Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter 1: You Can Be A Hero Too!

Being quirkless sucks. Being quirkless in a society overrun by super-powered humans suck. It ain’t good to be the only person without a quirk in a house where everyone in your family has a quirk. Being the youngest, I was born into the Todoroki family. My father’s dream is to surpass All Might, the current number one hero, and that was the only reason I was conceived. 

However, when he learned from the family doctor that I was quirkless, I was thrown out like trash and forgotten about, just like my older siblings. However, Todoroki Shoto was fortunate enough to inherit my mom’s and dad’s quirks. To my father, he was the ideal recipient of his self-centered beliefs. The contender to eclipse All Might would be him. 

Ever since receiving his quirk, he has been in constant training. In the meantime, my mother was primarily responsible for me. When they weren’t preoccupied with school, Fuyumi and Natsuo would stop by to play with me. With the exception of the days we hung out in the living room and watched cartoons with our mother, I didn’t get to spend much time with Shoto because my father was too busy training him. 

My relationship with my father can be summed up as shit. Every time I would greet him, he would look away and ignore me. Every time I showed him my academic achievements, I was constantly ignored. He never showed up for any of my school events, but he never fails to show up for Shoto’s. He seemed to be let down by the fact that I lacked any sort of quirk. No, I can tell he’s disappointed in me because his expression never changes. 

Because of what happened to Toya, the family was already in a difficult situation. Although I never had the opportunity to meet him, I was told about him by Natsuo. Things worsened when my mother one day lost it due to the continued abuse from her husband. Shoto was on the floor, sobbing as my mother tried to cool the burn with her ice, when I went into the kitchen in response to my brother’s agonizing scream. 

It wasn’t rocket science to figure out what happened. Boiling water was thrown at him by my loving and compassionate mother. She had a mental breakdown as a result of his left side reminding her so much of my father and the abuse she suffered at his hands. She was brought to a psychiatric ward following the incident. My family never recovered. 

Natsuo refused to speak and avoided being close to my father. Shoto despised him and has a great grudge against him. And Fuyumi did her best to pick up the broken pieces and put them back together, but it was difficult because she had to take care of me in addition to teaching, and nobody wanted to be near him. 

I became distant from the rest of my family. I used to get teased by my peers for not having a quirk. Every time I expressed my desire to become a hero, my father and teachers would constantly put me down, which made me depressed. I took their advice to heart and gave up on my aspiration to become a hero. This afternoon was no different, as I walked out of the convenience store with a bag of snacks in my hand and a blank expression on my face. 

In class today, our career papers were handed to us. Others had already written on their sheets, indicating that they all intended to become heroes. For the simple reason that I have no idea what I want to do with my life after high school, I left mine blank. The excitement of becoming a hero outweighed the suggestions for all these jobs I received. 

I laughed to myself bitterly. ‘I guess Shoto will be the only one in the family who will become a hero. Lucky him.’ The public has been informed about the UA entrance exams. 

I’m really jealous. I could be a hero too, if only I had a quirk. A large crowd was gathering as I was making my way home. As I walked by the civilians, I could hear a lot of noise. 

“Hey, that villain… Isn’t it the one All Might was chasing?” 

‘All Might was in the area? And he let a villain escape?’ That was unexpected of him. In order to avoid getting caught in the crossfire, I moved closer to the crowd while staying in the back. It appears that the slime villain has kidnapped a boy my age. The boy was detonating explosives with such force that the heroes could not get to him. It appeared that there was no hope left until a different boy my age, who had curly green hair, broke through the throng and charged directly at the villain. 

His behavior astounded me, and the fact that he wasn’t making use of his quirk strongly suggested that, like me, he was quirkless. Every action he took stunned me. Hurling books at the slime villain to divert his attention and frantically crawling at the slime to release the blond guy. Why? He’s trying so hard, but why? Just stay at the bottom and let someone else become a hero; a quirkless person cannot defy fate. 

“You… You looked like you needed saving!” His words struck a chord with me, and I had a flashback of myself as a child, hanging out with my mother before she was taken away. 

With my mother’s embrace, I sobbed into her shirt. She was offering me consolation after my father rejected my ambitions to be a hero on the grounds that I lacked a quirk and that he didn’t want someone like me to tarnish the Todoroki name. 

“You can become a hero, [Name]. Don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise.” She pressed a kiss on my forehead and started tickling me. We laughed together as she giggled. 

“Every day, [Name], you and Shoto are mommy’s heroes. Never lose sight of that.” When we had calmed down, she said with a warm smile. 

“Okay, mommy! One day, I’ll become a hero that you can be proud of!” I lifted my little fist to the heavens.

”And I’ll be at your side all the way.” She gave me a soft smile as we bumped fists. 

I found myself crying as I remembered that sweet memory. All Might showed up and cleaned up the mess afterward. The slime villain was taken into custody. The green-haired boy who saved his friend received the lashing of a lifetime from the heroes for rushing in carelessly. I went back home instead of thanking him since I was too afraid. 

Fuyumi came to greet me as soon as I opened the door and walked in. “Welcome back, [Name]! Dinner’s ready!” 

“Thanks, Fuyumi.” When I entered the kitchen, Shoto was the only person seated at the table. My favorite katsudon and his favorite cold soba were on the table. I grabbed the bowl of katsudon and went up to my room. 

“Wait! Are you not going to join us for dinner?” I heard Fuyumi call out to me. 

“Sorry, but there’s stuff I need to do.” With my back turned to her, I gave her my explanation before going upstairs to my room. When I opened the door, all I saw to greet me was girly stuff. Because of the way I behave in public, most people assume I’m a tomboy, but in my heart, I’m a girly girl who enjoys cute stuff. I set my bowl of katsudon down, then reached over to my shelf to get my notebook and my Cinnamoroll plush before getting back in bed. 

I wrote down in my notebook, while I was eating, my plan to pass the UA entrance exam and become a hero. I owe it all to that green-haired boy. He and my mother reignited my dreams. 

‘If I ever get to see him again, I’ll definitely thank him.’ 

Chapter Text

Chapter 2: The UA Entrance Exams!

Great. Just my luck. The day after I submitted my application for UA, I got a call two days later, basically telling me I got shot down. I’m currently speaking with a school employee on the phone. I was so loud that I think the entire house heard me. 

“But that’s not fair! You guys said on your website that you’re allowing quirkless people to take the exam!”

”I-I’m sorry, T-Todoroki-san!” The man stammered as he apologized for my infuriating tone. “Applications for people without quirks are indeed being accepted, but yours has been denied.” 

“My application was turned down?” I slowly repeated what he had just said. “Who denied it then?! Was it a teacher? A member of staff?” 

He hesitated to say who denied my application, but then he sighed and said, “Your father.” 

“… What?” Were the only things I could say in shock. 

The man on the phone seemed more shy and soft-spoken, I suppose, because my shitty old man has a reputation for being abrasive. 

My face is breaking out in veins from the anger I’m experiencing right now. “That bastard!” He denied me admission to UA by abusing his position as an alumnus. It’s very clear he doesn’t want my failure to diminish his status as the number-two hero. The moment I hung up the phone, I heard a knock at my door. 

“… Come in.” With a long pause, I said. My older sister, Fuyumi, came in when the door opened, carrying a cup of that appeared to be filled with tea. Her face was filled with worry. 

“Is everything okay?” My cup is placed on the tea table by her. 

I could never lie to the woman who looked after me after my mom was admitted to a psychiatric ward. “No… that bastard rejected my UA application.” Her gasp of shock was audible to me. “Is he coming home at the usual time?” 

“Uh, yes…” She responded to my query. 

“Perfect.” I’ll wait for him to get home before attacking. Time for a conversation with that conceited bastard. I therefore waited for my beloved old man to return home in my room. For now, it was just Fuyumi and me. 

Shoto is currently outside doing something. Natsuo moved out of home to live in a dorm while he attended college. He found intolerable to be near his father. As the day turned into night, I soon found myself in the living room, anticipating the entrance door as I sat on the couch. As usual, Fuyumi was in the kitchen preparing dinner while Shoto remained in his room. 

As the knob turned, I glared hard at the person. And there he is, the man himself. The man responsible for all the problems in this house. He walked through the door like he owned the place. 

“Oh, it’s you. What do you want?” He had forgone my existence, but at this point, I was used to it. 

“Stop acting as though you don’t know what you did.” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about—“ 

“Bullshit!” I was not going to let him get away from this discussion. In the corner of my eye, I spot Fuyumi coming out of the kitchen. “I discovered that you were the one who got the school to reject my application!” 

“Oh, that?” With a nonchalant expression, he rolled his eyes. “You behave as though it’s a huge deal.” 

What is he, a spoiled teenager? 

“It is a big deal to me!” I started to let all my anger out. I’m so tired of everyone rejecting my dream to become a hero. “You abused your power as an alumni to have the school deny my application! What you did isn’t fair!” 

His turquoise eyes widened at the revelation. “How did you know about that info?” 

“One of the school employees told me! You didn’t think I wouldn’t find out?!” 

He was calm and collected while I let all my frustrations out, but it turned into a one-sided screaming match, and I could tell he was getting fed up. All Fuyumi could do was glance back and forth while covering her chest with her hand. She was obviously afraid of how her father would treat her, even though she wanted to intervene and diffuse the situation. 

“Enough!” His loud voice carried through the house. “This discussion is over. You should be grateful for the action I took. A quirkless person like yourself has no place in the field of heroics.” 

I would have a vein on the left side of my eyebrow from all the rage I’m feeling if this were an anime or cartoon. “Now you want to act like you care about me?! After all the abuse and neglect?! Don’t you dare! You have no right to act that way, and you have no right to deny my application! I refuse to put up you discarding me because of your false beliefs that someone without a quirk can’t become a hero, and I won’t stand for it! I won’t be pushed around by you anymore!”

Spit was flying out of my mouth from all the yelling I was doing. I didn’t care that footsteps were coming down the stairs. 

“This discussion is over.” He warned me sternly that I would suffer the consequences if I stepped outside the line once more. 

“Shut up! I’m not giving up like you did!” I knew I would regret saying this, but it had to be done. “You’re using Shoto as a pawn because you can’t compete with All Might, and you gave up the moment you couldn’t—!” 

“[Name]!” A blow across my face startled Fuyumi, who covered her mouth in horror. My hair hid my face as I fell to the floor. I cupped my bruised cheek. On my shoulder and back, I felt warm hands. 

“You bastard!” Shoto gave our father a hateful glare and let out a deep growl. 

“I may have not been present in this house, but you will show me some respect.” My father glared down at me. “I won’t allow a quirkless girl like you to bring disgrace upon your family. Just get out of my way and go play with your siblings like you normally do. I only need Shoto.” 

I managed to get up on my unsteady legs just as Shoto was about to retaliate. He was even more taken aback by the fierce look I had on my face as opposed to my usual tears. 

“I’m not giving up; you hear me, old man?! Not only will I surpass you, but I will have you acknowledge that a quirkless loser like me can become a hero! When that time comes, I can’t wait to see you cry and wipe that smirk from your face!” As he strode down the hall, I yelled at him. 

[!-!]

As Fuyumi took care of my bruise, she repeatedly expressed her regret for not intervening to mediate or calm the conflict between my father and me. 

“It’s fine. You did nothing wrong. It was something I needed to get off my chest for both him and myself.” When she applied alcohol to the bruise, I hissed a little. 

“For yourself?” 

She was confuse, so I made myself clear. “I intend to fufill my mother’s wish and become a hero I can be proud of. Even though that man turned down my application, I won’t let that stop me. This is just one more obstacle I need to overcome.” 

“Mother…” After giving me a thoughtful, somber look, Fuyumi smiles encouragingly at me. “I know you can do it, [Name]! One day, you and Shoto will both be amazing heroes!” 

“Thank you.” I gave her a smile. Having a single family member who wishes to support your dream is nice. I’m not sure how Shoto feels about this, but Natsuo raised some concerns about my potential hero career before he left. I answered the ringing phone and check the text message I received moments ago.

It came from a friend of mine who said her parents had given her permission to have me stay the night. 

“[Name]?” Fuyumi called my name in a worried tone as I stood up from the bathroom chair. 

“I’m going to be staying the night at a friend’s house. I’ll be back tomorrow afternoon.” I said nothing more before heading to my room and grabbing my jacket. The brisk air welcomed me as I descended the stairs and left the house. As I strolled down the street, the sky was illuminated by the night stars. 

I’m aware that there are currently a lot of people in some areas of Musutafu, but the streets around my house were largely deserted. At this hour, heroes on night patrol coexist with the villains that are out on the streets. Compared to the times when villains ruled the streets, this made some people feel more at ease. We have All Might to thank for that. However, I wouldn’t give a damn if a villain suddenly tried to kill me. 

Better to die than to return to that house. But since I wouldn’t reach my goal if I died this early, it wouldn’t be a good idea. So, as I traveled to my friend’s house, I prayed that nothing untoward would happen to me. 

[!-!]

“I’m sorry that happened, [Name]-chan?” I covered my face with my arms and lay on Uraraka’s bed, wallowing in her comfort. I told her the whole truth about what had transpired before. 

“Nah, don’t apologize.” I leaned over to look at her. She looked into my tired eyes, and I could tell she was starting to get bothered. “I was upset about what he did, so I said some things I shouldn’t have.” This is stupid. 

Why am I feeling regret when he was the one who started the fight? 

“You don’t need to blame yourself! You were right to be upset with because what he did was wrong, and he had no justification for hitting you!” She yelled, becoming agitated. 

“Thank you, Uraraka.” I expressed my gratitude toward her. As our relationship grew, I told her the whole story of the cruelty my father, the number two hero, inflicted on my family and me. I was correct to know that I could trust her. Every time I voiced my grievance with that bastard, all I got from her was love and consolation. 

I can tell she will make a fantastic hero one day because she is a very sympathetic person. 

“Are you sure you don’t want to report him to the police?” It makes sense that she would ask the same question again in light of what transpired today. 

“Like I said, who’s going to believe us when we tell them that Endeavor is an abuser? They’ll write it off as false allegations.” This time I provided a different response to her query. 

“They’ll have to believe one of his children!” She retorts back, frowning. 

“Nope! They’ll write me off for talking crazy. Who’s to say he won’t use his influence to avoid consequences even in the event that we do report him?” 

Uraraka quiets down and puts her head on her knees at my clap back. “So what? Are you just going to give up now?” 

“Hell no.” 

“Huh? But you can’t get into the entrance exams because your application was rejected!” When I merely gave her a simple reply, she regarded me with wide eyes. 

“So I’ll find another way. I’m not gonna let that bastard win. I’ll attend another hero school if I’m not accepted to UA. Remember Shiketsu? I’ve also heard kids without quirks can apply.” 

“But that means we won’t be going to the same school.” She pouts miserably at that knowledge. 

“It can’t be helped. We will still be able to train together and hang out on the weekends.” I gave her a quick shoulder pat before moving away. “Talking about training, we can work together to prepare for the entrance exams. I want to try these two weapons that I found on the beach.” 

“The beach?” 

“The one with all the junk littered there.” 

“Oh!” She recognizes it instantly, and her brown eyes slant. “It’s kind of awful, you know, that nobody would try to clean it up, not even heroes.” 

“It’s also a shame that people throw their belongings there as well. You can find some decent things that are still functional; some just require thorough cleaning.” I added. 

“Maybe we should go to the beach tomorrow.” 

I was amazed and laughed at her response. Given her financial situation, it’s incredible that Uraraka is able to maintain her positive attitude. 

She tells me. “It’s getting late,” as she peers out her window. “We should head to bed since tomorrow is going to be a busy day.” 

“Yeah.” I agreed with her. “I’ll sleep on the floor.” 

