Class 1-C


Hitoshi doesn't know what's more pathetic.

The fact that he thought seeing All Might in his admittance letter meant he qualified for the hero course, or the fact that he allowed himself to be blinded by his ambitions and be naïve enough to believe something as impossible as that.

Whichever it was, he wanted to slam his head repeatedly on concrete for once again disappointing himself as he stood in front of the door of his new class. General education 1C - the first of many in Yuuei that contains the throwaways. The class of passable failures. A bunch of hero wannabees that didn't make the cut because their quirks were deemed unfit the moment they stepped in Yuuei grounds. Hitoshi didn't need to guess, but he reckons that most of them in this class got here because of those rescue points; and not because of the points that actually mattered.

That, or good grades. Whichever held the most weight he supposed.

Hitoshi kept his hand on the door handle, silently debating with himself whether arriving early would cause everyone in the room to regard him and paint a target on his face. If they did, then that would send everything spiraling out of his control again. He'd be labelled as the villain the moment he steps inside, oddly enough not based on his quirk, but because of how he looks with his unfinished gelled back hair and heavy circles under his eyes.

A loud, high pitched, shrill scream broke Hitoshi from his own thoughts. He reacted almost instinctively like that time when he saved those people from the exam, and opened the door. He slipped inside the room, eyes scanning for trouble, until he saw a girl with hip length, straight black hair, holding up a severed eyeball towards a completely horrified boy with flaming red-orange hair.

She was cackling and sneering with dark fascination at the boy's horror and inched the eyeball closer to him. The fire-head grew pale, and in sheer panic, slapped the eye away. Everyone watched as the eyeball dropped towards small group of students huddled together.

"MY EYE!"

The girls shrieked in disgust as the eye closed in on them. A small petite girl with grayish-black, feather like bob cut hair, wearing very round glasses, cut off its trajectory by blocking it's descent with a rolled up piece of magazine.

The black haired girl cried as the eye bounced and rolled off under the tables.

Another student with messy black hair and a sliver of tongue sticking out from his mouth nonchalantly picked up the eye and rubbed it clean with his uniform. He then turned to the girl and with a sharp toothy grin, handed it back to her and tried to spark conversation.

Hitoshi turned away the moment the fire-head fainted and his flames turned deadly white, when the black haired student let out a really long tongue.

Half the class who were already in attendance circled around the semi-conscious fire-head in worry, while Hitoshi went ahead and situated himself at the back corner of the room. He couldn't be bothered to socialize with potential rivals. Hitoshi looked around, studying his peers, and noticed that groups were already forming among them. He didn't bother trying to remember who's with who, nor how many of them were around because he didn't need to remember them.

He's only in this class because he couldn't prove himself properly in the practical exam. Given the right moment, the perfect time, and the opportune chance to showcase his ability, then the staff will definitely recognize his worth as a hero.

He's not like any of these wannabees. He's not going to pretend to be alright with being accepted into Yuuei just rot in general education forever and make friends. Doing so would only result in meaningful attachments that results in heartbreak, and he's had plenty of that.

Oddly enough, despite the class' eagerness to get to know each other, none of them approached Hitoshi from his corner.

Some of them looked like they wanted to, but opted not to in the end. He was a little grateful that most of them were smart enough to recognize his unwillingness to make friends. The earlier they understand that, the better and more peaceful his transition into the hero course will be. Once they find out about his quirk, they'll surely turn their backs on him. Like everyone does.

"Alright, settle down," a well-built man in his middle ages, with a striking square jaw line, neatly kept black hair and piercing silver eyes, entered the room. He stepped behind the podium per routine, his attention never leaving the black notebook he's reading through.

The class immediately shuffled to take their seats and became deadly still in anticipation.

"I am Awaseru Giro, your homeroom teacher. I'll save the pleasantries for later as we have a tight schedule to follow and I do not want to be reprimanded for not following through like last time." He mumbled something incoherent before covering it up with a fake cough. "I don't want any unnecessary complications while I handle this class, so let's begin breaking some ground rules. Number one!" he barked out loudly. A number of students fumbled on their seat in surprise.

