The U.A. proctoring room vibrated with the faint hum of projectors and monitors. Twenty screens displayed the final moments of the practical exam in real time. Destroyed robots, simulated civilians saved, and dozens of exhausted students, panting on the various fields.
One of the screens showed the boy from area C-7 walking away from the stage, his fists bloodied, his breathing controlled, and his face expressionless. No one spoke… until Midnight broke the silence:
"Did anyone else notice that?" She frowned, crossing her arms. "The number of robots in that area was completely disproportionate, and even in number, there were models too advanced for these tests."
"I thought it was a system error," Cementoss added, checking her evaluation table. "But you're right. There were four 0-point robots, and a swarm of Model 3 Quirks... And they were all targeting the blood boy."
Present Mic leaned forward.
"Isn't that the boy from the incident almost a year ago? The one on the news with Hawks?"
"Reiji Toga," Ectoplasm said in a neutral voice, staring directly at the screen. "He wasn't on the list of recommended students, but they placed him in a realistic difficulty field. And he didn't just survive. He adapted."
Power Loader murmured, puzzled.
"And who authorized that? That area was scheduled for a reaction test, not advanced combat... They have a strict protocol in place, just me and..."
Everyone's eyes began to turn toward a corner of the room.
There, sitting with the calmness of someone who had already foreseen everything, were Nezu and Aizawa. The former was holding his traditional cup of tea; The second, arms crossed, his expression impassive.
Nezu took a leisurely sip and, with a polite smile, replied,
"It wasn't a mistake. We just wanted to test his response to an unplanned hostile environment."
"We wanted to?" Midnight repeated, raising an eyebrow.
"He didn't know it was a special test," Aizawa said dryly, bluntly. "But we hoped he'd notice the difference. And he did."
The teachers exchanged glances. No one openly questioned Nezu or Aizawa... but the discomfort was palpable.
"What if he'd lost control?" Snipe asked quietly.
"I wouldn't," Aizawa replied instantly, without raising his voice. He's been in real-life situations. Much worse than this. And besides, we had the emergency shutdown if necessary..."
The statement left a brief silence. Eyes floated in the air like aimless questions.
Power Loader was the first to speak, clenching his fists on the table.
"That doesn't change the fact that an operational modification was hidden from us. There's a protocol for these things. If any other student had been affected by the unit surge, we could have bigger problems."
Midnight nodded, her lips tight.
"Even if that boy managed it all, the others were at risk too. This isn't a clandestine academy. We're supposed to train heroes, not hunt them."
Nezu finished his sip and placed his cup back on its saucer with a delicate clink. His expression didn't change an inch.
"You're right, of course. And I appreciate you caring so much about the fairness of the exam. But I assure you, the area was contained and controlled." No other contenders were affected by the adjustment... and as you noticed, he didn't seem particularly overwhelmed either."
Cementoss murmured:
"That kid anyway... He showed he could move better than many pro heroes."
"As if he'd trained with worse," Present Mic added, still staring at Reiji's paused screen. "Who is this kid, really?"
Aizawa looked down for a moment, but didn't respond.
It was Nezu who intervened again, waving a small notebook with the list of names.
"He's just another candidate, with an interesting public record. But he's not the only one. This year we have contenders with extraordinary potential. In the C-4 and C-9 fields, we have two other interesting prospects. Both managed to beat the 0 points, and in very good fashion."
"He's just another candidate, with an interesting public record. But he's not the only one," Nezu continued with a smile as he flipped through his notebook. "This year we have contenders with extraordinary potential. In Camp C-4 and C-9, we have two more interesting prospects. Both managed to defeat the zero-point robot… and in quite creative fashion, I must say."
Cementoss leaned closer to the screen, recognizing the zone numbers.
"C-4… was that the girl with the super strength Quirk?"
Nezu nodded with restrained enthusiasm.
