Ochimaru was rudely awakened by a beige envelope as it landed directly onto his sensitive, sunburned face. He jolted upwards and fought with his tangled blue bedsheets until he was left staring at his tired, dishevelled father in a mixture of annoyance and confusion. His dad was holding a steaming mug of coffee in one hand and a crumpled stack of assorted letters in the other. He scratched at his greying stubble absentmindedly as he flipped through the flimsy papers, setting his plain mug down on Ochimaru's bedside table. He rarely got to see his dad like this anymore as he had often left for work before he would even wake up.

He attempted to shake off the grogginess with a laboured stretch. He had spent most of last night messaging an excited Youta, too nervous to sleep until he eventually succumbed to exhaustion. Halfway through a huge yawn, he slowly realised that today was when the Koushujin exam results were released. Struggling through watery eyes, he flipped the wrinkled envelope over in his peeling, trembling hands and was met with a waxy yellow seal. Sure enough, it had been harshly stamped with Koushujin's proud, iconic 'K' symbol. Ochimaru felt his heartbeat quicken as he shifted uncomfortably in his small bed.

"You should open it before I leave for work," his father recommended, his voice little more than a deep, tired mumble. "Your mother is waiting in the living room for when you're ready to come through. Even if you've failed, we'll still have a talk about your options."

With those fragmented, succinct words, he scooped up his bubbling mug of coffee and shuffled out of Ochimaru's messy bedroom. The way he had immediately brought up the potential chance of failure left a bad taste in his mouth and sullied what should have been a precious family moment. He sighed and fidgeted with the corner of the envelope, immediately overwhelmed by a sea of negative thoughts. Why couldn't his dad show him some encouragement before he faced the result that would decide his future? The question swirled around his addled mind as he gazed at his collection of ancient pro hero figures. His eyes landed on the one closest to him, Cinder the Smouldering Ash Hero. He wondered if the man he had only encountered once before would be prouder of him than his dad was.

Spurred on by the battered piece of painted plastic, he tore into the well-sealed envelope without hesitation. He had managed to secure a golden egg in the exam, so he was unnaturally confident in his chances of passing. It would definitely be cathartic to rub the congratulatory letter in his parent's faces. A stack of various pamphlets and documents landed on his bare lap as he frantically searched around for the one that would confirm his admission. He eventually found a simple sheet of folded paper hidden under a Kagoshima tourism brochure and quickly unfolded it, immediately scanning through the small font.

Dear Kawadatsu-san,

After careful consideration of your entrance exam results and your courageous actions therein, the staff here at Koushujin Hero Institute have made the decision to grant you exclusive admission to our acclaimed professional hero training program.

Enclosed within this envelope are further instructions for your guardians to read, a summary of your exam results, a document that explains dormitory applications and regulations that must be signed and promptly returned, and a government-issued form relating to your future hero costume that will be worn throughout your studies at Koushujin. This form must be personally completed and finalised before the term begins in order for your costume to be fabricated in a timely manner. There are also other various miscellaneous letters and papers relating to the city around the school that you may read at your own leisure.

Congratulations on your acceptance! This year's entrance exam wasn't easy!

Regards,

Ayumi Mifune
~Koushujin Headmistress

Ochimaru struggled to read the final sentence as heavy tears had already began to race each other down his red cheeks. He inhaled shakily and rubbed at his dripping nose in a meagre attempt to compose himself. It had been the first time in his life that he had openly cried with happiness. His teeth sunk into his bottom lip as he tried to stifle the waves of complex emotions that kept crashing into him without warning. He clutched the dampened letter to his smooth chest and curled up in the centre of his bed, basking in the success of finally having accomplished one of his lofty goals. He eventually wiped his face against a discarded pillow. He didn't want his parents to know he had been sobbing, although his puffy eyes were already a dead giveaway. If he came out of his room in tears, they would think he failed.

Dazed, he sorted through and organised all of the letters contained in the envelope slowly, throwing all of the advertisement pamphlets aside until only the important ones were left. Everything didn't feel real. Even as he skimmed through the dorm regulations and building layout, he couldn't help but wonder if he was still dreaming. He was actually going to attend Koushujin, one of the most reputable schools in southern Japan. It had only been established in the past fifteen years so didn't have an impressive history like U.A, Shiketsu or even Ketsubutsu, but that didn't matter. Alumni of the school often always went on to make a name for themselves, even if it was only on a small, local scale.

