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Chapter Four

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Kazuya fell back into her chair with an exasperated sigh, her hand practically throbbing after gripping her pencil so tightly for two hours. God, she hated written exams.

It had completely slipped her mind that kids getting in on recommendation still had to take tests, so when her parents woke her up at some ungodly hour and told her to get dressed, she was completely confused. She slipped on a grey tracksuit, per their instruction, and rode to the UA campus.

After the written test, she was given a numbered tag and then gathered outside with five other students to listen to the hero Present Mic explain how the practical part of the exam would go. Sneaking a glance at her fellow contestants, she saw a few characters that made her question how prepared she was to fight for a spot in this school. Kagami had to do this at some point, she reminded herself and took a deep breath.

To her left was a pair of twins, identical in every way except for one had blue eyes and the other had green. The blue twin seemed much more relaxed than the nervous green one. On the other side of her was a bald boy who did not indicate having any real personality. To his right was another boy with the appearance of a cheetah, then a girl with a second mouth on the back of her head. Kazuya stared at the mouth for a little too long and it started to growl at her, prompting the girl to cover it with her hands and blush.

"The exam will be a three-kilometre race, but it's an obstacle course, so you can't just run straight through it! Use your quirks to reach the finish," Present Mic explained, the speaker around his neck projecting his voice much more than necessary.

Kazuya glared at her gloved hands that balled up in front of her, uncertain of whether the feeling burning within her was determination or gut-wrenching anxiety.

"Hey," one of the twins poked her on the shoulder as they lined up at the starting line, "Do you see that chick with the second mouth? Freaky, right?"

"Leiko, stop it," her green-eyed counterpart tugged on her sleeve. Kazuya tried to ignore the girls, fully aware that there was a chance she would be taking their place as a student at UA. She had told herself to keep her head down and not talk to anyone. She wasn't here to make friends, after all. Kagami couldn't be saved if she was lollygagging around, but the double-mouthed girl was trying so hard to hide away in her tracksuit that she couldn't help herself.

"Don't listen to her. I think you look cool," she offered a small smile to the brunette. The girl removed her hands from the second mouth and it grinned, revealing rows and rows of razor-sharp teeth.

"Thank you!" it barked out. Kazuya nodded and tried to walk to move on, but the blue-eyed "Leiko" stepped in her way.

"Why do you wear gloves, huh? I have a cousin who wears them because he can't control his quirk. Is that you, too?" she put her hands on her hips and grinned cockily.

"You have no self-respect, do you?" the cheetah boy hissed, tail swishing agitatedly behind him like a clock's pendulum.

"Was I talking to you, furball?" Leiko rolled her eyes. Kazuya chewed on the inside of her cheek to keep herself from throwing this jerk into the sun.

"Your rancid attitude can be smelt from miles away, dear. It's clear you put others down because you're scared of your own inadequacy," Cheetah's claws slid out from between their digits and gleamed threateningly. If a fight were to start, Kazuya had her money on the kitty.

"Okay, kids, it's time!" Present Mic shouted, interrupting the tense conversation in the nick of time.

Kazuya wiped the sweat from her brow and slowly removed one of her gloves as the countdown began. She could see the first obstacle from where she stood: a long bridge across a lake that led into a waterfall, then a giant cave. When it came to what the exact obstacle was, there were a dozen or so possibilities, but they'd only find out when they crossed the bridge.

There was a short countdown before a loud bang signalled the beginning of the race. Immediately, the twins shot forward like bullets from a gun. Leiko's arms stretched out, allowing white feathers to grow out of her skin and turn her limbs into wings. She took to the skies while her sister ran along the ground on all fours with a wolf tail growing from her spine.

Beneath the sister's paws, bits of the stone bridge fell away into the large lake that lay several metres below. Kazuya reminded herself that this was a race and tapped her fingers against the ground. Her quirk flared to life in the form of an angry red aura that surrounded the spot she touched and her one remaining glove. Holding her breath, she psychically willed the two apart. An unseen force pushed her glove as far away from the glowing concrete as possible, leaving her flying through the air like a floppy idiot.

When she landed on solid ground again, she rolled for a bit, quickly got back onto her feet, and then ran as fast as she could towards the waterfall.

She hadn't been to a quirk doctor to update her quirk info until recently, per UA's requirements. When she was five, she pulled all of her toys down from a shelf and buried herself under a pile of stuffed animals, much to the shock of her parents. Apparently, she was a late bloomer when it came to her quirk, so while everyone else was showing off their abilities, she was still struggling to control hers. She hadn't been able to touch many things without gloves ever since.

