Chapter 4

As we were waiting in line, Aizawa finally spoke. "It took you all several seconds to quiet down, not that I am blaming you all." His gaze lingered on me before he continued, "Time is precious to heroes, so without any delay, let's begin the Quirk Apprehension Test."

Everyone was surprised, responding in unison, "Quirk Apprehension Test?!"

Uraraka raised her hand, asking, "What about the entrance ceremony or guidance sessions?"

Aizawa responded, "No time to waste on that stuff if you want to be heroes. U.A is known for its freestyle educational system, and that applies to us teachers as well."

Confusion swept through the crowd, but Aizawa pressed on. "Softball throwing, standing long jumps, 50-meter dash, endurance running, grip strength, side-to-side stepping, upper body training, seated toe touch. You've done all of this in middle school, right? Your standard no-quirks-allowed gym tests. Our country still insists on prohibiting quirks when calculating the average. It's not rational." Then he looked directly at me and said, "Leo, step forward."

I walked out of the crowd and stood in front of everyone. Aizawa asked, "Leo, how far could you throw in middle school?"

"About 107.5 meters," I answered.

Everyone was stunned. I shrugged and added, "What? Although I don't work out, training my quirk still strengthens my body passively."

Aizawa just stared blankly before saying, "Okay, now do it with your quirk. Do whatever you need to do, just don't leave the circle."

I stepped into the pitch, and Aizawa tossed a softball towards me. Catching it, I stretched my arms to warm up. Then Aizawa said, "Okay, now give it your all."

"You got it," I replied, aiming the ball. As I activated my quirk to strengthen my body, something different happened. My eyes started glowing, and red electric arcs began crackling around me, released from the surface of my body.

After my encounter with All Might at the beach, I had seen how One For All strengthens the body. Using that as a reference, I recreated a surge mode. Although it increased the consumption of my stored energy, it was quite negligible and could be nullified with just passive absorption.

The dazzling visual effects of my quirk in action caused a chorus of gasps. Even Aizawa looked mildly surprised. Ignoring the reactions, I focused on the task at hand. I increased the energy output to my arm, then threw the ball with all my might. Simultaneously, I applied kinetic energy to it and reduced the effect of gravity on it. The resulting shockwave ruffled everyone's hair as the ball vanished into the sky. Deactivating my quirk, I stood still and waited.

A few seconds later, a beep sounded from the device in Aizawa's hand. "It's important for us to know our limits. That's the first rational step to figuring out what kind of heroes you will be," he said, displaying the data on the device for everyone to see: 30.00 km. "By the way, your quirk handling is quite good. You stopped it perfectly at the end of the field."

The entire class gasped. "30...km..." they repeated in shock, staring at me.

I smiled lightly and walked back to join my classmates. Noticing Midoriya looking confident for once, I approached him and asked, "You look pretty confident for someone who damages himself every time he uses his quirk. So, did you figure it out? After all, you had an entire month."

Midoriya nodded excitedly, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Yeah, but it's all thanks to you. Without you, I would have never changed my mentality or figured out how to use my quirk. Thank you, Leo."

(A/N: So, I made Midoriya realize Full Cowl earlier. I hope you guys are fine with that.)

Seeing him on the verge of tears, I shook my head. "You're welcome. After all, what are friends for? But I'm confident you would have figured it out even without my help someday. And can you stop crying? Did you forget what I said? A man should never shed tears without a valid reason."

Midoriya nodded, wiping his tears away. Aizawa then spoke, his voice cutting through the excitement. "Okay, now without further delay, let's start the test."

The class buzzed with enthusiasm. "This is awesome! And we can even use our quirks! Man, the hero course is great. Looks so fun."

Aizawa's face twisted into a scary grin. "Fun, you say? So, you all hope to be heroes after three years here and think it will all be fun and games. Then let's make this more fun." His tone sent a chill down everyone's spine, and we gulped in unison.

"The one with the lowest score in all eight tests will be judged hopeless...and will be expelled."

Everyone froze, then burst out, "Naaa....Niiiiiiii?"

Aizawa held the hair in front of his face and stared at us with that menacing grin. "Your fates are in our hands. Welcome! This is the hero course at U.A. High."

Uraraka couldn't hold it in any longer. "Expelled?! This is just our first day. I mean, even if it weren't, it's totally unfair!"

Aizawa responded with a steely resolve. "Natural disasters, highway pileups, rampaging villains—calamity is always right around the corner. Japan is full of unfair things. It's the duty of heroes to correct and fix those unfairnesses. And if you were hoping to spend your evenings hanging around at the local McDonald's, then I'm sorry to tell you that for the next three years, U.A. will run you through the wringer. That's Plus Ultra. So use your strength to overcome it all."

