8 Quirk Assessment Test is go!

"Wait please," Pink cheeks spoke out, "how can you just expel us like that? It's only our first day!" She clenched her fists, "Even if it's not our first day, this is unfair."

"Natural disaster, enormous accident, and selfish villains…"Mirai stiffened as Mr Aizawa continued, "We never know when or where they'll come. Japan is filled with unfairness." He sighed, "Heroes overturn those dire situations. If you were hoping to have fun with your friends, too bad."

Everyone in the class stayed silent. 

"UA will continue to throw trials at you throughout these three years. Over and beyond, plus ultra." He gestured with his fingers, pointing forward and back, taunting them, "Come with all you've got."

UA…known for giving birth to top heroes, did these past heroes also endure such treatment? She sighed, not like anything she could do about it. She glanced at Midoriya who only looked more and more worried by each word this hermit spouted about,

"Izuku," She said, snapping him out of it, she smiled at him, "Let's do our best." Midoriya tried to smile but it struggled to stay still and reach his eyes, "Right!"

"Well that's the end of the demonstration. The real deal starts now."

┏━°⌜ 赤い糸 ⌟°━┓

┗━°⌜ 赤い糸 ⌟°━┛

50 meters dash

Mirai found herself lined up next to a girl with a long, dark ponytail. As they prepared for the race, the girl suddenly began to remove her gym uniform top. Mirai stared, her eyes wide with shock and curiosity, before quickly snapping out of it.

As the signal sounded, Mirai focused her quirk, teleporting herself half a meter from the finish line. Just as she prepared to teleport again, she caught sight of the ponytailed girl swinging past her, propelled by a long metal staff.

What the hell? Where did that metal stick come from? 

With a final burst of energy, Mirai teleported across the finish line, the robotic timer cheerfully announcing her result: 3.2 seconds.

Not bad at least.

The ponytailed girl followed close behind, finishing with a time of 4.8 seconds. As she began to put her gym shirt back on, their eyes met, and the girl offered Mirai a friendly smile.

"Teleportation, huh? What a wonderful quirk," 

Mirai blinked, "Oh, uh, thanks. If I may ask, what's your quirk?"

The girl introduced herself as Yaoyorozu and began to explain the intricacies of her quirk. As she spoke, Mirai felt a bead of sweat trickle down her temple. Wow.. quirks these days are something else… 

They moved to the side, joining the rest of the class to watch the next pair take their turn. Mirai's heart sank as she saw Midoriya step up to the starting line, alongside a scowling Bakugou.

To no one's surprise, Bakugou easily outpaced Midoriya, using his explosions to propel himself forward in a burst of speed and power.

As she watched, Mirai couldn't help but frown. Despite Midoriya's hard work and unwavering determination, he was at a distinct disadvantage compared to those born with more advanced quirks.

It was a harsh reality, one that left a bitter taste in her mouth. 

How was Midoriya going to survive this trial, let alone the next three years, without a quirk to call his own?

As the next test began, Mirai found herself silently praying for a miracle, some twist of fate that would level the playing field and give her best friend a fighting chance.

Next was the grip test.

Admittedly she didn't do well, not in the slightest compared to that weird octopus guy who had many arms.

She looked over to see Midoriya who didn't look to be more at ease than he did the last test. But then something else caught her eyes, suppose she wasn't the only one who was curious about the green-haired guy, across the room was Bakugou staring daggers at him.

What's up with this guy? Ever since they got into UA, no, even before that, Bakugou's been acting strange, might she even say he was cautious? 

Before she could ponder about it even more, Mr Aizawa called on them for the next test. And then the next. And next. The ball throw.

Pink Cheeks stepped up first, gripping the ball tightly. With a grunt of effort, she hurled it into the air, and everyone watched in awe as it soared higher and higher, until it disappeared from sight. Mr. Aizawa held up his phone, displaying the result: a single symbol, infinity.

