The past cannot be changed. The future is yet in your power.

Sayuri stood in her backyard, holding what looked like a small bundle of twine in the palm of her hand. A ring was attached to one end of the black wire while the other end had a blunt, smoothed-out point. She put her finger on the side of the wire and ran it up and down the material, feeling the texture. It wasn't serrated like she expected. The wire had a fairly smooth edge, less like a whip and more like a thin lasso. The way it was made was perfect to Sayuri's desire; she didn't want it to cut limbs off or cause bleeding. She had asked her father to make it more of a multipurpose tool. The ability to increase her mobility and the ability to restrain her opponents.

She fitted the ring around her middle finger, clenching and un-clenching her fist. It looked like she could still throw a punch with it on, though it would certainly prove as more of a challenge. A tall oak tree grew near the back edge of the yard, the shadow unable to stretch across the grass with the high sun beaming down. As a whole, the south side of the yard was rather open, only a few trees dotting the area near the wall.

The April weather had the temperatures in the 70's, Sayuri spotting a pair of faded jean shorts, a black tank top and a red flannel cardigan with a pair of white sneakers on her feet. Her hair had grown out slightly more with the waves starting to straighten out, much to her pleasure.

Time had passed since the orientation in February. Her tutors were coming in for classes even more despite the school year starting in a week. Kettei had doubled the intensity of her workouts- there was hardly a time where Sayuri's muscles didn't burn. This was a rare Saturday.

She had the day off.

Sayuri was waiting for Yaoyorozu to text her back about going out for coffee in the city. They had met up a couple times when winter faded into spring, though these times were rarely weekly. Momo's family's land had almost rivaled Sayuri's in size, something they often teased each other about. The girls could now claim to be close, and going into UA, that was something they were both happy about.

Although they hadn't met in person since February, Sayuri and Todoroki would occasionally text. Sayuri was usually the one to initiate conversation, though she would be careful to not be pushy. Shoto was still fairly distant and reserved, but Sayuri was satisfied with the fact that he had finally moved away from one-word replies. They would see one another in a week and neither of them seemed like they needed to rush a meeting.

Sayuri planted her left food and pivoted, swinging the wire with her right hand towards a branch that hung about four and a half meters off the ground. The material extended from the ring and wrapped around the branch, Sayuri bracing herself so that she wouldn't be suspended in the air. She gave a tug on the wire and pushed off from the ground, the rush of air on her face and the speed in the air giving her a slight shock. The girl shot forward, swinging past the branch like a super-powered swing, flexing her arm so she didn't fly like dead weight. She didn't swing into the air like a rocket and fly into orbit, which was a plus. The momentum ran out and she eventually swung backwards.

While the energy from her swing was dying down, Sayuri absorbed herself in thought. I've got it. It can retract like an old tape measure and pull people in like a lasso. If I want to use it to increase my speed efficiently, I have to learn how to release the hold on the branch before I start swinging backwards. Using two of them would be the most practical way to do it. Sayuri grinned and dropped down from the branch and landed with the help of her hand. She brushed the dirt off on her shorts, willing to take the lecture later.

She shook her right arm out and made her way to the center of the yard where she left her phone, seeing a notification for a new message on the lock screen. Yaoyorozu had texted back, confirming the girls' last get-together before their school year began. The brunette marked it as read and clapped her hands together excitedly as she tried to refrain from running around and cheering. A walk outside when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom was just the thing Sayuri needed to calm her nerves about starting high school. Despite being born in the bitter month of February, she had always admired Spring the most in Japan. Fitting to her name.

The girl tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and adjusted the straps of her tank top, picking her phone up by the pop socket. A smile remained burned into her face as she walked through her family's garden, running a hand over the snowball hydrangea bushes that traced the outsides of the stone path. Drops of dew fell from the petals and splattered gently onto the stones. Sayuri's sneakers echoed against the wood of the miniature bridge that lead her across the pond, lotuses floating astray on the surface of the crystal-clear lake. The scene reflected in silver irises as if they were a mirror.

Sayuri caught a cherry blossom petal with her open hand, giving it a gentle kiss before she dropped it into the water, stopping to watch the ripples stray out across the pond. It was something about spring.

And something about her not having any pollen allergies.

She made her way onto the back patio, opening the sliding glass door gingerly. She closed it the same way as she made her way through the back mudroom. A pre-prepared string bag was by the front door with money for a coffee and her laptop. Sayuri stepped onto the hardwood floor of the living room after shuffling her feet on the carpet of the mudroom, meeting eyes with a maid who was changing the curtains from a baby pink to a pure white set with floral designs.

Master Stylist approves.

"Can you tell my dad that I'm going to hang out with Momo?" Sayuri asked the maid innocently, swinging the string bag over her shoulders.

"Of course, Young Master." The maid took a notepad out of the pocket of her apron. "May I take the name?"

"Yaoyorozu Momo."

"Very well," the maid dropped the notepad back into her pocket and adjusted her hairnet. "Have fun and use caution, Young Master."

