Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

There were many in this life that Saiko regretted.

Having chosen to be a heroine was definitely not one of them.

In her mind it had been clear from the beginning. Ever since she was a child, she had always admired the noble profession carried out by people who risked their lives absolutely every day for others. People who inspired others to be better every day, who fought to defend justice and maintain the ideals that made up society.

It had been her dream from a young age, ever since her mother and older brother had encouraged her to pursue it even beyond her own limitations. Above those who said that she was never going to make it.

And when she was finally able to do it, when she made her childhood dream come true, she knew it had all been worth it.

She had not really regretted belonging to that minority group of people who put the needs of others above their own, even when she had often been blind or had not wanted to see what that superhuman society hid under all those sophisticated multicolored suits and perfect motivational speeches.

Society was a real impoverishment that was hidden under all that hypocritical facade that pretended to defend and save everyone, and she knew that very well, because she had lived it.

Discrimination.

Racism.

Marginalization of people who did not fit in with the normal standards of society.

A diverse group of people were victims of all this: people with mutant physical characteristics, people with quirks that were too dangerous or destructive, people who simply could not understand their own gift, or people without quirks.

Even today she remembers it well.

She remembers it all too well.

He had belonged to that small group of people who had had the misfortune of being born without a power in a society that had already adapted to their existence, an anomaly that was no longer too common. She still remembered, even at this point in her life, the almost constant abuse he was subjected to when her friend was still too young and inexperienced.

Too innocent.

Even though he had always tried to see the best in most people.

However, all had not been lost at that time.

They had both helped each other, as if they were two souls lost in the middle of a stormy sea that dragged them at will. Their mutual support had been vital to achieving their goals. Objectives that in the end they had achieved.

Even if everything that happened afterwards happened.

However, it was no longer worth thinking about so much.

Suddenly, a sigh of tiredness escapes from the young woman's lips. Her gaze wanders to every corner of her almost dark room. She is alone in the apartment, as she has always been before.

With a slight movement of her limb, she carefully stretches the soft white wing on her left and uses it to wrap it around her arm. Her own feathers tickle her skin slightly, and she reaches out to caress a particular spot on her wing.

Unfortunately, it is still there.

The old scar from the villain's wound would never quite disappear. She will always have to live with the memory of what had happened that day, as if it had not been enough to have simply lived it.

Even though her wing is fine and the wound has long since healed, the pain of that loss still creates over-sharp thorns within her, reminding her that at one point she had not been enough. All the training and preparation she received was not enough to foresee that this could happen.

Another exhausted sigh escapes her lips.

But suddenly, as if her mind were looking for a distraction with a more pleasant memory, her eyes move to a small drawer that is stored on the bedside table next to her bed. She knows very well what it contains inside, something that in a certain way makes an inevitable but discreet smile show on her face.

She doesn't need to think about it too much to do what she has in mind.

She opens the small drawer with a wave of her hand and extracts the object inside it. The worn cover of an old photo album stares back at her as she places it on her lap. The photographs inside tell a story that goes back many years in her life.

They tell a story that she had always tried hard not to forget.

After all, all that remains is for her.

The story of her friendship with a young man who had truly been a light in the midst of darkness.

That light in the midst of darkness.

As she flips through the pages, seeing in them every piece of a past that already seems so far away, she begins to go back in her memories. Every photo she sees, every moment recorded in them, motionless for all eternity, helps her memory to take them back, despite the fact that many have already been buried for so long.

However, that is no problem.

She's got all night to take her own trip back in time.

Chapter Text

The classroom was almost overflowing with the new class of students who had just started high school; murmurs rose from all sides in superfluous conversations that did not interest the rest.

A lonely young woman was immersed in her own world, unaware of the controlled uproar that was writhing around her. She didn't know anyone in that class, or in that school. She had been separated from her former companions and friends by a design that she did not know and that she was not interested in knowing either.

The pen she held in her hands and traced the careful lines of a drawing on the paper in front of her was complemented by one of the white feathers of her wings that she had left on the table. With patience, she decided to fine-tune each stroke.

The girl tried to ignore the glances and the disguised signs that were occasionally made in her direction. Having quirks nowadays was not uncommon, but it was still not usual to see one as marked and evident as the one that had given her that pair of white wings, not at all discreet if she wanted to go unnoticed.

The young woman let out a low sigh.

She loved the gift that had been bestowed upon her, but sometimes she simply wished she had inherited a more normal one, one similar to her mother's or her brother's. Quirks that went unnoticed by the naked eye.

But to her bad luck or perhaps good luck she had inherited an improved version of the quirk from her father.

The commotion in the room soon turned into a sea of controlled voices as the authority figure everyone was waiting for entered. The girl looked up and got up from her seat, repeating the same gesture that everyone did when they saw their new teacher arrive.

She paid attention to the typical speech at the beginning of the semester, but nothing more. She was willing to do her duty as long as they weren't forced to show up. Which, to her bad luck, ended up happening.

However, before the teacher urged the student in the front row to do so, the door of the room resounded with a couple of knocks that someone outside had made with a certain shyness, as if afraid of being announced.

The young woman saw, like all her classmates, how the teacher ordered the new student to enter with a certain stern voice, as if she could hardly tolerate that type of interruption. At least, the boy walked into the hall with a slightly embarrassed smile.

Then, despite the fact that everyone stared at her, it was she who noticed what no one else could notice.

The young man, though he had a tall, almost ungainly presence, possessed an unconscious aura that she couldn't define exactly what it was. But somewhere, deep inside her, she realized that this smile, despite being withdrawn and embarrassed, had the potential to be something much bigger.

"I'm sorry, Miss Matsuo, I'll get in right away," he murmured softly, still with his head bowed, and slid quickly to one of the empty desks in the right row closest to the middle of the class, two in front of her.

The teacher looked at him with a rigid nod and did not take her eye off him until he had settled down, resuming her previous speech.

"As I was saying before we were interrupted, the student in the front row will introduce himself with his name, surname and give us a brief description of what his quirk is about." A couple of whispers and excited murmurs rose among the students, being quickly silenced by the young teacher. I want a healthy coexistence between all of you, therefore it is vital that you get to know each other first. "Get started, young man."

The boy in the front row stood up with an arrogant smile, but the young woman who was sitting several desks behind did not pay attention to his presentation. She had noticed, when no one else did, the slight tension that ran through the boy's body when the teacher announced the latter.

The winged girl narrowed her eyes.

She could tell he was nervous, even when from his position he couldn't see the play of his fingers and the way he breathed, paused, as if he were trying to calm down. No one else seemed to notice, not even when it came time for his presentation.

"Hello everyone, and I'm sorry again for what happened before," he flashed another apologetic smile, before straightening up and proclaiming with some enthusiasm. "My name is Toshinori Yagi and in fact, I don't possess any quirk."

The murmurs of surprise increased, fueled by the words the young man had spoken. She was part of this surprise, after all she could hardly believe that this student who seemed to be so promising was part of the small group of people who dispossessed a gift with which to identify.

However, the young man did not seem to pay attention to the comments that rose around him and continued with his speech, while a much fuller smile appeared on his face than the previous one. Much more enthusiastic.

"I just want to say that I hope we all get along with each other, I'm more than willing to form a friendship with all of you if you so wish."

The young man sat down again after this presentation. The teacher continued with the next student, but in the end she had given the impression that all the attention had ended up falling on him without him really wanting it.

She looked away from the young man when it was her turn to introduce herself, but that moment of growing intrigue continued long after the first classes of the morning had ended.

The young woman took her backpack and left the classroom in the direction of the schoolyard. She liked the solitude that those minutes of recess had always given her, away from the hustle and bustle of the classroom, her new classmates and the curious glances she stole every time she moved, as if it were attractive. No one gave her more than two glances, it was true, but she couldn't help but feel how annoyed it was every time that happened.

But being in the schoolyard was worse than she imagined.

It was quite full of students from the different classrooms of her grade and several more from the higher grades. The older students met in their particular groups while the younger ones, like her, drifted alone or began to form their own groups with the other classmates.

She had no immediate intentions of joining any of those groups, so she took a detour to some place away from the courtyard where she could enjoy her snack in peace. Soon she found a place hidden in a small grove of trees and walked towards that place.

Unfortunately, it didn't take long for her to realize that it was already busy.

"Hey. How are you, quirkless boy?" She heard him say in an obvious tone of mockery, not at all friendly.

The young woman turned and watched with a frown as those three approached her partner, visibly upset, and began a game to see who seemed to annoy him more with a too close demonstration of their own quirks.

She hated to see that, so it didn't take long for her to have enough when one of them was about to knock him down with a long, thin extension of his hand from his gift. She approached them with a determined walk, ready to stand firm in the face of bullies.

"Hey! You three!" She called them with a loud cry and took advantage of her moment of distraction to place herself in front of the boy, her wings opened unconsciously to hide him. "What do you think they are doing?"

The trio looked at each other before the boy in the middle looked at her with a haughty and arrogant smile, which turned out to be more of a grimace than anything else.

"And who invited you?" He snapped as he disarranged his already disheveled uniform.

She looked at them with a glow of fury that flashed deep into her eyes, letting loose in a low tone of warning.

"I invited myself and I will also invite the teacher if you don't leave here right now", she replied firmly, her voice lowered to almost a growl that made them retreat without even having expected it.

The next few minutes were a procession of withering glances and silent insults between her and the group, though in the end she managed to get what she wanted. The boys snorted and walked away from them reluctantly, not wanting to make a fuss that would attract some other student or worse, some teacher to that area.

The young woman did not close the unconscious shield she had formed with her wings until she saw them leave, and until she felt a soft, almost timid touch behind her.

"I... Thank you," the boy whispered after she turned in his direction, rubbing the back of his neck with an absent-minded hand as he decided to ask his question. "You're Kimura, right? I saw you in the classroom before."

The young woman was surprised for a moment, after all she did not remember that he had given her any glance in the hours that had passed until the bell rang that announced the beginning of the break.

"Really?" She asked with a slightly raised eyebrow, and he soon nodded with a smile.

"Yes, it's hard not to see you."

She didn't know why, but something in that tone and in his answer made her start looking at him in a new way.

"Saiko Kimura, that's my name," she replied with a smile, complete enough to reach the corners of her eyes.

The young man handed it back to her while nodding quickly.

"Mine is Toshinori Yagi."

Saiko let out a low chuckle when she saw his enthusiasm and realized that she hadn't been the only one to be bolder and friendlier than usual.

"I know, I was there while you were introducing yourself, remember?"

Toshinori's face seemed to change for a moment, as if he was barely aware of what she had just said and what those words meant. If she had heard him, it meant that she also knew what he was.

"Oh, indeed, yes..." Suddenly, he began to look more withdrawn than usual when he looked away slightly. "So I guess you also know..."

"I don't care," she said suddenly, to the total surprise of the young man who looked at her as if he were just beginning to see her in a better way; she forced herself to explain when she noticed his expression. "I mean, I don't care that you don't have a quirk or something, those guys shouldn't have messed with you because of that. And Miss Matsuo is supposed to want us to get along with that kind of person."

Toshinori played along, letting out a low chuckle when he saw her indignant face.

"Well, yes... What things, right?"

The silence that followed was gentle compared to any they had experienced before. They both stopped for a few moments to look at each other out of the corner of their eyes, noticing almost at the same time a couple of things, absurd details, which they had previously overlooked.

Like his disheveled hair, for example, golden as strands of almost liquid sun, which fell in a couple of strands that framed the features of his face and highlighted his sky-blue eyes.

She felt that it was just that.

A sun that radiated light in the middle of the sky.

Instead, he thought it was a fair contrast to the girl's white hair, which she had gathered in a tight braid that leaked a few unruly strands, as if it weren't enough to hold it back.

Unexpectedly, the young man got lost for a moment in the green of her eyes before his sudden return to reality made him give her a soft friendly smile.

"Really..." he began again, with some hesitation, as if he wasn't sure what he would say. If you want, we can share together what is left of the recreation, unless of course, you already have your own group.

Saiko then smiled again, she couldn't help but do so. Because that young man reminded her of the morning light, warm and comforting.

"I'm alone too," she said as they walked together, ready to accompany each other, "but I don't think I will be anymore."

Chapter Text

As the first few months passed, Saiko realized that Toshinori was a boy who had always had something to say.

And to be done.

From the first impression that both had made on each other in the classroom and their subsequent meeting that first day, it was demonstrated that both had the hidden potential to become much more than anyone could think or imagine they would really be in the future.

Saiko found it curious that her new friend always had a smile to give to all of his peers, even when some insisted on despising him for the simple fact of not possessing a quirk.

Toshinori, on the other hand, couldn't help but be delighted with the strength that the young woman showed, defending him from all those who intended to cause him harm without hesitation for a single second. He had to admit that he also liked the concern she showed for him, with all the innocence of their nascent bond.

