NO. 42 - UA Entrance Exam

…A Few Weeks Later…

"There it is! UA!"

"I've only seen it from far away, but it's so much more amazing in person!"

I rolled my eyes at how Izuku and Keiko were geeking out over UA's main entrance, which happened to be UA's famous UA barrier. The barrier's primary purpose was to keep out those without a Staff ID, Student ID, or a special permission pass to enter.

Around us were several dozen hopeful students making their way in through the gates with their special permission passes.

Passes that Himiko and I have in our pockets.

"I was expecting… more," Himiko muttered as she rested her chin on my shoulder, a bored look on her expression.

"More?!" Keiko yelled in disbelief. Rushing over to Himiko, Keiko grabbed her shoulders and began to rock her back and forth. "Himiko-Chan! This is UA! The greatest and most prolific hero school in Japan! You can't understand how jealous I am that you and Sou-chan get to go before me!"

"Relax, Keiko," I muttered as I picked up Keiko with little issue, saving Himiko, who looked dizzy from all the shaking. "Remember, we still need to pass the entrance exam. Besides, we're here for Gen Ed. So who cares about all that extra hero crap?"

[16 x 5 = +80 SP]

"What did he say?"

"Why is that loser even here then? Such disrespect"

"Did he say, Gen Ed? He must be weak if he can't even think of taking the hero course exams."

Izuku looked nervous from the annoyed looks and comments I received from my comment from those around us. I, on the other hand, didn't care about their little opinions and placed Keiko down.

"Alright, you two need to go home now." I looked over them both with a pointed look, causing them to look disappointed. "I said I'd take you to the entrance to look at the building. Now that I have done that, you both have to go home. Himiko and I need to go take that exam."

[+10 SP]

[+5 SP]

"It's okay, Keiko-chan, Izuku-kun! You'll both be attending the school in another year! Oh, I can't wait for all of us to walk home together!" Himiko smiled as she did a little excited dance. I rubbed my hair and grabbed her wrist to begin pulling her towards the large H-shaped building that was the school.

"Go on, you two. Be sure to text me when you get home!"

Keiko and Izuku nodded before waving goodbye.

"Okay! You two got this!" Keiko yelled with a thumbs up.

"Good luck, Souta-san! Toga-san!" Izuku called out, a little more subdued.

Himiko waved at them while I nodded with a slight grin. Turning up at the building, I noticed that the anime didn't do it justice. It was a massive building made up of hundreds of glass panels. The school grounds themselves were mind-boggling in scale, going off the complimentary map they gave to all the student hopefuls. It made me wonder just how much money funded this place.

Jumping over beside me, Himiko wrapped her arms around my right arm with a happy smile. This caused several of the students around us to blush at our "Bold" behavior on school grounds.

"Let's do our best, Souta-kun!"

"Yeah. Let's do our best."

"Would it kill you to sound a little excited"?

"...maybe."

x x x

Some would imagine that the entrance exam for one of Japan's most prodigious schools would be rather difficult. So, when I went over all of the questions from the rather thick booklet that was our test packet, I came to one conclusion.

This exam ain't shit.

Sure, for anyone with room temperature IQ, I could see this test being a colossal challenge.

But for someone like myself, this was a breeze.

After taking fifteen minutes out of the two-hour exam, I stood up and submitted my booklet to the astonished overseers sitting behind a long table. Several dozen other students remained in the large hall, still working on their exams, and they looked at me with expressions of confusion or amusement.

"Do you… have a question?" A woman dressed in an ordinary suit and tie asked.

The man sitting beside her eyed me with annoyance. He probably thought I wasn't taking this seriously or something.

Jokes on him; I actually wasn't taking this seriously.

"Nope. I'm all done." I said with my hands in my pockets. I looked around the table in front of them with curiosity. "What's next? Another packet or something?"

[+5 SP]

"Uh, no. For the General Education course, all you need to do is pass the written exam with at least an 85-90% score." The woman said slowly as if talking to a dimwit. "Would you... like to take another look at your exam?"

"Nope!" I smiled at the woman, causing her eyebrow to twitch. "If that's it, I'll be leaving now."

[+5 SP]

[+5 SP]

Not waiting for her or the annoyed man beside her to speak, I left the testing room and looked around at the massive hallways. Seeing that no one was around to stop me from wandering, I decided to go ahead and explore the place.