"Tell him that I'll be back by dinner." Sayuri pressed her thumb down on the handle and opened the front door, waving back to the maid before closing it. Mom is at a meeting of some sort. Dad would be okay with it. No need to worry.

She placed the old sunglasses on her head, hiding her iconic eyes from the public. The front gate for the fence (which was more like a wall) opened as she approached, her brain going on autopilot. The cherry blossoms the same distances apart. The flawlessly paved and gum-less sidewalk. The songs of the birds that traveled through the air. The gentle breeze that wafted between tree limbs and strands of golden-brown hair.

It was something about spring.

Sayuri relaxed her posture and let out an exhale she didn't know was building up. Without having training, home life or studying on her mind, the girl was free to relax.

But could she relax?

No.

The fact that I only know two people going into this year is going to work like a double-edged sword. The majority of the class won't know the ins-and-outs of my quirk, but that means I won't know theirs either. She turned the corner onto a slightly busier street, sidestepping to avoid a hurried businessman that appeared as if he was about to lose his job. If there's anybody else with a mental quirk like mine, I wonder how we'll compare. What I do know is that the courses are going to favor the kids with the physical quirks. I'm going to work twice as hard to get half as far. The only thing that I can use to get ahead is the fact that the school is partnered with my dad's company.

The build boards lit up in a flash of yellow, blue and red- the colors of All Might. Sayuri crinkled her nose as the news channels sparked a reaction across the city. All Might was being framed in gold once again, his latest wave of praise coming from defeating a recent uprising of a group of villains last night.

All Might.

All Might.

All Might.

The entirety of the world praised him like a god. You had to respect the guy. Having such an iconic quirk with the strength to back it up was something that any aspiring hero wanted to have. He was a hero.

No.

Not just a hero.

A Superhero.

The hero.

The number one hero.

The "most powerful" hero.

But he wasn't Sayuri's hero.

Something about the top hero set her instincts off. A few years ago, when Sayuri was on the verge of turning ten, All Might had disappeared for around a month. Beforehand, he was out in public during all hours of the day, protecting Japan from the dark hands of evil. When he came back from hiding, something had changed about the hero.

His smile wasn't as bright.

His punches weren't as strong.

He wasn't giving it his all.

All Might wasn't as mighty.

Sayuri gave another look at the screen where All Might was being questioned by international media. The questions were flying at him, order failing to be present at the gathering. The hero already seemed like he was in a hurry; beginning to slowly back away from the crowd. One question, however, rained over the commotion.

"Can you explain your quirk to the public, Sir?"

The star-studded hero blasted off before he even acknowledged the question that was asked. It could've been seen as a simple mistake; Sayuri knew better. All Might was avoiding the question. Avoiding questions and refraining from answering the ones about his quirk. There were always people who needed to be saved when those types of questions reached his ears. That was suspicious. Highly suspicious.

The images changed back to their normal advertisements. Sayuri cracked her neck and unclenched her fists. Calm down. He's your teacher now. Grow up, Yuri.

She pulled out a strand of hair that got stuck in her sunglasses, weaving her way to the store side of the sidewalk. The scent of coffee beans caught the girl's nose as she approached the door to the shop. Sayuri had never been a fan of coffee, being more of a tea person herself, but when Yaoyorozu suggested to meet up for a cup of joe, she didn't have the heart to refuse.

Sayuri glanced through the window and scanned the shop. A few old couples were sitting down, along with one group of teenage boys, but other than that, the sparsely populated coffee shop was safe enough for the glasses to be removed. She knew that Momo's house was a slightly further distance away from the shop than her own home, so Sayuri figured that she'd probably meet her soon.

The door made a slight creaking sound as she entered Sayuri placing the pair of sunglasses on her head. She rubbed her right eye as she approached the counter, the barista glancing up at her approach. Sayuri put her hand to her chin as she scanned the menu, the barista freezing up.

"You're Ha-"

Forgive me, god.

Sayuri put a finger to her lips. "Yeah, it's me." She pushed up one side of her cheek with her finger and gave the teenage barista a wink, leaning on the counter. "If you don't mind, could you be a doll and keep it a secret that I'm here?" In the case of a Shonen Anime, a wall of roses would've appeared.

The pubescent teenage boy instantly flushed red with smoke flying out of his ears. "O-okay. What would you love- I MEAN LIKE to drink?"

Forgive me, mom.

She forced a smile onto her face. "One large vanilla bean Frappuccino with whipped cream, please."

"That'll be- uh," he typed something to his register. "That'll be 689 yen." His face remained the color of a tomato as Sayuri handed him the money, the barista then turning around to make her drink.

Forgive me, dad.

...

…

...

...

Is that a nosebleed?

Sayuri hated what she called "public flirting", but at times, it was the only way she could get some people to be quiet. It made her feel guilty to break out the ol' feminine charm and use it against the male species. Or female at times. Apparently, her winks were super effective against men. Even old men. Sometimes old women. Both which creeped her out.

The barista rubbed the back of his head sheepishly when he handed Sayuri her drink, which was topped with an inhuman amount of whipped cream. "Haha... ha... Have a good day."

