The first day of school had finally come.
Bakugo and Naoko arrived at the metal gate after an uneventful walk where he, as usual, categorically refused to be within five feet of her. They entered the building and soon located their classroom, a tall door with '1-A' inscribed on it in bright red, and Bakugo stomped inside. Naoko followed a few steps behind him and temporarily settled in one of the seats closest to the door.
A few minutes passed and more students began trickling in. They exchanged greetings with their friends, introduced themselves to unfamiliar faces, and, in Bakugo's case, started an argument with anyone who so much as glanced at him.
Everyone quieted down when their new teacher, Mr. Aizawa, stepped into the room, looking rather like he had just woken up. He unenthusiastically introduced himself and gave them their assigned seats. Oddly enough, Naoko was placed at the desk in the far back corner of the classroom: the only one in its row.
It seemed there were 21 students in class 1-A.
_______________________________________________
Aizawa brought the class outside for a quirk apprehension test, as he called it, explaining the eight physical tests they would have to pass.
"As future heroes, you don't have time for useless activities like school orientation. One of UA's selling points is its unorthodox teaching methods," he stated plainly upon being asked if there would be an assembly for the first years today. "Everyone is familiar with these kinds of tests, right? It'll be the same thing, except you're free to use your quirks however you like. Points from each test will be totaled at the end for an overall ranking. The one who places last will be expelled."
"What?!"
Frantic whispers broke out among the students.
"Expulsion on the first day?!"
"Is that why there's an odd number of us? So they can kick one of us out?"
"That's too cruel!"
"Be quiet," Aizawa cut them off impatiently, drawing the class's attention back to him. "Hurry and get in line. We'll begin now."
And with the threat of expulsion heavy on their minds, the unnerved students focused anxiously on the tasks presented to them, all eager to preserve their hard-earned places at UA.
Naoko's smile stayed in place throughout each of the tests.
During the shot-put portion, there seemed to be some kind of conflict between the teacher and a green-haired boy, but she didn't notice what it was about.
"Remind me not to get on his bad side," the girl next to her, one with short purple hair and cord-like earlobes, leaned over and whispered.
"I agree," she laughed.
In the end, no one got expelled; it turns out their teacher just liked making cruel jokes, and so the class remained 21 strong.
"Congratulations, Bakugo- you were in the top three!"
"Fuck off!" he shouted, quickly storming off and away from her.
"What's up with him?" the boy next to her nudged, watching as Bakugo yelled at Midoriya up ahead.
"I think he's just like that."
"What a pain..."
"Ito," a voice called.
She turned around to see Aizawa standing behind the group as they started back towards the building.
"Yes, sir?" she smiled, hurrying over to where he stood.
"I'd like to see you try harder next time."
"Oh, I tried my best, sir! I'm afraid my quirk isn't all that great, but I promise I won't let you down!"
He stared down at her with sullen, calculating eyes, as if trying to find something.
"I see."
_______________________________________________
Ito Naoko
50-meter Dash: 10th place
Grip Strength: 11th place
Long Jump: 10th place
Side Step: 9th place
Shot Put: 11th place
Distance Run: 9th place
Toe Touch: 11th place
Sit-Ups: 11th place
Final Ranking: 10th place
_______________________________________________
"What a first day that was," the purple-haired girl from earlier sighed as class was dismissed.
"I know! Mr. Aizawa is a little scary..." a brown haired girl with big round eyes added.
"I think so too." Naoko smiled as she slid some papers into a folder, placing them in her backpack.
"I was really worried one of us was going to get kicked out! That was too mean!"
"Maybe that's his teaching style?"
"I guess we're in for a tough year. By the way, I'm Jiro Kyoka. I don't think I've introduced myself yet."
"I'm Uraraka Ochako!"
"I'm Ito Naoko, but just call me Naoko," she smiled, "It's nice to meet you both!"
The new trio cheerfully headed out of their classroom, chatting pleasantly as they descended towards the school entrance.
"So what middle school did you go to, Naoko?"
