Chapter Text
It had been a few hours since the four had gone off to their own rooms. The dorms were separated between boys and girls with the ground floor having the common room and all of the bells and whistles such as a utility room and kitchen. There was a washroom as well, but they were separated by gender. The diminutive purple-haired boy seemed to lament this slightly from what Izuku could see.
Most of his time was spent setting up his room. His mother had insisted he only bring a portion of his hero memorabilia collection to create less hassle, so his new room took him less time to set up than he originally thought it was.
As he was finishing setting up his decorations though, he heard someone knocking on his door. Not having much else to do at the moment, he opened the door to find his pinked-skinned classmate.
“Heyo!” she exclaimed while closing in on him. “Despite what that hobo-guy from before said, I was thinking that we should all get to know each other,” she said excitedly.
“O-oh, really?” he stuttered. “W-what did y-you h-have in mind?” he asked, taking a step back to get some space.
“Well, at first I thought a dorm room competition would be fun,” she answered before looking down with a defeated expression on her face, “but I got outvoted.” She had immediately perked up once more before she started again. “That’s why we’re now going to do introductions downstairs.”
Izuku was relieved to hear that the first option was outvoted. He didn’t exactly like the idea of at least a dozen people he didn’t really know entering his room to judge it. “I-if that’s all, th-then I guess I’ll go d-down and wait.”
“Really? Awesome! I’ll keep getting everyone then,” she said before starting towards the next room. “See you in a few!”
With this, he went back into his room to give it a final once-over then trekked down to the commons to wait for everyone else.
==========
As he had exited the staircase, Izuku spotted Iida, Uraraka, and Highlander all sitting on one of the couches. Seeing an opportunity, he approached.
“Ah, there’s the Green Bean,” stated Highlander as soon as she spotted him.
Iida and Uraraka turned towards him, smiling and beckoning him over. He had sat with them and added a few things to the conversation they were having while waiting for everyone else, but he was content to listen for the most part. It was strange to be a part of a conversation that he wasn’t forced into or the subject of. They were talking about random things mostly.
Everything halted after the pink-skinned girl from earlier got everyone’s attention.
“Alright, now that everyone is here, let’s get started!”
“Actually, there are only eighteen people here. Where are our missing classmates?” Iida corrected. Taking a look around, Izuku noticed that Kacchan and the boy with red and white hair split down the middle weren’t around.
Her expression turned more annoyed at the subject. “Oh, those two bozos blew me off the moment I said anything about this. Too good for us I guess.” Before anyone else made any comments though, she sprung back. “Moving on, this is going to be the basic intro-thing. Your name, a thing or two about you, and what your quirk is if you wanna. Going around the room starting from me, I’m Ashido Mina, but you guys can call me Mina, and I like dancing and the movie ‘Alien’. My quirk is ‘Acid’. I can create acids and change their viscosity and solubility from my skin.”
Taking this as their cue, the next student went. Everyone introduced themselves one-by-one, some people adding their own comments about some things or topics. Izuku was more interested in the quirks, every one of them were so interesting. He wishes he didn’t leave his notebooks upstairs. Before he knew it though, Izuku and his group were all that were left.
“My name is Iida Tenya, and I am partial to rules and Pringles. My quirk is ‘Engine’, and with it, I can turn orange juice into fuel to increase my running speed and kicking power,” his introduction was as proper as he had been all day.
“Well, my name is Uraraka Ochako, and I like mochi and space. My quirk is ‘Zero Gravity’. When I touch all five of the pads on one of my hands to something, it floats.” As she explains, she uses her quirk on a nearby empty cup and let it float for a bit before deactivating her quirk.
After Uraraka’s introduction was finished, everyone’s attention turned to Izuku. He jumped when he saw that before stuttering out his own introduction. “O-oh, um, m-my name i-is M-M-Midoriya I-Izuku. I-I like to analyze q-quirks and any-anything to do with heroics.” He paused slightly, hoping he could bluff through the next part. “M-my q-q-quirk is c-called ‘S-Stockp-pile’, and it l-lets m-m-me in-increase my str-strength as you guys s-saw.”
A yellow-haired boy, Kaminari Denki, chose to jump in at this. “Yeah, breaking your finger to throw a ball over 750 meters? That’s a crazy amount of power!”
“But that kind of thing is pretty manly in my opinion!” replied a red-head, Kirishima Eijirou.
“Manly or not, that still had to hurt a ton,” came the voice of Sero Hanta.
“Excuse me,” cut in the black-haired beauty Yaoyorozu Momo, “but we still have one person left.” At this, everyone gave their apologies before turning to the last person.
