Present Day.
The alarm rang weakly, rattling against the chipped nightstand.
Kai groaned, slapping at it blindly with his head face down on his pillow before it finally fell silent.
The weak morning sun bled through the thin curtains of his bedroom, casting long stripes of light across the worn floor.
Kai shifted his body up, facing the ceiling, letting the weight of the sun's glow settle over him. He wondered about the many things he could be doing right now. Sleeping in, eating some food, sleeping in, beating the crap out of the gangsters across the block. Oh, he could also sleep in.
As much as he wanted to, he had little time to do anything else. After all, today was his first day in the most prestigious school in Japan, if not the entire world!
Instead, Kai swung his legs out of bed. His arms were raised to the full length above his head, stretching until his spine popped. He walked over to his closet, looking at the freshly washed uniform in excitement, the faint scent of detergent filling his nose.
He ran a hand through his mess of curly black hair, trying and failing to make it stay flat. No luck.
'Some things never change' He grinned to himself.
He quickly changed into his uniform, leaving his room as he walked into the tiny kitchen. The rich scent of miso soup and grilled fish filled the cramped space, blending with the faint hum of the old refrigerator that rattled whenever it kicked on.
Standing by the stove was his mom, her tiny body covered by an apron two sizes too big. Like him, she had black hair, except hers was much straighter and longer at shoulder length. Although her blue eyes were vastly different then his own, one could clearly tell they were mother and son by how similar they looked.
His mother turned at the sound of his footsteps, her face lighting up with a tired but genuine smile.
"Good morning, Kai," she said, voice soft.
She set a bowl of rice and a steaming cup of tea in front of him, moving with the quiet efficiency of long practice.
"Mornin' Ma," Kai sat at the tiny kitchen table, still tugging on his uniform jacket while trying to shovel some rice into his mouth at the same time.
His hair still stuck up in every direction, refusing to be tamed even after a hurried combing. His deep golden eyes were bright with energy, even if his body moved slow from too little sleep.
His mother sat down across the table, smiling softly, pouring soup into his bowl.
"Slow down, Kai," she said, laughing quietly. "You'll choke before you even get to the train."
Kai grinned as a mouthful of rice was hidden behind his lips, swallowing fast.
"No promises, Mom," he said cheerfully. "Today's the big day. I gotta make sure I'm fueled up for kicking ass."
His mother shook her head, amused, reaching over to ruffle his hair, which, naturally, only made it worse.
"You're going to do amazing," she said. "You worked so hard to get there. Don't ever forget that."
Kai ducked his head a little, embarrassed but smiling wide. His chest tightening with pride.
"And no cursing young man," she said firmly, to which Kai sheepishly grinned.
Finishing the last of his breakfast, Kai hopped to his feet. He grabbed his battered old backpack and, almost as an afterthought, pulled a sleek pair of dark shades from the hook by the door. He slid them on in one easy motion, the lenses hiding the sharp gleam of his golden-yellow eyes.
"Alright! Time for the first step in my inevitable rise to Supreme Handsome Hero Extraordinaire," he declared with mock grandeur, striking a pose that made his mother laugh.
He went to the door, preparing his shoes and doing his daily ritual before he left.
'Phone, keys, wallet.All set then' He thought confidently. He took a step outside the door, ready to taste the outside world. Oh the wonders he would see, the friends he would make. The adventure, the passionate feelings that would erupt from-
"Wait one moment son." His mom called out, interrupting his train of thought. She walked over to him, stepping over to fix the slightly crooked collar of his blazer.
"Geez mom, you ruined my internal monologue. I was on a role."
"Stop talking nonsense and let me fix this," She said as she delicately fixed the tiny distortions, "I can't have my son looking like he can't fix his own clothes, can I?"
"Uhh, sure you can? I doubt people would be looking at the tiny crook in my clothes."
Due to the size difference, his mother's 155 cm body could barely reach up to his 182 cm height, making him uncomfortably lean down for her to reach his neck.
For a moment, she hesitated, hands lingering. There was a look in her eyes, soft, a little sad, a little proud. The look only a mother could give.
"Good luck, Kai," she smiled.
He responded with a hug, quick and tight before leaving the door, stepping out of the tiny apartment and into the warm autumn morning.
…..
Kai walked a few more blocks down to the station, hands stuffed into his pockets, his backpack bouncing against his back.
