'Let's see if you really have the OFA...'
Reiji kept his gaze fixed on lissa as the student walked toward the throwing circle.
She was the last to take the test, after the entire class had gone through the sa exercise.
By now, an informal ranking had been established among the students. Uraraka was in first place thanks to having launched the ball into space. Reiji was in second place with a distance of over two kiloters. Katsuki had finished third after using the propulsion from his explosions to get dangerously close to a kiloter.
lissa seed completely oblivious to all of this.
While other students had celebrated, discussed, or compared results, she had remained taking notes for most of the test. She occasionally exchanged a few words with Yaoyorozu, who seed to have quickly found soone capable of keeping up with her more analytical conversations.
Now, however, all eyes were on her.
lissa slightly adjusted her glasses before catching the ball. She didn't seem nervous. Nor confident. Her expression was more like soone recording a rehearsed scene.
Reiji monitored her every move.
He didn't see anything remarkable, just the sa inexperienced deanor as most of her other classmates. Which was normal; she was still a hero trainee.
But he did see practice.
"I think this is the first ti I've seen her really focused," Tsuyu comnted from beside his.
"She's been taking notes since we got here," Mina remarked.
lissa didn't seem to hear them.
A reddish tallic structure began to unfold on her right arm.
Several pieces arranged themselves around her wrist and forearm, forming a kind of chanical glove that imdiately caught the attention of the entire class.
"Support equipnt?" Iida murmured.
"Interesting..." Yaoyorozu added.
Aizawa observed the device for a mont before nodding.
"Begin."
lissa executed the throwing motion. The glove emitted a glow. Her arm extended, and the ball shot across the field.
The ball quickly disappeared into the distance.
An instant later, the result appeared.
1,860 ters.
For a few seconds, the group stared at the screen.
Then the reactions began.
"Eighteen hundred?!"
"That puts it among the best results."
"Did that team do all that?"
"It was incredible."
Mina was one of the first to approach.
"That was aweso!"
"Thanks," lissa replied with a polite smile.
Reiji, for his part, ignored the result and focused his attention on the glove.
Several small cracks ran along part of the tal structure.
They were inconspicuous.
But they were there.
'Curious,' Reiji thought, comparing it to so of the projects i was working on. He clearly hadn't recognized the glove from anywhere, yet he instantly deduced its purpose.
lissa seed to notice his gaze.
Then Reiji spoke.
"That glove doesn't increase your strength, does it?"
Several heads automatically turned.
"Huh?" Kaminari blinked.
Reiji continued to examine the device.
"It looks more like a restraint system."
Silence fell.
lissa's eyes widened slightly.
"Restraint?" Kirishima repeated.
"Yes."
Reiji briefly pointed to the small cracks visible on the tal.
"If it were designed to amplify strength, the stress zones would be different. It's absorbing so of the strain."
lissa remained motionless for a few seconds.
Then she looked down at her arm.
The observation was correct.
And what was most striking was that he had reached that conclusion after seeing her use it only once.
"That's right..." lissa murmured before she could stop herself. "My body can't handle my Quirk, so I created this to release the energy in other areas besides my own muscles."
"Although it seems you haven't fully mastered it, have you?" Reiji remarked, pointing with his forearm to the areas where it had cracked.
lissa looked at her glove and then at Reiji.
"Sothing like that."
Reiji nodded and simply looked away.
He didn't seem particularly interested in delving deeper. That short conversation had been enough to confirm it.
'She has OFA...'
Sure, after seeing her launch it nearly two kiloters, that should have been enough, but there were always others to verify his thoughts.
Aizawa took advantage of the mont to finally put away the asuring device.
"Alright, that was the last one for you."
The conversation gradually died away.
"With everyone's counted, let's move on to the next test."
The students began moving around the field again.
lissa stood for a few more seconds watching Reiji as he walked away with the others.
She didn't understand how he'd reached that conclusion so quickly.
And honestly... she'd found it much more interesting than the actual result of the throw.
***
When the last test concluded, Aizawa ordered everyone to assemble in formation. The sun was already beating down on the training field, casting long shadows across the students' sweaty bodies.