Gasps and murmurs rippled through the class. How could a phone even calculate such a distance? And more importantly, everyone in the class has at least one high score in some tests, except for…

"Midoriya." Mr Aizawa called out, "You're up."

Midoriya gulped, his adam's apple bobbing as he stepped into the circle. He stood there for a moment, his fist clenched around the ball

"Midoriya is not in a good situation." Iida noted, crossing his arms over his chest.

Bakugou scoffed. "Of course not. He's a wimpy quirkless loser." He jabbed a finger in Midoriya's direction.

Iida's eyebrows shot up. "Quirkless? That can't be right. Don't you know what he did in the entrance exam?"

Mirai's head snapped around. "Wait, what? What did he do?"

But before anyone could answer, Midoriya threw the ball. It sailed through the air, but only for a short distance before falling to the ground with a disappointing thud. Midoriya stared at his hand, his eyes wide, "I was really trying to use it," he mumbled, his voice trembling.

A collective gasp went up from the class as Mr. Aizawa's loose bandages suddenly came to life, writhing in the air around him. His hair floated up, and his eyes glowed red.

"The entrance exam is not logical at all," he said lowly, "Even someone like you got accepted."

Midoriya's voice was barely audible. "You erased my quirk?"

Quirk? Mirai thought, What the heck…

Midoriya stumbled back, his face pale. "Those goggles… the hero that erases quirks with just a look. The Erasure Hero, Eraserhead."

"Eraserhead? I've never heard of him," someone whispered.

Mirai nodded. "He's an underground hero, someone who avoids the media."

Mr. Aizawa's eyes narrowed. "You can't control your quirk, can you? If you break down again, were you expecting someone to save you?"

"Not at all!" Midoriya protested, but the bandages quickly wrapped around him, yanking him forward until he was face-to-face with their teacher.

"Regardless of your intentions, that's how it will end up," Mr. Aizawa said, "Long ago, a stiflingly passionate hero saved over a thousand people during a disaster, becoming a legend. With the same reckless courage, you might be able to save one person, but you'll be a useless doll afterwards."

"Midoriya Izuku, you cannot become a hero with your power."

Mirai gritted her teeth, "Why, you…" She started forward, but the brunette girl held her back.

"Calm down," she whispered.

Mr. Aizawa closed his eyes, and the bandages unfurled from around Midoriya, falling back into place. "I've returned your quirk. You can throw one more time." He walked away, his hands stuffed in his pockets. "Get it over with."

Midoriya nodded, wordlessly he returned to the circle. Iida adjusted his glasses. "It seems he got quite the lecture."

"Gee, no shit, Glasses Guy," Mirai muttered, but her mind was racing. "Earlier, you mentioned something about the entrance exam. What did Midoriya do?"

Bakugou scoffed. "Does it matter, Extra? He's going to get expelled anyway."

Mirai ignored him, her eyes fixed on Midoriya as he stared down at his hand.

Izuku…What will you do now?

It happened in a blur. Midoriya wound up, his whole body coiling like a spring, and then he let the ball fly. It rocketed into the sky, a shockwave of air pressure blasting outwards from the point of impact. Mirai felt the wind whip through her hair, her eyes wide with disbelief.

'Quirkless? That can't be right, don't you know what did in the exam?'

'You erased my quirk?'

Izuku..have you been keeping this from her? This whole time?

Around her, the class erupted into surprised shouts and exclamations. The brunette girl threw her hands up, a huge grin on her face. "All right! He finally got a hero-like score!"

Iida frowned, peering at Midoriya's hand. "His finger is swelling up. Just like in the entrance exam… what a strange quirk."

Bakugou's eyes widened, "What the hell does that mean?" Explosions burst from his palms, small at first, but growing in intensity. "Hey! Deku!" He launched himself forward, rushing towards Midoriya. "Explain yourself!"