So, Aizawa wrapped up the introductions, and the Quirk Apprehension Test kicked off. First event: 50-meter dash. I lined up at the starting line next to Ida. As soon as Aizawa yelled "Go!" we both took off. In the next second, I crossed the finish line and the sensor beeped, showing "1.04 seconds" on Aizawa's device. A few seconds later, Ida crossed the finish line, and it beeped again with "3.04 seconds."

I caught up with Ida and said, "Guess 50 meters isn't enough for you to hit top speed, huh?"

He nodded, slightly exhausted, "Yeah, I can only get to third gear in such a short distance. You're pretty fast too."

"Thanks, you're not bad yourself," I replied, smiling. He smiled back, and we returned to watch the others.

Next up was Yuga Aoyama versus Mina Ashido. They got ready, but then Aoyama did something weird. He turned around, facing away from the starting line. When Aizawa signaled, he jumped and used his navel laser to propel himself backwards. His laser cut out, and he hit the ground, but he quickly got up and repeated the trick, crossing the finish line.

Both Ida and I were intrigued. "Looks like he can fire his laser for longer periods," Ida observed.

"Yeah," I confirmed, "Yaoyorozu mentioned he gets a stomachache if he shoots for more than a second."

Aoyama confirmed, "If I had fired any longer, my stomach would've exploded."

After that, everyone competed in pairs, and soon it was Midoriya's turn. His opponent was Bakugo. As they stood at the starting line, many of the students were visibly worried. Uraraka voiced her concern, "He won't injure himself again, will he?" Ida responded, "Unless he doesn't use his quirk, he'll get injured again." The general sentiment was one of doubt in Midoriya's ability to perform without harm. 

I simply said, "He will probably surprise you all." This statement drew surprised looks from my classmates, who began to pay closer attention.

At Aizawa's signal, Bakugo shot off using his quirk, "Explosive Speed," propelling himself forward with bursts of explosions like a jet thruster. Midoriya, on the other hand, took a deep breath and focused. Small green electric arcs appeared around his body. If you listened closely, you could hear him muttering, "One For All: Full Cowling 3%," before he launched himself forward.

The sight of the green arcs caught everyone's attention, and they turned to me briefly before refocusing on the race. Midoriya quickly caught up with Bakugo and, to everyone's amazement, surpassed him, crossing the finish line first. The sensor beeped, displaying "4.01 seconds," followed by another beep showing "4.13 seconds" as Bakugo finished.

Bakugo exploded with rage. "What the hell, Deku?! Explain yourself!" He lunged at Midoriya, who panicked. Midway, a cloth caught Bakugo, and the explosion in his hand dissipated. Bakugo struggled against the cloth, but Aizawa's calm voice cut through the chaos. "It's a capture weapon made of carbon fiber and alloy wires, practically unbreakable for the likes of you. And stop trying to use your quirk—I have already erased it."

Suddenly, it clicked for me. "Wait, erased? Are you the Pro Hero: Eraser Head?" Realization dawned on everyone as they recognized their homeroom teacher.

After Bakugo calmed down, Aizawa removed the cloth and restored his quirk. 

After that small event, the remaining tests progressed fairly quickly. Soon, it was time for the final test: the Softball Pitch. Unlike the first time, everyone got a chance this round. When it was my turn again, I replicated my earlier performance, and after throwing the ball, I returned to the crowd.

Next, it was Bakugo's turn. He threw the ball with explosive force, and the results came back at an impressive 714 meters. Finally, it was Midoriya's turn. As he stepped up to the pitch, I sensed something and glanced behind me. In the far back, I saw All Might peeking around a corner, his eyes focused intently on Midoriya. When Midoriya activated his quirk, the familiar green arcs appeared around him. All Might's expression shifted to one of surprise, then softened into a smile of relief. He noticed me looking at him and signaled for me to look away from him. I nodded and turned my attention back just in time to see Midoriya aim and throw the ball. A few seconds later, the device in Aizawa's hand beeped and displayed 243 meters. Aizawa nodded in acknowledgment of Midoriya's effort.

Midoriya returned to the crowd, and I walked over to him, tapping his shoulder. "Now that's a hero-like record. Although you didn't place in the top three in any test, you still scored above average. Compared to your performance in the entrance exam, I'd say it's a win." Midoriya beamed, "Thank you, Leo."

The remaining students completed their tests one by one, and soon, the Softball Pitch test concluded. I secured the first place in every test except for the Softball Pitch, where Uraraka's "Infinity" throw firmly held the top spot.

