Year 1, Semester 1, Lower Secondary, Nagano Kibohoshi Junior High School
From that day forward, Uraraka's perception of her fellow classmates was tinted by a strange and unusual shadow. On the surface, they treated her like any other person. They had lunch with her, worked on assignments together, and helped her with everyday tasks. In class, she was effectively an average student, at no point in jeopardy of failing but never rising to excel. In contrast, the roles of top students were almost exclusively filled by Torimura and Kyūmoji. It was made clear in her second week that the two had grown up seeking to one up each other, and by doing so became popular magnetic personalities. Other parents saw them as idealistic children, and set about making sure their own children learned from their examples. 1-C had been transformed from an average to a superior class just by their presence.
Yet there was the ever present conundrum of Himiko Toga. According to what Uraraka heard, she was a standout student in every negative connotation. As much as her fellow classmates lauded and praised each other, they saw fit to drive a wedge between themselves and Toga. For her part, she floated about her school life, like a yokai haunting the halls. When it came time to do assignments, she seemed to have no interest in performing. Papers were handed out, and the teachers would always have a pause when coming to her desk before tossing it and moving on. Every so often, Toga was the target of a prank or ridicule, and yet she constantly had a cheery demeanor. To Uraraka, this struck her as odd. What had Toga done to deserve this treatment?
Summer break brought a series of fond see-you-soons and exchanged cell numbers as plans were made between friends. Uraraka managed to find a majority of the class numbers. However, with her shy personality and continued need to settle into her new surroundings, August flew by without incident. She had taken a trip with her family to see her aunt in Iwate and that was the extent of her vacation. Just like that, she would be back to school. Don't tell me I wasted my break! She, unfortunately, had.
As the final days of the summer break came upon Nagano, and August was coming to a close, Uraraka found herself trying to extend her world. While her transfer to Kibohoshi had been non-incidental and normal, she realized she needed friends to manage through the remainder of the year. She had always been a shy person, and had trouble expressing what was on her mind. Not anymore, she promised herself. I'm going to take charge and carve my own path with those I care about by my side!
Easier said than done, as texting her fellow classmates revealed were in the full swing of spending time with each other. No one was available to hang out, always promising to catch her during school time. To Uraraka, this meant another trip to the downtown area by herself. She had been using her vacation time to learn the city's layout in the event something happened to her usual route. It also gave her an excuse to see all the latest trends and try to ape them within her allowance as a way to reinvent her junior high image.
She arose to an overcast day and her parents eating breakfast. Her father was set to check in on the Hosū high-rise, which was coming along and should be completed in two years time. Her mother was a civil servant and worked in the city's real estate bureau, which also saw a good amount of business due to the Hosū project. They had taken greatly to the move from Mie, and within five months were becoming pillars of the community. Together, they were the idealistic suburban couple.
Following her parents out the day as they went to their jobs, Uraraka walked with a self-confident step, looking forward to her day. Arriving at Imai Station, she took the Shin'etsu Line to Nagano Station along with other business people and high schoolers on break. The ride was uneventful, and as she listened to music and looked out the window, an unexpected first chill of pre-Autumn was in the air.
Exiting the train, she walked towards the Zenkoji-guchi entrance instead of the west entrance which she used to get to Kibohoshi. Her trek led her to the outer facade of Nagano City. While the station had upgraded and remodeled itself throughout the years to adjust to growing use, the older buildings of the utilitarian 70's commingled with modern glass and steel. It was a beautiful skyline - something Uraraka had come to love through her father's work.
The daily commuters spread out, allowing her to cross the footbridge that led to the main concourse. The streets weren't as busy this time of day, and she quickly made her way onto the sidewalk. She passed a Family Mart and Ito En vending machine and thought about grabbing a light snack for her walk, but decided against. There could be something far greater over the horizon she hadn't yet considered, and she needed to save up. With no real plan in place, she took a detour down an alleyway. She passed the requisite buildings a trendy street like this would have. An Italian cafe, an Internet cafe, a pachinko parlor. Further still, she came across a old style bar, another Italian cafe, and a maze of forks-in-the-road. Coming out to a new road she hadn't visited yet in her travels of the metro, she arrived at her destination. The shopping hub of Nagano.
The gleaming shopfronts advertised a variety of goods from clothing to jewelry to toys abound, all within a variety of pay grades. To Uraraka, this place symbolized what Nagano had to offer. A city in the center of the country that was more than her previous country home could offer, but less daunting than the megapolis of Tokyo. And she was spoiled for choice. What should she try first. The trendy cafes? The arcade centers? The foreign boutiques? It was quickly becoming clear that she had no plans, and she suddenly felt swallowed up by the scale of the crowds and the task at hand. She grabbed her head instinctively as she felt her Quirk manifest itself, lifting her tote bag in the air slightly.