“Nope!” She turned down my request. “Sleep in my bed instead of the floor; it’s getting way too cold!” 

I hesitated. “Are you sure? I don’t want to take too much space.” 

“You worry too much, [Name]-chan! It’ll be fine!” 

“If you say so.” 

[!-!]

Uraraka lets out a brief scream as she falls to her butt. I give her a smug smile and point my naginata in her direction. The following day, we were preparing for the entrance exams. It is agreed that I will attempt to get into Shiketsu while she takes the UA exam. 

“You’ll have to try harder than that, Uraraka.” 

“I’m not giving up, yet!” She stood up and attempted to touch me once more, but I was able to knock her down again with a quick swipe and a blow to the back with the blunt end of my weapon.

“This is hard. I don’t want to use my quirk to hurt people.” 

“I understand you don’t want to hurt anyone, but even if you plan on becoming a support hero, it wouldn’t hurt to learn a little combat.” I said, putting my weapon over my shoulder. 

“I know, because what happens when I’m in trouble and there’s no one around to save me?” On the grass, she sits up straight. 

“Atta girl. When you train, you should be asking yourself that question.” A smile spread across my face as I extended my hand to her. 

“Want to give it another go?” 

After giving me a brief glance, she nods resolutely and exclaims, “Yeah!” She grabs my hand and gets to her feet. My phone started ringing at that very moment, so I took it out of my pocket. I grimaced as I saw the contact user.

Upon noticing my look, Uraraka frowned and inquired softly, “Is that him?” 

“Yeah. Wonder what he wants.” After entering my passcode, I hit the call button. “What do you want?” I wasted no time asking the moment I put my phone against my ear. 

“Your UA application was appealed.” 

I was uninterested in getting excited about the news; I wasn’t sure if that was what he wanted. “Oh yeah? Why? Had a change of heart or something?” 

“I will stand by my decision to not let you go. I want you to realize how much of a failure you are and that, despite what you would like to think, you will never be able to surpass me.” 

“Suck it, old man!” I gave a sigh and ended the call. Uraraka, who had a distressed look on her adorable face, was looking at me when I turned back to face her. 

“So? What did he say?” 

I smiled at her tiredly and sighed. “Same old, same old, but it seems that I don’t have to go to Shiketsu after all.” 

She gasped and ran over to hug me with a huge smile on her face. “Yay! We should go celebrate! I was thinking of that buffet restaurant down the street!” 

I could tell she just wanted to escape training, but I’ll let is slide for now because her excited face makes me happy. 

“Sounds good. I’m gonna give their vanilla milkshake a try.” 

[!-!]

It was my turn to take the practical exam after I breezed through the written portion. Fuyumi was kind enough to give me a send-off. I didn’t see my shitty old man, but I passed by him one day. Although we didn’t look at each other, I could hear him mockingly scoff at the joy I was experiencing after passing the written exam. He is free to believe whatever he wants, but eventually I will surpass him, forcing him to acknowledge me. 

“Natsuo called to tell me he would be staying over tonight.” Fuyumi told me while I was zipping up my jacket. 

“Hm.” I haven’t seen him in a long time. We only ever receive calls from him. Though I kept a straight face, I was secretly relieved that I would be seeing him again tonight. I miss him. 

“He said he wants to support you as his big brother. I think… he’s feeling guilty for not being there for you and Shoto.” Her smile was somber. 

“He shouldn’t blame himself,” I said with a frown. “It’s understandable why he doesn’t want to be here. I could never ask for more than just knowing he stands by me.” 

“[Name]…!” With tears in her eyes, Fuyumi whimpers. “You’re going to do great!” She exclaimed, wiping away her tears and beaming at me.

“However, please be careful!” 

“I will.” I smiled back at her and pulled open the front door. “I’m off.” 

“Good luck!” 

I heard her support from behind as soon as I left the house. Just as I was ready to move forward, a monotone voice I recognized stopped me. 

“[Name].” It was my brother Shoto standing there not too far away from me. I forgot to mention that he got recommended by our father for UA and had to take the exam for recommended students. It’s no surprise when he revealed the news to us that he got in. It made me slightly envious. 

Now, he’s facing me while standing outside in the cold and flaunting his muscles in a black t-shirt. He has our father’s quirk to keep him warm, so while I would be worried, I’m not. 

“Is there something you need? You better tell me right away, or I’ll be late for the exam.” My sheathed naginata was beginning to slide off my shoulder, so I repositioned it over my shoulder. 

“Good luck.” 

“…. HUH?!” For an instant, his words caused my mind to temporarily shut down. “Shoto, say that again! Shoto!” 

However, he was already making his way back inside the house without saying anything. I stood silently, taking in what he had said. Ever since our mother splashed boiling water all over his face and our father trained him severely every day, he has been distant and reticent. He doesn’t socialize with anyone at school, and I’m afraid that once he gets to UA, he won’t do any better. 

While it’s not terrible, our relationship isn’t what it was when we were younger. These days, they consist of quick talks while he is kept in that room honing his abilities to exceed All Might. He just said those words to me, and I experienced an unfathomable wave of happiness that gave me more motivation to perform well on the exam today. I don’t want to let myself, mother, or my siblings down if I don’t succeed. So, keeping that in mind, I made my way to UA. 

Simply put, the media does this school no justice. Upon closer inspection, it seemed larger. A large group of students congregated in my vicinity. They were in the same position as me. 

‘I’m supposed to meet Uraraka here. Don’t tell me she went inside already.’ I’m going to pinch her soft cheeks as a punishment. 

“[Name]-chan! Over here!” There she was calling out my name and waving over to me. She was with… the quirkless broccoli boy who disregarded the heroes warning and dashed in to save his friend from the slime villain. The boy who rekindled my desire to become a hero. 

“I thought you went inside without me, Uraraka.” I played it cool and walked over to them. 

“Whaat?! I would never do that! We promised to take the exam together!” She looked me, betrayed. 

“And we’re going to finish together. Come on, we need to get the best seats before anyone else does.” 

“Okaay.” After complaining, Uraraka turned to face the bashful boy and grinned sweetly, saying, “Good luck to the both of us!” 

“See ya.” As we walked away, I gave him a wave. We went inside the school to our assigned room, and as soon as we kept a perfect distance from him, I let go of may façade. I mumbled to her, squeezing my face in shame, “Aaaah! How embarrassing! I didn’t even thank him because I was trying so hard to be cool!” 

“There, there.” She gave me a sympathetic back rub. “Think of the bright side; you can thank him later if we pass and are able to attend the same class.” 

“Y-You’re right! All the more reason to pass!”

There were already children in the classroom my age when we walked in. While we waited for others to arrive, we talked about the boy and took a seat in the middle. 

“So that’s him, huh? He sure looks wimpy for someone who rushed in to save his friend from a villain.” Uraraka noted. 

“Really? Since I last saw him, he appears to have gained some muscle.” I answered her back. 

“He seems nice! If we get in, I hope we can become friends!” Her head is in the palm of her hand as she smiles. 

“Me too. He seems like someone Shoto will get along with.” The last bit was mumbled by me. 

As more children began to arrive, the space quickly filled up. The voice hero Present Mic then entered the room as our presenter. 

“For all you listeners tuning in for today… Welcome to my show! Everybody say, “Hey!”

Despite his attempts to elicit excitement from us, the entire room remained silent. 

‘Talk about a tense atmosphere.’ I scanned the crowd around me. 

“What a refined response.” With a shiver of disappointment, he reverted to his happy-go-lucky self. “Then I’ll quickly present to you the rundown on the practical exam! Are you ready? Yeah!” 

Again, silence. 

“As it says in the application requirements, you listeners will be conducting ten-minute mock urban battles after this!” 

Then the screen switched to show several locations. 

“You can bring whatever you want with you. After the presentation, you will head to the specified battle center, okay?” 

There was silence once more as everyone, including myself, focused on the paper we were given, which included our picture and location. 

“Okay?!”

”Our areas are different!” Glancing between her paper and mine, Uraraka whispered to me. 

“I see they don’t want us working together. They want us to see how each of us fare on our own.” I give her an explanation so that she would comprehend. 

“Well, that sucks. Are you going to be okay?” 

She’s asking me that, and I understand. I’ll be in more danger than the others because I’m quirkless, but this was not an arrogant question—rather, it was one of concern. 

“I’ll be fine. I don’t intend on losing.” 

This time, the screen changed once more to reveal the fictitious city and the so-called villains that we would all be battling. 

“There different types of faux villains are stationed in each battle center. You earn points for each of them based on their level of difficulty. Your goal, dear listeners, is to use your quirks to earn points by immobilizing the faux villains. Of course, attacking other examinees and any other unheroic actions are prohibited!” 

“May I ask a question?!” A man raised his hand to inquire. 

“Okay!” Present Mic gives him the all-clear by pointing at him. 

He was a tall boy with short, dark blue hair and red eyes who was illuminated by the light. Pointing to the sheet of paper with the villains’ pictures on it, he stands. “On the printout, there are four types of villains. If that is a misprint, then UA, the most prominent school in Japan, should be ashamed of that foolish mistake!” 

“What a stuck up.” Uraraka gives a sheepish laugh, and I roll my eyes. 

“We examinees are here in this place because we wish to be molded into exemplary heroes. In addition, you over there with the curly hair—“

I see him point to the boy who saved me. 

“You’ve been muttering this whole time. It’s distracting! If you’re here on a pleasure trip, then you should leave immediately!” 

“I’m sorry!” He covered his mouth in shame. 

‘I definitely don’t want him in the same class as me. Me and him aren’t going to get along.’ I scowled as I heard other teenagers laughing all around me. Who calls someone out and puts them under pressure just for showing excitement? A dickhead, that’s who. 

“Okay, okay, Examinee Number 7111. Thanks for the great message.” Present Mic smiles and gives him a thumbs up. “The fourth type of villain is worth zero points. That guy’s an obstacle, so to speak.

There’s one in every battle center—an obstacle that will go crazy in narrow spaces. It’s not impossible to defeat, but there’s no reason to defeat it either. I recommend that you listeners try to avoid it.” He explains to the audience. 

“Thank you very much! Please excuse the interruption!” He bowed and sat back down in his seat. 

“I see…” 

“It’s like the obstacles you avoid in video games, huh?” 

“The whole thing is like a video game.” 

“That’s all from me! Finally, I’ll give you listeners a present: our school motto! The hero Napoleon Bonaparte once said: “A true hero is someone who overcomes life’s misfortunes.” Go beyond, Plus Ultra! Now, everyone, good luck suffering!” 

I said goodbye to Uraraka and good luck as I boarded the bus that would transport me to my destination after changing into my sportswear. Though I never got the chance to speak to the broccoli boy. I took a seat and looked at each person. Everyone else appeared generic, with the exception of the girl with bright orange hair and green eyes and the boy who stands out with shoulder-length black hair and prominent red eyes. 

‘That doesn’t give me the right to judge them, though. They may have impressive quirks, unlike me, who has none.’ My status clearly put me at a disadvantage, and all I had to rely on to pass the practical exam was my naginata. ‘Fortunately, saving lives still earns points, so I should concentrate all of my efforts on that.’ It wasn’t my first choice because I wanted to fight the robots, but I had no other option because going in blindly would be suicide. 

Before long, the bus pulled up, and I got off along with the other riders. “It looks like a real city.” 

The fake city in front of me made me ogle. They did a good job. I wait in anticipation for the green light. 

”Okay! Start!!” 

We all looked toward the speaker in disbelief. That’s it? That’s all you’re going to say?

”What’s wrong?! There are no countdowns in real fights! The die has been cast, you know!”

[!-!]

One person in all black is observing from the back of the room where the faculty is gathered. His long, disheveled black hair was the center of attention for just one girl. The girl with [red/white/mix of both] was trying her hardest to rescue the teenagers who were hurt or trapped beneath the debris. 

“Still not on board with my decision, Aizawa.” With a composed smile, Nezu, the principal, questioned him. 

“Despite my dislike for him personally, Endeavor makes a valid point. A person without a quirk has no chance of becoming a hero.” He was sincere in his statement. 

“I disagree. Anyone can become a hero. Simply put, to become a hero, a person without a quirk will have to put in more effort than the typical person with a quirk. In the end, it was Endeavor who filed an appeal against her application. We ought to honor his desire to give her another chance, in my opinion. 

Who knows, perhaps she will reveal something to us that we have never seen before.” Nezu offered his perceptive assessment. 

Aizawa said nothing, remaining fixated on her. 

Chapter Text

Chapter 3: Starting Line!

”Thank you!” 

“No problem.” After being saved, the girl who [Name] had assisted in rescuing returned to fighting robots. She was the only one in her area not fighting the faux villains and racking up points. If this was a video game, she would be in last place. She was envious of the quirks they were using. 

If only she had a quirk that would make her a fighter. If only she hadn’t been born quirkless. A weapon has limited power if the person wielding it lacks talent. To get rid of these negative thoughts about herself, she shakes her head. 

‘Focus on the task at hand! I shouldn’t be thinking these thoughts on the battlefield!’ 

One of the faux villains landed in front of her just as she was ready to get back to her original mission of saving and rescuing people. With her feet firmly planted, she shielded her face from the wind that threatened to carry her away by using her naginata. 

‘Great! Just my luck!’ 

She can see the robot aiming to shoot at her by narrowing her eyes. It’s either that or death, so her only option is to fight. She shifts her naginata into an attack stance by raising her heels slightly off the ground. It was like time slowed down. The black-haired boy who was riding the same bus as her enters and finishes the robot for her just as she is ready to swing, getting himself the point. 

‘That bastard!!’ On the side of her head, a vein appeared. 

“Sorry about that! Are you okay?” He apologizes and extends his hand to her, but she surprises him by slapping it away. The girl he had just rescued was furious. 

“What the hell is your problem?!” 

“Huh? What do you mean?!” 

“You just stole my kill, you idiot! It was exactly where I wanted it to be until you came in!”

”Oh.” 

Now everything made sense. He hurried to help her without thinking because he felt she needed saving, but now that he saw how her knees were bending and how her weapon was positioned, he realized that, had he not stolen her kill, she was going to attack the faux villain. He also realized that he had gotten the point instead of her. 

“I’m so sorry!” He bows down at her, hoping that she will accept his apology. 

Despite being shocked by his behavior, [Name] couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. The fact that he’s acting like a dog who bows his head at his owner out of guilt or a desire to make amends for misbehaving makes her angry—and she has every right to be angry, as this was her opportunity to truly prove herself. Plus, she’s a sucker for cute things. 

“Whatever. I don’t have time to stand here and chat right now.” She turns away from him and starts to leave, but she is abruptly stopped by his voice calling out to her. She turns her head slightly and notices that he is grinning, his red eyes gleaming brightly. 

“Let me help you!” 

“Hah? Help with what?” 

“Getting you points of course! You want to get into UA, right?”

When he punched them together, [Name] saw that his hands had hardened. She realized right away that it was his quirk. “You can harden yourself…” 

“Yeah, I can harden any part of my body. Pretty useful, huh?” He smiles at her with reassurance. 

She quickly gives up after realizing how tenacious he is. “Fine! You can help me! Just don’t get in my way.” 

“Awesome!” He introduces himself and extends one hand for her to shake. “My name is Kirishima Eijiro! What’s yours?” 

She does not take his hand, feeling hesitant. Nothing good ever comes from her revealing her relationship to Endeavor, but she can’t pass the exam if she continues to be hostile to the only person willing to assist her. 

“Todoroki… [Name].” 

There was a pause in the atmosphere. Kirishima needed a few seconds to realize that his companion had revealed her relationship to Japan’s second-best hero. 

“Cool! You do look similar to him!” 

The moment she swung her weapon at him, that smile vanished from his face. He looked into her piercing, hateful, angry eyes, and his forehead went blue. 

