Chapter Two
Lead-up to the Entrance Exam
Content Warning: Discussions of bullying, kidnapping, abuse, murder, and neglect. This chapter starts off dark quite quickly. Kimihito's daughters might be tough, but a good father is going to do what a good father does, and that's hope the best, dread the worst.
February 26th. For many families, today was a day of nerves and anxiety, as across Japan countless students woke up, knowing that today was the day of their chosen highschool's entrance exam. To combat the nerves, each had their own way of coping. Some performed the same morning rituals that they always had. Others woke up to supportive parents who had prepared a special meal for their children. Others tried praying to God, Buddha, the spirits, or their ancestors for aid and guidance.
In the Kurusu household manor, two daughters of Kimihito Kurusu, Sarah and Kórinis Kurusu, were simply trying to get out the door.
"Are you gonna be heroes?"
"Please be safe at the entrance exam."
""Can we come with you?""
Sarah and her half-sister looked at each other with a wavering smile on their faces, unsure how to proceed with the combined might of their youngest siblings blocking the front door with their bodies. Bapi, Duibhe, and the twins Fíóri and Fíos each were pelting the hero aspirants with questions and well wishes. Sarah and Kórinis were each stronger than the four children combined, but they knew the protests their siblings would make if they did so.
"Kórinis and I will certainly try our best to become heroes," Sarah said to Bapi, answering her question first. "Yes, Duibhe, we will do our best to be careful, and no, Fíóri and Fíos, you can't come with us."
The children's reactions were varied, with Bapi cheering as she flapped in the air, Duibhe nodding in response and the twins both pleading in protest to join their older sisters.
"Now now, that's enough, young ones," a calming voice said, quieting all of the children, both preteens and teens alike. Rolling her wheelchair into the foyer, Meroune manoeuvred herself over, her calm, ever present expression smiling at the children of her friends. Due to her not having a client to represent in court today, she had opted to wear her usual black swimming bra with white frills. It was such a usual sight in the household that no one thought anything of it.
"Sarah and Kórinis need to be off, it is 6:30 AM right now, the exam starts at 9 AM, and it takes a little over 2 hours to get there. You don't want them to be late, do you?"
""""No, Aunty Mero,"""" the children chorused, reluctantly moving aside, allowing Sarah and Kórinis unimpeded access to outside.
"Very good, now you three," Meroune said, turning to Duibhe, Fíóri and Fíos, "you still have school this morning, so run along, go have your breakfast and brush your teeth. Miia will be taking you to school in half an hour."
Duibhe ran off while Fíóri and Fíos slithered after her to eat their breakfast. Bapi, still not old enough to attend elementary school, flew off to find her father. Even though it was early in the morning, he always had fun things for them to do together.
Meroune turned her gaze back to the eldest and third born children, rolling over and adjusting each of their ties, black with white stripes.
"Are you both ready? Did you pack your lunch? What about water bottles, do you have those? Pens and pencils, you have packed those, right? Oh, and what about-"
"Aunt Mero, we're fine," Kórinis chuckled, gently placing her gloved hands on her aunt figure's shoulders. "Sarah and I'll be fine, we got this. We've been training for years now, against each other, Aunt Cerea, and, her."
Both sisters shuddered as they remembered the drill sergeant that was Sarah's grandmother.
Meroune lightly chuckled behind her hand. "Very well then. Before you go, allow me to bestow upon you both my best wishes. May you be fearless in the face of adversary, and may no foe prove your rival. May your minds be as sharp as a knife's edge, and your strength endless like the sky. Go forth, and bring home victory for your house and family."
Both sisters reacted differently; Sarah had stars in her eyes at her Aunt's royal tone and bearing, while a sweatdrop rolled down Kórinis' cheek, unsure how to react in the face of such dignity and poise.
"Ah, Sarah, Kórinis, I assume you both are ready to go?" Kimihito called out from across the foyer, Centorea and Rachnera walking on either side of him while Bapi hung onto her favourite perch, that being her father. While Centorea was already donned in her armour, ready to head out on an early morning patrol, Rachnera was still dressed in her nightly clothes, consisting of lacy underwear with a black and purple colour scheme.
