The rain had finally stopped by the time the results were posted online. Kairo sat on the edge of his tiny apartment balcony — a cramped one-room in the cheaper districts of Musutafu — staring at his cracked phone screen.
**UA High School Entrance Exam Results**
**Hero Course – Class 1-A**
**Kairo Voss: Passed – 47 Villain Points + 28 Rescue Points**
**Total: 75 Points**
**Placement: Provisional Admission (Hero Track)**
He exhaled slowly. Not top ten. Not even close to the explosive blond kid who'd demolished half the city block. But he'd made it. Quirkless no more — or at least, not in the eyes of the system that mattered.
**[System Notification: Admission Milestone Achieved]**
**Reward: +300 EXP, Basic Workshop Unlock (Portable Mode), +1 Free Blueprint Slot**
**Current Level: 3**
**Stat Points Remaining: 0 (Allocated previously)**
The new **Portable Workshop** feature appeared in his interface — a holographic crafting table he could summon anywhere, limited to small-scale projects for now. No more alley scavenging in the rain. Progress.
The first day arrived too fast.
UA's gates loomed like a monument to ambition. Students in crisp uniforms streamed in, quirks flickering like nervous fireworks. Kairo adjusted his tie — still felt foreign on this younger body — and stepped through.
Inside the auditorium, rows of seats filled quickly. He took a spot near the back, scanning faces. There — green hair, freckles, muttering to himself. Midoriya Izuku. The canon protagonist. Kairo's stomach twisted. He wasn't here to derail the story… but he wasn't here to be a side character either.
A familiar purple head caught his eye two rows ahead. Kyoka Jiro slouched in her seat, earjacks idly tapping against the armrest. She glanced back — their gazes locked for a heartbeat. She raised an eyebrow, the same teasing smirk from the exam. Kairo nodded once. Acknowledgment. Nothing more.
The lights dimmed. Principal Nezu appeared on stage, tiny and terrifyingly cheerful. Speeches about dreams, heroism, potential. Then the real bombshell.
"Welcome to Class 1-A… and 1-B," Nezu chirped. "But first, meet your homeroom teacher."
The door slid open. A yellow sleeping bag rolled in. Unzipped. Shota Aizawa — Eraser Head — emerged, looking like he'd rather be anywhere else.
"Get changed into gym uniforms. We're doing a quirk apprehension test."
Groans rippled through the room. Kairo's lips twitched. Right on schedule.
Outside on the field, the tests began: 50-meter dash, grip strength, standing long jump, repeated side steps, ball throw, distance run, sit-ups, seated toe-touch.
Most students used quirks freely. Engines, explosions, zero gravity. Kairo had none.
But he had the system.
For the dash, he allocated a quick mental point (leftover from a minor quest overnight) into Agility. His legs felt lighter, faster. He crossed in 5.8 seconds — not flashy, but respectable.
Grip strength: He summoned the Portable Workshop discreetly behind a equipment crate, forged a temporary reinforcement band around his forearm using leftover Reinforced Alloy. 320 kg. Not Bakugo-level, but enough to turn heads.
The ball throw was where things got interesting.
Aizawa watched with half-lidded eyes as students launched balls with wind, acid, creation quirks.
When Kairo's turn came, he stepped into the circle, ball in hand. No quirk. Just him.
He focused. Analyzed the ball — basic rubber, nothing special. Then deconstructed a tiny portion of its surface for material.
Then, in the palm of his hand, he forged a micro-upgrade: a small hydraulic piston insert, powered by his own kinetic energy.
He wound up, threw — and the piston fired at the apex, adding explosive force.
The ball rocketed skyward.
**Distance: 412.7 meters**
The class went quiet. Aizawa's eyes narrowed.
"Not a quirk," Aizawa said flatly. "Explain."
"Support gear," Kairo replied. "Self-made. Legal for the exam, right?"
Aizawa stared for a long moment. Then shrugged. "As long as it doesn't break rules. Next."
Kairo felt eyes on him. Midoriya's wide and analytical. Uraraka's curious. And Jiro's — sharp, impressed, maybe a little intrigued.
After the tests, Aizawa ranked them. Kairo landed mid-pack — 12th out of 20. Safe. Not spotlight.
As they headed back to change, Jiro fell into step beside him. Casual. Like it was coincidence.
"412 meters with a rubber ball," she said, voice low. "You're full of surprises, alley boy."
"Kairo," he corrected. "And you're not bad yourself. Those sonic blasts saved half the zero-pointer takedown."
She shrugged, earjacks swaying. "Teamwork makes the dream work, or whatever."
A beat of silence. Rain started again — light, misty. Students scattered for cover.
Jiro pulled out a small umbrella from her bag. Black, simple.
She tilted it toward him. Not offering outright. Just… making space.
Kairo hesitated, then stepped under. Their shoulders almost touched.
They walked in silence for a minute, the patter of rain on fabric the only sound.
"You really made that gear in the exam?" she asked finally.
"Night before. In an alley. Junk mostly."
She snorted. "Romantic."
He glanced at her. "It worked."
"Yeah." She looked ahead, expression softening just a fraction. "It did."
They reached the dorm entrance area — temporary housing for the first week while placements finalized.
Jiro closed the umbrella, shook it out. Droplets flew.
"See you tomorrow, Kairo," she said. Her voice carried a hint of something warmer than teasing.
He nodded. "Yeah. Don't break too many amps."
She smirked, turned, and walked away — earjacks bouncing with her step.
Kairo watched until she disappeared inside.
**[Hidden Affinity Progress: Kyoka Jiro – +12%]**
**Total: 27%**
**New Milestone: Trust Level 1 Unlocked – Minor Dialogue Choices Available in Future Interactions**
The system was tracking it. Like a game stat. But this didn't feel like a game.
Back in his temporary room — sparse, single bed, desk — Kairo sat cross-legged on the floor.
He summoned the Portable Workshop. A faint blue holographic table materialized, small enough to fit on the desk.
**[New Blueprint Unlocked: Hydraulic Impact Gauntlets (Epic)]**
**Requirements: High-Grade Hydraulic x2, Advanced Circuitry x3, Reinforced Alloy x4**
**Bonuses: +35% Punch Force, Shockwave Radius 3m, Energy Feedback (Heals minor damage on hit)**
He didn't have the materials yet. But he could grind.
A quick quest popped up:
**[Daily Quest: Forge Something New]**
**Reward: 150 EXP, Random Material Drop**
He scavenged the room — old pen casing (plastic), loose screw (metal scrap), even a broken lightbulb from the hallway (glass filament).
Deconstruct. Analyze. Combine.
After thirty minutes of focus:
**[Forge Successful!]**
**Item Created: Prototype Energy Feedback Band (Uncommon)**
**Effect: Absorbs 10% of impact damage as minor HP regen when worn**
He slipped it onto his wrist. A faint warmth spread.
Not much. But a start.
He lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
UA. Class 1-A. Aizawa. Villains on the horizon. And her.
Kyoka Jiro.
He didn't know what this affinity meant long-term. But for the first time since waking up in that alley, the future felt… personal.
Not just survival.
Not just power.
Something worth forging carefully.
Outside, the rain picked up again — steady, rhythmic, like a heartbeat.
Kairo closed his eyes.
Tomorrow would bring more tests. More fights.
More moments.
He was ready.
**End of Chapter 3**