[14] Devilish Details
"Birds flying high, you know how I feel..."
The old pre-quirk song Dad always played during our morning drives. My voice wasn't half bad - nowhere near Michael Bublé's smooth baritone, but I could carry a tune.
"Sun in the sky, you know how I feel..."
I worked shampoo through my white hair, the scent of mint filling my nostrils. The morning workout with Camie had left my muscles pleasantly sore.
"Breeze drifting on by, you know how I feel..."
A memory surfaced - Dad and me in his study, the leather chairs creaking as he leaned forward. His face remained shadowed in my mind, like trying to recall a dream after waking.
"It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life for me..."
"I've done many things in my life, Akira," he'd said, voice deep and resonant. "Built empires. Torn them down. But you..." He'd reached out, ruffled my hair. "You're my greatest creation."
"And I'm feeling good..."
The water ran cold. I shut it off, grabbed a towel, and stepped out onto the bath mat. The mirror had fogged over completely. I wiped a clear patch with my palm and stared at my reflection - red eyes, sharp features, white hair darkened by water.
Greatest creation. The words echoed. What had he meant? And why couldn't I remember his face?
The rest of my morning routine passed in a blur of skin care and cologne. Dad's words kept circling back, like a song stuck in my head. Greatest creation. Like I was something he'd built rather than raised.
I checked my reflection one last time. The guy in the mirror looked confident, put-together. Like someone who knew exactly who he was and where he came from.
"And I'm feeling good," I hummed under my breath, heading for the door.
The elevator doors slid open with a soft ding. I stepped in, jabbing the lobby button with my thumb. The mirrored walls reflected my face from multiple angles - still looked good. Maybe I'd try that new cafe Camie mentioned, grab something fancy before-
The elevator stopped at the fourth floor.
A guy around my age stood waiting - black hair cut short, dark blue eyes, decent fashion sense. He gave me a slight nod as he entered, immediately pulling out a pair of sleek headphones and retreating to the opposite corner.
Right. Message received, buddy.
I started whistling "Feeling Good" again, watching the floor numbers tick down. The guy's foot tapped slightly - either to whatever he was listening to, or maybe my whistling was annoying him. Hard to tell.
The silence stretched. Three floors to go.
I checked my phone. No new messages from Camie. She'd probably still be passed out after our morning session. Girl could create illusions that'd mess with your head six ways from Sunday, but ask her to do basic cardio and suddenly it was "too early for this shit, fam."
Two floors.
The guy in the corner hadn't moved an inch. Must've been some playlist he had going. I considered asking what he was listening to, but nah - some people just wanted their bubble of personal space. I got that.
One floor.
My stomach growled. Definitely hitting that cafe. What was it called again? Something pretentious probably, knowing Camie's taste. 'The Grounded Bean' or 'Quirky Cups' or-
The doors opened with another ding. The guy gave another slight nod as he stepped out. I followed, already mapping the quickest route to coffee and breakfast.
I looked up from my phone as excited voices filled the common room. A crowd had gathered around the notice board, students jostling for position.
I pushed through the small crowd gathered around the notice board, catching snippets of excited chatter.
"Physical assessment maybe?" Tetsutetsu cracked his knuckles. "Hell yeah, time to show what we're made of!"
"Technically speaking," Monoma drawled, leaning against the wall, "it's likely a baseline evaluation to measure our current capabilities."
I reached past Ibara's vines to grab my uniform from the box. The fabric felt heavier than expected - some kind of reinforced material.
"Yo, Aki-boy!" Camie's voice carried across the common room. "You think we're gonna have to fight each other? That'd be mad sus."
"Probably." I tossed her uniform over. "Vlad King seems like the type to throw us into the deep end."
Todo appeared beside me, already holding his uniform. "Best friend, we should partner up if there's sparring. Your quirk and mine would make an unstoppable combination."
"Pretty sure that's not how assessments work," I said, but Todo's earnest expression made me add, "but yeah, sure, if we get to choose partners."
I woke before my alarm, the pre-dawn light filtering through my window. The assessment uniform hung on my closet door, its reinforced fabric catching the dim light. My mind had spent half the night running through possible scenarios - combat trials, rescue operations, maybe even some twisted combination of both.
"Birds flying high..." I hummed under my breath as I changed, the familiar tune steadying my nerves. Not that I was nervous, exactly. Just... prepared. Yeah, that was it.
The uniform fit perfectly, snug but flexible. I flexed my arms, watching black and red sparks dance across my skin as I channeled a bit of stored energy. The fabric didn't restrict my quirk at all - definitely support department tech.
My phone buzzed. A text from Camie: "yo fam u up? this uniform lowkey fire tho 🔥"
I smiled, typing back: "Meet you in the lobby in 15."
"bet 💯"
The early morning corridors were quiet as I made my way down. Todo was already in the lobby, doing what looked like martial arts forms. He broke into a wide grin when he saw me.
