"UA? THAT'S NOT A BAD IDEA BUT WHY SO SUDDENLY?" (Y/N)'s mother asks, a bit surprised by her daughter's choice.
She doesn't know why she wants to suddenly apply to UA, or why she tells her parents about it, but that decision just feels right.
"Being a hero is very taxing. Are you sure you can do it?" Her father asks, looking up from his phone. "Plus you know how dangerous that is."
"I do," (Y/N) replies. "I just realized that this is what I wanted to do for a while now. I just never spoke about it until now."
It's a lie and she knows it. The thought of being a hero has only crossed her mind briefly; it's not something she would have devoted her life to. But something about the fight with Matsumoto and Akimiya made her want to rethink her life.
She didn't really care about being a hero. The prestige of UA was what drew her in and if she could prove to herself that she can in fact get in, then that is one thing she has done right in her life.
"That's good," her mother replies with a smile. "I'm glad you're doing it for a purpose. Some people just jump in without knowing anything and all they like is the title or the feeling it brings them. The fact that you've thought of this for a while now means that you're automatically better."
Her smile is warm and her words are supposed to be comforting, but all (Y/N) can focus on is the sharp pain in her heart. I'm exactly like those people.
She offers a tight-lipped smile and goes up to her room while her father gets up to prepare dinner.
Her bag is thrown on the floor of her room carelessly and she opens up her laptop, typing the words 'UA Academy' into Google. It's what she expects, a collection of images that portray a grand building that seems to shine with the promise of a great future. The first site is the school website and when she clicks on it, she is taken to a neatly organized page with faces of various pro heroes displayed on it. All Might. Endeavor. Midnight. Best Jeanist. Present Mic. All of their smiling faces hypnotize her, drawing her in, telling her that she could be part of their world. She scrolls a little lower using her arrow keys and the next layer shows the building from the outside, the cafeteria, a classroom, and the gigantic training grounds. It's a world of its own, and the more she looks at it, the more she wants to be a part of it.
I can be a student here, she thinks, gazing into All Might's smiling face. I can become someone like him. She doesn't know if it's actually her heart talking or if she just wants to justify herself, but she knows that if she says it enough, she can convince herself it's what she wants.
She tests out her quirk, blowing wind towards her desk and lifting up one of the papers. She has mastered the art of moving things with her breath alone already so it's a piece of cake. She keeps the paper suspended midair for a few more minutes, testing out her endurance.
She can't help but admire her quirk and her control of it as she stares at the paper. She can definitely go to UA with this quirk.
An image of Bakugou smiling maliciously comes up in her head and her concentration wavers, causing the paper to fall back into place. That scared me, she thinks as she remembers the event after her career guidance session. He wanted to be the only one from this school who ends up in UA. She takes a deep breath. It's okay, he's not going to know.
He's not going to know, she repeats in her head as she erases his face from her head. All I have to do is not run into him.
As she thinks about all the training she is going to have to do in a span of ten months in order to prepare for the exam, she looks at her computer screen again. At the bottom of the website is a formal online letter by the principal, thanking her for taking the time to look through the website. Underneath the signature is a circular gold seal that has the UA symbol inside of it.
—
The same seal is stamped on the envelope from UA. (Y/N) runs her finger over it, relishing the feeling of authenticity before tearing it open. A round disc pops out.
"That's strange," her mother remarks, peering over her shoulder. "I had expected a letter."
Before (Y/N) even has a chance to nod, a ray of light emerges from the disc and out comes All Might. His hologram, at least.
"I am here as a projection!" He says, tweaking his famous catchphrase as (Y/N) and her parents watch in awe. "You passed the written exam and you earned 27 villain points as well as 29 rescue points. Congratulations on getting accepted into UA, young (L/N)."
A few seconds pass as she gives herself time to digest the good news. Congratulations on getting accepted into UA.
"M-mom, can you please rewind that?" She asks shakily, wanting to confirm whether or not she heard correctly.
"What? I'm sure I heard him say that you were accep—" her father says, and her mother lightly smacks him into silence before pressing the button again.
All Might's hologram repeats the exact same things he said the first time, and this time, (Y/N) hears her acceptance clearly. Now that the fear of rejection has passed, it's all she can focus on.
"Woah," her mother says after a bit of silence. "I can't believe you actually did it."
"Me neither."
