[Disclaimer: I do not claim to own all seasons of both "My Hero Academia" and "My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU". It is also inspired by: 'storybookknight's: s/13113155/1/My-Hero-School-Adventure-is-All-Wrong-As-Expected'.]
Chapter 1
[Prologue]
The sounds of shoes clicking briskly on the pavement entered my ears. The sounds of horrified gasps discreetly entered my ears. And finally, the sounds of a cat screeching entered my ears. At times like these, I can't help but question myself. Is what I am doing what one may call: 'good'? What will I gain out of this? Will everyone stop avoiding me? Will everyone stop talking behind my back? Will everyone begin respecting me? Will everyone stop calling me names? Will everyone stop hating me? I can't say for sure.
In a monochrome world filled with grays playing as black and white, everyone is equal. Equally good, and equally bad.
"Move away!" I shouted out, instantly dropping my backpack down to the ground as I sprinted my way to the crowd who were circling the side of an awfully tall building.
The winds howled, the air whirled, my feet dashed, and my head began to hurt.
My Quirk: [Limitless]. The ability to bring infinity into reality. It grants me the capacity of night-absolute control of space itself at the cost of potentially harming my brain [1]. Great, right? It sounds so powerful. Everyone I've met told me so. But why wasn't it strong enough to pass their expectations? Why was my Quirk even called "Limitless" despite the obvious limits?
The crowd in front of me did not disappear. They did not make a path for me. It was what I expected. But, that won't stop me. Continuously, I ran, bit by bit yet hastily and swiftly making way as I passed them like how Nami bid farewell to her hometown [2]. As I felt the collective gazes strike me, I watched the falling silhouette of a falling cat make its way to my vicinity.
Then, I jumped, curving my body towards the convenient location, looking straight up as I did so. The rays of autumn's sun blinded me. Or was I always blind to begin with? As the screeching cat's body approached mine, I gave my utmost focus. Raising my right hand, I began controlling the infinity. The invisible barrier was felt by my senses as my hand trembled in a distorted manner.
I was going to save this cat. My Quirk isn't useless. I'm not useless. I can do something, too. And I'm going to prove it.
My Quirk's biggest flaw then began to resurface. My head began feeling as if it was spiraling into the abyss. My gaze began observing the hazy silhouette. Determined, I aimed my open palm to stop the meteor-like speed of the cat.
It's time. Maybe people will start being nice to me. Once I save this cat, perhaps they'll begin seeing me for who I am. It's a possibility, isn't it? Internally, I laughed, as the cat's descent neared my ability. Finally, finally! Fina-
SPLAT
While averting the gaze of my rotten eyes, the bloody corpse of the cat lying on the ground crossed the threshold of my vision.
It was at that moment, a significant thought navigated my mind.
Maybe one day I can be overpowered.
-o-o-o-o-o-
Somewhere, in the City of Musutafu
8:02 AM
Heroes.
What are heroes?
Are they the people who save others? Or are they the people who were born with powers? I think it is completely safe to say that it is none of the above.
Heroes are but people who were in the right place at the right time. Nothing more, nothing less.
"Hrhh…" I grunted, my back remained hunched and my hands remained stuffed in my pockets.
The cold breeze of the early spring entranced me momentarily as the campus of UA High entered my field of vision. My medium-length black hair flew around the wind. My ahoge swayed as if it were a stalk of rice in a windy field. The straps of my backpack, flailing across my sides like a curtain exposed to high wind pressure. Curiously, my gray-looking lackadaisical eyes gazed at a ginormous front gate. As I expected, the egress was big, around 18 feet tall, customized to benefit the taller students with mutation-type Quirks. The school's logo with the initials: "U.A." was placed atop the front gate, and the huge letter H structure lay visible.
I sighed, inhaling my breath before exhaling it right after. It was early morning, and the radiating heat of the sunlight bore no effect due to the still-cold breeze originating from around the fields of the school campus before me. The students who wished to participate in today's event—the UA Entrance Exams—slowly began to fill the already crowded area from inside the campus.
Now this sucked. I mean, more people?
"Haaah. Why are normies so revolting?"
These pitiful creatures of cringe never cease to make me want to die out of suffocation. I mean, look at them! They're smiling at each other, talking quite animatedly, and ugh! This is just what I needed right now.
My black high-top sneakers clicked quietly on the sturdy reddish-brown pavement as I began to blend in with the crowd. My walk to the school building will be a short one provided that I increase my pace.
Anyways, let me get straight to the point.
Why am I here?
Why UA High?
Well, the answer's pretty simple.
Some Pro Heroes are gifted with complete financial stability once out of high school. Although, the amount at which you are paid depends mostly on which school you've graduated from. UA High, however, promises a vast amount of allowance every month. And, that's particularly the reason why I ultimately decided to be a pro hero.
No, I don't care about saving people. I don't care about fame. Heck, I don't even want to partake in operations. I literally just want complete financial stability.
Because from that, stems the ability to happily doze off on my couch, earning money whilst doing completely nothing. Just think of the huge difference between me and those foolish full-time corporate slaves who lack the time for their families!
After smirking sardonically, I finally reached the entrance to the building. I then went near the counter, past all the other people, for the reception, hoping to figure out how to enroll. The female clerk that I approached looked at me with mild curiosity and mild fear (probably because of my eyes) until she finally realized the whole point of her job. She trembled slightly, and slowly but surely uttered a response.
"G-Good morning! Welcome to UA High, I assume that you're here for application?"
Look, I get that my eyes are scary, but that reaction is making me too self-conscious!
"Yes."
"Very well, may I ask for your name?"
"Hikigaya Hachiman."
-o-o-o-o-o-
9:10 AM
All Might - The so-called: "Number One Hero".
Age - Unknown : Quirk - Unidentified.
He dashed into the scene of the hero world and received unwavering popularity based on his ability. Ever since he appeared, the once critically high rate of crimes committed by villains decreased year after year, and his existence itself became a deterrent.
He became the symbol of peace in both name and reality.
Yet, his undoubted optimism and public opinions made me dislike the hero.
To promote such acts of heroism—when reality and rationality aren't even taken into account. He may look good in the short term, but once carefully studied, all those biased and sanguine claims the guy declared become debunked.
One of which, was when he said: "The youth are the next hope!" I mean, seriously! The youth?! The youth that grew up in a society filled with sheer stupidity and superficiality?! If the world advances in this direction, then the day will surely come when the loners will rise and create a new world, nonchalantly stepping on top of the worthless riajuus.
About 10 months ago, All Might had his debut on returning to Musutafu City against a certain sludge villain. Fortunately, your ever-so-youthful teenager, Hikigaya Hachiman, was able to experience this on his sightseeing trip.
Flashback
"KACCHAN!" the green-haired boy screamed out, running towards the scene and slipping past two pro heroes.
My vision did not betray me. Earlier, this kid held his yellow backpack, asking me about the current situation, then now, he was running frantically into the scene once he had seen the hostage. Were the green-haired boy and the exploding blonde friends or something? Well, it makes sense. Anyways, his expression was something I was familiarly acquainted with, and I knew very well that that was the face of someone who rushed head-on without a plan. And frankly, I was touched.
