Kai's POV
The U.A. campus was massive.
I stood at the gates with hundreds of other applicants, taking in the towering buildings and manicured grounds. This was it. Everything I'd trained for came down to today.
I felt good. Strong. The essence from Nemuri and Yu hummed through my body, ready to be unleashed.
"Excuse me!"
I turned to find a girl with brown hair and rosy cheeks hurrying toward me. She tripped on a crack in the pavement and started falling forward.
I caught her easily, one hand on her arm steadying her.
"Careful," I said.
"Oh my gosh, thank you!" She straightened up, her face flushed with embarrassment. "I'm so clumsy. I would have totally face-planted."
"No problem."
She was cute. Round face, big brown eyes, a cheerful energy that was almost infectious. I felt a faint tingle in my chest. My quirk recognizing compatibility.
"I'm Uraraka," she said, bowing slightly. "Ochako Uraraka."
"Kai Hayashi."
"Are you nervous? I'm super nervous. This is my first time taking a big exam like this and I really need to get in because my family needs the money and being a hero pays well and I'm rambling aren't I?"
I couldn't help but smile. "A little."
"Sorry! I do that when I'm nervous." She took a deep breath. "Okay. Focus. We've got this."
"We do."
She beamed at me. "Good luck, Kai!"
"Good luck, Uraraka."
She hurried off toward the main building. I watched her go, already thinking about future possibilities.
One down. Many more to meet.
The orientation hall was packed.
I found a seat near the middle and waited for the presentation to begin. The energy in the room was tense. Hundreds of teenagers, all competing for limited spots.
"Is this seat taken?"
I looked up to find a tall girl with black hair tied in a ponytail. She was stunning. Elegant features, perfect posture, a body that her modest clothing couldn't hide.
"It's free," I said.
She sat down beside me, smoothing her skirt. "Thank you. I'm Yaoyorozu. Momo Yaoyorozu."
"Kai Hayashi."
"A pleasure to meet you, Hayashi." Her voice was refined, upper-class. "Are you feeling prepared for the exam?"
"As prepared as I can be. You?"
"I've trained extensively. My quirk is well-suited for combat situations." She paused. "Though I admit, the practical portion makes me somewhat nervous. Destroying robots seems rather... violent."
"That's the job though, isn't it? Heroes fight villains."
"I suppose you're right." She smiled slightly. "You seem very calm for someone about to take the most important exam of their life."
"I've had good training."
"From whom, if I may ask?"
I thought about Nemuri. About Yu. About nights spent absorbing their essence while they screamed my name.
"Private tutors," I said.
"Ah. I had private instruction as well. Perhaps we trained with similar methods."
I doubted that very much.
Before I could respond, the lights dimmed and Present Mic took the stage.
"WELCOME, LISTENERS! ARE YOU READY TO HEAR ABOUT THE EXAM?"
The orientation had begun.
The rules were simple.
Ten minutes. Fake city filled with robots. One, two, and three point targets based on difficulty. Highest scores get in.
And then there was the zero-pointer. A massive robot worth no points, designed to be avoided.
Nemuri's words echoed in my head. Rescue points. They don't tell you about them, but they exist.
I filed that information away and headed to my assigned battle center.
Battle Center B was crowded with applicants. I spotted Uraraka near the front, bouncing on her heels nervously. Momo was there too, standing apart from the crowd, her expression focused.
I also noticed a few other girls.
A pink-skinned girl with horns was stretching enthusiastically, her athletic body on full display. She caught me looking and winked.
"Like what you see?" she called out.
"Just sizing up the competition."
"Ooh, confident! I like that." She bounded over, her energy overwhelming. "I'm Mina! Mina Ashido!"
"Kai."
"Just Kai? Mysterious. I dig it." She grinned, showing sharp teeth. "May the best hero win, yeah?"
"Yeah."
Another tingle from my quirk. Strong compatibility.
Near the back of the crowd, I noticed a girl with purple hair styled in a punk-rock way. Earphone jacks dangled from her earlobes. She was leaning against a wall, looking bored.
Our eyes met briefly. She raised an eyebrow, unimpressed, then looked away.
A challenge. Interesting.
"START!"
Present Mic's voice boomed across the speakers. No countdown. No warning.
The exam had begun.
I moved fast.
Enhanced by months of essence absorption, my body responded instantly. I was through the gates and into the fake city before most applicants had processed the start signal.
A one-pointer rounded the corner ahead of me. I closed the distance in a heartbeat and punched through its chest. Metal crunched. Sparks flew. The robot collapsed.
One point.
I kept moving. Found a cluster of two-pointers and tore through them. My fists dented steel like it was cardboard. My kicks shattered joints and severed limbs.
Ten points. Twenty. Thirty.
The training had paid off. I was faster than these machines. Stronger. More durable. Every hit I landed was devastating. Every hit I took barely registered.
A three-pointer emerged from an alley, its weapons spinning up. I dodged the first volley, closed the gap, and ripped its head off.
Forty points. Fifty.
I was in the zone. Pure instinct and adrenaline. The essence sang through my veins, pushing me harder, faster.
A scream cut through the chaos.
I turned to see Uraraka pinned under rubble. A two-pointer was approaching her, its weapons charging.
I moved without thinking.
The distance between us vanished in a blur. I slammed into the robot before it could fire, my fist tearing through its torso. It crumpled to the ground, sparking and twitching.
"You okay?" I asked, already crouching to lift the rubble off her leg.
"My leg... I'm stuck..." Her face was pale with pain.
I grabbed the concrete chunk and lifted. It was heavy, probably a few hundred pounds, but my enhanced strength made it manageable. I tossed it aside like it was nothing.