(Y/N) takes the round disc into her hands, gently caressing it, treasuring the tangible proof of her success. The proof of her hardships in the past ten months culminating into one small circle that rests in the palm of her hands.
"Can I display this on that shelf over there?" her father asks, gesturing to the built-in shelf with a glass door in the living room.
There? (Y/N) thinks, surprised. That decorative shelf was reserved for the things that her parents deemed very important, like the numerous trophies her mother had earned during her sports championships and the awards her father had won from prestigious international art competitions.
"There, really?" She asks, not being able to believe that this acceptance was so important that it would sit on the same shelf with the rest of their accomplishments.
"I don't see why not," her mother answers, smothering (Y/N) with a big hug. "When you have your first hero costume, I'm going to build a whole new shelf to display it right there."
"You're so embarrassing," her father says, shaking his head but he too is smiling.
It's a happy moment, but her heart pangs in her chest. They're smiling proudly because they approve of her choices, of the path she's set for herself. But they don't know that she was just faking it, coming up with it on the spot to hide the fact that she just wanted to feel important.
"Have you heard about Mitsuki's son?" Her mother asks her, and she's glad that the change of subject distracts her from her thoughts.
Who's Mitsuki's son? (Y/N) thinks, and her confusion must have been apparent because he mother elaborates. "I think his name was Katsuki or something. Is that what it is?"
She looks around for confirmation and (Y/N)'s father answers, "Yeah. I think that's what it is. But (Y/N) should know this, you're friends with him."
"I didn't know his mother's name," she says, ignoring the obvious fact that she and Bakugou Katsuki were not friends. "Bakugou Katsuki, right? Yeah, I know him. But how do you know him?"
"I'm friends with all the mothers in your middle school," her mother responds. "The important ones, anyway. Your friend also got into UA. His mother texted me so should I give her the good news from our side as well?"
Her life flashes before her eyes. "No!" she yells and when she realizes how strange that might have seemed, she composes herself. "I want it to be a secret so he's surprised."
Her mother nods, but her father doesn't seem to buy it just yet.
"He's quite an aggressive fellow. How did you even become friends with him?"
"My friend Matsumoto's boyfriend is friends with him, so I guess we just got to know each other that way." As soon as the word 'friend' leaves her lips, she feels a bitter taste in her mouth. Some friends they were. The same can go for her.
"Matsumoto was so nice," her mother hums. "So polite too. We should have her over again sometimes. They're a good pair, aren't they, Matsumoto and Akimiya?"
"Yeah, I guess," (Y/N) replies blandly, annoyed by the conversation. "I'm tired now so I'm heading upstairs."
As she walks away, she hears her parents whisper but she doesn't pay them any heed.
UA, huh?
(Y/N) plops down on her bed and pulls out her phone. She types the website's name on her browser again and goes through UA's official page. I'm really a part of this.
It's exciting that she will be now lumped in with all these great people. After all, the hero course is the hardest thing to get into. She still can't comprehend how she was able to get in, but it still makes her feel proud. However, she can't stop the nagging feeling that she isn't supposed to be here, next to all these people who have done great things and will continue to do so.
Compared to them, she's just average.
She clicks on a subpage of UA's website and comes across something titled "Student Life." The page shows various locations, such as the cafeteria, ground beta, and the recreation centers. For students in general studies, it focuses on club activities and for support courses, it shows the work sites.
It's all fascinating, but a little section on the bottom catches her eye. The section has a little icon of a smartphone and a blurb that talks about the importance of networking.
"Want to join a chatting app with students from your school and program?" The text reads, "Install UANET now, the official app for UA students."
Underneath it is a link that leads to the play store, and deciding that she needs friends anyway, she decides to install it.
The registration process is pretty simple. All she is required to provide is the school ID number she received on her letter and a valid email as well as a password. Then, it automatically places her in the set class and program. She swipes to the section that shows her other classmates and all she finds is another student named Iida Tenya.
"That's so embarrassing."
She should have waited a little bit to join, but her excitement had gotten the best of her. She contemplates whether or not she should delete her account and register once again after a bit more time has passed when she hears a ping.
[New Message!]
Iida Tenya: Hello. I see that you're also a student attending. . . . .
Fuck.
(AUTHOR'S NOTE)
sorry for ghosting
you guys lmao
school got
tough
anyways,
iida friend arc? 😳