A/N: The side stories have officially been posted! I uploaded the first chapter yesterday, which was a special for Halloween :) Just check my account to find it!

I'm really excited for these next few chapters, because we'll finally see my third OC! If you already follow Hitomi's account on Instagram, you probably already know who I'm talking about :)

She makes a small cameo this chapter, but she'll be an important part of the exam later.

Art -

[Complete Gallery] Add /21axlkt3bolc to the DeviantArt Stash URL.

[Ch. 42] Add /21tfq9uinxuw to the DeviantArt Stash URL.

It had now been a week since then, and before Hitomi knew it, their bus had arrived at the provisional license testing facility.

Hitomi stretched her arms as she stepped off the bus, taking in the large building before them.

Takoba Arena, they said it was called…

As Aizawa gave the class what he considered a motivational speech, the bluenette felt her nerves begin to flare up, the feeling in the pit of her stomach reminding her of the sports festival. Midoriya must've noticed her stress, because he looked at her with concern once Aizawa finished talking.

"Kanetsukabe-san? Are you okay?"

Hitomi gripped the straps of her backpack, clenching her jaw. "Just nervous, as usual."

"Oh! ...Well, I don't know if you've heard of it already, but there's this superstition where if you write 'person' on your palm three times and eat it, it should calm you down if you're feeling anxious. Maybe that can help?"

"Hm, I think I saw Mineta doing that back at the sports festival…"

Let's see...

She held up her palm, tracing the kanji for "person" with her finger three times before placing her hand on her mouth, pretending to eat the imaginary word. She felt her shoulders start to relax, her anxiety settling a bit.

Huh. That kinda worked!

Her ease was short-lived, as a boy wearing a particular hat jumped in between Kirishima and Kaminari, interrupting their chant of "Plus Ultra!" to join in. Hitomi jumped at his shout, hearing another voice close by.

"You shouldn't just barge in on other people's huddles, Inasa."

"Oh no!" The boy moved his hands to his side abruptly, Hitomi realizing he was about to bow. "I am very…" He bent down way farther than she expected, smashing his head face first into the pavement. "...extremely sorry!"

Hitomi yelped, his over-the-top nature kind of freaking her out.

"Wait, that uniform…" the bluenette heard Jirou say. Hitomi turned to look at it, not noticing anything particularly special about it.

What about it?

"It's from that famous school in western Japan…" Kirishima said.

"UA in the east, Shiketsu in the west…" Bakugou muttered.

"Shi...ketsu…?" Hitomi questioned.

Midoriya turned to her in surprise. "Kanetsukabe-san, you haven't heard about them?!"

Hitomi shook her head, continuing to stare at the Shiketsu students with curiosity. "It might've come up once or twice when I was researching schools, but I mostly had my heart set on UA since it's close by…"

"Kanetsukabe-san, out of the many hero courses in Japan…

It's an elite school that rivals UA."

Hitomi's eyes widened as the Shiketsu student finally rose from his bowing position, an enthusiastic smile on his face. "I just wanted to try saying it once! Plus Ultra!" he explained. "I love UA High School! I'm extremely honored to compete against UA students! I'm looking forward to it!" Blood began to leak out of his forehead, dripping down his face as Hitomi stared at him with concern.

Well, he's certainly passionate, that's for sure… she thought as the other Shiketsu students called for Inasa to follow them. As they passed by, a girl with short auburn hair flashed Hitomi a glare so harsh it practically sent chills down the blunette's spine.

"Inasa Yoarashi…" Aizawa mumbled, nearly under his breath.

"Aizawa-sensei, you know him?" Tooru asked.

"He's… strong. Last year, the same year as you guys, Yoarashi got the top scores of those admitted through recommendations, but for some reason, he turned down his acceptance."

Top scores?!

"Wait, then he's a first-year?!" Midoriya spluttered.

"He's not the only one," Aizawa continued. "Yoshiho Koatsu is also with them. You've probably heard of her from… her family's scandal.

The class collectively gasped, leaving Hitomi confused.

"Yoshiho Koatsu is a Shiketsu student…?" Midoriya muttered.

The class talked amongst themselves about both Inasa and Yoshiho, and before Hitomi could ask about it, she heard the sound of footsteps nearing.

"Oh! Is that you, Eraser? It's you, isn't it?!" a new voice exclaimed.

Hitomi saw her homeroom teacher flinch before she turned to the sound of the voice, seeing a woman with teal-colored hair approaching. The way she greeted him was quite enthusiastic, making Hitomi wonder how they knew each other.

"Let's get married," the lively woman said, pointing back and forth between the two of them.

Mina made a sound of joy, getting her fill of romance that she'd missed out on the week before as the two heroes conversed. Hitomi found out the lady was Ms. Joke from Midoriya's excited rambling.

The bluenette tuned back in to hear, "Joke, if you're here, that means…"

"That's right!" she laughed. Joke looked over her shoulder, gesturing towards a group of students in gray polos. "Come here, everyone! It's UA."

"Oh, it's the real thing!" a boy with curly brown hair exclaimed as they approached.

"Wow, that's amazing!" a girl with pigtails styled like fins said as she patted the boy's shoulder. "I've seen them all on TV!"

"Ketsubutsu Academy, Class 2. They're my class. Please be kind," Joke introduced.

The boy with curly brown hair suddenly grabbed Midoriya's hands, introducing himself. "I'm Shindou! UA this year's had trouble after trouble, so it must've been tough!"

He went on to grab Kaminari and Jirou's hands next, continuing his tirade. "But even so, you all are still aiming to be heroes like this, huh? That's wonderful! A heart of fortitude is what I believe all heroes should have from now on!" he exclaimed as he finally let go of Jirou's hands, shooting a wink at the class.

Hitomi's eyebrow twitched, finding the way Shindou acted to seem awfully fake and disingenuous. Maybe it was just in her head.

His gaze suddenly fell on her before his face broke into a bright smile, stepping towards her and grasping her hands as well. "And you're… Hitomi Kanetsukabe, right?"

"Huh?!" Hitomi stuttered, feeling her face heat up at the sudden close contact. "Uh, yeah, I'm Kanetsukabe…"

He leaned closer as his smile widened, making Hitomi try to lean backward to avoid the close proximity their faces were approaching.

"You were my favorite at the sports festival! The way you used your quirk, you were practically sparkling in the sunlight!"

"Eh?! I- Um, thank you…?" the bluenette trailed off, the blood rushing to even her ears.

"Don't fall for his lies, Kanetsukabe," Bakugou cut in.

The two turned to look at the blonde as Shindou finally let go of Hitomi's hands, the brunette approaching Bakugou. "Ah, Bakugou-kun! The one who experienced being the center of the Camino incident, yeah?"

"Hah?" Bakugou muttered.

"You have an especially strong heart," Shindou continued, holding his hand out for a handshake. "Today, I'll do my best while learning from you!"

Bakugou suddenly slapped his hand away, his glare hardening. "Stop pretending. What you're saying doesn't match the look on your face!"

Hitomi swore she saw Shindou's face fall into a malicious smile for a split second before it disappeared, returning to his pretty-boy smile as Kirishima apologized for Bakugou's behavior.

"Oi!" Aizawa yelled, getting the class's attention. "Change into your costumes and go to the orientation. Don't waste time."

"Yes, sir!" the class responded, following him inside.

A/N: DID Y'ALL HEAR SHINDOU AND TATAMI ARE DATING

FROM THE ULTRA ANALYSIS BOOK