Note: This chapter is a bit shorter than the others. I decided to split it in two.

Chapter 7: Disappointment Part 1

It was difficult for some to say goodbye to Aldera Junior High. They were moving on to new schools. Not everyone had gotten into their preferred school, friends were split from each other, and students that knew each other for years were suddenly split. Izuku didn't mind leaving, and he doubted that Hitoshi did either. There were no tearful farewells for them, no promises to stay in touch. They were both going to UA. Even if they weren't in the same course, surely it wouldn't separate them that much, could it?

At least, that's what Midoriya had expected. It was disconcerting to him how little he saw Hitoshi during their two week break before starting at UA. It was a small comfort knowing that Toshinori was training his friend when the two week break they would normally spend together was instead spent texting each other as Hitoshi ran himself ragged preparing for yet another exam that was still months away. What time he did spend with his friend was almost as worse than not spending time with him. He had spent years analyzing quirks, but now Hitoshi seemed to be trying to make up for lost time, dragging him to the library and taking out new books every day.

Izuku was nearly green thinking about the sheer amount of reading his friend was doing. He vaguely wondered if the people he studied would have felt the same way about him if they ever found out about his little obsession. Except he doubted he'd studied one hero to the exclusionary level Hitoshi had been studying him, save maybe All Might. When he'd visited he listened to Hitoshi mumble-read his way through a book about quirks appearing at abnormal times, usually earlier than later it turned out; and then another book about self-destructive quirks. It had been fascinating and almost disturbing, hearing about the different drawbacks people suffered. Children burning themselves because they could create fire, but couldn't control it and weren't immune to it. One poor soul had acidic blood, again with no immunity. They had to live with quirk cancelling gauntlets or their own internal organs would dissolve. Hitoshi's voice grew detached and almost clinical as he went through cases, finding nothing quite like his. It was almost a relief when the book was put aside as interesting but useless and Hitoshi rubbed his eyes.

It would have been a relief if Hitoshi hadn't grunted and picked up the Heroes Book of First Aid instead of picking up a controller the controller he'd been offered. Izuku tried to drone Hitoshi out as he murmured about identifying and setting broken bones.

Hitoshi couldn't help but feel weird when he opened the door to see Izuku waiting for him. For years it had been the other way around. During their time together at Aldera Izuku had lived closer. It was only natural to Hitoshi that he'd meet him while heading to school, but UA lay in the opposite direction. Getting a few extra minutes of shut eye would be nice though. He'd need them with all the late night reading he'd been doing, but it still felt weird.

Izuku seemed to be vibrating with energy, something that Hitoshi supposed he couldn't be surprised by. Their first day in UA, Izuku's first day in the Hero course… and his own first day in general studies. He grinned and bore it, listening to Izuku's excited babbling all the way to the absurdly large door to the hero course. And there they hesitated. Izuku fell silent, staring at it for a few second before glancing at him and offering him a weak smile. Hitoshi smirked and nodded towards the door, "It's not gonna open itself."

Izuku offered him a weak nod in return, "Hitoshi…"

"I'll see you after class. We'll walk home together." His voice didn't quaver. It wasn't easy, but he held it at a steady even tone. Years of practice, partly from a book Izuku had given him, "Go on. I gotta get to my own class, right?"

Izuku nodded slowly, "Right." Hitoshi forced a smile and started heading to 1-C when Bakugo's voice spilled into the hall. It was like being socked in the gut. He couldn't help his hands curling into fists as he looked back at the door, watching Izuku just… standing there, his body rising and falling in an exaggerated sigh. He could read the disappointment in Izuku's expression; he'd be stuck with Bakugo for another three years with Bakugo. Alone. He wouldn't be there to intervene. Hitoshi's jaw worked noiselessly.

And then Izuku jerked back as another more officious voice came from inside. "My name is Tenya Iida-" Izuku tried and failed to stop the apparently unnecessary introduction, looking more flustered than anything. Hitoshi stood silently, trying to catch more of the one sided conversation. He'd be late, he'd make a bad impression, he may even get in trouble, but hearing someone besides Bakugo talking to his friend was a balm on his nerves. Then the still unseen student started spouting off nonsense about Izuku knowing about secret qualifiers for the exam and Izuku being a far superior student. Izuku shot him a look that screamed he was being talked at by a crazy person and Hitoshi managed a real smile for the first time that day.

