A few months later, a new year dawned at last, and with it came the towering gates of U.A. High School. Junsei and Momo stood before them.
To Momo, the school was like a promise of challenge and greatness. Her eyes shone as she took it all in. This place was the first true step toward becoming a hero. Junsei, standing beside her, wore the same expressionless face. The name of the school meant little to him. A school was a school, and humans were still humans.
"This is the first time you're going to a class on your own," Momo said, turning to him with a mix of excitement and worry. "Remember to be respectful to the teachers and please, try to be nice to your classmates."
Junsei looked at her, saying nothing.
Momo sighed. "Your class is 1-C. Don't forget."
They passed through the gates together, and as they parted ways, Momo sent a silent prayer after him, hoping that Junsei wouldn't find trouble on his very first day.
Junsei reached Class 1-C quickly. When he slid the door open, a handful of students were already seated inside. He scanned the room once, then walked to the very back and took a seat by himself.
Curious eyes followed him.
Beside him sat a boy with indigo-colored hair. He turned his head and studied Junsei for a moment before speaking. "You walked in all silent. Aren't you going to at least say your name?"
Junsei glanced at him. "Junsei." Then he looked forward again.
The boy blinked. "Not one for many words, are you?"
Junsei ignored him.
"Off to a great start," the boy muttered, leaning back in his chair.
The rest of the class followed suit, quietly deciding that the strange, silent student at the back was best left alone.
Minutes later, the classroom was filled, and the door opened once more. A tall, block-cement-looking man stepped inside and faced the students.
"I am Cementoss," he said evenly. "I will be your classroom teacher. I am looking forward to teaching you all. Let's begin by introducing ourselves. Stand one by one, state your name and your quirk."
One by one, the students complied. Names and abilities filled the room until it was the indigo-haired boy's turn.
He stood. "Hitoshi Shinso. My quirk is brainwashing. I can put people under my command."
A ripple passed through the class. Some students leaned back; others stared openly, doubt and fear flickering across their faces. Cementoss merely nodded.
"A unique quirk," he said.
Shinso nodded and sat down again, already accustomed to the reaction.
Then it was Junsei's turn.
He rose. "Mori Junsei. I can communicate with animals and have enhanced power and senses."
He sat back down.
Cementoss acknowledged him with a nod.
Between classes, Junsei remained at the back of the room, silent and still, while groups formed at the front. Laughter and conversation filled the classroom, but none of it reached him. His expressionless face made it clear he had no interest in joining.
The only other student who stayed seated was Shinso.
The others avoided him too, wary of his quirk. Shinso watched them with detached eyes, already aware that his new classmates viewed him as a villain candidate, just as so many had before. Yet this time, the feeling was different.
Next to him sat another loner, quiet, distant, and unconcerned.
And somehow, that made the loneliness less lonely.
——————
When the first period ended and the bell rang for lunch, Junsei made his way to the cafeteria. The moment he arrived, he joined the line, took a tray, and watched as food was served with impressive speed.
But when his turn arrived, he realized something was terribly wrong.
For the supposed best school in the country, the offerings were painfully ordinary. Rice, vegetables, meat, balanced, sensible, and utterly joyless. There were no desserts anywhere to be seen.
Junsei's eyes narrowed slightly. He leaned toward the lone chef, who moved with remarkable efficiency, ladling portions without pause. "Is there no sweets here?"
The chef did not even look up. "Of course we don't serve that. This is U.A. Only the best and most nutritious food is served here. Sweets are reserved for students who require additional energy and only with school approval."
A pang of disappointment struck Junsei. He took his tray, heavy with food yet feeling utterly empty, and turned away.
Scanning the cafeteria, he spotted Momo seated at a table with several students he assumed were her new classmates. Without hesitation, he walked straight over and sat down beside her in silence.
The conversation at the table died instantly.
Momo turned toward him, ready to greet him, then paused. For a brief, startling moment, she saw something unfamiliar on his face.
Sadness.
"Junsei," she said carefully, "what is wrong?"
"They don't serve desserts here," he replied flatly, gesturing at his tray. "Just this."
Momo's eye twitched. "I told you a hundred times, those are bad for your health. It's a miracle you're still healthy after eating so much of that stuff."
Before Junsei could respond, a girl at the table hesitated. "Umm… Momo, aren't you going to introduce us?"
At the same time, a boy suddenly shouted, "It's you!!"
Everyone turned.
"As expected of U.A.," the boy continued loudly. "Even the prodigy came here as well!"
Momo blinked. "Iida? You know Junsei?"
"Yes!" the boy said fervently. "I will never forget such a magnificent opponent."
Junsei glanced at him briefly. "He was there during the basketball match," he said. "The one sitting on the other team's bench who started screaming that I was cheating."
Only then did Momo remember, Tenya Iida had come from Somei Private Academy.
Iida stiffened, then stood abruptly and bowed a full ninety degrees to Junsei. "I am deeply sorry for my behavior! I failed to recognize your magnificent talent. Seeing you that day broadened my view of the world!!"
