Well, that went worse than I expected. Oh well.
___
The sun rose like an Overachiever. I on the other hand, did not.
The grogginess hit in full force as I woke up from the sound of my alarm. Because apparently, my clock had decided that sleep was for mortals and fools.
Of course that didn't last for long. Barely a few moments passed as I lay there in bed when it suddenly hit me. Today was the day.
I sat up and stretched, ignoring the faint soreness in my shoulders.
Question.
Is it possible to get drunk off cake? Not sure but I think I did.
My mom had insisted I eat three large slices of cake last night. Said it was tradition.
Everything passed in a flurry.
Greeting mom. Getting in the shower and everything else after. Eventually, I pulled on my uniform.
Clean. Sharp. A bit stiff in the sleeves. Still smelled like new fabric and folded disappointment.
I put in on, then looked in the mirror.
'..'
"Come on. Don't give it that look." Mom said with a smile. "I think it looks good on you."
Yeah ... No. The uniforms at Aldera looked way better than this.
One was an all black fit. The other looked like a gray blazer for goodie two shoes ... Alright, that description wasn't ideal.
Truth be told, I couldn't exactly tell why I didn't like it. Nevertheless it didn't change the fact that I didn't, and that was all that mattered.
Unfortunately in this case, what mattered for me didn't matter at all. Because regardless of my personal tastes, I was 100% expected to wear this distasteful slop and head towards the first day of the rest of my probably disaster filled life.
Woopy.
I pulled at it multiple times, adjusting to find a way ... Any way I would be satisfied with what I saw in the mirror.
It didn't work.
And so, I left the house with a sulking deadpan face, hunched back, hands in my pockets and a barely held back scowl as my mom waved me goodbye.
Pretty sure I had made my best Bakugo impression right then and there.
What followed was the train ride. A blur of other students in mismatched uniforms and quiet hype. Some were clearly General Studies kids. A few whispered about the Hero Course and their regret for not being able to get in and the likes.
Not a single one was someone I recognized.
Duh.
Finally, I got to U.A .... Again. Nothing had changed.
The giant buildings. The manicured trees. The sleek glass windows and automated security.
This place looked like a hero agency and a billionaire's research lab had a baby and raised it on caffeine and ambition.
The path leading to the main building was already alive with chatter and footsteps. Students milled around in small groups, some walking with friends, others eyeing the tall glass-fronted entrance like it was the gate to another world.
My bag was slung across one shoulder. Inside it? No textbooks. No notebooks. Just my ID, water bottle, and the one thing I was actually expected to bring today: my face.
Because academically, I didn't need to be here.
Practically? That was another story.
Moving on.
I followed the signs toward the main building. Heading towards my homeroom.
Class 1-A.
Room 2-04.
The infamous class that, ten months from now, was supposed to become national news.
I took a breath and opened the door.
---
The room was... weirdly normal.
Desks. Chalkboard. Bright lights. Large windows.
And a few teenagers pretending they weren't scoping each other out like Pokémon cards.
It wasn't everyone. Just nearly half the seats.
From my understanding of the anime, I could tell who was who just from looking at them. Todoroki, easy to spot. Blank expression, perfectly symmetrical posture, like someone glued a mannequin to a chair and gave it family trauma.
Next was a seemingly well dressed, proper looking individual with glasses who was actually able to pull off the uniform all the while looking as stiff as a rock.
Tenya Iida.
The short gremlin with dark purple hair and a punchable face. Mineta.
Tall guy, half a face mask like Kakashi ... Multiple arms. Not gonna lie, I forgot what that guy's name was. Choji? Nah, that should be the fat guy from Naruto. And of course, one who had a weird head, noticeably big body but seemed to want to shrink into his chair.
Forget that one's name too. These ones all sat alone.
In groups was the red haired Kirishima and Pink skinned, ... Surprisingly cute Mina.
