Cute fanart was done by KaidaStorm on deviantART!

Hello little stars! Welcome back to this feel good story, where we will take a step back from the angst and return to the warmth. :)

Beta: emplatinum

◟(◕◡◕❀)

How did one mend a broken heart?

Time, said everyone. Time would heal everything.

They said what was broken could be whole again. They said, given enough time, everything would be okay.

(That was a lie.)

For the most part, they were right. Time did wonders to ease the ache, and give wounds time to close. Time was truly the best medicine, without a doubt.

But it was not perfect.

Because it could not heal scars.

No... scars stayed. They lingered with you, and at times they festered into infected wounds that grew into resentment and bitterness.

Time could help with that, for certain... but heal it?

No.

You did not heal scars.

You did not heal trauma.

You learned to live with it.

◟(◕◡◕❀)

The morning after the funeral was a quiet one. There was a dull ache inside of my chest that I wondered would ever go away. Even though each breath felt like hitting a bruise, I continued to breathe. As the pain remained, I got up for the morning. I got ready for classes that day as I would any other day.

My internal alarm clock and routine had me ready before anyone else. While most of my fellow classmates were still rolling out of bed, I was already in the kitchen and preparing my bento.

Tenya was the first to come into the kitchen after me. If he was surprised to see me, he didn't comment. Instead, he greeted me with a brisk, "Good morning, Kiyo-kun."

"Good morning, Tenya-kun," I returned, rolling my eggs inside the pan. "Would you like an egg roll?"

"That would be wonderful, thank you."

I dumped the first one onto a glass plate and held it out towards Tenya. The studious student thanked me for the roll, and added it to his admittedly large breakfast. The students were provided a buffet in the morning to choose from, but we still had the option of using the kitchen to make our own food which was what I preferred to do. I whipped up more egg mix (eggs, soy sauce, sugar, salt, minced green onions) and poured it into the pan. As soon as it cooked enough on the bottom, I folded the egg twice over, and once it finished cooking I added it to a plate.

I finished three egg rolls when Izuku came in next. His surprise at seeing me was visible, and he immediately headed over to me and asked, "Do you want any help?"

"I'm just making lunches. Do you want some?"

"Ah—no thanks." Izuku shifted uncomfortably, still giving me a look.

I placed my chopsticks down to turn around and pinch his cheeks. "If you keep giving me those puppy dog eyes, I'll be forced to give you a doggy treat."

Izuku's lips twitched into a wry smile. "Woof?'

A giggle crawled out of my throat, raspy and odd. "Cute."

"Um, can I grill some fish for you, then?" Izuku offered, his tone a touch nervous as if I were a scared dog that might turn tail and run at any moment.

It was endearing, but not helpful.

"Sure," I said, sensing that my friend needed to help me. He was dear to Baba and Papa, too, I had to remember. He was grieving for them, while at the same time worrying about me. I gave him a small smile, leaned forward and kissed his cheek in a sisterly manner. "Thank you, Izu-chan."

That got a true smile from him, his eyes brightening like a candle coming to life. "Mn! Always happy to help, Kiyo-chan."

"I know. You're a good boy."

We whipped up breakfast for ourselves (rolled eggs, grilled fish, and a small serving of white rice), and we made a little extra for our classmates. Shōto and Ochaco joined us shortly and the five of us (as Tenya sat with us, too) enjoyed a quiet meal.

As I ate breakfast, I thought about what I was going to do this weekend.

Obviously I wanted to finish reconstruction of the farm, but I didn't have much money. Insurance would cover the bulk of the cost, but I also had to consider the cost of the farm's upkeep afterward. Water, and power bills, homeowner insurance, and things of that nature. My job at the café paid decent but not enough to live on while I was still part-time.

Well, I could probably just not set up water and power, yet... at least not until I graduate. We'd be staying at the dorms, and I'd only visit the farm on the weekends to make sure it was still standing, and tend to the fields. Urk. Wait, I'd need to at least setup water for the sprinklers—

I chewed on my bottom lip as I considered my options.

I could wait to furnish it inside. Only really needed a bed for it, and the money I save I can use to cover the water bill until I graduate and can take a full-time job.

It seemed plausible, but it would ultimately depend on how much money I ended up spending rebuilding the house, and how much money insurance would pay out.

Since it was not only home insurance, but life—

Life—

Life insurance from both Baba and Papa I should have enough.

'God, I hope it's enough.'

"Kiyo."

I raised my gaze up to Aizawa after I swallowed my last bit of the meal, the tired-eyed Pro Hero tilted his head back to beckon me toward him. I headed over, and when I reached him he said, "Go see Nezu."

Giving a slight nod to acknowledge him, I teleported right on over.

Nezu's office always struck me as a bright place.

Not because it was filled with a bunch of lightbulbs, but it felt like it was light and goodness. It was a clean place, and it always felt refreshing when I visited it.

It was big, but not overbearing. There was plenty of space, comfortable chairs, plants, and a massive window-wall that overlooked most of the school.

Upon entering Nezu's office, my long-time teacher—'Guardian now, though.'—greeted me with a gentle smile. "Hello, Kiyo-chan! Why don't you take a seat? I've got your favorite rose tea made."

'Rose tea?' I thought. 'He only ever does that when he's about to give me an exorbitant amount of homework... or ask for help organizing his paperwork.'

Feeling decidedly suspicious, I slowly took my usual seat in front of his desk. I smelled the cup of rose tea almost immediately, and noted that there was a tray of petit'fours beside it.

'Cake and tea? What's going on?'

Nezu gestured for me to try some of the tea, and I reluctantly did so.

'Ah... delicious as always,' I thought, feeling some of my stress melt away from the delightful taste of rose tea.

"I have quite a bit of paperwork to go over with you," Nezu said, opening up a binder. "But before I get into that, I wanted to talk to you about your part time job at the café."

"What about it?"

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to quit," Nezu gently told me.

My heart faltered for a moment before it picked back up, beating loudly and painfully inside of my chest. I gripped my teacup tightly with my sweaty palms, trying to squash down my growing anxiety.

'Without that job, I can't pay for the farm—'

"I am aware of why you need that job," Nezu continued, "and so U.A. will offer part time services instead. Granted, there's not much we can have you do, so your hours will be much less significant here. To compensate, we've calculated a better pay rate so you should ultimately receive the same amount of weekly pay."

I took a deep drink of my tea, trying to settle my nerves. "What would you have me do?"

