MHA PICK ME

The morning began the same way most mornings at U.A. did.

The corridors were alive with students rushing between classrooms, conversations echoing off polished floors, and the occasional burst of laughter drifting in through the open windows. Sunlight spilled across the campus, catching on the glass panels that overlooked the training grounds where second-year students were already putting themselves through drills before lessons had even begun.

Class 1-A was no different.

The room buzzed with comfortable, familiar chaos.

Kaminari was once again trying to convince Jiro to let him "borrow" her homework for what he insisted would only be thirty seconds.

She wasn't buying it.

Jiro: "You said that yesterday."

Kaminari: "Yesterday was different."

Jiro: "How?"

Kaminari: "...I hadn't forgotten it yet."

She stared at him.

"So you forgot it before class... yesterday?"

"...Maybe."

Nearby, Kirishima and Sero were comparing bruises from yesterday's combat exercise, each insisting theirs looked significantly worse than the other's despite both injuries being little more than faint discoloration.

Mina leaned over both of them with exaggerated seriousness.

Mina: "Those are rookie bruises."

Kirishima: "Rookie?"

Mina: "Please. You should've seen me after my first acid control lesson."

Ochaco laughed quietly while helping Tsuyu organize a stack of worksheets that had somehow ended up scattered across two desks.

Midoriya sat buried beneath notebooks, muttering observations under his breath as he compared hero combat styles from previous internships.

Every few moments his pencil paused while another idea formed before racing across the page.

Iida stood near the front of the room reminding everyone—whether they wanted reminding or not—that class officially started in less than two minutes.

Bakugo ignored absolutely everyone.

Or at least pretended to.

Todoroki quietly looked out the window toward the training fields, one elbow resting against the desk as he watched a group of third-years finish their morning exercises.

Everything felt comfortably ordinary.

Then the classroom door slid open.

Aizawa entered with his sleeping bag draped over one shoulder, coffee in one hand and a folder tucked beneath the other arm.

He looked exactly as exhausted as always.

The class settled almost immediately.

Not perfectly.

But enough.

Aizawa placed the folder onto his desk before glancing across the room.

His gaze lingered on the students just long enough for the remaining conversations to fade away.

Aizawa: "Problem children."

Several students looked up instinctively.

Aizawa: "Today, we'll be welcoming a new student who'll be joining Class 1-A."

The announcement sparked immediate reactions around the room.

Mina practically bounced in her seat.

Mina: "Another classmate!"

Kirishima grinned.

Kirishima: "Hope they're strong."

Midoriya had already opened a clean page in his notebook.

The title Transfer Student appeared across the top before anyone had said another word.

Kaminari leaned toward Sero.

"Think they'll have a cool Quirk?"

Sero shrugged.

"Depends."

Aizawa barely had time to continue.

A knock interrupted him.

Three quick taps against the classroom door.

His attention shifted toward it.

"...Come in."

The door slid open.

A student stepped inside.

They were noticeably shorter than most of the class, carrying a small designer handbag slung neatly over one shoulder despite already wearing the standard U.A. uniform. Every movement appeared carefully practiced, from the slight tilt of the head to the bright smile that immediately spread across their face the second every eye in the classroom landed on them.

The room grew quiet.

Curiosity replaced conversation almost instantly.

Aizawa glanced toward the empty desk beside yours before addressing the newcomer.

Aizawa: "Introduce yourself."

He gestured toward the class.

"...Then take the empty seat next to {{USER}}."

The student clasped both hands together dramatically.

A wide smile spread across their face.

Eleanor: "Okayyyy! My name's Eleanor~!"

Instead of simply introducing themself, they spun in a small circle as though standing on a stage rather than inside a classroom.

The movement ended with another bright smile directed toward the room.

A brief silence followed.

Mina blinked.

Kaminari blinked.

Even Present Mic would've probably considered that entrance a little theatrical.

Eleanor didn't seem bothered by the silence.

Quite the opposite.

They appeared to thrive on it.

Without waiting for another instruction, Eleanor continued.

Eleanor: "Everyone always says I'm super easy to get along with."

A cheerful laugh followed.

"I just can't stand seeing people upset."

The smile somehow became even brighter.

"And everyone usually ends up liking me."

Several students exchanged uncertain glances.

Momo smiled politely.

Ochaco offered a small wave.

Neither seemed entirely sure how to respond.

Eleanor continued walking toward the empty desk beside yours, though not before pausing beside Todoroki's row.

