IV.

Entrance Exam (II)

Arc Theme: Hello, World! – BUMP OF CHICKEN

"Get a load of all the hotties applying for this place."

"For real. See that girl with the succubus bod? Dude, I want her in my class."

Emi tried not to pinch her brow at the boys talking among themselves. They were all in line to be let into the exam hall, where the written portion would take place this morning, and as time went by more people began to group together and gossip. She elected to go over her notes as much as possible while she waited, but the chatter was hard to ignore when it was so close by.

She checked the time on her phone. Another fifteen minutes, she could sit through fifteen minutes.

"Hey, check out the girl with the smoke coming out of her mouth." A small snicker followed the statement. "She's making smoke rings so easy. Bet she's good with her mouth."

"Nah, man, the redhead with the dark skin. I saw her making these little cherries earlier—I'd love to pop that cherry if you know what I mean—"

Ugh. Not even the guys at her school or her own brothers were this bad. Emi sighed and put away her notes. They were being too loud, but she didn't want to lose her place and get inside last. She had a lot riding on passing this exam, and she wasn't going to let some locker-room perving get in her way. It was just… too hard to concentrate.

Emi liked a good dirty joke and all, but these guys were being straight up lecherous. The last one had something going for him, but c'mon, joking about a potential classmate's virginity? That was below the belt. Literally.

"Oh shit, check out the dragon girl."

Dragon girl? Emi glanced left and right, wondering who they meant, but soon enough it became clear she was their target now. Emi tried to hold back a sigh, but seeing as she was the closest one they were ogling… Well, today wasn't her day.

"I'd love to make her my maid," one guy remarked. Emi clenched her hands into fists at her sides and kept her eyes forward. Don't do anything stupid and get kicked out. The farm was riding on this opportunity—on Emi getting into Zenshi and earning a Pro Hero's wage.

"Oh that'd be sexy. Think that tail gets thicker the higher it goes?" Emi's tail flicked a tad at the mention. What about it? "Imagine she bends over in one of those short skirts. Total panty shot material."

"We gotta find out which class she's in if she gets in."

"Think she can breathe fire?"

"That'd be icing on the cake. Bet her mouth would feel like a—"

Were it not for the sudden shriek one of them let out before the sentence could be finished, Emi would've indulged herself in doing something stupid. But when she turned on her heel to give them a piece of her mind, the trio was freaking out while some stranger was on the ground; steam rose from the boys' bodies, and three empty coffee cups were dumped on the ground along with a cardboard carry tray. Emi raised her brows. Damn, she felt bad for the strawberry blond boy kneeling on the ground. She hoped he hadn't burnt his hands.

She forsook her place in line and ran over to the boys. Just as one of the coffee-soaked teens raised their fist to slam down on the boy on the ground, Emi dropped to the boy's side and said loudly, "Are you okay?"

Many sets of eyes landed on them. While the shrieks were easily explained away as excitement or nerves, asking if someone was okay after a shriek would get some attention and concern. Her hand softly patted the kneeling boy on the shoulder, and he nodded a tad before putting on the theatrics. He was quick to take to the scene, she had to admit.

"I'm so sorry!" he sobbed into his hands. "I'm so stupid, I wasn't looking where I was going and I should've known better and—and—I got your coffees all over you guys—"

Their coffees? Emi raised a brow. She'd been near those three the whole time and she never saw them even look in this kid's direction. Not to mention they all wore different uniforms. Rather than question it, though, she kept playing along.

"You were gonna hit him because he spilled your coffees?" she asked, horrified. "What the hell, man?"

A few whispers broke out. Some were stunned that people who made weaker kids do their menial tasks like getting food still existed.

The boy lifted his head and there were tears streaming down his face. "I'm sorry! I even forgot to bring spare uniforms for you guys! You're right, I'm too useless to be a hero!"

"You leave the poor guy alone!" one onlooker shouted.

"Yeah! Stop making him do your dirty work! What kind of hero does that?"

"Don't think we didn't hear some of those gross comments earlier too! Don't you know that's how Grape Juice lost his licence?"

"I don't want a guy who thinks about how to hit on me the second he meets me to save my life one day. I'd die of embarrassment."

Be it from the coffee or the comments, the trio were starting to turn red. One of them tugged on the sleeve of the boy with his fist still raised, and he made a weak attempt to get him to come with them and just change into their gym uniforms. It was the only choice they had, aside from attending the written exam covered in warm coffee from head to toe.

It took some time, but eventually they left to clean up. Emi checked her watch again, and she was surprised to see the whole ordeal only took five minutes to finish up. And with Emi by the boy's side, everyone naturally assumed he was fine in her hands. She pursed her lips, unsure of what to do, but the boy decided for her when he suddenly latched onto her with a big bear hug. He wasn't that much taller than her, but her face was practically shoved into his chest as he embraced her tightly.