A guy with a black bird for a head ... Tokoyami no doubt, sitting on a desk alongside a slim dude with hippie energy and no notable features I could use to guess who he was.
My guess, Sero, and .... That big guy .... Sugar Man. Yeah, I genuinely suck at remembering the names of the unimportant cast. Or just guys who don't leave much of an impression in general.
Two more was a girl with earphones. Jiro I believe.
It's definitely not weird that I know the names of the females. They all leave a notable impression.
And last but not least ....
"Oh, hello. Ribbit!"
Asui, the female frog. The silence was broken by her greeting.
I raised my hand to return a wave.
'Hi. I'm ...'
My words had just begun when.
The door was kicked open with a bang. "Outta my way extras."
Lo and behold, announcing himself explosively as always. Drumroll please .... Katsuki Bakugo.
His eyes swept the room, landing on me and narrowing.
"Hmph."
He snorted as he turned away. Moving towards a seat to soon claim as his own.
I raised an eyebrow in amusement.
"Odd. Not even a neighborly greeting?"
"I Have Nothing To Say To You."
He yelled. Yep. Definitely still feeling sore from being forced to give me a gift last night. Probably even more sore that I took a picture of it.
I smiled.
A thought dropping into my mind. Well, what better opportunity to make an impression than at the moment?
"Of course you don't." Then I turned to face Asui again, giving the best smile I could muster. "Forgive him. I can speak for Bakugo when I say that he has the emotional quotient of a firecracker."
"What Did You Just Say?!!!"
___
I picked an empty seat a row behind Todoroki and slumped into it with all the grace of a retired grandpa.
My endeavor to make an impression, did not go unrewarded.
The cute pink girl with horns on her head have me a thumbs up as I passed and a cheerful giggle that seemed to carry chaotic energy.
Bakugo gave me a few glares before turning his attention elsewhere, mumbling what I could clearly make out as vengeful statements.
Honestly. How this guy did not become a villain with his character should be named the eight wonder.
It wasn't long after, another figure pushed open the door and walked in.
Familiar face, black hair tied into a ponytail, I perked up seeing her walk in. Like me, she scanned the room, her eyes falling on me. It lit up a bit.
Momo Yaoyorozu.
Yep, you heard me right. I was slightly stunned at first before realizing the reason why.
'Canon corrects itself it seems. She must have passed the regular exam and still ended up in class 1A.'
She took her seat and gave me a small wave I reciprocated. More and more people showed up. The blond Yuga Aoyama,
"Bonjour Everyone."
Yeah, I didn't need to see him to know who he was.
"Wassup people! Name's Denki Kaminari."
"Hi there. My name is Ochaco Uraraka. Please to meet you all ..."
Well she came early.
Another butterfly effect? In Canon, she should be the last to arrive.
"Hey.."
'Yeah. There's also the guy with the tail ...' I thought as a watched Ojiro take a seat.
'That makes twenty. If I'm correct at least.'
I counted, my thoughts preoccupied with testing a theory. See, by my analysis, with me being in class 1A, it meant that by default, the main cast was going to lose a character.
Why? Simple.
The combined hero courses had Forty available spots.
Todoroki and I took the recommendation spots. That also meant that if nothing happened, Inasa was currently in the hero course class 1b right now.
I would check that later.
Why? Simply to confirm whether Momo being here was simply coincidence or Canon finding a way to correct itself. It wouldn't really prove anything because only two recommendation students could being a class and Todoroki and I were already here meaning she must have passed the regular exam, but hey, I honestly had nothing better to do.
Where was I?
Oh yeah.
At this point, everyone was seating prim and proper.
All except Bakugo of course. The guy had his legs on his chair, leaning back nonchalantly.
Oh ... There was one other as well.
'What in hell is he? ...' My eyes fell on Iida. His fingers were twitching rapidly, jaw clenched as if he was controlling himself.
Before I could finish my thoughts. He stood up, turned and walked right towards Bakugo.
