*First-Person POV – Sasaki Kenjiro*
---
Sunlight cut through the window like a blade, dragging me from sleep. I blinked once, twice, before swinging my legs over the side of the bed. The floor was cool beneath my bare feet, the faint hum of the orphanage stirring to life just beyond my door.
Another day.
I stretched, feeling the familiar pull of muscle and tendon, the coiled strength in my limbs. A quick set of push-ups, sit-ups, and stretches—nothing strenuous, just enough to wake the body. The orphanage walls were thin, and I could already hear the muffled chaos of kids arguing over breakfast.
By the time I stepped out of the shower, steam curling around me, the house was in full swing.
Mrs. Tanaka stood at the stove, wielding a spatula like a seasoned general commanding her troops. Aiko slumped at the table, her face half-buried in her arms, a worn-out All Might plush dangling from one hand.
"Morning, brats," I said, snagging a piece of bacon from the pan.
Mrs. Tanaka swatted my hand away without looking. "Hands off, you menace."
Aiko groaned, peeling her face off the table. "Why… does school… exist…?"
"To torture you," I said, stealing another piece of bacon.
She squinted at me, her bedhead wild enough to rival Midoriya's. "You're evil."
"And yet you still love me."
Mrs. Tanaka snorted, sliding a plate of eggs and toast in front of me. "Eat. And don't think I didn't notice you sneaking food."
I smirked but didn't argue.
Breakfast passed in comfortable chaos—Aiko slowly waking up, Mrs. Tanaka scolding the twins for throwing food, the radio crackling with some hero news segment in the background.
Normal.
Peaceful.
For now.
---
The morning air was crisp, the city just beginning to wake. I adjusted my bag over my shoulder, nodding to Mrs. Tanaka as she waved me off from the porch.
"Don't cause any international incidents!" she called.
"No promises!"
I made it three blocks before fate—or perhaps mischief—intervened.
"*Sasa-kun!*"
I sighed. "Of course."
Nejire Hado bounded toward me, her blue hair bouncing with every step, her grin bright enough to rival the sun. She skidded to a stop in front of me, slightly breathless.
"Fancy meeting you here!"
I raised an eyebrow. "You waited for me, didn't you?"
She gasped, pressing a hand to her chest in mock offense. "Me? Stalk my adorable kouhai? Never!"
"Liar."
She laughed, falling into step beside me. "Okay, maybe I took a slightly longer route today. But only because I knew you'd be here!"
I shook my head but didn't argue.
We walked in silence for a moment—or as close to silence as Nejire could manage. Her fingers tapped against her thigh, her gaze darting to every shop window, every passing bird, like the world was too fascinating to ignore.
"Sooo," she drawled, nudging me with her elbow. "About yesterday—"
"Not a date."
She puffed out her cheeks. "I wasn't gonna say that!"
"You were thinking it."
"Was not!"
"Were too."
She huffed, crossing her arms. "You're impossible."
I smirked. "And yet here you are."
She opened her mouth to retort—
"Sasaki!"
Midoriya's voice cut through the morning air. He jogged toward us, his bag bouncing against his back, his expression bright.
Nejire perked up. "Ooooh, is this your friend?"
Midoriya blinked, noticing her for the first time. "O-oh! Nejire-senpai!"
She beamed. "You know me!"
"Y-yeah! Your performance at last year's Sports Festival was amazing! The way you used your Quirk to—"
I clamped a hand over his mouth before he could spiral into mutter-storm territory. "Down, nerd."
Nejire giggled. "I like him!"
Midoriya turned red.
---
UA loomed ahead, its towering gates a familiar sight. Nejire waved as she split off toward the third-year wing, leaving Midoriya and me to navigate the halls alone.
"Sh-she's… energetic," Midoriya managed.
I snorted. "That's one word for it."
Class 1-A was already buzzing when we arrived. Kirishima and Kaminari were arm-wrestling on someone's desk, Mina cheering them on. Tenya was lecturing Mineta about "proper decorum," while Ochaco chatted with Tsuyu near the window.
Bakugou sat in his usual spot, glowering at nothing. Todoroki was silent as ever, staring out the window like it held the secrets of the universe.
"Dude!" Kirishima spotted me first, abandoning the arm-wrestling match to sling an arm over my shoulders. "You gotta tell us how you took down Todoroki like that!"
Kaminari nodded frantically. "Yeah! That was insane!"
I shrugged. "He was slow."
Todoroki's eye twitched.
Ochaco giggled. "You're such a show-off."
"I prefer the term 'confident.'"
The bell rang, cutting off any further interrogation.
English with Present Mic was as chaotic as expected.
"HEY HEY HEY! WHO'S READY TO ROCK SOME VOCABULARY?!"
Kirishima pumped his fist. "HELL YEAH!"
Iida chopped the air. "PLEASE REFRAIN FROM YELLING, SENSEI!"
Mic just grinned. "TOO BAD! TODAY WE'RE LEARNING SLANG!"
Kaminari blinked. "Wait, like, actual useful English?"
Mic winked. "Damn straight!"
The day passed in a blur—Mathematics with Ectoplasm, Modern Literature with Cementoss, Hero Ethics with All Might (who still hadn't quite figured out how to teach without devolving into motivational speeches).
By the time Advanced Mathematics rolled around, even I was starting to feel the mental fatigue.
Aizawa, wrapped in his sleeping bag like a disgruntled caterpillar, eyed us from the corner. "Problem Set 14. Due by the end of class. No talking."
Mina groaned. "This is torture…"
I cracked my knuckles and got to work.
---
The sun was dipping below the horizon by the time we stepped out of UA. Midoriya walked beside me, his bag stuffed with notes, his expression thoughtful.
"Hey, Sasaki…"
I glanced at him. "Hm?"
