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Hotaru Aizawa:

My dad sits with me in the principal’s office, and Mr. Nezu sits back in his chair. “She’s cute, Mr. Aizawa, but I’m not sure this is such a wonderful idea.”

“What’s the issue?” My father asks, holding up his hands in confusion.

“It’s just… okay, so let’s review again. Your daughter Hotaru was someone’s human lab rat for a long time. You took her in as your own to give her a better life and keep her from the government- fine, fine, I get all that. And I suppose I get you hiding her till now… But why do you think having her attend this school will help her?”

“I can pay.”

“You are a valuable asset to this school. I’m happy to help you, Professor. That’s not what I asked for. How will attending UA help her? She’s eleven years old. She should be going to middle school, not high school. She could be overwhelmed by the other students here. Even the first years will be so much bigger and stronger. I hope you’re not planning to put the poor thing through hero training. I’m not even sure that’s legal- in fact…” The intelligent chimera pulled a book out of his desk drawers and quickly turned through its pages, “Ah yes, right here. Fourteen years of age. No one is allowed to train in even SIMULATED live fire exercises “until the age of fourteen”.”

“Did you really have to check that?” My dad asks with lowered eyebrows.

“No- I thought you needed to check it.” he closed the book.

“Daddy, what is Mr. Nezu?” I finally ask. I look at him, hiding behind my father’s arm, but I can’t help it. Mr. Nezu has the head of a rat, the paws of a dog, and a dog’s tail. I’m unsure what his midsection is; maybe it's a bear.

Nezu chuckles. “Oh my, aren’t you blunt? You should have just asked right away,” He says. “I’m a chimera and an animal with a quirk of superintelligence.” He smiles at me and seems friendly, but something about how he looks at me tells me he’s okay with me being scared of him.

“Hotaru has an enhanced quirk, Nezu.” My father says.

“Listen to me, for the good of your daughter… you said she has a what?” Nezu seems to pause.

“In that lab, when she was experimented on, her quirk was enhanced, artificially.”

Nezu hopped off his chair and wandered around his desk to look at me. “You’re sure?”

“I’ve seen the kind of power she can put out. For a middle schooler, it's insane.”

“For an adult?” Nezu queried further as he examined me from a short distance.

“If I had to guess, her Lightning-Storm quirk has the potency of a decently trained adult,” My father confirms.

“I would love to see that…” Nezu comments.

“Sure, I trust you. But there are people who want to see what she can do, and they want much more than that. She has… maybe ten or fifteen times the kind of power she should have.”

“Do you suppose it will keep growing?” Nezu asks.

“I can only hope not for her sake,” my father says. “She’s having a hard enough time controlling it.”

“Maybe we should do some tests to see if she can be-”

“NO TESTS!” I scream. “No labs…” I wrap my arms around my legs. I know that word. The mean lady in the lab always used that word before bad things happened to me.

Nezu looks me in the eye and stops talking. He cocks his head a little, then looks down. I notice a big scar around one of his eyes, and there’s something about it… I don’t know… he looks at me like he and I just made some kind of connection.

Nezu swallows then reaches a paw to me and pats my foot. His look of pleasure at me being scared is completely gone. “I promise these tests will not be painful and will do no damage.”

“No restraints,” I say.

“They won’t be necessary, I promise,” Nezu says, looking me in the eyes like he’s earnest on that note for some reason. Nezu turns back to my father. “You’re saying this is the only way she can socialize?”

“I put her in a regular school, and her power will draw unfriendly attention. She’ll be in danger, not to mention the kind of danger her peers could be in.

“You trust the high schoolers to mind themselves around her?” Nezu asks.

“What do you think they’ll do?”

Nezu shakes his head. “You’re right. What am I saying? Our students will respect her. They respect me.”

Of course, they respect him. He’s the principal. What a strange connection to make.

“We’ll have to figure out a schedule for her,” Nezu says as he returns to his desk. As he moves, I take the time to notice that he’s actually smaller than me. He has to hop up on his chair to resume speaking. “You want her to socialize, so we’ll need to put her with a class, not just have her be alone…” Nezu starts writing notes in a book, “Even though she will have to be taking her own lessons.”

“She could follow my classes.” My father points out.

(***)

The next morning…

Dad got me up very early today.

He walks me past the gates to the giant school again, which looks around fifteen stories tall. It’s an imposing building, but Dad doesn’t seem worried, so I’m not either.

Dad holds my hand as we walk through a large open area. We go up in an elevator and then travel up, me staring at the glass as all the people below us seem to get smaller and smaller until we get to the classroom floors. Dad keeps telling me that today will be exciting, and I can’t wait.

He walks me out of the elevator and down a long hall.

Then he lets go of my hand and tells me he has to leave me for now. “Go ahead and ask the other kids where class 1-A is okay, kiddo?”

