Chapter 3: Meet Your New Classmates, You Nerd!
'… Ah… huh?' I thought internally as I opened my eyes only to realize I was awake. Or at least I should have been but that wasn't exactly the case. I was awake within the black abyss of my mind where I was able to communicate with my predecessors, the past users of One For All.
However, I could no longer see them much less speak with them ever again. After all I don't have OFA anymore. I used the very last embers in my final fight against Shigaraki and All For One. I'm simply Quirkless once more and forevermore…
… Or at least that is what I had surmised.
"Quirkless? HAHAHA! What a funny joke! HAHAHA!" A voice resonated within my ears as my eyes shot wide open as I was utterly dumbfounded by what I had just heard. Not only is there another person here within my mind, but they were able to read my very thoughts, and they told me being Quirkless was a 'funny joke.'
'… I-I… I don't understand…' I thought internally as I had more than just a few questions for this 'voice' as I tried to pinpoint exactly where they were located within my internal void. It was then that I noticed something, or someone drenched in black darkness. It was eerily similar to his first meeting with Daigoro Banjo, the Fifth User of OFA. But whoever this was, was not Banjo or any of his predecessors. Then who? Just…
… Who is this person? … Wait a second… that voice… it's the same… the same as-
'Do you wish to obliterate him?'
'… Ah!' I gasped internally as my internal body began tingling, this was the sign that I was going to wake up soon. No! Not now! I must know who this person is! But there was nothing I could do as the tingling began increasing as I was well past the point of no return. But before I could wake up in the real world-
"… Shame. I was hoping to chat with you for a bit about who I am and what power you possess now. But I guess now's not the time. Till we meet again… young boy." The voice finished speaking as before I was forced out of the world of my mind, for a second, I could have sword I saw the figure drenched in shadows… smirk. That was the last thing I saw before I returned to reality.
"… Ah." I gasped as I opened my eyes to find myself in a familiar situation. The ceiling that used to be unfamiliar was now recognizable as well as the mattress I was laying on and the metal bars below it. It was a cot, but that's beside the point. I was once again back in the school's clinic.
"Now that I think about it, this isn't the first time I have ended up here. No. Not even close. I ended up in hospitals many times in the past and much more frequently nowadays. It seems like ever since I enrolled in UA, I have injured myself and had to go and get stitches for all the injuries I received. Wow. I guess me ending up here is to be expected at this point." I unknowingly muttered everything out loud as I got the bad feeling that someone was staring at me.
"…" It was then that I noticed that the nurse from before was present and had a horrified look on her face. That could only mean…
… THAT SHE HEARD EVERY SINGLE WORD I SAID!
"WAIT! I WAS JUST JOKING! PLEASE DON'T FREAK OUT!" I shouted at the top of my lungs as I lied through my teeth.
"Oh! It was just a joke! Haha. In hindsight… that was pretty funny." The nurse chuckled quietly as she regained her smile.
'Oh, thank god she's gullible.' I thought internally as I thought for sure that I was completely and utterly screwed. But then…
'DONG!' The bell rang as my eyes shot wide open upon realizing that I was definitely and absolutely screwed!
"OH CRAP! DID SCHOOL JUST WRAP UP FOR THE DAY?!" I shouted at the top of my lungs as my heart sank upon realizing that I probably missed an entire day of school again. But to my surprise-
"No. You've only been passed out for about an hour. So, you only missed homeroom. First period is about to start- The nurse spoke but I interrupted her by leaping out of the bed and landing right on my feet.
"Hey! You shouldn't overdo i- The nurse spoke but I cut her off once more.
"I appreciate your concern, but I got to get back to class now! I missed way too much class!" I yelled out as I sped toward the entryway and turned the doorknob. But before exiting the room-
"Thanks again for everything. You are a lifesaver!" I finished before making my way out of the clinic and back to Class D. Though unbeknownst to me, the nurse stood there in the middle of the room, utterly speechless. Until-
"… I didn't do anything… it was that girl… Horikoshi? No, no. That doesn't sound right." The nurse muttered to herself before returning to her duties.
