Novels2Search

36. Introductions

“Oh! Oh! Me! I wanna go first!” The cute girl that had the desk on Yui's right was beaming and waving her hand. She had fair skin, with long periwinkle colored hair that flowed to her back, the ends twisting around, with side-swept bangs and two parts of hair that framed her face. Her eyes were wide and a light blue color like the morning sky, framed by full eyelashes.

“I love the energy Hado! Come on up and tell us about yourself.” Midnight smiled as she went to sit on top of the desk in the corner of the room.

The girl skipped to the podium, beaming at the class. “Hello everyone! My name is Nejire Hado! Umm what can I say…my Quirk is called Wave Motion! I can release spiraling shockwaves from my palms. They’re really strong but they’re kinda slow so I want to see how I can improve it!” The girl was swaying her arms back and forth as she talked, it was like she had a hard time staying still.

Yui had the black notebook that Izu had given her, doing a rough sketch of the girl's face, she wasn’t as good as Izu was at drawing: his style was more realistic while hers ended up looking more like anime. The style gave her more leeway, otherwise with her practice drawing schematics everything came out in straight angular lines. She made sure to include hair, eye color and what she said about her Quirk, with an assessment of the personality she showed.

“Thank you, Hado. I’ll let you guys have some free time to talk after we get through everyone, okay? Who wants to go next?” Midnight asked, holding out a bowl of different candy to Hado, the girl gave a muffled squeal as she picked out some taffy before going back to her desk. “And yes, I am bribing you with candy before any of you ask.”

“I’ll go next,” The teenaged boy walked up to the podium, his posture straight but still relaxed. He had fair skin and slightly wavy platinum blonde hair with streaks of bright red. His eyes were a bright amethyst color that seemed to glow as he smiled at them.

“Hello, my name is Hideki Tomono, it’s a pleasure to meet you all. I can’t wait to get to know you all better. I’d like to keep my Quirk secret for now, it works better on people who don’t know.” He laughed softly as he scratched the back of his head. “Not that I don’t trust any of you, you all just have such amazing Quirks, I want to compete on an even playing field.”

Yui bit her tongue to keep herself from frowning at the pull she felt toward the boy. Something doesn’t feel right about him. Something her mother trained her in, if the half-remembered feeling was any indicator. As it was, she wasn't sure if that had been a physical pull or her mind creating a psychosomatic reaction. She wrote down her observations, Izuku would appreciate the challenge of unraveling a Quirk like that.

“Thank you, Tomono.” Midnight smiled as she offered him the bucket, he chose a pack of sour gummies before he went back to his desk.

“Can I go next?” The voice was higher pitched yet sweet, Yui couldn’t help but be surprised when a boy walked up to the podium. He was a bit on the short side, and had cute features that could get him mistaken as a girl. He had golden tan skin that made her think he spent a lot of time outside, his bright green hair was like freshly cut grass, his bangs framing his face, little different colored flowers were woven in the strands. His eyes were wide and a bright pink, a ring of sunshine yellow on the edge of the iris.

“HI! I’m Kazuaki Hayashi and I love spending time outside and being around nature. But that might just be because of my Quirk. It’s called Flora and I can manipulate photoreceptor cells into photocatalysts in any kind of flora: flowers, trees, grass, etc. I can grow plants really fast from seeds or roots, but to be able to use it I need something around to control. It’s also very hard to control because I'm boosting the plant's energy to crazy levels and it can run rampant if I don’t concentrate enough or I get really mad...I want to learn better control. I want to be a rescue hero and help people during natural disasters.”

“That’s so admirable, Hayashi! Thank you for sharing with us.” His face flushed at the praise as he grabbed chocolate covered sunflower seeds and went back to his desk, grinning back at the large teen he sat next to.

“I’ll go next, sensei!” Hayashi's friend stood up, striding to the podium. He was the tallest in the class and looked like he worked out a lot from the shape of his muscles. His skin was a deep caramel color, his hair in dark green dreads that were almost shoulder length. He had dark blue-green eyes that almost looked like they held a challenge. His uniform’s tie was loose around his neck.

“I am Hajime Naganuma! I love spicy food and fighting, and I do a lot of stuff outside. When I was a kid I named my Quirk Swamp Palm, cuz when I touch something I can transform the area into swampy or marshy terrain. I can trap people pretty easily and turn any area into my advantage.” He grinned as he found some cinnamon candy in the bucket. “Thanks sensei!”

