I had ten short months to get good enough at music to try and get into a school with a good music course, which was years less than some of the best students in the world. Piano, electric and acoustic guitar, the violin. In months, i went from knowing nothing to gradually learning how to play all of them, even if my violin skills were a little behind compared to my the other instruments I knew. Especially my skills with a strat guitar. Something about it made me feel at ease, and the way notes sounded coming out of it, i found myself playing it more often than not when I was with the Kyoka family.

Luckily for me, Mr.Kyoka was a composer, helping me to better grasp the music on the pages, to understand even more of what I didn't know. Patient and kind, he never raised his voice or seemed annoyed with me, always greeting the music group and my private lessons with snacks and a smile.

Mrs.Kyoka was a talented musician, willing to help me learn how to play more efficiently so I could better connect with the notes I was playing. She wasn't as patient, but she was fair and kind, and her strict practice routines helped me to get better with every instrument they taught.

Jiro... she was the opposite. She was rude at times, made jokes at my expense, and was always willing to show me up. But, she could be kind, and when I did something right, getting praise from her made me feel like I wasn't wasting all of our time. Maybe I could make a good life out of all of this.

A part of me wanted to get as good as she was, and then better, even if I knew she wasn't competing. She planned to be a hero, and with a quirk like hers, she could do it easily.

But, with only a few weeks left, I wondered if I was good enough. Did my skill and enjoyment of this outweigh the years of experience someone else had doing the exact same thing?

A sudden pain came from my neck, and Jiro pulled her jack back, looking unamused with me.

"Ow! What was that for?" I complained, even if I knew I would be fine. She never even left a mark, just getting my attention.

"You were muttering to yourself against. It's kind of creepy."

Rolling my eyes, I moved my fingers away from the strings, finally looking at her. "It's not creepy. It's just easier to figure out my thoughts when they're not inside my head."

"It's kinda creepy." She repeated, and I put my fingers back on the strings of the strat I was playing.

"I'm just worried, okay? I've only been doing music for a couple of months, and I'm not even as good as you. What chance do I have to get into a music program?" I asked her, feelings I'd bottled up for the last few weeks spilling out. Even if I loved playing, was it enough?

"Dude, you're worrying too much about it. Do you think I'd help you if you were just gonna flop? If you were wasting your time, I'd tell you." She assured me, moving her hand to the body of the strat, pulling it away so I couldn't play.

"When you're in U.A., can we still play music together?" I asked, the words kind of spewing out as I held the neck of the guitar.

"You think just because I'm gonna to be a hero, I'll stop playing music with you? You're the only person my age who can keep up with me."

"Really?" I asked softly, feeling like a stupid kid. That's what I was, though, wasn't it?

"Really. Now, are we gonna jam or not?" She questioned, moving her hand off the body of the guitar while I adjusted and got ready, the realization that she'd become my best friend just a little more motivation as we played.

Finally, the day came for me to actually take my entrance exam for the TokyoSchool of Fine Arts Classical Music, otherwise known as the SOFA, for the first few letters of the schools name.

It had taken months of work to get here, but I had the faith of my mother, the Kyoka family, and I was confident in my own abilities. There wasn't much I could do to prepare now, eating a quiet breakfast with my mother and thinking of the song I planned to play on violin. It was a little harder, but Mrs.Kyoka had ne practice until I knew the melody like my own name.

"Today's the day." My mom spoke, looking a little unsure of my choice of career. But what mother wanted their child to be a musician, let alone one with minimal practice? "You should go. You don't want to be late."

That's true. If I was late, it would be a whole year before I could try again.

Giving her a nod, I stood and cleared the table, taking a second in the kitchen to gather myself. I could do this. I would do this.

"Right. I'll see you later, mom." I finally managed to reply. My worries would never really leave me, so I was as ready to do this as I could be.

A short train ride later, and I was at the shop. Even if I was crunched for time, I had to see the people who believed in me.

"Izuku, what're you doin' here, man?" Mr.Kyoka asked, but I grinned and held up the case with the violin they were letting me use.

"I'm on my way, I just wanted to stop by and say thank you for all that the three of you have done for me." I replied excitedly, grinning as I looked around.

"It's Sunday. Where's Jiro and Mrs.Kyoka?"

"My old lady has a gig she's preparing for, and Jiro already left for the U.A. entrance exam."

