Warning: It's long! Hooray? Boo?

Disclaimer: I do not own My Hero Academia.

"Huff, huff…"

"You've only started not too long ago, why are you already out of breath? Come on, come on, come on! Show me that youth spirit!"

"Yes, Sir!" Voice hitting pitches higher than he thought he could, Izuku trudged through the sand, his muscles straining as he pushed an antique wooden armoire along with him. Atop of it, although he was kind enough not to be in his muscle form, All Might shouted at him through a megaphone.

After what felt like forever, he finally managed to get the armoire up from the sandy beach and to the back of the truck. Bending over, breathless and drenched in sweat, Izuku glanced at the rubbish he piled. There was a bookshelf, an old huge tire, a broken-down AC, and more. These were the things he had carried and trudged over after only an hour and a half. It was a vast improvement compared to yesterday or the day before.

He lowered his head, inhaling deeply and exhaling, before he straightened himself. He couldn't help the tug at the corner of his lips at the sight of the halfway cleaned beach. He had done this. It was him—Midoriya Izuku.

A small pride swelled within him. To some others, this might be nothing, but to the weak and powerless him, this was something.

"Young Midoriya, what are you doing standing over there? The rubbish isn't going to clean themselves!"

"Y-yes!" running back to the beach, All Might had already picked another rubbish for him. He crouched down to pick up the dresser.

"However," All Might's voice stopped him from rising. He looked over his shoulder at the number one Hero who was examining the condition of the beach. "I must say that you truly are improving. Your pace is much faster than yesterday."

Izuku perked up at the praise coming from his idol, cheeks tinting, "T-thank you very much!" he bowed low. "To receive praise by All Might, this feels like a dream!"

"Ha ha ha!" All Might threw his head back and laughed. "You blind fanboy!"

"Yes, I am!"

"Ha ha ha!"

Although he was stern, All Might was not heartless. When it was time for lunch, Izuku got to take a break. They sat on the stairs to the beach park. As per usual, his lunch adhered to the meal plan All Might had created to aid his training. At first, Izuku was prepared to let go of the luxury of having to let go of his mother's delicious cooking, but it appeared he had underestimated her.

No matter how weird the food combination there was in the plan, Inko would somehow create the most delicious dish out of it. Izuku knew that his mother would often stay up late researching recipes and when he was not home, she would practise her cooking, eating it herself if it turned out bad. If his sister hadn't introduced Inko to doing yoga and regular exercise, he was afraid his mother would get sick from all the eating she had to do.

Sister…

"What's with that sigh?" All Might asked.

Izuku didn't realize that he had sighed out loud. "I'm sorry! It's nothing!" he apologized then wolfed down his lunch. His chewing was vigorous at the beginning, before it gradually slowed down. Swallowing, Izuku wiped his mouth.

"Do you realize that you do that often?"

"Huh?"

"At times, you'll daze off then let out the longest of sighs."

"I-I-I did?"

"So you really don't realize, huh. Now, could it be…" Izuku's heart skipped a beat. Could All Might possibly know about his sister— the older man turned towards him, both hands gun-pointing at him, grinning. "A love problem!"

It took a moment for Izuku to process it. His whole face reddened and he quickly shook his head to deny. "Y-you're wrong! I don't have a love problem!" It's not like there was even another party for him to be involved in a love problem. Ha ha ha…

"At this age and no love problem." All Might shook his head in a hopeless and pitying manner. "But I guess that's to be expected from a Hero otaku like you, Young Midoriya." His words jabbed right at the right spot.

Looking down, Izuku fidgeted with his empty lunch box. "All Might," he started, "That day, you said that I can be a Hero, didn't you?"

"I did."

"You said that after I rushed at the sludge villain, because my body moved before I could think." He bit his lips briefly, his eyes shifting. "That made me really happy. My idol told me that I can be the thing people told me I would never be. It really saved me."

"Young Midoriya…"

"But, in fact, long before that," he paused. A familiar pain started in his chest and he shut his eyes tight. Whenever this pain started, what followed was the image of tears, trembling hands, and fear; what followed was the sound of shaky sobs, apologies, and the quick footsteps going further and further away. In the end, it was just cold. "Long before that… someone told me that I can be a Hero."

All Might didn't give a response, so he continued.

"Even though I was weak and powerless and I couldn't even do anything by myself and I cried about every little thing…"

"Was?" All Might sweat-dropped, but he kept quiet at the heavy atmosphere.

"She said I can be a Hero. She said that I can be anything I want, that I have the power to be anything I want." His voice got lower and lower as he spoke, until the end came out in a mere whisper. After that, he no longer spoke and it was silent for a while before a big hand was placed on his shoulder.

"Then you should train hard. Train hard, get stronger, become the Hero you want to be and make that person proud. Prove that that person isn't wrong to have trusted you."

Izuku opened his tightly shut eyes. The first thing that came to his sight was the lunchbox. On the lid, still clear as the day it was bought, was a picture of All Might. Its size was small as it was intended for children. There was no way this could contain a portion that could fill him and that's why his mother had used two lunchboxes for his lunch.

He picked up the other box next to his laps. It was the same size and the same shape with the picture of Sir Nighteye on the lid. He remembered the day these two lunchboxes were bought. He wanted the All Might one, as it was a limited edition, and since it was the special Hero-Sidekick edition, you had to purchase one of Sir Nighteye's with All Might's. Without even glancing at the other lunchboxes with other Heroes or characters, his sister had agreed to get the Sir Nighteye one, just because he wanted All Might's. He didn't even need to ask and she just agreed to it.

"I wonder… if she will be proud."

The Eyes Flirt The Most

Chapter 18 – Entrance

"Is it ready yet?"

"Nope, not yet."

"I'm hungry."

"Wait just a little longer."

"How long is longer?"

"Longer."

"…Do you need help?"

Mikoto sighed. Even if she told him to sit down and wait quietly for her, Shōto would probably… he would probably obey her but then he would continue to stare at her with those expectant eyes and she would be too distracted and then the noodles wouldn't come out the same width. Should that happen, she would be so pissed she would probably start all over again.

"Why don't you take out the tableware, Shō-chan?"

Having received the permission to help, Shōto lit up and hurried to do her bidding. Mikoto shook her head helplessly. Cuteness was justice but it could also be incredibly distracting.

Now that Shōto was not breathing down her neck and asking her questions, Mikoto could return back to cutting the noodles to the perfect length and width.

Today was Sunday the eleventh of January—Shōto's fifteenth birthday. Since Endeavour was out of town for the week, Fuyumi originally thought to put more effort to celebrate her little brother's birthday, however she lost the lottery and had to supervise the extracurricular event at her school. That was why Mikoto came to the Todoroki residence. She had taken over the kitchen and busied herself all day. When Shōto spied the buckwheat flour she had with her, he knew immediately that she was making his favourite dish.

Since she found out it was Shōto's favourite food—and God, did he love it—she had been practicing making it. She was a perfectionist, so none of those store-bought soba noodles, especially not on Shōto's birthday. However, although she did practise making it, she couldn't possibly spend all minutes practising. She could only do it from time to time.

She considered herself pretty detail-oriented and she wasn't an expert at Japanese dishes. That was why she measured the ratio of the flours very carefully, kneaded the dough very carefully, and she even cut the noodles very carefully. It was her best friend's birthday meal. It had to come out right and perfect.

