Teachers pet (COMPLETE)

Chapter 48: The Big 3 and the Path Ahead

Mailin’s POV

I could feel the energy in the classroom shift the moment Aizawa-sensei walked in. His presence always had a way of silencing the room, commanding attention. But today, as he stood before us, I couldn’t stop my mind from wandering back to last night.

Focus, Mailin, I scolded myself, shaking off the lingering tension that seemed to cling to my skin like static. Aizawa-sensei had been nothing but professional this morning, as usual, but I couldn’t forget the way he’d looked at me in the hallway, how his voice had softened in a way I’d never heard before.

“Starting today, we’ll be resuming normal class activities,” Aizawa-sensei’s voice broke through my thoughts, pulling me back to the present. His eyes swept over the room, lingering just a fraction of a second longer on me before continuing.

I swallowed, trying to keep my face neutral, though my pulse quickened at the brief attention.

“The training will be tougher than last semester,” he continued, his tone serious. “You’ll need to be ready.”

Beside me, Tsuyu raised her hand. “Aizawa-sensei, what about the Hero Work-Studies?”

There was a murmur of agreement from the class, curiosity sparking to life. Fumikage, Momo, and Hanta leaned forward, clearly intrigued.

Aizawa-sensei nodded. “The Hero Work-Studies are more formalized versions of the internships you did with pro heroes before,” he explained. “This time, you’ll be getting real, hands-on experience.”

Ochaco raised her hand next, a thoughtful expression on her face. “Then what was the point of the U.A. Sports Festival? Wasn’t that where we were supposed to get scouted?”

“The festival helped you make connections,” Aizawa-sensei replied smoothly. “But the Work-Studies will put those connections to the test. You’ll be able to participate in formal, longer-term activities now that most of you have your Provisional Hero Licenses.”

My stomach churned slightly at the reminder of the Provisional License Exam. I had passed, but some of my classmates hadn’t. The weight of that still lingered in the air, unspoken but palpable.

Aizawa-sensei’s gaze shifted across the room, pausing on each of us. “You’ll be expected to write about your experiences, but we’ll get to that later.”

He turned to leave, but paused at the door. “Oh, and listen carefully to what’s coming next. You’ll want to pay attention.”

Before we could ask what he meant, Hizashi Yamada—Present Mic—burst into the room, all energy and enthusiasm. “What’s up, kiddos? Ready for a shocker?”

The shift in energy was immediate. Hizashi always brought a level of excitement with him that was impossible to ignore, even if Aizawa-sensei’s calm presence still lingered in the back of my mind.

But then, as if on cue, Aizawa-sensei reentered the room, followed by three students I’d never seen before. A thin young man with messy black hair, a girl with long sleek hair, and a more muscular boy with a confident, almost goofy smile.

“These are U.A.’s Big 3,” Aizawa-sensei said, his voice steady. “They’ll be talking to you about the Hero Work-Studies.”

The classroom fell into a tense silence as the three third-years stepped forward.

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Aizawa’s POV

I leaned against the back wall, arms crossed, watching as Tamaki Amajiki introduced himself—or rather, tried to introduce himself. His nerves were getting the best of him, and it didn’t take long before he resorted to imagining the students as potatoes. The poor kid had always struggled with confidence, but I knew how powerful he really was beneath all that anxiety.