"Oh, I'm actually not from this area," she grinned, "I moved here so I could attend UA."
"Wow, that's cool! Did you live far away?"
"A little. I like it better here, actually," she smiled as they stepped out of the building, soon reaching the school gates. "Oh, I think I'm heading that way," she pointed in the opposite direction of where the other two were headed.
"Ah, right! Well, we'll see you tomorrow then!"
"Bye-bye! It was nice meeting you, Naoko!"
"Bye!" she waved cheerfully before turning to start down the path alone.
The sun shone warmly overhead.
_______________________________________________
"Welcome home, Katsuki. How was your first day of school?" Masaru looked up from the living room table as the ever-frowning boy closed the front door. "Oh, where's Naoko? Didn't you come back together?"
"How am I supposed to know?!"
The older man could only half-smile awkwardly as his son stomped up the stairs and slammed his door shut.
A few minutes later, the front door opened again.
"I'm back!"
"Naoko, welcome back. How was school?"
"I think it was fun! Everyone in our class is really nice."
"So you are in the same class as Katsuki? How come you two didn't walk back together?"
"Oh! I was talking with some of my classmates, so I must have left a bit late. By the time I made it outside, he had already gone ahead, I think. No worries though! I don't mind!"
"I see... well, he should have waited for you anyways. It can be dangerous for you to be out alone in the city, you know."
"Ah, well, I wouldn't want to make him wait. And besides, I was fine by myself, so it's ok!"
"I suppose you're right... well, just be careful, ok?"
"Yes sir!"
_______________________________________________
"Good morning everyone!" All Might's voice boomed across the class as he posed theatrically at the front of the room.
"Wow, he really is teaching here!"
"I can't believe we have the number one hero as our teacher!"
"I wonder what his lessons are gonna be like?"
"Wonder no more! Today we are having a Battle Trial!" he announced, pointing to a number of conspicuously-placed reference photos behind him. "You'll each be assigned a partner and the designation of 'hero' or 'villain!' The heroes win if they capture the villains or reach the weapon the villains are guarding; the villains win if they capture the heroes or if time runs out! And all of this will be happening in Ground Beta! But first-!" he pointed to a wall with raised sections, dramatically revealing a series of numbered metal cases, "change into your new hero costumes!"
_______________________________________________
"These are so cool!" Uraraka squealed, admiring her new black and pink colored suit in the mirror.
"Yea, these are really nice, ribbit."
"I can't believe we got to design these."
"UA is so cool!"
"These are supposed to help us in battle, right? Neat!"
"What does yours do, Naoko-chan?" Asui ribbited, tilting her head up at the girl curiously.
"Huh?" Naoko, who had been quiet until that point, turned around to face the other girls in the locker room.
Her costume was rather plain: a black, long-sleeved fitted dress with side slits reaching just above her hip. The v-neckline was shallow but wide, sitting at the furthest points of her shoulders, and the front and back portions of her skirt each tapered to a point.
"Does it help with your quirk, Naoko?" Uraraka asked curiously.
"Well, not exactly."
"What is your quirk, by the way?" Jiro asked, adjusting her headphones.
"My quirk? I'm-"
A loud knock came from the other side of the locker room door, startling everyone.
"We're about to head out! Come out when you're ready!" All Might's voice boomed. Behind him, they could hear a growing chatter coming from outside.
"Oh! We should go! We don't want to be late!" Yaoyorozu hurried towards the door, the other girls following closely behind. They stepped out of the locker room to spot their teacher posing a little ways away, the boys gathered by him as well.
"Excellent! We're all here- now let's go!"
The class soon started towards Ground Beta where their trial awaited, buzzing and eager to have their first real combat practice of their UA careers.
"Your costume looks really nice, Bakugo," Naoko fell in step beside the boy, nudging him with a smile.
"And yours looks like shit! Your whole ass is out, idiot!"
"Huh?" she looked down at herself. "Not really..."
_______________________________________________
One by one, groups were drawn and assigned a location for their match. First up was Bakugo and Iida against Midoriya and Uraraka.
