The next day, after school let out, I was called to the principal's office.
Although, I wasn't the only one.
Two others had been summoned as well: Mina Ashido and Eijiro Kirishima.
I knew who they were. Ashido was loud, pink, and surrounded by people wherever she went. We'd never really talked, I didn't fit in with the vibe her friend circle gave off.
Kirishima… was quieter. Not the brash, unbreakable "manly man" he'd eventually become. His hair was jet-black now, long enough to brush his shoulders, with bangs hanging just between his eyes. Not the wild crimson spikes he'd eventually be known for.
When I made my way down the hall and pushed open the door to the principal's office, they were already there.
Ashido looked up immediately, grin already fully loaded.
"Hey! You're Henshin, right? The guy who got #1 on the practical exams!"
I nodded and gave her a polite smile.
"Yeah, that's me. I'm sure you did well too, you also got accepted, didn't you?"
She laughed and waved it off, but her eyes lit up just a bit. People liked being acknowledged, even if they acted humble about it.
"Yeah, I scraped by," she said playfully. "I had 43 points total."
I chuckled lightly.
My attention shifted to Kirishima, who hadn't said a word. He was standing with his hands loosely in his pockets, gaze drifting toward the floor, then back to the window. But he glanced up when I addressed him.
"And you must be Kirishima. I saw you made the Top 5. That's impressive."
He looked surprised, like he wasn't expecting anyone to praise him for it. He rubbed the back of his neck, lips twitching into a half-smile.
"Ah—thanks. Nothing compared to you, though. I mean… you broke a hundred points."
"Still," I said, "Top five's no joke. We're all heading to the same place, right?"
That seemed to land well. His posture eased up a little.
Before we could continue, the principal cleared his throat behind his desk. He pushed up his glasses and stood up with a smile.
"I'm glad to see you're all getting along," he said warmly. "It's not every year we get one of our students accepted into U.A., let alone three. You've made our school incredibly proud."
His gaze flicked between us.
"I just wanted to call you up personally to say congratulations. You've all worked hard, and you deserve to feel proud of yourselves. U.A. is no easy feat, and I hope you carry that determination with you when you step onto campus. You'll be representing more than yourselves now. You'll be carrying this school's name with you. And I have no doubt you'll do it justice."
He paused, like he wanted to end there, but couldn't help himself.
"Who knows," he added with a slight chuckle, "maybe one day I'll get to say I knew three top heroes back when they were just students in these halls."
He raised a fist slightly, smiling.
"Plus Ultra."
We echoed it back—Ashido with her usual enthusiasm, Kirishima a bit louder than before.
The principal gave a final glance around, then waved us off.
"Alright, you're dismissed. Go celebrate. You've earned it."
As we stepped out of the principal's office, I walked right next to Ashido and Kirishima. Ashido was still buzzing from the praise, bouncing on her heels. Kirishima kept his hands in his pockets, eyes low, walking half a step behind.
"Since we're all heading to U.A." I said casually, "how about grabbing lunch together? Might as well get to know each other now before we're all tossed into the same ring. My treat of course."
Ashido spun toward me with a grin. "Ooh! There's a McDonald's a few blocks down I always go to. My friends and I practically live there."
"Well," I said, giving a slight smile, "lead the way."
She took the lead without hesitation. Kirishima hesitated for half a second, then fell in. He's a little quiet, but cooperative nonetheless.
We walked under a cool sky. Ashido kept the conversation alive as we walked—pointing out little spots she liked around the neighborhood, places she hung out, which convenience store had the best yakisoba bread, which streets were best to sneak off campus from.
I kept an even pace behind her, nodding occasionally. Not that I really cared about local snack shops, but... I wasn't exactly complaining about the view either.
Her hips swayed in rhythm with her steps, and the way her skirt clung to her body left little to the imagination. She wasn't trying to be subtle, and I wasn't pretending not to notice. Life throws you scraps of pleasure in between all the blood and struggle. Only fools look away.
In a perfect world, I'd be surrounded by women like her, adored by the crowd, envied by the mediocre. A hero bathed in glory, flanked by beauty, untouchable by anyone else.
