"While we were waiting for the ability testing results, some of the staff decided to do some digging on your family's name, Utsu-ru. You said that they had died while you were young and a family friend had taken you to the Institute you grew up in, right?"
"Yes, that's all I know about my past. There was an accident, and my parents didn't make it," said 37.
Recovery Girl looked at her, then looked at All Might and Principal Nezu before continuing. "Well dear, the first few records that we found did support what you know. But, we found out by digging deeper that it wasn't quite true. In reality 37, your parents were murdered."
"What?! Who would want to kill them? I don't remember them, but I wouldn't say they were evil or anything."
"It wasn't a matter of who they were, 37, it was the fact that they were protecting you. Their Quirks were powerful, and they drew the attention of some bad people. They were asked to join a shadowy group of people but refused. They had kept your existence a secret from everyone, because of the potential strength of your Quirk. If that group found out about you, they feared you'd be taken away. That is why there are no birth records for you. Sadly, it wasn't enough to keep you hidden. Eventually, the villains raided your home. Your parents put up a fight with their abilities, but it wasn't enough."
37 didn't know how to process this. She had only known a bare minimum about her family. And now there was an overload of information, and none of it was positive. "So... The 'family friend' that brought me to the SAI... He was one of the people that killed my parents? Why take me so far from where I lived? Why would they leave me at that horrible place?"
All Might stood up and walked behind 37's chair and put his hand on her shoulder to comfort her. "Young lady, we're very sorry for all that's happened." 37 shrank away from his touch, her body trembling as she struggled to maintain her composure. All Might realized his mistake and withdrew his arm, apologized, and took his seat once more.
Principal Nezu spoke up as well. "Yes, we're very saddened by the events that we uncovered about your past. It's hard to say what their reasonings were behind their actions. We had struggled with whether we should tell you after everything that's recently happened to you. In the end, we felt that you knowing more about your past would be better than being kept in the dark. As for the person that brought you to the SAI, we have a theory that the group we mentioned are Magic users that wanted to recruit your parents to fight against Academy City. I assume they were familiar with the type of development they did at the Institute and decided to let them train you on how to use your ability. Whether they knew about the physical side effects of that isn't clear. I believe that they wanted you to fight the Science side."
"I don't want to fight anyone!" yelled 37 as tears fell from her eyes. "All my life others have wanted to control me for their own purposes and goals. I never wanted this ability, this Quirk! And now I find out that my only family is dead because of it. So that's all the more reason to find a way to get rid of it!"
"Now, now 37 calm down. We're not going to require you to do anything you don't want to do here. If you want to learn how to control your Quirk, we'll gladly help you to do so. And if you'd rather not use it at all, we'll help you find a way to make that happen as well. But please, don't feel like what happened to your parents was your fault. The people that attacked them for their abilities are to blame, not you," said the Principal with a calm, reassuring voice.
37 rubbed her fists against her tear-soaked eyes. She was tired before this meeting, and her sudden outburst of emotion had only added to her exhaustion. "I... I think I should just get some rest. Things are so chaotic right now; maybe after some sleep, I'll have a clearer head about all this."
"Certainly, I'll escort you back to your room," said All Might, who instantly swept her up into his arms. She said her goodbyes to the Principal and Recovery Girl before All Might excused himself from the conference room. Before he could get to her door, she had already begun to doze off in his arms.
"Poor girl, this was far too much to take in at once. We should have waited a little longer," he whispered as he laid her on her bed and tucked her in for the night.
July 7th, 2011
"Alright class, although I know summer break is in two weeks, we're getting a new student today. She isn't a typical first-year, and a few of you already know her. I have to say this though. While you're encouraged to befriend her or whatever you kids consider making friends is these days, she has a particular Quirk that requires some caution. We've taken some precautions to help lessen the danger, but no contact must be made with her skin. Her Quirk allows her to steal other people's Quirks by direct skin contact. So unless you'd like to lose the abilities that you're here to train, be nice but also be careful. I'll bring her in now." Aizawa stepped out of the room and closed the door.
"Wow, that's a crazy Quirk to have, don't you think Deku?" said Uraraka Ochaco as they prepared to take their seats.
"Yeah, it will be interesting to see what we can learn from it. I'd bet that it would be a great asset for her when it's developed and controlled!"
"And there you go starting with your analysis; she hasn't even been formally introduced yet! I'm a little concerned about Aizawa's warning though. Do they think it's safe to have someone with such a Quirk interact with us?" wondered Uraraka.
"Oh, there's nothing to worry about, she wouldn't purposely use her Quirk on anyone!" Midoriya said to help ease his friend's mind. He noticed Todoroki shooting him an unamused glare. He then realized that he had just given away the fact that he had prior knowledge of the new student.
"So you're one of the ones that already know her, Midoriya? Why didn't you mention her to us earlier?" said Iida Tenya, the class president for class 1-A.