Sayuri lifted two fingers from her grip of the cup to give a goodbye and grabbed a napkin from the dispenser on her way to sit down. The guilt soon pinged within her, though she gave a quick thanks to the god of straight males. There were better things to think about. She placed her drink on the table and was about to shoot Momo a text when she heard a very unpleasant noise that sounded like regurgitation.

Oh, fun.

The brunette spun around, finding herself looking at a boy with fluffy green hair and an old man with stray strands of blond framing his face. The blond, who looked rather old and frail, had spit up blood that pooled onto the table. The green-haired boy, now that Sayuri had a better look, was rather-plain looking with a face that looked about the same age as her own. Her body betrayed her inner desire to flinch and moved on its own. She dropped her string back on the seat of her booth and grabbed her napkin.

She rushed over to the counter and grabbed a new fistful of napkins, quickly scuttling back to the pair. "Let me help you, sir!" Sayuri placed the napkins on the puddle of red, turning towards the old man. "Are you okay?"

The old man looked into her eyes, more blood promptly spilling from his mouth. Sayuri took a step back and sweat dropped. She turned her gaze to the freckle-faced boy who sat across from him, who was, unfortunately for Sayuri, also wearing a shocked pair of eyes. He flattened himself against the corner of the wall and the seat of his booth when the silver-eyed girl gave him a questioning look.

She let out a nervous laughter and folded her hands behind her back. "I should've asked to help first." Sayuri gave him a shallow yet steady bow, trying to keep a pleasant look on her face. "Sorry." She gave the old man an apologetic glance, getting a better look of his face.

Have I seen him somewhere before?

"I should be thanking you, young lady." The man took a dry napkin from the table and wiped the corners of his mouth. "No need to apologize."

Sayuri heard a blunt noise from under the table followed by a sharp yelp from the green-haired boy.

Ouch.

"Ow! Uh, I'm... Midoriya Izuku!" The boy's voice was high-pitched and lacked confidence. He twiddled his thumbs nervously and failed to meet the girl's eyes, the blush on his face deepening every second. Clearly, he didn't talk to girls other than his mother often.

"Hamasaki Sayuri, though you know that already." She held her hand out for a shake, hearing laughter coming from the man to her left. Izuku eventually shook her hand, Sayuri retracting with a smile. "It's nice to meet you, Midoryia-Kun," she turned her head. "Sir."

"You, uh, you too, Hamasaki-chan!" The boy quickly looked away and sipped his coffee as a crutch, leaving the man across from him to continue the interaction.

"Same to you, Young Hamasaki." The blonde's voice had undertone of amusement, an otherwise tired mood saturating his words. "We have space for one more if you'd like to join us." He said this in an inviting manner, though his tone of voice contradicted the request.

Sayuri shook her head politely. "I'm waiting for a friend, actually. We're meeting up for the last time before our high school term starts."

"Sounds like fun," he mused. "If you don't mind answering, which high school will you be attending?" He put on a grandfather act. "You like look like a smart young lady."

"Oh! I'll be going to UA starting next week. Following my mom's path, I guess. Hah." She was caught off guard with the question, rubbing the back of her neck.

Sayuri heard a muffled high-pitched scream coming from Izuku, who was covering his face with his hands.

Oh my god, he's precious.

"Young Midoriya will be attending UA this year as well," he explained. Izuku's display of embarrassment continued. Sayuri thought she heard a nononononononono before he started to wave his hands in front of his face.

Silver eyes widened with surprise. "That's great!" She tilted her head to the side, attempting to meet eyes with Izuku. "Do you know what class you'll be in yet?"

Midoriya lowered his hands into fists that he placed below his chin. "Class, uh, 1-A."

Make that three.

Sayuri clapped her hands together. "We're going to be in the same class then!"

Izuku propped himself up, his emerald eyes abruptly widening in surprise. "You're in Class A too?" When Sayuri nodded in response, Izuku's expression changed to pure excitement and he started to rapidly mumble. His vowels and consonants formed nothing but gibberish This was apparently a common occurrence, seeing as the man across from Izuku sighed and rubbed his forehead. The only words Sayuri caught were quirk, friendship and hero.

He's too precious for his own good.

"We could be friends."

"No! I mean- yes! Wait, really?" He handed Sayuri his phone as if it were the Holy Grail, an action which made her chuckle. She typed her contact into Midoriya's phone and handed it back to him, taking note of the silver logo on the back.

The slight bounce of a spiky black ponytail caught her eye outside. "It was nice to meet you both. My friend's here. See you at UA, Midoriya-kun." Sayuri gave him a two-fingered wave before she sat back down at the booth, sipping her Frappuccino and turning on her laptop. All she heard was nervous laughter and a slap on the back of a head in response.

Two ouchies.

Momo had sat down with her coffee across from Sayuri while she whizzed away on her laptop. Yaoyorozu was reading an edition of Heroic Weapons of the Modern Century by Hamasaki Haru. Sayuri had been rapidly searching through files. Their meeting had starting with some normal confidential girl talk.