"Hey, kid!— " "What do you think you're doing?!— " "Stop!— " "Get back here!— " "Don't! You'll die!— "
I observed the commotion as not only the crowd but also the Pro Heroes began shouting with increasing volumes like a siren approaching from afar with the Doppler Effect. I was slightly annoyed, but the reason was to be expected. The so-called "heroes" were just standing close to the border of the fire-hydrant-looking hero's water barrier.
My eyes went back to the boy who rushed with increasing interest, curiosity, and as well as fascination. The boy now held an unwavering stance as he ran, his eyes calculating the movement of the sludge villain. After a few moments of astute decision-making, he hurled his backpack at the disgusting villain, letting the items inside the bag pierce through the villain's eyes. Amused, I continued watching with escalating wonder—which suddenly diminished, as, while his smile proved otherwise, his short-lived witty action was outdistanced by visible fear.
"WHY YOU!"
The slimy-looking person-slash-monster who undeniably had contained a glorious amount of germs howled, angered by the broccoli boy's movement.
However, the sludge villain's hostage had a different reaction.
"What the hell are you—" the ash-blonde clawed the sludge out of his mouth, "—doing, you fucking nerd?!"
Okay, wow. How nice of you to suddenly curse the person who saved you momentarily!
After that, All Might appeared, then yadda yadda yadda.
Note to self: Never make friends.
End Of Flashback
Currently, I was sitting on a comfortable seat in what seemed to be an enormous movie theater holding a few yet discernible lights to further accentuate the size of this venue. While its purpose may be to solely hold leisurely events, there was no question to the fact that this locale may additionally be employed for announcements.
Oh yeah, did I forget to tell you that I had just finished the written portion of our entrance exams? While I pretty much solved the questions with ease, I could easily tell that it required a lot of mental capacity to answer them successfully. Thus, it is safe to say that I could expect some pretty intelligent people if I were to somehow pass the upcoming test.
My hands brushed against each other as my Examinee ID of #1608 was displayed on a card that lay atop our row's examination table directly ahead of me. It also showed my… battle center location? It says "C"...Maybe it's something that will be explained in due time.
As if on cue, once I had finished reading the card, the whole auditorium's lights shut down, and the spotlight appeared in the very front.
To my right, I could hear a faint gasp indicating surprise. I looked beside me to see my ex-classmate, Orimoto Kaori, who had her eyes glued to the stage.
In my memories, she is known as the girl whom I once confessed to, and the girl who somehow opened my eyes to yet another certain aspect of life. Even if I did regret my actions back then, I am grateful that I was able to finally understand the true nature of these "nice girls". I was blinded and thought that I actually wanted to date her. Good thing she didn't notice me peering at her cautiously. My Stealth Hikki skill is still as good as ever. Or maybe she just chose to ignore me...
Then, some rock music lit the stadium up as a person transitioned out of the automatically-opening trapdoor of the stage accompanied by a familiar and boisterous Pro Hero whose yellow hair was iconically styled to match the rock-music-style theme of his hero costume.
"YEAHHHH!"
Undoubtedly, the Pro Hero before all the examinees was the well-known Present Mic. The hero enthusiastically dramatically raised his left arm as the other held his microphone. It was as if I was staring at a loud, male, and humanoid version of Inko-chan [3], except with the ability to actually say her name.
"For all you listeners turning in, welcome to my show today!"
Present Mic is cool. But… the thing is… *dramatic pause*... I used to listen to all of his radio shows, but… tHE DAMNED ELEMENTARY CLASSMATES OF MINE TOLD ME IT WAS STUPID TO DO SO! Curse you, stupid riajuu ex-classmates!
Flashback
"Hey, Gay!" A student in 4th grade called out to me. "I heard that if you listen to Present Mic's radio shows, then you are completely stupid!"
Instantly, I gasped.
I had been listening to his radio shows ever since they aired. Did that mean… that I was stupid?
End Of Flashback
Maybe that stupid freaking kid was right. I was stupid. There was nothing completely wrong with listening to Present Mic's radio shows, so I think I can officially confirm that I was temporarily stupid. Freaking stupid kid…
"Come on, everybody! Let's all say HEY!"
Present Mic suddenly shouted, his already-loud voice pummeling itself into the microphone to further increase the volume. Looking around, it appears that he was trying to get us to answer, but...
.
.
.
Silence.
"Wow! What a refined response!"
"Ooohhh! That's Present Mic… If I want to be a hero and study under someone as great as him, then I'll have to try hard and believe in myself! I must not fail this!" the girl to my left who seemingly had pink, permanent, and round blushes on her face pumped her fist excitedly.
Wait a second, is that another nice girl to my left?! An optimistic girl, at that?! What kind of world do we live in?! It's as if Yagami Light [4] was suddenly reincarnated into this world a few years ago that led to all this stupid "niceness"!
The truth is, simply believing in yourself will not get you outside most situations. If that were the case, then the increasing death rates in Japan would surely have plummeted.
A great example would be when I believed I could fly at the age of 8…
Flashback
"I… believe I can fly!" I said, jumping off the roof.
Unfortunately, the long-distance fall was so high up that when I bumped the ground, the impact made me feel so much pain. I almost died, but hahahahahahaha! I'm alive! Why? Plot armor!
I was simply sent to the hospital right after. Oh yeah, my psychology was also checked because they thought I was spiraling into chronic depression and was trying to kill myself.
Seriously, they should know better! Why would I want to waste my terrifyingly amazing current life?
But still...
Darn you, All Might! You said that: "Believing in yourself will allow you to reach new heights!"
End Of Flashback
Ugh. I hate optimists. Just thinking about them makes me shudder. With their already-delusional view of life and their rejection of accepting reality, I could just puke right here, right now, at the floor, with no regrets whatsoever.
"Well, listeners! I will quickly present to you all the rundown of the Entrance Exams!"
"W-wow! H-he's so cool!" Freaking riajuu optimist! Stop distracting me!
"SO, LET ME ASK AGAIN! ARE YOU ALL READY?!"
Present Mic shouted, once again attempting to gain a meaningless response.
.
.
.
Silence.
"YEAH!" Present Mic just screamed, answering himself.
Is he stupid or something? Have they ever heard of hearing Quirks?
Present Mic has a really high chance to deafen some examinees—rendering whatever sound-related Quirk they have useless! Another thing is the others with PTSD or some sort of mental illness that makes them scared of loud noises!
"As it says in the application requirements, you listeners will be conducting ten-minute mock urban battles against robots after this!"
Hmm… mock battles? Against robots? As in, inanimate objects? What about the other people with Quirks rendered useless on physical oppositions or unlively objects? The test duration? Have they ever thought about the people whose Quirks require some form of charging?
Is UA that biased and only accepts people with flashy Quirks? Or are they just that stupid to not consider these facts? Why do people even insist on labeling this place "The Most Prestigious School of Japan"? So far, UA isn't necessarily living up to its reputation regarding practicality.
