The train ride was mostly silent, just the rhythmic hum of the tracks and the occasional chatter of other passengers. Shion sat next to Aizawa, absently unwrapping another piece of candy. By the time they neared their last stop, she had devoured nearly everything she bought, her bag significantly lighter than before.
Aizawa, as usual, remained indifferent. He didn't say anything about her eating habits or the sheer amount of sugar she consumed in one sitting. He only occasionally flicked a glance at her, but other than that, he kept to himself, arms crossed, eyes half-lidded as if he was a second away from dozing off.
Shion toyed with the edge of her bag, tapping her fingers against the fabric as hesitation crept in. The "Clothing Allowance" paper, along with the sketch she had painstakingly worked on last night, was still inside. She could hand it in herself, but…
She took a deep breath and finally asked, her voice quieter than she intended, "Hey… Can you, uh… submit this for me?"
Aizawa cracked an eye open and turned his head slightly, looking at her without lifting his chin.
Shion swallowed and quickly added, "The—uh, the allowance paper. And the, um… sketch."
There was a pause. Then Aizawa gave a simple nod. "Sure."
Shion blinked, almost surprised by how easy that was. Her grip on the paper loosened slightly before she quickly handed it over, mumbling, "Thanks."
Another pause. Aizawa looked at her for a second longer, waiting.
That's when it hit her. People usually added some sort of honorific when talking to teachers, didn't they? Like sensei or sir or something like that. But for the life of her, she had never actually needed to use them before. Studying like a proper child was never exactly her job.
Aizawa raised an eyebrow slightly, noticing her hesitation.
Shion immediately looked away, stuffing another candy in her mouth as if that would erase the awkwardness.
Aizawa just let out a small exhale—almost like a sigh but not quite. He took the papers without further comment, leaning back into his seat.
Shizoku, of course, wasn't going to let that moment slide.
"Wow. That was painful to watch. You struggling to sound like a normal student? Adorable. Absolutely tragic, but adorable."
Shion bit down harder on the candy and refused to respond.
Morning classes were as dull as Shion expected. Compulsory subjects like English, Math, and History blurred into a mess of words and numbers that she neither understood nor cared about.
Shion sat at her desk, her chin propped up by one hand as she lazily copied notes from the board. Or at least, she tried to. Half the time, she didn't even know what she was writing.
Shizoku, of course, was no help.
"Oh yes, because we totally needed to learn about verb conjugations instead of, I don't know, how to break someone's arm in six different ways."
"Seriously, what part of this will be useful when you're fighting a villain? 'Excuse me, dear sir, before I punch your skull in, do you know the difference between past perfect and past continuous?'"
Shion sighed. If she had a yen for every unnecessary comment Shizoku made this morning, she could probably buy herself an entirely new meal plan for the month. The entire morning dragged on like this—Shion pretending to pay attention, Shizoku providing running commentary in her head, and neither of them gaining a single ounce of knowledge.
By the time lunch finally arrived, Shion felt like she had just survived a battlefield.
Shion stood in line with her arms crossed, scanning the menu with calculated intent. The prices were shockingly reasonable for the quality of food they were serving. Cheap food that actually tasted good? That was a rare find. She wasn't about to waste the opportunity.
When it was finally her turn, she ordered without hesitation—no, hoarded was probably the better term. She stacked her tray high with the main course: rice, grilled fish, miso soup, a small side of karaage, and a generous portion of curry. Then, as if that wasn't enough, she grabbed a second tray and filled it exclusively with sweets—custard pudding, melon bread, strawberry shortcake, dango, and even a slice of cheesecake for good measure.
The cashier looked at her with mild disbelief as she handed over the money.
Even as she walked to her seat, she could feel the stares on her. Whispers buzzed through the cafeteria. Some students nudged each other, their eyes flicking between her trays and then back to her figure, as if trying to do the math in their heads. How could a girl eat that much and not gain weight?
"Is she really gonna eat all of that?"
"Damn, she must have a crazy metabolism."
"I wish I could eat like that and still look like that…"
It wasn't judgment, not really—more like fascination. Some looked on with admiration, others with envy, but there was no hostility in their eyes. Just sheer curiosity at the girl who, despite her quiet and reserved demeanor, had just casually hauled two full trays of food like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Shion ignored them. She had long since stopped caring about things like that.
"Tch, look at them, acting like they've never seen someone eat before," Shizoku snarked in her mind. "What, do they think you survive on air? Hilarious. If only they knew what hell you put your body through to get to this point."
Shion just sighed and made her way to a quiet corner by the glass window, where she could eat in peace. The large window offered a view of the training field outside, sunlight streaming in just enough to warm the seat she chose. It was the perfect place to enjoy her meal without too much unwanted interaction.
As soon as she sat down, she wasted no time. The first bite of curry hit her taste buds, and she nearly sighed in satisfaction. It was rich, flavorful, perfect. She took another bite, then another, switching between her dishes like a well-practiced routine.
Shizoku, naturally, couldn't help but comment.
"So, we're just ignoring the fact that this school somehow serves five-star quality food at these prices? What kind of funding do they have? Who's bribing who? I demand answers."
Shion didn't respond—just reached for her melon bread and took a large bite.
"Unbelievable. You really are one in a hundred, huh? Eating like a black hole and still keeping that body. If this were an anime, you'd be that absurd character with a hidden food-related superpower. 'Behold! The girl who devours everything and remains untouchable!'"
Shion almost choked on her food, but she quickly masked it with a sip of water.
This was going to be a long lunch.