After cutting the noodles, Mikoto added them to the boiling water. From what she had learned, they didn't need to be boiled too long so she set the timer and proceeded to take out the sauce she had prepared. She ladled out the appropriate amount to the bowls and gave it to Shōto to carry to the table. Shōto carried them so carefully, he was almost sweating from the effort, to her entertainment.

The timer rang and Mikoto drained the noodles and quickly rinsed it under cold water until she was sure all of the starch film was gone. She brought one to her mouth and nodded to herself. "Perfect."

"Riri, I want a taste too."

"No can do." finished with rinsing the noodles, Mikoto transferred them to the bowl of iced water and set it aside. Now it was time to prepare the side dishes. "You can only taste once everything is cooked."

An almost invisible pout appeared on Shōto's face, but it quickly disappeared when Mikoto asked him to help with dipping the prawns to the batter. She was making prawn and vegetable tempuras as side dishes. These were easy—way easier than making soba noodles from scratch. When she began frying, she shooed Shōto away. She would let him help in the kitchen only if it didn't involve knives, fire, and electricity.

Finally, everything was cooked. Mikoto plated everything and Shōto helped her carry everything to the living room, where the tableware had been set up. They sat across from each other.

"Zaru soba in winter." Mikoto chuckled and shook her head. "If it isn't Shō-chan's birthday, I'll never do this."

"Riri, can we eat yet?"

Seeing how excited he was, Mikoto agreed. "Okay. Let's eat."

"Let's eat." Shōto picked up his chopsticks and his bowl of dipping sauce. Mikoto didn't eat. She watched him as he used his chopsticks to take some noodles, dipped them in his sauce, then slurped them into his mouth.

"…How is it?" for her, as it wasn't her particular favourite food, as long as it tasted good then it was fine. For someone who actually liked the dish, it could taste different.

"Delicious." He said, in awe. He ate another mouthful before he continued with his review. "The soba noodles are fragrant and perfectly chewy. They're also really smooth. The sauce tastes really good, even better than the one from the restaurants."

"Really?" Mikoto beamed. Whew, that was a whole load off her shoulders. "Wait, but is it delicious because it's really delicious or is it delicious because it's delicious as long it's zaru soba?"

"Riri, there's too many delicious there." She could see that he was amused. "It's really delicious. Riri did a good job."

"Well, naturally. It's Shō-chan's birthday meal. How can it not be delicious? And didn't I say that my soba will the most delicious you've ever tasted?" grinning, she picked up her own chopsticks and began eating. "Wow, it really is so delicious. Maybe I should open a soba restaurant."

Shōto cocked his head to the side. "What about U.A?"

She laughed. "That was just a joke. There's no way I can make something like that every day."

"…You're not making it every day?"

"Who'll eat it if I make it every day?"

"I will."

"I think even Shō-chan will get sick of eating zaru soba every day."

"I won't if Riri makes it for me."

"Wow, it's that delicious, huh?"

"Mn." Shōto nodded then handed his empty plate to her. "Seconds."

Mikoto blinked in surprise. "Already?" she had given him a far bigger portion than hers. It took him mere minutes to devour them. It made her really happy to have someone loved her cooking this much. Her effort felt like it was repaid by a hundredfold. "Thank God I made a lot."

While Mikoto added more noodles to Shōto's plate, he bit into one of the prawn tempuras. "Delicious."

"Then eat as much as you want." The plate of soba was placed in front of Shōto and Mikoto watched, pleased, as he practically inhaled them.

He finally noticed that, instead of eating her own meal, she was watching him. "Why aren't you eating?"

"You're eating it so deliciously that I feel full just watching."

"How can you be full with just watching?" Frowning, Shōto picked up a vegetable tempura and placed it atop of her noodles. "Riri should eat. You lost a lot of weight recently."

Hearing his last sentence, Mikoto couldn't hold back her bitter laugh. Her days the past few months flittered by in her mind and she felt tired. Since the U.A's entrance exam was quickly approaching, Tora had, once again, increased her load. She wondered if he had a hidden grudge against her innocent self that he was torturing her like this. One of these days, she was afraid her limbs would fall off.

Today was Shōto's birthday so Mikoto requested—she almost had to beg, dammit—for a break so she could celebrate it with him. After hours of her pestering and with Shūko's aid, Tora finally relented. Mikoto even asked her manager to make sure she had the day off.

At the beginning of the year, Mikoto got casted for two more advertisements. One was for the role of the daughter in an advertisement for an insurance company—not too big of a role. The other one—now this was bigger—was actually a series of advertisements for a phone application—a romance simulation game. Since there were several versions for the advertisement, it did take a while to finish shooting, but the pay was completely worth it.

Since the two advertisements were broadcasted nationally, Mikoto experienced another increase of fame. However, it wasn't until she got invited to audition for a role in a music video did she hit the jackpot. It was late summer last year and she obviously won the audition with ease.

It was a music video for a pop love song that was very popular among the teens and the young adults. Mikoto played the role of a Cupid who came to the human world to finish her training—by successfully creating a loving couple. Her target was a young boy who was nerdy and shy while the girl he was pining was the school Madonna. Unfortunately, the Cupid had a bad aim and instead made the girl fall in love with the school prince. Seeing how depressed the young boy became, the Cupid showed herself in order to apologize and make things right.

Once shot, the effect of the Cupid arrow couldn't be so easily erased and a mere Cupid in training like her had no magic skill to counter it. The young boy had to make the school Madonna fall in love with him by his own effort. Thus, the two of them planned and worked together various strategies to attract the attention of the school Madonna. Throughout the process, the Cupid ended up falling for the young boy, but sadly he had managed to break the magic. On the day she called him to confess, the Cupid pushed him forward and wished him good luck with a bright smile, turned around, walked away, then cried her eyes out.

At this crying scene, the song came to an end. The people watching can hear the Cupid's sobs and cries that she tried to stifle and the screen slowly darkened. Once it was completely black, a young boy's voice shouted, "Wait!" and the video ended.

After it was released, the song and the video received very high reviews. Some people even requested it be made into a drama while some asked for another song and video following this one.

Mikoto and the actor playing the young boy were both newcomers in the entertainment industry. After the video was released, their fame increased staggeringly. There were even fans of the songs who shipped the two of them. That, Mikoto found funny and decided to pay no attention to.

With the success of the video, she got a feature in a magazine. The interview went perfectly well, if she had to say so herself. Suffice to say, it probably wouldn't be long before her social media accounts were verified.

"Once you get to U.A, will you continue your modelling job?"

He said 'once', not 'if'. What an encouraging best friend. "I think so. My workload definitely has to be lessened, but I don't think I'll quit. I like having my own income. 'Sides, after my success recently, it feels like a lost if I quit."

"Will you be fine?"

"I'll be fine, I'll be fine. Don't worry." Mikoto assured. "I said I'll lessen my workload, right? In fact, my agency is so pleased to have their model joining U.A's Hero course, I'm sure they'll be very supportive."

Really, when she told Nagisa—her manager—she planned to go to U.A and that she would most likely not take as many jobs in the future, she was ready to be an abandoned model. It seemed she underestimated just how prestigious U.A and the profession of a Hero were. Nagisa was very excited. She rushed to tell the agency owner and Mikoto received a lot of compliments and best wishes soon after.

"If Riri's fine then I won't say a thing." Shōto sighed. He handed his once again empty plate and Mikoto refilled it. "Then are you prepared for the written exam?"