He scanned his train pass, entering the waiting area for the next train, which didn't take long.
The train pulled into the station with a screech of brakes and a rush of wind. He boarded with a few other people, snagging an empty seat by the window in the near empty train.
The train lurched into motion, and the town began to blur, skyscrapers giving way to low buildings, grass flashing by like green smudges.
His home in Hoshigata was a bit far from UA, being a 25 minute train ride east.
Kai leaned his forehead against the cool glass, his shades reflecting the endless sprawl outside. He tapped his fingers against his thigh in time with the clack-clack of the rails.
U.A., the biggest hero school in Japan.
"Not bad for a nobody from nowhere." He smiled to himself, almost laughing manically from the excitement.
The train pulled into another station, the car filling with new passengers. Some threw curious glances toward him. The uniform, the shades, the lazy grin.
It was a bit odd for someone like him to get attention, but he thought he might as well get used to it. After all, many U.A. students got famous even in their days of being a student. Chances are, with his abilities, he could get on the spotlight.
The train sped on, carrying him closer to the place where everything would change.
The final station came into view, the speakers chiming a cheerful announcement. Kai stood up, stepping out onto the platform.
It wasn't very crowded. He assumed that he would see many UA students on the train, since the station is only a few minutes away from the UA entrance, but from the lack of any uniforms other than his own, it seemed they didn't take the train.
He might have also have just woken up too early to see anyone. Either way, it was always nice to have a near-empty train.
Kai went off the station, not needing any map to see where he needed to go. The day after he found out he was accepted, he traveled to UA to figure out how long it would take to get there.
Weirdly enough, there was no official orientation to help first-year students. Or maybe that would happen on the first day of school?
Disrupting his thoughts was the massive gates of U.A. High, gleaming, pristine, proud.
Kai whistled low under his breath, the sight hitting him harder than he expected.
"Damn. That's huge." He said out loud.
He shoved his hands into his pockets and went toward the entrance, feeling the excitement buzz under his skin.
As he approached, he noticed there were other students nearby, scanning them. Some were wandering around. Others nervous, excited, or wide-eyed.
And then he saw someone standing a little apart from the crowd, walking casually. Pink and blue hair tied neatly back, expression cool and unreadable.
Kai, ever the optimist, immediately wanted to make a new friend and talk to someone, and who better than someone who also looked alone?
Besides, she looked pretty cool, if not a little intimidating.
Without hesitating, he wandered over.
"Hey," he said casually, flashing his usual easygoing smile, matching her walking pace. "First day too?"
Kai wasn't sure whether or not she was a new student. Even if she wasn't, it would be cool to make friends with an upperclassmen. But now that he got a closer look, the girl was incredibly gorgeous, but also gave off a 'don't talk to me' vibe.
Not that that would stop him, unless she clearly didn't enjoy his presence around him.
The girl turned her head slightly, regarding him with sharp, steady eyes. She didn't seem annoyed, but she also didn't seem very talkative.
"...Yeah," she nodded simply.
Her voice was low, smooth, no hint of nerves.
Kai rubbed the back of his neck. It didn't seem as if she was annoyed at him, so he figured he would try his luck and continue the conversation.
"Man, I was hoping I'd run into someone who looked like they knew what they were doing. I'm Yukimura Kai."
"...Tsutsumi Kaina," she hesitated for a second before speaking.
"That's a pretty cool name. And a neat coincidence. We use the same character Ka in our first names."
Tsutsumi said nothing, just adjusting her bag slightly.
'Dang, tough crowd out here folks.' Kai's grin widened.
"So, what class are you in?"
"1-A."
His eyebrows shot up.
"No kidding? Me too!"
He laughed softly, happy that he now knew someone in his class.
"Guess you're stuck with me now. Sorry in advance."
Tsutsumi didn't smile, but she didn't walk away either. Instead, she shifted her bag slightly as they made their way through the halls.
"You're probably headed to our classroom right? Mind if I tag along?" Kai asked, hoping to get a new friend before classes even start.
Tsutsumi didn't say anything, just shrugged. She didn't say no, which was practically a yes, either because she enjoyed his company or she didn't care. Kai was an optimist and preferred to think it was the former.
Kai kept up a stream of light chatter as they walked, joking about getting lost, wondering if the teachers would be scarier than the villains.