"That's all," the teacher announced in his usual apathetic tone, though a faint glimr of constant evaluation flickered in his eyes.
Aizawa turned off the screen and spoke bluntly:
"The results aren't final. This was just a sample. But if you think you excelled today and have already secured your place among the elite... you're mistaken."
A screen in front of everyone displayed the results.
1. Reiji Toga
2. lissa Shield
3. Katsuki Bakugo
4. Shoto Todoroki
5. Tenya Iida
6. Momo Yaoyorozu
7. zo Shoji
8. Tsuyu Asui
9. Fumikage Tokoyami
10. Pony Tsunotori
11. Eijiro Kirishima
12. Ochaco Uraraka
13. Hanta Sero
14. Denki Kaminari
15. Mina Ashido
16. Camie Utsushimi
17. Koji Koda
18. Kyoka Jiro
19. Toru Hagakure
20. Minoru Mineta
This is how the list was.
As the list appeared on the screen, the air seed to compress for an instant. So held their breath. Others breathed sighs of relief or disappointnt.
Katsuki gritted his teeth at the sight of his third-place finish.
"Tch! What the hell?! How did those two beat ?!" The blond boy looked like a bomb about to explode, but he didn't say anything more. His gaze was fixed on Reiji with barely contained hostility.
lissa, on the other hand, looked at her place with a slight smile. Proud of her result, even if it wasn't the best.
'Reiji Toga... I'll beat you!' the blond girl thought, finally showing emotion after having been nonstop taking notes on her tablet.
In the background, Kirishima gently nudged Kaminari with his elbow.
"I told you you weren't that bad, bro! Fourteen isn't so bad!"
"But Mineta ca in last again!" Kaminari groaned. "And why is Uraraka below ?! She threw a ball into the void, for crying out loud!"
"That was Quirk cheating," Sero comnted, shrugging. "It doesn't asure real strength..."
Uraraka just scratched the back of her neck, uncomfortable but not upset.
"I guess I need to work more on my physical conditioning..."
Todoroki said nothing. Fourth place didn't affect him. He stared straight ahead, expressionless, but his brow was slightly furrowed.
He observed Reiji and lissa with genuine curiosity.
Tsuyu blinked. "I was surprised to make the top 10. Ribbit."
Shoji nodded seriously. "Everyone gave it their best. But so... have superior training."
Momo sighed in relief. "Sixth place... It's not bad, but I expected more from myself."
"Top 10! Amazing!" Pony exclaid in fluent English, completely forgetting that the rest of her classmates were Japanese, although so did understand what she said.
Reiji, for his part, remained still. He glanced at Aizawa for only a second, the hero making no gesture, just like Reiji.
Camie, in her usual style, smiled as she struck a pose. "Oooh~ I'm near the back, it's not so bad!"
Hagakure was happy just to not be last. She was ntally grateful that Mineta was even further behind.
Mineta, however, was trembling.
"Why is it always ?! Don't you realize the potential of my Quirk?! My balls can stick together forever! I don't want to leave, I just got here!"
"Who cares about that?" Jiro muttered in annoyance, looking away.
Aizawa observed them silently. He wasn't interested in their whining or empty celebrations.
"Get used to it," he said firmly. "Comparing yourself is part of the process. But don't forget that the real enemy is out there... not on this list."
With that, he turned and started walking away.
"That's all for today. Besides, the last place thing was a lie."
The silence lasted only a few seconds... and then it exploded.
"What?!" Mineta exclaid, falling to his knees. "A lie?! You almost gave a heart attack, damn it!"
Reiji looked at Mineta's exaggerated reaction with a raised eyebrow. He didn't rember him being like that...
***
Their classes ended early; the first day consisted solely of Quirk tests, nothing more. For the upperclassn, or almost anyone not part of the hero program, classes would last much longer.
Reiji strolled leisurely through the U.A. grounds, ready to head ho, when a hand landed on his shoulder.
"How was your day, Reiji?" Shinso asked, approaching his friend with a small smile. Clearly, it had gone quite well for him, or at least he was happy about sothing.