"Haah… haah…" It was then that I faced the door of Class D once more as I breathed in and out in order to calm myself. After my spectacular entrance from earlier this morning just… what are they going to think about me? Will they think I'm some weirdo? Probably… guess there's only one way to find out. I thought internally before turning the doorknob and entering the classroom once more.
"All right, class. Today's lesson will be re- The teacher spoke but she stopped mid-sentence after hearing the door to the classroom open. I recognized that she had long brown hair that was tied into a ponytail with several bangs that covered her forehead, and an outfit that consisted of a black blazer with a white polo shirt underneath, a short black skirt with stockings and a pair of black heels. She then focused her attention onto me as did everyone else after noticing that the teacher was looking at someone. Once again, I found myself in a situation where everyone around me was staring at me. Their gazes pierced me like arrows as I stood there with what was surely an embarrassed look on my face.
"Hmm. If my memory serves me right, you are the student who has failed to attend a single class so far. My name is Sae Chabashira. You will refer to me as Professor Chabashira." The woman named Chabashira introduced herself with a monotone voice as she seemed a bit annoyed in me being here. Not that she has every right not to. I hadn't shown my face once in this classroom until today. And even then, I had to be brought to the nurse's office after blackening out. Wait… how exactly did I get there? I assume of my classmates helped me out but wh-
"Are you just going to stand there and continue to waste this class's time or are you going to introduce yourself and take your seat already?" Chabashira spoke with audible disdain in her voice as my thought process was broken.
'Yeah… she's definitely pissed at me.' I thought internally as sweat dripped from my forehead and onto the ground below me. I then wiped the sweat off my forehead before making my way to the podium as everyone continued to stare at me like hawks. Wait-no! Not Hawks the pro hero but the bird! God… I feel so awkward right now. I thought internally before finding the courage within myself to introduce myself.
"… H-Hello… e-e-everyone… m-my… n-n-name is… I-I-I- I muttered quietly while stuttering uncontrollably as I tried focusing on my classmates' faces but only ended up averting my eyes and looking back at the podium I was standing nearby only to be interrupted before I could even say my name.
"Huh? Can't hear a damn word you're sayin! Speak the hell up!" A voice yelled out that was in the Kansai dialect as my entire body trembled out of fear. I caught a look at the person who spoke and noticed that he had red hair that wasn't at all like Kirishima's hair style but was instead flat with no spikes to speak of. However, in stellar contrast to his neatly kept hair his red vest wasn't buttoned up at all and exposed his white polo shirt underneath. This and the tone of his voice gave off the impression of someone that you did not want to mess with. And to make matters worse, now I was pissing this guy off. Fantastic.
"… H-Hello… e-e-everyone… m-my… n-n-name is… I-I-I- I tried repeating myself, but I only ended up muttering and stuttering like a mess again. No surprise, this only ended up pissing off the redheaded guy even more.
"Didn't ya hear a damn word I said?! Speak the hell up already, you nerd!" The red headed guy yelled out in a voice that was even louder than before as I froze like a lice sculpture. I was never all too good at dealing with people who'd yell at me, case in point Kacchan, who this guy is seriously reminding me of in more ways than one. But even more than all of that, I just felt embarrassed. Embarrassed that I wasted and am continuing to waste my classmates' time. And embarrassed that I'm doing nothing about it. Come on Izuku! Man, up already! But it was no use. I just felt so out of place in this classroom that I couldn't get the words out of my throat. So, no matter what I just couldn't psych myself out. All I did was just stand there as the time ticked away until-
"Well, if you're not going to introduce yourself then you might as well just take your seat al- Chabashira spoke but she was cut off by someone that I had recently become acquainted with. It was-
"Professor Chabashira. I request that we give him one more chance to properly introduce himself." Horikita spoke as she stood up from her seat. My gaze met hers as I was truly surprised that she would say something like that.