"Yep, let's get going," Kórinis said, latching onto the way out that her father had given her like a sailor clinging to wreckage.
"Not so fast," Centorea said, walking over to her daughter and step-daughter, pulling both of them into a hug. "Words alone can't begin to describe how proud I am of you two. To see you two girls attending U.A., well, I know you'll do well."
"Geeze, Aunt Cerea, we haven't even taken the test yet, let alone know if we've passed," Kórinis said, blushing at her Aunt's praise and rubbing her bicep in embarrassment.
"Rachnera," Centorea asked, turning to her Arachne sister-wife, "did you have anything you wanted to add?"
"Yeah, just give me a minute," the older Arachne said, pinching the bridge of her nose as she gathered her thoughts. Opening her six eyes, Rachnera took a breath before walking over to her daughter. The mother and daughter Arachne simply looked each other in the eyes, before Rachnera surprised her daughter by also pulling her into a close embrace. Her pedipalps reached around, pulling Kórinis in close, holding her at two places.
Kórinis froze in shock. Her mother was never a touchy feely person with anyone except her father, and she was more likely to tease her daughter rather than praise her. But this feeling of warmth, of comfort and love, was unlike any Kórinis had felt when held by her Aunts.
"You were the second best thing to happen to me," Rachnera murmured, her voice quiet in Kórinis' ear. "When us girls found out that we were all pregnant, I'll admit, I was terrified. I didn't think I was cut out for motherhood. I lay awake almost every night, fearing that I would turn out like my own mother; cold, distant, absent."
Rachnera pulled back, her eyes wet with emotion. "But when you were born, and Honey and I held you in our arms and saw you for the first time, I made a promise to myself. I would do everything in my power to love and care for you in ways I never got to experience."
Kórinis didn't respond, simply pulling her mother back in for another hug.
'Mum and I are having two hugs on the same day,' Kórinis thought to herself. 'This is a weird day.'
The moment lasted a few seconds before Kórinis pulled back, realising what her mother had said.
"Wait, if I'm the second best thing to happen to you, then what was the first?"
Rachnera expression shifted, changing from the warm smile she had earlier to her typical teasing smirk. Extending an arm, a line of silk shot out of her spinnerets located on her wrist, yanking Kimihito over, pulling him into her side and resting his head on Rachnera's chest.
"Why, meeting your father of course."
But Rachnera's teasing expression cooled, her gaze distant as she was lost in her memories.
"I…When your father and I first met, I wasn't in a good space," she explained. "Mentally, financially, socially. I was in the wrong crowds and doing the wrong sort of things. But most of all, I had this chip on my shoulder that I deserved more, and a deep hatred for humans."
"Back then, heteromorph discrimination was pretty bad in Japan," Kimihito added. "It often resulted in heteromorphs living on the fringes of society, or in the shadow of it."
"If we hadn't met, well, I probably would have ended up as some kind of villain or dreg of society," Rachnera sighed, shaking her head. But she soon stopped, looking at her daughter with a warm, genuine smile. Pulling her into a third hug (this really was a record breaking day), Kimihito and Rachnera held her close in their arms.
"I'm grateful that you didn't end up like I did," Rachenra whispered. "Seeing you on your journey to becoming a hero fills me with pride, because I know that you'll be a hero who can understand those who have been excluded by society."
Rachnera pulled back, allowing Kimihito to hold onto their daughter as the older Arachne then turned to her step-daughter.
"Sarah," she began, "I know I don't need to say this, but take care of my daughter. The two of you are as thick as thieves. I know you both will do great things together."
The two sisters beamed at the praise they had received, while Meroune quietly dabbed the corner of her eyes with a handkerchief as she watched.
"W-well, anyway, you both had best be off," Rachnera stammered, more than a little embarrassed by the heartfelt praise she had given her daughter and step-daughter. "A hero is meant to arrive in the nick of time, so you can't be late."
Kórinis and Sarah both squared their shoulders, giving their mothers a firm nod.
""Right,"" they said simultaneously, ""we're off.""
