Despite the anticipation that clawed at me for the next two weeks, I managed to be patient. I distracted myself with my hero training, the homework the agents gave me (They believed strongly in a no-summer-off policy) talking with Blair a bit, and other miscellaneous things. But when the day finally came, I couldn't fathom how I managed to wait.

"The mail came in." Keigo mentioned casually one morning.

"Okay," I answered unknowingly, going back to listening to some song by Sushi Soucy as I read a book Blair recommended to me quietly on the floor.

"Along with your letter from U.A." He added, a slight teasing lilt to his voice.

That got me jolting to my feet, not even caring when I accidently stepped on my book as I scrambled over to grab the letter from my uncle.

He chuckled, letting me take the crisp, yellow letter with a blood red stamp with the school's logo on it. I ran to the couch, tearing open the thick paper and slipping a small disk out of it.

"What's this?" I asked, turning the disk over to the pro hero as he came to join me.

"Set it on the table." He instructed, hanging his elbows over the top of the couch.

I did as he said, and watched as a projection appeared, revealing a woman with long, slick black hair tied into a ponytail. Her hero costume was made up of a red fabric that only covered her chest, leaving her shoulders and stomach exposed. It wasn't shown in the projection, but I could picture the pale yellow shorts and belt and the matching red combat boots adorning the lower half of her body. I recognized this hero.

Creati. The #5 pro hero on the charts. She was one of the heros who was a student at U.A. thirteen years ago. Her class famously fought against the League of Villians on multiple occasions, including during the Meta Liberation War, which the agents who taught me required me to learn all about.

Seeing her in her new outfit was a little shocking at first. The hero always had one signature costume, which she had proudly worn since her debut. However she changed her entire costume just a few months ago. In interviews, she explained that her new costume showed even more skin than her old one, which was a requirement of her quirk. The material was also more flexible but still protected her due to the special steal enlaced into the fabric.

She claimed the change had nothing to do with the comments she got about her old costume being 'inappropriate.' If that's true, the fact she was able to block out all those comments and not succumb to the pressure of the media made me respect her even more.

I knew a lot about this hero. What I didn't know was that she was teaching at U.A this year.

"Hello Miu Takami! This is Creati. I'm here to introduce myself as a new teacher at U.A., and to inform you of your results from the enterance exams. Now, let's start with your written exam scores."

My heart beats faster.

"Through the hour-long test, you managed to score a 93/100." She sends a pleased smile toward the camera. "The score lands you in the top 10%! I must say, I am impressed!"

My eyes widen.

Keigo pats me on the back. "Top 10 percent, kid. That's something to be proud of."

My heart does a little flutter from the words of praise from both heroes, but I don't take my eyes off the projection.

"Now, on to the practical exam. Overall, you received 61 points. 37 villain points, and 24 rescue points!" The projection then showed footage of me standing still in a street, plunging my feathers inside the robots and immobilizing them.

I resisted the urge to cringe. I hated seeing myself on camera. (Or projection.) Even though the focus was mostly on the feathers I caused to float around, I still didn't like it. Luckily I didn't have to look away long as the projection quickly returned to Creati.

"You assessed the faux villians' weak points and destroyed them not by using brute force, but intellect." Creati smiled, straightening her back and locking her hands behind her back. "That is the kind of potential we want at U.A. That being said, I am happy to welcome you into this year's Hero course."

"I... got in..." I commented in a small wisp of breath. For some reason, I couldn't take my eyes away from the screen, as if my invitation would disappear if I let it out of my sight.

"Of course you did." Keigo told me. "You worked hard for this. You should be proud."

I looked down at my hands, not sure how to respond.

"Something wrong?" My Uncle asked me, turning over in his seat to face me.

"It's nothing... it's just... what if I mess up my chance? What if it's too much for me and I can't handle it? What if I cave under all that pressure?"

The number eight hero raised his eyebrows. "Well... you're the first kid I've ever met who had that kind of mindset when they first found out they were going to be a hero."

Keigo turned off the projection, stuffing the disk back into the ripped envelope and setting it on the table.

"Doubt won't make you a better hero, you know. If you keep worrying about if you're good enough, it'll stunt your growth. Try focusing on the present for once."

He put his hand on my shoulder, giving me one of his signature smiles from his golden days as a hero.

Hawks used to be the #3 hero when I first moved in with him, and was even #2 after All Might retired. He held the title of #2 hero for most of my life. Until heroes such as Deku, Ground Zero, and Shoto came into the spotlight. He is still a well known hero, but the bright light of hope and admiration people associate with him is focused more on heroes like them. He's still young, being in his thirties now and pretty much just as agile and speedy as he was when he was #2. People still admire him and put their faith in him, but not as much anymore as they do them.

My Uncle wasn't too shattered when he noticed this happening. He never cared much about his title anyway. His only goal was to make a world where heroes had an easier time than they used to. And in a way, he achieved that goal, and continues to every day.

Though not as influential as All Might was, Keigo dropped the crime rate significantly. He always looked out for everyone and continues to carry many duties and hardships himself, instead of dragging other heroes into it. Because he simply doesn't need too. That's how amazing he is.

