Today was the day of the U.A. entrance exam, and Denji stood before Japan's top hero academy.
The building was huge, shaped like a strange letter 'H'.
How weird... I wonder if there's a reason for that...? Denji thought.
He wasn't alone. Dozens of other people were heading inside U.A. — all candidates taking the test too.
When's this gonna start, anyway? I'll just get it over with and head home...
As he walked, Denji spotted someone who caught him off guard.
H-Hana? What's she doing here...?
What's she doing here?? I thought she went to Tokyo... And why's she got that confident smile on her face, huh?
Hana, strolling along without a care, stopped when she heard someone call her name. She turned around and saw Denji.
"Denji-kun? What do you mean, what am I doing here? Obviously I came to take the exam too," Hana said, stepping closer and grabbing his arm.
What... Since when are we this close, woman... Okay... okay... so she came to take the test... but why? She said she wasn't interested in being a hero... plus she said her Quirk wasn't all that useful. So what changed...?
"I thought you were going to Tokyo..." Denji said.
"I was, but then I changed my mind. It's not a big deal... Besides, don't you like it?" she asked.
What kind of question is that?! And why is everyone staring at us...? Ah, right... I get it.
"Hana... could you let go, please? People are gonna get the wrong idea about our relationship if you keep holding onto me..." Denji muttered quietly.
Seeing him flustered, Hana held on even tighter.
"Oh, you're right... Now that you mention it, we are drawing a lot of attention. They probably think we're dating or something... Well, shall we go?" Hana asked, a mischievous thought crossing her mind. She figured this was the perfect time to make him nervous.
Huh?... Wait, did she not understand what I said...? She's not letting go... What's going on in that girl's head...? It's not like it's a big deal... So why am I kinda nervous...?
To break the tension, Denji decided to ask a few questions along the way.
"So, Hana..."
Meanwhile, in Hana's mind:
Wow, he really is nervous. I wonder... does he see me as a girl now? Hana thought.
To be honest, she hadn't been all that interested in coming to U.A. Her real dream was just to live a quiet life. But that changed after she met this boy. Because she had feelings for him.
Ever since she met Denji, they'd gotten along really well. But it was more than that. Hana kinda really admired Denji. Even though he'd always been a little crazy, despite being strong, he'd always stood up for her. And yeah, he'd always been kind of insane...
As they walked, Denji ran into some familiar faces.
Midoriya was standing there like an idiot, clearly nervous. And someone else walked right past him.
Is that Bakugo? This idiot came too...? Well, of course he did. It'd be weirder if he didn't.
"And that's Midoriya? Wow, he looks so nervous," Hana said.
As they got closer to Midoriya, Denji and Hana greeted him.
"Hey, Midoriya. Long time no see."
"H-Hana-kun? Denji-kun?" Midoriya murmured shyly.
Seeing this, Denji thought:
This idiot's probably thinking something weird. But it's hard not to with Hana clinging to me like this...
"Midoriya. Today's the day. We trained hard for this. Don't choke, alright?" Denji said.
Hana was right beside him and couldn't help but think:
These two are closer than before... Did they train together? Maybe. But does Midoriya even have a Quirk? I thought he didn't. Or is he trying the exam without one? That'd be crazy...
"Y-yeah, you're right, Denji-kun. A-actually... are you two... d-dating?" Midoriya asked.
This idiot... I knew he was getting the wrong idea.
"No, we're just friends. Right, Denji-kun?" Hana asked.
"Y-yeah..." Denji muttered, looking away.
"I see... I thought you were dating... I'm sorry for saying that, I apologize," Midoriya said, bowing repeatedly.
It's not that serious...
"We should get going," Denji said.
"Right," Midoriya replied.
Denji and Hana walked ahead, leaving Midoriya slightly behind.
He was so nervous that when he tried to take another step, his legs trembled and he nearly fell.
But someone caught him before he hit the ground face-first.
"Are you okay...?" a girl asked.
Pweh?
I'm floating... How? Midoriya thought.
Meanwhile, Denji and Hana stopped and watched from a distance, small smiles on their faces, as Midoriya interacted with a girl.
Both of them had the same thought:
Midoriya and a girl... This is entertainment worth watching.
Good luck, Midoriya. WE BELIEVE IN YOU.
"Sorry for using my Quirk on you. I just thought it'd be a shame if you tripped," a girl said kindly to Midoriya.
A girl? Talking to me? And being nice too...!!?
"I'm so nervous. I bet you are too," the girl said.
Midoriya was so nervous he could only make strange sounds.
"A-ahh... E-eeh... U-uhh..."
"Good luck! See you around..." the girl said gently as she walked off.
See you...
Meanwhile, in Midoriya's mind:
I TALKED TO A GIRL...
This guy... What kind of face is that? Don't get that happy. You barely even talked to her, Denji thought, watching from a distance and reading the situation.
"I think he's more confident now..." Hana murmured.
"Yeah, I think so..."
"Should we go?"
"Yeah."
Denji and Hana entered and sat close to each other in what looked like an auditorium filled with chairs and packed with people. At the center of the stage stood a teacher. He wasn't holding a microphone — he didn't even need one.
"WELCOME, EVERYONE, TO MY LIVE SHOW! EVERYBODY, SAY HEEEEY!"
Nobody responded.
"I GOT CHILLS TOO, LISTENING TO ALL YOU CANDIDATES! I'M GONNA LAY IT OUT HOW THIS IS GONNA WORK — ARE YOU READYYYY?" Present Mic shouted.