From reading through the dormitory pamphlets, he realised that he would have to choose a roommate or else be randomly assigned one of the other students to share a room with. He thought that Koushujin would have been wealthy enough for everyone to have an entire room to themselves, and he felt awkward about having to sleep and study in a shared area. Maybe he could apply for a single room if there was an odd number of students accepted. The only person he felt comfortable enough around from the exam was Youta, but would he even agree to share a room? He probably had other friends from junior high that were also attending the same hero school. He gulped at the thought of having a stranger for a roommate.

The last note he came across was the summary and analysis of his exam results written by various members of the Koushujin staff who had been watching on the city's high-tech security cameras. It consisted of various statements of his accomplishments, and judging by all the unique styles of handwriting, lots of different teachers had provided their thoughts on his performance. His heartbeat quickened as he felt incredibly self-conscious, worried that the cameras had captured his encounter with the serpentine girl. His handling of that delicate situation could have been far better. He lay back down in bed to take a read of the paper.

APPLICANT: KAWADATSU, OCHIMARU

QUIRK: LATHER

POINT TOTAL: 300

WHITE EGGS COLLECTED: 0

BRONZE EGGS COLLECTED: 5

SILVER EGGS COLLECTED: 10

GOLDEN EGGS COLLECTED: 1

"As he is one of only three applicants who managed to return a golden egg and has one of the highest point totals, I personally feel he should be at the very top of the recommendation list. His actions at the city centre directly lead to the shattering of the statue, so he deserves a place at this school along with his comrade."
- Rokurou Kijimuta, Head of Covert Operations

"Despite his non-combative Quirk and hesitative nature, this applicant demonstrated his ability to swiftly disable a dangerous opponent with ingenuous thinking while under pressure. Trapping others in a bubble is an insanely useful skill for capturing villains safely. This ability will be a valuable asset in the hero course and his future career as a pro hero."
- Takeshi Dojima, Deputy-Head of Villain Apprehension

"His Quirk seems a lot better in action than it does on paper! I was cheering for him when he trapped that girl with the wind Quirk in the bubble! Nice work!"
- Jitsuko Hashimoto, Deputy-Head of Civilian Assistance

"At many points in the exam, this applicant seemed to be struggling with an internal battle to keep pushing towards the centre statue. His ability to fight against his fear, inexperience and hesitation displays a clear want to better himself. I believe he is prepared to face the hardships of the hero course."
- Misato Urekana, Head of General Studies and Hero Academics

"Although I am not a member of the teaching staff and thus have no sway over admission, I managed to catch footage of this applicant while treating the injured. He displayed great humility when fleeing from other applicants. Such a thing does not often receive praise, but I spent the day of the exam tending to the wounds of applicants who had been unfairly injured and targeted by their peers. His willingness to disengage from a fight and not cause undue harm to his fellow applicants is a rare thing to see in such a competitive environment. He must have a pure, kind heart befitting of a hero."
- Morioka Otenshi, Koushujin Head Nurse

It took all of his remaining strength to not burst into tears once again. To read such praise and encouragement from Koushujin's teachers was an honour, particularly from those with names that he recognised from the news or his childhood. Takeshi Dojima had once been given an award for capturing a record number of dangerous villains in the span of only a year, and Jitsuko Hashimoto spearheaded a campaign to save one of the most prolific Japanese politicians who had been taken hostage atop a skyscraper. She had somehow managed to rescue the man without any casualties whatsoever on either side. Both of these teachers were highly acclaimed pro heroes in the past, and they thought that he was worthy to follow in their footsteps. He shook his head in utter disbelief. This was insane.

After re-reading the analysis letter for the fifth time, he finally decided to crawl out of the haven of safety and comfort that was his bed. The allure of telling his parents that he had passed the exam was too strong to ignore any longer. He didn't care if they fundamentally disagreed with his dream anymore. The words written by Koushujin's staff contained more encouragement than his parents had ever showed him in his entire life. They would surely have to sign the documents once he told them how much praise he had received.

His toes wriggled into the stained, dark-blue carpet as he staggered to his feet. He was so shaken by the letters that his knees were wobbling. Holding onto his bedside table for support, he crept towards the mound of dirty clothes discarded in front of his wardrobe. Despite his shaking hands, he somehow managed to hunt through the pile and fish out a pair of old, grey sweatpants and the baggy, winkled pink t-shirt he had worn the day before.