"You are to be on time every day for home–" As though on cue, the back door slid open to reveal a very shriveled looking, but familiar dark skinned male.

Hitoshi felt his eye twitch when he recognized who it was. Of all the fucking -

"Ah," Awaseru-sensei sighed and glanced down at his notebook, "Fumei-san, so kind of you to demonstrate breaking our first rule seconds after I mention it."

Fumei bashfully apologized for his tardiness as he lowered his head.

"Do take a seat before I make an example of your first offense," Awaseru-sensei said nonchalantly. "Make sure this doesn't happen again."

Fumei nodded and quickly took the empty seat beside Hitoshi, who avoided the former's gaze when they lit up in recognition at the latter.

"Silence shall be observed during class hours unless you are asked to speak or participate," Awaseru-sensei said. "If you have anything important to add. You raise your hand. You shall respect me and your classmates at all times. And I will not, absolutely will not, tolerate discrimination above all. Contrary to what majority of you may believe, your quirks allowed you to step inside this institution as one of its finest. Heroes or not, you are all young people with sleeping potential. If you so much as think of your classmates as anything less than yourself because of their quirk, intelligence, or skills, then you are giving me every bit of reason to kick you out of this class. Am I understood?"

The class exchanged unsettling looks as they grasped the weight of Awaseru-sensei's warning. It's almost villainous to have their hard-earned position in Yuuei threatened in that one sentence, but Hitoshi actually understood it.

Teenagers tend to listen to someone in power. Regardless of how rebellious they are against rules and authority, a lingering fear would always gnaw at them in the back of their mind reminding them of the possible consequence of going against it. Hitoshi has had a fair share of bouts with authority, and he's not too sure if he wants to continue at it here in Yuuei. On the other hand, Hitoshi didn't know what to make of Awaseru-sensei's stand for class equality. He liked the idea, but he also didn't like the implications that someone, or a number of them will in fact think of themselves as better than the rest.

For all the bad personality traits he's developed over the years, Hitoshi knows and acknowledges his fault for seeing himself in higher regard than most. Can anyone really blame him though? He's endured years of bullying from people who did not deserve respect and the recognition they've been getting. They exuded confidence with their quirks when all they had to show for it are mediocre skills, and less than stellar personalities. They're nothing but pile of trash. Gifted, yes, but garbage, nonetheless.

He already knows that he's better than all, if not most of them because he doesn't resort to their level. He doesn't degrade people based on their quirk or skill alone. As a human being, he's already leagues better than them – villainous quirk or not. However, knowing this and actively changing to become a better person doesn't happen overnight. Hitoshi will always judge people, and he will always, always hate those that abuse their quirks to look down on others.

It may not be valid to look down on students with quirks more powerful and noticeable than his, but Hitoshi knows he wont be breaking that mindset soon. Still, it'd be smart to note the warning nonetheless. He's not planning on making enemies right away; especially not the teacher who might be able to do something about his position.

"I said," Awaseru-sensei reiterated much louder this time, "Am I understood?!"

"Yes, Sensei!"

"Good," Awaseru-sensei flashed them a quick smile before dropping it and returning his attention to his notebook. "Opening ceremonies are about to start. We'll walk there in a single file. Once that's over with, you are to change to your gym uniforms immediately and we will conduct physical exams. I understand that your middle schools prevented you from using your quirks during these tests, but it should all benefit you to know that this is Yuuei. We're not that primitive."

"We breed heroes and productive citizens of the country. We will not stunt your growth in learning more about your quirk if it can help you grow in your professions in the future. We, and most importantly, I, expect you to be able to manage them well. You will be allowed to use your quirks within reason during the periods I will allow you to use them to prepare for the sports festival."

The classroom's atmosphere quickly changed to that cheery jeers to one filled with determination.