Oh. Well, I guess I could come back later and say thank you. Maybe if I'd gotten here earlier, I could have had this moment. But now, I needed to-

"Hey! Man, you gotta get going. And remember, don't listen to that little voice in your head. It's wrong. You got this." Mr.Kyoka told me, drawing me out of thoughts and pushing me out the door.

"Yeah! I'll come by later to properly thank you! See ya!" I called, running as quickly as I could.

God bless whoever ran the trains because I just barely managed to make it to registration before they closed the doors.

First came the written exam, which wasn't too hard, since I'd been studying to get into U.A. with their exceptionally low acceptance rate.

Second came the physical exam. We'd be judged on a short performance, and even though I had to submit a recording to even get this far, I was surrounded by at least a hundred other students. That wasn't even factoring in the fine and performing art students who were testing in another part of the school.

"Midoriya Izuku, Aldera Junior High?" One of the staff members called, and I jumped up, my violin ready to go.

"Hello. I'm Midoriya Izuku, and today I'll be playing Johann Sebastian Bachs Partita No. 2 in D minor." I spoke into the mic, taking out the violin and feeling it. It wasn't the instrument I felt most comfortable with, but I loved it just the same. It was an extension of the kindness that the Kyoka family had given me.

Closing my eyes, my bow began to move, feeling the piece as I remembered the hours it took to learn. Smooth and graceful, powerful in the emotions it elicited, yet fun and playful. It's a classic piece that was difficult, but that's why I practiced so hard. So I could perform without looking like a fool.

As soon as the piece ended, I opened my eyes, looking at the evaluators, who took a few notes before a man with fins on his neck cleared his throat.

"You'll receive our final decision by mail at the end of the end week. You may leave." He told me, and as I put the violin away and walked off stage, I wondered if I made it in. Was I good enough up there to impress?

Taking my things, I began to walk. Sure, I couldn't get home if I walked. It was too far, but there were plenty of stations, and I was too in my head to be around people.

Besides, I was in Tokyo, the largest city in the country, and my only friends were probably still testing. Did it really hurt to stay a little and explore a little?

Figuring that it couldn't, I explored the bustling area, enjoying the noise as I found myself in an area I felt like I shouldn't, surrounded by drunks and people in suits who looked bored as the babysat their drunken friends or co-workers.

"Yo, kid! Is that a violin?!" One of the less drunk men yelled, a set with canines that didn't fit entirely in his mouth, making his already slurred words muffled.

"Uh, um, yes, sir." I nervously replied, swallowing back fear. So far, he was just a friendly drunk. There was no need to worry.

"Can you play something for me? Something fun?" He asked, watching his lady companion switch hid drink with a water with a lemon slice.

"Fun? Uh, I can if give me a moment to pull up the sheet music." I confidently told him, pulling up a song on my phone that had been trending lately.

"Okay. You like Michael Jackson? I can play Smooth Criminal." I told him, taking out the instrument and putting bow to string, playing the relatively simple piece. For pop classic to classical, it still sounded pretty good, even if I expected someone to start singing.

"Not bad. Can you speed it up?" The stranger asked, his voice a little clearer now.

Doing as he asked, I played faster, then a little more, and as stupid as it was to play a violin I didn't own for a drunk man, I was enjoying myself too much.

As the song ended, I put my bow down, realizing that it wasn't just the drunk man and the woman he was with watching me now. It seemed like everyone around had stopped to listen.

"You got some real talent there. Are you thinking about music as a career?" He asked, sobered up enough that his words no longer slurred.

"That's what I applied to school for." I admitted, and he nodded to his female companion, who pulled a card out and handed it to me.

"Should you fail, give us a call." She spoke, and I all I could do was nod.

"Um, okay? Uh, I should be going. Thanks for letting me play a little." I told them as I put the violin up, the card getting slipped into my pocket before I went to find the closest train station. I'd had enough excitement for one day.

First, I made a pitstop at the shop, taking a few minutes to relax and pretend like I wasn't just ready to go home and pass out in my bed.

"Back again? How was Tokyo?" Mr.Kyoka asked, a sly grin on his face I didn't understand. He was usually direct with whatever he had to say.

"Uh, nice... it's a little louder than I thought it would be, but I got to explore a little bit." I admitted, going to go put the violin away in the storeroom.

"You just explored? Nothing else?" He asked, and as I saw Jiro standing in a doorway, a weird look on her face, I wondered where this was going.

"I-I played a song for someone who asked, but that's it." The admission making me feel stupid. It was stupid, and I was lucky the drunk was so nice.