The doctors had labelled her quirk "Attract and Repel", the name being the only information they gave her that she didn't already know. She could push and pull non-living things at will, but only if they were surrounded by her red or blue aura and if she had touched them in the last hour. Kagami had always compared the aura to highlighting options on the select screen of a video game.

"That was pretty cool," the green-eyed twin smiled sheepishly from next to her. Kazuya nodded a silent thank you and then held her hand out to the water. There was too much of it for her to stop it completely, but if she stayed focused, maybe she could part it.

Straining her quirk, the cobalt-haired girl managed to avert divert the flow long enough to pass by without getting wet. Unfortunately, that left the twin behind her drenched from the unsuspected closing of the water. Kazuya winced but continued anyway.

The next obstacle was a large pit with ropes suspended from the ceiling. She would be the first to admit that her upper body strength was lacking, but if she got a good grip, she could cling to the ropes without using much strength.

Of course, that required cooperation from her quirk.

"Please, don't try to fly again. As a bird hybrid, I find it insulting, watching you wiggle around in the air," Leiko snickered, taking time to perch on one of the swaying ropes with her bird-like talons. Kazuya lowered herself to the ground and rolled her eyes.

"You don't scare me, pigeon," she snapped.

"I'm an Egret!" Leiko flew away in a huff, gaining the lead once again.

"What you are is a pain in the ass," Kazuya grumbled under her breath. She could hear approaching footsteps, so she quickly made her move.

Using Repel to push her high into the air, she was able to grab the closest rope and went to activate Attract. Unfortunately, her quirk had other plans. She knew there was going to be trouble when her aura didn't turn blue as she intended. As soon as she grabbed the rope, she was catapulted away from it with such force that her back slammed into the wall at the mouth of the cave.

"Not fun," she grumbled as she waited for her head to stop spinning. Right when she got up, Leiko's twin rushed past her and leapt across as much of the canyon as she could. Mid-leap, she turned human again and clung to the rope, clearing the entire thing in five seconds.

Kazuya pouted like a child and pushed her sorry ass back onto her feet. With furrowed brows, she tried again. Repel, up, grab, Attract. Her quirk cooperated this time and it was a miracle she didn't let go of the rope by accident. She repeated the steps until she had swung across the entire canyon.

For whatever reason, when she landed on the other side, she looked back. At the beginning of the obstacle were the boring-looking bald boy and the cheetah. The former gave her a curt nod, then opened his mouth wide.

"WHAT THE HELL, MAN?!" the cheetah shouted as literal wasps began to pour out of the bald guy's throat. Kazuya muttered a quick "fuck that," and ran in the opposite direction as quickly as possible.

Once finally out of the cave, she came to the last challenge. A makeshift spider web coated in a sticky substance blocked the way to the remainder of the path. There were gaps in between the threads, but they were too small for anyone to fit through. High above the ground was a struggling Leiko, trying her hardest to free her wings from the glue.

"Oh, sweet sweet Karma," Kazuya hummed.

"Yeah, laugh it up! When I'm out of here, I'll kick your ass!" the bird girl squawked.

"Leiko!" her twin shouted as the rest of the competitors caught up.

"Michiko, get me down!" Leiko cried desperately. She tried to free herself but stopped when the adhesive started to pull her feathers out.

"Serves her right," scoffed the cheetah boy. Kazuya raised a brow, not entirely disagreeing, but not approving either.

"We can't leave her up there," she sighed and racked her brain for ideas. Cheetah simply shrugged as he drew his claws and walked up to the web, slicing through the rope as if they were nothing. His face briefly contorted in disgust at the substance left on his paws, but he continued anyway. The bug boy followed after him, sparing no second glances as he left Leiko, "Michiko", Kazuya, and the shy girl alone.

"Please…" Michiko begged the other two with her glossy, emerald eyes on the verge of tears.

"No! I don't need their help! Can't you get me out yourself?!" Leiko wriggled some more and plucked a few more feathers accidentally. Kazuya stared at the ropes for a beat then turned to the double-mouthed girl.

"Can you chew through the web?" She asked. The girl nodded despite the paling of her face. Kazuya touched both Michiko's and the brunette's shoulders, effectively selecting both of their clothing as targets for her quirk.