As the afternoon sun slanted through the windows, the air in Class 1-A buzzed with anticipation. The moment All Might burst through the door—quite literally—the entire room seemed to shake with his booming voice.
"I'M COMING THROUGH THE DOOR LIKE A NORMAL PERSON!"
Shion watched as the Symbol of Peace made his grand entrance, standing tall and radiant in his Silver Age-inspired hero suit, the dark blue cape billowing behind him as if the wind obeyed him too. And of course, Shizoku immediately had something to say. "Normal person? Sure. Nothing screams 'normal' like exploding through a door with the energy of a runaway freight train."
The class gasped in near-perfect unison. Some students—like Kirishima and Kaminari—practically vibrated in excitement, overwhelmed by the presence of the legend before them. Others, like Todoroki and Tokoyami, remained more composed, their eyes studying All Might with curiosity.
Even Shion had to admit, seeing him up close in full hero gear was… surreal. Well not right after a battle with him.
All Might strode confidently to the podium, flashing his signature grin. "I teach Hero Basic Training, a subject where you will train in different ways to learn the fundamentals of being a hero!" he announced, voice brimming with enthusiasm. "You'll take the most units of this subject! Let's get right into it!"
With dramatic flair, he held up a large card. Bold red letters stood out against the white background:
"BATTLE."
The moment the word registered, excitement and nervous energy rippled through the class. All Might then pulled out a remote and aimed it at the wall, pressing a button. A mechanical whir filled the air as panels in the wall slid apart, revealing shelves lined with large suitcases—each meticulously numbered according to their student. These cases, All Might explained, contained the students' personalized Hero Costumes, designed according to the specifications they had submitted.
Shion's gaze drifted towards the shelves, scanning the numbers. As expected, there was a missing slot at the end—her own. After all, she had only handed in her design this morning through Aizawa.
"Well, look at that. No flashy costume for us today. Guess you'll just have to fight in that ugly school tracksuit," Shizoku sneered.
Shion sighed internally.
"You act like I care."
"Oh, you do care. You just hate admitting it. And besides, you worked all night on that design. Now you're stuck looking like a discount gym student while everyone else gets to be flashy. Life is so unfair."
Shion let out a low grumble, crossing her arms as she stared at the numbered suitcases. Of course, her own was missing. That much was obvious, but somehow, seeing the empty slot where her case should have been only irritated her more. "Great. While everyone else gets to show up looking like real heroes, I'm stuck in this uniform. Not even the UA tracksuit—this uniform."
Unlike yesterday, when Shizoku had stuffed the school tie into her pocket like a defiant middle finger to dress codes, Shion didn't even bother wearing it today. At this point, it was just another useless accessory that would probably choke her more than help her.
"Oh no, how tragic," Shizoku's voice dripped with exaggerated sarcasm. "The poor little outcast doesn't get a flashy costume yet. Must be so embarrassing."
"I don't care."
"Mmm, sure you don't. Just like you didn't care enough to stay up all night designing that costume, only to end up stuck looking like a salaryman's rebellious daughter."
Shion scowled but didn't respond, instead shoving her hands into her pockets. It wasn't like she could do anything about it now. The uniform was what it was. She was not wearing that hideous UA tracksuit again, and she'd rather endure another one of Shizoku's insufferable monologues than go out there in bright blue and white like a walking school mascot.
Besides, the others could stare all they wanted. What did it matter? She was already different from them in more ways than just clothing.
Shion rubbed her temple.
This was going to be another long afternoon.
"After you change, gather in Ground Beta!"
Shion didn't have to change, so she was the first to step out of the locker rooms and make her way toward the Beta Field. Her hands remained stuffed in her pockets, her footsteps slow but steady, a stark contrast to the eager excitement of the other students rushing behind her.
She could already hear the buzz of voices—Kirishima talking about how manly everyone looked in their costumes, Ashido squealing about Yaoyorozu's design, Kaminari cracking jokes about how tight some of the suits were. It was all just noise in the background, drowned out as soon as she stepped onto the training ground.
And then she saw him.
All Might stood at the center of the field, his broad figure practically glowing under the afternoon sun, a stark contrast to the dark cape draped behind him. His presence was overwhelming, just like always. Shion had never paid attention to how intimidating he could be, how his mere existence could make the air feel heavy.
Her gaze met his—only for a second—before she immediately looked away, her stomach twisting uncomfortably. If it weren't for that battle, she wouldn't have hesitated to meet his eyes. She wouldn't have felt this strange weight pressing down on her chest.
"Ah, Young Onigahara," All Might's voice broke through her thoughts, carrying its usual warmth, but with a tinge of something else—curiosity, maybe.
Shion clenched her jaw and exhaled sharply through her nose. She had hoped to avoid any direct conversation. "…What?" she muttered, keeping her eyes fixed on the ground.
"I see you're not in costume like the others." His tone was light, casual, but she could feel the underlying concern in it.
"Didn't finish the paperwork in time," she replied, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "Not a big deal."
All Might studied her for a moment before nodding. "Well, even without it, you are still here to train as a hero. Clothes don't make the hero—the heart does."
Shion scoffed softly, finally glancing up at him. "Sounds like something you'd say."
All Might only chuckled at that, as if pleased with her response. "It's because I did say it."
Shion sighed, shaking her head. "Right… whatever." She turned her back to him just as the rest of the students started filing in, chattering excitedly.
From the depths of her mind, Shizoku let out a low chuckle. "Look at you, having a civil conversation with the man who broke all your bones. I'm so proud."
Shion ignored her. She had a feeling today was going to be a long day.