Everyone knew what the Yuuei sports festival is all about. It's the annual sports event held by the academy where students from all grades and courses have the opportunity to showcase their abilities in different competitions in order to be scouted by Pro-Heroes. Everyone, both young and old, local and international watch it. Its reputation is akin to that of the Olympics, which has sadly fallen out of its popularity since quirks became part of the equation. It's also common knowledge that the hero course has always held the spot-light, but every so often, a worthy challenger from the other courses emerge and are given a chance to rise up to the hero course.

It's Hitoshi's last shot to being a real hero.


Hitoshi doesn't remember much of what happened during the opening ceremonies. It was the same old riffraff he's been to for the last couple of years, and for some reason, he wasn't even interested in any of the new hero staff they've introduced following the Principal's remarks. Instead, he kept his mind in the Quirk Apprehension Test.

He was barely the top performer in any of his past exams, and now that they're allowed to use quirks, he doubt it'd make a difference. That doesn't mean he won't try to stand out and gain himself some attention from Awaseru-sensei however. If he can make him notice, then he's already one step closer to getting that recommendation.

Hitoshi shuddered when he felt something poke his cheek and immediately backed away. Purple, narrowed, eyes glared down at the dark-skinned, blonde haired boy, grinning beside him.

"You've definitely had better nights than the last," the smaller male noted. "Last time I saw you, those circles didn't cut so deep. Are you like... trying to imitate raccoons? Because they're cute! It's just that, it makes you look more terrifying that adorable/"

Hitoshi inhaled a chunk of air, and closed his eyes, breathing through his nose to try and not pop a vein.

"Oh hey, whoa," Fumei said in alarm. "You're turning red now. Is that - Is that natural? Hey! Does anyone know if this guy's quirk has something to do with his face, because its freaking me the hell out."

"Will you shut up?" Hitoshi hissed through clenched teeth.

"Sorry, I didn't quite catch tha -" the blonde abruptly stopped mid sentence. A cloudy haze filled his eyes as he remained standing there, focus and mind lost in the distance.

"Shut up. Leave me alone."

Fumei unblinkingly did as told and turned away. He silently changed into his tracksuit then moved to leave the changing room. That was until he crashed into an orange haired boy wearing large earphones over his ears on the way to the door. They both dropped to the ground, with Fumei hitting his elbow loudly unto one of the benches in the middle of the room.

"Fuck!" Fumei yelled as he cradled his aching arm close to his chest. He blinked and looked around, confused. "What the..."

"I'm so sorry," the orange haired kid mumbled so meekly that his voice was barely heard. "I didn't see you coming."

"It's... fine? I wasn't... really sure how I got here too..." Fumei glanced over to Hitoshi, who avoided his gaze, and hummed. He excused himself from the other student's company and slowly made his way back to regard Hitoshi. He rest an arm towards the lockers and raised a curious brow at the indigo haired male. "So," he purred, "your quirk do that?"

Hitoshi pursed his lips and slammed his locker door shut loudly. Fumei jumped back, and seemingly grew smaller in size as Hitoshi towered over him. "I told you to leave me alone."

"Yeah, funny," Fumei laughed. "I remember you saying that, but I don't remember actually doing it. Mind explaining it to me?"

"No."

Hitoshi bumped Fumei's shoulder on his way out and hoped that the latter would take it as a sign to end their conversations forever. However, Fumei proved to either be really persistent or unaware of social cues and trailed after him like a lost puppy. "Aw, come on," the blonde whined. "You know what mine is! The least I deserve is to know yours before everyone else does."

Hitoshi stopped his stride towards the door; the other students of 1C carefully watched them from afar, wondering what would happen next. "You think I owe you anything?"

"Well," Fumei hummed, posing innocently as he placed a finger under his chin to think, "I did say consider my act of kindness as insurance."

Hitoshi clicked his teeth and turned to hover over the smaller male. "Dropping pounds of metal over innocents is supposed to make me thank you?"

"No... But it got you enough rescue points right?"

"I didn't get in to Yuuei just because of those rescue points," Hitoshi clarified. "I got in because I did well in the exams."

Fumei's eyes grew wide. "You honestly don't believe that do you?"

