MHA: SHADOWS IN UA

The classroom buzzed with idle chatter as students waited for their next lesson.

Outside, the faint hum of reporters beyond U.A.'s gates seeped through the walls, though no one paid much attention anymore.

The class had discussed them earlier, but Momo's thoughts were elsewhere.

Her gaze flickered toward a seat a few rows away.

Azaria.

Even now, he sat with his usual nonchalance, his chair tilted back slightly, fingers lazily tapping against his desk.

He looked almost bored, like none of this truly concerned him.

Momo had noticed him from the beginning, not because he tried to stand out, but because he already did.

His tattoo, piercings, and the way he carried himself had given her the impression that he was capable.

But then the rankings had been posted, and his name had landed somewhere in the middle.

She had felt… disappointed.

At the time, she had thought she overestimated him.

Perhaps his appearance and quiet confidence had misled her.

Maybe he wasn't as capable as she had initially assumed.

Then came the fight.

She had gone into it thinking she already knew the outcome.

That he was decent at best but ultimately not a challenge.

Even during the battle, she had believed she overestimated him.

At first, he played into the role of an average fighter, nothing particularly outstanding. But then, suddenly, everything changed.

In an instant, he turned the tide, defeating her so decisively that she was left stunned.

He defeated her.

Without landing a single punch.

The memory still made her stomach twist but what happened after was worse.

No gloating.

No celebration.

He said some words and walked away.

Like it was nothing.

Like it hadn't even mattered.

He even looked at her like she wasn't worth the whole effort.

Spoke to her like she wasn't worth the effort.

She couldn't forget how piercing and cold his eyes looked as he towered over her.

It frustrated her.

Because after that fight, nothing changed.

In class and training, he still continued with his 'usual self', a stark contrast of that fight.

One would have thought his performance against her had been a fluke.

The class did actually think that his victory was a fluke.

But Momo knew better.

She had felt his strength.

Why?

Why would someone with that level of skill choose to act ordinary?

If he was strong enough to defeat her like that, why wasn't he at the top of the class?

Momo prided herself on her ability to analyze people, to understand their strengths and motivations.

But Azaria didn't fit any pattern she could recognize.

And that made her curious.

She folded her arms, deep in thought, until she caught herself.

Why am I thinking about him so much?

She shook her head slightly, refocusing as the door slid open and their teacher entered.

But in the back of her mind, the questions remained.

***

I shifted in my seat, resting my chin on my hand as I stared blankly at the whiteboard.

The classroom was filled with the sounds of scribbling pens, mostly from Midoriya and the occasional sigh from Denki, who probably wasn't paying attention anyway.

Something felt off.

That weird sensation, like an itch beneath my skin had been nagging at me for a while now.

Someone was watching me.

Obviously I've had one or too many glances, stares at my way but this one feels kinda....intense?

I glanced to the side, casually, without turning my whole head.

There, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted her.

Momo Yaoyorozu.

Huh?

She was looking at me.

Wait, was she staring at me?

No, it couldn't be.

Maybe she was just staring out the window or something.

That's normal, right?

I mean, when you're bored in class, you tend to gaze out the window.

Except it didn't feel like she was staring out the window.

Her eyes were on me.

The moment our eyes met, she turned away like nothing happened.

Weird.

What was that about?

I could just let it slide, pretend I didn't notice. But now that I had noticed, ignoring it felt awkward and impossible.

So, naturally, I did the worst thing possible.

I raised my hand.

And waved.

It wasn't even a normal wave. Not the kind you give to a friend when you see them in the hallway.

No, this was an awkward, hesitant kind of wave.

'What the fuck did I just do?'

Momo blinked.

Her eyebrows twitched slightly—like she was trying to process what she had just witnessed.

Then, without a single change in expression, she turned back to the front.

I immediately regretted my existence.

Why did I do that?

Slowly, I lowered my hand, keeping my face neutral like nothing had happened.

Maybe she didn't even register it. Maybe I could just move on—

A low snicker from my side made my stomach drop.

I turned my head slightly.

Denki was grinning at me.

"Bro, what was that?"

I ignored him.

Denki leaned in closer, his voice barely holding back laughter.

"Dude. Did you just—"

I rested my chin on my hand, pretending to be completely engrossed in the lesson.

Denki's grin widened. "Oh my god, you totally did."

"Did what?" I tried to act ignorant about it.

"Don't pretend, I saw you when you waved to her and she rejected you. You fucking playboy, the women outside aren't enough for you, now you want the girls here in UA?"

"Kaminari," Cementoss voice cut through the air "Stop disturbing the class and focus."

Denki face was slightly flushed with embarrassment as he turned. "Sorry Sensei."

I couldn't help but let out a frustrated sigh as I looked at him.

This motherfucker was the reason for my failure of the tailing incident.

He just had to appear from who knows where and starts to spout rubbish.

Even now, he still did it.

But, wait a minute...

How did we even start talking regularly?

Before I knew it, we were already talking regularly. Well, mostly him pestering me.

Shaking my head, I couldn't help but sneak a quick glance at Momo, who was already focused on the teaching.

Still, as much as I wanted to think about the awkward interaction, my mind drifted back to the real problem.

My fingers tapped lightly against my desk as I replayed the last conversation I had with Shigaraki.

---

The air in the hideout was thick, a mix of stale alcohol and cigarette smoke.

Shigaraki sat in his usual spot, hunched over like a restless vulture, his fingers twitching slightly near his neck.

