The students of class 1-A shuffled quickly to their seats as the bell rang, announcing that their school day would resume after finishing their lunch period. Bellies full and slightly sleepy now that they'd eaten, none looked too thrilled to be here. Of course, Hina was sure the title of the class itself wasn't helping their boredom any either.
Unexpectedly trumping the school's bell system was the loud and persistent voice of the students' class representative standing just inside the class's doors, booming overhead to be hear by everyone. He stood stock straight, demanding everyone's attention.
"Class has begun! All of you take your seats immediately!"
The red-headed teacher smiled patiently from behind her podium as he received a lackluster response from his fellow students, before rushing over to his own seat to join the others. He didn't seem to realize that he himself was actually the last to be seated, and that most students had already been waiting patiently for class to begin in their desks.
Once the majority of them had organized themselves properly, Hina took a quick moment to extend her quirk. Very few of the students thought that they would enjoy the subject matter of this course, though a few were interested with what she had to say, or in Midoriya's particular case, who exactly she was and what quirk she had. Figuring that was enough probing for now, she pulled back her quirk range and straightened.
She cleared her throat and gave them a sweet smile, her head tilted to the side pleasantly. "Welcome, all of you. I'm very glad to have you here in my class. I've heard many great things about you, and I'm excited to see you grow to your full potential. My name is Hitagawa Hina, and I'll be teaching you the fundamentals of life as an adult."
Immediately, a spiky-haired blond boy towards the side of the front row scoffed with a dramatic eye roll, crossing his arms defiantly. "Tch, this is a waste of time! We'd be better off training in the gym or practicing our quirks right now with Aizawa Sensei"
Iida stood angrily. "Bakugo! Take back your disrespectful words and apologize! Hitagawa Sensei is here to pass along her invaluable knowledge of the world onto us naive and still-learning students!"
The angry boy turned in his seat and scowled. "Shut up!"
Iida's outrage grew. "You shouldn't-!"
"Iida, please take your seat." Hina said evenly, smile still fixed in place. She didn't seem that upset by her student's words. "I'm happy to address Bakugo's concerns."
Still somewhat put off by Bakugo's careless dismissal of her class, he reluctantly sat back down in his seat, his expression tense. "H-hai."
Hina didn't blame them for not having good first impressions of her class. Her own appearance didn't lend any interest. Her long, red hair was something slightly unique, but her hero outfit was too simple to really be impressive in any aspect. A breathable bodysuit of silver marked with patches of red to accentuate her curves, coupled with a utility belt of gold around her waist, more for functionality rather than looks as it held many useful items. The narrow neck line dipped low, but not low enough to be scandalous or anything remotely close to the sensual nature of Midnight's costume. Slender black boots completed the outfit, light enough to remain nimble but with traction-oriented soles. Again, function over fashion.
She swept her gaze across the diverse faces of class 1-A, before her eyes landed on Bakugo, who appeared annoyed that she'd singled him out, despite having caused an outburst himself. The other students seemed rather exasperated with his behavior, but some, like Kirishima or Kaminari, clearly held a silent agreement with Bakugo's statement.
Her easy smile remained in place. "Bakugo, I hear that you plan on being the greatest hero. Tell me, how do you expect to accomplish that without any knowledge on how to lease an apartment? Or how to file your taxes on the compensation you receive for your hero duties? Surely someone that the entire country looks up to would need a place to live and clearly understand the government he worked for. Or perhaps you feel you don't need to know the delicate social tightrope that is the expectations of a pro-?"
"Alright, alright!" Bakugo interrupted with a pissed-off expression, his cheeks beginning to tint a little red from his slight embarrassment at her pointing out things he didn't know. He huffed, waving his hands to get her to stop talking. "You made your point."
"I'm glad you understand what I'm saying." She smiled again, eyes closing for a brief moment. Then, she turned her attention back to the class. "As I'm sure you all may have realized, this class may not be the most interesting of your school work. However, it is certainly very important to ensure your future success as a hero. Knowing how to use your quirk to fight villains will only get you so far. I'll be teaching you everything in between that will help you be successful in all aspects of life."
Hina held up one finger. "After all, you can't be a good hero without first being a good citizen!"
She allowed her quirk to expand to the students in the room, her mind reaching out to gently touch their minds. Hina beamed, pleased to find that the general reception of what she was saying was much more positive and accepting than it had previously been. They were beginning to understand the point of the class. She turned to the board and grabbed one of the chalks, beginning to write.
"Most of the course work will consist of written reports or in-class work. I may assign you some projects that require you to participate in a community activity or other similar function." Her smile grew a little wider at the obvious groan around the room behind her, but she pointedly ignored it, continuing to write. "Not only that, but others will require you to speak with citizens in certain professions or participate in simulated exercises with me on a one-on-one basis. Mock interviews, oral reports, etc."
A second collective groan could be heard in the room, and she chuckled. "Growing up isn't always fun, I know. My goal is to make it a little less foreboding than it otherwise would be. Now, are there any questions?"
As expected, Midoriya's hand immediately shot up, and he looked ready to burst at the seams if he didn't get to ask what was on his mind. "Hitagawa Sensei, what kind of quirk do you have? You're a pro hero, aren't you? I haven't ever heard your name before."
"I am." She confirmed with a nod. "Though I tend to prefer staying out of the media's attention for various reasons, which may account for the fact that I am not well known. As for my quirk? They refer to it as the Mind Jack, which means it's roughly the same as being telepathic-"
"-but the name makes it sound worse than it actually is."
