I know I said that this chapter would be the U.A. Entrance Exam, but I realized there's at least one more chapter of pre-exam content I can squeeze out.

Eijiro: Aubrey

Ochako: Mayu

"H-Hey, Kirishima?" Ochako groaned as she used the lat pulldown machine.

"What's up?" The black-haired young man asked as he worked on his legs with the leg press.

"You got anything planned for Sunday?"

"I was planning on watching this documentary on Crimson Riot. But other than that, I was just planning on relaxing."

"You want to come over to my place then?" The beefy brunette asked. "We never really hang out besides working out, so I think it'd be a nice change of pace, y'know?"

Eijiro thought about it for a second before smiling back at his friend. "Sure, that sounds awesome!"

"Great!" The two made plans for what time Eijiro would come over. A few hours later, they finished their workout and stood outside of Silverman Gym.

"I'll see ya tomorrow then." Ochako said.

"Right. See ya. And have a good night, Uraraka." The black-haired young man said as he headed off.

"Why, Uraraka, I didn't know you were so smooth." Ochako turned and saw Sakura standing next to her with a smug look.

"Smooth?"

"Inviting a handsome young man to your apartment. The two of you all alone. That sounds pretty romantic to me."

Ochako's cheeks turned red and she quickly flailed her muscular arms around. "Y-You got it all wrong, Sakura! Kirishima and I are just friends!"

"If you say so!" Sakura said as she headed home. "Good luck with your date."

"It's not a date!" The brunette said with a pout. And her mind, Ochako believed that. It was just two friends hanging out in an apartment...alone. Maybe it was a...No! Ochako couldn't think of it as a date. She had known Eijiro for over a month, and knew that he was just a friendly guy. A handsome, fit, energetic, and fun guy, but still. He was probably popular at his high school, and had plenty of girls going after him. Girls prettier than her...and girls who weren't as selfish as her.

The next day, Ochako had finished tidying up her apartment, and was now looking at herself in the mirror. Her hair was okay, and she was dressed in her favorite black Thirteen T-Shirt and light pink cargo shorts. While Ochako definitely enjoyed her new muscles, it also meant having to buy some new clothes. Yet another expense added to her budget on top of food and cleaning supplies.

To this day, the gravity girl still questioned why her parents insisted on her staying in Mustafau for the rest of the school year. If she got into U.A., she'd be able to move into a dorm with free housing, instead of her parents having to cover the rent. But those mental questions would have to wait, since Ochako heard knocking at her door.

"Coming." Ochako opened the door and saw Eijiro clad in a pair of jeans and a Crimson Riot-themed muscle t-shirt. "You really like Crimson Riot, don't ya?"

"Hell yeah! He's only the manliest hero of all time!" The red-eyed young man said before looking at the brunette's t-shirt. "And I see you're a fan of Thirteen?"

"Yup!" Ochako replied with a smile. "She's the coolest rescue hero!"

Eijiro stepped inside Ochako's place and saw the simple layout. In a weird way, it kind of suited her...but he expected to see some kind of poster or something.

"Make yourself at home." Ochako said, motioning Eijiro onto her futon. The two ordered some pizza (Eijiro tried to pay for it, but Ochako insisted on splitting the bill), and began to watch the Crimson Riot documentary. While they watched, the two chatted about what heroes they admired, and eventually, the conversation turned towards heroic fighting techniques.

"Alright, so watch this." Ochako said before pressing all ten of her fingers on a futon pillow, causing it to float. With an exaggerated kung-fu noise, the brunette punched the pillow, causing it to slam into the wall before she released her quirk. "Now imagine me doing that with a big rock or a steel beam or some other big thing."

"That's awesome, Uraraka! You got a name for it yet?"

"I'm thinking...Zero-G Punch!" The brunette said with excitement.

"You know probably do the same thing with like a kick or a throw." Eijiro said with just as much excitement. Ochako got another idea in her head.

"Oh, I can probably negate the gravity of a pillar or something and use it as a bigass melee weapon!"

"I'm pretty sure you can lift one of those without your quirk." Eijiro joked. Ochako looked down at her bicep and gave it experimental flex, causing it to flare its full 18 inches.