"Ms. Horikita. Do you know how much time this loafer just wasted? One minute and thirty-nine seconds and counting. That now over one hundred seconds that had been wasted when they could have been used for today's lesson. Give me one good reason why I should even consider this proposal of yours?" Chabashira spoke with a monotone tone of voice that made it seem like she was disinterested in the topic at hand, but her choice of words only further indicated how much she'd rather not want me here to begin with. It almost feels like my first meeting with Aizawa. Man, I wish he were here…
… I wish they were all here. I just feel… so al-
"Because he arrived on time to class today, didn't he?" Horikita replied matter-of-factly as my thought process was broken upon hearing her words. I don't understand. She doesn't need to be sticking up for me like this. So why? Why is she-
"… Fine. I suppose you're right. But. I will only allow a ten second introduction. Starting… now." Chabashira spoke as she clicked on her phone as a timer began counting down.
'J-Just ten seconds?! H-How am I supposed to- I thought internally before noticing Horikita looking at me. I focused my attention onto her and-
"Hello everyone. My name is Izuku Midoriya. It's a pleasure joining all of you at last." I spoke crystal clear as if it was only natural to do so. And not even a moment later-
"Well, look at that. Took you long enough. Now go take the available seat next to Horikita so I can resume today's lesson." Chabashira spoke in her usual disinterested tone of voice as I noticed the seat she was referring to. There just so happened to be an empty seat to the right of Horikita at the far back of the classroom.
'Huh. A window seat again. What are the odds?' I thought internally as I made my way toward the only available seat in the classroom as I reminisced on how I had to sit near the window back in UA as well.
'But in contrast to UA, I'm at the far back of the classroom. I'd love to be a bit closer but oh well.' I thought internally as I took the seat next to Horikita. I wanted to thank her for helping me out but before I could-
"Alright. On with today's lesson. But first we will be going over last night's homework. I assume all of you have completed this week's assignments?" Chabashira spoke nonchalantly while looking at nothing in particular until focusing her attention on me. Oh no.
"Say, Mr. Midoriya. How about you answer the mathematical equation on page six, specifically number twelve." Chabashira spoke as she purposefully chose the one that was the hardest among the problems featured in the entire packet of equations. It's not that she wanted to break Midoriya's spirit. She simply wanted to gauge Izuku's level of intelligence. But even then, she had high doubts that he would be able to answer correctly. But that's too be expected. This class is full of people who are utterly useless-
"Twenty-four." I spoke confidently as I remembered the answer to the exact problem that Chabashira was referring to like the back of my hand. That was the problem that stood out to me the most since I had to put some thought into it. For some reason, when things stand out to me, such as little details that someone else would find inconsequential, it was relatively easy for me to recall them.
"…" Chabashira stood there without saying a word as several of my classmates stared at me, including Horikita. This caught me off guard.
"H-Huh? W-Was it something I said? P-Professor Chabashira. You were r-referring to the painted cube problem… r-right?" I spoke while stuttering as I began to second guess myself. I mean I guess there's a chance that I misremembered the solution. After all, I didn't get a wink of sleep today. But I was sure that was the answer. It had to be.
"… That's correct. Mr. Midoriya-San. Do you mind showing the class how you came to that solution?" Chabashira asked as I nodded before standing up from my seat and making my way to the blackboard. I grabbed a piece of chalk and began writing out the solution.
"The large cube consisted of n^3-unit cubes. These are the cubes that are on the faces of the large cube but not on the edges or the corners. Each face of the cube has n^2-unit cubes. The cubes on the edges and corners of each face need to be excluded. Furthermore, each face has n-2^2-unit cubes that are not on the edges or corners. Since the large cubes had six faces, it would be six times n-2^2. So, the number of unit cubes with exactly one face painted is 6n-2^2. For a cube with a side length of four units n=4 6 times 4 minus 2^2=6 times 2^2 = 6 times 4 =24. Thus, twenty-four cubes will have exactly one face painted." I explained in the way that made the most sense to me while writing out the solution on the chalkboard for the entire class to see.
"…" Everyone before me did not utter a single word. Not even Professor Chabashira who had proposed that I answer the question had anything to say in response to me explaining the solution. Once again, I was caught off guard by receiving nothing but silence.
"I-I'm pretty sure I wrote e-everything right. W-Was my explanation in-insufficient?" I spoke while stuttering out of feeling awkward. I just didn't know what to say.
