Switcheroo \BnHA Various x Reincarnated!OC\

04 - Lost Child... Or Not

A/N: I don't want to spoil anything, but I feel that this needs clarification. Renka currently looks like a 4 or 5-year-younger version of the picture above (sorry that I can't draw her well Q^Q), despite being 15. The romance may be slow partly because of that. Don't worry, it's a condition that will be fixed as the story progresses.

I like having original content so that this won't be entirely a rehash of the manga or anime. There will probably be multiple 'routes'/endings. If nothing goes wrong, there won't be an A/N for a long time because I'm afraid to disrupt the reading. I hope you find this story enjoyable.

xoxoxoxoxoxo

Even though it's the first day of school, Shinsou Hitoshi can't bring himself to feel excited. While failing the practical portion of the entrance exams didn't fall out of his expectations, it'll be a lie saying that he isn't disappointed. Sure, being in the general department doesn't mean he has no hopes of becoming a hero. But to him, entering the Hero Course, at U.A. no less, would have been the first step to proving he can be a hero even with a Quirk like his. It's almost like no matter what he does, the acknowledgement he works for always slips out of his hands. The gigantic '1-C' that adorns the equally gigantic door before him seems to rub that fact in.

Hitoshi shakes the depressive thoughts off his head. He isn't normally like this; it must be the first-day blues getting to him. He lingers before the classroom for a while before turning in a random direction and walking away, hands in his pockets.

※※※

Renka groans as she speed-walks through the never-ending hallways in a fluster. The struggle is real! Is there really a need for a school to be this big? Think of the cleaners! Or the patrolmen! She's convinced they can do without rooms like the that she came across just now, of which she found nothing musical inside. If she doesn't find her class in 15 minutes, she'll be late. Maybe they'll forgive her if she tells them she was .

Knowing not to underestimate her 'great' sense of direction, the bluenette is about to send an SOS to Izuku when she suddenly hears a yawn. That's nothing unusual, of course. She yawns all the time. Except... Wait... that didn't come from me—

BAM!

What's with all the interruptions when she's texting? Is the universe against her using technology to communicate? Is her phone cursed or something? Unnecessary thoughts pervade her mind as her butt meets the squeaky clean floor.

※※※

Does U.A. have an elementary school division? Shinsou Hitoshi wonders as he regains his balance. He must have stepped on something as he did that, because he feels an unpleasant softness below his right foot. The boy scowls in mild distaste as he peels an—What is a waffle doing here?—apparent waffle off his shoe, its imprint having created a new pattern on the surface.

Seconds ago, he had been in the middle of a yawn when he suddenly bumped into a kid, who's now sprawled on the ground. She has short, messy azure hair that somehow reminds him of cat's fur, and is cradling a large duffel bag as though it holds her most prized possessions. He reckons she's a student here since she's wearing the U.A. uniform.

"You..." Hitoshi scratches the back of his head, not knowing how to deal with the kid. "Are you okay?" His deep voice comes out slightly hoarse, as though with disuse.

At his question, the girl whose head only reaches his chest at best, suddenly jumps up and clasps both his hands between her own. Her hands are much smaller compared to his, and are half-buried in the long sleeves of her uniform, but somehow she manages to hold his hands tightly in place. How can she let her saviour escape?

"I'm not!"

Her large midnight blue eyes sparkle with something he can't quite make out. Hope? Expectation? Whatever it is, he decides he's uncomfortable. It's been a while since someone answered him so unguardedly, so unhesitatingly. Much less initiate contact. Or look him right in the eye. Then again, she isn't privy to his quirk. Yet.

Hitoshi pulls his hands free and returns them to the safety of his pockets, only to realise they aren't as warm as her hands. Kids and their high body temperatures. "So, what do you want?" It wasn't a bad fall and the kid should be fine if she can jump up like that. She had to be referring to something else.

The bluenette's face sunk when the purple-haired boy took his hands back, but lightens when she realises he's not going to escape. A bright smile spreads across her face.

"Do you know where 1-A is!" It doesn't sound like a question the way she asks. And it sure doesn't sound like she'll take "No" for an answer.

Hitoshi's calm expression falters for a moment at the mention of the class. 1-A is part the Hero Course. The kid's from Hero Course... After taking a deep breath, he gives a slight nod; he recalls seeing the signage. "Go down this corridor, take the second right, follow the..." His voice trails off when he notices the lost expression on her face.

Sighing, he relents, "Come." He doesn't wait to see if she follows before he walks away, in his mind wondering if 1-A is full of idiots like her. Said idiot swiftly picks up her phone and duffel bag before catching up to Hitoshi, though even then she has to jog to keep up with his wider strides. His legs are long, and he may be even taller than Katsuki. His shaggy mane of purple hair reminds her of Einstein. She then observes the dark bags under his eyes and wonders if his Quirk has a drawback like hers.

"Why are you here and not in class?" She asks, trying to make conversation.

For the second time that day, Hitoshi's expression falters. He can't tell her that he's roaming around because he's apprehensive about his new classmates, can he? That he's concerned they'll react the same way his junior high school ones did when they found out about his Quirk? And so he decided to only enter class just before lesson starts to avoid interaction? No, he's taking these to the grave.

When he didn't answer, the girl takes his silence as embarrassment and goes: "Aha! I got it! You're lost too!"

Hitoshi is level-headed enough to know what to do when a lifeboat is offered to him, "... Yeah." He takes it.