With only a few bits of information, I can conclude that this examination is not a good one. It should be like their written portion, where no student poses any sort of advantage or disadvantage to the other, even against the ones with the mental Quirks thanks to the Quirk suppression cuffs. If you ask me, though, then they should hire a person with a stamina Quirk that could fight every examinee. Or, if the examinee excels in fighting in a certain specialty, then they should be designed to oppose another foe where the examinee could utilize everything in their arsenal. With this method, the proctors could properly gauge their potential. It's so obvious that that's particularly one of the reasons why there are fewer famous heroes with healing Quirks. As for attaining their route to identifying if an examinee is worth keeping into UA, then they should just use their high amounts of insurance for being the most prestigious hero school here in Japan. I mean, if UA can build so many robots—so it seems, then they should have the budget to pay the people to do the required work for them. And if they happen to not have the required account, then they should just commit extortion or blackmail some rich people or something.
I see quite a lot of flaws in this 'practical' entrance examination.
But then again, the nice girl to my left just had to open her mouth. "Wow! The practical part of the exams seems really hard!" Woman, can you just shut up already?!
The answer to my earlier inquiry regarding battle centers was then displayed on the ginormous screen as seven squares suddenly appeared labeled by letters ranging from A to G followed by Present Mic's instructions.
"After the presentation, you'll head to the specified battle center, okay?" He paused, "OKAY?!"
But yet again,
.
.
.
Silence.
The screen changed as a shaded image of robots entered the screen. Present Mic sighed and just decided to get things over with. I'm guessing that he just straight-up gave up on getting responses.
"Three different types of faux villains are stationed in each battle center. You earn points for each of them based on their level of difficulty."
Hmm, I see.
What about the fourth one listed on the Practical Sheet UA gave us?
"Your goal, dear listeners, is to use your Quirks to earn points by immobilizing the faux villains." the host looks back at us with a dramatic pose. "Of course, attacking other examinees and other unheroic actions are prohibited!"
I find the latter instruction quite unnecessary. As I took it all in, I wondered about the other people whose Quirks require them to do unheroic actions—such as sabotaging your fellow examinees.
People come here to become Pro Heroes, not necessarily "Heroes", and so, being unheroic does not matter, so long as the end result does not differ from what our minds are set into achieving.
Besides, in the form of competition, the concept of taking another person down will always be open to everyone.
"Excuse me, may I ask a question?" A boy with blue hair asks from a few rows of seats behind me. I turn my head to observe and listen to what the boy may be questioning.
"Okay!"
Hah, the host hasn't even told us when the questioning will begin.
As the student took the spotlight, another dramatic side-effect happened as the light emphasized the blue-haired teen.
"On the printout… " the boy starts, pointing to the paper he was currently displaying, "... there are four types of villains. If that is a misprint, then UA, the most prominent Heroics school in Japan, should be ashamed of this foolish mistake!" he said, pushing his glasses back to a more comfortable location.
Woah, this guy even went as far as to use descriptive appositives just to put more shame on the school!
I bet Present Mic hasn't even gone to that part yet! This is why people should always wait for when the questioning will begin. And from the looks of his body posture—which is standing straight with proper grooming, then it appears that this guy is a stickler for rules. His body language all but screams that fact.
Dramatically, the boy puts his right arm to his chest. "We examinees are here in this place because we wish to be molded into exemplary heroes. In addition, you there with the curly hair!"
The glasses kid looks behind him to the upper rows and points to a familiar greenette with curly hair whom I recalled to be the kid from the sludge villain incident—and the guy beside him with the spikey ash-blonde hair seems to be the victim from that time, too. Guess they also wanted to be heroes?
"You've been muttering this whole time. It's disturbing. If you're here on a pleasure trip, then you should leave immediately!"
A few chuckles could be heard from around the area.
I honestly feel bad for that curly-haired guy.
But this elitist is crazy. Honestly, I can't help but feel the hypocrisy that he's emanating.
I haven't even heard the poor green-haired kid say anything up to this length. This means that the mumbling was only loud enough to a certain extent. This glasses guy, on the other hand, had disturbed the whole audience with some unnecessary judgment.
I facepalmed. Honestly, the nerve of that guy.
I can somehow sympathize with the broccoli-looking boy. Like, literally! I myself am also guilty of talking to myself as a habit! It was one of my 108 Loner Skills! Skill #95: "Strategic Muttering". I was even caught speaking my internal monologue that one time in middle school where I was suddenly put into detention for "class disruption".
"Okay, okay, examinee number 7111." Present Mic gives a thumbs up. "Thanks for the great message!"
What the heck? Present Mic is not handling this situation properly. He complimented the boy after an obvious hypocritical act! That is nothing else but a display of crime! They are planting ludicrous things into the students' heads, somehow encouraging the others to act like this guy!
I'm beginning to think that the only reason why this school is so great is because of its high-end fundings.
"The fourth type of villain is worth 0 points," Present Mic continued, as the fourth villain's figure flashed on the screen.
See? They had it prepared in their presentation! This tall guy's scene was just outright unnecessary!
"That guy's an obstacle, so to speak. There's one in every battle center, an obstacle that will go crazy in narrow spaces. It's not impossible to defeat, but there's no reason to defeat it, either. I recommend that you listeners try to avoid it!"
"Thank you very much! Please excuse the interruption!" the glasses-kid bows, then sits back down.
"That's all from me, listeners! Finally, I'll give you all a present: Our school motto!"
What? Can school mottos even be considered as presents? Eh, I guess good luck and conversations can be considered as presents—as the people handing them out are giving you their time. I can't help but feel that they are unnecessary gifts, though.
"The hero Napoleon Bonaparte once said: "A true hero is someone who overcomes life's misfortunes. So, go beyond…" Oh, sheeeeet. Not this part that I hate the most!
.
.
.
"PLUS ULTRA!"
I think I'm gonna die of cringe. Shonen Gods, please summon an anvil from the sky and let it fall harshly upon my skull so that it may end my insignificant and woeful life. I just want to get this over with.
-o-o-o-o-o-
A Few Minutes Later
Battle Center C
UA High School's hero course.
A training school for 'those' whose goal is to acquire the necessary qualifications needed for pro heroes. I guess you could say I'm associated with 'those'.
Among similar courses in the country, UA High is the most popular and most competitive; and their acceptance rate is less than one in three hundred every year.
Graduating from UA is basically a requirement for being one of not only the top but greatest pro heroes. Not only that, but it also provides about 1 million yen of monthly allowance for the rest of your life, and 2.25 million yen once you retire.
Amazing, is it not? Unfortunately, though, UA High is an extremely difficult school to enter and finish. Apparently, about 5% is the usual amount of hero students who can successfully graduate their third year.
So, where was I again?
Ah.
Battle Center C.
I sighed as I saw the people who were in front of me. Many were inside their tracksuits—some even made their beta test hero costumes. A few examinees took the initiative to conversate with each other. Whilst, on the other hand, I yawned, relaxed, waiting patiently for the countdown. With nobody hoping to interrupt me, I was really happy—despite not smiling. Social interactions were never really my strength, to begin with.
Comfortably, I was in my casual blue tracksuit, my feet were covered by my black high-top sneakers. It was plain, as an iconic piece of clothing is definitely useless for me. Things you'll get sentimental with will only hold you back. Any form of attachment will hold you back. As long as there is affection, you will always be held back. That is why… I won't be fooled.