Izuku was prone to second guess himself if something felt off to him. However, while he was indeed a brilliant young man, even he did not realize the true reason why everyone had been so surprised. He had answered the toughest question while not looking back at the packet even for a quick glance for reference purposes. Which can only mean…
… That he had recalled the question and the entire process behind answering it as if it was second nature. Not only that but unbeknownst to Midoriya, this problem had stumped several of his classmates and only a few had answered correctly. And even then, he had given the solution by recalling the information from his memory alone. Needless to say, everyone was impressed.
"… Not at all. You answered eloquently. You may go back to your seat." Chabashira replied as she thought she knew the type of person that Izuku was. A slacker who had no interest in working hard nor had the mental capacity to actually use his mind efficiently. She had always thought herself a good judge of character. But for the first time in her life…
… The woman named Sae Chabashira had completely underestimated another individual.
'Huh. I think that went well.' I thought internally after taking my seat next to Horikita, the latter of which was still staring at the solution I wrote on the chalkboard.
"That was impressive." Horikita whispered so that she wouldn't be heard by the rest of the class.
"Thanks." I replied while looking toward the chalkboard so that other people wouldn't notice we were whispering to each other.
"You don't need to thank me. I wasn't trying to compliment you." Horikita whispered back as I knew that already.
"I know… I meant for earlier. Thanks. You really saved me back there." I replied genuinely as if it wasn't for her then I wouldn't feel welcome in this class. After all, I think she might be the first friend I made in 'this world.' Though I might be getting a bit ahead of myself there.
"… It wasn't a big deal. Just consider it as repayment for what you did for me last night." Horikita replied as if she was just doing me a favor. I guess it's to be expected. I don't really know much about the girl named Suzune Horikita. And on the flipside, she doesn't know anything about the boy named Izuku Midoriya. I think I'll keep it that way. If she were to find out…
… Who knows what would happen? I didn't want an answer to that hypothetical question, so I buried it deep inside of me and focused on the lecture for the remainder of class until-
'DONG!' The bell rang signaling the end of first period. There were still six periods to go as well as a lunch break in between third and fourth period. But in the meantime, there seems to be a five minute in between periods. That's what I deduced after seeing Professor Chabashira go on her phone as well as several of my classmates chatting with each other. The only exceptions being Horikita who was reviewing notes for the next lecture and me who was staring at the ceiling as I was thinking all of this. But then…
"Everyone. If I may have your attention, please." The voice of someone that I had not heard before went through my eardrums as my thought process was broken and I looked around the room to pinpoint where the voice came from. It was clearly not from Chabashira since the voice came from a guy and she was a woman after all. But upon trying to look for the source, I noticed that everyone had focused their attention on him. Aside from two people, the redhead from earlier who was looking at something on his phone with a disinterested look on his face and another guy with shoulder length blonde hair who was looking at himself with a mirror.
"Thank you. I believe that we should all reintroduce ourselves considering we have a new classmate. As Class Representative I'll do the honor of going first. My name is Yosuke Hirata. It's a pleasure meeting you Midoriya-San." The man named Hirata spoke with a smile on his face. He had blonde hair, but it was significantly shorter than the other guy I was looking at before briefly.
"It's a pleasure meeting you too Hirata-San." I replied with enthusiasm in my voice as he seemed genuinely nice. Perhaps me and him can be friends? I think I might be getting ahead of myself again.
"I guess I'll go next. My name is Kei Karuizawa. Also, I'd advise you to not hit on me. I mean I'm obviously beautiful and all. But as you can see me, and Yosuke are dating." The girl named Kei Karuizawa spoke with a smile as I noticed her appearance. She has waist length blonde hair that is tied into a ponytail. Her school uniform consisted of a light blue dress shirt below the red school blazer with rolled up sleeves and a short white skirt with a blue ribbon around her collar. I also noticed her wearing the standard school shoes with light blue calf length socks as she walked to Hirata's desk and grasped his hand as if it was only natural for her to do so. Wait a second…
"… D-D-DATING ALREADY?! HASN'T CLASS ONLY STARTED FOR A WEEK?! HOW COULD YOU TWO ALREADY BE DATING?!" I unknowingly shouted at the top of my lungs as my eyes bulged out.
