"Where have you been, brother"
Ayaka's voice comes from my bed, where she's lounging like she owns the place.
I glance around the room; it looks like a storm hit it.
With a sigh, I pick up the pillow lying beside the bed.
"What is going-" I toss the pillow at her face,"-on here?"
It hits its mark... or so i thought. The pillow makes the sound of impact but stops just short, hovering in midair.
"You really need to stop trying that," Ayaka says, peeking from behind the floating pillow.
"It doesn't work on me anymore."
"Is that so? We'll see about that. Now, what are you here for?"
Instantly, she sits up straight and speaks with exaggerated politeness.
"Can you give me some new ideas on how to use my quirk?"
I fold my arms and grin.
"And why would I do that?"
"Because I'm your cute little sister."
She tilts her head, trying to look innocent.
"You are my little sister, that's true. But cute? Not really."
Leaning back, I let myself fall backward.
A second later, instead of hitting the floor, I land softly on a bean bag.
Ayaka had moved it under me.
I sink into it and mumble, "This is comfortable."
Moments later, I feel pressure on my shoulders as Ayaka begins to massage them.
"Brother, I'll do your bidding for a whole week. Please give me a new idea."
"I'll think about it."
The pressure on my shoulders increases.
"Oh, come on! What else do you want from me? You already absorbed everything Dad taught you like a sponge. I can't fall behind!"
She whines and shakes me from behind.
"Alright, alright, I'll help you. But I'm really thirsty..."
Before I can finish clearing my throat, a glass of water appears in front of my face.
"Here. You're not that hard to read," she says with a smug grin.
I take the glass, drink it, and the moment it's empty, it vanishes. It reappears neatly on the table by the wall.
At the same time, the pressure on my shoulders disappears. I glance back to find Ayaka sitting cross-legged on the bed, hands on her knees, eyes gleaming.
"Come on, split it! What else do you have in that big head of yours?"
I sigh at her expectant stare.
"Can I get a notebook and pen?"
A notebook and pen drop into my hands out of thin air.
I open it, blank pages. I raise an eyebrow at her.
"What happened to the old notebook?"
"I discarded it," she says matter-of-factly.
"Why would you do that?"
"Well, I didn't want my capabilities written down. What if a villain steals it? Then they'll know everything about my quirk. I couldn't let that happen, so I burned it."
She puffs out her chest proudly.
I sigh and rub my temples, causing her to deflate.
"Normally, yes, I'd praise you." I tap her forehead. "But how would a villain ever gain access to your subspace? You are not even a hero-in-training yet, much less a pro. You're vastly overestimating your importance."
She thinks for a second, then nods. "You're right. Still, I didn't want to waste space with useless things. My subspace is limited, you know."
She bumps my shoulder and grins. "So, get going, slave."
I exhale and start writing. "It's the other way around; you're my slave for a week, remember?"
"Yeah, yeah, we'll see what Dad says about that."
I stop and turn to her.
She gives me that suspiciously bright smile of someone about to scam you.
I shake my head and go back to writing.
"Let's start from the top. The abilities you've mastered so far are spatial displacement, spatial folding, spatial barriers, dimensional storage... oh, and Mum recently taught you spatial slicing. And of course, your favourite, body augmentation."
Her eyes light up at the last one.
"You've stepped into the intermediary stage for most of your abilities. What I want you to focus on next is range. On how far away you can affect things. That'll improve your displacement, folding, and barrier abilities."
Ayaka nods.
"Also, work on expanding your dimensional storage. Right now, it's way too limited."
She raises her hand. "I've started working on that! I plan to fill my subspace to the limit and carry it around all day. It'll strain my mind, but it's good way to expand it faster."
I nod. "Good. Quirks are like muscle fibres. When muscle fibres are pushed to their limits, they tear, then rebuild stronger. Keep doing that, and your quirk will grow."
"Then I'll do that with every ability I have! It'll boost my range, strength, and control."
"Exactly. Just be consistent."
"Thank you, brother,"
She stands and heads for the door.
"Oh, and one more thing."
She pauses mid-step.
"You can start thinking about something called an Absolute Domain."
She turns slowly, eyes wide. "Did you just say Absolute?"
"Yes, Absolute Doma-"
She tackles me before I can finish.
"Thank you so much!"
"Alright, alright..." I pat her back with a sigh.
She pulls back, grabs my shoulders, and shakes me while jumping on the bed.
"Thank you so much!"
After a minute of chaos, she finally settles beside me.
"I won't give you the details yet," I say. "To pull it off, you'll need far better control, range, and strength — especially control."
She folds her arms and nods repeatedly.
"The gist is that you'll have total control over a certain area. But it's too advanced for now. Focus on improving steadily. Eventually, you'll work your way toward the Absolute Domain."
"I'll do my best! I'll master it someday!"
She darts out the door. A few seconds later, her voice echoes down the hall:
"MOM! BROTHER GAVE ME A NEW IDEA!!!"
I rub my temples and sigh.
"Did I do the right thing? Probably not. But she still has a few years before she even comes close. It'll be her enemies' problem, not mine."
I glance at the clock.
"Our birthday's coming up. I should get her a gift... and then, it's time for the U.A. Recommendation Entrance Exam."
***
|| A month later ||
U.A. Recommendation Entrance Exam.
The Adachi siblings sat among other students in a spacious classroom, waiting for the teachers to distribute the written test papers.
Izumi leaned back in his chair, quietly scanning the room.
