Ready set?

Mirai stood near the UA gates, scrolling through her phone with a furrowed brow. Come on, where the heck was that guy? Ah, there he was. She looked up from her phone to see Midoriya running towards her, his green hair bouncing with each step.

"Izuku! Gods, where have you been? I was worried," she said, pocketing her phone as he approached.

"I'm sorry," Midoriya apologized, his cheeks flushed from the exertion. As they walked through the entrance, he lifted his head to take in the grandeur of the school, his eyes wide with wonder. "I can't believe I'm actually here."

"Yeah," Mirai nodded, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Pretty impressive, isn't it? I bet we'll see even more amazing things once we're inside."

"Mhm," Midoriya hummed in agreement, but his posture remained stiff, his hands gripping the straps of his yellow backpack as his face crinkled into a nervous frown.

Mirai studied him for a moment, "Come on, it's going to be fine," she reassured him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"M-Mhm…" Midoriya nodded, but he didn't seem the least bit convinced, his hand coming up to cover his mouth. Was it something he ate, or was it just nerves?

Suddenly, a harsh voice cut through the air. "Move it, Deku!"

Mirai frowned as Midoriya turned, his eyes widening. "Kacchan…"

Bakugou stalked past them, his red eyes narrowed and his jaw clenched. "Get out of my way unless you want to die," he growled.

Mirai quickly pulled Midoriya to the side, scowling at Bakugou's retreating back. This guy… what an omen, and they'd barely even started the day.

"Hey, isn't that Bakugou?" a bystander murmured, glancing at the blond. "You know, from the sludge villain incident?"

Mirai's eyebrows shot up. People were still talking about that? Now that she thought about it, ever since that day, Bakugou had been laying off Izuku a bit. But still, she turned to her friend, who remained frozen in place, his face pale. Even now, he was scared shitless by Bakugou, probably out of habit more than anything else.

Midoriya shook his head as if snapping himself out of a trance. Mirai glanced back at the school, the oh-so-grand institution that boasted the birth of countless high-level heroes. It wasn't just Bakugou who had changed since that fateful day - Midoriya had, too.

People were changing, evolving, growing…

She shook her head, pushing the thought aside. Don't dwell on it, she told herself. Just move along.

But as Midoriya took his first step forward, he tripped over his own feet. Mirai's heart leaped into her throat, but to her surprise, he didn't fall to the ground like he had so many times before as Mirai was a witness to many. Instead, he floated, suspended in midair by an unseen force.

A short-haired brunette girl stood beside him, her hand on his back. "Are you okay?"

Midoriya panicked, flailing his legs comically, but with the girl's help, he managed to regain his balance. The brunette smiled sweetly, pressing her hands together. "It's my quirk. Sorry for using it on you without asking, but it would have been bad luck if you'd fallen on the day of the exam, right?"

"Ah, no, not at all!" Mirai said, stepping forward with a grateful smile. "Thank you so much. That's an amazing quirk you have. I assume you're taking the exam for the hero course?"

The brunette nodded enthusiastically. "Mhm! You too? Oh, good luck!"

"You too, and thanks again!" They waved to each other as the brunette moved ahead, her short hair bouncing with each step.

Mirai turned back to Midoriya, who remained frozen in place, a faint blush coloring his cheeks and a goofy grin spreading across his face. She could practically read his thoughts: 'I talked to a girl!'

"You didn't exactly speak," Mirai chuckled, "Come on, you dork. Let's get going already."

┏━°⌜ 赤い糸 ⌟°━┓

┗━°⌜ 赤い糸 ⌟°━┛

All students were guided to the UA hero course exam orientation, where rows upon rows of seats awaited them, each designated by the school the students attended. Much to Mirai's chagrin, this meant that Bakugou had to sit with her and Izuku, with Mirai sandwiched in the middle.

The air was heavy with tension, and the two could feel Bakugou's irritation rolling off him in waves. Not that he was the only one feeling irritated. As they settled into their seats, the lights turned on one by one, and the large screen at the front of the room flashed open, revealing the UA golden logo.

