It was about two and a half weeks into the school year when the new student arrived.
Hirokazu Tanaka looked up from his desk. The new student was scrawling something on the board in shaky Japanese: "Name: Edward Hughes; Quirk: Transmutation." He then turned toward Mr. Todoroki, nodded briefly, and meandered toward the back of the class and the singular empty seat- one right next to Tanaka. During this, he muttered to himself to keep a shaky smile on his face, and Tanaka also noticed that this newcomer wore thick leather gloves: not a standard part of the school uniform. He was also occasionally checking the gloves nervously. When Hughes finally sat down, he pulled out a thick tome, with a title in both English and Japanese: Total Japanese Fluency in Twelve Books, Volume Eight.
Tanaka stared at this newcomer for a moment, as did the rest of Class 1A. Hughes paid none of the class any attention, it seemed, and Tanaka eventually redirected his attention away from Hughes- a strange student with long, blue hair- although his curiosity had been piqued.
After half an hour, the new student got up again. Tanaka immediately began looking around. The student walked up to Mr. Todoroki and seemed to quickly ask some questions. Tanaka only caught a few phrases: "hero costume," "support course," "overheating problem," "incompetent." Then, Edward Hughes walked out of the classroom and didn't come back until just before lunch.
Edward Hughes entered the cafeteria with a goal in mind: chat with everyone in 1-A for even a moment. He had the seating chart for the class folded in his pocket and burned into his mind, and after quickly picking up and devouring a bowl of ramen noodles, he went around to introduce himself to his classmates.
Seat 1: Kira Kowarenai
Quirk: Invulnerability
"Hi there," Edward said, sliding into the seat next to Kira.
"Hi," Kira responded, trying her best to give a kind smile. "So, what's your Quirk do?"
"Nothing too special. Without support items, I can't do anything much unless I'm willing to cause collateral damage. Also, sometimes it goes off without me wanting it to."
"Sounds strong, if it's so hard to control. I might want to challenge you to something sometime."
"Sure. Just one thing before I go."
"What?"
"Can I try some of your lunch?"
Seat 2: Yusuke Yoroihi
Quirk: Investiture
Edward sat down near Yusuke Yoroihi and asked a simple question. "So, I read about your Quirk. It sounds cool. What's it do?"
"I can surround myself with fire, ice, stone, or wind, like a thick armor. Each one also has some powerful effects."
"Awesome!"
Yusuke cocked his head. "You have a strange definition of awesome."
"I get that a lot. Anyway, one last question before I go."
"What?"
"Can I try some of your lunch?"
Seat 3: Rin Gomu
Quirk: Mutable Form
Rin saw Edward walking over and immediately twisted his neck around and gave an intimidating glare. "Go away."
Unshaken, Edward sat down. "I just wanted to say hi."
"You just did. Now go away." Rin's neck returned to its normal length and position.
"Sure, just a question first."
"Buzz off."
"Can I try some of your lunch?"
Seat 4: Erika Saboten
Quirk: Cactus
Edward approached Erika, who was just sitting there with a very small lunch. "Hi there," he said. Erika didn't respond.
"Kinda shy?"
Erika nodded.
"Don't worry. I just wanted to get to know the class. Just a quick question. Can I try some of your lunch?"
Seat 5: Subaru Rerurashi
Quirk: Finger Guns
As Edward Hughes approached, Subaru reached out first. "Hey man! What's going on?"
"Not much. I'm just trying to get to know the class."
"Good idea! Just steer clear of a couple of class members. They can be kind of aggressive."
"I know. I already dealt with Gomu."
"Oh boy."
"Yeah, I know. I just need to chat with the rest of the class, so I'll get going. But first, I've got a question."
"Shoot."
"Can I try some of your lunch?"
Seat 6: Rokuro Nagerupoto
Quirk: Toss n' Teleport
Edward sat down next to Rokuro and gave a grin. "Hello there!"
"Hi… I guess."
"Hey, no need to be so nervous! I just want to talk real quick."
"Sorry… not really in the mood right now."
"Sorry to hear that. Maybe you'll open up later. Meanwhile, I just have one question."
"Huh? What is it?"
"Can I try some of your lunch?"