“You’re welcome! Would anyone else like to go?” Their teacher smiled as she looked around the room.

“Your energy has got me pumped up Naganuma, I’ll go!” The boy that was behind Hado stood up, going up to the podium before beaming at them. Yui squinted a bit, it was almost as bright as one of Izu's sunshine smiles.

“Too bright Mirio…” the voice behind her whimpered, almost too soft to be heard.

The teen at the front was almost as tall as Naganuma, with a slimmer yet still muscled physique. He had royal blue eyes with no visible sclera, and golden blonde hair that was somewhat long, pulled into a short ponytail at the back of his head.

“Hey guys, and gals! I’m Mirio Togata and I’m psyched to be in this class with you. My favorite food is ramen and I love comedy movies! My Quirk is really tricky and I’m still getting control of it, it’s called Permeation. It has a lot of draw backs but I’m not going to let it hold me back from being a hero!” He pumped his fist in the air as he grinned at them.

I bet Izu would love this guy’s energy. I feel like I need coffee after that. Yui tapped her pencil gently against the paper, watching as he grabbed a pack of citrus gummy slices.

“Ooh! I just love the energy we have going in here! Who wants to keep it going?” Midnight grinned at them, almost bouncing in her seat.

“I’ll go, sensei.” The girl with multiple piercings in her ears stood up and went over to the podium. She had short, spiky dusty red hair and reddish brown eyes. Her skin was fair and she had two pink bracelets on her right wrist.

“Hello, my name is Yuyu Haya. Um, I like anything cute and I love oranges.” She smiled as she rubbed the back of her head, “I called my Quirk Flash because it’s just a simple speed enhancement, I can move my body faster than a normal person. Jogging is about the same speed as a bike and I can keep up with a motorcycle if I sprint. But it drains my stamina really fast. It extends to my whole body too, so I take really fast notes in case anyone needs copies if they miss a class.”

“You’re so thoughtful Haya!” The teen smiled bashfully at Midnight before she grabbed a box of strawberry pocky and took her seat.

“May I go next?” the voice was soft and almost lyrical. The girl that it belonged to stood up at their teacher’s nod, she was thin with a fair complexion and long wavy bubblegum pink hair. She had wide lilac eyes and a sweet if hesitant smile.

“Hello everyone, my name is Reini Shimizu. It’s so nice to meet you all and an honor to be in this class. I love classical music and gardening. Um, my Quirk is called Healing Water. As long as I have water I can heal injuries, the worse the injuries, the more water I need. I want to be able to heal as many people as I can. So if you get hurt in training, please come to me. I’m using my free period to study with Recovery Girl.” She bowed to them.

“Thank you so much, Shimizu.” The girl smiled as she took some chocolate pieces and went back to her desk. “We have four left, any volunteers?” At the silence that followed she pouted “I guess I get to pick. Todani you’re up!”

The teen sighed as he stood up. He had an obvious owl mutation, his skin was covered in snowy white feathers, the ones on his head that were longer like hair were slicked back and had little black markings. His hands were talons, tipped with black pointed nails. His uniform was modified to allow the large primarily white wings free movement. His face was covered in feathers but he didn’t have a beak, he did have large golden eyes that had black sclera.

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

He stood at the podium, before he spoke in a soft and deep voice. “My name is Takehiro Todani. I enjoy reading and star gazing. My Quirk is called Owl. For obvious reasons.” He went to his desk as quickly as he could.

“You didn’t want any candy, Todani?” Midnight asked.

“I'm afraid I don’t like sweets. Thank you for the offer sensei.” He bowed his head.

“Okay. Well, Yamashi, why don’t you go next?”

The teen that stood had light tan skin, with short dark brown hair and narrow brown eyes. He took his spot and said in a monotone that bordered on robotic. “Hello, my name is Yoji Yamashi. My favorite food is steak. My Quirk is called Rock Force, I can control rocks mentally.” He grabbed a rock candy sucker from the bin before he sat down.

“Okay…thank you Yamashi! Alright, hmmm Amajiki please come and introduce yourself.”

The pause was so long Yui turned around to look at the boy behind her. His navy colored hair stuck up in the back and was longer in the front, his bangs covering his dark blue eyes as he looked down, a fine trembling going over his body. She wasn’t sure if he was naturally pale or of that was from the nerves. He had pointy ears like an elf, and she could admit to herself that he was pretty cute.