Getting themselves seated in one of the family vans, Kórinis and Sarah waved goodbye to their family, everyone seeing them off from the doorstep. All of their siblings were excited to hear what the U.A. Entrance Exam was like, with the youngest ones being the most energetic. Even Aunt Lala and Aunt Suu were present, making sure that their schedules allowed for them to see their step-daughters heading off. The only ones absent from the farewell group at the front door were their father, who was driving them, and Bapi, who sat sandwiched in between her elder two sisters due to her being homeschooled since she was too young.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
Getting onto the motorway, Kimihito thought about the daily routine of dropping the kids off to school that he and Miia performed. While he did do it to spend more time with his many children, it was unfortunately true that it was safer to drive them there rather than having them catch the subway system. Most parents would be too busy to drive their children to school, but most parents weren't a) a house husband like Kimihito was and b) the parent of eleven heteromorphic children.
It was an unfortunate truth that despite all of the progress that had supposedly been made, he knew first hand from what details Meroune could tell him that discrimination against heteromorphs was still prevalent, it was simply hidden away. Teachers who had conveniently forgotten to report incidents of abuse against their heteromorph students, heteromorph employees being shortchanged by their employers. He had even heard horror stories about the treatment that some heteromorphs received out in the countryside, where mobs would form to drive them out, or worse.
It wasn't as bad as when Kimihito and his wives were teenagers so many years ago, where they could be mocked and insulted for their heteromorph features in public (the thought of that racist couple still made his blood boil), but it wasn't as squeaky clean as the media liked to portray it. No, Kimihito would much rather spend a bit extra on fuel than have his children endangered.
"You know," he began, breaking the comfortable silence that had settled in the car, "I don't mind picking you two up from your classes. I know the Hero Course has an extra period of classes that end at 4 PM, but the distance really isn't all that far."
"Thank you for the offer, Father, but Kórinis and I can take the subway," Sarah declined, looking up to look her father in the eyes through the rear view mirror. She and Kórinis were seated in the middle row of the van, with the seats designed to be altered to fit any body type, perfect for a family with heteromorphic quirks. Next to her, Kórinis was keeping Bapi occupied by helping her with a colouring in book, the two sisters engrossed in the slowly coloured image of the Pro Hero Endeavor.
"Are you sure?" Kimihito continued, not giving up on the issue. "Really, it isn't a hassle. By the time I pick you and Kórinis up from school and get back home, it would be time for me to start cooking anyway. Miia can always bring the others to and from Somei with her, meaning I'd be able to give you a lift back. Besides, with that new Pro Hero, Helium 4, fuel costs have never been cheaper. Plus-"
"Dad, if you're worried about us being in danger on the cart, come on, we're going to be training to be Pro Heroes. It's not exactly a safe profession."
Kimihito didn't respond to Kórinis' reasoning, simply breathing evenly as he drove.
"Father, is this about that incident two years ago?" Sarah asked, leaning forward to rest a hand on her father's shoulder. "You don't need to worry, it won't happen to us, we promise."
That incident. The memories of it rushed through Kimihito's mind. A Pan heteromorph student, only a year older than his elder children at the time, had gone missing in Asaka City. It was only after her parents had alerted the authorities and an investigation was undertaken that the truth behind her disappearance was revealed.
The poor girl had been bullied relentlessly at her middle school, and despite the severity, the staff had done nothing about it. No punishments of the offenders, not even simply alerting the authorities. She had been followed home by her bullies, kidnapped, and assaulted. The investigation ended after two weeks when they found her body dumped in an abandoned warehouse, already decomposing.
Kimihito would gladly admit that he took great pleasure in watching his wife Meroune, the ever intelligent lawyer, rip into the teaching staff, ensure they and all students involved or complicit in the abuse, which was most of them, were charged with the severest possible sentence, and had a permanent black mark on their record. Seeing Endeavor torch the school in a fit of rage over the girl's death was simply the cherry on top.
"Dad!""Father!"
The simultaneous shouts of his eldest daughters snapped Kimihito out of his mind. Immediately he felt the pressure he was exerting on the steering wheel slacken, and pulling a hand away revealed that the wheel had warped and bent under his strength.