Reiji stopped at the touch, turning his head slightly, his posture relaxed.
"It was... interesting," he replied in his usual calm tone, yet laden with that shadow behind every word. "Less ridiculous than I imagined… And quite predictable nonetheless."
Shinso raised an eyebrow as he settled in beside him, walking alongside him along the pristine campus paths.
"Predictable? You ca out first, didn't you? Did you take that for granted?" he asked, though he already knew the answer.
Reiji didn't reply right away. He only gave him a brief glance.
"There were a lot stronger people than I thought, even though I finished first anyway. How about you?"
Shinso smiled slightly, as if that answer had satisfied him. He didn't need modesty from Reiji; they knew each other too well for that.
"I had to speak in front of everyone. Introduce myself, explain my Quirk… you know, the usual." He put his hands in his pockets. "After that, we did a couple of simple tests. I thought I'd run into your class, but it didn't happen."
"They didn't even let us introduce ourselves. My teacher is Aizawa. Very serious for the first day," Reiji said, hands behind his head, completely relaxed. "As soon as we got to the classroom, he told us we weren't here to play around and that we had to do a physical test."
"That sounds... demanding. It suits you perfectly, doesn't it?" Shinso mocked. Reiji just looked at him; he had nothing to say against it, and besides, he knew perfectly well what he would do on this first day. "Although I still would have liked Eraser to train . After all, it's because of his words that I'm here..."
"And you're not going to thank ?"
"You made throw up more tis than I can rember..." Shinso replied, annoyed.
"You made throw up more tis than I can rember..." As Reiji and Shinso strolled through the main gate of U.A., a soft, almost slurred voice called out to Reiji from behind.
"Hey, Reiji... are you going to the train?"
They both turned. It was Camie Utsushimi, walking with her usual carefree air and a hand in her pocket. Her uniform was slightly disheveled, but her smile was natural.
Reiji looked at her for a second, recognizing her instantly.
"Yes," he replied simply. "Why?"
"I'm going there too. Can I join you?" she asked cheerfully. Reiji glanced at Shinso, who just shrugged, and then Reiji simply nodded.
Camie smiled instantly, as if she'd received a personal invitation to a secret party. She took a couple of steps ahead to walk alongside them, her eyes darting curiously between Reiji and Shinso.
Finally, she pointed at Shinso.
"I didn't see you in our class."
"I wasn't there."
"Good point."
Shinso blinked.
Camie seed satisfied with that answer.
"I'm Camie Utsushimi."
"Shinso."
"Just Shinso?"
"Hitoshi Shinso."
"Interesting."
From the way she said it, it was clear she had no idea what exactly was so interesting.
Shinso seed to have co to the sa conclusion.
Camie smiled.
Then she turned to Reiji.
"Your Quirk is pretty crazy, you know? I didn't quite understand it, but it was obvious you had everything under control," she said, looking at Reiji with friendly cheekiness. Reiji just nodded slightly. "Always so cold, or is it just because of the first day?"
"It depends on who I'm with," Reiji replied without looking directly at her, his tone as neutral as ever.
"Ooh, was that a complint?" the girl asked with a soft laugh, tilting her head. "I'm not sure, but I'll take it as a yes."
Shinso let out a snort that could have been a laugh or simply resignation. She couldn't believe how Reiji always attracted attention from strange people. "You'll have to get used to it. He doesn't talk much, he plays hard to get."
"I love a challenge," Camie replied with a wink. "Besides, it's pretty convenient that we're on the sa train... I think."
Reiji raised an eyebrow. "Where exactly are you coming from?"
"From the west side, not far from the Nakahara district. And you guys?"
" too," Shinso said casually. "Although I take a different line, so I'll be changing trains in a couple of stops."
"I'm coming from that direction too," Reiji added. "But I usually walk to the third crossing before catching the train."
"Then it's destiny," Camie said, turning on her heel and taking a few steps back to get a better look at them. "Train neighbors!"
"Hmm, okay," Reiji murmured.
'This will all fall apart when I go out with Himiko.'
Camie just smiled wider.
Perhaps the first day wasn't as predictable as I expected.
***
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