U.A. stood wide and high, casting shadows over those below it. The gates seemingly tense and intimidating, not permitting those who are unworthy through. Of course it'd be this way.

U.A. turns down more applicants than accepts them. Those who can get in are great, but those few who get into Hero Course are even more amazing. It's not something to be taken lightly.

It makes sense that the school and gates stand tall and proud.

Clenching my fists, I stared down the intimidating building. It's not going to scare me away. Not ever.

With determination in my system, I strode through the gates and entered the school.

It the letter, it said my class is 1-C. I ventured in, not paying any attention to the teenagers around me. Most of which were hunched a bit and shaking. First years most likely. Ignoring them, I searched the large hallways for my class.

I found the large door without much problem. Although the school is large, common sense made it easy to find.

1-C is painted red largely on the sign above the door. This is it. My starting stone. While it's ideally, it just means my progress will show when I move up.

I slid the door open. Surprisingly, I wasn't one of the earliest here. Apparently a lot of students woke up early to go to school.

Eyes drifted towards me, but I just glanced at the board to see where my seat is. Seat seven. I took my seat and grabbed a notebook and pencil.

General Department doesn't have any heroics, but it does give lessons on Heroes and sidekicks.

A couple of girls walked over to me. "Hi! My name's Saionji Aoi. And this is Hijiri Kin. What's your name?" I furrowed my brows at them.

What on Earth do they want.

"Igarashi Sakura." I answered shortly. They seemed to falter a bit since I didn't smile or anything. "W-Well Igarashi-San, what school did you go prior to this?" Hijiri questioned, trying to keep up conversation.

"Soumei." I answered. My answer, and the way I responded, seemed to make them more uncomfortable. "I-I see. Well, nice meeting you." The two girls forced a smile.

Not wanting to be rude or seem unfriendly, well, anymore unfriendly, I offered a small smile. "It's nice meeting you too, Saionji-San, Hijiri-San." This seemed to ease them a bit before they headed back.

Yeah, I wasn't that big of a friend-maker in Junior High either. It's not that I wanted to be rude. I'm just not used to interacting with kids my own age.

I'm used to sparring with grown men in the dojo. I dedicated most of my time to studying and training. I've always wanted to be a Hero.

But I neglected the social interaction most my life.

I suppose I should start working on that. I mean what kind of Hero isn't social? I turned to the kid next to me. A familiar mop of purple hair rested on his head but I couldn't quite place why it was familiar. And he's looking out the window, so I can't confirm it without his face.

I opened my mouth to say something but closed it almost instantly. Sighing, I stared at the empty page of my notebook.

Socializing isn't my thing. There are some things people can't do. This is one of them.

It wasn't much longer that the teacher came in and classes began.

~

"Ah! Sakura-Chan! How was school? Did ya make any friends?" Nakahara-San asked upon entering the dojo.

After school, I immediately came home to the dojo to train. All my muscles were tense and I couldn't quite loosen them.

School was normal, for a Hero School. Because I'm not in the Heroics or even Support Class, we didn't really do anything out of the ordinary. The only exception were the teachers, who are all Heroes.

It was kind of disappointing. But I wouldn't let it get the best of me!

"It was alright. And no." I answered, continuing my thrusts. Today I'm working on my hand to hand combat. So I left the wooden sword on the rack. "Eh? Just alright? You didn't make any friends?" He asked.

I sighed, turning towards the large man. "It seems I'm abnormal compared to the other kids." I solemnly told him.

He quirked an eyebrow at this. "Eh? Really? I think you're a great kid." He told me, genuinely confused.

"Ah, but I did the same thing you did as a kid. I trained all the time. But I still had friends. Did you introduce yourself to your classmates?" I moved my head as I thought about it.

"Yes?" It was more of a question then anything.

"Did you tell your name and what school you came from?"

I nodded my confirmation.

Nakahara-San rubbed the stubble on his chin thoughtfully. "I don't get it. I did that my first day. And I had plenty of friends." He mumbled to himself.

What else should I have done? I even smiled. A little. Kind of. "Well why don't we think of strategies?" Well, he is a wise man.

Shrugging, I grabbed the whiteboard, two markers, and we sat down and started thinking up ways to make friends.

I wasn't sure how long we were strategising. Nakahara-San and I ignored the others around us as they practiced.

"Sakura, it's pretty warm out, so I got us some ice-cream-what are you two doing?" The two of us glanced to the door where Ume-Nee stood. Her white hair up in a ponytail, wearing some stylish jeans and a tube top.

"Strategizing." I answered. Confusion twisted her face and she walked towards us.

"Ah, Ume-Chan. Well we can't figure out why Sakura-Chan didn't make any friends. Maybe kids nowadays need to establish dominance?" He thought the last part aloud.

