Mariko thanked the Recovery Girl and quickly departed from the school hospital. She ran across the corridor with a grin on her face. Before Nezu left the school nurse's office, he gave Mariko some very useful information, including a brief description of the school and where specific classes are.

She remembered from the UA school festival, which was broadcasted everywhere, that Mr. Aizawa was a homeroom teacher of the Class 1 A, so right after leaving the school nurse's office, she broke into a run. She was speeding up on straight corridors and taking sharp turns, while being aware of her surroundings, just enough not to run into someone.

Her steps echoed through corridor and then she stopped, sliding a few meters forward with the momentum. Mariko ran fast enough to catch up with Mr. Aizawa who left the nurse office not so long ago. She saw him on the corridor, heading towards the door with "1A" printed on it. He heard her and turned around, visibly displeased.

'Don't run in corridor,' he said before she opened her mouth.

'Sorry!' she bowed before him, her smile not fading from her face. 'I wanted to thank you, Mr. Aizawa. Thank you for giving me a chance!'

She straightened her back and looked at the man, her eyes full of sparks.

'So he did it anyway,' he sighed, closing his eyes for a moment.

Aizawa turned his body towards the door, looking at her from the corner of his eye. Mariko frowned, her smile immediately fading away. She already knew what was she about to hear.

'I was strongly against accepting you.'

The man slid the door open and was greeted by his students, already sitting in the classroom. Mariko felt as if she was being pushed away from that scene, dragged by something backwards, but she stood still, looking at the man in front of her. Aizawa closed the door behind him, avoiding the eye contact with Mariko.

The girl felt her hands tremble, as her eyes started stinging, an invisible grip tightening around her throat.

He didn't believe. Not even for a second. She slowly turned around towards staircase and soon after found herself on the ground floor. She looked around, noticing some students around and quickly left the school, her own legs carrying her closer to the school's park with a path designed for jogging.

'What did you expect?' her demons, doubtful thoughts swirled through her brain.

She was walking forward, following the jogging path.

'You always knew, didn't you?'

The tears stung her eyes and she crouched, hiding her face from the world around her.

'All the efforts of people around you... They always knew your destiny.'

'Stop,' she asked herself in her thoughts, as the grip on her throat tightened.

'You were always delusional. Living in a dream, just to avoid acknowledging the reality.'

She gritted her teeth and squeezed her eyelids as the hysteria flushed over her.

'Are you OK?' she heard behind her and felt a gentle touch of a hand on her left shoulder.

The pulsating noise in her ear was immediately gone, as if someone turned on the light, scaring away the darkness.

She slowly lifted her head, not turning it around. With a shaky hand she wiped her eyes and curled in a ball, putting her chin on her knees.

'I'm fine,' she replied in a normal voice.

'I see,' she heard the man behind her. 'Would you like to go on a walk?'

She swallowed the burning saliva and forced herself to keep the normal tone of the voice.

'Sure.'

The person joined her on her right side, giving her a lot of personal space, but also accompanying her in this vulnerable moment.

'We have a very nice weather today, don't you think?' he asked, his voice cheerful and slightly deeper than the ones of first-years at the hero school. 'I really like going on walks when the sun shines like this.'

'Yea.'

'I have never seen you in UA. Are you new or from the other course?'

'I'm,' she hesitated, a flashback of Mr. Aizawa's cold gaze in her mind. 'I'm new.'

'Oh, really! That's so cool!'

Mariko lifted her gaze off the ground and tilted her head to look at the man beside her. He was a lot taller than her, with big, dark blue eyes and blond hair, stylized upwards. He was giving off a very approachable and kind vibe, that - before she realized - made her relax.

'What's your name?' he asked her, ignoring her reddened eyes.

'Okaido Mariko.'

'I'm Togata Mirio,' he waved to her with a big smile on his face. 'It must be hard for you.'

She looked at him quizzically.

'The allergies,' he pointed at her watery eyes and chuckled.

Mariko looked at the student in front of her and burst into genuine laughter. She laughed so hard, she had to crouch for a second to not fall on the ground.

'I didn't know it was that funny,' Mirio scratched the back of his neck. 'But I am happy you are laughing!' he grinned and with an energetic swing showed her thumbs up, wiggling his hands up and down.