“Come on man, just get up there.” Naganuma grinned.

“Yeah! We won’t judge you here!” Hayashi's voice was gentle, trying to be encouraging.

“I can go up with you if you want, Tamaki?” Togata whispered to him, leaning over in his desk.

“If you don’t want to, you can write it down and I can read it for you?” Yui blinked when the offer fell pass her lips. Maybe his skittishness made her think of Izu when they first met?

The teen took in a shaky breath, clenching his hands. “C-Can I do it from my desk, s-sensei?” he stuttered out, glancing up through his bangs.

“Sure you can sweetie, whatever you’re comfortable doing.” Midnight smiled at him gently.

“O-okay…I’m Tamaki Amajiki. I l-like butterflies…and takoyaki is my favorite food….um, m-my Quirk is called Manifest, I can manifest physical characteristics of the things I eat.” He spoke to his desk and his voice was wobbly but they could all hear him.

“Thank you so much for telling us about yourself, Amajiki. Would you like something from the bucket?” She brought it over so he could take a pouch of gummy worms, muttering a soft thank you.

“Alright, last but not least is Yamazawa!” Midnight took her seat on her desk as Yui got up, going to the podium.

“Hey hey! Why is your tie black?” Hado asked, leaning forward in her seat as she cocked her head like a puppy.

“I needed something to match my soul.” Her voice dropped into a monotone as she raised an eyebrow. She blinked when the golden boy started to laugh, smacking his hand on top of his desk.

“Okay then. My name is Yui Yamazawa, call me Yui if you want, I’ve only had online schooling before this, so I’m not used to people calling me by my family name. I like to work with electronics and spend time with my family.” She ignored Midnight’s grin, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. She could admit she liked her family. “I’d rather not tell you what my Quirk is. I tend to only use it as a last resort. I-"

“What? Are you trying to say you go into U.A. Quirkless?” Yui felt a tick start in her right eye, turning her gaze to Tomono.

“I don’t need to rely on my Quirk to take down villains. It’s just a tool like support equipment, why? You got a problem with someone Quirkless?” her voice deepened as she focused her gaze on him, “What a narrow mind. I’m surprised you’re still in this class.”

“Someone Quirkless can’t be a hero! They’re delicate!” He argued, his amethyst eyes darkening.

“Yeah, no offense or anything Yamazawa but there’s no way you passed the entrance exam Quirkless.” Naganuma chuckled, “Those robots were hard to beat.”

She sighed, “But they were robots, they were hackable if you have the skills for that.” She pinched the bridge of her nose.

Midnight cleared her throat, “Kiddos, you know when you received your acceptance holograms that the top name was blacked out?”

“The one that had three hundred points?” Hado asked, bouncing in her seat, “It was mentioned that the person who did it didn’t want to take the top spot because they didn’t think it’d be fair to the other examinees?”

She nodded, “Good memory Hado. That person was Yamazawa, she’s here on special circumstances, and took the entrance exam to see what it was like. We gave her an area to herself. She beat every robot in that area, including the Zero pointer.”

The class looked…shocked. Yui tried not to sigh, really, robots weren’t really a challenge to her. Their movements were predictable and hacking into a few three-pointers had allowed her to destroy the others fairly easily. When the Zero pointer had appeared she’d just had to run up it to get to the maintenance hatch and take control.

“Not every problem has to be met with brute force, you know. If you can turn your enemy’s advantage into a disadvantage, it’s to your benefit. They lose their weapon and you gain it.” She shrugged, going to sit back at her desk.

“That won’t help you against real people. You can’t hack a human.” Tomono huffed, his arms crossed over his chest.

“Not technically, but I can hack equipment or…lets say, your personal files. Your phone, bank information, etc. But I don’t need to hack people to take them down. I’m an…accomplished fighter.”

Midnight clapped her hands, “Okay, kiddos, if you’re really curious about fighting styles, we will be starting your hero training tomorrow. Fighting basics and you get to try out your new hero costumes to get a feel for them!” She smiled, “If you would like, you’re excused to go home, otherwise you’re welcome to stay so you can get to know each other better.”

Reini stood up, “Is it alright if I go to Recovery Girl, sensei?” She asked softly, at the teacher’s nod she smiled and grabbed her bag to leave the room.

