"Can anyone tell me some of the social expectations of a pro hero?" Hina asked, grabbing a chalk and standing in front of the board. "There are many I could currently think of, but I'd like a list of at least ten." She faced the class, waiting expectantly as a few students began raising their hands. She pointed towards Ojiro who had been the first to do so.
"Protecting citizens in danger."
"Good." She said with a nod, writing his answer on the board under the number one, then turned and pointed towards Bakugo.
He smirked confidently, raising a fist up as example. "Defeating villains and being super strong!"
Hina smiled, expecting nothing less from the hot head boy. She added it to the list. Midoriya was next.
"Being symbols of peace."
"Mmm..." She hummed, her head cocked to the side. "That answer is pretty All Might specific and a bit too vague to be on it's own, so I'll shoe it in with defeating villains and being strong. But a good guess!"
"Upholding and enforcing the laws" Iida added, hand raised stiffly in the air. His determined expression was never failing.462Please respect copyright.PENANATLoFItP5iQ
"Yes." Hina smiled, ticking it down on the board. She turned back to face the front again. "Anyone else?"
There was a small pause, but Uraraka raised her hand as well. "Helping with rescue efforts?" "Correct. All good answers so far." She nodded, adding that to the list. She tapped on the board beside the answers, smiling eagerly. "Now, I'm seeing a pattern so far. Does anyone know what that might be?"
This time, no hands raised, and she chuckled to herself. Well, they were still learning, she supposed. After another second or two of silence, she gestured to the items listed.
"All of your answers have been things that pro heroes actively do. But isn't being a hero more than just the number of villains they've defeated or the number of lives they've saved?" She watched everyone's expression begin to change into that of slight understanding. "There is more to being a hero than just the arrests and rescues, you know. For instance..."
She wrote down 'guiding the community by example' under the answers the students had given. "This one is especially important. As I'm sure you can imagine, it's very common for heroes to be looked up to and admired by everyday citizens. Wouldn't it be vital for them to live by just values as well? There's nothing worse than a hypocritical hero, after all.
"Now, with that in mind, can you think of any other expectations the community places on a pro hero?" She concluded, happy that more hands had been raised than before. Things like 'being respectful' and 'providing a feeling of safety' were added to the board. 'Keeping cool under pressure' soon followed, with 'responsible quirk use' right after it. Hina was glad that they were beginning to see what she was getting at.
"I'd say we've compiled a pretty good list here." She said after adding 'knowledge of regulations' to the list, setting down the chalk and stepping out of the way so the students could see the whole board. "Can anyone take a guess at what my lesson for today might be, based on everything we've discussed so far?"
Momo raised her hand, though looked a bit unsure of her answer. "There's more than what we might think to being a hero?"
"Very good!" Hina clapped her hands together proudly. Then, she gestured behind her at the board. "As you can see, we've listed a lot of things that pro heroes have to keep in mind when they enter the public eye, and this doesn't even cover a quarter of everything that goes into accepting the title of pro."
"Are there really that many rules involved?" Kaminari grimaced, eyes skating over the dozen or so reasons they'd already listed. "I thought heroes had a lot more freedom than this."
Tokoyami spoke up before Hina could say anything more. "Of course heroes would have to be regulated. Having them do whatever they wanted to would make them no different than a villain."
"To a point, that is correct." Hina said, glad that the class was interacting with her more today. Sometimes her lectures could get a bit boring when they wouldn't respond. "Quirks by themselves are heavily regulated in order to keep the peace and to put a justice system in place that is clearly defined. Hero expectations are really just an extension of that. This is to protect not only the public, but themselves as well.
"But I'm referring more to what the general public expects of those protecting them, rather than the rules put in place by the government." Hina continued, crossing her arms as she leaned against her desk. "Before you become a hero, you must first understand the spotlight you will be stepping into, and exactly how you fit into it all. It's easier to provide examples than to just speculate with words, though. So...
"Mineta," she stated, turning her gaze to him. He flushed a little under the direct attention, "if you found yourself rescuing a bikini-clad woman from drowning in a lake, the social expectation would be that you do not drool over her lack of clothing, yes? A scandal involving someone you saved could definitely hinder any future rescue attempts you might have if women don't trust you."
Even before she'd finished the statement, he'd started to slightly water at the mouth just from the description. But before they could think more on it, she went from student to student, really getting her point across.
"Koda, people will expect you to speak, and to not be afraid of the villains you are facing. They would not be able to feel confident in your ability if you do not possess your own self-confidence. All Might's constant smile is part of that. People feel safe when he arrives because he exudes confidence. They will expect the same result of you."
The animal-talker's mouth wavered and he looked down at his desk.
"Bakugo, victims often do not enjoy feeling as if it is their fault for being caught up in a villain's misdeeds. Directing your anger towards anyone that isn't a villain would certainly garner you a bad reputation. They expect a hero to treat them with sympathy and kindness after they've gone through a harrowing experience."
He scowled and crossed his arms in response, essentially proving her point.
"Asui, while it may be within your innate personality to say whatever comes to mind first and foremost, remaining tactful and thinking through the implications of your words before you speak them is vital when everything you say will be out in the open for the public to scrutinize."
Asui nodded thoughtfully, looking a little sheepish. Hina heard a muttered 'giro' under the teen's breath.