'I didn't expect this many people at the recommendation exam. Then again… it makes sense. This event never showed up in the manga or anime, so I didn't have much to go on.'
His eyes drifted from face to face. 'There's Momo, Todoroki, Tokage, Juzo and Inasa. Familiar faces. Maybe I can talk to them during the practical exam.'
As Izumi's thoughts wandered, a shadow fell over his desk. Aizawa placed a test paper in front of him with his usual uninterested look.
A moment later after all the students received their papers, Aizawa announces.
"Begin."
Izumi straightened and skimmed through the pages.
***
Section A: Hero Ethics & Law
1. A villain threatens to detonate an explosive in a crowded area unless you hand over a hostage. As a hero, what course of action aligns best with the Hero Public Safety Commission's Code of Conduct?
2. During Patrol, your partner uses excessive force...
Section B: Rescue & Strategy
1. You arrive at a multi-story building fire with trapped civilians. The fire suppression system has failed. How do you prioritize your actions?
2. Describe how quirks specialized for attack can be repurposed...
Section C: Quirk Analysis
1. Suggest a teamwork strategy combining an emitter-type quirk and a transformation-type quirk during a search-and-rescue mission.
2. A student's quirk allows them to increase air pressure within a confined space. List two possible...
Section D: Leadership & Morality
1. You must choose between saving one critically injured pro hero or five civilians in stable condition. Which do you prioritize and why?
2. Define what "a hero's duty" means...
Section E: Psychological & Situational...
There were far more sections than Izumi had expected, each demanding deep reasoning, not just memorised facts.
He adjusted his grip on the pen and began answering one by one.
Two hours later, the bell rang, signalling the end of the test.
Aizawa stepped forward lazily.
"Time's up. Please turn over your answer sheets and leave them on your desks. After that, move to your assigned waiting rooms and await further instructions for the next test."
Chairs scraped the floor as the students stood and began filling out of the room.
Izumi exited and quickly spotted Ayaka chatting animatedly with Momo. He joined them, slipping into stride beside the two girls.
"So, how was the test, you two?"
Ayaka stretched her arms behind her head.
"The test wasn't bad. A few tricky ones, though. There was one about folding space. Connecting two points ten kilometres apart, but the field could only stay stable within a hundred-meter radius. Everyone probably wasted time calculating multiple folds. I just chained the fields in a stable arc. Two folds. Easy."
She waved her hand lazily, as if it were nothing.
"And that psychological one? The endless hallway loop. Every door led back to the same sport. Most people would panic, but it wasn't the space looping. It was the reference point. So I anchored my quirk to myself and forced reality to adjust around me."
Her lips curved into a smug, self-satisfied smile.
Izumi raised an eyebrow. "You do realize those questions are based on the data we gave them, right? Meaning they tailored the test to challenge you and your quirk."
Ayaka shrugged with a half-smile. "Probably. But if they wanted to challenge me, they should've made it harder."
Momo sighed softly, shaking her head. "Let her gloat, Izumi."
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before adding, "There was a question about rescuing civilians in a chemical facility with only three kilograms of creation output. It was designed to induce panic, but once I prioritized oxygen and visibility, the rest fell into place.
Ayaka grinned. "Of course it did. You make 'life-threatening-crisis' sound like a pop quiz."
Momo laughed faintly, her tone softening.
"But that was just a test. I had time to think. No one was actually in danger. In a real situation… I'm not sure I'd stay that calm."
Izumi looked at her for a moment. "The fact that you're aware of that makes you better than most."
Momo smiled lightly. "Maybe. I just don't want to be the kind of hero who can only do the right thing when there's time to think first."
As they reached the corridor where the path split in two directions, Ayaka spoke, a faint smirk on her face.
"Then learn to trust yourself before someone else tries to do the thinking for you."
Izumi nodded slightly. "Alright, you two. This is my stop. Good luck with the test. I'll see you afterward."
"Don't need luck, see you, brother," Ayaka said confidently.
"I'll see you later, Izumi," Momo added with a polite smile.
The three parted ways, Ayaka and Momo heading right while chatting quietly. Izumi continued down the left corridor until he stopped in front of a large metal door marked Room-4.
He opened it and stepped inside to find five students already waiting.
'Shoto, Juzo, Inasa… and two others. This turned out better than expected.'
Before he could approach, a booming voice echoed from the intercom.
"Please make your way to the training grounds for your practical test!" Present Mic's voice was unmistakable.
"Oh, so you're the last one!" said Inasa, turning toward him with a bright smile. "Hello! I'm Inasa Yoarashi, nice to meet-"
The intercom buzzed again, cutting him off.
"Proceed to the training grounds immediately."
Inasa laughed awkwardly. "Guess introductions will have to wait. We can talk on the way."
Izumi nodded and headed toward the exit. "Sure. I'm Izumi Adachi. Nice to meet you."
"Likewise!" Inasa replied, jogging to keep up.
The two fell into step as the rest of the group followed. Juzo offering a few quiet remarks about the written exam, one of the other students cracking jokes to lighten the tension. The conversation gradually grew livelier as they walked.
Shoto however, remained silent the entire time, walking a few steps ahead of the group. His face expressionless, eyes distant, and unreadable.
Izumi glanced at him briefly before turning his attention back to the corridor ahead.
The faint hum of excitement and nerves filled the air as the group made their way toward the massive doors leading to the U.A. training ground where the real test awaited them.