“Don’t ever compare me to that bastard!!” 

“Okay, okay! I’m sorry! Calm down, alright!” 

[Name] gives him a suspicious look and draws back her weapon. “Let’s get going. We’re wasting time just standing around here.” She takes the lead and moves ahead of him. 

He wanders silently behind, lost in thought. That seemed like an odd response to hear her father mentioned. Perhaps the hero work he’s been doing has caused tension in their relationship. Is her family life not what he had assumed it was? If that’s the case, he should immediately apologize for crossing her boundaries. Oh! He wants to ask her another question, but he has to be careful not to irritate her further. 

“So… why do you want to become a hero?”

With her back turned to him, she suddenly stopped walking and said, “It’s not some noble goal like you probably have.” 

“It’s cool! Everyone’s here trying to become a hero for different reasons!” Kirishima didn’t care whether her reason was noble or not. After all, every kid currently taking the exam wants to be a hero for numerous reasons. Fame, money, and exposure. 

Women. Why should hers be any different when all of these can be characterized as self-serving or lacking in noble intent? All he wants to do is learn more about her. 

She turns to face him, her gaze fixed. “I’m going to surpass my father. All my life, I’ve been mocked and discarded as trash because I was born quirkless. My brother has the quirk that he’s been vying for, so he pays more attention to him. His attention is always on him.

In his eyes, I don’t even exist.” 

As she said those words, Kirishima could hear the growl of contempt, and her knuckles whitened from gripping the weapon’s handle so tightly. He was aware of the discrimination quirkless people face, and this is unfortunately another disadvantage of being born without a quirk. Endeavor was not the nicest hero, but he never expected the hero to treat his daughter this way. There was nothing he could say to cheer her up, so he apologized for even asking the question. 

“There’s nothing for you to apologize for. The question was bound to come up since we’re at UA taking the exam. It’s only natural to want to know more about your potential classmates.” 

“You sure seem calm about this.” He made a comment on her demeanor. 

“I had an argument with him one night and let all my frustration out, so I have nothing to be angry about. Heh. I’m going to enjoy the look on his face when I become a hero.” [Name] gave him another look and said, smiling this time. 

“Th-That’s so manly!!” 

“Why are you crying?!” He started crying out of the blue, which shocked her. 

“It’s just… You have such an inspiring goal! The underdog rising from the ashes, trying to prove everyone that you can become a hero even without a quirk! And I’ll be the one to help you achieve your goal!” 

They bolt onto the battlefield as he grabs her hand. Given that they are complete strangers, [Name] is perplexed as to why he is taking such a strong interest in her. She was truly stumped. 

‘We’re not even friends or classmates.’ 

They used their time to aid others and defeat robots. A boy was freed when [Name] lifted the debris trapping him. 

“Thank you so much!” The boy thanked her. 

“No problem.” She watches him run back into the field before returning her attention to Kirishima and asking, “How’s it going over there?” 

“Great!” He grins at her after taking out the robot that was bothering the boy she had just rescued. He meets her and asks, “Were you keeping track of the points you received?” 

“Nope.” 

“Me neither. That sucks. I wanted to know how many points we got.” 

“Doesn’t matter. We’ll find out when we get our letter. For now, we should focus on getting as many points as possible since time is almost up.” 

“Yeah, but…” Placing his hands on his hips, Kirishima looked around the exam site. Like them, the other examinees defeated the robots, leaving the area they were in barren. “There’s nothing left for us to take out.” 

“And the exam is almost over.” With a click of her tongue, she answered. 

He sees the doubtful expression on her face and slaps her on the back to cheer her up. “Hey, cheer up! With the way you’ve been fighting today, I’m sure UA will let you in!” 

Even though she has serious doubts, she can’t bring herself to tell him, so she manages a tiny smile and says, “Thanks. Since there is nothing more than we can do, let’s head back to where we arrived.” 

“Got it!” He grinned. 

The ground beneath her feet began to tremble as she turned on her heels and started to walk back. Kirishima stopped walking and looked down, sensing it too. 

“An earthquake?” 

They felt the tremble again at that point, only it was more intense. A massive shadow engulfed them, demolishing the buildings in the vicinity. Screaming in fear at the threat that faced them, everyone in the vicinity fled. Upon seeing the zero pointer robot, Kirishima became motionless. 

‘Again… it’s happening again…’ His old memories of being too afraid to protect his fellow middle school students from a villain reappeared in his mind. 

“Kirishima!” 

Before the zero pointer could have instantly killed him by slamming its fist into the ground, [Name] pulled on the collar of his shirt and pulled him away. It was just enough of an attack to send small amounts of debris and a gust of wind their way. 

“So this is the zero pointer Present Mic was talking about?!” 

“The fourth type of villain is worth zero points. That guy’s an obstacle, so to speak. There’s one in every battle center—an obstacle that will go crazy in narrow spaces.” 

“It’s not impossible to defeat, but there’s no reason to defeat it either. I recommend that you listeners try to avoid it.” 

‘We don’t have the quirk to defeat this thing. Our best option is to retreat and let someone with the necessary quirk defeat it. It’s worth zero points, so we don’t need to fight it.’ 

She makes her decision and shouts at Kirishima, who stands motionless and blank-eyed next to her, “Kirishima! We’re retreating!” He doesn’t respond, and she calls his name again. “Kirishima!” He still doesn’t respond. 

‘Dammit! We don’t have time for this!’ She roughly grabs his t-shirt and forces him to run away. 

While running, she thinks to herself, ‘Damn it! What’s with him?! He wasn’t like this earlier! Did something happen in the past that triggered this response?” 

“You two!! Over here!!” 

[Name] quickly looks to the right, where she perceives the woman’s voice calling out to them. It was the girl with the orange hair that she rode the bus with. She was holed up in one of the ruined structures. 

“Hurry!!!” 

She pulls Kirishima over to where the girl is, and they both jump inside the gray building together while avoiding the flying debris. They just barely escaped the zero pointer’s next attack. Another individual is inside as well. Next to her, he was cowering. His hair was short and blonde, with a black lightning streak on the left side of his fringe. 

“That was a close one, huh? Are you guys hurt?” Her face was full of concern as she asked. 

“No, but…” [Name] glanced at Kirishima, who continues to remain unresponsive to his surroundings. 

‘It’s like he’s shut down…’ 

“Kirishima!” 

She wakes him up from his stance with a shout and a snap of her fingers. He scans the room and sees [Name] and two other strangers he has never seen before. 

“Are you okay? You completely froze back there.” He has never seen her look so concerned as she does now. 

“Uh, yeah… that zero pointer… It just brought back bad memories, that’s all.” Placing his hand on his forehead, he spoke. 

Her confusion had grown. “Bad memories? Has this happened before?” 

“Sorta, but this isn’t the time to dwell upon it right now.” He turned his gaze to the girl who saved them and said, “You saved us, right? Thanks, um…” 

“Kendō Itsuka.” The girl with bright orange hair gave her name. 

“And you? What’s your name?” Kirishima smiles kindly at the blonde, who is cowering. 

“… Kaminari Denki.” After a brief silence, he responded. 

“Nice to meet you both! I’m Kirishima Eijiro!” 

“[Name].” 

Kendō raised her brow and asked, “No last name?” 

[Name] glances away from her, saying, “I prefer not to say. Your opinion of me might change.” 

Though she is now curious, she won’t pursue the topic due to [Name]’s apparent discomfort. “So, now that we’ve all introduced ourselves… what’s the plan? Me and him.” She gestured to Kaminari, explaining that although they were also attempting to flee the zero pointer, its unrelenting assault forced them into hiding. She was the one who prevented him from being crushed as well. 

“Retreating honestly sounds like the best option right now. This robot is worth zero points anyways, so it’s not like we’re missing out on any points.” [Name] made a suggestion, and she can see Kaminari nodding ferociously in agreement. 

“You do have a point.” Kendō approved of her plan as well. 

“What about you, Kirishima?” 

He sensed [Name]’s patient gaze as she waited for him to respond to her query. “I say we fight,” he says, looking down at his left hand and clenching it into a fist. 

The two girls were taken aback by his audacious declaration, but Kaminari took him by the shoulders and began shaking him around. 

“ARE YOU CRAZY?! HAVE YOU SEEN THAT THING?! ONE WRONG MOVE AND WE’RE ALL DEAD!!” 

“It’s better than letting it roam around destroying everything! Think about the people it could hurt!” He yells and pushes his hand away. 

“I UNDERSTAND THAT! BUT IT’S ALSO BETTER TO KNOW OUR LIMITS!” Kaminari yells back. 

After seeing their back-and-forth argument, Kendō speaks up. “I agree. We should stop it from causing even more harm to others.” 

“Not you too!” Kaminari whimpered. Then he turns to confront the last person who could possibly disagree that this is a dumb idea. “You agree with me, right? Tell them this is a stupid idea!” 

“It’s not like I didn’t expect this coming from you, but…” [Name] is speaking to Kirishima with a dejected expression on her face. “I can’t fight like you and Kendō. I’m quirkless, remember? That automatically puts me at a disadvantage.” 

“So you’re scared?” He asks indifferently, his unwavering gaze fixed on her. 

“Yeah. I am scared.” She looks into his crimson eyes, and she admits it. 

Her answer makes him think of something Crimson Riot used to say about being afraid before he died. 

He replies to her in all sincerity, saying, “It’s okay to be scared. It’d be weirder if you weren’t. The same was true for my hero, Crimson Riot.” 

“Huh. Crimson Riot. Haven’t heard that name in a long time.” Kaminari stated. 

“You’ve heard of him, too?!” With gleeful sparkles in his eyes, he turns to face the boy and is about to go off on a tangent about how great the hero was when he stops himself and turns back to [Name], who tenses up. “Anyways! He said something during an interview that resonated with me!” 

“And what did he say?” She asked, interested in the former hero’s response. 

“Of course I get scared! Ain’t no one out there who faces down death without fear. Only idiots and [censored]!”

”Back in my sidekick days… there were some lives I coulda save but didn’t. I remember. You could hardly be blamed for that. And now, with rocketing crime rate everywhere… That ain’t it!” 

“I hesitated for a second, see. It was my weak spirit that doomed those folks. Villains are scared of dying too! But I know something scarier than death… a person’s final expression, frozen in place. The pain I couldn’t prevent. It’s because I’ve seen that… that I keep diving into danger.” 

“You may not think it, but you have the same spirit as Crimson Riot. You may be different from us, but so what? That didn’t stop you from grabbing my hand and pulling me to safety when I froze back there. It’s okay to be scared. Many of us are, but what matters is that you continue to help people even when faced with danger.

Isn’t that why we all applied to be heroes?” 

Kirishima’s inspiring speech resonated with her. It reminded her of the day when that quirkless, green-haired boy rushed in to confront the sludge villain in order to save his friend, ignoring the heroes’ warnings. He was completely terrified, but he still managed to fight, even distracting the villain with school supplies until All Might arrived. He was the one who rekindled her dream of becoming a hero. 

“So… are you with me?” Kirishima outstretched his hand, waiting for her to take it. 

“I just met you today, and you’re already a pain in the ass.” [Name] sighs and takes his hand, but this time with a smirk on her face. 

‘Dammit! That was so cool!’ Kaminari was struck by how profoundly moving that speech was. He gets angry at Kirishima for receiving all the attention from the girls and gets up at being ignored. “Oh! Alright! I’ll join you guys, okay?!”

”Great!” Kendō happily exclaims. “Oh, right! Before we come up with a plan, we should share what our quirks are.” 

[!-!]

The zero pointer continued to rage until it noticed three individuals running in its direction. Expanding her two hands, Kendō leads the charge. 

“My quirk is very simple. I can enlarge both of my hands.” She makes an indication by enlarging her fist slightly. 

“Woah! Cool!” Kirishima let out an amazed cry. 

“Got it. You’ll be the one leading. You take out the legs.” [Name] demanded. 

With a battle cry, she punches off the legs, knocking them over. 

“Alright! I got the legs! Now we take out the arms!” 

“Right!” [Name] and Kirishima both let out simultaneous shouts. The Todoroki steadies her naginata as they approach by spinning it around and positioning. 

“You ready for this?” He asks with a tinge of concern in his voice as he looks at her. 

“Yeah. I’m sick of waiting for someone to take action while I stand by the sidelines.” Her [turquoise/gray] eyes narrowed as she answered. 

“After we take out the legs, we’ll go for the arms next. Even though the legs are gone, the zero pointer can still attack. It still has its arms, which fire those lasers. Kendō, you take the right arm. Kirishima and I got the left.” 

“Here it comes!” He warns as the zero pointer prepares to shoot a laser beam while its body is on the ground. She raised her weapon, and he hardened his hands. Together, they instantly destroyed its arm to the point where it is no longer able to shoot laser beams. 

“We did it!” He gave a preemptive cheer. 

“It’s not over yet! Kendō!”

”I took out the other arm!” Running up to them, she shouts. 

“Good! Finish it off, Kaminari!” [Name] screamed, and everyone moved out of the way of the blonde’s impending attack. 

He stood in the middle, recalling what she told him before they carried out the plan. 

“Based on the lightning streak in your hair, you have an electric quirk.” [Name] easily deduced. 

He nods and says, “It’s just a simple electric quirk. I can generate electricity and cover my body with it. I can also emit it from a distance, but I have no control over it.” 

“How many volts can you generate?” 

“1.3 million. That’s my limit.” 

“Got it. Then you’ll be the one to finish off the zero pointer. You’ll be the main star of this fight!’ 

Kaminari chuckles to himself. ‘Heh.To think that a cute girl would have this much faith in me. I’ll need to get her number later.’ Electric sparks flow around him. 

“HERE IT GOES! 1.3 MILLION VOLTS!!” He releases a large amount of electricity, which causes an explosion and immobilizes the zero pointer. 

“That’s it! The exam is over!!” As they regrouped, Present Mic yelled over the intercom. 

“Alright! We did it!” Happily shouting, Kendō gave Kirishima and [Name] high fives. 

“Damn right, we did!” 

Whereas [Name] was more hesitant, he gave the high five back. She was not used to this kind of friendly interaction, aside from Uraraka. 

‘Speaking of Uraraka… I wonder how she did on the exam.’ She pondered, wishing her friend had performed better than she had on the test. She would give her exam performance an average rating if she had to. But now it was up to Present Mic and the faculty as a whole to decide if her performance merited her admission to UA.

Still in a good mood, Kendō went to give Kaminari a high five, but hesitated when she saw his expression. He looked so goofy, and he was giggling uncontrollably. 

“Are you okay? You look… worn out.” She asked him, worried. 

He gives them a thumbs-up, indicating that he’s alright, and giggles. 

“Must be a side effect of using his quirk.” [Name] said. 

Kirishima, meanwhile, suppressed his laughter because making fun of your teammates is a bad example of sportsmanship. Any kid who was injured was attended to by on-call medics. 

Nezu smiles at the Todoroki on screen, who overcame the obstacles and, with cooperation, defeated the zero pointer robot. 

“So what do you think, Aizawa? I think she did well considering she has no quirk.” 

Aizawa remained silent, but the principal could tell that [Name] had made an impression on him because of the glint in his dull black eyes.

Chapter Text

[!-!]

The exams were finally over. I waited outside the school for Uraraka so we could walk home together like we always do. She told me there was something she needed to do and that I could go on without her. I declined and said I’m with waiting on her, as I’m not in a rush to return home at the moment.

”You can go on without me, [Name]-chan! I’m going to go find a staff member! There’s something I want to ask them!”

”Eh? You’ll wait for me?! Thanks! I promise it won’t take long!”

I crossed my arms and pondered. ‘I wonder what’s so important that she needs to talk to faculty about.’

