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II

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There's this one other thing that worries me more than your average third year middle school student. It should be a normal problem for me, but since I am Satan's incarnate, this is a problem that humanizes and dehumanizes me.

High school applications.

God, I don't even want to think about it. Just the slightest thought of it makes my stomach do multiple back-flips, and if my brain has hands and legs, it'll probably shoot up a middle finger and walk away like "quack this zit, I'm out." Well, the entrance exams are another problem— I don't even know if I'm going to be allowed to take them because it's the school I'm having trouble with.

I don't know which school I can go to. Can is the keyword here because it's not a matter of should; it's if I can go to any school, given my, ah, "outstanding" reputation. Like, is there any school out there that's willing to take in a living demon as their student? Getting into middle school wasn't a problem to me before. I didn't have any sort of reputation from my elementary school back then; people were wary of me, yes, but not completely and utterly terrified.

And then, there's also this thing called a 'recommendation letter', and I don't think any of my teachers can say at least one good thing about me. To them, it'll be almost like complimenting the devil for torturing the damned souls in hell. Like, "hey, you can skewer ten people at once! That's so cool!"

I'm also pretty sure no one wants to have the responsibility to recommend me to any school. Teachers have their own reputation to keep up too, and they might not be willing to risk telling other schools and teachers that, "no, no, Hoori's not that bad! She just scared four students to near death! It's not like they got traumatized or anything! She did absolutely nothing wrong!"

Gah, I don't know what to do. 'God, help me.' My stomach's doing gymnastics again and my brain's about to short-circuit with all this thinking and worrying.

Another thing that relates to this problem is I don't even know what to write on the future career form if ever our lazy homeroom teacher comes in with those papers. Like, yeah, okay, I do have something I want to be, but how am I supposed to get there if I don't even know which high school I can go to? Ah, why does everything have to be so difficult?

"Hey, hey, did you hear? There's this guy from the next class who wants to go to U.A.!"

"What? You mean that national school for heroes?!"

"Yeah, dude! Like damn, that sure is gutsy!"

Man, if my classmates have time to gossip around, they're definitely having a much easier time than me. Then again, I'd probably do the same if I could take it easy too, but since someone up there is not a big fan of mine; suffering is my only friend.

But, I am a little curious— someone's attempting to apply for U.A., the one with the famous Hero course and students going on live television with the crazy sports festival every year? 'Dang, indeed.' Do they know what they're trying to get into? They should have an idea that U.A.'s not just some ordinary school for everyone to waltz into.

'I wonder, though...'

Considering U.A. and it's someone 'gutsy' from next door, one person came into my mind in an instant, and this familiar sound started ringing in my ears like his exploding voice just went by with the explosion from his quirk. Ah, it's not even that difficult to imagine that guy right now- the intensity of his red eyes and that smug look on his face— and I don't even need to go see him to know he hasn't changed even for a bit. And since he's planning to go to U.A., he'll just stay the same.

'Agh, no, no—'

There's no need to open the same old case of the things that happened before and after I got my quirk—it's not going to be worth anyone's time. I'm not going back to something I left behind already; he's nothing more than a person who just happened to be in the same plain of existence that I'm living in right now.

'Yeah, that's just how it is.'

I don't have time to mull over a thing from the past; I've got enough problems to deal with, and I can barely manage to keep my head from falling off because of all this. I need to focus on the now, on things that really matter, because those are more important than thinking over something that ended a long time ago. Remember the three R's from Science class the other day? Reuse, reduce, and recycle? Well, 'you can't reuse or recycle trash that's rotten already, Yuri,' just leave it be. So—

High school applications are my one and only priority, and I swear I'm going to crawl my way into any school if it's the last thing I do.


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"So, Oniyuri, how are your high school applications going?"

That evening, Uncle Nao came home early from his work and joined me and Auntie Makoto for dinner. Everything was going smoothly and peacefully, until Uncle had to ask that question. Grimace took over me as soon as those last three words echoed in my mind.

"It's going to go down to hell," was what I'd like to say but— "Eh, I don't really know, Uncle," I muttered through the rice in my mouth. "I don't think anyone wants me in their school..."

"Nah, there's gotta be a school for you out there!" Auntie Makoto said as she bit into a piece of chicken. "I can help you look if you want to."

Ah, the ever positive Auntie. Her optimism in this kind of situation is very much appreciated. I find myself smiling a bit— must be because it reminds me of Mom, too. Why didn't I get to have that positive attitude instead?

