It’s been half a month since the school year started, and most students have adjusted nicely to life in the energetic halls of U.A.

  Izuku Midoriya walks past the entrance of the U.A. grounds, the cool morning air brushing against him. He mutters to himself about some training he’s considering, frustrated with his recent struggles using his quirk, too distracted to notice someone walking in front of him until he bumps into them.

  He takes a few steps back and quickly bows.“I’m really sorry! I didn’t look where I was going,” he says, apologetically. The girl he bumped into turns and responds lightheartedly. “Oh, it’s alright! We’re both fine, aren’t we?” she says with a warm grin, then glances down at the papers Izuku is holding.

  “Whatcha got there?” she asks, curiously.

  Izuku blinks in surprise, stammering a bit before holding up the paper. “Oh, this is just a workout routine I’m working on.”

  The girl leans in to read it for a moment, then straightens up, thoughtful. “This is pretty intense for a high school freshman, isn’t it?” she says, her tone serious at first then softens.

  “But hey, it’ll definitely get you wherever you’re aiming! Good luck with that!” she adds, flashing a warm smile before turning energetically, her long orange ponytail whipping behind her as she walks toward the main U.A. building.

  Izuku stands there for a moment, watching her go, before continuing on toward class. “That was weird... but encouraging. I’ve never seen her before, she must be a second or third year,” he mutters to himself. With how tall she was, she had to be an upperclassman. “But I really do have to train harder than anyone. My body needs to get stronger,” he says, steeling himself as he walks into the bustling U.A. hallway.

  He walks to class finding Uraraka and Iida on the way, they banter as they walk to class, entering the classroom casually. As Izuku passes the rows of desks to sit in his own spot he notices something, the empty desk next to Uraraka’s now has a nameplate. He goes over to investigate and finds the name Reibach printed on the nameplate like all the other desks have.

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  He stands there confused until Uraraka notices him, standing up from her own desk and peeking over to see what he’s observing, her eyes widening as she sees the nameplate. “Since when was that there?” Isuku asks Uraraka as he notices her.

  “Whoa what?? That wasn’t there yesterday! Does that mean we’re getting a new classmate?” she asks, excitedly examining the nameplate a bit more closely, confirming it’s real.

  A few other students notice, mostly due to Uraraka’s excited voice, and they begin to get curious, standing up to get a look themselves. Kirishima, Iida, and Kaminari make their way over, huddling around the desk as they examine the new nameplate with interest.

  “Yo, no way are we actually getting someone new this late in the term?” Kirishima asks, folding his arms and grinning. “That’s kinda manly, showing up outta nowhere like this.”

  “Unusual,” Iida says, adjusting his glasses. “Transfers at this point in the year are exceedingly rare. This must have been arranged under special circumstances.”

  Kaminari leans in closer to the nameplate, squinting at the letters. “Reibach, huh? That sounds kinda intense... you think it’s a foreigner or something?”

  “Watch them be super strong or have some crazy flashy quirk.” He says only half joking.

  The group murmurs with rising curiosity, the usual morning buzz of the classroom shifting as more eyes are drawn to the mysterious new name.

  Then the students that are stood up fumble and scramble back to their seats as Aizawa enters the room. Everyone straightens their posture a bit as he stands at the front of the classroom, looking tired as ever. He sets his things down on his desk and clears his throat, more out of habit than necessity, given the room is already quiet. Satisfied, he walks over to the chalkboard and speaks up.

  “Good morning, class. Nice to see you all quiet and seated as usual. But today is far from usual” he begins in his apathetic voice, his eyes drifting to the desk marked Reibach.“We’ll be having a new student joining us from now on, as some of you may have already noticed.”

  A few students shift in their seats. “I expect all of you to treat them with the same respect you’ve shown each other so far. The circumstances of their transfer are special. If you’re interested, ask them. That’s all,” he finishes, blinking tiredly before returning to his desk and turning to face the door.

  As Aizawa finishes, chatter erupts across the classroom, excitement bubbling over as everyone speculates. But just as quickly as it began, it dies out when the door to the classroom opens. Everyone turns, holding their breath.

  Midoriya sits upright, heart thudding, not just from the suspense. His thoughts flicker briefly to the day before, the heat of the explosion, Bakugo’s glare, the moment he launched himself forward with everything he had. His arm still aches faintly. He hadn’t even had time to rest.

  And now, another surprise?