Plus, the fact he's still in the Top Ten is an incredible feat!

"Besides," he continued. "you have no reason to doubt yourself. Considering how your wings are smaller, you're better than I was at your age. Though, even if there is something that makes you feel like you can't go on anymore... your uncle will always be here to help you through it."

It was then that I noticed the tears brimming in my eyes. Noticing this, I whipped them away promptly. I knew a small pep talk wasn't anything to cry about, but I couldn't help it. My uncle was really a great guy. And little things like that mean a lot coming from someone you admire so much.

I smiled. "Thanks, Uncle Keigo!"

_________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐

The ordinary honking of cars and muffled murmuring of civilians on a Monday morning filled the streets of Musutafu, Japan. I tread the sidewalk outside of U.A. before I entered the gates, trying to get used to my new school uniform by tugging at my skirt when I thought no one was looking.

Why are these things so short!? I wondered, making a mental note to wear leggings instead of socks tomorrow.

My morning was going well so far. I was still extremely nervous, but I managed to push that down enough to be early and properly prepared. All of that had eased my anxiety a little, but I still-

"Hey, Miu." A voice from behind made me turn around to see Haru a few feet away from me, having gotten here at the same time.

"Oh, hi Haru!" I greeted, still not entirely sure how to handle this whole friend thing. The last friends I had were over 10 years ago. We talked once, and he greeted me just now... So does that mean we're friends? I felt like there was more to it than that...

"Ey, I knew you would get in! You don't happen to be in class 1-A do you?" He said, tilting the cappuccino he had in his hand.

I smiled brightly. "Yes, I am, actually! Want to walk there together?"

"Sure." He smiled back at me.

The walk to our room was longer than I thought it would be, but I guess that was to be expected given how massive the school was. I paid attention to every twist and turn on our way there, trying to memorize how to get there, until the huge door to the class 1-A homeroom stood in front of us.

Haru opened the door for us, and inside were out future classmates talking. Some were sitting at their desks, others were standing and chatting, while some were occupied with other miscellaneous things.

"Miu!" I heard a voice shout my name from the other side of the classroom, and before I knew it Blair had wrapped me into a hug and lifted me off the ground, momentarily suffocating me.

"Hey, Blair." I greeted.

"Hey, Starbucks boy!" Blair said, getting a nod from Haru.

"Wait, have you two met?" I asked, a little curious.

"Briefly during the enterance exams." Blair replied, placing her elbow on Haru's shoulder. It looked a little awkward though because of their height difference. "I accidentally hit him with a nun chuck that flew from my hand. I tried to apologize, but he was still off balance and used his quirk. Then he went and slammed himself into a wall!"

Blair laughed, receiving a small glare from Haru. Her laugh turned into a nervous chuckle. "I still feel kind of bad. Sorry 'bout that dude. We cool?" She bumped her first on his chest lightly.

Haru shrugged. "Sure."

"Hey! What the-? How immature!" A girl's voice cut through the room. I watched as the muscles in her face tightened in annoyance. Oddly enough, a small spot on her uniform was visibly stained.

A boy next to her chuckled. "Your fault you fell for it!" He called, and that's when I noticed the bouquet of flowers he held in his right hand. They looked comically fake.

Is that one of those comedy tricks where you trick someone into getting sprayed by flowers?

"Hey, give me those!" Another girl the boy had run past called. This other girl had light purple hair in a pixie cut. She had matching eyes, and was wearing a choker along with bracelets and a few other accessories.

She better be careful with those during hero training.

The boy stopped in his tracks when the girl beckoned him. With even more cocky courage, he held out the flowers to her as she requested.

"For you, my lady." He claimed, thrusting the flowers at her.

"Thanks!" The purple haired teenager told him, immediately redirecting the flowers toward him and watching as water sprayed all over his uniform in turn.

The girl smiled in satisfaction as the boy looked down at his vest, a look of exaggerated betrayal painted all over his face.

"Why is it always me?" He whined.

"Good one Akira." said a plain, lanky blonde boy sitting at a desk behind where she was standing. The girl called Akira ignored him, though, as she started rummaging through her bag.

"Ugh. I have no idea how he passed!" The original victim of the shorter boy's prank was walking up to the three of us, her anger diminishing but still present in her features. She managed to push it down, though, as she addressed us.

"Hello there, you three! I don't think I have met you guys yet. I want to make a point of greeting all my future classmates. To start off on the right foot, ya know!"

She held out her hand to me first. "My name is Akemi Shikachi. I am very pleased to meet you."

Shikachi talked in a precise way, using full words at points she could use contractions, and making sure to pronounce every syllable. Her appearance was the same way, with a uniform that was cleaner and straighter than most of ours. (Except for the new stain.) Her gray, highlighted hair was slicked back into a neat ponytail, and her hazel eyes seemed kind yet strict.

Like an adult in a teenager's body...

I returned her smile. "Miu Takami. Nice to meet you too."

Shikachi then greeted Haru after me, commenting on how interesting his quirk was. After him, she landed on Blair.