Walking around unimpeded, I strolled by several empty classrooms, lecture halls, gymnasiums, and even some bathrooms. Some rather unique and clean bathrooms. While extremely large and impressive looking, UA was rather bland. Then again, the school was empty today in order to hold the entrance exams for all the new student hopefuls.

Walking around a corner, I paused when I finally found the school's expansive cafeteria.

Sniffing the air, I picked up a rather pleasant aroma and strolled into the cafeteria. Off to the side was a relatively small line of people grabbing some food. Seeing the iconic blue, white, and red gym uniforms of UA, I figured these people were students grabbing a bite to eat. Shrugging, I walked over to the line and grabbed a lunch tray. Stepping beside one of the UA students, I waited for my turn.

"What will it be, young man!" The chef behind the counter asked. He was wearing a cooking apron and a chef hat, as well as a mask that covered his face. He also wears white gloves and shoes. There's also a tube that connects from his mouth to his back. Blinking, I quickly realized that this was the pro hero, Lunch Rush.

"Hm, Chef's choice!" I said with an easygoing grin. Lunch Rush looked surprised at first before nodding in excitement.

[+15 SP]

"Now, that's something I don't hear too often! Very well! Leave it to me!" Lunch Rush said before his hands moved in a blur. In no time, he placed a mouth-watering bowl of Nabe Yaki Udon. "Please enjoy!"

"Believe me, I will."

After paying for my food, I found a lone spot on a long lunch table and dug into the incredibly delicious bowl of noodles. I was so lost in my meal that I failed to notice someone plopping down beside me with a tray of their own food.

"Hello there! You're a new face!" A girl with long light blue periwinkle hair and blue eyes said as she turned to me with a wide smile. "Hey, did you know you have this bad vibe around you? Oh, how'd you get that scar on your neck? You're not wearing a school uniform or a gym uniform! Are you here for the entrance exams?"

[+10 SP]

"…huh?" I muttered as I held up some noodles in my chopsticks. Snapping out of my bliss from the delicious food, I realized who was sitting beside me.

It was Hado Nejire.

x x x

"My patience is being tested…"

After finishing my pleasant lunch, Nejire apparently took it upon herself to continue following me around.

When I asked her why, she said that she was extremely curious as to why I radiated such a negative vibe.

"So why did you choose UA to go to anyway? Oh! Oh! You're a year younger than me, but you're almost as tall as Togata-san! You must have some really good genetics!" Nejire said as she walked beside me.

"Shouldn't you be… anywhere else, Hado?" I stopped walking and turned to the bright girl with a deadpan stare. She tilted her head in confusion before shaking her head.

[+5 SP]

"I don't think so. Nope! I'm totally free!"

"There you are, Hado-san."

Nejire and I turned to look at another student with pointy elf-like ears. He has messy, dark indigo hair, which sticks out behind his head, and thin, tired-looking eyes that are partially covered by his bangs. His shoulders were hunched over as he walked over to us.

The man, the myth, the bundle of anxious nerves, Its Sun-Eater.

"Amajiki-kun!" Nejire jumped as she walked over to Amajiki Tamaki, another member of UA's future Big Three. "What are you doing here? I thought you were training with Togata-san."

Pausing, Tamaki looked over at me before hunching over and avoiding any eye contact. Looking closer, I saw his shoulders tremble slightly.

"I-I was, but Mirio asked me to get you. T-there's something he wants to test out that he needs your help with." Tamaki said in a hard-to-hear voice.

"Awh. Really? But I was having so much fun with my new friend." Nejire whined before brightening up. "Let me introduce you, Amajiki-kun! This is Shimizu Souta! A soon-to-be first year!"

"A-ah, hello?" Tamaki muttered, still refusing to meet my eyes.

"Sup," I said to him before turning to Nejire. "We're friends?"

"The best!" Nejire nodded and ran over to Tamaki. "I'll find you again once you officially join UA, Shimizu-kun! I have to go help Togata-san! Bye-bye!"

[+10 SP]

[+10 SP]

Before Tamaki or I could say a word to one another, she grabbed him by his wrist and all but dragged him through the hallway. I stood rooted in place until they were out of sight.

"…she's a bit annoying. But she's also cute." I muttered. "I guess that evens out?"

x x x

"We're home!"

Himiko called out as she threw her book bag down onto the floor after she took off her shoes.

