Remember the brown-haired girl who's always with Shinsou? I name her Yuzuru. ;)

Happy reading!


Chapter 2: Overture

Kazuna couldn't stop staring at her own reflection in the full-length mirror inside of her apartment's bedroom. Her focus wasn't on her face—she wasn't the kind of girl who loved to admire the way her eyes languidly blinked or how her hair looked neat without her having to spend forty-five minutes styling it. It was all about her brand new Yuuei High uniform. This wasn't her first time wearing the set, but this was her first time doing it for a real purpose than just trying it out.

The grey blazer made her look mature and professional, better than anything she'd seen out there. When she was in middle school, she had to wear a simple blue and white sailor uniform that wouldn't differ her from one hundred other schools in the prefecture. Her old skirt was three centimeters below her knees, while this dark teal-colored one was at least ten centimeters above. She even loved the red tie that wrapped her entire look into something vibrant and near to perfection.

After making sure that the air conditioner, most of the lamps, and other basic utilities were turned off, she left her apartment and closed the door to make it automatically lock itself. She held one of her backpack's strap while her other hand began to play with her phone. The trip from here to Yuuei would take fifteen minutes by foot and she wouldn't spend it solely on sightseeing the street. There was nothing wrong about enjoying the beautiful morning scenery of this town, but she knew that she'd get bored soon. The second reason was that time would pass faster if she had something to read.

Inside the elevator that would carry her from the eighth floor to the bottom floor of the huge building, she met a woman with a crying baby boy in her arms. None of them spoke a word to each other because the woman was trying her best to subdue the noise of the child by cooing and shushing him, as if he could comprehend Japanese at such a young age. Kazuna wasn't too bothered by their presence, but she did feel thankful when they walked out and chose a different route—she went to the left and the woman went to the right.

It wasn't surprising when she saw a lot of Yuuei students heading toward the school by themselves or with their family members. Most of the passing cars must be theirs too. She vaguely remembered back then in elementary school when her parents were present during the entrance ceremony that's akin to a lame outdoor party. They weren't there when she entered middle school, but it was never mandatory. She didn't mind it that much because she wasn't the only new student without anyone sending them off, especially during the age when both parents often had a full-time job.

Today, she'd be alright too.


There was a crowd surrounding the three classroom placement boards situated in the middle yard of Yuuei High. From far, Kazuna could already tell that the left one belonged to the first year because no one really talked to someone nor did they seem to know the person beside them. It looked lifeless when compared to the other two boards where many people hugged each other or loudly chanted their happiness of being in the same classroom again.

With one deep breath, Kazuna slipped herself among the mob. It was hard to not be tall enough or to not have a tall friend to lend their hand during a crunch time like this, but she didn't have time to think about these what ifs. She was more worried about getting jabbed by someone right in the eye. After sheltering her face with both hands and passing through three rows of people, she managed to stand in front of some printed papers that should've been made way bigger because there were hundreds who needed to read them at the same time.

She skimmed through the lists of names there. She knew that 1-A and 1-B would be for the heroic departments, so she went right away to 1-C. It was quick for her to find her full name written there, so she immediately left, which somehow got even harder than when she tried to get in. She understood if these people were too excited, so she couldn't do anything besides accepting. If the papers could haven't been made bigger, at least they could've been separated onto several boards. No matter how she viewed it, Yuuei clearly had more than enough lot to put one thousand boards if they would.

She didn't know where the classrooms were located, so she chose to follow her fellow freshmen. It wasn't far from where she previously was as it only took her less than two minutes to be there. She opened the huge door and was welcomed by no less than fifteen people inside, making her wonder if she left the apartment a tad too late. There was a guy who read a paper on the teacher's table, so she assumed that it had the map of the class' desks arrangement. She came closer to him and she was right. She had to sit on the second row from the window and front.

Her mind wandered as she walked to her designated desk. This wasn't a great location. The middle part of the class was and would never be her preferable spot. She would love to switch with the purple-haired guy who sat to her left because it was near the window. It wasn't because she wanted to doze off without being caught by the teachers—which surely would be amazing. She just liked to lay her body against the wall. It would be nothing like her fluffy bed, but it was better than not having anything at all.

She checked her classmates one by one as she hung her bag on the hook beside her table. Two more people came and in total, there were eighteen students. She could already tell that three-quarter of them were boys. There were only five girls including herself and she somehow doubted if the last two would be of her gender. There was nothing bad about having more boys than girls, but she found this to be rare. For her last eleven years being in a formal school, it was always the other way around.

