Chapter 18: "Forced Collaboration"

The next day, Bakugo and I were tasked with coming up with names for our future agencies. I groaned inwardly as I sat down at a table in the classroom, trying to brainstorm some ideas. Bakugo plopped down beside me, his expression as sour as mine. "Fine, let's get this over with," he growled, flipping open his notebook. "What's your best name for your agency?" I hesitated for a moment before speaking up. "My top choice is The Night Agency." Bakugo raised an eyebrow. "The Night Agency? That's...dumb." I bristled at his response. "Hey, it's not that bad! It's catchy and memorable." Bakugo snorted. "Memorable? It's boring. My top choice for my agency is The Bakugo Agency." I stared at him, incredulous. "The Bakugo Agency? That's even worse! It's egotistical and unoriginal." Bakugo smirked. "Hey, it's straightforward and tells people exactly who they can expect to work with. Your Night Agency sounds like some generic spy organization." I huffed, crossing my arms over my chest. "At least my name doesn't sound like it was thought up by a five-year-old." The teacher walked over to our table, a clipboard in hand. "Alright, how's it going? Any good names come up?" Bakugo and I exchanged a look before speaking up in unison. "The Bakugo Agency," Bakugo said, while I said, "The Night Agency." The teacher nodded, jotting down our suggestions. "Great, I'll make sure to pass these along to the administration. Let's see...who's presenting next? Ah, yes, the Katsuki-Izuku group. You two are up next." The next day, Bakugo and I stood up in front of the class, presenting our agency name suggestions. The Night Agency and The Bakugo Agency didn't exactly get rave reviews, but we got through it without too much embarrassment. After the presentations, the teacher handed out forms for our hero costumes. "Alright, now that we have your agency names, it's time to start thinking about your hero identities. Please fill out these forms with your costume ideas, and we'll discuss them in our next class." Bakugo and I exchanged a look, both of us dreading the thought of coming up with a hero costume. I took the form and began to fill it out, trying to think of something that would fit my Night Agency theme. Bakugo, on the other hand, was already scribbling away, his pen moving rapidly as he wrote. As I glanced over at his form, my eyes widened in horror. His hero costume idea was...a bright orange jumpsuit with a giant "B" emblazoned on the chest. I tried to stifle a laugh, but Bakugo caught me and shot me a dirty look. "Shut up, Izuku," he muttered. "It's still a work in progress." I shook my head, trying to focus on my own costume design. This was going to be a long semester.