"Damn," he chuckled out loud, trying to lighten the atmosphere. "And here I'd almost gone two years without bending the wheel."
The two older sisters shared a worried glance. Bapi was looking at her three family members in confusion, not understanding what had happened, but knowing that it wasn't something good. Placating her sister, Kórinis started brushing her hair, using her fingers as the teeth of a comb.
"Father," Sarah started again, gently squeezing her father's shoulder, trying to use the connection as a lifeline, "U.A isn't like that school. The Principle is a staunch supporter of heteromorphs, Mother was a former student, and the staff are all diligent when it comes to punishing discrimination and bullying. We will be fine, I swear."
Sarah had her own memories of those days. She and her similarly aged siblings were thirteen at the time, and seeing the fear and uncertainty each day the investigation went on made her scared.
Aunt Papi had entered into a panic, refusing to let any of the children out of her sight and barely getting any sleep, always keeping her firearm on her. It was so bad that she only rested when her mother came home, who took it upon herself to keep an eye on her grandchildren.
Asaka City started a curfew soon after the disappearance was reported, and the police, headed by Aunt Papi's father, patrolled endlessly. Aunt Papi herself headed out early in the morning and came home late at night, each time exhausted from a day of flying around the city to help in the search.
Aunt Suu had immediately called her cousin when the missing persons report came in, causing Endeavor, No. 2 Pro Hero in Japan, to be one of the first heroes to join the investigation.
Her father did everything in his power to aid in the investigation; cooking for the police and heroes who were conducting the search, joining in the neighbourhood watches when they started, even offering up rooms and sleeping places in the Kurusu mansion for heroes who were from out of town.
Despite all of the efforts from her mother and aunts, Sarah and her siblings were still afraid.
The fear she felt was nothing compared to the fear that welled up within her when the Pan girl's fate was revealed. That day, Sarah learnt just how terrifying her father could be. His anger was different from her mother's or her aunts.
Mother shouted and raged when the news broke, immediately suiting up in her armour and deliberately choosing her bladed weapons, a fact not lost on young Sarah.
Aunt Papi was at work when the news broke, but according to Aunt Papi's father she had to be restrained at the police station to prevent her from flying off and going rogue, acting as a vigilante in her anger.
Aunt Mero called all of her lawyer colleagues, convincing some to aid her in her prosecution case and threatening others to refuse to work for the school that was to blame.
Aunt Miia, Lala, Suu and Rachnera all behaved similarly, keeping an eye on their children, and doing their best to try to convince them that everything was fine, even when it wasn't.
But her father was, different, calm. He didn't yell, or shout, or panic. He didn't even raise his voice by an octave. But his eyes were cold and filled with rage, not allowing his anger to control or consume him, but to fuel him. Seeing that anger turn into glee as the sentence was passed for the staff members, and the glee turned into joy as he watched the school burn in the presence of an enraged Endeavor, that was what scared Sarah the most. The idea that her father would go to any lengths to protect his family, while comforting, also scared her a little.
Kimihito sighed, taking a hand off the wheel to place it over Sarah's in a comforting gesture. "Look, I understand that you two can take care of yourselves. I mean, individually either of you are a powerhouse, but side by side? Yikes, I almost feel sorry for the idiot who picked on you. And yes, I understand that being a Pro will mean you're running towards danger, rather than away from it. Your mother being a Pro has probably helped me come to terms with the danger you two will intentionally be putting yourselves in better than most parents. But it's just that; I'm still your father. And an unfortunate requirement about being your father is that I worry for and care about you, even if it isn't needed."
Kórinis added her hand to the pile, causing her father's hand to be held between her's and her sister's. "Don't worry, Dad, we'll be home in time for dinner every night. We'll send you a text when we're getting on the train and another two hours later when we're getting off, promise."
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
Running up the hill to the U.A. campus, Izuku Midoriya, latest holder of the quirk One For All, jogged through the gates of U.A.