The students jumped in surprise, having heard her speak though her lips hadn't moved. Her smile returned in full strength, and she clasped her hands together behind her back. "Please don't panic. My quirk gives me the ability to read minds and project my thoughts onto others. It serves as an excellent teaching tool. And although limited, it can serve to help me in combat to know what my opponent might be thinking."
"That's awesome!" Ashido exclaimed with clenched fists, face alight with wonder. "You just sent your thoughts to all of our minds, right?"
Hina nodded, though her attention was dragged over to Tokoyami, who appeared slightly distressed by what had just occurred.
"So, our minds are not safe at any point with you around?" He questioned thoughtfully, hand stroking his chin, but she quickly shook her head, eyes wide.
"N-no, nothing like that! I do not intrude on your memories or inner feelings carelessly. I would request explicit permission from you first if a lesson ever required such a thing."
She pointed to her own head, tapping her temple. "My thought projection activates on the most superficial level of your mind, meaning that nothing important is relayed back to me when I am sending a direct message. What's more, should I wish to read your mind, it only goes one small step further and allows me to see your current thoughts. Unless you're actively thinking about something in particular, I wouldn't be able to know it without pushing further into your subconscious, which requires much more effort and I would not attempt unless given permission, as I said before."
Her explanation seemed to ease some of the tension that had risen after her claim of being a telepath, and she internally let out a breath of relief. The last thing she wanted was her students not feeling like they could trust her.
Amused, she spotted Midoriya scribbling furiously at his notebook, head bent low and mumbling quietly to himself. Ah, yes. All Might had informed her of his habit of rambling off his thoughts like that. She hadn't expected it to be so...intense, though. Hopefully he could keep it to a minimum to focus on his class work.
"I am glad I could clear up that concern. And please let me know if you have any further worries, as I am open to discussion. Now, are there any other questions?" She questioned, hoping to get back on track to her first assignment.
Every student shot their hand up, eager to inquire about her quirk. This was going to be a long class.
"Aizawa, your class this year is rather...interesting." Hina said with a grin, pouring herself a cup of tea as the man in question entered the teacher's lounge from behind her.
He didn't return her smile, and simply hummed, going over to the pot himself to partake in a drink of his own. She sat herself on the couch with her beverage in hand, leaning back with a sigh. She took a sip of the tea and shook her head.
"They're all quite the rowdy bunch. Bakugo in particular." She mused aloud. "Oh, and that Mineta. He seems too preoccupied with the fact that I'm a woman to really listen to what I'm saying during the class. I hope he learns to pay better attention."
"We'll see if they all even last the entire school year." He said bluntly, his back to her as he prepared his tea. Hina smiled, pulling her long red hair over one shoulder so it wouldn't bother her neck.
"They're certain to cause trouble, but they deserve a chance. I mean, all of them made it past the first class with you. Not a single one expelled! How unusual. You must have seen something in them that was worth keeping them around, yeah?"
Aizawa set the pot back down on its stand. His finished cup of tea in hand, he took the couch across from her, pinning her with a half-lidded gaze. "I saw potential, nothing more. Whether they take the initiative to do something with it is up to them."
"Oh, don't be so hard-nosed about it. Admit it! You actually like this class." She pressed, her smile widening.
His tired expression turned bland, and he didn't bother to answer, choosing instead to sip silently at his tea.
"Fine, fine! I'll leave you be." She laughed. Hina dropped the conversation there, knowing that saying anything about it further would simply annoy him and possibly cause him to leave. He spared her another moment of his attention, before turning to the window, watching Vlad King perform the quirk apprehension test on Class 1-B in the open P.E. grounds below.
We've worked with each other for three years now and still he's so closed off, she thought to herself, picking up the book she'd brought with her for her break and opening it to the last page she'd left off from. She idly sipped at her tea, only half paying attention to what she was reading as she regarded the quiet man across from her.
Aizawa was a very unique man, Hina thought. On the outside, he didn't seem to care all that much for his job or his students, but being around him this long had taught her that he was one of the most dedicated teachers employed by UA. He was rough and did not go easy on those he taught, but in the long run, the students were better off that way.
Hina was very close to all of the other staff of UA. Midnight and Present Mic were particularly friendly with her, though she still enjoyed having conversations with Cementoss and Vlad King when they happened to be in the teacher's lounge at the same time as her. Ectoplasm was actually very fun despite his intimidating unsettling appearance, and Snipe was always interesting to talk to. All Might was a new addition to their ranks, but she'd found a fast friend with him when he'd introduced himself to the staff.
Aizawa on the other hand...well, he was a bit more difficult to get close to, preferring to keep to himself and not speak about his personal affairs to others. Had she not known any better, she would have assumed he lived and breathed UA, never going home or even partaking in things other than teaching. Even Present Mic, who'd known him for years, had a hard time getting him to open up all that much, and he never spoke about hobbies either.
Hina wanted to be close to all of her coworkers, to understand them and support them, but she had no clue where to even begin with the Erasure hero. He was aloof, distant, and often left the impression that he'd rather be doing anything other than talk to you if your topic of discussion didn't interest him. Not exactly the makings of an easy friendship.
She wouldn't be dissuaded by his unapproachable personality, however, thinking that she'd make friends of Eraserhead no matter how long it took. They were polite to each other and had a decent working relationship, but she wanted something a little more personal, craving that human connection of a strong friendship from the him. If someone were to ask her why, Hina didn't she'd be able to answer, either. It was just something she wanted to do.
She just how to figure out how to do that first.
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