Chương 132: The Class Learns the Door

Class 1-A learned about Provisional Track from a whiteboard. That was probably better than learning from a hallway rumor, a leaked staff memo, Midoriya's anxious muttering, Kaminari's ability to misunderstand anything under pressure, or Bakugo noticing a sealed door and deciding the door had personally challenged him. The whiteboard waited at the front of the classroom when they entered. Aizawa stood beside it with the expression of a man who had already regretted the next hour and blamed all of them in advance.

Kurose stood near the windows, which was new and therefore alarming. Present Mic was not there. Neither was All Might. That absence made the room quieter than it would have been before Kamino. On the board, four words had been written in block letters. STOPRETURNCONSENTROLE Beneath them, in smaller writing: PROVISIONAL TRACK Kaminari stopped halfway to his seat.

"Is this a quiz?" Jiro looked at him.

"Why would the quiz answer be stop?"

"Could be a psychological quiz" Sero leaned over his desk.

"Everything is a psychological quiz now" Mina pointed at the board.

"Role sounds ominous" Tokoyami sat down with grave dignity.

"All roles are ominous when written without context" Sato blinked.

"That sounded true" Bakugo walked in last, saw the board, saw Kurose, saw Aizawa, and immediately narrowed his eyes.

"What now?" Aizawa said "Sit" Bakugo sat only because standing would have looked too much like obeying the wrong instinct and he had become painfully aware that Aizawa noticed those things. Midoriya sat with a notebook already open, his right hand hovering over the page and not writing yet. His face was pale but awake. Recovery Girl had cleared him for classroom attendance under the condition that he not attempt to turn grief into structural damage, which had somehow become an official medical concern.

Todoroki sat near the window, eyes moving from the board to Kurose and back. Uraraka looked at the empty space near the front where All Might sometimes stood when he came to class as a teacher. Then looked away. Iida's posture was perfect in the way it became when he was afraid of what improper posture might imply. Asui sat still, hands folded, eyes sharper than usual. Kirishima looked at the board, then at Bakugo, then at Midoriya, then decided he did not have enough emotional arms for the room and sat down.

Aizawa waited until everyone was seated. The silence did not become comfortable. Good. Comfort would have made the first sentence harder. Aizawa pointed to the board.

"Today's briefing concerns two students entering conditional Hero Course modules through Provisional Track" The room changed. Not loudly. No one cheered. No one gasped like a sports drama. They had learned too much recently for clean reactions. Midoriya's pencil tightened in his hand. Bakugo's eyes sharpened. Todoroki looked toward Kurose. Mina's mouth opened, then closed. Iida raised his hand and then lowered it because Aizawa's face said not yet.

Aizawa continued "Ren Akiyama and Hitoshi Shinso have accepted conditional placement into Provisional Track. This means they will begin selected Hero Course modules under staff supervision, medical restrictions, consent conditions, and role-specific training. Possible participation in the upcoming Provisional License Exam is being prepared. Possible does not mean guaranteed" Kaminari's eyes widened.

"Both of them?" Kurose said "Yes" Mina whispered "Hero Course" Aizawa looked at her.

"Conditional modules. Do not simplify language because excitement wants fewer words" Mina nodded quickly.

"Right. Sorry. Conditional modules" Aizawa's gaze moved across the room.

"Before anyone reacts incorrectly, this is not a reward for trauma. This is not compensation. This is not because villains targeted them. This is not because Graft Lattice is useful. This is not because Brainwashing is convenient. If I hear those interpretations, I will correct them once. After that, I will become educationally unpleasant" Bakugo muttered "You already are" Aizawa looked at him.

"Then imagine growth" Kaminari whispered "Terrifying" Jiro elbowed him. Kurose stepped forward.

"Abduction is not an entrance exam. Being feared is not an application. Being useful is not merit. Ren and Shinso were both being evaluated before Kamino for reasons that existed before villains touched the board" The room listened. This time, the words mattered because the class knew enough to hurt under them. Kurose continued "Ren showed tactical judgment, rescue-oriented thinking, route discipline, crisis communication, and controlled Quirk emergence before his abduction.

Shinso showed ethical restraint, long-term training commitment, combat adaptability, and a refusal to let other people's fear define his Quirk before anyone considered this track" Midoriya's eyes lowered. Not shame exactly. Something adjacent. Uraraka looked at the desk, then back up. Asui's voice cut the silence softly.

"Then why now?" Kurose nodded once.

