CHAPTER 1 – β Line

Ever since Nanami could talk with other kids, see and understand what was shown on Television, she wanted to be a hero. Every kid of her age did. But when she turned 4, she had to face the harsh reality of the world.

At the annual visit to the hospital, the orphanage kids who had turned 4 and did not show any visible quirks saw the Quirk Specialist at the hospital. Nanami had no quirk, and despite being a mere 4-year-old she accepted that she didn't have one! She realised that she'd have to work harder than anyone else. But the visit to the specialist was compulsory for every Orphanage kid who turned 4 and so everyone went anyway. A few were disappointed that they did in fact not have a quirk as it seemed even before the visit. The rest… were also sad since they were late bloomers, but at least they had quirks which would manifest later. Nanami was very disappointed to be in the second group, since that meant, according to her, that she was never disadvantaged she was just bad at using her quirk if it had already manifested! The doctor's diagnosis seemed to suggest that her quirk had in fact already manifested but for the love of God, no one could figure out what it was!

Years passed and there was no progress in trying to figure out her quirk, on a few instances, it seemed as if she had managed to disable someone's quirk, like the Pro-Hero Eraser Head, but it was more likely that the other kids weren't in complete control of their own quirk. In fact, she could never do it on command. This, however, did not deter Nanami in her quest to become a Hero! If she couldn't use her quirk, so be it! She spent years getting physically stronger, learning various martial arts but when she saw pro heroes, unlike her peers who were filled with hope and excitement of being in the presence of one, she was reminded how weak she was in comparison. Probably no amount of physical training could bring her on par with an individual who could control their quirk.

She had to be realistic! After all, being a hero was about helping others. So, if she could help heroes, she could indirectly help people! She started spending a good amount of her time enhancing her own scientific aptitude. By investing time, she became knowledgeable, at least what would be considered knowledgeable for a 13-year-old, but it was painfully clear her aptitude wasn't in the mechanical and engineering aspect of Science. Her most "innovative" creation till date was a weapon from a game she played for a considerable number of hours. Probably the exact "creation" had not been created prior to that, but all its principles had already been developed before. But even more than her aptitude, she never felt like this was her calling. She could indeed help people by helping heroes, but she didn't feel like that was what she was made for.

Soon her 15th birthday was approaching, and it was time for her to make the final decision about moving out. When children turned 15, the orphanage offered them an option to move out into an apartment in the city (which is also owned by the same philanthropist who started the orphanage) but the children are only allowed to move out if they can convince their "Mama" that they had determined what they wanted to study/pursue next and that they truly want to do it! Nanami had already decided that she wanted to study at UA, unlike most of her friends, quirked or quirk-less, who had long given up on their dream of studying at an elite university like UA. But even Nanami wasn't sure where she would go in UA, The support courses or The Hero courses! She could apply for both of those courses if she wanted to do, but to convince Mama that wouldn't have been enough, or so she thought.

The kids never knew their parent's love, but Mama had given them more love than any kid could ever hope for. But this was a direct result of Mama being overprotective to an extent, thus convincing her that you would move out seemed like a considerably difficult task!

The night before her birthday, Nanami made it clear that she wanted to move out and further study at UA when the time came, but when she was asked what she wanted to do, she could only say "I want to help people", which, even to her surprise, was enough to convince Mama. Maybe Nanami worried a lot more than she should have, but she still had to decide which course she wanted to pursue.

Growing up in an orphanage had its advantages and disadvantages, but the biggest hindering factor was that the kids never had to make any choices growing up. Maybe they didn't have the liberty to do so, and soon they didn't want to just because they didn't have to. But when they turned 15, they had to make a major decision about how they would go about their life from this point on. They weren't given absolute freedom even once they turned 15, even in the city they were indirectly under the care of the orphanage, but choosing a course was the first major decision Nanami had to make, ever.

Fast forward to the present and a few months after moving out, the admission forms for UA were out. Despite a lenient 14-day time given to students to submit their forms, Nanami was thrown into panic. Alas, 15 years of indecision finally had to make a decision. Unsurprisingly, she applied for both courses. Surprisingly for her, UA expected such an indecisive bunch, at least enough to make a special rule for such students!

The rule was as follows, "Any student applying for both Support and Hero courses are allowed to use gadgets/weapons, in the physical test, which are not registered as a part of their quirk. While considering said students for Support courses, the practical tests would add a bonus in their repertoire. However, while considering them for Hero courses their score will be divided by half, rounded down. However, if a student from this category chooses not to use any gadget/weapon, they will not gain special consideration in Support courses, however, their score will remain unchanged for Hero courses consideration."

Nanami was wearing a short-sleeved shirt and track pants, as ready as a makeshift martial artist could be at a test designed for individuals with literal superpowers! Then Nanami got the basic briefing from Present Mic along with the other UA aspirants and she was then promptly directed towards Exam Centre A. On the way there one could feel the nervousness, confidence and huge mix of emotions just by seeing everyone's faces. But she wasn't overwhelmed! Despite being effectively quirkless, she had never lost a physical confrontation with anyone of her own size! She never got overconfident, but she wasn't unnerved by seeing the quirked kids shuddering in anticipation of what awaited them. She could only give her best, nothing more, nothing less!