Setting Out

When Jilan Jiyu opened the door to the principal's office, they were surprised to see the principal sitting in his office chair, nimbly holding chopsticks in one hand and a lunchbox in the other, with the Recovery Girl sitting beside him, smiling at him.

"Jilan, you've arrived! Please have a seat!"

Although the principal said this, he still didn't put down what he was holding; his chopsticks were still holding rice balls.

"Little Nezu, Jilan is here, so I'll be going now. Remember, don't be picky about food!" The Recovery Girl said with a smile, walking towards the door.

Jilan Jiyu helped her open the door, her gaze falling on Principal Nezu with surprise in her eyes.

Jilan doesn't usually meet the principal often. He only met him once during the J incident. After that, he hosted the Sports Festival at the senior high school venue, so they didn't meet again.

In Jilan's memory, Principal Nezu was a refined and easy-going mole, and she never expected that he would act like a well-behaved child in front of the Recovery Girl.

Nezu slowly finished the last rice ball, neatly put the utensils on the table, elegantly wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, jumped off the chair, and walked towards Jilan with a smile. "Jilan- kun, I'm sorry to call you over during lunch break. You probably haven't eaten yet, have you?"

"It's nothing." Jilan shook her head. "May I ask what the principal wanted to see me about?"

"Sit down and let's talk." The principal gestured for Jilan to sit down in a chair in front of the coffee table and handed him a cup of fragrant tea. "Have you decided where you want to do your Work-Study Program yet?"

Jilan took the drink but didn't drink it. She shook her head and said, "I haven't decided yet, but I hope to go to a quiet city, like the Gang Orca's Hour of the Ox Agency in Tottori Prefecture."

"Gang Orca, huh? Indeed, it's a quiet place. With the intimidating presence of Gang Orca, even media reporters wouldn't dare to go and interview them. Mirko."

Jilan was slightly taken aback. So the principal knew about the concert too? Well, that makes sense; the reporters were blocking the entrance. How could the principal, who's said Quirk have High Specs, not know?

"However, Jilan, although the location is suitable, I don't think the Gang Orca is a Pro Hero who can teach others," Nezu said with a smile.

Jilan naturally knew about this. Gang Orca was consistently ranked in the top ten of the heroes most like enemies. Even though he was also ranked tenth on the hero list, just like his title "Gangster," most of his admirers were small-time thugs who revered violence, while the general public mostly looked at him with awe.

He excels at intimidating enemies, but he's not the best choice for teaching people. However, Jilan just wants to find a place to avoid the limelight and doesn't care whether he has the ability to mentor others.

Pro Hero are, in the end, just civil servants. In her previous life, Jilan was an office worker, so she was very familiar with that system. Although Pro Hero may be a little different, they are probably not that different.

"Principal, it doesn't really matter to me where I go. If there's nothing else, I'll be going now."

After saying this, Jilan put down her teacup and got up to leave.

"Jilan, do you remember the J incident?" Nezu suddenly brought it up. "You led your classmates very well back then, successfully stalling for time. The school was going to reward you."

"A reward?" Jilan sat back down, intrigued by the word.

Nezu smiled and said, "I've specially commissioned a Pro Hero to mentor you. I believe you'll make great progress under his guidance. Mirko."

Is this part of the reward?

"That's right. His office is located in Oumagadoki City Ushimitsu City in Tottori Prefecture. It has a smaller population, and the people living there don't pay much attention to things in big cities, which perfectly suits your requirements."

Jilan hadn't really cared about these things, but since the principal had brought it up, he thought about it for a moment and asked, "May I ask what the name of that Pro Hero is?"

Nezu handed him a piece of paper that read, "Speed Heroes, Mad Rabbit. Location: Oumagadoki City, Oumagadoki Agency."

Looking at the completely unfamiliar name, Jilan asked in confusion, "Mad Rabbit? I don't seem to have heard of this Pro Hero, and I haven't seen this name on the leaderboards either."

