Hidokina's POV

All Might... fucking All Might cleared my criminal name just so I could go to school. I... literally cannot fucking believe this... the number 1 hero (of my heart) really just... helped me out of the goodness of his heart. There's no way he has any idea how much this means to me, but goddammit, I can't remember the last time I've been this happy!!!

"Hey, kid, you doin' okay over there? You look completely spaced out." My aunt (apparently), Midnight, asked with a smile on her face and a concerned brow raised. My heart jumped out of my chest and I sat up straight and rigid in my seat, clenching my fists slightly in my lap. I know she's my family, but I still felt really nervous around her..

"I'm... doing well, thank you. Just please keep your eyes on the road." I say as confidently as I could. She lets out a sigh of defeat and turns her head back to the front window, the red light glaring the both of us in the face judgementally.

For a moment, there was silence.

"You know, you don't need to act so formal. I'm your family, sure, you may not have known about me, hell, you don't even have to like me! But I... if I knew what my sister and her husband did to you..." Her grip on the steering wheel tightened, "I.. wouldn't have let it happen." I glanced in her direction through the long bangs of my hair. The guilt was evident on her face, even if the rim of her extravagent red glasses blocked her eyes from my sight.

"It.. wasn't your fault. You couldn't have known, no one else did. But... that's not why I act like this." I say vaguely, and her mood seems to change instantly.

"Oh, I know that, how oblivious do you think I am?" She was jokingly hostile. "I figured it out once you told me to keep my eyes on the road. You don't need to try and grow up so fast, y'know? You're a kid, you need to be allowed to enjoy simple kid things... no matter what they may be. You're.. free now, in a way." She smiled brightly as the light turned green, the hum of the car beginning as she drove us forward. I was stunned, how could she have possibly picked it up from such a simple phrase?

"Unless you've been bred to be an adult, and now it's just second nature to be so mature. Either way, know that it's okay to let loose. Be a little jovial. Show that spark of youth I know is still inside you!" She turned to smile at me for a brief moment, hope and confidence sparkling in her eyes. It shook me to my core. Not just her look, but her words. I've.. never been told that before. It's okay to be jovial?

"I... what if I don't know how to be jovial?" I asked sadly.

"Whether you know it or not, once you join this school and hang around the students at UA more, you'll learn, Sugar." She explains simply. 'Sugar'... only one other person calls me that. The only person at UA I'm a little familiar with so far. Maybe she could be the first stepping stone to reclaiming my youth. She seems... like she relates. Grown into a family to be mature, but eventually learning to loosen up.

She'll help me...

If only I knew her goddamn name.

"Well, here we are, Hope's Peak Middle School!" Midnight pulls up to the front of the school and I pull my bag over my shoulder, stepping out of the car. But, before I leave, I look back to Midnight.

"Hey uh... before I go, what's the name of the one girl from class A? The one with the ponytail?" I ask nervously. Midnight just smiles at me.

"Yaoyorozu Momo. You friends with her already?" Hm. Yaoyorozu Momo.

"Uhm, sorta. Well, thank you." I wave goodbye and gently shut the door.

I watch as she drives off, and turn around at the gates of Hope's Peak.

"Well... here goes nothing.." I whisper to myself and take a couple shakey steps onto the campus of Hope's Peak.

Once I walk in, it's absolutely gorgeous.

It didn't look like a highschool... it looked like a traditional Koi Garden.

There were two long streams of water that flowed from the sides of the gate, koi fish swimming down. The two streamed intervened and intertwined along the path to the front doors, leading into two huge ponds to the sides of the walkway. There were red bridges and buddha statues along the way, quite a few cherry blossom petals were floating in the water from the huge trees that also lined the walkway. The front yard was riddled with students in identical uniforms to mine, they looked like they were enjoying themselves.

I walked up and over one of the bridges over the koi pond. Looking over, there were dispensers where you could get the koi's food from if you paid ¥27 (25 cents). I'll probably do it after school when I'm not in such a rush to impress the students and teachers... this is one of the best middle schools in Japan, so advanced that I'm surprised it's not a boarding school.

