Eijiro - sweet, earnest Eijiro Kirishima. Compassionate to a fault, always pushing himself and everyone around him to be better. He could be a hothead, sure, but he was honest about it. And above all else, he was humble. Or at least… he usually was.

His past, especially the version of himself he’d been back in middle school, tended to keep his ego in check. He knew what it felt like to fall short, to hesitate, to be afraid. Crossing the line into arrogance had never come easily to him.

Except lately.

Something had shifted. No one knew when or why, but it had happened all the same.

Now it was late evening, and Eijiro was stretched out across one of the common room couches like he owned the place. His boots were propped up on the table, ankles crossed, posture open and unapologetic. His head tipped back, one arm draped lazily near his cheek, the other hanging loose. Even the way he sat carried a new kind of confidence - less relaxed, more deliberate.

"It’s hard. It’s hard - like, really freakin’ hard," Eijiro was saying, voice loud and unbothered. "It’s sexy, sure, but it’s hard. Raising the bar this high? Being this amazing all the time?" He scoffed softly, tilting his head back further as his eyes slid shut. "I make it look easy, but honey - believe me - it’s hard."

His arm slid up to rest over his forehead, lips parted just enough to show teeth, the picture of someone very pleased with himself.

Around him, a few classmates exchanged uncertain glances, clearly trying to pinpoint when - and how - this version of Eijiro had come into existence. Others barely reacted at all, either too used to his theatrics or simply not paying attention.

Whatever the cause, one thing was clear: something had changed.