"What about your classmates?" Uncle asked after setting down his can of beer. "You can get an idea from their choices."

Well, I'm not very close to any of my classmates, Uncle. And even though I'm in my third year in middle school already, I'm still working on this 'making friends' thing— if only I could say that out loud but, 'hmm,' there is that rumour, so I told him, "Well, I heard there's this guy from the next class who wants to go to U.A. or something," and laughed it off as a joke.

"Why not go to U.A. then?"

I almost choked on my rice. Good thing Auntie handed me a glass of water, or Hoori Oniyuri would've died a stupid death. A few large gulps chugged down my food, and after clearing my throat, I narrowed my eyes towards Uncle to give him an incredulous look and ask, "Are... Are you serious, Uncle?"

"Yes, of course. It's the top school in the country, isn't it? It's a good choice if I say so myself."

Sighing, I picked up a karaage from the bowl. "Yeah but that's impossible. I mean, you guys know me and "heroes". We kinda don't mix well. Oil and water and all that stuff."

"You don't mix well with anyone, dear," Auntie said with a teasing grin. That was clearly a joke, but ouch?

"Auntie. My fragile heart, please."

"What I'm saying is," Uncle interjected, "you're not going to worry about being yourself there, Yuri.

"People in U.A. are the real Heroes," he added. "The teachers there are Pro Heroes— they know a villain when they see one, and that's not going to be you."

Silence followed— I hold myself back from saying anything. I love my uncle, truly I do, and I couldn't be more grateful that he's trying to help me right now, but my own doubts are piling up one after another even though he's saying the truth. How can he be so sure about that? None of them, including my mom, went to U.A. As far as I know, all three of them went to a regular high school. How would he or Auntie know anything about that school?

Gah, if only there are others who have the same case like mine. That even with their "evil" quirk, they still attended a school like U.A. I can probably take notes of their experience so I'll know what to do. Maybe then, I can give U.A. a chance.

"Your dad went there, you know."

I almost choked again; this time on water, and I coughed my lungs out. Now that, okay, that really caught me off guard. Seriously, his quirk is not mind reading, right?

I didn't know about my dad going to U.A. I mean, there isn't much information available about him in general, but what? How come no one has ever told me that? Not even Mom mentioned that before. Well, I didn't ask anyway, but—

"For real?" was all I could say. "Dad? Like, my father and your brother-in-law?"

"Who else would it be?" Uncle laughed a little. "But yes, he went there back in high school."

Auntie Makoto didn't seem surprised. Unlike me, she was old enough to remember him—she was around six when my dad passed away, and I was barely two back then.

"He used to tell me a lot of crazy stories about U.A. back when I was little," she said with a tinge of nostalgia in her voice. "It's too bad he couldn't be here to tell you those stories right now. He would've probably loved it if you get to experience them, too."

Okay, hold up, hold up. My mind can't keep up with all this new information. Dad went to U.A.? Like, my dad with this same quirk that I have? The same demon walked on the grounds of a hero school and came out unscathed? Well, I know my dad didn't really die in U.A., but he survived looking like this?

And if they're saying he came out alive from U.A.; that means one thing— people there will truly see me for who I am. Not as a 'villain' or anything; just Hoori Oniyuri. Just like how they saw my dad as a normal boy back then. 'Huh.' Maybe I really should give the school a chance. But now, I really wish he were here, because—

Was he a Hero? I mean, it's U.A., only those who want to become a hero can go there but Mom said Dad was a mechanic, so how did he get in?

"You don't need to apply for the Hero course to get into U.A., if that's what you're worried about."

As Uncle finished his drink, I couldn't help but to stare at him in scrutiny. Can he read minds when he drinks beer? Is that his real quirk?

"Oh, that's right! They have a General Studies department!" Auntie exclaimed while collecting the empty bowl and plates on the table.

'Wait—' "What? Really?"

From what I know, not a lot of hero schools offer that course. Most of them are exclusive for the Hero course only so I assumed it was the same for U.A. since it's literally there in the school's name — basically, the pump out the best Pro Heroes in the industry like All Might and Endeavour.

Man, it never came across me that there should be other departments in that school. It is the number one hero school in the country, so I chuck out the possibility of a General Studies course. Expect the unexpected, I guess? Or 'don't be so narrow-minded, Oniyuri,' that's what it is.

"Yeah, but I heard it's where people end up in after failing the practical exam for the Hero course," Auntie answered as she started washing the dishes at the sink. "That's okay, though; you can still apply for their GEN-ED department."