Obviously, that didn't stop him from caring about her too, much more than he did for anyone.

"Give me that, you know I can carry it," replied the young man and, without waiting for a response from her, took the empty terrarium that she carried in her arms.

Saiko instantly looked at him with seriousness and a certain feigned indignation, which caused him to crack his best smile of zero regret as he arranged the most recent extra-class work he was carrying in his hands.

If pretending to care about what ants and other insects were doing was necessary for there to be a good grade in their grade, then such an act was welcome. Although that did not stop her from continuing to look at him in the same way.

"Yagi..."

"Yagi nothing, and again, you know you can call me by my name, I give you permission to do it myself," the boy snapped as his cheeks swelled in a pout of hidden frustration, although he could not hide the amusement that flashed inside his bright blue eyes.

Saiko couldn't help but see him with a raised eyebrow expression on her face, although deep down she was also infected by the enthusiastic attitude that her friend usually displayed. Although she had to admit that at times it overwhelmed her.

"Okay, Toshinori," she replied with a faint smile of derision that he imitated as well. "Well, I guess thanks to your chivalry I can now stretch my wings at ease", and she highlighted that fact by opening her appendages, flapping her wings a little and rising a few centimeters from the ground.

The slight breeze that raised her flutter caused the boy's blonde hair to move in disparate strands. Toshinori let out an amused laugh and arranged the two strands that fell next to his face, before continuing to watch her.

He had had the opportunity to see mutant quirks several times, but he had never seen one like hers. The girl's wings were pure white and her shape reminded her a bit of a pigeon's, ideal for long, slightly fast flights. He wondered what it would be like to have that freedom to fly whenever he wanted and as much as he wanted.

He was sure that the rest of her appearance—her white hair and the feather-shaped and textured appendages that grew from her ears—were also related to her quirk. Then a brief smile appeared on his face as he approached her.

"I just hope you don't fly away, you still have to accompany me to my house," he reminded her of her promise in a suggestive tone, which made the girl's eyes widen a little more, perhaps due to surprise.

Saiko nodded and showed him a smile, because it was indeed the only thing he could do as they continued on their way in silence. After all, she had just remembered something much more important.

For about a month she learned from him that he really didn't have anyone else in his life. He had said it as a passing comment that she couldn't help but think about after she had some alone time. She couldn't help but think about the implications of what that meant.

In the end, Saiko had deduced from this that her new friend lived alone, however, although she had never dared to ask him the reasons why this was so, she could feel that there was something else that he still didn't dare to tell her.

They had never spoken in depth about his family, unlike her who had even taken the liberty of introducing her to her mother and two brothers. The boy managed to get along with them instantly, as a sign of that kind of natural gift he had for dealing with other people and still being the guide he had shown himself to be.

However, the silence that Toshinori carried beneath his smile, that moment of vulnerability that no one else had noticed, was enough for a feeling of protective concern to take root in her.

So when they had both stopped in front of one of the buildings in an area filled with several apartment complexes, Saiko stopped for a second and looked at him with a soft expression on his face, one that told her that she didn't have to worry about what might happen from that moment on.

Toshinori noticed. He couldn't help but notice the unconscious support the girl was giving him. He could see it in her eyes, in those green puddles that shone with a brightness he had never seen before.

Somehow, she understood what was happening.

And that was more than enough for him.

"Well, I guess..." Toshinori began after opening the door of the apartment, while leaving his backpack on one side and rubbing the back of his neck with his other hand. "Welcome to my home."

Saiko realized that the smile with which she completed her announcement failed to encompass her entire face. It was simply the greeting of someone who didn't feel quite complete. And as she crossed the threshold of the entrance, left her shoes in a corner, and glanced at everything around her, she began to suspect the reason.

The place was much better organized than she thought, with every piece of furniture, table and television in the main room where they should be. However, it was obvious to her that the atmosphere in the air made it clear that only one person lived there.

There were not even the memories that at some point, someone had shared space with the boy who was now in front of her.

She couldn't understand it.

What had happened to his family? His parents or some other loved one who might have cared about him?

Saiko sensed a possible answer to this, but it was so disturbing that she preferred to keep quiet and not bother him with a similar insinuation. That's why when she decided to speak, she ended up deviating to another topic, any one that would help her not to delve too deeply into those issues.

"It's nice, really," Toshinori looked at her with a raised eyebrow, to which Saiko hurriedly clarified. "Don't think I say this just to make you look good with yourself, honestly I have never seen the apartment of a boy of our age so organized."

The boy looked at her again with a slight, incomplete smile, as if behind it he contained a truth that he did not yet dare to say.

"I suppose it must be because most boys our age don't live alone," he said in an unimportant tone and proceeded to shrug, as if it didn't really affect him.

But the young woman could see that underneath that carefree façade there was something else that was hidden. In his eyes she could also see it, in the way his smile never seemed to fully fill his face and always remained half-hearted, protecting him... in appearance.

Of himself or of his thoughts?

She didn't know it, but she felt like she couldn't let that, whatever it was that made his attitude more elusive in that place, consume him.

"You're not alone, not now," she said in a whisper, loud enough for him to hear when their eyes met. "I'm here for whatever you need."

They both knew, or could feel, that her words were true, but Toshinori in particular realized that she wasn't saying it just because she had felt pity or compassion for what hadn't been said and that it was implicit in her silence.

However, even if it were, he wouldn't have been able to stop his heart from shrinking due to some new and unknown feeling.

"Thank you, Kimura... I mean, Saiko." The young woman laughed heartily when she noticed the mistake he had also made and, to her delight, Toshinori joined her with a giggle of his own, a little more pleasant and relaxed than before.

"Don't worry, you know I'm serious," she whispered softly while emphasizing with one of her fingers, as if to make it clear that their new friendship was more important than anything that had happened before.

Toshinori looked at her softly before looking away slightly. His fingers ran unhurriedly over the smooth surface of one of the tables in the living room, a display case full of objects of no importance on its surface, or at least for her.

Although Saiko later realized that the boy seemed to be staring at a painting in a corner. She moved a little closer, only to notice the portrait of a photograph contained in a small wooden frame. She wondered how it was that she hadn't noticed it before, especially when she realized what was printed inside it.

A small blond boy was smiling loudly and was hugging an equally blonde-haired woman, with a smile so big on her face that it practically lit up the photo with a life of its own.

The resemblance was too obvious to negate what that photo meant.

"Is she...?" She hesitated for a moment, but he soon nodded softly.

"Yes, she was my mom," he said as he slid his fingers, this time, across the frame of the photo. The affection in his gaze was almost palpable to the young woman, so much so that she couldn't help but look away with some embarrassment.

"I'm sorry." After all, it hadn't gone unnoticed to her that he spoke in the past tense. "You must have loved her very much."

Toshinori let out a low, almost exhausted sigh as his mind wandered into memories he thought he had previously put away. He had loved her, yes, and he also missed her with all his might.

"She was an incredible person..." he whispered as a slight lump formed in his throat. He swallowed hard, brushing away the sudden drops that had formed in the corners of his eyes. "And sometimes I think that it was because of her that this desire that I have had since I was a child arose."

Saiko gave him a curious but at the same time compassionate look. She could feel what he felt too, what she didn't dare to mention at all. Toshinori let out a low sigh and turned to her as he gave her a soft look, his blue eyes shining with a pair of quiet, lonely stars.

"I promised her that one day I would be the greatest hero of all, the one who would bring peace and hope to this country and maybe to this world as well, something it really needs", He shrugged slightly, his eyes drifting once more to the photo. "I promised her that one day she would see me and be proud."

However, maybe he didn't count on the fact that there was someone else who might be able to cheer him up. Saiko didn't care that he didn't have a quirk, because somehow she was sure that it wasn't going to stop him from fulfilling his dreams.

"You know what? I think she's going to be really proud of you." They both looked at each other once more, and Saiko gave him a calmer, more empathetic smile, knowing what he needed from her. "You carry her in your heart, Toshinori, that alone is enough for you to know that she will always be there with you."

Toshinori seemed to be more animated when he heard her, thinking that she really was a very curious girl. In a way, she reminded him of a part of himself.

"You know? I think maybe you could be right there," he conceded in an amused gesture, agreeing with her words as he had never done before.

If it was a matter of giving him their respective friendship, both were completely willing to support each other.

Chapter Text

Toshinori let out a tired yawn that he covered with his hand, although it only increased when he saw how his friend continued to do her homework for the last class as if nothing had happened, leaning over the notebook and over her desk, which was behind his. Her concentration was somewhat adorable to him.

"Saiko... We're done there, can't you wait until you get home to do that?" He questioned as he leaned into the chair and put both arms resting on the backrest, looking at her with a small pout.

Saiko looked up, raised an eyebrow, and glanced around quickly, noticing that the classroom was almost empty except for a couple of groups of students sitting at a distant table. The smile she smiled afterwards was full and amusing as she spoke.

"Then don't complain when you have to do everything before you go to sleep, and for the record I won't let you copy," she argued in a dig, a small victory that was accompanied by an expression of triumph when her friend feigned a grimace of disgust.

"Is that a threat? I know you wouldn't follow through on that threat," he said with a knowing smile, to which the girl ended up rolling her eyes.

"Don't tempt me, blond."

Toshinori couldn't help it. He let out an immediate laugh that amused the young woman more than she really wanted to admit. Saiko cracked a smile and shook her head, only a little infected by his attitude, and used her pen to hit him right in the center of his forehead.

The latter earned her a new burst of laughter that this time infected her completely, so much so that in the end she had to put the notebook aside to collect her things, since she could no longer 'concentrate' there.

Neither of them paid attention to the looks of surprise and a certain disdain that earned them their last attitude from some of their companions. They didn't really care, because as they left school together for their homes, they knew that they would always have each other.

"No, really... Was that what your brother thought about it?" Toshinori asked with an interested and surprised expression, almost as if he couldn't believe it, although his smile spoke more for him than anything else.

Saiko was amused when she let out a short laugh and played along. She placed some of the blame on her brother for not remembering that soy sauce came in a bottle similar to fish oil.

"Well, yes, then he kept yelling that Souka had pranked him and running after the little devil until Mom calmed them both down," she let out another long laugh as she remembered the scene, then leaned over to her friend and whispered. "Here between us, yes it was a joke, but don't tell the little devil, after all I promised him that I would keep the secret."

Toshinori let out a raucous laugh that was immediately accompanied by the quietest laughter on her part. Then he adjusted the arm of his backpack and smiled again when he heard the funny anecdotes of his friend's family.

He liked that every day she told him a different story, or that from time to time he lived one of his own every time he went to visit her or to dinner at her house at the invitation of her mother, who practically considered him part of the family.

Deep down, it reminded him that it was still worth fighting to maintain hope that such a future could be possible for most people, or at least for good people.

"Besides, it's also very possible that he'll try to take revenge later," the boy hinted, without leaving his tone of amusement.

Saiko tilted her head slightly, as if she were weighing such an option, although she ended up settling in a resounding gesture.

"Nah, the good thing is that Souka tolerates him and more so when he uses his quirk on him, much more than he does with me probably," she rolled her eyes, despite knowing very well who the favorite sister was.

Toshinori played along again, although this time he went ahead of her to allow her to pass the new avenue they were about to cross, full of people on all sides. He was tall and thanks to that people moved away to give way to them.

"Can I say then that there seems to be a rivalry relationship between the three of you?" He said, though it was more of a statement than a question when there was an obvious trace of amusement on his face.

Saiko rolled her eyes again, more to herself than to him, upon hearing him. She recognized his sarcasm, so she was willing to play along.

"You can say what you want, Toshinori, I give you my express permission to do so," she replied with feigned solemnity and took a few steps ahead of him before he could reply, with a smile on her face.

"Uff, thank goodness, it's good to know that I have your permission," the boy said anyway, with a slight roll of his eyes when he suddenly quickened his pace and caught her by the shoulders.

Saiko looked at him with an arched eyebrow and tried to stir to free herself, however, in the end it ended up being evident that the boy had not done that purely by chance.

"What...?"

A low, low hum interrupted her words, and they both shielded each other as it increased in volume and preceded the explosion that shook one corner of the avenue. The scream got stuck in their throats when they saw several bodies flying out in the midst of the dust, smoke, chaos and panic.

Confused and distorted voices rose in the ears of both, paralyzed as they were in the midst of the scene of terror that had formed right in front of them. Their eyes widened much wider as they saw the silhouette of a medium-sized figure emerging from the rubble.

Were they thieves or just an attack by villains ready to cause chaos as was already common in the city?

The people running and screaming in panic didn't care which one it was.

"Thieves!" shouted someone who ran past and stumbled near them before getting up.

"No, they're villains! I saw them with my own eyes!" replied another, in the midst of that sea of confused voices.

"Let's get out of here!"

"Is that a giant octopus!?"

That comment caught their attention as they ran to hide behind the light pole of a nearby store. Their gazes rose and indeed, they could notice the silhouette of several twisted tentacles that began to appear as the dust from the explosion settled.