Woah, why did I just sound like some cool edgy anime protagonist? Heck, I even sounded so cool! I can't wait to be the coolest person in—
"OKAY, START!" Present Mic—who came out of nowhere, announced. He was standing on top of one of the walls around the battle site.
I heard a bustling movement from the front gates as I saw the other examinees look around in mild confusion. Then, everything started to click. The huge door was opening. Present Mic said: "start".
There is only one logical response to this.
Immediately, I dashed, running off to where the practical portion of the exam was to officially take place.
"WHAT'S WRONG?!" I could hear Present Mic through the speakers. "THERE ARE NO COUNTDOWNS IN REAL FIGHTS!" he then proceeded to dramatically point at me who took the head start. "LOOK AT THAT GUY! HE HAS THE RIGHT IDEA, NOW RUN, RUN, RUN!"
And then, all hell broke loose.
Looking back, people were tripping on each other. People were racing, glaring at who they were equidistant with. People were running as fast as they could. The barrage of footsteps could clearly be heard from this distance.
However, they don't appear to have any Quirk that could somehow increase their mobility—
Nevermind.
One guy, in particular, stood out. He had neatly-cut blonde hair. His eyes were blue. He was speeding his way to pass me, propelling himself by blasting what seems to be energy balls from out of his palms. He looked like one of those smart, popular, and charismatic riajuu kids. He noticed me observing him, then gave me a sparkling smile, as bright as the sun. Yet, his eyes gave off a different meaning. So, he's also one of those plastics, then?
I quickly shunned him off by glaring at him, before looking back at the gate.
From behind, I could hear the collective noise of my fellow examinees' Quirks being fired up, slowly catching up to me. I retorted by quickening my pace and lengthening my strides by a little. At times like this, a person such as I—who ran faster than the average Quirkless person without utilizing my Quirk—will always use this moment to flaunt their disgustingly high egos. I am just so cool! I mean, did you see how fast I ran?! I once ran 50 meters in my 3rd year of middle school in under 7 seconds! It's just that nobody was watching me run that time...
"HEY, HEY, HEY! Examinee…" he looked at something in his palm. "EXAMINEE #1608! WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?! YOU'RE GOING THE WRONG WAY! THAT PLACE IS OFF-LIMITS!"
I turned to our Exam Conductor and back to the road to see that I indeed have taken the wrong direction. For some reason, my brain was on Cloud Nine that I forgot where I was even going.
O-Oh god, that was so embarrassing! I was literally called out! How can I get lost in a straight line?!
I noticed that some people had already passed me. After shaking my head, I went back and attempted to outrun the cheery blonde again who was on the verge of chuckling. Heck, even the other examinees who have already passed me were slightly chuckling. Why am I suddenly making a fool out of myself?
Gah, that was so embarrassing! I gotta get out here fast, but these guys are way faster at running than me! I knew it! I should've literally trained my body in the local gym instead of relying on my highly efficient "biking to school" training regime I did every morning and after classes.
Alright. Enough of that. It's time to focus. Taking the fact that I am drastically failing at outrunning the nearest person to me, meant that these guys were most definitely faster than me.
Taking the spot of the person in front is the priority in this exam.
In other words, competition is the main factor dragging, not only them but also, me down rock-bottom.
If I let my enemies know what I can do, then it'll somehow allow them a way to secure their spot above me. Sabotage may not be allowed, but sabotage comes in ways that may bypass the rule of the practical exams. I don't expect much from them, but I expect that things will never be too easy.
When I finally reached the gates and ran past it, I was greeted with the sight of people battling out robots inside a faux city. I looked in front of me to scout the other competitors, seeing who could take on the robot on their own. In front of them is the blonde—not really desperate in outrunning me. So I'd say that he's rather focused and already building up a plan. I could tell from that look on his face.
Alright. I looked back at the front, then sighed.
Metals were clanking, robots were rolling their way in, and the collective AI noise of the faux villains noticing my vain existence.
One could say that this was truly the beginning of the Entrance Exams.
"Target locked! Target locked! Target locked!"
Immediately, I jumped to the side, dodging what seemed to be a one-pointer with my great reflexes. As a person used to being dodged by other people, one could say I learned a way to dodge them instead.
I knew for a fact that many people stayed around this area to beat up the collective robots in the entrance. That means that they are dumb because most smart and capable contestants would pass this area, allowing themselves to take part in destroying other bots far to the front. That means that there's a chance that whenever the dumb people here finished the batch at where I stepped, then the ones further forward would already be destroyed.
Logically speaking, it's best to create distance from the smart guys so I can steal the points from other participants in this location. Heh. Alright, then. It's time to begin. The one-pointer that engaged in a fight with me struck again, but my swift movement was enough to dodge. Then, as everything was a-okay, I had forgotten something. My joints screamed in slight pain as I got exhausted immediately.
Like the fool I was, I had not thought of myself and had thought of the people around me instead. Thus, this means that I had forgotten to do the basics.
I had forgotten to stretch.
Look. Earlier, I was biking my way to UA. I hadn't even recalled doing some morning warm-ups. The only exercise I did was cycling. And so, I was not able to properly warm my body up. The reason why this happened is pretty awful, too.
Flashback
A Few Hours Earlier
4:23 AM
LOUD THUD LOUD THUD
"... what the hell…"
I sighed, shaking my head. My eyes remained closed as my body remained limp. I was currently enjoying the process of sleeping. And, who the hell bangs on the door that loud in the morning?!
THUD
What the heck?!
"Urhhh," I slurred myself, trying to finally stand up, and tell the stupid intruder to stop bothering me.
THUD THUD
Fuckkkkkk
"Who's there?" I asked, not too loudly, and not too softly so that the person aiming to call for me can hear.
"ONII-CHAN! ONII-CHAN!" called out from the other door, "HELP!"
...!
SHIT!
Almost immediately, I panicked.
Standing up straight despite the dizzy feeling in my head, I forced myself to run. Then, my right leg slipped on the paper on the floor because my eyes weren't able to comprehend yet due to my early process of moving.
It was basically like trying to click on an application that hasn't even appeared yet on your monitor screen when your computer is still booting up.
My head dropped chin-first to the carpet floor, and my body fell once more.
Damn it, Hachiman! Hurry up!
Despite being tempted to actually stay on the ground and resume my napping, I forced myself up because my dear sweet imouto is in trouble!
When I got back up, I almost fell backward, but I was successfully able to stabilize myself, allowing me to open the door with my eyes wide.
"KOMACHI! WHAT HAPPE— "
Before I was able to finish, the happy and toothy grin of my cute little sister greeted me when I opened the door.
.
.
.
"... Komachi?"
Wait, why isn't she having any problems? Her tone from earlier screamed for help, implying that she was physically in trouble.
Had she dealt with it? Had the potential robbers left? No, that can't be it. Komachi doesn't exhibit the same physical and natural strength as me! I swear she can't defend herself in situations like break-ins!
"Ah, good morning Gomii-chan!" she exclaimed, happily.
Why doesn't she look troubled?
"What happ— "
This time, I was cut off by her voice.
"Onii-chan. Maybe you should check the clock," she stated, then turning around, walking away to the direction of her room with no problems at all as if there were any, to begin with.