"Thank you so much Emi-chan there were like seventeen different ways for that to go wrong and I was taking a big risk but they were being so rude and if they got into our class then the whole first year would be terrible and no one deserves to suffer through another generation of Mineta Minoru like Deku did and I'm just so happy you stood up for me instead of ignoring me because you did that more times than you helped and I was so scared—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Emi shoved him off of her and held him at arm's length. That was… a lot of words to keep up with and little to no breaks for air. "What? Buddy, you need to talk some sense. That was the hardest sentence I ever heard got said."

The boy paused for a moment, and it was in this moment Emi took in his appearance. She hadn't noticed the third eye he had on his forehead, but it seemed to be fully functional and everything as he furrowed his brow and thought back on what he said. He was just so expressive, and he was unafraid to show it even in front of strangers.

Finally, he gasped and said, "Oh! I got too excited! I forgot we didn't meet yet!"

"Huh?"

He dusted off his middle school uniform and beamed at her like she was the only person in the world. Emi had to let go of his shoulders and scoot back with how radiant he was being. Was someone being like this without a glowing Quirk legal? Were all city folk outside of the ones she knew like him? No, he was way too nice to be like regular city folk. So what the heck was up with him?

"Sorry, sorry!" he said quickly. He bowed his head, still beaming. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Koizumi Mirato, and my Quirk is called All Seeing!"

All Seeing? As in an all-seeing eye? Emi glanced up at the extra eye on his forehead, and he was quick to nod at her. "Yes! Like that one! That's what I meant by our class not being fun and all."

"You…" Emi pursed her lips and crossed her arms in front of her chest. "You see the future? Or somethin'?"

Mirato nodded fervently. She recalled him mentioning her ignoring him more than helping him today, too. "Branches of it?"

More nods.

"That's kinda cool," Emi decided. She cleared her throat and offered him a hand. Well, he was friendly enough, and if he foresaw her getting into Zenshi, then he was trustworthy enough to stick by. Plus… boy was like a puppy mixed with a cinnamon roll covered in all the sugar in the world. Who knew if those guys would come back and try something to him?

Mirato gladly took her hand and let her help him up. When he was back on his feet, he dusted himself off and let out a sigh of relief.

"Worse than the times where you wouldn't help were the times where someone stuck up for the guys," Mirato sighed. He was still smiling, though, probably elated that what he saw hadn't come to fruition. "But that's okay, I'd forgive him anyway! He's going to be a dear friend! Even if he knew I was lying, he still gave me a chance."

From behind Mirato, a boy brushed past and gave a quick glance at the two. He had a rather impassive look on his face, uncaring towards the conversation happening, and seemed to only be giving them a once-over to estimate something about them. Threat level? Just sizing them up in general? He continued on without pause, hands tucked into his pockets and refusing to acknowledge them again as he and the rest of the line began to move forward.

Mirato was watching him like, as with Emi, the boy was the greatest thing in the world he'd ever seen. Despite the fact that he'd been ignored, there was a light blush along his freckled cheeks as he shouted after the boy, "T—Thank you for letting Emi-chan handle it, Ka-kun! Do your best in the exam!"

The boy didn't even pause. Emi gave Mirato a concerned look. Another case of not having the same uniform, she thought.

"You… know that guy?" she asked slowly. Mirato let out a relieved breath and looked down at her, letting her get ahead of him in line as they began to move.

"I will," he chirped. "Ka-kun always becomes my friend in the end. He just takes some time to warm up to everyone."

Emi hummed in thought as she walked. Alright… Going by what Mirato said, and going by how he said it always happened… Herself, Mirato, and this "Ka-kun" were all going to be in the same class. She covered her mouth with her hand, pretending to be deep in thought, but really Emi was just trying to hide the big smile that crept across her face. So she'd make it in. She really did have a chance to make up for everything that happened to the farm.

Even if she was still going to try and give it her all, she had a chance.

Ka-kun, huh?

Normally he never paid what others said any mind. Normally he ignored others and wanted conversations to end as quickly as possible. Normally he never had anything to say back to them.

That boy had called him so familiarly. Like he was a childhood friend meeting up casually. It was… odd.

No, it was new. How many people treated him like that? Just acted friendly towards him like he'd never done a thing to them? That guy, he'd said that someone took a while to befriend—but always wound up his friend in the end, anyway. Kanon hadn't thought much of it when he heard the boy tell that… Emi-chan person that he was going to be a friend of his, but now that he went over that conversation again in the midst of the exam question… Had it been him?