Kirishima, meanwhile, stayed muted. Still fogged up from earlier, like he hadn't decided if he wanted to be present yet. I'd give him time. He wasn't weak, just still growing into his shape.
McDonald's came into view, and Ashido practically skipped ahead.
"My usual hangout! Don't judge me if I order like, five things."
"No judgment," I said smoothly. "Future heroes need to fuel up."
She grinned and bounced ahead. We grabbed a booth near the window after ordering. Ashido loaded up with fries, a McChicken, nuggets, and a chocolate milkshake. Kirishima went simple—just a Big Mac and Coke. I got a Spicy Chicken Sandwich meal and sat across from them.
"So!" Ashido said, leaning forward over her tray. "What quirks are we working with here?"
"Ladies first," I said, motioning to her.
"Acid," she grinned, wiggling her fingers. "I can produce it from my skin. Change the thickness, how fast it melts stuff, all that. Sounds a little gross, but it's cool once you get used to it."
"That's useful," I said, nodding. "Strong offensively. Bet it's great for mobility too."
"Exactly!" She beamed. "I can slide with it—like skating, but corrosive."
She turned to Kirishima. "What about you?"
He shifted awkwardly in his seat, rubbing the back of his neck.
"It's... just hardening. I can harden my skin, body, whatever. Makes me tougher, lets me hit harder. It's nothing special."
"Come on," I said, meeting his eyes. "It isn't just 'nothing special.' You got top three in the practical exam. Have some pride."
He blinked, surprised I'd even said anything. Then gave me the smallest smile I'd seen from him.
"Yeah... thanks."
Ashido gave him a playful nudge. "See? You're already cooler than you think."
They looked to me.
"Mine's a bit weird," I said. "I can absorb materials through touch—stone, steel, whatever—and take on their properties. I can use it as armor, or form weapons."
"Whoa," Ashido said. "That's awesome."
"It has versatility," I agreed. "I can also copy a person's quirk... kind of. If I touch someone, I absorb their quirk from them, but I can only use it at about 10% strength. And it wears off."
That part was true. Mostly.
"Even 10% is crazy useful," Kirishima said. "You can do a lot with that."
"It has its trade-offs," I said with a slight shrug. "But I make it work."
We sat for a while, picking at fries and riding the afterglow of our shared success.
Ashido beamed, practically bouncing in her seat. "Still feels unreal that All Might's actually gonna be our teacher."
Kirishima shifted in his seat, fingers tapping lightly against the soda in front of him. "Yeah… I didn't think he'd be doing something like that. Teaching."
"It's not exactly what you'd expect from the number one hero," I said, casually putting a fry into my mouth. "But if he's there, that means U.A.'s raising the bar way higher than before."
Ashido grinned. "Exactly! Like, if All Might is watching us, we can't afford to half-ass anything. One wrong move and boom, he's judging you forever."
"Or worse," I said, smirking a little. "He hits you with the 'I'm not mad, just disappointed'."
She laughed at that, "Ugh that's the worst"
Kirishima didn't laugh, but I saw the tension leave his shoulders. He leaned back a little, his hands relaxed against the edge of the table.
Ashido nodded. "Still, I think it's awesome. If we're gonna learn how to be heroes, might as well have the best watching."
We wrapped up not long after, tossing wrappers into the trash and stepping out into the crisp afternoon air. The wind had a bite to it, just barely sharp enough to remind you that winter wasn't finished yet.
The three of us walked slowly, side by side, shadows stretching long across the sidewalk.
I glanced over at them.
"You two aren't bad," I said, hands in my pockets. "I'm glad we're starting U.A. together."
Ashido's face lit up again with an effortless smile. "Of course! You too!"
She paused, fishing into her blazer pocket before pulling out her phone.
"Here—take my number. We should stay in touch. High school's almost over anyway."
I took it without hesitation, our fingers brushing for just a second. The screen lit up in my hand as I typed in my contact.
Not a bad lunch.
Some networking done.
Connections made.
Not bad at all.