Days passed, and soon it was the first day of U.A. High.

The warm spring morning greeted the city with a gentle breeze. The Sakura trees along the sidewalks swayed softly, scattering petals across the streets like pink snow, making the world feel almost too perfect for a Monday.

Izuku stepped out of the car after Inko dropped him off a short walk away from the school gates.

"Good luck, sweetie!" she called, waving from the window.

He gave her a small wave back before adjusting his blazer.

The U.A. uniform fit him neatly—crisp shirt, blazer perfectly aligned, tie done just right—though his messy, untamed hair betrayed the otherwise clean look. But that was his signature style, and he wouldn't change it for anything.

'It's time. Honestly… I kinda wish I didn't already know everything that's going to happen. Would've made the school experience a lot more exciting. But then again… I'm sure plenty of things happen here that never made it into the story.'

The U.A. gates loomed ahead. Walking past them felt surreal, like stepping into a memory he shouldn't have had.

After glancing at the map posted near the entrance, he absorbed the layout in less than ten seconds. Every hallway, every shortcut, every emergency exit—memorized.

As he made his way down the pristine hallway, the right side opened into tall glass windows that revealed the school's training fields. The morning sun poured through, illuminating the vast green grounds and the towering gym structures.

He slowed his pace, stopping for a moment as the sunlight bathed his face. He could feel the warmth soaking into him, almost charging him.

'God, I'll never get tired of that feeling. Twenty-two percent now. Still no heat vision or X-ray, though. Stingy ass system.'

Shaking the thought, he reached a massive sliding door with a bold 1-A plaque above it.

Sliding it open, he was immediately greeted by the sharp, overlapping voices of Iida and Katsuki, locked in a heated argument.

'Man… I hate these two already.'

He stepped inside, shutting the door behind him with a quiet click. The sound was enough to silence the room instantly. Every head turned to him.

He offered a casual smile and raised his hand in a small wave before walking calmly to the back row. His seat—corner spot, perfect vantage point.

Leaning back, he scanned the room one by one, taking mental notes of every classmate. Nineteen so far. That meant one was still missing.

Right on cue, the door opened again. Uraraka stepped in, scanning the room. Her eyes landed on Izuku almost immediately, and she smiled before making her way toward him. She took the seat directly in front of his, setting her bag down.

"Hi," she greeted brightly, turning in her seat to face him.

"Hey. What's up?" Izuku replied, sitting up straighter.

"Nothing much. I guess just… excited. Looks like we made it." She tried to keep her voice steady, but her excitement slipped through.

"Looks like we did." His gaze was calm but focused on her. "I'm excited to learn more about you now that we're officially classmates."

Her cheeks warmed almost instantly.

'Learn about me? Is he trying to… date me? No, no, I'm not ready for that… but… if it's him… I wouldn't mind.'

"Y-yeah… me too," she replied softly, trying to hide the blush as she faced forward again.

Then, without warning, the classroom door slid open.

A tall man in a yellow sleeping bag shuffled in like some strange worm crawling into its burrow. Without a word, he stopped at the front of the class and began wriggling out of the bag, emerging like a very tired caterpillar from its cocoon.

His hair was messy, his eyes half-lidded, and his entire presence radiated I wish I was at home right now.

"I am your homeroom teacher, Shota Aizawa. Pleased to meet you all," he said in a flat, almost bored tone.

Nobody clapped. Nobody really moved.

Aizawa reached into his sleeping bag and pulled out a U.A. sports uniform, holding it up for the class to see.

"Quickly," he said, voice completely devoid of enthusiasm. "Change into your gym clothes and head to the training grounds."

The class exchanged a few uncertain looks, but stood up. Izuku followed the crowd to the lockers assigned to them, slipping into his training uniform without rushing.

'First day and he's already skipping introductions and orientation? Definitely an Aizawa thing.'

When they regrouped outside, the spring sun was warm but the tension in the air was colder.

Aizawa stood in front of them, hands deep in his pockets, hair swaying slightly in the breeze.

"We will be testing your Quirks through a set of eight physical exercises."

He pulled out a small board with the list written on it:

● Softball throw

● Standing long jump

● 50-meter dash

● Endurance running

● Grip strength

● Side-to-side stepping

● Upper body training

● Seated toe touches

"I'm sure you've all done these once or twice in your lives. Maybe even weekly in middle school… without using your Quirks. Today, you'll use them. And we'll see how far you can go when you do use them."

His eyes shifted to Katsuki.

"Katsuki Bakugo. You start."

He smirked and stepped forward, rolling his shoulders as he took the softball from Aizawa. He stood inside the chalk-marked throwing circle, cracking his neck.

Then he pulled his arm back, palm sparking violently with miniature explosions.

"DIE!!"

BOOM!

The ball rocketed into the sky with an explosive blast, tearing through the air so fast it was barely visible before it vanished over the far edge of the field.

A shockwave of hot wind slammed into the rest of the class, making a few stumble back. The smell of smoke and nitroglycerin lingered in the air.

The other students' jaws dropped. Even Kirishima let out a loud, "Whoa!"

Except Izuku. He just stood there, unimpressed. Then again he did watch the anime.

'Why'd he yell "Die," though? And people wonder why the League of Villains wanted to recruit his bitch-ass.'

Katsuki turned back toward them with a smug grin, glancing directly at Izuku before walking over to see his score. Aizawa held up the tablet.

[780.2 meters]

"This," Aizawa said in the same bored tone, "is the first step to figuring out what kind of heroes you'll be one day."

"Woah, that's awesome!" Kirishima exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear.

Aizawa's eyes narrowed slightly. His voice dropped even flatter.

"Awesome, you say? You're hoping to become heroes after three years here, and you think this will be fun and games?"

The class fell quiet.

"Fine," he said, lips curling into the faintest smirk. "Let's play a game, then."

His gaze swept over them, the air suddenly heavy.

"The one with the lowest score across all eight events will be judged hopeless… and expelled."

A cold wave of dread washed over the class. Students exchanged nervous glances. Uraraka's shoulders tensed. Iida's jaw tightened.

Izuku just sighed internally.

'Why does every teacher on their first day try to be edgy? It all started with Kakashi's bell test, then Urahara. Now everyone thinks it's cool.'

The silence stretched until Aizawa finally spoke again.

"You have five minutes. We'll start with the first test."

The class lined up, their first day suddenly feeling a lot less like school… and a lot more like survival.

TO BE CONTINUED