"To all examinees out there," a voice boomed, "welcome to my live performance!" The announcer revealed his face, his yellow-blond hair spiked out at the back, orange glasses perched on his nose, and a small triangular mustache adorning his upper lip. "Everyone say, 'Hey!'" He cupped a hand to his ear, but the audience remained dead silent.

"That's so cold," the man shrugged, mock-shivering. "To all examinees out there, I'll give you a quick rundown on the practical exam." He pointed at the audience, his voice rising with excitement. "Are you ready?!" Again, his question was met with silence.

Mirai almost felt bad for the man, but she was too distracted by Izuku's enthusiastic whispers. "It's Present Mic, the Voice Hero!" he gushed, his eyes sparkling. "I listen to his radio show every week. All the teachers here are pro heroes."

"Shut up," Bakugou deadpanned.

"As the application says," Present Mic continued, the screen changing to display colorful boxes labeled A through G, "you'll participate in a ten-minute mock battle in the city. Bring anything you need, and after this, head to your assigned practice center."

The students all looked at their respective papers in silence, studying their assignments.

Mirai glanced at her paper, then at Izuku. "Aw, we're not in the same center."

"To avoid letting mother hens like you from clucking around him," Bakugou sneered.Mirai's grip on the paper tightened, "Why you—"

"Okay!" Present Mic's voice cut through the tension, the screen changing once more. "At each practice center, there are three types of virtual villains." The screen displayed silhouettes of the bots, each one labeled with the points they were worth. "For each of them, you earn points depending on their levels."

"Use your individual quirks to defeat the villains and earn points," he explained, pointing at the audience yet again. "And of course, don't hurt others or do anything anti-hero."

"I have a question." A young man stood up straight, his hand raised high.

"Okay." As Present Mic pointed in the questioner's direction, a spotlight illuminated him, revealing a student with neatly combed hair and glasses.

"On the printout," the bespectacled student said, pointing at the application form, "there are four types of villains. If this is a misprint, it would be a great shame for Japan's best school." He placed a fist over his chest, "We are exemplary students. We expect the best from Japan's most notable school. A mistake such as this simply won't do."

Wow…what passion…

"Additionally," the glasses-wearing student turned to point at Midoriya, "you with the unkempt hair."

"Huh?" Midoriya pointed at himself, his eyes wide.

"You've been muttering this entire time," the student said, his voice stern. "Stop that. If you can't bother to take this seriously, leave. You're distracting the rest of us."Wow…Her eyes twitched, "Did this guy got a stick up his ass, or was he born with it?" Bakugou huffed aggressively, covering his mouth to stifle a laugh.

"Mirai!" Midoriya admonished quietly, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"Okay, okay," Present Mic gestured with his hands, trying to calm the situation. "Examinee number 7-1-1-1, thanks for calling in with your request." The screen changed to display a fourth silhouette, significantly larger than the others. "This guy is worth zero points," he explained, gesturing to the imposing figure. "That's just an obstacle we'll be throwing your way. There's one in every battle center. Think of it as a hurdle you should try to avoid. It's not that it can't be beaten, but there's… kinda no point." Present Mic looked back at the audience, his expression serious. "To the listeners, I advise you to avoid them."

The glasses-wearing student bowed deeply. "Thank you, and please excuse my question."

"Aaand that's it!" Present Mic clapped his hands together, his voice booming through the auditorium. "Finally, I'll bestow upon you the school's motto, as General Napoleon Bonaparte once laid down: 'True heroism consists in being superior to the ills of life.' Over and beyond. Plus Ultra!"

The screen burst into life, the motto displayed in bold, golden letters. Go over and beyond, eh? Mirai glanced at Midoriya, noting the large grin on his face. He was excited, motivated. She wished she could feel the same.

"So I wish you all the best," Present Mic said finally, before the students were guided out of the room and toward their respective practice centers.