Meh chapter, but I wanted to get this out. Tbh I've been busy working on the timeline/rough draft for my JJK fic, just so you know.
"Request denied."
Shouta tensed. "Sir—"
"I'm aware of the complications Saito has been having with her Quirk. It's exactly why she needs to take the exam."
Shouta did his best to keep a glower off of his face. "With all due respect, I know her better than you, sir. The last time this happened was—"
"After Silver Shifter and Golden Geist were murdered."
Shouta masked a flinch.
Principal Nezo clasped his paws. "It took her months to regain use of her Quirk."
"Exactly. We can't force this."
The principal sighed. "She only listed one ultimate move, which is already questionable enough. Aizawa, if it takes months to come back this time, then I'm afraid we'll have to make some changes."
Shouta clenched his jaw, feeling unwell at the vague warning.
"…You've been training that boy from the general department, Hitoshi Shinsou."
Shouta didn't want to hear where this was going.
"In the event that Saito cannot control her Quirk, I think you may get your wish to transfer Shinsou into the Hero course."
He would refuse.
Shouta wasn't blind— especially when Hitomi was involved. Shinsou would hate the situation— and himself —if he took her place. The poor kid didn't get enough sleep already.
"So, what you're saying is… Saito has to use her Quirk to not only pass the licensing exam, but also a test she isn't aware she's taking?"
Principal Nezu gave a smile that felt insincere. "Do you not believe she can do it?"
Shouta kept his expression level.
"Of course she can do it."
I hope she can do it.
…
The National Dagoba Arena stood tall, and menacing.
Everyone's nerves filled the air with the acidic scent of anxiety, which did nothing to help Hitomi's.
"Ugh… I'm getting kind of nervous." Kyoka groaned.
"Kind of"?
Mineta rocked back and forth. "I wonder what they're gonna make us do. Aw, what if I can't get my license?"
"Then all the women of Japan would cry out in relief." Hitomi whispered with a twitch of her brow.
Sero— standing next to her —masked a cackle with a cough.
"Mineta," Mr. Aizawa bent comically low in order to be on Mineta's level, "don't ask if you can. Say you will."
"Right! Sure! I've so got this!"
"Shame." Sero quietly quipped, grinning when Hitomi had to choke back a laugh.
Mr. Aizawa stood, his tired gaze combing over them all. "If you can pass this test and get your provisional licenses, then you novice eggs will hatch into chicks. You'll be semi-Pros." He narrowed his his. "I expect your best."
"Alright, I can't wait to be a heroic chicken!" Kaminari cheered, fully serious.
"Let's call out the usual, you guys!" Eijirou clenched his fist, brimming with morale. "On my mark, Go Plus—"
"Ultra!" A muscular boy with a Shiketsu cap crowed exuberantly.
He looks familiar, Hitomi mused, cocking her head.
"You know, it's pretty rude to barge into other people's huddles like that, Inasa." Another boy from Shiketsu, with purple hair, chastised the first.
Momo leaned closer to Hitomi, whispering lowly, "The exam for recommended students."
Oh!
"What? Pardon me. I am…" Inasa's arms went straight, pressed to his sides. "Very…" he bowed so deeply, he slammed his head into the ground. "Extremely sorry!"
"Who is this guy? I do not trust his enthusiasm!" Kaminari spoke up first after an awkward pause.
"Hey, look at their uniforms." Kyoka gasped.
"They're from that famous school on the other side of Japan." Sero added.
"Shiketsu." Hitomi piped up, shrugging when they looked at her. "My brother went there. He was in the general department."
He had wanted to study abroad after… everything. Though he often said he regrets not entering a school with a focus on culinary skills.
"UA in the east, Shiketsu in the west." Katsuki said lowly.
Inasa snapped back up straight. "I just wanted to say it once. Plus Ultra! See, I really love UA High! I am extremely honored to compete against such incredible students! I'm so looking forward to it!"
Hitomi blinked. Not even she ever got this worked up. Taking a cursory glance at the other students with him and the purple haired one, she studied the one that seemed to be a mass of fur, and the last student—
Wide brown eyes were already staring back at her, locked in place with a strange curiosity. What's more, was where the girl's eyes were pinned.