"Help my secretary with paperwork on the weekends," Nezu responded. "All things considered, it was decided it would be better for your safety if you remained at U.A. as much as possible."

I couldn't really argue against it.

With a slow nod, I accepted this. "Okay. Thank you, Shishō."

Nezu waved me off. "No problem! I'll talk to the other students who are working part time later. Ahum, let's start with the first bit of paperwork. The life insurance, along with the house insurance has finished processing. Although the money will technically go to me, I'll give you complete access to it. I've no doubt you'll be wanting to rebuild your farm with it."

Chewing on my lip, I nodded. Nezu knew me well enough to know my intentions—although I certainly hadn't been hiding them with my actions the past couple of days.

I opened up the folder and looked at its contents.

I let out a sigh.

'It will be enough.'

◟(◕◡◕❀)

The class of 1A had gathered in the main common room after breakfast that morning (I returned the last ten minutes prior). Aizawa was going to give us a run down of how we would be spending the rest of our summer break.

Aizawa mentioned that starting this week we would be doing some "extreme" training. Our first week back was spent going over what happened, and giving everyone time to adjust. Of course I only spent about two days doing that before I had to deal with... Baba and Papa.

He concluded his brief summary of what we were doing with, "Get dressed in your hero costumes and meet me outside."

◟(◕◡◕❀)

My hero costume hung in its locker, untouched. The other girls had already gotten dressed and left, but I remained.

Izuku and I had spent days designing this outfit. We had all sorts of ideas and we drew for hours on end. Baba, Papa, or Inko would make us snacks and watch us work, amused by what we made.

I had wanted to be a magical girl. Those optimistic heroes who were like beacons of hope to their world.

It was silly.

But I loved it.

When the time finally came for me to first try it on, it wasn't U.A. who made it for me.

It was Baba.

When it got destroyed, or ripped up in training, it was Baba who fixed it.

It was so odd.

Really... really... so odd.

I couldn't bring myself to put it back on. My hands trembled every time I moved to grab it, and a sick knot twisted inside my gut.

I couldn't bear it if I had to watch it get destroyed again.

I couldn't bear it if I had to watch Baba's creation for me get destroyed.

That's what it was supposed to be doing, though, right? It was meant to get beaten up and—

'I can't,' I realized, my eyes burning. 'I can't lose her again.'

It was so silly.

Fabric. I was going to cry over fabric!

"Yoo-hoo? Kiyo-chan are you decent?"

I startled at Nezu's voice from the entrance of the locker room. "U-Uhum, yes."

"I'm coming in, then!" the principal sang, entering the locker room. He dragged a white case bigger than him behind him. He waved cheerfully at me. "Hi Kiyo-chan."

"Shishō," I greeted hesitantly in return. "What's going on?"

"A present for you!" Nezu chirped, sliding the case over to me. "It's a different hero outfit."

"A—"

"I remembered who made your cute one right there," Nezu continued, "and I thought my precious little student might want to use something different. So then I thought maybe make another one exactly like what Mimi-san made, but that might still be hard for you, and so..."

Nezu opened the case. "For you!"

Inside was a brand new hero outfit.

"I designed it myself with you in mind. You don't have to use it, but—"

"Thank you," I blurted out, my heart swelling as the knot from my stomach eased. "Thank you so much!"

"Maa. Why don't you try it on? I'll be waiting outside!"

"Y-Yes, Shishō!"

The first part of the ensemble was a pair of sturdy shorts that were a dark red that matched my eyes. It was accompanied by matching red sleeveless under armor shirt. The fabric was breathy enough I could comfortably wear it during intense workouts.

There was a long black cloak, er, robe that I would wear over these two things. It went all the way down to my ankles, and had a slit up front that went up to my abdomen to make it easy to run in. From the abdomen down it would open up a bit like a cape, it seemed. It was thick, had long wide-ended sleeves.

To be frank it looked like a proper witch's robe, which made me smile.

After slipping those on, I noticed the black arm guards, tall black all-terrain boots with built in shin guards, and even taller thick red socks. Given my habit for engaging in melee combat, it seemed Nezu had decided to properly gear me towards that.

At the bottom of the case was a pointy black witch's hat with a cute thick red bow tied around it, and a very stylish red scarf that I tied around my neck like a bow.

Papa and Baba always thought I looked cutest with bows, so it made me smile getting to add a little bit of them into the outfit.

Once I was dressed, I noticed there were a few more things inside of the case. The first was a new thigh wrap—very similar to what I used to hold my wand, except it seemed to be made for the other leg—and the second was a red metal rod about thirty centimeters long (twelve inches). I picked it up, curious about it. Feeling along it, I found a barely noticeable button on the side, and I decided against hitting it.

The last item was a red belt filled with pockets, and each of those pockets were filled with pellets.

Deciding I should probably not test anything out on my own, I headed out of the locker room towards Nezu. "Shishō, what's this? It's filled with pellets...?"

"The pellets, when thrown to the ground, will explode outwards. The green ones there are foaming pellets, used to put out fires," Nezu explained happily. "I think all heroes should carry some of this stuff around, but unfortunately not a lot do."

"How come?"

"They can be... expensive."

I paled. "Shishō, how much money did you put into this?"

Nezu laughed lightly. "Who can put a price on becoming a good hero? Ah, don't worry my adorable student. The foaming ones are pretty cheap, so you can rely on those."

"And the others—what others are there?"

"The red ones are explosives," Nezu continued. "They're meant to help clear away debris, or if really need be, use against a very powerful villain. The blue ones are smoke screens. Yellow ones emit an incredibly powerful light to temporarily disorient enemies. Lastly the white ones are liquid nitrogen."

I let out a small eep at that, resisting the urge to throw the belt away. "Why are you giving all of these to me? I shouldn't learn to rely on things I won't be able to afford once I graduate."

"Whatever makes you think you won't be able to afford these?" Nezu questioned, laughing once again as I grew more flustered.

"Shishō!" I hissed out nervously. "I can't—this is really too much—"

"One of my students is being targeted by an assassin, and has already been kidnapped by the league of villains," Nezu cut in. "As your guardian, I am allowed to pay extra for U.A. to supply you with these things. If there is ever a day when those things save your life, or someone you care about, then they will have been worth every penny. And if that day never happens, then I can at least rest assured that I did everything in my capacity as teacher and guardian to ensure your safety."

Nezu then brightened. "Besides! Since these are still in prototype stage, you're doing the company a favor by live testing them."

Hesitantly, I asked, "Prototype? Um, Shishō... these things aren't going to randomly blow up, right? Like, if I get knocked to the floor and land on a packet of them..."