"I made it in time," Izuku breathed. Ten months ago, before All Might had taken him under his wing and trained him with the 'Pass the Test, American Dream' plan, running up that hill would have made a fourteen year old Izuku breathless and gasping. Now, after all of the sweat and tears that Izuku had put into his training, it barely left fatigued at all.
After going above and beyond with clearing Takoba Municipal Beach of all of the trash that people had illegally dumped there, All Might had finally found Izuku worthy of inheriting his quirk. Looking back on the event that had occurred only hours earlier, Izuku felt overwhelming excitement over his lifelong dream of having a quirk fulfilled, even if the method was, unique.
'I ate that hair, but did it really do anything?' Izuku thought to himself as he followed the crowd of students all hoping to pass the Entrance Exam. 'There wasn't any time to test out the quirk that All Might had given me, so I'm not sure how it will work. Will I gain a muscle form like he does, will it be hard to notice, so many options…'
"Move aside, Deku!"
A familiar angry voice caused Izuku's head to spin around. Walking behind him with a signature scowl on his face was Katsuki Bakugo, his breath misting in the cold winter air. Like Izuku, Katsuki had also turned fifteen, and with it had gained a few extra centimetres of height.
"Kacchan!" Izuku exclaimed, flinching backwards instinctively.
"Get out of my way or you're dead," Katsuki growled, stalking forward.
"M-morning. Let's do our best…" Izuku began to say, before trailing off as Katsuki simply walked past him, not even sparing Izuku a second glance or a dirty look.
'Ever since that day with the Sludge Villain, Kacchan stopped tormenting me,' Izuku thought, puzzled by his former friend's behaviour. 'Even when I did much better in the Sports Festival at Aldera Junior High, Kacchan didn't mock me, I think.'
'"Tch, stupid Deku, did you enjoy being helpless for so long, huh?'"
'If it was anyone else, I'm pretty sure they'd mean it as a compliment, but from him?'
Taking in a deep breath of crisp air, Izuku straightened his shoulders and pulled on his bag's shoulder straps. 'I gotta stop flinching instinctively. Yeah, it's not like before! Just remember the past ten months and move forward.'
He took a step…
'My first steps towards becoming a hero!'
…and promptly tripped on his own foot, causing him to fall face first towards the ground.
He would have landed flat on his face, only for a pulling sensation on his clothes to pull him back, causing him to spin around and land onto a pair of soft pillows.
'Oh thank goodness,' Izuku thought, 'at least someone managed to put some pillows on the ground. I'll look like an idiot, but at least I'm an idiot who is conscious.'
Except, something was off. Izuku could still feel that he was standing up right, an arm was holding him close across his back, and the pillows were talking.
"Woah, careful there Brocoli Top, don't want you making out with the asphalt before the test even begins."
"Kórinis, let him up this instant. Your behaviour is simply unbecoming."
Now there was a second voice. It was probably the second pillow speaking.
"Thank you very much, pillows, for breaking my fall," Izuku said, his voice muffled from his face being pressed into the warm surface of the large pillows.
"What do you- Oh, right, one second," the first voice said, and Izuku's eyes saw light as his head was pulled back. Looking upwards, Izuku met the gaze of a six eyed woman with long, lavender hair, each of her eyes a solid ruby red in colour. She was giving him a mischievous smirk, and looking down, Izuku realised that the pillows that had saved him were, in fact, her large chest.
"Urk," he involuntarily grunted, his head lolling back as his usually hyperactive mind suddenly experienced a blue screen, all perception now muted behind white noise.
"Oh, well done, Kórinis," the second voice scolded, "now you've gone and made the poor boy faint."
"Oh lay off, Sarah, he's fine. It's almost as if he's never seen a pair of boobs before," Kórinis scoffed, gently shaking Izuku's limp, unresponsive form.
"I swear," the second voice muttered, pulling Izuku away from Kórinis giving Izuku a light slap on the cheek. "Are you alright?"
Izuku snapped out of his daze, his sight focusing on a new girl. She had sky blue eyes and blond hair pulled back into a ponytail, with ears that stuck out to the side of her head covered in short, blond hair.
"Cavalry?" Izuku murmured, wondering why the Pro Hero who had inspired him ten months ago was at U.A.