”Yo!” Abruptly, I heard someone shout out to me. I turned to look at Kendō, who was approaching me with her typical composed smile.

”Kendō…”

The last I saw of her, she was accompanying Recovery Girl and Kaminari to the nurse’s office.

”How’s Kaminari doing?” I asked her as she stopped in front of me.

”He’s okay, but it’s going to take a while until he’s back to normal. Recovery Girl already called his parents to come pick him up.”

”I see.” I’m glad he’s okay. Stupid, but okay.

”Man… That entrance exam was tough, but I’m glad that everyone made it through safely.” She exhales, exhausted. “I wonder if the recommendations exams were like this too.”

”It’s… very different from the one we took today. From what my brother told me, he had to take a written test, a practical test, and then complete an interview. All he had to do for the practical exam was race through a three-kilometer obstacle course with his quirk.” I explained to her.

”Woah!” Her green eyes were star-struck. “Your brother must be pretty strong for him to get recommended by a pro.”

If only she knew that it was dear old dad who was the one who recommended Shoto for UA. It’s not that he didn’t deserve it. He is stronger than me. However, this strange feeling in my gut persisted. I’m familiar with this emotion because I’ve struggled with it since I was a young child.

Jealousy. Whether it’s for his quirk or something else like his intelligence, every time someone compliments Shoto, I get jealous. In the meantime, I get little appreciation and instead get beaten down by my father or met with pitying glances from my peers because I was born with no quirk. I’m aware of the struggles he faced because I was there, but I want someone to view me in the same light as Endeavor does. An expression of satisfaction and pride.

”Oh! But that’s not to say you’re aren’t pretty strong yourself!”

”Huh?” I looked up at Kendō in pure confusion.

”The way you sliced through that zero-pointer’s arm with just a measly weapon was incredible. And your leadership skills were top-notch! It’s amazing how you were able to quickly come up with a plan after we explained our quirks to you!” She nods her head up and down, impressed, while her arms are crossed.

”I-I wouldn’t go that far… I’ll be surprised if I get into class 1-C at best.”

What the heck?! What the hell is wrong with me? The moment I actually receive praise, I get all flustered?!

”You’re being too hard on yourself! You did fine!” She gave me a comforting pat on the back before her phone started to ring. She looks at her phone for a moment before closing it. “I have to get going. My parents are waiting for me at home.”

”See you later.”

”You too! I hope we both get into UA and maybe in the same class!” She waves at me while walking away from me, and I wave at her back until put my hand down once she’s farther away from the school.

Then another person came up to me. “Hey, [Name]!”

”Kirishima.” I acknowledged him.

”You on your way home?”

”Nah. I’m waiting on a friend. We usually walk home together.”

”Cool! I’ll wait with you!”

”You don’t have to—!” I was about to object when he cut me off.

”It’s lonely being by yourself, right?”

‘Did he just call me friendless?!’ I thought, feeling a little bit irked.

”Besides… I wanted to thank you.”

”Thank me?” I tilted my head to the side, wondering what he wanted to thank me for, until I remembered pulling him by the shirt when the zero pointer first appeared so he didn’t get crushed and dragging him to the safe area where Kendō and Kaminari were.

I waved both of my hands around, saying, “You don’t need to be thanking me! I was just doing what hopefully any sane person would do!”

”But still… freezing up like that in the middle of battle? That’s so unmanly!” Kirishima starts hitting himself on his hardened forehead, which concerns me. He really doesn’t need to go that far.

”That zero pointer… it just brought back bad memories, that’s all.”  Placing his hand on his forehead, he spoke.

I was reminded of what he said back there and asked about the bad memories that made him afraid of the zero pointer.

”Oh? That?” He stops hitting himself and gives me a sad smile. “It was something that happened in junior high.”

Kirishima then told me about his first encounter with a villain. He saw his fellow middle school classmates being threatened by that villain. He wanted to help them, but he found himself completely dominated by fear and silently watched another schoolmate save those students by giving the villain false directions.

”I was disappointed in myself for being a coward, and I was about to give up until I saw an old Crimson Riot video, which pushed me to keep going. Since then, I’ve been working hard not only to improve my quirk but also grow as a person. I don’t want to be the same cowardly man I was in the past.”

Hearing Kirishima discuss his goals gave me a fresh perspective on him. When I initially met him, I thought he was a complete moron. But it turns out…

”But man, did I slip back into my past self back there! Talk about being unmanly!”

”Cool.” Those words slipped from my mouth.

”What did you say?” He looked at me, puzzled.

“I said you’re so cool, Kirishima.”

”What?! Me?! Now you’re exaggerating!” He touches the back of his head, feeling embarrassed.

”I’m serious! It takes guts to change an aspect of yourself that you don’t like. It’s amazing!” I didn’t give up on praising him.

”Really? Well, I think you’re amazing, too.” He genuinely smiled at me.

Huh? It’s my turn to be perplexed now.

”There’s nothing amazing about me,” I said, shifting my sheathed naginata over my shoulder into a more comfortable posture. “Compared to my brother, I’m just a quirkless girl trying to get her father to notice her.”

”But that’s exactly why I find you so amazing, [Name].”

”Huh?” He had never called me by name before, until that moment.

He spoke candidly, meeting my eyes straight. “You continue even though you know the odds are stacked against you. You work hard because you want to disprove your father and those who put you down. You want to show them that someone without a quirk can become a hero. That inspires me more than anything else.”

Even though he’s holding me up like some sort of messiah, his words made me blush. 

I look away from him, feeling flustered. “Now you’re the one exaggerating! That hope of me becoming a hero was gone until a quirkless boy intervened to save his friend. If there is anyone to thank, it’s him.”

”Boy? Friend? Oh! You’re talking about the sludge incident!” His eyes light up in recognition. “Now that you mentioned it, I did see the blond guy show up earlier. He seemed in a bad mood, though.”

”Who knows?” I commented.

”[Name]-chan!” I turned behind me and saw Uraraka running towards me.

”I guess that’s my cue to leave!” Kirishima says, grinning at me with a sharp tooth grin. “It was great working with you today, [Name]. Here’s hoping we get to be in the same class together!”

As much as I wanted to be as enthusiastic as he was, I didn’t want to get my hopes up, so I replied, “Yeah. Here’s hoping.” My face was serene, so he couldn’t detect my concern over the thought of not being accepted into UA.

”See you later! The next time you’r gonna see me, I’ll be a changed man!” He declares.

Uraraka stops next to me and bows apologetically as he leaves.

”Sorry to make you wait, [Name]-chan! I didn’t mean too!”

”I already told you it’s fine. I wanted to wait for you.”

”If you say so.” She gets excited when she sees me talking to a guy as I waited for her. “So who was that guy you were talking to? Did you get a boyfriend? Already?!”

”He’s not my boyfriend. I just made a potential friend while taking the exam. I also made friends with two others.”

”Yay! I’m so proud of you!” Uraraka hugs me from the side with joy. “That means if we end up in different classes, you won’t be lonely!”

”That is true.”

As the day came to an end and the sun began to set, we headed home.

[!-!]

”Welcome back, [Name]!”

I expected Fuyumi to greet me the moment I opened the door, but not my older brother, Natsuo. He appears to have been here for quite some time, as he is dressed casually.

”Heh! Judging by your face, you expected Fuyumi but not your cool big brother, didn’t you?!” He confidently puffed his chest out. He immediately let out a moan of betrayal as I slouched past him and collapsed onto the couch.

”What?! No hug from your brother, who’s been staying at college all this time?!”

”I pooped.” I said as exhaustion took over my body. I would have gone to sleep right now if not for the aroma of my sister’s cooking. Natsuo approached me after shutting the door.

”Damn. You look rough.” He makes a comment on my appearance.

”The entrance exam was honestly brutal! I understand why people like me won’t take it. It’s tough if you don’t have a quirk.”

”You did your best! Now all you can do is rest up and wait for that UA letter to come, which probably won’t be until tomorrow or two.” Natsuo comforts me.

I immediately felt a chilly, wet cloth against my hair. I looked up and saw that the guy who had placed it on my head was Shoto.

”Thought you needed it… since you worked hard today.” He spoke, his gaze not meeting mine.

Still avoidant as ever, but I appreciate the kind gesture. I moved the towel over my forehead and groaned.

Our gazes met briefly, and I remarked, “You’re so lucky that you didn’t go through what I went through today! You had it easy compared to our entrance exam!”

Shoto responds, “I don’t know if I would call it easy.” He had a slight grimace on his face.

It seemed like he was recalling something terrible or annoying. I wanted to ask what happened at the recommendation exams that caused him to make that face, but I had more important question for Natsuo.

”Natsu.” I glanced in his direction. He was still standing.

Upon meeting my gaze, he asked, “What is it, [Name]-chan?”

I wanted to ask out of curiosity, even though it’s a tough topic to ask given how she has affected our family, especially Shoto.

”How is mom doing? Any word from her?”

After years of Mom being admitted to a psych ward, he and Fuyumi were the only members of my family who continued to visit her. I don’t know if my old man paid any visits to her, but knowing that he only cares about Shoto and surpassing All Might, probably not.

”Hmmm… she was doing well the last time I visited her.”

’I’m not surprised. Any place is better than this hellhole of a home.’

”But… She says she’d like to see you and Shoto, but she knows now is not the right time. She wants you to know that no matter what happens, she is proud of you both.” My brother’s eyes were sullen, yet they conveyed another emotion. Hope.

Our mother continues to love and care for us, even from a distance. She still has a deep love for her kids.

With the damp cloth remaining on my forehead, which has warmed up due to my body heat, I lift my fist to the ceiling. “Mom… Once I become a hero you can be proud of, I swear I’ll come see you.”

”Right, Shoto?” When I looked at him again, our eyes met. I thought he would agree with me, but he said nothing at all. I felt a pit in my stomach as the worst-case scenario occurred to me.

”Shoto… do you hate mom… for what she did to you?” I asked him cautiously and slowly.

”You know, I never hated her for what she’s done. It’s his fault she reacted like that. I just…” He looks away from me and says nothing more.

It’s not that I don’t understand his hesitation. I understand perfectly. While it would be fantastic to visit mom one day, Shoto is unsure whether she still resents his left side. I can also assume that mom has no idea if Shoto hates her for scarring his face unless Natsuo or Fuyumi tell her. I urgently want to see mom and Shoto, but I know I can’t force him to go.

He needs to make that decision for himself, and whatever he decides, I can only support both him and mom.

”Well… whenever you’re ready, we can go visit her together.” I expressed that sentiment to him.

”Thank you… [Name].”

”No problem.” I spotted his faint, small smile and sighed to myself. 

’I have such a difficult family. All because that jerk wants to have a child for his selfish reasons.’

”Hey, guys!” Fuyumi emerged from the kitchen, wearing an apron and smiling as usual. “Dinner’s ready!”

”About time!”

I pulled the warm towel from my head and stood up to join my siblings in the kitchen. Delicious food was set out on the table for us to consume.

”Holy cow, sis! This looks delicious!” Natsuo awed at the plates of food.

Fuyumi giggles at his reaction and says, “Make sure to eat all of it if you like it that much!”

”Will do!” He drools like a hungry animal. We all sat down at the table, and Natsuo took the first bite of a random dish. Then he took a second bite. The he reached for more.

”S-Slow down or you’re gonna choke!” Fuyumi warned and started preparing a cup of water in case he choked.

”I can’t help it! It’s just so good!”

Are those tears coming out of his eyes?

”Jeez!” Fuyumi groaned at his behavior but smiled anyway. In contrast, Shoto and I ate like civilized people. Dinner was enjoyable. I told them all about the entrance exam, and Natsuo related stories about his college experience.

”Oh wow! You’ve gotten yourself a girlfriend! Congratulations!” I exclaimed, holding my hand to my lips in disbelief.

”Yeah! She’s very cute! She’s very shy, but I find that to be adorable!” He fawns over his girlfriend.

I wonder whether I’ll act like that when I find a lover, because I’m seeing him act like a lovesick puppy. Of course not now, since my goal is to become a hero, but perhaps later on when I do achieve that goal.

“Awww… What’s with that look, [Name]-chan?” He gave me a mischievous smile as he prodded my cheek. “You worried about not getting a boyfriend? I understand. You’re at the age where you’re thinking about relationships. But if I have to say, you and that black-hair boy you mentioned would make a cute couple.”

I questioned whether Shoto was alright after noticing his rigid body out of the corner of my eye.

”Black-hair? You mean Kirishima? No way.” I immediately refuted his claim.

”But why?! Just think about it! The stoic girl and the all-around nice guy… it’s so cute!” Natsuo rocked in his seat, like a blushing a schoolgirl who’d just discovered love.

”It’s so cliche…”

The doorbell rang, and we all turned to face it with dread and caution. There’s no way he’s back this early from hero work.

”It’d better not be him. Dinner was going well, and I have no intention of meeting him.” Natsuo glared and spoke.

”Natsuo!” Fuyumi scolded him for his behavior, but it was clear that she was also concerned.

”I have to agree with Natsu. It’s always better when he’s not here.” I reached for the baked shrimp and said. Meanwhile, Shoto remained silent.

”Come on, guys!” Fuyumi whined and ran to get the door while we waited to see if it was him. Later, she rushes back into the kitchen, holding a letter. Her face was filled with urgency, and I believe I know why.

”[Name]! It’s from UA!”

It was exactly as I expected, yet I couldn’t shake the feeling of dread in my stomach. I hoped to mask the clear distress on my face as I stood up from my seat to retrieve the letter from her hand. My eyebrows wrinkled as I clutched the envelope in my fingers. I hesitated whether or not to open the letter, but I guess I should since my siblings are crowded around me.

”Come on! Open it already!”

”Please, [Name]! My heart can’t take this much stress!”

’Fine. I guess I need to face the music.’

Without hesitation, I tear open the envelope and can only pray that the announcement is full of good news. A holographic version of a mouse? A cat? A bear? Whatever the creature was, he appeared in the hologram.

”Hello! I bet you’re wondering, Who am I? Am I a cat? A mouse? A bear? It doesn’t matter because I’m the principal!”

THE PRINCIPAL OF UA HAS GRACED MY PRESENCE?! WHAT IS THIS SORCERY?!

My family was as astonished as I was.

”A letter from the principal? That’s rare.” Shoto commented.

Natsuo tousled my hair enthusiastically, shouting, “Look at you! All famous and shit! That’s my little sister for you!”

”I figured since I was the one who allowed quirkless students to take the entrance exam, I feel a sense of responsibility in telling you the results of your performance.”

The principal of UA, Nezu, explained, and then he displayed my face on the television screen within the area where he was making the announcement.

He points the screen and says, “If you’d like to indulge me with some history, this is the first time in UA that we’ve allowed students without quirks to take the entrance exam. Though yes, they are put at a disadvantage and have to work harder than students who possess quirks, I do believe that everyone deserves a chance to try. I do believe there is a possibility that a quirkless student can become a hero.”

”Principal Nezu…” I was inspired by his speech. He gave quirkless kids like me a chance because he believes that anyone can become a hero.

”With that being said, let’s get into your results!”

The horrible pit in my stomach returned.

”To start with, your combat points are lower than your rescue points, coming in at 10 points!” He announced with a calm smile on his face.

”Damn. That’s awful. Ouch!” Natsuo shrieked in pain when Fuyumi brutally elbowed him in the side for being rude.

”It’s okay. I knew that I didn’t do well in combat. Hard to fight robots when you have no quirk.” I tried not to panic because my only hope was that my rescue points were higher. However, Fuyumi saw the frown on my face as a dead giveaway that I wasn’t alright.

”[Name]…”

”However… there is something aspiring heroes like you should strive for if you want to become a hero.”

And that is?