After everyone finished, Aizawa announced, "Moving along. It's time for your results." Excitement buzzed through the crowd, including Midoriya. Aizawa continued, "Your total scores simply reflect your performance in each event, so explaining them would be a waste of time. Here are the final rankings." He activated a holographic screen, which displayed the rankings:

1. Leo

2. Momo Yaoyorozu

3. Shoto Todoroki

4. Katsuki Bakugo

5. Tenya Ida

6. Izuku Midoriya

7. Fumikage Tokoyami

8. Mezo Shoji

9. Mashirao Ojiro

...

20. Toru Hagakure

21. Minoru Mineta

Then Aizawa said, "Now that that's out of the way, Mineta, come with me and pack your bags. I'll take you to the principal to apply for your expulsion." Everyone was stunned, especially Yaoyorozu, who exclaimed, "But I thought you were lying, just to get everyone to perform their best!" 

Aizawa replied, "I don't have time to lie to you. As I said, those judged hopeless will be expelled." Mineta stood there as if he'd lost his soul. Aizawa came over and dragged him away. Everyone watched with pity as Mineta was taken, but the enthusiasm of the class remained high. It was only our first day, and most of us weren't familiar with each other—perhaps I was an exception.

After that, we returned to the changing rooms to switch back into our school uniforms. Since it was lunch, everyone headed to the cafeteria in groups. I left earlier, went to the counter, ordered my lunch, and found a seat near the window.

My peaceful meal was soon interrupted by the arrival of the boys. Kirishima, Kaminari, and Sero were in the lead, sitting opposite me. Ida, Midoriya, and Todoroki followed. Ida approached and said, "Hey, it's quite rude to sit next to someone without asking for their permission."

I chuckled lightly and said, "It's fine, Ida-san, I don't mind. You guys can sit here too."

"Thank you," Ida replied, then sat down, followed by Todoroki and Midoriya. We quickly got acquainted, talking about random things like quirks and our experiences so far. Nearby, the girls had also gathered and were chatting together.

As our conversation flowed, Ida asked, "Say, Midoriya, in the entrance exam, you damaged your body quite badly when you attacked, but today during the test, you were able to control it. How did you do that?"

This question piqued the girls' interest as well, and Uraraka added, "Yeah, Midoriya, you were also saying that if only you got one point... How did you manage to control it in just one month?"

Midoriya, looking flustered and unsure of how to respond, glanced at me for support. I decided to step in, "Midoriya's been working hard, training and understanding his quirk better. Sometimes, it just takes a change in mindset and a bit of guidance."

Midoriya nodded with a determined look. "Yeah, I had some assistance... and a ton of practice. It's still a work in progress, but I'm making strides."

Everyone seemed satisfied with that answer, and we continued to talk, sharing stories and bonding as a group. The first day had its challenges, but it was clear we were starting to form the connections that would carry us through the trials ahead.

After lunch, we all headed back to class. The rest of the courses were extremely normal and boring, like any other high school. I soon lost interest and started chatting with Yaoyorozu, but she was quite studious and focused on her work. Respecting her dedication, I turned my attention to Hagakure, who seemed just as bored as I was. We began talking about her quirk.

"So, you were invisible from the day you were born?" I asked, intrigued.

"Yes," Hagakure replied. "My mom always says how hard it was for the doctors to get me out since I was invisible. So, compared to a normal birth that takes an hour or two, mine took about five hours because the doctors had to improvise with scans and other devices to see me." She sounded as if she was smiling.

"Then you've never seen what you look like?" I asked.

"No," she said, her tone tinged with sadness. "But I'm sure I look more like my mother, with chartreuse hair with pink specks, maybe even big round eyes like hers."

Feeling her sadness, I had an idea. "Hey, Hagakure, want to see something cool?"

"What is it?" she asked, curious.

I smiled mysteriously and began manipulating the light energy around my hand. Like a magic trick, I waved my hand, then covered it, slowly bringing my hand down while making the other hand vanish completely. However, this was a mistake because Hagakure couldn't hold back and exclaimed, "You can turn invisible?!"

Everyone's eyes turned to us, and I quickly placed my hand over her invisible mouth to cover it. Seeing their stares, I smiled, a bit embarrassed, and removed my hand.

The teacher at the front, Present Mic, noticed the commotion and said, "Leo, since you're so distracted in class, answer this question." He pointed to a problem on the board.

I stood up and answered effortlessly, embarrassing Present Mic, who coughed to recover. "Okay, good. But please don't disturb the class again."