"Hey!" Hitoshi leaned over as he saw the brown haired girl they'd met before the exam, the same one he'd seen when Izuku finally played his acceptance letter for him, approaching, "I recognize that messed up hair! Falling boy!"

For his part Izuku had practically jumped at the sound, wheeling to find her behind him. Hitoshi watched as she began talking about his heroics during the exam and knew, in the depths of his soul, that he would never forgive himself for not taking a picture of Izuku's face during the exchange. He couldn't stop himself from chuckling, but that was all it took for him to grab her attention and save his friend from death by embarrassment. She smiled at him warmly, "Oh! You got in too?"

The sweet smile on her face was innocent, but her words drove a dagger into both of their hearts. Hitoshi's good humor vanished and he ducked his head, "I… got into 1-C. I was just walking him to class."

"Oh." There was an intense awkwardness, her smile turning brittle before returning swiftly to Izuku who looked just as crestfallen. She couldn't help but look chagrinned at that point, turning to him briefly, scratching the back of her head, "S-Sorry."

"It's fine." He lied, and then shot a meaningful look at Izuku, "Words Midoriya." Izuku blinked and Hitoshi managed to force a smile again, "See you after class!"

Izuku watched Hitoshi take off for class 1-C in a dead run. He'd be late at this point. In fact they should already be in their seats here, but the girl was there in front of him, awkwardly trying to make up for putting Hitoshi on the spot. "Uh-" He stumbled in thought, "Maybe we should go inside?"

The girl nodded stiffly, "Right. We should get in before the teacher arrives."

"Too late for that." A bored voice called from behind her, and Izuku's eyes widened as he saw the enveloping yellow bag lying on the floor. The girl had practically jumped at the sound, whirling to face it. "Welcome to UA's hero course."

Hitoshi ran down the hall, fists clenched. He tried to ignore the bitter taste in his mouth. The look on her face, the look on Izuku's face, hearing Bakugo, running from the class he wanted to be in, that he had trained to be in, that he had failed to get into, he couldn't recall being angry like this. And on top of it all he was going to get in last. He knew he was going to be last, and then he'd be in trouble because nothing was going right for him. He wanted to shout, to punch a wall… he wanted to spend today with Midoriya. He shut his eyes before bitter tears could fall. First impressions. He was already making a bad one, he could only make it worse if he came in crying.

He turned a corner and spotted the likewise absurdly sized door to 1-C, the number and letter written in font size one thousand. He slowed and forced everything down. He needed to be calm, rational. He had to steady his breathing. Ten seconds. He counted them down, breathing rapidly and then slipping on a mask before opening the door.

Twenty faces turned to look at him.

Shinsou shot a quick glance to his arm to confirm that he was indeed wearing clothing. Unfortunately, he was, because if this were an actual nightmare at least it would end. No such luck. The teacher, a younger woman with short brown hair in a wavy bob that didn't quite hide a pair of padded headphones and almost simple blue and white spandex costume, gave him a lackadaisical smile as she nodded at him. "You can come in now."

Hitoshi cringed, "Right." He spotted an open desk against the wall and headed for it, head facing the floor to avoid the stares. He slipped into his seat and practically sank from view. This was turning into a wonderful start at UA. Maybe if he were lucky his desk would sink into the center of the earth.

S-Effect cleared her throat, mercifully dragging attention away from her tardy student. She really couldn't hold it against him, this place was a maze. Oh, it had plenty of directories, but it was still a maze. It wasn't like he took his time getting to class, arriving red faced and panting, "As I was saying, welcome to UA High general studies course, class 1-C. My name is Saitou Megan, and I will be your homeroom teacher." She put on the winning smile she didn't get to use very often, "Some of you may know me by my hero name: S-Effect." Not bloody likely, though the student who had arrived late seemed to perk up a bit, probably just a coincidence.

"I took the time to place a basic syllabus down on each desk; that will show you what classes we'll be taking, their order, and lunch schedule. Please have your books ready for when your teachers arrive." She could see the looks on her student's faces: The more things change, the more they stay the same. If you aren't hero course, this was just a normal school. Admittedly a school where you might be able to pal around with up and coming celebrity heroes, but it was more likely this class would just get to gawk. Hero students tended to congregate among themselves.