"Don't put your feet on the desk."
"Huh?"
"Don't you think that's rude to the U.A upperclassmen and people who made his desk?"
"Nope. What Junior high schools did you go to, you side character?"
Instantly, the attention of the entire class was drawn.
'Oh right. I remember such a scene in the anime.'
God sidetracked again, didn't I?
Sigh.
Meaning there were 18 slots available after me and Todoroki. However, Momo was here, and Ojiro's appearance rounded the numbers up to 19. I scanned the room and immediately noticed who wasn't here.
Midoriya Izuku.
The protagonist of the My hero world himself.
So by logic, it meant that Deku shouldn't be in class 1A. Of course, that would be the logical analysis, if .... My thoughts were interrupted as the door was pushed up again.
"Uh ... Um .."
I turned to look. As you would have it, Midoriya Izuku just opened the door. I let out a breath, not the slightest bit surprised by the current development.
Why do you ask? Simply because in class 1A, there were 21 chairs instead of twenty. Talk about Canon correcting itself.
I watched as the events that followed unfolded naturally.
'There should be some logical explanation for why this is happening right? U.A has Twenty students by default.'
My mind raced with questions.
This didn't make any sense. If Shoto and I got in through recommendations, then it essentially meant U.A had drafted 19 students (+1 Extra) through the entrance exams.
There was no good reason for them to do that. Unless this was some kind of plot convenience, or the more likely scenario, something I wasn't getting yet.
I sincerely hoped it wasn't the former. The implications would be staggering.
[Author: Just what I need. A Deadpool variant]
"Hey I know you. You're the green haired plain looking boy from the entrance exams."
My attention was drawn away to Uraraka approaching Midoriya and Iida whose conversation apparently wasn't over yet.
"You passed just like present mic said you would."
Oh, that still happened huh?
"Looks like they're friends." Kaminari said.
"Yeah. From the looks of it. Everyone should be here."
"Yep. The class chairs are practically full now ribbit."
"I wonder if today's just the entrance ceremony and orientation. I wonder what our class."
Uh oh. Summoning Jutsu online.
"This is the Hero Course. Go somewhere else if you want to play friends."
"...Huh?"
Speak of the devil and he shall appear. The atmosphere froze entirely. Everyone looked at the door.
Lo and behold, a bag appeared.
It wriggled once. Then twice. And finally, like a depressed caterpillar in he final stages of reverse metamorphosis, a mop of unkempt black hair emerged from the opening.
A tired, unimpressed face followed. Red eyes. Eyebags. General aura of 'I'd rather be unconscious.'
It had been about a month since we last saw each other. A month later, I could conclude that those eyebags had somehow gained sentience.
"Too loud," he muttered, brushing his hair back with one hand. "You've all been here less than ten minutes and you're already this noisy."
He stood, unzipping the bag completely and revealing his hero outfit: black jumpsuit, scarf slung lazily around his neck.
"I'm Aizawa Shouta," he said bluntly. "Your homeroom teacher."
"Hold on. Who?"
"He's a teacher? That means he's a pro hero of sorts, right?"
"Damn. So worn out."
Murmurs rang out from around me. I couldn't blame them.
"Take your seats. Or don't." He started, eyes glancing around.
"Before we begin," he said, walking to the front and sipping from a juicebox, "some of you might've noticed something... odd about the number of desks."
"..."
No one said a word.
Everyone exchanged glances, confusion written on their faces.
'I see. So it was just me then.'
Kaminari raised a hand. "Yeah, of course I noticed that there's—"
Aizawa held up a hand. "Don't."
Kaminari wisely chose to shut up
"For clarity purposes so we don't come back to this for whatever reason down the line, I'll explain now."
Aizawa then gestured to me. "This is Rei Takumi. As of this morning, he'll be participating in all Hero Course practicals alongside Class 1-A. He's not on your academic roll, so he won't be attending theory lectures or written classes. His placement is a provisional training seat. For all practical purposes, he is your classmate."