Oh— 'oh, nuggets,' there's a little tingle in my chest right there, and I'm pretty sure that was hope and expectations just now. Okay, 'calm down, me; don't get your hopes up just yet.' There are still some things to consider, things to think about, and a question that's been bothering me the moment they told me about U.A.

'What if I don't make it there?'

Failure isn't something that bothered me until now. Failing or passing— none of that mattered to me as long as I get things done. All that I thought about this whole time is my problems with heroes and villains, and nothing else. But now—

I lock my hands together; worry's starting to take over me again. I know for sure that U.A. is the only school where entrance exams matter the most— once you pass the set of challenges prepared by the number one Hero school in the country, you wouldn't even have to worry about recommendation letters. If that school sees potential in you, everyone else will. And this becomes an entirely different kind of fear— if I don't make it there, where else can I go?

What happens to my dream then?

My uncle's work as a detective has always appealed to me. Ever since that day when he took me to his office and witnessed how he and his team worked together on an investigation, I wanted to be able to do that with my own team as well. They were working hard to come up with a brilliant and efficient plan, solve the case, and put an end to everything. It was their way of helping without resorting to violence and brutality. And that's what I want— I want to be able to prevent bad things from happening in a smart and efficient way.

Then again, there's that matter with my quirk. Only those who are quirkless or people whose quirks are non-violent in nature are allowed to join the Police Force. It wasn't a problem for me before; I could just pretend my flames didn't exist; that my only quirk was this demon-like appearance, but that was until that certain incident happened— an event that guaranteed there was something more to my quirk than I expected.

It's almost like a hard slap to my face— reality hurt, and giving up became the only option I have. But when people wake up from a dream, there comes a desire to make it happen no matter what. And now that an opportunity presents itself, it becomes so strong that it changes a person's mind, and it pushes them to move, to throw it all away and risk everything they come to believe and know, and I—

"I'm going to go for the Hero course, too."

"What?!" They said in unison.

This is the only other option I could think of. Heroism isn't something I considered for myself before, but if it's the other way I can get into U.A., I'll take it. I'll kick away all these thoughts and opinions I've had about heroes. I'll blind my eyes, shut my ears, and close my mouth if I have to, because if I lose my dream now, what else will remain? What will I become without it?

"I thought you wanted to be a cop like Nii-san?" Auntie Makoto asked with concern in her voice. "Or did you change your mind?"

Well, it's not like I'm going to be an actual Hero. I'll go to U.A. for one reason only: to turn my dream into reality. Becoming a police is basically impossible for me; it's an actual dream, but it'll become a real goal if I find another way in which I can be just like one. I can figure that out while I'm in U.A.

"It's not that, Auntie. I just need to get into U.A. so I'll be taking the entrance exams for that course, too," I replied with a slight laugh to lighten things up. "I mean, it's like what you said— even if I don't make it into the Hero course, there's a chance I'll still end up into the General Studies department. It's a win-win, right?"

As long as I get to into that school, it doesn't matter which department I go to. With my dream, I will decide what I am going to become.

"Are you sure about this? We're not forcing you to go to U.A.," Auntie sat next to me and put her hand gently above mine. "It's okay if you don't want to. We can always look for another school."

"It's your call, Yuri," Uncle Nao said. "Whatever decision you make, we'll be here to support it the best we can."

Looking at them right now, one thing is certain— they're worried about me. And I know they can't help it; they know me well enough to understand my entire situation. They know about me, my problem with people, my dream, and even if I haven't told them anything about my fear of myself, they would have realized it because they are the ones who raised me. That's why they made that suggestion— they know about the discrimination I face in my daily life, and U.A. is going to change that for me. But that is also why they're worried; if I don't make it there, things will only stay the same way.

And I love them for it so much that it chokes me to tears. They've only thought about my well-being, considered the best for me, and I feel nothing but appreciation for them. I can't be more thankful for their support and efforts to keep me safe. And with that, I've never felt more strongly towards my final decision. If I make it into the Hero course or not—

I will make it into U.A. and find a way to make my dream into a reality.

"I've already made up my mind on U.A.," I held my aunt's hand and looked up at them with a smile. "This week, I'm going to start preparing for the entrance exams— Auntie, Uncle."

"If that's what you really want, then sure, kiddo," Uncle Nao smiled in return. "Just tell us anything you need."

"Yeah, he's right," Auntie Makoto pulled me into a warm hug. "We're here to help you out, okay?"

I kept my smile for them. "Okay."