Tsutsumi mostly listened, responding with short words or nods.
And for Kai, that was a very good start.
It didn't take long to reach the classroom, only a few minutes as there were plenty of maps around the school walls for guiding.
As the massive doors of class 1-A loomed ahead, he shoved his hands deeper into his pockets, trying to hide his excitement before the door creaked open, the hallway sounds dulling instantly as Kai and Tsutsumi stepped inside.
"Man, this place is fancier than my entire neighborhood," he whistled, pushing his shades up slightly as he took it all in.
Tsutsumi didn't respond, but she paused just a step behind him, looking around the room calmly.
The classroom was huge. Clean white walls, massive windows pouring sunlight across the rows of desks. Everything was pristine, waiting for the future legends who would fill these seats.
Inside, the classroom was about half full. Kai saw about ten students had arrived ahead of them.
Kai looked around to his left. There was a group of four talking amongst themselves in the middle of the room, rattling on about how cool the school seemed.
The others were all seated. Well, almost all of them.
A navy blue haired boy, a bit shorter than Kai, immediately turned towards them.
"Good morning! Are you in Class 1-A as well?" asked the bespectacled one, walking closer to Kai and Tsutsumi in what Kai would describe as robotic enthusiasm.
Kai blinked. "Uh, yeah. Yukimura Kai. And this is Tsutsumi Kaina." He pointed to himself then gestured to Tsutsumi, who gave a small nod.
"Excellent! My name is lida Tenya. I look forward to learning alongside you both, Yukimura-san, Tsutsumi-san." He bowed slightly.
lida took another look at Kai and Tsutsumi, analyzing them behind his glasses. Most likely was wondering what their quirks were.
"Man, you don't need to speak so formally," Kai said, trying to lighten the serious mood with a smile, "we're classmates after all".
lida straightened up, pushing his glasses forward.
"As a future hero, I believe it's important to carry oneself with discipline and integrity at all times. And speaking of which," he paused, eyes narrowing slightly behind his frames, "those shades of yours. I believe accessories like that may not be within the student dress code. Please remove them at once."
Kai just raised an eyebrow, almost amused. "Uh, kinda need them. My eyes are a bit sensitive to light. Without them, it'd be like staring directly into the sun."
Iida blinked in surprise, visibly thrown off, "Oh. In that case, I sincerely apologize for overstepping my boundaries. I was not aware of your condition. I was only concerned with maintaining school standards."
"No harm done, man."
Kai knew better than most of his peers to judge people based on their looks and first impressions, but just from a minute of knowing him, lida seemed to be the type to force his expectations and standards onto others.
"I see," Kai smiled wryly, before looking at the clock on the wall that read 8:21, "anyways, do you know where the teacher is?"
"Yes that is very true. There are less than ten minutes before the first class begins. I expected UA of all places to uphold the diligent quality worthy of its merit that I have heard of for both students and teachers alike. However, that seems to not be the case" lida said, looking perplexed.
"Well I'm sure the teacher will be here before the bell rings. In the meanwhile, I'll go find my seat" Kai replied, getting tired of conversing with Iida.
"Yes, I almost forgot to mention that as well. There is assigned seating, so please take care to sit where your nametag is placed."
"Yup, sure thing man" Kai said absentmindedly, watching lida retreat to a chair, sitting in what Kai assumed was his assigned seat, seeing as each desk had a name tag, and immediately began writing notes. Notes for what? Kai had no clue.
'As far as first impressions go... not the worst.'
'Wait should I have introduced Tsutsumi? Hope she didn't think it wasn't rude of me to that for her," Kai thought to himself, thinking about how annoying managing social interactions can be at times.
He took a glance at her. She didn't seem bothered or anything, so Kai shrugged it off.
Trying to lighten up the stiff mood lida brought, Kai leaned slightly and whispered to Tsutsumi, "Guy sounds like he practices motivational speeches in the mirror."
She didn't answer, but the way she tilted her face away from his eyes made him believe she was holding in a laugh. Or sighing from his awful jokes.
Again, he liked to think positively.
Kai walked down the aisles, looking around to find his name printed neatly on a desk near the window and right besides him was another name he recognized: Tsutsumi. Coincidences can be quite scary.
"Desk buddies," Kai said with a grin as he dropped into his seat, "Looks like you're officially stuck with me."