“Don’t worry about it guys,” she replied. “Anyways, my name’s Highlander Azura, but I don’t really mind you guys calling me Azura. I like writing and parkour.” Before she continued though, a sultry smirk adorned her face. “As for my quirk though, that’s a secret,” she said as she brought a finger to her lips. Several people protested a few moments later. She interrupted everyone before it escalated. “Come on, let’s have some fun with this. If any of you guys can come up with an accurate guess before the first Practical Heroics lesson, then I’ll give you a prize.”
“A prize huh?” asked Mina suggestively, wiggling her eyebrows. “What do you get if you win?”
“A kiss from a fair maiden seems acceptable,” she replied sweetly. There were several reactions, namely blushing from the guys and a few of the girls, but Ashido and Hagakure seemed excited while Mineta began drooling.
“I’m kidding, I’m kidding! Not gonna be that easy. I’ll have to get something, though it would be funny regardless.” At this the pink-skinned girl groaned. “Anyways, I don’t know about you guys, but I’m getting hungry. I heard that the kitchen should be stocked, so it’s just a matter of putting it all together.”
“She is exactly correct!” exclaimed Iida whilst chopping his arms. The people directly next to him jumped at his sudden proclamation. “In order for us to operate at peak performance, we must eat nutritious and balanced meals! Now, who among us knows how to cook? We will create a rota to handle cooking responsibilities. On that note, we must also organize who shall do what chores and when around the dorms!”
“Geez man, you need to lighten up,” commented Jirou Kyouka.
“So noisy,” complained Tokoyami Fumikage.
This caused Iida’s head to droop down. “Why does no one understand the importance of these actions?”
Wishing to get everyone back on track, Azura called everyone’s attention back to herself. “Alright, alright. We can figure everything else out later. We’re only on our first day after all. Now, show of hands, who knows how to cook?” Most of the group raised their hands. “Alright, better question, who knows more than just how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or instant ramen on their own?” At this, several slightly embarrassed people put their hands down leaving Izuku, Ochako, Tenya, and a few others with their hands up. “Green Bean, Jirou, follow me. The rest of you just make sure you don’t burn the dorms down,” she said as she walked towards the kitchen.
A few moments after the three fully enter the kitchen, Ochako spoke up. “You know, Highlander seems oddly comfortable around everyone.” This observation caused several people to look in her direction, slightly confused.
“What do you mean Uraraka?” Tenya prompted.
“Well, I dunno how to best describe it.” After a moment of thinking, Ochako continued. “It’s just, no offense, but I’m nervous around everyone here. Too many new people, you know? Highlander though, she doesn’t seem nervous at all.”
“I think I get it,” Mina interjected. “Normally when a bunch of people first meet, everyone has to find how they fit together. Azura though, she just slid right in.”
“Maybe that is just who she is as a person,” said Momo offering her own thoughts on the matter. “We have only known each other for a few hours now. Even after our individual introductions, there is a lot each of us don’t know about everyone else in the room.”
==========
Izuku was nervous about cooking for everyone, but the compliments he was receiving had diminished that feeling. Though he was still incredibly flustered after the fact. Most of his classmates had gotten up to either talk in smaller groups around the common room or go back to their rooms to finish unpacking. Kacchan and the split-hair boy came down for food, but they didn’t stay very long. The only people left at the dining area were him, Ochako, Tenya, and Azura, with Momo sitting at another table quietly sipping what appeared to be tea.
“So Green Bean,” Azura said, “you said you liked analyzing quirks before, yeah?” Izuku froze for a moment before nodding, preparing himself for ridicule and insults. “That’s cool! I’m glad to finally meet someone else I can talk quirks with.”
Izuku balked. ‘Wait, is she saying that…?’ he thought before he asked just that aloud.
“Yup!” she answered enthusiastically. “I always loved to figure out how things in general worked. Quirks are just fascinating when you get into the details. Some of them seem to completely break the laws of physics, but if you look at it at a deep enough level, the rules bend far more often than they break. Like Uraraka’s quirk.” This startled Ochako and caused her to straighten in her seat. “You said that your quirk essentially frees an object from gravity, but if that were the case, it would’ve been shot to the stratosphere.”
At this, Ochako stopped, slightly confused at her statement. Her expression then turned contemplative in trying to figure out what Azura meant before it hit her, “If I took away gravity completely, then it wouldn’t stay on the planet because the Earth is rotating around the Sun.” With this realization, Ochako had a slightly haunted look. “I could’ve hurt so many people like that.”
“You’re right on both accounts. Part of the reason we’re here is to train to make sure we only use the least amount of force necessary to resolve a situation and not hurt anyone,” replied Azura, nodding in understanding. She then looked up with a serious look on her face. “Quirks are tools, powerful ones that could kill people if we aren’t careful.”