"Hey, what's your name?"

Kazuna raised her eyebrows, looking at the girl with a straight middle-parted hair who sat in front of her. "...hi, I'm Ito Kazuna."

"I'm Yanagi Yuzuru. Nice to meet you." Yuzuru smiled, parading a pair of tiny yaiba that made her look very adorable. "So, what's your first impression of this class? I know we haven't started anything, but you must have something to say. There are a lot of boys, don't you think?"

Kazuna felt a bit weirded out by the sudden questions, but she tried to act as normal as possible. "I guess it's okay."

"Eh? 'Okay'? What do you mean with 'okay'?" Yuzuru's voice got higher.

"I'm okay with a lot of boys in this class. There's nothing wrong with that," Kazuna repeated her answer, but with more explanation. Honestly, Yuzuru reminded her of too many girls who couldn't stop talking about boys and the silly plans to flirt with them or to ask them out on a date during weekend. She was never part of those squads. They made her feel very uncomfortable by acting lecherous.

"I see!" Yuzuru bobbed her head up and down several times. "But don't you think there's someone handsome here? We have a few tall boys… Are they maybe around one hundred eighty? They're definitely way taller than the two of us. How about that blond guy who sits in the back? His hairstyle looks so cool. Do you call that a messy layering? I have no idea."

"Right…" Kazuna didn't even look behind as her eyes drifted down to the empty table below where she rested both of her hands. "I'm sorry, but I'm not interested in boys or dating in general, if that's what you want to know…?"

Yuzuru cackled then bended her body forward to bring her face closer to the other girl's. "I'm so glad that you're a normal person. Sorry, I was just testing you when I asked those questions. I wanted to know these things before I could befriend you."

"Testing me?" Kazuna lifted her head, giving Yuzuru a confused look.

"Yes. I came here early with my twin brother. Look at the guy who sleep while hugging his red handbag. His name is Yuuta. Yanagi Yuuta." Yuzuru pointed at the back of the class, forcing Kazuna to see the person she meant for only a second as she continued, "Then when three other girls came, they couldn't stop bothering him. I admit that he was very good-looking, but I don't think those girls had to act that way in front of someone they just met. So annoying. I really want a friend who can talk about movies, food, politics, history, or anything. Not boys and boys and boys. Why is it so hard?"

"Ah, I see… That does happen all the time, I agree with you." Kazuna was grateful that Yuzuru wasn't like what she thought previously. She even had to hold back a grin because the girl who would sit in front of her for the next few weeks seemingly wasn't too much of a nutcase.

"Mhm, mhm. Are your parents here?" Yuzuru jumped into another topic as she appeared to be warmer than before.

"No, they're in Osaka. What about you?"

"No, sadly. I'm from this town, but my parents need to open their store. It's not like entrance ceremony is as important as the graduation one." Yuzuru smiled again, hugging the top part of her chair to balance herself. "How's Osaka? I've never been there, but I heard that the nightlife is incredible. Do you live here alone?"

Kazuna nodded. "I got an apartment nearby."

"Awesome! I wish I could get my own apartment and become independent too, but I know my parents will never allow me to leave the house unless if I'm married to someone!"

Before Kazuna had the chance to respond, the in-ceiling speaker of the classroom was on, broadcasting a cheerful sound of a female teacher. She told the students to gather in the west ground behind the third year's building to start the entrance ceremony in ten minutes.

"Hey, Yuuta!" Yuzuru shouted as she stood up and beckoned to her brother. Kazuna noticed how the three other girls in the class gave her a nasty glare. Were they upset because Yuzuru could be that close to Yuuta? But they're siblings, so there was no valid reason for them to feel that way.

"Calm down…" Yuuta came within seconds and muttered a weak plea to Yuzuru. He was indeed good-looking and tall. His eyes might be the most attractive part of his overall appearance. They're very intense, yet beautiful. He had long eyelashes too. Kazuna found herself scrunitizing him until he looked back at her, where she abruptly turned her head away.

"This is Yanagi Yuuta. Just call him Yuuta and me Yuzuru, okay? It's confusing when you call both of us Yanagi," Yuzuru introduced Yuuta to Kazuna with a bright tone of her voice. "Yuuta, this is Ito Kazuna."

