Edit: There has been some confusion as to why I'm using first names even though the characters call each other by last names more often in the anime/Japan. I decided not to use suffixes and "translate" them as well. In the end, this meant leaving friends to adress each other by first names, and the teacher adressing the students by first names.

I did this to make reading a story written in English more easy and fluent to read - I hope it's not too confusing! Tell me if it's throwing you off too much, I am willing to change this detal.

Emiko strode through the hallway, her hands gripping the books in her arms like a lifeline. The weight was calming, assuring her that everything was prepared and ready for her first lesson, but the nervousness and anticipation choked her.

It was 8 o'clock; the students wouldn't arrive until 8.30. She planned on using the time in between to gather as much courage as possible.

Emiko glanced to her left and spotted the classroom.

Her classroom.

Class 1-A. She gulped.

It was dead silent, the only noise stemming from her shoes as she made her way to the entrance. The big door – or was it a gate? - loomed in front of her, and she briefly wondered if there was a giant in her class. Emiko felt compelled to turn on her heels and go home, but she knew that wasn't an option.

Digging for her key proved to be difficult with her arms full of books and papers. Emiko deposited them onto the floor and extracted the key from her cardigan. The metal felt cold against her clammy hands. She wiped the sweat on her skirt and determinedly turned the lock to open the door. It swung open more easily than she'd anticipated. Grabbing her odds and ends from the floor, she entered the room.

Desks stood neatly arranged, all facing the blackboard up front. Everything was in its place, but there hadn't been much to begin with. Entering the room for the first time had been a shock, and Emiko had tried to stock up on books and notebooks to the best of her abilities, all the while struggling to stay within the budget.

Emiko headed for the windows and opened them all, sighing at the fresh air.

For a few seconds, she stood in the middle of the room, staring at the front wall. Smudges of white chalk marred the blackboard. Her fingers itched to wipe it away, but she bit her bottom lip and repressed the urge. Instead, she took a deep breath and let her shoulders sag.

08.09. Her time was running out and she cursed at the realization that she was just as nervous as nine minutes ago.

Maybe she should've picked up yoga, like her friend had suggested. But Rei was a sports fanatic and Emiko's body control and tension equalled a batch of cooked spaghetti.

Caught up in her thoughts, she didn't hear the person entering her classroom until a soft voice spoke up.

"Morning."

Emiko shrieked inelegantly and turned around. A young man was pulling out a chair at the back of the classroom. His perfectly parted white and red hair captured her eyes. As he looked up and raised an eyebrow, she recovered her voice.

"Good morning! You must be one of my new students, I presume. What's your name?"

The student blinked; once, twice.

"Shouto Todoroki."

Emiko tried to contain her jittery energy as she approached him, one pale hand outstretched. "It's so nice to meet you. I'm Ms. Hamasaki, and I will be your teacher from today on."

Emiko flinched as Shouto shook her hand. It felt as if there was a layer of ice covering his skin. Goosebumps formed on her arms at the cold touch, but her smile didn't waver. Making her way back to the front desk, she kept her voice light and conversationally. "You're quite early, Shouto."

"Yes…" Shouto replied warily and, if Emiko had to guess, confusedly. She dropped the topic and busied her shaking hands with sorting the papers on her desk, even though she'd already done so the day before, and the day before that day.

08.15.

How was she supposed to bridge the time now that a student was here? Shouto didn't seem too keen on making conversation, and with her composure on the brink of death she agreed with his sentiment. Emiko had already prepared everything she needed the day before, and as she rummaged around, desperately searching for something to do, a second student entered the classroom.

"Ah, Shouto! Good morning!"

This one was harder to overhear. Emiko turned around and came face to face with a bright smile and freckled cheeks.

The student with the unruly hair looked her up and down, a wondrous expression on his face. His eyes sparkled as his lips pulled up into a smile.

"You must be Ms. Hamasaki! Mr. Aizawa told us about you - you're the teacher without a quirk! That's amazing, you know? Teaching at U.A. without having a quirk! How did you get here? Did you apply for this job? Did they ask you? How long have you been teaching at hero schools?"

Emiko stopped her movements and blinked. Befuddled, she opened and closed her mouth like a fish. "I'm –"

"I'm sorry!" The boy interrupted her, a horrified expression replacing his smile. "I talk too much, Kacchan always tells me, too." He rubbed the back of his head, averting his eyes.

"I-It's quite alright! You just surprised me." Emiko tried to smile warmly, but she knew it must've looked strained. Damn her nerves. "You seem to already know me; I would like to know your name as well."

"Of course!" The boy jumped at her words and straightened his back. "I'm Izuku!"

"I see. Izuku… Midoriya, right?"

Izuku nodded, excused himself and walked over to Shouto, greeting him excitedly. Emiko sighed inaudibly and turned towards her desk.