"Can you stand?"
She tried and winced. "I think it's twisted."
"I've got you."
I scooped her up in my arms. She was light. Warm. Her face went red as I held her against my chest.
"You saved me," she said.
"Couldn't let a pretty girl get squashed by a robot."
"I... thank you."
"Don't mention it."
I carried her to a safe zone and set her down gently against a wall. Her eyes never left my face.
"Stay here. I'll be back."
"But the exam..."
"I've got enough points." I smiled at her. "Rest that ankle."
I sprinted back into the chaos before she could argue.
Sixty points. Seventy.
The robots kept coming. I kept destroying them.
Then the ground shook.
The zero-pointer emerged from behind a row of buildings. Massive didn't begin to describe it. The thing was a walking skyscraper, each footstep sending tremors through the fake city.
Applicants scattered. Screams filled the air. Everyone ran.
Everyone except me.
Because I saw Momo.
She was on the ground, clutching her ankle. She must have tripped while fleeing. The zero-pointer was heading straight for her, and she wasn't moving.
I didn't think. Didn't calculate. Just ran.
The distance closed impossibly fast. The robot's massive foot was descending. Momo looked up, her eyes wide with terror.
I grabbed her and threw us both out of the way.
The foot slammed down where she'd been, cracking the pavement, sending debris flying. I shielded her with my body, feeling chunks of concrete bounce off my back.
When the dust settled, I was on top of her. Our faces inches apart.
"Are you hurt?" I asked.
She stared at me, speechless. Her chest heaved against mine. I could feel her heart pounding.
"I... you..." She swallowed. "You saved me."
"Couldn't let it squash someone as beautiful as you."
Her cheeks flushed crimson. "That's... that was incredibly reckless."
"Probably." I pushed myself up and offered her my hand. "Can you walk?"
She took it and let me pull her to her feet. Her ankle seemed fine. Just fear, not injury.
"Thank you," she said softly. "Hayashi, I..."
"TIME'S UP!"
Present Mic's voice echoed across the battlefield. The exam was over.
Momo was still holding my hand. She seemed to realize it at the same moment I did, and quickly let go.
"I owe you my life," she said formally. "That is not a debt I take lightly."
"You can buy me lunch sometime."
She blinked, clearly not expecting that response. Then she laughed, a genuine sound that transformed her elegant face into something even more beautiful.
"Very well. Lunch it is."
I grinned. "It's a date."
Her blush returned full force.
The aftermath was chaos.
Recovery Girl moved through the crowd, healing the injured. Applicants compared scores and swapped stories. The adrenaline slowly faded, replaced by exhaustion.
I found a quiet spot and sat down, running the numbers in my head. Seventy-something villain points, plus whatever rescue points I'd earned from saving Uraraka and Momo.
I'd done well. I knew it.
"Hey!"
I looked up to find Mina bouncing toward me, her pink skin glistening with sweat.
"You were amazing out there!" she gushed. "I saw you take down like a million robots! And that thing with the zero-pointer? Saving that girl? So cool!"
"Thanks. You did pretty well yourself."
"Forty-two points!" She pumped her fist. "Not as many as you, I bet, but not bad!"
"Not bad at all."
She plopped down beside me, completely disregarding personal space. Her thigh pressed against mine.
"So, Kai." She leaned in close. "Got a girlfriend?"
"That's forward."
"I'm a forward kind of girl." She grinned. "Well?"
I thought about Nemuri. About Yu. About the arrangement we had.
"It's complicated," I said.
"Complicated means not exclusive." Her grin widened. "I can work with complicated."
Before I could respond, another voice cut in.
"Ashido, stop harassing people."
The purple-haired girl from earlier walked up. Jiro, I remembered. She had her hands stuffed in her pockets, her expression unreadable.
"I'm not harassing! I'm networking!" Mina protested.
"You're flirting."
"Same thing!"
Jiro rolled her eyes and looked at me. "You're the one who punched through like thirty robots and saved two people from getting crushed."
"Something like that."
"Not bad." She almost sounded impressed. Almost. "I'm Jiro. Kyoka Jiro."
"Kai Hayashi."
"I know. Everyone's talking about you." She nodded toward the crowd. "You're probably top three in our battle center."
"I wasn't counting."
"Liar."
I smiled. "Maybe a little."
The faintest hint of a smirk crossed her face before she caught herself.
"Come on, Mina. Let's go find out when results come out."
"But I was talking to Kai!"
"You can talk to him at school. If he gets in."
"When I get in," I corrected.
Jiro raised an eyebrow. "Confident."
"I've earned it."
She studied me for a moment. Something flickered in her eyes. Interest, maybe. Or respect.
"Guess we'll see," she said.
She walked away. Mina lingered for a moment, shooting me one last flirtatious smile, before following.
I watched them go.
Three girls. Four if I counted Uraraka. All in one day.
U.A. was going to be fun.
I got home late that afternoon.
My body ached in the good way. The way that meant I'd pushed myself to the limit and come out stronger. The essence I'd absorbed over the past months had held up perfectly under pressure.
My phone buzzed.
Nemuri: How did it go?
I typed back: Destroyed the exam. Saved two girls. Made some new friends.
Her response was immediate: That's my boy. Come over tonight. I want to hear everything.
Then Yu: Results in a week right? I'm dying to know!
Me: Week or two. I'll let you know as soon as I hear.
Yu: You better. And Kai?
Me: Yeah?
Yu: I'm proud of you.
I smiled at my phone.
Two women who believed in me. A strong performance at the exam. New connections with potential future partners.
Everything was falling into place.
I grabbed my jacket and headed to Nemuri's apartment.