Check the clock?
Before I did that, though, I checked the surroundings of our house to see if anything had occurred. I was surprised when nothing out of the ordinary was in place.
Hmmm.
If there's no problem, then why does she want me to check the clock?
Little sisters are strange beings.
No matter how cute they are, you don't feel anything for them. Their underwear is naught but cloth. That's what real little sisters are like.
Turning around to my darkroom, I looked at my digital clock, and the red glowing digits of the current time fully awoke me.
SHIT! TODAY WAS THE UA'S ENTRANCE EXAMS! AND I'M GOING TO BE LATE!
End Of Flashback
STONK
My mind was interrupted by the sudden harassment of this stupid 1-pointer who had just attempted to attack me by swiping its blocky hand on me while I was calmly reminiscing my initial source of depression.
Calm down! I was just thinking! Heck, I haven't even begun stretching!
I sighed, then dodged another attack.
The faux villain in front of me was robust. Two shield-like arms, wheels for mobility, and a neck as long as a newborn giraffe's. All are connected by a thin and flexible hose-like structure. When fighting these types of opponents, it is logical to incapacitate them. Simply breaking their heads won't work as I'm willing to bet that their sensors are located around the body as well. Therefore, breaking the hose-like structure thingy will be my best bet.
Smirking, I dashed forward then swiped with my right leg.
"Joue Shoot! [5]"
I shouted out, kicking the one-pointer that had engaged in a battle with me. I really looked like some really cool shonen anime protagonist. However, as my feet made contact with the robot, I realized that it was made of metal.
SMACK
"Ouch!"
Freaking Hachiman! Aren't you supposed to be smart?!
And unexpectedly, the one-pointer followed with an attack that was simply impossible to dodge at this rate. But, before it reached me, it was slightly distorted as a glitch-like effect happened before it suddenly 'stopped'.
Heh.
Well, I guess I should tell you about it now, huh?
What is my Quirk?
My Quirk is [Limitless].
[Limitless] allows the user to bring infinity into reality. At the expenditure of a headache, the user is able to manipulate infinity itself. It is a form of spatial manipulation, and a terribly difficult-to-use one to boot.
Sighing, once I was out of place, I disabled my ability once more as I ran as fast as I could away, knowing full well that I cannot beat this one-pointer without any form of tool.
My Quirk, at first glance, seemed to be extremely cool as the name suggests. However, the decrepitude of this Quirk is unfortunately bad. Due to the fact that my ability to utilize this Quirk is rooted in my nerves, extended usage of this ability will render me useless, and potentially dismantle my brain in the process, thus inevitably killing me. Therefore, I must use my Quirk as little as possible.
Not only that, but even the manipulation part of my Quirk is hella difficult. It took me my short lifetime to at least master this level of control considering I only practiced during my free time.
For one, it required my utmost effort at locating infinity itself. Fortunately, my eyes somehow had to learn the ability to differentiate gas particles from infinity. Thus, I had to perceive things at the atomic level, especially since I can only control the "nothingness" between each particle. So to say, it involved the study of quantum mechanics and science itself. Oh, and don't forget the other branches. Apparently, I had to feel each nerve cell in my body to even begin manipulating the infinity.
SMASH
Another swift swipe of the robot's arms almost came into contact with me, as I dodged at the most opportune moment, thus preventing the attack from hitting me. The swipe was able to attack the wall, though, and some cement came falling on—…
Wait, cement?
Heh.
Grabbing the block of cement on the ground, I dodged another attack and looked at the faux villain pitifully.
Time for the metal scrapping festival to begin.
[Interlude]
9:26 AM [Site B]
"LESS THAN TWO MINUTES LEFT!" Present Mic screamed in our battle center.
"O-only two minutes?!"
It'll be wasted! Everything All Might gave me… will be wasted!
I looked up, teary-eyed, trying to accept my demise while at the same time, desperately trying to find a way I could possibly change everything.
Come on, think, think, think! What will I, Midoriya Izuku, do?!
The gigantic faux villain was heading our way, destroying buildings across its path.
There was nothing I could do. Nothing, nothing, n-nothing!
I-I'm a complete failure, I failed All Might, I failed him, I failed him!
So… why…
Why did he choose me?!
Why…
I couldn't even do anything…
Izuku, I'm sorry!
Young man, no. I don't think you can be a hero.
If you want to be a hero so badly, then why don't you take a swan dive off a roof and hope for a Quirk in your next life?!
What?! Midoriya?! A hero?! Hahahaha!
All the people in my life… they were right all along…
I closed my eyes, tears falling down, when—
"Ow!" someone shouted out, suddenly making my head perk up to her. A brown-haired girl was trying to stand up, but struggling because her ankle was trapped in a huge piece of rubble.
… it's... the nice girl…
It'd be bad luck if you fell, right?
…
Immediately, I stood up, my face holding a scared but fierce expression.
That's right! I WILL be a hero! No matter what!
There is absolutely no merit in taking down that humongous villain.
I ran to her, my eyes not stopping to blink. They remained focused, instinctively observing the trajectory at which I am attempting to do.
But… that creates the opportunity...
I stopped in front of the nice girl, crouching my legs while narrowing my eyes at the approaching mech.
… A chance to shine...
Then, I let go, forcing all my force into my feet. The adrenaline, the rush of power.
I felt it.
… and rise to the surface.
I flew up to the sky, then I clenched my right hand harshly.
"Hrhhhh!" I cocked my right fist back as I felt more power flowing through me. The right sleeves of my tracksuit were being ripped off from the sheer power my right arm was emanating. As I soared higher to the sky, I dodged the incoming palm of the mech.
But, that didn't matter right now.
Squeeze your buttocks…
And yell this from the depths of your heart,
"SUMASSSSSHHHHHEEEEE!" I shouted, horizontally laying myself in the air while tilting my body for a downward strike for the mech's head.
SWOOOOOOOOSH
A huge gale of wind was produced, going through the mech as the force at which I punched broke the entire body of the huge faux villain. The mech was absolutely decimated and pulverized, as a hole suddenly pierced through the body, creating even a crater down at the ground.
That's right, it rises to the surface.
The most important qualification of a hero,
The remaining parts of the bot exploded, as the mouths of the spectators lay agape to what I had done.
The spirit of self-sacrifice!
.
.
.
I-I… did it! I used One For All!
W-wait, how was the nice girl?! Did I somehow affect her?! The force of that punch was so powerful! Don't tell me she got pummeled by it!
And…
Wait! How do I get down?!
-o-o-o-o-o-
[Site C]
9:31 AM
Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, and hate leads to suffering.
Why am I suddenly sounding like a Star Wars character?
Eh.
Back on the subject: 'fear'.
Fear is what people are rhetorically afraid of. It is an emotional reaction from us when we respond to something that is usually dangerous—or something that violates the peace of our mind.
So, let me ask again—not considering that I have asked beforehand. What is fear?
Fear is something that we hate.
What is hatred?
Hate is our dislike for something. Something that depends on us. Hate is something that others may enjoy, equal to what some others may not. I think hate is arbitrary.