Ume-Nee's eyebrows furrowed before groaning loudly. "It's because she only hangs out with old men in the dojo!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.

Nakahara-San and I exchanged glances before looking back at Ume-Nee. "What are you talking about?" I asked.

Nakahara-San nodded. "I'm not that old Ume-Chan. I have plenty of youth!" He flexed his muscles to show, grinning wide as always.

Ume-Nee just groaned louder. She dragged her hand down her face. "Nakahara, did you hang out with men who were as old as your father when you were a kid?" She questioned, trying to have patience but obviously failing.

"Hm. Yeah. We spared all the time. And I had friends in school. Look!"

He rushed to the locker room before returning with his cell phone. He scrolled down a bit before showing us a picture of him in a uniform when he was a teenager. A group of boys and girls surrounded him as they posed for a graduation photo.

Ume-Nee examined it before nodding to herself. "You were hot and smiled, therefore you don't count!" She declared, pointing a manicure finger at him.

His forehead scrunched as confusion crossed his face. "Were? I'm still hot."

"Are you saying I need to be attractive to have friends?" I asked her, getting more confused by the minute. "No! You're plenty cute, but you hardly ever smile and you're not social! All you do is train in this dojo!" She shouted.

The others who were in didn't pay attention. On rare occasions Ume-Nee comes to the dojo, she tends to shout and make a scene. Like now for instances.

"Nakahara is lucky, because he's a boy. That kind of attitude is attractive to girls, but for us, it's a different story. We have to actually try! We have to be ready for anything. Make-up, clothes, conversations pieces, outings, personality alterations, there is no end!"

I stared at my sister as if she were from another planet. And apparently Nakahara-San felt the same. "So Sakura-Chan has to . . ." He trailed off, not knowing.

Ume-Nee sighed and sat down next to us, facing me. "Listen Sakura. It's real simple. Since your first day was a bust, makeup isn't going to do you any good." She began.

I just gave her a flat look. I have no idea how to put makeup on, she knows that.

"So what you need to do is take initiative. Greet them in the morning, sit with them at lunch. Start actual conversations. Conversations are the doors to friendships."

I winced at her words. Conversations, huh? "What am I even supposed to say? What do I even talk to them about?" I asked her.

Ume-Nee rolled her eyes. "It's not that hard Sakura. Talk about school. Your old middle school, the new idols, new music, cute little ice cream parlors, cafes, anything really."

Idols, music, cafe's? Who are the in idols anyway? "How about judo tournaments, or kendo?" I asked, wincing a bit even at my own words.

Ume-Nee sighed dramatically at that, running her hand down her face. "I'll make flashcards."

~

I gripped the flashcards in my hand tightly as I stood outside the door to my class. All the information is drilled into my head, but holding them gives me some comfort.

Alright. It'll be just like we rehearsed. I shoved the flashcards in my bag and headed in. I immediately spotted Saionji and Hijiri talking with another girl.

Okay Sakura. You can do this.

I walked over to towards my desk but stopped by them first. "Good morning Saionji-San, Hijiri-San." I smiled lightly, like I practiced yesterday.

They seemed a bit surprised by my sudden appearance. But they smiled back at me. "Good morning Igarashi-San." Saionji smiled back at me.

Okay. Good. Keep going. "H-Have you seen Shizuka's new promo video?" I asked.

Hijiri's eyes lit up and she clasped her hands together. "Are you a fan of Shizuka-Chan too?! He's so hot! And he's got a feminine name which makes him even more appealing!" She squealed, hearts in her eyes.

Saionji giggled, but nodded in agreement. "I love it! He was the perfect choice for that new cologne."

The two girls are very relaxed now, and my shoulders sagged in relief. Good. "Ah, but I hear he's going out with Viola." Hm. Who? Ah, c'mon, think!

An image of Ume-Nee popped into my mind as she slammed her hand onto the giant whiteboard.

"Listen Sakura. What's important most in the world of idols is down into three categories. Talent, Looks, and relationships. Be it romantic or rivalries! Shizuka-Chan is an up and coming star, super hot, super sweet, supper athletic, and on the track to number one. His main rivals are Ichigo from STARLIGHT and Red from Akemichi Entertainment! His love interests are Violat from Akemichi, Mirai from MY FUTURE, and Noda Haruna. You always hate the love interests because naturally, girls love him!"

I raised my hand in the air. "But I don't know her. That's unfair judgment."

She smacked me with a colorful magazine. "FOOL!"

"I'm not a fan of hers personally." I lied. Hijiri nodded her head feverently. "Totally! She's just trying to steal our Shizuka!"

Saionji laughed at her friend. "It's kinda unfair, but I feel the same." She admitted. Well things seem to be working.