"Miss, are you okay?" A boy just older than her, roughly high school age, had noticed her sudden change of mood. She quickly held back her Quirk and the bag fell to her side.
"Oh, y-y-yeah. I'm fine, you know. It's just... seems my Quirk misfired. It's first time to the sh-shopping district, so I'm a bit overwhelmed."
Standing upright, she noticed his outfit from the bottom up shouted urban savant. There were the open-toed sandals, burgundy jeans, patterned button-up, designer glasses, and straw hat that marked someone who had style.
"First time to Nagano? You move here recently?"
"About four months ago. I finally had time to check it out on break. I'm from the sticks of Mie, sooo..."
"Ah, I get it. Take my advice. If it's your first time here, don't go to the trendy shops. They change their stock all the time, and then you have to update everything. It's a pain. For your first time, go somewhere you feel comfortable in."
"Oh, wow! You know so much! I bet you come here all the time!"
With a deadpan expression, he replied, "No, I just follow advice from YouTube while traveling. I'm also from Mie."
Uraraka took the news like a rock to the skull. I'm such a clueless bumpkin.
After reassuring her new acquaintance she was good to walk, she bid farewell and scanned the surrounding area for a shop that called to her. A few candy shops dotted the street, but to have something sweet so quickly after eating breakfast would be defeating the point of breakfast. She could hit the boutiques, but the money she had on hand would be quickly depleted if she tried there first. Then, she saw it.
A small wooden tea shop on the corner of the main road and an alleyway stood stoically in the cloudy Nagano day, seemingly unfazed by a large department store directly to its left. Though the face had clearly had renovations done in recent years, it looked as though it had stood forever. The store name was even in English (naturally to add to its mystique), but Uraraka could tell it was called The More Flat. A weird title, but given the area, she wasn't too surprised. Maybe it's a pun on flat white? But where's the white part of the pun? And it's primarily a tea shop so... I'm overthinking this.
She crossed the road and maneuvered through the crowds to stand in front of the store. Closely examining it, she could see the interior through the glass doors. Like stepping into a fairytale, the all wood decor of the tea shop had a classic European cafe feel to it, as though to step through the doors were to enter a time machine. It had all the trimmings of a Parisian locale from the early 20th century. Only a few small tables stood guard inside. They looked to be built for two to four customers, and were mainly empty due to the time of day. Further still, she could see abstract artworks hanging on the walls and three employees taking drink orders and chatting with customers. This was just what she needed. Cozy, easy-going, and tea.
She entered the cafe and was immediately greeted with the smells of a bakery, tea shop, and coffee shop all at once. Her eyes lit up like a child upon seeing a pro Hero in person for the first time. I found my home.
She walked up to the counter and came face to face with one of the employees, a woman about college aged wearing a brown apron with the shop's logo.
"Good afternoon. What can we get for you today?"
"O-oh, um..." and Uraraka leaned in close to lower her voice. "It's my first time here, so I was wondering what you would recommend."
The woman smiled. "Well welcome to The More Flat! We have a great variety of flavors of tea and coffee along with assorted desserts that can absolutely recommend! So, tea, coffee, or both?"
"Tea. I prefer a l-light flavor." Uraraka adjusted her glasses to read the backboard. The sheer amount of variety was overwhelming, and it seemed easier to look at the spice jars that held all of the tea samples. "What's the jasmine like?"
"Oh, the jasmine is an excellent variety of our white tea! Subtle, but lovingly sweet. We purchase our personal variety from an independent supplier in Kyoto. If I had to recommend something to pair, our dark chocolate hazelnut scones are particularly good for this time of year. Light tea for a heavy dessert."
"I see... uh, uhm, that sounds," and pausing "That sounds delightful. I think I'll have one order of that today."
"Okay, and the total comes to 1650¥. Thank you for stopping by More Flat!"
Uraraka paid for her tea and sat at one of the tables with the scone. She listened to the background music, softly enveloping her in classical sound. She watched the clouds outside as they trawled across the Nagano sky. She examined the wooden tables and every nook and cranny. In that moment suddenly became aware of an overwhelming emotion of satisfaction, like every was going to be okay.
The door opened and another patron came in. She was wearing the very nature of a UNIQLO fashion catalogue, bangs cut perfect, hair down around shoulders, and for a second Uraraka took in everything about this person who was her opposite. "Katō-chan! The usual, as always!" As she bobbed up and down, she spun in place, only halting when she caught sight Uraraka. "Ura-chan! Is that you?!"
Who is this person I've never met before? Someone from Mie as well? One of my parent's co-workers' kids? Someone from Kibohoshi? Wait... those eyes. Take the hair. Do it up. In buuuuunnnnsss?
"T-T-T-T-Toga?"