It’s almost like he could hear my thoughts even though he was in a different location because he replied, “Cooperation and leadership.”

”Cooperation and leadership?” I slowly repeated.

Principal Nezu nods and says, “Yes. Cooperation and leadership. Todoroki [Name]. You may be quirkless, but you do have something your father lacks, and that is the ability to work with others and lead.”

When I received praise for something the old man lacked, I felt an unbelievable rush of happiness pour over me. And by the principal of UA, no less!

The screen next to him changes to reveal an image of myself, Kirishima, Kendō, and Kaminari in the location where we were hiding when the zero pointer was rampaging.

”I overheard the entire conversation between you four and was pleasantly surprised that you not only persuaded your group to work together, but you also came up with a plan right away after learning about their quirks. Bravo! It’s a trait I’d like to see in future heroes!”

”Does this mean…” I hear Fuyumi’s voice cracking.

”You have the potential to become a great hero! And so… Let me extend a warm welcome to the school of heroics!”

When the part poppers showered confetti behind him, I witnessed my sister burst into tears of joy over my success.

”Geez, sis! You’re crying too hard!” Natsuo hurried over to soothe her, although he was also on the verge of tears.

Meanwhile, I was too startled to talk. It happened. It finally happened. All of my hard work has paid off, and I can now pursue the dream I’ve always wanted. And better yet…

“I’ll be going to the same school as Shoto… I can finally stand on the same field as him…”

”Congratulations.”

“!”

Shoto heard me, as I was unable to conceal my excitement. It felt awkward, yet it felt good to receive his praise.

‘Now that bastard will have no choice but to look at me.’

[!-!]

Endeavor returned home late in the evening from hero work. All he wanted to do was get some sleep so he could be ready for more hero work tomorrow. The lights in the living room were turned off because all of his children were asleep, save for one. The flames on his face, beard, and parts of his costume illuminated the living room sufficiently for him to see the child who was still awake. His youngest daughter was siting on the couch, dressed in her pajamas.

It was almost like she was waiting for him to come home.

”It’s you. What are you doing up? Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”

[Name] said nothing more and just held out the letter from UA for him to take. Endeavor snatches the envelope from her hands and gazes down at it.

’Letter from UA, huh? It must be about her failure at the entrance exam.’ He thinks and presses the button that activates the holographic video, anticipating it to be about her failure.

[Name] watches him with an unreadable expression as she listens to hologram once more. It gave her sick pleasure to witness her father’s body quiver and the flames on his face climb up and down owing to the surprise and fury he is experiencing right now.

”What is the meaning of this?! How is this possible?!”

”How is this possible, indeed?” He turned his enraged gaze to his daughter, who stood up from the couch and began advancing toward him.

”The same quirkless girl you said would achieve nothing just passed the entrance exam. Heh. Even the principal saw potential in me. Something you didn’t see.” Despite her father’s visible fury, she halted in front of him and smiled.

”I said it once, and I’ll say it again. I’ll be the one to surpass you, father. And when that happens, you’ll be forced to look at me.  Forced to watch me.”

Chapter Text

[!-!]

[Name] adjusted her tie in the bathroom mirror of her room. As any teen entering high school for the first time, she wants to make a good impression. She styled her hair and made sure there were no pimples on her face. She also decided to put on a black choker and cute earrings. Lastly, she slipped on her UA jacket and checked herself out in the mirror. 

“Perfect! You are looking fine!” She examined herself in the mirror and grinned. She put her socks on and left her room to go downstairs. She walked by and paused at a doorway. A lonely, silent, empty room that holds the memory of a lost sibling. Feeling despondent, she made the decision to go into the empty room.

It was completely dark. Sunlight filtering through the curtains is the only source of illumination. She tried to be as silent as possible, but her feet stomped against the hardwood floor. She came to a stop in front of a single frame in the picture. It was a picture frame of Touya Todoroki, her older brother, dressed for school. 

This picture was taken prior to his passing. When [Name] sat on her hands and knees, she observed that her socks were free of dust.

”Fuyumi’s been cleaning up the place, huh? She’s the only one who ever visits this room. You must be terrible lonely, Touya.” 

This is her first time visiting her older brother’s grave. She honestly doesn’t know what to say.

’I’ll just speak from the heart.’

”You’re not going to believe this, but I managed to get into UA! That’s right! Your quirkless little sister has gotten into the most prestigious hero school in all of Japan!” With a smirk on her face, she proudly puffs up her chest before lowering her shoulders and turning her smirk into a warm smile. 

”But seriously… it’s all thanks to that green-haired boy. If he hadn’t done what he did on that day and said those words… I would’ve given up on my dream of becoming a hero. I already did! But he reignited that fire inside of me.” With a determined glare, she looks down at her lap and then back up at her brother’s picture frame.

“Watch me, Touya. I’ll become a hero mom can be proud of and surpass our father. I won’t let anything stop me.”

As [Name] was getting ready to leave, Fuyumi was in the kitchen, contemplating whether or not to prepare lunch for her siblings, who were starting high school today. 

“I don’t want them to starve, but what if UA has its own cafeteria? Will they still eat it?”

”Fuyumi.”

”Oh, Shoto!” She grinned approvingly at her brother’s impeccable attire as she looked up and down at his uniform. “You look good! I wish mom and Natsuo could see you two!”

”Thank you. I heard your entire conversation. You don’t need to worry about us. UA has a cafeteria, so you don’t need to make lunches for us every day.” Shoto holds up a pamphlet listing the advantages of being a UA student and explains with his typical blank expression.

She lets out a sigh of relief and says, “Thank goodness! I was starting to get worried there! Hold on.” She looks around the kitchen and notices that her younger sister has yet to come down. “[Name] still isn’t down here yet. I wonder what’s taking her so long. She better hurry, or else you guys are going to be late!” 

Shoto shrugs his shoulders. “Who knows, but I didn’t see her in her room.”

”Hmmm… I wonder where she went.” Her sigh transformed into a melancholic smile, and she clasped her hands behind her back, saying, “You know, Shoto. I’m really proud of [Name] getting into UA, the same hero school as you.”

”I know. You were crying a lot yesterday.” 

She chuckled at his blunt words before continuing. “I still and always will be proud of her, but I can’t help but worry. She… doesn’t have a quirk like we do. She’ll face scrutiny from her classmates and maybe teachers. I’m afraid… it will be like middle school again.”

Shoto listened to his sister’s woes and secretly agreed with her feelings. He was always the one defending [Name] against bullies. Uraraka would always tell the teachers, but nothing would happen. Bullying is not addressed in schools until a serious incident occurs. It’s unclear whether she’ll face the same situation at UA.

He is aware that [Name] is unlikely to seek his protection. He knows she wants to prove herself without any assistance. But he doesn’t want anything bad to happen to her, so he made his decision right away.

”There’s no need to worry. I’ll be by her side, so nothing bad will happen.” His gray and blue eyes had a resolute sparkle.

“Thank goodness.” Fuyumi smiled, tears pricking the corners of her eyes.

”Why are you crying, Fuyumi?” The two turned to see [Name] standing near the other kitchen entrance behind them. She had an upset frown on her face.

“Did the old bastard say something to you?”

”No! No! Shoto and I were just talking!” 

“Yeah. We were just talking.”

[Name] looked at them strangely before shrugging her shoulders and walking past them to the front door of their home. Let's go. "We'll be late if we stay here any longer."

”No one told you to take that long getting ready.”

”Hah?! Well, excuse me for wanting to look cool! Need I remind you that we’re going to the most prestigious hero school in all of Japan?!”

”You don’t need to keep repeating it. I heard you the first time.”

”You and your smart mouth, Shoto!”

”Shoto!” He stops and turns to look at Fuyumi, only to see her smiling once again.

“You guys take care of each other, okay?”

”Got it.” 

He nodded, walked out, and shut the door behind him. He's resolved to protect [Name] from everyone, even their own teacher, as he promised Fuyumi. It was quiet as we walked to the train station.

“Uraraka said she’s going to meet us at school.”

Okay.” His eyes were facing back toward the road.

”Hey.” 

“What is it now?” He asked directly, his gaze meeting his sister’s.  

“Don’t even think about protecting me.” 

“What do you—“

”You know what I mean, Shoto.” She glares at him, then sighs. “You always protected me… ever since we were children, but I don’t need it anymore.” Her eyebrows were raised in a composed manner. “Think about how bad it’s going to be if I keep relying on you. People are going to think that I’m weak and that I just used you or him to get into UA.”

”Let them think what they want. You got in because of your own hard work. I’ll deal with anyone who tries to bully you.” 

“You’re not getting it.” She sighs for a second time, feeling a small headache develop. [Name] doesn’t want to admit it, but her brother shares her father’s and Natsuo’s stubbornness.

”Look, I’m saying that if anything bad happens to me, let me take care of it. I’m not the same weak little girl anymore who needs you to fight my battles. I can take care of myself. I know it.” She smiled confidently at him.

”But—“ As Shoto opens his mouth to protest, she interrupts.

“Please?” [Name] begs, offering him a pleading look.

It took Shoto five seconds to give up and turn his head away from her, muttering, “Fine. But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to step in when I need to.” 

‘He still doesn’t get it.’ She gives him a deadpan look. ‘But… this decision is better than nothing.’ 

Todoroki is proud of himself for being able to bargain with his stubborn sister. He needs to keep his promise to Fuyumi, and he wants to protect [Name]. It is not as if he is doing this out of obligation. He's doing it because he loves and cares for her, but you'd never hear him say it in front of her. It was quiet throughout the train ride to UA.

[!-!]

Even though [Name] has already seen the exterior and interior of UA, she is still in awe of the size of the institution. If they hadn't had the school map that came with the pamphlet, she and Shoto would have lost their way. They were able to find the class they were looking for.

’The heroics department. Class 1-A. I can’t believe I made it.’ [Name] gulped. Her heart pounded as she stood in front of the classroom. This is it. This marks her first step toward becoming a hero.

‘I wonder if Kirishima, Kaminari, and Kendō are inside…’ She gulps once more, unable to subdue her fear. ‘Here goes…’ Just as she was ready to slide the door open, her brother opened it before her.

”Too late.” 

“Shoto, you idiot! You just ruined the dramatic tension…!” 

“Don’t put your feet on the desk!”

Her loud voice overlapped with Iida’s loud voice in the back, scolding Bakugo for putting his feet on the desk. 

‘It’s that jerk from the entrance exam!’ 

“Friend of yours?” 

“I can’t tell if you’re being innocent or sarcastic…” [Name] responded to her brother's question. The two of them didn't notice Izuku staring at them with awe and curiosity. His green eyes sparkled.

‘I never seen a person with heterochromia before! And that’s the girl from before!’

“Huh?” Bakugo grins at Iida.

”Don’t you think that’s rude to the UA upperclassmen and the people who made the desk?”

’It’s not that serious?’ [Name] thought, sweating from his strict attitude.

”I don’t! What junior high did you go to, you side character?”

Iida placed a hand on his chest and stated, “I attended Somei Private Academy. My name is Iida Tenya.”

”Somei?! So you’re a damn elite, huh? Looks like I’ll have fun crushing you!” Bakugo provoked.

Iida recoiled in shock, unsettled by his behavior. “Crushing? You’re terrible! Are you truly aiming to be a hero?”

‘What a great start to the morning…’ [Name] was already feeling exhausted. They then focused their attention on her and Shoto, which confused her. Then she realized they were focusing their attention on Izuku Midoriya, the boy who reignited her dream.

‘Ack! I didn’t realize he was here too! What should I say?! Should I greet him?!’

’Alright! I’m going to do it!’

She was about to greet him when Iida hurried over to give his own greeting, ruining her moment.

”Good morning! I am from Somei Private Academy. My name is—!”

”I heard! I’m Midoriya. Nice to meet you, Iida.” He introduced himself, smiling nervously.

“I see. And you two?” He turned to face the twins, expecting they would go next, but Shoto simply gave him a cold look and turned to walk away. He took a seat across from a girl wearing a high ponytail.

‘How rude!’ Iida shouted in his head, horrified by his new classmate's hostile behavior. He's as rude as Bakugo.

“Sorry about that. He’s antisocial.” [Name] stepped in front of him and apologized.

‘I see…’ Sweating, Midoriya stole a quick glance at Shoto.

“That’s my brother, Shoto, and um, I’m [Name]. Nice to meet you, Iida, Midoriya.”

”No last name?”

“I don’t want to say. Your opinion of us might change.” She cocked her head to the side, defiant, and her earrings clicked. Two more people noticed her at the doorway at that very moment.

“Yo, [Name]! Long time no see, dude!” 

“K-Kirishima?! W-What happened to you?!” When she turned around, pleased to see another person in the same class, she was greeted by someone completely different. Is this the same Kirishima she met during the entrance exam? His hair was spiky and red, not straight and black like usual.

With a dramatic flourish, Kaminari put an arm around his shoulder and said, “Surprising, right? He looks completely unrecognizable!”

”Kaminari!”

”Hey, babe! Been a while, huh? Miss me?” He shoots her a flirtatious grin. 

“Um, I guess.” She looks at him with dotted eyes. The fact that her brother is glaring at them from behind is also lost on her.

“See! I told ya you’d get in here and in the heroics department, too!” Kirishima smiles at her contendly.

“The principal saw something in me and was willing to give me a chance; that’s all.” [Name] looks away from his bright grin, feeling flustered. “My performance in the entrance exam wasn’t that impressive.”

”Nonsense! I’m sure if the principal himself took an interest in you, then your performance in the exam was impeccable!” Iida intervened, waving his arms robotically up and down. 

“Yeah!” Izuku nodded in agreement before shyly looking away. “I’m sure you did better than me. After all, I just happened to get in.”

Now it was her turn to compliment Izuku Midoriya. After seeing everything she saw that day, she couldn't bear hearing him criticize himself. “No, no! I’m sure you did fine! I’m the one who should be saying that! It’s only a miracle the principal let me in!”

”Geez! What’s with you two and the negativity?” Kaminari questioned them, perplexed by their self-deprecating behavior.

”Yeah!” Kirishima agreed, exclaiming, “You both did great! Otherwise, you wouldn’t be here, so keep your chins up!”

”He’s right. Midoriya.” Iida turned to confront the shy boy. “You realized there was something more to that practical exam, didn’t you?”

”Huh?” He looked confused.

“I had no idea… I misjudged you! I hate to admit it, but you are better than me.” He shamefully declared.

”Sorry. I actually didn’t realize anything.” Izuku sweatdropped and looked over to [Name], who shrugged her shoulders.

”Me either.”

”Same here.” Kirishima and Kaminari shared their sentiments. 

“[Name]-chan, you’re here!” Uraraka appeared and hugged her. “And we’re in the same class! Yay!”

”Yeah… good to see you, too, Uraraka.” She patted her soft head awkwardly, her smile tense. She was never one for hugs, even from her own sister. It made her uncomfortable to be touched so intimately.

”Oh, it’s you! The plain-looking one!” When she pulled away from [Name], she made eye contact with the boy she saved at the exam. “You passed, just like Present Mic said!”

’It’s the nice person! She looks good in a uniform…’ Izuku thought with a slight flush.

”[Name]-chan! You should’ve seen his punch! It was amazing!” She shook herself, too excited to stay still after witnessing him give that robot a hard punch.

”I’m sure it was pretty amazing.” [Name] agreed with a blank smile.

”Oh, well, um, it was thanks to you going to speak to him directly that I, uh…“ Blushing from embarrassment at having never been this close to a girl before, let alone two, he covers his face, unable to speak directly to her. Uraraka, meanwhile, was yelling, “Break! Break!” Nonstop. Repeatedly.

”Looks like he’s never talked to a girl before. What was he back in middle school, a nerd?” Kaminari whispered, but Kirishima nudged him in the elbow for being rude. 