'I- I needed it so much. Thank you!' she said and slowly stood up, then greeted the man with a handshake. 'Thank you. I had a hard time today.'

'No problem! Do you want to talk about it?' he asked her as they continued walking down the jogging alley.

'Not quite sure,' she replied honestly.

'If you want, just let me know. I will be happy to listen or advise if you want me to!' he smiled at her, closing his eyes.

'What a bright soul,' she thought to herself.

Mariko wiped the remaining tears and breathed deeply.

'I joined the school,' she said.

'What do you mean? Joined it when?'

'Today.'

'Oh?' Mirio looked at her, surprised.

'Yea. I reached out to Principal Nezu asking him for help with my Quirk. He let me become a student here,' Mariko said, shifting her eyes to the ground.

'Why the long face, that's awesome!'

'It's just,' Mariko started, not sure what to say exactly. 'Nevermind.'

Mirio looked at Mariko, leading her along the jogging path. He looked to the side, wondering why was the girl so sad and why was she crying the first time he saw her.

'Do you mind asking me how old are you?'

'I will be 20 soon,' she replied.

'You are 2 years older. Cool!' Mirio shouted. 'Were you accepted in 3rd class, then?'

'No, it's a lot more complicated,' Mariko responded, kicking a rock with her foot. The small stone bounces a few meters ahead. 'I cannot control my Quirk.'

'Oh!'

Mariko closed her eyes, her face still tilted down.

'I know what you think,' she started, then opened her eyes and turned her head to Mirio. She stopped with a laughable expression, seeing Mirio's friendly smile. 'Or maybe I do not.'

'I also was in situation like this, that's why I am smiling. And look, I am still here!' he explained, spreading his arms in a welcoming gesture.

'Really?' she asked him, eyeing him suspiciously. 'What is your Quirk?'

'Permeation! It allows me to pass through things, but it's not as simple as it may sound.'

'Can you tell me about it?' Mariko requested, the sparks slowly returning to her eyes.

'Sure, but don't you have any lessons?' Mirio asked.

'Emm,' she brought a finger to her lips, frowning. 'Now that you mention it, Principal Nezu did not tell me any details about... well, anything really. I just know that I will have quite some free time, free that is from general knowledge lessons, as I already graduated high-school.'

'I see. How about I give you a tour around school and then explain my Quirk?' Mirio suggested.

'Sounds great,' she smiled at the man.

'Let's go!'

The time flew by and before they both realized, the last bell of the school day rang, announcing the end of the lessons for today. Mirio introduced Mariko to as many teachers as he could while not interrupting the lessons. He showed her different spots around the school where students could practice their Quirks or special moves and different classrooms in the building. They chatted about his friends and 1A class that Mr. Aizawa was responsible for. And then, when all was explained, Mirio told her the full story about his Quirk.

'Do the scars on your arms come from the time when you were trying to master your Quirk?' she asked him, pointing her finger at the healed skin bearing signs of a heavy injury.

'Yes. I have many of them, almost everywhere. Even on my butt!' he shared, and Mariko chuckled.

'Man, I talked for so long,' he grabbed the back of his neck. 'I feel bad now.'

'Why? I enjoy your company and your tour.'

'Good!' he swung his hands in a thumbs-up gesture. 'Tell me about you now, please.'

Mariko looked at him, hesitating.

'I'm not sure what it is,' she started. They left the building through main entrance and headed towards the dorms. 'It's some sort of a drain, but I don't know none of my parents, so it's hard to figure out anything about it and I cannot control it yet.'

Mirio stared at her, not knowing what to say. Mariko nodded, as if reading the boy's mind.

'It's OK. I'm a 'throw-away child',' she said, using the common term for orphans in Japan.

'I am very sorry to hear that. Did I make you uncomfortable? I am sorry,' Mirio apologized, as they walked on the pavement, circling around the school.

'No, it's OK. At some point you would find out anyway.'

For a few moments, they walked in silence.

'It may sound selfish, but your origin story made me very happy,' Mariko admitted. 'I didn't figure out my Quirk and because of this I put others in danger, but I want to change it.'

'I am positive, that you will,' Mirio smiled at her. 'There were many, who are now established heroes that were struggling with their Quirks at first.'

