Spring rain washed over Musutafu.
Tenji Kurokawa walked home from school, school bag slung over one shoulder, footsteps calm against wet pavement. Neon hero signs reflected in puddles. Civilians moved about under umbrellas. It was a normal day.
Until screaming broke through the rain.
Tenji turned toward the sound.
Down a narrow alley, a crowd gathered in panic. And at the center of it—
Bakugo Katsuki.
Wrapped in a sludge-like creature that swallowed his body, muffled his shouts, and tightened with every struggle.
Tenji's eyes sharpened.
A villain.
Before Tenji could move, a gust of wind tore through the alley. A massive figure landed like a falling star.
Blonde hair. Impossible muscles. A smile brighter than lightning.
All Might.
With a single strike, the Symbol of Peace blasted the sludge monster free and hurled it skyward in a whirlwind of force. The creature was captured. Bakugo collapsed onto the ground, coughing.
The crowd erupted into cheers.
Tenji stood at the edge of it all, rain dripping from his hair.
He watched Bakugo's trembling anger.
Watched All Might's reassuring smile.
Watched a green-haired boy pushing through the crowd with wild, desperate eyes.
Midoriya Izuku.
Tenji knew.
That boy had run in before the hero arrived.
That boy had thrown himself forward when no one else did.
Later that evening, Tenji stood on his balcony.
He folded space beneath his feet and rose above the city. Rain clouds rolled across the night sky. Lightning flickered in the distance.
He thought about what he'd seen.
Bakugo's raw power.
Midoriya's reckless courage.
All Might's overwhelming presence.
This world had pillars.
Heroes.
Symbols.
Tenji was something else.
A quiet force growing unnoticed.
The next day at school, Bakugo roared about his "inevitable rise to number one hero." Classmates crowded around him. Midoriya sat silent at his desk, bruised and thoughtful.
Tenji sat by the window, watching the sky.
He didn't speak.
He didn't interfere.
Some events needed to happen.
Some paths needed to unfold naturally.
A few days later, Midoriya found Tenji on the rooftop again.
Tenji was practicing, stepping lightly on folded space, balancing above the school like a dancer on invisible glass.
Midoriya watched, nervous energy buzzing around him.
"Kurokawa-kun… I'm going to apply to UA," Midoriya said.
Tenji stepped down and looked at him.
"I expected that."
Midoriya swallowed.
"I have a plan. I'm going to train for ten months. I'll become strong enough."
Tenji studied his trembling hands.
Then nodded once.
"Good. Don't stop."
Midoriya's eyes widened.
Then he bowed deeply.
"Thank you."
Tenji watched him go.
He did not know All Might had chosen him.
Did not know a legendary quirk had been passed on.
But he knew the feeling of a turning point.
This was one.
Ten months passed.
Spring became summer. Summer burned into autumn. Autumn froze into winter.
Midoriya ran until his legs shook. Lifted until his muscles tore. Cleaned beaches until his hands blistered. Every day, he rebuilt himself.
Bakugo refined his explosions through sheer force of will and ego.
And Tenji—
Tenji trained beneath the open sky.
He crossed rooftops by stepping on folded space. He practiced falling from heights and catching himself with invisible platforms. He sharpened Thin Ice Breaker until the air itself cracked on command. When exhaustion hit, he sat in stillness, circulating cursed energy to repair strain and steady his breath.
People saw a boy with a rare spatial quirk growing stronger.
No one saw the sorcerer shaping reality around him.
Winter returned.
UA's entrance exam day arrived.
Snow dusted the streets. Students gathered before towering iron gates, breath visible in the cold air, hearts burning with ambition.
Tenji stood among them.
Calm. Ready.
He lifted his eyes to the sky.
Folded space beneath his feet once, rising a fraction off the ground before settling again.
A personal ritual.
A reminder.
He had died once.
He had been reborn.
He had trained for fourteen years.
Now the world would finally see what he had built.
Tenji Kurokawa stepped forward toward UA High School.
And the next chapter of his life began.