Chapter Five: Let Me Wallow in my Room Cause I've Had A Rough First Day

The little pink-haired girl hid behind the doorway to the kitchenette they owned and she thought that this must the first time she's ever seen her mother so angry. Her father stood with his back turned to the little girl, his face was obscured from her vision but his voice held all emotion.

"Kaoru, listen—"

"How could you say that to her?!"

The little girl flinched at that. All she did was say that she wanted to be a hero like her papa. How did it come to this?

"How could you shoot her down like that, Touma?! You know how much she adores you!" Kaoru shook her head in disbelief. "I can't believe you—"

"Hey, don't make it sound like I wanted to do it!" The crimson haired man countered. "You haven't seen the things I've seen. You haven't met the people I met. Trust me, Chiasa's better off not knowing about them—"

They were yelling at this point.

"You just told your daughter to give up on her dream—"

"For good reason—"

"When did you become such an asshole?!"

"Oh, being concerned for our daughter makes me the asshole?" Touma shook his head. "I didn't know basic parenting is such an asshole thing to do!"

"You're unbelievable!"

"Well, I believe you'd understand where I'm coming from if you'd just listen to me for one fu—"

"Mama?" They both froze at that. "Papa?" They both turned to the little girl who was no older than three, standing by the doorway with tears threatening to spill from her eyes. Her small frame shook with every choked sob that escaped her lungs and her cheeks and nose were stained red.

Kaoru's hand flew to her lips and Touma's jaw slackened. The crimson-haired man gently crouched down to his daughter's level, his cloudy eyes were soft with regret. The scars on his face blurred for the little girl as the tears increased.

"Sorry, ningyo, mama and I were just talking." Kaoru looked away from the pair, shame washing over her features as the tears started to spill from the little girl's eyes.

"Is—my fault?"

The couple's eyes had widened at that and Touma was quick to reassure her. "No! No, it's not your fault." She continued to cry big fat tears. "It's not your fault."

"It took you exactly eight seconds to quiet down."

My gaze is still trained on the strange man as he unzips the sleeping bag and stands up. He was quite lanky, in a dark jumpsuit and bandages wrapped around the spot where his neck was supposed to be. He was scruffy-looking; his mop of black hair was all over the place and he looked like he hadn't shaved in days and his eyes are practically sinking into his skull. Was he...

Is he a teacher here?

"You kids are so illogical."

He then turned to the rest of the class currently sitting in their seats behind us. And introduced himself in the most disinterested way I've ever heard someone introduce themselves' in.

"My name is Aizawa Shota. I am your teacher."

And that answers my question.

But wait, aren't all the Yuuei Staff Pro Heroes? I've read about Cementoss and Midnight working here, but I haven't read anything about this guy. Aizawa Shota. But he does look familiar.

He lifts up his yellow sleeping bag and began rummaging through it. I stared at him curiously. He proceeded to pull out what looked like a gym uniform and I deadpanned.

"Now, put these on and head to the field."

"A QUIRK ASSESSMENT TEST?!"

Our new teacher—Aizawa-sensei, I guess— sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. This probably isn't the first time he's had kids screaming into his ears. "Yes, a Quirk Assessment Test."

The brunette from earlier shoots her hand up and my gaze snaps to her. "Uhm, shouldn't we have an orientation first or something?" I silently agreed with her question. This was all going so fast. This guy is no joke. "When you're Pro Heroes in training, you don't have time for things like that." The scruffy haired man replied, the same tone of disinterest laced in his voice.

"Besides, Yuuei has no restrictions regarding how teachers should go about the first day, so I can do as I please. Now," Aizawa-sensei lifted his head up to meet our gazes. "You've all had Assessment Tests back in middle school, correct?" I nod along with the students beside me.

I remember hating those back when I was in middle school. I was pretty lacking in the strength department and I was always accused of cheating because of the lightness my quirk gave me. The teachers had to attach weights to my legs so that it's fair to my other classmates. Those were heavier than the weight of Endeavour's sins and that's saying something.

Aizawa-sensei starting talking again and my eye snapped back up to him. "Now, this test is similar to that, but now," there's a twinkle in his eye, "you can utilize your quirks to their full potential."

A round of excited gasps rang through the air and I felt the corners of my mouth lift up in a smirk. Full potential, huh?

"Now, where is Bakugou?" My head shot up at Aizawa-sensei's voice. Bakugou, Bakugou. That sounds pretty familiar. "Here I am." I flinched at the voice and turned to see the ash blond from earlier walking up towards the front. I thought his name was Kacchan, I mentally deadpan.