Tomorrow, I'm going to start my research about U.A.'s entrance exams to prepare myself for them. There's no backing out now— this is the first step towards that dream, and I'm going to see it through until it comes to life someday.

That is a promise.


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The preparations are going to be much harder than I expect. That's the only thing that's been circling around my mind the moment the search results for U.A. come out.

Apparently, there will be two sets of test for the Hero course: one is in written form, while the other is a practical examination. The written one is expected; what will an entrance exam be without it? But the other one— 'hoo, boy,' it's not a practice test where they'll make you do tricks with your quirk; it's supposedly an exam where you need to fight something. Or, at least that's what the people on this discussion board right now. They're all going to take the entrance exam like me, and they've been speculating things about the practical exam.

There's this one guy who said, "Of course, we're going to fight. It might even be like a player-versus-player type of thing in video games. That'll be cool!"

Like a one-on-one battle, huh? Well, I guess that's okay with me. I mean, Uncle Nao has taught me a thing or two about fighting— I asked him back then, though they were never really put into use since my old self realized fighting back would only lead to more trouble in her way. But, hmm, never thought I'd see the day when those skills are going to come in handy. A couple more lessons about it might give me some leverage even for a little so I might have to ask Uncle to teach me again.

And since fighting is involved, physical training goes with it. That means exercise. 'Ugh.' It's not something to look forward to, especially with my flabby stomach. And flabby arms. And flabby legs. Those sweets from all these past few years are biting my fat ass now. Man, some spiritual training needs to go with this to keep my fighting spirit alive and kicking and not be held back and trampled down by my poor cardio.

Another guy also said, "I don't know about a one-on-one battle. It seems impractical for an entrance exam. I was thinking of something more like a battle royal."

'Yeesh,' that's even way more brutal. All students are going to fight against each other until one kid wins? Isn't it like that movie, Hunger Games? That whole thing didn't end well. Everyone dead with only two people left who decided to die together in the end. 'Oof.'

But if that's the case, maybe I should try to find out more about my quirk. My minimal fighting skills aren't going to be much help against a large group of people, but— 'agh,' the day has finally come, huh? Purple hell fire, it's your time to shine. Your days of roasting marshmallows and making popcorn for me are over. You get to incinerate people this time.

Sarcasm aside, that idea is actually pretty ugly— if I'm going to use these flames, I'll prefer it if it were for defense, like to keep people from going near me, or for something that's not going to end up like roasted chicken after. They're just way too intense— hotter than your average orange flames but a little cooler than the blue ones. Like, if I'm not careful with the flames, my marshmallows will end up like soft charcoal. And that's gross. Now imagine these flames on people— ah, 'God,' that's not going to end well.

So that means quirk training is a requirement, too? That's another one to the list, then— with double red lines under it to highlight its utmost importance.

Going back to the board, a third user rebutted the others, "Are you all idiots? It's an entrance exam for the Hero course. Obviously, we're going to fight villains."

'Oh.' Villains, huh...?

My stomach's doing somersaults right now. Looks like the preparations needs to be doubled— in combat, physical, and even quirk training. "Aaahh—" not only do I need to defend myself against anyone who mistakes me for a villain, I'm going to have to watch out for the real deal, too. As if I've got enough problems to deal with already; well, seems to me like someone up there's not done with me yet. No time to breathe, huh?

A heavy sigh is only inevitable, just like this hell of an entrance exam. It is U.A. anyway, the number one hero school in the country and all, 'what did you think, Yuri? Always expect the unexpected, okay?'

The fourth user's comment gave me some sort of comfort. "Villains or not, they're going to test our skills and abilities to see if we are worthy of becoming heroes someday, for sure. We just have to show them what we got! Let's do our best, everyone!"

Man, I need that person in my life right now, whoever this 'Red-Riot' person is. They seem like an all-around nice guy— or girl. And cool username too, by the way. It's like from an anime or something. But I'm not going to say that out loud; the last thing that I want people to find out about me is that I watch anime too much.

But— they're right. Becoming a hero is not really a part of my plan, but I do need to pass the entrance exams to get in. U.A. intends to test us as thoroughly as they can and determine whether we get accepted or not, and all we need to do is to prove that we are worthy of becoming their student by doing the best we can for the exams.

So for that,first things first— I need to organize and prioritize my stuff.

For the written exam, the school library's going to be my other best friend on each break and probably an hour or a half after school. It's not going to be a problem since my social life is pretty much nonexistent; sad as it is, there are no clubs, friends, or impending hangouts for me to worry about. 'Sorry, Anman Guy,' making friends going to have to wait for later. But once I get into U.A., there might be a chance for me to do it. 'Don't worry,' I haven't forgotten to smile, and I will keep it through all of this.