"Good question" Aizawa answered.

"Because risk context changed and training safety changed. Danger has already crossed course boundaries. General Studies does not make them invisible to villains. Leaving them untrained because the reason adults noticed the danger is ugly would be cowardice disguised as ethics" Iida's hand went up again. This time, Aizawa allowed it with a nod. Iida stood.

"Sir, will they be joining our class directly?" Aizawa said "Not yet. They will join selected modules first. Placement remains under review" Iida nodded, but did not sit.

"And are we to treat them as classmates during those modules?" Kurose answered "Yes" Iida's shoulders squared.

"Then we require guidance on how to welcome them without violating their conditions" Mina pointed at him.

"That. That is what I wanted to ask but with fewer formal words" Aizawa looked at Iida.

"Sit" Iida sat. Aizawa wrote under the four words. STUDENT FIRST"This is the first rule. They are students. Not cases. Not symbols. Not rescue projects. Not upgrades. Not redemption stories. Students" The word sat on the board. Student. Midoriya wrote it down. So did Yaoyorozu. Jiro looked like she wanted to pretend she had not been moved by a word on a board. Bakugo stared at it and said nothing. Aizawa tapped STOP.

"Stop. If either student says stop during a module, activity stops. If staff says stop, activity stops. Stop is not failure" He tapped RETURN.

"Return. Every exercise must have a route back. Physical, medical, emotional, tactical. If a student cannot identify the route back, the exercise does not begin" He tapped CONSENT.

"Consent. Brainwashing use, Graft Lattice stress testing, fragment discussion, body map support, and any student intervention involving their conditions require prior consent unless immediate life safety overrides it. If life safety overrides it, it is reviewed afterward" He tapped ROLE.

"Role. Shinso will train control and response. Ren will train rescue endurance, tactical stabilization, and controlled Quirk use. Both will train communication under pressure. Neither is here to fill a gap left by All Might" That sentence landed hardest. The room did not move. All Might was not in the classroom. His absence had been there all along. Aizawa had just named it. Midoriya's hand shook. Bakugo's jaw clenched. Uraraka stared at the board. Todoroki's eyes lowered.

Kurose let the room feel it for exactly three seconds. Then she said "You are not here to fill that gap either" The sentence moved through Class 1-A like a second bell. Not softer. Needed. Midoriya looked up. Kurose held his gaze only long enough to make clear the sentence included him, then moved on before it could become public surgery.

"Now we will discuss what this means for your behavior" Kaminari lifted a hand halfway.

"This sounds like the part where we get told not to be weird" Kurose said "Yes" He lowered the hand.

"Fair" Aizawa said "You will be weird. The goal is correction before harm" Sero leaned back.

"That is oddly reassuring""It should not be" Mina raised her hand.

"What do we say when we see them? Like, congratulations feels wrong now, but saying nothing also feels weird" Kurose nodded.

"Good. Congratulations is not forbidden. But context matters. Do not congratulate them on what villains forced into the timeline. You may congratulate them on choosing the track. You may ask if they want to talk about it. If they say no, stop" Jiro said "So no surprise party" Aizawa stared. Jiro lifted both hands.

"I was not planning one. I was preventing Kaminari" Kaminari looked offended.

"Why am I the default party criminal?" Sero said "Historical evidence" Mina said "Pattern recognition" Kaminari sank lower in his seat.

"Betrayal" Aizawa said "No surprise party" The class nodded. Bakugo leaned forward.

"What about Scar Boy" The room froze. Kirishima went pale. Midoriya inhaled sharply. Uraraka's eyes widened. Aizawa's gaze snapped to Bakugo. Kurose's expression went cold enough to count as weather. Bakugo glared back at all of them.

"What? He hates softer words. He hates pity words. He hates being treated like glass. So what words get people killed?" Kurose did not answer immediately. That saved the room. Because Bakugo's tone was ugly. The question was not. Aizawa said "Do not call him Scar Boy unless he has explicitly allowed it in that context" Bakugo clicked his tongue.

"So ask""Yes""Annoying""Good" Kurose stepped closer to the desks.

"Nicknames can be closeness or control depending on who chooses them. If you are not sure which one it is, ask" Bakugo looked away.

"Tch" Kirishima leaned toward him.

"That was almost a good question" Bakugo snapped "Die" If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it. Kirishima nodded solemnly.

"Definitely a good question" Aizawa looked at them.

