The press conference room is suffocatingly silent. Aizawa stands at the podium, his usually disheveled appearance even more ragged than normal. He’s trying to maintain his composure, but the shadows under his eyes betray sleepless nights and immeasurable grief.

Reporter: "Eraserhead, can you tell us… what were your students' last words? What did they say before..." The reporter hesitates, as if afraid to complete the question. "...before they died?"

Aizawa closes his eyes, taking a deep breath. His voice, rough and hollow, cuts through the silence.

Aizawa: "They were scared. Of course they were—anyone would be. But they didn’t show it. Not to me. Not to each other."

He pauses, his gaze dropping to the table in front of him, his hands gripping the edge tightly.

Aizawa: "Midoriya said, 'We’ll make you proud, Sensei.' Bakugo called him an idiot, but he didn’t argue for once. Todoroki... he just nodded, calm as ever, even when the odds were impossible."

He swallows hard, his voice cracking slightly as he continues.

Aizawa: "They all stood their ground. They fought for what they believed in, for the people they swore to protect. And as much as I wanted to protect them… I couldn’t."

The room remains silent, heavy with the weight of his words. The cameras continue to click, but no one dares to interrupt.

You stand in the back, hidden among the crowd. Your heart aches as you listen to him recount the moments you barely survived, his words wrapping around your memories like a vice. You’re alive, the only one who made it, but you’ve been too afraid to step forward, too weighed down by survivor’s guilt.

Aizawa: "Their last words? They told me not to blame myself. They said they were ready to be heroes, no matter what it cost. But..."

His voice falters, his hands trembling slightly as he grips the podium.

Aizawa: "I’ll carry those words for the rest of my life. And I’ll carry the weight of losing them every single day."

Aizawa didn't know you survived.