It was the first day of high school. Since I had selected a boarding house near the campus, the walk was a mere ten minutes. Naturally, we arrived with plenty of time to spare, making our way toward the Class 1-A room.
"Hehe... we're even in the same class. It really must be destiny."
Himiko—formerly Toga—walked beside me, a blissful smile on her face. Whether it was destiny or not, I felt a sense of relief; if she had been placed in a different class, I would have been constantly on edge. If she were to snap, the fallout could reach the students or even the faculty, and my own neck wouldn't be enough to pay the price for that disaster.
Regardless, we reached the classroom door, and it was gargantuan. It had to be nearly five times my height. I had to wonder why they felt the need to make it quite so imposing.
Stepping through, I found about ten students already settled in their seats.
"Ah... Hello! Good morning!"
A tall, sturdy boy seated near the entrance approached us. He wore rectangular glasses and looked impeccably put-together.
"A pleasure to meet you. I am Tenya Iida! I look forward to working with you!"
His manners were as sharp as his appearance. He didn't look down on me despite my small stature; he seemed the very picture of a wholesome, earnest young man. As expected of the top school in the country, I thought. They've gathered students who truly embody the spirit of a hero.
"Likewise. I am Kotoha Masue. And this is my childhood friend..."
"I'm Toga. Nice to meetcha!"
"Masue-kun and Toga-kun, then! Let us strive together! Ah—yes, it looks like your seats are over that way."
"I appreciate the welcome. And thank you for the directions. It was a help."
I shook his hand and headed toward my desk.
It turned out my seat was the second from the front, right by the window. Himiko was directly to my right.
To think the seating would turn out like this. I wondered if this, too, was the guidance of the Force.
"Hehe... the Force is guiding us," Himiko whispered into my ear as she set down her bag.
It seemed we were thinking the exact same thing. I couldn't help but offer a wry smile.
However...
My attention drifted to a boy sitting two rows behind Himiko. He was sitting in silence, his hair split starkly between white and red. At a glance, he was strikingly handsome; he had the kind of presence where any pose he struck would look like a masterpiece.
But from him, I felt a dense, heavy aura of the Dark Side. He was at a level I would call a "Darksider." What could have led to this?
I shifted my gaze and sent a silent query through the Force to Himiko.
"...He's the 'simmering resentment' type," she whispered back.
I am still quite unrefined when it comes to the nuances of the Dark Side and the human emotions that feed it. I can sense the presence, but I often fail to grasp its origin—I can make a guess, but I lack certainty. Himiko, however, was someone who had stood on the very precipice of the abyss. Despite her youth, her understanding of the Dark Side was deeper than mine. When she looked at a shadow, she could see what had cast it.
Her intuition was rarely wrong. Which meant...
"...Someone to keep an eye on," I murmured.
I would need to be careful. I needed to understand what he hated and what had driven him to the Hero Course.
As I pondered this, more students filed in. We had arrived quite early, and yet the room was filling up fast. This class was remarkably diligent. Or perhaps that was simply the nature of the Hero Course.
With only twenty students, the room still felt spacious, even as it filled... until...
"...The hell? Don't stare at me, you brat."
A new student walked in, and my memory was instantly triggered.
He had pale blonde hair and piercing, sharp eyes. Between his looks and his intensity, he was hard to forget. I wasn't sure why he was glaring at me, though.
"No... I simply thought I recognized you. If I recall, about a year ago, you were—"
Before I could finish, the boy let out a theatrical, aggressive click of his tongue. Without a word of reply, he shoved his bag onto his desk and slumped into his seat with a violent lack of grace.