" I glanced over my shoulder to see someone trying to get Izuku's attention. "You're Midoriya from Class 1-A! Great job in the sports festival; I rooted for you."

People turned their heads toward us at the mention of Izuku's last name, and then they started giving out their praise for how far he got at the sports festival. The poor guy was getting overwhelmed by the amount of attention he was getting as they started to get into his personal space. He was used to being an outcast or being near someone who got attention, so this unexpected attention attraction was becoming too much for him to manage.

That's not to say that getting so far in the sports festival in the top hero school in Japan wouldn't warrant this type of attention thrown our way.

"TATSUYA, HELP!" Welp, looks like I have to save his ass again. I tried making my way to him, but the people were getting a bit crowded, so I had to force my way through.

"Hey, make room, MAKE ROOM!!" I yelled, forcing myself to be in front of him.

I detected uneasiness in their scents as the crowd shrank back at the sight of me. I'm guessing they never forgot that I bit Bakugo in the final round and felt skittish around me. While I understood that concern from their perspective, it didn't change the fact that the action hurt my feelings a bit.

"Look, I'm sure he appreciates the support, but we just want to get to school. We would appreciate it if you could give us a little breathing room as we wait." As I finished the sentence, I felt the train coming to a stop as it pulled into the station. "And this is our stop." I grabbed Izuku's arm and stormed out as the doors opened, dragging him with me.

After that little fiasco at the station, we were making our way to school through the rain, trying to forget what had happened a few minutes ago as Izuku held an umbrella over our heads.

"I feel like I'm barely awake," Izuku sighed, his social battery already drained. I remained silent, lost in my own contemplations as I walked slightly outside the cover of the umbrella. That's when I caught a familiar scent lingering behind us.

"Good morning, Midoriya, Akiba!" We turned around to see Iida running past us, decked out in a green poncho and rain boots. "Why on earth are you walking so slowly? You'll be late."

"Late? But there's still five minutes until the first bell!" Izuku pointed out, his steps quickening as he hastened to catch up with Iida.

"U.A. students should always arrive ten minutes early, don't you think?" the turbo-legged boy asked, his pace quickening as he surged ahead, utilizing his speed to its fullest. I followed suit, inwardly rolling my eyes at the situation, contemplating once again why I had been selected as the class representative over him.

We made it into the school building with time to spare. While stowing my hoodie in my locker, I noticed Izuku's concerned glance toward Iida, who was busy putting his boots away.

"So, Iida. Um..." Izuku hesitated, his voice soft yet filled with concern.

"If it's about my brother, don't be concerned. I'm sorry if I made you worry. Everything will be fine," Iida assured with a smile before walking off to put away his poncho.