This got everyone present to think about just how much power they were eventually going to be given when they receive their licenses and graduate. The amount of power they already held was terrifying when one thought about it long enough, but when they graduate, they would be able to use even greater power whenever they wanted. At this, Momo approached, intrigued by the conversation.
“You are quite correct, Highlander. That lesson was impressed upon me during my early days of quirk counseling and training,” came from the dignified Momo.
“I’m glad at least someone has had that lesson before. It’ll make teaching everyone else easier.” Her expression softened to a small smile, “although I told you guys to call me Azura, I’m fine with it.”
“Then please call me Momo, it is far less cumbersome,” replied the beauty. “Though I must ask, are you American by any chance Azura?”
“Nope,” she replied quickly, popping the ‘p’. “Japanese born and raised. Though I guess you can say I’ve had a…” she trailed off, eyes darting to the side, “different upbringing.” At the way she finished, everyone decided to drop the conversation for now.
“Anyways,” Azura redirected, “going back to quirks, yours confuses me too Momo.” This caused Momo to tilt her head. Izuku admitted that she looked kind of cute like that.
“It confuses you? I had thought I had explained it rather well earlier,” she stated.
“That’s not what confused me. To reiterate, I like figuring out how quirks work on a bare-bones level. Like I said earlier, a lot of quirks bend the rules of physics, not break them, and that can be seen when you figure out the what and how behind a quirk. That curiosity brings me to ask questions that a lot of people seem to miss. With all that in mind, I must ask; how did you figure out how your quirk works?”
Momo took an empty seat at their table and thought for a moment before replying. “I went to my quirk counselor. He looked at mine and my parent’s quirks, and then presented his explanation. I don’t understand where the confusion is coming from.”
“You went to a counselor after you first used your quirk?” Azura asked. At this, Izuku began to see what she was getting at.
“Well, yes.”
“What happened exactly? And how old were you?” she probed further.
After a moment, Momo spoke, “I do not see how this is relevant, but I was five I believe. I had lost a special toy of mine, a stuffed bear, and began to cry.” At that, Momo began to blush. “All I wanted was to hold it again. A flash of light happened, and the next thing I knew, that same bear appeared before me.”
Surprisingly, Izuku was the next one to speak with wife eyes. “If that’s the case, how did you know what the atomic and molecular structures of cloth, buttons, and other accessories were at five years old?”
Azura turned to him, “Exactly! There’s no way she could have known unless she was into chemistry at a very young age. Even then, there’s no way she could have completely understood all of it for a few years, at least.”
“If that’s the case, then there must be some other way. Maybe she collects data through studying and interacting with an object, then calls upon that data for whatever object she needs. Maybe the longer she interacts with an object, the higher the quality of the object.”
“That’s a possibility.” Turning back to the heiress, Azura probed her further. “How close did the original and the copy look? Were there any differences?”
Momo however only sat there stunned, her whole worldview shattered by the two. There were many thoughts going through her mind, too many she thought.
“Uh, I think you two broke her,” replied Uraraka. Azura’s expression didn’t change, but Izuku’s face went completely red when he realized just what happened.
After taking a moment to collect her thoughts, Momo answered the question after being prompted again. “They were nearly identical. There were no differences from what could be seen. H-how- This doesn’t make any sense.”
“Momo,” said Azura, calling the girl’s attention, “do you know the exact chemical makeup of a pool noodle?” she asked. After getting a response in the negative, she continued. “Then make one. I know what you just said, but if we’re right, then you won’t have to know molecular structures for your quirk to work.”
Momo concentrated for a second. She pictured one in her head. She thought about deriving the material used from what she knew, but she also wanted to test Azura’s hypothesis. Keeping the image of the pool toy itself in her head, she activated her quirk, a pool noodle was spat out from her arm. It had floated over to Izuku who picked it up and handed it back to her. As she kept making observation after observation, she was stunned further and further into silence.
“Correction Uraraka,” Azura said whist giggling, “now we’ve broken her.”
“Uh-how-I-wha?” was all the heiress was able to stutter out. Everyone else gave her a moment to recollect herself, obviously a bit shaken at the revelation.
“I have been using my quirk incorrectly this entire time,” she stated.
Azura opened her mouth, but someone else beat her to the punch. “You weren’t doing anything wrong, you were just doing what someone else told you. And because it worked, you never thought to question it deeper.” Izuku was the one to speak, momentarily overcoming his stuttering to give the raven-haired beauty comfort.
“I, thank you Midoriya,” she said after a moment. This shocked him out of his confident state, causing him to have an almost incandescent blush.
