Hizashi Yamada

Not long after, Momo Yaoyorozu glanced at the time, bowed to the group to express her apology, and hurriedly left.

Although it might be a bit harsh to say this, after Yaoyorozu left, Jilan Jiyu sensed that the two teachers were visibly relieved and no longer on edge.

"Jilan, an old friend of mine is receiving treatment downstairs. I'm going to visit him. Why don't you keep Aizawa and chat with him?"

As Teacher Thirteen spoke, she deftly twirled the wheels of her wheelchair with her thickly gloved hands, performing a large drift to change direction and heading towards the elevator.

"Teacher, would you like an apple?" Jilan Jiyu silently peeled an apple, shaping the peel into a complete spiral. After saying this, they realized something, "Oh, you can't eat."

It's clear that Aizawa is currently only surviving on Grape from an IV drip, and he probably hasn't eaten anything all day.

"..."

An awkward silence fell between them, broken only by the ticking of the alarm clock on the bedside table.

"Jilan, would you like to push me downstairs to get some sun?" Shota Aizawa suddenly asked. "The doctor said I often stay up late and need to get some sun to maintain the balance of trace elements in my body."

Hearing Shota Aizawa, whose face was wrapped up like a mummy, say this, Jilan Jiyu naturally had no reason to refuse. Although Shota Aizawa's leg was not injured, given his current inability to see, he did indeed need someone to accompany him.

Jilan Jiyu ran to the service desk on this floor, briefly explained the situation, and borrowed a wheelchair from the hospital.

"Teacher, please." As Jilan Jiyu helped Shota Aizawa out of bed, she noticed his sunken eyes and the faint traces of blood on the white bandages. Suppressing her doubts, she helped him into the wheelchair and hung the IV drip on the pole.

Jilan Jiyu pushed him out of the room and brought him to the elevator. There, a man in a hospital gown was waiting for the elevator.

"Isn't this our valiant Pro Hero 'Eraser Head'? The news reports said you and All Might repelled the invading enemies unscathed... I never expected to see you here!" The man grinned and approached, feigning a puzzled expression. "What's going on here...?"

"..." Shota Aizawa didn't speak, and Jilan Jiyu also silently pushed the car from behind, waiting for the elevator.

As far as he knew, this place was only open to those with a hero's license. In other words, all the people who received treatment here were Pro Hero, and the person in front of him was no exception. He couldn't determine the person's intentions yet, so he didn't speak rashly.

The man didn't seem inclined to let them off the hook because of their silence, and continued pointing at Shota Aizawa, saying, "I remember your weapon is a special bandage. I wonder why you're wearing it on your face to look injured. Is it some kind of cosplay? You're quite the expert!"

Seeing that the two still ignored him, he persisted and brought his face close to Jilan Jiyu behind the wheelchair. "You're the student from Eraser Head, right? You're good-looking. I like boys like you the most." As he spoke, he reached out to touch Jilan Jiyu's face.

Although the other person is the same gender as her, Jilan Jiyu believe they can still retaliate against such blatant harassment.

To prevent his opponent from using a counterattack, he decisively used his Hamon to slap the opponent's hand away, frowning as he said, "As a senior, is this how you treat minors? Do you still deserve to be called Pro Hero?"

The other person twisted their wrist, which had Jilan Jiyu, and didn't seem angry at Jilan Jiyu's obviously insubordinate tone. On the contrary, they seemed excited that someone had spoken to them.

"Aizawa, did you hear that? Your student is questioning my identity! Tell him my identity is fake. I graduated in the same year as you. You can't say you don't remember me, okay?"

In response to his urgent tone, Aizawa simply said to Jilan Jiyu, "The elevator is here, let's go." He seemed to have no intention of pursuing the matter of Jilan Jiyu's actions against him, nor did he have any desire to agree with him.

Bite--

The elevator doors opened, Jilan Jiyu pushed Aizawa into the elevator lobby, turning the wheelchair around so that he could see the elevator entrance.

"Hey, Aizawa! Is that your attitude again?!" The man seemed to be enraged and made a move to enter the elevator and punch him. "It's always the same. You're always so cold when I talk to you. Who do you think you are?!"

Suddenly, he stopped.

Aizawa's right hand was bandaged, and his left hand was connected to an IV drip. Even though the bandages covered his face completely, the man felt that he saw a pair of bloodshot eyes on his face that shouldn't have been there!

"If I were you, I wouldn't have come over. We've changed a long time ago, Class Monitor— Hizashi Yamada."

The man stood there blankly, not taking another step forward, watching the elevator doors close, completely obscuring Shota Aizawa's figure.

"... Are we no longer the same?"

Hizashi Yamada glanced at his hand, which was wrapped in bandages, and leaned against the wall next to the elevator to slowly unwrap the bandages—there was only a scabbed wound on his palm, which looked like nothing more than a common scratch.

Jilan Jiyu pushed their wheelchair through the back door of the hospital and arrived at the spacious inner garden.

It's only April or May, the peak season for cherry blossoms, and this garden is no exception. Cherry blossom petals are fluttering down to the ground, forming a natural cherry-colored tablecloth. Scattered around, you can see people in hospital gowns sitting on the ground with people in combat uniforms, enjoying the cherry blossoms while eating lunchboxes brought by their visitors.

"Jilan, do you know that rest is a very rare thing for heroes?" Shota Aizawa spoke up as Jilan Jiyu pushed the wheelchair to the chair next to the central fountain. "Every day is spent either at the disaster relief site or on the way to disaster relief. Being able to enjoy a meal with friends while admiring cherry blossoms is a real luxury."

"This is the duty and responsibility of Pro Hero, because they shoulder important missions. Therefore, when they are sick, injured, or hospitalized, they can rightfully enjoy rights that ordinary people cannot." Shota Aizawa's words seemed to carry a sigh. "Medical expenses are completely free, they can take leave from the company unconditionally, and even during their leave, they receive five social insurances and one housing fund, as well as generous compensation."

"So... some people have started to have ulterior motives?" Jilan Jiyu understood what Aizawa wanted to say to him and took the initiative to continue the conversation.

"Yes, you have to take responsibility to gain rights; even a child understands that. But some people don't think that way." He paused and continued, "They try every means to shirk their responsibilities, and they scream and yell like their arteries have burst at the slightest injury... They occupy the collective's resources and linger in the hospital. For them, faking illness is commonplace, and escaping is taken for granted. As long as they can live an easy life, who cares about the storms outside?"

"... Are you talking about that person from earlier?"

"Maybe."

"Mr. Aizawa, are you really willing to accept that your injury is unknown to the outside world?" Jilan Jiyu suddenly asked.

Shota Aizawa didn't give a direct answer, but simply said, "Jilan, it's a bit noisy here, let's go to the pavilion."