The test series moved on at a brisk pace, with the class still buzzing from the earlier shockwaves — both literal and metaphorical.
Nagato's performance remained a storm cloud on the horizon for everyone; it seemed he excelled at every event, his name quietly circulating between awe-struck whispers and anxious mutters.
In the ball throw, Ochako Uraraka had her moment to shine.
She took the ball in both hands, planted her feet, and activated her quirk. Instantly, the ball lost all weight, floating upward in perfect silence, propelled by a simple flick of her wrist. The digital display blinked, hesitated, and finally settled on the same symbol that appeared for Nagato: ∞.
Cheers and gasps broke out.
"Two infinity scores? Amazing…" Kaminari muttered.
Aizawa's eyebrow ticked up just a fraction, but he only gave a soft grunt of approval and marked it down.
Next came the speed test. The students lined up, breath curling in the cool air as anticipation prickled along their skin.
Aizawa signaled with a dry "Go."
Nagato vanished the moment he started, almost a mirage across the track, the sensors at the end blinking a full second before anyone else finished.
Second place, surprisingly, went to Tenya Iida—his engine quirk pushing him to real competitive speeds.
Midoriya, moving with practiced bursts of chakra and footwork, a hair slower, came in third, Bakugo just behind, fist clenched, eyes intent, but a smirk confirming he hadn't actually given everything yet.
Results flashed on the board, cementing Nagato's place at the top of nearly every event.
A little distance away, Todoroki Shoto stood apart from his classmates.
His usual compliance was replaced by something sharper—envy darkened the pale blue of his visible eye. He kept his gaze locked on Nagato, watching each effortless victory.
A twisted, frustrated feeling coiled in his chest.
'How is he…? 'Todoroki gritted his teeth.
'I've always been the prodigy. The one ahead. But Uzumaki… he's doing everything better. Ridiculously better.'
Nagato, as if sensing the weight of the stare, turned his head casually and caught Todoroki's eye for the briefest moment.
Their gazes locked, an unspoken challenge passing between them.
But Todoroki looked away, expression cooling as he forced himself to focus only on the board, on the goals ahead.
He would not let himself be distracted—would not admit how the gap made his ambition burn.
The tests continued: grip strength, standing long jump, seated throw, each one tightening the class's growing sense of competition and mutual curiosity.
There, at the back, invisible but distinctly present, Toru Hagakure struggled quietly to keep pace. As the results stacked up, the numbers made it clear — she was dangerously close to last.
The final rankings rolled in.
Nagato at the top, comfortably.
Iida's name shone near the front as well, six of the tested events giving him a shot at true pride. Ochako grinned, giddy at her own "infinity" moment. In the middle packed Bakugo, Midoriya, Todoroki, Shoji, and the others, every student fighting off the shivers of dread that Aizawa's warning had ignited.
At the very end was Toru.
She looked at the screen, her own numbers barely registering above minimal.
Her voice wobbled, then burst out in a teary wail,
"Nooo, I don't wanna get expelled! Waaah!"
The class froze. Aizawa, watching them all with impassive eyes, finally waved a lazy hand.
"Oh, and about the expulsion thing… That was a lie." A sly sliver of a grin tugged at his lips. "Just a little motivation."
For a second, silence. And then—
"Nani?!" chorused nearly everyone, jaws dropping, relief crashing into laughter and indignation.
--------------------------
The first week at U.A. swept by like a spring breeze—fresh, exhilarating, and a little overwhelming. Classes filled the days: hero ethics, rescue scenarios, quirk mechanics, and all the oddball electives that made U.A. famous.
Even the hallways buzzed with the possibilities of the future: partnerships forming, friendships beginning, rivalries simmering just below the surface.
There was no Mineta in 1-A this year, which made the group vibe… easier, somehow.
At lunch, the tables always overflowed with noise and movement.
Sero and Kirishima would race dropping chopsticks in mid-air, pretending their quirks could somehow make them master sushi artists.
Ashido and Kaminari threw food challenges, daring everyone to eat the weirdest color combo from the canteen menu (purple curry, anyone?).
