— — START — —
Sorashi's first thought upon waking was that his head felt like it had been used as a drum.
His second was that the ceiling was way too white.
He blinked once. Twice.
"…Hospital?" he croaked.
"YOU'RE AWAKE!"
Sorashi flinched.
Tenya Iida loomed at his bedside, glasses gleaming ominously as he leaned in far too close. His posture was rigid, arms crossed so tightly Sorashi half-expected them to snap.
"Good morning to you too," Sorashi muttered, squinting. "You always greet people like that, or am I special?"
"You collapsed during the practical exam!" Tenya snapped. "Do you have any idea how irresponsible that was?! This was an entrance exam, not a battlefield!"
Sorashi groaned and slowly pushed himself upright. His body protested, but thankfully, nothing screamed in agony.
"Relax, Mom," he said dryly. "I'm alive, aren't I?"
"That is not the point! And they said you collapsed because you fought the 0-Pointer?!"
Sorashi gave a small grin and glanced around the infirmary. Several beds were occupied by other examinees—some unconscious, some groaning softly. Then his eyes landed on one particular figure.
A green-haired boy lay a few beds away, his right arm wrapped in a bandage. He was awake, staring at the ceiling with an exhausted but peaceful expression.
Sorashi blinked.
Tenya followed his gaze and straightened. "Ah. Him."
"Him?" Sorashi echoed.
"That examinee was in my city block," Tenya explained. "He… defeated a zero-pointer on his own, too."
Sorashi's eyebrows shot up. "Singlehandedly?" He didn't expect someone so soft-looking to be able to defeat that humongous thing.
"Yes."
Sorashi stared a little longer, then let out a low whistle. "Damn. Respect."
He smirked and turned back to Tenya. "So what you're saying is—you saw someone else do it, but you didn't."
Tenya sputtered. "T-That's not—! My priority was evacuation and—! It wouldn't have even given me any points!"
Sorashi laughed, the sound rough but genuine. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. You're too serious for your own good, Tenya."
Tenya huffed, adjusting his glasses. "You're impossible... But, how are you feeling?"
"Like someone banged a hammer on my head repeatedly," the light-haired teen replied with a slight wince.
He then stroked his arm and face, "And, my body feels weirdly sensitive right now."
"I think that's called overstimulation."
Sorashi stuck his tongue out at that.
A few minutes later, Sorashi was declared stable enough to leave. As he swung his legs off the bed, a pair of squat, round medical robots rolled up to him, their digital eyes narrowed.
"WARNING," one beeped flatly. "HUMAN NEGLIGENCE DETECTED."
"AGREED," the other chimed. "OVEREXERTION STATISTICS: IRRITATINGLY HIGH."
Sorashi stared at them. "…Wow. Even robots hate me."
"PLEASE REFRAIN FROM DYING DURING FUTURE EXAMS, HUMAN," the first said.
"No promises," Sorashi replied cheerfully.
The robots rolled away with an irritated whirr.
...
Home felt quieter than usual.
The moment Sorashi stepped inside, his mother froze mid-step.
"…Sorashi."
Her eyes flicked over him—his torn outfit, the dirt stains, the faint smell of smoke still clinging to him.
"Oh my God," she breathed. "What happened to you?"
"I lived?" Sorashi offered weakly.
She crossed the room in seconds, hands hovering over him, not quite touching. "You look like you got run over by a truck."
His father stood a few steps behind her, arms crossed—but his jaw was tight.
"It looks like he did his best," his father said calmly.
His mother shot him a look. "That's not comforting."
Sorashi scratched the back of his head. "I might've… pushed it a little."
"A little?" she repeated. "What—"
Then his father interrupted, holding her shoulders, "Kasumi, come on, we already discussed this." He gave a sign to Sorashi, subtly telling him to go and wash up. "We decided to trust in Sora, right?"
Sorashi gave a tired smile at that.
- - - - -
The wait was torture.
Days passed. Every notification made Sorashi jump. Every knock on the door sent his heart racing.
Then—finally.
A letter arrived.
Sorashi tore it open, and a small device fell from the envelope.
A hologram flickered to life.
"HELLOOOO, YOUNG MAN!!!" a man exclaimed, wearing an ornate golden suit, his huge, muscular frame threatening to rip it apart.
Sorashi beamed. "No way, All Might?"
"CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE PASSED U.A. HIGH SCHOOL'S ENTRANCE EXAM!!!" he shouted as he struck a pose.
The teen exhaled with relief, but then he had a more serious look. "That won't matter unless I top the practical exam."
All Might coughed shamelessly, "You could have done better with your written exam..." The screen behind him showed a 71%. He then added, "BUT! YOU WERE EXCEPTIONAL IN YOUR PRACTICAL EXAM!!!"
"NOT ONLY DID YOU DEMONSTRATE YOUR CREATIVITY AND EXCELLENT METTLE IN DISPATCHING VILLAINS, BUT YOU ALSO DID NOT HESITATE IN HELPING YOUR FELLOW EXAMINEES! THIS JUST SHOWS— huh?" he stopped, and then whispered, "What? Wrap it up?"
He then cleared his voice, his always-existing smile turned awkward, "JUST TAKE A LOOK AT THE SCORE!"