They glowed red with the activation of Repel and Michiko was pushed to the floor while the other girl flew up to meet Leiko. Her second, more dangerous mouth bit down on the part of the web holding Leiko down, gnawing away at it until it snapped.

"That's…horrifying and amazing," Michiko mumbled from her spot on the ground. A bead of sweat rolled down Kazuya's temple, either out of intimidation or the stress of keeping someone suspended for so long.

Eventually, Leiko was freed completely and fell to the ground in her human form. Her sister caught her and Kazuya did her best to gently lower the double-mouthed girl.

"You should thank me! That shit's disgusting!" her second mouth shouted, promoting her to cover it again. Leiko made a weird choking sound, her face bright red.

"Thank you," she grumbled reluctantly.

"Aya," her saviour smiled, voice soft as she tilted her head slightly, "My name's Aya."

"Come on, we still have time," Michiko helped her sister to her feet and returned to her half-wolf form. Leiko sat on her back and gave Kazuya a hesitant look before running off to the final stretch.

"We should go, too," Aya suggested. Kazuya sighed and followed her through the hole Cheetah had made in the web. The rest of the practical test was just a foot race, with no obstacles. Kazuya held on to Aya as she boosted her feet across the remainder of the track, both of them passing the finish line at the same time.

"And finally, we have Imai Kazuya and Aya Miura!" Present Mic cheered as he glanced at his phone and wrote down the end times on a clipboard.

Placing last put Kazuya in a sour mood for the rest of the day. Even when the recommended students were offered a short lunch before their interviews, she sat in a corner, expressionless and stirring her drink absentmindedly.

"You did a good thing, even if you had to give something up," Aya reminded her before she left the room. She, the cheetah, and the wasp guy had finished her interviews with the headmaster of the school, Principal Nezu, leaving Kazuya and the twins together.

The room was uncomfortably silent until Present Mic called her out for her interview. Kazuya gave Leiko a sideways glance then continued out the door. If she wasted Kagami's recommendation on that pigeon, she wouldn't know what to do.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Miss Imai," Principal Nezu beamed as he welcomed her into his office.

"You already know who I am?" Kazuya scrunched her brows in confusion. The white mouse (bear? dog? thing?) in front of her extended a paw to the seat in front of his desk and she immediately sat down.

"Your sister was a bit of a problem child. I had many talks with her concerning discipline, but I occasionally found her wandering into my office just to talk. She always spoke highly of you," he explained with a light-hearted laugh.

"Thank you…sir," Kazuya had to pause for a moment. Her chest tightened at the mention of Kagami. That wound was unfortunately still fresh.

"Would you like some tea before we get started?" Principal Nezu gently pushed a hot cup across his desk. Kazuya nodded her silent appreciation and then took the drink. It smelled of lavender and some berries she couldn't remember the name of. "Now then, I suppose we'll start easy. Tell me about yourself."

"My name is Imai Kazuya. My mother is Imai Elena, my father is Imai Taigen, and my sister…Imai Kagami. My father's a brilliant scientist, my mother is a party planner, and, well, you know the rest," she answered while staring at the reddish-brown liquid in her cup. With odd fixation, she watched the ripples created by her breath dance to the edge of the darkened water.

Nezu shook his head and picked up his own beverage, "I asked about you, dear. Not your family." Kazuya raised her gaze again.

What's there to say, she wondered. Her mother threw extravagant parties for the rich, her father created devices to help heroes be better adept at saving people, and her sister had taken down dozens of villains and protected even more civilians. What had she done? Nada.

"My name…is Imai Kazuya," she sighed, eyes closing as she let go of something. She didn't know what the feeling was, but it felt like walking outside after being locked in your house for days; "I'm fourteen and I've gotten good grades all throughout Junior High, which I'm rather proud of. I like frogs and I hate news reporters. My father says I have my mother's temper, but I only let it control me when I'm defending myself or others."

"I read that you threw one of your peers through a wall not too long ago?" Nezu implored with a raised brow. Kazuya pursed her lips into a fine line and ignored the sudden heating of her cheeks.

"Yes, sir. Some idiot was disgracing my family and I refused to stand for it," she answered with complete honesty before taking a sip of her tea. It was surprisingly delicious.

"Why do you want to become a hero?"

She lowered her cup but kept it on her lips. She wasn't sure why this question threw her for a loop. The answer was clear (she had thought about it a dozen times before), yet she found herself pausing.