"Naturally." She was so much more confident in acing the written exam than the practical one. She scored perfectly in all the mock exams. In fact, since they became third-years, school felt like a holiday. All classes prepared them for their high school entrance exam and, of course, the school exams for graduation. Adding to that that they didn't have to participate in clubs anymore.

Mikoto didn't have to study as much as the other students. As long as she listened in class, she would have no problem during the tests, so her focus was her modelling career and her training with Tora.

The written exam was still a month away, but Mikoto felt like it would be no problem if they were to have it today.

"What about the practical exam?" The practical exam for U.A was two weeks after the written exam—26 February. In U.A's case, the practical exam's result had more importance than the written exam. Now, this one was a different case. "Riri seems nervous."

Mikoto didn't deny it. She finally finished her noodles and switched to munching on the tempuras—delicious, as expected of her. "Won't I be crazy if I'm not nervous? I'm not made for fighting or violence in the first place."

Remembering Tora's not budging attitude when it came to a recommendation, Mikoto felt her lips forming a pout. He wouldn't give in no matter how much she whined until he finally snapped and threatened to increase her training tenfold if she didn't shut up about it and take the test like all other normal students.

The truth was, Mikoto wasn't that interested in getting a recommendation in the beginning. Shōto told her that even with recommendation, one would still need to do a written as well as a practical exam. However, recommended applicants had to do an interview and Mikoto had been aiming for that. If she did well in the interview, it could serve as an extra point and she wouldn't be so tense.

Oh well, in the end the deciding factor was the practical exam.

She was ashamed to say this, but she was actually very nervous. Even with Tora's training, although she had greatly improved, she was still not an advocate of violence in any kind—not counting the bar fights Lilith had, mind you. She was young and silly back then.

Yes, she could handle herself in a fight, but she still wasn't great at it. She had the pleasure of sparring with Shōto before. Shamelessly, she asked him to hold back on her. Guess what the result was?

Wrong.

…Or, bingo.

She did lose.

Big time.

It was humiliating, but expected—if not, why would she ask him to hold back? He told her she was really good at dodging, though, ha ha.

Tora told her there were three kinds of fighters. There was one with brawl, one with brain, and one with both. Mikoto was clearly not the first one. She was also clearly not the third one. Her highest advantage was her intelligence and quick-thinking, but she was not the only one with them. There were millions of people who shared the same qualities as hers.

Hearing that, how could she not work harder?

Feeling the heavy weight on her shoulders, the churning in stomach, and the sinking feeling in her chest, Mikoto finally couldn't help but sigh and put down her chopsticks. She had lost all of her appetite.

"Riri." The tone was no different than usual, but Mikoto could feel the care when Shōto reached out and placed a prawn tempura on her empty plate. "Eat this."

"Shō-chan, I'm already kinda…"

"You'll be fine."

"…And how does Shō-chan know this?"

"Because I trust Riri." His reply was straightforward and sure. Mikoto knew her best friend was not lying to her. "Although you like to play around, you always give your best at whatever you do. You've worked really hard. You'll be fine."

With how sure he was of everything that came out of his mouth, Mikoto couldn't help the smile from breaking out. Her eyes softened and she exhaled. Her shoulders were still heavy, her stomach still churning, but the sinking feeling was gone.

Leave it to her angel to cheer her up.

"That was nice of you, Shō-chan, but what is this about me playing around? No matter where or when, I'm always serious." Pouting, she reached out and pinched his soft cheek, tugging on it several times before letting go.

"Riri's playing around right now." He answered without so much as a change in expression.

"I am?" Seeing that she was able to tease and joke around, Shōto no longer stared at her. He lowered his gaze to his third plate of noodles and began the process of devouring them. Mikoto only now realized that he had stopped eating. She chuckled. "Shō-chan worries about me, huh?"

Shōto frowned. "Because you lost weight and you had a dark look on your face."

Although he could be airheaded and indifferent, Shōto was indeed also very perceptive. "Sorry to make you worry."

"Riri also worries for me a lot." Mikoto didn't deny. His father was abusive. That alone garnered enough of her worry.

"Aw, look at us caring for each other. We're such good best friends." She teased, giggling. Shōto nodded in agreement, causing her laughter. He clearly didn't understand why she laughed, but it seemed to please him that she did.

"Riri, you always get what you want. This time won't be different."

"Thank you, Shō-chan. I'll do my best, okay?"

"Mn."

"Since you like it so much, I'll make you soba again."

He lit up like a Christmas tree. It was very adorable. "Tomorrow?"

"Ah, no, not tomorrow." Tora would slaughter her if she missed another day of training. "How about next weekend?"

He considered it for a while then nodded. "The old man shouldn't have come back yet. Okay. It's a promise, Riri."

"Hee hee, okay, it's a promise."

The written exam went by uneventfully. On that day, Mikoto received a call from her mother early in the morning, wishing her good luck, and a message from Mimi telling her how nervous she was and that she hoped they could meet. Shōto also sent her a good luck message. Since the exams for the normal applicants and the recommended ones were on different dates, they couldn't meet on that day.

It would also be hard for him to go out as he pleased. Once Endeavour came back, he began joining Shōto's training with vigour. They basically had no more time to meet outside of school since the arsehole came back. If Valentine's Day had fallen on weekend this year, she probably wouldn't have been able to give him his chocolate on the day. Thank God, it had not.

They only contacted each other from time to time through messages or the rare calls—usually initiated by her. She was worried Endeavour would take it too far and hurt her best friend, but Shōto assured her he was fine and that she should work hard.

On the day of the written exam, she naturally met her little brother, Katsuki and Mimi. Izuku and Mimi were so nervous, so Mikoto only exchanged greetings and small talks before she left them to her own examination room. Of course, she was recognized, but because everyone was too busy flipping through notes and reciting formulas, nobody bothered her.

Except this little creature who sneaked in front of her desk—she was seated at the very front—and tried to get a peek under her skirt. She thankfully had the protection and hadn't experienced any kind of sexual harassment in this life. Having it almost happening now pissed her off to no end. Unfortunately, she couldn't do anything too extreme, so she pretended to scream and kicked the pest as hard as she could until he rolled out of the exam room.

Anyway, the written test went by without a hitch. She was sure she aced everything.

Now that the written exam was done with, school became even more of a holiday. They were left with the final exam; then the graduation next month. If it weren't for Shōto, Mikoto would have abandoned her perfect attendance record and skipped for as long as she was permitted to.

This would probably sound like a broken record, but oh Bloody, Tora increased her training regime again. He increased it the moment he decided she had improved even a little bit. It was like playing a game where the experience bar was harder to fill up the higher your level was, so you had tackle stronger enemies. Just that it wasn't a game where you could be as heartless to your character, because you could feel the hits, the depletion of energy, and the KOs.

Until it was finally the day before the practical exam. Tora forbid her from taking on any job and ordered her to spend the day resting. It was an order she would love to receive if it was just any other day. Kiyo—a friend and used to be a regular of Shūko's bar—owned a spa and she gave Mikoto a free service for a day. It was a gift she also would love to receive if it was just any other day.

Sadly, she was too high strung and nervous. Tora would kill her if she did any form of exercise, so she spent the day trying to meditate. If it worked or not, it was a mystery. She herself didn't know.

And today was finally the day.

U.A's practical exam.