"The pockets on your belt are lined with special insulation to keep them from breaking while inside," Nezu reassured. "Even if that does happen, none of them are deadly enough on their own to kill you."

Feeling more reassured, I offered him a smile. "Oh. Thank you. Um—Shishō... really. Thank you for this. I promise I will do what I can to make the most use of it."

"That's what I like to hear. Oh, did you see your new staff?"

"Oh, this?" I asked, holding up the short stick. "It's a staff?"

"Press the button!"

I hit the button I found earlier and the staff expanded outwards. To my surprise it was actually a solid five centimeters taller than me. "Oh, wow. What's it made of?"

Nezu whistled innocently. "Oh, this and that."

My stomach dropped. "Shi—Shishō... I'm not... I'm not holding something more expensive than my house, am I?"

Nezu started to whistle louder and walk away.

"Sh-Shishō, no!"

"Shishō, yes!" Nezu laughed cheerfully. "I can't return it. Might as well use it! Head on over to the gym, dear Kiyo-chan."

"But—"

"With a good staff—and you can keep it in your other thigh holster—you don't have to waste your bubbles to make a weapon. You're proficient in a multitude of weapons, but I thought a staff would be the best for you," Nezu told me, his tail wagging behind him. "You can use it, can't you?"

I nodded reluctantly, still disliking so much money being spent on something that would probably get destroyed in a year. It made my stomach churn unpleasantly, but—

'But if I can use it to save someone... does anyone's life really have a price on it?'

When I thought about it like that, it didn't bother me so much.

Still...

'I'll just have to make sure I can make enough money when I graduate so I can afford all of this on my own, and pay Shishō back!'

Feeling decidedly determined, and oddly optimistic, I rushed forward toward Nezu and scooped him up in a hug. I kissed the top of his head and said with all my heart, "Thank you!"

He patted my arm with his cute little paw and said, "Don't mention it."

◟(◕◡◕❀)

Since I arrived later than everyone, by the time I got there all the students of 1A had split off into separate groups. Aizawa stood at the entrance, along with Plasma, and was waiting for me to arrive. Neither appeared surprised by my change in outfit.

"Yo," Aizawa greeted me flatly. "Follow Plasma's clone and work on your ultimate. I know Nezu-san's already discussed such with you."

I gave a short nod. "Yes. An ultimate is a special move unique to the hero that is used to turn the tides of battle, yes?"

"In short, yes. We're going to be spending the rest of our break developing ultimates. In about three weeks you all will be taking the provisional license exam, so you need to have mastery of your ultimate by then," Aizawa informed me. "Any questions?"

With a short head shake, Aizawa nodded toward Plasma who made a clone. The clone headed off, and as we moved I glanced around the "gym." Like with many of U.A.'s facilities, it was impressively large, glamorous, and filled with unique terrain. This particular gym was comprised of an all concrete floor that could be adjusted to rest at different levels by Cementhead. Some of my classmates were high up in the air, on the top-most rocks, and others were on the ground working hard.

I followed behind Plasma's clone, tucking my hands behind my back. Of course I already had a good idea about my "ultimate" move, but—

"Ultimate, huh?" I repeated, partially to myself.

It was something that had been mentioned here and there. I remembered Aizawa complaining about his past students being unimaginative with their 'ultimates.' I knew what it was, and I had given it some thought.

That being said, I wasn't quite sure if what I had in mind worked as an ultimate.

Tentatively, I asked Plasma's Clone, "Can you listen to my idea first? I don't know if it would count, or not."

The clone nodded its head, "Go ahead."

"Well," I said, summoning two of my bubbles and stepping onto them. One bubble wrapped itself around the bottom part of my boot, stretching up part way the back of my calf. The other bubble mimicked the movement but on the opposite foot.

I used the bubbles to step up into the air, and I hovered for a couple seconds. "S-Something like this? It's not really flashy, I know, but—"

"No, I like it," the clone said. "Previously you would use one of your bubbles to create a singular platform, but that limited your mobility. With one on each foot you'd be able to control yourself freely in the air. Ultimates aren't meant to be flashy and purely offensive moves. They are meant to turn the tide of battle in your favor, and I think that this will definitely work for you. What would you call it?"

"Petal Step (Hanabira Sanpo - 花びら散歩)?" I squeaked out. "'Cause they—they're pink like flower petals and they'd help me walk in the air?"

The clone nodded. "Very good. Short and simple. How well can you maintain it?"

"It's a bit tricky," I admitted. "It's like—"

(Learning how to water-walk—)

(Learning how to fly—)

(Learning how to move without thinking—)

"—something I can't let myself consciously think about. I have to be able to do it without putting a lot of thought into it, otherwise it'd be too hard," I finished quietly. "I don't have that level of control over it, yet, though."

"Then that is what we'll be focusing on. I will attack you, and you must dodge me in the air," the clone concluded. "We will begin when you are ready."

"Y-Yes sir!"

◟(◕◡◕❀)

Several days into our training, there was a commotion towards the front of the gym. It made me pause in mid-combat with Plasma, turning my head towards it. "Huh? What's going on over there?"

"Looks like 1B arrived earlier than expected. Pay it no mind right now, Kiyo-chan," Plasma's clone advised. "Although... You've done considerable improvement in your Petal Step, I believe."

That made me smile. "Thank you!"

"Have you thought about a name for your staff?"

I looked down at it, giving it a couple spins. "Um, I was thinking Cherry (チェリー)?"

"Saki, Petal Step, and now Cherry?" Plasma's clone mused. "Got a theme in mind, Kiyo-chan?"

"Spring," I admitted shyly. "I want to be someone who brings hope, and when I think of hope, I think of spring. A bit silly, I know."

"No. It's good to have a style in mind to work towards," the clone disagreed. "So something like: Saki - The Spring Witch?"

I beamed. "That's the dream now."

"Ah. Well, why don't we end it here? Head back to the locker room and enjoy the rest of the night."

"Mn, thank you, Sensei!"

◟(◕◡◕❀)

Later that night, after I changed into my pajama shorts and shirt, I visited Shōto to chat for a little while. My dear companion was resting in his room, reading a book about thermology at his desk. I pulled up a chair to sit next to him. "Hey."

He lowered his book and said, "Hello. How was training today?"

"Went pretty good," I admitted to him, smiling. "How about you? Any progress on your ultimate, or controlling your flames?"