One by one, the students arrived. Emiko watched each and every one of them, shook their hands and filed their faces and names away in the hopes of remembering them as fast as possible. There were a lot of unique personalities in the class, and she quivered at the thought of satisfying their needs.

Koji immediately stood out as quiet and reserved, and she made a mental note to keep track of him, lest he got lost in the shuffle of loud and boisterous students.

Like Katsuki, she thought.

Katsuki, who was sitting with his shoes on his desk, hands in his pockets.

Emiko took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and walked over to the blond boy. She called his name, and was promptly fixed with a murderous stare. She didn't shrink. "Please take your feet off the desk. This is not a suitable way to sit in a classroom."

Katsuki's expression hardened. "Why should I listen to you? You're no better than that quirkless idiot Deku. I don't see how you could teach us anything."

Emiko took a step forward and laid her hand onto the desk next to Katsuki's foot. He raised an eyebrow. "Listen, this is not up for debate. I want you to take off your feet right now. This is not a question, it is an instruction." Her voice was firm, bearing no room for argument. "I will be your teacher from today on, and I will not tolerate that attitude and language in my classroom."

The other students had gotten silent, watching the scene with interest. Katsuki looked ready to explode, but he clicked his tongue and planted his feet onto the ground. Emiko shot him one last glare for good measure and retreated to the front of the room.

Her heart pounded in her chest, and she felt a trickle of sweat run down her neck. That was nerve-wracking. Oh my god. Oh… god. Why did it have to start like that? I hate this. I hate, hate, hate this.

Emiko wanted to flee and hide in the staff room with a cup of coffee, but she had a lesson to tackle.

When she turned around, she saw a girl admonishing Katsuki, poking his shoulder with her big index finger. Emiko remembered her introducing herself as Tsu. She grabbed the class list from her desk. The list confirmed her name to be Tsuyu Asui. Silently, Emiko thanked the girl for reigning in the whirlwind of anger that was Katsuki Bakugou.

Soon after, a third student joined them, his hair as red as a stop sign. He patted Katsuki's shoulder in a collegial manner, grinning from ear to ear. Eijiro Kirishima, Emiko's brain supplied. Like Katsuki, this boy seemed to be full of energy, but Emiko perceived his energy as less volatile and less violent.

List still in hand, she used the five minutes before the lesson started to repeat the names of her students and connect them to actual faces.

Momo Yaoyorozu. She'd been informed that Momo had entered through recommendation, just like Shouto. The only girl in the class who matched the description of black hair was the one in the back. She chitchatted with another dark-haired female student, but kept her voice down and never once left her chair. Her friend had to be Kyoka.

As Emiko redirected her attention to Izuku, she saw a brown-haired girl standing next to him, excitedly bobbing up and down, talking without pause. Izuku nodded, giving the girl his undivided attention. Emiko identified her as Ochako Uraraka.

The two remaining girls, Toru and Mina, were looking at a phone, occasionally snickering and biting back laughter. A blond, elegant boy – Yuga - stood next to them, peering at the phone with an awed expression. Denki teetered on his chair, eyeing the three students, chucking.

Emiko categorized Toru as another student she would have to keep an eye on, but for different reasons than Koji.

Whenever Emiko looked at the students in front of her, one in particular caught her attention. Fumikage truly was a sight to behold, but opposed to his striking visual identity, he was calm and polite. Mashirao and Mezo soon joined him, striking up a conversation.

Tenya, Rikido, Hanta and Minoru sat at their desks, seemingly ready for the lesson to start, but Emiko saw Minoru stare at Ochako, and she knew his thoughts were elsewhere.

He's so small. Is he even supposed to be here?

Emiko glanced at her watch and went to stand in front of her desk. The lesson was about to start.

As the bell rung, the chatter and laugher died down, the students slowly directing their attention to the front.

"Good morning!" she said, even though she'd already done so twenty times. "I am very excited to start this school year with you, and I hope we'll be able to have a great time together."

"Good morning," the class said. Emiko didn't miss the unenthusiastic note the words carried. She also didn't miss the way Katsuki stared her down.

"As you probably already know, you will be taught Japanese, Maths and Sciences in my class. Anything hero related will be taught by a professional." Emiko let her eyes drift across the room. "I was told this class had a class representative…"

A tall student in the back of the room sprung to his feet. The glasses gave him a strict vibe, but Emiko could see the nervous energy surrounding him. "That's me, Ms. Hamasaki."

What was his name again?

Emiko nodded, smiling. "Thank you. You may sit down again."

At this point, twenty pair of eyes were fixated on her, and she felt their expectant stares jabbing her like millions of needles.

One year.

Emiko gulped.

What had she gotten herself into?