Struggling to process his own success, his tired mind ran on autopilot until he found himself standing at the threshold of the living room, clutching the stack of letters so nervously that his knuckles had whitened. Cloaked in the shadow of the dim hallway, he watched as his dishevelled mother sipped at her own cup of coffee, wrapped in a fluffy purple dressing-gown. Her blonde hair was tied back hastily, and bags sat beneath her rose-coloured eyes. His father was sitting on his favourite, scarred armchair, face hidden by today's newspaper. The inflammatory headline against hero schools written on the front made Ochimaru gulp.

"It's okay, Ochi…" his mother soothed after noticing him standing hesitantly in the doorway. The look of pity on her face was enough to make his blood boil. "I know that it can be upsetting to not get the result you wanted, but-"

"I passed." Ochimaru retorted, his scathing tone far more resentful than he had intended. He ran a hand through his messy blond hair to try and compose himself, collapsing onto the frigid leather couch with a heavy sigh. "I've been offered a place in the hero course."

The silence that followed his words lasted for what felt like an eternity. It was finally broken with a shuffle of the stiff newspaper and the emergence of his father's astounded face. The shoddy reading-glasses he always wore slipped down the bridge of his small nose as his blue eyes widened in surprise. Ochimaru's gaze fell to his scarlet hands that were clasped so tightly it was peeling off the rest of his sunburn. One of his thin legs bounced with nervous energy as he chewed on the inside of his cheek, cautiously waiting for a response. The hidden frustration towards both of his parents was coming dangerously close to the surface.

"Oh… congratulations!" his mother responded after a pregnant pause. The disappointment in her voice was thinly veiled behind a fake, saccharine sweetness that she always donned when something didn't go her way. It made his stomach churn. "You've been so quiet about what happened in the exam that we didn't know what to think! Isn't that great, Tadashi?"

"Yeah, well done," his father commended with a rare nod of approval. His lips curved into a small, withdrawn smile that was far more genuine than his mother's overblown reaction. "I've heard on the news that people who've trained for these exams their whole life sometimes don't even get an offer. I didn't know you had it in you, son."

"I still can't believe it…" his mother whispered, her sweet façade faltering slightly as she realised the implications of his acceptance. Ochimaru watched the gears turn in her head as her fake smile vanished as quickly as it had come, replaced with a subtle frown. That downtrodden expression at her only son's accomplishment was the last straw.

"You would've been happier if I'd failed, wouldn't you…?" Ochimaru asked, his voice quivering nervously as he shot out of his seat on the leather couch. His temples throbbed with a stressful headache as the anger was getting harder to contain by the second.

"No, honey, no!" his mother backpedalled, almost spilling her mug of coffee onto the pristine, cream-coloured carpet. His father retreated behind the newspaper with a sigh. "We're just worried about your safety. I've been talking to the other parents who had children taking the entrance exam, and some of them were really badly injured!"

"A girl even broke her arm," his father interjected, holding up the newspaper like it was a shield against the rising conflict. "You were lucky to come away with just a nasty sunburn."

"Tell us the truth, Ochi…" his mother pleaded. "Did you get hurt in the exam?"

Even though he was going through a rebellious phase, Ochimaru couldn't bring himself to lie to his parents any longer. The lumps and bruises on his head disappeared a week after the exam, but he suddenly became acutely aware of their pain once again as he collapsed back down onto the couch. He very easily could have suffered a concussion from cracking his head against the metallic lockers in the fight with the tentacled applicant, so his mother's concern was definitely rational and justified. He had to start looking at hero work from their limited perspective if they were ever to agree. He averted his gaze and rubbed at the back of his head, as if expecting to feel the two bumps once more.

"I might've gotten hit on the head a couple of times," he murmured, eliciting a flustered rustle of the newspaper from his father. He didn't need to look at him to imagine the shock on his face. His dad had never coped well with injuries, not after he almost had to retire early due to back problems. "But honestly, it's not a big deal. I feel totally fine now."

"Why would a respected school let its potential students get hurt so much!?" his mother shrieked, her tone almost shattering the living room windows and causing him to wince. "Surely their number one concern should be the safety of their applicants!"

"There's a teacher with a healing Quirk on the faculty list," Ochimaru countered, pushing the stack of crumpled letters across the recently-polished coffee table towards his astounded mother. She looked ready to call up the school and complain. "She's been on the news a few times during all sorts of natural disasters or major villain attacks. Her Quirk allows her to heal most injuries in a matter of seconds. The school had an entire medical team that took care of anyone who required treatment after the exam, so it's nothing to be worried over."