Mariko nodded slowly, hiding her hands in the pockets of her slim pants. She took a deep breath and looked Mirio in he eyes.

'I feel like I have a lot to learn from you and you seem very kind. Would you like to hang out some time later?'

'Sure! Where are you staying?'

'In teachers' dorm, so I heard.'

'That's great! I am there very often to visit Eri!' Mirio explained.

'Eri?'

'Oh, you haven't been introduced yet?' the tall boy asked.

'No.'

'Let's head there, then!'

The two of students sped up the pace and soon ended up in front of the teachers' dorm. For some reason, Mariko felt her heart sink, the image of cold Aizawa's eyes appearing in her brain. She stopped in the middle of the pavement, leading straight to the dorm entrance. Mirio took a few steps forward and then glanced back over her shoulder.

'Is there something wrong?' he asked her.

'It's just...,' she frowned, looking behind her to check if they are alone outside. 'Mr. Aizawa kind of scares me.'

Mirio burst into loud laughter, making Mariko blush.

'He's always like this! Everyone says that,' he said, after a long moment.

'Really?' she said quietly, walking close to the hero.

'Did Mr. Aizawa do something?' Mirio asked.

Mariko looked around again and then turned back towards the student. She opened her mouth and in the same second, noticed the front door open. She opened her mouth to answer and in the same second noticed the figure in the doorframe. She locked her eyes with Mr. Aizawa, slowly walking over to them, with his hands in his pockets.

'I have a task for you, Okaido,' he said, as he approached the two.

'Good afternoon, Mr. Aizawa,' Mirio greeted and Mariko bowed respectfully before the teacher.

'Afternoon,' he replied sleepily. 'You need to give us a hero costume submission and a hero name. For the hero name, if you will not come up with anything, that's OK. But as soon as you do, please report it.'

Mariko quickly glanced at Mirio, as if seeking help.

'If you need help, I think you could talk to Midoriya, he was taking notes about you earlier today,' Aizawa said and sighed. 'That's all for now.'

'Is Eri asleep?' Mirio asked.

'Did you want to introduce Okaido?' he asked, eyeing Mariko.

She bravely held his gaze for a moment, then looked to the side.

'Yes, we were talking about it just now,' Mirio smiled.

The teacher stood in silence, staring the newest student down.

'I don't see it as a good idea,' he said after a few moments of silence. 'Eri needs mentoring and very good influence.'

Mariko looked up at the teacher, frowning. Anger immediately washed over her body, making her clench her fists. She took a deep breath and avoided eye contact with the man. Aizawa could read her like a book. He knew he was very cold towards her, but he had a very good reasoning. His teaching skills weren't consisting off repeating the formulas he has seen in the textbooks. Above all the combat skills he had, he was also a great observant. Even though he was in his early thirties, with just a few years of teaching experience, he was there amongst the best of mentors. He knew that there is just one way he could reach to Mariko, it seemed brutal and cold, but no phoenix is born without the ashes.

'Mr. Aizawa-,' Mirio started, but Mariko grasped his forearm. She gritted her teeth, a stinging feeling appearing in her throat.

'Hey, Mirio. Can you show me the 1A class dorm, please? I would like to talk to Izuku.'

'Oh, yea... Sure,' Mirio replied, the smile on his face disappearing for a second.

The two of them turned around and soon after were gone from Aizawa's sight. He took a deep breath of fresh air and sighed. He liked being a formidable teacher with all his questionable (by many) methods, but with her, it always backfired. In his eyes - there was no safe approach to a student like this - it's a high risk, high reward game. He believed that he will be able to break the walls she has built around her, walls that were there because of abusive environment that she had grown in. He wanted to break every mask she could wear, to see her real self. Principal Nezu has already told him about her vulnerable moment back in hospital and this is what he wanted to see. This is how she was under the multiple layers of protective armor she has built over the years. He will do everything he can to blast through the walls and reach with a helping hand towards the core, but he knew that ultimately it is up to her if she will change. You can never help someone who doesn't want to be helped.

'Shota, wasn't that a bit too cruel? She is so pretty,' he heard Midnight's voice behind him.

He turned around and climbed the few stairs in front of the dorm. Midnight stood in the doorway of the building, her finger with a nail painted on bloody red, pressed against her full lips.

'It is necessary,' he replied.