Chapter 7: Curious Friendship

Toji was reluctantly eating the breakfast his grandmother had prepared for him. Although he wore a seemingly elegant uniform, it was so disheveled that he barely looked presentable. His grandmother observed him with a frown, letting out an impatient sigh. "Hurry up, or you won't make it on time," she warned, though her tone revealed more concern than anger.

Toji, chewing with his mouth full, replied indifferently, "Does it even matter? I'll just come up with an excuse and—ow," he protested when his grandmother smacked him on the head with a wooden spoon. "You brat, this school isn't like the others! They're very strict, so behave yourself," she scolded.

Rubbing his head, Toji looked at her with a tired expression. "Then why did you enroll me in a place like that? Besides, wasn't I supposed to take an entrance exam or something?" he asked nonchalantly.

His grandmother sighed again, showing a faint smile of understanding. "You know how your mother is—she always wants the best for you. So at least try to meet her expectations. As for the exam, your mother's boss recommended you. Apparently, she's quite influential at that school, so you skipped the entrance test."

Swallowing the last bite, Toji stood up reluctantly, grabbing his backpack and the small wad of bills he showed his grandmother as a silent answer to whether he had money. Without another word, he left the house and began walking to school. Fortunately, the commute wasn't very long. In his mind, the only good thing about moving was the proximity of the building he already considered a prison for spoiled kids.

After a few minutes, he arrived in front of the school and immediately lost any enthusiasm about attending. The school seemed too refined, as if only the children of wealthy, pampered families studied there. He sighed, anticipating the headache surely awaiting him, and entered the premises. He followed the directions until he reached the office, where he was given his schedule and a scrutinizing look when asked about his tardiness. With his usual indifferent attitude, he simply said he got lost. Luckily, the staff accepted his excuse, knowing he had just moved.

Eventually, he reached his classroom, 1-1, and knocked on the door. A man opened after a few seconds and, seeing how disheveled his uniform was, gave him a disapproving look. Toji, unfazed, handed him a piece of paper. The man sighed and told him to wait outside. Moments later, he heard a "You may enter," which already sounded like an unnecessary protocol to him. Resigned, he entered and found a group of teenagers watching him curiously.

"Introduce yourself," the teacher said sternly. Toji barely raised his voice as he lazily said, "Fushiguro Toji…"

The teacher nodded and asked if anyone had questions for their new classmate. A girl raised her hand, and pointing to her, the teacher gave her the floor.

"Where are you from?" she asked curiously.

Toji looked at her with boredom. "What does it matter to you?" he replied bluntly. An awkward silence fell over the class as the teacher tried to maintain his composure.

"You can take the empty seat next to Yaoyorozu," the teacher said firmly, ignoring Toji's rude response.

Toji glanced at the only available spot and walked to it without much interest. Once seated, he looked out the window, seriously considering sleeping through the first day. After all, none of this seemed important to him.

Beside him, Momo Yaoyorozu watched him with surprise and a hint of admiration. She couldn't believe that the boy who had helped her the day before was now her classmate. Still stunned, she decided to introduce herself with a timid smile. "Hi, I'm Yaoyorozu Momo…" she murmured, hoping to start a conversation.

However, to her surprise, Toji's eyes were already closed, seemingly asleep. "Fushiguro-san?" she whispered, but received no response. She couldn't believe it: had he fallen asleep during class? Concerned, she thought about how to help him avoid getting caught by the teacher. Quickly, using her Quirk, she created a small rubber ball in her hand, deciding that a gentle nudge might wake him without drawing too much attention.

Carefully, she aimed and tossed the ball toward Toji's head. To her astonishment, he caught it mid-air without even fully opening his eyes. Looking at her with a challenging expression, he tossed it back with such force that the hit on Momo's forehead was more intense than she had anticipated.

"Ow," she exclaimed in a small cry of surprise. The teacher looked up, alarmed. "Is everything okay, Yaoyorozu-san?" he asked, noticing her discomfort.

"Yes, sensei, sorry, it's nothing," Momo replied, trying to hide the slight pain in her forehead. She glanced at Toji, who was smirking mockingly. She felt a mix of embarrassment and anger—she had only wanted to help, and instead, she got hit in the forehead.

The class continued, and though Toji tried to stay awake, as soon as the teacher mentioned a number in a math formula, his eyelids grew heavy until he fell fast asleep. He was jolted awake by the bell, signaling lunchtime. "Damn, I missed all the first-period classes… oh well, who cares?" he muttered with a look of annoyance. Just as he was about to get up to find something to eat, someone stood beside him. Glancing sideways, he saw the same girl from earlier, the one who had thrown what he thought was a piece of rubber.

"What do you want? Another one?" Toji said with a mocking smile, recalling the incident in class.

She looked at him with an irritated expression. "My name is Yaoyorozu Momo, and I'm the class representative. I've been asked to help you get familiar with the school," she responded formally.

Toji looked at her curiously, tilting his head. "Hey… don't I know you from somewhere?" he asked, his tone slightly disinterested.

Momo, surprised by the question, blushed slightly. "Y-yes… we met yesterday at the store. I'm the girl you helped," she said hesitantly, bowing in gratitude. "Thank you again. I wanted to say more at the time, but you left so quickly I didn't get the chance."

Toji stretched and gave her a carefree smile. "Yeah, you did seem familiar. But I have to say, it was pretty stupid of you to call the police right in front of the thieves. Not very subtle," he remarked teasingly, shaking his head.

Momo, visibly embarrassed, scowled. "Do you want me to show you around or not?" she replied impatiently, crossing her arms.

Toji chuckled and stood up, facing her. Momo took a small step back, noting how intimidating he could be. "Sure, sure. First stop's the cafeteria; I need to eat something," Toji said without hesitation.

She nodded, leading him to the cafeteria under the watchful eyes of other students, who began whispering about him and his attitude. Once in the cafeteria, Toji grabbed a stuffed bun and reached into his pocket, only to realize he had left his money in his backpack. Looking at his empty hand, he sighed as if his world were falling apart.

Momo noticed his expression and, after a brief sigh, pulled out some money from her wallet to pay for his food. Toji accepted it without much ceremony, and they started walking as he ate.

"You're my hero," Toji commented with a grin, his mouth full of bread.

Momo frowned in disapproval. "Don't talk with your mouth full," she said, half-exasperated.

Toji, still chewing, replied nonchalantly, "Yeah, yeah." And so, Momo continued showing him around the school, while Toji followed with the same relaxed and mocking air. Without realizing it, their peculiar interaction marked the beginning of a strange but genuine friendship, shaped by Momo's patience and Toji's rebellious attitude.