"Welcome home!" Jin called out from deep in the house.

I followed behind her as she ran through the main hall toward the living room. "Kaina-Oneechan! That exam was so hard!"

Entering the living room, I watched as Himiko jumped into the arms of Tsutsumi Kaina. Otherwise known as Lady Nagant. Kaina had an uncomfortable expression as she rubbed Himiko's back from where she was sitting on the couch. She turned to me with a look that asked for help, but I only shrugged my shoulders.

"Uh, there, there?"

Himiko smiled and pressed her face into Kaina's chest as she deepened her hug with the older woman. Kaina blushed slightly from having Himiko push her breasts around with her head.

Why is the extremely dangerous hitman, Lady Nagant, in my home? I can hear you ask.

You see, after our showdown in the streets of Shinjuku. I had proposed to Kaina that she abandon the HPSC in order to come work under me.

I promised her that if she did, I would help her take down the corrupt organization that was once meant to protect and serve the public before falling to a more sinister regime that pushed Kaina and other young, hopeful people to become what were essentially assassins.

In return, Kaina would offer me help whenever I asked for it. Which hopefully wouldn't happen too often. I didn't want to push the traumatized woman any further than she already was.

At first, she was hesitant to join the infamous Sukuna, but after explaining to her what I truly did and stood for, she finally agreed. It seemed that the HPSC had embellished my reputation to the point that I was some sort of boogeyman to everyone who knew my name.

Kaina was worried that after betraying the HPSC, they would send someone to hunt her down. However, I assured her that she would be completely safe under my protection. The multiple layers of security at my large home would provide her with the peace of mind she needs to heal her worn-down spirit.

Upon hearing we had a new housemate, Himiko had all but glowed in happiness at the prospect of another woman living with us. She even began treating Kaina like the big sister she never had, much to the older woman's embarrassment. Kaina struggled to deny Himiko, most likely due to her weakness against children.

She could have done without Himiko's excessive touchiness, though.

Who would have thought the extraordinarily lethal and dangerous Lady Nagant had a soft spot for kids?

When it came to Jin, the two got along well. Even if Kaina thought he was a bit odd. Every now and then, one of Jins jokes cracked through her mask of indifference and toughness. Giving us a glimpse of her warm, softer side.

My relationship with her was one of mutual respect. Despite her seeing me as a supposed kid, she knew I handled myself like a grown adult. When I wanted to, at least. I wasn't sure if I would call our relationship friendship. I knew that we had an odd connection due to our bloody history. We understood one another in a way no one else could.

"Souta! You're finally here!" Jin said as he looked up from the large pot he was working on. "How was your exam? You botched it, didn't you?!"

"I think it went alright," I said as I took a seat on one of the stools beside the kitchen island. "I shouldn't have anything to worry about when it comes to getting in or not. The exam was easy."

[+15 SP]

"Easy?!" Himiko shot up, much to Kaina's relief. "That exam was one of the hardest things I've ever done! There were also a bunch of stupid questions involving heroics, too!"

"Well, it is a hero school," Kaina said as she picked up her book and resumed her reading. "Even if you're not in the heroics course, don't be surprised if they sprinkle in some topics involving heroes."

"Yeah! What she said!" Jin said as he pointed at Kaina. Behind him, the pot began to boil over. "Oh no! My soup!"

"I guess…" Himiko pouted before she sat against Kaina on the couch. "Still, I think it should be pretty fun going to UA."

"I still fail to see how going there benefits you, Souta-san." Kaina looked over at me with a confused expression. "All you're doing is placing yourself in unnecessary danger. Your disguise is just a hood and some magic tattoos, after all."

"Relax, Kaina. I have my reasons." I smiled lazily at the woman as I tried some of Jin's soup. "Besides, haven't you ever heard of hiding in plain sight? I'll be fine."

Kaina didn't look convinced, but she dropped the subject nonetheless. Choosing to instead focus on her book.

Just as I was about to go to my library to grab a book of my own, I felt a strong pull in my mind. Stopping mid-step, I closed my eyes and focused my senses. In no time, I opened my eyes to see through the eyes of one of my crows.

Looking down, I watched a rough-looking man with several children's toys step inside a black sedan. After placing all the newly bought toys in the back seat, the man reached over to the passenger seat, where a black plague mask sat underneath a coat.

"Found you."