The guy saw the future, apparently. He knew enough that Kanon had almost stepped in and told him to stop kicking up a fuss, to stop making a scene and embarrassing himself. He knew that, if Emi-chan hadn't stepped in first, Kanon would've instead—to his disadvantage, no less. Did that… mean something Kanon hadn't considered? Most people would be bothered by someone calling out their bluff, or even just calling them embarrassing, but that triclops just went with it?

Kanon blinked as he realised his pencil was wedged between his teeth. Shit, when did he start chewing it? He shook his head and began filling in the answers again. This wasn't as deep as he made it out to be. It was just some nice guy playing the—what was it called? Boy next door?—and pretending like he wasn't unnerved by Kanon or uncomfortable with him. Everyone was uncomfortable with Kanon. It was practically natural at this point. How the hell would that guy have even enjoyed being friends with Kanon? If it weren't for the fact that the exam took place on the same day as the written half, he would've avoided coming to Zenshi at all today. Kanon and people did not mix. He and everyone around him were in agreement that it was fine if he wasn't around.

Ugh. This was ridiculous and he was overthinking. Kanon gripped the pencil tighter and pushed himself to focus on the exam in front of him instead.

It was a gruelling, exhausting two hours later when the written exam ended and everyone was dismissed to attend the physical exam seminar. Kanon's back cracked and creaked as he stretched his arms above his head, but he wasn't exhausted by any means. Quite a few times his mission to keep that triclops out of his head failed, but he finished the exam fifteen minutes early at least. He had time to double check and correct his answers, and by the time the triclops entered his mind for the umpteenth time, he had nothing else as an excuse to focus on.

He pulled the hood under his uniform over his head. Head bowed as he glided through the crowd in silence, Kanon pursed his lips. For real, what was that guy's deal? He had no business worming his way into Kanon's head like that with a simple cheer and a nickname. Acting like they were already friends and going to have a party or something after the exam. Friends did that, didn't they? Kanon wasn't sure. But that guy sure as hell acted like they were regardless!

The line for the locker rooms began to bulk up, forcing him to a halt alongside many others. Kanon gave a cursory glance around the area. Well, regardless of the weird thing that guy had with Kanon, he seemed to scare off the guys ogling the girls earlier. That or they were kicked out for not being ready on time for the written portion. No way was a teacher letting them inside to trudge fresh coffee all over the floors. They definitely had to go and change into their gym clothes and lost favour immediately.

That was another thing! How could Kanon actually believe this guy was as pure and sweet as he projected when he not only lied about the group knowing him and threatening him, but also got them disqualified at the same time? That was some sabotage right there that people just didn't do, did they? Kanon didn't really know people well enough to be a judge of that, but wasn't sabotage considered kind of thing people considered a bad trait? Right up there with… whatever they wanted to call Kanon's entire personality.

Ugh, no, stop! Kanon took off his glasses and began to rub the frame with his sleeve, hurriedly cleaning them to distract himself. His brow pinched and his face scrunched up, displeasure setting in. He was overthinking again, and about that strawberry triclops once more. Kanon wasn't even sure what the hell he should do. Maybe the triclops lied and guessed the names off the top of his head, and his Quirk wasn't precognition. Emi and Ka were common in a lot of names. He was just doing a warm read of the people around him until he got a bite. That bogus future about everyone getting along like best buddies was just that—a lie. And it was a hell of a lie to throw off the competition.

"Hey, now, that frown gets any bigger and you'll have a hard time remembering how to smile."

Kanon paused his cleaning. He blinked, brows still furrowed. That came from in front of him. When did the guy in front of him turn around? Kanon lifted his head ever so slightly, lips parting in an unasked question of who was even talking to him, and the first thing he noticed was the lack of shoes on the guy in front of him. More than that, the presence of scaly, blue, clawed feet in place of shoes. Talons—three on each foot, no more, no less. As Kanon finally looked up beyond his hood, his slipped on his glasses to give the boy in front of him a once-over.

Blue scales went all the way up save for the face, but even that was reptilian despite being lighter and without scales. Smoother, from the looks of it. Kanon stared at him for a moment. The easy going smile on the boy's face didn't seem to be going away any time soon.

Kanon opened his mouth. Closed it. He opened it again. "Lizard."

"Dragon."

Kanon's brows were furrowed once more and his face scrunched up again. Was this just a psychological tactic people were using nowadays to get into hero academies? "Reptilian," he said slowly.

And then the guy made finger guns at him, chuckling as he did so and nodding in agreement. "Let's go with that," he said. "It's still right, anyway."

Great, another friendly type. Kanon gave him a minute and a half before he'd realise how pointless it was talking to him. Everyone always noticed quickly.

