Chapter 323

That Single Step is the three hundred and twenty-third chapter of Kohei Horikoshi's My Hero Academia.

Summary
Before Class 1-A went to look for Izuku, Tenya asked Principal Nezu how they can provide concrete evidence that the people taking shelter at the school will be safe with Izuku staying too, in addition to the U.A. Barrier. Nezu says that Izuku is the most valuable asset the Heroes have to fight back so having him at an unprepared shelter would be a huge risk. However, he says that U.A. is equipped with the best defense technology for that reason, even being on par with Tartarus.

When Momo reminds them of Tomura having destroyed Tartarus, Nezu then tells everyone that after Tomura attacked the school last year, he put considerable thought into how to better prepare, and he ended up adding a few touches to the system of his own design. The reason why Nezu feels so confident that if U.A. was to be attacked, no one would be harmed, is because according to him, U.A. can travel! Nezu explains that each section of the school is like a game board, each equipped with mechanisms that will transform it into an underground emergency shelter. Then, those shelters will enter a network underground and move in any direction.

Nezu says that the system is still at risk of crumbling, so he fortified the ground with about three thousand layers of Bulwark plates, and should the system detect any unusual activity, the connecting pillars will unlock and render each plate mobile, thereby delaying the attack and allowing the shelters to speed off to safety. He also adds that Shiketsu High was the first to fortify their school system after Camie Utsushimi was impersonated by Himiko Toga, and is just one of several hero schools with the safety precautions needed for sheltering they could rely on if need be, shocking the students considering how far the two schools are.

Fumikage, knowing that the counter-measures were to combat Tomura's increased Decay, wonders how he managed to anticipate this since it was built around the time of the School Festival, with Nezu saying it was just his intuition, and that he paid for all of it. The students are left amazed at how expensive it all was but Endeavor says that Nezu's contributions to Quirk morality education has earned him worldwide renown, and his work is still continuing. Nezu says that intolerance and a lack of understanding make the one step towards coming together always seem far away, but he believes a sound argument can be made for letting Izuku return to the school, and entrusts the students to handle the situation with their full power.

In the present, the civilians continue to protest Izuku entering the school by barricading it, unconvinced the security system will be enough. Present Mic tries to calm everyone down and Best Jeanist steps forward to explain that he was the one who proposed he returned. He states that they wanted to take the fight to the enemy directly so they used Izuku to try and lure them out. Sadly, their search came up dry because they didn't have enough people. He admits Izuku is the Villains' target, but he also considers him their best resource in battle and allowing him to grow even more tired will lead to more lives lost, which is why they are relying on this back up plan. He then pleads with the people to let Izuku stay so he can rejoin the battle in peak condition.

The people, however, refuse to back down, believing they are being forced to pay the price for the Heroes' mistakes, with the hatred and anxiety of everyone starting to swell up Izuku's Danger Sense. With no one seemingly listening to reason, Ochaco floats her way over the crowd and jumps up onto the U.A. building with a microphone, addressing herself to the people. She tells everyone that Izuku has a special power, and that he already left the school originally to prevent anyone from feeling troubled; he has only returned because she and the rest of her class brought him back. She admits his power is what the villains' desire because they know it is the only thing that can stop them, but he has gone through so much while on the outside. She begs for everyone to take a closer look at him for he wishes to fix everything despite knowing he could be attacked at any minute.

Sure enough, the people start calming down, with one of the civilians recognizing him for having helped her earlier. Ochaco declares that special powers are one thing, but there is no such thing as a special person. As she talks, Katsuki tells Izuku that he and the others will step in to help Izuku when he can't handle it alone, and in Nezu's mind, he says that the single step is hard to take, but he believes if it is taken, it will carve a path for the ultimate hero to stand up: one that can even surpass All Might himself.

Chapter Notes

 * More information about the "U.A. Barrier" is revealed.
 * After Tomura's initial attack on U.A., Nezu personally worked, and paid himself, to redesign the defense system.
 * Each section of the school is connected to a mechanism that could then be transferred to an underground facility, which itself is fortified with layers of steel and built to detect any unusual activity.
 * Best Jeanist attempts to reassure the civilians about their and Izuku's safety, but fails to ease their anxiousness.
 * Ochaco pleads to the people to see Izuku's current state and all he has done to try and help them, and allow him to rest.
 * Cementoss is shown to have a few scars and a plate on his side from his battle against Geten.
 * In Class 1-A and Shota Aizawa's absence, Eri is shown to be in the care of Class 1-B.

Trivia

 * When referencing U.A. and Shiketsu High's planned alliance after the Remedial Course Arc, the chapter says it was alluded to in Volume 8 when it was actually in Volume 18.