Hitomi froze, stomach dropping. Her right hand came up, covering her still bandaged cheek from sight, and she scurried behind her closest classmate.
Katsuki took one glance back at her, and tensed.
Something's off about that girl. Hitomi felt herself instinctively bare her canines, a growl rumbling up her throat.
With a short step to the left, Katsuki put himself fully in front of her, blocking the blonde girl's prolonged stare. His scent spiked, the telltale sign of his Quirk rearing up.
Standing behind him, Hitomi focused on slowing her breath and stifling her growls. Her lips kept stubbornly pulling back in a snarl, until the purple haired student called for his classmates to leave with him. With a cautious peek over Katsuki's shoulder, Hitomi relaxed upon seeing the blonde girl being dragged away with them.
The growling stopped, and her mouth settled into a thin frown. She lightly tapped Katsuki's back, silently telling him she was okay now, and he stomped away with a huff, as if he hadn't just helped her out immensely.
"Inasa Yoarashi." Mr. Aizawa drawled thoughtfully.
"What about him?" Kaminari nervously prompted.
"He's strong."
Hitomi winced. Coming from Mr. Aizawa, that wasn't praise, it was a warning.
"He's the same year as you all, and received the top scores for students admitted through recommendations. But for some unknown reason, he turned down his acceptance to UA, and went to Shiketsu."
"Wait… He's our age?" Izuku gaped.
He definitely didn't seem like it. He looked more like a third year.
…I wonder how that blonde third year is doing— NOPE. None of that.
Hitomi shook her head, covering her burning face.
"Hold on, is anyone else confused here?" Sero stammered. "This guy says he loves our school, but he turned down his chance to enroll when it was offered?"
"Yeah. What a weirdo." Mina added.
"Maybe, but he's the real-deal. Keep an eye on him."
"Eraser?"
Hitomi perked up, eyes shimmering. While her teacher stiffened.
"I'd know that scowl anywhere!" Ms. Joke walked up to them cheerfully. "I saw you on TV and at the sports festival, but it's been a while since we were this close in person!"
"Emi!" Hitomi all but squealed, throwing herself at the mint haired Hero.
(How many Heroes does this girl know?! The class wondered in unison.)
Emi made a similar sound, spreading her arms and welcoming the hug. "Ohmygosh— Puppy!"
"Puppy?" Most of the class mumbled with arched brows.
Emi pulled back, giving the pinkette a once-over. "Look how big you are! I can't believe you're in high school!" Suddenly, a depressed aura swirled above the woman. "Stop getting older. It's too much of a reminder." Of my own aging, was left unspoken.
"Joke." Mr. Aizawa greeted solemnly.
"Hey! Let's get married." Emi popped right back out of her funk, grinning at Mr. Aizawa.
"No."
Emi laughed uproariously. "Ha! You're a real laugh-riot buddy!"
"As usual, you're impossible, Joke."
"Hitomi, how do you know Ms. Joke?!" Izuku eagerly asked.
"Oh! When Ayami was busy with Nori, Emi would come by and help out with me." Hitomi explained with a shrug.
"You… you were babysat by a Hero." Izuku reiterated blankly.
"Mm!" She nodded.
"…What is your life?" Ojirou mumbled, almost sounding offended.
"Come on, Shouta, imagine it! If I was your wife, you'd have a future full of constant laughter!" Emi gave an enthusiastic thumbs-up.
"That sounds like an actual nightmare."
Emi laughed again.
"It seems like you two are close." Tsuyu observed the two teachers shrewdly.
"Our agencies were near each other. As young Heroes striving to make a difference in the world, a mutual love bloomed—"
"No it didn't." Mr. Aizawa cut her off with a clipped tone.
Emi was unfazed. "I do miss your quick retorts! You're my favorite person to tease, future husband."
Mr. Aizawa took an obvious breath to regain his patience before pushing on. "So, Joke, if you're here then that must mean…"
"That's right!" She looked back over her shoulder. "Over here, everyone! This is UA!"
A class from another school approached, led by a smiling platinum blonde haired girl, and an also smiling black haired boy.
"Second years from Ketsubutsu Academy. This is Class 2. They're my students." Emi introduced them.