"Now it's my turn… Let's see…" The lizard appraised him out in the open, not even bothering to be subtle about it. Made a square with his thumbs and forefingers and everything like a photographer. It just made Kanon pull his hood lower and bow his head again. "Oh! Popular vote!"

Kanon angled himself in a way that said he wasn't listening.

"Definitely the type to be admired by everyone. Brooding air and a pretty face—everyone goes nuts for that type. A sort of appeal to seeing the ice melt."

Sure, everyone went nuts. He was allowed to think that for now. He was going to be disappointed soon enough anyway. And then probably fail the exam for being too distracted by all of the… pretty faces. Kanon just kept quiet and didn't even pay him any attention. Just get bored already…

"Alright, that settles it. Nice to meet you Popular Vote-san. I'm Kaiyo Ryuichi," he went on. That easy going smile was back on his face. "You got a name you'd rather be called by, or do you wanna be Popular Vote-san? Oh…" And then it turned cheeky. Flirtatious almost. Kanon pulled off his glasses to clean them again thrice as fast. "How about Ka-kun?"

He froze. He looked up at Ryuichi with a frown. Only one in between them, but this lizard was nodding down to look him in the eye entirely.

The lizard chuckled and gave him an apologetic gesture. "I kid, I kid. I heard the guy who threw the coffee call you that. It sounded cute, so I wanted to give it a try."

Kanon was quiet as he spoke, tone clipped and unwelcoming of more conversation. "Irinaga Kanon."

"Cute name, very cute." Ryuichi nodded in approval. But his easy going expression fell into something more sympathetic. Almost serious. "But I'll stop with the flirting. I know better than to cross a line with someone who isn't interested."

Not interested? Kanon bowed his head even more. Was this guy hoping to score with Kanon? Kanon? He knew he was pretty, sure, and people rightfully admired his looks because he put effort into them to be proud of them. But to actually want to flirt? What, did he want Kanon's number or something? His brows couldn't furrow any further. This was too weird. It was almost like with how Troika latched on to him, only it was one person now instead of three and apparently flirting rather than "adopting".

Kanon let out a noncommittal hum as he pulled his phone from his pocket. There were very few contacts in the phone, fewer group chats he was part of, but he wasn't in search of a group chat right now. Out of the members of Troika, it was Akihiko who often gave him tips on how to deal with other people for the better. Things were… iffy with the trio, but Masaru seemed to trust them. And Kanon sort of trusted Masaru? It was too complicated to think about right now. What mattered was that he messaged Akihiko in search of answers, letting him know that someone was flirting with him and people kept saying they'd be his friends and Kanon was genuinely concerned there was something in the water they served at Zenshi.

Rather than message Kanon directly, Akihiko blew up the group chat in quick succession.

Aki:
KANON MADE A FRIEND KANON MADE A FRIEND KANON MADE A FRIEND EVERYONE SHUT UP KANON MADE A FRIEND

Kanon stared at the phone screen blankly. He went to his settings and switched it off before Byakuya or Rinna could jump in.

Back to the original plan then—ignore everyone and let them come to the conclusion that they wouldn't mix well with Kanon on their own.

Ryuichi had overheard what that future boy had said before the written exam, and so far it looked like he was right. Kanon was hard to warm up to, and he certainly seemed reluctant to open up to anyone right now; down the line though? Maybe there was a chance.

Not that Ryuichi was determined to become Kanon's friend no matter what like future boy seemed to be. He was just a sucker for a pretty face, liked to flirt and give off as approachable an air as possible, and he knew when to back off when someone either wasn't interested or in a bad mood. Kanon fell into… a bit of both categories, if he was honest, so it couldn't hurt to give the guy some space. Besides, he seemed a little weirded out that people were being nice to him for some reason. Part of Ryuichi figured that was just his disposition. But another part—the part raised by heroes to become a hero—felt that nagging little itch to meddle and see if there was something more. It wasn't often that people were cold to others for no reason, he told himself.

Ryuichi shook his head as the line continued to move. Nah, now wasn't the time for that. If something was wrong, he'd be more likely to get in trouble for butting in than anything else. For now, it was for the best if he put his all into the physical portion of the entrance exam. He was confident with his written results, but the physical was still just as important. UA had a history of putting its lower-scoring applicants in the written portion into the hero course. Who was to say that Zenshi wouldn't do the same?

Right. He had to go Plus Ultra. Was that something he could say for this? It wasn't the school's motto, but there was no denying that Plus Ultra was a good motto in general. So carpe diem, right? Plus Ultra!