So, imagine my surprise, when I was on top of a building, watching over the crowd on the main road calmly and relaxed. A ginormous faux villain had just popped into existence out of literally nowhere.
It was green and mechanical. It also had some caterpillar tracks for its footing.
Dang, that is so awesome! But at the same time, it must be some miserable gift that nobody wants to accept to most people inside this battle plot right now. I mean, the gift is just going to wreak havoc upon the poor and weaker examinees! Therefore, I could absolutely say that I did not hate this moment at all! Goodbye, normies! I hope you go and freaking die!
I was just resting myself on a building, sitting down whilst watching at the rooftop.
I guess it's time to use it, huh? Skill #12: "Human Observation".
I had cleared every bot from where I started, and I supposed that I really didn't want to stand out, so I gave the others a fighting chance to succeed and laid here, resting on the railing of the building's rooftop.
.
.
.
Okay. I'm kidding. I actually just gave up instead. What the hell, this is too difficult! I knew I shouldn't have pursued the path of a Pro Hero! What was I doing when I applied for U.A. in the career consultation forms 10 months ago?! Was it to look cool in front of a certain girl?! Actually, that may be the reason…
Anyways, I got, like, 8 points and stole another 4 from other people like a badass. After that, I was out of breath and decided to just enjoy my time like an awesome guy without a care in the world.
Perhaps I should just rest here? I mean, I totally give up on being a Pro Hero. Besides, there IS still room for house-husbandry, hehehe.
Back to the subject, I saw the crowd getting all scared and shit, shouting out to everyone else. Hmm, I could also see that blonde shithead guy from earlier who ran fast and shot an energy ball with his open palm to propel himself somewhere.
So far, I'm most intrigued about him—apart from the guy with the hardening Quirk—which actually surprised me. I hadn't expected that he used himself as a huge boulder—that had the ability to hurl himself back. I thought his joints would be locked so that he may have been unable to move properly.
But why am I so mad at that blonde guy again?
I shall graciously share with you my memory.
Flashback
Hachiman Hikigaya—or me, was currently smashing through the horde of bots with some life-threatening kicks that not only threatened the faux villains' lives but also made me contemplate my own life choices because, in fact, I was just lying. Truth is, I only have 2 points (definitely because of bad luck). After destroying the one-pointer from earlier, I miraculously found a broken hatchet near my vicinity which was probably from some random examinees, and proceeded to break off the arm-part of the one-pointer I took down earlier—which I used to then break some other mechanized robot.
Then, luckily, I saw a 3-pointer heading to me in the main road, exiting the alley. Hah, that's another 3 points for me!
SWOOSH!
Woah, what the hell?!
The earth shook, and a huge gale or tornado appeared from far away. From what I can tell, it's probably from another battle center. Still, though, that was such a powerful gust! Someone must have a wind Quirk or something.
Then, thanks to my unique skill, which was Skill #103: "Ultra Senses", the 3-pointer came back to my mind as my focus was back to where it was supposed to be. I looked to where it was, then began analyzing the situation. It was near me.
I was about to break off the two heads first with my deadly weapon when suddenly, a blue-and-yellow energy ball hit it from the back and literally obliterated it. The guy who had done it jumped down and claimed the three points right in front of me.
"Hmm? Oh, sorry! I didn't know that was supposed to be yours," he began, smiling cheerfully at me. His tone was mixed with an attempt to cover his true tone of apathy.
.
.
.
Disgusting.
"Well, I'll be off now. I'd like to make the most out of my time. I'll see you later!"
Ha?
"Don't even save me any fake smiles. I could honestly care less."
After dismissing him, immediately, I began to observe my surroundings once more to look for more bots. So far, I was kind of lucky. I found a few more faux villains from earlier, which were fortunately not yet taken, but was only able to take one point before the others disappeared for some reason.
Once I thought I had forgotten the existence of the blonde shithead, it resurfaced as an energy-production noise succeeded in getting my gaze to avert to the direction of its source.
"I wonder what gave it away?"
Prince Charming Wanna-be smirked, before running off to do whatever he wanted.
Freaking fuck tart. I hate people like those. I mean, why would he even ask a rhetorical question at this moment? Doesn't he have anything else to do? I can't help but be bittersweetly reminded of a villain's entrance in some anime that I watch. I suppose it was for dramatic effect, but since I highly doubt I could ever be an anime protagonist, I dismissed the thought.
I turned away and ran in a different direction, hoping to avoid the guy before whispering to nobody in particular.
"You're asking an expert."
End Of Flashback
If there's one thing that I hated the most, then those were mortal liars. I myself am a liar since I lie on a weekly basis (only for excuses), but that doesn't mean that I don't hate myself. I'm just accepting that part of me. And so, I embrace it wholeheartedly. Especially since all my lies are white lies, anyways.
After all, I have no will inside me to even change.
Unlike him, I am more straightforward. I am not fakely cheerful. If that were the case, and I had somehow made friends, then there is no way to contradict the fact that that friendship is fake and is made solely from deception.
Suddenly, as if the plot was shifting in favor of a fictional novel's protagonist, a noise came out of nowhere.
"Somebody, please, help!"
If I don't have to do it, I won't; If I have to do it, then I'll make it quick. [5] But I don't have to do it right now, right? The conductors of this exam won't let anyone die, as far as I know.
As I stared more, it was the voice of a girl, and she seemed to be… invisible? I could see some gloves and some sneakers down there… wait a second.
Don't tell me…
I narrowed my eyes a bit.
Is she naked?
Wait, no…
If her hair's invisible, then can't she just weave a costume? Or… is she bald?
Thoughts ran into my head of a bald girl.
…
I hope I don't offend anyone by just thinking about that…
I looked and continued watching. Is anyone in the crowd going to attempt to save her? Hmm. The humongous villain is approaching but is still a few meters back. I could see a drastic change in speed. Did the conductors of this practical exam slow it down intentionally? That would make sense.
"Are you confident in yourself?" someone that is undoubtedly male spoke up, dazing me out of my thoughts. My interlocutor seemed to be beside me. "You seem to be taking a break. I take it that you've already racked up a number of points?"
I looked at the initiator of the conversation. It was the blonde guy from earlier. Ugh. Just perfect, someone EXACTLY who I needed at this right moment. That's sarcasm, by the way. Please don't misunderstand!
Now that I got a good look at him, his feet had some iron soles with a blaster-looking design. The same could be said about his arms. Is that a mutation Quirk? He can produce energy balls with it? Pretty cool, but do I really care? No.
"What do you want?"
He chuckled, "Oh? Getting to the point already?"
Yes. I am getting to the point already. There is no time for pointless conversations that would lead to nowhere. Besides, this is my precious time that we're talking about!
Still, curiosity had the best of me and I just asked a question in response.
"Aren't you going to save that girl over there?" I asked, staring down at the invisi-girl.
"Yes, I will, later on. I take it you've seen my heroic acts? There's no other reason why you would be asking that."
I figured getting straight to the point would get him to leave far earlier than what he had planned beforehand. Besides, I only saw him once when he stole my three-pointer. If anything, that wasn't heroic at all (ah, the hypocrisy of me stealing other points).
"I am not here to satisfy your ego."
