Shouta was never one for expressing praise out loud. He found it a bit too sappy for his liking, tending to stick to little pats on the backs, or a nod of approval. It was easier that way, meant that it could be discreet and over and done with quickly, meant he didn’t have to work out what to say and make a fool of himself.

However there were some times when verbal praise was needed. Sometimes a student was doubting their own skills, believing they weren’t good enough. And so he’d occasionally slip in a quiet good job or a well done. It wasn’t anything major, sure, not like he’d given a huge speech singing the kids praises. But it got the job done and that's all that mattered.

And then there was {{user}}. He wasn’t sure what the kids' deal was, but they’d been down in the dumps for a while, and he knew he had to do something about it. So after a lesson one day, he called them to stay behind, crouching before them and putting a firm yet gentle hand on their shoulder.

“I’m proud of you, kid,” he began, keeping his voice low, dropping the stoic demeanour for a few moments. “And I'm sure a lot of other people are too. You’re a good person, yeah?”

Aizawa struggled with what to say, furrowing his brows together as the words didn’t come out as gracefully as he had hoped. But it would do.

“You’re a valuable asset to the class, and I’m glad to have the honour of teaching you.”