"Good luck, Mikoto-chan. I know that you can do it. Just remember to be careful not to hurt yourself." Nagisa reminded as the car slowed to a stop before U.A, looking at her from the rear-view mirror. "Especially the face! Remember, you have a photo shoot for Nicole in two days! In three days, you have to shoot for FiFi's cover! FiFi is one of Asia's top fashion magazine so please be very, very careful."

So nice to know that her manager loved her so. "Thank you, Nagisa-san. I'll remember it." Inhaling and exhaling deeply, Mikoto steeled her nerves and left the car.

The moment her feet touched the ground and her person was out, she heard the gasps and felt the stares stabbing her from all sides. Ignoring them, Mikoto bowed to the waving Nagisa, before she entered the school ground.

Looking up at the looming H-shaped building in front of her, Mikoto gulped inside. Outside, she showed a perfect poker face as she made her way inside. As instructed, Mikoto made her way straight to the auditorium.

The lights were still on so she could look around. It seemed like the students from the same school grouped and sat together. Mikoto remembered that in the anime Izuku and Katsuki also sat together. However, there was no particular instruction that they should sit with their schoolmates, so Mikoto picked an inconspicuous seat in the upper corner behind a muscular boy with a mask.

Right as she sat down, her phone buzzed. It was a phone call from Shōto.

"Hello, Shō-chan."

"Did you eat breakfast?"

She couldn't help but laugh a little. "Why is that the first thing you asked me? Of course I did."

"…What did you eat?"

"Well," she paused briefly then sighed, "All right. You caught me. I didn't eat breakfast."

"Riri…" This was the first time she heard Shōto so exasperated. It was actually a little entertaining.

"But don't worry. I'm perfectly fine. You see, I woke up at midnight and couldn't sleep because I got hungry so I made some sandwiches but I was somehow still hungry so I ate some fruit and a bucket of yoghurt. As a result, I'm still full now."

The reason she woke up hungry was actually because she couldn't stomach anything the day prior, but he didn't need to know that.

"Are you sure?"

"I am." She reassured. Happy that he was so concerned for her, she invited, "After the exam, how about we go for a meal? Can you go out today?"

"I can go out for lunch."

"That's great! Let's go to your favourite soba place."

"No, since today is Riri's exam, we'll go someplace else. We can go to that café with the big strawberry ice cream."

She laughed. "Shō-chan, it's winter. It's still too soon for a parfait, but since you're being so considerate, how can I say no? How about we go to a cake buffet? This hotel's buffet has the Valentine's Day special until the end of the month. If we say we're lovers, we'll even get a special discount."

"But we're not lovers?"

"Shō-chan, this is called a white lie. It's harmless. Don't worry. Leave this to me."

"Mn, okay." There was slight rustling from the other side then Shōto asked, "Are you feeling better?"

"I am, actually. Talking to my favourite person really cheered me up. Thank you for calling me, Shō-chan."

"It's nothing." He said simply, but he still sounded happy nonetheless. "I have to go. I'll pick you up after the exam."

"You don't have to though?"

"I'll pick you up."

"What? Are you worried I'll be injured or anything?" she teased.

He was briefly silent, then he said, "Be careful."

"I will."

After that, they hung up. Mikoto shook her head with a helpless smile. Since when had her friend turned into such a worrywart? It seemed like she had rubbed off on him.

"No way! I thought I saw the wrong person, but it's really Mikoto!"

"Hm?" Mikoto turned to find a widely grinning face belonging to a blonde boy with black streaks in his hair. "Uh, can I help you?"

"Yeah! Can I get a handshake, a sign, and a photo?" he rummaged his bag for a notebook and a pen then handed it to her. His excitement was palpable as he gazed at her. "I'm a huge fan! I mean, it's not like I read girls' fashion magazines or anything, but I've been following your social media account for a while now. You're super cute in Chew Chew's ad, and your ads for Girlfriend Alpha are awesome!"

"T-thank you." She scooted backwards some when, during his excited rambling, he leaned forward straight into her personal space. "I don't mind the first two, but a photo is a bit…"

"Oh, right, now isn't really the time for a photo, huh? Maybe after the exam?"

Was this exam a walk in a park? After the exam, there was no guarantee that they could come out looking perfect for a picture.

Mikoto pretended not to hear him. "Here you go." She handed him the signed notebook.

"Awesome! Thanks a lot!" he hugged the notebook then held out his hand. "Now, the handshake!"

So demanding, but at least he forgot the photo. With her practised model smile switched on, she shook his hand. "Thank you for your support. Since you're here, you must also be an examinee. We're in the same boat so let's both do our best!"

"Nghhh!" He hunched over and groaned for a long time. "It's even better in real life. Your smile is so bright, I think I'm a little bit blind now."

"Ha ha…" she tried to tug her hand out, but he firmly grasped it in his.

Straightening, he flashed her another bright grin. "I'm Kaminari Denki. You can call me by my first name, since I've been calling you Mikoto. Well, not that I know your surname. Your agency never reveals it."

He was probably hoping she would tell him, but of course Mikoto wasn't that easily manipulated. "My agency is a bit protective."

"Which is understandable. You're pretty young when you joined and you're super beautiful, after all. In a short time since you started, you already starred in three advertisements and there's a music video to boot! You've appeared in almost all teen fashion magazines in Japan and even got a feature in Sixteen, which is the magazine that started it all for you. You're also going to be the cover of FiFi's next issue, right? I don't read girls' magazine, but I'll buy this one for sure!"

"Thank you, Denki."

"Gwahhh, you just called me by my name!"

It was not the first time she had been approached by a fan, but it was probably the first time one tried to talk her ears off by narrating her career journey. "I'm actually more comfortable using first names and, uh, my hand?"

"Whoops, caught." He'd been caught for a while, but she hadn't just had the chance to speak because of his rambling. Mikoto decided to let it pass this once. "By the way, that All Might phone strap is the one they only sell in Hero Land, right? You never posted anything about Heroes so I thought you're not that interested. Who knows that you also want to become one!"

Mikoto looked at the All Might's head shaped bell strapped to the case of her phone. It was the one she bought during her family's trip to Hero Land when she was little. Her eyes softened as she shook it once. "Yeah."

The auditorium door opened and a familiar blonde appeared. He looked as cranky as usual. Behind him, Mimi walked timidly, holding to one of his sleeves. They quickly passed her seat to the middle of the room. Mikoto pondered whether she should greet them, but she didn't want to gather more attention. Who knew who would approach her next?

"I'm so nervous about today's exam, but I get to meet you so I guess even if I failed, there's at least something good that came out of it!"

"Don't say that before the exam. You'll jinx it."

"You're right. I guess I'm just too nervous." Denki laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. Now that his excitement at meeting her had slightly dissipated, his nervousness came back. "Y'know, now that I think about it, I don't think anyone knows your Quirk."

"That's also my agency's doing." She'd put everything to her agency's shoulders.

"Wow, they're really protective, huh?"

Okay, maybe she should risk it and go to greet Mimi. Since Katsuki was there, perhaps she could use him to shout away any approaching fans.

However, as if on cue, the auditorium door opened yet again and, this time, her little brother walked in. He was visibly nervous. His grip on the straps of his backpack was tight and he almost fell a few times as he walked to where Katsuki and Mimi sat.

Her previous decision was immediately halted. He looked so pale and nervous. If she showed up in front of him now, would it pressure him and caused him more discomfort? Perhaps, it would be best if she talked to him after the exam.