'Haha.' It was then that the room grew silent with the only sound being audible was some guy chuckling to himself. It was then that I realized my mistake…
'… I SAID ALL OF THAT OUT LOUD! I MEAN COULD YOU BLAME ME!? UNLESS THEY WERE CHILDHOOD FRIENDS OR SOMETHING HOW COULD THEY ALREADY BE DATING?! DATING SHOULD ONLY OCCUR AFTER KNOWING SOMEONE FOR AT LEAST A FEW MONTHS! BUT THEY 'probably' ONLY HAVE KNOWN EACH OTHER FOR A WEEK AT MOST!' I thought internally as my brain began malfunctioning while my face was most certainly as red as a tomato. I didn't know what to do until out of the corner of my eye I noticed Karuizawa smile.
"… I see. You're jealous. Don't be. I'd never date someone in a million years with such a horrible haircut. Not to mention those scars. I don't mean to be mean, but you look like you got hit by a truck." Karuizawa spoke with a smile as she didn't seem to be offended by my choice of words. Phew. That was way too close…
'… Wait. What did she mean about my hair? And scars? What's she talking about?' I thought internally as I grabbed my phone out of my pocket and used the camera to try and figure out what she was talking about.
'Huh. Looks like my hair is undercut on the right side. Look at that, I do have a few scars on my fac-WAIT WHAT?!' I thought internally before realizing what had been done to my hair.
"M-M-MY HAIR?! WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED TO IT?!" I shouted at the top of my lungs with what was surely a horrified look on my face. But I couldn't help it! My hair! My precious hair! I had kept it the same way all my life and for it to be like this…
'… MY LIFE IS OVER!' I thought internally as I could already feel the walls enclosing on me as I the area beneath my seat crumbled away as if Tomura Shigaraki used his Quirk Decay to make it fall apart. I then fell into a black abyss and vanished from the world forevermore never to be seen again.
The End
Or at least I wished that's what happened.
'Did he seriously just notice?' Because I could already figure out what they were thinking among other things that I'd not like to dwell on for my self-confidence or lack thereof. Well, so much for a first impression.
'Guess I'll die.' I thought internally as I looked at the window to the right of me as I considered jumping out of it to end things my new life that only just begun. But before I could ponder further if this was the best course of action-
"HAHAHAHAHA!" To my utmost surprise someone began laughing boisterously. I instinctively looked toward the source of the laughter along with the rest of the class. It was then that I recognized him as the man from earlier with shoulder length blonde hair that I had only glanced at briefly.
"This guy is hilarious! Man, it's been a while since I laughed that hard! My name's Rokusuke Koenji. You're pretty amusing, green hair." The man named Rokusuke Koenji spoke with a grin on his face as he seemed to be genuinely interested in me. This came as a bit of a shock as he wasn't even paying attention to the lecture and was on his phone the whole time.
'… Also, my name's Midoriya, not 'green hair.'' I thought internally with a face that was more confused than anything.
"Of course you would find him funny, Koenji. You're both weirdos after all. Name's Haruki Yamauchi." The man named Yamauchi spoke with a smirk on his face. He had short brown hair, and nothing really stood out to him aside from his red eyes. Not sure what to make of those.
"Care to repeat that, idiot boy? I didn't hear you clearly." Koenji spoke as he wasn't even looking at Yamauchi and let his tone of voice do the talking. His choice of words made it quite clear that it was a threat. Both Yamauchi and I noticed this.
"I-It was nothing. Don't worry about it." Yamauchi replied as he averted his eyes from Koenji out of an obvious sense of fear. Rokusuke Koenji… I may need to watch out for that guy. Right now, it seems like he doesn't care about class, but in the future…
… He might become a threat.
"Hey. You don't need to glare at me like that. You made me laugh so we're cool green hair." Koenji spoke with a grin on his face as he caught me staring at him even though he wasn't even looking at me.
'How did he know? Was it a hunch?!' I thought internally as I looked at Koenji only to see his mouth moving without any words coming out. But the way it was moving… it was as if he was saying…
… 'For now.'