"Hm. I see. It seems that you can see through me," he remarks. He looked at the huge mechanical villain, then back at me. He sighed heavily, then nodded. "Well, I'll see you on the first day of school, then," he ended, before rushing off towards the victim.
First day? Bold of him to assume that we'll actually even pass. I mean, I'm sure I won't.
The blonde guy sprinted off, jumping to the scene. He then began to charge his feet—aiming at the caterpillar tracks of the faux villain. Then, a blue orb of energy started to form.
I could see the crowd flustered, not being able to think about anything else but what was occurring in front of them.
My eyes switched back to the act of "heroism". A ball was forming on his feet. After a few seconds, it grew larger. Then, he kicked it at high speeds—sending it flying to the fake villain.
BAM
I whistled in surprise.
That was weirdly perfectly aimed. The accuracy was more or less spot-on. But, eh. I could really care less.
The mech was pushed back a few meters, damaged, but not broken. I looked at the blonde again— and he seemed to be exhausted. Stamina or vitality for more concentration of energy then, huh? That's a pretty neat and versatile Quirk.
As I continued looking, the blonde hurriedly approached to aid the injured invisi-girl.
I looked back at the crowd. They're still standing there. If I was them, then I would be focusing on the big mech. It was really dangerous to keep their guard down at that time. But speaking of time, I can tell why they didn't really care about the other possible bots around the faux city anymore, too.
After all, isn't it almost time—
"TIME'S UP!" the voice of Present Mic exited the speakers. "FOR THOSE INJURED, THEN PLEASE WAIT FOR THE MEDICS TEAM TO ASSIST YOU!"
Speak of the devil.
I sighed, as I got up. I dusted my clothing as I slowly climbed my way down the building.
Once I got down, the paramedics of UA entered the location. Then, I saw the blonde once more, who was staring directly at me dead-on whilst the others were complimenting him. Feeling apathetic, I decided to just walk away.
Also, was he hugging the young invisible lady? Ah, shit! There's a possibility that the girl was bare naked! How could this guy?!
Eh, it's not my problem, anyways.
I sighed, as I walked out of the entrance site—ignoring the stares I have been unintentionally gaining from the rest of the participants. Right now, I had only one thing in my mind.
Hopefully, my little sister prepared lunch today.
A Week Later
7:32 PM
It was nauseating.
It had been a week, and there was no sign of my acceptance letter yet. I mean, if they were going to reject me, then at least send a letter of denial! I'm already well-acquainted with rejection, there's no need to make me feel so hopeful!
Sighing, I continued to stare at the ceiling of my room.
Pondering what to do, I decided to just lie down on the soft mattress of my bed. My hands lay still on the back of my head. My feet crossed, comfortable enough in its position. Earlier this morning, I had researched possible high schools near my house here in Chiba. There was one called: "Chiba Municipal Inage Senior High School", and I decided to apply to it after I got my application results.
UA was located in Musutafu City, Shizuoka Prefecture, which was unfortunately about 300 kilometers away from my home. Therefore, attending it would require me to move out of my home at such an early age away from Komachi—which was extremely bad, by the way!
Besides, Chiba is the place for me. I'm perfectly fine here, you kn—
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK
Surprised, I then suddenly heard some loud banging on my room's door accompanied by some screaming.
"ONII-CHAN! ONII-CHAN!"
Dang, Komachi.
Does she know that it's like 7:30 PM right now?! What about our neighbors whose kids usually sleep around this time?! You're disturbing them!
"ONII-CHANNNNN!"
"Alright, alright," I spoke—audible enough that she stopped talking.
Softly, I reluctantly got up from my comfortable position and gently twisted the doorknob, opening it and revealing my little sister whose eyes were about to bawl out, crying.
Oh my dear imouto, what the hell happened to you?! Did some boys try to bully you?! I swear, I will kick them in the face and threaten them for their lives! They'll be on their knees when they see you, and I'll force them to lick your shoes! I'll also write them in my DIY Death Note!
"Komachi, are you alright?"
After flicking the lights of my room on, I felt Kamakura leave my room, making contact with my legs like most domestic cats are to their owners. I then noticed a piece of… letter in her hands.
"Nii-chan," she began, "a letter from UA is here!"
Hmm, so my letter is here now, huh? About time.
Nervously, Komachi tugged on my sleeve, before straight-up dragging me along
"Hey, hey, slow down. Where are we going?"
Once we got to the living room, she sighed happily, sitting on the couch and placing the letter on our table. I sighed, too. I sat down on the couch a few feet away yet still beside her.
"Onii-chan, you have to open it here with me!"
Huh, so that's what this is about.
"Oh come on, aren't you confident that your onii-chan failed it dramatically?" I asked. She just pouted in return. "I mean, haven't I told you that there was no need to worry? There's no reason why I would be accepted, considering I only got like, 12 points."
"Y-yeah, but… you lacked conviction!" she replied.
I sighed. Maybe I should just open it here. But hey Komachi, why does it sound like you want me to leave home? That made me pretty hurt, you know!
"Alright, then, fine."
I stared at the envelope at hand. It looked as if it were a Hogwarts Letter from the Harry Potter movies that I used to binge-watch plenty of times a few years back. I also recall reading those fiction books. They were actually the last set of fantasy-fiction books that I read before beginning my liking for light novels. Then again, aren't some of my light novels fantasy-fiction?
But… there was another thing on my mind.
What if I actually passed?
That was the question that overrode my current thoughts at that moment. It made me wonder about many things. As far as I could remember, not once had I done anything heroic. I was fully selfish. I had a weak Quirk, I only used it twice, and I even stole some points from other people.
Still... I can't help but wonder.
What if I actually racked up enough points? No, that's bs. I racked up around 12 or something. That shouldn't be high enough. Besides, UA has drones all over their place. They definitely saw me resting at that rooftop for the last 2 minutes of the examinations.
Oh well, pass or not, it was a win-win.
Passing meant that I had a chance to become a Pro Hero, a chance to live that dream life I wanted, which was still highly unlikely. Considering the fact that the UA Festivals that I've watched with Komachi at home always had a few students on the hero courses, it's highly likely that I won't be a hero if, hypothetically speaking, the original count of the sections were decreased due to expulsion.
Therefore, I can safely conclude that—
"Mou, onii-chan!" Komachi shouted, scrambling me out of my thoughts.
"Huh? What?"
She sighed and facepalmed. "Don't tell me you just forgot what I requested?"
What she requested? Oh yeah, right. The UA letter. I nodded at her apologetically. After that, I went ahead and opened the envelope. What I found next broke the absolute living lights off of me. My sister screamed and I hid my fright.
"AH!"
"Don't worry, imouto," I began, closing my eyes, then giving her a sweet smile. "Your big brother is here and will always protect you. Oh, I bet that was worth a lot of points in my book!"
The object landed on the coffee table. Komachi rolled her eyes and was about to say something when suddenly, a hologram just opened up.
"GREETINGS! I AM HERE AS A PROJECTION!"
Wait, is that All Might in a golden tuxedo? And, what the heck is the number one hero doing here?
"Gah, is that All Might?!" Komachi asked, surprised.
"THAT'S RIGHT! IT'S ME, ALL MIGHT! CAN'T YOU BELIEVE IT?!"
