Invitation From UA

"Mr. and Mrs. Monoma, Neito-kun has passed the test. Here's your official approval."

Both of Neito's parents let out a long, relieved sigh. It had been a tense evening—especially for Neito's mom. Her son had barely woken up before being pushed straight into the exam, and then the examiner arrived with Neito's dad, making everything feel even more sudden.

"Thanks a lot, Keshi. I owe you one," Neito's father said with a smile, reaching out to shake the examiner's hand.

Keshi shook his head and winked frantically at him, motioning toward his jacket pocket with a discreet nod.

"Hey now," he said under his breath, "I'm here officially, remember? Neito passed because he's gifted—any examiner would've done the same."

"I know, I know. Guess I got a little carried away."

Neito's father got the hint and chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.

'Talk about overkill. They're even recording our after test-conversation.'

He thought to himself, biting back the urge to groan. Outwardly, he gave a polite nod and took the envelope Keshi handed him. Then, with a quiet click, he shut the door.

No sooner had the door closed than Neito's mother scolded him.

"Why would you say that?!" she hissed. "What if the committee reviews the recordings, and think Neito passed because of you pulling strings?!"

His dad winced, rubbing his head again. "Okay, that's fair. I didn't expect Keshi to be working with the official examiner board! I was just—trying to be polite."

"That was not the time to be polite," she snapped. "Neito worked so hard for this—what if it backfires?!"

"Relax, relax," he said, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder and guiding her gently toward the hallway. "He must've done great. Let's just go see how our little genius is doing, okay?"

Neito's mom exhaled slowly and gave a reluctant nod. "Okay."

They stepped into the room to find Neito lying flat on the floor, arms stretched out, a bar of chocolate lazily being munched between his teeth.

"Good job, champ! You passed!" his dad beamed, walking over and ruffling his hair.

Neito looked up, still chewing, completely unbothered. "Mmhm."

His mom bent down and scooped him up, tugging his cheeks with a proud smile. "Well done, Neito! But… why are you eating chocolate right now?"

"I had to think a lot," Neito replied flatly. "I'm low on energy."

She rolled her eyes but couldn't hide her grin. "Oh, please."

They carried him to his room. His mom gently dropped him onto the bed, and his dad opened the test results, reading over the contents.

"You can be as lazy as you want for today," his dad said lightly, eyes scanning the letter. "But just so you know—this is only the start. Now that you're an approved genius, you'll need to pass more advanced exams. The more you pass, the higher grades you can skip."

He gave the paper a little wave.

"This isn't just a pass slip. It's a genius license. The more knowledge you prove to the world, the further you can go."

Neito tilted his head curiously. "So… what now?"

His dad paused, then smiled. "Well, here's the interesting part. The testing after this'll be happening at U.A. High."

Neito sat up fast, eyebrows rising. "Wait—U.A.? As in the hero school?!"

His mom practically shrieked. "What?! U.A.? Isn't that a hero school? No way! My baby is not going to be one of those cape-wearing fighters!"

His dad held up the letter again. "Hey, hold on—U.A. isn't just a hero school. Apparently, they have several departments now: Heroics, General Studies, Gear Development, and… the Creative Department. That's where Neito's exam falls."

He gave them both a half-shrug. "Look, I'm not thrilled either. You know how I feel about that rat-like principal. Gives me the creeps."

His mom's face hardened. "You mean principal Nezu?"

Her husband nodded. "Yeah. He might be a genius, but his smiles don't fool me. My quirk picks up on things like that, remember?"

He was referring to his ability—Mockingbird. It allowed him to mimic not just voices, but subtle mannerisms. Over time, it gave him an intuitive sense of when people were hiding their true intentions. And if he didn't trust Nezu, his wife took that very seriously.

"So… what do we do?" she asked quietly. "Do we back out? After everything Neito did?"

They both turned to look at Neito, who was still lounging on the bed, finishing off his chocolate.

"I think we should go," Neito said simply. "It's just U.A. We don't have to meet it's principal."

His calm tone caught them both by surprise.

"Nezu's a lot of things," Neito continued, "but he's not a fool. I don't think he's dangerous—he's just strange. And it's not like I'm enrolling at UA. I am going there for a test."

His dad raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that, you wanna go there?"

Neito nodded. "Yeah. It's not worth throwing away a chance like this because of suspicion."

His parents exchanged looks. It wasn't the answer they were hoping for—but it was the answer that made the most sense.

His dad sighed. "Alright. We'll visit. But I'm going with you. No way I'm leaving you alone with that creepy rodent."

Neito smirked faintly. "Got it."

Later that night, after Neito had gone to bed—curled up with a blanket and a half-finished chocolate bar still in his hand—his parents sat at the kitchen table, the letter from U.A. lying between them.

Neito's mom stared at the envelope like it might come alive and bite her. "I still don't like this," she muttered.

His dad leaned back in the chair, arms folded. "Yeah, well… neither do I."

There was a pause.

Then she looked up. "It's Nezu, isn't it?"

He nodded. "I've never liked the way that rat smiles. Too measured. Too perfect. Like it's... calculated."

"You think he's hiding something?"

"I know he's hiding something," he said, tapping his temple. "Mockingbird doesn't lie. His mannerisms are precise, practiced. Every single movement of his body is like it was rehearsed ahead of time."

"Then why are we even considering this?"

He sighed. "Because… the school's still the best shot Neito has."

His wife crossed her arms. "So you're saying we hand our son over to someone you don't trust just because the brochure says it's the best?"

"I'm saying," he said carefully, "that even if I don't trust Nezu, the man—or whatever he is—has never done anything to harm a student. Not once. And let's be honest… Neito's a genius and we can't hold him back."

She bit her lip, looking away. "He's still a child."

"I know," he said softly. "That's why we go with him. Watch everything. And the moment something feels wrong, we pull him out. No hesitation."

She didn't answer right away, then slowly nodded. "We go. But we stay close. The second anything feels off, we're gone."

"Agreed," he said.

They sat in silence for a while.

Then he leaned forward and smiled gently. "Besides… if Nezu tries anything weird, I'll mimic his voice and send him a fake complaint letter from the Board of Education."

His wife snorted and shook her head, a reluctant grin breaking through her worry. "You're unbelievable."

"Hehehe~" he snickered light heartedly.

They both looked at the letter again, the U.A. crest glinting in the dim kitchen light.

Their son was heading to the most prestigious school in the country—run by a genius animal with a mysterious past— They had their doubts, but also a little hope.

They'd go. Together. And they'd keep their eyes wide open.