Nezu didn't answer, but instead asked, "Jilan, do you know the classification of Pro Hero?"

Although Jilan didn't understand, she still answered the question about the knowledge taught in class, "Although, like the police, Pro Hero are classified in many ways, such as support heroes, combat heroes, stealth heroes, healing heroes, and life heroes, there are too many types to subdivide. However, this classification is made by some experts in the public and is subjective. The government does not recognize it."

In theory, any Pro Hero who has obtained a hero license can accept any request, but they generally only accept missions within their area of expertise.

The official ranking of Pro Hero is based on a 5:3:2 ratio of social contribution, number of incidents resolved, and public support rate, as published by the public security authorities. Combat heroes who are most active in battles against the enemy tend to rank higher, but occasionally, those with exceptionally high support rates also make it into the top ten.

"You've done very well in your course, no wonder you're the class president of the Hero Course," Nezu praised, then continued, "Just like you said, the more active Pro Hero is, the higher their ranking. Like your homeroom teacher Aizawa, although he's incredibly strong, his name doesn't appear on the leaderboard."

Jilan hesitated for a moment, "You mean, the Mad Rabbit is also the kind of powerful Pro Hero who doesn't perform in front of others?"

Nezu nodded, smiling, and said, "Not only that, he is also..."

Although the deadline was before the weekend, many people who had already decided where to go submitted their applications to the office after filling them out. Since Jilan's previous form did not include the application for the Pro Hero, he handed it directly to the principal, who then typed the file into the computer.

"Jilan, are you sure? Once it's submitted, there's no going back," Nezu asked Jilan with a smile.

"Ah, if it's really as the principal says, I'm quite interested."

Nezu pressed the button.

After school, since the next two days were the weekend, everyone said goodbye and went home to prepare for their week-long Work-Study Program —saying goodbye to their families, packing their luggage, and buying some essential items.

Two days passed quickly, and the group gathered in front of the subway station, each carrying their own luggage in one hand and a conspicuous suitcase in the other, containing their combat uniforms.

"Everyone, is everyone assembled? Remember not to lose your combat suits."

During their Work-Study Program, they need to make local residents recognize their identity through their combat suits, which is also part of building brand awareness. Therefore, the school makes an exception for them to use the combat suits outside the school, whereas normally they are only allowed to use them after obtaining a hero's license.

"Be sure to show respect to the local Pro Hero; they are your seniors, in other words, the ones who will be responsible for your Work-Study Program evaluation. If anyone's score is too low, then..."

The group exchanged glances, then read aloud in unison, enunciating each word clearly: "Dismissed without hesitation—"

Ashido grinned and said, "Mr. Aizawa, you've said that so many times already, we won't fall for it again!"

"You guys," Aizawa laughed helplessly, "Anyway, don't cause trouble for your seniors. Now, dismissed."

Some students' internships are in Tokyo, where they can simply go directly to the agency where accommodation will be provided. Other students will travel by train to various parts of the country, but most will be concentrated around the three major cities of Tokyo, Kyoto, and Nagoya.

Toru Hagakure glanced furtively at Jilan's train ticket and said in surprise, "Jilan, are you going to Tottori Prefecture? That's quite far."

Jilan replied, "Actually, it's not that far. It only takes five or six hours by Shinkansen. But you, Hagakure, where are you going?"

"It's a secret!" Hagakure suddenly stuck out her tongue. "Hehehe—who told you not to tell me you'd be performing at the concert? I'm not telling you now!"

"Whatever makes you happy," Jilan shrugged helplessly. "Well then, I'm leaving."

"Alright, goodbye," Hagakure suddenly said, her voice breaking.

Watching Jilan's retreating figure, Hagakure's spirits lifted, and an invisible aura emanated from her. "Alright! Hagakure, you can't give up! You're the Invisible Girl, you must overcome this little problem and show him!"

"Come on, come on!" Hagakure cheered himself on as he walked in the opposite direction!