"Hey—hey. What are you doing here?"
A voice pulled Nora's consciousness from its slumber.
"Mnnh…" It was still daytime, and the harsh light made it difficult for him to open his eyes. He turned over to face the floor, stretching both arms out in front of him. His knees pressed against the rooftop as he let out a long yawn. "Yaaawn…"
"Ah—"
Realizing something, he froze mid-stretch.
He snapped out of his daze and lifted his head, glancing around. The sun had sunk lower in the sky than it had been when he fell asleep.
Beside him stood a girl wearing a U.A. uniform.
She had long, periwinkle-blue hair that split into two sections, each strand twisting gently as it trailed down to her waist. And most importantly—
She was floating.
"Long time no see, Senpai," Nora greeted her casually.
"Yep, long time no see." She tilted her head cutely, her eyes sparkling. "By the way… are you really okay staying here?"
For a brief moment, Nora thought he heard a voice echo in his mind—
I'm very curious!
It sounded like it belonged to a certain black-haired girl in a school uniform.
"Geh!"
Nora sprang to his feet when he checked the time on his phone.
"Then—see you later!" he said, already turning away as he dashed off the rooftop.
Behind him, the girl waved cheerfully. "See you later~"
It seemed that even for a class representative, skipping class was unforgivable. Before long, Nora found himself receiving a punishment from the teacher.
***
"Hi, guys. It's been a while—did you miss me?"
'Nope.'
'Not at all.'
'Like hell.'
As always, the chat showed zero intention of cooperating with Nora.
"Haha! You know, these days tsundere are on the losing side, hmph!"
Nora dramatically turned his face away from the camera, striking a pose that embodied every tsundere stereotype.
'Eww!'
'Weghhh!'
'Bleeeh!'
'Oh no, goosebumps!'
'Grandma, it looks like I'm coming to visit you today.'
The chat speed skyrocketed in an instant.
"Ahahaha—"
Nora had fully anticipated this reaction, and he could no longer hold back his laughter.
Thankfully, Nora had a more handsome, flower-boy appearance, which slightly reduced the mental damage of the tsundere attack. Nevertheless, it was still powerful enough to threaten world annihilation.
'How's U.A.?'
'Ah, I'm curious too.'
'Are you going to stream there as well?'
One question after another flooded the screen as the viewers' curiosity grew.
"Well… about that, I'm trying to get permission first…"
It happened not long after the reporter's trespassing incident.
Nora, who returned late that day, was—unsurprisingly—disciplined by the teacher.
"A hero is always late," he had said, spewing one ridiculous excuse after another. The result was predictable: his punishment only grew worse.
Aizawa-sensei pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaustion written plainly across his face.
"Nekoyama… you do understand that you're being punished, right?" He let out a tired sigh. "This isn't allowed."
"…And so, in the end, it's impossible to stream on school grounds after all," Nora explained, recounting the story to his viewers.
'Well, of course they did!'
'Ahahaha, you're insane!'
'lololol'
Still, Nora couldn't help but recall what had happened during the first few days after he started studying at U.A.
He leaned back, staring at the ceiling, then slowly closed his eyes.
"I hope it's just a coincidence…" he muttered.
With his extensive knowledge of stories, he couldn't ignore the strange hooks and ominous flags rising all around him. Even without knowing where—or when—he truly was, one part of his consciousness was certain of something:
Something was coming.
And it wouldn't take long.
…Before the Titan razed the ground.
"…JEAGER!! Okay, I should stop here."
***
"Actually, there's something I've been curious about."
Nora turned his gaze toward his classmates.
"Some of us have powerful Quirks, but others aren't really suited for direct combat." His eyes briefly shifted to Hagakure and Mineta. "Sorry if this is offensive—but if you don't mind, how did you all manage to pass the entrance exam?"
They were in another hero class, already dressed in their hero costumes, waiting while the school and teachers prepared for the next lesson.
"Yaoyorozu and Todoroki were given special admissions, but the rest of us took the standard test," Nora continued. "For people like me, Kirishima, Shoji, and the others, it's easy to imagine how we passed. Even Aoyama, too."
Among the rest of Class 1-A, it was simple enough to picture those with clear, direct combat abilities.
But Hagakure.
Mineta.
And Koda.
The moment the question left Nora's mouth, Midoriya instantly pulled out his notebook, eyes sparkling with unrestrained excitement.
I don't want to curse, but seriously—you'll lose friends if you keep doing that.
Those who were close to him unconsciously took a small step back.
"HEHEHE! It's my time to shine! Listen carefully and be amazed!"
The shortest student in the class, Mineta, proudly explained how he passed the test. "I just threw these on the ground, and they crashed all on their own." He gestured smugly, showing off his sticky ball-hair ability.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Nora applauded his performance. After all, it was the polite thing to do.
"I-I can command small creatures to bite through the circuits and cables inside," Koda explained next, describing how he cleared the exam.
"I can sneak in and shut them down easily," Hagakure added. "And I can do this too! Careful—watch your eyes!"
Suddenly, Hagakure began to glow, shining brightly as if she were generating light herself.
"Gah!!"
"My eyes!!"
"Ahhh!!"
It was an absolute disaster.
Aizawa returned to the classroom only to find his students already haggard before the lesson had even begun.
"…What happened here?"
…
It didn't take long for the bus to arrive at the famous USJ—
not that USJ, but a USJ nonetheless.
This was their second Hero class, and excitement buzzed through the air. As proof of that, even on the bus they couldn't stop talking, eagerly comparing and discussing one another's Quirks.
Most of these kids had been given supernatural abilities at around the age of five. From that moment on, society imposed strict rules upon them, forbidding the use of their powers in nearly every situation.
It was like placing a toy in front of a child—something they could see and touch, something that tempted them constantly—only for their parents to forbid its use, backing the restriction with threats and scolding.
Now, after years of suppression, they were finally allowed to let loose.
Of course they were going to lose control for a while.
It was the same as a caged bird discovering freedom for the first time.