“Don’t say that. Not everyone changes after middle school. Some people just stay the same.”

”Yeah, but you did.” [Name] spoke up, highlighting his recent hairdo. “I wonder what prompted you to change the way you look.”

"Well… I didn't want to have any regrets in middle school or during entrance exams, where I froze and needed your help. I'm bidding farewell to the old, pathetic me. I'm going to be a hero who protects people. I swear it." [Name] and Kaminari were blown away by his passionate speech. 

“So manly…”

”Yeah…”

’He can do it… He can become a hero who protects everyone… and I’m going to support him every step of the way!’ [Name] fixed her gaze on him while he spoke with Kaminari, her fists clenched with resolve. 

Izuku was still shying away from Uraraka as she spoke with him. The girl had no idea how nervous she made him. 

“I wonder if today’s just the entrance ceremony and orientation? I wonder what our teacher’s like. Aren’t you nervous?”

’S-So close!’

”Go somewhere else if you want to play at being friends.” From behind her came a deep male voice.

Turning around in terror, Uraraka saw a scruffy, exhausted-looking man with long black hair and stubble on his face. The strange thing is that he's lying on the ground in a yellow sleeping bag for no apparent reason. 

“W-What the hell?!” Kaminari's yell alerted the rest of the class to the front entrance. 

“This is the hero course.” Ignoring their frightened looks, he pulls out a juice packet and takes a swig. 

‘W-Who is this guy?!’ Facing looks of shock, all six of them posed the same question.

The man unzips his sleeping bag completely to reveal his entire body and stands up motionless inside it. His black, baggy ensemble consists of a matching pair of pants and a long-sleeved shirt tucked into his boots. The main thing that intrigued [Name] was the gray scarf around his neck. 

“Okay, it took eight seconds before you were quiet. Time is limited. You kids are not rational enough.” 

“He’s our teacher? That means he’s a pro, right?” Kirishima asked, uncertain. 

“Yeah, but which one? I’ve never seen that guy before.” Kaminari said.

”Me neither.” She replied, narrowing her eyes.

”I’m your homeroom teacher, Shota Aizawa. Nice to meet you.” 

This sparks a wave of shock among the class, except for Shoto, who remained blank-faced as ever. ‘Homeroom teacher?!’

“It’s kind of sudden, but put this on and go out onto the field.” Their teacher pulls out a blue-and-white gym uniform with a tint of red on the sleeves. The students all stared at him in confusion at the sudden request, but went out into the locker rooms anyway.

As they were walking, Kaminari frowned, placing his hands behind his head and saying, “What a weirdo, and what’s with this strange request? Go out into the field? Is this some type of exercise or something?”

”Who knows.” [Name] replied, adjusting her two weapons. There was something else on her mind, anyway. “I didn’t see Kendō in the classroom. I guess she didn’t make it in.”

”I ran into her this morning. She’s in Class-B the other heroic department.” Kirishima responded. 

“Aw man! I was hoping we’d be in the same class! We made a good team at the entrance exam!” Kaminari slumped his shoulders in disappointment.

Kirishima snorted and asked with a grin, ”Is it really about the team? Or did you just want another girl in the class?” 

”Hey!”

[!-!]

Class 1-A did what their homeroom teacher told them to do. They put on their gym uniforms and headed out into the field, one at a time. The sun was shining down on them as they met up with Aizawa, who was waiting for them on the track field. [Name] stood in the back with Shoto and Kirishima.

”A Quirk assessment test?!” They all shouted, with the exception of the Todoroki siblings. They were all understandably confused as to why they were having an assessment test when they still had orientation to go through. 

“What about the entrance ceremony? The orientation?”

”If you’re going to become a hero, you don’t have time for such leisurely events.” They were taken aback by such a cold stance. “UA’s selling point is how unrestricted its school traditions are. That’s also how the teachers run their classes.”

”So basically, teachers are free to do whatever they want?” [Name] asked, to which he nodded his head in confirmation. That made them even more nervous for the school year because of how unpredictable their homeroom teacher is, and this is the first time they’re meeting him!

“You kids have been doing these since junior high, too, right?” He picks up a phone and shows them the exercises they’ve all done in middle school. “Physical fitness tests where you weren’t allowed to use your quirks. The country still uses averages taken from results from students not using their quirks. It’s not rational. Well, the Ministry of Education is procrastinating.

Bakugo.” He addresses him. “You finished the top of the practical exam, right? In junior high, what was your best result for the softball throw?”

”67 meters.”

”Then, try doing it with your quirk.” Aizawa tossed him the softball as he went to stand on the softball field. “You can do whatever you want as long as you stay in the circle. Hurry up. Give it all you’ve got.” 

“Then, well…” Bakugo stretched his arm, then placed one foot forward. ‘I’ll add a blast to the pitch.’ 

“Die!!” He yells, throwing the ball high into the air using his quirk. 

“Die?” Izuku timidly questioned. It felt like that yell was specifically for him. 

“Know your own maximum first.” Aizawa’s phone beeped as the ball landed back on the ground with some burns. “That is the most rational way to form the foundation of a hero.” He explained and showed them his score, which was 750.2 meters. 

“750 meters? Seriously?” Kaminari exclaimed with an uneasy smile. 

“What’s this? It looks fun!” Mina clasped her hands together in excitement.

“We can use our quirk as much as we want! As expected from the hero course!” Sero praised, raising his fists.

”It looks fun,” huh?” Aizawa suddenly repeated, causing everyone to go silent. “You have three years to become a hero. Will you have an attitude like that the whole time?” Then he sadistically grinned. “All right. Whoever comes in last place in all eight tests will be judged to have no potential and will be punished with expulsion.” 

[Name]’s eyes widened, as did those in the class and the people she’s closest to. ‘Shit! This is bad!’ She covered her mouth in apprehension. She’s never done well in the quirk assessment tests back in middle school because of her lack of a quirk. Even with the little training she accumulated over the months for the entrance exam, it still won’t be enough to pass. ‘I already lost… the moment this man became my teacher. We’re both…’ She glances over at a shaking Midoriya. ‘Going to fail!’ 

Shoto glares at his teacher and is about to approach him when she stops him in his tracks with a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see [Name] glaring back at him, her face tense and tiny droplets of sweat streaming down it. 

”Don’t even think about it.” She said in a low growl. “Unless you want to be expelled right here and now, giving up your chance of being a hero.” 

He snarls at her reply, saying, “He’s putting you at a disadvantage. He thinks just because he’s a teacher, he can do whatever the hell he wants.”

”Because UA fully allows teachers to control the class however they want, dumbass. What does you starting a fight with a teacher and a pro-hero accomplish?” She argued back. 

“But then what are you supposed to do? Because, as I can see with this stupid rule, you already lost.”

You don’t need to tell me that. I already know.” Shoto felt his heart break as he looked into her hopeless eyes. Kirishima looked at her with sympathy.

“Last place will be expelled? But it’s the first day of school! No, even if it wasn’t the first day of school, this is too unfair!” Uraraka exclaimed. She knew he wouldn't listen to her because she was a child, but she wanted to do whatever she could to help [Name]. 

“Natural disasters, big accidents, and selfish villains. Calamities whose time or place can’t be predicted. Japan is covered with unfairness. Heroes are the ones who reverse the situations. If you wanted to talk with your friends at Mickey D’s after school, too bad.

For the next three years, UA will do all it can to give you one hardship after another. Go beyond, Plus Ultra. Overcome it with all you’ve got.” Aizawa grinned and curled his finger forward. His eyes locked onto [Name], who couldn’t help but stare back at him.

‘Is he staring at me? Is he telling me to give it my all even if I do get expelled? I already know what’s going to happen anyways. I’ll end up on the bottom and face expulsion. That much is a guarantee. But then… what will he say to me?’ She feels her heart pounding in fear at the verbal abuse her father is going to spew at her when she comes home from school.

”What? You’re back home already? I knew you were too weak. A failure like you can’t handle what UA has to offer.” 

“A quirkless girl like you will always achieve nothing. You’re better off just getting a normal job and staying out of Shoto’s way like the rest of your siblings.”

”Now my time will be wasted enrolling you in another school all because you deluded yourself into thinking that someone of your caliber can become a hero.”

”Your expulsion will be a stain on my reputation.”

‘I can’t let that happen!’ She glared and clenched her fists. ‘I have to do my best… Otherwise, this will all be for nothing!’ 

“All right, demonstration’s over. The real thing starts now.”

TEST 1: 50-METER DASH

[Name] watched as two of her classmates, Iida and Tsuyu, made their way to the front. The robot standing next to the field will be recording their respective times when they pass through the finish line. 

“On your mark… Get set…” Once the sound of a bullet went off, they started running, with Iida coming in first place at 3.04 seconds. Tsuyu came in last at 5.58 seconds.

‘For 50 meters, I can only go up to third gear…’ He thought. 

“Tenya Iida. Quirk: Engine. As you can see, his legs are fast.”

“Well, he’s like a fish in water. It’ll be worth seeing what others do.” Aizawa remarked. 

“Lighten up my clothes and shoes…” Uraraka said, touching her shoulder and shoes. 

“Ochaco Uraraka. Quirk: Zero Gravity! She can nullify the gravitational pull of any object she touches. However, if she goes over capacity, she’ll get very nauseous.

She came in last at 7.15 seconds. ‘Oh, but that’s faster than I was in junior high!’ So she wasn’t too disappointed. Next it was Aoyama and Mina’s turn.

He turned to face everyone, saying with an arrogant grin on his face, “Everyone, you’re not being creative enough. I’ll show you what it’s like… to be allowed to use your quirk!” 

“Yuga Aoyama. Quirk: Navel Laser! He can shoot a laser from his belly button.”

He flies off using his laser, but he doesn’t make it that far because the laser gave out halfway through, allowing Mina to speed past him. 

“He’s limited by the amount of time he can shoot continuously.” 

“5.51 seconds.” 

He looked back at everyone still with an arrogant grin on his face, saying, “If I shoot for more than a second, I get a stomachache.” 

‘What the heck?’ Mina and her friend group thought. There’s no way he can still be relaxed after that awful performance he showed them. 

‘Looking at the upper limit of your quirks and the room for growth in each result, it becomes clear what you can and can’t do. That will connect to the creativity needed for you to survive.’ Aizawa explained, watching as it was the Todoroki sibling’s turn to run.

”On your mark…” They lifted themselves off the ground. 

“[Name]…” Shoto started glancing over at her. 

“Don’t even try it. I already know what you’re going to do.” He tensed up as she immediately shot down his plan. “I told you before, didn’t I? Go as fast as you want. Don’t slow down for me.” 

“Get set…”

He looked sad for a moment at being rejected for help by his own sister, but he returned to his usual blank-faced self and said, “As you wish.” The sound went off, and he slid past her, reaching the finish line instantly. 

“So strong!” The class was in awe of his power while [Name] came in last place, almost tripping over herself from how fast she was running. 

“5.20 seconds.” 

“Dammit! How embarrassing!” She cursed herself. Her score was definitely better now than in junior high because of all the training she did for the entrance exam, but if you compare her score and Shoto’s… The difference between them is night and day and shows just who is the more impressive sibling. Just hearing all the praise he’s getting brings back the feeling of jealousy. 

‘I hate it… Why couldn’t I have been born with the same quirk as him?’ 

Shoto thinks differently, however. He thinks her glaring at him is because he’s using his left side instead of his right side, or both of his quirks. The right side. The fire side that he promised himself never to use. He hasn’t told [Name] about it yet, so he thinks this is the perfect time to tell her.

”[Name]… I need to talk to—“ 

“Yo, [Name]! Here!” Grinning, Kirishima walks toward them while brandishing her weapons.

“Thanks.” She takes the sheathed weapons from him and holds them. 

He looks at the two siblings and says, “Now that I think about it… You and your brother do look alike, huh?” 

Suddenly, Shoto shoots him a deep glare and silently stomps away. 

“Did… I say something wrong?” Kirishima asked, concerned that he had offended him. 

[Name] was weirded out by the change in attitude but quickly dismissed it, saying, “He’s, um, very anti-social. He never was one for making friends.“

”I should apologize for offending him then!”

”Don’t worry. He’ll get over it.” She was talking and didn’t realize her teacher was watching the entire scene.

TEST 2: GRIP STRENGTH 

“[Name]-chan, what score did you get?!” Uraraka waited eagerly by her side for the results. 

“We’re about to find out.” She calmed down and gripped her weight as tightly as she could. The device beeped, and they looked at it. 

“90.1 kilograms! That’s not bad!” She shouted. 

“Yeah, but that’s still lower than half of the class.” She said, hanging her head low in humiliation. 

“Don’t give up so quickly, [Name]-chan! We still have more tests to go through! You’ll have many opportunities to prove yourself!” Uraraka comforted her with a rub on the back.

”I hope you’re right, Uraraka…”

TEST 3: STANDING LONG JUMP

‘Finally. The perfect time to use my naginata.’ [Name] considered and asked her teacher for permission. 

“Use whatever you want, as long as you make it past the box.” Aizawa shrugs his shoulders and says.

“Got it.” 

As [Name] revealed her naginata to the public, Kaminari let out a whistle. “What a beauty. I swear she got even more beautiful than the last time I saw her.” 

“The weapon, or her?” Sero teased with a side eye. 

Touching his shoulder with his shoulder, he nodded and said, “Both, my friend. Both.” 

“Her weapon gets prettier the more I see it!” With her fists raised, Uraraka shouted. 

Now they watched as [Name] positioned herself in front of the blade and buried it just a little bit in the sand. Her hand was tight and firm at the tip. She propels herself over the sandbox with all of her strength, using the naginata as momentum. She clears the standing-long jump and lands awkwardly on her feet.

She received applause from her friends. 

“That was awesome, babe!”

“Way to go, [Name]-chan!”

”Nice job!”

She noticed Shoto nodding at her as a congrats on passing her first test as she made her way back to the front of the sandbox to retrieve her weapon. She experienced a slight surge of pride in her chest. After extracting her weapon from the sand and brushing the sand off the blade, she returns to the class. While traveling, she witnesses Izuku barely making it halfway over the sandbox when he jumps over it. He also landed hard on his butt.

‘Control…’ He thought, and as he was walking back to the group, he saw [Name] staring, no… glaring at him. It made him uncomfortable, to say the least. ‘D-Did I do something wrong?! Our interactions have been minimal, so…’ 

“Are you okay, Midoriya? You landed pretty roughly.” She inquired with a hint of concern in her voice.

This is the second girl to ever ask him if he was okay. The first girl was Uraraka, who prevented him from falling when they first met. 

‘I-I’m talking to a second girl!’ 

“Yeah, I’m fine. Y-You w-were…”

’Come on, Izuku! Spit it out!’

“You were really cool back there…” He told her as he blushed.

[Name] felt her heart race as she was complimented by the boy who had saved her. It was now her turn to blush, as she shyly looked away from him. “Thanks… I guess…”

’What kind of response is that?!’ She began to inwardly freak out.

”That naginata of yours… is cool, too.” He added. 

“You know what a naginata is?” She inquired, showing him the full scope of her weapon.

”Yeah… from watching old-school Japanese shows…”

”What a relief!” Her face lit up with an eager, blissful smile. “It’s a chore explaining it to people who do see my weapon! I had to do that with Uraraka when I first showed her it.” 

“I-I see…” Midoriya stuttered, surprised by the sudden change in her attitude. She went from calm to upbeat in an instant. Is she a weapons freak?

”So what do you think about it? I found this baby at the beach!” 

“The beach?”

”Yeah. I was depressed one day and decided to go down to the beach. The one with the heaping pile of trash.” She clarified.

’The one I cleaned up?!’ 