While walking off the last bridge to the front doors, I feel a few eyes on me and turn around. I look around and don't see anyone staring at me. Maybe it was my imagination...

Anyways, I make my way to my first class on the 2nd floor; chemistry.

While walking up, I hear... unpleasant conversation in the hallway.

"Did you hear?? A full fledged criminal is coming here! He went to Tartarus and all!!"

"No way.. how did they ever let him in???"

"I heard he got All Might on his side!"

"WHAAAT? No way!!"

"I know!! I know All Might is awesome and all, but... I don't know if he made the right call on this."

"I know what you mean.. I mean- it's a criminal!! A criminal from Tartarus no less!"

"I hope I don't have him in my class..."

"Same.. who knows how insane he could be?? Do you know what his quirk is?"

"Yeah, it was on the news once the UA training camp was attacked! It's some sort of knockout gas!!"

"Daaamn."

At overhearing this conversation between only two different people... I walked with my head down and tried my best to hide my face. I guess I really can't start a new life... not completely, anyways.

I look at my schedule and read the room number on the paper, looking up and, once I spot the room, I stand next to the door since the day hasn't started yet.

But, just my luck, it's right next to the pair of kids talking about me.

And what's even better, they noticed me.

Their whispers were much more hushed as they stole glances from me, not even noticing I was listening and watching them through my bangs.

"Oh my god... isn't that him?"

"Holy shit it is!"

"Waiwaitwait.. Kuhebi-kun.. isn't that your class?? Chemistry, yeah?"

"Shit- yeah!"

"Ha! You just said you didn't want to be in a class with him, and yet-!"

"Shut it, Yogurasu-san!! He can probably hear us!!"

As I look up more, I get better glimpses of their faces. The voice I matched to 'Kuhebi-kun' belonged to a boy with short, white hair with mint green highlights that stuck up slightly. His eyes looked exactly like a snake's eyes, and were as green as grass. He had white scales that ran over his temples and just below his cheek bones. 'Yogurasu-san' was a boy with long, navy blue hair tied into a high ponytail with some hair falling over his right eye. His eyes... were stained glass. Legit, shards of multi-colored triangular glass with black circles in the center. It was kind of hard to tell since his eyes were thin and almost glaring with slightly long eyelashes. The only reason I could tell he wasn't glaring at me or Kuhebi was because of the sadistic grin on his face.

"Why don't you go say hi to your new classmate?"

"Seriously! Not funny, Yogurasu-san!"

"You guys aren't exactly the quietest, you know?" I say simply, containing the boiling pit of anger inside my stomach. I was blessed enough to be given a second chance in life... I'm not going to throw it all away by losing my temper and getting into a fight on the first day..

Even then, I could feel the fear eminating from both of them, even the previously smug Yogurasu.

"W-We're really sorry!!"

"Please.. don't hurt us.." They both bow in sync to me. Actually, It's kind of relieving that I'm known for being a dangerous villain, considering that I was a 5'1", scrawny motherfucker (with a cool hairstyle) that couldn't handle his own in a hand-to-hand fight. If they didn't think I was so dangerous, I'd be on the floor bleeding from the mouth right about now.

"I won't." I say simply and turn away from them towards the direction of the door. Down the hallway, I could see the teacher, Usami-Sensei.

"Teacher's here, Yogurasu. I'll see you at lunch."

"Kay. Bye." I hear Yogurasu depart and his footsteps echo down the hall.

"Ah, you must be our new student!" Usami-Sensei smiles at me as she pulls out the key to the classroom door. I nod simply.

"In that case, you wouldn't mind introducing yourself to the class once they all get here, would you?" She asked kindly, not pushing me into any decision. I think for a second, I have massive stagefright, but this could be a good step in overcoming it. In the end, I nod to her.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Wonderful!" She says and slides open the door for me to enter. I walk in with a simple "thank you" and take a look around the room. It looks pretty basic compared to any other classroom, but it had a small birdcage in the back with an owl sleeping inside. So cute.

I walked in and sat at a seat in the middle row so I could see both  the back of the room and the front of the room well. Behind me walked in Kuhebi, whose face was still slightly pink from embarrasment as he sat in the front of the room.