Jiro pretended not to care, but always eavesdropped with her headphone jacks, offering snarky music trivia at the right moment.
Momo Yaoyorozu answered questions for anyone too embarrassed to ask; Tsuyu Asui quietly corrected their mistakes between bites of rice.
Iida kept his utensils perfectly straight, offering running commentary that was so earnest it looped around to being funny.
Ojiro and Shoji exchanged nods and silent signals, already working as a team in joint exercises. Sato, quietly good-hearted, always tucked a spare muffin into someone's bag when he thought they needed it.
Across from them, Uraraka and Hagakure animatedly retold the infinity ball toss moment, Hagakure mimicking her own invisible cheers.
Todoroki rarely joined in, but his silence was often broken by an unexpected dry comment that sent everyone into fits. Bakugo?
He mostly grumbled—until he lost a chili-eating contest to Kirishima and almost launched a fireball at the milk cartons.
Even Aoyama, who had a penchant for showing off his sparkly belt, managed to make everyone snort when he dramatically declared,
"But of course, for true hero fashion, only the best fragrance will do!" and sprayed a small golden mist.
Midoriya often scribbled notes in the margins of his bento box-
("Ashido made pink rice… edible?").
Sometimes Nagato caught his eye and both would crack up just remembering someone's failed yoga pose in morning training.
Their class banter spilled into after-school hours.
In the dorm lounge, Kaminari and Bakugo would pretend to be video game rivals but were actually a pretty even match.
[A/N: Here , they are given dorms much earlier]
Toru Hagakure delighted in randomly hiding and popping up with "BOO!" just when Jiro was deep in a guitar solo—earning her a warning glare and a chuckle every time.
Even Todoroki, to everyone's amazement, started bringing in bags of icy treats to share after hot training sessions "I don't like sweets," he'd say,
"but you all get red-faced so quickly."
It didn't take long before even the skeptics admitted that 1-A, weird as it was, felt like a big, bustling, slightly dysfunctional family.
It was the third day after the fitness test—the afternoon class period, known ominously on the schedule as "Special Activity."
Most expected a mild rescue lecture or boring simulation.
Nagato sat near the window, half-listening to Bakugo and Kirishima argue about whether lasers or explosions were cooler, Toru giggling quietly nearby.
Sometimes , Nagato will escape glances at Toru but will look away when she notices.
Then, suddenly, a familiar wind rattled the windows.
Seconds later, the huge classroom door slid open so hard it nearly jumped the tracks.
All Might's silhouette filled the doorway, sunlight gleaming off his hair, shadow pouring across the startled class.
"FEAR NOT!" boomed the Symbol of Peace, cupping a hand around his mouth in theatrical greeting.
"I AM COMING..."
He paused for one long beat, straightened, and added in a much lower voice (that was still pretty loud), "...Like A Normal Person!"
There was a beat—a blink of confusion—then the room exploded into shouts and laughter.
Kirishima jumped up with a
"Oh hell yeah, All Might's in the house!"
Sero pumped both arms overhead, Sato and Shoji did a double-take, Uraraka and Ashido cheered, and Kaminari whooped.
Jiro and Momo exchanged "here we go" glances.
Even Todoroki's eyes flickered with something like anticipation.
Midoriya was practically vibrating with excitement, eyes shining with pure awe and devotion as he scribbled even faster in his notebook
"Observe ALL MIGHT entrance: +++ points for presence and volume."
But Nagato… as the applause and shouts echoed, noticed something the others missed. All Might's posture, normally effortless, seemed tense at the edges. Beneath the broad smile, his eyes were faintly shadowed, a brief flicker of fatigue flashing through before settling back to cheer. Nagato's own gaze sharpened, quietly filing that away.
His eyes saw through All Might and Everything he was hiding.
All Might's booming laugh filled the room. "Young Hatchlings!" he bellowed, gesturing wide, "Let's go! Your combat class awaits! Put on your best hero costumes and join me at Ground Beta!"
The class erupted. Excitement, nerves, anxieties—and joy. The rush to the locker rooms began, a swarm of hopefuls ready for the moment they'd dreamed of: wearing their own chosen hero costumes for the very first time.
-------------