𝓼𝓮𝓷𝓼𝓲𝓽𝓲𝓿𝓮 ~ 𝓲𝔃𝓾𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓪

class of 2025

A/N: If this isn't your first time reading, I suggest going back and rereading the first and fourth/fifth chapters. Some pivotal changes to Mina's character and family have been made in this chapter, which might cause some confusion to my readers. Sorry about the inconvenience.

At midnight on Saturday, the school would email decisions to all students. Despite the good news, she remained in a funk. A small part of her knew she would have made it. Most of the students who tried out were freshmen; honestly, they looked like they hadn't run a day in their lives. A few passed the first lap; the others gave up around the 300 marker, out of breath and panting like dogs. Not to mention, she spent the last few weeks working out with her old friends to get in shape for tryouts. If they made it, then Mina had a chance to.

Coming back to anything was hard, though. Going to class after skipping most of the last semester was nerve-wracking enough. Embarrassing herself at a hangout with older students and having to sit with the same people the week after wasn't easy, either. She stared down at the laces of her tennis shoes in Aizawa's classroom. The campus was still asleep, and classes didn't start an hour from now.

"Did you need something, Ashido?" Aizawa's deep voice shook her out of her thoughts. "I don't mind, but you only visit me this early when you need something." His voice was dull and monotone, and he was clacking away at his keyboard, probably typing up a potential lesson plan. His eyes had deepened with dark bags under them, and he hastily pulled back his greasy, thin hair into a messy bun.

"I just wanted to check on you, Mr. Aizawa." She beamed at her teacher. "You seemed really down and tired lately." He shot her a glare from the corner of his eye and kept typing away.

Mina bit her lip. He wasn't as warm as he used to be when she stayed with him over the holiday break. It was understandable; the situation was odd and unusual, which would raise eyebrows if his supervisors found out. He took a risk taking her in, and she was grateful for that.

"Why are you really here?" He stopped typing and swiveled his chair to face her. His eyes fixed on her, and he studied his student briefly. She silently prayed that he wouldn't notice her pit stains.

"It's about my mom," she said uneasily. Her heart started racing. Her mother was a complicated topic. Aizawa had an idea but was about to get the whole story. He remained unreactive as if he wasn't surprised.

"She's coming to Mustafa tomorrow. She wants me to meet her, to talk, or whatever." The date was always in the back of her mind. Now that she finally had a chance to breathe, and it was the weekend, her worries returned.

"My mom and I." She paused, struggling to find her words. "I really don't know why I'm bothering you with this. I'm sorry." She immediately stood up and pushed her seat in.

"Ashido, wait," he called. "You don't have to leave. You're not bothering me." Reluctantly, she sat back down and looked her teacher in the eye.

"I guess I got embarrassed or something. I'm sorry about that." She winced at her own words, feeling a pang of regret in her heart. Opening up was hard; it should have been easy. He didn't provide a reaction. He shook his head.

She took it as a sign to explain. With a heavy sigh, she began talking. "My mom and I haven't been close in a while, even before the disaster that was last semester," she explained. I feel like I've only made things worse by failing and avoiding her."

Mr. Aizawa held a hand up. "I don't know your mother well," he started. "I've spoken to her on occasion. However, I do know you." He gave her what almost looked like a smile.

"You've shown the faculty promise since the semester started, not only with your grades but outside of the classroom as well. Sekijiro tells me that you went to track tryouts. I'm impressed." Hearing all of this praise from her teacher made her squirm. She impressed Aizawa. Not Midoriya, Iida, Yaoyaorozu, or Todoroki? Mina Ashido? Did he have the right person?