The doors passed overhead and he realised he was being guided inside, and Ryuichi flexed his hands at his sides. The inside of the auditorium was dark, the only light coming from the large white screen at the front of the room, and all around the room he could see phone screens dimming as students began to turn them off. Ryuichi turned off towards one row, noting the empty seats along it, and he wasted no time getting comfortable in the last spot available. Ten minutes passed, fifteen, and soon the whole auditorium was full of hopefuls to enter the Zenshi Academy doors for real. This was the final hurdle, the last test they needed to take in their lives so far to train among the greats. This was when they became fledglings, fawns finding their feet for the first time.

Beside him another applicant sat, the rounded ears atop her head flicking about every so often as more people moved behind them. He stared for a moment, took in the appearance. Whether or not her Quirk was linked to it, she had a distinctly feline appearance on a level less severe than his own reptilian. Did she have a tail too? He'd loved to know what it was like, having tails like a cat. Ryuichi had his own bulky tail, finned at the end like a shark's and presenile enough to aid in swimming, but some big cats used their tails for balance—at least according to late night documentaries he'd watch when he needed a break from homework.

She glanced at him. Her expression was listless, though a little curious as to what was so interesting. Ryuichi just gave her a small wave and a big smile, his only indicator of his thought process being a polite, "I like your ears."

She reached up and rubbed one ear absently. She pursed her lips and mumbled, "Thanks. I like your… fins."

The fins along his face, just behind his ear, seemed to twitch at the compliment. Not many people complimented his fins, he thought with a pleased hum. "Thank you. I'm Ryuichi—Kaiyo Ryuichi."

The girl blinked at him. She looked at his hands. She looked at her own. Ryuichi chuckled and added, "You don't have to shake my hand. It'll hold out if you do, but a lot of people get put off by the webbing."

"Oh." She cleared her throat and turned to face the front again. "Nekota Miyuki."

He gave her a pleasant smile in response. Miyuki, that was a nice name. She was a little distant, but not to the degree of disbelief that Kanon was earlier. He considered that a win, in his books.

More seats filled, more students piling in, until finally the last of them passed through the doors and they let out a resounding thud behind them. Everyone was locked in, perfectly in place at last, and the already dimmed lights finally went out entirely. Beneath the screen on the wall, a platform rose from the floor and the figure of one of the current Pro Heroes appeared before them. Silhouetted by the light of the screen, her Quirk pulling up screens around her as she looked over the auditorium rows, she cleared her throat and wasted no time jumping into business.

Sensor Girl had been working with Zenshi Academy since the start of this year, now that Ryuichi got a good look at her. She was usually a solo support type hero, helping with search and rescue missions, but she was taking a break from that to teach in tandem with her professional work. She was quite the capable individual, from what he knew, and even when she was a student she was a natural born leader of sorts among her peers. Sekigai Kashiko was an accomplished young woman who seized her future in the moment and proved herself among a world of flashier, more physically demanding Quirks.

Silver hair was brushed from her face, the red visor over her eyes glowing with charts appearing on the screen within, and Sensor Girl regarded the auditorium with a greeting at last.

"Welcome, each of you, to Zenshi Academy's entrance exam." One screen changed to a list, and as it scrolled down quickly it seemed to flash a few times. "I see we're missing a few, but I anticipated that when the headmistress contacted me. It seems some applicants were disqualified for not making it to the written exam on time."

Oh damn. Ryuichi had a feeling that was the group of guys who had to change right before the written exam because of the coffee spilled on them. That future kid really went and did them dirty like that. Not that they didn't deserve it—admiring people from afar was fine, but one of the onlookers was right about how Grape Juice had lost his licence for the same behaviour. No one liked a hero who had that kind of proclivity.

"I won't take up too much of your time with a big welcome," Sensor Girl went on, "so I'll be brief. You're all very brave for coming here today and applying for this school in light of recent events. Especially when the most recent victim is from our school. I thank you all for coming here, but I must also warn you that you are at risk of death if you get accepted into this school. The same risk goes for all schools in operation at this moment, even UA.

"So, with that said—this is my last warning to all of you. If any of you are uncertain about pursuing a Pro Hero career during these hard times, you are urged to leave now. Not even those outside of the hero course are safe."

The lights above the doors flickered to life. Sensor Girl pressed a few buttons, and on the screen behind her a timer for five minutes popped up. The countdown began as soon as it appeared, and she added, "You have five minutes to decide. When this countdown ends, you will not be able to back out. No one will blame you or look down on you for walking out. In fact, I admire you if you make that decision for yourself just as much as everyone who stays."

During the first minute, no one really moved. Ryuichi glanced at Miyuki, a few times seeing her consider the offer as she wrung her hands and nervously fixed her hair. At the halfway mark, the first student rose from his chair and announced loudly, "I'm very sorry, ma'am! I'd like to withdraw!"

