My Hero Academia: Nightmare Mode

The first period began like any other—quiet murmurs from students slowly filling the room as everyone shuffled to their seats. Kikidori sat in his usual spot near the back, leaning against his desk with his arms crossed. His heterochromatic eyes stared blankly out the window, his thoughts far away from the classroom.

The door slid open abruptly, and Mina walked in. But instead of her usual bubbly energy, she looked utterly miserable. Her head was hung low, and she moved sluggishly toward her desk, flopping into her seat.

Kirishima leaned over with concern. "Hey, Mina, you okay?"

She groaned, burying her face in her arms. "No. Worst day ever. Don't talk to me."

Denki Kaminari, ever the comedian, leaned back in his chair and smirked. "Let me guess… It's that time of the month?"

Mina groaned louder, her voice muffled. "Shut up, Denki…"

"Oh, come on," Denki said, chuckling. "You're acting like the world is ending. I mean, it's not like *I* have to deal with it."

Jiro rolled her eyes, muttering, "And that's why no one likes you, Denki."

Kikidori didn't react to the conversation at first. But then Denki, in his infinite wisdom, decided to turn his attention to him.

"You know what, Kikidori?" Denki said with a sly grin. "You should just date Toga already. She clearly likes you, I heard you say you secretly like her too!"

Kikidori's eyes glowed faintly as his quirk activated, his expression unchanging but his irritation palpable.

"Uh-oh," Sero said, leaning away from Denki. "You've done it now."

Before Denki could process what was happening, his face twisted in fear. He gasped, his eyes darting around as though seeing something terrifying.

"No! No, not the quizzes! I forgot to study!" Denki wailed dramatically, falling out of his chair. In his panic, his quirk accidentally discharged, and he zapped himself in the process.

The class burst into laughter as Denki flopped onto the ground, twitching slightly.

"That's what you get," Jiro said, smirking as she poked him with her earphone jack.

Kirishima clapped Kikidori on the shoulder. "Man, your quirk is seriously something else. Remind me not to get on your bad side."

Kikidori shrugged, his expression neutral as always. "He deserved it."

The door to the classroom slid open again, and Aizawa walked in, looking more disheveled than usual. His hair was a mess, and his eyes were even more tired than usual. He carried his yellow sleeping bag under one arm, letting out a long yawn as he made his way to his desk.

"Listen up," Aizawa said, his voice monotone. "I didn't get any sleep last night, and I don't have the energy to deal with you today. So, do whatever you want. Just don't break anything."

With that, he unrolled his sleeping bag, crawled inside, and curled up in his chair, promptly falling asleep.

The class stared at him for a moment before realizing that, for the next hour, they were essentially unsupervised.

Mina perked up slightly despite her misery. "So… does that mean we can—"

"No," Bakugo growled from his seat.

"Aw, come on, Bakugo!" Mina whined.

Jiro raised an eyebrow. "If you want to run around and get into trouble, do it on your own time. Don't drag us into it."

The class eventually settled into their own activities. Some students chatted in small groups, others worked on assignments, and a few simply dozed off like Aizawa. Kikidori, as usual, kept to himself, flipping through a notebook and jotting down notes.

As the hour dragged on, Denki recovered enough to glare at Kikidori from across the room. "I'll get you back for that," he muttered.

"Good luck with that," Kikidori replied dryly, not even looking up from his notebook.

Mina leaned over her desk, still looking tired but with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Hey, Kikidori, if you *did* have to pick a hero name, what would it be? And don't even think about saying something boring!"

Kikidori didn't answer, keeping his focus on his notes.

"Oh, come on," Mina pressed. "You're in the Bakusquad now. You gotta have a cool name like the rest of us!"

"Leave him alone," Bakugo grumbled, shooting Mina a glare.

"Fine, fine," Mina said, holding up her hands in mock surrender. "But one day, Kikidori, I'll get you to say it!"

Kikidori just sighed, his mismatched eyes glancing out the window again.

End of Chapter 16