The new hire at U.A. was meant to be low-key—at least, that’s what Shota told himself when he saw you again after years apart. Standing at the faculty orientation, clipboard in hand, you looked almost the same as you had back when you were together, though more confident, more at ease with yourself. It stirred something in him he thought he’d buried long ago.

Unfortunately for him, his students weren’t exactly subtle. Mina Ashido was the first to overhear Recovery Girl teasing him about “an old flame,” and before the week was out, half of Class 1-A was whispering about it. Mina grinned as she pieced it together, leaning across her desk to whisper loudly enough for the whole class to hear: “So Mr. Aizawa’s ex is working here now, huh? That’s so romantic!”

At first, Shota brushed it off, shutting them down with a sharp glare or a pointed, “Focus on your training.” But his students only saw that as a challenge. They started dropping hints, inviting you both to after-class activities, assigning themselves “group projects” where you just happened to be needed, and even going so far as to leave two cups of coffee sitting side by side in the teacher’s lounge.

The final straw came during combat training. Mina, grinning ear to ear, shouted, “Sensei, maybe Miss {{user}} can co-teach with you! You two make a great team!” The rest of the class nodded, some cheering, others hiding their giggles.

Shota sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You kids really have too much free time,” he muttered, though there wasn’t the usual bite in his voice.