To Momo's immense relief and to Junsei's quiet disappointment, the day ended without expulsion. The principal declared the entire affair a simple misunderstanding.
"Junsei," he said, "had failed to explain himself properly, while Mr. Yajiro had made a judgment without confirming what Junsei's quirk actually entailed."
With a few words, the old man settled the matter.
The following two days passed peacefully. Though, it quickly became clear that Junsei was taking the anti-social trope to an entirely new level. He did not speak to other students. He did not react to jokes, whispers, or curious stares. He spoke only when Momo forced him to, or when a teacher addressed him directly and left him no alternative but to answer. Even then, his replies were brief, clipped, and utterly devoid of warmth.
The students, for their part, adapted to this. After several failed attempts to draw any reaction from him, they collectively decided he was not worth the effort. Junsei became something like a piece of furniture in the class. By the fourth day, most of the class had learned to look past him altogether.
But the morning of that day brought back the physical education class and Mr. Yajiro's teaching. This time, he led them into the gymnasium.
"Today," Mr. Yajiro announced, "we'll be learning about basketball. Some of you may have played it before, others may know nothing beyond the name of the sport."
He launched into a twenty-minute lecture on the rules, the objective, and the basic mechanics of the game. Afterward, he ordered the students to jog for five minutes to warm up, then instructed them to line up near one of the hoops.
"The ability to score in your opponent's hoop is the most fundamental skill," he said. "So we'll start there. Each of you will get three throws for today and next week, we will dive deeper into the game. Any questions before we begin?"
No one raised a hand.
Mr. Yajiro nodded once. "Junsei. Come. You're first."
Junsei stepped forward, his expression unchanged. Mr. Yajiro tossed him the ball. "When you're ready," he said, "dribble three times, then shoot."
Junsei caught the ball and stared at it. He turned it over in his hands, moving it slowly, like a baby encountering a toy for the first time. He tossed it lightly into the air, caught it, then did it again, and again. A faint crease appeared between Mr. Yajiro's brows, irritation building, but this time he reined it in. He drew a careful breath.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"It's my first time holding a ball," Junsei replied calmly. "I'm judging its weight and how much strength I need."
For a moment, Mr. Yajiro did not know how to respond. Part of him was convinced the boy was lying or deliberately testing his patience. Still, he kept his voice level. "We don't have the whole day."
Junsei tossed the ball higher this time, his eyes tracking its movement. He caught it cleanly and nodded once. "I'm done."
"Finally," Mr. Yajiro muttered. "Dribble and shoot into the hoop."
Junsei obeyed. He dribbled the ball three times with one hand, then flicked it upward with a simple, almost careless motion. The ball traced a smooth arc through the air and dropped cleanly through the hoop.
A murmur rippled through the students.
Junsei retrieved the ball, repeated the exact same movement, and scored again. Then a third time.
Silence fell over the gym. Mr. Yajiro stared, his mouth slightly open. He had never seen a student shoot like that before.
When Junsei turned to walk back toward the line, Mr. Yajiro finally found his voice.
"Junsei," he said, "have you played basketball before?"
Junsei shook his head.
"Then where did you learn to score like that?"
Junsei frowned faintly, genuinely puzzled. "I just tossed the ball into the hoop like you said. What's wrong?" He paused. "Is that not normal?"
Mr. Yajiro's thoughts screamed that the boy was lying, but his eyes saw only confusion.
After a moment, he said slowly, "How do you know how to put the ball into the hoop?"
"I know how far my strength can throw the ball," Junsei replied. "I just adjust it."
Mr. Yajiro swallowed. "Take a ball. Go to the center of the court. Score from there."
Junsei blinked, then did as instructed. He walked to the center, dribbled three times, and flung the ball forward. It sailed in a perfect arc and dropped straight through the hoop.
Mr. Yajiro's eyes widened. Around him, the students stared at Junsei as though he were some strange creature that had wandered into their gym by mistake. From the sidelines, Momo smiled and waved at him, her support clear.
Mr. Yajiro asked "This is all you? No quirk?"
Junsei replied "Yes, what is wrong?"
Momo said "Mr. Yajiro, Junsei really doesn't know anything about Basketball, this probably was his first time hearing of it."