"No, but I am flattered by the comparison," the Centaur said, smiling warmly at Izuku. "Are you able to stand?"
Izuku dumbly nodded, only wobbling slightly when the blonde-haired girl stepped back. Focusing his gaze, Izuku realised that the two girls before him were heteromorphs. The blonde was a Centaur, just like Cavalry, and even seemed to share some similarities to the Pro Hero in their facial features. The second girl, the one who had broken his fall, had a human torso on top of a spider's cephalothorax. Both girls wore a white uniform, consisting of a white blazer and dress shirt with a black tie with white stripes. Their uniform differed when it came to their skirts. The Centaur girl had a skirt that went along the length of her equine lower half, reaching midway to her knees, whereas the Arachne girl had a more typical skirt, reaching to the middle of her pedipalps that resembled legs. She also wore a longer sleeved shirt, with white gloves covering both of her hands.
"I am very sorry for Kórinis' actions," the Centaur girl said, bowing in apologies to Izuku before elbowing her companion in the ribs. "Good luck on the entrance exam."
The two girls walked past Izuku, Kórinis audibly complaining to her friend about the strength of her elbow strike.
"Um, are you okay?"
Izuku turned to the new voice, seeing a brown-haired girl standing there, her hand stretched palm out towards him.
"I saw you trip and was going to use my quirk to stop your fall, but I guess that girl with the purple hair was faster."
"Uh, yeah, I'm alright," Izuku blankly nodded, his mind still recoiling from what he had just seen.
"Man, this sure is super nerve wracking," the brunette chuckled, turning towards the auditorium they had been directed to. "Well, good luck to both of us. See ya."
Izuku simply watched her walk off, before his eyes snapped wide as everything that had happened was finally processed in his mind.
'I talked to three girls!' he internally cheered. 'This really is the best day!'
Fortunately for Izuku's joy, he remained blissfully unaware of the various looks, stares, and the occasional jealous glare that was sent his way by other students.
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
As Tenya Ida sat in the auditorium, awaiting the start of the presentation U.A. would give regarding the Entrance Exam, he silently swept his gaze across the large room, taking in all of the sounds of students chattering amongst themselves.
'While I certainly would prefer if everyone would quiet down and take their seats before the presentation begins, I can somewhat understand if it is simply students trying to calm their nerves before the exam. Only 0.3% of students, one in three hundred, will pass this test. With there being forty spaces available for the hero course, and four of them taken up by those in the Recommendation Course, I must do better and stand out amongst a crowd of three hundred fellow students. Truly U.A. is the best hero academy in Japan.'
Tenya pushed his rectangular glasses up his nose, once again checking his watch that he wore on his wrist. The presentation was scheduled to start soon, and yet there was no sign of them.
"Sarah, Kórinis, where are you?" Tenya muttered to himself, only for his attention to be caught by someone speaking from the isles.
"Excuse me, pardon us, coming through."
Turning his head to the right, Tenya saw his childhood friend and rival, Sarah Kurusu, as well as her half-sister, Kórinis Kurusu, squeezing their way past the other applicants, both trying to get to their seats. Due to spaces being made to accommodate heteromorphs with larger bodies, Sarah and Kórinis didn't have any extra trouble, a fact that Tenya mentally applauded U.A. for taking into consideration.
'This truly is the best hero school in Japan,' he reiterated to himself, before greeting his classmates.
"Sarah, Kórinis, the presentation is about to start. What is the reason for your tardiness?"
"Hello to you too, Glasses," Kórinis scoffed, taking her assigned seat one down from Tenya's right while Sarah took the seat next to him, sitting in between the two.
"Now now," Sarah mediated, a role she often took whenever Tenya and Kórinis were in the same room. "We're sorry for being late, Tenya, but we had a bit of an encounter at the front entrance."
"Don't tell me that you two were picked on again due to your heteromorphic nature," Tenya sighed, rubbing his eyes in exasperation. "The number of close-minded, discriminatory racists that still exist within this nation is simply astounding. Astoundingly terrible. Give me a description of their features and I'll be sure to report them to the school faculty."
