Nekoyama Nora's Quirk — "Cat in the Box" — was a name he chose for himself, though the reason behind it was something only he knew.
His ability, or rather his Quirk, allowed him to see an interface floating in his vision at all times, even when he closed his eyes. Normally, the interface stayed 99% transparent, never blocking his view or disturbing his sleep. But the moment he focused on interacting with it, the transparency vanished, revealing it in perfect clarity. One second after he stopped paying attention, it faded away again.
Calling it an "interface" made it sound like some kind of game, but in reality it was nothing that sophisticated—just four simple skill blocks. No items, no HP or MP bar, not even a map.
On the right side sat a single icon: Sven.
That was how his first year began—just him and Sven.
But in his second year, something new appeared.
Another icon.
"And cheers!" Nora lifted his cola and thrust it toward the center of the table.
"...."
Everyone fell silent, their eyes clearly saying What on earth are you doing?
"Oh, come on. You've never seen your dad do this?" he complained, looking around at their baffled faces.
One by one, they slowly realized what he was trying to do.
Well… it was Nora's fault for suddenly breaking into a toast without warning.
"Anyway! To all of us who managed to enter U.A.—cheers!"
"Cheers!"
Once again, it was Yaoyorozu who responded first. The faint flush on her cheeks said everything about how excited she was.
Thanks to Nora—and to Yaoyorozu's willingness to follow—everyone else joined in soon after.
At the very least, it broke the ice. Conversations gradually bloomed: their favorite pro heroes, their old middle schools, and small stories from home.
It was slowly turning into a proper, if unofficial, welcome party for all of them.
"Nekoyama! What was that earlier?" someone asked, swept up in the lively atmosphere.
"Just something stupid I came up with on the spot." Nora laughed, remembering the moment. "From the experience of a certain idol who got stabbed by her stalker in front of her apartment—popularity can be a scary thing~." He said it like he was telling a campfire horror story.
"Hehe… it's funny seeing them like that." Nora snickered as his friends simultaneously made identical, confused faces.
'Nora uses Confusion.'
'It's super effective.'
'Hehehe~'
"Anyway," Nora continued, "those guys from earlier? Most of them only have profit on their minds. Some might be decent, but the majority aren't. You know about the hero ranking system, right?"
"Of course."
Everyone nodded at Nora's question.
"Do you think the ranking is based on power alone? Nope. Power matters, sure—but popularity is just as important."
He gestured with his cola like a lecturer. "A hero is basically an artist, a model, an ambassador. Don't you guys buy merch from your favorite heroes?"
Some nodded, some didn't.
"The point is," Nora went on, sounding like an elderly uncle giving life advice, his black tail swaying left and right, "if you're not careful, one careless interview or video clip can become a stain on your reputation—and block the path to the kind of hero you want to be."
"Then why did you do that earlier?" Yaoyorozu asked, following his logic to its obvious contradiction. If what he said was true, then his behavior earlier made no sense.
It's not like I can tell them I'm not trying to become a hero in the first place.
He looked at each of his classmates in turn.
"Well, if you guys already think I was just talking nonsense," he said with a smirk, "do you really think they'll want to publish it?"
"Besides," he added, leaning back, "we're all All Might fans, right? With his name on the line, they wouldn't dare publish something carelessly. Hehe."
…
"Today, we're going to elect a class representative," Aizawa-sensei announced.
For the first time, U.A. actually felt like a normal school. Choosing a class rep was a completely ordinary event—probably something the teacher introduced so he could slack off a little.
And… Why the hell is everyone looking at me?
Nora groaned internally as he noticed nearly half the class stealing quick glances at him each time a name was mentioned during the vote.
Popularity really was a double-edged sword.
***
And so, Nora now stood at the front of the classroom, the whiteboard behind him and the podium in front. Beside him stood Yaoyorozu—she wasn't actually his assistant, but the vibe certainly made it feel that way.
In the corner of the room, Aizawa-sensei watched like an exam proctor overseeing a particularly suspicious group of students.
"From today onward, I'll be serving as your class representative, according to the vote," Nora announced. "I still have many shortcomings, so I hope everyone can guide me on the right path. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to prove myself."
Clap clap clap.
Aizawa raised an eyebrow, looking unexpectedly impressed.
Looks like my workload might actually decrease this year, he thought, silently praising the new class rep.
On the other hand, Yaoyorozu—who had grown up surrounded by politics whether she wanted to or not—felt her eyebrow twitch. Nora's speech was suspiciously close to a political greeting from a fresh-faced candidate.
When the applause began to fade, Nora continued:
"I'll do my best to represent our voices to the higher-ups. For example, if you guys want new menu options in the cafeteria, I'll write petitions and proposals!"
Aizawa-sensei's hidden smile froze instantly. A bad premonition crept up his spine.
"And if you want to change the schedule to four days of study and three days of rest, I'll rally the other classes and form a faction to negotiate with the school!" Nora even struck a heroic pose, fist raised with conviction.
Nailed it, he thought proudly.
Instead…
Shii–in.
A thick, awkward silence swallowed the room.
"I'll make sure every one of you becomes the hero you want to be!"
"Woooaaah!!"
And just like that, the class erupted in excitement again.
Barbaric brats… Nora cursed silently. He waited for the noise to settle—well, "everyone" was an exaggeration. Only about two-thirds of the class were hyped. The "special" ones weren't the type to get fired up by a speech.
"And now, please stand up for a moment," Nora instructed.
With the lingering energy from the earlier hype, it was easy to get most students on their feet. A few were reluctant, but the atmosphere pressured them into standing as well.
Then Nora—
Stomp.
He spread his legs shoulder-width apart, clasped his hands behind his back, and in one synchronized movement—
"Attention!"
His voice was firm—loud but not quite a shout.
"From today onward, you are all no longer humans—you are maggots! Do you copy?!"
Off to the side, Aizawa-sensei's expression twitched.
He could already imagine the nightmares awaiting him for the rest of the school year.