Chapter Text
Honor and prestige. Those are the words that Kosuke Tsurumi would use to describe that of the building in front of him. The unrealistically tall blue glass building loomed over everything that was below it. A loud sigh left the boy, now further walking down its path, his tail unmoving between his legs, his ears standing at attention as they rapidly swivelled to gather what people were doing around him out of instinct. His high school uniform felt suffocating. ‘The only reason I even applied here is because Dad suggested it...’
Stares clouded the boy, who simply walked down the path for the same reason as everyone else, most likely due to his previously mentioned ears and tail. Despite the small alterations from that, he was still considered in the heteromorph category, many having disliked them as they ‘didn’t seem truly human anymore’. A scoff left the boy as he simply continued into the building.
It wasn’t hard to find the written exam room with all the signs to guide him. It was a crowded room with seats wall to wall; he found his assigned seat via number and waited for the written exam to begin.
{---------------}
The written exam was rather easy for Kosuke; he was pleasantly surprised, though he wasn't sure if that was a good thing. But he chose not to dwell on it, or his anxiety would probably consume him far too quickly. After the written exam, each group of students was taken to another so they could be given a run-down of the practical.
Kosuke found a seat quickly, having his tail curl around up into his lap, to prevent anyone from stepping or sitting on his tail. His hand reached up, toying with the necklace around his neck and the deep purple, with a star-like middle being a soft lavender, jewel that sat comfortably on the end in a small, barred prison to keep it safe.
Soon, everyone was seated, and a voice rang out. “Hello U.A.U. examinees!” The man in question had bright yellow hair, and Kosuke vaguely recognised him as the Voice Hero Present Mic. His ears turned away from the unusually loud voice, “Thanks for tuning in for my live performance! Let’s hear ya!” The room remained dead silent, causing a cough-like chuckle to leave the Kitsune.
“That’s dead cold.” The voice was quiet, but the crowd’s silence didn’t deter him from continuing his speech. “That’s fine! Let me give you the run-down of this exam!” He dramatically pointed to the now lit-up screen behind him, and Kosuke's eyes were directed to the row in front of him. A soft rambling of a green-haired boy caught his attention. He didn’t dwell on it.
“As your application stated, you’ll be conducting ten-minute mock battles in suburban settings! After this, you’ll head to your assigned practice centre, sound good!” The hall remained silent in return; Kosuke just wanted this over and done with. There was no point if it was going to take this long just for an explanation. The moment of silence led to Kosuke pulling out his information card.
He visibly cringed when he was met with his own face plastered on the card. Stark white hair, pale green eyes, and a sullen expression with a female uniform to match. After reading the battle centre he needed to be at, he stuffed the card away and calmed himself.
“Okay! At each practice centre, there are three types of virtual villains in every centre, each rewards its own number of points depending on its level of difficulty! Your goal in this trial is to use your quirks to take down these villains to earn points! But don’t hurt other examinees, that’s grounds for disqualification!” The Hero’s voice yelled, causing Kosuke to flinch slightly, back his ears pinning firmly, almost disappearing into his hair if it wasn't for the gentle pink insides.
“Excuse me, Sir! May I ask a Question?” A boy with dark blue hair stood without hesitation or shame, a light snapping onto his position. On top of all that, he was horrifically loud, so Kosuke needed to fully pin his ears to dull the sound. “Okay!” The Pro agreed without question, “On this printout, you’ve listed four types of villains, not three.” He held up a printout that everyone had been given. The Pro hadn’t finished talking, ‘If he’d just have shut up, it would have been fine.’
“With all due respect, if this is a misprint of official U.A. material, then it is shameful!” Kosuke groaned. He was ready to just walk out; he was being eaten at by pure, deafening anxiety and second-hand embarrassment at this point. ‘What kind of ego does this guy have...’ “We examinees are here because we wish to be taught by and to be exemplary Heroes. A mistake like this won’t do.” After a brief pause, he spun on his heel to point to the mumbling boy from a short while ago.
Extending a hand to aggressively point to the boy, “Additionally, you with the unkempt hair, you’ve been muttering the entire time. Stop that. It's distracting the rest of us.” His voice was overly harsh to a boy who was probably just as excited as anyone in this room, yet he was being punished for not being able to contain it like most. ‘This is why I hate people.’