Time passed, and the rest of the students walked in. The vast majority were confused at seeing me, a random kid they'd never seen before, sit in their classroom.

"Goodmorning, class!"

"Goodmorning, Usami-Sensei!"

"As most of you probably saw, we have a new student today."

Whispers broke out in the room.

"Why don't you come up here and introduce yourself! State your name and something you're interested in!" She claps her hands together excitedly and steps to the side. I stand up slowly and make my way to the front of the room at a moderate pace to hide my nervousness. Once I stand at the front, I move my bangs from over my eyes. And look around at the.. distrusting glances. They must've heard the rumor, too..

"Good morning, everyone. My name is Jinshugi Hidokina. A fact about me is..."

My mind drifts off to think about my time with the league. Every Saturday night, we'd gather in the living room to play games on the one console we had. It always ended up in a ton of fighting, but we had a lot of fun. Well.. I did. Especially when Shuichi or Shigaraki would teach me how to play some of their favorites. Doom, Skyrim... Zelda..

"I like video games. My favorites are the Legend of Zelda series." I say simply and bow. Then I walk down to my seat, the same burning sensation of only a couple sets of eyes on me as before returns as I sit in my seat.

But, it soon leaves as the teacher begins her lesson.

"Now, let's begin today's lesson!"

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The bell for lunch rang sooner than expected.

I looked back in my bag and pulled out my lunch for today that Midnight made me; Tamagoyaki with fried dough cookies and a single strawberry mochi for dessert. I smiled internally and made my way out to the front yard. Maybe now I can feed those koi in the pond. It seems only right that they eat at the same time I do.

Luckily, I find an empty picnic table close to the pond to eat at. I set down my food and go ahead and dispense my yen into the feeder, placing my hand under it and turning the nob to have the brown pellets fall into my palm. Walking steadily back to the table, I sit down and happily sprinkle the food into the pond next to me, the colorful koi fighting over each piece. I felt so... peaceful.

"Excuse me, apologies for the intrusion, but may we sit here?" My head snaps up to look at two boys. They both looked... edgy, yet polite. One was a literal bug. Grey and black skin with a horn sticking out if his forehead, the other had engines sticking out of his sides. Probably connected to ribs or something.

"Yeah, sure." I say and the one who spoke, the insect, nods in thanks. The so far silent boy standing beside him nodded as well as he sat down next to him.

"So, Jinshugi, correct? I heard what happened with you this morning. Don't worry about Yogurasu and Kuhebi, Yogurasu is a rat and Kuhebi is just... insensitive at times. But most of the time he means well." The engine kid speaks up this time, bug boy holding a stick of Yakitoru between his pincers and munching on it. As soon as he finishes, he drops the leftover stick from his pincers back onto his tray and sticks out his hand to me.

"I'm Kamakiri Saibuto." I shake his hand, taking note of his firm grasp and well-manicured nails.

"And I'm Iida Tenkakyo." The engine boy, Iida, waves simply towards me. I nod.

"It's nice to meet you two."

Maybe... maybe school won't be so bad.

-----------------------------------------------------

The final bell of the day rang. A couple kids still stared in fear as I walked out, but this time I was joined by Kamakiri-san and Iida-kun, so it wasn't nearly as scary.

"Ah, my mom's calling me. I'll see you guys tomorrow." Kamakiri-san says apologetically and waves goodbye to Iida-kun and I, the two of us remain together for a while until he also had to leave because his eldest brother called him. So, that left me. Walking out through the gate.

"Ah! Sugar!" I look over and see.. Yaoyorozu!

"Yaoyorozu? What are you doing here?" I walked over, trying to hide the skip in my step.

"Midnight-Sensei asked for me to pick you up from school today. I hope that's alright?"

"Ah- yes! Very much so!" I felt my heart skip a beat. Not in a romance way, a friend way. She's like.. my friend-crush.

"Wonderful!" She smiles and we begin walking side-by-side back to the dorms, a comfortable silence between us.

"I hope today went well. What did you do? Make any friends?" She asks politely. I look down at my feet and blush, thinking of Kamakiri-san and Iida-kun.

"...yes, I made a couple of friends."