"Do not die""Yes, sir" Kirishima said Bakugo looked personally betrayed by health policy. Yaoyorozu raised her hand.

"How much are we permitted to know about Graft Lattice?" Kurose said "Less than curiosity wants" Yaoyorozu nodded immediately.

"Understood" Aizawa added "Operationally relevant summary. It is an altered Quirk structure based on Ren's Adaptive Scar Tissue with graft-derived functions under his Quirk's control. It can support controlled rescue-relevant strain, local pain modulation, and limited tissue support. It carries risks of pain loss, body map disruption, metabolic crash, fever, rebound pain, and overuse.

You do not need more detail unless staff says otherwise" Kaminari whispered "Body map disruption sounds terrifying" Asui said "It is" Mina raised her hand again.

"What do we do if he looks okay but suddenly stops?" Aizawa said "You stop too""Even if the exercise is still going?"

"Yes""Even if someone else says keep moving?"

"Yes""Even if Ren says he can continue?" Aizawa's eyes narrowed.

"If Ren says stop and then says he can continue, staff decides. Not you. Not him in the first thirty seconds after stop. Understood?" The class answered in different tones.

"Yes, sir" Bakugo did not answer. Aizawa looked at him. Bakugo's jaw worked. Then he said "Yeah" Good enough. Kurose looked at the board.

"Shinso conditions. Do not call Brainwashing villainous. Do not say he is redeeming his Quirk by using it heroically. Do not praise him only when he controls someone. Do not ask him to use Brainwashing to manage your panic unless that has been explicitly set as a training protocol and he has consented" Kaminari raised his hand very slowly.

"What if I panic and accidentally answer him?" Jiro closed her eyes. Sero whispered "That is such a you question" Kurose said "Then staff handles the situation. Shinso is not responsible for your fear of accidentally making his Quirk work" Kaminari nodded.

"Okay. Good. That is good. Not because I am afraid of him. I am afraid of me being dumb" Aizawa said "That fear is reasonable""Sir""Continue having it" Jiro muttered "Educationally unpleasant growth" Aizawa ignored that. Todoroki raised his hand.

"If Shinso uses his Quirk in a module, how do we avoid treating the person controlled as a prop?" The room went still again. Not bad still. Thinking still. Aizawa looked at him.

"Excellent question" Todoroki blinked.

"Thank you" Kurose answered "By reviewing the consent conditions before and after. If the target is a classmate in training, they agree ahead of time. If it happens in emergency simulation, it is reviewed afterward as an intervention involving a person, not a technique applied to an object" Todoroki nodded.

"Good" Bakugo muttered "Half-and-Half asking consent questions now" Todoroki looked at him.

"Yes" Bakugo looked away first. Not by much. Enough. Midoriya finally raised his hand. It trembled. Aizawa looked at him.

"Midoriya" Midoriya stood because his body still believed questions needed formal support.

"Is Akiyama going to be helping with our training?" Aizawa's expression shifted. Kurose looked toward him. The room understood enough to become careful. Aizawa said "In limited ways, yes. He has agreed to consult with Toshinori Yagi and staff on training principles for certain students and class structures. That does not make him responsible for your progress" Midoriya flinched. Aizawa did not soften the correction.

"He is not responsible for your self-preservation" Midoriya's eyes widened. The class did not look at him. That was a kindness they were learning. Aizawa continued "If he offers an observation, you may learn from it. You may not turn it into another person carrying your body for you. Understood?" Midoriya swallowed.

"Yes, sir" Kurose's voice softened by one degree.

"Last time is not your debt. Advice is not your debt either" Midoriya's hand tightened around the notebook.

"Yes" Bakugo stared at his desk. His expression was difficult to read. That usually meant too easy and too hard at the same time. The classroom door chimed. Aizawa looked at Kurose. She nodded. The screen at the front of the room activated. Ren appeared first from R-2, sitting in his medical chair at the angle Recovery Girl had declared barely tolerable. His hair was messy. His face was pale. The bandage around his left wrist was visible.

The pale trace beneath the skin showed faintly near his thumb when he adjusted his hand on the blanket. Behind him, Hana and Daichi were not on camera, but one could see the corner of Bentaro leaning against the wall, inspection tag visible. A second smaller screen activated beside his. Shinso sat in another room with Aizawa's spare capture scarf folded on the table in front of him. He looked like he regretted agreeing to appear and had decided to punish the world through posture.

Mina whispered "They're here" Aizawa said "No one claps" Kaminari lowered his hands immediately. Jiro stared at him. He whispered "Preventative" Ren looked at the class through the screen.