“Alright, alright. Examinee 7111.” ‘How many of us are there?’ The thought made the Kitsune feel sick. He was never good at dealing with crowds of people. “Thanks for the message. The fourth villain type is worth zero points! That's just an obstacle that will be thrown in your way! Think of it as something to avoid. Not saying it can’t be beat! There’s just no real point!” A small pause was given, “I’d prefer if my listeners ignore them and focus on the ones top of the charts!”
The blue-haired boy, finally satisfied, bowed, “I’d prefer it if my listeners ignore them and focus on the ones top of the charts!” Kosuke let out a rather loud sigh, his hand gripping the small jewel on his necklace that lay in its prison. “That’s all I got for now! Finally, I’ll sign off with our school motto!” Kosuke stopped paying attention, his ears pinned as he focused on calming down.
Though he was snapped back to reality rather quickly, “LET’S HEAR A PLUS ULTRA!” The room stayed silent once again.
{---First person---}
After all that, everyone was divided into groups based on the battle centre and given an opportunity to change. Which I took. I now wear a sleeveless hoodie paired with some gloves and a pair of custom-made trousers that surprisingly fit my tail. ‘Holy shit. Where the hell did they get the funding for this?!’ I looked around, taking note of the possible quirks of the other people in the exams.
My ears swivelled around picking up any possible strategies I could steal or use to my advantage, though my eyes locked with cherry red ones that were just. Staring. ‘Creepy, nice eyes though...’ I huffed and looked away. Those eyes were still on me, so I walked to another spot and began to stretch.
“Alright, start!” Myself and just about everyone else were briefly stunned, but the familiar voice shouted again. “There’s not a countdown in life! Get a move on!!” And with that, the gates opened, and the exam began.
{------}
Panting, I looked around, wiping sweat from my brow. Every part of me ached. But it wasn’t over yet. ‘It has to of been at least seven minutes by now.’ I groaned, running around looking for more robots to defeat, only to be flattened.
Grunting, I attempted to get up. Only to be faulted by my still-stuck leg. ‘Fuck.’ I won’t pass the exam if I'm stuck here for too long. Much to my dismay, the boy whose eyes had lingered on me for too long was coming to my rescue. Though he seemed reluctant to do so. He lifted the rubble briefly, allowing me to get out, before I could mutter anything close to a thank you, he was blasted away by a giant fucking robot. ‘Fan-fucking-tastic.’ I groaned, looking at the boy falling his way down to earth. Using an illusion, a little kitsune to be exact, to grab the back of his shirt and pull him up onto the roof of the building.
I then ran away, ‘There’s no point in fighting something that won’t benefit me.’ Soon enough, a voice rang out, indicating time was up. ‘Never again.’
{---Second person---}
The exam was over, and you were tired. That was an understatement; you were exhausted, hardly able to pick up your feet. Though you felt you did good, maybe you’d at least get a chance to get into general studies, as long as you were in U.A.U., like your dad wanted.
“Oi!” An aggressive yell was directed at you, causing you to flinch at the noise before pausing your steps down the path to look at him. You scoffed but stayed put anyway. “What do you want.” It came out of your mouth as a statement rather than a question, “Tsk,” He huffed out before speaking properly. “I want your name, dumbass.” You had to refrain from growling at him like a feral animal.
“Kosuke Tsurumi.” You spoke as you turned to walk away, “Katsuki Bakugou.” He spoke back, “We’re even now, leave me alone.”
{------}
Eventually, you made it home. You were greeted by the usual empty house, except for your latest addition, a gift from your father. A little black and white kitten you had named, Bubbles. Your father was never home, and he rarely called, but you couldn’t complain. He paid for the small home you lived in and gave an incredibly generous allowance every month. You didn’t have to worry about bills, and you got to live rent-free. So, what was there to complain about?
Though one thing that concerned you was his avoidance of telling you anything about his job, he was loaded with whatever he did. But it bothered you; it reminded you of how All Might avoided questions on his quirk. He would make a joke and change the subject or simply deflect the question. Now, being eighteen, you had long stopped asking.
With your thoughts interrupted by Bubbles' excessive chirping and running around for attention and food, you gave her what she wanted. Gave her some food before going to the kitchen to treat your burns from your earlier quirk use, then going to bed.