Shōto turned towards me and ignited a small fire in the palm of his hands. It momentarily startled me at the suddenness, and Shōto jerked his hand away when he noticed. "S-Sorry. Does it bother you?"

"Your fire doesn't bother me," I soothed him. "I just wasn't expecting you to use your Quirk so suddenly. But that's impressive you can conjure a small flame. You normally couldn't do that without burning your entire side!"

Shōto's lips tugged upwards in a small smile. "Yeah. It's getting better."

I beamed at that, proud of him for making such progress. "Well done! Say, after we get our licenses, shall I make a celebratory dinner? I'd offer to take you out, but we can't really leave campus."

"How about I cook?" Shōto suggested instead. "I promise I can make things edible now."

That made me giggle, recalling the last time Shōto cooked for me: he accidentally used a non-tempered glass pan that ended up exploding in the oven. "Okay. You make the dinner, then."

He nodded curtly at that. "Good. Are you cold? You have goosebumps."

A quick glance at my arm confirmed I did indeed have goosebumps. I hadn't even noticed I was cold until Shōto pointed it out. "Oh, yeah, apparently I am. I'll head back to my room to get a sweater in a sec."

But Shōto was already up and pulling out a black hoodie before handing it over to me. "Here. You can sleep in this tonight."

I gratefully accepted the hoodie. Not because I needed it—I had clothes of my own—but because I always preferred to wear Shōto's stuff over my own. His clothes always smelled so much nicer, and was oddly more comforting.

Slipping it on, I couldn't resist giving it a conspicuous sniff.

"Why did you sniff that?" Shōto asked me, his face deadpan.

"Oops. Sorry, reflex," I apologized, blushing from embarrassment. "It's just, your stuff always smells so nice."

"Yours smells better," Shōto informed me.

"I 100% disagree with that."

"Then you're wrong."

"I am not," I insisted. "Anyone would agree with me."

"Really?" Shōto asked, dubious. "I don't think Midoriya-kun would."

"Let's ask him, then," I said, standing up with a huff. I marched out of Shōto's room, went across the hall, and knocked on Izuku's. "Izu-chan, open up! We have an important question."

By the time Shōto caught up with me, a wary Izuku opened up his bedroom door. "Yes?"

I shoved Shōto's hoodie's sleeve in his face. "Doesn't this smell way better than my clothes?"

"Uh," was all Izuku could say for a solid thirty seconds. "Um. No?"

"See?" Shōto told me, gesturing towards Izuku. "Yours smell better."

"Ugh! I can't believe you've betrayed me like this, Izu-chan. I thought I've raised you better."

"Um." Izuku blinked. "So-orry? Wait, were you arguing over who smells better?"

At our nods, Izuku rubbed his forehead and said, "I think you two should go to bed now."

◟(◕◡◕❀)

A week and a half later it was time to head out for the provisional license exam. Class 1A gathered together and headed out to the edge of the city. When we got off the bus we immediately noticed hundreds of other students heading into a massive red and yellow dome.

Some of my fellow classmates were nervous, and others were excited. I remained a bit in between. I had confidence in my ability to pass, but it'd be arrogant to think I would be passing without issues.

Aizawa addressed our class once we got off the bus. "If you can pass this test and get your provisional licenses, then you novice eggs will become chicks. You'll hatch into semi-pros. Do your best."

Denki gave a splitting grin, eyes bright. "Yosh! I'll become a chick."

"Alright everyone," Eijirō cheered, "Let's all call out the usual. Ready, set: Plus—"

"ULTRA!" cried out a voice of a tall, energetic student from behind Eijirō. He was easily taller than anyone else in 1A, and dressed in a different school's uniform.

Behind him were a few of his classmates, and a short boy with purple-gray hair brushed over his left eye muttered, "You shouldn't just barge in on other people's huddles, Inasa."

"Oh no," the tall boy with the dark blue school cap said. He straightened his back, and then bowed down so hard his forehead slammed into the concrete below. "I AM VERY EXTREMELY SORRY!"

"What's with this guy trying to get by with just his enthusiasm?" Denki stuttered, pointing at him.

Kyōka's eyes widened beside Denki. "That uniform..."

"It's from that famous school in western Japan..."

"U.A. in the east, Shiketsu in the west."

Shiketsu was U.A.'s rival school in Japan. It was an elite, prestigious school, and the principal of it was good friends with Nezu. I didn't know much about Shiketsu aside from those couple of things, though. It wasn't even a consideration to go, since U.A. provided me with a scholarship.

(And I would always be a dedicated fan girl, praise be.)

"I'm sorry!" the energetic boy—Inasa—exclaimed, a passionate fire about him. "I just wanted to say it once, Plus Ultra. I love U.A. high school! I am extremely honored to be able to compete against U.A. students! I'm looking forward to it!"

Everything about Inasa screamed loud and youthful.

"Be careful," Aizawa muttered to us as the Shiketsu students headed away. "He's powerful. He's a first year like you, and achieved impressive grades during the entrance exam. But for some reason, he turned down his invitation to join U.A.."

'Why would anyone do that? Especially if they claim to love something?' I thought to myself, perturbed. Something about the boy made my brain itch, like I was forgetting something important.

(An old promise to keep.)

(Someone who throws away what they love, to pursue hatred—)

'Why give up something you love?' I thought to myself. 'Life's too short to do that. What could be so important to turn away from something so precious to you?'

It bothered me, and for some reason it made me reach out and grab Shōto's hand. My best friend glanced over at me briefly, but allowed me to hold his hand. I even shifted to stand closer to him, my brow furrowed as I thought.

'Am I overthinking it?'

(Another lost little duck.)

"Eraser? It's you, isn't it, Eraser?!" A cheerful voice sounded from a good distance away, drawing our attention. A young woman with mint-green hair dressed in a clown-like costume approached us. Her odd color combination of orange and green made her really stand out from the crowd, especially since she seemed to be approaching Aizawa with a big smile on her face.

"I've seen you on TV and at the sports festival," she said, and I tried to remember if my favorite cactus had mentioned her before. "But it's been awhile since I've seen you in person."

When she reached him, she gestured between the two of them and said, "Let's get married!"

"No," Aizawa flatly rejected, irritated.

"No? Good one!" the woman laughed.

"You're hard to talk to, as usual, Joke," Aizawa muttered.

'Oh. Ms Joke. The heroine who can make people uncontrollably laugh,' I recalled. Aizawa had only briefly mentioned her every now and then, but most of what I knew about her came from Izuku's fanboy tendencies.