I nodded and sat down, and the class resumed. Hagakure whispered, "That was amazing! How did you do that?"

"It's just a little trick with my quirk," I whispered back. "I can manipulate energy, remember?"

She giggled softly, clearly impressed. The rest of the afternoon passed uneventfully, but the small incident had lightened the mood, making the boring classes a bit more bearable. 

After that, time went by quickly, and soon the bell rang, signifying the end of the class. As soon as the teacher walked out, I was surrounded by everyone. Kirishima asked, "Hey Leo, can you really turn invisible?"

In response, I activated my quirk and disappeared right in front of them. Everyone was stunned, and Kirishima was the first to react. "Bro, that's so cool, so manly."

I deactivated my quirk and reappeared. Kaminari came near me, put his hands on my shoulders, and asked, "Say Leo, can you turn others invisible too?"

Shoji chimed in, "Okay, stop having so much confidence. It's a surprise that he can turn himself invisible. And you're asking if he can—" His sentence was cut short when I snapped my fingers and Kaminari disappeared in front of everyone. This time, they were truly stunned. If turning myself invisible was impressive, making others invisible was entirely unexpected.

Kaminari shouted, "Damn, I am invisible. Is this how Hagakure feels? This is so cool!" He sneakily moved towards the girls. Sensing his intention, I snapped my fingers again, making him visible. He looked disappointed. "Man, almost there. Why, Leo?"

The girls, realizing what he was about to do, looked at me gratefully. Hagakure came over and grabbed my hands, asking hopefully, "Leo, can you possibly turn me visible, at least for a while?"

Hearing her pleading tone, I looked at her thoughtfully and replied, "Sure, I'll give it a shot. But don't get your hopes up too high just yet. I'm not exactly a pro when it comes to quirks or how they function."

She nodded eagerly. "Okay, then please try."

With her consent, I nodded back and said, "Now, do not resist. Also, I don't know how long this will take, so can you guys ask the teacher not to disturb me? Since this is my first time, I don't know if there will be any side effects if I'm interrupted." The girls quickly agreed, even before the boys could respond. 

After getting their agreement, I held Hagakure's hands again and activated my quirk. With my eyes glowing, I used bio-electricity to speed up my thoughts and processing speed. I looked at her, sensing her nervousness, and flashed a reassuring smile, "Just relax. It's not painful—at least I think so. Leave it all to me. I'll try my best to help."

With my reassurance, she gradually calmed down. I closed my eyes and started sending bio-energy through her hands into her body. First, I disabled her pain receptors and gradually formed an image of her body structure, identifying the pathways through which energy flows. Finally, I found her quirk factor.

Using high-speed thinking, I analyzed how to modify her quirk to ensure it wouldn't harm her body but would allow her to control it actively. A few minutes passed, and the next teacher, Cementoss, arrived. Thanks to the persuasion of the other students, he didn't disturb us and started the class normally. I remained oblivious to this, focusing entirely on simulating multiple methods in my mind until I found a way. It was a painful process, but I had already disabled her pain receptors and was monitoring her body's reactions in real-time.

I started by rerouting the energy flow from her quirk factor to her brain, quietly carving out a small area in her subconscious. Next, I charted a fresh energy pathway from the quirk factor to her brain, seamlessly connecting it to the existing channels her quirk typically followed within her body.

With everything completed, I slowly opened my eyes and glanced at Hagakure, who was a bundle of nerves and anticipation as she watched me. Through our connection, I could sense her hopeful anticipation, wishing for success and fearing disappointment. "I'm nearly finished, but there may be a slight discomfort as I reactivate your pain receptors," I explained gently. "Prepare yourself."

I shut my eyes once more, concentrating on reactivating Hagakure's pain receptors. As the new pathway kicked in, she winced lightly, feeling the adjustment. Quickly, I redirected some bio-energy to alleviate her discomfort. After a few moments, Hagakure's tension eased, and I began retracting the bio-energy from her body. Opening my eyes, I found the entire class gathered around us. With a smile, I turned to Hagakure. "All set now."

Hearing this, she was happy but then noticed she was still invisible. Her smile faded as she looked at me, confused. Laughing, I gently knocked her forehead. "You didn't even ask how I fixed it, silly. Now concentrate—you can feel it. I made it an active quirk. Try to deactivate it. It might be hard at first."

She rubbed her forehead and concentrated. Slowly, her body started becoming visible from her hair down to her toes. When she opened her eyes, she saw everyone staring at her. Confused, she looked down and saw her hands and legs. Yaoyorozu created a small mirror and handed it to Hagakure, who nervously looked in.