“N-n-no-no p-prob-blem,” he managed to stutter out.
“I must agree with Midoriya, Yaoyorozu!” said Tenya as he excitedly chopped his arms.
“Yeah, Dekiru’s right. We can’t always know everything from the word ‘go’,” chimed Ochako. Azura nodded with the statement.
“Thank you, all of you. Still, I can’t help but question why the counselor would tell me that I needed to know so much about molecular structures?” Momo pondered with concern.
“Probably for a better commission,” Azura said, cutting in. At the slightly confused expressions she continued. “Quirk Counselors, despite their profession, are honestly mostly incompetent. Anyone could learn the basics to quirk analysis if they actually tried, but there are already other people doing that job so barely anyone bothers. The ones who actually know what they’re doing charge exorbitant prices, while the actual affordable ones mostly only have the bare-bones to get the license because of how simple the basics are. Even then, more than a few from what I’ve seen try to overcomplicate the quirk to give its user an ego boost. They could also ask for a higher commission for ‘figuring out a complicated quirk’. Honestly, the whole profession needs a serious retooling.” Everyone at the table paid close attention to her tirade, seeing some of the points that she made.
“You seem quite passionate when it comes to this subject,” commented Tenya.
“I may not be a licensed professional, but what most people call a Quirk Analyst or Counselor is honestly insulting to the actual profession or study of quirk science.”
“So,” Momo started, “I was lied to since the beginning for a slightly larger paycheck? Is that all that was?”
“I said probably. The guy might’ve also never asked enough questions and just went with the first conclusion he came to that seemed to work,” Azura responded. “This could actually work in your favor honestly.”
A scandalized and frustrated expression overcame Momo’s face. “Excuse me? How could that lie possibly have been good for me? I have been using an overcomplicated way to use my quirk for nothing!”
“It’s because it was over complicated that it helped.”
“Oh, I get it,” said Izuku suddenly as he pinched his chin in thought. “Because she’s so used to using her quirk in such a detailed way, she could increase her already incredible production time. Without having to look at everything molecule by molecule, her creation process could be near instantaneous. She’ll obviously need to practice to break her out of her current mindset, but she’s obviously driven and smart enough… to do… that…” Izuku trailed off when he again realized he was surrounded by other people. His face exploded into a blush when he realized what he said at the end. He couldn't help getting lost in his thoughts, quirks were just so interesting! If he paid more attention, he would’ve seen a blush on Momo’s face as well.
“Yeah, that,” agreed Azura as she pointed at his blushing form.
“Wow, you two are wicked smart!” Ochako’s smiled. “I never would’ve figured that out.”
Izuku began stuttering in surprise, attempting to deny her claim, but Tenya's voice boomed over him. “Yes, to think that after knowing each other for less than a day, yet the two of you figured out a large discrepancy with her quirk. Truly, the two of you are worthy of studying at this fine institution!”
“I-I-I didn’t do anything. Highlander did all the work,” he said quickly.
“Not really,” she waved off. “There’s not a lot of people that can keep up with me when it comes to quirk analysis. Even then, you did bring up a few points I hadn’t considered. Time observing related to the quality of the object produced? That’s something we need to test. Same with the lipids. It just doesn’t feel right to me.”
Iida chose this time to speak up again. “I hate to be the one to interrupt, but it seems to be becoming quite late. Perhaps it is better to continue this conversation later.”
The group looked out the window to see that it was dark out. Their conversations took longer than any of them expected it seems.
“Probably a good idea. I wanna see the rest of the campus tomorrow, so it might be a good idea to get some shuteye.” Izuku nodded in agreement at Azura’s words. The campus was so big. Trying to find his way around that morning had been almost agonizing. “You guys wanna join me? It’d be more fun that way.”
“Yeah, totally!” said Ochako with a bright smile.
“Indeed, we must do our due diligence and strive to be the best students we can be for this fine institution!” exclaimed Tenya.
“You could’ve just left it at ‘yes’,” Azura deadpanned before she turned to him and Momo. “Well Green Bean, Momo? You guys coming too?”
“If it will not be a bother,” came the heiress’ dignified reply.
“O-oh, u-um, ye-yeah. Th-that sounds n-nice,” Izuku finally assented.
“Sweet! We’ll all meet down here at say, ten o’clock. That good for you guys?” After another round of affirmations, the group split up, everyone happy at the outcome, though Izuku was still heavily confused.
Not only did Azura defend him before, but she also analyzes quirks. And she complimented him on his own analysis too. He didn’t believe any of it. Like she said, quirk analysis was easy to get into, his observations were nothing special. More questions about the girl and no answers for the boy. The thought that it may be worse tomorrow did not help him in the slightest.