Side effects

The study session for grade skipping had begun, and Neito was feeling pretty proud of himself. He'd used his mom's Body Shaper quirk to enlarge his head to an almost ridiculous degree.

He was increasing the size of his brain, and his quirk ensured his body could keep up with the changes. The result? He could absorb information at a staggering pace.

But not everything was going smoothly.

**Click.**

**Giggle.**

Neito's mom stood nearby, snapping photos and laughing to herself as he sat there—bobble-headed—staring intensely at his study materials, his massive head dominating his tiny body.

**Click.**

**Giggle.**

Neito turned toward her, trying his best to glare with his dinner-plate-sized eyes.

"No!"

His mom paused, looking momentarily serious... then slowly raised the camera again.

**Click.**

**Giggle.**

Neito sighed in defeat but didn't revert his transformation. Maintaining this form was crucial.

By enlarging his eyes, he'd proportionally increased his visual cortex's processing power. In simpler terms, he could flip through pages in seconds and still absorb everything.

"Whatever. I'll just do my own thing."

At that, his mom clapped her hands happily, clearly more impressed with how cute he looked than with his dedication to studying.

Neito ignored her and turned back to his book. His oversized eyes widened again as he blitzed through the final chapters.

_I'm almost done. I've gone through everything I need— even practiced Nezu's old UA high entrance exams. I'm ready._

As he closed the book, his eyes shrunk back to normal and his head followed suit. No more bobble-head mode.

"Aww, I wanted to take a few more pictures. No fun," his mom pouted.

Neito ignored her, rubbing his scalp. He could feel the strain—maintaining that form had clearly taken a toll on him. Even with adaptation, quirks had limits. Kaminari still fries his brain if he pushes too hard—Neito was no exception.

Seeing the discomfort on his face, his mom rushed over and gently cradled his head.

"Oh dear... quirk overuse. Look at this—your hair's falling out!"

She brushed off a small handful of blonde strands, her expression turning concerned.

Neito froze. This was the first time he'd experienced a real symptom of quirk overuse.

"Wait—my copy quirk copies the side effects too? Seriously? Will my hair grow back or am I bald forever?"

He looked horrified. The idea of going bald at four years old wasn't exactly appealing.

His mom chuckled and brushed away the loose hair, tugging at his cheeks playfully.

"Of course it'll grow back. Just rest, and once you've recovered, you can use the quirk again to speed it up. Relax, honey."

Neito blinked. That... made sense, actually.

She gave him a smug grin. "Hehe, don't look so surprised. Body Shaper is my quirk. I've been using it for 20 years. No matter how smart you are, baby, I've got you beat on experience."

"I... I see, Mom."

Neito grew quiet. Until now, he thought his copy quirk—combined with his enhanced intellect—would let him surpass any original user.

But he'd overlooked something important. The original quirk owners also had knowledge that came with years of use—knowledge he didn't copy.

I get it now... someone like Bakugo gets angry to sweat more, he knows from experience that's the best way to use his quirk. But I don't have that knowledge. I have to figure out everything on my own.

That's why his quirk had evolved to upgrade his mind—it was compensating for the lack of knowledge that others had gained through years of use.

"Thanks, Mom. I didn't want to be bald without getting infinite strength first," 

He mumbled, half-joking, thinking of his favorite hero—Mr. Caped Baldy. His mom was confused an but smiled.

"Alright, Neito. No more studying. You've overused your quirk. Go rest. I'll wake you when Dad gets home."

He nodded, closing his books and hopping off the chair. He was feeling okay, but he figured resting now was smarter than overdoing it.

He'd done enough today. No need to be perfect.

And besides, once he woke up, he'd have to face the real test. The grade skipping authority.

They were known to be brutal—especially with kids who had intellect-based quirks. Their job was to make sure no one was "cheating" the system by using their powers unfairly.

Only real, natural geniuses are allowed to skip grades, If you use a quirk to help, it's considered cheating. Total nonsense, if you ask me.

Neito yawned, he was done stressing. For now, he just wanted to nap.

*RING*

The doorbell rang sharply, waking Neito from his nap. His mom called out, "That must be your dad with the examiner!"

Neito rubbed his eyes and stood up, his heart pounding a little. This was it.

The door opened, and in walked his father, followed by a tall man with a serious but friendly face. The man gave a small nod toward Neito.

"Neito Monoma?" the man asked.

"That's me," Neito said, trying to sound confident.

The man smiled briefly. "I'm Mr. Kuroda—your dad's friend and the examiner assigned to your grade skip test."

Neito's dad clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't worry, kid. Kuroda's tough but fair."

Neito followed them to the small study table. Mr. Kuroda pulled out a clipboard and glanced over it.

"I've seen your preliminary results and quirk logs," he said. "But this test will show if you're really ready. No using your quirk to cheat."

Neito nodded, trying to steady his breathing.

"First," Kuroda said, sliding a sheet across the table, "a five-minute problem-solving test. Logic, math, pattern recognition. Ready?"

Neito flipped the paper and got to work. His eyes scanned quickly; problems that might stump others were easy for him. He finished well before the timer beeped.

Kuroda glanced at the answers, then looked up. "Good. Now for something more practical."

He explained a complex scenario that required quick thinking and adaption on the fly. Neito listened, then began working through the question carefully.

Minutes passed, tension filled the living room. Finally, Kuroda leaned back, folding his arms. 

"Impressive work."

Neito exhaled, he belived he had solved everything correctly. Kuroda pulled out a card from his folder. 

"Based on your performance and quirk control..."

He paused, looking directly at Neito.