Tomono grabbed his bag, “I have business with my father, I’ll see you all tomorrow.” He smiled at the class, his lips turning down a bit when his eyes met Yui’s before he left. Todani and Yamashi both left the room without a word.

“Sorry guys, I have to get home to pick up my little brother, I’ll see you tomorrow!” Haya smiled as she waved at them before running out.

“Hey hey! You’re kinda intense, aren’t you?” Yui blinked as Hado stood in front of her desk, leaning over it until they were face to face. She tugged gently at a strand of Yui’s hair, “Does your Quirk have something to do with your hair? It’s so unique with the two colors!”

Yui leaned back, “Um no, it doesn’t. A lot of people have unique hair colors since Quirks came about. Tomono has red streaks in his hair.”

“That’s true! He didn’t say what his Quirk was but he seems like a nice guy!”

She frowned softly, raising an eyebrow, Super nice? Bit of an entitled jerk but sure, go off. “Can you back up please? You’re in my bubble.” And you can gush about your crush to someone else.

“But there’s nothing here! You don’t have a bubble around you, silly!” She giggled, and Yui had a moment to think, Oh you’re not crushing...you’re just like this... Yui gave a strained smile, something in her chest felt tight and she just felt so...awkward. It wasn’t like dealing with Himi or Izu, Hado’s lack of personal space made her want to get up and back away. It wasn’t that she felt threatened or anything, it was just...not what she was used to. She wasn’t family...

“Nejire, she just wants some space.” Togata smiled, “What were you writing in class? If you don’t mind me asking of course?”

Yui blinked, before turning to his page and showing him, “My brother likes to analyze Quirks, so I told him I’d take notes on my class. I hope you’re not offended, I was going to pass along his suggestions on how to improve.”

“That’s amazing! I’d love some insight on my Quirk! Are you sure your brother doesn’t mind?” He flashed that thousand watt smile at her.

“By the end of the month you should expect a report on your Quirk. I’ll be passing along fighting styles once I see you all in action. And he won’t mind at all. I’ll actually be bringing him into class one of these days so he can observe you in person, once I get Nedzu’s permission of course.” She squinted a bit as she looked up at the two, “Are the three of you friends from before U.A.?”

“How’d you know? Are you a mind reader? Is that your Quirk?” Hado asked, leaning forward before Togata’s hand on her arm made her lean back.

“You call each other by your first names, for one. You just have this vibe about you for another.” She shrugged, putting the notebook in her bag.

“We went to the same middle school! Did you know it’s pretty rare for students from the same school to get into U.A. not to mention the same class!” The bubbly girl smiled wide as she rocked back on her heels.

“Yeah…Um, I’m going to get going. I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” She stood up, walking passed the other girl as she waved.

“Okay! See you tomorrow Yamazawa!” She called out cheerily.

“Have a good night! Say hi to your brother for us!” Togata shot her a thumbs up as Amajiki managed a small wave.

She nodded, “I will, thanks. Um, have a good night.” She quickly made her way out of the school and headed home.

“Izu…what did you do when we were at school?”

Her brother beamed up at her, his clothes filthy and streaks of grease or other unknown substances smeared across his skin. “Remember Dagobah Beach? It’s still a dump, so I figured while you guys were at school I could clean it! It’s a great workout and I can find some useful stuff in the junk.”

Yui sighed softly but couldn’t fight the curve of her lips. He was really too good. “Talk to dad or pops, they might be able to arrange for a dumpster to be brought to the beach so the garbage can be disposed of properly. You’ll need gloves and trash bags too. I don’t want to see you coming home with infections and crap.”

“Okay, Yui-nee! How was your first day at school? Did you make any friends?” He beamed one of his sunshine smiles as she handed over the notebook.

The teen blinked, tilting her head, “School was…more fun than I thought it’d be. I passed out of my core classes, so I’m learning from Nedzu, my heroics class is with Auntie Nem, and three days a week, I’ll be learning with Power Loader after school. Maybe you can join me? I’ll ask Nedzu, he might be able to make an exception since you’re a teacher’s kid.”

“Really?! I’d love that. Being able to learn how to build support gear from Power Loader!” He bounced up and down as he read through the notebook, “So, no friends yet?”

She scratched the back of her head, her mind flashing to Hado, Togata and Amajiki. The trio seemed nice, and she thought that Izu would like them well enough. They were pretty chill with the Quirk notetaking... “We’ll have to see, green bean, it’s just my first day after all.”