"Do you know who you played for, or was it just a stranger?" Mrs.Kyoka asked, and I felt shame now. I risked losing the violin and getting hurt.

"No ma'am. I was asked to play, and I just did." I mumbled, not able to meet her eyes.

"I do. That was Kanon Hoshi, an executive at Ongaku Carnival." She told me, and judging from the look on her face, I was supposed to know who that was. But how the heck did she know who that guy was?

"He sounds pretty important, but how do you know who I played for?"

Jiro poked me in the side, and I gave her as annoyed of a glare as I could, all things considered.

"Because you're trending." My friend told me, and I knew she had to be joking.

"Ha. Ha. You're hilarious."

Pulling out her phone, she pulled up a video on Tweeter that was taken of me from the side where I hadn't noticed. That was me, playing for a guy I didn't know then. But there were tons of people who played violin on the internet. Why was I so popular?

"What!? Why? Who?!" I questioned as I snatched the phone, wondering how I'd gotten so much attention before I saw who reposted the video.

"All Might?!"

All Might, symbol of peace, and someone I was conflicted about personally, reposted a video of me? Was this to apologize for what he said? If it was, it... it more than made up for it. Which meant I needed to let go of my anger and move on, too, didn't it?

"Izuku?" Jiro asked, gently tapping my shoulder. I was so lost in thought about things i didn't understand, I almost forgot the things I did.

"Thank you all so much. Without your support, I have no idea where I'd have ended up. I owe any future given to me to the three of you." I finally told them, giving them a bow before handing Jiro back her phone.

"Continue to be humble, but don't downplay the hard workthat you put in either." Mrs.Kyoka encouraged, giving me food for thought.

A grin that I couldn't seem to get rid of found its way on my face, feeling like I'd won the lottery, even as I had to say my goodbyes.

"I've got to get home and see if I can't get ahead of the news and tell my mom first. Oh, and Jiro, i hope you get into U.A., you deserve it."

The sheer shock of it wore off on the way home, and by the time I got to the front door, I was feeling pretty good about both my odds of getting into SOFA.

My mom already knew by the time I was home that I was trending, and people had already found my own social media pages. There was no hiding what was happening or that I intended to ride this wave of popularity as long as I could.

When the letter arrived, I took it to my room and prayed as hard as I could, opening it to find a well worded but firm rejection.

Mr.Midoriya,

Due to your recent social media popularity and the fact staff have seen your video, we can not a this time, accept you into our institution. While your written test score was one of our highest in the history of our school, we just can not fairly evaluate your in person presentation.

We do recommend that you consider reapplying sometime in the future, when your popularity has has time to settle down.

Best wishes,

Principal Abatā Kyoshi.

Staring at the letter, I felt defeated. All my hard work, all the hard work that the Kyoka family put in, the faith of my everyone who'd pushed me to this point. All of it meant nothing because of him.

I slammed my fist down on the desk, a figure falling as I screamed.

"Damn you, AlI Might!"

Everything i did failed. I should have given up when Bakugou has suggested and taken that swan dive.

That kind of thinking pulled me from my own head, and I took a deep breath. Okay. So I failed one school. There were more schools that would be accepting students until the end of the school year. I'd shot for the best and missed, but that didn't mean I had to give up.

But, I hadn't failed because I was bad, I failed because I was popular. Because I was trending. Well, there was still a wave of me going around, and I could ride it.

Deep breath, search for almost twenty minutes to find where I'd put the card, and then finally, after I steeled my nerves, I called.

"Is this Kanon Hoshi?" I asked as soon as someone picked up, getting my phone call diverted somewhere else.

"Y'ello, who's this?" The muffled voice called, and I could feel my heart beating in my throat.

"This is Izuku Midoriya, the violin kid. The woman you were with said to call if I failed. Well, I'm calling." I spoke, and after a few agonizing seconds of silence, I wondered if he was going to hang up.

"You didn't fail, kid. You were always meant for more than some boring school." He answered, my nerves relaxing a little at his tone.

"They said the video of me was "too popular" for them to make a fair decision and cut me." I told him, even if I didn't know why.

"Their loss." He paused, and it sounded like he was smoking.

"Kid?" He questioned, and I swallowed nervously.

"Yes, sir?"

"Are you ready to be a star?"

("Smooth Criminal" is by Michael Jackson, and you should check it out. It's a really good song)