Remembering what would happen during the exam on his part, she wanted to scold him for being so reckless and hugged him to death at the same time. Recovery Girl would come forth and heal him, but it didn't change the fact that he would be hurt.

She remembered the day she received her mother's call and saw the news on TV about the sludge villain incident. The worry and fear she felt seeing the clip of the incident were unprecedented. In the future, similar—even worse—situations would arise and she would have to see her little brother hurt over and over again.

She put herself in this situation.

In the future, she hoped she would be given the place to, at least, lessen his burden. Even by a little.

Thankfully, the lights dimmed, so Denki couldn't see her worried expression. He turned to look at the podium. The projector turned on. A Pro Hero stood in the middle. "For all you examinee listeners tuning in, welcome to my show today! Everybody say 'HEY'!"

Silence…

"What a refined response." He shook his head. "Then I'll quickly present to you the rundown on the practical exam! Are you ready? YEAH!"

Silence…

Mikoto sweat-dropped. That was so cringey yet so pitiful. Glancing at her little brother, she hid a chuckle at the pink aura surrounding him. Izuku admired Heroes so much, there was no way he would not know about Present Mic. He probably listened to Present Mic's radio every week.

"As it says in the application requirements, you listeners will be conducting ten-minute mock urban battles after this!" He raised both his arms and the projector started showing information about their practical exam. Although she had forgotten most of the details, Mikoto did know that they were going to fight robots with different difficulty for different points. "You can bring whatever you want with you. After the presentation, you'll head to the specified battle centre, okay?" Silence… "OKAY?!"

The specified battle centre…

Mikoto took out her exam ticket. She was placed in Battle Centre D and she was sure she wasn't located in the same location as Izuku and Katsuki. Mimi, though, she had no idea. There was a chance they could be placed in the same area, but then again, U.A was surprisingly careful enough to make sure people who knew each other couldn't help each other. The chance of her being in the same area with the three of them was actually very low.

"Mikoto, where are you located?"

"Battle Centre D."

"No way! I also got Battle Centre D! Can you say fate?"

Instead she got a fanboy with her… Sigh…

"Three different types of faux villains are stationed in each battle centre. You earn points for each of them based on their level of difficulty. Your goal, dear listeners, is to use your Quirks to earn points by immobilizing the faux villains. Of course, attacking other examinees and any other unheroic actions are prohibited!" Yeah, tell that to Katsuki's face.

"May I ask a question?" a rigid voice asked, a bespectacled boy with blue hair standing up with his hand raised high.

"Okay!"

A spotlight shone on the boy. Mikoto noticed him. He would be in the same area as Izuku and, later, in the same class. "On the printout, there are four types of villains. If this is a misprint, then U.A, the most prominent school in Japan, should be shamed of that foolish mistake. We examinees are here in this place because we wish to be moulded into exemplary Heroes."

"Woah…" Denki mumbled. Mikoto couldn't agree more.

Suddenly, he turned and pointed a finger to her little brother. "In addition, you over there with the curly hair—" Izuku pointed to himself, "You've been muttering this whole time. It's distracting! If you're here on a pleasure trip, then you should leave immediately!"

People giggled as Izuku lowered his head and covered his mouth with both hands. "I'm sorry…"

"Woah…" Mikoto mumbled. She already knew this would happen, yeah, but it really didn't help the annoyance she was feeling.

"He's probably nervous?" Denki shrugged.

"Okay, okay, examinee number 7111." Present Mic interrupted. "Thanks for the great message. The fourth type of villain is worth zero points. That guy's an obstacle, so to speak. There's one in every battle centre—an obstacle that will go crazy in narrow spaces. It's not impossible to defeat, but there's no reason to defeat it either. I recommend that you listeners try to avoid it."

Glasses bowed, "Thank you very much! Please excuse the interruption!" then he sat back down and the spotlight died.

"Robots, huh…" Denki uttered, leaning back in his seat, slightly less tensed.

Opposite to his reaction, Mikoto was frowning. "Robots, indeed."

"What? Is your Quirk not suited for fighting robots?" He lurched forward in a flash and was back in her personal space. "No worries! Denki-kun will protect you!"

She leaned away. "Ha ha, thank you."

"That's all from me!" Present Mic announced. "Finally, I'll give you listeners a present—our school motto! The Hero Napoleon Bonaparte once said: 'A true Hero is someone who overcomes life's misfortunes.' Go beyond."

'Here it comes…'

"PLUS ULTRA!"

"Now, everyone, good luck suffering!" was a way to end the presentation and sending them to hell. After Present Mic left, they were instructed to change and gather at their area.

Mikoto finished putting the last bobby pin into her left bun. Her hair was tied into double braided buns around her horns. Since wearing an outer would only hinder her wings, she wore a tight black shirt. It was long-sleeved and high-necked, very warm, but the back was low to her mid-back. It was tucked into a mid-thigh mauve athletic skirt. Mikoto didn't like wearing pants, considering her tail, so she chose a skirt and under it she wore black legging. She kind of looked like a gymnast.

Sitting down on the bench, she put on her shoes—a pair of black, white and purple high-tops. Last but not least, she put on her matching gloves. It was made with leather, with built-in steel knuckles, and rubber palms. As they were custom-made, just like her shoes, they were a perfect fit, very comfortable. She clenched and unclenched her hands. The rubber palms didn't feel sticky at all, were they even made from rubber?

Although she didn't know too far into the future of My Hero Academia, she did have enough knowledge to know what the content of the practical exam would be. This was her biggest cheat. Safe to say, she had enough time to prepare for it. However, although she remembered, she didn't have everything etched in her mind. She, for example, didn't remember how the robots looked. She only remembered that they were combative and were, quite obviously, hard—literally hard, they were from metals.

If she were to hit them, she would be the one in pain. She didn't come with super strength. Hitting metals was different than hitting humans.

The gloves and shoes were made with materials to support her for this day. The leather was a specialized one they made in the lab so it would not conduct electricity. For extra measure, the palms of the gloves and the soles of the shoes were made entirely out of rubber so they would be safe against electricity and also wouldn't be slippery in case they got wet. For even more extra measure, they even added in steel in the knuckles of the gloves as well as in the tips and backs of her shoes. Despite that, they weren't hard and were very flexible and light.

Wow, they really worked hard on this.

She smiled a little. These gloves and shoes were made by Kenji—used to be a regular of Shūko's bar—who worked in a Hero support company as one of their top designers. Tora and Mikoto discussed for a long time on materials that could fit her requirements. She was very pleased with how they turned out.

Once finished, she put everything in the locker then went to the gathering spot.

"Mikoto! You're finally here!" Denki shouted the moment she arrived, gathering the attention of the other kids. They immediately started whispering. "You look great!"

"Thank you." She smiled politely but inside she was slapping his loud mouth. Why would he need to be so loud to say something obvious? So much for being low-key now.

Being a public figure meant having a good reputation, otherwise you'd be drowned in judgement and hatred. She still loved her income and the free things, so she naturally watched out for her image with the masses. Now that the people paid attention to her, she had to be careful with her conduct, so now there was no way she could play dirty and steal people's preys.

Tch, dammit, there went one of her strategies.

