Asaki Tsukoyami walked through the courtyard, her pace leisurely as her mind wandered. The faint hum of a song echoed in her thoughts, the melody soft and distant. Beside her, a shadowy dog with three heads trotted along, each of its eyes scanning their surroundings. The left head stared curiously at her, while the middle one sniffed the ground, and the right one fixed its gaze ahead.

Asaki's thick black hair, tied back in a ponytail, puffed up at the ends, revealing hidden layers that framed her face. She wore her middle school uniform-blue and white, with black shoes-and her tie hung loosely around her neck. Her golden eyes flicked toward the tree line, then shifted toward the group of girls ahead.

A faint sigh escaped her lips as she stopped for a moment, and the three-headed dog, Cerberus, looked up at her, its heads tilting as if awaiting her command. She smiled, reaching down to pat the creature's fur. She enjoyed moments like this, quiet and peaceful with just her and Cerberus. But such moments were fleeting.

From behind her, a group of girls appeared, their footsteps heavy as they followed her toward the dumpsters. Cerberus disappeared back into her shadow, its presence concealed as Asaki neared the school building. She didn't want to be caught with her quirk out.

"If it isn't Miss UA," the tallest girl scoffed.

Asaki's eyes rolled before she even turned to face them. She tossed her trash into the dumpster, the lid slamming shut with a metallic clank. Slowly, she turned to face the group, her expression lazy and disinterested as she stared down at the girls.

The girl at the front, Yoru, with sleek black hair and amber eyes, sneered at her. Beside her stood Mika and Misha, who, though not twins, could have passed for them.

"Can you believe what she said today?" Mika snickered.

"I got into UA through recommendations!" Misha chimed, but her voice was eerily similar to Asaki's.

Yoru smirked, taking a step forward. "Scum like you doesn't belong in UA."

Asaki's eyes flickered toward the tree beyond them, her gaze distant. "I suppose you do?" Her tone was flat, void of emotion as she addressed Yoru and the others.

"Of course!" Mika retorted, puffing out her chest. "But if UA will take the likes of you..."

"I don't want to go there." Yoru finished her sentence, mocking Asaki's predicament.

"As if they'd even want you," Asaki muttered, her gaze still unfocused. Her mind briefly flashed back to just hours before-when she had made the announcement to her class. The teacher had called on her to share where she would be attending high school, and she had spoken the truth. She could still hear the laughter that followed, the way her classmates' mockery filled the room. Even the teacher, barely hiding a smirk, made it clear that her presence was a joke.

But she had said it. She had dared to speak the truth, no matter how painful. She was attending UA. They weren't.

Her lips curled into a half-smile, her voice cutting through the silence. "I'm attending UA. And you're not."

"Careful," she added with a cough, "or that little green monster of yours will come out again."

Yoru's expression hardened, her eyes narrowing dangerously. A chill settled into the air as the skin on her arms began to turn a sickly green. Before Asaki could react, Yoru lunged at her, grabbing her by the neck and slamming her into the dumpster with a harsh thud.

"Why would I be jealous of you?" Yoru hissed.

Asaki's breath hitched as her throat constricted under Yoru's grip. Her mind scrambled, but her calm, sarcastic tone remained intact as she turned her head away from Yoru. "The real question is..." she gasped, "why does your breath smell worse than the trash?" She turned her head to the side as if the stench was unbearable, the mockery clear in her voice.

Yoru growled, her grip tightening. "Why, you little-!"

"You think you're better than me or something?" Yoru screamed, pushing Asaki further into the dumpster.

Asaki's narrowed eyes glinted with a dangerous light. "Just because your mom is the number 3 hero doesn't hide what you really are," Yoru spat. "I know who you look like."

That was it. The breaking point.

Four shadowy tendrils erupted from Asaki's spine, twisting and writhing as they flared to life. The three-headed dog, Cerberus, materialized behind Mika and Misha, its teeth bared in a silent, menacing warning.

"Wanna finish that sentence?" Asaki growled, her voice cold. The tendrils shot forward, knocking Yoru off her. They wrapped around Yoru's ankles, lifting her into the air as the other two tendrils darted toward Mika and Misha.

Misha and Mika tried to scramble away, but the tendrils caught them too, lifting them into the air as Cerberus stepped closer, its heads snapping at the air, ready to strike.

With a flick of her wrist, Asaki opened the dumpster lid. "Remember, UA doesn't accept trash," she said coldly. Another flick of her wrist sent the girls tumbling into the dumpster, helpless and screaming as they were discarded like garbage.

The tendrils retracted back into Asaki's spine, and the dog trotted beside her, its heads wagging in approval.

"Good boy, Cerberus," Asaki murmured, her voice soft as she patted the creature. She walked away, ignoring the desperate screams from the dumpster.

Her classmates ran past her, heading straight for the dumpster to help the trio, but no one spared a second glance at Asaki. She felt their eyes, though-felt the fear, the panic in their gazes. They were afraid of her, afraid of what she could do. Asaki could feel the weight of their judgment pressing down on her, and it burned.

It didn't matter how much she tried to convince herself otherwise. The looks, the fear, they would never change. She could never be like them.

Cerberus stayed by her side as she walked, its presence a comforting weight in the midst of her pain. Asaki forced a faint smile, but deep down, the ache in her chest grew.

Would it ever change?