"Those are just a few examples of what pro heroes think about and consider on a daily basis when dealing with the public. So while you are training the strength of your quirk and your combat capabilities to defeat villains, I advise you also keep the people you are saving in mind as well. They will be your most vocal supporters and your harshest critics all in one."
The bell rang suddenly, and the students began putting their papers in their book bags. Hina circled around back behind her desk as they packed up.
"Please remember that your occupation report is due tomorrow as soon as you walk in the door. I will not accept them any later than that!" She smiled pleasantly, watching them all leave one by one. "And be prepared to take down lots of notes on Thursday!"
Shoji was the last to leave, offering a simple wave goodbye as he disappeared out into the hallway with the other students. Hina let out a sigh, before turning around and erasing everything that she had written down. She didn't want to give her next class any sort of hints as to the answers.
"When will you take your students to USJ? They normally hold that training around this time, don't they?" Hina asked Aizawa, who was walking towards the school's exit with her. The school day had wrapped up, finally, and for once neither of them had to stay late and grade papers. She was looking forward to having time to relax at home without the ever-present task of grading and updating the student's files. And, she didn't mind having a few minutes to chat with the person she sought to become friends with. That was a plus.
He regarded her evenly, eyes half-lidded as always. "In a few days. Thirteen is finishing some adjustments to the disaster zones." He responded in a monotone. They reached the elevator and he pressed the button to call it to them. "He wants to tailor them to better suit their quirks."
"Hmm...well you'll have to tell me how it all goes. I'm quite curious as to how they'll do." She smiled, and he watched her out of the corner of his eye.
A small ding announced the arrival of the elevator, and the doors opened softly. The two teachers stepped inside together, Hina pressing the button for the ground floor. The cabin whirred to life and began moving downwards, both of them feeling that tiny sensation of a plummet in their stomachs.
"Class 1-A is full of very interesting students." Hina mused, tilting her head as she thought. "But this year has turned out a very promising mix in all departments."
"So I hear." Aizawa said, having heard very similar things from Hizashi. As homeroom teacher of class 1-A and no one else, he often could only learn about the other pupils from the teachers who taught the basic courses. "Apparently there is one kid with a mental-based quirk in the General Course, similar to yours."
"Oh! You mean Shinso." She said with a smile, feeling the elevator slow itself down as it approached the first floor. "He's quickly growing on me to be honest. Very bright and studious. And very dedicated to proving his worth. One of his goals was to eventually transfer into the Hero course, you know."
"Hmm." Aizawa hummed noncommittally, the first to step out of the elevator when the doors opened. Hina was just a pace behind him. "If he can put himself out there during the sports festival, then it might be possible. But if my students progress like I expect them to, that may prove difficult for him."
Hina grinned, elbowing him gently in the shoulder. "Careful, Aizawa. If you keep praising your students like that, someone might think you don't actually mind them."
This earned her an annoyed sigh and an eye roll. "Why does everyone assume I'm trying to deny liking my students?"
"It's that charming, overabundant logic of yours. Always so black and white." She laughed cheerfully, and he just stared at her. "Either that, or maybe the fact that praise from you is so rare."
"Needless praise is detrimental to growth. Bakugo is a prime example of that." He pointed out, leading them both around the corner. "When they do something deserving of it, then they receive it."
"Hmm, I should take a lesson from that, then. I can be pretty generous with it." She remarked abashedly. "You and I have drastically different teaching styles by the sound of it."
Rounding another corner, someone walking by caught her eye. "Ah, Cementoss, are you heading home as well?" Hina asked, noticing the modern literature teacher in UA's lobby entrance. He turned, spotting the Life Skills teacher and 1-A's homeroom teacher.
"Hina, Aizawa." He greeted pleasantly, waiting for them to approach. "Actually, I was just on my way to the gardens on the school campus. I often enjoy meditating after classes end when the students and other faculty are not present." He stated simply.
"I didn't know you meditated." She pointed out excitedly, learning something new about her coworker. "Though, now that I think about it, that seems so like you."
"Yes. Often I prefer doing so without company, as it could cause distraction with too many people around and just defeat the purpose. But today I'm feeling more social than usual. Would you like to join me? I'm sure a mental quirk like yours would benefit from it." He said with a smile.
She had several chores that needed doing at home, and she hadn't had a day to really relax in her sweatpants after work in awhile. But the sound of meditating in UA's gardens was just too pleasing to pass up. "I'd love to."
He nodded, then turned to her male companion. "Aizawa, the invitation extends to you as well."
He closed his eyes, hands stuffing themselves in his uniform pockets. "I'll pass."
"Why not?" Hina asked, crossing her arms and turning towards him. He looked at her blandly.
"I'm not into that sort of thing. It sounds a little too boring for my tastes."
Hina laughed, hiding her mouth behind her hand delicately. "Pff, boring? Says the man who spends half his free-time napping in his sleeping bag. That's practically the same thing. Come on, it'll be fun! I bet you'll enjoy it if you try it out."
His eyes narrowed at her teasing, unamused. "No thanks."
"Fine, suit yourself. We'll just have to do something fun that you enjoy one of these days." She remarked offhandedly, expertly hiding her disappointment at not getting to spend more time with him behind her smile. Oh, well. She couldn't have expected their friendship to happen overnight.
Aizawa hummed, watching her for a moment, before turning and pushing his way through the front entrance. "Ja ne." He called behind him, raising a hand in goodbye.
"Bye!" Hina called, then turned to Cementoss happily. "Please lead the way!"
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