1 The Day

The acrid smell of phosphorus filled the air as Kaisei lit a match. Quickly, he touched it to a few sticks of incense, which slowly started to fill the room with its more fresh scent. He waved the flame off the match and slowly, solemnly, stuck the incense sticks into the bowl of sand and ashes on the small shrine as he had so often before. It wasn't a part of his normal morning routine, but today was a special day. He clapped his hands together and bowed his head to pay respects to the picture on the shrine.

"Mom," he murmured, "the day has come. It's time for me to start the plan. Don't worry, I have no fear. The test today should be easy. Nothing to be nervous about." He paused. "Well, I guess I am a little nervous. But it's not as much about myself as-"

"Onii-chan!"

He sighed.

"Her," he finished.

A girl Kai's age poked her head around the corner of the doorway, interrupting Kai's reverie. Her long black hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Her face was round and attractive, but the most striking thing about her appearance was her eyes. They were mostly a light brown, but close to her pupils, they changed to electric blue. A stark contrast to Kai, who had black irises. Adding to this almost alien feature of his face was his hair. Or rather, the lack thereof. Instead, sprouting from his head was a collection of "dreadlocks" consisting of thick chitinous antennae that almost went down to his shoulders.

"Onii-chan, hurry up! We should be early for the UA entrance test! You're not ready yet?"

Kai sighed.

"Aya-nee, do you really have to rush me? You can see what I was in the middle of doing," he said, gesturing to his mom's shrine. Ayako was always like that; full of energy and raring to go. "Can't you just give me a few more minutes?"

"You do that every day. I think that your mom already knows perfectly well what you are doing, and that today is the big day. Now, we need to get going so we won't be late!"

"What do you mean, late? Even if we left in half an hour, we'd still be early!"

"And if we're not early, we won't be able to talk to people, get some extra information! Hey, maybe you'd finally be able to get a date!"

"Nee-chan, what are you talking about? I'm not going to UA for just a social life! And especially not for dating!"

"Well, you should at least be getting some kind of social life! I know I'm cute and wonderful to be around, but I'm also your sister. You can't have me as your only friend. Besides, I've got a life outside of you, and you need to have friends that you can hang out with for those times."

"Ugh, fine. If you will stop trying to push me into talking to people that are just as likely to not get in as be our classmates, then we can go now. Just give me a minute."

Ayako beamed and pulled her head back behind the corner.

Kai sighed and turned back to his mom's shrine.

"Well, as you can see, Ayako is still Ayako. I'll take care of her, and myself. I mean, I can't let her parents down. See you later!"

One more time, he clapped his hands together and bowed his head. Kai took a deep breath and sighed. Today was important. It was the beginning of everything.

Without further ado, he reached into his closet and pulled out some clothes. With a fresh t-shirt and a light jacket, he considered himself ready. The UA entrance exam was infamous for its difficulty, and he wasn't quite sure what he would face. But he was confident in his ability to adapt. When it came to the written part of the test, his grades spoke for themselves. As for the practical part, there weren't too many options to test the capabilities of future heroes. It had to be some form of combat.

In which case, he had more to worry from the written portion.

Dressed, Kai walked out of the room. Making his way to the kitchen of the small apartment he shared with Ayako, he grabbed a couple slices of bread for a quick sandwich before heading out. As he finished preparing it, Ayako walked in, apparently thinking the same thing. As soon as she saw Kai, she froze.

"Is that what you're wearing?"

Kai looked down, then back at Ayako. He didn't see what was wrong with what he was wearing. Jeans, white t-shirt, blue jacket. He knew he wasn't at the head of fashion, but he knew enough to know when something was wrong.

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"

"The teachers are going to be watching you, and you are just going like that?"

"It's practical for the practical part of the test. And I highly doubt they will be grading us based on our fashion sense."

"You know what I meant. You need to make a good impression."

"You know my Quirk. I think that I'll make quite the impression."

Ayako threw her hands up in defeat. No matter how much she tried to habilitate her adopted brother, he never quite made it on the smaller things, like making friends. It wasn't so much that he never made the effort, but that his mind was always elsewhere.

Knowing him, it was just him going over his plan.

"So, Kai, shall we get going, then?"

"Sure. If we leave now, we are just about guaranteed to get an express train to UA."

"How about we take the other express?"

"…"

"I want to feel the wind in my hair."

"… You know, sometimes I forget you have a bit of a daredevil streak in you."

"Hehe, come on, you want to do it too, let's just take the special express."

Kai shrugged. It wasn't the first time, and it probably wouldn't be the last. Besides, it would be good exercise in preparation for the test.

"Then let's head out. Time to take the Zergling Express!"