The screams continued, but one specific prayer rose much louder among all of them, not knowing whether or not it would be answered.

"Call the heroes!"

"Someone please do it!!"

Everything happened so fast that it was only when Saiko felt Toshinori's hand on hers that she was able to react and free herself from that veil. She blinked rapidly at him as she turned to look at him.

"Toshi...?"

"Let's go now, we have to hide. Don't worry, I've already called them and I'm sure they'll appear on the scene quickly," he tried to turn quickly in the opposite direction, but the resistance imposed by the girl, who hadn't moved from her place, stopped him instantly. "Saiko?"

Toshinori would have liked to think that it was just the shock of what she was seeing at that moment, of the disaster that was happening while the villain with the tentacles faced something that seemed to be running around him, because he almost didn't want his look of surprise and terror to end up being something very different.

However, this time he was wrong.

"Toshinori look, please..."

Toshinori looked, but he really wished he hadn't. His eyes widened and his gaze widened when he noticed the small figure, so crouched and sad as the destruction unfolded around it.

"Oh my God..."

There was a little girl barricaded against one of the tall debris that had been left over from the explosion, with her arms around her body and isolated from everything around her by the hands with which she covered her ears.

Toshinori didn't stop to think too much. He shared a quick glance with his friend, who didn't take long to understand his intentions, let go of his hand and ran off in that direction, straight into the line of fire.

The boy leaned against another debris and crouched as far as he could, trying to prevent the villains and heroes who had just appeared on the scene from seeing him. He began to call the girl with a soft whisper, and she soon raised her head and looked at him.

Even from a distance, Toshinori could see the reflection of tears splashing into her eyes, so it didn't take long for him to stretch out his hand and call out softly.

"Come, come little girl, come..."

The girl turned her gaze around before running off to him. The boy hugged her to his chest, relieved that he hadn't seen her and that she didn't seem to be hurt either, and tried to go back the way he had come.

For once, to his good fortune, no one noticed the two wobbly figures hiding to return to the end of the street, where his friend was waiting for them.

"Come on, Toshi."

Saiko took his hand and led them running towards the safe zone, away from the disaster that was already beginning to calm down a bit with the arrival of the heroes. Toshinori held the minor who was carried against his chest; she had hidden her face against him and didn't seem ready to let go.

They were soon surrounded by a crowd of people who watched their surroundings with hysteria, while the police tried to maintain order and a group of newly arrived paramedics tended to the injured. The sirens of ambulances and patrol cars sounded everywhere.

People from all walks of life called out to their relatives and friends, shouting names amid the chaos and uproar. It was at that moment that the two heard a call close to them, that of a woman who was desperately looking for her daughter.

"Mitsuhi! Mitsuhi!"

The minor in the boy's arms reacted to the woman's call, pulled her face off his chest and stretched much harder to try to find her.

"Mom! I am here!"

The woman reacted immediately, turning in the direction in which both young men were with a look of obvious concern and almost panic on her face.

"Ah! Mitsuhi!"

"Mom!"

The minor climbed out of the boy's arms and ran straight into the open arms of her mother, who pressed her to her chest and let out a muffled sob that she hid in the girl's hair. She stroked her face with relief once she parted ways with her.

"You're fine, my girl, you're fine," she pulled her back into another hug. I'm so sorry to lose you like this.

Saiko and Toshinori watched this entire exchange from their position, with an expression of tenderness on their faces that did not go unnoticed by either of them. They both smiled at each other before hearing a childish voice and the little girl pointing an infant finger at them.

"They rescued me from bad men," she said to the woman, who turned to them to look at them with obvious surprise.

"Really?" Despite the initial disbelief, a smile curled her lips when both boys and the younger confirmed her words. "So I have to thank you, young guys, it was really a good thing that you were there."

Toshinori smiled and ran a hand over the back of his neck as Saiko gestured in gratitude for her thanks.

"It was nothing, don't worry," said the boy, and ended up leaning over when the girl pulled the fabric of his pants, as if she needed him to be at her height. To his surprise, the little girl wrapped her arms around his neck and left a short kiss of gratitude on his cheek before parting ways.

"You were my hero," she said at last, before returning, to take her mother's hand and leave that place with her.

The two watched her leave in silence, with a look that reflected part tenderness and a lot of relief to see that everything had gone well. The young woman made it clear as she elbowed him with her shoulder, showing a smile of greater pride.

"Hey, well done there."

Toshinori let the smile on his face widen a little more as he met his friend's.

"You know I couldn't have done it if it weren't for you," he said, and his arms folded as he did so. She tilted her head slightly.

"Mmm... Right, you're absolutely right," she said in a whisper, ultimately winking at him. "Our future hero."

Chapter Text

After the chaos had passed to almost all extinction and the people had vanished in search of the relative safety of their homes, Saiko and Toshinori resumed their walk to theirs without any more incident that they could regret.

As such, they only had to comment on it while they joined in an improvised hug and thus walked towards the young woman's apartment. A smile of relief appeared on both of their faces and hid the amusement underneath.

"Well, you really showed off there," Saiko said, although her expression ended up becoming serious for a moment. "Although it is true that we did it was quite dangerous."

Toshinori completely agreed with the latter, but the truth is that he didn't regret it either. He knew that he would have regretted it more if he simply left as if nothing had happened, leaving the girl at the mercy of those villains having seen her.

In addition, his body had moved.

He couldn't explain it exactly, but from the moment his friend had realized the situation and he had too, he had a strange feeling that had practically driven him to throw himself into danger, as any outsider would say.

However, he hadn't seen it that way at all.

For him it had felt right and necessary to go to where the girl was and get her out of that situation.

Therefore, although he nodded to his friend's words, he also made it clear to her why he had done so. He was sure that she would fully understand, as she always had since they began their friendship.

"I know, Sai, but I felt something... Agh, I don't know if you understand me exactly, but it was a feeling I can't explain that made me jump, so to speak, towards her", His eyes met hers and they looked at her with a silent plea. "I couldn't leave it like that."

Luckily for him, that was enough and enough for Saiko to look at him with a soft smile and nod. The truth is that she understood him more than she really admitted, although like him she could not explain it exactly.

It was simply a feeling that had shaken her.

"I understand you, Toshi, the truth is that I didn't know how it was that I realized she was there despite the noise and debris," Her expression became thoughtful as she left a finger under her chin. "Maybe it was a sixth sense for us. What do you think, huh?"

Toshinori thought he could agree with her about it.

"That in fact it will be better not to tell your mother anything... because we've arrived at your house," he blurted out with an amused smile and put both hands on his own waist, as a final pose when they both stopped in front of the building.

Saiko looked at him with a slight grimace, because of the latter and the fact that her mother couldn't find out about it. She didn't really want a sermon because they put themselves in obvious danger, so she ended up nodding stiffly before leading the way.

"You to my right, I'll make sure she realizes that everything is fine," the young woman whispered and made a final gesture with her head, to which her friend returned while he did as she had ordered.

Saiko let out a low sigh and pretended that everything was fine before opening the door to her apartment with the key. Instantly they were greeted by the murmur of the television on with some children's program that her younger brother enjoyed.

"We're here, Mom!" Saiko shouted from the main hallway as she and Toshinori left their shoes next to those there, exchanging them for a pair of comfortable sandals.

Soon a petite woman appeared in front of them, dressed in home clothes and with a tight bun that gathered her hair, which, unlike her daughter's, was completely dark, like that of her other children. However, on her face there was only one concern that was almost palpable.

"Oh my life, you're already here, I'm glad you're both okay," she walked over to the two young men and gave them a joint hug before parting ways, though Saiko raised an eyebrow and asked a question.

"What happened?"

However, her friend also spoke at the same time as her.

"Good afternoon, Mrs. Kimura."

Saraki Kimura looked at them both with a smile before answering the young man and also her daughter's question.

"How are you, Toshinori?" I heard about that villain's attack near the avenue you always take to get to school, so I couldn't help but worry." Her expression became serious, though it was only out of concern rather than a possible reproach. "Nothing happened to you, did you?"

Both young men shook their heads at the same time. If that gesture was suspicious to the woman, she did not highlight it after emitting a low sigh and her daughter answering her question.

"We tried to get out of there as quickly as possible, so we didn't really suffer the attack," Saiko said as she shrugged, only feeling a little remorse for having to lie to her.

On the other hand, Toshinori simply completed her friend's story with a sweet smile that seemed to light up the entire room.

"Yes, although we took longer because some streets were blocked by traffic, you can imagine what that was like," he laughed softly, a nervous half-smile, as he rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. "By the way, thank you for allowing me to stay with you today, I hope I didn't cause any discomfort because of that."

Saiko looked at him and was about to give him a gentle reprimand for the fact that he was no bother, but her mother beat her to it when she made a nonchalant gesture with her hand and let out a soft, almost contagious laugh.

"Don't worry, I was always glad that Saiko had friends, she has usually been a lonely girl before she met you."

"Mom!" The young woman exclaimed, a little embarrassed by the fact that she revealed that side of herself in front of him. Her mother, however, simply looked at her with a smile.

"You don't have to be ashamed, Sai, I don't mean it as a bad thing but so that you know that you don't have to be alone anymore," she said softly, and smiled again when she saw that the young woman was silent, as if reflecting on her words.

Saiko was silent for a few seconds, but not because of that, but because of the fact that she had to admit that there was some truth in what her mother had said. Even so, she shook her head instantly and frowned slightly as she grabbed her friend by the arm.

"It doesn't matter, now Toshinori and I have to go do our homework," she pulled him while whispering. "Come."

And she dragged him along with her before either of them had a chance to protest, no doubt leaving her friend with the word in his mouth as they walked the length of the room, straight to her room.

"Hello, Souka! Goodbye, Souka!"

The quick greeting she sent to her younger brother as they passed by was returned with a vague murmur by the boy, but she didn't quite listen to it or stop to pay attention to him.

At last, they were both able to breathe a sigh of complete relief when they closed the door to their room and had their moment of well-deserved rest for all the emotions they had experienced previously.

Only when that moment passed, while Saiko sat on the bed and Toshinori in a nearby chair, did they have the exact second to analyze what had happened. Or so they would have done, if not for the fact that a bubbly, infectious laugh escaped both of them once they were safe.

"By kami, that was incredible," The young woman smiled as she said it and slumped against the mattress of her bed.

Toshinori looked at her with a soft smile and, like her, leaned back on the back of the chair and let out a long exhale. Suddenly he was aware of the tiredness he felt all over his body, inevitably exhausted by the madness of that afternoon.

"Honestly, I was about to say the same thing," he remembered something else. "And also the one we got rid of with your mom."

Saiko agreed with him there with a nod, as she sat back up on the bed using her supporting hands.

"I think so," she put a finger on his chin, "although in fact the one we should have feared was Hikaru, who would have realized that something was wrong with us," she shrugged briefly. "Luckily he's not here now."

It was well known to both of them that it was not for nothing that her older brother was studying to be a forensic investigator at university, somewhere in Tokyo. It wasn't his quirk, but Saiko believed that he must have some gift related to lie detection for him to be so good at figuring things out.

Several minutes later, a comfortable silence settled between the two as they enjoyed that relaxing moment, without calls from the young woman's mother or importunations from her younger brother.

She only got out of bed when her mother brought them the afternoon snack. Together with her friend, she began to taste it calmly. However, her mind was not entirely at ease as she began to reminisce about everything that had happened before, and more accurately the moment in which they had acted.

They had acted just like...

"What are you thinking about, Sai?"

Toshinori suddenly interrupted her train of thought and stopped her from taking another slice of the sandwich her mother had prepared for her. She pushed it out of her mouth for a moment and looked at the boy, with a slight tilt of her head that did not go unnoticed by him.

Then a soft smile curled the young woman's lips.

"I think about what we did this afternoon, I really can't help but think about it and what it might mean." She leaned slightly toward him. "Toshi, and how about together we can achieve it? I think that together we could be."

Toshinori didn't know exactly how he noticed, but when he heard her words and heard more specifically that tone, he knew what the young woman meant. That's when the surprise came.

He had already considered the possibility of entering that profession one day without really caring what others said about it. However, finding out now that she was also planning to be one, opened up more possibilities for support and to be able to form a team with her.

At the time he didn't know how to feel about it.

"So... do you think we could be...?" He hinted in a whisper, leaning toward her in the chair in the same way.

Saiko smiled and winked at him.

"Yes, we could be heroes, you and I together, as a team. What are you say?"

What could he say?

Toshinori had only one answer for his friend, and he expressed it with a loud joyful and enthusiastic laugh.

"Of course I do, Sai!" Without letting go of his smile, he rubbed the back of his neck with one hand. "Well, I think that if you hadn't said it wouldn't have occurred to me, and I don't say that because I didn't think about it, but because sometimes I just forget those details... You know."