But I still don't really get this conversation. Thankfully the bell chimed so I didn't have to pretend to understand anymore and went to my seat.

For some reason I'm exhausted already. But it definitely makes up for yesterday's failure! It still doesn't seem quite right though.

Idols cannot be the only thing to make friends. But I don't listen to a lot of music either . . . or watch a lot of TV. Well, I watch anime from time to time but I'm taking that to my grave.

Ume-Nee gives me enough greif about it and has warned me how people treat 'Otaku's'.

I'd be an even bigger outcast then I already am.

The teacher began classes and I dutifully took notes. Just like that, most classes passed by and lunch drew closer, making me anxious.

Lunch is the battlefield of this free for all war that's High School. And I don't have a strategy on how to survive it.

I only know the basics of this idol stuff. Ume-Nee was very emotional on some parts and it's hard to understand why.

"Alright, to make the beginning of school a little easier, I'm going to pair you all up to do a fun little project. The assignment is to research a Hero of your choice, and put together a creative, and informative display and teach the rest of the class. A fun little project since we are in a Hero school. However, I want it as creative as possible, or you'll get a failing grade." Hori-Sensei smiled kindly, but it was cold. My eye twitched. What kind of teacher is this?

Is this supposed to make me feel better? 'Oh, sorry you failed the entrance exam and can't participate in any Hero classes, let's make paper mache Heroes, it'll be the same'.

This is almost insulting.

But an assignment is an assignment. I waited patiently for her to call my name. "Shinso Hitoshi and Igarashi Sakura." She continued to call names and I glanced over at my partner.

Of course I know who, I memorized the seating chart so I'd know all their names. He glanced over at me as well.

I finally recognized him once I saw his face. He's the boy who asked me if I was feeling alright before the practical exam.

"Alright, projects due in two weeks. And for two weeks, it better blow me away or your grades will suffer~!" She smiled sweetly, but the temperature in the room dropped and I know if her eyes were open they'd show malice. I sweat dropped. Hori-Sensei is a sadist.

With that, the bell rang and everyone hurried for the cafeteria. Like yesterday, it was filled to the brim with students from every course.

A true battlefield.

Shaking my head, I quickly went through the line and grabbed my lunch. "Igarashi-San. Do you want to eat with us?" Saionji asked me.

This is it. Time for battle.

Before I could answer, I spotted purple hair heading for a secluded table. I smiled at her. "Thank you, but I think I should sit with Shinso-San so we can begin our project."

"Eh? But it's not due for two weeks." Hijiri pouted.

My eye twitched as I remembered our teacher words. "I don't want to get on Hori-Sensei's bad side."

The two girls weat dropped as they remembered her words. "We should get a head start as well. I don't want to get on her bad side either." Saionji stated. Hijiri nodded and we parted ways.

I glanced over back at Shinso. He's seated alone at a table, eyes cast downwards at his food. I noticed that he was like that yesterday as well. I can kind of get that.

I walked on over and set my tray across from him. He looked up from his tray at me. I smiled lightly and sat down. "Hello Shinso-San. I thought we could talk about the project." He raised an eyebrow.

"Is there any Hero in particular that you like?" I asked, feeling some stares.

Hm? Sensing the stares as well, Shinso sighed. "You might not want to sit with me. People might talk." My brows furrowed in confusion.

What? "What's there to talk about. It's the second day and we're classmates." I shrugged.

Shinso looked up at me, and something clicked. "Well, my Quirk makes people nervous." He stated, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's Brainwashing." He looked at me, waiting for my reaction.

What? "What's wrong with Brainwashing. I think it's a great Quirk." I told him honestly.

His eyes widened ever so slightly. He baffled. Why? I could feel my confusion slip onto my face. "I-I've never heard someone say that about it. It's a pretty Villainous Quirk." He admitted.

Huh? That's ridiculous. His Quirk isn't that much different then my mom's. Command and Brainwashing are very similar.

"That's ridiculous. Quirks aren't  Villainous. They're not Heroic either. It's the person who has them and what the wield them for that determines that. Brainwashing is a wonderful Quirk that can help a lot of people and stop a lot of Villains." He just remained baffled. I frowned.

Why would he ever doubt his Quirk? Why would people install that into him? "I never thought of it that way. Thanks." A ghost of a smile on his face.

I understand what it feels like to be defined by your Quirk. Our only difference is that I was the who was harshest on myself about it.

Maybe he was too, but I get the feeling it was mostly everybody else. So he was probably lonely growing up.

Just like me.

I smiled lightly. "I'm not very good with people. But I hope we can be friends, Shinso-San."

He looked at me a bit, probably seeing the similarities to him. But that's also a reason why I feel like I could form a friendship with him.

He returned the smile. "I hope we can be too, Igarashi."