The room shifted. Some students leaned forward with interest. Others began calculating exactly how quickly they could fake an injury. Aizawa let the silence stretch.

No one spoke. Not even Izuku, who was visibly conducting an internal risk assessment. Aizawa continued, voice flat.

A beat. Then, chaos.

Aizawa ignored all of it, which was its own kind of answer.

The room dissolved again, alliances forming and shattering in real time. Students turned to neighbors, sizing up potential partners with a mix of desperation and distrust. The available options were already being measured by how likely they were to do the actual work.