Wait, is this actually pre-recorded? If so, then how did All Might just respond?
And if it is pre-recorded, why is he at UA?
"As you might be thinking what I am doing right now, well, I am proud to present to you your newest UA Faculty Staff!"
"Wow, he's gonna be a teacher at UA!" my sister commented.
Hm. I wonder if he even has any teaching skills. From my point of view, I could say that All Might would be that optimistic teacher that would always recommend the positive and tell people to risk their lives just to save one person like some weird shonen anime-sensei the protagonist would indulge in a father-son relationship with. For me, it implies that he does not show the students the negative sides of what's in store for them at UA. That's the conclusion I have gotten based on what he's been saying through television. Perhaps he could be different when it comes to teaching?
I mean, it's gotta be something if it's from the number 1 hero here in Japan. Besides, experience does have the ability to talk for itself.
"Well, you must be curious at what your results are now, then, huh?"
I could feel Komachi tense up beside me.
"Well, I must say, Young Hikigaya, your answers on the multiple-choice portion of your written examination have been truly splendid! In fact, you aced it and earned a perfect score!"
Wow. I knew I did well, but I didn't know that I got first place! Dang, I must be really smart, then. I'm pretty proud of myself, I guess I can boast that if somebody somehow tries to flaunt their grades at me. Besides, all my studies regarding the science of my Quirk paid off!
"Unfortunately, the essay part wasn't really as great..." All Might rubbed the back of his head before continuing. "However, that's what hero schools are for! Besides, you've just gotten yourself a permanent slot in the General Education course in case things go sideways."
… What?
Why do people always hate my perfectly made essays?
Also, I passed the General Education classes? Not bad. Still, though, what does he mean by "in case things go sideways"?
"I'm actually amazed at your written portion, but, can we say that about your practical exam?" All Might asked dramatically, "Although you did not place at the top-scoring leaderboards, I must say, I'm pretty surprised you were able to rack up 12 VILLAIN POINTS while using your Quirk only twice!"
"Look, onii-chan. You're getting complimented by the number one hero!"
"What, the number one hero of fake smiles? Hahahaha. I can easily tell that his mouth is aching from just smiling right now."
To my side, Komachi was giving me a disgusted look. Now, now, Komachi. Just because All Might is your favorite hero, doesn't mean you should hate your onii-chan! Because the truth is, that—
"Unfortunately, though… 12 points weren't enough to pass the practical exam..."
Okay. That was rude, pre-recorded All Might-san. I think you know etiquette well enough to not disrupt—wait, did he just say I failed? Oh well. At least that's more Komachi time!
"... Only if you didn't get 8 more rescue points!"
.
.
.
Wait WHAT?!
Beside me, Komachi began tearing up as her muffled sobs entered my ears. "Onii-chan…"
I looked at her—then my gaze was averted back to the screen in an instant once I heard All Might's voice once more.
All Might coughs into his wrist, then continues. "You see, the entrance examinations were not only based on how many faux villains you have destroyed. It also depends on your actions." That made sense. "Introducing, RESCUE POINTS!"
Rescue points, huh? Is that some sort of compensation for those with Quirks not suited for head-on-combat? That still isn't enough. There could be those Quirks like that one Underground hero that supposedly makes others laugh just by talking.
But hey, who knew rescuing fellow participants you're supposed to compete with could give you more points?
All Might clicked the button on his remote control—making the television in the background display the leaderboards, but it was unintelligible due to the small text.
"You might be wondering why, but you see, the people who you 'stole' some points from were actually in trouble!"
Ha?! What the hell?! They were?!
"That being said, you earned a total of 20 points! Normally, that isn't enough to join the hero course, but luckily, you did! You even broke the record for 'Least Points in the Entrance Exams'!"
Was I born under a lucky star?
"So! Congratulations for— " the hologram maximized the top points leaderboards from the television in the back, displaying all 36 people who passed, whilst also making the words readable. " —The 36th place in the ENTRANCE EXAMS!"
Out of nowhere, I heard an audible click. I looked at Komachi, then I saw her with teary eyes, catching a picture of the top scorers in the exam with a small smile on her face.
My eyes returned to the hologram and immediately scouted it, ignoring the random names of people who I didn't know until I saw my name at the bottom of the list. It displayed: " 36th | Hikigaya Hachiman - 12 / 8 ".
Honestly, though, I don't know how to feel about this. That means I'll be having to move out of the house. I knew it was inevitable someday, but being away from Komachi so soon?
"Well, congratulations once more, Young Hikigaya! And welcome…" — All Might paused, dramatically posing, then continued, — "... to your Hero Academia!" he said out.
After a second, the hologram disappeared.
.
.
.
What is it with people posing dramatically?
"ONII-CHAN!" it appears that Komachi couldn't take it anymore. She cried out, instantly hugging my right side.
I smiled.
"Well, Komachi, whenever you are in trouble, do not hesitate to call out for me! After all, I am now your hero! Oh, that must be worth a ton in Komachi points!"
"N-nii-chan!" she stammered, crying on my shoulder. "I'm so proud of you!"
I just smiled, "Yeah, but you know, I just got the lowest points. I would probably get expelled anyway."
"It doesn't matter! Komachi thinks you're very cool! Kyah! That must be worth a ton of Komachi points, too! Besides, there's still general education!"
Look, I'm not a siscon.
But, my sister is very cute and precious. She says she's proud of me? Well, guess what. I am a hundred times prouder than her!
I comforted her by patting her back.
Instantly, I started wondering what her classmates would think once they found out that the outcast of their middle school: Hikigaya Hachiman, had just passed the UA entrance exams. I guess I wasn't completely a hopeless case, after all, huh?
For a few moments, I smiled.
I guess it's time then, huh?
To enter…
My Hero Academia.
.
.
.
And so, Hikigaya Hachiman's distorted youth finally begins.
Chapter - End
References:
[1] - Limitless is a cursed technique from "Jujutsu Kaisen".
[2] - Nami's farewell to Cocoyasi Village from "One Piece".
[3] - Inko-chan is Ryuji Takasu's pet bird from "Toradora!".
[4] - Yagami Light is the main protagonist from "Death Note". He had an awful sense of justice.
[5] - 'Joue Shoot' is one of Sanji's kick attacks from "One Piece".
PLACE | NAME - VP / RP
1st| Hayama Hayato - 38 / 55
2nd | Todoroki Shoto - 71 / 9
3rd | Bakugo Katsuki - 79 / 0
4th | Kirishima Eijiro - 39 / 35
5th | Uraraka Ochaco - 28 / 45
6th | Shiozaki Ibara - 36 / 35
7th | Yumiko Miura - 42 / 25
8th | Kendo Itsuka - 25 / 40
9th | Iida Tenya - 52 / 10
10th | Kawasaki Saki - 33 / 28
11th | Midoriya Izuku - 0 / 60
12th | Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu - 49 / 10
13th | Tokoyami Fumikage - 47 / 10
14th | Awase Yosetsu - 50 / 6
15th | Kakeru Tobe - 36 / 18
.
20th | Yuigahama Yui - 23 / 23
.
36th | Hikigaya Hachiman - 12 / 8