"Yes. Technically, she didn't activate any direct destruction abilities, but she channeled the energy so precisely that she managed to fracture one of the robot's main joints with a single vertical impact. Without loss of control. Without damaging its surroundings."
Midnight whistled softly, impressed.
"That kind of mastery at that age isn't common. He had a style... methodical. As if every step had been rehearsed."
"It was," Aizawa added, without looking up. "It showed in his timing. He planned the entire attack from the moment he saw the robot move. Not a single gesture wasted."
Snipe raised an eyebrow.
"And the other one? C-9?"
Nezu flipped to a final page.
"A hot-tempered boy. He faced him head-on. He used his Quirk to propel himself toward the robot's head without losing altitude or rhythm. He destroyed it with a single, targeted blast, just before it hit the ground. There was no hesitation."
"Direct, aggressive, and effective," Ectoplasm commented. "Although somewhat reckless."
"Yes, but he's alive. And the robot isn't," Aizawa replied. "There's room to shape that. Though it'll be difficult."
Midnight chuckled.
"I like that one. He's got fire. But he's going to need more than one emotional slap before he's a hero."
Nezu gently closed the notebook, his smile intact.
"Three outstanding candidates. Each with their own style. And probably very different paths ahead."
He looked back at Reiji's frozen screen. He was still there. Silent. A shadow over rubble, dried blood on his face, his eyes lost in some spot in the sky that none of the adults in that room could see.
Nezu turned his head slightly toward Aizawa.
"We'll have to make sure this environment allows them to flourish... all of them."
Aizawa nodded, just once.
***
Reiji had already left U.A. and was heading home now. He didn't ask about Shinso or Izuku. They'd communicate later, but for now, his mind kept spinning.
'Aizawa and Nezu... I have no doubt it was you. Why force me to act?' He thought, scratching the back of his neck. Now he had the problem of having done the exact opposite of what the commission wanted. Normally, he didn't care, but it wasn't something he'd decided on his own.
He could have stayed put and not let the robots intimidate him. But that would also get him into trouble with Aizawa and Nezu. Whatever their real purpose, if he held back, it was proof he was hiding something.
'Tsk, this is so annoying.' He was annoyed. After living freely for a few months, being forced to act a certain way was suffocating...
For a change, a small device vibrated between his clothes. Reiji sighed as he took out the small communicator and placed it in his ear. Saying he showed more than he should have, no matter the reason, would cause another problem.
Then he'd just be lying; it wouldn't be the first time anyway.
"This is Reiji. Examination completed, uneventful." He spoke in a flat, monotone, as if repeating a routine he didn't need to think about.
The synthetic voice responded almost instantly, without any emotional inflection.
"Confirmed. Environmental conditions?"
"Standard. Enemy distribution within parameters. No contact with U.A. personnel." He paused, as if mentally reviewing a script. "I remained contained. I didn't use sensitive techniques."
The other line was briefly silent.
Preliminary evaluation accepted. Result?"
"Not released yet," he replied. "I'll send confirmation when I receive official notice."
"Understood." Stay operational and keep a low profile. Report any anomalies. End of transmission."
The final click was more of a relief than a signal. Reiji removed the communicator and put it in the small inside pocket of his shirt.
The Commission, for all its paranoia, had no eyes inside U.A., and if he told the truth, all it would achieve was to raise suspicions that he was escaping their control.
He continued walking along the sidewalks of his neighborhood, hands in his pockets, shoulders barely tense.
The freedom he had gained in recent months was slowly beginning to fade. U.A. would be a cage with open windows... but a cage nonetheless.
And he was no fool: Aizawa wouldn't let anything go unnoticed. He knew there was something wrong with him and would keep a close eye on him.
I knew him well enough to understand that behind his apparent coldness, there was a gaze that pierced the facade.
"Then all I have to do is play the role. Again. Until they tire of watching me... or until... I decided to leave. For now, it's still useful to have the commission's resources for the future.
He resumed his walk with a low sigh. It wasn't long before he got home.