"Wow, Bakugo's really impressive, huh?" Jiro mused as they watched his explosive encounter with the green-haired boy.
"Midoriya seems nervous," Naoko tilted her head with a slight smile.
"I would be too. It doesn't seem to take much to piss him off."
One of the large screens in front of them showed Midoriya and Uraraka running from their aggressive pursuer, ducking into one of the many rooms and hurriedly exchanging hushed whispers.
"By the way, are you guys friends or something? I see you talking to him a lot."
"Well, our parents are friends, but I don't think he likes me very much," she laughed sheepishly.
"I guess that's just how he is? I've heard he's childhood friends with Midoriya too, but I wouldn't have guessed it from the way they interact."
"Really? How interesting. "
The two turned their attention to a different screen when they saw Uraraka had found Iida and the prop nuclear weapon. It didn't take him long to notice her, and the two were quickly forced into a skirmish. By now, Bakugo had also found Midoriya and was pursuing him furiously, yelling at him all the while. The latter hardly seemed able to keep up, enduring hit after hit, blast after blast, though notably, he had still yet to use his quirk.
"Poor Midoriya..."
Naoko hummed in agreement, a sympathetic smile on her face.
A loud boom sounded from somewhere far away. The room gasped in surprise, all eyes widening at the enormous hole that had punched through the floors above the formerly one-sided battle. Taking advantage of the moment, Uraraka hurled a barrage of rubble at Iida and leapt onto the missile while he was distracted, effectively capturing the weapon.
Surprisingly enough, Bakugo's team had lost.
_______________________________________________
While the first two teams returned to the observation room, or to the nurse's office in Midoriya's case, the next group was already in place.
Naoko stood inside an unfamiliar room with Mineta and Asui- the sole group of three, made out of necessity- and the weapon they were meant to protect.
"D-do you guys think we can do this?" Mineta asked nervously, hands already shaking.
"Are you scared, Mineta-chan?"
"N-no way! I-I just thought you two would be, but I'll protect you so don't worry!"
"We should come up with a plan, ribbit. Should we stay here or go after them?"
"We should definitely stay here!"
"So you are scared, Mineta-chan?"
"No! Once they find us, I'll stick them with my Grape Shot! Then they won't be able to move and we can definitely capture them!"
"Good idea, but it would be better to do that before they get here, ribbit. It'll be easier to surprise them."
"But, uh... that's... I still think we should stay here!"
"What do you think, Naoko-chan?"
Naoko snapped out of her daze, quickly shaking off her apparent surprise as she looked over to her teammates. "I agree with Asui- it might be better to surprise them."
"Call me Tsu-chan," the squatting girl reminded before turning back to Mineta, "That's two votes for going after them, ribbit."
"Fine! I'll go!"
"I'll go with him. Can you stay to guard the weapon, Naoko-chan?"
"Of course," she nodded, waving encouragingly as her teammates quietly exited the room, "Good luck!"
_______________________________________________
"I think I hear walking on the fourth floor." Shoji shifted his ear-tentacle to a different wall.
"Directly above us?" Todoroki asked.
"Closer to the center of the building."
"Alright, let's go."
_______________________________________________
"Where do you think they are?" Mineta glanced around cautiously, gripping a hairball in each hand- just in case.
"They might be close by now, ribbit."
"W-what are we going to do when we find them?"
"You should use your quirk to trap them like you said; I'll keep them from reaching you."
"Ok! I'll make sure to win this! Then I'll definitely be popular!"
"Keep your voice down, Mineta-chan, Shoji-chan can-"
The wall next to them burst open with a loud crack and Asui reflexively grabbed Mineta, jumping back to avoid the flying debris. The boy screamed and, in a panic, began throwing out hairballs as fast as he could. A moment later, Shoji rushed out of the dust cloud, managing to dodge all but one of the scattered spheres, sticking two of his tentacles together, before reaching for Mineta's ankle. Asui tossed the boy behind her and ducked under his fist. Fluidly, she grabbed Shoji with her tongue and flipped him over her head, slamming him to the ground and shooting a few cracks into the tile beneath them. Shoji flinched at the impact but quickly moved to get up, only to realize he was stuck. His legs, back, and most of his arms were trapped in place by the hazardous hairballs.