"Nice to meet you," Kazuna said to Yuuta and she received a stifled "same here". All that she knew was that Yuuta felt too lazy to react much to this small chit-chat. Perhaps he was also wary of girls he just met who could ruin his tranquil high school life. Even when the three of them walked together to the west ground, Yuzuru stood between them. She was the only talkative one, so besides making the situation less awkward, she didn't bore anyone because she always had interesting things to talk about.


The entrance ceremony lasted for an hour with all the students standing in the front of the yard just near a small stage built as a podium, while the parents waited in the back. No chairs were provided to any of them—even to the teachers—thus no one really had a chance to protest.

The principle gave an arduous speech about the students' life. He suggested the new students to enjoy the next three years to the fullest since getting accepted into Yuuei was an invaluable achievement and opportunity, while the upperclassmen should continue working hard because the real heroic world awaited them sooner than they might think. Then some teachers introduced themselves and made a few jokes that were quite hilarious, since a lot of people caught them and laughed along.

When the crowd was dismissed, Hitoshi went back to his classroom alone. Everyone around him seemed to have found a friend or two, but he hadn't. It was not like he didn't want a friend—who in the world would refuse to have someone they could depend on—but he just didn't feel that approaching strangers and stretch out a hand for a friendly shake was his forte. Too bad for him, no one was there to take the first initiation by coming to his desk. But he was good. He didn't expect chocolates and flowers from anyone, so there was nothing missing from his day.

A male homeroom teacher came after the students sat in their desk. He was lanky, in his mid-forty, and has a long dark brown hair that looked really nice with his rusticness. He wrote his name on the board as "Komatsu Jun" and that he'd teach English exclusively for the first year's general and business department. He added that he wasn't as noteable as the pro heroes who taught the superior department. According to himself, he was only a normal guy who loved languages more than anything.

"Let's start by introducing yourself one by one! Starting from the person near the door, please stand up, say your full name, your hometown, the name of your previous middle school, and your reason for choosing Yuuei! No need to tell us your LINE ID or relationship status because no one cares!" Jun enthusiastically ordered his new students and he kind of made a great first impression since almost everyone laughed at his last sentence.

Hitoshi propped his chin in his left palm as he watched his classmates did what Jun told them to. Sure he had to memorize their name, but if he had to be honest, he cared the most about their quirk and the reason they're here. The first guy who sat next to the only door in this room was quirkless and he was here only because he wanted to study in a good place. He was planning to study astronomy in university since he was little. The guy beside him could cast a very small amount of fire. He was unable to burn an entire wardrobe at one time, but he could light some parts, then letting them spread by themselves. He was also here because Yuuei was a good school. He didn't intend to become a pro hero.

"I'm Yanagi Yuzuru and I can run very fast!" It was the time for the only girl who sat on the first row. "I was born in this town and I went to Kudan High with my twin brother who's also in this class. We have the same quirk that we inherited from our mother. I'm not planning to become a pro hero, I'm here because I can't choose a better high school than Yuuei. Anyway, please call me Yuzuru so no one will confuse me with my brother. Thank you!"

Some people giggled after hearing Yuzuru's energetic speech. She was like a playful cat who couldn't stop running and climbing stuff, while the previous two were like the old grumpy ones who didn't want to jump even an inch because they knew they'd die soon.

There was another quirkless guy in front of Hitoshi who said that both of his brothers attended Yuuei's department of management some years ago. He was forced by his parents to apply here too and he didn't see the reason to refuse their wish, but he chose the general education because he still didn't know what he wanted to do with his life. He continued rambling about how Yuuei was a perfect place for those who wanted to find their dream, no matter how simple it was. He talked as if he'd been hired to do a throughout promotion by the principle. In the end Jun had to stop him because they'd be running out of time.

"I'm Shinsou Hitoshi." Hitoshi stood up when it was his turn, eyes directed at Jun and no one else as he stroked the side of his neck. "I'm from Nobu Middle in Saitama. I was born there too. I'm in this class because I failed the heroic practical exam. My quirk is… I can brainwash people."

"Huh? Brainwashing?"

"What did he say? Brainwashing?"

"Seriously? Like how?"

Hitoshi didn't question a thing when almost everyone in this place had at least one cynical commentary about his quirk. They were very vocal until Jun had to shush them. Hitoshi still didn't mind that much. He didn't even want to find out about the kids who gave him a derisive look as he casually sat down and went back to his previous stance. This was nothing new. It'd be stranger if they were dead quiet.