"Well, uh. You see..."
Todoroki approached the group, "He wasn't allowed to talk about it. Neither of us could for security reasons. She's a very nice person, but insecure about her Quirk. She's also been through a very traumatic ordeal we can't elaborate on, for now, so please try not to upset her." He returned to his seat, with almost all of the eyes in 1-A focused on him. None of the other students had ever heard him speak like that about another classmate before and were rightfully shocked.
"Sounds like someone's got a girlfriend!" said Ashido Mina from her seat at the front. Todoroki's face blushed, and he had begun to respond when the classroom door opened. 37 walked into the room, followed by their teacher Aizawa. She was wearing a UA High gym uniform that completely covered her arms and legs. Matching gloves were added to the outfit, and she interlaced her fingers as she stood at the front of the class.
"Whoa, there's no way she's young enough to be a first-year!" said Kirishima Eijiro.
"You're correct Kirishima, I explained beforehand that she wasn't a typical first-year, did I not? However, her unique situation has made it necessary to provide her with the education and learning that she has missed out on over the years. Her age is of no consequence here. She is here to learn just the same as you are."
"That might be easier if she wasn't so hot," Kirishima muttered to himself as he crossed his arms and sulked.
Aizawa continued, "Now that we got that out of the way, this is 37. Yes, not a typical name either, but we just go with what we're given here. Please introduce yourself, 37."
Surprised to be put on the spot, 37 blushed and bowed to the class. "Uhm... Hello, everyone. My designation is Subject 37, or 37 like Mr. Aizawa said. I'm new to Musutafu, but apparently, this is where I'm from originally. My situation is a little... complicated right now, but I look forward to learning with you all. Thank you."
"Good, you can take your seat in the back, 37. And we'll pick up where we left off yesterday, class. In your Hero Studies book, page 78..."
37 walked to the back and took her seat, but even though the class faced the front and watched the teacher, she still felt like all eyes were on her. She kept her eyes focused on the textbook and followed along with the lesson. When class was over, she was suddenly surrounded by people. Everyone wanted to introduce themselves and ask questions. Her anxiety increased as the people got closer, but she tried her best to be polite. Just as she was about to succumb to a panic attack, a loud voice echoed through the room.
"EVERYONE BACK UP!" The crowd around her did as the voice commanded, and she saw that it was Todoroki that had shouted it. "She gets nervous when people get too close. Just give her a decent amount of space, and I'm sure she'll be more comfortable talking to you all."
"Oh no! We're so sorry 37, we had no idea! If you ever feel uneasy about anything just let us know, okay?" said Uraraka apologetically.
"Or she can just have her boyfriend keep an eye on her, hehe."
"Hey shut it, Pinky!" said Kirishima. "You say that, and it means none of us manly guys have a chance!" The two bickered back and forth as they walked away from 37's desk.
"Well, I guess it's time to go home for the day, would you like to walk with us to the station, 37?" asked Uraraka.
37 was surprised to be invited to hang out. She felt a little sad that she had no reason to go to the station since she lived in the school.
"I don't need to go to the station, I'm living here for now. But thank you for the invitation, I appreciate it," 37 said as she collected her books into her bag and stood up.
"Oh, I wasn't aware of that. Would you like to come with us anyway though? We'd be happy to get to know you better. I know we're a pretty rowdy bunch, but we're all pretty cool people once you get to know us!" replied Uraraka.
"Yeah, except for Mr. Explosion over there. He has the personality of an overheated dog turd," laughed Kirishima as he pointed towards Bakugo Katsuki.
"Hey Rock-Head, better watch what you say, I'll kill you!" exclaimed Bakugo.
"See what I mean! Haha!"
37 smiled, her first time all day doing so. "Sure, I was just going to go back to my room, but I think I could use a walk outside."
"Awesome! We can show you all the sights around town, maybe get something to eat before we get to the station. There are so many things to choose from, you won't know where to begin!" said Uraraka.
"Sounds like fun, I'll be ready to go in just a sec," she said as the crowd of classmates filed out of the room. Once she was the last one in the classroom, she sat in the closest seat and put her head into her hands and propped her elbows on the desk.
"What's wrong, 37?" said Todoroki, who had stepped back into the room to grab his bag. She lifted her head and smiled at him.
"It's nothing, I just felt a little overwhelmed for a moment. It's been a very long time since I've been around so many people at once."
"Do you want to just go to your room, then? I can walk with you if you like," offered Todoroki.
37 shook her head, "No, no that's not necessary. I'm okay now, I'm looking forward to going out to walk. I just needed a quick breather. Oh, thank you for earlier with asking them to give me some room. I don't know what I'd do without you sometimes, Todoroki," she said as she smiled and stood up once again and left the room with him to join the others.
Funny, I've been thinking the same about you, 37.