Sensor Girl nodded to him. "Speaking up is an act of bravery in itself," she told him. "I'm proud of you. Everyone, give him and the others who leave with him a round of applause for making a hard decision like this."

More applicants began to leave, and the ones who stayed clapped patiently for the remaining minute that everyone else filtered out of the room during. During the final countdown, one minute and fifteen seconds, everyone who had elected to leave and got cold feet were long gone. Sensor Girl went over some notes in her screens, crossing off names and moving pieces of information here and there. Ryuichi watched her, eyes wide; for someone as serious as Sensor Girl, she was oddly reassuring. She was like a responsible older sister that people could rely on, but just serious enough to feel almost motherly in a sense. It was a wonder she wasn't more popular, but Ryuichi figured that the more fanservice-y Pro Heroes were the kind to rank higher. Not even the amazing members of the Wild, Wild Pussycats ranked higher than twenty-fifth, if memory served.

He glanced at Miyuki again, and when the countdown reached zero she let out a relived breath. Probably testing her resolve, he figured, and he cleared his throat softly to catch her attention.

Miyuki looked at him, brows furrowed, and Ryuichi smiled. "Let's do our best, 'kay?" he whispered to her as reassurance.

All it got from her was a nod, but it was better than nothing.

The final warning had been delivered, and Sensor Girl wasted no time continuing on with her presentation. The screens around her were dismissed, and the large expanse behind her began to show something other than a white backdrop for her to stand out against. Granted, all the screen showed was what appeared to be a badge and some notes linked to separate parts of the badge, but it was an official start to the physical exam.

"Those of you who remain, your exam is a simple one." From her belt, Sensor Girl pulled out a physical version of the badge. It was no bigger than her palm, and what appeared to be a blank screen was embedded in the centre of it. A golden metal frame circled the screen and on the back, as she demonstrated, a clasp that could stick to clothing and skin was visible. Perfectly suited for any placement, under or over clothing. "If you look under your seats, a badge like this one has been attached to the frame. That will be your most precious thing in the exam. The cards given to you all with your applicant information have barcodes on the backside—you'll be using these badges to scan that code and register for the exam. This will also give Zenshi staff and Pro Heroes who elected to oversee this exam more of a focus on where you all are at any time. As you can probably guess, these badges are linked directly to my own Quirk. Everyone gets one badge, and I've counted those who have left, so I'll know if someone registers twice to try and cheat their way into the school."

True to her word, Ryuichi found a badge tacked to the underside of his seat. It was surprisingly lightweight, and when he ran his thumb over the screen it lit up. Touch-based, and a night vision setting to allow him to scan his card right now if he saw fit. Miyuki seemed to be doing that already beside him, though her eyes were still up on Sensor Girl as the screen changed again behind her.

"Zenshi, as you may have heard, is known for its rather unorthodox methods of training," she went on. "Zenshi prides itself on teamwork, and nothing uses teamwork more than games. So, fittingly, the headmistress has decided you will be playing tag."

A few whispers broke out. One girl across the room raised a hand, and Sensor Girl pulled up her screen to scroll through the names. "Yes, you there in column B, row twelve—Takami Kiaria," Sensor Girl called.

Ryuichi recognised that name. He was surprised to see Hawks' daughter applying to Zenshi rather than UA or taking the same route he had, but it was unmistakable that she was here now. Her red wings were illuminated by the light above her seat flickering on, and she cleared her throat with the sudden attention on her.

"A—Ah," Kiaria tried. "I mean no disrespect, ma'am, but what's the catch with the game of tag?"

Sensor Girl nodded at the question. Kiaria sat back down and the light switched off. "This game of tag will make use of your badges. If you finish the exam with the badge still on your person, or if the badge hasn't been 'tagged' by the people who are 'it', you pass. We may be evaluating the results of your teamwork on this exam, as it's multiple people coming after you, but we will also be evaluating your ability to run. So—don't let someone 'it' take your badge and deactivate it with their own."

Another hand rose. "Column D, row one—Hachisuka Hime?"

A girl with an eyepatch over one eye stood, and she had an almost listless expression like Miyuki did. Though unlike Miyuki… It was less of an expression of someone trying to make their way through the exam as calmly as possible and more the expression of a person uninterested in the tedious details of the exam. And yet, Ryuichi thought, she raised her hand to ask a question.

"Who is 'it', exactly?" Hime asked. When she sat down, Sensor Girl tapped a few screens from her Quirk and, without warning, the entire class rosters for what had to be classes 2- and 3-A and B of Zenshi appeared. Ryuichi's eyes went wide—he recognised some of the faces from the internships they did. He couldn't help noticing, however, the son of Mirko herself missing from the roster while his most well known "partner" was listed near the top.