I expected him to be pissed.

Losing track of the target wasn't exactly a success.

The others weren't around. Just him.

And for some reason, for me, that made it worse.

But instead, he tilted his head, a slow grin creeping onto his face.

"Hah… not bad," he muttered.

I blinked, confused. "What?"

"You lost him," he continued, clearly unfazed, "but that's alright. You got close. I'm not upset."

I frowned slightly. "You're not mad?"

Shigaraki let out a quiet chuckle, tapping his fingertips together. "You found him. Trailed him. Lost him. But it doesn't matter."

That didn't sit right with me. "It doesn't?"

"It's enough for now. No need to keep following him."

I wasn't sure whether I should feel relieved or confused.

"So, you're just going to drop the tailing?"

"No. I'll have someone else do the tailing. You'll be contacted when needed, you're free to go."

I nodded, making my way out of the room. As I twisted the door knob, Shigaraki's voice bounced off the walls.

"Say, now what would happen if the villains killed the symbol of peace?"

---

"Everyone settle down!"

The sound of Aizawa's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

I blinked, adjusting to the present.

Shigaraki. The tailing job. That's over, for now.

I pushed it to the back of my mind.

"We need to appoint a class representative," Aizawa-sensei mumbled from inside his cocoon of yellow sleeping bag.

Immediately, hands shot up.

"Pick me! I wanna be class rep!" Mina declared, practically bouncing in her seat.

"No way! I'd be a way better choice!" Denki argued.

A few others joined in, each trying to convince the class they were the best option.

I sighed, resting my head on my palm.

I wasn't the only one unimpressed. Aizawa's blank stare suggested he was already regretting this decision.

"Everyone, please settle down!" Iida suddenly stood, straightening his glasses with a serious expression. "A class representative is not just a title, but a position of great responsibility! It is imperative that we approach this selection process with fairness and integrity. I propose we conduct a vote to determine our leader!"

I stared at him, unimpressed. Man really thinks we're running a government.

Still, no one argued.

Even Aizawa-sensei gave an approving grunt. "Fine. Everyone, write the name of your chosen candidate and hand it in."

One by one, they scribbled down names.

I wasn't interested in voting for the candidate, it had little to no impact in the story.

My eyes narrowed, landing on Aoyama who was scribbling on a note.

Following the story, Shigaraki decays the gate as a symbol of war against UA and All Might.

That fact gnawed at the back of my mind.

The school was designed to be impenetrable, it wasn't a public park.

Sneaking in without setting off alarms was no small feat.

So, how he did it without being detected was.

If he was helped, did Aoyama do it? If so, how did he do it?

My fingers tapped idly on my desk as my eyes flicked toward Aoyama.

He was admiring his own reflection in a pocket mirror, adjusting his hair with a smug little smile.

"..."

Watching him through the panels and in person has still left me with one impression.

I don't think he has the balls to do that. I might be over thinking it for him.

"Alright," Aizawa's voice pulled me out of my thoughts. "Time's up. Submit your votes now."

Right. I hadn't put down a name.

I wasn't interested in this. Class rep? That meant going to the staffroom, surrounded by a bunch of teachers who chipped in on conversations.

No thanks.

Besides, I used to be a troublemaker. That place was enemy territory.

If I remember correctly, a lot of people voted for themselves but Midoriya and Momo ended up as class representative and vice.

Should I vote for myself? Or another person?

Voting for myself would make sense. But if I randomly voted for someone else, that could derail the plot.

Or should I just vote for Midoriya? If he's already supposed to win, I'd just be adding an extra boost.

...Or maybe I shouldn't vote at all?

But wouldn't that bring extra attention my way? They'd probably wonder why I didn't vote.

Racking my brain, I realized how ridiculous it was that I was overthinking a damn class vote.

Glancing around, I noticed almost everyone had already submitted their paper.

Tch. Whatever.

I scribbled on my slip and dropped it in the box before slumping back into my seat.

Who knew a simple vote could be so stupidly complicated for me?

"Hey," Denki turned to me, grinning. "Who'd you vote for?"

"None of your business." I replied flatly.

"You're just mad 'cause I saw you fumble your interaction with Momo." He smirked. "You know no one is gonna vote for you, right?"

"I hope so too," I muttered.

Aizawa collected the votes, arranging them before walking up to the board.

Mineta muttered something about power and women under his breath, which I chose to ignore for the sake of my sanity.

Sero and Kirishima were off to the side debating whether voting even mattered.

"People are just gonna vote for themselves," Sero mumbled.

"Yeah, but I think someone actually responsible should win," Kirishima replied. "It'd suck if the rep was lazy or didn't care."

Then, he turned and started writing the results on the board.

The anticipation in the room shifted slightly.

Even if most people didn't take this seriously, there was still some curiosity about the outcome.

I leaned back, watching without much interest.

'Midoriya and Momo should win this, right?'

"Alright, here are the results," Aizawa announced, stepping aside.

My eyes flicked to the board.

Denki Kaminari—1

Ejirio Kirishima—1

Kyoka Jiro—1

Katsuki Bakugo—1

Minoru Mineta—1

Tenya Ida—1

Mina Ashido—1

....

Hanta Sero—1

Toru Hagakure—1

Azaria Arashi—2 (Assistant Class Representative)

Izuku Midoriya—3 (Class Representative)

I blinked as I stared at my name on the board.

"What?"

———

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