The class was uneventful until our last professor pulled a pile of papers from his work bag.
"Alright, students, you are now third-year students, which means you all need to start thinking seriously about your futures and what you'll want to do with your lives. I could start passing career aptitude tests, but why bother? I know that you all want to go to the hero track."
With his words, most, if not all, of the students began cheering while showing off their quirks.
The cheering was interrupted by Bakugo, who acted smugly.
"Oh, please, you all would be lucky to end up as sidekicks for bottom d-ranking hero. Unlike me, who will join the hero course at UA, graduate, and become even more popular than Allmight! I can just beat up those worthless villains and become rich! So rich I won't even know what to do with all my money."
Knowing Bakugo, the teacher didn't seem surprised by the teen's words.
'Well, who can blame the teacher? Bakugo's quirk is really impressive. Not only that, but his grades were the best in the class. If it weren't for his attitude, his future as a hero would be guaranteed.
The teacher signaled for the class to calm down.
"Yes, Bakugo, we all know about your aim to attend UA. That said, you aren't the only one with such a goal… If I'm not mistaken, don't Midoriya and Amateru also want to apply at UA?"
I couldn't help but curse at the teacher, 'Why not just tie us up and hand the class a stick so they can bat us around like a piñata?'
The class laughed at both of them, though most of that laughter was directed at Midoriya. While I was in the same boat as him since I wasn't timid enough to let myself be pushed around, some thought twice before annoying me. I was also friends with some of the girls, so they wouldn't be too mean to me.
Bakugo stayed silent, but he continued to stare daggers at both me and Izuku.
'Why the heck is he so angry?'
After class, I said my goodbyes to Izuku and some other classmates and headed to the PE locker room. There, I removed my school uniform and changed into more comfortable clothes I could run in.
Since I didn't have a quirk, I did my best to stay fit. If I did this, I would have a better chance to become a hero using support gear.
I had tried to get Izuku to join my workout lessons, but he kindly rejected my invitation. I was tempted to try to convince him, but I decided against it. If Izuku didn't want to do everything humanly possible to become a hero, that was on him. Inviting someone like that might do more harm than good.
"Who knows, I could end up picking bad habits from Izuku. If he starts slacking on our training, I might do the same… Yeah, better alone than in bad company."
As I was about to finish my run, an advertisement on the glass wall of a clothing store caught my attention.
- - -
[Looking For Athletic Youths]
Yaoyorozu Fashions is proud to announce a new line of sportswear for youths. We want to extend the modeling opportunity to ordinary youths. The fashion show is expected to last an hour. If you are interested, please send five pictures of your youth, ages 13-17, to YAoyOrozu@$mail.now. Upon acceptance, additional information will be sent. Once modeling has been completed, a payment of ¥25,000 will be sent.
- - -
"25,000 Yen for an hour?! That's close to what mom makes in three days of work."
While the gig seemed ridiculous, and I couldn't completely see myself getting it or, more importantly, being good at it, the money was hard to ignore, especially in my situation, where my single mother had to shoulder the family's burden.
'If I can really make the money that mom has to work days in a couple of hours….. Then I have to give it a try. Personally, I think that I'm above average when it comes to looks… Eww that sounds hella narcissistic. Anyway, how girls look at me in school proved my thoughts right.'
"The only issue now was that I didn't have the 5 pictures they requested. Asking mom to take pictures of me is way too embarrassing."
After thinking about it, I decided to take pictures as I am now. The theme was sportswear, which is what I was currently wearing. I was sweaty, but that should add more realism to the theme.
I took a picture of the ad and began looking for an isolated space to quickly take some photos. While I wanted to do it at home, being outside would make it more natural than being at home.
As I looked around, I made eye contact with Bakugo and his two friends, who were walking with him. Bakugo's face showed immense hatred when he saw me, and he began walking towards me faster.
Thankfully, his friends got him to turn around and stomp off.
"Geez, I wonder what they said to him."
After seeing them leave, I found a quiet alley out of the public's way. I set my phone on a timer and took pictures of myself in different poses.
It took me a few minutes to feel satisfied. I had two pictures of me standing in different directions, one with my head up and the other down. One was of me in a gangster-like crouch. The other two were just me trying to act cool by running my hand through my hair or putting my hands inside my baggy pockets and looking down.
'Well, can't say that I don't find these poses somewhat cringe, but I still feel like these pictures turned out okay. Before I changed my mind, I sent the images along with my name, age, and phone number.
A wave of regret hit me a second after I clicked the send button.
"What the heck am I thinking?! Me a model? I can't even say that with a straight face…. And those pictures….. Ugh, if I was going to do this, I should have taken it more seriously."
Having sent those pictures made things real. What I had taken as a, well, whatever happens, had turned into, I should have taken this seriously, now I'm going to be seen as a joke.
Out of anger for myself, I began stomping off, cursing at my impulsive actions. I cursed even more when I almost unknowingly stepped on something lying on the floor.
When I looked down, I saw that I had stepped on a bottle containing an odd green glue.
Seeing that it had been spewed all over my right leg, I stepped back and tried to shake some of it off.
Suddenly, the green goo began expanding and more and more. It grew a pair of yellow eyes and teeth.
"I'm free!!!"