"We'll be heading down to orientation in a moment. Please take this time to look over your schedule." She sat down at her desk and checked the clock. A few minutes, not much time. She glanced at the late student, one of a few who had looked downtrodden since the moment they arrived. "Shinsou Hitoshi, correct?" His head jerked up and he stared at her, casting a wary eye for anyone else, "None of that. My quirk allows me to create and delete sound." She took a sip of tea, reveling in the expressions that crossed his face in rapid succession, "I heard you running through the hall to get here. I appreciate that you gave yourself a moment to regain composure. Do try to be on time tomorrow though."

Shinsou nodded slowly, "Good." She put down her mug, dropping her quirk like a hot rock and standing up, "Now then, we really should get to orientation. Please follow me."

The auditorium turned out to be the same cavernous room Present Mic had used to explain the practical exam. It was only slightly less intimidating now than it was then. Classes filed in, first years in the bottom third, second and third years layered above. Their teacher guided them to their seats and then left, joining the teachers gathering on stage. Shinsou tried and, to his great irritation, failed to spot Izuku, in fact he didn't see the brown haired girl either. The entire section set aside for 1-A was empty. He could only wonder what that could mean, glancing that way every few seconds waiting for them to arrive before the orientation speech began.

S-Effect, on the other hand, looked at the empty seats dourly, wondering how much her class would expand the following day. Her opinion of Aizawa fell another notch, which was quite a feat all things considered. For what it was worth she had no more interest in listening to another one of Nedzu's speeches while standing in formation to show solidarity, but she wasn't so flippant as to blow him off so she could dump students she doubted could hack it into other classes. She exchanged a glance with Captain Amazorific, class 1-D's homeroom teacher, who seemed likewise annoyed and wondered if he'd be getting students as well. At least she was capped at another ten.

Nedzu shuffled onto the stage, still hidden behind them and she activated her quirk, blocking the muttering of the crowd from reaching the stage in case he had any questions before he began. "Everyone seems to be here." He said brightly, which wasn't quite true, but he obviously knew otherwise so she wasn't about to correct them. "All Might, please be ready to come out when I announce you."

Her eyes shot open at that, and the crowd roared back into audibility for a second, but she snapped her expression back into cool confidence and countered the sound neatly. It had been mentioned that he would be joining staff, but she hadn't expected him to be presenting. Just knowing he was here made her straighten herself out and try to stand a bit taller.

Nedzu checked his watch, judged it was time and walked up a set of stairs so he could stand in view of the students. As happened every year there was a collective loss of cognitive functions from the first years. "Hello students!" He announced into the mic, trusting that it, or the teacher from 1-C, would ensure that it reached the rafters, "And welcome to UA! It's me, Nezu, the one who could be a dog or a mouse or a bear, but more importantly... I'm the principal!"

Shinsou blinked several times in rapid succession. That… that wasn't a person with a mutation quirk, that was an actual animal with a quirk. It wasn't impossible, but it was almost as rare as children developing quirks at Izuku's age. There was a slight squeal from his side and he glanced at the girl at his side who seemed to be fit to burst, clutching tight fists in front of her and making a sound akin to a tea kettle. "He's so cute!" She said to no one in particular, "Even that scar doesn't keep him from looking adorable!" Her smile faltered, "I wonder how he got it. It couldn't have been pleasant."

She put a hand under her chin and Shinsou halfway expected her to begin muttering. Instead she caught him staring and looked at him, "Shouldn't you be paying attention?"

"Shouldn't you?" He replied reflexively then winced as she blushed. Smooth. "Sorry." He murmured and looked back at the podium as the principal began to extoll the educational bounty that the school offered to the fortunate few who attended. Sadly, listening to the principal wax poetically about the virtue of learning was no more entertaining than the less flowery speech he'd received at the start of middle school.

S-Effect dialed her personal playlist back for a few seconds as Nedzu gesticulated towards the crowd, making sure she wasn't missing All Might's introduction before putting it back on. Muting banal speeches like this while creating music to keep herself entertained was one of the more mundane, but sanity saving benefits of her quirk. She could see the student's attention draining away steadily as she switched to another song. She gave it another twenty minutes.