"Yes," Hitoshi hissed. "I do."

The blonde hummed and shifted his head like he thought the complete opposite of Hitoshi. "The written exams is just for formalities sake. The rescue points are what really got you here!"

"So what do you want me to do?" Hitoshi snarled. "Kneel and thank you for the help you did?" He scoffed. "Don't make me laugh. You jumped around that exam like it was all a game, never caring who got hurt along the way. What would you have done if someone actually died while you were being kind to give me rescue points, huh?"

Fumei blinked seemingly not bothered by the dilemma. "No one died. So does it really matter? You got in, I got in! Probably a bunch of others following after you too. Everyone wins!"

"You-" Hitoshi mumbled, appalled.

"How about we all calm down for a moment and relax," a lanky, Caucasian male student, with no hair, and wearing really dark rectangle shaped shades stepped in with a polite but authoritative tone between them. "We're all friends here!"

"That's what I'm trying to do," the blonde smiled. "If anyone's not interested in making friends, it's Mister Raccoon here."

"What did you just call me?"

"Raccoon-eyes," Fumei grinned a little too proudly.

Hitoshi stepped forward to give him a piece of his mind, but the bald student kept him in place to avoid escalating the situation.

"I do think it's nice that you're trying," the bald student said. "A couple of us wanted to but he didn't seem to be in the mood. No offense to you, you don't look all that approachable." Hitoshi shrugged him off, not really finding it offensive. "But," he turned to Fumei, "I don't think your sentiments came across as friendly."

Fumei frowned. "I doesn't?"

"You're... how do I put this," he started. "I think you're claiming you had a hand in his acceptance in Yuuei?"

"I did."

"He didn't," Hitoshi corrected before the other student got the wrong impression.

The bald students laughed, nervous, before saying, "While I don't doubt you may have had a hand in it, then uh -" he scratched the back of his head and bowed towards Hitoshi "I'm sorry, I don't think I got your name."

"Shinsou."

"Right! Shinsou doesn't owe you anything. Even if you do want to be friends. That's his choice to make, and we can't force him to do anything he doesn't want to."

"Oh..." Fumei hummed. "I get it. He's shy!"

Hitoshi and bald headed male slouched, disappointed that the sentiment completely flew over the blonde's head. Hitoshi really did not like this guy.

"Maybe," the bald head sighed. "But maybe just give him some space before trying again?"

"No," Hitoshi interjected. "I don't plan on making any friends. That includes him, and you. Leave me the hell alone."

Before Fumei or the bald head can say anything else, Hitoshi excused himself from the conversation and left the changing room.

He spotted the class pooling near the center of the field and decided to stay at the very back as to not gather the attention of anyone else. Dealing with one annoying peer, and one law-abiding is enough for the day. Hitoshi didn't think it would be a problem anymore, since everyone else was focused on watching another class race each other using their quirks from afar in silent awe.

Fumei and the bald student exited the changing rooms in a lighter mood than when Hitoshi left them. It made him wonder slightly, whether it was him making the situation escalate further than it needs too, or Fumei was just being an annoyance to him specifically? Whichever it was, Fumei did not leave the same impression as he did to Hitoshi with the other guy. They almost seem to enjoy each other's company.

"And here I thought I'd finally have the chance to punish an entire class to do a hundred on their first day," Sensei sullenly said as Fumei and the bald male joined them.

"This would be the second time Fumei-san," Awaseru-sensei called him out again. "A third would merit a talk with me, understand?"

Fumei groaned and apologized again.

"For everyone else, it turns out you're all shaping up to be responsible students, and that makes me a proud teacher already. Keep it up! So, as you as you all know, we'll be performing a variety of physical exercise tests today," he reiterates. "You'll be allowed to use your quirks so I expect you to be responsible for them. I will deduct points to those that use their quirks like a bunch of children who had just gotten them. Clear?"

"Yes, Sensei," they responded while Awaseru-sensi nods with approval.