"I'm Ito Kazuna." The next person stood up as she clasped her hands in front of her pelvic. "I went to Mizumoto Chuo Middle in Hiroshima, but I was born in Osaka. I'm here because I failed the heroic exam too."

The word "too" made Hitoshi give the girl beside him more attention and not merely a fleeting glance like what he did to the last four people. He was fascinated by the fact that finally, there was someone who experienced and envisioned the same thing as he did.

"I hope Yuuei would give me a second chance, that's why I don't mind being in this department," she proceeded. "And my quirk is memory reading. Nice to meet you all."

"Memory reading? Is that why you wear gloves?" one guy from her southeast asked.

"Correct. It's so I won't accidentally read anyone's memory," she said with a nonchalant expression and just like what they did to Hitoshi, people instantly gushed about her power.

Memory reading wasn't something unheard of, but contrary to the popular theme fiction authors loved to use, it was actually quite rare in this new age. Maybe as rare as brainwashing. Maybe brainwashing was only slightly rarer. Whatever the exact percentage could be, both powers were useless against the robots they had to face for the hero department's practical test. Though even worse than his, her quirk couldn't be used to physically attack a villain.

As the class went along to the next student in line, Hitoshi decided to take another look at Kazuna and much to his surprise, she already had her eyes on him. When she realized that their gaze just met, she hurriedly snapped her head sideways to the guy speaking now. Hitoshi had nothing to say about what just happened, but deep down, he knew that Kazuna felt that she could relate to what he was feeling at the moment. He knew because he felt the same way toward her.

Disappointment, jealousy, anger, ambition, hopefulness—these overwhelming emotions must be burning in her chest.


Among twenty students in the class, six took the heroic entrance exam and failed, but only two had a non-offensive kind of quirk. Of course people were more interested to learn about them, more than anything else. As soon as the lunch break's bell rang, two boys and one girl clustered around Y/N desk like they attempted to get a free bento from her. Yuzuru appeared to be curious of what's going to happen as she rotated her body just to join the group talk.

"You can read people's memory? Like, real people's memory since they were born?" a guy asked and Kazuna nodded her head a couple of times. She already said that she could, so she didn't understand why he'd come just to ask that again. For sure her quirk wouldn't change in five hours.

"Is there a difference between mind reading and memory reading?" another guy threw his own question.

"The difference…?" Kazuna repeated his words. "I guess mind reading is knowing what someone is thinking, while memory reading is knowing the memory of that person?"

"But how's the process? You touch someone's head and?"

"Well, it depends on many conditions," Kazuna kindly answered. "If you're still in kindergarten, it can take me only seconds to read everything. If you're an adult, it will take me longer. You can also be the same age as someone, but if you've had more experience like travelling the world, then it will take me longer too. Using one or two hands also affects the speed."

"What do you mean by everything? What if the person has forgotten many things?"

"I can only read what they remember, that's why it's called memory reading and not memory unfolding…?" Kazuna replied.

"What about you, Shinsou?" the first guy who started the whole conversation now moved his aggression to Hitoshi who didn't do a thing beside holding his phone.

"Hm?" Hitoshi ever so coolly glance up at him.

"How does your brainwashing work?" he asked and Hitoshi noticed that no less than three more people came to join the two versus seven discussion.

"I can force people to do what I want them to do when they answer to my words," Hitoshi succinctly explained, still looking unamused about the whole thing. Once again, his classmates began to blabber on what they called a "creepy quirk". They spoke so excessively without considering his feeling, but he didn't rise up against any of them.

"So you can control us that easily?!" one girl put her balled palm in front of her mouth, exaggerating her girlish reaction. "Shinsou, don't do that to me or to anyone, okay? Or have you done something bad before?"

"Come on! If I had his power, I would've done many things, especially to the girls that I liked." The guy stood next to her nudged her waist. "Note how I said 'girls' instead of 'girl'? It's better if you don't imagine anything."

"Yuck, stop it! Disgusting!"

"No, I haven't done anything bad to anyone," Hitoshi curtly replied.

"Sure, Shinsou! Sure! Of course a criminal won't willingly turn themselves in!"

"But Ito's quirk is kind of cool too," the girl from before spoke again, now while cutely twirling the tip of her hair with one finger. "I don't think you can become a pro hero, though. You'll be good for the police force. You can even start working now, so why don't you do it? Don't tell me you have never thought of the possibility? Being a detective is like something coming out of a TV show."