"If I put on some more muscle maybe." The gravity girl whispered to herself while her friend fought down his blush at the sight of her bicep. After that, the two went back to watching the documentary. And when it showed a particular interview with Crimson Riot, Ochako noticed her friend wiping his eyes and trying to cry. It was then that the brunette asked something that had been in the back of her mind for a while.

"Kirishima, why do you want to be a hero?" The brunette saw her friend raise an eyebrow at this. "I am...if it's too personal...you don't have to answer."

Eijiro thought about it for a moment before taking a short breath. "No, you're my friend, so you probably deserve to know. Though I can't guarantee that you'll have any respect for me after I tell ya."

Ochako was confused by this as Eijiro continued to talk. "See, back in my last year of junior high, I wasn't exactly good with my quirk. I could make myself moderately harder than a normal person. Hell, someone once took me out with a big rock, that's how weak I was. However, I always figured that I could train and push my quirk past its limits to make it stronger. But then...then one day, when I was heading home from school...I saw two of my classmates."

The gravity girl saw her friend's hands begin to shake, his lips quivering. Whatever he was about to say had stuck with him, even after nearly four years. "There was this giant dude in a cloak was asking them for directions to the Springer Hero Agency. There were scared of the guy...and he was just...the guy just screamed supervillain. When they wouldn't answer, he started to crack the building behind them like it was cardboard." He took another deep breath. "There weren't any heroes around on patrol, so I thought to myself, 'I can do it! I'll protect them!' But...I couldn't move. No matter how much I told myself to, I was too scared to run ahead or do...anything."

"Kirishima." Ochako whispered, seeing the look of shame in his eyes.

"Thankfully, Ashido, another one of my classmates, came in and gave the guy directions. And after he left...she broke down crying, but her friends still thanked her. Hell, I heard that she actually lied and sent him to the police."

"So no one got hurt."

"Ya...but I felt like total crap after that. Ashido was afraid, but she still had the guts to jump and help her friends. And earlier that spring, I had heard that some quirkless kid in the news tried to save his friend from a slime villain. And yet...I was too much of a coward to do anything. That night, I was even thinking about giving up on going to U.A. But then…" Kirishima grabbed the remote for Ochako's Blu-Ray player and rewinded back to Crimson Riot's interview. "...I heard this."

"Even among heroes, you have a reputation for being a bit...reckless. Often rushing headlong into danger. Tell me, are you ever afraid in those situations?"

"What kind of question is that? Of course I'm afraid!" Crimson Riot answered. "Show me someone who's not afraid of facing death, and I'll show you an idiot! I'm where I am now because when I was a sidekick, I failed to save someone in peril."

"I heard about that. But it wasn't your fault. With crime rate as high as it is-"

"I don't think you understand. That day, I hesitated, and somebody lost their life because my spirit was weak. Yes, I'm frightened when I fight a villain, knowing it could end in my death. But there's something I fear more; the look on someone's face as they die. That's far worse. It's the fear of seeing that look again that drives me."

"Can you tell me what chivalry means to you?"

"Having a strong spirit! It isn't a matter of being bold or confident or fearless. I'm a hero and I swore to protect people. It's a vow I've written on my heart and one I'll die to keep. You want to know what chivalry means to me? Living a life with no regrets."

"Before that day, I only really admired Crimson Riot because he always charged in headfirst, and his quirk was kind of like mine. But it was only after I felt fear that I suddenly got it." Eijiro said as he stood up with a determined look on his face. "I'd keep training, improving myself and hardening my resolve. So that even if I'm afraid, I'll move forward with no regrets, and never freeze up again."

Ochako looked up at her friend, and was seeing him in a whole new light. Before, she had simply thought he was just a friendly guy who was enthusiastic about training and working out. But now, after hearing him lay his story in front of her, and hearing his resolve...he had the drive to become a real hero.

"Sorry if I got too real right there." Eijiro said with an embarrassed look as he sat back down. "I was pretty pathetic back then."