That turned to talking about their parents.

That turned to talking about what her father did.

That turned to talking about her father.

That turned to talking about the weapons her father made.

That turned to talking about the book that Yaoyorozu had.

That turned to talking about the weapons he made for Sayuri.

Momo's had eyes lit up about the topic, curious about what sort of engineering went into the devices.

It's fitting for her, I guess.

"Found it." Sayuri tapped the screen a few times and entered another line of text, pulling what looked like a small flash drive from the side of her laptop. When Sayuri pressed down on the top of the chip, a holographic blueprint of her weapon flickered to life.

Yaoyorozu tightened her ponytail and stared in amazement. "I can't believe your old man hasn't released that to the public yet. Anyway," she narrowed her eyes at the labels on the hologram. That's some pretty advanced engineering you've got there. The fact that he added factors in for wind resistance and your grip is even more unbelievable. The number of components in that tool is almost incalculable. Your dad is incredible, Sayuri."

Thanks.

"Do you think that you can still make it with your quirk?" Sayuri moved her drink out of the way. The Frappuccino was perfect. It gave off enough of a coffee vibe without actually having any coffee. If that makes any sense.

"I think so."

"You shouldn't really do it out in public," Sayuri tapped a few keys on her laptop. The hologram disappeared. "If you place your right thumb on the top, it'll allow you to power the chip. It's only linked to that specific weapon file right now, but I could send you other prototypes later."

Momo pressed her thumb down on the chip, a small vibration and a flash of blue confirming the electronic contract. She picked up the chip with her two fingers and zipped it into a side compartment of her purse. "You're just as much of a nerd as your dad." She gave her silver-eyed friend a grin, watching her suck her third Frappuccino dry. Sayuri flicked the lid of her laptop down, stuffing it into her bag. "Won't your mom yell at you for having that much?"

"Personal cheat day." Sayuri smirked and flicked down her sunglasses. "And no, I'm really not. He just taught me some basic electronic engineering and coding techniques that you can learn pretty much anywhere. Everything else is just him telling me what to do."

"You're quite educated, huh?" Yaoyorozu took the empty cup from Sayuri's hands and tossed it along with her own into the trash. "Promise me you'll ask for him to teach me some magic too?"

"Promise. And you're one to talk." The pair of girls grabbed their things and playfully nudged each other as they left the shop. When they stepped out into the April air, goodbyes and see-you-soons were given- as well as a hug.

Because everybody needs a hug once in a while.

"See you in class!" Yaoyorozu reached her hand up as far as it would go in order to wave, a smile unable to leave her face.

"Cya next week Momo." Sayuri spun on her heel, unable to hide her own joy. She began her walk back to the estate.

School starts in a week.

Will I be number one?

…

Of course.

The seemingly millionth pole that Sayuri leaped over had almost cracked open her skull while she was lying down. The trampoline section of Room B wasn't for playing popcorn at summer camp with your group of friends. It worked like a simulation for projectile attacks. All of the walls in the partitioned off area had been programmed to shoot out metal poles that were two inches in diameter at a high speed and rate. If it weren't for the trampoline floor, she would've been creamed corn on the Thanksgiving table.

Her ears caught the faint whirring sound of the machines to her lower left, propelling herself into a loose back-flip a second before the metal shot out. She had nervous energy that needed to be burned before bed. Sayuri had spent the last week pushing herself to the limit academically and physically to prepare herself. She was well aware that UA wasn't going to give her hugs and say that it would be okay. They would kick when you were down, slap you across the face and tell you that you did terribly.

Reminds me of Mom.

Sayuri leapt over a wave poles that had covered half of the floor, bringing her legs to her chest to dodge another line that had shot out after she moved. The machine had successfully predicted her movements. Her father had made them to predict which way she would try and evade attacks in the real world. Motion sensors probably weren't out of the equation either. He had done it well, seeing as Sayuri had almost been put on a kebab multiple times during the session.

"Simulation over."

She collapsed onto the floor, wiping the glistening layer of sweat with the back of her palm from her forehead. Trying to not be skewered on a trampoline for ten minutes was harder than it looked. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly, her lungs fighting to fill with oxygen. She slowly climbed to back to her feet, her legs screaming at the brain to sit back down. Sayuri walked out of the death chamber and shuffled across the floor to her slippers.

They'll definitely have food at the cafeteria there, but I think something from home would be better. Hardly picking up her feet, Sayuri made her way to the elevator after passing through Chamber Zero. Despite her legs feeling like dead-weight, she managed to stay standing. It's supposed to be a school that balances hero courses and the normal academic curriculum. I wonder if exams and midterms will be the same as the ones I get assigned here.

The elevator let out a ring. Sayuri had tuned out the narration protocol automatically, stifling a yawn when she landed at the second floor to check into the kitchens. The chefs would give her cooking lessons on occasion, but she still had a long way to go before she could master the culinary arts. Kitchen staff absolutely refused to let her into the kitchens unless she was utterly scrubbed down; which of course, she wasn't. A massive metal door stood in her way.