Her mouth curled into a pout. “It’s surprising how many useful items you can find in there. I consider it a waste personally.”

”Yeah… hahaha… agreed.” He awkwardly laughed.

”Anyway… I don’t know why, but I began to rummage through the pile of junk, and I found it.” [Name] pointed at her naginata with great pride. “This beautiful weapon. It was so beautiful that I found myself taking it home with me even though I had no intention of using it. I was just going to hang it up as a decoration!”

”But you changed your mind and used it for the practical exam?”

”Yeah, it was my only choice of weapon. I have another weapon over there.” Uraraka held another sheathed weapon, which she indicated with her finger. “But I prefer to use my naginata. That one feels hard to use.”

Something was off about her words, and Izuku noticed. “Your only choice? What about your quirk? Can’t it work with your naginata?”

[Name] frowns gravely and becomes quiet. “I thought you would pick up on it when I ran against my brother. You and I are exactly the same. We’re both quirkless.” 

TEST 4: REPEATED SIDE STEPS

This was probably the worst test for her, as she had no means of sidestepping and couldn’t use her weapons to help her either.

TEST 5: BALL THROW

[Name] deadpanned as she watched Uraraka happily throw the softball into the sky using her quirk, which never came back down. With a nonchalant face, Aizawa showed her score, which read infinity. 

“Infinity?!”

”That’s amazing! She got infinity!” Kaminari yelled in utter shock.

”That is her quirk, after all.” [Name] stated. 

Izuku became even more terrified as he watched this happen because he knew that expulsion was a real possibility at this point. ‘This is bad. It’s not something simple that I can do right away. Everyone’s leaving at least one amazing result…’ Also, there is one more thing bothering him. It’s what [Name] said after completing her standing long jump.

“I thought you would pick up on it when I ran against my brother. You and I are exactly the same.”

”We’re both quirkless.” 

On top of her revealing that she possesses no quirk, she also knew that he was quirkless before he inherited One For All from All Might. How does she know that?

’There’s no other way she would know that, unless! She was present at the sludge incident, too! She must’ve been in the crowd watching me!’ 

It’s now his turn to throw. Holding the new softball firmly in his hand, he stood at the center of the white circle. Shaking his head, he lets go of the idea that [Name] was present there during the sludge incident and that she was  quirkless. ‘I can’t focus on that now. All that’s left is this, the long-distance run, sit-ups, and the seated toe-touch. It’s now or never. 

At this rate, I’ll be last.’

”It doesn’t look good for Midoriya if he continues like this.” Iida stated with his arms crossed. 

“Huh? Of course not. He’s a quirkless small fry, you know.” Bakugo insulted. 

“Quirkless?!” Considering that he and Uraraka saw him achieve during the practical exam, he was taken aback that Bakugo would refer to him in that way. “Are you not aware of what he did in the entrance exam?”

”Huh?” Bakugo couldn't understand what he was getting at. He has known Deku since he was a young child. If he had a quirk, it should have shown up when he was four years old. He does believe that something is amiss in this entire scenario, particularly since he is in the department of heroics. His place would have been in the general education department, where educators assisted students who were not accepted into the heroics department in finding college or other employment opportunities. 

‘Something isn’t adding up, though. If he was quirkless like Bakugo proclaimed, that doesn’t explain the big punch Uraraka said he saw him do when he saved her.’ [Name] pondered, staring at Izuku with a finger on her chin. ‘Is he really quirkless? Or did I misinterpret it when he fought off the sludge villain with nothing but his school supplies? He could’ve done that to avoid using his quirk so as not to cause any more damage.’

She was right when she saw his arm light up as he prepared to throw the ball. ‘So I was right! He does have a quirk!’ However, this revelation sparked some feelings in her stomach.

Disappointment.

Anger.

Sadness.

Unfortunately, the ball didn’t travel that far and landed rather pathetically on the ground. “46 meters.” The robot said. 

His body erupted with dread as he looked down at his hand in sheer terror. “I was definitely trying to use it just now…”

”I erased your quirk.” 

He looked behind him to see his teacher’s scarf flying around while also revealing a pair of yellow goggles underneath. His long black hair was flying up, and his eyes were red. 

“That entrance exam was definitely not rational enough. Even a kid like you was accepted.” 

“You erased my quirk?” Izuku repeated before gasping in revelation at the pro-hero when he zoomed in on his goggles. “I see! You can erase other people’s quirks with your own just by looking at them. The Erasure Hero: Eraser Head!”

”Eraseer? I don’t know him.” Kaminari stated.

“I’ve heard of him. He’s an underground hero.” Tsuyu said.

“From what I can tell, you can’t control your quirk, can you?” Izuku became shocked at how fast his teacher was able to figure out that he had no control over his quirk. 

“Do you intend to become incapacitated again and have someone save you?” 

“Th-That’s not my intention—!” He wanted to object, but a piece of his scarf wrapped around him and pulled him closer to Aizawa. He was forced to stare into his burning, red eyes.

“Whatever your intention, I’m saying that’s what those around you will be forced to do. In the past, there was an oppressively passionate hero who saved over a thousand people by himself and created a legend. Even if you have the same reckless valor, you’ll just be decked and turn into a useless doll after saving one person. Izuku Midoriya. With your power, you can’t become a hero.”

[Name] couldn’t help but flinch at what he said to him. To her, it just reminded her of what her father and peers at middle school told her: just switch out power with quirkless. No doubt it hurt Izuku as well, but at least he has a quirk. He just can’t control it.

Aizawa’s hair went back down along with his scarf, and his eyes returned to their normal black. “I’ve returned your quirk. You have two turns for the ball throw. Hurry up and get it over with.” He left the dejected Midoriya there and went back to his spot.

”It looks like he received some advice.” Iida said. 

“Probably telling him he’s expelled.” Bakugo said with nonchalance.

[Name] remained silent, keeping her eyes on Izuku. She noticed that he was mumbling to himself. ‘Probably figuring out what he should do.’ 

‘Will he incorrigibly prepare for an honorable defeat here by using all his strength, or become intimidated and settle into last place?’ Aizawa questioned, squirting eye drops into his eyes before glaring back down at him. ‘No matter which he chooses, he has no potential.’ 

‘I still can’t control my power. Should I let everything I can do hang on this one throw? Even All Might said that it wouldn’t happen overnight. This is no good! If that’s my only choice, then I just have to go all out!’ 

‘Zero potential.’

Izuku prepares to throw the softball. His hero career hinged on this one throw. ‘It’s just as Aizawa-sensei says. At this rate, there’s no way I’ll become a hero. I have to work harder than other people! That’s why, with all my strength… I’ll do what I can right now!’

[Name]’s eyes widened at what she saw next. As he prepared to throw the ball, he focused his quirk on his finger rather than his entire arm. He threw the ball, which flew high into the air. Everyone was impressed by this feat, especially since their classmate had been unimpressive for the first half of the assessment. 

‘It doesn’t hurt as much as before.’  

705.3 was his score. 

“Sensei…” Aizawa looks up and sees Izuku smiling while clenching his broken finger. 

“I can still move!”

”This kid!” Aizawa smiled back. Looks like he was wrong about him.

‘Just as I thought…’ Except for Bakugo, who was enraged, [Name] looked down and clenched her fists. Her eyes expressed disappointment and sadness. ‘I’m truly all alone…’ 

“What is the meaning of this? Hey!” Bakugo runs up to him with an explosion ready to strike him. “Tell me what’s going on. Deku, you bastard!”

Izuku screams in terror, hiding his face from the impending attack, but it never arrives. He opens his eyes to see Bakugo trapped by Aizawa's scarf in an awkward position. 

”What the—? These cloths are hard!” He shouts as he struggles against them. 

“They’re weapons for capture made of carbon fiber woven together with metal wire made of a special alloy.” Aizawa explained before sighing. “Jeez… Don’t keep making me use my quirk over and over. I have dry eyes.” 

‘It’s such a waste, since his quirk is so amazing!’

”UA High’s homeroom teacher for Class 1-A, Shota Aizawa. He can erase the quirks of those he looks at. The effect goes away when he blinks!”

”We’re wasting time. Whoever’s next, get ready.” He walks away. 

Izuku looks at his bully one more time before scurrying off. He meets up with Uraraka, who asks him if his finger is all right. 

“Oh, yeah.” He becomes a flustered mess each time she gets closer to him. 

Bakugo watches with a hateful glare. ‘Until a little while ago, he was a pebble on the side of the road. A pebble… on the side of the road!’ 

“Are you finished with your pity party? It’s my turn to pitch.” [Name] boldly asked, stepping onto the field. Behind her, Kaminari and Kirishima are nervously shaking their heads telepathically, telling her not to aggravate him even further.

Begrudgingly, he leaves the field, but not before purposefully brushing shoulders with her to put some pressure on her. Unaffected by this, [Name] keeps moving forward until she reaches the center of the circle, at which point Shoto gives him a ferocious glare. 

“Do your best, [Name]-chan!”

”You got this, [Name]!”

”How disappointing.”                                                                                                                                                                                        

Izuku became confused after hearing what she said amidst her friends’ cheer. ‘Disappointing? Why would she say that?’ Her [turquoise/gray] eyes are noticeably darker than before. It was in stark contrast to how bright they were when she was gushing about her naginata with him. All he knows is that something about her has changed, and he has no idea why. 

‘He was the one who reignited my dream to pursue being a hero again alongside my mother. I thought I had found someone I could relate to. Someone who was exactly like me. A quirkless nobody trying to achieve their dream. But that wasn’t the case at all.’ 

She clenched the softball hard. ‘That’s not the case at all! In a world where everyone has quirks… I really am all alone!’ She used every muscle in her arm to throw the ball with all her strength. The ball landed on the ground, away from her. She looked at Aizawa, waiting for him to reveal her score.

”100.5 meters. Not bad for someone with no quirk.” 

The class fell silent for a brief while before they all yelled, "WHAT?!" at once. Izuku timidly looked back and forth at the class, listening to their mumbles.

”No way! She’s been quirkless the entire time?!”

”That explains why she hasn’t been using her quirk at all during the tests.”

“I can’t believe UA would allow a quirkless student in!”

”Well, they did say on the website that people without quirks can take the exams.”

”Yeah, but it’s actually surprising that one got into UA!”

”That softball throw was cool, though…”

In the meantime, Bakugo watched [Name] return to the group, gritting his teeth in frustration. ‘HER TOO?!’ He’s outraged that the prestigious school of UA would allow her and Deku in here, knowing they’re weak. It’s even more rage-inducing that she believes she can become a hero without any quirk. She has the same mindset as that nerd, and it’s aggravating. His day was about to get worse when Iida mentioned that the principal had personally spoken with her in the UA acceptance letter. 

“An acceptance letter from the principal?!”

”What kind of crazy stuff did she do at the exam?!”

“Oh man! You should’ve seen her!” Kaminari described the team he formed with Kirishima, her, and Kendō, and how [Name] devised a strategy based on their quirks. He also did not leave out the part where she and Kirishima removed both arms from the zero pointer. The class couldn't help but admire her accomplishments. 

“Woah! I’d knew you’d do well, [Name]-chan, but this is on a whole other level!” Uraraka danced around her, cheering. 

“Yeah…” [Name] said with no reaction to the whole commotion surrounding her. 

She noticed her strange behavior and asked in concern, “Are you okay, [Name]-chan? What’s wrong?” She found it strange that she was not reacting to any of this, given that the response to her being quirkless has been more positive this time.

“I’m fine. Let’s just get the day over with.” She walked to her final batch of tests, which were located somewhere inside the school, leaving Uraraka behind.

’All of this positive reception doesn’t matter much anyway since I’m guaranteed to get expelled.’ 

Aizawa remains silent as he observes her go. She finished the remaining exams during the course of the day, but she had a gloomy, heavy expression on her face. Her new friends did their best to lift her spirits, but they knew what would inevitably happen after school, so it didn't really matter. When that moment arrived, they assembled once more at the field.

[Name] stood far away from the class. Her face was expressionless as Kaminari, Kirishima, and Uraraka looked at her with sympathy. 

“There has to be something we can do. [Name] earned her right to be here.” They whispered among themselves.

”I agree that she earned her right, but what are we supposed to do about it? Our teacher doesn’t seem to be the type to change his mind.”

”What if we make a big fuss about it?!”

”I don’t think that’s going to work. This is the first day, and we barely know each other.” 

“But…”

Uraraka’s sad voice is cut short by their teacher’s blunt voice, which says, “It’s a waste of time to explain verbally, so I’ll show you the results all at once.”

His phone beeped, and a blue holographic screen emerged, displaying each student's performance on today's assessment. [Name] came in last, as was to be expected. She experienced jealousy once more upon realizing that Shoto had placed second. Her lips quivered at the realization that she would never measure up to him, try as she might, and her dad was right about everything. There isn't a Todoroki sibling who can equal or surpass Shoto.

“I’ll be going to the same school as Shoto… I can finally stand on the same field as him…”

’What a joke. I was stupid to believe that. I’ll always be the weak Todoroki who can’t achieve anything.’ She now has to deal with her conceited father telling her how correct he was and that she will always be weak.

“You’ll never achieve anything on the same level as Shoto. Just give up your delusional dream and go live a normal life like your siblings.”

She covered her mouth in agony at the thought of hearing those words. She is clearly feeling sick to her stomach. Uraraka does not overlook this action. She gently caressed [Name]'s hand while massaging her back in circular motions. 

“It’s going to be okay. We’ll figure something else out.” She consoled her friend, but it didn’t reach her ears.

[Name] tried desperately to blink back the tears that had welled up in her eyes. This is unfair. Her only goal was to show everyone that a weak, eccentric girl like herself could achieve greatness. Her only goal was to disprove her father and everyone else. Her father's attention was all she wanted. All she wanted was his love.

Shoto clenched his fist in anger as he looked at his sister, who was silently breaking down in the corner of his eye. It was all Endeavor's fault. [Name] wouldn't need to be here if he hadn't been a piece of shit who is fixated on outdoing All Might and raising a kid who could do that. He is to blame for all of her mistreatment and neglect. No longer caring if he is expelled, he will stop at nothing to keep his sister enrolled at UA.

Frost appeared on his hand as he was getting ready to raise it. 

“By the way, I was lying about the expulsion.” 

‘Huh?’ [Name] blinks once. Then twice. 

“It was a rational deception to draw out the upper limits of your quirks.” That damn sadistic grin was back on his face. 

“WHAT?!” Everyone freaked out. 

“Of course it was a lie. It should’ve been obvious if you thought it through.” Yaoyorozu stated. 

‘I didn’t notice…’ 

“That means… you get to stay in! Waaah!” Uraraka sobbed into her shirt as she hugged [Name]. 

“Yeah… I guess so…” She was still speechless that someone, her teacher no less, had the gull to lie to the whole class about being expelled before shame overtook her. “How embarrassing… I freaked out over nothing.” 

“It wasn’t for nothing!” Uraraka drew back, looked directly into her teary dreams, and retorted, “Your dream was on the line here! It’s normal for you to feel the way you feel!”

”If you say so…”

”I know so!”

‘Thank goodness.’ Shoto sighed in relief as he put down his freezing hand. 

“With that, we’re done here. There are handouts with the curriculum and such in the classroom, so when you get back, look over them.” Aizawa announced and walked over to Izuku, handing him a nurse’s pass. “Have the old lady fix you in the nurse’s office. Tomorrow will be packed with even more rigorous tests.

Prepare yourself.” He shortly walked away.

As everyone was heading back to the classroom to pick up their curriculum, Kaminari slung an arm around [Name]’s shoulder, excitedly grinning. “That was a close one, huh?! I still can’t believe he decided to do that!”

”Our teacher sure is going to be troublesome.” Kirishima joined them, saying, “I mean, who knows what other tricks he has for us!”