"Hey, I'm Shindo!" The black haired boy, Shindo, took Izuku's hands eagerly. "Seems like UA's had a lotta trouble this year, must've been tough for you!" His eyes flickered to Katsuki and Hitomi in particular.
"Uh, yeah…" Izuku awkwardly agreed.
Shindo moved on to Kaminari. "But even so, you're all still aiming to become Pro Heroes. Despite those hardships." He zipped over to Kyoka. "It's wonderful!" He clenched a fist with a wink. "Hearts full of fortitude! I believe that's what every Hero in the world needs to have!"
Hitomi's nose twitched, and she fought the rising urge to sneeze.
His scent… This was wrong. His attitude was flawlessly kind and charismatic, but… he smelled unmistakably of malice. Mild, but still present.
He's willing to— He wants to hurt us. Not kill. Just maim.
"And Bakugou, Saito," he aimed that perfectly sincere looking smile at them, "it must've been hard for you two, what with that whole kidnapping incident."
Hitomi bit her lip, her scars itching.
"You both have especially strong wills, don't you. Today, I'm gonna do my best to learn from you two. I really hope you don't mind." Shindo held out a hand toward Katsuki to shake.
Katsuki smacked it away, not falling for the act. "Stop pretending. What you say doesn't match the look in your eyes."
"Or your scent." Hitomi leveled him with a small glare.
"Come on, guy! Don't be rude." Eijirou chastised them, then nodded in apology to Shindo. "Sorry, he's just like that, and she's… usually not."
"It's fine." Shindo brushed it off. "It proves how tough their hearts are."
"Tch." Katsuki turned away, putting some distance between himself and the Ketsubutsu student.
Hitomi followed, nodding in agreement with his unspoken judgement. "Yeah, I could smell the malice on him. Otherwise his act seemed flawless to me. If a little heavy-handed." Though she really couldn't be one to talk, when it came to friendliness.
Katsuki paused, narrowing his eyes on her. "What's it smell like?"
"Hm?"
"The scent that gave him away. What's it smell like?"
Hitomi blinked, taken aback that he was actually curious, but also somewhat flattered. "O-oh, it's kinda… sweet. But the kind of sweetness that will make you sick right away."
"Saccharine?"
"Yeah! He smelled saccharine."
Katsuki pursed his lips, squinting at the arena. "…You said I smell sweet."
"Oh! That's different. You smell like burnt caramel, it's really nice. Besides, that's just your regular scent, not an emotional one."
Katsuki looked back at her, blinking once slowly. "You smell emotions…?"
"Mm."
Katsuki lowered his gaze to the ground, tracing the scars on his palm again.
She wondered where he got them.
"Hey, get your costumes and head to orientation." Mr. Aizawa ordered. "There's no time to waste.
"Yes sir!"
"Bakugou."
The blonde turned toward their teacher, tensing at Mr. Aizawa's hard expression.
Hitomi frowned in concern.
Mr. Aizawa gestured for him to come closer, leading Katsuki away while everyone else grabbed their cases.
The teacher spoke lowly with him, quiet and far away enough that Hitomi couldn't overhear unless she tried. Which she was seriously tempted to do when she saw the reaction Katsuki was having.
Slowly, whatever he was being told made Katsuki go rigid, his jaw clenching, and eyes overshadowed by his bangs.
Mr. Aizawa glanced in her direction, finishing up whatever it was he was telling Katsuki. Who turned sharply and stomped away, back to the class.
"Hey, you okay?" Hitomi murmured, after running up to stand at his side, holding out his costume case.
Katsuki pursed his lips, wearing an expression that she couldn't decipher.
"Yeah." He scowled to the side, taking the case without looking at her. "…You better fucking ace this test."
"Eh?"
…
Hitomi kept a hand over her nose, trying not to let the overwhelming smells around her make her sick. The cacophony of muttering didn't help either. The room was so packed that she'd already lost some of her friends in the crowd.
A weary sigh came over the intercom, coming from the sandy haired man slouching at a podium.
"Okay, let's do this exam thing. I'm from, uh…" his head bobbed with the struggle to stay awake. "The Heroes Public Safety Commission. Name's Mera. My circadian rhythm is so screwed up…" his head dropped again. "…ah man. I've been swamped lately and I haven't got much rest. We're too short staffed. I'm so tired."