Sayuri tapped the Morse code for "lily" with her knuckles and waited for one of the kitchen staff to open the window, playing with a scrunchie around her wrist. She heard extremely loud yelling, followed by the sound of a poor fellow being smacked with a pan and a sharp yelp. Passionate people, they were.

"Estaba a punto de tirar mi zapato a ese hombre!" One of the newer recruits to the staff slid open the window with a force that would've rivaled All Might's.

She was... about to throw a shoe? Sayuri racked her brain, her last Spanish class being a few days ago.

She looked at Sayuri's face, blinked, then abruptly bowed. "Oh, lo siento señorita! ¿Como puedo ayudarte?"

Sayuri didn't know the chef's name, though the maids had gossiped about the new recruit. From what she had heard, the girl was apparently a teenage daughter of Spanish ancestry, though she had lived in Japan. Her relatives were killed in some sort of hero accident a few months ago. Kettei had allegedly saved the girl from a collapsing building by animating the debris into flying away. Somehow, the topic of their future came to them. The young girl, not being fluent in Japanese, had only said three words. "I can cook."

She couldn't just cook. That girl could cook. Like, cook cook.

A classic Spanish dish of paella was served to Sayuri one day while her parents were out on their anniversary. She was skeptical at first- her diet being primarily food from Asia and only occasionally foreign cuisine. She thought katsudon and stir fries were unrivaled for the top spot on her list of favorite foods.

Then she had paella.

Now it's a list of three.

Thank you, Spaniards.

Sayuri slid the scrunchie back on her wrist. "¿Puedo hablar con el jefe de cocina?"

The woman adjusted her hair net. "Por supuesto, señorita!" She slid the window closed.

Sayuri heard footsteps.

Yelling.

Arguing.

A scream.

A shoe being thrown.

Another frying pan?

Footsteps approaching the door.

The metal slid open.

"The future #1 Hero is blessing me with her presence. I think that I'm going to faint!"

To prove his point, the chef fell over.

She heard more shouting.

No frying pans. Thankfully.

What a spirit.

A giggle escaped Sayuri's chest. Shein was the head chef in their house. She didn't know how he could cook. Or be allowed hold a knife. The man-child was the spirit of the kitchen. His quirk has enhanced his sense of smell to an untold level. Sayuri would hate to have his quirk in the kitchen. If anything spoiled, he'd be smelling every detail of it. Or if anybody passed gas after a bad day on the track.

No quirk is perfect.

"Is a massive bowl of katsudon on the menu of possibilities for tomorrow?"

Shein tapped on his watch. "How big we talkin' here, little miss?"

"Bigger than my muscles."

"I thought you were going to say something else for a second."

"I don't have a penis."

"You sure?"

"Last time I checked, yeah."

"You're funny today."

"I'm tired."

"Me too."

"Katsudon in one of dad's special bowls?"

"Sure."

"You're the man."

"I've always been the man."

"Mmm-hmm."

"That didn't sound very reassuring."

"Wasn't supposed to."

"You're going to make me cry."

"Use 'em as seasoning. Imma go hit the hay."

"I hope it hits you back." Shein stuck his tongue out the window.

Sayuri stuck hers out before he closed it. She grinned and turned around to walk back up to her room.

A mother blocked her way.

The brunette's smile twitched. Just in time to ruin the fun again, huh Mom?

Kettei raised an eyebrow. "Poles."

"Yep." Sayuri bit the inside of her cheek.

"Lunch?"

"Just did it."

"Shower?"

"Morning."

Despite the sizzles and noises from the kitchen, the crackles from the fireplace and the wind howling outside- it was silent between the ones with silver eyes. Sayuri hung her head. It felt like she could never make her mother smile. Could never make her proud. Obviously, when your mother was a worldwide idol, she had seen more impressive things than a teenager girl whose eyes could change colors.

But did she really mean that little to her?

Would she never get the chance to pretend like quirks didn't exist?

A piggyback ride on the beach?

A picnic outside?

A day where she would be picked up, spun around and be told that she did a great job on her test?

The mother-daughter pair finally met eyes.

Eyes that had been passed down since the beginning of quirks.

Eyes that carried a locked away desire.

Reputation.

Power.

Pride.

Pain.

Quirks that had always been special.

Why do you want to be a hero?

To prove everyone wrong.

What do you have to prove?

Your quirk doesn't have to be pretty. It doesn't have to be one from the comic books. Your quirk doesn't have to be physical. People need a new symbol of peace.

Are you saying that just because you're a mutant freak?

…

How shallow.

Kettei pulled her daughter into a hug. She rested her chin on top of the head of brown hair. "Are you sure you're okay for school?"

Sayuri closed her eyes and bit back her tongue. "As much as I'll ever be, I guess. Probably just the first day jitters. It'll be alright."

Kettei pulled their foreheads together. Sayuri opened her eyes. "Go and show 'em who you are. You're strong. Kind. Beautiful. Let everybody see the side of you that they don't see in a picture."

They took their right hands and clasped them together under their faces. "I'll try." She swallowed hard.