"My sister is missing, sir. She isn't dead, but that's what people seem to think," a murky reflection of her chocolate-coloured eyes stared back from the teacup, "My sister never gave up on anyone, but it feels like everyone has given up on her. No one is looking anymore and I want her to know someone never forgot."

"You believe if you become a hero, you can get strong enough to save her on your own?" Nezu finished her thoughts for her. She nodded, gently setting her tea onto its saucer.

"Then, we can be heroes together like we said we would," her eyes burned with the internal flame of determination, yet a layer of moisture said she was holding back tears. This is not the place to cry, damn it!

"An honourable goal indeed," the headmaster smiled approvingly.

The interview continued with questions that were more or less the same: why UA of all schools, what kind of hero did she want to be, what were her views on villains, why should she be chosen over other candidates?

"I could say something cliche like 'I have more potential than the others' but I'm not going to lie," she crossed her arms over her chest and sighed, "I'm not as strong as them. My quirk manifested late, so I have a tough time controlling it, I don't have the physical strength to make up for it, and I put others at risk if I somehow make contact. I'm a liability."

"But, I'll be damned if I let that stop me. I'm not just becoming a hero because I want to save my sister. Call me selfish, but I want to be admired. I want someone to be able to look at me and say that I make them feel safe. Imai Kazuya isn't going to stand around and wait for someone to give her permission to be a protector."

Realising she was ranting, Kazuya quickly clamped her mouth shut. Her face flushed bright red and her eyes suddenly found the carpet especially intriguing.

"I, uh…sorry, sir."

"No need to apologise. You're headstrong, that's something we look for in UA students," Nezu shook his head and chuckled. Kazuya let out a sigh of relief, slouching as the weight was lifted off her shoulders.

The next few questions felt easier to answer, making the rest of the thirty minutes pass by in the blink of an eye. Kazuya shook Nezu's paw, thanked him for his time, then left the room with her head held high. Other than the practical test, she thought she did pretty good! Maybe things were finally starting to go her way.

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Nope.

She was most definitely cursed.

"MOM, DON'T OPEN IT!" she shouted, prying the UA letter from her hands. Elena held her hands up in surrender.

"How are you supposed to know if you got in if you don't open it?!" she shouted in agitation.

"I refuse to face my rejection!" Kazuya whined. She clutched the envelope close to her heart with such ferocity that it crumpled more with each rise and fall of her chest.

"Why don't I open it for you?" her father suggested, reaching towards her but failing to react quick enough when she ducked under his arm and ran back upstairs.

"NO!" she screamed before slamming her bedroom door shut. The distant sound of her mother shouting made her slide down the door until her butt hit the ground. A trembling hand ran through her cobalt locks.

If she didn't make it into UA, she could always apply at other hero schools, but it wouldn't be the same. She had a plan and she was going to stick to it. You have to open it eventually. Just rip the bandaid off.

With bated breath, Kazuya ripped open the envelope. Her eyes scanned the contents of the letter with unholy speed.

Down in the living room, her mother massaged her aching temples and muttered Spanish swears under her breath.

"Do you think she's opened it yet?" Taigen asked, eyes yet to leave the bottom of the staircase. Both parents jumped when an ear-piercing screech nearly scared them half to death.

"HOLY CRAP!"

"What do you think?" Elena rolled her eyes and then followed her husband up to their daughter's room. Upon opening the door, a limp Kazuya fell through onto her back with the opened letter in hand. Her mom looked down at her with a raised brow, "Well?"

"I got in…" she wheezed, eye close to popping out of her head.

"Of course you did, Sweetheart!" Taigen laughed as he joined her on the floor, "If you didn't, your mother would have had the principal's head on a spike."

Kazuya rolled onto her stomach and screamed random gibberish into the floorboards. When she raised her head, both of her parents were on the floor beside her. Her mother's annoyed look had softened into a warm smile and her father's goofy grin never faltered. Out of pure joy, she reached out and wrapped her arms around their necks, pulling them close.

"I love you," withheld tears flowed from her eyes like water from a faucet.

"We love you too, Mija," her mother rubbed soothing circles on her back.

"Always and forever," her father added, holding her tightly in one arm and their daughter with the other. Kazuya's laughter turned to coughs and sobs as she ugly cried over their shoulders. She hadn't noticed, but in that moment, she wasn't saddened by thoughts of Kagami. If anything, she was more committed than ever to the idea of becoming a hero.

She would work to protect this – to protect those she held dear.