Akira walked alongside All Might, who was currently in his shrunken form, as the two made their way toward Musutafu Elementary School.
This was the third and final school they planned to visit. They had already gone through Sakurai Elementary School and Nanohana Elementary School earlier in the day, carefully observing everything those schools had to offer.
Akira's thoughts, however, were elsewhere. 'No sign of them…' He had paid close attention in the previous two schools, scanning faces, listening to conversations, and trying to spot anyone familiar.
But neither Izuku Midoriya nor Katsuki Bakugo had appeared.
Which left him with two possibilities. Either they were in this school—Or he would have to wait until middle school.
'Aldera…' he recalled internally. 'If not here, then I'll meet them there.'
With that in mind, Akira and All Might stepped into the school building, where they were soon greeted by a teacher. She smiled warmly at Akira as he stepped forward and introduced himself politely.
"My name is Akira Tenma," he said, giving a slight bow.
The teacher's smile softened. "Such a sweet boy," she said kindly.
She then began guiding both Akira and All Might through the school, showing them the classrooms, the playground, the canteen, and various other facilities.
It was currently games period, so most of the children were outside, running around, playing, laughing—completely immersed in their own little worlds.
Akira's eyes moved across the playground, searching for green or blonde haired kids.
Suddenly, A sharp sound echoed. Like a firecracker going off.
Akira's gaze snapped toward the source. There, he saw a blonde boy with explosive sparks bursting from his hands.
Katsuki Bakugo.
Akira immediately recognized him.But what caught his attention more—Was who Bakugo had just shoved to the ground.
A green-haired, green-eyed… girl?
Akira blinked. For a brief moment, his mind struggled to process what he was seeing.
'Izuku?'
No, Not exactly. The girl looked almost identical to the version of Izuku he remembered—just gender-swapped, like the fanarts he had seen before.
'Izumi Midoriya.'
As he watched, tears filled her eyes as she slowly got up. Akira's gaze shifted past her, noticing another boy nearby, one of his eyes bruised and swollen—clearly the result of being hit.
"Don't hurt him, Kacchan…" Izumi said weakly.
Bakugo scoffed, his expression filled with arrogance. "What can a quirkless freak like you even do? Thinking about becoming a hero Deku?"
He raised his hand towards her.
Time seemed to slow down. Akira didn't consciously decide to move, but his legs still moved on their own.
One moment, he was standing beside All Might.
Then next—He was in front of Izumi. His fist connected with Bakugo's face.
Bakugo was sent stumbling back, landing on the ground as he clutched his nose in shock.
"Who the hell are you!?" he shouted angrily as he stood up.
Akira stood firmly in front of Izumi and the injured boy, his expression calm but his eyes glowing slightly with red energy.
"Picking on the powerless," he said, "is not something heroes do."
Bakugo's face twisted in anger as he prepared to shout back, but before he could escalate things further, the teacher who had been guiding them rushed in.
"Katsuki! That is enough!" she scolded, immediately starting to lecture him about using his quirk and bullying other students.
Akira watched silently. But behind his calm expression, there was disgust towards the teacher.
'You saw this before… didn't you?'
He had no doubt. The teacher had likely witnessed this kind of behavior already and done nothing about it.
Only now—because he was here, because he wanted to attend this school, because if this got out it could affect the school's image—was she stepping in.
When he looked back, the injured boy with the bruised eye was already gone.
'He ran away.' Akira felt a slight irritation. 'At least say thanks.'
But he let it go. His attention returned to Izumi, who was still standing there, wiping her tears.
Bakugo was still shouting in the background as the teacher dragged him away toward detention, his voice filled with anger and humiliation.
Akira ignored him completely. Instead, he stepped forward and raised his hand toward Izumi.
"My name is Akira Tenma," he said simply. "Nice to meet you."
Izumi looked at his hand for a moment, then quickly wiped her tears before reaching out and taking it.
"My name is Izumi Midoriya," she said softly. "Nice to meet you too… and thank you for helping me."
Akira gave a small nod.
From a distance, All Might watched the interaction quietly. He chose not to interfere, allowing Akira to handle things on his own and interact with someone his own age.
A small smile formed on his face. He felt proud. Akira hadn't hesitated, hadn't overthought. He had simply acted on his instincts, just like a hero would.