"Um... I'm sorry to be so blunt, but... are you eating enough?"
Sensing her thoughts through the Force made her intention clear, but hearing it out loud made me realize just how I appeared to others.
I couldn't blame her. My body was far too small for a high school freshman, and I was visibly gaunt. My ribs were slightly visible, and my limbs were bony. If I were truly fifteen, this would look like a clear case of neglect.
Of course, I wasn't actually their age, but that was irrelevant here.
"Ah... thank you for your concern, Tsu-chan. But I am fine. In fact, I eat more than twice as much as a normal student my age."
When I used the honorific she requested, I felt Himiko's gaze pierce my back. She was definitely thinking something like, "I've never even been called 'chan' by her!" We have a much deeper bond than that, but she can be possessive.
"Twice as much...? But you're still so thin... is it the effect of your Quirk?"
"Exactly. My Quirk consumes a vast amount of internal nutrients when activated. Even just training causes me to lose weight rapidly. It's also why I'm not very tall."
As I explained, the other girls who had been eavesdropping while they changed seemed to relax.
One of them—a girl who was notably well-developed and carried herself with an air of refined elegance—joined the conversation.
"Ah, I understand that a little. My Quirk consumes lipids as a trade-off... I remember having quite a hard time with it before I got used to it."
"You as well? Was it difficult when your Quirk first manifested as a child?"
"Yes. Although, since mine is only lipids, I don't think it was quite as severe as yours, Masue-san..."
"I see... Yes, my first time resulted in a hospital visit. I nearly starved to death. I caused quite a lot of trouble for my family back then."
"Starved to death?! What kind of Quirk is that?!"
This time, the voice came from a girl with pink skin and black sclera.
"My Quirk is called 'Amplification.' When I nearly starved, it was... well, embarrassing. I was eating soft-serve ice cream, and I thought about how I wanted more... the next moment, I collapsed."
"Ahaha! I get it! Soft-serve is delicious! Totally worth it!"
She laughed brightly at my answer.
"Oh, I'm Mina Ashido! Nice to meetcha!"
"Forgive my late introduction. I am Momo Yaoyorozu. I look forward to our time together."
"I'm Kotoha Masue. And... the girl sulking behind me because I'm talking to people is Himiko Toga."
"Hi hi! I'm Toga! Kotoha and I went to the same middle school! Nice to meet you all!"
Himiko jumped in the moment I introduced her. She wasn't shy; she craved connection with others. As long as she didn't feel I was being "taken" from her, she was perfectly social.
Some might call her high-maintenance.
"Hellooo! I'm Toru Hagakure!"
"I'm Kyoka Jiro."
"I'm Ochaco Uraraka! Nice to meet everyone!"
The introductions went around. It seemed all the girls in this class were far from the Dark Side. That was a relief.
Well, except for Himiko.
"Still, I wonder why we have to go to the grounds so suddenly?"
"The entrance ceremony should be happening right now, shouldn't it? Is it okay to skip?"
"...I suspect he decided there was no time to waste on the ceremony," I said, finishing my change into the gym clothes.
Every eye in the room turned to me.
"Do you know something, Kotoha-chan?"
"Yes. I heard a rumor... that the Principal of this school... gives incredibly long speeches."
"Incredibly."
"Long?"
"Speeches?"
I nodded as the words were repeated back to me.
"Yes. Apparently, his welcome address alone can last over an hour."
"Wait, for real? That's so long..."
"That... does seem like a bit of a waste of time, doesn't it?"
"Right?! So the teacher figured we should just get started on something else?"
The girl called Hagakure... was a girl, I assumed. Her Quirk made her invisible; I could only see her clothes.
I nodded at Hagakure's suggestion.
"Ribbit... So, is it an orientation?"
"But gym clothes for an orientation? On the practice grounds?"
"True. If it was just paperwork, we'd be in the classroom, right?"
Himiko tilted her head. Once again, all eyes were on me.
This time, I had no answer.
"I'm sorry, but I don't know his specific plan. I only heard about the Principal's speeches through the grapevine."
"Aw, man!"
"Well, if you don't know, you don't know!"
"True. Either way, we'll find out when we get there."
"Yeah. Hope it isn't anything too weird..."
And so, the eight of us finished changing and left the locker room together.