***

Have you ever had that moment when the unexpected happens? That was exactly the problem that Hiromi was facing. She just couldn't believe it. A pro hero, Eraserhead, had ended up asking her if she wanted to go to UA, the top hero school in Japan, after watching her take down Sugimoto. He had also explained while she was stunned into silence that he was willing to recommend her too. That's not the kind of thing that happens to people like her. Ability users weren't even allowed to go to hero schools until a year ago since there had been a lot of complaints about it. The shock that Hiromi had felt kept her from giving Eraserhead an answer. He had to give her his number so she could call him when she made up her mind.

After the encounter, Hiromi started to act unusually. She had gone with the others to the police station and watched as Sergeant Sugimoto was interrogated by Minoura and Ranpo. She remained silent for most of it which had definitely caught the attention of Dazai and Atsushi. Neither of them had commented on it since they were focusing on what had been going on in the interrogation room. It wasn't until they were on the train back to the agency that she was asked about her unusual behavior.

"So what happened, Hiro?" Ranpo had asked her. Upon hearing this question, Hiromi directed her attention to the man. Atsushi and Dazai directed their attention onto her seeing as they were both curious too. She had been fine when taking down Sugimoto, but she had been acting weird when she had come back to them after that.

As Hiromi usually does, she decided to avoid the truth, "Nothing really. I'm just tired from using my ability." She flashed a small smile. Hiromi didn't feel like bothering them with her internal conflict since it wouldn't really be that important to them.

Lying didn't work. Especially not with Ranpo who saw through those things like glass. Ranpo pointed at something that Hiromi held in her hand tightly, "Then what's that?"

The answer would be the number that Eraserhead had given her. She didn't even realize that she had been holding it until he pointed it out. Hiromi thought to herself for a moment. It was impossible to lie to Ranpo and Dazai was always able to read her easily. Lying would probably work with Atsushi since he didn't know her that well yet. A sigh escaped Hiromi as she finally decided to tell them, "It's Eraserhead's number."

It suddenly seemed like a switch flipped inside of Atsushi. His eyes got wide and he was practically sparkling with amazement, "Eraserhead? Do you mean the pro hero Eraserhead?!" His voice rose causing Hiromi's eyes to widen. Her gaze moved to the people around them hoping they hadn't heard what he had said. Thankfully, they were obviously.

"Yes, but don't yell it to the whole train," Hiromi told him. Atsushi calmed down and apologized for being so loud. "He gave it to me after he asked me if I wanted to go to UA on a recommendation."

"Well, that's great, isn't it?" Atsushi smiled brightly at her. "What did you say?"

A laugh escaped Hiromi, "More like did I even say anything," This caused the boy to look at her in confusion. "I was in so much shock that I couldn't even bring myself to say anything. It's just hard to believe that I was even being asked about getting into a hero school," A sad grin appeared on her face, "He probably didn't even realize that I was an ability user."

If he did then he would probably take his offer back. Like what had been revealed earlier, they only started letting ability users into hero schools last year. During that time, many had actually started to go to the schools in hopes of being a pro hero one day. They didn't last long there. The mistreatment from other students had been so bad for some that they had ended up dropping out. There were even some teachers who would join in to torment them.

One thing that Hiromi wasn't sure about was UA's treatment of ability users. There had been very few that applied there since it was hard enough to get in already. Hiromi recalls even fewer actually getting in. They usually ended up in the other courses rather than the hero courses though. She wasn't sure of the reason why but she was curious. She wasn't sure of their abilities so maybe they weren't as strong as others.

The question that Hiromi was dreading finally came, "Do you think you're gonna go?" It was from Dazai. He was giving her a stern look that he usually gave her when he wanted her to actually consider something. Hiromi was a very stubborn person and he knew that very well. They had known each other for years, longer than they've known anyone from the ADA.

"She's scared so she's unsure," Ranpo replied for her.

"I am not-" Hiromi cut herself off when she realized how loud she was being. Taking a quick look around, she noticed that they were now getting some looks. She turned back to Ranpo and talked in a quieter voice, "I am not scared."

"Are you going to go then?" For the first time since the train ride had started, Ranpo opened his eyes. He narrowed his eyes at her as he waited for her answer. Hiromi remained quiet, not knowing how to reply. That was all Ranpo needed as an answer. "You should really consider going, Hiromi. It's a great opportunity that not many ability users are given."

Dazai nodded, "I agree. This is your chance to make a difference for people like us," He gave her a smug look, "Isn't that what you're always talking about wanting?" Hiromi hated to admit that he was right. She had always been talking about how she wanted to make a difference for people like them. She wanted to be one of the ones to show people that ability users weren't villains like they were almost always painted to be.

"I'll think about it." Was her response.

***

And she really did think about it. Things after that conversation returned to as normal as they could. Hiromi was unable to get the decision out of her head. It haunted her even as she laid down, trying to sleep. She stared at the ceiling of her apartment with tired eyes. Thoughts swirled around in her head making it impossible to fall asleep. She needed to make a decision so she could get some sleep. It was bothering her much more than she wanted it to.

Ranpo had been right. Hiromi was scared, though she would never admit that in front of anyone. She was scared that she wouldn't be good enough to make it in. Then there was the fear of if she did make it in. What would her life be like if she made it into UA? Would she still be able to help out with cases? She hoped so. Hiromi didn't doubt that she would help out, probably not as much as she does now.

It was also hard to think about what her school life would be like. UA was filled with people with quirks. She would be one of the only ability users there. Would she end up being mistreated like many others have? Kids could be very cruel, Hiromi knew that very well. That's why she never hung out with other people her age. The only person she can recall talking to that was close to her age was Kenji. Kenji is one of the sweetest people you would ever meet. He's part of the ADA though and everyone who works there isn't exactly normal.

Finally, Hiromi's thoughts drifted to her goal. She wanted to help push the world into the direction of treating ability users like they would anyone else. Her going to UA and making something of herself there would help out a lot. It would prove that they're good for at least some good. Hiromi didn't even have to get put into the hero course. One of the support courses would be perfectly fine for it. It was just a step in the right direction. How was she supposed to accomplish her goal when she's too scared to even try?

The decision was finally made. Hiromi got up, walking to the table where Eraserhead's number sat. She grabbed the card, took out her phone, and punched in the number. Clicking the call button, she brought the phone up to her ear. It rang for a few seconds until there was finally an answer. Hiromi spoke before the man on the other side could say anything, "Hey, I'm the girl you offered the recommendation into UA for. I wanted to ask a question. You do know that I'm an ability user, right?" A grunt was her response. "And you're still offering this opportunity to me even with this information?" Another grunt. "Then I would like to accept your offer."

"That's great, kid... But did you have to call me this late?"

There was a moment of silence from Hiromi's end. She blushed in embarrassment as she realized that he was right, "Sorry about that."