"That still doesn't justify such careless, dangerous practices," his father scowled, finally throwing the newspaper onto the table with an annoyed sigh. Ochimaru couldn't remember the last time he was so riled up about something. "What if a student unexpectedly died during that exam? Does one of their teachers have a Quirk that can resurrect the dead?"

"Heroes get hurt all the time!" Ochimaru yelled, slamming his bare foot on the edge of the table in a fit of rage. He rarely ever had to deal with anger. It was such a volatile emotion. "The school is just preparing us for that possibility. Would you rather see the pro heroes who thanklessly protect the streets swaddled in bubble-wrap, so they never get injured?"

"That's not the issue here," he deflected. "Professional heroes have years of experience. Shoving a group of teenagers together and ordering them to fight each other with their Quirks barely seems like hero training at all. More like an illegal, underground fight club."

"And how would you know what hero training is like?" Ochimaru fumed, folding his arms dismissively and glaring at the happy family photos on the wall. He wanted to storm off to his bedroom, but his future education depended on obtaining his parents' signature. "Sorry, but I don't exactly see how managing a shitty soap business gives you any authority to try and tell me about something that I've been passionate about for my entire life."

Both of his parents looked completely shocked at his tirade of embittered, crude words. Although his round face was burning with embarrassment and shame at arguing with his own parents, spilling all of his secretive feelings that he had kept bottled up for years was strangely empowering. It probably wasn't persuading either of them to sign any of the Koushujin documents, but Ochimaru just wanted the weight off of his chest. Now that everything was out in the open, he wished he had done so sooner. It had spoiled results day.

"I'll just pretend I didn't hear that," his dad warned. The unconcealed hurt on his aging face made Ochimaru feel a painful twinge of regret. "Listen, we already promised that we'd let you attend Koushujin if you passed. Arguing like this is only going to make things worse."

"We're just worried about you, Ochi," his mother croaked, dabbing a crumpled tissue at the corners of her leaky eyes. The depressive atmosphere in the room was almost suffocating. "I'm concerned that you'll be overwhelmed once you start actually attending Koushujin. I know that it's been your dream for a while, but you've always had trouble making friends and being independent, so living in a dorm without us there will be really difficult."

"I'm only that way because you scared me from going out in public after the incident," Ochimaru murmured, thinking back to all of those quiet weekends he spent inside watching movies or reading manga instead of having an actual social life. "Remember when my entire class wanted to go shopping in Tenmonkan and you told me there could be villains there?"

"And there was a major attack there only a week later," his dad added with a frown. Ochimaru had almost forgotten about that. A twelve-year-old girl had been kidnapped while browsing shops with her parents and unlike all of the other abductions, she was never rescued or found alive a few days later. It was hard to keep track of all the abduction stories. "You can never be too careful nowadays. Local neighbourhoods are about the only safe place left."

"Or a school filled with trained guards and heroes," he replied dryly.

"Koushujin is probably one of the safest places in Kagoshima," his mother admitted, scanning through the documents with tired eyes. Even though she had finished her cup of coffee long ago, her movements were still sluggish. Ochimaru wondered if she had been awake all night worrying over his results. "But I also want you to be happy as well as safe. What were the other hero candidates like? Were any of them mean to you in any way?"

"Actually, I've already made a friend," Ochimaru smiled proudly, gesturing to his smartphone that was buzzing noisily away on the table. Youta had been sending him a message every few minutes, each one only asking him if he had passed the exam. "He just started talking to me out of the blue at the train station, but he's a really friendly person."

"Really…?" his mother asked with surprising eagerness. Her sincere curiosity caused the hostile atmosphere that was still lingering in the air to disappear entirely. She pushed the Koushujin documents aside and scooted across the leather couch to sit beside him. He couldn't help but shy away from the sudden contact as the tassels of her purple dressing-gown brushed against his bare arm. He had always hated when people invaded his personal bubble without warning, even if they were family. "What's his name?"

"Youta Kaneyama," he replied, diverting his anxious gaze down to the carpet. He could feel the pair of parental, prying eyes boring a hole right through him. "He seemed overconfident and brash at first, but he actually noticed that I was nervous once we got to Koushujin and tried to calm me down. I probably wouldn't have passed the exam if it wasn't for his help."

"Kaneyama…" his dad repeated, scratching at his stubbly chin thoughtfully. "I know that I've heard that name somewhere. I think his dad might've worked on my car before."

"Most of the other applicants turned out to be nice as well," Ochimaru continued, deciding not to mention the serpentine girl and how he came close to returning home with puncture marks on his neck from her fangs. "Even though we had to fight amongst ourselves to gather enough points, nobody that I saw was too mean-spirited. We treated it like a competition."