Junsei stared at him, then calmly started eating.
Momo sighed. "This is my cousin, from my mother's side, Mori Junsei. Please don't mind his behavior. He's not a talkative person."
"It is a pleasure to meet you," Iida said earnestly. "I am Tenya Iida."
The girl who had spoken earlier tilted her head. "Which class is he in? Is he in 1-B?"
"No, Uraraka" Momo replied. "He's in 1-C."
From the table behind them came a sharp voice. "1-C? Isn't that the general education department? So he's even worse than an extra!!"
Another boy muttered, "Baku-bro, that's not nice."
"Shut it!!" Bakugo snapped. "He's a worse extra than the rest of you!!"
Momo sighed. She didn't even feel like responding. The few hours she had already spent around the blond loud and disrespectful boy were enough to understand exactly what kind of person he was.
Junsei continued eating, utterly ignoring Bakugo and everyone else.
That, more than anything, drew attention.
He showed no anger. No annoyance.
Iida's eyes sparkled. "What incredible tolerance and patience!! Truly admirable!!"
Bakugo scoffed. "He's a coward too!! How did U.A. even accept him?"
Momo finally turned around, irritation flashing in her eyes. "Stop being annoying."
"Did I say something wrong?" Bakugo shot back.
"He doesn't want to be a hero," Momo said sharply. "If not for that, he would have been in our class. He is the strongest person I know."
Bakugo burst out laughing. "As if I'd believe that. He's a coward. Hey, you whitey. You gonna let your cousin speak for you?"
Junsei stopped eating.
"I don't want to be a hero," he said calmly.
"Don't want to," Bakugo sneered, "or can't?"
Junsei looked at his tray. "Just like you, most humans don't deserve to live, let alone be saved."
Then he went back to eating.
Bakugo fell silent.
It was the first time he had ever heard someone speak like that.
The boy next to him muttered, "Holy shit… this dude is villain material."
Bakugo clicked his tongue. "Great. A weirdo, that's even worse." He turned away, pointedly ignoring Junsei from then on.
"Okay…" Uraraka said "So Iida, why are you calling Momo's cousin a prodigy?"
Iida straightened at once, clearly pleased to explain. He launched into an enthusiastic retelling of the basketball match, how Junsei had moved with phenomenal skill, how what began as a simple game had turned into a one-sided display of overwhelming skill. He spoke as the display was inhuman.
The students of Class 1-A reacted in mixed ways. Some listened with widened eyes, clearly impressed. Others shrugged, uninterested in basketball and unimpressed by feats outside heroics.
At a nearby table, a girl with long green hair sat perfectly still, staring at Junsei without blinking. Her expression was puzzled.
Next to her, a girl with pink skin noticed and leaned closer with a grin. "Tsuyu ," she said lightly, "is something wrong? Or maybe you like what you're seeing a little bit too much?"
Tsuyu answered absentmindedly, her eyes never leaving Junsei. "He is strange, Mina. Something about him feels wrong. Completely different from everyone else. It feels warm looking at him." She paused, as if searching for the right words. "It's the first time I'm feeling something like this. Do you feel the same, Mina?"
"Nope," Mina replied immediately. "And I think you're having a crush, girl."
Tsuyu flushed faintly, croaking in embarrassment, when another voice joined in.
"No," a boy with a bird head said slowly. "Something is strange about him. I also feel warm when I look at him… but the darkness in me fears him."
Another boy, his head resembling solid rock, nodded thoughtfully. "I feel like I'm looking at a dear friend. It's weird."
Mina looked from one classmate to the next, eyebrows rising. She wondered if that white-haired dude had some sort of quirk that affected people around him or if all three of them had somehow developed a crush for the same person.
When Junsei finished eating, he stood up without a word and left the cafeteria as silently as he had arrived.
Iida blinked. "There is still time left before the period ends. Why is he leaving so early?"
"He dislikes crowded places," Momo replied. "If not for food, he wouldn't bother showing up at all."
"He has a unique personality," Iida said thoughtfully. "Is that what sets him apart?"
Momo sighed softly at Iida's earnest logic.
Next to Uraraka, a green-haired boy hesitated before asking, "Umm… what is his quirk?"
"He can communicate with animals," Momo answered, "and enhance his physical body and senses."
"That sounds like an impressive quirk," Uraraka said.
"It is," Momo agreed.
Bakugo snorted. "What's impressive about talking to animals?"
Clearly tired of him, Momo turned around, her voice sharp and unwavering. "He can control every creature in a forest. Imagine every animal, bird, and insect swarming you from all directions. I'm talking about tens of thousands. No matter how many explosions you throw, it won't save you when the entire world is your enemy."
The table fell silent.
Bakugo scoffed loudly. "I'll just blast him and it'll be over!! And that kind of quirk is only good in forests."
Something sharp flickered in Momo's eyes, but it faded just as quickly. She exhaled, straightened, and turned away from him. There was no point. All he had were empty words and too much pride, and neither was worth her words.