Going from a public American middle school to a prestigious private hero academy was like night and day.
Even before the school day began, Gwen felt different. Maybe it was the uniform. Back in Bellwood, Gwen's elementary and middle school's dress code had very loose rules. As long as your clothes covered your body and did not have inappropriate messages or icons, anything went.
UA's uniform was a nice change of pace. While Gwen didn't obsess over her clothing, she did take great care to look good. In her mind, looking good means she feels good. UA made sure their students looked the part. The crisp ensemble, complete with a red tie and new shoes made her feel like she was going to a job interview rather than a simple day of high school.
Leaving for the day, Gwen noticed the many people pointing at her and talking as she passed. Walking to the station, waiting for the right train, and riding said train, all three steps had people noticing and pointing her out. Despite living in the city and seeing a new generation of students each year, UA must be so big of a deal that just seeing a kid in uniform must be of note.
The looks stopped when Gwen finally got close to the school's walls. The crowds thinned until there were only uniformed students making their way to class. Gwen had a habit to always arrive early. You never knew if a teacher got to class early and left clues to the day's lecture on the board.
The walk was uneventful, so there was ample time to slow down and observe the people around her. A tall student with blue hair and square glasses power walked past her, his arms moving robotically by his side. Strange shapes poked out of his pants legs, probably due to a mutation quirk. A girl with orange hair followed behind, holding the doors to the main building open for Gwen with a smile.
A quick exchange of thanks later and Gwen now found herself alone. She was in class 1-C, one of the three general education classes. Now she just had to find where her classroom was. Unlike American high schools, who have students moving from classroom to classroom when the time comes to change classes, Japanese high schools were more stationary. The class would stay together, and teachers would change rooms when class was over.
According to the newsletter she received from UA a couple days ago, the massive UA main building housed all educational classrooms. As you progressed through the years, you would move up floors.
The ground floor was for essential facilities, such the cafeteria and infirmary. The second floor had the teacher offices. The teacher's lounge, principal's office, the sort. Then came the floors for class. The closest to the bottom were the first years, and near the top were the third years.
Up some stairs and down a long and wide hall, Gwen noticed the doors of UA to be comically big. Seeing how this was a school for heroes, it made sense to make sure everything was traversable for those with quirks that changed their size. 1-C was on a small board by a door on her right, so Gwen entered.
The classroom was empty. She had arrived twenty minutes early, perhaps she was a little too early. It didn't really matter, Gwen reasoned, as someone had to be the first. Their homeroom teacher may not be present, but they left a seating chart on the board in the front of the room. Gwen found her seat, sat, and opened a Japanese textbook to brush up on vocabulary as she waited.
The rest of her classmates slowly arrived, and the room's volume gradually increased with it. People recognizing each other from past schools, friends, or those that attempted the entrance exam and failed. People entered the room and double-taked at Gwen being so early, but she just smiled and waved. Soon she put away her book to join in the talking.
Gwen profiled as many people as she could. A boy with long, elf-like ears. A girl with holes in the center of her palms. Someone with an additional arm beneath their right, giving them three arms. Grasshopper legs. Levitation. Hands that emitted vibrations. Shaggy purple hair with heavy eye bags. A neck capable of 360 degree rotations. All sorts of quirks were being demonstrated and asked about. A common conversation piece.
"Hello everyone." A quiet voice spoke up from the doorway, quieting everyone down. Gwen paused, about to explain her quirk to her neighbors. Class 1-C watched as coming through the doorway came their homeroom teacher, someone Gwen was familiar with.
"Many of you already know me, but for those who do not, I am Cementoss. I will be your homeroom teacher for the academic year." The hero then gestured for them to follow him. "If you would all follow me, it is time for the entrance ceremony."
Following their teacher, class 1-C joined the rest of the first years in the auditorium. From what Gwen could gather from snippets of other people's conversations, this was where the hero entrance exam was explained and organized.
Filing in by class, the auditorium's front seats became full. With only 7 classes, the room wasn't close to full, especially since one class was missing. Next to the hero class 1-B, class 1-A's spot was vacant. Judging from the annoyed looks and disapproving head shakes, the teachers expected this.
"Hello new first years, and welcome to UA! I am your principal, Nezu, and I would like to congratulate you, the few who made the cut, into your first year of high school." A squeaky voice pierced the air.
Behind a tiny microphone, standing atop several stacked boxes, stood a furry creature in a three piece suit. White fur, beady black eyes with a scar over one of them, it was impossible to tell exactly what species their principal was.
Gwen straightened her back as she listened to the principal. These words could be important!
"Here at UA, we will prepare you for success in your life. We aim to give you the knowledge, skills and drive to live rich, fulfilling lives. I understand that many of you tried to make it into the hero program, and may be less than happy with your current standing. Know that being in the hero course does not elevate you above others. It just means that you have an extra class and a different graduation goal. All our facilities are open for use by any of our students, whether they be hero, gen ed, support or business."
At the mention of their failure, many of Gwen's fellow gen ed students grumbled unhappily. Several of the 1-B students wore smug grins, but their teacher, a massive man with a red and white costume, smacked their heads.
"Now, the rules and regulations of UA reflect our status as one of the greatest academic institutions in the world. As a result, you will be expected to follow our rules..."
Not even Gwen could pay full attention to the whole hour-long ramble from the principal. Even his teachers, professional heroes, had glazed, bored looks, similar to their students. Nezu just liked to talk and talk. Dress code, rules and guidelines, financial aid, transportation, you name it, Nezu talked about it. In length.
"And I think that about wraps up the entrance ceremony! Now, have a good rest of your day, students!" Nezu scurried off without saying another word.
