The rain came without warning that night.
Droplets fell hard against the glass walls of U.A. High's dormitory, drumming a rhythm that felt almost… distorted.
Like time itself was slightly out of step.
Inside Room 3-B, Koku sat silently by the window. His eyes traced the ripples in the rain, his expression unreadable.
On the desk before him lay the broken, handless watch — its faint ticking still echoing in his head, even though it shouldn't.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
…You used it again.
The voice was his own — a memory or maybe an echo from another timeline. He couldn't tell anymore.
That morning, the new class of U.A. Hero Course, Class 1-N, had assembled for orientation.
A mix of nervous energy and competitive glares filled the air.
Koku stood apart, quiet as ever, earning curious looks from the others.
"Hey, you're the time guy, right?"
A boy with white-and-red hair grinned at him. His breath steamed slightly from the cold half of his body.
Rex Todoroki.
His presence alone carried the pressure of legacy — son of heroes, trained since childhood.
"I saw what you did during the exam," Rex continued, leaning on a chair. "Stopping time? Pretty flashy. But you looked half-dead after."
Koku glanced at him, eyes dull.
"It's not something to brag about."
Rex raised an eyebrow. "Tch. You sound like an old man."
Before Koku could answer, a cheerful voice cut through the tension.
"Morning, everyone!"
A girl with short, golden-blonde hair and bright green eyes waved enthusiastically as she walked in. Thin strands of glowing light trailed behind her fingertips — playful, yet precise.
Aina Hoshino.
She turned toward Koku and smiled. "You're Koku, right? The mysterious time hero!"
He blinked. "…Don't call me that."
"But it's cool!" she insisted. "You literally froze the whole field. That's, like, top-tier Pro Hero potential!"
Rex chuckled. "Or villain potential, depending on who's watching."
The room fell quiet for a moment.
Koku didn't react, but deep inside, that word villain hit harder than he expected.
Training Ground Beta
Later that day, the students gathered at the outdoor training dome — a high-tech simulation field filled with mechanical obstacles and holographic villains.
Their instructor stood at the center — a calm woman with silver hair and eyes that shimmered faintly violet.
Professor Erina.
"Welcome, Class 1-N," she said softly. "Today's lesson is simple — teamwork evaluation. You'll be split into pairs and navigate the simulation while supporting each other. Heroes are nothing without trust."
Her gaze briefly locked onto Koku.
Something in her look — recognition, perhaps — made his chest tighten.
Team 1: Rex and Aina.
Team 2: Koku and a student named Hano.
As the exercise began, teams moved swiftly through the simulated battlefield, blasting holographic villains with quirks blazing.
Koku moved with mechanical precision — dodging lasers before they fired, predicting movements like he'd already seen the future.
But then — something snapped.
The air shimmered.
A sudden wave of distortion rippled across the training ground. Time twisted — for a moment, the world bent sideways.
Students screamed.
The holograms glitched into nightmarish forms.
Professor Erina's eyes widened. "A time fracture—? Already?!"
Koku froze in place. Around him, the world shifted — moments replaying in reverse. Rex's fire burned backward, Aina's light recoiled into her palms.
Koku's hand trembled.
"No… not again…"
He clenched his teeth. The watch in his pocket glowed faintly blue.
"Chrono Breaker — Stabilize!"
A shockwave burst outward, cracking the air like glass. The distortion shattered — time resumed. Everyone gasped, stumbling to their feet.
Rex glared. "What the hell was that, Koku?! You trying to kill us?"
Koku said nothing. His eyes dimmed, and blood ran from his nose again.
Aina rushed to his side. "He saved us, Rex! That wasn't his fault!"
Professor Erina approached slowly, her heels echoing on the metal floor.
Her voice was calm, but her eyes burned with intensity.
"Koku… when was the last time you remembered before the Chrono Fall?"
He looked up, dazed. "Before…?"
Her gaze sharpened. "Because you shouldn't be able to. You're out of sync with this timeline."
Everyone fell silent.
Rex frowned. "Out of sync? What does that mean?"
Erina turned toward the class.
"It means this boy might not belong… to our time."
Koku's vision blurred. His heartbeat thundered in his ears. The watch in his pocket vibrated — faint voices whispering from somewhere beyond reality.
'You weren't supposed to be here, Koku.'
'Go back.'
He fell to his knees, gripping his head as the world distorted once more.
This time, he saw fragments — flashes of another reality: a burning city, shattered clocks, a hero falling into darkness.
And a voice — cold, familiar — whispering:
"You caused the Chrono Fall."