They ended up sitting in an auditorium listening to Nezu talking for several hours. Izuku didn't pay very much attention; he pretty much got the gist in the first five minutes. 1-A didn't show up, which he was mildly grateful for because they would've been right next to them and Katsuki didn't know he was here. He would try to keep it that way for as long as possible.
During lunch, the freckled teen was nervously looking for somewhere to sit - there were no empty tables in sight. He nearly screamed when he felt someone grab his wrist, but relaxed when he saw it was Uraraka.
Wait - Uraraka hadn't talked to him this time. Why was she grabbing his wrist?
"Hey! Do you need somewhere to sit?"
He stared at her, eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Uh- yeah, I do, actually."
"Come sit with us! We've got plenty of room."
"Okay. Thank you!"
She skooted over, the blue-haired boy next to her doing the same, and he sat down next to her, placing his lunch tray on the table.
"I'm Uraraka, and this is Iida." Iida waved politely. "We're in class 1-A. What about you?"
"I'm Midoriya, from 1-C."
"1-C? That's a gen-ed class, right?"
"Yup."
"It's a shame you didn't get into the hero course. I'm sure you tried your best!"
Izuku couldn't help but laugh - and it wasn't a nice-sounding laugh, but kind of a mean one. It felt odd in his mouth, yet natural. Iida and Uraraka looked confused.
"I wasn't going for the hero course. I'm here for the 'school' part of 'hero school'."
"Really? I thought gen-ed was for people who didn't quite get into the hero course. If you aren't here for heroism, why wouldn't you apply to the business or support course?" Iida piped up.
"I'm not interested in business or support. UA is known for excellent education in all departments. I just want a good education. Is that a crime?"
The bespectacled boy flushed. "Of course not! I'm sorry, it's just- I've wanted to be a hero all my life, and pretty much everyone else I know wants the same - I didn't mean to be rude, I just have a hard time imagining... not wanting to be a hero."
"I undertsand. It's fine. It just seems obvious to me, because I know how weak I am. You wouldn't know that, though. It was my fault for taking your curiosity the wrong way."
"No, no, it wasn't your fault, I shouldn't have assumed that everyone is like me-"
"You're fine! I shouldn't have forgotten that not everyone knows me-"
They spent the better part of the lunch period arguing in this manner, until Uraraka reminded them that they hadn't eaten anything and they quickly shut up. Lunch ended, and they parted ways. On his way back to his classroom, Izuku couldn't suppress the huge grin on his face. It was only the first day, and he already had three people he felt comfortable around.
Considering it took over two years for him to make friends in middle school, it was certainly a new record.