Mr. Yajiro looked at her then back at Junsei then said "Well done, Junsei. Go stand back next to your classmate. Kato, you are next"
The class continued with the students glancing at Junsei and some trying to know what his trick was. They got no answer.
At the end of the class, Mr. Yajiro asked Junsei to stay behind.
——————
Lunch hour arrived with its usual clatter and chatter, trays sliding across tables and voices rising in uneven waves. Junsei sat beside Momo, his attention wholly devoted to the impressive pile of dessert before him. He ate as though the world beyond his plate simply did not exist. Around them sat several of Momo's friends, watching him with a mixture of curiosity and disbelief.
Komi leaned forward first. "Are you going to stay silent?" she asked, unable to help herself. "What did Mr. Yajiro make you stay back for? What did he say? He must have added you to the school basketball team, right?"
Junsei did not look up. He continued eating, eyes fixed on his food. Momo let out a small sigh. "Junsei, please," she said gently but firmly. "Komi is talking to you. Either answer her, or at least tell her you don't want to answer."
Junsei paused. He swallowed and said flatly, "I was. Yes. He invited me." Then he returned to his dessert as though the matter were settled.
Komi's eyes widened. "That's cool! If you can shoot like that in a game, you'll be our school's ace!" The others nodded in agreement. Only Saji frowned.
"I'm more interested in why he's acting like that," Saji said bluntly. "He hates this place, I get it, but why is he so weird?"
"Saji, that's mean," Komi scolded.
Saji pointed straight at Junsei. "He doesn't care. Talk as bad as you want and he won't react."
Momo stiffened. "Still, don't talk to him like that," she said. "He'll get around… eventually."
"But really," Saji pressed, lowering his voice only slightly, "what's his deal? He's your cousin, and he only seems to listen to you."
Momo hesitated. Her fingers tightened around her chopsticks.
"Bad things happened to him years ago," she said quietly. "That's why he's like this. Just… give him time."
Silence settled over the table. One by one, their eyes drifted back to Junsei. He was the only one still eating, unbothered by their stares.
At last, Komi cleared her throat. "So, Junsei," she said brightly, "since you're going to join the school team, did Mr. Yajiro say when you'll start training?"
Junsei stopped eating. He looked up. "I won't join," he said. "I declined."
"What?! Why" Saji exclaimed.
Junsei didn't answer and just continued eating. Momo turned to him, clearly tired. "Please, Junsei. I know you understand me. Speak to the others normally too, you don't need me to tell you this every time."
"I don't like staying near people," Junsei replied evenly. "Or talking with them."
Saji blinked. "Are we included in this?"
Junsei nodded once.
Komi tilted her head. "Why?"
"I just don't like humans," Junsei answered.
That only deepened the confusion around the table. Kaya, a girl who had been silent until now, glanced between them and asked hesitantly, "If he doesn't like us, should we keep sitting next to him?"
"Please don't mind him," Momo said quickly.
Komi nodded, as if the matter were perfectly clear. "He doesn't like humans, not us. So it's fine to stay here."
"What kind of logic is that?" Saji muttered. Then he shrugged. "But I agree. There's no need to care about his opinion."
"Yes," Komi added cheerfully. "He only follows Mama Mo's orders after all."
"Please don't call me that," Momo groaned.
"Too late!" Komi laughed. "Right?"
The other two nodded in agreement.
——————
In the principal's office, the atmosphere could not have been more different.
Mr. Yajiro paced back and forth, face flushed with frustration. "He has a rare talent… no, a divine talent!" he thundered. "And he refused to join the team! We can't let his talent go to waste! We have to do something!"
The principal sighed, watching his teacher with tired eyes. It was almost impressive, only days ago Mr. Yajiro had been eager to expel the boy, and now he was utterly consumed by the idea of forcing him onto the school basketball team. He spoke of summoning Junsei's guardians, of convincing them, persuading them, pushing them if necessary.
"Mr. Yajiro," the principal said calmly, "I understand your passion. But you cannot force a student to act against his will."
"I'm showing him the path to a bright future! This is the definition of my job!!" Mr. Yajiro shot back. "And it would be a sin to let him walk away from sport. He was born for it."
The principal sighed.