As for the practical exam, getting fit aka losing weight is important. There's no use for the flab anymore— they might be convenient for the cold of winter, but how can a fat cop chase down criminals? They're going to outrun me in this state, like I'll just be rolling around like a piglet. Good cardio is a desperate need here.

And a memory from last week just occurred to me— Auntie had actually offered me something about going to this dance studio with her and stuff. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, she goes to this place where she dances her way to fitness coached by a ballet dancer, according to her. She says it's a fun way to lose weight, and she wants me to join her because, "you need to shed your cocoon and become a beautiful butterfly, dear," or so she said. I'd like to say I'd never be a beautiful butterfly— a winged terror like a flying cockroach would be more appropriate, but I do need to shed off these fats now. 'I need to talk to Auntie for that when she gets home later...'

Combat training will probably be more like a review, but I don't know about Uncle— he might teach me a few more things, and I just hope they will not involve me getting tossed around again. The last time we did this, we needed an attacker, and that role went to me since I was the student, and Uncle showed me how to flip someone off. It didn't involve middle fingers getting raised— it involved him grabbing my arm and throwing me down to the ground in seconds. There's no other way to do it— watching self-defence videos on YoTube will definitely hurt less, but I still need to know how to apply them properly in real life. 'I think I'll suggest we do the training on weekends or Fridays instead...'

Finally, quirk training is definitely more important than losing weight. Purple flames might sound cool and all, but you don't want to end up in prison for arson or accidentally burning people to death. Control is something I need to learn for this, like absolute control, and I pray to God the need to use this against a person won't ever arise. I mean, maybe I can but— that's the thing, I don't know how.

From all these Endeavour videos on YoTube, I wonder— how can he roast his enemies mildly? I mean, not completely charred, but burned enough to put them out of commission. Of course, he's got that control over his flames— something I obviously don't have, since mine are always automatically on flamethrower mode. Like, if we were chefs, Endeavour can make some exquisite medium rare steaks, while I can only do overdone ones. That's just a joke, though I do wonder about his cooking skills. Like man, he must be good at cooking with that flame control. Do Heroes even cook at home?

Anyway, there haven't been any drawbacks to this flame thing yet. I mean, I haven't really tested it out— I've only used it on roasting food but nothing excessive like burning a witch or keeping the tortured souls of Hell suffering from the eternal heat. Probably the longest time I used it was five minutes when our neighbourhood had a blackout, and I have to use my fire for light since we don't have candles in the house. We definitely bought some after, but if there's a limit to how long I can use this fire, I need to find out. 'Another one to the list...'

Ah, gosh, there's so much to do. And I only have like, what? Eleven months till the entrance exams? And to think I still have to attend school during these things— man, am I going to die after? Like brain death from studying too much or body death from exercising and training too much?

Everything that I've been doing for the past years is definitely coming back at me now— all those sweets and junk food made me flabby, stuff that Uncle taught me that never see the light of day, and me using my quirk for stupid crap only. Ugh, I should've started this back then, like I shouldn't be this stressed out if I prepared earlier, and things would've been easy-breezy. Maybe I could've been buff as hell and strong enough to crush a watermelon with my thighs by now, or maybe do awesome back flips and mid-air splits or whip people's asses with fire lashes or something, but—

'Oh, well,' no use in beating up myself over this anymore. All I got to do now is study and train like hell to make up for those wasted times. Like, 'think of it this way, Yuri,' that's just two things— study and train. The first one is something I've been doing for more than a decade now, and while the other's pretty new, there's a long period of time for me to do it. How much days are there in eleven months? Probably around three hundred days or something, and those are around eight thousand hours, which is four hundred eighty thousand minutes or something? 'Yep, that's a lot, alright.' I've got all this time in the world, so—

I can do this. If I want to get into U.A., I will survive. Cue training montage song: Eye of the Tiger by Survivor.


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Nico: Some wholesomeness for y'all before the shitstorm that's about to coooome... later. HAHAHA- but yeah, next chapter will be about her training and more about her and her quirk.

Thank you so much for the faves and alerts, btw! I truly, TRULY appreciate y'all! I'm just so, so- HUHUHU T-T Sorry that I can't update that fast, but I'll try my best. uwu

Anyway, if you have any comments, questions, or suggestions, please feel free to write them down in the review box or send me a private message! :D Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed it!