Class 1-C reorganized themselves outside the auditorium, many of them yawning and stretching. The excitement that they all felt on their first day at UA had been doused by ceremony.
"There is no class scheduled for the day. I thought that I could use this time to give you all a tour of the campus, show you what is available to you as a student of UA." Cementoss said, proposing a plan.
A unanimous agreement met him, and the hero smiled.
"Alright, we shall begin with the exercise and recreational facilities."
The class was led to a separate building, to the right of the main one.
"This is the UA gym. We have many exercise machines of all kinds, all available for your use. Many think only the hero students use these, and are often intimidated into exercising here. That is not the case. We encourage you to spend time here. A healthy body leads to a healthy mind. Everyone, hero or not, can benefit from regular workouts."
Cemontoss took a few more turns, to where the students could see a pool, courts, and a field.
"You can check out equipment for recreational activities at the gym. We have courts for most sports, as well as a pool for swimming. Note that you need to present your UA identification card at the desk in order to check out equipment. Many after-school clubs use these facilities. If you play a sport, I highly advise you to check out the UA club fair being held Monday next week."
Past the play areas, the students stood in front of multiple imposing enclosed structures. They looked reinforced.
"These are the training gyms. Most hero course specific classes are held in these structures. Due to the nature of their class, students will be exercising their quirks. There will be a sign to indicate which gyms are being used. This is your only warning: for your own safety, do not enter a gym in use. As Nezu said in the ceremony, these facilities are also open for you to use, should you wish to learn to control your quirk better or to just let out some frustrations. A teacher must be present to supervise, and you must make an appointment ahead of time however."
A lot of people were excited at that prospect.
Cementoss led them back to the main building, but continued to the left of it, to another building. While much smaller than the main building, it was still quite large, being three stories.
"This is the research building. It contains our library and computer labs, all open for student use. I not only encourage you to take advantage of this, but I will even go so far as to say it will be necessary to visit it if you wish to achieve good grades. Several assignments you will receive later in the year require research. Our library is vast, and our computers can access databases dedicated to housing and organizing academic journals and sources."
"Just past this are the support laboratories. That is where the support course students will spend most of their days. Similar to the training gyms, they can be considered dangerous areas. The support course works on support items for the hero students, meaning there can be explosions and weaponry."
Cementoss seemed finished and led his class back to the classroom where everyone took their seats.
"That is the basic tour of UA. The class schedule and information sheets are on the front desk. Take one each as you leave. Any questions about what happened today? Or anything at all?"
Gwen was the only one who raised her hand.
"Yes?" Cementoss asked her.
"Sensei, is the library open today?"
"It is. Our librarian, Junko, is available if you have specific material in mind."
Gwen nodded and lowered her hand. No one else had a question.
"Very well. Lessons start tomorrow. Class dismissed."
Gwen was the first to leave. She took the papers from the desk and bid her new teacher farewell. Cementoss waved her off with a smile, obviously recognizing her.
The library was cool and quiet. Aside from library staff, there was no one there. An older woman, Junko Miwa, sat at the front desk. Unlike many teachers here at UA, she was not a professional hero. She wasn't even a retired one. She was good friends with Recovery Girl, UA's famous doctor, and through that connection landed a job as UA's librarian.
Gwen asked for basic books on Japanese law, which caught Junko's attention. After revealing her goal of studying hero law, Junko offered her a wide variety of reading material. Gwen selected just one to start with: the history of quirk law. A small book that Gwen could read tonight and return the next day, it was the perfect starting point. It was tempting to read it in the library, but Gwen knew she had chores to do at her own home, so she hurried back to the train station.
After a quiet ride home, Gwen resumed her routine. She cleaned, cooked, and prepared her uniform for the next day. After eating and making sure she had all her obligations completed, she now turned to her book. She opened her laptop, put on a pair of reading glasses and started to read.
Japan was the first nation to embrace quirks and that resulted in Japan being dubbed the 'quirk capital' of the world. The highest number of heroes, the most famous hero schools, and the greatest hero maybe to have ever lived, All Might. But it wasn't always like that.
There were times of great chaos and strife. Quirk law started as oppression, forbidding quirk expression in its entirety. Violators of the first quirk laws were put in concentration camps. This oppression eventually led to small conflicts, leading to death. When people started dying, the government realized quirks weren't going away. If anything, data suggested quirks were spreading.
Quirk law changed over time, slowly growing more lenient. Quirks could be used in designated areas. Quirks could be used in self defense. Then, the big one, a branch of law enforcement composed solely of people using their quirks. What better way to take down quirk-using terrorists that with quirk users of your own?
This started what would be known in the present time as 'heroes.' Heroes would be those who underwent special training and took an oath swearing to use their powers for the good of society. In return for their service, heroes would be paid and given the privilege of using their quirk in public as they saw fit.
Many famous villain organizations formed during this time. Gwen came across one that she didn't recognize, one that called themselves the Meta Liberation Front. She frowned as the list of their actions presented themselves. While Gwen could sympathize with wanting more quirk freedom, the way this terrorist organization went about it was all wrong. Did they really think that unrestricted quirk usage would be beneficial?
The Meta Liberation Front sought to 'liberate' meta-humans. Gwen typed in her notes. They saw quirk laws and restrictions as purposeless. They did not see why quirks had to be limited in use. So they fought for unrestricted quirk usage. Led by Destro, this group posed one of the greater threats to organized quirk society. Destro is now deceased, although his organization lives on.
Gwen stopped there, noticing how night had fallen and there was no more light out. She closed her book and shut down her laptop. She was almost done reading the small book anyways. She could easily finish it on the train ride to school.
School was her top priority now. Turning in early, Gwen went to sleep. She had no idea how difficult UA's curriculum was, but if the rumors were anything to go by she would need as much rest as she could get.