With that, the school day went back to normal. No more Hero training for the day—just the boring old classes like English, Math, History, and a whole lot of note-taking.

Still, at least unlike every other first-year in the building, Class 1-A had started their morning with something exciting.

When the bell rang for break, the chatter of the classroom grew instantly louder as chairs scraped back and bags zipped open.

"Man, I'm hungry as hell," Kirishima groaned, stretching his arms. "I might eat a whole cow. Wouldn't that be manly, huh, Izuku?"

"It would be manly," Izuku replied with a small grin, standing up from his seat.

His eyes shifted toward Uraraka, who was quietly packing up her own things.

"Wanna eat together?" he asked casually.

Her head shot up, and she nodded quickly, a faint smile tugging at her lips. "Sure."

"Do you know where the lunch room is, though?" she asked as she stood.

"Yeah," he said with a confident shrug. "I've already memorized the school's entire layout. Let's go."

They walked side-by-side out of the classroom, their steps matching in rhythm.

Several pairs of eyes followed them—especially from the girls in class.

Are they childhood friends?

Did they come from the same school?

Or… are they already dating?

The questions buzzed silently through their minds, but nobody said a word out loud. Instead, most of the class trailed behind, curious without admitting it.

"So," Uraraka began, a little hesitant, "if you don't mind me asking…"

"Go ahead."

"I've been wondering… what really is your Quirk?"

"Oh, well," Izuku said, rubbing his neck, "it's kinda like a combination of Strength and Speed. I haven't come up with an official name, but my mom keeps telling me I should just call it Superman."

Uraraka giggled softly. "I like the name—it sounds really powerful. Will that be your hero name too?"

"Not really," he said with a shrug, "but it's cool enough for now."

By then they had reached the lunchroom, where the smell of fresh rice, grilled meats, and warm bread mixed in the air. The space buzzed with noise—first-years chatting, second-years bragging, and third-years laughing loudly at their own inside jokes.

Izuku and Uraraka grabbed trays and stepped into line.

"Hey, Izuku, mind if I hang with you guys?" Mina Ashido's voice chimed from behind, cheerful and bright.

"Yeah, the more the merrier," Izuku replied.

"Cool!" Mina grinned, hopping into line beside them.

"Hey," Mina greeted Uraraka warmly.

"Hey," Uraraka returned with a polite smile.

After getting their plates—Izuku going for a balanced meal, Uraraka piling hers with rice, and Mina picking the spiciest curry she could find—they found an empty table and sat together.

"So what's your Quirk, Mina?" Izuku asked, leaning on his elbow.

[A/N: I am not going to do the name thingy where before you gey to know someone well you call them with their last name. It's cool but kinda dragging to follow through in writing. ]

"It's Acid," she said proudly. "Don't tell anyone, but I can secrete a really corrosive liquid from my body. Kinda gross, right?"

"Not gross—cool," Izuku said, shaking his head. "If you train it right, you'll realize how awesome it actually is."

Mina blinked, then smiled wider, a light blush dusting her cheeks. "Thanks… that means a lot."

"And you, Uraraka?" Izuku turned toward her. "I saw bits of your Quirk during the Entrance Exam and today's tests, but I never got the full explanation."

"Well, it's called Zero Gravity," she said, tapping a spoon. "If I touch something with all five fingers, I can remove its gravity." The spoon floated a few inches before she tapped it again, letting it clink back onto the tray.

"That's amazing," Mina said, leaning forward. "No wonder you got infinity on the softball throw."

"Hehe… yeah," Uraraka laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of her head.

Izuku watched them both with an approving smile.

' My goal isn't just to be a great hero myself, he thought. It's to make them great too. If I can help them unlock that hidden potential, they'll be unstoppable.' He thought.

The chatter in the cafeteria was a steady hum, broken only by bursts of laughter and the clatter of trays. Izuku sat at the corner table with Uraraka and Mina, but it wasn't long before other classmates began drifting by.

At first, it was just curiosity. A few glanced over, probably just trying to figure out who was sitting with who. But the longer they sat there, the more eyes lingered—especially on Izuku.

He wasn't doing anything flashy—just talking, listening, and smiling—but somehow, that made him stand out even more.

"So wait," Mina said between bites, "you've already memorized the whole school layout?"

"Yeah," Izuku replied casually, taking a sip of his drink. "It's not hard once you've seen the map. I'm good at remembering details."

"Good at remembering faces too?" a playful voice chimed from beside the table.

They turned to see a floating U.A. blazer and skirt—Toru Hagakure, the Invisible Girl. Her gloves rested on her hips as she leaned toward them.

"Toru?" Uraraka asked, smiling.

"That's me!" Toru said cheerfully. "Mind if I sit with you guys? I promise I'm not invisible-stealing your food."

"Sure," Izuku said, gesturing to the seat. "Although I might have to start guessing where your plate is so I don't accidentally take a bite out of it."

She giggled. "Careful, Midoriya, I might let you."

Mina grinned at that, elbowing Uraraka subtly, who rolled her eyes but smiled.

Toru set her tray down—somehow without spilling anything—and joined in on the conversation.

"What about you, Hagakure?" Izuku asked. "Your Quirk's… invisibility, right?"

"Yup!" Toru replied, her voice warm with pride. "Always on, can't switch it off. But I'm working on making it useful for more than just sneaking around. Combat invisibility, stealth rescues, surprise attacks—you name it!"

"That actually sounds like a game-changer if you use it right," Izuku said. "I can already think of a dozen ways you could outsmart an enemy."

Even without a face to see, he could feel the way she beamed at the praise. "Thanks, Midoriya! You're way nicer than I expected."

"Expected?" he asked with a smirk.

"Well, you're tall, quiet, kinda mysterious… figured you'd be all broody and standoffish," she teased.

Uraraka glanced at him, noting how effortlessly he spoke to people. Mina, too, found herself watching him more closely.

As the conversation went on, Momo Yaoyorozu passed by with her tray. She wasn't planning to stop, but she noticed how full the table had gotten—and how all three girls there seemed very engaged in conversation with Izuku.

For a moment, she hesitated, then offered a polite nod. "Mind if I join you?"

"Of course not," Izuku said immediately, shifting his tray slightly to make room.

Momo sat gracefully, placing her food down. "I overheard you discussing Quirks. Fascinating topic, especially when paired with real-world applications."

Izuku grinned faintly. "Then you'll love Toru's and Mina's. We were just talking about the different ways they could be used in hero work."

Momo's curiosity sharpened—he wasn't just chatting, he was analyzing. And more importantly, he was encouraging the others.

By the time lunch ended, their table had grown into a small cluster of Class 1-A students. Uraraka sat directly in front of him, Mina beside him, Toru diagonally across, and Momo on his other side.

Most of the conversation wasn't even about school anymore—it was light, comfortable, and filled with easy laughter.

But as the bell rang and everyone started clearing their trays, Mina leaned toward Uraraka with a small smirk.

"Your friend Midoriya's… interesting," she whispered.

Uraraka glanced back at Izuku, who was walking ahead, hands in his pockets.

"…Yeah," she murmured. "He is."

TO BE CONTINUED