Ms Joke beamed as she gave Aizawa a big thumbs up. "If you marry me, then we can make a happy family with never-ending laughter!"

"A family like that can't be happy," Aizawa said.

"You two seem close," Tsuyu observed, tilting her head.

Ms Joke never lost her wide grin. "Our agencies used to be close to each other. In our cycle of helping and being helped, our mutual love for each other bloomed—"

"No, it didn't," Aizawa stressed.

"Oh, I love your quick retorts! You're so much fun to tease."

Shōto noticeably shifted his posture away from Ms Joke. "If you're here, I take it your students are with you?"

Ms Joke nodded and gestured behind her. "Oi, come on over, kiddos! It's U.A."

Behind Ms Joke, now heading towards us, were a dozen or so students in gray uniforms. Leading the group was a boy—about Katsuki's height—with short wild black hair, and dark eyes. He had a smile on his face that made me yearn to pull out my new staff and grip it tightly.

The fake-smiling boy said in a too-sweet-to-be-real voice, "Oh, it really is."

Behind him was a cute blonde girl in spiky pigtails. She excitedly tapped the other boy's shoulder and said, "Wow, that's amazing. I've seen them all on TV!"

"Ketsubutsu Academy, second years, Class 2," Ms Joke introduced proudly. "They're my class. Please be kind."

As the group reached us, the black haired boy reached forward and took Izuku's hands. "I'm Shindo! U.A. this year's had trouble after trouble, so it must've been tough."

Before Izuku could respond, Shindo began to move down the line, taking each hand and saying, "But even so, you all are still aiming to be heroes like this, huh? That's wonderful. A heart of fortitude is what I believe all heroes should have from now on."

Shindo turned to Katsuki, his slimy smile stretching a bit wider. "From among you, there's Bakugou-kun, who experienced being the center of the Camino incident. You have an especially strong heart." Shindo extended his hand towards Katsuki. "Today, I'll do my best while learning from you."

Katsuki slapped his hand away and growled out, "Stop pretending. What you're saying doesn't match the look on your face."

"Oi, stop being so rude," Eijirō scolded Katsuki. "Ah, sorry for his rudeness."

"It's fine," Shindo said. "It just proves how strong his heart is."

The blonde girl from the academy rushed towards me and Shōto, all bubbles and smiles. "Ne, Todoroki-kun! Can I have your autograph? You were so cool at the sports festival. Eh! You're holding hands—?"

Her eyes turned towards me, big and sparkling. "You were really cool, too! Marin-chan, right? Can I have your autograph, too?"

"Um," Shōto and I said.

The boy beside the blondie sighed and said, "Stop being such a fangirl."

"Oi," Aizawa cut in. "Change into your costumes and go to the orientation. Don't waste time."

"Yes, sir!"

◟(◕◡◕❀)

We changed into our upgraded costumes, and I noticed all the little adjustments my classmates had made to better incorporate their ultimate moves. Our class gathered in the massive gym that was filled with well over a thousand other participants.

We stuck close together, and I resisted the childish urge to reach out and grab one of my friend's hands. Being in such a crowd was disorienting, I wanted to teleport up into the sky to breathe.

The participants fell into a hush when the proctor began to speak into the microphone. "Well then, let's do that provisional license thing. I'm Mera from Heroes Public Safety Commission. The kind of sleep I like is non-REM, it's nice to meet you. I've been so busy that I haven't gotten much sleep... About the content of the provisional licence thing... Frankly, all 1,540 examinees here will have to win through a free-for-all exercise.

"Our society is currently said to be saturated with heroes, and ever since Stain was arrested many have shown doubts about the current state of heroes. Well, as a private citizen, no matter what the motivation, to tell someone risking their lives to save others not to seek any reward is... It's the ruthless story of these modern times. But anyway, whether it's for compensation or loyalty and courage, the result of many heroes working hard together to help people and defeat villains is that, right now, the time from when an incident begins to when it's resolved is so short that it'd make you sick. You who are about to receive your provisional licenses are about to finally throw yourselves into those rapids. Those who can't keep up with that speed will frankly have it tough. Accordingly, what you'll be tested on is speed.

"The first hundred to fulfill the requirements pass. Well, a lot has happened to the world, and you know about luck and everything... So anyway, here are the requirements."

Behind him the screen displayed an outline of a person and a disc object being placed on said person.

"The examinee will put three of these targets on his or her body. They can go anywhere as long as it's an exposed area. You can't put them on the soles of your feet, or in your armpits. You will also have six balls. The targets are made to light up if they're hit by these balls, and if all three of your targets light up, then you're out. The person who lights up your third target will have it count as their victory. You get through this round by defeating two people. That's it for the rules."

'Okay. That's pretty simple,' I thought to myself. I could easily use my bubbles to defend myself, or teleport out of range.

"After we've opened up, we'll pass everything out. Then we'll start in one minute after we've gotten to everyone," the proctor finished.

"Open?" Shōto repeated quietly beside me, just as the walls and ceiling of the gym began to fall backwards. The building opened up to reveal and even larger—like the size of U.A.'s campus big—arena filled with multi-terrain. There was an industrial area in the far back, water in another part, mountains, cities... etc.

The targets and balls were passed out. I placed mine on my chest and abdomen to make it easy to defend. Class 1A stayed close together as the other participants broke off when they received their targets.

"Kiyo," Shōto said quietly, "come with me. You're the only one who knows how to fight alongside my Quirk."

I gave a small nod, looking over at my fellow classmates. "Mn. Okay. I'll follow you, Sho-chan."

"Everyone," Izuku called out, "don't get too separated. Let's move as a group."

"Yeah!"

"Right!"

"Yeah, right, this isn't a field trip," Katsuki snapped, running off in a random direction.

"Idiot, wait up," Eijirō shouted, chasing after him, with Denki following behind the two.

"We're heading out," Shōto said, breaking into a steady jog away from the group, with me right behind him. "Kiyo-chan and I work best together."

"Now is not the time for hanky panky with your waifu," Mina exclaimed.

I let out a snort and looked back. "Sorry, guys! But I can't let Sho-chan go on his own. I'm sure you'll be okay."

Shōto and I ran a good distance, heading straight towards the city terrain. We ran for, maybe, eight minutes or so until we finally ran into some enemies.

As we were running down a concrete pathway with tall buildings up on either side of us, we could hear a ball whizzing through the air behind us. Immediately, Shōto turned around and launched out his fire. The incendiary attack landed perfectly, and the ball lost its momentum, falling short of us by a meter.

