Screams rang out through the air, mixing with the loud blare of sirens. Fear hung like a thick fog over the street as people fled the scene. Among them were two young girls, who had been separated from their parents in the panicked crowd. The older tightly held the wrist of the younger, urging her companion on as they wove around any adults in their way.

"Nee-san! Where's mama and papa?" the younger girl asked, her violet eyes filling up with tears as the urgency of the situation began to settle in her mind.

"I'm not sure, but we'll find them soon," the older girl answered with a reassuring smile. "We just need to get out of the crowd and find a safe place to wait for them, okay Kazumi?"

"O-okay."

Kazumi kept her eyes trained on the back of her sister's head, determined to keep up so she wouldn't get lost. Everyone was still yelling around them, but she tried to ignore it, instead forcing her mind to wander to happier things—like watching her parents dance together or finishing the castle drawing that she and Honami had left on the kitchen table this morning. They would be back home soon. After all, Honami never lied.

Suddenly, the ground beneath them began to tremble. The girls stopped in confusion, glancing down as cracks began to form on the road. A hush settled upon their part of the street as the adults too took notice, and then a loud rumble cracked through the silence. Kazumi lost her balance as chunks of earth shot upward, sending her and her sister flying back a few yards.

The younger girl grunted as she hit the ground, her small body aching from the rough impact. A soft cry escaped her lips. Her head hurt! She pressed a hand against the sore spot on her forehead, her eyes widening in shock when it came away with blood clinging to her fingertips.

"Kazumi!"

Honami shuffled closer to her sister, grabbing the bloody hand to alert the girl of her presence. She winced as she noticed how some of the younger girl's silvery locks were beginning to dye crimson.

"Hey, Kazumi, look at me," she ordered. As soon as the aforementioned girl had complied, Honami continued. "I know it hurts, but it's nothing too bad. Right now, we need to get somewhere safe, so please hold out a little longer, okay?"

Before the younger sister could respond, a low chuckle interrupted the exchange. "How sweet," a deep voice dripping with menace sang. "But it's too cruel to lie to the poor child. You should just tell her the harsh truth or she'll never learn."

A large, dark shadow fell over the two sisters as they both swiveled around to the source of the voice. A tall man with a stocky, rectangular build stalked toward them, his dark green eyes glinting with malicious delight.

Honami quickly moved in front of Kazumi, shielding her from the smirking man. "Stay away!" she yelled, throwing a hand out. A thorned vine shot forward from her palm.

The man quickly lifted an arm, causing a slab of asphalt to rise and block the attempted attack. When the earth lowered again, they could see that the man's face had shifted into an annoyed glare. "Playing hero when up against a villain who's clearly stronger than you is a poor choice, little girl. Do you know what the consequences are?"

Horrible dread stirred in Kazumi's gut. Her eyes widened as several large chunks of earth rose up around the man. Honami's breath hitched and she turned around, wrapping her arms around Kazumi. Through her older sister's raven hair, Kazumi watched as several of vines sprouted out from Honami's back in an attempt to create a shield. The young girl's eyes widened right as the blocks of earth hurtled toward them.

CRUNCH!

*8 years later - Present Time*

Kazumi slid the door to the 1-A classroom open. "Ah."

It was still early, so she hadn't expected that many people to be in the room. However, there were a handful of students already sitting at their desks. Among them were a girl with black hair swept up into a ponytail, a boy with white and red hair, a boy with rock-like features, and a blond boy with a tail.

However, Kazumi was surprised when she found that she recognized one other person sitting on the far side of the room—another boy with pale blond locks that stuck up in a way that reminded her of a porcupine's quills. She recalled encountering him during the entrance exam as they had been placed in the same battleground.

At the time, the boy had shoved past her to make his way to the front of the crowd before the doors opened, using one hand to push her aside. "Move outta the way, extra!" he had muttered with a low growl.

On instinct, Kazumi had reached up to wrench his hand off, resulting in her making contact with his skin, accidentally activating her quirk and retrieving the counterpart to his power. She had been so shocked with the sudden chill that filled her body from the new power that he quickly disappeared into the crowd of other applicants before she could say anything.

However, it was thanks to him that she managed to score pretty well on the entrance exam. His quirk must have been strong, because as a result, her counterpart power had dealt a ton of damage to several of the robots—albeit it had also caused quite a bit of damage to herself as well. Her hands had been sore and cold for several hours after the exam.

Kazumi wondered if she should thank him, but one look at his fierce scowl quickly resulted in the idea being shot down. With a small sigh, she stepped into the classroom, trying her best not to draw attention to herself as she searched the desks for her assigned seats. After navigating through nearly the entire room, she was dismayed to find that her desk was on the far side, with a small sticker label reading "Kazumi Chinen" stuck on the side. It was the one right behind the scowling boy.

Sensing her presence hovering behind him, the blond glanced over his shoulder. His glare caused Kazumi to freeze in place, her grip tightening around the strap of her school bag in fear. After looking over her once, the boy scoffed in disdain and turned back to the front. When several seconds passed without any other movement from him, Kazumi reluctantly slid into her seat, and even then, her body remained tense with uncertainty.

For the rest of the time until class started, Kazumi silently prayed that at least one person who was friendly would be sitting nearby. Otherwise, she felt as if she would die of stress.