Izuku Midoriya was sprinting at full speed. He had only three minutes left before he would be late.
"I spent too long watching the heroes… I should've left earlier. But heroes really are just too cool!" Izuku muttered to himself.
He changed his shoes just in time and dashed into the classroom.
"Yo, the trash finally showed up."Bakugo Katsuki had one leg propped up on his desk, shouting arrogantly at Izuku Midoriya as he entered. Izuku's seat was directly behind Bakugo's.
"G-Good morning, everyone…"Izuku placed his schoolbag into his desk, pulled out his notebook—Analysis of Future Heroes NO.13—and immediately began scribbling notes.
"Class is starting.""Good morning, students.""Good morning, teacher."
Class time always felt unbearably long. Izuku often wrote notes with one hand while gripping a hand exerciser with the other, quietly training his strength.
"Midoriya! Please stand up and answer this question.""Yes!"
Lunchtime was both the happiest and loneliest part of Izuku's day.
"Wow! Mom really did make my favorite pork cutlet rice bowl!"He opened his lunchbox, revealing his favorite meal.
"I'm going to start eating now," Izuku said softly.
Around him, classmates ate in small groups, chatting and laughing. He ate alone.
"After lunch, I still need to find a place to train… I wonder what Kacchan is doing right now?" he thought while eating.
"Hey, did you hear? U.A. already admitted two students through special recommendations.""Anyone who gets special admission must have insanely strong Quirks.""I heard graduates from U.A. always end up on the popularity rankings.""But U.A.'s biggest pride is still the No.1 spot.""Combat power or popularity—both are unbeatable.""Do you think we could get into U.A.?""…Probably only Bakugo could."
The topic slowly shifted from U.A. back to Kacchan. Everyone really was paying attention to him.
But I also want to go to U.A… I want to become the strongest hero!
"Time to train."Izuku slipped the small knife hidden in his bag into his pocket and left the classroom.
In the abandoned grove behind the school, Izuku trained relentlessly with the knife.
"Tch… still not enough?"He collapsed onto the ground, staring at the knife beside him.
"Today's the last day. If I still can't cut through this branch, then this is a total failure!"
With a sharp motion, Izuku sprang to his feet, grabbed the knife embedded in the soil, and focused on the thick, withered branch.
"This is it… the final strike!""All my strength—cut down!"
Boom!
The branch hit the ground—and at the same moment, the knife Izuku had used for three years snapped in half.
"Damn it! That was too loud—run!"
Izuku quickly put on the mask he had prepared and fled the grove, stuffing the broken knife handle into his pocket as he ran.
Time passed slowly. The last two afternoon classes were homeroom sessions. The teacher stood aggressively at the podium.
"You're all third-years now. It's time to seriously think about your futures!"The teacher held a stack of papers.
"I'm handing out your graduation aspiration forms."Using his Quirk, he distributed one to each student.
"Everyone's goal is the Hero Course, right?"
The moment he turned around, every student with a Quirk raised their hands, showing off proudly.
"Yes!"
Even Izuku raised his hand slightly, his expression tinged with shame.
"Yes, yes, you all have great Quirks," the teacher nodded."But remember—using Quirks on campus is prohibited. Calm down."
"Hey, don't lump us all together with everyone!" Bakugo Katsuki snapped, feet still on his desk."I'm not going to sink to the bottom with people who have weak Quirks!"
"That's not how it works, Katsuki!" several hot-tempered students protested.
"Shut up and stay in your place, you rabble! You're annoying!"
"Wait, didn't Bakugo apply to U.A.?""The national school?""The cutoff score difference this year was seventy-nine points.""The acceptance rate is insane every year."
I'm doomed!Izuku clutched his head and slumped over his desk.
"This chaos is exactly why you're all rabble!"Bakugo leapt onto his desk and shouted proudly.
"My mock exam score was an A—well within U.A. High School's acceptance range!""I'll surpass All Might and become the strongest hero! My name will be on the high taxpayer rankings!"
"By the way… Midoriya's aspiration is also U.A. High."
The classroom fell silent.
Everyone turned to look at the Quirkless boy.
"Pfft—!"Someone burst out laughing, and soon everyone joined in.
"Midoriya? No way!""Just being good at studying won't get you into the Hero Course!"
Bakugo directly used his Quirk, blasting Izuku into the wall.
"You're not just weak—you don't even have a Quirk! What gives you the right to stand on the same stage as me?!"
Bakugo advanced with a vicious expression.
"W-Wait… that's not what I meant… Kacchan, wait!""I never meant to compete with you! Not at all!"Izuku flailed desperately, fear in his eyes.
"It's just… it's been my dream since I was little…""If I don't even try, how would I ever know…?"
"What do you mean, try?!"The words ignited the crowd, and they surrounded Izuku.
"What do you think this is?!"Their stares made his skin crawl.
...
The homeroom teacher finally suppressed the riot using his Quirk, restoring everyone's rationality—except Bakugo.
After school, Izuku packed his bag while checking his phone. Just as he reached for his notebook, Bakugo snatched it away.
"What's this?""'Future-Oriented…' Are you serious, Midoriya?""G-Give it back…"
Bakugo clapped his hands and detonated the notebook.
"WHAT?!""That's too much…!" Izuku looked like he was about to cry.
Bakugo scoffed.
"Top-tier heroes usually have legendary stories from their student days."He tossed the remains out the window.
"I'll be the first—and only—student from this ordinary middle school to enter U.A. High. That's perfectionism."
He slapped Izuku's shoulder with a still-hot palm, scorching his uniform.
"So just in case, don't apply to U.A., slowpoke."
As Bakugo left, one of his lackeys muttered,"Being bullied like that… anyone would snap.""He can't say anything back. Poor guy. Third year already and still hasn't accepted reality."
Bakugo glanced back."If you really want to be a hero, there is a more efficient way."
"Believe you'll be born with a Quirk next life—then jump off the roof!"
Izuku spun around, shaking.
"What?"Small explosions crackled in Bakugo's palm.
Izuku stood frozen.
Only after Bakugo left the school grounds did Izuku retrieve Analysis of Future Heroes NO.13 from the water basin.
"That idiot… throwing it away like that.""If a fish ate it, it'd get a stomachache."
Looking at the scorched cover, Izuku sighed.
"What am I even worried about? I'm going to be a hero."
He weighed his backpack."Feels lighter… I'll add another twenty pounds of metal plates next time."
And with that, Izuku Midoriya walked out of the school.