Seat 7: Akihiko Yurei
Quirk: Phantom
Edward sat down quickly: he found something about this person to be unnerving. "Hello."
"Hi. I guessed you would come here next."
"How?"
"Well, you were running through the list verbatim and in order, and I was next on the list. Therefore, I was the obvious next choice."
"Wow, you're clever!"
"Please, just let me be."
"I've got a question first."
"Sheesh."
"Can I try some of your lunch?"
Seat 8: Hirokazu Tanaka
Quirk: Chest Speaker
"Hi!" Edward sat down quickly and pulled his gloves back to keep them on.
"Hello. Um, I'm sorry, but I've got some questions."
"I appreciate your sincerity. Go ahead, make my day!"
"Okay, um, what's with your gloves?"
"Oh, dear. Sorry, I'm not necessarily up for talking about that."
"I'm just worried. You seem nervous, and I don't want to see the new kid worried. Plus, I've got a lot of questions about your Quirk."
"Okay. I suppose keeping secrets is pretty bad for my mental health anyway." Edward pulled his gloves off one by one, shaking nervously, and laid his hands palms-up on the table. His hands were marked by a bright red circle, with three equilateral triangles arranged in a larger triangle within the circle. The point of the triangle pointed toward Edward's wrists, and in the center of each triangle was an ouroboros- a dragon eating its tail- facing out towards the outsides of his palms.
Tanaka gave a short gasp. "What the hell are those?"
"Sorry. This is the way my Quirk is even mildly useful- Channeling. It's an alchemical thing I got from an old mentor back in San Francisco. I got these five years ago, and they let me transmute from a distance as opposed to having to sandwich it within my palms. My mentor gave me a text that gave me the ability to sketch the Channeling lines for my particular Quirk. However, that's where the problems began.
"Have you ever gotten mugged? It's not the most enjoyable experience. A couple of days after I inscribed the lines, I wandered off by mistake on one of my evening jogs and unintentionally ran into a bad neighborhood. I got stopped by a couple of thugs, and during the turmoil the situation brought, my newly-Channeled Quirk went off and turned their clothes into shackles. That's when I learned that I've gotta keep up an upbeat attitude or else stuff's going to transmute itself.
"Yeah, I started taking hero-training electives thinking that the upgrade would make me somewhat competent, but the teachers in LA were incompetent. They didn't know how to deal with strange Quirks like this, and so I couldn't get it under control. So, when I heard UA had an open slot for an exchange student, I jumped at the opportunity. So, yeah."
Tanaka's jaw dropped. After a few moments of stunned silence, he was able to ask, "Seriously?"
Edward pulled his gloves back on. "Yeah. Look, I'd love to talk longer, but I've got eleven more classmates to meet. One more question, though."
"What is it?"
"May I try some of your lunch?"
Seat 9: Haruka Uebuneshisu
Quirk: Grapple
"Hey there." Edward slid into the seat next to Haruka.
"Hiya!"
"Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meetcha, too!"
"So, what's your Quirk do?"
"I've got these amazing, nearly invincible strings I can fire out of my knuckles and then control later through telekinesis."
"Interesting."
"Thanks a million!"
"Anyway, I've gotta run. Just one more question before I do, though."
"Yeah?"
"Can I try some of your lunch?"
Seat 10: Ryu Waikeringu
Quirk: Wyvern
"Hey there!"
"What are you doing?"
Edward sat down. "I'm trying to get to know the whole class. That's a cool Quirk you've got there- could you explain what it does?"
"I'm effectively just a miniature Western dragon on two legs. There isn't much to explain."
"Come on, it's interesting!"
"It's just a Mutant-class Quirk."
"Look, I'll steer the discussion in another direction. Can I try some of your lunch?"
Seat 11: Miyako Saitama
Quirk: Ultra Rush
Edward Hughes sat himself down next to Miyako. "Hey there!"
"Hi! I saw you talk to everyone else. I overheard some of your conversations. You seem pretty strong. I'll be up for a quick fight if you wanna!"
"No thanks. I'm just here to get to know the class. I mean, you do seem like a fun rival, but for now, I'll just have a short chat."
"Okay. What about?"