Aizawa-sensei nodded, acknowledging the blond's presence. "You came first in the entrance exams, correct?" He asked Bakugou and my minds flashed back to the exams. How mangled those robots looked. The charcoal black coating their metallic bodies. The bright explosion that single-handedly demolished two robots, one of which was a zero pointer. I shivered. Yeah, I'm not surprised. "What was your score back in junior high?" The black-haired man asked. Bakugou seemed a little thrown off by the question but he answered it regardless. "67 meters."

"Here." We watched as Aizawa-sensei handed Bakugou a metallic ball, around the size of a baseball. "Throw the ball, but this time, use your quirk." I watched as a smirk spread on the blond's face. Aizawa-sensei spoke up again. "Anything goes as long as you stay inside the circle."

The class and I look on in baited breath as Bakugou stood inside the circle, stretching his body, the ball in hand. I narrowed my eye. Bakugou may be a loud, annoying potty mouth but he is, by no means, weak. I can only imagine how far the ball can go. Bakugou then slipped into position and I swore all of us leaned in with anticipation. He pulled his throwing arm back, my breath hitched in my throat. And—

"DIE!"

Die?

The ball went flying, passing the boundary of the school courtyard and soaring across the trees. It took a while before we heard a beep and we looked at Aizawa-sensei in curiosity. He already had a sort of device in hand and he showed its screen to us. I almost choke in surprise. "WOAH! 705.2 METERS!" That's more than half a kilometer! How strong is this guy's explosions?!

"This is awesome! It actually sounds fun." A spiky red-haired boy exclaimed. And the air grew heavy around our new Homeroom teacher. And one by one, we all grew quiet.

"Fun, you say?"

I stiffened and almost choked on the tension in the atmosphere. If looks could kill, we would've been maimed, dismembered, and fed to the wolves by now. "You kids really are illogical." I'm watching his every move now; every twitch of his wrist, every rise and fall of his chest. God, how I wish I could strangle the redhead right about now.

"Well then, let's make this more fun. The person who places last in the assessment test," his dark eyes gleaned in the sunlight, "will be expelled."

A wave of silence washed over us like a tsunami and we were quiet in seconds. However, it didn't take long for the uproar to start. "WHAT?" How could he? On our first day, too! I don't care if this school has an unrestricted style, this is too cruel for anyone! My hand shot up before I could think. "Hey! Is this some kind of joke?" His onyx eyes turned to me and I almost stiffened. But I continued to talk. "You can't just expel someone on the first day! At any point of the school year, at that—"

"You're his kid, aren't you?"

I pause and stare at him with a wide eye. "Huh?" I can feel my classmates' gazes on me. Once again, damn my confrontational ass. "E-excuse me?"

"You're Third Eye's kid, correct?"

I stiffly nodded, my throat suddenly closing up when I had been so determined earlier. "Then you should know that accidents like his can come up unexpectedly." I fully froze. Accidents, I repeated in my head, like his? "Natural disasters, villain incidents. In our society today, events like these can pop out at every corner at any time. Here in Yuuei, we try to produce Pro Heroes who are ready for any type of situation thrown at them." My throat feels so dry. I can't speak. "You're no good as a hero if you are damaged beyond repair." I pointedly glare at the man. I can feel Midoriya freezing up beside me.

"If you are just here for the 'fun'," Aizawa-sensei glared at us, "then you are more than welcome to leave."

I stare at the scruffy, old man with a wide eye. My blind one feels like it's burning. An accident like my father's. I can feel my fists clenching tightly at my sides. No, don't get angry, Chiasa. He's right, whether I like it or not. Yuck, agreeing with a Pro is leaving a worse taste in my mouth than I thought.

Okay, I took a deep breath, long-distance running is basically my thing. This should be easy peasy lemon—

My train of thought was rudely interrupted as I watched a mop of red and white hair situate himself beside me. I scoff in disbelief. He glared at me with cold eyes. Dear life, if you don't plan on strangling Todoroki Shouto in the next five to ten minutes, I might have to do it myself.

Aizawa-sensei was at the sidelines, and he was staring at me. I stared back. The words 'accidents like his' kept repeating in my hand and I found myself clenching my jaw. Those words… bothered me. It's nagging at my insides like a pest. I don't know why. "Ready!" I flinch at the little robot's voice and I turned to my left, only to see Todoroki in position. I unclenched my jaw and got into position as well. I took a peek at Aizawa-sensei again through the corner of my eye. He's no longer staring at us.

"Set!"

I narrow my eyes. I can feel the heat building up in my muscles.

"Go!"

I lunge forward, bright light immediately taking over my senses. I can feel the porcelain copy ripping out of my back, and I took off. I easily passed Todoroki, his crimson and ivory hair was no longer in my range of sight as I soared through the air. There was a burst of cold crawling on my left side and I shot another doll. The end was getting closer now. I fly pass the robot and landed—more like crashed—on the ground ten feet away. Ouch, looks like I need to work on my, err, stopping strategy.

