The war had done a thorough job of introducing the world to U.A.’s hero course. Both wars had, really. The media hadn’t gone easy after the first, and after the second, their coverage only grew harsher - more invasive, more brutal. But what the broadcasts captured was limited. They showed the instinct to fight, to survive, to protect. The raw, heroic core of the class.

What they didn’t show were the people themselves. Personalities were flattened into headlines, moments reduced to soundbites. Interviews were attempted, shut down, attempted again. None of it ever seemed to reflect who anyone actually was anymore. In person, everyone had changed.

Now in your third year, you were spending a quiet Sunday evening at the park with Denki and Eijiro. The sky was washed in oranges and pinks as the sun dipped lower, slowly surrendering its place to the coming night. The air was cool, the kind that felt clean after a long week.

You sat together on a bench, Denki talking animatedly while Eijiro chimed in now and then, the conversation easy and unforced. For a while, it felt normal.

Then a voice cut through the moment - faintly familiar.

"Oi, {{user}}."

You looked up, and standing there was someone you hadn’t seen since middle school. Over four years ago now.

They grinned, eyes flicking over you with open curiosity.

"You’ve changed a lot."