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The morning began deceptively normal. Lectures. Announcements. The hum of a ceiling fan that squeaked every fifth turn. Hikari sat at her desk in the middle row, eyes locked on the window, lost in thought while the voice of the instructor faded into background noise. It wasn’t that she couldn’t focus—she just didn’t want to. Not today. Not with him teaching the next class.
She tapped her pen rhythmically against her thigh, pretending to take notes as her mind wandered to the one bright part of her day: lunch under the cherry tree with Shoto. He was already waiting when she arrived, sitting with his bento box open, his eyes closed and head tilted to the side like he was listening to the wind. She took her usual spot beside him, tucking her legs underneath herself in the grass.
They didn’t need to speak much. Just being near each other was enough. She still remembered what he said the night before the entrance exam—You’re the only part of my childhood that doesn’t hurt to remember. Sitting there with him, beneath a sky that held no judgment, she almost believed in peace.
Almost.
The afternoon brought a tension that clawed at her chest.
Combat Training—taught by All Might.
As the class gathered inside the changing area, there was a buzz of excitement. Most students were thrilled. Others were nervous. Hikari stood by her locker, staring at her hero uniform folded neatly inside, her expression unreadable.
She exhaled slowly and began to change.
When she stepped out into the hallway, silence followed her.
Her hero suit was nothing like the others. It wasn’t loud. It didn’t scream power or flashiness. But it commanded attention.
A sleek black base wrapped around her like a second skin, glinting faintly with dark sapphire threads. Silver accents ran down her spine and thighs like lightning veins. Her boots, knee-high and reinforced, whispered power with every step. A cropped, sleeveless tactical jacket shifted around her shoulders—gray-blue with the faint emblem of a crescent moon wrapped in fire and frost embroidered on the back. Fingerless gloves covered her hands, and her hair was tied back, her bangs framing her intense, unreadable eyes.
She didn’t speak. She didn’t have to.
Even Bakugo fell silent.
Shoto blinked, clearly caught off guard by the transformation.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXgGs3ygTWj
“...You look like a storm waiting to break.”
“Good,” she murmured, adjusting one glove. “Let’s hope no one’s dumb enough to test me today.”
Once the class gathered on the battlefield floor, All Might stood proudly in front of them, his booming voice echoing across the training hall.
“Today marks your first real step into the world of heroes! You’ll face off in two-on-two combat. One team will play villains defending a nuclear weapon, the other will be heroes trying to stop them. Real stakes, real pressure.”
Hikari didn’t flinch as her father spoke. But her jaw clenched ever so slightly.
“Now then,” All Might continued, “since we’ve got an odd number of students today… Hikari, you’ll be on the recovery support team.”
A few students exchanged glances. Hikari crossed her arms, not bothering to hide the look of relief on her face.
She didn’t want to be in his spotlight. Not today.
As the other students prepared for their matches, she climbed to the observation deck, settling in with a quiet sigh. Part of her did wish she’d been paired with Shoto. Maybe they could have pushed each other without playing pretend. But this was fine. Watching from a distance was safer. Cleaner.
From above, she could watch it all unfold. Analyze. Learn. Plan. Her eyes narrowed as All Might pulled names from the box for the first match.
Team A: Izuku Midoriya and Ochaco Uraraka.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ5E4pDdtKn
Team B: Katsuki Bakugo and Tenya Iida.
Hikari didn’t move—but she tensed.
Bakugo was already storming toward the mock building with murder in his eyes. No strategy. No pause.
“Idiot,” she muttered. “He’s going to kill him.”
As the match began, Bakugo immediately split from Iida and took off after Midoriya, explosions flaring behind him.
On the monitor, Hikari watched Uraraka make her way toward the upper floors while Midoriya lured Bakugo deeper into the building.
But Bakugo wasn’t holding back.
He launched attack after attack, tearing through walls and concrete. His rage was unhinged. Unfiltered. Dangerous.
“Come on, Deku,” she whispered under her breath. “Outsmart him. Don’t try to match him.”
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