Aizawa sat in the staff room with a mug of warm coffee and a protein bar he wasn't actually eating. The tablet hummed quietly as he replayed the footage for the third time.
Same kid.
Different angle.
Same results.
The entrance exam video lit up the projector: Fushiguro cutting through mock villains with that shadow quirk of his, efficiently scoring points. No wasted movement. Barely any expressions. His score was record breaking. Nezu had practically done backflips over that one in his office after that day and hasn't stopped talking about it since.
Aizawa sipped his coffee.
"He wasn't even tired," he murmured.
The next clip began automatically, yesterday's Quirk Apprehension Test. Multiple angles. The robots had recorded every student.
Rabbits piling at Fushiguro's heels during the dash, multiplying faster than Kaminari could blink. The serpent snapping shut at exactly the right moment for the grip test. Nue carrying him just far enough in the long jump without overdoing it. That ridiculous swarm of rabbits during the side steps, moving him like a living cushion.
And then the ball throw with Toad. The tongue launching the ball like a slingshot with just enough force to send it flying without dragging the kid out of the ring himself.
Aizawa paused the screen there.
He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes.
The file shifted to written reports from Fushiguro's middle school.
Quiet.
Withdrawn.
Intervened in fights he wasn't part of.
Didn't trust adults to handle things.
Older sister in a long-term coma.
Aizawa read through them slower this time.
Not like an evaluator.
Like someone trying to understand what kind of childhood he must've had for him to turn out like this.
He lingered on one comment longer than the rest.
"Demonstrates strong self-control, but repeatedly prioritizes resolution over personal safety. This pattern has not yet resulted in serious injury however, without intervention, with the increased stakes of hero work, it will almost certainly turn this into a life-threatening liability."
Aizawa exhaled slowly through his nose.
Todoroki's trouble was written all over him. In his posture. Years of pressure, frozen into muscle and bone.
Fushiguro's wasn't like that.
That was what made it harder to read.
He didn't chase approval. Didn't seem specifically interested in defeating everybody and proving a point like Todoroki.
Aizawa tapped the paused frame of Megumi in the throwing circle with one finger.
The line from the middle school report lingered in his head:
No serious consequences yet.
That was the problem.
"That kind of habit doesn't stay harmless once the stakes change," Aizawa said quietly. "You keep that up in real hero work, and one day you won't walk away from it."
Todoroki fought because he had something to prove to his past.
Fushiguro fought like he didn't think his own future needed protecting.
Different origin. Same risk.
Burning out.
He leaned back and picked up his coffee. It had gone cold. He drank it anyway.
Potential wasn't about how hard you hit.
It was about what you did when your first answer stopped working.
And Fushiguro adjusted quick.
Too quick.
Kids who grew up handling everything on their own learned to bend around pain instead of leaning on anyone else. It made them efficient. But it also made them fragile in the long run. When the hit finally came that they couldn't avoid, they didn't know how to fall without shattering.
Aizawa let out a slow breath.
The tablet shut off with a soft click.
Noise from the hallway filtered in. Present Mic's voice bouncing off the walls. Midnight's heels tapping past.
U.A. moving forward as usual.
Aizawa stood and tugged his scarf back into place.
"I don't know which of you is going to give me more gray hair," he muttered. "You, or Todoroki."
He grabbed his tablet and headed for the door.
...
Megumi arrived in Class 1-A a few minutes early.
The room was quiet, only the hum of lights and the rustle of pages from Todoroki's and Momo's desk. They were already seated, posture straight, already reading the syllabus.
Megumi blinked once.
Todoroki blinked back.
A beat passed.
"…Morning," Todoroki said.
"Morning," Megumi replied.
Silence settled again. Not awkward, just… quiet.
Megumi sat.
Todoroki flipped a page.
Megumi opened his syllabus.
It felt strangely natural, like two cats sitting in the same room pretending the other isn't there but fully aware anyway.
Then the door slid open.
And Megumi felt his peace die.
"MORNING!!! OH, FUSHIGURO!!" Mina's voice hit the room like a confetti cannon.
Behind her Kaminari, Kirishima, and Jirou were moving as a pack.
Megumi's shoulders dropped half an inch.
Kirishima beamed. "Bro! Yestereday was so cool!"
"Your performance was so manly!" Kirishima yelled, slapping him on the back with enough force to move a normal person two feet.
Mina leaned over his desk. "Sooo, Fushigurouu~ where did you go yesterday?"
"Home..." Megumi sighed.