A scream startled Asui as she flicked over to see Mineta trapped in a small mountain of ice, struggling uselessly. Before she could move to save him, however, another rush of ice came barreling towards her. She jumped onto the wall to avoid it and quickly spotted Todoroki approaching from behind Mineta. Had he gotten around them somehow? She swiped up a chunk of metal that had broken off from somewhere and leapt forward, raising it above her head and smashing it against the ice trapping Mineta, shattering off a chunk of it- just enough for him to wriggle out.
Just when they thought they might have a chance, another wave of ice surrounded them, capturing them both this time.
"Dang it!" Mineta screeched, flailing helplessly.
Todoroki stepped over to the group and glanced down at Shoji: still stuck in place. "I'm going after the last one."
"Yea, she should be on the floor right above us," he nodded, "Go."
Wasting no time, Todoroki turned on his heels and ran towards the stairs, making his way up to the next floor in seconds. One by one, he quietly glanced into each room in search of his final opponent.
He didn't know much about Ito Naoko. The only time he had seen her use her quirk was during the apprehension test a few days ago, and he couldn't tell exactly what it was. If he recalled correctly, her scores were consistently average; she ranked in the middle of the class in each of the eight tasks- something he thought was rather strange. Most of the students excelled in some and scored lower on others; she was the only one to get such uniform results. Maybe her quirk was something weak but generalized? He couldn't think of any like that off the top of his head, however; he would have to be careful when approaching her.
As if on cue, he spotted the distinctive silhouette of the faux nuclear weapon through a small window of the room next to him. He quickly ducked low, shuffling closer to the door.
Ito stood against the wall to the far right, staring off into space with something of a blank expression. She stood a distance away from the weapon but was still close enough that he would have to take her out to get to it. He decided it would be easiest to blitz her: capturing her before she had a chance to react. He raised his right hand and prepared to attack, but his fixation on the target led him to forget his surroundings, and in a momentary lapse of judgement, he inadvertently bumped into a box next to him. A soft thump sounded. He froze, quickly glancing back at Ito.
She hadn't moved at all, save for the small smile on her face.
Todoroki frowned. He raised his hand again and sent a wave of ice into the room, destroying the door and enveloping her in an instant.
"Oh?" She looked down at the ice that encased up to her chest, trapping her limbs, then glanced back up to Todoroki.
"And the hero team wins!" All Might's voice thundered from overhead.
"NO!" Mineta cried in anguish, "Now I'll never be popular with the girls!"
"Is that all you think about, ribbit?"
"The villain team has been captured: congratulations heroes! Please return to the observation room in preparation for the third battle!"
"Looks like you won," Naoko smiled cheerfully, still trapped quite firmly in place, "Congratulations!"
"...thanks." Todoroki slowly approached her, setting a hand on the ice and quickly melting it away.
"Ah, thanks! That was getting a little cold!" She rubbed her arms, grateful to be able to move again. "We should head back to the rest of the class."
The pair stepped through the now-shattered doorway and headed down towards the exit. After some effort in freeing the other members of their group- mostly Shoji- the five hurried back to the observation room where they were greeted by their classmates.
"Hey! Welcome back!"
"You all did great!"
"Your quirks are really cool!"
"Hey dumbass! How did you lose with three people?!"
Naoko laughed sheepishly at the boy who came stomping up to her. "Hi, Bakugo..."
"I was actually betting on you, damn idiot! You didn't even fight! How fucking lame can you get?!" he hollered, shaking his fists wildly as steam puffed from his ears.
"Didn't you lose too, Bakugo?"
"That's different! At least I put up a fight, loser!"
"Well, I thought you did great!" she grinned brightly, offering two thumbs up, "I was cheering for you all the way, you know!"
"Shut up! No one cares who you cheer for, dumbass!"
Jiro tilted her head curiously from behind the two. "I... guess they are friends?"