"Best friend! I've been practicing combinations that would complement your quirk perfectly!" He launched into an enthusiastic explanation involving spatial swaps and kinetic energy transfers that was way too complex for this hour.
"Todo," I cut in, "have you had coffee yet?"
"No! An excellent suggestion. The sharing of beverages is a crucial aspect of friendship!"
And that's how I ended up walking to the campus café with Todo and Camie, listening to them debate the merits of different coffee preparations. Well, Todo debated. Camie mostly nodded and threw in the occasional "facts" or "no cap."
"The pour-over method allows for optimal flavor extraction," Todo insisted, gesturing dramatically. "Any true friend would appreciate the difference!"
"Bruh, coffee is coffee," Camie shrugged. "As long as it's got that caffeine hit, I'm gucci."
I let their chatter wash over me, my mind drifting to the upcoming assessment. Vlad King wasn't the type to go easy on us, even on day one. Whatever he had planned would push our limits, test not just our quirks but our judgment.
The café was just opening when we arrived. The barista, a tired-looking guy with steam quietly rising from his skin, took our orders with minimal conversation. His quirk probably had something to do with heat or vapor - useful for a coffee shop.
"Yo, Aki-boy," Camie nudged me as we waited for our drinks. "You're doing that thing again."
"What thing?"
"That thing where you get all analytical and stuff."
I grinned. "Maybe I'm just thinking about how pretty you look in the morning light."
"Cap," she laughed. "But nice try though."
Todo watched our exchange with intense interest. "The dynamic between you two is fascinating! Tell me, what's your type-"
"Orders up!" The barista called, saving me from whatever questionnaire Todo was about to launch into.
We made it back to campus with time to spare. Other students were starting to filter into the common area, all wearing the same assessment uniforms. Tetsutetsu was doing push-ups in the corner, his body already transformed to steel. Monoma leaned against the wall, watching everyone with calculating eyes. Ibara sat quietly, her vine-hair moving slightly in prayer.
I checked my phone - 7:48 AM. The notice had said 8:00 sharp.
Setsuna Tokage yawned, her green hair bouncing as she tugged at her uniform. "Anyone else notice how the note said 'sharp'? Like, what happens if we're late?"
"Late?" Monoma's laugh had an edge to it. "At U.A., being late means automatic expulsion. I heard Snipe once threw a student off the roof for showing up two minutes behind schedule."
Ibara's vines rustled. "That seems... unlikely to be true."
"Nah, it's facts," Camie chimed in. "My cousin's friend's sister totally saw it happen."
"Your cousin's friend's sister," I repeated.
"Yeah fam, she's super reliable."
Todo cleared his throat. "Speaking of reliable sources, my father once told me that tardiness is the mark of an unrefined soul. That's why I always arrive exactly seven minutes early to everything."
"Seven minutes specifically?" I asked.
"It's the most refined number."
I glanced at my phone again. 7:50 AM.
"Yo, we should probably head out," Tetsutetsu said, tugging at his uniform's collar. "This thing's kind of tight around the neck."
"That's because you're wearing it backwards," Setsuna pointed out.
"Oh. Right."
The common room slowly emptied as everyone filed out. I hung back, watching them go. Something about this assessment didn't sit right. Why give us reinforced uniforms for a simple baseline evaluation?
"Coming, best friend?" Todo asked from the doorway.
"Yeah, just..." I ran my fingers over the uniform's material again. Definitely built for combat. "Never mind. Let's go."
We made our way across campus, following the rest of Class 1-B. The morning sun cast long shadows across the grounds, and from Monoma's phone, an alarm went off.
"One..." Monoma counted under his breath. "Two..."
"Dude, for real?" Setsuna rolled her eyes.
"Three... four..."
"Yo Aki-boy," Camie fell into step beside me. "You seem mad quiet. Everything gucci?"
"Just thinking."
"About?"
"These uniforms. The early meeting time. Something's off."
"Five... six..." Monoma was still counting.
Camie shrugged. "Maybe Vlad King just wants to flex on Class 1-A, you feel me? Show them we're not playing around."
"Seven... eight..."
The training grounds came into view - and so did Vlad King, standing with his arms crossed. Behind him, what looked like an obstacle course stretched into the distance.
"Final alarm," Monoma announced triumphantly. "Eight o'clock exactly."
"Congratulations," Vlad King's voice carried across the field. "You're all on time. Unfortunately..." A smile spread across his face, revealing sharp teeth. "Being on time means you're already late."
Beside me, Todo nodded sagely. "Seven minutes early. The most refined arrival time."
"The real assessment," Vlad King continued, "began the moment you put on those uniforms. Everything since then has been recorded and evaluated."
Well, shit.
"And now," he cracked his knuckles, "we'll see what Class 1-B is really made of. Welcome to your first day of hell."
Camie leaned closer. "Yo, about that stuff I said regarding All Might throwing students off the roof..."
"Save it," I muttered. "Something tells me we're about to have bigger problems."
The sound of Vlad King's laughter echoed across the training grounds. Above us, the morning sun seemed a little less bright.