Standing tall on metal pipes and pillars behind us were students dressed as stereotypical shinobi. Except they were a rainbows of color—only one of them was black. From a quick count, I noted there were ten of them.

Enough for both of us.

"As expected of the winner of the U.A. sports festival," came the red one, who looked like their leader. "Todoroki-kun, was it? I can't believe there's only two of you, ehh... Marin-chan?"

"But even if they are from U.A. acting without their group will get 'em in trouble, don't you think?" joked the green one.

"It's two on ten, what're you gonna do?"

"Thanks. It saved us the trouble of looking for you," Shōto said flatly, subtly activating his ice Quirk from his feet.

"Aren't you cool," mocked the red one, and it seemed like none of them noticed what was heading their way.

The moment Shōto froze the legs of each enemy, and created a wall of ice between us and them, I grabbed his back and teleported both of us high up into the air and behind them. The one dressed as a red ninja began to throw small metal objects that rapidly grew into massive tools that slammed into Shōto's ice wall. They all continued to focus on the ice wall, believing that Shōto and I were still behind it.

I flattened out one of my bubbles so Shōto and I could stand on a platform and then we took out our balls and—

Ding.

Ding.

Ding.

In perfect sync we threw the sensory balls onto their targets, thus causing us to pass the exam.

"I thought things would be more challenging," I admitted to Shōto with a shy smile. "Am I getting arrogant?"

Shōto's lips twitched and he looked back at me. "No. Compared to what we've faced... Our confidence is earned." Shōto reached down and grabbed my hand, and my heart jumped at that for some silly reason.

'Ah. I'm probably just a little overwhelmed from everything,' I thought to myself, forcing my heart to settle.

I already decided, long ago, that I would never pursue my feelings for Shōto. He was a dear, and precious friend, who needed me as a friend—as family—way more than a girlfriend.

For his sake, I would keep things between us comfortable.

Smiling at him, I squeezed his hand. "Ready to go to the waiting room, Sho-chan?"

"Mn." Shōto nodded, his expression calm as always. "How are your energy levels?"

"Fine," I reassured him, as I teleported both of us. "I've hardly had to use my Quirk here."

I teleported both of us to the waiting room, and we headed on inside. Some gazes were tossed our way, but we ignored most of them. Shōto and I took a seat out of the way, and we relaxed.

Who knew what would be coming up in the next part?

We remained at ease for several minutes until I noticed someone was staring at us. Or more specifically glaring at Shōto.

Inasa, from the rival school, kept giving my friend the stink eye. It was such an odd thing, I couldn't resist staring right back at him with a perturbed look on my face.

Then I remembered something, as I stared at Inasa.

An old promise.

So I got up from my seat beside Shōto, and I walked over towards him.

(Towards the boy who gave up his future, and love, to chase after hatred and pettiness.)

"Hey," I greeted with a smile. "You're Inasa, right?"

"Yes!" Inasa exclaimed loudly, a big (fake) smile on his face. "And you?"

"Marin Kiyomi," I introduced myself. "I wanted to know if perhaps you'd like to hear a story?"

Inasa blinked, caught off guard by the question. "Ah—Sure? Yes, of course. I love passionate stories."

"Mm-hmm," I murmured, peering up at him as words started to tumble out of my mouth. The story that I knew like I knew how to breathe fell from my lips like a river. "There once lived two brothers who loved each other very much. They grew up in a peaceful village, and enjoyed warm sunny days beside each other. The younger brother looked up to his older brother like he was the sun in the sky. The younger brother loved his older brother more than anyone in the whole world. Until one night the younger brother returned home from a day of play to find his entire family slain... by the older brother."

Inasa blinked at that. "Whoa! That's pretty heavy."

But I only smiled in response. "The younger brother vowed to avenge his family and slay the brother he once loved. So consumed with his revenge, he descended into a pit of hatred, and darkness. He threw away everyone who tried to reach out to him, who tried to help him, because the younger brother could only see his rage and hatred. For years, the younger brother trained and hunted down his older brother until at long last the two met in battle. The battle was heartbreaking to watch, and the younger brother eventually became victorious. He had killed his precious older brother.

"And as the younger brother stood above the corpse of the man he once revered, he felt all of his energy depleting. He had devoted nearly his entire life to this one moment, allowing nothing but anger and pain to sustain him. He hated his brother more than anything in this world, and now that the older brother was gone... he didn't know what to do. He was listless for days until an elder man from their village approached him.

"The man told the younger brother a terrible, horrible truth. The older brother had slain their family not out of anger, or bloodlust, but out of desire to protect his younger brother. Their parents had planned to throw the whole village into chaos, and use the younger brother as a tool to do so. The older brother couldn't let all those people die, so he slayed his own parents to save them. His guilt, however, was too great and he couldn't bear to tell the truth to his younger brother. The older brother believed he deserved to die for what he had done, and so he allowed his dear sibling to fall into darkness with him."

"How do you think the younger brother reacted?" I asked him.

Inasa almost jumped at my question, his eyes wide. So enraptured into this story, he had not realized I had ended it with a question. "Well—he would have been furious, right?"

"He was," I agreed. "And what do you think he should have done?"

Inasa was quiet for a moment as he thought about it.

I reached forward and gave his arm a gentle pat. "You don't have to answer me now. It's something to think about, at least... If you were the foolish younger brother, what would you have done?"

I turned away, and returned to Shōto's side. I took a seat beside him, resting my head on his shoulder.

"What was that about?" Shōto asked me.

"I have a thing for wanting to save stupid kids that remind me of ducks," I answered honestly.

Shōto didn't ask any further questions.

◟(◕◡◕❀)

Our classmates joined us soon enough. Thankfully everyone in 1A was able to pass the first test, and we all eagerly awaited the next phase in the green and yellow room.

When the screens around the walls came on the proctor tiredly congrulated us. He went on to explain what the next phase would be: Rescue. It would begin in about ten minutes, and as soon as the screens turned off, my mind got to work.

"Rescue...?" I murmured to myself.

(Ah... Ah... Children...)

"Class 1A, to me," I said, raising my voice. "As quickly as you can."

There were looks tossed my way, but my classmates converged on me.

(Children without experience... They'll be too unprepared.)

"Look, we're going to need to come into this with a plan," I said, cutting straight to the point. "Only—I mean none of us have hands on experience with this kind of thing. It's not like the previous exams where all we have to do is defend, and take out the bad guys. Our goal is to rescue."

