The doorbell rang in the middle of the morning. Reiji's mother emerged from the kitchen, drying her hands, while Himiko peeked from the hallway as if she'd been waiting for that sound all week.
"It's from U.A.!" his mother announced, holding up a white envelope with a gold seal.
"Give it to me, give it to me, give it to me!" Himiko shouted, running toward the door as if the envelope contained her own future.
But she wasn't the one who took it. Reiji was already on his feet, walking with his calm, unhurried gait. He received the envelope unceremoniously and held it in front of him as if it were any other letter.
"What are you doing? Open it quickly!" Himiko urged, moving so close she was almost pushing him against the wall.
Reiji sighed, but obeyed. He calmly tore the envelope open. Inside was a thick, neat sheet of paper, with elegant typography and an animated digital stamp displaying the U.A. logo.
He read it silently. His eyebrows furrowed slightly.
"I got in."
"...So?"
"First place."
"WHAT!?"
"Of this generation... 124 combat points, 87 rescue points."
There was a second of silence. Then Himiko exploded like an emotional bomb.
"FIRST PLACE???!!!" She screamed, throwing herself at him like a fanatic. "OUT OF EVERYONE?! OUT OF THOUSANDS?! REIJI!"
Reiji didn't resist, but he did raise the sheet again, reviewing it more carefully. This time, he muttered something else to himself.
"Did they really tell me about the drones I neutralized? And why so many points for saving people?"
His eyes scanned the figures detailed in the letter. He tried to imagine how much he agreed.
'Rescue points, I have no idea how they're calculated. But I'm sure I have over 80 extra combat points...'
"THAT'S MY GREAT, MAGNIFICENT, AND SPECIAL BROTHER. EVERYONE WILL KNOW I'M THE SISTER OF JAPAN'S NEXT NUMBER ONE HERO. NO... THE ENTIRE WORLD!"
Reiji slowly lowered the sheet of paper, letting it fall gently onto the table.
"You could shout a little louder. I think the European continent didn't hear you," he commented emotionlessly, scratching the back of his neck.
Himiko spun around a few times, excited, arms raised. She didn't bother to reply. There was a radiant energy throughout her body, as if she had been the one to receive the letter.
"I'm going to make a banner! No, a flag instead! Or a T-shirt with your face on it! Or maybe..."
"You're not going to do any of those things," he interrupted, shaking his head slightly.
Their mother, smiling from the doorway, crossed her arms.
"So you're starting on Monday?"
"Yes. Monday is the first day," Reiji replied to change the subject a bit.
"Then we'll go together!" Himiko declared, her face flushed with excitement.
***
The sun had barely risen in Musutafu, but Himiko was already walking beside him with such vibrant energy that she seemed straight out of a school festival.
"This is real! Both of us at U.A.! Together! I'm going to see you every day!" she fantasized, jumping on a tile and spinning around with her arms outstretched.
Reiji walked silently, hands in his pockets, his uniform immaculate, and his gaze straight ahead.
"We're not in the same class," he reminded her, without looking at her.
"But we're in the same academy!" he replied with a radiant smile. "We'll see each other in the hallways! And in the common areas! And we could have lunch together! And maybe train together if the opportunity arises! And…!"
"Are you going to be this excited every day or just today?" Reiji asked, barely turning his face.
"Every day!" She answered without hesitation. "What if we meet up in some optional class? What if I run into you in the infirmary? Or when the heroes ask for support? It could happen! Imagine!"
'I'm imagining it. And it's giving me a headache,' he thought, but didn't say it out loud.
Himiko continued talking excitedly:
"We'll be able to walk back together! And compete in the rankings! Well... maybe not compete, because you're a two-year junior, and well... It's you. But still, I could catch up to you!"
Reiji raised an eyebrow, turning to her sarcastically.
"What if I told you I'm going to take a different route home, just to get some peace and quiet?"
She paused for a second. Blinked. And then she clung to his arm tightly, like a limpet.
"Then I'll go that way too!"
Reiji sighed.
"Of course."
They walked the rest of the way like this: she with an unfailing sparkle in her eyes, he with patient resignation. In the distance, the imposing gates of the UA began to stand out against the morning sky.
A new chapter was about to begin.
***
Reiji and Himiko had arrived quite early.
According to Himiko, this was better because in the first few days, everyone was lost in their new classrooms, and arriving early avoided getting stuck in a crowd of people.
She arrived at her classroom thanks to the directions of her insistent and obsessive older sister. Inside, there was only one person, sitting in the back corner, staring out the window with a serious expression.
'Shoto Shidoroki... It's just as I imagined. It'll be interesting to finally meet lots of new characters.'
With that thought, she decided not to disturb him and sit right in the middle. She didn't want to be in the back, where she'd be the weirdest or loudest, nor in the front where the most diligent people or those who usually arrived late would be, trying to find a good spot.