He look over them all for a bit and closes his book. "I suppose I should tell you a little bit about myself. To ease all of you nervous chicks, I'm not someone to be feared. Even though I have a tendency to come off as that, I assure you, I'm very approachable. My quirk is called 'Inquiry' it allows me to see quirks and determine its strengths and weakness in a snap. Using what my quirk has gathered, I can spot the potential in any student." Awaseru-sensei held his tongue, watching them for any reaction of sorts.

Hitoshi counted that Awaseru-sensei looked towards at least three people in the class. He isn't certain if he gave him a passing glance, but if he didn't, then he should have. If anyone deserves that hero recommendation out of this class, it would be him. He noted that Sensei's eyes lingered on Fumei the longest, and Hitoshi instantly felt his animosity towards the blonde rise.

Fumei was now talking to a pink haired male, who only seemed to give him a passing glance every now and then so that he can sneak in a text on his phone. They seemed to know each other, but Hitoshi can't be sure. Looking around, Hitoshi knew he had very little information on anyone else's quirks or personality, but if he were to pick out a current threat to his ambition, that would be Fumei. However socially inept he is, he's shown great control over his quirk, maybe more if he considered how confident he is over passing that practical exam.

"I've had the pleasure of working for, and with, heroes as a recruiter for the top Hero agencies in Japan and overseas. You can say I have this 'looking for the diamond in the rough' business down to an art. So, how and why am I teaching General education when I can make more money out there than here?" he stops and stares them down with strong silver eyes.

"Because I've spent years working for the industry and every year, the heroes that come to me all disappoint," he said with a tired huff. "Every year we have thousands of heroes graduate from all over Japan dreaming to make a name and rise up the ranks. And while not all of them forget the true essence of a hero, most of them do. Many of them forget that a hero's duty is first and foremost to save people! Not run off to have it as some secondary, hobby-job right next to modelling or boosting one's acting career. Or - or - choose which jobs they'll do to rise in the polls! Don't get me started on the ones that disappear from hero duties because they couldn't make it the top 2,000. Bunch of attention hungry whores the lot of them –" and he kept on rambling.

No one had the audacity to try and stop him from ranting too much about how over-saturated heroes have been in the recent years, and instead they let him have it for a few more minutes.

Awaseru-sensei sighed loudly, and continued, "All my personal feelings aside, I'm one of the few people with a power to see if you have what it takes to move up to the hero class. I'm sure a number of you would like that. It's unfair how the practical exam was made. If Principal Nedzu allowed me to draft a more stable exam there wouldn't be so many wasted potential -" he coughed to collect himself and opened his notebook again. "But there are merits to what transpired in the exam. It was meant to weed out the real heroes are from those that aren't. You did your best, and I know it's frustrating to know it didn't help you make the cut, but this isn't the end. It just means you're not quite there yet. There's dozens of points you need to improve on, and I'll help you get there."

"You all know that last door is only a few months away, and I'm here to tell you that it won't be easy. I won't make it easy, your peers won't make it easy, and the other departments certainly won't either." Awaseru-sensei reminded them.

"I will be evaluating each and every one of you today, and I will be expecting results before the sports festival; but I will not be critical of them. Each person progresses in their own pace, and I will not fault you for being a slow learner; or a fast one, whichever you are. What I do want to see in and instill in all of you are not the abilities that will make you a hero, but the qualities that will."

"No one needs a license to have passion in serving others," he reminded them all with a determined grin on his square face. "And that's what I will teach all of you – heart. Understood?"

The class once again erupted in cheers of rejuvenated energy. Even though they've been told repeatedly that the path to being a hero will be a very, very difficult one for people in their standing, Awaseru-sensei didn't tell them it was completely impossible. It gave them hope, and whether or not that hope will push them forward or crush them, that's entirely on their motivation and drive to become a hero.

Hitoshi felt it was naïve of him to believe the words of someone that isn't even a hero himself, but for all it's worth, Awaseru-sensei's words made him want to believe that he can reach his goals no matter what. As long as he tried hard enough and kept his heart in the right place, he'll definitely make it through.