Hitoshi suddenly stood up and glared down at her, since she was very tiny compared to his build. "It's up to her whether she wants to become a pro hero or not. You have no rights to change anyone's dream."

There was a total silence and it was obvious that no one was brave enough to counter Hitoshi's disapproval. Shortly after, Hitoshi withdrew from the scene with both hands inside of his pockets and he didn't even look back once as he disappeared from everyone's vision. The rest whispered to each other before scattering around, but most opted to leave the class, perhaps to the cafeteria, toilet, or somewhere else. It was funny yet ironic to witness how they were trying to demean Hitoshi's ability and in a split second, he managed to turn it back by shutting them down.

"Well, I thought something dramatic would happen, but it didn't. Anyway, Shinsou wasn't wrong to say that. Please ignore those kinds of people," Yuzuru commented. "And I thought you're wearing gloves because you had mysophobia."

Kazuna frowned upon hearing the foreign term. "What's mysophobia…?"

"It's a fear toward germs. A teacher in my middle school has that."

"Oh, no." Kazuna stared at her palms. "It's because of my quirk."

"Do you bring your own lunch? If not, shall we go to the cafeteria together? I'll bring Yuuta too," Yuzuru changed the subject before stretching her arms up and yawning.

"No, let's go," Kazuna gladly accepted the invitation.

"Okay, but is it nice eating while wearing gloves? Aren't they hot and damp?" Yuzuru asked. "You should take them off."

Kazuna's eyes dilated with disbelief. "Can I?"

"Eh? Of course you can! What are you going to do if you don't have them on? Reading my memory right at this very moment? Please, I know you won't!"

"Ah… Right… Thank you, Yuzuru." Kazuna couldn't contain the satisfaction she got from Yuzuru's reply, so she smiled. "I'll take them off whenever we eat together."

Yuzuru chuckled. "You're welcome."


Sanae
How's your first day, princess? Going to Yuuei, living in a luxury apartment that costs almost 100,000 yen a month, getting 300,000 for your food, then perhaps you're going to ask more for other "extra things". Office workers who work 60 hours a week don't even earn that much~ 13:19 PM
How nice~ 13:19 PM
When I was your age, I only got 500 yen per day hahaha 13:20 PM
How does it feel to be spoiled since the moment you're born? 13:20 PM

Kazuna sighed as she closed the chat between her and Sanae. The school ended fifteen minutes ago and right now, she was sitting alone in front of a food stall near Yuuei for a portion of okonomiyaki. She ate lunch at her school's cafeteria around three hours ago, but she had to get something for dinner. She didn't feel like leaving once she wore her thin and homely outfit, so she decided to just do everything at once. When it got cold, she could always warm the food by herself.

She looked up at the blue sky that would darken in an hour from now. The day had been okay so far, maybe even better since she didn't dream of meeting someone as nice as Yuzuru in the very first day and they also happened to be seated close to each other. Yuuta the brother seemed to be good too, but they hadn't had any interaction beyond their short introduction. It wouldn't be questionable if for the next three years, she could only talk to him about their homework and some such. He was a quiet person by nature and she could accept that.

Then there was Hitoshi. She thought she'd be the only person in class with a quirk that always caused people to take a second glance at, but there was him with his brainwashing power. The moment she heard his story, she was intrigued and a voice inside of her screamed "where have you been?!". It would be a lie if she said she wasn't grateful that there was someone like him nearby, someone who could understand what she felt whenever the world wasn't being fair or whenever stupid strangers came to ask about dumb things.

"Your food's done."

Kazuna left her bench and took the plastic bag from the young female cook. She'd paid when she put her order, so all she did was thank her before strolling ahead to her apartment. That's when she saw a guy as tall as Yuuta cycling quite fast on the road to her right. It was Hitoshi. She wasn't sure if he spotted her too because there were a lot of Yuuei students around. On top of that, she didn't have a unique hairstyle, exotic body shape, or a beautiful face that could make car drivers stop just to whistle.

"Rude girl, I haven't said thank you to him…" she announced to no one as she continued stepping on the pavement below.

But tomorrow she would. She'd tap his back early in the morning, smile, and perhaps they could be friends too.


Thank you for reading! Reviews are greatly appreciated! ❤