Mirai reacted on instinct, teleporting in front of Midoriya. But before Bakugou could reach them, a tangle of bandages wrapped around him, binding his arms to his sides.

"What the fuck is this?" Bakugou snarled, struggling against his restraints. "It's so stiff…"

"Those bandages are made from a special alloy wire and carbon fiber," Mr. Aizawa said, his voice bored. "Don't make me use my quirk again and again." He fixed Bakugou with a piercing stare, and even Mirai felt a shiver run down her spine at the sight of those glowing red eyes. "I have dry eye, you know."

What a waste of an impressive quirk.

Mr. Aizawa blinked, and the bandages fell away. "We're wasting time. Get ready for the next event."

As the class began to move on, Mirai turned to Midoriya, her eyes searching his face. She had so many questions, so many things she wanted to say. But for now, all she could was follow him as he carefully walked around the blonde.

They would talk later. They had to.

With the tests concluded, the students gathered around Mr. Aizawa, their faces a mix of exhaustion and apprehension. Midoriya stood off to the side, cradling his injured finger, his expression tight with pain and worry.

Throughout the exam, Mirai had tried to catch his eye, to find a moment to question him about his quirk, but there had always been another test to run, another challenge to face. And with each passing minute, Midoriya had seemed to withdraw further into himself, his shoulders hunched and his gaze downcast.

"Let's announce the results quickly," Mr. Aizawa said, his voice cutting through the murmurs of the class. "I simply summed up each test's core." He held up his phone, his thumb hovering over the screen. "Since it's a waste of time explaining, I'll show you all."

With a tap of his finger, a holographic display appeared in front of the students, their names and ranks glowing in the air. Mirai scanned the list as she found her own name in 13th place. Her lack of physical strength and endurance had cost her, despite her quirk's usefulness.

But it was the name at the very bottom of the list that made her breath catch in her throat. Midoriya Izuku, dead last.

Mirai forced herself to keep her gaze forward, to not look at her friend. She could only imagine the devastation on his face, the crushing weight of failure after all his hard work and training.

"The expelling part was a lie," Mr. Aizawa said, his voice cutting through the stunned silence. The display vanished with another tap of his finger.

"Eh?"

"Huh?"

"Nani?"

Mr Aizawa smiled wide, showing all his straight teeth, "It was a logical lie to make you use your quirk fully.""Seriously?!"

Everyone exclaimed but Yaoyorozu simply said, "Well of course it was a lie, didn't take that much to figure it out."

"Says the first place Yaoyorozu, creating all those fancy gizmos." Mirai pointed, noting all those times she used her quirk, in the ball throw she used an enhanced slingshot, then a pogo stick for the standing long jump, and then an assisted push-up device.

Yaoyorozu's face warmed, "Well you know, Mr Aizawa said to give it all we got!"

"But man I was so nervous!" The asian face said, his shoulders sagging.

"I liked the challenge." Kirishima grinned.

"We're done here," Mr. Aizawa said, turning to walk away. "The curriculum and syllabus are back in the classroom. Make sure to review them thoroughly."

As the class began to disperse, Midoriya let out a shaky breath, his face pale and drawn.

"Midoriya." Mr. Aizawa's voice cut through the chatter, and he held out a slip of paper. "Go see Recovery Girl and get yourself patched up. The real training begins tomorrow, and it only gets tougher from here on out."

Midoriya took the paper with a nod, his jaw clenched tight.

Mirai sighed and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, pulling him close. "Hey, enough with the long face, yeah? You survive, you got a pass."

"Still..I couldn't really do much."

"Then do better next time," Mirai said, her tone blunt but not unkind. "For now, let's get you fixed up, okay?" She gestured to his injured finger. And maybe when they get to the nurse office he could explain.

But as they made their way to the nurse's office, she was ushered out and then ordered to go back to her classroom where Midoriya did not even attend for the rest of the day.