"It says here that you 'trapped a girl in a bubble'… what's that all about?" his father asked, having somehow snatched the analysis paper from the stack on the table when he was staring down at the carpet. "I had no idea that you could do such a thing with your Quirk. One of the teachers even said it could be used for safely disabling villains. That's amazing!"

"Oh yeah, I realised that if I coat my fingers in soap, I can blow a huge bubble," Ochimaru grinned, thinking back to when Youta encouraged him to use his Quirk more creatively. "Fumiyo, a girl in the exam, couldn't burst it even though she has the body of a weightlifter."

"Have you taken a read of this, Kaori?" his father laughed excitedly, showing a surprising amount of enthusiasm for someone who disliked the very concept of heroes and combat. "Ochimaru, you really should've said that you were at the top of the recommendation list!"

"I must have missed that letter," his mother said, reaching over to grab at the crumpled piece of paper. He knew that the teacher's words would convince them better than he ever could. Koushujin may have included that summary more for the parents than the applicants.

"With that ability, you could actually defend yourself if you were ever in danger," his father theorised, and Ochimaru almost couldn't believe what he was hearing. His parents had always treated him like he was still a naïve, defenceless seven-year-old, but now that was staring to change, slowly but surely. "Your Quirk really is like one a pro hero would have."

"Training to be a hero will make me even better at defending myself," Ochimaru pleaded, exhausted by the lengthy argument. He wondered if any other applicants had trouble with convincing their guardians to let them attend Koushujin. Giving their children permission to leave home and start a new chapter of their life in a dormitory can't be easy for any parent. "If I become a pro hero, I'll make the world a safer place for everyone to live in, so maybe one day, you both won't have to constantly worry about villain attacks anymore."

"Okay, we'll sign the papers," his mother sighed, setting the analysis letter down gently. She reached for a discarded pen that was almost out of ink and went to work jotting down her signature on any document with a dotted line. It seemed like she was finally convinced by her husband's sensible words and his final, desperate plea for permission. "Just promise me that you'll do your best to stay safe during your training and remember that you can always come back home if things become too difficult. We'll always be here for you."

"I promise," Ochimaru sniffed, feeling incredibly guilty for shouting out in rage earlier. In the end, his parents just wanted what was best for him. This whole problem stemmed from their overprotective love, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. He originally thought they didn't care about him becoming a hero, but it was the opposite. They cared far too much.

"You should hurry and reply to your persistent friend," his father sighed, adjusting his tight, professional tie with one hand and signing documents with the other. Ochimaru was lucky that he could stay at home for the rest of the day working on his costume application, whereas his dad still had to endure a long, hellish day at work. "The buzzing is driving me crazy."

Ochimaru collected all of the letters that didn't require his parent's signature and his vibrating phone, whispering an exasperated thanks as he retreated to the safety of his bedroom. Gratitude was something he always found difficult to put into words, so maybe he would spend his evening writing a letter to his mum and dad to make up for the argument. They definitely didn't deserve to be shouted at, no matter how angry he felt. He scrolled through the long list of messages from Youta to distract himself from the guilt, careful not to trip on any of the discarded shoes or boxes that lined the darkened hallway.

y_kaneyama: you awake yet?

y_kaneyama: cmon the results have arrived

y_kaneyama: i bet you've failed

y_kaneyama: just kidding, but send me a msg as soon as you can

y_kaneyama: not waiting for your slow ass any longer, opening without you

y_kaneyama: i fuckin passed! got a bunch of sappy quotes from some of the teachers

y_kaneyama: they said that giving you the golden egg was "befitting of a hero" or some shit

y_kaneyama: see, i knew it was a good idea

y_kaneyama: hello?

y_kaneyama: take your time, i'll spam all day if i have to

y_kaneyama: ochi

y_kaneyama: ochi

y_kaneyama: ochi

y_kaneyama: ochi

y_kaneyama: ochi

ochi_maru: im here im here jeez

y_kaneyama: took you long enough :p

y_kaneyama: whats the verdict?

ochi_maru: passed! got one of the highest scores

y_kaneyama: dude sweet! same here

y_kaneyama: 270

ochi_maru: 300

y_kaneyama: wow, i should've kept that egg for myself

y_kaneyama: anyway, since we both passed, I've been thinking

ochi_maru: yeah?

y_kaneyama: u wanna room 2gether?

Ochimaru nearly dropped his phone as soon as the last message appeared.