Saiko raised an eyebrow, more amused than anything else, and tapped him lightly on the shoulder as he sat down on the bed next to her.

"Of course I do." Another sweet smile curled the corners of her lips. "You just have to trust yourself and you'll see."

Chapter Text

The classroom was packed with students chatting with each other, enjoying the five-minute break between classes, or waiting for the next teacher to arrive. There was an expectation in the air for the latter: their teacher guide had told them of a special activity for all of them.

Many speculated about it, but it was in one of the corners of the classroom where the exchange of words about it was greater than in any other area. Four friends were around another boy sitting at his desk, they sitting on nearby chairs or leaning against the boy's table.

"I think they're going to teach us how to do something," a brown-haired girl interjected, shrugging her shoulders slightly.

"I think so too, Yamata. If not, why would they bother to summon us to the gym?" Toshinori said and left a hand on his chin, which he soon pushed away when he heard Saiko's voice next to him.

"Well, I guess then it'll be something important." Her brow furrowed slightly as she looked at the boy sitting in his chair. "Komaguchi, didn't the teacher tell you what it could be?"

The four youngs around him looked at him expectantly, but the boy simply adjusted the glasses that were over his nose and nodded his head in denial. It was well known to them that he was one of the few whom the teacher esteemed.

"You know I don't know, because she didn't say anything to you or Yagi either," he said, his arms crossed over his chest and his back against the chair. "I actually thought you might know something."

The two friends denied, and the rest of their group was silent for several seconds when they saw the latter. It was just at that moment that the teacher entered the classroom again. Everyone fell silent and returned to their corresponding places while the teacher took her place, in front of all of them.

"Well, I know you were all wondering what the activity is that the principal has prepared for you and the other classrooms of your year," she clasped her hands over each other and looked at them all, as she detailed their postures and the fact that they gave her their full attention. "It's simple, you will practice rescue maneuvers and first aid in conjunction with a specialized team that will be in charge of teaching you everything you need."

The students looked at each other and began to whisper quietly. Saiko and Toshinori shared a knowing look with their classmates and smiled as they continued to listen to the teacher's words.

"This, obviously, is intended to prepare you for any eventuality that may arise at an unexpected moment in which you must apply this knowledge, especially for those who wish to take up the profession of heroism in the future."

It was more than clear to everyone what that meant, so as they left the room in an orderly line, they continued to quietly express what they thought about it. That continued until they arrived at the gym and met the other two groups of students from the same year.

Two people, a man and a woman unknown but dressed in particular uniforms, placed them in two mixed groups and took one for themselves. However, before starting, they were given a short speech on the importance of rescue maneuvers.

Most of the students listened very carefully to the instructors' words, but it was Toshinori and Saiko who really internalized the explanation and were able to understand it better than anyone else.

Unfortunately, there were three students from the same classroom near them who didn't seem at all interested in what they were saying. They chatted among themselves with comments and low giggles, which did not take long to get vicious with the blond-haired boy.

"Hey, Yagi, I honestly don't know what you're doing here... I mean, since you're never really going to be able to be a hero, I don't see the point in you learning to save people."

It was the same student whom the young woman had arrested at the beginning of the year, when she saw that he and his classmates were bothering her then future friend. It had been bad luck that they fell into the same room, but she was not willing to let them continue with their mockery, especially at that moment.

Saiko put her hand on Toshinori's shoulder for support, who looked at her with a soft smile as the three bullies continued. It was then that she turned only once and sent a contemptuous look at these three, not holding back from murmuring loud enough for them to hear her.

"Don't listen to them, we all know that their gifts wouldn't even give them a chance to enter the heroism department."

It was satisfying for her to see the moment when their smiles faded and they fell silent with an almost palpable fury on their faces, topped off by the comment her brown-haired friend, Hitori, made after her.

"Yes, it's better to ignore them, nothing good can come out of those three," she murmured and, with a snort, turned her back on the group of thugs.

Neither of the two friends could hold back the chuckle that escaped them when they saw that. They did not interact with that group again or pay attention to their taunts during the time that the explanation of their instructors lasted.

Once this was finished, they were gathered into teams of two members each as they themselves wanted in order to practice the maneuvers that their teachers were in charge of showing them by example.

Soon the gym was filled with students who practiced with improvised plastic dolls with the upper torso of a person, the techniques necessary to revive a person. Toshinori and her friend practiced with hers, he holding the doll while she pressed at regular intervals with both hands on the object's chest.

"This doesn't seem so difficult, does it?" Saiko murmured, though her monotonous pace demanded more stamina than it appeared.

"Do you tell me or do you say it to yourself?" He questioned with a raised eyebrow, which earned him a grimace from the young woman.

Saiko was about to complain about that when one of their instructors came to where they were, inspecting the technique and correcting the mistakes as he had been doing with all the other boys.

"You can't push so hard because otherwise it ends up being counterproductive," the man explained in a firm but friendly tone, showing himself how he had to do it to make it right. The young woman nodded slowly, without taking her eyes off the doll. "Alright, now let your friend do it."

Toshinori blinked at the reference to himself, but it didn't take long for him to take up the position his instructor had been in before. Saiko smiled when she saw that his technique was better than hers, as was evident when the man gave him an approving look.

"Pretty well, I think you can teach your friend then," he said at last, before getting up. "Keep it up, you're doing well."

Both young men smiled softly at each other once the man had left to check on another nearby team, feeling content with their proceeding. That earned them several more minutes of practice until their teachers decided that enough was enough.

The rest of the afternoon shift involved other ways and other techniques to apply that could be of help to them, so when it was time to leave most of the students were already too exhausted to think about anything other than getting home and resting from that day.

The two friends were also tired, but on their faces there was a certain look of satisfaction for what they had learned that they could not hide from each other. They knew very well what it had meant.

That brought them one step closer to seeing their wish come true.

Chapter Text

It was the weekend.

Which, according to the blond boy and his young winged friend, were the two best days that they considered propitious and perfect for a walk with their other two friends through the amusement park closest to their homes.

The sun shone high in the sky, with no clouds in sight to predict a possible ruin of their day, and the hundreds of people who toured the place, the noise of the children, the attractions they rode and several other factors are what helped to harmonize even more the festive air of that day.

Toshinori, a copper-haired boy named Makoto, and Hitori, the brown-haired girl who had defended them months ago in that afternoon class, were in the middle of a conversation in the middle of the line at an ice cream stand. They already needed something to cool off from the intense summer heat.

"I say that we better leave Makoto here and go you and me to Saiko to get the tickets for the roller coaster," Hitori tried to convince Toshinori with the best smile she was able to sketch.

However, the named boy did not seem very happy with her idea.

"Ha ha very funny, Yamata, how funny," He crossed his arms, indignant. "Why don't you stay too? As far as I know, I only have two hands and no quirk that would allow me to multiply them."

The one who intervened this time was Toshinori, who with an amused laugh interrupted the reply that the girl was about to make to point out something on his own. Something that in his opinion was important.

"No, but you have a quirk that allows you to float things with your mind," he made a conciliatory gesture with his hands, trying to prevent them from continuing their discussion. "Leave it, stay here, I'll go and see how she does with the line."

And so, Toshinori left his two friends like dogs waiting for a refreshing bone in the ice cream line, although luckily there would be more than one for everyone. He shook his head with amusement after losing sight of them, covered by the crowd of people who were going here and there and everywhere.

The queue of what must have been the most popular attraction of all was almost kilometre-long, but Toshinori was lucky enough to find his friend closer to the beginning than to the end. Her wings and white hair were unmistakable in the midst of the people.

Saiko found him before he even had a chance to take her by surprise. It was a skill of hers that intrigued him: knowing when someone was watching her, even if that person wasn't aware she was doing it.

That's why, until now, he hadn't been successful in surprising her with a scare.

"I don't know why you're trying, you know you can't beat me at that," the girl snapped with a smile, pushing the straw away from the smoothie glass she had in her mouth when her friend reached her, arching an eyebrow.

"Well, I had to try," he shrugged nonchalantly. "I know that one day I will manage to surprise you, so I don't give up."

Saiko looked at him and let out a laugh that was widely amused by it, which Toshinori soon reciprocated. She invited him some of her milkshake and together they waited in line for their other two friends to appear.

The latter did so when there were barely a dozen people left for their turn to come, each carrying two ice creams in their hands. The conversation continued as they were taken and the necessary minutes passed to enjoy the attraction they had hoped to ride all morning.

The next few minutes were a succession of twists, turns and lots of fun in which one of them was about to vomit the ice cream they had just had. The boy in question leaned on his friend when they finally came down, his face greener than any quirk they had ever seen on someone else's skin.

"I shouldn't have done that," Toshinori whispered, taking a moment to ease the dizziness after taking a sip of water and spitting it out into a nearby flowerpot.

"No, I don't think you should have done it," Saiko replied as she ran a hand over her back, supportively.

"Hey, you two! Hurry up!" Hitori called out to them, waving her hand in a gesture for them to do such a thing.

"Why such a hurry?" Saiko raised an eyebrow and helped her friend up; which earned her a complaint from the boy because of the unexpected suddenness with which she took his arm. "I'm sorry, Toshi, but hey, we weren't even being attacked by a villain..."

Not exactly to them at least, because they soon arrived in an area, guided by their other two friends, on which a huge screen could be seen, the one used by the park managers to project any kind of information, with a note on its header.

The bad thing is that they showed a typical newscast scene in which they recounted a live villain attack, allegedly occurring in one of the busiest districts of Kyoto, in the southeast of the country. Several of those who passed in front of the screen stayed watching the news, four friends among them.

"Oh my God, this is becoming more and more frequent," Makoto muttered worriedly, and the girls agreed with him as they looked at the screen in the same way.

Everyone, and especially Toshinori, knew what he meant. He had been following this type of news about it for a long time, so he was able to learn that the last week there had also been one very close to the UA school. That news had filled him with anger and concern in equal parts.

The evildoers hadn't even minded making their fuss near a school full of professional and pre-existing heroes, as if that weren't enough, what was considered the fifth-best school of heroism in the entire country.

And just now they were watching live the attack of another gang of criminals who were only dedicated to destroying their quirks. Finally, the news changed after several minutes, and they had no choice but to leave with their spirits a little darker.

Toshinori frowned as he walked, his head bowed and the thoughts of anguish that had taken over his mind.

How could he hope to change that?

"You can never be a hero, Yagi."

"You should honestly give up"

"Please, you'd do everyone a favor if you did"

The words and mocking laughter of those who were amusing themselves from time to time, annoying him and her friend, echoed again and again in his mind, reminding him how useless he really was.

The young man tried to push them away at that moment, shaking his head slightly as he refocused on his surroundings, but the echo of them continued to spread his venom for much longer.

It was about to fall and the group of friends had climbed to the top of a nearby viewpoint to watch the fireworks show, when Saiko decided to intervene and find out the reason why her friend had been strangely less talkative than usual for a few hours.

"Hey... Is something wrong?" She called him softly as they sat down on an available bench, alone; his other two friends had stayed near the railing of the viewpoint.

Toshinori turned to her, willing to lie for her sake, however, that smile did not appear on his features. it got stuck in his face when he saw the genuinely concerned expression of his friend, the one person who had always supported him unconditionally at all.

He soon realized that she did not deserve to be kept from him the truth of what tormented his thoughts.

"I..." he began in a whisper, but all that escaped him was a sigh. "Forgive me, I know that I usually tell you everything I feel or what worries me... but hearing and seeing the news of that new attack made me think about things I thought I had overcome."

Saiko began to understand what she meant about her friend, after all she had been the only one who had been there when his doubts caught up with him, both then and now. The young man cared much more about others, as much or even more than she did, but that caused him to forget to consider his own feelings.

"Toshi," she said in a whisper, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Don't forget that I'm still here to listen to you."

Toshinori smiled. He couldn't help but do so when he saw his friend's willingness to make his feel better. A soft laugh escaped from his mouth as he noticed something else.

"Even if it takes me a lifetime to organize my inner thoughts?" He asked, and Saiko smiled back as she pretended to roll her eyes.

"Even if it takes you as long as it takes to eat my mom's food and at the same time deal with those thoughts."

"Hey, that's not fair!" Toshinori replied suddenly, though there was nothing of complaint in his tone; just pure fun. "To be honest, your mom cooks really good and I can't help but savor every bite."

They both shared one more laugh after that, but when the laughter subsided, the young man looked back at his hands and let out a low sigh. Soon he found the words to tell her what was troubling him.

"Sometimes I can't help but feel doubts, you know? Doubts because they do not believe that it can be enough to change this situation... I mean, I don't even have a quirk to pull it off." Another gentle exhale escaped him, tired. "What if they are right? What if I don't get to be..."

Even if he didn't finish the sentence, Saiko knew perfectly well what he meant. She knew that he sometimes believed that it would not be enough, neither for him nor to fulfill all the dreams he wanted to achieve, or the people he wanted to save.