Edward looked up at the clock. "Sorry, I've got to meet everyone else. I'll see you later. But first, I've got a question."
"What's the question?"
"Can I try some of your lunch?"
Seat 12: Shouhei Seigeneta
Quirk: Broken Limiter
Edward pulled over and sat down next to Shouhei. "Hello there."
"Hi! I'm pumped up meeting you!"
"Glad to hear it!"
"Yeah, thanks. What's your Quirk do?"
"You read the board, didn't you? It lets me alter things at the molecular level."
"Wow! I'm pumped to test it out later!"
"Thanks. Anyway, I'd just like to ask a question before I go."
"Yeah?"
"Can I try some of your lunch?"
Seat 14: Heizu Kangae
Quirk: Haze
Edward jogged over and sat down. "Hey there!"
Heizu looked over. "Huh?"
"Sorry to bother you. I've just got a couple of questions to ask."
"Oh? Sure."
"All right, how would you explain your Quirk?"
"Ah, yeah. Well, it both lets me create a dark mist that only I can see through and that slows movement, and I can make it so people have slower reaction times and fuzzier thought processes."
"Yeah, that is an interesting Quirk. Sorry, I've got to introduce myself to the other students, but first, I have one more question for you."
"Okay, uh, go ahead, then."
"Can I try some of your lunch?"
Seat 15: Masuyo Nebaneba
Quirk: Sticky
Intentionally avoiding touching Nebabeba, Edward slid into the seat next to her. "Hi, there!"
"Hello." Nebaneba didn't look up and kept her eyes closed.
"What's up?"
"Not much. I'm sorry, I just don't feel like talking right now."
"I understand. I just want to ask a question."
"What is it?"
"Can I try some of your lunch?"
Seat 16: Saori Mizuneshisu
Quirk: Liquid Control
Edward Hughes walked over and saw Saori causing a small whirlpool in her glass of water. "Hi there."
She looked up. "Hello."
"That's an interesting Quirk you've got there."
"I know, right? I get that a lot."
"Yeah, I guess you would. I'm just here to get to know the whole class."
"No worries. Hey, look at this!" The water in the cup shot upward, briefly shaped itself into a humanoid shape, did a small dance in midair, and dropped back into the glass.
"That's interesting, but I need to chat with the rest of the class. I just have one question before I go."
"What?"
"Can I try some of your lunch?"
Seat 17: Ichiro Kaminari
Quirk: Chargers
Ichiro Kaminari was screwing around with an iPhone charger that was sticking out of his elbow as Edward Hughes walked up. Noticing the intrusion, he quickly retracted the charger and gave a quick greeting.
"Hi there," Hughes responded. "What's up?"
"I'm just eating."
"Makes sense. Hey, you seem kind of young to be at UA."
"That's 'cause I'm a prodigy should I not shock my brain into oblivion through overuse of my Quirk. After all, my parents are pros."
"Hey, that's pretty interesting! Now, I've got a question for you before I split."
"Yeah?"
"Can I try some of your lunch?"
Seat 18: Riku Tenki
Quirk: Forecast
Edward slid into the seat next to Riku and said hello. Immediately, Riku began to fix his hair.
"Sorry, I'm such a mess."
"No need to apologize. I'm just here to get to know the class."
"I get that, it's just that I'm sorry for being so unpresentable."
"You're fine. Anyways, I've got a question before I go."
"What?"
"Can I try some of your lunch?"
Seat 19: Kuro Kisetsu
Quirk: Allergies
Edward sat himself down next to Kuro and began fidgeting with his gloves.
"What do you want?" Kuro asked.
"I just want to say hi."
"Yeah. Nice to meet you too."
"Thanks."
"No worries."
"Oh, one more question."
"What?"
"Can I try some of your lunch?"
Seat 20: Chihiro Kyorishu
Quirk: Distance Dilation
Edward Hughes approached and immediately felt miles away. "Wait, what?"
"Sorry, I just want to be left alone."
"Sure thing. Sorry I bothered you. Just one question."
"What?"
"Can I try some of your lunch?"
Knowing he had introduced himself to the rest of 1-A, Edward started back toward class. He wasn't planning on being late. Then, on the walk back, he ran straight into someone from 1-B.