***
Reiji had barely opened the front door when a voice—quick, direct, and without pause—hit him head-on.
"Are you okay?! Did something happen to you?!"
Himiko appeared from the dining room, her hair disheveled and her feet bare, running toward him without stopping. He didn't have time to respond. She grabbed both his wrists, spun him around, and pulled him slightly toward the light in the hallway.
"Did they hit you? Did you cut yourself? Did something explode?"
"I'm fine," Reiji replied, not surprised, but unable to avoid her.
"You have that "I don't want to worry anyone" look on your face!"
He rolled up her sleeve without permission, checked her forearm with his entire palm. He looked for marks, burns, anything. Then he did the same with her other arm. He turned it sideways.
"Reiji, if they hurt you and you don't tell me, I'm going to get really angry!"
"They didn't hurt me," he insisted, his shoulders slumping, resigned to the fact that she wasn't going to let him go until she'd checked him completely. "It was a normal test."
"Normal for whom?" she snapped, bending down for a second to look at his legs. "Did you have robots? How many? One-point ones or three-point ones?" "You didn't get the zero-point test, did you?!"
"No, Himiko."
She abruptly let go of him, but stood face to face with him, her chest heaving.
"...So, did it go well?" she finally asked, her voice lower. Her eyes still fixed on him, as if she needed to hear the answer so she could breathe.
"Yes. It went well."
A smile appeared on Himiko's face, her eyes sparkled, and a surge of excitement filled her.
"Very well! Then from now on, I'll be able to see you every day at the academy!"
Reiji blinked.
Not because he was surprised by the reaction, but because the atmosphere suddenly went from absolute anxiety to pure enthusiasm in a matter of seconds. Very Himiko.
She spun around, giving a small jump of excitement, and then faced him again with that unpredictable energy that sometimes exhausted him more than any mission.
"I'll be able to find you in the hallways!" And watch you act so serious in front of everyone! And bother you during recess! " She ticked off the numbers on her fingers, one by one. "And if anyone stares at you too long, I'll know, because I'll be there!"
Reiji raised an eyebrow, not moving his body.
"I won't share a schedule with you."
"It doesn't matter. I'll find ways." He raised a finger as if it were a playful threat. "And don't look at me like that, Reiji. I worried all day, I deserve to celebrate."
She approached again, gently pushing him by the shoulders until he took a step back.
"And now that I know you're okay, it's my turn to see if you haven't hidden any wounds where I didn't look," she said with a crooked smile, already too close.
Reiji placed a hand on her forehead, stopping her as if she were a child pushing too hard.
"You've already checked everything visible. Don't be annoying."
"I care about your physical and emotional well-being!" she proclaimed shamelessly.
"And as the one who controls and owns this body, I'm telling you I'm fine. I'm just really hungry. Don't you have anything to eat?" Himiko's excitement soared again, and she nodded.
"Yes, I cooked all afternoon! I knew you'd be tired, come on, come on!"
She tugged insistently at his sleeve, already heading toward the kitchen.
Reiji stopped her with a gentle tug in the opposite direction.
"I'm going to take a bath first."
She stopped abruptly and turned around, frowning.
"Now?"
"Yes. I feel dirty," he replied bluntly, already walking toward the hallway.
But he didn't get very far.
Himiko stood in front of him, blocking his way with her body.
"You can take a bath later. The food is hot." I don't want it to get cold."
"It'll take me five minutes."
"Five minutes is enough for it to cool down," she replied firmly, without moving.
The silence between them stretched a little longer than usual.
Reiji looked at her, expressionless. She didn't lower her gaze.
"Are you going to let me in or not?"
"No."
Reiji sighed through his nose. He didn't say anything else. He turned toward the kitchen without arguing.
Himiko followed closely behind him, as if escorting him. Reiji felt her presence breathing down his neck, as if his every step was being measured.
"Only because I'm hungry," he murmured.
"Uh-huh," Himiko replied with a satisfied smile.
===
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