"NOW PAY ATTENTION, AUDIENCE! WE'RE GONNA TEST YOUR COURAGE WITH A RACE THROUGH OUR CITY REPLICA! YOU CAN BRING WHATEVER YOU WANT! EVERYONE, GATHER AT THE MEETING POINT AFTER THE PRESENTATION!"
What kind of test will this be, huh? I'm curious... Denji thought.
And what about Hana... Should I stay close to her during the test? I don't want her to get hurt. And if she wants in, I'll try to help her.
Present Mic kept going.
"WE'RE GONNA SEND A TON OF 'VILLAINS' INTO THE BATTLEFIELD! THEY'LL COME IN THREE DIFFERENT TYPES! YOUR SCORE DEPENDS ON THEIR DIFFICULTY! USE YOUR QUIRKS, DEFEAT THESE VILLAINS, AND AIM FOR THE HIGHEST SCORE YOU CAN GET! AND DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT ATTACKING OTHER CONTESTANTS!"
After he finished, someone asked Present Mic a question — a boy with glasses.
The boy asked about the types of robots. The teacher had said there were three types, but according to the pamphlet the boy was holding, which showed test details, there were four. After he spoke, he even called out Midoriya. The boy in glasses had noticed him.
After the question, the teacher explained that the fourth type of villain was more like a trap, not a 'villain'. In short, it gave no points. Let's say one robot was worth 10 points, another 20, and another 30 — the fourth one gave nothing. It was just an obstacle for the candidates.
After saying a few more things, Present Mic wrapped up the presentation.
"AND NOW, FOR THE MAIN EVENT! PLUS! ULTRA!! YOU WILL GLADLY SUFFER THROUGH THE CHALLENGES AHEAD! GOOD LUCK!"
After the presentation ended, Denji and the other candidates headed to the exam site.
The site was an 'abandoned' city — a large practice city. Denji thought it was way bigger than he'd expected.
When they arrived, Denji was standing next to Hana. The test was about to begin.
I'm thinking about what strategy to use. The goal's simple — destroy as many enemies as possible. But what about Hana? I don't want her to fail. I want her to get in too.
As he was lost in thought, Hana, beside him, spoke.
"What are you planning to do, Denji-kun? I'm nervous. I know you'll be upset if you don't pass, and I don't wanna pass alone..."
When did this girl get this confident...? If that's how it is, try to keep up.
"Hana, do you think you can keep up with me? My Quirk gives me a lot of strength, so I don't think I'll have trouble with enemies, and I've got good endurance. But what about your Quirk? Tell me about it. You never told me. You always said it wasn't that good..."
Hearing this, Hana explained.
They were far from the other competitors, quietly making plans. Many others were doing the same, so they spoke in low voices.
"I can create two connected spatial slashes. When I cut with an object — like a knife — the damage comes out of the other slash, multiplied," Hana said.
So that's why she brought a knife... But why didn't she show me this Quirk before? It seems really strong. Can she make those slashes anywhere...? If so, that's super useful for surprise attacks. And it's strong too...
Hana continued.
"But there are limits. I can't make the slashes appear outside my field of vision, and the farther away they are, the more tired I get from using it."
I see. It's a really good Quirk, but not great in direct confrontations — unless the target is physically weak or has low defense. It's an interesting Quirk for catching enemies off guard, I guess. WAIT, ACTUALLY — NOW THAT I THINK ABOUT IT, THIS QUIRK IS KINDA BROKEN... Imagine her with a weapon... She could instantly kill anyone... I bet with a weapon in hand, she'll be a monster.
"But it seems pretty good to me. You said your Quirk was bad when I asked you that one time — you remember?"
"Yeah... but it was. Back then, I could only make one slash, and it had to be close to me. The cut always went in a straight line. Now I can change the direction of the cut after it comes out of the other slash."
"I get it. Yeah, if the attack only goes straight and you don't have two connected slashes, it's pretty limited. In that state, it's more practical to just use a weapon — even if the hit is stronger because of the slash. Before, it wasn't very practical, but now it's really good..." Denji analyzed.
Wow... I think he just analyzed my whole Quirk in no time, Hana thought.
"And yours, Denji-kun? I always noticed you're strong. Is your Quirk super-strength?" Hana asked.
She'd seen Denji beat up bigger guys with strong Quirks before, so she figured it was something like super-strength.
"Something like that. I'll show you when it starts, okay?"
"Okay... I'm curious... This is the first time I'll actually see Denji-kun's Quirk..."
Meanwhile, nearby, Midoriya was anxious. But he stopped when he spotted that girl again — the one who helped him earlier. She seemed focused.
I have to go thank her. But before he could, the boy with glasses interrupted him.
"Just who are you, friend? You can't get in the way of other participants..." the boy said, grabbing Midoriya's arm.
Then, all the other candidates turned their attention to him.
It's that weird kid from before... Lucky us, having him here as competition. Look how weak he is... the other participants thought.
But everyone's focus shifted when a voice screamed out.
"EEEHHH — START! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU GUYS?! THERE'S NO COUNTDOWN! IT'S ALREADY STARTED! RUN, RUN! BEGIN THE GAAAAME!" Present Mic shouted.
Huh? Wha— Already?!
By the time Midoriya realized it, everyone else was already ahead.
As for Denji... let's just say he wasn't exactly human anymore.