"Oh, Hiriyama! You're the girl who almost tied with Yumi Doishi in the practical exams! How could I forget?"

Though the comment was well meaning, I could tell Blair made an effort not to snark or grimace. The slight lift in her lip told me that.

"Doishi. Of course."

"By one point, exactly." The voice entering the conversation was a new one. Coming from the doorway, the person it came from made her way into view.

To be honest, I was a bit shocked when I saw her. She was tall and confident. Her curly pink hair perfectly complimented her skin tone, and her sky blue eyes stood out even from where I was standing.

"Hey, Blair, how've you been?" She asked. I wasn't the best at social cues, but even I could detect the hostility and challenge in her voice.

Blair returned the feeling, greeting the other girl with a sigh heavier than an anvil. "Yume." She said sarcastically. "Are you sure we're really in the same class? It's not a mistake?" Her smile seemed extremely forced.

"It's Doishi to you, actually. And well we're on the topic of mistakes, are we sure the scoring was right? It seems to me your score should be far lower than that."

Blair's eyes narrowed. "Don't patronize me, Yume. Here, I'll beat you at everything. I'll show you that you're wrong about me!"

"Oh. Well we'll see about that." There was an akward moment where the two were just glaring at each other, like they had suddenly been turned to stone. It left the rest of us with an uncomfortable feeling. Even Shikachi didn't try to break the tension by introducing herself.

"Is that right? But then again, you always were behind me at everything. Academics, art, quirk growth... could never be good enough, huh Hiriyama?" Doishi's voice was slick and smooth. Even I could see how Blair was annoyed by it.

"Shut up."

"What makes you think you have the talent now? No matter what you do, I'll always be-"

"Shut up!"

It was then that I realized Blair had suddenly tensed. Placing fist by her hip, she was prepared to shut Doishi up herself. My eyes widened, preparing for the situation to escalate even further when that punch landed. But it never did.

About halfway through the motion, a pale hand wrapped around her fist.

"No fighting in my class, if you would."

The entire room, who had all been watching the bickering, stood in silence.

The man seemed to come out of nowhere, and as he spoke slung his arms around both Blair and Doishi. The man was tall and slim and stood straight with black hair tied into a braid behind him. He was wearing a light green sweater and had round glasses to complete his look.

He whispered something to the two girls next to him that the rest of us couldn't hear. There was this akward tense silence in the air around us. Blair and Doishi were both looking away from their teacher as he talked to them. Blair's face seemed to be rooted with a little guilt, but Doishi's was just annoyance.

Once the man released the two girls, he addressed the rest of us. "Sorry about that, everyone. Pleased to meet you all! My name is Tamo Fujisaki. Some of you may know me as the pro hero, Astra Sight."

My eyes widened slightly. Astra Sight.

I recognized that name. The #7 hero. He was famous for his quick reflexes and thinking, which was how he climbed up the ranks so fast. Admittedly, I didn't know much about him. I just knew he had been paired on missions with my uncle a few times. I didn't even remember what his quirk was. I felt like it should be obvious, but I just couldn't put my finger on it.

Fujisaki pulled a paper out of his pocket with our seating order on it. "Alright now sit down."

The blunt instruction after that situation practically gave us no choice but to listen, all of us moving to our respective positions.

I sat in the last column in the third row, the column closest to the door. After we had all settled, Fujisaki stood behind the small speaking podium at the front of the room, collecting a stack of papers in his hands.

"Now, I know you are all anxious to get to hero training, and we will get there, but first there is something we need to do."

We all listened anxiously, awaiting our first activity as pro hero students.

"And that is... homework!"

At the word 'homework' voices exploded all around the room.

"Homework? On the first day?"

"You haven't even taught us anything!"

"What about orientation?"

"Who the hell let this guy teach!?"

One boy even stood up on his chair about to protest further. A few fists swung up in support.

I startled. Is there about to be riot on the first day? Over homework?

To calm the uproar, Fujisaki opened his mouth to explain. "Wow this class is violent! I know some of you may be upset by this, but I assure you it's not the kind of assignment you are thinking of. It's an analysis of your goals. What you want to accomplish as a hero. It will help you organize and remember everything you want to accomplish in my class.

We're not going to work on it now, but I'm telling you about it so you can think about it while we're exercising today. Take it and put it somewhere safe before putting on your gym clothes. Right now, we're heading out to the field. Go along now."

Everyone was excited about that. We all rushed out the doors, some almost forgetting about the assignment, and headed to the locker rooms.

_________ ׂׂૢ་༘࿐

Word Count: 3,203

I was supposed to post this a week ago but life has a way of getting in the way of plans. 😅 I'm sure you noticed the beautiful banner at the end of the chapter. The genius behind is it Juni_Penguin_. This book doesn't have many reads so I'm sure all of you are familiar with her, but I thought she deserved an extra shout out for all the covers/banners/icons she makes!

Fun Fact: Blair got into a lot of fights in middle school. Mostly for standing up to bullies. Poor girl!

Have a great day/night loves 🌃☀️💖