After a little while, they were told to board the bus to the Battle Centre D. Denki, sticking to her like white to rice, waved her over to the seat next to his. He whispered, "So, I still don't know your Quirk. Why don't you tell me and we can work together? I'm not trying to brag, but I think my Quirk may be quite advantageous here! Don't worry, I'll keep it a secret!"

She analysed Denki. They had only known each for a very brief moment so she didn't have any trust in him in the slightest. He seemed like a simple-minded person, but since he could get nervous about the exam, it meant he was not without care. He relaxed some after learning that they would be fighting robots so it could mean that he really did have a Quirk that was advantageous against them.

"How well can you use your Quirk?"

"Huh? Uh, well, of course, it has its limitations. Just like other Quirks!" he defended himself quickly. "But I'm pretty confident! I can use electricity," to prove it, he pointed a finger up and electricity ran through it, "Pretty neat, right?"

"Indeed." Against robots, it was definite advantageous. It would be even better if he could use it far-ranged.

"What about yours?"

"…Flight."

"That's neat too!"

"It's not a smart idea to move together once we're inside. It's basically a race."

To get points, you had to defeat the robots. Present Mic didn't mention anything about assist points and Mikoto also didn't remember that existing in the anime. If Denki really was confident then he probably would have no trouble scoring, but that would mean that all the points would go to him. Mikoto had no intention on being a stepping stone.

"So… we're not working together?"

Oh well, she guessed it wouldn't hurt to have an ally. "We'll see. If the situation calls for it, we may have to work together."

"Fun! I also want to work together!" a cheery girlish voice spoke above their heads. Tilting their heads upwards, they found a pink-skinned girl peering at them from the seat behind theirs. "Mikoto, I'm a huge fan! I always buy the magazines you're in! Can I get a handshake, a sign, and a photo?"

Mikoto sweat-dropped at the familiar question. "A photo is kind of…"

"Yeah, yeah, it's not the time for it. Do you even have paper and pen for her to sign?" Denki asked, acting like her manager.

"Whoops, I don't." she pouted. It lasted less than a second before it was replaced with a bright cheery smile. "But a handshake is fine right?"

"Of course." Mikoto turned and shook the pink hand offered. She switched on the smile. "Thank you for your support. Let's give our best in the exam."

"Wow, you're so cute! Even cuter in real life!" she squealed. Everybody else was tense and nervous, but this girl still had the spirit to squeal. That youthful spirit, Mikoto envied it a little. "I'm Ashido Mina! I wanna talk to you earlier, but you already went inside the bus before I could get you."

"Sorry, it's the nerves. I can't wait to get this over with."

"I understand how you feel!" Mina nodded. "I also can't wait to get started. Defeating robots sounds fun!"

"Fun?"

"Yeah! It's like a game!"

A game that could determine your future, but Mina's bright and high tension was kind of contagious.

"Well, I guess it is kinda like a game…" Denki uttered, arms crossed behind his head. "But it still determines whether we get into U.A or not, y'know."

Mina asked, "By the way, what's this about working together? Include me too!"

"We're not exactly working together, only if the situation calls for it." Mikoto took the initiative to answer before Denki could.

"Phooey. Oh well, but when the situation calls for it, be sure to include me!"

The driver announced their arrival and everyone rushed to get off. Mikoto stood at the back of the crowd. Mina had tried to drag her to the front but she had assured her that she was fine at the back. Denki, already knowing her a part of her Quirk, wished her the best of luck and disappeared into the crowd.

Mikoto inhaled and exhaled deeply. This was it.

She looked up at the towering gates. The moment they opened; all hell would break loose.

And open they did. Everybody watched as they parted until they were fully open. Nobody moved, probably waiting for an instruction, but Mikoto knew the drills. She withdrew her wings and, in a flash, had already flew up and into the mock city. Not long after, there was Present Mic's voice and the sound of people rushing into the arena.

By that time, Mikoto was already flying above the mock city. She had a perfect bird's eye view of the whole city and she could see where the robots were located, scattered throughout the city, some most likely still hidden in the buildings.

Unlike the other examinees, she had the cheat of knowing that there was another scoring system U.A kept as a secret from them—the rescue points.

Mikoto's plan was to first defeat a number of robots in deeper part of the city where it was more deserted then made her way to the middle where it was sure to be a battlefield. The perfect area for this was the back of the city for now. It was still deserted so the robots were still untouched, but the examinees were quickly making their way so she would have people to hopefully save soon.

"All right. Let's do this." She whispered.

Flying down, Mikoto didn't waste time and landed in front of a three-pointer. As expected, they lagged a little and didn't respond as soon as she landed. "Target locked!" it said in a robotic voice. "Prepare termi—" Going to the stance Tora had drilled into her, she performed a roundhouse kick to its head, cutting off its sentence.

That's three points.

She had no time to waste. Flying back up, she went to the next robot in the area. Some robots also began detecting her and they appeared from their hidden spots. When too many of them crowded around her, she flew around—just like how Tora had trained her to dart between trees and obstacles—whisking past robotic arms and bullets. She destroyed ones that she could and led the ones she couldn't to destroy the other ones.

She probably really resembled an annoying fly at the moment.

Training and real situation really were different. The flying training Tora gave her, although she complained throughout the sessions, it also became her best weapon. He also gave her training to defend herself with her wings, so now she had a way to protect herself against the explosion, heat and the random electric currents from the robots.

Other than that, the custom shoes were praise-worthy. Tora said that since she was lithe and quick on her feet, she should make use of it, so he taught her how to fight focusing on her feet.

It wasn't like she could use the enchantment part of her Quirk in this exam. First of all, it didn't work on robots. Second, even if she enchanted the other examinees into scoring for her, the points would go to them. Third, the limitations were too troublesome in this kind of setting.

It felt like a long time, but it had only been about four to five minutes in reality. Soon, some examinees finally arrived in her area, but they were disappointed to find that most of the robots—no kidding, there was only one left and it's a one-pointer—were defeated. Mikoto didn't bother with the robot left and flew away to another infested area.

Even after defeating those robots, she had only gained twenty-seven points, if she counted correctly, with most likely zero rescue points because she hadn't encountered anyone previously. She really needed to start raking in more points.

'Ask and you shall receive.' She thought as she swooped down, taking the unmoving girl down with her just as the one-pointer's arm was about to hit her. Grabbing her arm, she dragged her behind a broken wall, away from the robot's detection. "Are you all right?" she asked, panting.

The girl with orange hair stared at her in shock, most likely not seeing her coming. "I-I'm fine."

"Good." She nodded and scanned the girl for injuries fast. "Be more careful."

Seeing that Mikoto was going to take off, she asked, "You're not going to take that robot?"

"You found it first." If she wasn't a public figure who had to mind her image, she would have, actually. Anyway, it was only a one-pointer. The rescue points she got from that action just now probably had more worth.

"Thank you!"

Such a fine Hero she was, saving people for points left and right.

In the process of gathering rescue points, Mikoto managed to defeat a few more robots. Now she had thirty-two villain points. She hoped it wasn't a bad number.

Time was ticking and it was close to the end of the exam when there was an explosion in the middle of the city. Mikoto looked up from the person she just rescued from under a pile rubble and her eyes widened. She unconsciously gulped at the sight.

That robot was gigantic.

Mikoto remembered that in the anime Izuku took this robot down with a punch, breaking his arm and both his legs. It was one thing seeing it on TV. Seeing it in reality was different. Its sheer size induced fear. It was worse because she knew her Quirk was hopeless against it.