"3.13 seconds!" I turn my head just in time to see Todoroki pass the finish line, the robot chiming, "4.21 seconds!" I blink at the wall of ice that stretched throughout the entirety of the track. That explains the sudden drop in temperature earlier. I catch Todoroki silently slipping away and I glared at his back.

I stood up and dusted myself off, barely registering Iida and Midoriya running towards me. "Ejiri-san! Be careful next time!" Midoriya exclaimed and I chuckled. "Sorry, sorry, I haven't quite mastered my landing technique yet."

"Well, we're glad you're okay, Ejiri-kun." I smile at Iida. "Come on, let's watch the others!" Iida walked in front of us as Midoriya and I were walking side by side behind them. I glance at the broccoli-haired boy and suddenly, a thought popped in my head. "Hey, I still haven't seen your quirk, Midoriya." I exclaimed and Midoriya stiffened beside me. "I've seen Iida's, even the brunette's—but I still haven't seen yours." I watched as Midoriya looked away from me and I panicked for a moment. Did I say something wrong? Is it personal? Oh no, I said something wrong.

"Y-you don't have to force yourself to tell me. I was just curious, is all. After Iida talked about it and said how amazing it was, I couldn't help but wonder." Tsk, good job, Chiasa, you've made the boy uncomfortable. Stupid, stupid, stupid— "No, it's alright, Ejiri-san." Wait, huh? Why is he so nice? Now I feel guilty for snapping at him pre-Entrance Exams. "It's just that, every time I use my quirk, I tend to destroy my body." Huh? "I'm trying to regulate it but, with the threat of expulsion on our heads, it's becoming relatively hard." He chuckled and I continued to stare at him.

I pat his shoulder. "Well, if Aizawa-sensei expels you—you, who, according to Iida, took on a zero-pointer to save little miss sunshine over there," Midoriya flushed a little, "then, that makes him the idiot." I watch as his emerald eyes widened and I continued. "So what if you can't control that quirk of yours now? You look like you're smart, Midoriya," I give him a reassuring smile, "you'll find a way to regulate it." He looks at me with the widest green eyes and I rub the back of my neck awkwardly, a little flustered by his innocent gaze. "S-sorry, that was—"

"Thank you." I snap my gaze towards Midoriya, only to find him smiling at me. He then strolls up to Iida's side, leaving me just behind the pair.

A quirk that destroys the holder's body, I can't help but stare at the broccoli-haired boy as he smiles and talks with Iida, I'd believe it if he was still a toddler but, a high-schooler? It almost seems like he was just given the quirk. This is the first time I've heard of this. I finally looked away from him and stared at the distance. How curious.

"I'm home!"

I'm also pretty fucking exhausted. We had spent the entire day doing the Quirk Assessment Test and my muscles are aching to no end. It didn't help that Aizawa-sensei threatened to expel us if we had placed last in the test. And it turned out, he wasn't even gonna do it! God, that shit-eating grin will haunt me for the rest of my life. Well, I let a small smile take over my lips, at least I got to meet Uraraka, and Iida, and Midoriya.

Midoriya. I frown when I remember him. The kid packs a lot of power in literally his pinky finger alone. Yet, his power is so great, his fingers were utterly destroyed. I know that's not normal.

I placed my bag down on the wooden floor and looked around the empty house. I guess Mother's at the hospital now. At least I have leftover ingredients in the kitchen, maybe I can make some curry—

Why the fuck is the kitchen sink running and why is it screaming like a deranged cat?

I sprint towards our little kitchenette with such urgency because ya know, sinks don't sound like a dying lion. When I got there, however, I was met with the weirdest scene I have ever encountered.

"Welcome home, kid!"

"ARE YOU WASHING A FUCKING CAT IN THE SINK?!"

"Yes—"

"WHY DIDN'T YOU WASH IT IN THE BATHROOM?!"

"I didn't want the bathroom to get dirty—"

"AND THE KITCHEN SINK WAS ANY BETTER?!"

"Poor kid."

"I can't imagine the type of pain she's going through."

She would've cried right then and there, but there's no more tears to cry. Everything felt hot and numb and fuzzy, it was overwhelming. All these people gathered in the room, all their chatters, their jeers, all the paparazzi standing outside that door. She can hear them. She can hear the shutters of cameras and heated over-the-phone arguments the reporters were having with their superiors. Even if she placed her tiny hands over her ears, nothing can block them out.

"She's so young!"

Nothing.

"She must be so devastated."

Nothing.

"Well, if you ask me, the man had it coming for him."

"What was Third Eye thinking? Was he stupid? Leaving his wife and daughter like that…"

"Should've left it to the other Pros."

Nothing.

END OF CHAPTER FIVE