The term "everyone is special" is one that is almost universally uttered in our society. From parents who use it to console their children if they perform poorly in a sport or on tests to individuals coping with their inadequacies, its use is ubiquitous. Consoling the downtrodden and those inferior to others, the term celebrates diversity and uniqueness as an offset to any particular flaw or failing. You are not as good at sports as others but everyone is different, you are terrible at academics but you have other unique skills. Any failure no matter how glaring can be whitewashed in the comfort of uniqueness. In the end it's all pointless fluff, used to preserve one's pride and self esteem.

This statement even still holds true in the era of quirks. Fire hair, dinosaur wings, extendable necks, 4 limbs, the sentiment of individual uniqueness has only increased. Crying out their supposed special traits, the average individual takes solace in this seemingly soothing fact: they may be inferior but even they have something special. Of course this is all a farce, the vast majority of quirks are utterly useless and can be considered mere party tricks. Worse is the fact that it is not unusual for individuals to have similar abilities, practically inviting comparison. Questions like "Whose is more powerful? Which one is better? So you are basically a weaker version of him? " are all too common. For all their supposed change and the advent of Heroes like All-might, the arrival of quirks in our society hasn't changed human nature. We still discriminate, lie, cheat, and murder; we just do so under the auspices of superior strength, our value as human beings measured in our quirks. To this end, the quirk is just a new metric for individual value, one forcing us back to the Stone age where brute strength was everything. Of course you can argue that intelligence type quirks and other less flashy abilities offer tangible benefits, but just look up celebrity and hero rankings. Case in point, I'll even use a personal anecdote: my own father is most likely hundreds of places up in the rankings compared to a hero like say- Recovery Girl who's very ability allows her to save thousands of lives while the competitor in this case probably has killed a few bystanders over the course of his "illustrious" career. Which one though, has society deemed "heroic"?

Thus, I- Kichiro Todoroki conclude this, our quirked filled society is one of constant regression, a construct of bestiality and technological stagnation, one that should be destroyed.

…

Reading my application essay for UA, I could only mentally wince in embarrassment with each following line. Making it all the way to the conclusion, I tried my best from groaning out loud.

Seriously, I was asking to get flagged as a terrorist by the Public Safety Commission?

Thinking back, I didn't even have to go through the regular application considering who my father was. I could have probably got Dad to pull some strings and pressure the administration to just outright admit me. It happened all the time with prestigious colleges so the idea wasn't too outrageous.

Nepotism aside, it wasn't like I was completely cheating my way through. Had I gone and taken the recommended student exam like Shouto, the result would have probably been the same.

One couldn't be in the Todoroki family without some martial prowess…

Leaning back from the still illuminating monitor, my eyes make their ways towards the red clock resting right beside.

Dammit… It was still only an hour past noon.

Signing frustratedly I rub my temples in exhaustion. Getting up from my seat, I take a moment to stretch before receiving a sudden ping.

The preparations are nearly complete. Come to the usual place. Make sure you aren't followed.

Checking the clock one last time, I holler a quick "I'm going out" down the hallway, stepping into the warm air.

It was still hard to believe that I was involved in something like this. Even considering that I was the son of a famous pro hero and a kid, the law wouldn't look kindly on consorting with hardcore criminals.

Quickening my stride, I briefly glance to check if I'm being followed. Lowering my head and hunching my posture, I hear an all too familiar raspy voice call out nearby.

"Hmph-took you long enough. Sensei's already waiting, rat."

I see you're as friendly as ever Shigaraki.