The Animator's face grew a contagious grin. "What will you be?"

"Number one." The glow had returned to the teenager's face. The sparkle came back to her eyes.

"Where will you be?"

"At the top."

"How will you get there?"

"Flawlessly."

"When will you get there?"

"Immediately."

They smirked at one another.

"Go get in bed before you wake up dead."

"Got it, mom."

"Kick some ass for me."

"Aye!" Sayuri dashed up the staircase, a different type of smile on her face. The idea of school terrified her. A class with twenty other people who shared the exact same dream. An entire school with the same dream. Billions with the same dream.

And the whole world was watching.

Kettei leaned against the wall, pinching the skin between her eyebrows between her middle finger and thumb. I leave her with you, Toshinori. Shota. I'm no teacher.

The mental picture of her daughter fighting with teachers and students made the hero chuckle.

Good luck, UA. You're going to need it.

The wristwatch on her right arm flashed a bright scarlet.

The hero tightened her ponytail.

Sayuri turned around to inspect the uniform that she wore. The skirt wouldn't be a problem since she was wearing a pair of shorts underneath made of a black material that was similar to a normal pair of leggings. She checked, therefore confirming that the wind wouldn't be a problem.

One potential disaster avoided.

She effortlessly tied the knot on her tie and pulled the jacket on over her shoulders. The ensemble of gray, white, red and teal was a perfect fit. Sayuri wasn't a fan of the tall black socks. The shoes weren't all that appealing to her either. Overall, it was okay with her. It was a school uniform, not a prom dress.

At least it doesn't have a hat.

But something was still wrong. It wasn't the straightened hair, the wrinkle-free uniform, the polished shoes or the sandalwood perfume.

She itched her temple and leaned in closer to the mirror, her eyes moving to the studs on her ears when her hand was moved. The shuriken earrings didn't match the vibe she was going for. The Fashionista Instinct went into full drive while she unscrewed the backs. Complimenting accessories. Complimenting accessories. Complimenting accessories.

The girl tore open a drawer next to the mirror and maniacally grinned.

Found you, little ones.

Her watch let out a split second of static before a hologram popped up that had almost made her leak. A simple two letter message in massive letters:

Hurry up.

Oops.

Sayuri pushed the backs onto the earrings and tapped the screen of the watch to turn it off. She took one last glance in the mirror and dashed out of the closet, grabbing her backpack mid stride and her phone from the charger. The door of her room closed behind her automatically as she began the mad dash down the corridor. Two sets of spiral staircases were at each end on the fourth floor which merged into the grand set of stairs, which lead to the ground level. Sayuri jumped off at the second floor to the kitchens, thankful that she didn't truck over a maid with the amount of speed she was running with.

She skidded to a halt in front of the kitchen doors and walked to the side of the wall. The compartment labeled "Sayuri" held her lunchbox and a thermos. She quickly stuffed the items into her bag along with her books and ran back for the entrance. There was no danger of being late, but Sayuri wanted enough time to walk at her own pace outside.

The railing was shiny. Smooth.

In other words, it was a slide.

She swung her backpack over her shoulder and jumped on an angle, being sure to not overshoot or undershoot the rail. Her buttocks landed with precision and she began her speedy descent down the Hamasaki Estate. The railing stretched beyond the stairs, allowing her to jump off without taking a tumble. A familiar figure stood a few feet away, Sayuri running and leaping into his arms.

"You have too much energy in the morning." Haru went with the spin and set his daughter down, booping her nose.

"Better than no energy." She moved the index finger of the robotic arm off of her face and inspected it. "New model?" Sayuri narrowed her eyes.

He nodded and turned the arm over, allowing his daughter to inspect it. "It's an updated one I'm releasing to the hospitals in Japan. Of course, it doesn't have all the luxuries of the home tech, but it's the most versatile one out there." Haru watched as his daughter inspected it further. Though it had been clear to him that she would become absorbed into the hero world, he couldn't help but smile at the fact that Sayuri had inherited his talent in technology. It made him feel soft and fuzzy inside. He cleared his throat and moved the prosthetic away. "Don't you have school?"

"Yeah, I didn't forget." She took the sunglasses out of the front pocket of her backpack and pushed them onto her nose. "Do you know where Mom is?"

"Work. Her agency is rather restless at the moment." Haru couldn't hide his own smile.

"A new wave of sidekicks?"

He raised an eyebrow. His crow's feet began to crease around his eyes.

Sayuri's eyes widened from behind the shades. "No way."

"Yes way."

"She finally did it?"

"She finally did it."

"MOM FINALLY BEAT THAT SCUMBAG?" She nearly choked on her on spit.

"She finally beat that scumbag." Haru shoved a magazine from his back pocket onto Sayuri's chest. "Get to school."

She bolted out the front door and attempted to read the magazine while she ran, her hands shaking. "SORRY! LOVE YOU!" Her heart drummed in her chest. Did Mom finally win?

He flexed his artificial limb and rubbed the corner of his eye, attempting to prevent a tear. His wife and daughter were the strongest women in his life. Haru couldn't help but be proud. Their quirks weren't the only strong part of them. He turned around and lifted his gaze to the cherry blossom tree with a very distinct scorch mark engraved in the trunk.