"Hello" The word was too small for the room. That made it correct. Shinso said "This is already weird" Sero said "Welcome to 1-A" Aizawa looked at him. Sero added "Conditionally" Ren's mouth twitched.

"Good correction" Kurose stepped aside. Aizawa faced the class.

"Ren and Shinso have agreed to answer limited questions about Provisional Track. They may refuse any question. They may end the call. They are not here to satisfy curiosity" Bakugo leaned back.

"Then why are they here?" Shinso said "To prevent all of you from getting worse through imagination" Kaminari nodded.

"That is fair" Ren said "Also to hear conditions from us directly" Iida stood so fast his chair almost moved.

"Then allow me to state on behalf of the class that we recognize you both as students entering a conditional training track and will endeavor to respect all stated boundaries while supporting your integration into modules with proper seriousness" Shinso stared. Ren blinked. Mina whispered "Translation?" Uraraka whispered "We are glad you are here but not weird about it" Ren said "Thank you, Iida" Shinso said "I understood seventy percent" Iida looked distressed.

"I can revise" Kurose said "No need" Aizawa said "Sit" Iida sat. Mina raised her hand.

"Can I say I am happy for you?" Ren looked at Shinso. Shinso looked at Ren. Ren answered "Yes. If not because of why now" Mina nodded, eyes bright.

"I am happy you both get a door" The room went quiet. Ren looked down. Shinso's expression went still. Kurose looked away for one second. Aizawa did not interrupt. Ren said "Good sentence" Mina's eyes filled.

"Thank you" Shinso muttered "Annoyingly good" Mina smiled through tears.

"I will take it" Bakugo spoke before anyone else could make the room soft.

"You two doing license?" Aizawa said "Bakugo" Ren lifted his left hand slightly.

"Allowed" Aizawa looked at the monitor. Recovery Girl's voice from off-screen said "Numbers acceptable" Ren looked at Bakugo.

"Possible. Not guaranteed" Bakugo's eyes narrowed.

"If you do it, don't half-ass it" Kirishima said "Bakugo" Bakugo snapped "What? That is equal treatment!" Ren looked at him.

"I will conditionally not half-ass it within medical limits" Shinso turned toward Ren.

"That was disgusting" Ren said "Accurate" Bakugo stared. Then he barked a short laugh.

"Medical limits. Fine. Don't quarter-ass it" Recovery Girl's voice from off-screen said "He will medically appropriate-ass it" The class froze. Kaminari whispered "Can she say that?" Aizawa closed his eyes. Ren looked like he wanted to disappear and laugh and file a complaint at once. Shinso said "I respect her more every day" Kurose said "Do not encourage her" Jiro raised a hand.

"Shinso, is Responder official?" Shinso went still. The class went interested in the wrong way. Aizawa said "Careful" Jiro lifted one hand.

"Not teasing. It was in the summary packet as candidate hero name" Shinso's eyes moved to Kurose. Kurose said "Candidate only. Shared because hero name protocols affect module rosters" Shinso looked like he wanted to fight bureaucracy and hide under it at the same time.

"Candidate" Jiro nodded.

"It is good" Shinso stared.

"Do not sound relieved""I am not. It just fits""Why?" Jiro shrugged.

"Because it sounds like someone who arrives after someone asks for help, not someone who makes people afraid to speak" The room went silent again. Shinso looked down. Ren said "Told you" Shinso glared at the screen.

"You did not tell me that exact sentence""Adjacent""Thief" Jiro leaned back, cheeks faintly pink.

"I can retract the compliment" Shinso muttered "Too late" Asui raised her hand.

"Ren, what should we do if your Graft Lattice activates during a rescue exercise and we are nearby?" Ren's face shifted into focus. This was safer. Operational.

"Do not touch unless I ask or immediate hazard requires it. Tell staff. Ask map if trained to ask. Use location words, not motivation" Asui nodded.

"Example?" Ren breathed.

"Say left hand on wall. Say exit behind you. Say dummy is supported. Do not say keep going or you can do it" Uraraka's face tightened.

"Because that makes continuing sound like the goal" Ren looked at her.

"Yes" She nodded.

"Got it" Midoriya wrote furiously. Aizawa said "Midoriya" Midoriya froze. Aizawa said "Write less. Hear more" Midoriya lowered the pencil.

"Yes, sir" Ren looked at him through the screen.