Kaminari slid into the desk next to Megumi, draping an arm over the back of the chair with a nervous grin. "Yo, Fushiguro. Seriously, man, I still can't get over your Quirk. How does it work? Are those things... like demons?"
Megumi looked up from his packet, unamused. "They're shikigami."
Jiro leaned back in her chair, twirling one of her earphone jacks with a smirk. "He's asking because of that giant snake. He got jump scared and screamed like a little girl."
"JIRO! Why'd you say that! Now he's gonna think I'm lame!" Kaminari protested.
Yaoyorozu approached their group, her posture perfect and her tone earnest. "Excuse me, Fushiguro-san? I was hoping to ask about the mechanics of your constructs."
Megumi blinked, shifting his attention. "...My constructs?"
"Yes," Momo continued, her eyes lighting up with academic interest. "My Quirk, Creation, allows me to construct objects from my body's lipids, but I must understand their molecular structure perfectly to manifest them. I noticed your shadows take on complex biological forms. Do you also have to mentally construct their anatomy atom-by-atom? Or does the shadow act as a catalyst for a pre-existing form?"
Megumi paused. He wasn't used to people analyzing the technique that deeply; usually, they just asked if they could pet his dogs.
"It's a medium," Megumi answered, his tone polite but brief. "The forms are fixed. I provide the shadow and the stamina. The shadow manifests the shape. It's not true creation from scratch like yours."
Momo beamed. "I see! So it's a fixed summoning pool versus open-ended manufacturing. Still, the resource management required for both is quite similar! It's fascinating."
Mina popped up from behind Momo, throwing her hands in the air.
"Boooooring! You guys are getting way too technical! But hey, he's actually saying more than one word! I thought you were just gonna glare at us all year!"
Megumi pinched the bridge of his nose, letting out a long, weary sigh.
"Anyway, can I pet some of the rabbits?"
"No."
"Please!!!"
"No."
"But they look so CUTE and FLUFFY!"
Aizawa walked in, wrapped in his sleeping bag, hair covering his face.
"Sit," he muttered.
Everyone scrambled.
Aizawa dropped the sleeping bag, rubbed his eyes, and stared blearily at the class.
"Today is your first Hero Basic Training class."
Half the class vibrated.
Aizawa continued, "Before you go screaming in excitement, let me remind you that most of you are not ready for anything resembling actual combat."
Bakugo scoffed.
Aizawa didn't even blink. "Case in point."
Aizawa's eyes drifted across the room, pausing on Todoroki… then Megumi.
His gaze lingered on Megumi a fraction longer.
Homeroom continued with rules, warnings, and Aizawa's reminder that he was "not legally required to sugarcoat anything."
By the end, half the class was sweating for reasons unrelated to physical exercise.
"Hero Basic Training Class is your last class of the day," Aizawa said, walking toward the door looking at Midoriya before leaving. "Try not to injure yourselves."
He left.
The class exploded with chatter.
...
Present Mic did not enter the classroom.
He detonated into it.
"GOOOOOD MORNING, CLASS 1–AAAAA!!"
Several students physically recoiled.
Megumi flinched before he could stop himself, shoulders tightening as the volume hit like a flashbang.
Present Mic grinned so wide it was almost aggressive. "YES! I FEEL THE ENERGY! I FEEL THE FEAR! THAT MEANS YOU'RE ALIVE!"
Aizawa was not there to stop this.
Which explained everything.
Mic slammed both hands on the desk. "Welcome to English!"
A collective groan rolled through the room.
"This," he continued, completely unbothered, "is your foreign language course! Speaking! Writing! Listening! Cultural fluency! You'll thank me when you're doing international hero interviews, yeah?"
Bakugo clicked his tongue. "Like hell I will."
Mic pointed at him instantly. "EXACTLY! That attitude? PRIME ENGLISH-LEARNING MATERIAL!"
Megumi rested his cheek in his hand and stared at the board.
He hadn't thought much about English. He could read enough from manuals and subtitled media. Speaking it out loud felt… unnecessary. Too exposed.
Mic clapped once. "Alright! Warm-up time! Simple introductions in English!"
Groans intensified.
"We'll go row by row. Say your name, one hobby, and one food you like. EASY!"
Easy was not the word Megumi would have chosen.
Students stumbled through it.
"I… am Kirishima. I… like… training. And meat."
"Good! Simple! Powerful! Like your quirk!" Mic approved.
"My name is Mina! I like dancing and spicy food!"