[Name] said nothing, only humming in response. Although she still needs to gain strength to surpass her father and compete on the same field as her brother, she is at ease with herself at the moment. She gets to stay at UA and learn more about heroism. 

“Oh, I forgot.” Aizawa stopped walking and locked eyes with her. “Meet me after class, Todoroki. There’s something I want to talk to you about.” 

Even though she is relieved that she has not been expelled, she still dislikes being addressed as Todoroki. She was about to scold him for using that name when speaking to her, but he kept going without letting her say anything. 

‘I wonder what he wants from me.’ 

Chapter Text

[!-!]

“Our teacher sure is going to be troublesome.” Kirishima joined them, saying, “I mean, who knows what other tricks he has for us!”

[Name] said nothing, only humming in response. Although she still needs to gain strength to surpass her father and compete on the same field as her brother, she is at ease with herself at the moment. She gets to stay at UA and learn more about heroism. 

“Oh, I forgot.” Aizawa stopped walking and locked eyes with her. “Meet me after class, Todoroki. There’s something I want to talk to you about.”

Even though she is relieved that she has not been expelled, she still dislikes being addressed as Todoroki. She was about to scold him for using that name when speaking to her, but he kept going without letting her say anything. 

‘I wonder what he wants from me.’ 

School was already out when class 1-A returned to their classroom. While some lingered to talk, others eagerly headed out of the classroom with their syllabus in hand.

“See ya tomorrow, [Name]!!” As he, Kaminari, and Sero left the room, Kirishima smiled and waved at her. 

“You too!” She weakly waves back and resumes her conversation with Uraraka. 

“I was thinking of checking on Deku and hoping that we could walk to the station together. Should we wait on you?” 

“No. You guys go on without me. Who knows how long my talk with Aizawa-sensei is going to take?” 

[Name] averts her gaze, thinking, ‘And I would rather not walk to the station with him. Not after today.’ 

The way his arm lit up. The way he focused his quirk onto his finger. The disappointment she felt. The anger she felt. She thought she had found someone she could connect with. Someone who was born with the same circumstances as her. 

Just thinking about it is making her more irritated. She returned her focus back to Uraraka and said with a smile, “I’ll text you when I get home, so you don’t worry.” 

Uraraka gave a cheerful nod and hugged her friend. “See you tomorrow, [Name]-chan!” 

The Todoroki meekly waved back before putting her hand down once she left. She was the only one in the classroom. The orange light from the sun going down peered through the window as she thought back to today’s event once more. 

“I’ll be going to the same school as Shoto… I can finally stand on the same field as him…”

”You’ll never achieve anything on the same level as Shoto. Just give up on your delusional dream and go live a normal life like your siblings.”

She looked down at her hands and clenched them, determinedly thinking, ‘I have to get stronger. I need to surpass Endeavor. I have to make everyone see that a useless, quirkless girl can become a hero.’ 

“Nice. I like that look in your eyes.” She looked up and saw her homeroom teacher, Aizawa, smirking at her. 

“What do you mean, Sensei? And stop calling me Todoroki. My name is [Name].”

‘She really doesn’t like being associated with that name.’ Aizawa sighed. “You’ve managed to impress me twice. Once during the entrance exam, and now today.”

”You… were watching me?” [Name] was stunned. 

“Everyone was. I was skeptical about letting you take the entrance exam; however, despite my input, Nezu decided to give you a chance. Glad that his decision didn’t go to waste. Yes, your combat points were low, but fighting villains isn’t the only thing that heroes do while out in the field. Cooperation is also a skill that heroes need to have." 

'But aren't you an underground hero? Hardly any cooperation there.' [Name] sweatdropped at his statement. 

Aizawa took note of her sudden nervousness and asked, "What's wrong?" 

"N-Nothing!" She stuttered. "It’s just that... I've been looked down upon all of my life, so to see that you and Principal Nezu see potential in me... it's nice." A smile was on her face as she told her teacher her true feelings. 

"This also means that I have to work harder than anyone in my class to meet your expectations. I... have to get stronger!" She boldly declared, clenching both her fists. She missed the proud glint that appeared in her teacher’s eyes. 

“Then let’s skip the chit-chat and get started then.” 

“Get started? With what?” Confused, she slightly tilted her head to the side. 

“How good are you at combat?” He asked her. 

“Um, not that good. I don’t have the same training that Shoto has.” She went silent after answering before timidly asking him, “Why are you asking me this, Aizawa-sensei?”

”Become my student.” 

“Huh?” Such a request was sprung on her that she didn’t know how to respond. “What do you mean?”

”If you become my student, I’ll teach you the basics of combat, from martial arts to defending yourself. A good deal, no?” 

Getting extracurricular training from the underground hero, Eraserhead? Training that can be applied to her heroics class? She would be stupid to turn down this opportunity. 

[Name] looked straight into his eyes determinedly and asked, “When do we start?”

Aizawa suppresses the grin that was trying to form on his face and tells her, “We won’t start tomorrow because you have hero class and I want to assess your performance. But after that, we start every day after school.” 

“Got it, sir! I promise to do my best!”

”Yeah, yeah.” Aizawa waves her off as [Name] giddily skips out the door. He hears the door shut behind him and sighs to himself for the second time. Though he tries to hide it, he can’t help but feel excited, just like [Name]. Going off on the entrance exam, and today she can become a hero.

She just needs more training. He hopes that he and UA can bring out that potential in her. 

[!-!]

I hum happily to myself as I walk down the hall to the front door. Things are actually starting to look up for me. I just need to work harder and absorb every piece of information Aizawa gives me. 

‘Tomorrow will be our first hero class. I wonder what’s it going to be about.’ 

“Hey!” 

I turn around to see Bakugo marching up to me. The usual scowl is still on his face, but he seems angrier than before. 

“What do you want?” I coldly asked him as he stopped right in front of me. 

“Don’t act so cocky with me!” I maintained my composure, but I was a little shocked when he grabbed me by the collar and pulled me close until our eyes met. 

“Who do you think you are, huh?!” He asked, screaming at me. I can feel his breath fanning my face. 

“Is there a problem?” I questioned him, unfazed, but that only made him even more pissed. 

“Yeah. You smiling like there’s nothing wrong. You shouldn’t be smiling when you performed worse than Deku today. You think just because you get to stay at UA that you can hang with the big boys now, huh?! Don’t make me laugh! A quirkless person like you should’ve been expelled from day one! No, not even that, you shouldn’t have been allowed to take the entrance exam!”

Then I remember how my father slapped me for calling him out and how he used my alumni status to keep me from taking the entrance exams. A day later, he rescinded it merely to watch me fail. I got angry just thinking about it, so I pushed Bakugo away from me by grabbing his hand when he was grabbing my collar. 

“Think whatever you want about me, but I’m not going anywhere. Principal Nezu and Aizawa-sensei see potential in me, so I’m not going to squander this opportunity!” I glare at him, saying. 

Then something else comes to mind. The altercation that occurred between Bakugo and Midoriya today was, based on Midoriya's terrified expression, I believe one-sided.

“What is the meaning of this? Hey!” Bakugo runs up to him with an explosion ready to strike him. “Tell me what’s going on. Deku, you bastard!”

Izuku screams in terror, hiding his face from the impending attack, but it never arrives. 

“Wait…” I looked at him with wide eyes, asking him, “Are you taking your anger out on me because you found out that Midoriya has a quirk?”

“What?” With a stunned expression on his face, Bakugo wondered what on earth I was talking about. 

“Are you guys childhood friends? You guys do give off that vibe. If that’s the case, then I’d be angry too if someone close to me hid the fact that they were quirkless only to find out later they have a quirk. But you didn’t have to charge at him like that.” 

“How did you know Deku was—?”

”You bullied him, didn’t you?” I was correct, based on the eerie silence that permeated the hallways and Bakugo's tense breathing. 

“I would know. I got bullied, too, for being quirkless and all. Hey, Bakugo, tell me. Are you afraid that Midoriya will surpass you?” I asked him, resting my naginata on top of my arms behind my head. 

He looked at me like I was a ghost. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“I haven’t even known you for that long, but you act like you’re superior to everyone else.” I said, cocking my right hip to the side.

“Heh.” I dryly chuckled. “You must’ve gone to school where your classmates didn’t have impressive quirks. You remind me of someone from middle school.” 

“What the fuck are you blabbering about? Get to the point!” He said, impatiently. 

“You’re afraid that Midoriya will grow into someone greater than you anticipated. That stone you once dismissed as worthless trash on the road could grow into something—no, someone exceptional.” I spoke on, oblivious to the shadow cast over his face. “Are you scared he’s going to surpass you? I mean, I would be too if—“

“YOU BITCH!!” Bakugo, filled with rage, charged at me, prepared to strike, only to have his legs turn into ice. “What the hell?!” 

Shoto, who had frozen him with a scowl, received a glare from him. My brother silently glared back at him. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting to see him still here. I thought he left without me. 

“Shoto! I didn’t know you were still here!” I ran up to him. 

“I was waiting for you. Are you ready to head home?”

”Yeah. I don’t want Fuyumi to worry about us.” 

“Hm.” Shoto nodded. He unfreezes Bakugo’s feet and walks away without saying a word to him. 

I waved good-bye to the irate blonde and followed my brother. “See you tomorrow, Bakugo! I hope you’ll be in a better mood!”

”You damn bitch! Get back here!!” 

“Nope!” I ignored his angry yells and left the school with my brother.

As we were walking to the station, Shoto glanced at me and quietly said, “You should be more careful about what you say. Bakugo… he looked like he was going to kill you.”

”I should, but what he said annoyed me.” I clenched my fists in response. “I worked hard, just like everyone else, to be here. No way I was going to let him get away with talking down to me. If Principal Nezu and Aizawa-sensei are constantly telling me I have potential, then there must be something in me.” 

“But…” I murmured something only he could hear as I cast a somber glance. “I guess I did let my insecurities show back there. All I did was project myself onto Midoriya.”

Shoto looked at me blankly for a moment before turning to face forward and uttered the words, “Maybe you did, maybe you didn’t. I wasn’t there.”

”You suck at cheering people up.” 

“I never said I was good at it.” 

[!-!]

Who knew that UA operated like a normal school? Sitting through English class, [Name] thought as her eyes narrowed with boredom. 

The curriculum of UA High’s hero course: Regular required classes like English in the morning. 

“Which of these English sentences is wrong?” Present Mic asked the class. 

No one raised a hand to respond, and [Name] yawned. 

“Everybody, heads up! Let’s get this party started!” He attempted to inspire the students. The only person to raise her hand was Yaoyorozu. 

“Okay, Yaoyorozu, come on!”

”The relative pronoun is in number 4!”

”CORRECT!!”

’So damn loud.’ [Name] complained, peeking over at her brother, who seemed to be focused on his notebook. ‘Glad someone’s eager to learn.’ 

Lunch is at the main cafeteria, where UA students can buy gourmet food for reasonable prices. Uraraka, Iida, and Izuku sat down with [Name] after she took her plate of rice balls, veggies, and sausages that had been sliced into adorable little octopuses. She thought it was adorable that her friend was eating her rice with a cute expression on her face. 

And then, in the afternoon… Hero Basic Training. 

“I am… coming through the door like a normal person.” With all of his strength, All Might, the number one hero, opens the door while wearing his hero costume.

“It’s All Might!” When they realize that All Might will be their teacher today, everyone's eyes brighten with excitement. 

“Wow! He really is a teacher!” Kirishima smiled, saying.

”That’s a costume from the Silver Age, isn’t it?” Tsuyu stated. 

“Its style is so different, it’s giving me goose bumps.”

[Name] noticed the small smile on Shoto's face as she turned to look at him. Though it was elusive, it was present.

‘Makes sense. All Might is his idol. I’m probably the only one here who isn’t excited to see him.’ She watched her teacher walk to the podium, mind blanked.

He began to speak after the class quieted down. “I teach Hero Basic Training. It is a subject where you train in different ways to learn the basics of being a hero. You’ll take the most units on this subject! Let’s get right into it!” He performs a muscular pose. “This is what we’ll do today—!” And pulls a card, saying, “Battle!”

”Combat training!”

”Combat…” Bakugo menacingly grins. 

“Training.” Midoriya finished the sentence, nervous. 

‘How exciting.’ [Name] smothered the smile that attempted to appear on her face. ‘So this is what Aizawa-sensei was talking about yesterday.’ 

“And to do with that are these!” The wall All Might was pointing to starts to open up, revealing briefcases with numbers on each one.

“Costumes made based on your Quirk registrations and requests you sent in before school started.”

Class 1-A erupted into excitement. 

‘Right. I remember leaving the design up to Uraraka.’ 

[Name] went to Uraraka's house to get assistance with her costume design before school started. They considered and drew what color, pattern, and design would work best for their costumes. They haven't advanced, even after several hours.

“This is hard! Coming up with a hero costume!” Ochako whined, lying back on her pillows. 

“Was it like this for the heroes, too? If I knew beforehand, I would’ve mapped out my costume earlier.” A bead of sweat appeared on [Name]’s temple. She was on the verge of losing it.

“At least we got the colors figured out.” Exhausted, she picked up her notebook, which had all of the colors sketched out aside from two. “Purple for yours, and pink for mine.”

”Yeah, but now we need to figure out the layers. Do we want a bodysuit? A skirt? A dress? Shirt and pants? Shirt and shorts? It also needs to be flashy. A hero needs to stand out after all.” [Name] clarified, rubbing her head angrily and feeling a headache coming on.

“Kill me!” Comical tears streamed down Uraraka’s face. She reexamined her notebook and said, “I think I’m going to go with a bodysuit. I should also get gauntlets that both increase and decrease my blood pressure. A belt, too. Oh! And heels that can soften my landings!”

”Heels? Are you going to be okay wearing those? You know you’ll have to do hero work with those on, right?” She inquired, folding her legs. 

“It’ll be fine! I think?” Uraraka sweated at her friend’s intense yet skeptical face and immediately changed the subject. “What about you, [Name]-chan? Do you have an idea for your costume yet?”

”Nope.“ [Name] simply replied. “But it has to be purple to match my naginata, and I would like it to be feminine but badass. I want my costume to give off a warrior vibe.”

As she was explaining the idea of her costume, a lightbulb went off inside Uraraka’s head. ‘That’s it! I know what her costume needs now!’ 

“[Name]-chan! Let me design your costume!” 

The Todoroki was surprised at her request and denied it, saying with a smile, “That’s fine. I don’t want you to get tired of doing both yours and my costumes. Plus, it’ll feel like I’m cheating.”

”But you’re not! I already know what your costume should be like now that I understand what you want! Please!” 

[Name] couldn’t say no to the puppy eyes she was giving her and relents with a sigh. “Okay… you have free rein, but I don’t want to see it until the time comes! I want this to be a surprise.”

”You got it!” Uraraka gives her an enthusiastic thumbs up, smiling. “Just leave everything to me!” 

“After you change, gather in Ground Beta!”

”Yes, sir!!” 

[Name] and the class got up to gather their respective briefcases that corresponded with their seating numbers and went on ahead to the changing room. 

She stares down at the case with pure nervousness. ‘Uraraka… please don’t let it be embarrassing.’ The class already knows she’s quirkless; the last thing she needs is for her dignity to be completely stripped away.

[!-!]

GROUND BETA 

All Might was waiting patiently for his students to emerge, both hands on his hips. He smiles broadly at the sound of their footsteps. 

“They say the clothes make the man, young men, and ladies. Be fully aware. From now on, you are heroes!” Taking in every detail, he grinned in admiration. “That’s great, everyone. You all look cool!”

After a brief period of silence, [Name] looks down at her superhero outfit and lets out an internal scream. ’Speak for yourself! This is embarrassing!’