"Bad map is data" Midoriya's eyes lifted.

"What?" Ren's voice stayed even.

"If you cannot describe your body after training, that is not something to hide. It is data" Midoriya swallowed. Toshinori was not in the room, but his absence felt like listening. Midoriya nodded slowly.

"Yes" Bakugo's eyes cut toward him. No explosion. Just watching. Good. Todoroki raised his hand.

"Are we allowed to ask about conditions during modules?" Shinso said "Ask what?"

"For example, if a condition conflicts with a scenario objective" Ren answered "Ask staff first" Shinso added "If there is time, ask us too" Todoroki nodded.

"That seems fair" Bakugo muttered "Everything is ask now" Kurose said "Yes" Bakugo looked at her. She looked back. He looked away with a growl.

"Annoying" Aizawa said "Consent often is" Sero raised a hand.

"Can we joke?" Kurose looked at him.

"That is too broad" Sero winced.

"Right. Specific. Can we joke with them if we would normally joke with classmates?" Ren looked at Shinso. Shinso said "Depends if the joke is terrible" Kaminari said "So yes?" Shinso said "For you, extra review" Kaminari put a hand over his heart.

"I am wounded" Ren said "Pain present?" Kaminari blinked. Then grinned.

"Emotionally" Recovery Girl's voice from off-screen said "No treatment available" The room laughed. Not too much. Enough. Ren watched them laugh and felt his chest ache in a way Graft Lattice could not route. Class. Not quite his. Not yet. Possible. Not guaranteed. Shinso watched too, expression flat but not closed. Possible. The call ended before the room became too comfortable. That was intentional. Kurose closed it after Ren's heart rate rose and Shinso's shoulders went too still. The screens went dark.

Class 1-A remained silent afterward. Aizawa let the silence stay. Then he said "Questions before preparation schedule" Uraraka raised her hand.

"Sir, are they going to train with us tomorrow?"

"No. First module begins with observation and role briefing. Physical integration later" Kirishima raised his hand.

"Can we help?" Aizawa said "Yes. By not making them manage your help" Kirishima nodded seriously.

"That is harder than it sounds" Kurose said "Good realization" Yaoyorozu raised her hand.

"May we receive written module protocols?"

"Yes""May we suggest environmental modifications if we notice issues?" Aizawa said "To staff. Not directly to them unless appropriate""Understood" Iida raised his hand.

"Should we prepare a class statement of support?" Aizawa stared.

"No" Mina said "But maybe a normal card?" Aizawa stared harder. Kurose interjected "Not yet. Ask first" Mina nodded.

"Ask first" Kaminari raised his hand.

"What about snacks?" Aizawa looked toward the ceiling like it might offer strength. Kurose said "Food for Ren must be medically approved. Food for Shinso can be offered normally if you are prepared for sarcasm" Sero nodded.

"So snacks are possible but conditional" Aizawa said "Everything is conditional now" Bakugo stood. Aizawa looked at him.

"Sit" Bakugo did not sit.

"I have a question" Aizawa's eyes narrowed.

"Ask carefully" Bakugo looked at the dark screen.

"If they are joining modules, are they targets in class or classmates in class?" Kirishima frowned.

"Bakugo, that was already—""No. I mean in drills" The room quieted. Bakugo's voice stayed rough.

"If a drill says protect the target, and villains would target them, are we supposed to treat them like luggage or like people who fight? Because that choice matters" Aizawa held his gaze.

"Yes. It does" Kurose looked at Bakugo with a different expression now. Aizawa said "Classmates first. Scenario roles second. If a scenario assigns someone as protected civilian, you protect them. If a scenario assigns them as responder, they act. You do not decide their role based on fear" Bakugo's jaw clenched.

"And if the enemy would?"

"Then we train not to obey enemy categorization" Bakugo sat down. Hard.

"Good" The word came out like an insult. Aizawa accepted it like an answer. After class, the room broke into smaller pieces. Not chaos. Not peace. Pieces. Mina and Uraraka argued in whispers about whether a normal card counted as too much. Jiro said cards were dangerous but music recommendations might be worse. Kaminari suggested snacks again and was banned from snack strategy until medically cleared by common sense.

Sero proposed a flowchart and immediately regretted it when Yaoyorozu began asking useful questions. Iida wrote "ask first" at the top of his notebook and underlined it three times. Todoroki stared at the board until the word role blurred into something else. Midoriya stayed seated. Bakugo stayed too. That was unusual enough that Kirishima did not leave either. Aizawa watched all three and hated how predictable pain became once one had taught long enough. Kurose walked to the door.