Only a few minutes passed.
Reiji had already discreetly checked the desk layout, the emergency exits, and the possible visibility from the windows when he heard firm, swift footsteps approaching down the hallway.
The door burst open.
"Good morning!" exclaimed a clear, formal, and overly articulate voice.
He was a boy of average height, with neatly combed blue hair and perfectly aligned rectangular glasses. He entered with his back straight and his movements almost mechanical, as if he were participating in an official presentation.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Iida Tenya, a graduate of Sommei Academy," he declared loudly, addressing no one in particular.
Reiji glanced at him briefly.
"Reiji Toga, nice to meet you."
Shoto Todoroki didn't even turn his face.
"It's only natural that there are so few students at this hour. I'm glad to see that at least there are other classmates committed to the seriousness of this institution," Iida continued, looking at Reiji with a completely formal attitude. He merely nodded in approval.
"Yes... Exactly as I remembered," he thought unfazed, watching out of the corner of his eye as Iida walked straight to the front desks and began arranging his belongings with surgical precision.
Not even five minutes passed before the door opened again.
This time, the footsteps were soft but determined.
A young woman with black hair tied in a high ponytail entered calmly, scanning the room with a serene and focused gaze. Her impeccable demeanor and neat uniform spoke of constant preparation.
She didn't seem to be looking at anyone in particular, although her eyes briefly met Reiji's.
He said nothing. He simply walked casually to a desk in the second row, near the center, and sat down elegantly, setting his briefcase aside.
Reiji recognized her instantly.
'Yaoyorozu Momo. High marks in theory, rich family. Her Quirk is one of the most useful things there is.'
He looked down for a second, thinking about them and a few other things.
'Shinso was in 1-B. I expected it… He took last place, 40th. His Quirk wasn't in his favor at all, but he managed to occupy the rest and be able to make things with certain Quirks that helped him.'
He grimaced slightly.
'And Midoriya… relegated to the general class. Number 46. It's still impressive, that even without a Quirk, he's made it this far.'
The thought bothered him more than he'd admit.
'I'm taking up an extra spot in this class. You could say Shinso's switching places with Midoriya. So there's no problem... What changes will there be then?'
He looked up again, regaining his composure.
'Be that as it may, this is going to be full of anomalies. And I... am one of them.'
***
"Oh, come on! That was the manliest thing I've ever seen! You can't say it wasn't a big deal..." Kirishima spoke up next to Reiji. It had been a while since most of the people had arrived, and now Reiji found himself embroiled in a conversation with Kirishima, Mina, Tsuyu, and Denki. He didn't know how it had really started; Kirishima recognized him at first, and the rest just sat around.
"Not everyone's here yet... But from what I see, it's the same as the original story, right?" Reiji, oblivious to the whole conversation surrounding what he himself had done, looked around at his classmates. There were still 15 of them, with a few more to go to complete the 20. Still, so far, he hadn't found anyone out of place.
"That sounds excessive. Are you a secret agent or something? Kero," Tsuyu suddenly blurted out at Kirishima's fantastic story. Reiji just looked at her; he knew she'd meant it jokingly, but ironically, she'd hit the nail on the head.
Reiji tilted his head slightly toward Tsuyu, a small, playful smile gracing his face.
"What if he was?"
Denki burst out laughing.
"Hey, that was convincing! You look the part! Silent, mysterious, lethal... you could definitely be one."
"Isn't a secret agent supposed to avoid attracting attention with their Quirk?" Mina commented, resting her chin on her arms crossed on the desk. "I mean, yours was... very visual."
"Maybe that's the point," Kirishima added, amused. "To be so conspicuous that no one thinks you're a spy? It's a manly strategy in its own way!"
'It would definitely be at least as fun as I originally thought.'
Her gaze shifted slightly as she saw a new person pass through the doorway, meeting a girl's gaze directly.
Light blonde hair, a somewhat scattered gaze, and an almost dreamy smile. Her pace was slow, as if she were floating in thought.
'She... She's not supposed to be here.'
Seeing how Reiji had stared at her, she winked playfully and walked through the bustling room, heading straight for the group formed by the youngest Toga.
"Huh? A friend of yours?" Mina asked, noticing her approaching, looking at Reiji.
"No."
The answer was immediate.
"I don't know her."
"Hello, hello~!" Camie greeted with a dreamy smile as she approached the group. Her tone was soft, carefree, as if she were floating in thought. "May I?"
"Sure!" Denki replied immediately, completely delighted that a beautiful girl was joining the group. "The more, the merrier!"
"My name is Camie Utsusuchi. Nice to meet you!"
"Well, it's within the range of changes I was expecting, to be realistic. As long as nothing else happens to really change things, I won't mind," Reiji thought, and decided to socialize a little with the group, who now shifted their attention to Camie.
===
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