Finally, the after noon bell rings and Mirai waited outside near the gates, her foot tapping against the tile. But when Midoriya finally emerged outside of the building, his finger wrapped in a bandage and face drawn with exhaustion, she found herself holding back.

"Recovery Girl's quirk really takes it out of you, huh?" she said, forcing a smile.

"Yeah, of course," Mirai said, nodding slowly as they began to walk. "Okay, Izuku, no more stalling. What—"

But before she could finish her question, a hand landed on Midoriya's shoulder. They turned to see Iida, his glasses glinting in the afternoon sun.

"Iida!" Midoriya stiffened, his body tensing. He wasn't used to being approached by others, at least not in a friendly manner. Usually, it was only to torment him.

"Is your finger alright?" Iida asked.

Midoriya relaxed, a small smile tugging at his lips. "Yes, thanks to Recovery Girl." He held up his healed finger as proof.

Mirai leaned against Midoriya, her arms crossed. "So, is that all, Glasses Guy?"

Iida frowned, adjusting his glasses. "I am not 'Glasses Guy.' I am Iida Tenya from—"

Mirai huffed and turned away, cutting him off mid-sentence.

"Sh-Shiromi?!" Iida sputtered.

Midoriya stepped between them, his hands raised in a placating gesture. "Please don't mind her," he said apologetically, "She just… holds grudges, that's all."

Iida's frown deepened. "Is that really an appropriate trait for a future hero to possess?"

"Heyyy!" a cheerful voice called out. They turned to see Uraraka jogging towards them, her brown hair bouncing with each step. "Are you guys heading to the station? Wait for me!"

"Uraraka?" Midoriya said, his eyes widening in recognition.

"Infinity Girl?" Iida added.

"Pink Cheeks?" Mirai chimed in.

Uraraka laughed as she caught up to them, her cheeks flushed from the exertion. "Pink Cheeks? I'm Ochako Uraraka," she said, her smile warm and friendly.

Mirai returned the smile, "Oh, nice to meet you again, Uraraka!"

Iida's head drooped, his shoulders sagging. "The vastly different attitude she displays towards me compared to others.." he muttered under his breath.

Uraraka, oblivious to the situation, turned to Iida. "You're Iida Tenya, right?" She then shifted her attention to Midoriya, her head cocked to the side. "And you… Midoriya Deku?"

"Deku?" Midoriya repeated.

"No," she said firmly, shaking her head.

Uraraka blinked, "But that Bakugou guy called him…"

'Damn you, Deku!' Bakugou's angry voice echoed in their minds.

Mirai sighed, "Ah, well, that's just Bakugou being a bully. Please ignore that. His name is Izuku." She gestured to Midoriya, whose face was now a deep shade of red.

Uraraka's eyes widened, and she scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "Oh, really? I'm so sorry!" She paused, a thoughtful look crossing her features. "But… Deku kind of sounds like 'You can do it!' So I like it."

"I'm Deku!" he blurted out.

"Huh? Izuku?!" Mirai whipped her head around. 

 "Wasn't that meant to be an insult?"

Midoriya's blush deepened, and he buried his face in his hands, "It's the Copernican Revolution," he mumbled, his words barely audible.

"Cope?" Uraraka titled her head.

In the end Mirai sighed as she followed along the footstep of Uraraka, Midoriya and the other guy. How had things ended up like this? She had been planning to ask Midoriya about his quirk, the question burning inside her, threatening to burst out at any moment. She had wanted to wait until they were alone, but for Christ's sake, she should just do it now…

She turned to Midoriya, her mouth opening to speak, but as she watched him interact with the others, no words could escape. This was the first time she had seen him engage so positively with people other than herself. He was finally making new friends, opening up to others.

Maybe… maybe that question could wait another day.

Mirai bit her lip, she decided to hold her tongue, to let the question simmer in the back of her mind for just a little while longer.

Besides, if it were really important, Midoriya would have told her. She's sure of it.