But Saiko did believe it.

She believed in her friend, even if he didn't fully trust himself. So that made it clear to him when their eyes met again, with determination shining deep within them.

"If you don't get enough, is that what you say? Well, I don't think that's true, and what other people say I'm not really interested in it at all, do you know why?" She asked with a smile, however, she continued before he could reply. "Because they don't know you the way I do, because they don't know how hard it has been for you to endure teasing or to continue believing in a dream that may be possible, even if it apparently lacks logic."

Her expression then became more conciliatory, much softer, to help bring order to the thoughts of her friend, who had replaced the doubt in his eyes with a countenance of calm reflection.

"Don't say you're not enough because you're not." A brief smile adorned her face, and that alone was enough. "You are to me."

Toshinori knew that something had changed inside him when he heard the young woman's words, the encouragement with which she had earned to be part of the only two people who had genuinely made him smile in his life.

He couldn't have asked anyone but her to be by his side.

"You know? I think that if you hadn't chosen the profession of heroism you'd be a good psychologist," he said softly, completely sure that his words could have been useful to more than one person.

The young woman smiled pleased at this and ended up shrugging her shoulders, as if she had heard such a compliment before.

"Well, it's the usual thing for me."

The young man let out a soft chuckle and, letting himself be carried away by the moment, wrapped one of his arms around her and shared a half-hug with her.

"Thank you, Sai."

They both stayed that way and with that smile until the night sky above their heads lit up with a strong flash of green, red, yellow and all colors as the fireworks show began.

In their eyes shone the lights of excitement as they looked up at the sky, but also the glow of what they were willing to start together.

Chapter Text

One more day in the city. One more day of tiredness.

Toshinori was met with a bored expression on his face. No, officially he was dying of boredom.

The winged young woman, now fourteen years old like him, could be his best friend and all that at that time, but he really didn't understand her secret eagerness to torture him... Making him wait for an eternity at the entrance of a manga store.

Not that he was in total displeasure with that fate, after all in other circumstances he might even have rejoiced. They both loved comics and anime as much as anyone, but he had promised her first that he wouldn't buy anything until she arrived. They wanted to evaluate the options together.

The problem is that she didn't understand why she had left him there alone, when he could also have accompanied her back to school to look for her younger brother. His mind returned again and again to her words.

"Stay here, I'm not going to delay long, remember that it's a surprise for Souka."

What a surprise she was going to give him, but well, he couldn't contradict her as far as her brother was concerned. She knew him much better than he did, though lately the boy seemed to enjoy his company more than the young woman's.

Perhaps it was because they shared several points in common.

Ultimately, however, all thoughts about waiting and his tardy friend disappeared for a few moments when a sudden scream began to creep in. Before he could truly realize what was going on, the window of a nearby store exploded with a deafening sound.

Toshinori instinctively ducked and covered his ears, still keeping an eye on what was happening just a street away from where he stood. People ran, fleeing in terror and fright, so no one noticed the silhouette sliding into one of the narrower alleys.

By the time the heroes arrived on the scene, the criminals were already well advanced. However, the young man hadn't stayed after that.

Something very strange had caught his attention, but before that he had dialed a number on his smartphone.

Saiko was sure that she had left her best friend at the entrance of the store while she went and picked up the supply case she had carelessly left behind at school.

She had been so unlucky that her younger brother's teacher had stopped her just before she came out to report on his grades. That he couldn't have done it while she was still in her school schedule?

To top it off, Souka had gone back home with two of her friends. And he hadn't even bothered to warn her beforehand!

In the end he had left her half crazy looking for him everywhere until one of her brother's teachers had told her. She should have foreseen it. She told herself a few times that she should have foreseen that he would do that, but the truth is that she already had a hunch about it.

Although to be honest, that didn't matter anymore in those moments.

"Where has that blond gone now? Doesn't he know about the assault that happened right out there?" muttered Saiko, visibly worried to learn what had happened, even though the police had already arrived at the scene of the crime and were taking care of the event.

What a mess she had found when she returned and her friend was nowhere to be seen. They had even ordered civilians to stay inside the nearest establishments for their safety. But she just couldn't just stand there doing nothing, considering all the possibilities of what might have happened to him.

She was going to go out and take on the task of looking for him.

However, the worry she felt inside would not save him from the good reprimand she was going to give him once she found him.

Being as stealthy as she could to prevent the people around her from noticing, Saiko opened the back door of the store and slipped into an alley that connected to the main street. The only thing she found there were empty trash cans and a couple of cats staring at her with their slanted eyes from an overhead wall.

Without wasting any time, Saiko took out a white feather from her wings, placed it on her hand, and let the small magnetic field possessed by the feather she had given to her friend long ago and that he always carried with him, guide her to him.

The tour took her to an alley well away from the hustle and bustle outside, and to what was happening between those two dirty and almost dark walls. Her mouth contorted into a frightened grimace at what she saw.

"Toshinori?!"

Saiko quickly ran to her friend lying on the ground. Marks of wounds and blows on various parts of his face, his shirt dirty and torn in some places. It was obvious that he had been hurt by someone else, someone who was not letting himself be seen.

But through it all, he remained conscious and quickly denied it when he looked into her eyes. With effort he got up again, helped by his friend.

A sudden sob made her turn around, only to see an equally terrified woman hiding among some dumpsters as she trembled and kept her eyes tightly closed.

"S-saiko, get out of here and find someone," the boy demanded while coughing lightly. "I think..."

But it was faster, and the young woman had only time to cover her friend with a wing and harden a part of it, before the powerful blow she felt made her gasp in pain. She fell away from her friend, cradling her wounded wing.

Someone ran past her, a sound of heels that faded away when she reached the end of the street. She, on the other hand, came across the scene when she opened her eyes again, that of a bald man holding the boy by one arm while the latter struggled to free himself. Toshinori kicked him, but even then he couldn't break free.

"Let go of me!"

Saiko didn't scream, but she made clear the fury she felt when she ran to where they both were and slammed all the strength she possessed into the man's. She managed to get him to let go by hitting him with the full weight of her wings hardened by her quirk.

"Ugh!" The thief replied, stumbling back as he covered his face with one hand.

Saiko didn't feel anything when she saw blood gushing from the broken inside of his nose. She retreated to where her friend was and positioned herself in front of him to protect him, but by that moment neither of them needed to face him.

The light in the alley dimmed, and they both allowed themselves to look back for a moment to see the group of policemen who quickly ran to take care of the fleeing thief. A young officer arrived before them and stopped to get them out of there.

"Are you okay, guys?" He asked, although none of them could answer with words and they simply nodded.

The shock did not subside until after several minutes, when they went out into the street, asked them questions and accompanied the young man to a nearby ambulance so that paramedics could attend to the wounds on their face and arms.

"Nothing serious happened, luckily it's just bruises and scratches," said the boy who attended them, looking at them with a friendly smile. "You can leave, but I advise you to be careful on the way to your homes, people are in an uproar after this."

They both nodded softly and left in silence, dodging the patrols and the crowd, staying as far away from the scene of the incident as possible. They decided to go first to the young man's house and there, recover from their injuries.

Both external and internal.

"Toshi?" The young woman called him when she saw that the boy closed the front door and walked towards the living room with a slow, almost low step. She wondered how much what had happened would hurt him, and then she worried more than he already was.

Toshinori, on the other hand, immediately turned in her direction.

"I..." The boy looked at her without seeing and quickly shook his head. "Don't worry, I'll just go... I'll go to my room...

Saiko sensed that something was wrong. She knew it when she noticed his dejected expression and confirmed it when she heard him speak, seeing how he left with a shuffle of his feet towards the room. She followed him without caring about anything else, suspecting what was happening.

"Toshi..."

Saiko stepped in and sat on the bed next to him, however, she didn't say any more words than that when she saw the wounds on his face, highlighted by the drooping expression of his blue eyes.

That's why she hugged him without further ado and let the boy lie on her shoulder. Many had been the emotions they felt when this happened to them, but the only one that affected him most was the helplessness of knowing that he had not been able to do much to free that woman from the clutches of that thief.

What the hell was he thinking?

He was not a hero.

Maybe he never would be.

He only harbored a futile dream that would eventually prove him wrong in trusting... that he could be one of them.

And the truth is, he didn't want to see his life wasted like that.

"I know what you're thinking."

His friend's voice interrupted his thoughts as if who were cutting the continuous thread of a seam. Toshinori raised his head and met her eyes, two emerald shards staring at him decisively. No compassion, no pity, pure determination.

"You're thinking you weren't enough, right? Do you no longer remember everything I have always explained to you?"

Toshinori looked down.

The memory of their conversations flashed through his mind, every time his friend stopped to clear up the doubts that populated him. But he had no reason to think that it could be different, given what had happened before.

"I know, it's just... How can I be? I don't have a power or anyone other than you who can help me..." He looked down at his hands and clenched them into fists, frowning when he realized something. "But still I don't want to give up, I don't want to and I can't..."

"Well, don't do it," Saiko turned completely in his direction and took his shoulders. "You made a mistake this time, but who says you can't learn from it? You are so much more than what you think of yourself, I know."

"Do you say so?" Toshinori asked, not entirely sure yet.

"Of course," His friend smiled and, without further ado, hugged him again. He had never felt so good in her arms.

Toshinori swallowed hard and let her do it, not mentioning any more words that could ruin the moment. He still wasn't sure if he deserved it, but at least he could hope that it was possible.

He didn't know how, but he would keep the last promise he had made to his mother before she died.

Even without a quirk, he was going to be a hero.

A symbol of peace.

Chapter Text

Spring arrived with an explosion of cherry blossom colors and with it, a new year of studies, goals and the expected moment in which high school seniors had to choose what their future would be. Many of them were already quite clear about what they would be.

That is why it was not surprising when Miss Matsuo entered the classroom a few days after the start of the course with some sheets that her students recognized. She began to prattle on about the importance of conscientiously choosing the options that were printed there as she handed them out at each desk.

"I don't think I need to reiterate that their future depends on their decisions," she adjusted her glasses. "Although I'm also sure that many of you have already chosen what you intend to be, haven't you?"

A hubbub of voices erupted over it, in which almost all of them expressed the same desire: to enter the heroism course. The woman calmed their voices with a raised hand, the only gesture that served to appease them, and smiled when she addressed them.

"Very well, anyway I leave you to evaluate your options in detail, after all that course does not have enough places for everyone, so you should choose the others carefully."

Some students looked at each other with a small grimace. They already knew their teacher's habit of being extremely honest with things that demanded reason and common sense, but even so they would not have preferred to hear such true words.

And in the middle of the conversations, giggles could be heard in the background, near one of the corners of the classroom. No one would have been surprised, least of all to realize that it was the same group of bullies as always.

"What does it matter? In any case, we are sure that one of us is not going to be the one who enters."

Saiko found them undoubtedly irritating, but she could do nothing to stop them or stop the teasing, not with her teacher so attentive to what her students were doing. She glanced sideways at her best friend, who was in quiet conversation with Makoto and herself, but he showed no sign of paying attention to them.

Saiko let out a low sigh of relief at that, however, she didn't realize that Toshinori had noticed it and was now looking at her with those blue eyes that, at that moment, overflowed with concern.

"Is something wrong? I hope you're not worried about the options and the shortness of places on the hero course," he said while his brow frowned slightly; something that always happened to him when he was nervous.

Saiko took another sideways glance at the group and the revelry he had made, then turned to him and denied. She was not concerned with exactly what he had said, but with knowing how he was handling it.

"Do you want me to be honest?"

"You know you can be honest whenever you want," he smiled and turned to the other boy. "Isn't it, Makoto?"

The aforementioned young man cleared his throat when their gaze was fixed more quickly on him, as if they were waiting with expectation for whatever he was going to say. Be that as it may, he ended up shrugging his shoulders in an unimportant gesture.

"I would ask Hitori but since she is not with us today, well... I guess you're right," he replied with one last smile, to which the young woman had no choice but to roll her eyes, with some amusement.

Saiko recalled that her other friend was sick at home. Maybe she could convince them to give her a quick visit when they got out of school that afternoon. Surely they would not put buts on it, much less Makoto.

"We know you always prefer to have Hitori's opinion first..." but anyway, what really worries me is you, Toshi," she confessed with a sigh. "I admit it, even I worry that we won't get in."

Her friends looked at each other and were about to say something when the recess bell rang, the one that marked the last time of departure. It still took several more minutes for the teacher to talk about the importance of their decision, and to collect their things.

The front door and corridors of the school were almost crowded with students walking towards the hope of freedom that day, although many had no illusions. When they got home, homework and study would be almost as intensive as the one they had had at school.

"We'll stop by her house, won't we?" Makoto asked his classmates as he placed the backpack on his shoulder and they went through the school gate.

"Of course," Toshinori replied with a smile, though it was followed by a jab from Saiko toward the other young man.