"I don't need a fucking plan," Katsuki snapped out, turning to move away, but I grabbed his arm.

"Yes, you do," I hissed out, my eyes flashing with anger. "Can you suture?"

"Wh—"

"Who here can suture, or perform triage?" I demanded of my classmates. "Raise your hands now."

Momo, Tenya, Izuku, and Kyōka raised their hands. I gave a firm nod, as the rest of my classmates looked at me with baffled expressions. Either from my stern demeanor, or unsure of what I was getting out.

"You're fast," I told Katsuki, "but literally ten seconds can kill or save someone."

Katsuki's face flushed, and he tried to rip his arm out of my hand, but I squeezed even tighter.

With a snarl I said, "You're not super fast. The way you move quickly could make someone's injuries worse. You need to stay with someone who can perform emergency aid, and you damn straight need to focus on rescuing instead of fighting. That's our mission right now, not fighting some stupid robots."

I allowed Katsuki to pull away from me, his cheeks as red as tomatoes. "Fine! What's your stupid fucking plan?"

"We're going to have to fight and protect. Let's dedicate a team to offense, and a team for rescuing," I went on. "Until the enemy appears, team offense should work on clearing away debris. Offense team is: Bocchan, Izu-chan, Sho-chan, Sero-kun, Eijirō-kun, Mina-chan, and Denki-kun. Team medic will be: Momo-chan, Toru-chan, Koji-kun, and Kyōka-chan. There will be one more team, and these students will go to either team depending on who needs them most. We'll call them utility: Tenya-kun, Mezo-kun, Ocha-chan, Yuga-kun, Mineta-kun, and myself.

"Team offense, three of you scout further ahead. If you see someone in danger, make a show—like an explosion, or throwing something up into the air—and someone from team medic will go to you. Your only focus until villains show up is to make sure there's room for the rescue teams to arrive, and clear away debris. If you find someone in need do not leave them until someone from medic comes for them. That's basic rescuing 101. Medics, your goal is get the bystanders stable enough to get to a set up medical tent. Kyōka-chan, Toru-chan, I want the two of you to help set up the main medic tent."

"H-How?" Toru stammered out, the invisible girl waving her hands in the air.

"Mark off an area, and set up the supplies. Momo-chan, stay with them to make sure they have everything they need. I'm sure the proctors will provide the basic equipment, but it's up to us to use them.

"Things you need to keep in mind: One: Do not lose your patience. I am saying this especially to you, Bocchan. A hero has to stay calm in any situation, and if you lose your cool you'll undoubtedly get in trouble for it. Two: Do not touch a bystander until you assess them. If they can move, you can touch them, but if they can't move do not lay a single finger on them. You could do more harm than good, wait for a medic to evaluate. Three: Be careful of the surroundings. One wrong move and you could collapse an entire building and kill someone. Four: Do not go anywhere alone. And five: Use common sense."

I took a deep breath, and let it out slowly, ignoring how my classmates were giving me gobsmacked expressions.

Well, except Katsuki who was fuming, and Shōto who was just nodding along.

"S-So," Izuku stuttered, "when the villains show up, we go attack?"

"You stay close, and defend," I corrected. "Do not chase after them like a puppy after a bone. You have to prioritize those you are protecting. Everyone on the medic team, please do not try to fight the enemy. Focus on saving lives. Utility, when the villains come out, I will trust your judgement on where you are needed most. Anyone have questions?"

There were some head shakes.

"If you aren't sure about what to do find me," I stressed. "Don't act on your own, you could do more harm than good. Or work with the other students. We aren't fighting each other in this, I think, so it won't hurt you to be cooperative."

We didn't have any more time to plan. The signal was made for us to begin, and we wordlessly broke off into separate groups according to what I said. Kyōka and Toru immediately joined up with a few of the older students, helping set up a medical tent. I, Tsuyu, Shōto, Mezu, Momo, and Yuga went off toward the right to cover that, while more groups were formed and went off in different directions.

It was...

A mad house.

The "civilians" we had to rescue were phenomenal actors, but they lacked certain key details that kept me from thinking it was real.

There was no smell.

No iron tang in the air from the blood, no sickenly sweet pork stench from burning flesh.

They might as well have been dousing themselves in ketchup.

My group worked well together. Momo was able to create stretchers for us to use on victims that I cleared—as I was the only one on our team with the experie—knowledge to do so. The rest of my team worked on clearing debris, and helping move the civilians out of the way.

We were efficient, polite, and successful.

Our group had actually almost finished clearing our side when something drastic caught our attention.

An explosion shot off in the distance and already I was reaching for Shōto's hand. "Tsuyu-chan, can you handle the rest here?"

"Leave it to me, ribbit!" Tsuyu exclaimed. Shōto grabbed my hand, and I teleported both of us directly towards the explosion.

As it would happen, the villains would finally show up. I recognized the hero as Gang Orca—someone with increased speed, enduranced, strength, stamina, along with the ability to launch supersonic blast waves. There were dozens upon dozens of henchmen around him, and it looked like Shōto and I were the first ones to greet the villain.

Shōto shot out fire from his left side, and it hurtled to Gang Orca with impressive speed.

But the hair on the back of my neck stood up, and I could feel the wind changing in that one second.

(Tsk-tsk-tsk!)

I instinctually ripped out my staff, instantly transforming it to its full length and teleporting directly in front of Gang Orca. Shōto's fire was initially heading straight at him, but Inasa had used his Quirk to also launch an attack. The result was Inasa's winds blew out Shōto's fire, and Shōto's fire caused an updraft on Inasa's winds.

Which meant neither of their attacks connected with Gang Orca.

Therefore, I chose to teleport in front of Gang Orca and engage in close combat.

When both realized their attacks had cancelled out each other, I could hear them arguing. It was hard to pay attention to them while dealing with Gang Orca, but I caught the gist of Inasa's reason for being so angry with Shōto.

"Heroes are meant to be passionate people who ignite hope in others, and beat down criminals with their passion!" Inasa cried out angrily. "All of them, except Endeavour whose eyes are filled with nothing but cold, cold rage. You, at that entrance exam when we were all fighting those robots—you had his eyes for everyone but her. Heroes should be fair to all—heroes should bring passion and joy wherever they go. But you? You only bring your father's tainted legacy."

I bit down hard on my lip, anger surging through me on behalf of my friend.

(But a promise is a promise.)