"You're going up against our own students," Sensor Girl informed them. "They've been observing you since the written exam, actually. I imagine some already have plans formulated on who to target first."

Ryuichi scanned the pictures, eyes widening with surprise. Wow, they really got the students involved in this… They had to be crazy good to be relied on for the exam itself, especially when most places would use machines for things like this. Maybe the critique of UA's exam using inorganic lifeforms against people with Quirks affective against only organic ones was taken seriously in the last two decades. Ryuichi never paid any mind to it until now.

How many Quirks did he have to be wary of… At least eighty, since each class looked to have twenty or so students. And that wasn't counting a Quirk like Neapolitan's, which allowed her to split into three copies of herself. He checked for any tell-tale signs of water-based Quirks and fire-based costumes, and while there were one or two littered among them, it seemed Ryuichi would be safest looking for a water source to stick near during the game of tag. Maybe score some points fending off any who get too close to people who stay near him. He nodded to himself—that was a good plan. A rushed one, but a good one.

He paused about halfway through the roster, spotting an anomaly in the list for class 3-A. Ryuichi furrowed his brows, leaned forward in his seat. No way, was that a—

"Kitty!?"

All eyes went to the blond in the column Ryuichi sat in. She was closer to the back of the room, probably arriving last, and she was half-standing on the desk in front of her as she stared at the very same anomaly Ryuichi had spotted. Though she looked a bit more excited than he was, especially since it was a picture of a normal calico cat.

Sensor Girl pursed her lips. "Yes, Yoyo Yoyo. Though I would ask you raise your hand next time. What about the kitty?"

"Is it really a kitty!? Do we get to play tag with it!?"

The screen was dismissed. Soon, a full image of the cat was displayed—and from this new photo, a somewhat bulky backpack and what appeared to be compression leggings were on the cat. Its hero costume, so to speak.

"This is Bebe. Yes, you'll be playing tag with her," Sensor Girl informed them all. "No, I will not be relaying the Quirk Bebe possesses. But I can tell you there's a reason an otherwise normal house cat would be attending Zenshi as a student. Whether you choose to play with Bebe is entirely your mistake to make."

Well then. Ryuichi made a note to stay away from Bebe.

"Are there any other questions?" Sensor Girl asked as she dismissed the screen. No one else raised their hands. It seemed the questions stopped at the cat being in one of the classes. "Good. You'll be gathering outside one of the training simulators a short walk from here. Those from the same middle schools are permitted to work together, and as such you won't be separated into different areas."

The screen behind her switched off. The lights in the auditorium flickered back on.

"Good luck to you all," Sensor Girl closed the briefing, "and I hope to see many of you in the coming years at Zenshi."

Hoshi:
Good luck Miyu! Me and Gin are cheering for you! And we're totally having that celebration even if you don't get in because I'm super duper proud of you for applying!

Gin:
You've got a good head on your shoulders. Put it to good use. See you after the exam.

Well, at least there was little to no pressure. Miyuki wasn't sure if she was thankful those two were more lax or not, but expectations weren't high and Gin at least trusted her to be smart about everything—the exam, the murders, the risks. And Hoshi was never going to stop being supportive as she could be.

Miyuki let out a slow breath and steeled her nerves. Alright, time to focus—

Her phone blipped again. She knew it wasn't Gin or Hoshi this time. Miyuki's expression soured as she looked at the screen. For the umpteenth time, like some kind of obsessive wife trying to find out if her husband is having an affair, Tsume Shiichi texted her and probably a dozen others he'd learned were taking Zenshi's exam. Not a lot of kids from their middle school opted for Zenshi—Usagiyama Usamaru being the most recently taken victim and a student of the school factored into that decision despite UA having a dead student turn up on the same day—but when Shiichi learned exactly who from friends of friends, he wasted no time this morning blowing up peoples' phones.

She'd come across one other classmate on the tram. Didn't know the guy well, but he did ask her if she gave Shiichi his number. And when Miyuki asked who the hell Shiichi was, that was when her first message popped up.

Tsume Shiichi?:
Have you seen Suzuna there yet? She looks like the picture I showed you. If she's there you need to get her to back out ASAP. Keima probably went with her—she was the school treasurer, remember?

Miyuki scowled at the text. Jesus Christ, all this because he didn't want his girlfriend to become a Pro Hero? Talk about controlling. Didn't he also get a recommendation to UA? What was this, a complex about being the breadwinner?

She elected to ignore him, though ignoring him only lasted for so long. He began spamming pictures of Keima Tsuna and Kousaki Suzuna to her phone, possibly other phones as well, and Miyuki was almost ready to delete them when the names began to register. Didn't someone named Kousaki get in serious trouble a few weeks back for getting into a fight? Was that Suzuna?