"Anyone would say that you really want to see her, more than usual perhaps."

Saiko knew she had him in her hands when she saw the boy's red face, although she later had to admit that his reply was quite good.

"She's my friend, of course I'm worried about her and I want to see her, anyone would do it in my place," he said in a haughty tone, and she had no choice but to admit that he was right.

However, that didn't stop a shared giggle from both boys before they saw their partner walk away from them, angry. It didn't take long for them to get back next to each other, while they continued to talk about trivial and unimportant things to kill the time it took them to walk to their friend's house.

Unlike the three of them, who except for Toshinori lived in apartments with their respective families, their friend's house was located in a neighborhood that was very close to the grove that surrounded a part of the city.

There the houses had the typical architecture of traditional houses, which was more noticeable when seeing when they were received by an older woman after knocking on the door, dressed in a light gray kimono. All three smiled at her. They already knew Hitori's grandmother, and she knew them too.

That's why it wasn't strange when she invited them in with a friendly and welcoming smile. After the corresponding greeting and the invitation to a quick snack by the old woman, the three boys thanked her and headed towards their friend's room.

"Thank goodness my grandmother let them go quickly, I thought I would have to sit here all afternoon", Hitori replied, crossing her arms and leaning against the headboard of the bed.

Makoto did not miss the opportunity to point out what seemed to be obvious.

"I guess you're better now," It wasn't a question and she knew it very well, so she showed them a smile.

"We have some news to give you," Toshinori interjected before his two friends began to refute his words to each other, and he pulled out the paper the professor had given them that day. "Your options."

The young woman took the sheet of paper and glanced quickly at what was written on it before she pushed it aside and set it down on the nearby bedside table. From her posture, she gave the impression that she didn't seem to care much about what she had read.

"I'll see that in more detail later..." She licked her lips and adjusted her position against the backrest. "What other news do you have to give me? It turns out that everything interesting happens just when I'm not there."

The other three boys told them the usual gossip of the day, but the truth was that nothing more noteworthy had happened.

"Well, you see, you didn't really miss anything new today," Toshinori summed up with a shrug.

The bedridden young woman could only let out a sigh and make a disdainful gesture with her hand.

"Well, if there is..." she seemed to resign herself to the tersity of the new gossip that was spreading in the school every day, though she soon asked for a more detailed explanation from all of them.

However, both Saiko and Toshinori knew that if it were up to her she would have them all afternoon in constant verbiage, but they could not afford to remain that way. Therefore, after approximately two hours and when the sun was already beginning to go down on the horizon, they said goodbye to their two friends.

Neither of them was surprised that the other boy stayed.

They returned alone along the avenue that led them to their respective homes, exchanging among themselves the impressions made by the sheet on which their new choices were written.

Chapter Text

Her best friend was strange.

In other words, stranger than usual.

Saiko was aware that this would be their last year of high school before entering high school. Obviously, most of them were very focused on getting good enough grades to opt for an elite school in the region, mainly the UA.

It was not new that every year the vast majority of third-year students opted for the popular school that had the potential to train them as future professional heroes. But unfortunately, its low acceptance rate was quite problematic.

It was almost no secret to anyone in her class that the winged girl and her blond friend intended to enter, nothing more and nothing less than in the heroism course. But that was something that many thought impossible.

"Where is your friend, Saiko-chan?" a mocking voice spoke, walking in the direction of her desk. "Has he already given up his absurd idea and decided to abandon you? I honestly think it's the best thing I could have done."

Saiko didn't pay attention to him, and just rolled her eyes behind her glasses as she went about her task. It was the last exercise before leaving the almost empty student room and returning home. But a presence in front of her would interrupt her peace.

The young woman stopped what she was doing and looked at her opponent.

"Good afternoon to you too, Tsukasa."

The newly appointed took his notebook and looked at it disinterestedly.

"You didn't answer me."

She looked at him with an expressionless countenance.

"I don't have to."

The girl's defiant response annoyed her opponent, although inwardly she was very calm; her face reflected it. Those were the advantages of having to deal with that idiot for almost three years.

"You know what? Thinking about it, I'm not interested either," he replied with disdain. "As long as that stupid, idiotic straw hair doesn't get in my way, everything will be better. That useless without quirk does not..."

His mouth closed as fast as he opened it.

Saiko had risen from her seat. Her wings were spread along its entire length, although that was not the most impressive thing. One of her feathers, so small that she practically hid it in her hand, threatened with its hardened shine the edge of the young man's chest.

She had cornered him completely against the wall while the few people who were still there looked at everything with wide eyes. None of them noticed the small object between the girl's fingers.

"Don't you dare insult Toshinori again, much less in my presence," her voice came out in a whisper, a very threatening one. "We have enough to put up with you another year in the same class."

Everyone there considered the winged girl with glasses to be a very peaceful and calm person, with an introverted personality and who only had one known friend. They had rarely heard of her losing control and getting angry about something or someone, even she considered herself that way. But that could definitely change in exceptional circumstances, her best friend knew it very well. And for her, being picked on was more than enough.

Tsukasa gritted his teeth furiously and got rid of his grip by activating his quirk. He moved away from her and the whip he had transformed his hand into returned to normal.

"Or else what? Will you tell the teacher?", He spoke in a mocking tone again even though he was still massaging the area where the tip of the pen had touched him.

Saiko ignored him again as she put away her supplies and picked up her backpack, mentally cursing that she had lost her temper in front of those students in her class. Now they probably won't be left alone for the rest of the year when everyone else found out.

The calm and good student had almost assaulted one of her classmates? That definitely had to be seen to be believed.

Saiko adjusted her new glasses better and sighed, walking a little more calmly towards the exit of the school. And yet, her mind was not entirely at peace with the prospect of not knowing what exactly was wrong with Toshinori.

She would be lying if she said she wasn't worried about whatever was going on with her best friend, why she almost gave her the impression that he was leaving her out. Or maybe it was just her imaginations?

She knew that things at his home were not quite right with the situation of having to deal with his loneliness; but she didn't think it was entirely because of that when he had previously counted on her about that situation.

She also didn't think it was anything to do with school, besides having to put up with her classmates. Was it a matter that only concerned the boys? She was a woman and knew that some things made them uncomfortable talking about them directly, but even so they supported each other.

Thinking about all that, the young woman came to the conclusion that she first needed to know where she went four days a week every time they left school. It made her think about the fact that he used to come back so late and so exhausted as to fall asleep after a short chat with her. He tried to hide it, but it was impossible for the young woman not to notice.

With one last breath, Saiko cleared her mind and focused on the slight field of magnetism possessed by the feather she had given to Toshinori long ago, and which he always carried with him. Finally, she let it guide her.

"What are you doing, Toshinori Yagi?" the girl wondered intrigued at the scene she saw in front of her eyes.

She had stood aloof and had no desire to intervene in what was clearly supposed to be an intense exercise session for her friend. But what surprised her most was that he was being guided by a woman she didn't know at all, dressed in a sports uniform and shouting precise orders to the boy in front of her.

"Apparently she trains him, but... for what?" she wondered as she sharpened her eyes as much as she could. Ironically, her quirk was supposed to emulate the powers of a pigeon but it couldn't do anything for her vision.

Those and several more questions ran through Saiko's mind as the minutes passed and she was spying on them from her position. Her plan was to wait for them to finish and then show up suddenly, which she knew would make her friend nervous.

Fortunately, such an opportunity came when he and the unknown woman stopped and began to gather their things. From there she couldn't feel it well, but she was sure that Toshinori must be sweating profusely under his clothes, completely exhausted from the arduous training as he slung his backpack over his shoulder.

Saiko decided that it was the ideal time to introduce herself, so she came down the hill using her wings and landed as close to them as possible. The boy's reaction was as expected by her when he jumped in place and opened his eyes wide. His companion also stopped, but rather looked at them curiously.

"S-Saiko?" Toshinori swallowed hard and tried to regain his composure as he asked. "What are you doing here?"

The young woman proceeded to cross her arms, not with annoyance but rather with interest.

"That's what I wonder about you," she said, but then she broke off when she heard the throat clearing of the throat of the woman next to her. She stood still suddenly, having forgotten the usual rules of courtesy for someone older. Fortunately, the woman didn't seem to mind when she showed her a kind smile.

"And who is this young lady, young Yagi? She seems to know you," she asked softly, her voice so gentle that Saiko couldn't help but feel safe by her side.

Toshinori, on the other hand, smiled as he rubbed the back of his neck with one hand.

"She is Saiko Kimura, my best friend, teacher."

"Oh, the young lady you've told me so much about." The sides of her eyes formed small wrinkles as she watched as the girl raised an eyebrow at her friend. "It's a pleasure to meet you then, young lady, my name is Nana Shimura."

Saiko turned to her immediately and nodded with a slight bow, slightly noticing the resemblance of their surnames.

"Nice to meet you too, Shimura-sama," she greeted, but it didn't take long for her to get into the question that had been on her mind since she'd seen them training. "Can I by any chance ask where you know my friend from?"

The woman exchanged a glance with the young man and nodded softly when he did too, allowing him to tell a part of their story. However, it was Toshinori who took the initiative in this regard.

"It's a bit of a long story, Sai, but I can tell you that she's helping me in my desire to be a hero with you." Surprise immediately crossed the young woman's face, excitement to which her friend reacted with a nervous and somewhat hesitant smile as he turned to his teacher. "Can I tell her?"

The woman nodded again with a soft smile.

"Of course, I can tell she's a trustworthy young lady, so I'll leave you to say whatever you need to say to each other."

Without saying another word, she left there and left both friends in a silence that, although tense, was soon broken by a throat clearing by Saiko. The young man's cheeks turned red, somewhat embarrassed that he had been discovered before he could even explain the situation in detail.

"Did you at least intend to tell me this sometime?" she said as she looked at him with a suppressed reproach. Toshinori opened his eyes wide again as he gestured with his hands and nodded quickly.

"Of course! Please don't think I wanted to stay out of it." He calmed down, but still, the sigh that escaped him felt tired. "Forgive me, the truth is that I was waiting for the ideal moment to talk to you about this... You see, she's a heroine who possesses a rare and powerful gift, so she asked me to wait to talk to you about this. I assure you that this is the truth."

Saiko put a hand under her chin and squinted at him, even though she knew him well enough to know when he was sincere and when he wasn't. And this time, when detailing his attitude, she could tell that he was.

"Okay, I'll forgive you when you tell me absolutely everything, especially the time you met that heroine and the reason why she agreed to train you."

Doing that was not difficult for Toshinori, who quickly raised his head and looked at her with a smile. Therefore, he told her everything she wanted to know while they were walking to a nearby park.

Saiko was truly surprised that her friend had done another heroic act, let alone that this heroine had seen him. He told her that at first she scolded him and that she didn't even want to know anything about whether she could help him fulfill his dream.

It was later, when they found themselves in a moment of vulnerability on the part of the boy, in which he told the real reasons why he wanted to be a hero even without a quirk, that she began to listen to him.

She was also a little surprised that it had happened a few months ago, but she definitely couldn't contain herself when her friend got to the part where he was telling her about her teacher's power. A gift that could be passed from one bearer to another.

One For All.

She had never heard of a quirk like it in her life.

Saiko decided not to comment much on what she thought about it, but she did shower her friend with questions that were somehow answered. At least the ones he could answer without fear of looking bad with her.

"Honestly, it's really incredible..."

"Yeah..."

A soft laugh accompanied his comment, and then Saiko ended up explaining what had happened to him before leaving the classroom, in case the next day there was a mess about it he would be prepared.

"Thank you for standing up for me again, even if I wasn't present," Toshinori gave her a half-hug with a smile. "You're definitely my hero."

"Yes, yes, that's all you have to say," Saiko rolled her eyes, but then hooked one of her wings on his shoulder, simulating a hug while her face cracked a small proud smile.

For their part, both continued like this until they located the small wall that delimited the next slope of the park. They separated and sat on it, letting their legs dangle in the air.

"Then that power... the One For All... How long will it take you to master it?" The girl asked, tilting her head in a curious look.

Toshinori lowered his head and frowned, then shook his head with a sigh. In a way, he still didn't want to worry her with various aspects about the strange power that her teacher carried.

"Actually, I don't know yet," he denied softly. "But I will not give up on that, I will make an effort, and we can go to the UA together."

A bright smile lit up his face after saying those words, a smile that quickly infected his friend with one of her own. Saiko put her arm on his shoulder and leaned towards him, becoming a little more serious.

"You'll have to work really hard to catch up with everything, you know that, right?"

Toshinori nodded, wiping away his smile.

"You're right about that, plus I want to keep training all these months until the day of the exam," he confirmed, nodding slightly in her direction, but his gaze quickly went to his clenched fist. "My teacher said that my body must be ready for the moment when it receives her peculiarity, after that she will train me to control it in a better way."

Saiko nodded again at what her best friend had said.

