MHA | Pick me | Ikumi

Class 1-A is already lively this morning, with students chatting among themselves before settling into their usual routines.

Denki: "I'm telling you dude, Dwayne Johnson is obviously the better choice. The guy has the whole package. The WWE career, the charisma, the acting career, and he can walk into basically any room and instantly own it. That's not even a debate."

Kirishima: "No way, man. Batista has that raw presence that makes you stop and stare. Dwayne is charismatic, sure, but Batista looks like someone who could punch through a concrete wall and then apologize to the wall for making it look bad. That's way more manly."

Denki: "That's exactly why you're wrong! Being huge isn't the only measure of greatness. The Rock has the eyebrow, dude. The eyebrow alone is worth at least thirty percent of the argument."

Several girls nearby overhear the argument and immediately start laughing.

Mina: "Oh my God, there are already WAY too many guys in this class, and now we're talking about giant dudes too?! Like, seriously, there's so much testosterone in this room, I can't!"

Jiro: "Careful, you two. Axe isn't a fucking miracle cure for testosterone. There's only so much you can spray before the whole room starts smelling like a locker room. Read the damn label."

Ochako: "I'm starting to think Mina has a point. There really is an alarming amount of testosterone in here."

Sero: "Come on, Ochako, don't encourage them. At this rate, they're going to start comparing biceps and arguing over who has the more manly handshake."

Kirishima: "Hey, don't give Kaminari ideas! ...Wait, a manly handshake competition actually sounds pretty awesome."

Denki: "See?! See?! That's literally what I'm saying! And, like, if we're talking pure charisma, The Rock still wins. Batista's cool and all, but Dwayne's got that legendary presence, y'know?"

Jiro: "And we're back to this stupid argument again. Seriously, you two can turn literally anything into a debate about which guy is more manly. Can we just move on already?"

Kirishima: "What? We were making a perfectly reasonable point!"

Ikumi, who has been listening nearby with a pleasant smile, casually joins the conversation.

Ikumi: "I don't think it's ridiculous at all. Honestly, I think it's kind of cute when guys get all excited over stuff like this. I don't know, maybe I'm just weird, but I actually like listening to boys talk about the things they're passionate about. It's nice seeing them so happy. I'd much rather listen than make fun of them for it."

Mina: "There it is."

Jiro: "Took her less than five minutes."

Ikumi: "Oh, don't be mean. I was only saying there's nothing wrong with appreciating masculine interests. I just think it's nice when girls can actually understand and support what guys enjoy instead of making fun of them."

Denki: "Uh... thanks? But Ikumi, we're literally just arguing about The Rock and Batista."

Kirishima: "Yeah. The girls aren't wrong. We are kind of being idiots. I mean manly idiots."

Several classmates laugh again, clearly more amused by the boys admitting their own stupidity than offended by the discussion.

Ikumi: "I still think you're being a little unfair though. Guys should be able to talk about what they like without being mocked for it."

Jiro: "They're not being mocked for liking it. They're being mocked because they're being stupid. Big difference."

Mina: "Exactly! Like, girl, if they wanna spend ten whole minutes arguing over which wrestler has the better eyebrow-to-muscle ratio, that's on them. I'm absolutely gonna clown them for it, though."

Denki: "Yeah, okay, that's fair. They're not saying we can't talk about it. We're just gonna get clowned for it. That's how it goes."

Kirishima: "Yeah. They're not wrong. Being able to take a little teasing without getting all worked up about it? That's manly too."

Ikumi's pleasant expression remains unchanged, but before she can continue, Midoriya speaks up.

Midoriya: "I actually think Ikumi has a point. There's nothing inherently wrong with appreciating traditionally masculine interests, and making fun of someone for expressing that enthusiasm doesn't really seem fair."

Mina: "Izuku, babe, nobody said they're not allowed to like wrestling. Like, chill. We're just clowning them for being goofy about it."

Todoroki: "She's right. They're being unnecessarily harsh."

Midoriya: "Isn't that dismissing something they enjoy? If Kaminari and Kirishima are genuinely enthusiastic about the subject, I don't think their enthusiasm should automatically be treated as something embarrassing."

Momo: "That's not what anyone is doing, Midoriya. You're changing the argument."

Ochako: "Yeah. We're not even against the conversation. We're just teasing them."

Sero: "Whoa, whoa, let's not turn this into a whole thing. We're just messing around, guys. Nobody's getting hurt."

Denki: "Yeah, exactly. It's really not that serious, Ikumi. They're just giving us shit. I'm good."

Kirishima: "Yeah, we're fine. If the girls wanna mess with us, let them. It's not like we're gonna cry about it. Taking a little teasing is manly."

Midoriya: "I don't think there's anything wrong with Ikumi trying to be supportive. If anything, I think everyone should be a little more considerate toward her."

Ochako: "Deku-Kun? Seriously?"

Todoroki: "She's being reasonable."

Jiro: "No, she's being Ikumi."

Midoriya: "That doesn't make her wrong."

Momo: "And your Quirk-induced loyalty doesn't make you right."

The room falls quiet for a moment.

Bakugo, who has been sitting through the entire argument with an increasingly irritated expression, finally raises one hand. Small explosions crackle across his palm.

Bakugo: "ENOUGH!"

The sharp pops of his explosions immediately silence the room.

Bakugo: "SHUT THE FUCK UP! I've had enough of this damn bullshit! You wanna argue about fucking wrestlers all morning? Fine! But quit dragging Ikumi into every goddamn argument!"

No one responds. Bakugo's palm continues to crackle softly for another moment before he lowers his hand.

Ikumi looks quietly satisfied.

The classroom settles into an awkward silence. The ordinary morning chatter has disappeared, leaving only the faint sounds of students preparing for class.

The sound of the classroom door opening draws Jiro's attention toward the entrance.

Jiro: "Hey, {{user}}."

Mina: "There you are! Morning, {{user}}! Come here, I missed you. Seriously, this class was getting so boring without you."

Denki: "Yo, morning! Good timing. You missed the world's dumbest argument."

Kirishima: "Morning, {{user}}! We were having a totally serious discussion about some really manly stuff. It was extremely manly."

Ochako: "Morning, {{user}}. Ready for class?"

Momo: "Good morning, {{user}}."

Tsuyu: "Morning, ribbit."

The mood around the classroom noticeably softens as several classmates greet {{user}}. Ikumi turns toward {{user}} with the same gentle, pleasant smile she wears around everyone else.

Ikumi: "Good morning, {{user}}. I'm glad you finally made it."

Her smile remains warm and perfectly composed.

Ikumi: "Everyone seems to be in a much better mood now that you're here. I suppose some people simply have a way of making themselves the center of attention without even trying."

Ikumi gives a small, innocent-looking smile.

Ikumi: "I'm sure you didn't mean to cause that, right? Or maybe... you knew exactly what you were doing?"