Miyuki opened her message to Hoshi, typing quickly as the minutes ticked by waiting for the exam to start.

Miyuki:
Hey Hoshi who was that person who got into a fight with their boyfriend? I got some guy named Tsume in my inbox messaging me to look for someone

Hoshi:
OMG! How the hell did he get your number? That's so creepy!
But that was Kousaki! Tsume got into a big fight with Kousaki and apparently Zenshi was the only place that would still let Kousaki apply to be a hero for attacking Tsume. Don't tell me Tsume wants you to bully Kousaki? It was super messed up, what I heard happened!

Miyuki:
How messed up?

Hoshi:
Remember those rumours about one girl in our year who made for a super pretty boy? Turns out Kousaki was trying to transition to male while dating Tsume, but Tsume kept telling people that Kousaki was going through a phase and telling everyone how much Kousaki would be laughed at for "pretending to be a guy". What a jerk!

What a jerk, indeed. Miyuki scoffed and sent Hoshi a quick thank you. Gin messaged her separately, already hearing about the game of cat and mouse in between messages it seemed, and reminded her to be smart.

Miyuki was smart enough.

Miyuki:
Please stop sending me messages.
What you're doing to your ex is gross.
Let the guy do what he wants.

Tsume Shiichi?:
She's confused.

Miyuki:
You're confused if you think that outdated opinion will make you a hero. Or did you forget that Tiger, who ranked above 50th in popularity, transitioned as well?
I'm blocking your number. Please stop bothering Kousaki and Keima.

Done and done. Miyuki gave herself a pat on the back when she pocketed her phone, her first blocked contact listed in her phone book. Man, it felt good to get rid of something so troublesome. She probably should've blocked him earlier when she got spammed images, or when he sent that generic message asking for the duo, but it was better late than never.

That being said, though… The more she thought about it, the more she realised she hadn't actually seen someone resembling Kousaki at any point in the exam. Sure, there were a lot of people around, but she'd recognised a few people in her middle school's uniform already. She swore she even spotted Keima on the tram this morning, but she was all alone and didn't look to happy to be alone.

Nope. Not her problem. What could she even do if she got involved? Threaten the staff at Zenshi to let Kousaki in? Yeah, right. Miyuki was no better than the house cat displayed on the exam roster. Honestly… Why was she even here again? Didn't heroes have to inject themselves into problems to resolve them? Hell, she was even less useful than the house cat. At least it was trained well enough to use its Quirk to do good.

Miyuki sucked in a deep breath. Ugh, Shiichi threw her off her groove. That Ryuichi guy had been friendly enough and even reassured her during that grace period to leave. Why did that little nice gesture have to be ruined by someone else?

She slapped her hands on her cheeks and shook her head. Nope. Nope. She had to get ready for a game of tag. Even if she herself felt useless, everyone else wasn't aware of it yet. She had to fake it till she made it, and a game of tag was a perfect baby step. Miyuki jumped on the spot and psyched herself up for a partial shift—if she was playing tag, then the padded feet of her leopard form would be suited for running quietly and quickly. Her ears were fine as they were, but her tail was a big of a liability. If someone grabbed it, she was screwed. Miyuki swallowed thickly and, after taking off her shoes and setting them aside, she flexed her hands nervously. Ugh. This part always hurt.

It wasn't a full shift, at least, so she wasn't totally rearranging the bones and muscles and sprouting fur all over. But it was the legs she stood on, and the way they bent and shifted with wet crunching sounds caught more than a few people's attention. Miyuki shuddered when it was over, stumbling a tad as she shook out her leopard legs and tried to get more of a feel for them. Okay, speed and stealth: Check.

She rolled the pants of her sweatpants up and secured them as tightly as she could above where the knee would probably be. As soon as that was done, Miyuki unzipped her jersey and began the tedious process of wrapping her tail around her waist to keep it from flying about. Tail: Check.

Finally, Miyuki double checked the badge on her front. She hadn't been sure where was best to stick it, so like anyone naturally would, Miyuki just clipped it to the front of her jersey atop her chest. Badge: Check.

The doors to the exam area opened a few minutes after her little routine. Miyuki followed the others inside, walking at a cautious pace as she did so, and others had the same idea. The exam was as simple as Sensor Girl had said—it was just a game of tag, and the existing students were "it". All you had to do was make sure you didn't get tagged.

It was just a game of tag.

Sorry for the delay all! I hope this chapter was worth the wait, and that I did the appearing OCs justice ;-; I'll do my best to update ASAP again! Next chapter is the first half of the actual game of tag.