"It seems so."
Tsutsumi just gave a small shrug as he dropped into his chair before propping his elbows on the desk. Kai stretched his legs out in front of him, tilting his chair back just a little off the ground.
As he sat, Kai noticed a boy with striking red and white hair enter the room, whom he recognized. The boy barely paid a glance to anyone else, but their eyes met for a single moment, and the boy's eyes turned sharp and hostile.
In return, Kai ignored the obvious animosity and gave an innocent-looking smile and wave, as if they were old friends. The boy turned his head away and looked for his desk, coincidentally finding himself right behind Kai's, who could feel the hole the boy was burning through the back of his head with his eyes.
'So he also got in too huh?'
Not that Kai was surprised. He could tell from their last encounter that the boy was talented and skilled. But Kai guessed the son of the number two was still sore from losing to not only one, but two unknown people easily.
He looked around to see a lot more people in the class, most of the desks filled up and only a few more minutes until the bell rang and first class of the year officially started.
"So," he said casually, looking at Tsutsumi at his right, "betting pool: how long before someone gets the teacher pissed off?"
Tsutsumi turned her eyes, her face straight forward and raised an eyebrow slightly.
"...Before the day ends."
Kai blinked.
'Ok, I wasn't expecting her to respond but shows that she can joke around.'
"Really? I bet you 500 yen that someone does something stupid before lunch."
Tsutsumi opened her mouth slightly, but before she could respond, two voices were yelling across the room.
Kai looked around as lida was walking towards a blond boy, whose name was Bakugo Katsuki according to his nametag, with an arrogant smirk.
"Excuse me, I must ask you to kindly remove your feet from the desk!" lida said, chopping his hand in the air.
"Huh?... why the hell would I listen to you, extra."
The way the blond said the word 'extra' made Kai feel like he was hearing some sort of slur. The sheer arrogance that dripped from the boy's mouth felt almost filthy.
"I-I, w-why you," lida stuttered, "this is a mockery! Disrespectful to the name of UA!"
'Weren't you just going on about how the standards here didn't meet your expectations?' Kai blinked behind his shades.
Meanwhile, Bakugo barked back, standing up and shoving his hands into his pockets with a sneer.
"Tch. Who the hell asked you, four-eyes?"
Kai leaned his chair back a little more, smirking to himself.
"Damn, it's already a circus," he murmured. "Told you it wouldn't take long."
Tsutsumi stayed quiet, instead watching the interaction between the two boys carefully. And for Kai, that silence felt almost like agreement.
lida looked as if he were about to burst into flames. "Remove your foot at once! Such an action is insulting to our seniors who came before us as well as the craftsmen who made the desk!"
"Like I care. What middle school are you from, extra?"
"I-I'm from Somei Private Academy. My name is lida Tenya," he said attempting to calm down.
"HA! Then you're just some stuck-up elitist. I should blow you right open."
Another boy with broccoli-like hair opened the door, entering the ongoing disaster.
Kai leaned sideways slightly, whispering toward Tsutsumi.
"Called it. Drama before lunch."
Tsutsumi didn't look away from the scene, but Kai caught the faintest smirk at the corner of her mouth.
The classroom noise was growing as the last of the students filtered in, and as lida kept opening his mouth.
Although Kai did have to wonder, where in the world was the teacher?
The bell rang sharply. If the teacher wasn't here in 15 minutes, he was probably allowed to leave. Probably.
The classroom buzzed with whispers and mumblings, some still whispering about the explosion of egos between Iida and Bakugo, who were now the center of attention due to the noise they made.
He looked back to his right. It seemed that Bakugo sat down in his chair and lida, instead of arguing, was talking to the broccoli boy and a brown haired girl.
"-onder what the teacher'll will be like. Boy, I'm nervous."
"If you're here to make socialize, you can leave now."
Instantly, the entire class went silent as a yellow sleeping bag slid into view, seemingly unzipping itself, revealing a drab man with a dead-eyed stare.
The man held out a stop watch and spoke.
"It took you all eight seconds to quiet down. You lot aren't very rational, are you? Time is an essential resource."
After a brief, painfully awkward silence, scanning the class, he continued, "I'm your homeroom teacher, Aizawa Shouta. Now, you will change into your gym uniforms and head out to the training grounds outside. Follow me."