She gasped, staring at her reflection in the mirror. Touching her beautiful face, she whispered, "This... Is this me?" Tears welled up in her eyes, and in an instant, she flung her arms around me. "Oh my gosh, Leo! Thank you! Thank you so much!" she exclaimed, her voice choked with emotion.

Her hug was tight, almost crushing, and before I knew it, she planted a quick kiss on my cheek. "I can finally see myself," she whispered, tears of joy streaming down her now-visible face. Everyone was thrilled, especially the girls, who knew from lunch conversations that it had been her dream to see herself. They all gave us space, understanding the significance of the moment.

After a while, she let go of the hug and gave me a tender look.

Midoriya flashed a thumbs up. "That was amazing, Leo. Your quirk seems like it can do just about anything."

Kirishima, grinning widely, chimed in, "Bro, you just made her day! Scratch that, her whole life! Seriously, that was the manliest thing I've seen. You're incredible, man!"

Hagakure eased back a bit, her embrace still gentle, a radiant smile on her face with tears lingering in her eyes. "Leo, I'm at a loss for words. This is the most incredible gift anyone's ever given me."

Returning her hug, I felt a warm sense of accomplishment. "Just knowing you're happy is all the thanks I need, Hagakure-chan."

It was only then that she realized what she was doing and quickly let go, blushing slightly as she turned invisible again. Seeing this, I laughed and said, "Hey, Hagakure, you're invisible again." She looked stunned and glanced down, worried. Sensing her distress, I reassured her, "Relax, it's temporary. Didn't I already say I turned the quirk into an active one? You just need to learn to control your emotions, and it will be fine." 

Her panic subsided, and she concentrated again, reappearing once more. Then she looked at me and said, "Toru, just call me Toru from now on." Teasingly, I responded, "Okay, you got it, Toru-chan." She blushed slightly at the nickname. 

Before the conversation could continue, Mina interrupted, "Say, was it just me, or did I see Hagakure's clothes disappear with her this time?" Kaminari chimed in, "No, it's not just you. I saw it too." Hagakure was stunned by their remarks. 

Clearing up the confusion, I explained, "Oh, that was me. I just tweaked her quirk a little so that whatever comes in contact with her will turn invisible with her. Including her clothes." I glanced at Toru and added, "So from now on, my Toru-chan doesn't need to remove her clothes to bring out the full potential of her quirk." 

Hearing this, she hugged me again and whispered, "Thanks, Leo."

(A/N: Are you guys fine with what I did above. I hope so, since as Leo's women, I don't want her to be an exhibitionist.)

I nodded, "Oh, and just so you know, even now, Aizawa-sensei's quirk or other neutralization-type quirks won't affect you since your quirk is still a mutation type. I just made it controllable." Hagakure nodded in understanding.

Just then, Aizawa walked in. "Okay, now that you're all done, can you all sit back in your seats?" he said, his usual tired expression in place. "And also, Leo, good work." 

As everyone returned to their seats, Hagakure was the most embarrassed, realizing that even the teacher had witnessed her kissing me. I simply nodded at Aizawa's praise and returned to my seat. Aizawa then began the class, explaining the curriculum and courses for the year. 

Soon, the period ended, and the bell rang, marking not only the end of the period but also the conclusion of our first day of school.

After Aizawa left, the girls approached me and expressed their gratitude for helping Hagakure. They understood how much it meant to her to finally be visible. Then, with a sense of camaraderie, they decided to leave together. Hagakure had a lot to catch up on, especially in terms of fashion now that she could be seen, so the girls made plans to assist her in discovering her style. With smiles and laughter, they exited the classroom.

As the girls departed, I followed suit, bidding farewell to my classmates. Stepping out into the fading light of the setting sun, I found myself joined by Kirishima and Kaminari. Together, we strolled along the path, reminiscing about the day's events and the bonds we had formed.

In that moment, I couldn't help but reflect on the unexpected experiences, the newfound friendships, and yes, even the surprising kiss from Toru. With a sense of anticipation, I looked ahead, eager to embark on the adventures that awaited us in the days and years to come. With my friends by my side, I knew that whatever challenges lay ahead, we would face them together, ready to tackle whatever the future held. And so, with hopeful hearts and determined spirits, we walked forward, ready to embrace the journey ahead.

(A/N: Hey everyone. So, I decided to give Mineta the boot. Hope that's cool with y'all!

a. Yup, totally cool. Adios, Mineta!

b. Nah, bring him back. Everyone deserves a shot.)

Catch ya in chapter 5. Later!