He hesitated, then smiled. "Thanks. For, uh… everything."
I raised an eyebrow. "That's vague."
He laughed, rubbing his neck. "I just… I wouldn't be here without you. So… thanks."
I didn't respond. Didn't need to.
We walked in silence until the path split—him toward the train station, me toward the orphanage.
"See you tomorrow," he said, waving.
I nodded. "Don't die."
He grinned. "No promises!"
Nejire's voice echoed from somewhere behind us. "*Sasa-kun! Wait up!*"
I sighed.
"This is my life now, huh?"
I turned, ready to face the storm.
"Sasa-kun! Let's go to that coffee shop again!"
I barely had time to blink before her hand clamped around my wrist, her grip surprisingly strong for someone who looked like she weighed less than a strong breeze.
"Wait—"
"Nope! No waiting!" She tugged me forward with the force of a small hurricane. "You're not busy, I'm not busy, and the universe obviously wants us to get coffee again!"
I groaned, but my feet moved anyway. "This is kidnapping."
Nejire giggled, skipping ahead like she hadn't just commandeered my afternoon. "It's only kidnapping if you don't want to come!"
"I don't."
"Liar!"
I didn't argue.
The shop—Hoshi no Tsubasa ("Wings of the Star," pretentious name and all)—was just as I remembered: cozy, quiet, and filled with the rich scent of roasted beans. The same barista from yesterday blinked at us as we walked in, her eyes flicking between Nejire's grin and my deadpan expression.
"Back so soon?" she asked.
Nejire beamed. *"Yep! This time, no coffee-related disasters!"*
"Famous last words," I muttered.
We ordered—black coffee for me, some sugar-and-caffeine abomination for Nejire—and settled at a corner table. The afternoon sun streamed through the window, casting golden streaks across Nejire's hair.
I took a sip, savoring the bitterness. "So. Why'd you drag me here?"
Nejire stirred her drink, the mountain of whipped cream slowly dissolving into a caramel swamp. "Do I need a reason?"
"Most people do."
"Boring!" She leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands. "Fine, fine. I wanted to hear about your day. UA's way more fun when you're around, y'know?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Is this another date?"
Nejire didn't miss a beat. "If you want to assume that, then sure! It's a date!"
I groaned. "You're impossible."
"And yet here you are," she sing-songed, echoing my words from this morning.
I couldn't help the smirk. "Touché."
Nejire talked. A lot.
She told me about her classes—how Mirio accidentally turned himself intangible during a quiz and fell through the floor. How Tamaki nearly fainted when Ectoplasm called on him. How she once got detention for using her Quirk to spiral up to the roof just to "see the view."
"It was worth it," she declared, waving her spoon like a conductor's baton. "The sunset was amazing that day!"
I listened, interjecting only to mock her (lightly) or steal a bite of her abandoned pastry (heavily).
"Your turn!" she finally said, kicking my shin under the table. "What's your UA like?"
I shrugged. "Loud. Kirishima and Kaminari arm-wrestle too much. Bakugou glares at everything. Midoriya mutters."
"Ooooh, Midoriya! He's adorable! Like a bunny with a death wish!"
"That's… oddly accurate."
She grinned, then hesitated—just for a second. "And… Todoroki?"
Ah. That.
I swirled my coffee. "What about him?"
"You obliterated him in like, two seconds. Everyone's still talking about it."
"He was slow."
"Sasa-kun." She poked my forehead. "You're avoiding."
I caught her finger before she could retreat. "And you're nosy."
She didn't pull away. "Guilty!"
For a moment, we just looked at each other—her, bright and unreadable; me, guarded and… something else.
Then the barista dropped a tray, the clatter snapping the tension.
Nejire laughed, leaning back. "Welp! I guess I'll let you off the hook this time."
"Generous of you."
"I know, right?"
---
The sun was setting by the time we left, painting the streets in hues of orange and pink. Nejire twirled once, her uniform skirt flaring, before stopping in front of me.
"This was fun!"
"It was something," I agreed.
She stuck her tongue out, then—impulsively—hugged me. It was quick, warm, and over before I could react.
*"See you tomorrow, Sasa-kun!"*
And just like that, she was gone—disappearing into the crowd with a wave.
I stood there for a second, then shook my head, a smirk tugging at my lips.
"Damn her."
--
Aiko greeted me at the door with a fireball in each hand.
"KENJIRO! LOOK! I MADE THEM BIGGER!"
"Put those down before you burn the house down," I said, plucking one from her grip and extinguishing it in my palm.
She pouted. "You're no fun."
Mrs. Tanaka appeared, wiping her hands on her apron. "Oh good, you're back. Help me with dinner before the twins eat all the ingredients again."
The next few hours passed in a blur of chopping vegetables, herding children, and listening to Aiko's dramatic retelling of her *"super-duper important*" day at school.
"And then Kaito said my Quirk wasn't cool, so I may have set his homework on fire—"
"Aiko."
"—but it was fine because it was math and math is evil anyway!"*
Mrs. Tanaka sighed. "I'm surrounded by pyromaniacs."
I flicked Aiko's forehead. "No arson at school."
"Boring."
By the time the dishes were done and the kids were in bed, even I was feeling the weight of the day.
My room was dark, the only light coming from the streetlamp outside. I flopped onto the bed, staring at the ceiling.
Today had been… normal.
Coffee. Conversations. Aiko's antics.
No villains. No life-or-death battles. Just… life.
It was strange.
Eleven years in this world, and I'd spent most of them preparing for war. But moments like today—Nejire's laugh, Aiko's fireballs, Mrs. Tanaka's scolding—these were the things I hadn't seen coming.
"Annoying," I thought, closing my eyes.
But not unwelcome.
Sleep came quickly, for once.