Her absolute conviction left me dizzy.
The sheer audacity of it. This girl… just to attend the same school as me, to be in the very same year, she threw away her current education and started over from scratch? What kind of mental fortitude—or madness—did it take to be that reckless?
"What about your parents?! And what about the tuition?"
"I told them I just had to be a hero, and they gave in pretty fast."
"I… I see. Are they really okay with that?"
"Hehe. Those people were obsessed with making me 'normal.' And being a hero is, like, the peak of normal, right? They were so happy it was actually kind of creepy."
Toga laughed, looking for all the world like a villain enjoying a private joke.
In truth, she wasn't far off.
"Toga… you don't actually care about being a hero, do you?"
"Of course not! I just want to be with you. I want to be exactly what you are!"
She had no sense of justice. No burning desire to better society. She was driven, from start to finish, by nothing but her own singular obsession. And yet, this girl had just claimed one of the thirty-six coveted spots in the most prestigious Hero Course in the country—a course with a 300-to-1 rejection rate. Is this really okay, U.A.?
I felt a pang of genuine guilt for the person who had been bumped to 37th place because of her. That person might have actually had the heart of a hero.
…Then again, perhaps she was better than some fame-hungry egoist who only cared about the spotlight. At least I could keep Toga under control.
While I spiraled into an existential crisis, Toga puffed out her chest, clearly not finished with her surprises.
"So, here's the plan, Koto-chan! Starting in April, we're going to be roommates!"
"…Roommates?"
"Yep! You were worried about the commute, right? If I'm with you, your dad will feel way better about you living in an apartment near Shizuoka! I just know it!"
Toga grinned mischievously. "Plus, we can split the rent!"
In that moment, a memory flashed through my mind. Back in April, when I had mentioned being undecided about how to commute if I passed… Toga had given me a very specific, very knowing smile.
"Toga… don't tell me you've been planning this since then?!"
"Hehe! Surprise!"
She flashed a peace sign with an infectious, unrepentant grin.
No, that wasn't the word for it. That wasn't it at all.
In the end, I couldn't come up with a logical counter-argument, and the room-sharing plan was set in stone.
My father gave his blessing, likely under the impression that I would be the one keeping a watchful eye on her. I couldn't help but wonder if he was being a bit too trusting. I don't know what kind of conversation our parents had, but before I knew it, we had finished moving into an apartment complex near U.A.
My little sister sobbed, clinging to me and begging me not to go. I nearly cried along with her. At this rate, I really was going to be expelled from the Jedi Order.
Anakin didn't seem to care; apparently, this fell within his "acceptable" range. But then again, he was from the lineage of Master Qui-Gon Jinn—a man who produced three generations of rule-breaking mavericks. This probably seemed like a quiet Tuesday to him.
I wonder what my Master from my previous life would say. He was a gentle soul, so he wouldn't have expelled me on the spot, but his quiet anger was like a raging fire. It was terrifying. I wouldn't even know how to begin explaining this to him.
"They've all been dead for centuries, so stop worrying about it," was Anakin's blunt advice.
He wasn't wrong, but unlike him, I hadn't experienced a thousand years of drifting. To me, the gap between my past life and this one felt like a mere decade. I couldn't just "stop worrying." But reality was moving forward whether I was ready or not. I had to find a way to reconcile the two.
Then, on the night before the entrance ceremony, it happened.
Toga told me she had something important to say. She called me with a look of such uncharacteristic gravity that I straightened my posture, realizing this was no joke.
The words that left her lips were these:
"Koto-chan… listen. I… I'm in love with you."
"I see. Thank you."