The doors to the observation deck slid open, sunlight pouring in through the entrance as Yaoyorozu, Jiro, and Oijiro walked inside and rejoined the class. Their classmates quickly surrounded them, asking what had transpired inside, as the interior cameras had blacked out, first due to (L/N)'s quirk, then as a result of the building collapsing. While the three did their best to recall the details of the encounter, (L/N) sulked inside, staying close to the edge of the room, half hidden in shadows.

The events that had just transpired were replaying behind his blindfolded eyes on repeat. Yaoyorozu reflecting his hard-light barrier, the energy tearing through the building like a hot knife through butter. He had managed to tackle her to the ground and create a protective barrier around them in time to shield her from the falling concrete and rubble, which otherwise would have surely crushed her to death. Oijiro and Jiro, thank God, felt the tremors in their feet as the building shook, and Oijiro had been quick enough in both thinking and action to grab Jiro and, propelling himself from his tail, jump out the nearest window and onto the fire escape of the neighboring building.

He had been reckless. Forgetting, carelessly, that even something as seemingly harmless as a simple barrier didn't still hold the potential to bring about destruction. What if Oijiro and Jiro hadn't felt the tremors? What if Oijiro hadn't acted in time? And this had just been a simple training exercise. If this were the real world, countless lives would have been lost all because of (L/N)'s lack of control. Stupid. Reckless. Irresponsible. Careless.

"Hey... (L/N). Right?"

A chipper voice pulled him from his thoughts and back to reality. The other three had finished telling their story and now the rest of the class was looking at him expectantly.

"Your quirk is incredible! I can't believe you took down an entire building like that!" The same voice said, filled with awe and incredulousness. "Man, just imagine what you could do if you were actually trying!"

There was a murmur of consensus from (L/N)'s peers as they shook their head. They began to circle around him, pushing him back into the corner of the room as they introduced themselves and asked him questions about his quirk. To any other person alive this amount of attention might have been something to take pride in. But for him it was nothing less than shameful. Didn't they understand that he could have killed someone? Perhaps they did and they simply didn't care. After all, this was UA High School, and they were heroes in training. It wasn't a job that came without risk. But this should have been different. It was supposed to be practice. No one was supposed to get injured. And if it hadn't been through sheer dumb luck, someone would have died.

As he stumbled backwards, back pressed against the wall as he tried to fend off his class, he noticed two of his classmates had not stepped forward to congratulate him on being blessed with such incredible power. Had it not been for his enhanced sense of hearing, he would not have heard one of them mutter the word 'freak' beneath his breath. The other simply looked at him with a piercing multicolored gaze before turning away.

(L/N) felt smothered as his classmates continued pestering him with unwanted questions about his quirk, other going so far as to introduce themselves, as if they thought they could be friends. If they knew what he had done, how dangerous he was, they wouldn't be so quick to associate themselves with him. Unable to think of a way out of the situation, he was grateful when All Might called the class back to attention.

"That's quite enough chit chat." He said. "Let's give young Mr. (L/N) a chance to breathe. In the meantime, we have another match to get underway."

The other students of Class 1A regathered around the monitors which now displayed a different building. (L/N) released a breath he didn't know he'd been holding and retreated further into the shadows. His hands were shaking, glowing warmly. A natural defense mechanism whenever he felt trapped. He took several deep breaths, forcing the energy in his body to dissipate. He had to get better control over his powers.

Another hour passed in which three more matches took place, none of which held anything quite so exciting as a building collapsing. Of course not, the other students had at least some amount of self-control, or their quirks didn't hold the same potential for destruction. All Might gave a brief lecture about striving to go beyond one's limitations or something similar, (L/N) wasn't really paying attention. After that everyone was dismissed for the day.

(L/N) hung back as the rest of his classmates dispersed, bags slung over their shoulders as they excitedly chatted about their matches on their way back to the locker rooms to change out of their hero costumes. By the time he finished his lingering the men's locker was empty, Kirishima sidestepping him on his way out. He disrobed, placing the kimono and mantle in the school provided containers, changing back into his street clothes, his school uniform still sitting in his wardrobe back home. With another sigh he swung the door to his locker shut and shuffled out.

It seemed the hero class was had stayed a bit later than the other student bodies, so the hallways of UA were abandoned, not that he minded. It was a rare occasion he was able to enjoy any modicum of quiet. Even with the noises of the school faculty which his sensitive ears picked up on, it was still much quieter than he was used to. That's when he heard the footsteps.

"(L/N)." A voice said in surprise as the footsteps faltered. "I'm sorry, I thought I was the only person still here."

"I was just leaving." He said, sweeping his cane in front of him as he resumed his path towards the door.

"So was I." Yaoyorozu said, jogging to catch up to him. "Can I walk with you?" She asked.

(L/N) stopped and let out a heavy breath, dropping his shoulders. He really didn't have the energy for this.

"Free country." He said.

Yaoyorozu smiled politely before remembering he couldn't see her, then fell into step beside him.

"You did really well during combat training." She said awkwardly, trying to make conversation. "I was very impressed by your quirk."

The unease that washed over (L/N) did not go unnoticed by Momo. She frowned a bit, hands grabbing the straps of her backpack.

"Do you mind if I ask you something?"

(L/N) sighed, neither giving her permission nor denying her.

"How were you able to see during our match?" She asked. "I'm sorry if that comes across as rude or insensitive, I'm just... I guess I don't understand. It doesn't seem like you need the cane."

He took a moment to consider her question as they rounded a corner.

"As you inferred during our fight, my quirk allows me to manipulate light." He responded finally. "More than manipulate, it's like the photons are an extension of my body. So, I can feel the way they refract and reflect, or pass uninterrupted."

"I think I understand." Yaoyorozu said slowly. "So, you can feel the way light interacts with the world, and that creates an image that you can sense?"

"I suppose that's as good an answer as any." He said. "So, I guess I don't technically need my cane. But I am using my quirk to feel my way around, it wears me out after a while."

Yaoyorzu hummed in understanding.

"Well, in that case, would you like a guide?" She said, placing a hand on his elbow in an offer to assist him.

"I'll manage." He said rather coldly as he shrugged her off.

She didn't take offense, but she frowned a bit at his less than friendly demeanor. She had sensed it before. How he kept himself closed off to the world. Observant as she was, she had immediately taken notice to his tendency to separate himself from the crowd, always standing well out of range. It seemed like he didn't want anything to do with anyone. She had gotten the same vibe from Todoroki, but even he wasn't nearly as cold as (L/N), no pun intended. She wondered why he chose to distance himself from everyone.

They stepped through the front doors to be greeted by a dark sky. Heavy rainclouds had gathered overhead. It was likely to start downpouring soon. She was thankful to see the black cab parked on the street waiting for her.

"It looks like it's going to rain." She observed. "Would you like a ride home?"

He continued walking, not even pausing to say goodbye.

"I'll manage."

Yaoyorozu frowned again but didn't press the issue. Placing her backpack in the seat, she slid into the car and closed the door behind her, her family's driver taking her back home. The rain started not long after the cab had driven off. Normally (L/N) would have created a hard light barrier above his head to keep dry, but after everything that had happened today, he didn't feel much like using his quirk. An hour later he was drenched to the bone standing outside an old chipping concrete building. With a sigh he pushed open the iron cast gate around the property, a sign on the fence reading "Shonien Children's Home."