Etsuha naturally had no idea that the principal had already begun to suspect the nature of his Quirk—but even if he did, he wouldn't be particularly concerned. After all, what he had revealed so far was already quite obvious: his abilities closely resembled powers found in comics.
If someone paid enough attention to those works, they might be able to piece things together. Unfortunately, manga wasn't something most adults followed closely, and younger audiences—who did pay attention—rarely had the chance to observe Etsuha's abilities firsthand. The two groups barely overlapped, making it unlikely anyone would connect the dots.
After returning home, Etsuha resumed his Quirk experiments.
As his research progressed, he discovered something unexpected: the stronger a Quirk was, the more it interfered with other genes. In other words, there was a limit to how much a host could endure. When that threshold was exceeded, genetic instability would occur—leading to complete biological collapse.
The mice he experimented on couldn't withstand too many powerful Quirks. Once the limit was crossed, their bodies broke down entirely.
This realization startled him.
If mice had limits… then what about humans?
Did humans also have an upper threshold for Quirks?
And if that was the case… how could someone like All For One possess so many abilities at once?
That question alone was enough to keep Etsuha absorbed in research for days.
Although he gradually began to identify certain patterns, the lack of sufficient test subjects prevented him from reaching a final conclusion.
Not long after, U.A announced the official start of the school term.
"School's starting already?" Etsuha muttered to himself. "Come to think of it… the League of Villains has been unusually quiet lately. Are they planning to follow the original timeline?"
After so many peaceful days, he almost found himself missing the chaos of their attacks. After all, defeating enemies in those situations brought the greatest recognition.
Right now, even though his comics had gained a fair amount of popularity, their reach was still limited. It wasn't enough to create a significant leap in his influence.
Still, the thought passed quickly.
A quiet life wasn't bad either.
Once upon a time, his dream had been simple—to become a wealthy shut-in. Unfortunately, in a world like this, strength was the only way to truly control one's fate.
With his bag slung over his shoulder, Etsuha headed toward U.A.
U.A High School – Hero Course, Class 1-A
Standing before the familiar classroom door, Etsuha wasn't surprised to see several familiar faces inside.
The most noticeable were Ida Tenya and Bakugo Katsuki.
The former had an overwhelming sense of responsibility and a habit of correcting others whenever something bothered him. The latter was the complete opposite—unrestrained and explosive. Their personalities clashed almost instantly whenever they interacted.
Yet the moment Etsuha stepped into the room, all of that tension vanished.
Both Bakugo, who had been lounging with his feet on the desk, and Ida Tenya, who had been about to scold him, froze in place. The rest of the class reacted the same way—shock spreading across their faces.
"It's really him… he's in our class!"
"I knew he passed, but I didn't expect we'd be classmates…"
"That's the strongest first-year, right?!"
"Just looking at him… it feels like there's pressure in the air."
Etsuha couldn't help but twitch slightly at their reactions. It seemed his strength had left quite an impression—some even looked at him with open admiration.
Glancing around, he confirmed that everything matched the original lineup. Despite the chaos of the boss battle, the final admissions hadn't changed.
That was… reassuring.
Yaoyorozu Momo noticed him and gave a small wave. Etsuha smiled and returned the gesture.
"Shina!" Ida Tenya approached him, bowing slightly with a serious expression. "I sincerely apologize for my behavior during the exam!"
"It's fine. I didn't take it seriously," Etsuha replied casually. "Let's get along from here on out."
Relief washed over Ida Tenya's face.
During the briefing, he had mistaken Etsuha's relaxed attitude for laziness and tried to reprimand him—only to later realize that Etsuha had simply understood the situation far better than anyone else.
The regret still lingered.
Meanwhile, other students gathered around, eager to talk. Etsuha didn't mind, chatting casually with a few of them.
Before long, everyone had arrived.
Then—
"Hey… what is that?!"
Ida Tenya stared at the classroom entrance in disbelief.
A sleeping bag lay sprawled across the doorway.
And… there was someone inside it.
"It took you eight minutes to settle down."
Aizawa Shouta's head popped out from the sleeping bag, his expression utterly lifeless. Aside from his sharp eyes, everything about him screamed exhaustion—as if he hadn't slept in days.
It was hard to believe this man was a U.A teacher.
He slowly climbed out and walked into the classroom.
"I'm your homeroom teacher, Aizawa Shouta. Nice to meet you."
"Homeroom teacher?!"
The class was stunned.
This guy… was their teacher?!
Fortunately, everyone maintained enough composure not to voice their disbelief aloud.
Aizawa seemed satisfied with their reaction. He pulled out their gym uniforms and said lazily:
"Stop wasting time. Change into these and meet me on the training field. Shina—come with me."
Etsuha stepped forward, following him out.
But once they were alone, Aizawa's expression turned serious.
"Do you remember those things that attacked you before?"
"You mean the Nomu?" Etsuha responded immediately, recalling the monstrous figures.
"Yes." Aizawa nodded. "The police still don't have much information on them. But recently… something similar was spotted in Shizuoka Prefecture."
He pulled out his phone.
On the screen was a photo—
A Nomu, walking through a narrow alley.