As the dust settled and the murmurs of the students died down, All Might observed Midoriya with a sense of growing pride. The boy had done it—he had taken his words to heart, found a way to push past his limits without recklessly destroying himself. It was a small, precise application of One For All, but it was proof of adaptability.
"He's learning," All Might thought, watching the determined but exhausted look in Midoriya's eyes. The Symbol of Peace couldn't help but grin, a mixture of relief and excitement swelling within him.
Ochaco let out a breath of amazement. "That was awesome, Midoriya! That throw was, like, totally Plus Ultra!" she beamed, throwing a thumbs-up. But across the field, Katsuki Bakugo stood frozen.
His wide-eyed stare locked onto Midoriya, his hands trembling at his sides. His mind reeled. That damn nerd… what the hell just happened?! This wasn't the weak, Quirkless loser he had tormented for years.
This was someone else.
A liar. A fraud. A deception so deep it made his blood boil. "What is the meaning of this!? Hey!! Tell me what's going on, Deku, you bastard!" he roared, lunging forward with fury in his eyes, palms crackling with explosions. But before he could get close—Shota's capture weapon snapped around him like a viper, tightening before he could detonate anything. "What the—? These cloths are hard....!"
Aizawa yanked him back effortlessly, his expression blank but his eyes filled with disappointment. "They're weapons for capture made of carbon fiber woven together with metal wire made of a speciall alloy." he muttered and looked at Bakugo. "Jeez... Don't keep making me use my Quirk over and over. I have dry eye."
『"Aizawa Shouta": U.A High's homeroom teacher for class 1-A
Quirk "Erasure": He can erase the Quirks of those he look at—The effect goes away when he blinks!』
"Dry eyes.... What a disgrace" Shizoku's eyes narrowed slightly. So, that was the trick behind Aizawa's Quirk. He could erase abilities, but only for as long as his dry eyes would allow it. She clicked her tongue, frustration curling in her chest. Back then, when Shion had stupidly thrown herself into that fight, Shizoku had assumed it was simply overwhelming force that had shut them down. Aizawa's precision, his speed—it had all been too calculated. She hadn't even realized their Quirk had been erased.
And that made it even more infuriating.
She had thought—no, assumed—that Aizawa was just a hunter with no real weaknesses. That he had no exploitable flaws, no openings. But who would have guessed it was something this simple? Her crimson eyes flickered over to the underground hero as he dismissed the students, casual, unreadable, dangerous.
"Fighting a Pro Hero like him would be a nightmare." She couldn't use her abilities freely, not for long, not before his damn eyes dried out. Just the thought made her scoff. "Tch. Annoying."
Aizawa officially made it onto her list of people to avoid. Right behind All Might. Because as much as she relished in destruction, she wasn't an idiot. Running into a hero at his strongest was a death sentence. And if there was one thing Shizoku valued above all else—It was survival.
All of this? The nightmares, the chaos, the hellhole they were stuck in? All because of Shion's soft-hearted moment.
Bakugo still struggled in the bindings but eventually went still, breathing heavily through gritted teeth, his gaze still burning holes into Midoriya. Aizawa sighed, and release his Quirk, waving dismissly. "We're wasting time. Whoever's next, get ready."
Then, they moves on continuing the test to the final results, in which Izuku placed last. Izuku fears that despite his hard work, he has failed out of the class anyway. "Okay, I'll quickly tell you the results. The total is simply the marks you got from each test."
"It's a waste of time to explain verbally so I'll show you the results all at once." Aizawa ignored the tension, pulling out a tablet. The students held their breath as the rankings appeared on the screen.
1st Place – Momo Yaoyorozu
2nd Place – Shoto Todoroki
3rd Place – Katsuki Bakugo
4th Place – Shion Onigahara
...
Shizoku huffed, arms still crossed. "Hah. Could've taken third if I actually cared."
The results continued down the list until the final name appeared.
21th Place – Izuku Midoriya
Izuku stiffened when he saw his name at the bottom. His stomach twisted. "The last place...."
Aizawa exhaled, watching the boy panic for a few seconds before lazily adding, "By the way, I was lying about the expulsion" The class frozed and gasped in unison. "It was a rational deception to draw out the upper limits of your Quirks."
"Of course that was lie, it should've been obvious if you just thought it through." Momo looked at the three most shocked people, Midoriya, Ochako and Ida and said with a sigh. Then the whole class looked at Momo and thought that they didn't realize Aizawa was lying.
"That was a little nerve-wracking, huh?" Sero said as he felt relieved that it was just a lie.
"I'll take up the challenge anytime!"
"With that, we're done here. There handouts with the curriculum and such in the classroom. so when you get back, look over them" He put the tablet aside and waved his hand dismissively. "Class dismissed. Midoriya, have the old lady fix you in the nurse's office. Tomorrow will be packed with even more rigorous tests."
"Prepare yourself."
Izuku nearly collapsed in relief. Shizoku, on the other hand, just grinned to herself, placing her hands in her pockets. "Well, well. The underground hero's got some tricks up his sleeve," she muttered. She didn't care about her placement, but watching others sweat under pressure? Now that was entertaining.
The students gradually filed out, talking amongst themselves about the tests and their placements. And just as Shizoku stretched, fully prepared to laze about and enjoy the rest of her day—Everything shifted again. Like a fog rolling back, Shion suddenly snapped back into control.