'Yeah. Definitely need to watch out for this guy.' I thought internally as only time will tell if my relationship with the man named Rokusuke Koenji gradually improves or worsens over time. Hopefully, the former over the latter.
"My name is Kikyo Kushida! Nice to meet you, Midoriya-San!" The bubbly voice of a girl I hadn't heard before resonated within my ears as I noticed that she was right next to me. Wait, when did she!?
"Oh, come now, Midoriya-San! Don't be so nervous! Hahaha!" The girl named Kikyo Kushida giggled as she grasped my hand. It was then that I noticed her short beige colored hair and gradient crimson eyes as well as her…
'T-T-TOO CLOSE!' I thought internally with what was surely a look of freight as not only was she up close in my personal space, her… were so close… oh god! It's just like Hatsume all over again!
'Lucky bastard.' Unbeknownst to me, all the male students with the exception of Hirata and Koenji thought the same thing to themselves as Kushida excitedly shook my hand.
"Hey Sudo-Kun, Introduce yourself!" Kushida spoke cheerfully as she turned her attention away from me and onto the redhead from earlier.
'Oh no! Not him!' I thought internally with what was surely a face full of fear as I already had an idea of what would happen next-
"I ain't introducing myself you Quirkless bastard!" The redhead yelled out before throwing me out of the window. Or at least those were my delusions of what would happen. Though to my surprise-
"Nah. I'm good. I already introduced myself once. Not doin that again. Especially not to a loser like him." The man named Sudo spoke as I felt like I was being pierced with arrows. It doesn't hurt as much as being thrown out a window, but it still hurt quite a bit.
"That loudmouth is Ken Sudo. My name's Kenji Ike. Nice to meet you Midoriya-San." The man named Kenji Ike spoke with a smile on his face. He had short brown hair and bangs that covered the right side of his face.
"HUH?! WHAT DID YA SAY YOU JACKAS- Sudo yelled out at the top of his lungs only to be cut off before he could finish.
"Anyway, I'm glad you're pretty plain looking and have such an awful haircut. That means you won't be hurting my chances with the ladies. That's right. The applications are still open for whoever wants to be my girlfriend, free of charge." Ike spoke with a smirk on his face as a few of the girls giggled awkwardly in response.
'You know you didn't need to say all that.' I thought internally with an unamused look on my face. The rest of my interactions with class were pretty straightforward and weren't really worth explaining. But after meeting all of them. I was pretty happy.
"You look satisfied with yourself. Did something happen?" Horikita whispered to me as class had already resumed with Professor Chabashira giving out another lecture. I guess I was showing it on my face, wasn't I? But even still-
"Yeah… I'm finally a part of Class D now." I replied while smiling at Horikita with my eyes closed.
"… I see." Horikita replied in her usual monotone way of speaking.
"Midoriya-San. Pay attention unless you want to fall behind more than you already have." Professor Chabashira spoke with a hint of annoyance in her voice. I guess she still hasn't forgiven me for missing a week of class.
"Right!" I replied with a smile on my face as time passed by in the blink of an eye. My first day at AN was certainly eventful in more ways than one as I would eventually find out. Not everyone here was going to be my friend. In fact, some would come to utterly despise me as time continued to move on. But that was a story for another day. It was just like how Koenji put it…
… 'For now' my time at AN High School was going well. But even that would only last for so long. Unbeknownst to me, while my carefree days at AN passed by as I got to know more about my classmates and enjoy my new life…
… A plot was being set in motion. It wouldn't be much longer before the 'results' of that plot began to rear its ugly head as things would escalate further and further until I would be put into a situation where I was at the forefront of everything. I would end up playing the leading role in an unspeakable tragedy that would engulf AN and everyone who were present on this area of land that wasn't too far from the rest of Japan. That is to say the rest of my time as a student at AN would lead to an event that would irrevocably change everything around me…
… But 'for now' I was simply 'Izuku Midoriya.' But everyone around me would be referring to me with a 'different name' in due time. But once again, that was a story for another time.
To Be Continued…
Next Chapter: A Beautiful Girl?! Honami Ichinose Appears!
Go Beyond!
Plus Ultra!