"Get down."

"No. Pops told me to fix it!"

"It's not your job to fix that."

"He told me to."

"And I'm telling you to stop."

"No."

The elevator shaft stretched into the darkness below the pre-teen. Kettei had finally caught the teen at the roof when the elevator had failed to respond to the remote. She had known damn well that, in fact, Haru had not told her to fix the elevator. He didn't even know that it broke.

Sayuri was trying to fix it on her own.

"Three seconds."

"Three seconds my ass." Sayuri was trying to control the flow of electrical current between the piece that controlled the sensors and the command center for the security system. It had somehow gone haywire from outside interference, meaning that one of the electricians had gone snooping and the system had snapped.

"I'm pulling you out."

"Don't-"

Kettei jerked her head to the side. Sayuri came flying out of the shaft, a metal device in her right hand.

The device was a custom-made conductor.

ZZZZZZAP!

In a split second, Kettei had pulled her daughter down to the ground and forced the conductor out of her hand and into the air towards the side garden. A bolt of lightning surged over their heads towards the conductor. The number of volts released had overloaded the piece of technology. The bolt had pierced straight through the device and continued to a security camera suspended onto the tree. Thousands of volts rushed over their heads. The duo hugged each other tightly on the ground.

The system had taken a longer time to shut off the current automatically due to the sensors being overloaded. Both of them breathed a sigh of relief, a moment of calm that was shortly lived.

Keyword: Shortly.

They butted heads. "If you didn't pull me off, that would've never happened!" Sayuri clenched her teeth in attempt to bring thy wrath down.

Kettei pushed back. "It's not your job to fix anything. You could've fallen or been electrocuted!"

"Look where we are now! I almost got fish-fried because of you!" Sayuri growled, clenched her fists and continued to challenge her mother.

"You would've gotten fish-fried either way!" Furious silvers met with an equally fiery gaze.

"It's your fault!"

They refused to let the other one win.

Healthy competition was always a good thing.

The Hamasaki women took it to a whole other level.

If Kettei had reached another milestone in her career, Sayuri developed a new part of her quirk.

If Kettei had defeated a villain and made front cover, Sayuri would try and beat her in a quirk spar and go out for an interview about a hero lifestyle.

They didn't want to feel sub-par.

They didn't want to be looked down upon.

Kettei was the hero of today.

And Sayuri will be the hero of tomorrow.

Thousands, if not millions of people were reading the same words:

The Animator Ranked Above Endeavor in This Year's Hero Rankings!

Those words could only make one person happier than Sayuri. She rolled up the magazine and clenched it in her first, a cheerful yet determined look on her face. Since you just won, Mom, I'll be sure to win at something today, too. Just you wait. I'll make you proud.

She idly kicked a pebble where two sidewalks merged, rubbing her nose with her open hand. The incline to the top of the hill began where she stood. UA looked as grand as ever.

Sayuri's eyes could no longer gaze upon the great institution of learning, due to a fellow classmate tripping on the very pebble that had taken the force of her mighty kick.

Ultra-Instinct activate!

Sayuri's left hand slipped under the boy's collar and clenched the fabric into a fist, her right leg stretching out to stop him from falling on his face. It was now that she realized the matching uniforms, the ashy blonde hair, and the very irritated look that pierced her soul.

Different ways of opening the conversation ran through her head. If she started with "sorry", it would be obvious that she was the one to cause him to trip. At first glance, he seemed like quite a proud figure, so treating him like somebody who was injured would most likely offend him.

"Dealing with an ego is art. Submitting will make you seem weak in their eyes. Don't blame it on them, but make it passive aggressive. Never show weakness."

"Don't want to get your uniform dirty on the first day." Sayuri let go of his shirt and put her leg back to the ground, offering her classmate a tiny smile while still keeping her face concealed.

"I didn't need your fucking help." Crimson met silver in a curt manner. The blonde turned to give the brunette the cold shoulder as he started up the incline, his stride widening.

Sayuri's eyebrow twitched. She was too stubborn to let him feel like he won the exchange.

So, what did she do?

Follow him.

"Would a 'thanks' really hurt you?" She readjusted her backpack and moved the magazine to the other hand after taking her sunglasses off her nose.

"If I wanted a damn lecture, I would've asked my old woman." He once again attempted to gain space in front of Sayuri, to which she would only match his pace.

"Did you forget to take your vitamin gummies s'morning?" She closed her eyes and the wind blow on her face. "You seem cranky."

"And you can't mind your own shitty mouth. G-"

"I have the shitty mouth?" Sayuri refrained from making eye contact as they approached the gate. She lightly swayed side-to-side, finding the rather explosive entity next to her rather amusing.

"Don't fucking cut me off again." Bakugo marched ahead one last time. She didn't bother to follow suit this time, letting out a sigh. The result would be the same each time.