Nedzu continued until one of the first year students slammed his head into the table, whether from despair or having fallen asleep he couldn't speculate. Still, that was his own personal signal for calling it off, even though he had another thirty minutes planned and would have been able to continue extemporaneously for hours if he truly wanted to. The hero course children especially needed training in patience after all. He wound his speech down quickly, "And now, I would like to introduce to you our newest staff member, the new hero course teacher: All Might!" He watched the student, Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu if he recalled correctly (and he did), go from rubbing his forehead to shooting up to attention so fast the poor boy nearly gave himself whiplash.

All Might marched onto the stage with his trademark smile and well concealed relief, having to wait for a verbal cue meant he had to suffer through the speech just like everyone else. The assembled students were only stunned into silence for a few seconds before erupting into cheers and applause, which he tried to tamp down with a friendly wave to the crowd as he approached the podium. Nedzu stepped aside, which only redoubled the applause. Talking at that moment would have been pointless, so he scanned the crowd as he held up his hand for quiet. Like Shinsou before him he failed to spot any member of class 1-A, though at least he found his other student who watched him in evident awe.

Shinsou drew in a sharp breath and stared at All Might, the undisputed greatest hero in the world. The crowd was deafening, but he didn't make a sound, too stunned to move until the girl beside him reached over and closed his jaw. He blinked, startled, and caught her smirking at him just before looking back to the stage resuming her applause. Then, and only did he start applauding.

Eventually the cheering ebbed, aided in part by one of the teacher's quirks. He cleared his throat, "Hello, students of UA!" The poor teacher had a difficult moment as the students exploded again, but only for a few seconds, "It is an honor being here to teach the next generation of heroes! I look forward to meeting all of you and help lift you up as you enter your careers." He paused for dramatic effect and S-Effect cringed. She was very sorely tempted to start damage control before the support, general studies and even business students began to feel snubbed. Already his speech was leading to several general studies students to give the hero course students of 1-B looks of naked envy.

All Might pointed at the crowd, almost directly at class 1-B, "But remember, you aren't alone in this. UA is just like society as a whole, you heroes will work with up and coming support students, and learn to work with the business course students who will help you guide your careers and build your image in the future." He paused for effect once more, the appeased support and business students relaxing at the acknowledgement, which didn't help S-Effect's students at all. If anything they were looking downtrodden, a not unfamiliar look on the oft overlooked general studies course students. "And to the general studies students," His smile was brilliant, "I wish you the very best at this fine institution of greater learning."

S-Effect's hands balled into fists as All Might finished out his speech.

Notes: So, we finally meet 1-C's homeroom teacher. I've been waiting to introduce her for a while now. She's different from Aizawa, that's for sure, but you'll get a better view of her mindset next chapter, as well as an introduction to class 1-C. I've actually decided to create character profiles for some of the important OCs. S-Effect's will be below, and I'm going back to insert one for Yawarakai in chapter 3, when his quirk was first used.

I'd like to explain that Nedzu is, well, petty. His speech, which was as interesting as watching paint dry while listening to a seventy four page UN budgetary report from twenty years ago, was made to entertain him and only him. I should emphasize that he is an educator and that he can and does get serious when there is need, but this little speech was basically of worth to no one and is, in his opinion, a silly human expectation for someone in his position. He would only whip out something like that when there is no threat. It also subtly discourages those with more mundane questions from seeking him out. He's still a busy… um… well, he's busy.

Aizawa was well aware that Nedzu had a speech like that planned. It was a small kindness that he gave to his students (and himself). Likewise Nedzu knows he had no intention of showing up. He thinks Aizawa is a bit more rational than the rest of the staff on stage for that reason.

Also, as of posting this chapter this is the longest fanfic I've ever written.

Character Profile:

Name: Saitou Megan

Alias: S-Effect

Age: 29

Gender: Female

Height: 5'3''

Hair Color: Blonde

Eye Color: Brown

Blood Type: A

Quirk: Sound Control

Description: S-Effect can create, manipulate or negate sound within her sphere of influence (about a city block). She cannot create bursts of sound or physical attacks, but she can completely negate sound based attacks (Present Mic). She can adjust her hearing beyond it's normal range, though the further she extends it the more it hurts her and leaves her with temporary tinnitus. Loud noises that she does not disrupt give her headaches. Overusing her quirk can cause her ears to bleed.