The zero-pointer was taller and even wider than some skyscrapers. There was no need to question its strength. With a sweep of its arm, it destroyed half a building, the other half crumbling to rubbles to the other side.

Everyone ran away the moment it came closer. Holding back her curses, Mikoto's eyes snapped to the tattooed boy before her. "Can you stand? Are you able to run?"

The boy nodded as he stood up with Mikoto's help. After he took off running, Mikoto flew up and followed after the other examinees. It seemed that nobody was foolish enough to try defeating that Godzilla wannabe.

"Shit!"

She stopped.

Looking over her shoulder, Mikoto's eyes widened at the sight of the tattooed boy she saved not a minute ago. Since she was flying, she naturally was faster than the others. She thought that boy was running along with them so she planned to find more robots to finish off while she still could.

She watched as he tried to stand but failed. His legs had been crushed under a pile or rubbles she dug him out of. It was no oddity if he injured them. Despite that, he still forced himself to stand and run. For what? Acting tough? He didn't want help from a rival? Or he didn't want to be a burden?

Whatever it was, he was being stupid!

Pissed, Mikoto flew back to where he was. "Are you an idiot?" was the first thing she asked. "If you're injured then say so! Do you want to die?"

"O-of course not—"

"Don't be cheeky and shut your mouth!"

Image be damned. In any way, in this situation, he would think she was worried about rescuing him so all's well.

Because of her wings, there was no way for her to carry him on her back. he would just be a disturbance to their movement. There was no choice. She turned him over and slipped her arms under his shoulders and his knees. She warned, "Don't complain."

Geez! What did teenage boys nowadays eat for them to be so heavy? Her arms would fall off!

"H-hey! Let me down! You don't have to do this!"

She ignored him and took off. With the added weight—the super heavy added weight—she couldn't fly as high or as fast as she wanted. Her flying was shaky and she swayed from time to time. "Wrap your arms around my neck, otherwise I don't know if you fall."

"Just let go of me! I'm obviously in your way!"

"Do I look like a heartless monster to you?" she scolded, breathless, "If I leave you here, you'll be stomped to death!"

She didn't need to turn to look. She knew that the zero-pointer was drawing closer. She felt it before she even needed to see it.

A gigantic palm slammed down from the right. Her wings instinctively wrapped around the both of them as the palm threw them down. Mikoto couldn't help the little scream that escaped her throat when her wings braced their weight and hit the ground. Her wings were skin and bones. The scrape against the ground didn't hurt as much as the crack from her left wing as it hit the ground.

The zero-pointer lifted his hand and, seeing that they weren't yet flattened, he slowly raised his arm. Mikoto unfurled her wings and checked the boy in her arms. "Did you hit your head?"

"N-no."

"Good."

Because of its size, the zero-pointer wasn't as fast as the other robots. Mikoto sat up with the boy and, since one of her wings was rendered useless, she could only run.

"Just go! It will get you!"

Biting her lip, Mikoto picked him up once again and ran as fast as she could. "Can you be more encouraging when someone is trying to help? You're not helping!"

"Urgh…"

She couldn't run fast with the boy's added weight. In less than maybe three seconds since she started running, a shadow fell on them. 'Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!' she cursed endlessly in her mind. Why hadn't the exam ended yet?

Just as the robot's hand was about to flatten them for real this time, it stopped and Mikoto staggered. The boy she was carrying grinned at her, tired, "I'm helping."

From his sleeves, two black rope-like things stretched out behind her. They wrapped around the hand all the way to the shoulder like two snakes, immobilizing it. Mikoto once again started running. The boy's rope-like things couldn't stretch out that far. They soon dispersed and the robot chased after them again.

"Mikoto!" a familiar girl's voice cried out. It was Mina who was waving at her. "Your shoes are pretty durable right?"

She was confused but replied nonetheless, "Yeah!"

The pink-skinned girl grinned and she raised both hands to shoot out balls of liquids at her feet. No, not liquid. These were balls of acid. The moment she stepped on them, Mikoto's body lurched forward. She gasped then quickly regained her balance.

Her soles were made from rubber, but they were useless against the acid. It was slippery, very much so, that it felt like she had wheels under her shoes. However, flattening wasn't the only way the robot could attack someone. Like before, it tried to swipe at them.

Before it could reach them this time, Denki shouted, "Mikoto! Take cover!"

Her eyes widened. "Wait—!" she had no time to stop him as Denki had already released a huge current of electricity. It was widespread, spreading fast towards them. She had no choice but to crouch down and wrap her wings around her and the boy. Shit, even though she was trained, the feeling of being electrocuted was still uncomfortable, especially with such huge current.

There were groans of machinery and explosions. Mikoto guessed that Denki had successfully defeated the zero-pointer. Straight after the last explosion, the alarm signing the end of the exam blared.

What?

What kind of joke was this?

What was this timing?

Deeming it safe, she unfurled her wings. "Denki—"

"Yay…"

"Huh?"

"Yay, yay…"

"…You okay?"

"Yay… yay…" he gave her thumbs up. Behind him, the zero-pointer was still standing, but there were smokes coming from several of its parts.

"Wow, you weren't kidding when you said you have an advantage." She noted. Now that she was safe—ahem, they were safe, she felt all her strength left her. Stepping away from the acid, Mikoto placed the tattooed boy down before she collapsed beside him. "But what a limitation…"

His Quirk turned him into a giggling idiot.

Oh well. Her lips quirked up. "Denki, that was awesome! Who knew you're so brave?"

"Yay…!"

"Mikoto!" Mina called as she came running with a medic, who went straight to examine the boy's legs. Excuse her, her wings also really needed a treatment. "You okay?"

"My wings are a little hurt, but I'll be fine."

"You're so cool! Even though you're hurt and that zero-point was chasing after you, you didn't let that boy down at all!" Mina's excitement was through the roof. She hopped several times, shaking her fists. "That was so thrilling! It's like watching a real Hero at work!"

A robot was a little different from real life villain, but Mikoto was too tired to correct her. Besides, she really deserved the praises.

"Thank you for the acid. It really helped." Although her shoes probably couldn't be worn anymore, but what were a pair of shoes to two lives?

"You're welcome!"

Finally, the medic came to check on her. "The bone of your left wing is dislocated and the skin had some abrasion. Recovery Girl is in Battle Centre B right now, but she'll come soon. We'll perform first aid for now."

Her heart skipped a beat. "Why did she go to Battle Centre B first?"

"It seems like there's a terribly injured boy there. She goes by priority."

Izuku. It had to be Izuku.

After giving her first aid for her wings, the medic moved on to Denki. The tattooed boy had fainted from fatigue and pain, and had been carried away. Mina sat beside her. "How many points did you get?"

"What about you?"

"I forgot to count!" Mina laughed, scratching the back of her head. "I counted up to eight? I think. Then I forgot."

"I haven't known you for long, but that really sounds like you."

Laughing, Mina brushed her off. "But you're really awesome! You'll get in for sure! I hope I get in too. Maybe we can be classmates! Won't that be cool? If we become classmates, you have to give me a sign and a photo! By the way, your wings are so cool! So you're like a bat, huh?"

Mikoto chatted with Mina until Recovery Girl showed up. After she got a kiss and was healed, Mikoto thanked her then waved good-bye to Mina and Denki.

"Excuse me, Recovery Girl?"