"No, it's fine." Ochako said before looking him in the eyes. "Hey, Kirishima, for what's it worth, I don't think you were pathetic. I think if I was in that situation, I'd probably freeze up too. And at least...at least you want to be a hero for a noble reason."

"Noble reason?" Kirishima asked. And this time, Ochako sighed.

"You were honest with me, so I'll be honest with you. You see, I'm training to be a hero...so I can make a ton of money." The beefy brunette said, biting her lip in shame.

"Oh. I didn't expect that." Eijiro answered honestly.

"I know, it's a pretty selfish reason. Especially compared to someone like you." Ochako answered, ready for her friend to despise her. Eijiro saw the worried look in her eyes as she held her head down.

"Hey, no need to feel bad about it. I mean, heroes make a ton of money with sponsorships and a whole bunch of other stuff. And hey, at least you'll get paid to save people and beat up bad guys."

"I guess you're right." Ochako said.

"Still, I didn't peg you as someone who cared that much about money." Eijiro admitted.

"Well...it's like this. My parents own a construction agency, but they didn't really have a lot of jobs when I was growing up. I mean, until my freshman year of high school, we were kind of broke. Business picked up a bit, but my family's not even close to being well off or whatever."

"Construction, huh?" The red-eyed young man thought for a second. "You know, with your quirk, you'd probably make the big jobs a lot easier by floating stuff."

"I know, right?! I've been telling Dad that since I was a little kid!" Ochako replied. "But...everytime I told him I'd help them with the business when I grew up, Dad would say that he'd be happier if I achieved my own dream. And well, I've wanted to be a hero like Thirteen. So that's why I'm gonna become a pro. I'll sign up with a good agency and make plenty of money." The brunette held her head up, and Eijiro's eyes widened when he saw the determined look on her face. "Then I'll be able to let my parents have an easy life."

"Uraraka...that...that's so manly!" Eijiro shouted, surprising the gravity girl. "You said you're selfish?! How can you consider wanting to help your parents selfish?! Hell, I'm probably the selfish one! I'm just trying to become a hero to prove a point to myself!"

"No, you're not selfish, Kirishima!" Ochako replied back. "You said you wanted to live with no regrets and have the courage to save people even when you're afraid! That's an amazing goal too!"

The two looked each other in the eyes...and then, for some reason neither of them could explain...they started to laugh.

"I guess we're both not as selfish as we think." Eijiro chuckled.

"I guess so." Ochako said, feeling relieved that her best friend didn't think any less of her. She then saw him hold his hand out.

"So let's keep helping each other out, so we can both achieve our goals, Uraraka." Eijiro said with an honest smile that made the brunette's heart skip a beat.

"Ochako." She said, slightly confusing the black-haired boy. "You can call me Ochako."

"You sure?"

"We just spilled our guts out to each other. I'm pretty sure we're past being formal and junk."

"Okay, then. But you can call me by my first name too."

"Right." Ochako said as the two shook hands. Their day continued, moving past from that heavy conversation to more mundane topics, and Eijiro even helped clean up a bit. Before the two knew it, night had fallen, and Eijiro headed to the door.

"I'll meet you at Silverman tomorrow, okay?"

"You got it!" Eijiro replied as he headed out. "Have a good night, Ochako."

"You too, Eijiro. Stay safe!" The door closed, and Ochako stretched her muscular arms, feeling the need to get ready for bed. But as she did so, she remembered the look of resolve Eijiro had earlier...and felt her heart begin to beat. It might not have been clear to her before, but there was no denying it now.

Ochako Uraraka had fallen for her chivalrous and kind-hearted friend. And though she was unaware of it, on his way to his house, Eijiro Kirishima was also realizing that he was falling for the enthusiastic and down-to-earth girl. So even though they were miles away from each other now, they both had the same thought upon those similar realizations.

'Oh. Oh, crap.'

Well, this is probably the most serious chapter I've ever written. I hope it was good, because I haven't tried anything like this since First Impressions. And I also hope this helped shed some light on why Eijiro is my favorite MHA character, why Uraraka is my close second, and why I'm shipping them together.

And before you think that this is gonna be one of those stories where the romance is dragged out; don't worry. A confession scene is closer than you think.

Have a safe and pleasant day!