"I understand..." She spread her wings and climbed down from the wall they were sitting on until her shoes touched the ground. She ended up raising her arm with her fist in the air in an enthusiasm that was not very characteristic of her. "Then I'll train with you too! We will both support each other during this time."

A new smile appeared on the face of the blond boy, and he pushed his arms down and reached her. He quickly imitated her gesture.

"Of course I do!"

The last laughs of the afternoon lit up the small park as the evening sun slowly set over the horizon.

Chapter Text

The wind in her hair, gently combing the feathers of her wings, the fact that she felt free in the middle of the air, without holding back at any time. All sensations that she had rarely experienced, given the rule that citizens with quirk who were not heroes could not openly use their power.

But in the middle of the mountains there was no one who could watch over that rule, so she was free to use it as much as she wanted.

A quick glance at the forest above allowed her to see a small but swift shadow that ran almost alongside her flight. Then she smiled and propelled herself further with her wings. She didn't used to be competitive, but this time she would be the one to win the race. Just like she'd been doing all the previous times.

Among the trees, however, there was someone who tried his best to keep up with the girl's fast flight. Toshinori knew that it was very likely that he would not be able to win this time, but that was not going to stop him from giving up on achieving it.

Finally, both managed to reach the meeting point previously agreed upon by their teacher.

Saiko flapped her wings slowly until she managed to land softly in the middle of the rough terrain. She smiled as she turned her head back and saw the point that was her friend running at full speed down the side of the mountain to catch up with her with his legs.

Their teacher, Nana Shimura was already at the agreed meeting place, right where she had landed. She smiled at them as she put both hands on her waist, and they smiled back, even if the exhaustion was enough to make them pay attention to nothing but themselves.

All three were dressed in training uniforms. The young woman's had a pair of grooves that opened on her back to allow her wings to be accommodated and her clothes not to get in the way during the flight, in addition to wearing her hair up.

His friend's, on the other hand, was normal just like him, with only a little dirt here and there due to his steep ascent up the mountain. His hands rested on his knees as he inhaled and exhaled over and over again. Suddenly, a big smile came to his face as he performed the last post-race stretches uphill.

"Ugh! Now that was intense," he said as he flexed his growing muscles in a short, fun display.

Saiko folded her arms and made a slight gesture of disdain with her hand, just enough to get his attention. She knew that he would forgive her later.

"It's true that your career was good, but you have to admit that flying is much more incredible," she said with a sly smile that made Toshinori raise an eyebrow.

He already knew where she wanted to go, so he simply shrugged his shoulders and joined in his own fun as he pushed aside a twig that had absentmindedly fallen on his shoulder during the climb.

"Of course, Sai, nothing compares to seeing the world from above," he replied with a smile from which he initially tried to hide his intentions.

She didn't suspect anything until after several seconds.

"Of course th- Wait... You're making fun of me!" She exclaimed with a reproach while pointing at him with a finger, which caused the young man to laugh at the obvious of what that meant.

But while they laughed together and had fun in their own way like the youngs they were, their teacher watched them with a subtle smile as she saw the enthusiasm of the new youth. She had a feeling that those two would go very far in life.

However, right now they had to understand that their preparation was essential. They weren't ready yet, but that would be fixed shortly.

"You still have a lot to learn, kids, and the months go by fast," she said with an affable look that caught their attention as she reached for a pair of bottles in her backpack. "Have, take this, it will be very useful to regain your strength."

The two looked at each other with one last smile and took what their teacher offered them with sincere thanks and a short bow on her part.

The liquid in the bottles seemed to be water because of its transparency, but when they uncorked them and took a direct sip from them, they realized that their taste was very different although undoubtedly fresh and pleasant. Both removed the containers from their mouths and checked them.

Just by reading the labels, it didn't take long for them to realize that it was an energy drink that most professional heroes used to drink. It was also available to the entire population, but it was not usual for them to opt for that brand.

"Heroes' drink... "Wow," Toshinori said, evidently ecstatic about what he had in his hands.

"Oh for kami, don't let it go to your head for now, please," Saiko replied as she rolled her eyes in amusement and approached her backpack to store the bottle inside, safeguarded for another time.

Once that moment of brief rest was over, their teacher Nana gathered the two of them and decided that they would continue the same through the mountainside, until they reached a valley where they could continue with what they had planned to do for that day.

"What shall we do now, sensei?" Saiko asked as she walked near them. She had decided to save her flight so as not to exhaust herself more than expected, in addition to the fact that she would regain her strength thanks to drinking as long as she did not force herself too much.

Nana Shimura paused for a moment in front of them, leaning on the branch she had taken earlier on the side of the road. They were near the valley, so it would be good for her to let them know what was in store for them so that they would have time to prepare at once.

"Listen to me, this place is full of large piles of rocks that surround the westernmost part of it, right where we are. To get to him, you must get them out of the way, but not alone," she said then and smiled broadly. "This will be a test of teamwork."

Neither of them knew if there could be anything easier than that. They made it very clear when they looked at each other with that knowing smile that characterized them and ended up shrugging their shoulders.

"Oh, then it won't be so complicated," Toshinori disdained with a slight wave of his hand, followed by a nod from his friend.

However, their teacher only looked at them with a raised eyebrow while putting a hand on her waist.

"Don't trust yourself, Yagi and neither do you Kimura," she warned them with a more serious look than she intended, although she soon softened it. "The last time I looked at those rocks they were arranged in a way that they would be tricky to drag unless you are very careful with your technique."

Nana Shimura gave them one last smile and activated her quirk. Floating lifted her higher than her students' heads.

"So... good luck."

And without saying another word, she stepped forward and left them there, alone. They both knew that she was not far away, in fact they were both sure that she had decided to go and wait for them at the other end of the valley.

"Let us go on then," said the young woman.

Toshinori gave a half-smile, bent his legs a little, and began to prepare to keep up with her flight through another run. His muscles had grown stronger with the training of the past few months, and he was truly amazed by it.

He had always been a taller and stronger boy than normal, as several people and even his best friend had stressed to him, so his teacher had decided to take advantage of that potential and exploit it as much as possible. He never believed it could be as easy as it was at that moment.

With Saiko, on the other hand, the training had been specialized in strengthening her wing muscles in a way she had never flown before. Almost extreme pirouettes and facing winds at a height where she never consciously flew.

In a way, she admitted that it was terrifying at first, even though she had her teacher's supervision at all times to avoid an accident. Of course, they had started with gentle exercises before moving on to the more complicated ones.

It took them about half an hour to reach the area their sensei had told them about. That's when they realized that she had really been serious about the rugged terrain.

"Well, she wasn't lying," Toshinori murmured, and Saiko agreed with him as they tried to find a way to lower those rocks without being run over them.

It took them half the afternoon to do the rest of the exercise, after spending about an hour looking for the right way to do it, but when they reached the end and saw their teacher's satisfied look, they collapsed right there.

They were exhausted, bruised, and with every muscle in their bodies (down to the parts they didn't know had muscles) stiffened. However, despite all the tiredness and the desire not to move from their place at all, an equally satisfied smile appeared on the faces of both when they met the heroine.

"Well done, children, you have earned your well-deserved rest," Nana said with a smile that covered her eyes, bright and warm.

They didn't say anything, they were too tired to do so, but they did respond with a nod before getting up with some difficulty and dropping down near the tent that their sensei had set up to spend the night in that place.

Chapter Text

The long-awaited day had finally arrived. On the day of the UA admission exam.

Hundreds of students had gathered outside the prestigious hero school, all calmly entering through the institution's grand gates. Many were confident and others were determined that they would definitely pass the exam, that this was just one more step in fulfilling their dreams of being the future heroes of society.

And for two young students in particular, that would eventually become a fact.

"It's very big, don't you think?"

"I think so."

Saiko and Toshinori really marveled at the enormous size of that school, silently admiring it side by side. Anyone else who passed by ended up looking at them strangely.

But that didn't matter much to them.

"Come on, it's time to go in." Toshinori quickly took his friend by the arm and almost dragged her with him towards the large doors.

"Hey, hey! I know you're excited, Toshi, but don't take my main source of artistic hobbies," the girl laughed as she saw how she wore it in such a peculiar way.

Toshinori stopped and blushed slightly with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, Sai," he stammered slightly, occupying one of his golden locks with his fingers.

Saiko smiled at his witticisms, relaxed and allowed herself to observe that small reaction for a second. Then they resumed their journey in the direction of the interior of the academy.

"Ugh, I guess the written exam wasn't that complicated," the white-winged young woman pointed out to her blond friend.

"Tell me, it's thanks to you that these last few months I was able to study and prepare for it."

Saiko gave him a big smile and hugged him sideways with one of her wings.

"You see, we both help each other, I with the studies and you with the training. And that's why we're unstoppable..."

"Invincible," he continued, showing his fist.

"And unbeatable!" finished Saiko and then they both burst into laughter, a little quieter on her part and a little louder on the part of her friend.

Both calmed their joy as they went to the room where they would be given the information about the practical exam, but not before leaving several people who were passing by confused by what they had just seen about that strange duo.

But they quickly stopped paying attention to them. They were just another obstacle that they had to overcome in order to enter the heroic course.

The pair of young people quickly arrived at the designated room, they only avoided getting lost thanks to all the students who were also heading in the same direction. After that, they simply sat in the seats that were not yet occupied by the other students who kept arriving.

"God, I think this is even bigger than the movie theater near home," Saiko said, looking around them.

"Really...," Toshinori conceded, paying a little closer attention to the great stage of the amphitheater.

Time passed quickly and from one moment to the next a professional hero, also a teacher at the school, welcomed the students gathered there, explaining everything they needed to know about the exam.

Rescues and robots, they supposed, might not be so complicated.

"So that means we can't be on the same field?" asked Saiko, looking at the number on her card and comparing it to Toshinori's.

"It seems so," his friend pointed to the squared with information about each one they both possessed. "Although our numbers are consecutive, they assigned us to different areas."

"Surely it's a measure to prevent students from the same school from confronting each other, or helping each other..." Saiko deduced, putting a finger on her chin. "Yes, it makes sense."

"Unfortunately," Toshinori whispered, frowning.

Saiko looked at him again, pouting slightly when she saw her blonde's worried expression. She reversed the roles at that moment, trying to cheer him up while putting an arm on his shoulder.

"Hey, don't worry, Toshi, I'm sure everything will be fine for you even without my help," she whispered beside him.

Finally, she encouraged him with a sincere smile, trying to convey the same thing she had said in words: that everything would be fine for both of them. Toshinori looked at her and smiled along with her, no doubt acknowledging her attempt to cheer Jim up.

"Surely you won't be left behind either."

"Of course not," she laughed lightly. "You know I'll try to give everything I have to pass, so you'd better do the same. Or there won't be any games on my console for at least a month!"

Toshinori pretended to be frightened after she said that, laughing under his breath at her impromptu threat. But he was still willing to follow her advice.

After all, nothing and no one would stop him from entering that school and fulfilling his dream of being the hero who would save everyone with a smile alongside his winged friend.

"Of course, Sai, although I think it is best for us to go out now," he said as they watched as all the aspirants gathered themselves and calmly went outside.

After a brief hug, in which they infused each other with encouragement once again, they both went to the different buses that would take them once and for all to their respective areas.

And even before they had a chance to worry about how each of them would be doing, to have to worry about how they dealt with those obstacles, they had finally finished the exam.

A tired smile was reflected on the faces of each one, sitting as they were on the respective bus that brought them back. Without realizing it, they arrived at the academy almost in the blink of an eye.

Saiko quickly got off her transport, looking for her friend with her eyes in the parking lot where the rest of the students were getting off their respective bus.

She looked carefully, discarding every head of black, blue, red, or any other color to find a peculiar blonde hair, hair that belonged to a tall boy who was on his side, doing the same action as her.

"Toshi!" she called out to him as she got ahead of the other people, and he turned in recognition of his nickname. Toshinori gave her a bright smile when he walked to also reach her.

"Sai! How are you? How did you do with the exam?" he filled her with questions as soon as he stood in front of her.

Saiko sighed and raised a hand to calm him down, then put it on her own chest and expelled all the air inside her.

"Hey, a little more calm blonde, I'm just there," she completed with a slight laugh. "Although I've always liked your enthusiasm anyway."

Toshinori opened his eyes a little wider at what she had said, only for him to end up looking away with a slight blush of embarrassment on his face at those very words. He ran his hand over the back of his neck while laughing along with her, at the end he coughed lightly.

The pair of young people began to walk while they told each other everything they had experienced in the exam.

"So, how did it go for you?" asked Saiko after explaining to Toshinori how he had to use his quirk to efficiently destroy all the robots he encountered. "Come, I already told you how I had to separate one of my feathers and harden it to attack them at their vital points. Thank God that they gave us the sheet that contained the data corresponding to each type, it was really good to be able to analyze them before they released us to that massacre", she said, and then shuddered slightly.