And just like that, my existence had become the center of attention in the class.
Whispers resumed. Some surprised. Some confused.
Only two didn't react. Yaoyorozu and Todoroki. The former only nodding once with quiet understanding.
"Huh? Ken?"
Midoriya looked like someone had just handed him a riddle and a screwdriver. From the looks of it, he's just noticing my existence in this class.
I raised my hand and waved with a smile for indication.
"Wassup Izuku."
However ...
"Hold On!"
Bakugo slammed his table with both hands in outrage.
"Where The Hell Is This Coming From? What's Happening?"
I had to admit. Bakugo some strong lungs and loud vocal cords. He'd probably be a pretty good singer. Talk about naturally gifted.
Meanwhile, Aizawa didn't even flinch.
He blinked, one long, tired blink that felt like it lasted two years. Then he sipped his juice again, as if Bakugo had only asked for the time.
"This," Aizawa said, voice flat, "is coming from the top."
Bakugo growled. "Tch—what's that supposed to mean?!"
"It means the principal and the board signed off on it," Aizawa replied simply. "They approved his inclusion in practicals based on advanced performance benchmarks and alternate admission protocols. If you have a problem with it, you're welcome to file an appeal. The principal's office is three buildings away. Feel free to start walking."
Bakugo's hand twitched. Crackled faintly with heat. But he didn't stand.
He glared at me. "Cheating bastard. What the hell did you do, Takumi?…"
"Easy sparky. Your subtlety's blowing up."
Someone coughed — might've been Kirishima. Or Jirou. I heard someone stifle a laugh.
"That's not an answer you idiot!"
He roared, then turned to Aizawa.
"I can't accept this. How the hell did this happen? Do all recommendation students get this?"
His anger was understandable.
Aizawa sighed like he was surrounded by children. Which, to be fair, he was.
"Rei Takumi passed an alternate version of the entrance exam. One that included extended academic modules and a practical evaluation with provisional candidates. He was given supplementary material equivalent to the third-year level and still managed perfect scores. This was an impromptu change that was made available to all recommendation students. Though his was mandatory, he was the only one who took the exam."
The murmurs resumed as everyone discussed.
Aizawa continued.
"Basically, all it means is that he won't be required to take the same theoretical lessons you do and instead has his own adjusted schedule alongside a different learning curriculum. If all goes well, he'll only be with you guys for one semester. I explain this now so I don't have to do so later on as most of you will probably think it's unfair. Is that clear?"
No one responded at first.
Bakugo clenched his fists before falling back into his chair. Muttering something under his breath that sounded vaguely like "damn nerd privilege."
"If he's so special, Then why's he in this class if he's not officially in the class? Can't he be placed somewhere else?" Mineta blurted out.
Aizawa stared at him blankly.
"You're in this class despite your height," he said. "Life is full of contradictions."
".."
It happened this time. Almost half the class burst out into laughter. Others had restrained chuckles.
Damn. Talk about emotional damage.
Mineta flinched. "Y-yes, sir…"
"Good. Note that I don't care if you like each other," he muttered. "Or if you talk behind each other's backs, or if half of you develop awkward teen crushes over the semester. What I care about is whether you can function when real lives are on the line."
His gaze swept the room again. Suddenly colder.
"This is U.A. You are not middle schoolers anymore. If you're looking for a safety net or a babysitter, transfer now. Otherwise—"
He reached into a side pouch and clicked a button on a remote.
A side panel in the room opened, revealing a metal closet filled with bags and labeled drawers.
"Put on your gym uniforms. Practical begins in twenty minutes."
Several students blinked.
"Wait, what? Already?" Kaminari asked.
"Wait, we're doing P.E. on day one?"
"Did you think hero training started on day five?" Aizawa replied. "U.A. isn't a vacation resort. If you're not ready to act, you don't belong here."
---