I blink a few times, not sure if he’s serious. However, just like he said, he walks away from me. I hold up my hand and try to run after him, but he turns and looks at me with a look that I know means business.

I wrap my arms around my chest and look around the strange hall, suddenly noticing that people are coming and going all around me. Daddy gets further and further away. I want to yell for him to come back, to beg him to protect me, but my voice catches in my throat.

Nearly terrified I back up against one of the walls.

Several big people walk past me. Some look at me, though thankfully, most don't pay me any mind.

A very tall person walks by me and pauses as he’s about to pass me.

He turns his head and adjusts his glasses as he looks down. “Excuse me, little girl, you seem to be missing your parents,” He shoves a hand almost into my face. “Come with me. I’ll take you to the principal’s office.” I pull my hands up to my face and almost flatten myself against the wall. He’s so big and confident. It’s scary. “C’mon little girl. I don’t want to be late to class, but I can’t just leave you out here alone.”

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

“Is… is it not safe?”

“Well, it’s… safe,” he says, looking around.

“Daddy left me here and said to find class 1-A.”

The large boy puts his hands by his sides and looks left to right. “Are you sure you heard your father correctly?”

I nod.

He then shoves his hand in my face again. “Very well, then I will escort you to my class.”

My eyes go wide, and I shake my head at him. He’s still scary.

He steps back, and people continue to walk past him, but he seems focused on me. “I’m not trying to hurt you, little girl.”

“Hey, watch where you’re backing,” a blonde boy practically growls. He shoves past the tall boy talking to me, drawing my attention to him. My eyes follow the blonde boy till he suddenly glares at me. “You wanna say something pipsqueak?”

I shake my head quickly and back away from him. The blonde boy clicks his teeth, rolls his eyes, and returns to walking.

I’m shaking in fear after that encounter. That boy looked like he might even want to hurt me.

Next up, a brown-haired girl with pink cheeks comes up next to the tall boy. To be honest, I prefer the company of the tall boy- he’s better than the blonde boy, at least.

“Hey, Tenya,” says the girl. “Whose this?”

“So far, she’s barely talking to me, Uraraka.”

“Ohhh,” she almost coos. “She’s just scared, poor thing. Everyone is almost twice her size. And you- well, you’re HUGE.”

“I’ll have you know I’m normal height for a boy of my family,” Tenya says. “Now, as heroes in training, when we see a child in distress, we should be all too happy to help, as I am. My size should make her know I can protect her from a dangerous world.” He says, swinging his hand in chopping motions to emphasize each point.

“Yes, you’re capable, but you're also huge, fast, and loud, and you look ready to snap the poor thing in two without a thought. If she needs you to slay a dragon, we’ll give you a call. In the meantime, I’ve got this.” Uraraka says. The boy looks at me as if he’s hesitating to leave. “Tenya, it’s not a problem. I have cousins who get it like this.”

“She does seem a little old to be running from shadows,” he says, adjusting his glasses.

“I’m sure it’s just a phase.”

“You believe you can handle this?” Tenya asks.

“She’s a little kid, I think I can handle her- go,” Uraraka says, chuckling. Tenya finally walks away.

Uraraka turns to me and folds her arms. This is typically a sign that big people are upset, so I quickly move away from her and go behind a large support column in the hall.

“Hey… hey, no, I didn’t mean it that way,” I hear her say. “I’m not upset. Come back out, please?”

I stay hidden. I would rather wait until Daddy comes and gets me. He might even be upset if he has to, but at least I can trust him.

“Oh…” she sounds frustrated but calm. I hear her trying to quietly move around the column, so I move to keep it between us. When the column runs me into the wall, and I’m cornered, I squeak in fear as she comes into view.

Looking at me, she backs up, holding up her hands. “I’m sorry… I’ll go back behind the column, okay?” She then… does just that. “I’m still here. I’m not leaving, but I won’t force you, okay?” She says. “Why don’t we just talk? What’s your name?”

Her voice sounds calm and happy. I’m protected by the column if she does anything, right? “Um… I’m Hotaru.”

“I’m guessing that’s your first name. Thanks for saying it. It’s pretty. Do you know what it means?” She asks.

“No… no, I don’t.” I think for a bit. “But… I think I would like to.”

“It means firefly. Then there’s my name, Ochaco, it means tea child… do you like tea?”

“That is a cute name. But I’m not a fan of tea… I think I’ve only tasted a few that I actually like…”

“Are you sure you’re Japanese?” Ochaco asks with a small laugh. I chuckle back. “How about a juice box? There’s a vending machine over here. What’s your favorite kind?” She keeps talking to me calmly in a happy voice. I can’t help but answer.

“Um… strawberry if it’s over there.”

“Give me a sec…” I hear her put money in a machine, and then I hear the clicking and crunching of the machine. She comes over again and stands with the column behind us again. “Strawberry. It looks good.”

“Daddy says I shouldn’t take food from strangers.”