"ENERGY! FLAVOR! YES!"
When it reached Kaminari, he froze completely.
"I am… Denki. I like… uh… electricity. And… burgers?"
Mic nodded solemnly. "Acceptable."
Jirou leaned over and muttered, "You sounded like a robot."
Kaminari groaned. "I panicked."
Momo's introduction was polite, carefully pronounced, and perfect.
Mic wiped a fake tear. "PERFECT!!"
Then...
"Fushiguro."
Megumi lifted his head slowly.
All eyes turned.
"My name is Megumi Fushiguro," he said after a pause. His accent was soft but clean. "I like… training. And eat anything simple."
There was a brief silence.
Present Mic leaned forward, eyes gleaming. "OH? That pronunciation was solid. But choose more exciting answers next time, Fushiguro. Don't be afraid."
Mic continued through the rest of the row, energy never dipping, correcting grammar, exaggerating vowel sounds, making the class repeat phrases until even Bakugo was forced into rough, irritated compliance.
Then came writing.
Short sentence. In English. About their dream job.
Pencils scratched.
Megumi stared at the paper longer than he meant to.
Hero.
The word felt strange in another language.
He wrote slowly.
I want to be someone who stops good people from getting hurt.
He stared at it after.
It felt… embarrassingly honest.
Mic wandered the aisles, glancing over shoulders.
When he reached Megumi's desk, he paused.
Didn't comment.
Just gave a quiet nod and moved on.
When the bell finally rang, the class let out a collective breath like they'd been underwater.
...
The cafeteria at U.A. didn't feel like a school lunchroom.
It felt like a controlled riot.
Steel trays clattered. Students shouted orders. Steam rose in thick clouds from behind the serving line where Lunch Rush worked like a man possessed, tossing plates out faster than most people could blink.
Megumi stood at the end of the line, hands in his pockets, watching the chaos with quiet fatigue.
"Next, next, next! Don't hesitate, you'll lose your spot!" Lunch Rush barked as he slid down the counter like a machine.
Megumi stepped up just in time.
"Fish set. Extra rice," he said.
Lunch Rush gave him a quick once-over and nodded. "Solid choice."
The tray landed in Megumi's hands a second later.
Grilled fish. Rice. Soup. Simple.
It smelled like home.
Tsumiki used to make fish like this on nights when neither of them had the energy for anything fancy. She always said simple food tasted better when you were tired.
Megumi carried the tray to the far side of the room and sat alone near the windows.
For almost three full minutes, he actually ate in peace.
Then...
"Yo! Fushiguro!" Kirishima grinned like he'd just run a marathon. "Mind if we sit?"
Megumi blinked. "You're… already sitting."
"Manly observation!" Kirishima said, scooting in.
Ashido plopped down across from him. "We didn't get to finish talking about yesterday! You disappeared right after classes."
Megumi poked his rice. "I was hungry."
"Yeah, but like, you left to fast," she said. "It made us think you didn't want to talk to us.."
"I don't."
Kaminari slid in next, nearly dropping his tray. "I think you do," he said, teasing him "After all who wouldn't talk to us."
"Smart people," Megumi replied, not looking up from his tray.
"Ouch! Cold!" Kaminari laughed, unbothered, as he stole a piece of karaage from Sero's tray as Sero sat down on Megumi's other side.
"Dude, quit it," Sero complained, slapping Kaminari's hand away before looking at Megumi. "Don't mind them. They're like puppies. If you feed them attention, they never leave."
"I haven't fed them anything," Megumi muttered.
"You acknowledged our existence!" Ashido cheered, waving her chopsticks. "That's basically a friendship contract. So, spill! We were placing bets earlier."
Megumi paused, a piece of fish halfway to his mouth. He lowered his hand slowly. "...Bets?"
"On what kind of music you listen to!" Kirishima said, slamming his fist into his open palm excitedly. "I said hardcore metal. You've got that intense, manly aura, like you're ready to jump into a moshpit at any second!"
"I voted for classical," Momo piped up from the next table over, looking polite but invested. "You seem very composed."
"I bet on emo rock," Jiro added from beside her, smirking. "You definitely had a phase."
Megumi looked around the table. Six different pairs of eyes were staring at him with varying degrees of expectancy.
"I don't listen to music much," Megumi lied, because he hadn't shared anything about his personal life to anybody in a long time.
Not since Tsumiki.
"Boooooring!" Ashido groaned, slumping over the table. "Come on, Fushiguro! Give us something! What's your deal? Do the summons have names? Do you have to feed them?"
