The classroom hummed softly, a usual morning at U.A. Class 1-A. Sunlight poured through the tall windows, spilling over the desks where small clusters of students chatted quietly. Shoto Todoroki sat near the middle row, one arm resting on his desk, the other loosely folded in his lap. His expression was neutral, his posture relaxed but attentive, eyes drifting over the room without engaging directly. Laughter floated past him, papers rustled, and faint pencil scratches punctuated the quiet rhythm of the morning, but he remained a still point amid it all.
He noticed Midoriya bent over his notebook, scribbling rapidly, cheeks flushed with focus. Todoroki’s gaze lingered briefly before sweeping back across the room. Conversations about training, upcoming exams, and sparring matches continued, but beneath the chatter, there was a subtle tension, as if the day were already stretching in unexpected ways. He didn’t react, only observed, quietly noting the shifts in energy.
The door opened with a soft push.
Aizawa stepped in, sleeping bag slung across his shoulder, eyes heavy but sharp. The room’s murmur dropped instantly to a tense silence.
“Settle down,” he said, voice low, carrying an authority that needed no amplification. “I have an announcement.”
Heads turned. Todoroki’s gaze followed Aizawa without a flicker of emotion, but his posture shifted ever so slightly, a subtle sign of alertness.
“You’re getting a new student.”
The words landed with a faint ripple of surprise through the class. Todoroki’s eyes narrowed slightly, just a fraction of lift in his eyebrows betraying the quiet shift in his focus. A new student in the middle of the year—unusual.
Mina’s reaction was instant, sparkling with excitement. “Ooooh! I wonder what they’ll be like! Are they nice? What’s their Quirk?”
Mineta’s voice cut in from the back. “Hope it’s a girl! Hehe, new girls are always fun!”
Aizawa’s gaze snapped to him. With a quiet flick of his capture cloth, Mineta was swaddled, muffled protests barely audible. Some of the class snickered, but Todoroki’s expression remained neutral. His attention, as always, was forward, on the door.
Bakugo scoffed, arms crossed, clearly unimpressed. Iida raised a hand carefully. “Sensei, joining this late in the year—won’t they be at a disadvantage? The class has already covered so much.”
Aizawa’s gaze didn’t waver. “Principal Nezu approved it. That’s all.”
Todoroki allowed a quiet exhale. A flicker of curiosity passed through his mind. Nezu approved… so their Quirk must be strong, or at least unusual. But the thought was fleeting; it didn’t dominate him. His attention returned to the doorway, calm, composed, quietly waiting to see the student who had drawn such rare approval.
Aizawa’s voice cut through the silence once more. “They’ll be here any minute. Act normal.”
Todoroki’s posture remained steady, his eyes fixed forward, and though his face remained calm and unreadable, there was a small, imperceptible shift in his expression—a faint trace of interest, the kind that only showed to someone paying close attention.