"Nah, nothing like that," Kórinis dismissed, waving a hand in front of her face. "Some kid tripped over his own feet. If it wasn't for my intervention he'd have gotten all close and personal with the concrete."
"Hm," Tenya pondered, looking down at his lap in thought. "Should a student who has such little coordination truly be attempting this exam?"
"Eh, probably not," Kórinis admitted. "U.A. is ruthless with their admittance into the Hero Course, only the best are accepted, the rest are swept away like chaff."
"While I don't condone your language or comparisons, Sister," Sarah admonished, "it is the harsh truth that many here today will go home with shattered dreams. For just the three of us representing Somei Private Academy to be accepted, eight hundred and ninety-seven applicants must be rejected. For the thirty-six who pass the Entrance Exam, over ten thousand five hundred must fail. Truly they are astounding odds."
The trio's attention was drawn to the stage at the front of the auditorium as a spotlight snapped on, shining down and illuminating a figure standing on the stage. He wore dark sunglasses, a leather jacket, pants and gloves, and wore what could only be described as a stereo over his neck. His blond hair was spiked into a point high above his head, and a small blond moustache grew on his upper lip. Tenya immediately recognised him as Present Mic, a Pro Hero and teacher at U.A. High School.
"Welcome to today's live performance!" Present Mic greeted in a loud voice, his quirk, ironically registered as Voice, amplifying the sound, preventing the Pro from needing a microphone or sound system. "Everybody say 'Hey!'"
Silence rang out throughout the auditorium. Tenya was simply taken aback by the Pro's entrance, and glancing to his right, both of the Kurusu sisters were just as surprised, with Sarah having flinched back in response to the loud noise that her sensitive hearing was assaulted with. Judging by the lack of a reaction from the rest of the gathered attendees, they were all equally as shocked.
"Well, that's cool, my examinee listeners!" Present Mic said, unbothered by the lack of response to his prompt. "I'm here to present the guidelines of your practical! Are you ready?! YEAH!"
Once again, none of the students responded, though Tenya noticed Sarah's ears flicking in agitation.
"Sarah," Tenya whispered, trying to keep his voice as low as possible. A normal human wouldn't be able to hear him, he could barely hear his own voice, but he knew that Sarah's enhanced hearing would be able to detect it. "Is something wrong?"
"It's nothing, Tenya," she whispered. "Someone is muttering to themselves, that's all. Something about Present Mic being a radio host."
"This is how the test will go, my listeners!" Present Mic continued, cutting Tenya off from the next question he was going to ask his friend. "You'll be experiencing ten-minute-long 'Mock City Manoeuvres'! Bring along anything you want! After this presentation, you'll each head to your assigned testing location! O.K.?!"
The three Somei students each looked at their forms, noticing that each of them had been placed in a separate testing area. Not only that, but the form also listed four kinds of 'villains' that the participants would be facing off against.
However, Tenya noticed that the entire time, Sarah's ears continued to flick, her face as well becoming taut as she tried to suppress a grimace.
'Which imbecile is doing that?' Tenya thought. 'Don't they realise how disrupting they are for those with quirks that enhance hearing?'
Nudging Sarah, he gave her a questioning look when she turned her head to face him. Immediately understanding what he was trying to silently communicate, she nodded her head up the auditorium, indicating where the noise was coming from.
Focusing his hearing, Tenya tried to hear what his friend had heard, and sure enough he began to hear faint mutterings coming from above and behind him. Discreetly looking behind him, Tenya found the source of the noise, a greenet with a messy hairstyle dressed in a black middle school uniform. Before he could make a comment, Present Mic continued his presentation.
"Each site is filled with three kinds of villains," he explained, bringing up a rudimentary image of a city block on the screen. Surrounding it were the silhouette of three machines, one labelled '1P', another '2P', and a third '3P'. "Points are awarded for defeating each according to their respective difficulty levels! Use your quirks to disable these faux villains and earn points! That's your goal, listeners!"
"Of course," Present Mic clarified, "playing the antihero and attacking other examinees is prohibited!"