"They don't have biological functions," Megumi cut in quickly, desperate to stop that train of thought. "They're shikigami. Shadow constructs. They don't eat, they don't sleep, and they don't… create waste."
"So they're like eco-friendly pets!" Kaminari beamed. "That's awesome. Can I pet one?"
"No."
The table went silent for exactly one second.
Then Kaminari turned to Mina, eyes wide. "Dude. We have to pet one of them next time."
"Of course! Already planning on it!" Mina yelled out as she looked at Megumi.
Megumi sighed, a long, weary sound that came from the bottom of his soul. He looked across the cafeteria. Midoriya was muttering to himself at a table with Iida and Uraraka. Bakugo was aggressively eating curry alone while people gave him a wide berth. Todoroki was staring at a bowl of cold soba like it held the secrets of the universe.
There was no escape.
"So," Sero grinned, leaning his chin on his hand. "Since you're part of the crew now..."
"I didn't agree to that."
"We're hitting the arcade this weekend after school. You in?"
Megumi opened his mouth to say absolutely not. He wanted to train. He wanted to sleep. He wanted to test out U.A.'s training facilities.
But he looked at Kirishima's hopeful grin and Ashido's vibrating excitement.
"...Maybe," Megumi grunted. "If I'm not busy."
Ashido pumped her fist in the air. "Yes! We're wearing him down, guys! Victory is ours!"
"I said maybe."
"That's Fushiguro for 'I can't wait to hang out with my new best friends!'" Kaminari translated confidently.
Megumi shoved a mouthful of rice in his mouth just to stop himself from responding.
...
Then came the afternoon back in their classroom.
Megumi having just sat down, heard one the biggest door slams in history.
The classroom door didn't just open; it was practically thrown off its hinges.
"I HAVE..."
A massive figure in a cape leaned into the room, striking a pose that defied normal human anatomy.
"...COME THROUGH THE DOOR, LIKE NORMAL!!"
The class erupted.
"It's All Might!!" Kaminari yelled. "Incredible. He's really gonna teach us...!!"
"That's his Silver Age costume...!" Tsuyu noted.
"He's drawn so differently than the rest of us," Ojiro murmured. "Gives me goosebumps..."
Megumi stared.
'He's huge. And loud. His presence is overwhelming... pure energy.'
All Might marched to the podium, his cape flowing as if caught in a wind that didn't exist indoors.
"Hero Basic Training!" he announced, his voice booming. "The class that'll put you through all sorts of special training to mold you into heroes!!"
"No time to dally," All Might continued. "Today's activity is this!!"
He held up a card with bold letters.
"BATTLE TRAINING!!"
'Finally a real test.'
"Battle...!" Bakugo grinned, the expression sharp and hungry.
"...training...?" Midoriya squeaked, looking terrified.
"And for that... you need THESE!!"
All Might pointed to the wall. Panels slid open with a mechanical hiss, revealing rows of numbered suitcases.
"In accordance with the 'Quirk Registry' and the special request forms you filled out before being admitted..."
"COSTUMES!!" the class cheered in unison. "YEAHHHH!!"
Megumi looked at the case marked 03. He had kept his request simple. Functionality over flashiness.
"After you change, come out in ranking order to Ground Beta!!" All Might commanded.
"OKAY!!"
...
The tunnel leading to the training ground was dark, but the light at the end was blinding.
Megumi walked out, adjusting the high collar of his new costume. His costume consisted of a high collar coat that extended up to his mouth and a hood came with it. Along with cargo pants that allowed him to move around easily without restricting him. He also wore sturdy combat boots and had a utility belt strapped to his waist.
All Might stood waiting for them, hands on his hips.
"Looking good is very important, ladies and gentlemen!!" All Might shouted as the students emerged from the shadows.
"Look alive now!! Because from today on..."
The class stepped into the light, a colorful array of capes, armor, and spandex.
"YOU'RE ALL HEROES!!"
Megumi scanned the group.
Uraraka looked like a pink astronaut. Iida was encased in white armor that made him look like a car engine samurai. Bakugo... looked like a grenade.
And Midoriya...
Megumi squinted.
The green-haired boy walked out in a green jumpsuit with a hood that had... long bunny ears? And a mouth guard that looked like a smile.
'Is he... cosplaying All Might?' Megumi thought, feeling a headache coming on. 'That is painful to look at.'
"Well!!" All Might said, looking over his new students. "Shall we begin, my wards?!"