"Shut up, you lost little brother," I hollered, swinging my staff up to try and push Gang Orca back. Since I was engaged in heavy close combat, I had to shout in between breaths and blows. "Yes! Heroes should be—passionate—but that raw emotion you're—feeling right now—is not what a hero—should bring. Heroes—"

Gang Orca slammed his massive hands down on me, and I had to bring up my staff and two bubbles to keep him from hitting me.

"Heroes," I ground out, "are—meant—to—bring—hope! How can you—call yourself—a hero if all—you're passionate about—is—hatred!"

Orca Gang took a deep breath and let out a powerful sonic wave. I teleported above him as soon as he did so, and he ripped up the ground where I previously was. I summoned one of my bubbles to stand on in the air, and I glared over at Inasa. "You wanna complain about Endeavour? Fine! But if you wanna be a hero, you better shut up and act like it, or I'll take that stupid hatred of yours and knock you senseless, little brother."

Inasa's face turned red, and he shouted at me, "I know how to be a hero! I'll take these bad guys out, no problem."

"Then you handle the ones on the right, Sho-chan, you get the ones on the left, and I'll take care of Cutie-Mc-Cute-Stuff," I declared. "Move!"

"Cutie-Mc-Cute-Stuff?" Orca Gang repeated as I teleported right back to him and picked up our close combat fight once again.

I had to shrug. "I call it like I see it."

"Heh."

I teleported up above Gang Orca, and he immediately bellowed out a super sonic blast straight at me. I teleported away again, but he accurately predicted where I was going and directed his attack directly there. The force sent me careening backwards, and I reflexively used my ultimate: Petal Step.

With the bubbles on my feet, I used them to control myself in the air. I stopped myself from spinning, gritted my teeth from annoyance, and dashed towards Gang Orca once more. I reached down and grabbed a smoke screen pellet from my utility belt and I threw it down at him.

Gang Orca immediately destroyed it mid air, releasing the thick black smoke and completely obscuring his vision of me.

'He'll think I'll use this time to teleport directly behind him,' I thought. 'But I'll keep charging forward!'

I dove through the smoke, throwing down a foam pellet on the surprised Gang Orca. Sticky white foam erupted from the pellet, completely covering him in carbon dioxide. He sputtered, coughing, and I took that opening to raise my staff and slam it into his head as hard as I possibly could.

Gang Orca went careening away, hitting the ground hard enough to crack it underneath him.

A powerful wind slammed down on him from above, pinning him, just as a vortex of fire surrounded the two of us, completely trapping him.

The wind and fire were kept far enough away that neither would affect the other. Surprised at their appearance, however, I looked around to see Inasa descend from above and Shōto step through the flames.

"Ah, did you guys finish up?" I asked them.

"It was a piece of cake," Inasa said loudly.

"The enemies are captured," Shōto affirmed, approaching to stand beside me. "Surrender, Gang Orca. We have you completely surrounded."

"Feh," Gang Orca said, but despite that he was smiling. "Well done. Alright, I surrender."

The wind and fire dispersed, and the three of us headed over to Gang Orca, who sat up slowly while clutching his head. "Quite the staff, miss."

"Thank you. Her name is Cherry," I said, then glared over at Inasa. "You done being a toddler?"

That made turned his face red, and he abruptly left.

"Uhum... with that, all the H.U.C. who were deployed have been rescued from the danger zone. It may seem arbitrary but with this, all the provisional licensing exam procedures have been completed. After we talk about the scores, we will announce the results here. Those who were injured should go to the infirmary. The rest of you should change and then stand by."

◟(◕◡◕❀)

It was with relief that I got to change back into my comfortable school clothes, satisfied with what I had done. The participants gathered in the main gym about an hour later where the test results were posted.

And...

All of 1A had passed!

Once this was realized, the class let out a lot of cheers, whoops, and hollers. We weren't the only ones celebrating, so the whole gym got very loud.

During our celebration Inasa approached me, his cheeks dusted pink and his hands shoved into his pockets. "Oi."

I broke away from my friends, placing my hands on my hips and glaring up at him. "Oi yourself."

Inasa stiffed, closed his eyes, and then bowed down hard and fast. "I'm sorry! Regardless of how I feel about—about Endeavour and his son, I shouldn't have let it come in the way of me being a hero. Of protecting those bystanders."

Shaking my head, I said, "Look, I understand why you don't like Endeavour. You aren't going to hear me, or Sho-chan, defending that vile man. But you've never even had a proper conversation with Sho-chan, so how can you judge him? You're acting blind, chasing after something so utterly pointless that you forget what's important."

Inasa slowly raised his head at that, his eyebrows scrunched together as he looked at me. "Being a hero?"

"Dummy," I scolded, "being you. Are you someone who only chases after petty revenge, after hatred? Or are you someone who will stand by your values, and become a hero? Are you the little brother, about to throw away everything?"

Inasa abruptly straighten up, his mouth dropping open as he looked at me with wide eyes. "Wh—Me! I'm me! I will not be the little brother, at all."

Judging sincerity in his words, I gave a smile. Relaxing, I said, "Good. Make sure you stay that way."

◟(◕◡◕❀)

"Little brother?" Shōto questioned, taking my hand in his own and entwining our fingers. Since we were done with the exam, we were heading back toward the school bus with the our other classmates.

"The story of the weasel and the duck," I answered him.

"Ah. The one where the fox and the salamander save the little brother from killing his sibling?"

My lips twitched. "I gave him a little bit of a different version... but yes."

Shōto nodded, accepting as such. "It's a good story."

"It's a good lesson."

◟(◕◡◕❀)

I really like all the lessons in this story. I think they're good ones to have, if a bit cliche.

Batman belt + good staff = fun times.

The staff is made from carbon nanotubes. Why? Because Shit Is About To Go Down in the upcoming arcs, and I felt like Kiyomi needed more utility. Plus I wanted a Batman Belt™ and I feel like these are things all heroes should have if they can afford it. Considering how advanced the technology is in the bnha-verse I think some of those pellets are perfectly possible.

I did seriously consider swapping Inasa out for Mineta at the start of the story, but I honestly chickened out. Why? Because I was afraid of over-stacking Class 1A, and accidentally getting rid of the spy. I doubt Mineta's the spy, but who the heck knows. Plus I have a feeling Inasa being in the other school will come in handy later on down the road.

More fan art of Kiyomi! Big thank you to KaidaStorm on deviantART who drew Kiyomi's new outfit. :)

Answer: Aha. I really hope to successfully publish a book series. ^^"

Question: What are you grateful for? What makes you happy in your everyday life?

Reviews are love!