Toshinori nodded, smiling a small sideways, then looked at his arm, where the slight marks from the previous use of his power were visible.

"Well, I can tell you that teacher Nana's training undoubtedly paid off," he said as they walked through the doors of the academy in the direction of the street. "I used it as you saw it in training, now I just hope I've collected enough and required points to get through.

"I'm sure you have, I don't know..."

"Don't say that, Sai," Toshinori interrupted her as he saw where she was going with that line of thought. "You must have confidence and belief in yourself, we have already talked about that."

"You know it's a little difficult, Toshi," she said rolling her eyes, a little tired from that conversation. "I still can't be as sure as you are, and you know it. You also know that I admire you for the determination you've had all these years," Saiko gave him a small smile this time. "You haven't given up on your dream even if everyone else was making fun of you for wanting to be a hero even though you didn't have a quirk."

"It's thanks to you too that I haven't, Sai," Yagi replied with a sympathetic look on his face, then he put his hand on her shoulder. "So cheer up and don't worry too much! I'll always be here for you if you feel like you can't do it alone."

Those were all the words she needed at that moment.

Saiko widened her smile a little more and then also put her arm around his body, leaving it on his waist. Both continued walking home with that half-hug from each other.

"Hey, and how were the possible future students with whom we may share a class?" asked Saiko, resuming her natural curiosity.

"Oh well..." Toshinori began, putting a finger of his free arm on his chin. "There were a few who stood out among those who were there, mainly there was one that caught everyone's attention."

"If you say that he attracted attention, it's because his particularity must be quite striking, or am I wrong?"

Toshinori confirmed the information after he laughed.

"You were actually right, Sai. He was a student with a fire quirk, but I sense this one is more powerful than the ones we've seen." He frowned. "Although the truth is that he also stood out for his attitude."

"Oh, yes? How so?"

Toshinori snorted lightly and waved his hand, as if to say that he did not take so much importance in his words.

"You'd better forget what I said."

"Oh no, Toshi, now you tell me," she encouraged him by waving his arm. "You know me pretty well, so know that I'm not going to leave you alone until you tell me."

He sighed pretending to be tired, although then he ended up laughing amused.

"I know you won't..." he lightly squeezed the bridge of his nose with two fingers. "Well, I can say that his personality is quite in keeping with his peculiarity."

"Ou, is he one of those arrogant and annoying guys?" she asked making a face after deducing the information given.

"I wouldn't say it that way... I mean, we don't know him yet," he finished shrugging.

In the end, Saiko repeated his gesture, concentrating again on the way home.

Saiko was running quickly to her friend's house, well, more than running she literally flew. All so that she could receive first-hand the long-awaited news from him, which she had also received that day.

Because several weeks had passed since that moment and the results regarding the entrance exams had already arrived.

"Toshinori, open me! I'm here!" She shouted as she knocked on the door of his home, calming down after she heard her friend's voice from inside.

Saiko parted slightly, anxiety running through her body as she waited for him to open the door for her. When he finally opened it, Toshinori had his head down, looking at some kind of object in his hands. She looked closely and saw that it was the same envelope she had received.

"Toshi?"

Toshinori raised his head, only to reveal to his friend the look of joy on his face marked by the furrows of recent tears of happiness. The corners of his lips widened even more.

"I did it, Sai," he said, waving the piece of paper over his head.

"You... you did it."

Saiko blinked rapidly, and before she could execute another one, Toshinori lunged at her in a tight hug accompanied by a powerful laugh. The happy laughter of both.

"You did it, Toshi!" laughed the young woman leaning on her friend's chest.

Toshinori calmed down a bit when he remembered something else. He parted his chin from her hair and looked her in the eyes again.

"You too, right?"

"Of course I do, silly!" she said, showing the same envelope that had arrived to her.

The laughter was renewed, without the need to separate from their embrace.

"I always believed in you, Sai!" he exclaimed and then stroked his head. "I told you that you should only trust yourself."

Saiko nodded, wiping away tears from behind her glasses. After that she wrapped her arms around her friend's torso again.

"Thank you."

That word, that simple word was all they both needed to reaffirm their emotions, their feelings, and how completely grateful they were to be a part of each other's lives.

Looking at his friend, Toshinori smiled.

"You're welcome, Sai."

Chapter Text

The doors of the UA opened for the second time for them, but this time in a different way. Because this time they were not crossing them to go to an exam in which it would be determined if perhaps they could study there or not.

No, this time they were full-fledged students of the hero course.

They had no idea how proud they were to know that they could say that as many times as they wanted. Show it off a little to others too, why not. After all that was a reason to feel as proud as they felt at that moment.

"At last we succeeded... After so much effort," whispered Toshinori, with a certain reverie, as the tide of new students who passed through the enormous doors of the facility continued.

However, Saiko was the one who was in charge of bringing him back to reality.

"We did, yes, but that was just the proof," she pointed at him with a finger pointed in front of his face. "Now comes the real challenge."

Toshinori had no choice but to agree with her on that point, although he believed that this phase would not be as complicated as facing the uncertainty of not knowing if you will be chosen or not.

Now that he was there he wouldn't have to worry about it anymore; just focus on the heroism course training. In addition, of course, to all the normal subjects that were taught in any high school. He had to admit that he was eager to get started, even with regard to the latter.

"I know, Sai, I'm well aware of that, okay? It's just that I want to enjoy our accomplishment a little more before we face them on the first day of school," he argued calmly, with a slight nonchalant shrug.

Saiko understood him out there, but she in particular felt that she couldn't quite relax, even knowing that they had succeeded. Maybe she was just being more cautious than usual, but she would rather do that than neglect her duties.

"Well, it's the beginning of the school year anyway, so we have a whole year to worry about that," she said later, as an option they could take.

Toshinori couldn't hold back the involuntary laughter that her comment caused him. She, of all the people he knew... Was she taking things slowly? That was worth seeing.

"Yeah... I'm sure you don't have any study plan up your sleeve if you say that," he replied as he adjusted his backpack, with a suggestive smile like the ones he expressed when he wanted to tease her.

Saiko snorted, annoyed by the fact that he knew her well enough to figure out what she was up to and act on it. However, this time she did mean it.

"Well, no, this time you're wrong because I'll only do it as they teach us the lesson plan they have for us," she said as she adjusted her uniform tie. "Which, by the way, must be on par with our training."

"It will be a bit complicated to divide the time so that it is efficient and at the same time enjoy a moment without so many worries," Toshinori said with a resigned tone, putting a hand to the back of his neck.

Saiko cocked her head and made a little sound in which she pretended to agree with his words, although in a way she knew that it didn't really have to be that way. They would always have some free time if they could find a way to organize themselves well, despite the hard work that would await them later.

"Well, at least we have each other to help each other in a way that we take advantage of every moment, unlike our teammates", she said in a calm voice, stressing the importance of being a team.

"Yes, and speaking of our roommates..." he put his finger on his chin, showing with that gesture the inevitable curiosity he felt. "What do you think they or their quirks are like?"

Saiko was waiting for that question, after all she had already gotten a pretty good idea of what they might be like based on what she had seen during testing. Except for those who could enter by recommendation, several of them had strong gifts or a lot of potential that they knew how to exploit at that moment.

"I think they must be physical gifts that their users have mastered well enough to take on the robots in the complex, just like our quirks," she replied and shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly after saying that. "Although I remember seeing a pretty good emitter quirk... Maybe that girl was able to get in and is also in our course.

Toshinori agreed with her on that point, but the bell rang at the beginning of classes before he could ask her what exactly the emitting quirk she had seen and used as an example was about.

"All the new students please show up in the central courtyard, thank you," said a male voice from the loudspeakers in the hallway.

Both boys looked at each other before nodding and following the tide of students going in the same direction. Once outside, they were surrounded by the facades of the four large buildings linked together that made up the school, but they did not have much time to admire them.

A group of teachers, all of them professional heroes, formed them in several rows located right in front of a grandstand. Everyone fell silent when the director, a short man in a strange suit from before the age of heroes, climbed up the era and spoke to everyone with an enthusiasm they didn't expect.

It was the typical speech at the beginning of the school year, perhaps a little more exacerbated as it came especially from a professional hero, but it was enough to inflame their spirits. As they left there in the direction of their classrooms, they couldn't help but point out how much different things were from a normal school.

To begin with, the door of class 1A was huge.

To size it they had to completely step out of the normal standards in which they had seen hundreds of doors over the years. They even stayed for a moment to admire it, standing still in the middle of the hallway while her new companions entered.

"Why do you think they built it like that?" Saiko asked, turning her head in his direction to confirm his answer.

"For someone with a quirk that made it higher than normal, perhaps?" Toshinori ventured; that was the only option that seemed most logical and possible to him to understand such reasons.

"You're probably right," Saiko said and at last proceeded to shrug her shoulders indifferently.

Both entered the room half full of students, without stopping to look twice at their classmates, and quickly looked for two desks that were next to the door but that were also close to the blackboard. Any studious student would do such a thing, and they especially.

Unfortunately, the hope of spending some time in complete tranquility before the professor appeared, vanished as quickly as the enthusiastic voice that interrupted them as they sat down.

"Sorry to get into your conversation, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to say this," interjected an unknown pink-haired girl who had approached them, ending up speaking with an exacerbated enthusiasm as she addressed the young woman. "Your wings and hair are really beautiful! That pure white is lovely, okay? You can imagine that I have never seen a quirk like it."

Saiko really didn't expect that kind of compliment on her first day, nothing more, nothing less. And judging by the quick look she shared with her friend, she realized that he was in the same place, although he knew how to hide his amused smile quite well.

She asked him for help in a silent plea with her eyes.

"Eh... well, thank you... I guess," was all she could say before trying to get away from her companion.

Toshinori didn't expect that either, but he knew how to get his friend to get the attention better than her, who was about to want to bury herself because of the discomfort it caused her. A soft smile appeared on his lips, both of amusement and pride. He already knew how amazing she was.

The girl with the extravagant pink hair seemed suddenly to realize and regain her sense of what she had done.

"Oh, a thousand apologies to you and your friend for not presenting me properly," she put a hand on her chest and bowed short, charming in her own way. "My name is Sanada Matsuyo, a user of a quirk that consists of transforming the light of my environment into any object I want."

Suddenly, Saiko's eyes widened as she recognized her.

"I remember you, you're the girl from that emitting quirk, the one who destroyed the most robots during the tests," she said and then blurted out in a tone that didn't feel like a reproach. "You were about to leave me with none for my points."

The young woman let out a short but uncharacteristically loud laugh as she ran her hand over the back of her neck.

"I'm just that. I saw you too, and I must say I wasn't the only one who did a good job with those things." After saying that compliment, she looked at them both. "What are your names if I can know?"

Then the two friends looked at each other again. They didn't think socialization would come so early, but it was going to be better if they adapted to their new group as soon as possible. At least, they would never let go of the old friends they had made in high school.

"My name is Saiko Kimura," she said, pointing to the boy next to her. "He's my best friend..."

"Toshinori Yagi, Toshinori only for those closest to me," he completed for her, giving her a gentle smile that lit up his features for both girls, like the bright sun rising from behind a cloud.

Inexplicably, the two felt a tingle inside their chest that stayed there for longer than it should. However, they shook off that feeling at the same time and just as quickly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you then, like all our colleagues," she said in conclusion, and they both had to agree with her.

After that, several minutes passed in which Sanada, who apparently had invited herself alone to the conversation, shared several gossips from the students who were already starting to run even from the first day.

But one in particular was the one that caught their attention. It was a boy who had excelled in tests, both in physics and in writing. She did not take long to give them her name.

"Did you hear that Todoroki Enji is in class 1B?" She said like someone sharing very juicy information, and ended up giggling. "I admit, that is going to be a good challenge."

However, the two were still confused as to who it was that she was talking about.

"Who is he?" Saiko asked with a curious look, seconded by her friend's nod.

The pink-haired young woman looked at them as if they had been fused together by a quirk: with a very strange expression.

"Don't you know him? He's one of the most promising students to ever enter this academy," she said, but suddenly and for no reason, she lowered her voice to a whisper that only they could hear. "It is said that he has a fairly powerful fire quirk, not like those quirks that need an energy source, no, but that he can directly create fire from within."

Then, something clicked in Toshinori's mind.

"Wait a minute... So it's him!" He exclaimed when he understood who she meant, but when he turned to his friend and saw her still confused face, he took it upon himself to explain it to her. "The one I told you about the trials, who has a fire quirk. I already knew that his description was familiar to me from somewhere."

"And now you tell me?" Saiko raised an eyebrow, causing her friend to look at her with a feigned reproachful expression.

"Hey! I didn't even know his name... Until now, of course."

Saiko rolled her eyes in amusement when he heard that said, but in the end she rejoined the conversation about that famous boy. But this only lasted, of course, until the professor appeared.