Sayuri stuck her card to the entrance scanner and walked through the gate. The shadow from the school casted a chill over everybody trying to enter, dropping the temperature by a few degrees. The April air cooled down even more around Sayuri when a certain somebody approached her left side.

"Hey." She passed through the doors into the building, her mind forming a map of the route she took to the classroom. Her gaze shifted behind her, meeting eyes with Todoroki.

"Hey." He matched speed with Sayuri after she stopped for him. They both started up the stairs at the same pace, finding comfort in each other's presence.

Sayuri put the sunglasses in the mini-purse she wore, realizing that she still held the magazine in her hand.

The magazine about her mother taking Endeavor's spot as #2.

Standing right next to Endeavor's son.

She could already see Todoroki looking at the magazine through her peripheral vision while she silently cursed herself.

Way to go, Yuri.

"Congratulations about that, by the way." Shoto lifted his eyes from Sayuri's hand to her face, a look which she did not match.

"Uh, thanks. And sorry. I shouldn't have had it out by you." She itched her temple and dropped it in a trashcan that they had passed by. The classroom door was approaching the pair steadily as they walked down the corridor.

"Don't worry about it. Yours deserves it more than mine." Sayuri looked at him with relief. The last thing she needed was a sever between their already fragile bond. Todoroki opened the door to 1-A and stepped in, the girl behind him shadowing his posture as if she were trying to hide. It almost made him crack a smile.

Only a few students dotted the seats in the room. Sayuri followed close behind Shoto, leaving the first impressions and introductions for later. The ash-blonde from before was seated on the right side of the room; both of them avoided eye contact though she could've sworn that her ears picked up on a grunt. She scanned the packages on the desks until she found the one with her name on it in the back of the room. Todoroki's was to her right and Yaoyorozu's was to her left. Her seat was #10.

Why there were 21 students in Class 1-A was a mystery to all. The desks were arranged in four rows of five with the first row having six. Somebody was the odd one out. The one that made everything uneven.

Sitting next to my friends in the back is something I can't complain about, though. Sayuri grinned and started to empty her books into the desk, zipping it closed when she was done and hanging it on the back of her seat. She took off her purse and shoved it inside along with her other materials, trying to keep her face, or rather her eyes, hidden from the curious gazes flying across the room. When she lifted her eyes up from her lap, an orange or yellow-haired kid (Sayuri couldn't tell which it was) had sat down at the desk with the package labeled Kaminari Denki.

When Momo walked into the room, fist bumps and giggles were shared before she sat down to Sayuri's left. The warm glow to her right remained constant throughout the short unguided period. He was silent the entire time, but she knew that there was more going on inside his head then what appeared to be.

A head of green hair caught her eye while she was fiddling on her watch. Midoriya excitedly waved to Sayuri; she replied with a tiny wave herself.

It finally seemed like everybody had settled down when Aizawa had walked into the room. Bloodshot eyes, a grumpy look and every reason to look the other way combined into one package. Sayuri liked to think of Eraserhead more like an assassin or vigilante than a hero who was out in broad daylight. He wasn't the most popular hero, but he was just as successful.

The yellow sleeping bag fell off from his shoulders. Shota stepped out of the bag, grabbed a stack of papers and straightened them on his podium. She could almost taste the bad breath from the back of the room.

Quite a role-model.

"Welcome to the Hero Course," he yawned. The stringy black hair fell back on the right side of his face.

Sayuri picked up a metallic scent from Aizawa's scarf that didn't really look like a scarf- more like a weapon.

"There's a package on your desk with your gym uniforms in them. Put them on and meet me outside." He met eyes with every student in the room (Sayuri could've sworn that he looked at her the longest) as if he was daring one of them to say something.

Some poor soul in the front row raised his hand solemnly. "Excuse me, Aizawa-Sensei!"

She wanted to laugh at the way Aizawa looked at the kid. It was a mix of are you kidding me and I hate my job. "What is it?"

The blue-haired stood up stiffly and saluted. "Aizawa-sensei! There was supposed to be a class orientation in the auditorium at this time!"

"And I'm telling you to put your uniforms on and go outside. Do you have a problem with my teaching?"

The kid in seat #1 seemed slightly taken aback. "No, Sensei!"

He adjusted the scarf around his neck. Sayuri watched his movements carefully over the head of Kaminari. Aizawa grabbed a stack of files from his desk and a device that looked like a cross between a tablet and a walkie-talkie. A grin spread across her features.

A quirk test.

And the device was one of her father's SSMT.13 models. Strength and Speed Measurement Tool; Edition 13.

"Then get a move on, all of you."

This is going to be fun.

Author's Note

I'm sooooooo sorry for the late update. Life decided to sock me in the face this week. Things were too crazy at home in order for me to finish the chapter in time. I didn't want it to be a short update or feel super rushed. Again, I apologize.

I looked at my traffic graph the other day and noticed that I had quite a few Spanish viewers. Gold stars for all of you! (ღ˘⌣˘ღ)

Future warning about language, minor content and slightly suggestive teenagers. COuGhMiNeTaKaMiNaRiCoUgH.

More teenage shenanigans are on their way!

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