"Ah, your little brother, right?" Of course she knew. Mikoto nodded and the Hero sighed. "His right arm and both his legs were broken. They are already healed now, but he's unconscious. He's already tired even before I used my Quirk on him so he probably won't wake up for a while."

"I see." Mikoto breathed out in relief.

"If you want to check up on him, he's in the infirmary."

"Thank you very much."

Bowing low, Mikoto watched as Recovery Girl left the arena before she looked around her. The previously magnificent mock city had been turned into a bunch of broken buildings and rubbles.

This world really was too violent.

She sighed and clenched her fists. She was scared, but this was the path she chose.

"What use is it to be scared now? Are you going to give up?" she asked herself in a whisper. Reaching up, she pinched her cheeks. "Don't be stupid. You chose this. You'll go through with it till the end."

Because if she quitted now, she would not be able to protect her loved ones.

Releasing her red cheeks, Mikoto gave the broken city one last look before she turned around and walked away.

Izuku slept like a baby in the infirmary bed. The medic there suggested she didn't wake him up for now because he needed the restful sleep. Mikoto agreed.

"Do you want to wait for him?" the medic, hugging a signed paper, asked, preparing to grab her a chair. She was apparently one of her fans. She went crazy when Mikoto knocked and entered the infirmary.

"No…" Mikoto answered after thinking for a while. What could she do even if she waited for him to wake up? Izuku had no idea of the rescue points. Right now, he thought he had failed the exam after not getting any points.

What could she do after he woke up? Ask him how he did? Share her own experience of the exam? Or just silently walk with him home?

Her presence wouldn't be helping him. It would only make him feel more miserable.

She placed a hand on Izuku's head and patted his head gently. Little rascal, always making people worry.

"I'll leave him in your capable hands." Mikoto announced, flashing a practised smile at the medic, then she left before the medic could say anything. Taking out her phone, she sent a message to Shōto then she called her mother as she made her way to the exit.

Her mother was stuttering as she asked her how she did. 'Mama's probably the most anxious out of us.' Mikoto thought with a giggle. She told her mother how she thought she did and told her that Izuku tired himself and that the medic told her to let him rest. Since she was still living in the dorm until graduation, she decided to leave first.

"I understand. Izuku also worked really hard for today. I'll make a lot of his favourite food today."

He probably wouldn't have the appetite. "I think you should make something light for him today, Mama. He did just tire himself until he now needs to sleep in the school infirmary."

Inko gasped. "You're right, Miko-chan."

Mikoto debated on it for a while but in the end decided not to inform her mother of Izuku's breaking his bones. Izuku probably wouldn't want her to know too in fear of making her worry. If Izuku didn't want to tell, Mikoto had no right to snitch on him.

After hanging up the call, Mikoto noticed a message from Shōto saying he was waiting for her by the gate. So fast?

Excited to tell him about her exam, Mikoto rushed to the gate. Shōto stood in front of the gate. The passing people looked at him curiously and the girls blushed and whispered to each other while looking at him. Her best friend was indeed very handsome.

"Shō-chan!" she called out.

Shōto turned towards her. "Riri." When she stopped before him, his heterochromatic eyes swept over her. "Not injured?"

"Well…"

"…Riri."

"I'm fine now, though, promise! Recovery Girl healed me!"

Shōto sighed. He understood that one couldn't escape injuries if they wanted to be a Hero, but seeing someone close to him hurt did not give him a nice feeling. His mind went to his mother and he scowled. "Really?"

"Have I ever lied to Shō-chan before?"

"You have." He didn't even take a moment of deliberation. "In fact, Riri lies a lot."

She lifted a brow. "Are you accusing me of being a liar?"

"Is it still accusing if it's the truth?"

"Boo hoo, Shō-chan is bullying me."

"Riri bullies me a lot too." Usually, it was something she loved to do. This time, Shōto was the one to reach out to her. He pinched her cheek. It was light, very light, that she felt almost nothing. It was the first time he had ever done so. "It's really soft. I can see why Riri likes to do this."

It's okay. She was safe. Unlike his mother, he could keep her close to him and protect her.

She pushed his hand away, pouting. She whined playfully as she caressed her cheeks, "What are you doing to my money-maker?"

His lips curled up a little. "Today is my treat. Riri has worked hard."

"Oh? And how would you know?"

"You're in a good mood."

Her pout melted and morphed into a grin. As expected of her best friend. He knew her best. "In fact, I also think I did really well in the exam. Let's go! I'll tell you about it as we eat cakes!"

"Mn. Okay."

To Be Continued...

Greetings everyone! How have you been? It's been a while hasn't it?

As always, I'm going to apologize first for my late reply. I finally had my thesis defence and graduated and everything. Then I went on a family trip, but I fell ill after coming back home. I have always had a weak constitution since I was little. It's better nowadays, but I think with the stress of my thesis and the lengthy trip, my body finally snapped LOL

As usual, thank you so so so much for the reviews, favourites, and follows! It's amazing! Do you guys notice that this story has a thousand followers? There're eight hundred favourites? More than four hundred reviews? I'm so happy to see that even though I was gone for a while that so many people paid attention to this story and showed such support. I'm really touched and happy! Thank you very much, everyone! I'm truly thankful.

This chapter was originally supposed to be two chapters, but I felt like I've made you wait too long so I made them into one. I hope you didn't get tired. Rest your eyes if you need to. I haven't written in a while so I hope I haven't sucked ha ha! I'll try my best so the next update can come as soon as possible!

It's five a.m. I shouldn't even be awake but I can't wait to post this. I'll go to sleep now. It makes me dizzy to fight the sleepiness after taking the medicine.

Anyway, I think that's all for now. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed that. Please leave me lots of love!

Just a quick announcement!

I posted the link to the fanarts in a post in my Tumblr—LadyBelle104! Just access my account and search for "Fanart Links for "The Eyes Flirt The Most"". 'Cause apparently you need to pay to pin a post? And, by the way, that was my first ever post on Tumblr :)

They're truly lovely. The people who volunteered are so talented and nice, and their arts are so beautiful. Please check them out and show them the love and support they deserve.

Thank you so much everybody who volunteered! You're all sweethearts! Here is a list of the kind artists who volunteered:

1. Mochiikou

2. Flamerra

3. Sainganin . San (I messed up your name, I know. Apparently, just because there's a dot, your name is a link :D)

4. PurpleStarPhoenix

5. Azuremia Skye

6. Quix0

If there's anyone or any art that I missed, please tell! As I said, I was ill and even now I'm still under medication most of the time. I listed things down while I was ill but one of my negative qualities is that I can be careless. I apologize in advance and please inform me so I can correct it!

I wonder if there's anything I can do to repay your hard work? Should I take requests? Maybe there's a character you want a fic about? Or maybe you guys can give me a character and I can make one extra full of little short scenarios for your characters? That should be done faster too.

How about a Mikoto x A MHA character of your choice? You can give me a prompt or a scenario that you want, too, if you have one! Tell me if you agree with this, okay?

Thank you everyone for reading this little announcement. Have you read my latest update? If you haven't, clicked on the previous chapter! Don't miss it!

Love,

LadyBelle104

P.S: XBnemesisX in her review said a chapter of just announcement breaks FF's rules, so I moved the announcement here! Thank you so much for telling me! I appreciate it!

P.P.S: A question! Do you lovely people have an account or, at least, read stories in AO3?