Noticing a discrepancy in the forms they were given, seeing a gap in Present Mic's speech, and growing increasingly frustrated with the offender's constant noise, Tenya stood up from his seat, much to the surprise of Sarah and Kórinis.
"May I ask a question?!" Tenya called out, projecting his voice down the rows of seats. "There appear to be no fewer than four varieties of faux villain on this handout!" he explained, pointing at the silhouettes that were displayed on the handout. "Such a blatant error, if it is one, is highly unbecoming for U.A., Japan's top academy! We're all in here today in the hopes of being moulded into model heroes!"
"And you, with the curly hair!" he started, swinging his free arm around and pointing at the muttering boy. But before he could begin, he felt someone grab his hand that held the sheet that was now resting by his side. Looking down, he saw Sarah giving him a look, one he understood all too well from a lifetime of being side-by-side to his rival and closest friend. Sighing quietly, Tenya looked back at the student, who had pointed a finger at himself as if to confirm who Tenya was speaking to.
"Yes, you," he confirmed, though this time speaking in a not so harsh tone. "You've been muttering this whole time. While I can understand the stress that anyone in the room must be facing with this exam, bear in mind that there are those here who have quirks that enhance their sense of hearing. If you must mutter, do so in a manner that is inaudible."
"Alright alright," Present Mic said, focusing everyone's attention away from the now silent greenet and back towards the stage. "Examinee 7111, nice catch. Thanks!"
The Pro Hero gestured to the screen behind him where a fourth and final silhouette of a villain appeared.
"The fourth faux villain variety gets you zero points! They're more of an obstacle than anything! There's only one at each site, a gimmick that'll rampage around in close quarters! Avoid them whenever possible, they're programmed to make your time all the more difficult!"
"Thank you, sir," Tenya bowed, "I apologise for the interruption."
Taking his seat, Tenya felt a pressure on his forearm. Looking to his right, he saw Sarah give him a smile and a small nod, clearly appreciating him toning down his response to the student.
'Thank you,' she mouthed.
Tenya simply gave her a small smile as Present Mic concluded.
"That's all from me! I'll leave my listeners with our school motto. The French Emperor and General Napoleon Bonapart once said, 'True heroism consists in being superior to the ills of life.' Plus Ultra! Break a leg, everyone!"
Okay, full disclosure, this was the first HALF of chapter two. The word count was 15,000 words, and I hadn't finished writing yet. It was nearly done, but I decided that I'd split it in half, so we have the lead up to the Entrance Exams this chapter, then the Entrance Exams themselves and the aftermath next chapter.
The muse has been very kind to me so far, I have the entire Sports Festival planned out, meaning I now have it nailed down who is finishing in what place during the Obstacle Course, which teams are making it through the Cavalry Battle, and who is fighting who in the One-on-Ones. Full disclosure, there will be some changes, so look forward to that.
Ironically, I had the Sports Festival planned out before the Battle Trials on day two. Funny how that happens.
Also keep in mind, with this chapter being split in half, you have this chapter and next chapter to comment what your guess is on which characters aren't making it into class 1-A. If someone gets it right, idk, you might get an O.C. placed in the story. Human, heteromorph, whatever you want. Alternatively, if you want a MM character to show up, I might do that if I hadn't had any plans for them so far.
Right, enough of my rambling, onto reviews.
First, ShotoLov3rs, thanks for enjoying chapter one, hope you enjoy this one. Thanks for the support.
Also, Guest, yeah, no, Katsuki at the start of the series is a prick, I'll admit that. My hope for this series is that because one of the sisters is close to him, it helps him mellow out a little bit more, and earlier than in canon. I will try to keep it realistic and not too O.O.C., so thanks for the advice.
Anyhoo, I'm going to finish off the second half of chapter two, which is now chapter three. With this, I should have a backlog, so I'll release chapter three when chapter four is written up. With the mid-semester on at the moment, I hopefully will have the next chapter out soon, but seeing how my birthday is in two days (oh my goodness, I'm going to be 21, I feel old), I can't guarantee when the next chapter will be out.
Anyway, enjoy…
- Jevm