Aizawa said "I will handle it" She looked at Midoriya, then Bakugo, then nodded.

"Do not make it elegant""I never do""Good" She left. Aizawa erased everything from the board except the four words. STOPRETURNCONSENTROLE Then he turned around.

"Midoriya" Midoriya jerked.

"Yes, sir?"

"You heard Akiyama""Yes""What did you hear?" Midoriya looked at the notebook.

"Bad map is data""And?"

"That I should not hide it""And?" Midoriya's hands tightened.

"If I cannot describe my body after training, the gift controlled the moment" Bakugo's eyes sharpened. Aizawa nodded.

"Good. Bakugo" Bakugo's head snapped up.

"What?"

"What did you hear?" Bakugo scowled.

"Consent is annoying" Aizawa waited. Bakugo looked away.

"Enemy categories are not roles" Aizawa nodded.

"And?" Bakugo's voice dropped.

"They are classmates first" Kirishima looked at him. Bakugo glared.

"What?" Kirishima lifted both hands.

"Nothing""Then stop making hair-face" Kirishima whispered "Hair-face?" Aizawa continued "Todoroki" Todoroki looked up.

"What did you hear?" Todoroki looked at the four words.

"Role is not weather" Aizawa's expression did not change.

"Explain" Todoroki's face remained calm.

"If someone's role changes, we do not make everyone around them live as if that role controls the climate" Aizawa looked at him for a long moment. Then nodded.

"Good" Bakugo looked confused and annoyed by the fact that the sentence sounded important. Midoriya looked like he understood enough to hurt. Kirishima looked like he understood none of it but respected the weight. Aizawa capped the marker.

"Then remember it tomorrow. Training begins with watching. That will feel useless to all of you" Bakugo said "Because it is""No" Aizawa said "Because you are bad at watching without turning it into wanting to move" Midoriya flinched. Bakugo clicked his tongue. Todoroki looked at the board again. Aizawa opened the door.

"Go eat" Kirishima stood.

"That sounds like Recovery Girl" Aizawa said "She is contagious" In R-2, Ren slept after the call because Class 1-A was exhausting even through a screen. He woke to find Kurose beside the bed, reading the summary. Hana was asleep in the chair. Daichi was writing something in his notebook. Bentaro stood in the corner, restored to silent jurisdiction. Recovery Girl occupied the monitor station. Ren blinked.

"Bad?" Kurose looked at him.

"Class?"

"Yes""No""Too fast" She considered.

"Messy. Careful. Better than expected. Worse than ideal. Human" Ren breathed.

"Good""Bakugo asked whether they should treat you and Shinso as targets or classmates in drills" Ren's eyes opened more. Kurose continued "Aizawa said classmates first. Scenario roles second. Do not obey enemy categorization" Ren stared at the ceiling.

"Good answer""Yes""Bakugo good question?"

"Do not tell him" Ren almost smiled.

"Never" Kurose looked at her tablet.

"Mina said she is happy you both get a door" Ren closed his eyes. The sentence hurt again. Less sharply.

"Good sentence""Yes""Shinso?"

"He survived the call""That is not answer""It is the answer he would want reported" Ren accepted that. Recovery Girl looked over.

"Map" Ren closed his eyes.

"R-2. bed. Hana. Daichi. Kurose. Recovery Girl. left wrist. shoulder. ribs. tired. door possible. class messy""Pain absence?"

"No""Gate?"

"Quiet""Good" Kurose lowered the tablet.

"Tomorrow begins observation" Ren opened one eye.

"What does observation involve?"

"Watching selected Class 1-A license preparation modules through secured feed. You and Shinso identify routes, stops, consent issues, role drift, and unsafe hero habits" Ren stared.

"That sounds like homework weaponized against everyone" Kurose's mouth twitched.

"Yes""Will they know?"

"Yes""Will Bakugo hate it?"

"Yes""Good" Recovery Girl said "Do not spend medical energy on being smug" Ren closed his eye.

"Efficient smugness""Sleep" He slept. Outside R-2, U. A. moved toward the first day of Provisional Track. Not with certainty. Not with clean confidence. But with four words on a board and two students who had accepted a door because the door had been forced to ask. Class 1-A had learned the door existed. Tomorrow, they would learn that watching someone approach a door without rushing to push it open was its own kind of training.