She barely had time to register it—the sudden lightheadedness, the disorientation, the sheer force of reality slamming into her at full speed. Her breath hitched. When…? How…? Shizoku had been dominant for so long, but now, after one full school day—She was back again. Standing there, surrounded by students she barely knew. And somehow… that terrified her more than anything else.
Shion sat stiffly in the subway seat, her fingers curled around the strap of her school bag. The weight of it felt unfamiliar—heavy with textbooks, notes, and expectations she hadn't asked for. Across from her, Aizawa stood leaning against the rail, arms crossed, his tired gaze flicking lazily between her and the sliding doors. It was quiet between them, the rhythmic hum of the subway filling the space. The whole situation felt bizarre. Unnatural. Like a father escorting his wayward child home after school. The thought made her fingers twitch around the bag strap. She glanced down, peering inside the bag, only to frown at the contents.
Books. More books than she'd ever owned in her entire life. And then, tucked between the pages, a crisp sheet of paper stuck out like an oddity.
"Clothing Allowance."
『The clothing allowance.
Before we enrolled in U.A High, we submitted our Quirl Registration, physical measurements, and desired designs.
So a support company under exclusive contract with the school could prepare state-of-the-art costumes for us. It's a wonderful system.』
Shion blinked.
Wait—when did she get this?
She flipped the paper open, scanning the contents. A list of expenses covered for students, details on material choices, requests for measurements. It was official, from U.A. itself. But she had no memory of receiving this.
Had it been in her bag this whole time? Her grip on the paper tightened slightly. That meant she must have gotten it yesterday… but she hadn't even looked inside her bag since then. A sudden, familiar voice slithered through her mind.
"Wow. You didn't even check your stuff? And here I thought you were paranoid." Shizoku's snarky tone was laced with amusement, like a cat batting around a wounded mouse. "You're telling me you went an entire month without realizing you had free money for clothes? Tragic. Absolutely tragic."
Shion swallowed a groan, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Seriously though, 'Clothing Allowance'? What, do they think you don't know how to dress yourself? Oh wait—" Shizoku snickered. "Actually, that might be fair."
Shion exhaled slowly, gripping the paper harder to resist the urge to crumple it up. "Oh come on, this is hilarious. You, of all people, getting money for clothes. What's next? A shopping spree? Oh! Maybe a cute little uniform, something nice and proper. Maybe even a ribbon!"
Shion's eye twitched. "Or better yet, a full hero outfit—oh wait, that's probably in the next letter. Imagine that! The 'half-breed villain' getting her own tailor-made costume. Do you want a cape? Or is that too tacky?"
Shion pressed her forehead against the cold window, inhaling deeply. Maybe if she just sat still long enough, the world would swallow her whole.
Aizawa's voice broke through the static in her mind. "Something wrong?"
She stiffened.
"…No."
There was no way she was explaining to him that her own head was currently mocking her over free clothes.
The subway ride back was quiet, but the silence didn't ease the tension in Shion's chest. Aizawa had walked her to the station, eyes as tired as ever, but still watchful. She wasn't sure if it was because he cared or because he didn't trust her. Maybe both.
When she stepped into the apartment, the first thing that hit her was the unnatural stillness. The soft hum of the refrigerator was the only sound that reminded her this place wasn't a void. She let the door click shut behind her, dropping her school bag on the floor. Books. Uniform. That damn paper about the Clothing Allowance. Her gaze lingered on it before she scoffed under her breath.
"A Hero Costume. Tch. Like I need one." Her boots felt too tight after wearing them all day. She kicked them off near the entrance, not bothering to line them up neatly. The room was clean, untouched. Too pristine, like a showroom display rather than a home. Her home. The thought was laughable. She'd only been here for a short time, and yet…
Something in her gut twisted.
She wandered into the kitchen, pulling open a cabinet and staring at the small stash of snacks she had collected—candies, chocolate chip cookies. Bright packaging. Stupidly cheerful-looking. Her fingers hovered over them before she grabbed a cookie and bit into it without thinking. The sweetness spread over her tongue, almost overwhelming.
She leaned against the counter, chewing slowly. It was ridiculous how much she liked these things.
"How pathetic." Shizoku's voice dripped with amusement in the back of her mind. "You're settling in too well. Eating sweets, wearing uniforms, pretending to be one of them."
Shion didn't reply. She swallowed the cookie, feeling it stick in her throat.
Shizoku chuckled. "You know, we can still leave. You hate this place. The noise, the people, the expectations. Why bother?"
Shion clenched her jaw. Her hand gripped the counter edge until her knuckles turned white. She wanted to say something. To argue. To justify why she was still here. But the truth was, she didn't have an answer.
A deep breath filled her lungs. Then another. The tension in her shoulders loosened just enough for her to push away from the counter. She turned on the faucet, letting the water run for a moment before cupping some in her hands and splashing her face.
When she looked up at the small mirror by the sink, she expected to see herself. Instead, for just a flicker of a second, crimson eyes stared back at her.
Shion exhaled, gripping the edge of the sink. Not now.
She turned away and made her way to the couch, flopping down onto it. The exhaustion hit her all at once. Her limbs felt heavier than before, as if the weight of today had settled into her bones. Tomorrow, she'd have to go back. Tomorrow, she'd have to do it all over again.
And the worst part? Shizoku was right.
She was pretending.
But maybe if she pretended long enough, it would start to feel real.
Maybe.