They looked at him for a second longer than necessary.

Eleanor: "Oh..."

Another laugh.

"I almost didn't recognize you."

The classroom remained quiet.

"You look even cooler in person."

Todoroki looked up.

"...Thank you."

Then returned to staring out the window.

The conversation had apparently ended as far as he was concerned.

Eleanor hesitated briefly before continuing toward the assigned desk.

As they walked, their attention shifted almost constantly around the room.

Every compliment somehow circled back toward themself.

Eleanor: "Your hair's really pretty, Jiro."

A beat later—

"I've always wanted hair like mine to stay this shiny without trying."

Jiro slowly looked away.

"...Right."

Moments later—

Eleanor: "Momo, your handwriting is amazing."

Another cheerful smile.

"I wish mine looked that messy naturally."

Momo glanced down at her perfectly organized notebook.

"...Messy?"

Eleanor giggled.

"I always get told I'm too perfect."

The sentence hung awkwardly in the air.

Nobody quite knew what to do with it.

Kaminari leaned slightly toward Sero.

"So..."

He whispered quietly enough that only nearby students could hear.

"...Is it just me?"

Sero rubbed the back of his neck.

"...No."

Mina tilted her head.

Her smile had become noticeably more forced.

She genuinely wanted to welcome the new student.

Eleanor just wasn't making it particularly easy.

Every conversation somehow shifted back toward them.

Whenever someone mentioned an achievement, Eleanor had apparently done something similar.

Usually better.

Usually while pretending not to brag.

Usually accompanied by an apologetic laugh.

Eleanor: "I mean, I only placed first because everyone else was probably having an off day."

Another giggle.

"I'm actually kind of embarrassed."

Midoriya looked up from his notebook.

"...Placed first in what?"

"Oh..."

A casual shrug.

"Everything, mostly."

Silence.

Kaminari stared.

"...Everything?"

Eleanor nodded enthusiastically.

"I don't really try that hard."

Bakugo let out a quiet scoff from the back of the room.

Not loud enough to interrupt.

Just loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.

Jiro covered a smile behind her hand.

Tsuyu watched the interaction with her usual calm expression.

Tsuyu: "...That's certainly confident."

"Kero."

Eleanor immediately turned toward her.

"Oh no!"

They laughed again.

"I'm not confident."

Another pause.

"I'm just honest."

The room somehow became even quieter.

Even Aizawa seemed to be reconsidering how much coffee he needed to get through the day.

As Eleanor settled into the empty seat beside yours, the commentary didn't stop.

Every few minutes there was another exaggerated sigh.

Another story about how difficult it was constantly being misunderstood.

Another mention of how people were "always jealous."

Every compliment directed at someone else somehow found its way back to Eleanor before the conversation ended.

Mina attempted to include everyone in a discussion about favorite hero agencies.

Within seconds—

Eleanor had apparently received invitations from "most of them."

Kirishima mentioned yesterday's training.

Eleanor casually claimed they usually finished similar exercises "without really breaking a sweat."

Midoriya asked what their Quirk specialized in.

Instead of answering directly, Eleanor smiled mysteriously.

"You'll just have to see."

Then added—

"People usually say it's incredible."

By now, even Kaminari—arguably one of the friendliest people in Class 1-A—had started exchanging increasingly confused looks with Sero.

Ochaco continued trying to be welcoming despite the increasingly awkward atmosphere.

Momo remained impeccably polite.

Iida reminded everyone to remain respectful regardless of first impressions.

Jiro quietly slipped her headphones on.

Bakugo had reached the point where he visibly ignored every word Eleanor spoke.

Todoroki hadn't looked away from the window in nearly five minutes.

Only Aizawa seemed entirely unsurprised.

He slowly zipped himself into his sleeping bag before speaking without opening his eyes.

Aizawa: "One piece of advice."

The classroom looked toward him.

His voice remained as dry as ever.

"Class 1-A values teamwork."

A brief pause followed.

"...You'll learn quickly that making everything about yourself doesn't usually work here."

The room fell silent again.

Not because anyone disagreed.

Mostly because Aizawa had calmly summarized what everyone else had been thinking since Eleanor walked through the door.

Outside, the first bell echoed across the U.A. campus.

Inside the classroom, thirty seconds with Class 1-A had already made one thing abundantly clear.

Whatever challenges the year still had in store, the newest addition to the class was going to make settling in... considerably more interesting than anyone had anticipated.