“Hey Ken? By the way-” 

Ken was sitting at one of the tables in his parents’ cafe, playing with some teaspoons which he was supposed to be sorting into their respective cubbies. “Yeah?” the boy turned around to his mom who had started to speak, the family was cleaning for the day. 

“Have you heard from anyone in your school who also got into UAI?” Miranda questioned while carrying some dirty tablecloths behind the counter. 

“Uh- no- not yet at least!” 

“You really think anyone would be good enough to get in?” Paul popped in through the door with his usual confidence, taking the tablecloths from Miranda. “I doubt it! You really stood out” 

“Daaadddd.” Ken laughed. Since his acceptance letter arrived, his dad hadn’t stopped showing his pride. 

“I really just had a lucky moment! If it weren’t for Darrel I definitely wouldn’t have!” 

“What about Darrel? Have you heard from him?” Ken’s mom continued, sounding hopeful. 

“I don’t even know the guy’s last name or if he lives in Paragon- at the time we were kinda- preoccupied- to be asking those questions” Ken reminisced back to the day of the exam for a moment, a wide smile forming on his face. “But I really hope he gets in. That means I’ll already have someone I know at UAI! Maybe we’ll even be in the same class! I wonder if the other guys I met also got in..” 

With that Miranda glanced at Paul, as if confirming something, to which Paul gave her a nod. “Well-” 

Miranda began optimistically “Speaking of knowing people at UAI- your dad and I have actually received an offer..” she trailed off for a moment, and as she expected Ken fully turned around to give them his full attention, quirking a curious eyebrow. 

“Not sure if you know- but UAI has a host family program! Every family that has a student accepted from Paragon is asked whether they would be willing to host an international student with no family here, to give them a nice place to stay while they study away from their family.” 

At that point Paul took over “When we heard about it we were immediately both on board! We have the guest room- and it would be great to have someone from a different country around, maybe they could even help with the cafe- don’t you think that’d be cool?” 

Miranda elbowed Paul, “Ahem- it’s not just about having another person here.. more so for the kid, imagine if it were you- all alone in a new city, new country! And under so much pressure, I feel like it's the right thing to do.” Miranda paused briefly “But of course! We wanted to check with you first. Is living with one of your classmates something you would want?” 

Ken glanced at both his parents, then looked to the side while pressing a finger into his cheek. He didn’t have any siblings so this thought was almost completely new to him. 

“Would they.. also be from the hero course?” he pondered “Yes! From what it seemed the classes were already decided, so they’d definitely be in yours.” Paul responded excitedly. 

Ken continued to think. It would mean he’d always have someone to walk with to school, and they’d share their adventures.. the only problem he could come up with was.. what if they didn’t like each other? But Ken shook his head at that thought, he could make it work! Anyone from the hero course would be worth trying to be friends with. 

“How soon would we know who it is?” Ken glanced up once more. 

“According to the information we received, most international students would be coming in two weeks before classes start- their flight and arrival is arranged by the school, and then they are brought to their host families, if they have one.. before that we’ll receive some basic information.” Miranda explained, and by the end of the explanation the prospect of having such a close friend had grown on Ken. 

Ken’s mom had just started to continue “You don’t have to decide now- we still have time-” before she was cut off by Ken. 

“Let’s do it!!” the boy jumped up from his chair. “When else would we have the chance?” 

Paul clenched his fists and laughed “Hell yeah!! That’s the spirit!” and Miranda nodded in agreement, smiling “Well.. I’m not surprised you’d be on board as well. We’ll start arranging the paperwork then!” 

---

Ken barely slept the night before the new student his family would host was bound to arrive. He lay in bed, looking up at the ceiling as he ran through the information they received over and over again. Name: Thijs van der Weg. Ken initially had no idea how to pronounce that, but luckily the internet helped him out. He practiced the pronunciation everyday, determined to get it right and impress his peers. Nationality: Dutch. Ken had never travelled outside of the U.S., and his mind was boggled by the thought of someone travelling so far to get here. Not only across an ocean but also across a whole continent! And he had so many questions about Europe. The way things worked - the top heroes. Quirk: Wheels. There was no further description attached. So Ken pondered exactly what the quirk could be. Maybe this guy had wheels instead of legs- or he could turn things into wheels- despite the relatively clear name, the possibilities were still endless. And if this one quirk had so many different possibilities, just imagine the other 18 quirks of his future classmates. 

As soon as his alarm beeped 7am Ken jumped out of bed, racing downstairs. His parents were already up and about, setting up for the cafe’s morning opening at 7:30. The smell of freshly baked pastries, a staple that Ken’s mornings wouldn’t be the same without. 

“Morning!!” He called out, grabbing a croissant right off the tray “Morning Kenny” Ken’s mom cooed back at him while his dad responded with a 

“Good morning - You’re awfully excited!” Ken stood in front of the glass display, bouncing on his toes as he bit down into the croissant. 

“Course I am! Thijs arrives today!! I can’t wait to meet him- Have you gotten any information? His flight is already on the way, right?” 

Miranda nodded “Yep, he should be landing in PIA in about 2 hours,” 

Ken inhaled sharply, trying to manage his excitement but also almost choking on his croissant. 

“Woah there- What are you gonna do with all that energy until the time comes?” Paul teased while carefully placing his baked goods into the display. 

“I’ll have to wait…” Ken stopped bouncing, but only for a moment before starting up again “But I’ll be ready to give him a proper welcome to Paragon!”