“That’s cause it could be poisoned. But I just bought this from the machine, and it’s totally sealed. See?” I see her hand from behind the support beam. She’s holding a red box with a picture of the sun with a giant strawberry in the foreground. It looks inviting. She even turns the box end for end several times, showing that it’s sealed- which does indicate it just came from the machine… but to take it, I have to come out from hiding.

“Wh… what’s your quirk?” I ask.

“It’s not much. Zero gravity. I can make things float, basically.”

“That actually sounds kinda cool. Does that mean you can fly?”

“Sort of,” she answers.

“Mine is called lightning storm. I can gather, amplify, and manipulate electricity into constructs or attacks.”

“Wow- that’s impressive. Do you have a decent range?... What am I talking about? You’re probably still developing it-”

“Two hundred and fifty feet.”

She pulls back the juice box and seems to go quiet. After a minute, “You’re kidding right? At your age?”

“Is that bad?” I ask, a little worried now.

“I mean… I don’t know.”

“Can I still have the juice?” I want it now since she took it away, but I'm unsure why.

“Oh, of course,” She holds out the juice box again and I grab it this time.

“Can I come around and see you?” she asks.

I pop the straw into my juice box and take a sip. It’s good and cold, helping me relax a little. Finally, I nod- then I realize she can’t see me, and I say, “It’s okay, you can come out and see me.”

Ochaco comes into view and looks at me with her warm smile. She bends her legs so she could talk to me at my height. I smile as I drink my juice. “You’re cute, you know that?” she asks.

“Daddy sometimes says that too. You’re very pretty.”

“And you’re so nice!” She reaches out a hand and moves my hair out of my face. I don’t back away this time cause I realize I’m not scared of her now. “Of course, he says you’re cute. Who is he anyway? You think I might know him?”

“His name is Shota.”

She folded her arms again, but I noticed it wasn’t a hostile gesture this time. She put her finger to her lips. “I know a few Shota’s, but only one in this school.” She seems to think for a bit. “And I kinda doubt that old grump would have such a pretty and shy daughter like you.”

I smile at the compliment.

“Where are you supposed to be, Hotaru?”

“I’m supposed to go to Class 1-A’s homeroom. Do you know where that is?”

She looks at me curiously. “Are you visiting a sibling or something? Maybe Momo?”

“I don’t know who that is,” I say honestly. “The principal says that if anyone asks, I should just say I’m dual enrolled.”

“So you must be like, brilliant for your age or something, right?”

I go back to drinking my juice and shrug.

She offered her hand to me. “Well, whatever. Here, take my hand. I’ll take you to class. Don’t worry about everyone else. For now, I’ll watch you.” I take her hand, and she gives a gentle tug, taking me away from the pillar and down the hall. “Hey- you want to see my quirk?” She asks as we walk.

“You said it’s zero gravity.”

“Yep, it’s the next best thing to making you fly if you wanna try. I promise not to let you get hurt.”

I bite my lip but then nervously nod my head. “Alright, go for it…” My body suddenly becomes light as my feet leave the ground. In fear, I grab her hand with both of mine. She gives me a warm smile in turn.

“You’re fine. I won’t let you float high enough to get hurt. Trust me.” With one hand, she lets go of my hands- but with the other, she grabs the side of my belt, moving me to the other side of her, letting me almost feel like I’m flying.

I give a nervous laugh. Slowly, the laugh turns genuine as she keeps a hold of me and walks forward. “This is kinda cool,” I say, looking down at my feet. “It’s like I’m a human balloon.”

“I know… hey, grab around me, let’s see how fast I can piggyback you!”

“Yeah!” She pulls me into place, and I grab her shoulder and wrap my legs around her chest. She takes off running down the hall. She’s pretty fast, not just cause I don’t weigh anything, but she’s moving faster than I think an average person can. I start giggling, unable to control myself.

We come to a stop a few feet from a door, and Ochaco has to grab the side of the door to make herself stop. We’re both chuckling and grinning. She puts her hands together and says, “Release,” I feel my weight return, “Ooofff!” she goes to her knees and laughs even harder, me following her example in the laughing. “I didn’t think you would be so heavy!- Oh, you wanna laugh at me, huh?” She tickles my sides, and I crumple to the floor. It’s a brief attack, but I’m not very resistant.

When she stops, I get back up. “Again, again!” I shout. I loved that so much. “You’re better at piggybacks than daddy!”

“Oh, don’t say that!” she says, ruffling my hair as she gets up. “You might upset him if he hears… oh, but you are SO cute!” She retakes my hand and takes me into the classroom.

“My dad will be meeting me here he said.”

“Really? Well, you’re way too old to be the child of one of my classmates. I wonder who your dad is. It’s not like a sweet little thing like you could be related to…”

My eyes light up with glee when I see my father at the desk in the front of the classroom. “Daddy!”

“You… you have to be kidding me…” Ochaco says as I run to my father.