Hitomi's tail flicked impatiently. She felt for him, but… she was kind of too anxious to get this exam finished to really care.
"…With that confession, I'll now begin orientation. So, about the content of this license thing. Basically, 1,540 examinees compete in a free-for-all exercise— or whatever we're calling it this year. See, we've got a lot of Pros around, and since Stain was arrested, many people've expressed doubts about the status of Heroes in society."
The video… Hitomi frowned.
"But, when you really think about it, getting paid makes sense. If you're going to risk your life to save someone, why shouldn't you ask for a reward, huh? That's just the way the world works— god I could use a coffee… Anyway, whether they're in it for compensation, or out of a sense of duty, we've got too many Heroes working together in the streets these days to keep Villains at bay. Honestly, the time between when an incident begins and when it's resolved is ridiculously short. You are all here trying to receive your provisional licenses, so you'll be swept up in this tiresome mess yourselves pretty soon. Those of you who don't have the speed, frankly, just won't cut it. Which is why that's what you'll be tested on."
The giant screen behind Mera changed to show "Number to pass 1st test: 100 people."
Oh no.
"The first hundred students to fulfill the requirements will pass today."
This was bad. Hitomi already knew it was going to be a long-shot— no, a miracle to win without the use of her Quirk. Now the odds were even slimmer.
"Hey."
She jumped, whipping around to stare at Katsuki.
"Eh? Kats—"
"Don't even think about losing this, got it?" He glared sharply at her.
This was the second time he was telling her she needed to win. What did it mean?
"Uh, y-yeah—"
"Don't half-ass this!" He hissed seriously, stomping closer, until he was almost uncomfortably close, scowling right in her face. "You better not hold back on anything! Got it?!"
"Yep!" Hitomi meekly squeaked.
"Well, the world can be pretty crappy." Mera continued on. "I suppose I should say something about luck. So, anyway, here are the basic rules." The screen behind him changed again, showing the gear they would be using." The examinees will put three of these targets on his, her, or their body. They can go anywhere you want, as long as it's an exposed area. So no soles of the feet or armpits."
No soles…
"Each of you will also have six of these balls. The targets are programmed to light up whenever they've been touched by the balls. If all three targets light up, you're out. Oh, and the person who lights up your third target will get credit for your defeat. You get through this round by taking down two people. Got it? Good. What else…? Uh, I guess we'll start passing out the targets and balls. Then you'll have a few minutes to get situated after we open."
The ceiling above them groaned and whirred, a seam splitting down the middle. The walls fell away as well, opening the room up completely, revealing the arena was turned into something resembling the USJ, but much bigger.
"I'm sure each of you have different terrains that you like or want to avoid. Use your Quirks well and do your best. Or not, whatever."
The massive crowd was divided into several lines, with each person getting three targets, and a belt holding six balls.
When Hitomi was handed hers, she frowned thoughtfully, before nodding once to herself.
Two of the targets were put just above the heels on the outside of her boots, visible and possible to hit, but also in the hardness place to aim for when she was running. And she'd likely be doing a lot of that. The third one was clipped on her stomach, under her right breast. She'd hopefully be able to deflect any balls with her batons.
"Everyone!" Izuku called once the class had all been given their gear. "Stay close together, we'll fight them as a group."
"Right!"
"Got it!"
"Yeah right. This isn't a field trip." Katsuki barked, turning and stomping off.
"Idiot. Wait up!" Eijirou groaned. Then surprisingly, he grabbed Hitomi's wrist. "Come on."
"Eh?" Hitomi floundered, cluelessly letting herself be dragged away.
"Kachan!" Izuku called after them.
"Hitomi!" Momo did the same.
"Uh, sorry, guess I'm going with them?" The pinkette shrugged.
And she wasn't the only one, Kaminari jogged to catch up with them as well.
"Wait for me!"
There was a moderately large distance put between the four, and the rest of the class, before a loud horn blared.
"The first test will now begin." A monotone female voice announced.
"Oh man, that was fast!" Eijirou sighed, letting go of her wrist finally.
"Yeah…" Hitomi nervously gripping and fidgeting with her batons.
Here we go.
Me, to myself: Okay, just how many Heroes is Hitomi going to know personally?
Also me: Yes.