———————
RESULTS:
Ranking | Name | Villain Points | Rescue Points | Total
1st | Sorashi Shirakumo | 67 | 48 | 115
2nd | Katsuki Bakugo | 77 | 0 | 77
3rd | Eijiro Kirishima | 39 | 35 | 74
4th | Ochaco Uraraka | 28 | 45 | 73
5th | Tenya Iida | 51 | 21 | 72
6th | Ibara Shiozaki | 36 | 32 | 68
7th | Itsuka Kendo | 25 | 40 | 65
8th | Izuku Midoriya | 0 | 60 | 60
9th | Tetsutesu Tetsutetsu | 49 | 10 | 59
10th | Fumikage Tokoyami | 47 | 10 | 57
———————
"A TOTAL OF 118, YOU ARE THE TOP SCORER OF THIS YEAR'S PRACTICAL EXAM! WELCOME, YOUNG SHIRAKUMO, TO YOUR HERO ACADEMIA!"
The hologram crackled once—and vanished.
Sorashi didn't move.
His vision blurred, the words echoing in his head like they didn't quite belong to him yet.
Top scorer. By a wide margin at that.
"…I did it," he whispered.
His hands were shaking when he ran back to the living room and replayed the message, the numbers hovering brightly in the air as if daring them to be real.
His father watched in silence.
Then he let out a slow breath, shoulders sagging—not in disappointment, but in surrender. A small, tired smile tugged at his lips.
"I suppose that settles it," he said quietly. "Looks like you're really going to U.A."
He reached out to pat Sorashi's back—but Sorashi didn't give him the chance. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around him instead, gripping tight.
His father stiffened for half a second… then returned the hug.
Sorashi turned.
His mother had closed her eyes.
"…You're really going," she said, her voice barely above a breath.
He nodded. "I am."
She inhaled slowly, like she was steadying herself to say words she wouldn't have wanted to say. When she opened her eyes, they were shining.
"Then do your best," she said, the words trembling despite her effort to keep them firm. "And most importantly…"
Her voice cracked.
"…come home safe."
Sorashi swallowed hard. "I will."
He hugged her, and this time she didn't hesitate—holding on like she needed the reassurance as much as he did.
...
Moments later, Sorashi opened a video call.
Tenya's face filled the screen almost instantly.
"Congratulations, Sora-kun!" he blurted out before Sorashi could even speak, posture straight despite being framed from the chest up.
Sorashi laughed. "Congratulations to you too, Tenya." He grinned, unable to resist adding, "Looks like you've got some catching up to do, huh?"
Tenya adjusted his glasses, and smiled, his eyes sharp with determination. "Don't get comfortable up there," he said firmly. "I'll close the gap soon enough."
Before Sorashi could reply, another face leaned into view.
"Is that Sorashi?" a familiar voice chimed in.
"Hi, Tensei-nii!" Sorashi brightened.
Tensei Iida appeared fully on screen, still in his hero gear, streaks of grime across like he'd barely stopped moving. He flashed an easy smile.
"Heard the news," Tensei said. "We're having a celebratory dinner tomorrow night. And, you're coming."
Tenya nodded vigorously beside him. "Yes—please do!"
Sorashi blinked. "Are you sure? I don't want to intrude—"
"Of course we are!" Tensei interrupted, laughing. "Any friend of Tenya's is family."
Sorashi smiled, warmth spreading through his chest. "Then… I'll be there."
They exchanged goodbyes soon after—Sorashi still had preparations to make. His own family was going out to celebrate as well. He invited Tenya along, but Tenya politely declined, explaining that his family had already made plans too.
The next day—
Before heading to the Iida residence, Sorashi made a stop.
He carried a small bouquet in his hands, wrapped carefully in thin paper. The flowers were delicate. Their petals were a pale, almost translucent blue fading into white at the edges. Small but resilient, they grew low to the ground in harsh places, blooming where most flowers wouldn't. He'd always thought they fit.
After a few turns down a familiar path, he arrived.
The cemetery greeted him the way it always did—quiet, still, as if the world had learned to hold its breath here. Rows of stone markers stood beneath the afternoon light, shadows stretching long between them.
He glanced around, briefly noting the absence of the homeless man who usually lingered near the entrance. No muttered greetings today. No nod exchanged.
Just silence.
Sorashi exhaled, then knelt before a grave.
His brother's.
"Hey, Obo," he said softly, a small, solemn smile tugging at his lips. "It's me."
He set the bouquet down carefully, adjusting it so the flowers faced the stone.
"I got into U.A.," he continued. "And—uh—I topped the exam."
He scratched the back of his head. "Mama and Papa didn't really have much to say after that."
A pause.
"They threw a huge robot at us," Sorashi went on, eyes fixed on the engraved name. "Like—huge. Thought it was some kind of joke at first." He huffed a quiet laugh. "But I figured it out. Got inside it. Blew it apart from the inside."
His smile softened.
"I passed out after," he admitted. "But I didn't let it crush anyone. So… I think I did okay."
The breeze stirred, brushing past his hair.
After a moment, he continued. "I'm gonna be a hero, Obo," he said, voice steadier now.
He spent some time just taking in the surroundings after that. Embracing the silence the cemetery always brought.
He stood after a moment, brushing dirt from his knees.
"I'll come back soon," Sorashi added. "So watch me, yeah?"
With one last glance, he turned and walked away
...
Sorashi stood stiffly at the entrance of the Iida residence, hands clasped behind his back.
The door flew open.
"WELCOME!" Tensei Iida boomed, clapping a heavy hand against Sorashi's back. "Come on in! Let's eat!"
"Tensei-nii—please—!" Tenya protested, adjusting his glasses furiously.
Sorashi just laughed.
"You can't bring me down, Tenya! My students performed exceptionally, and I am ecstatic!" The man was practically beaming.
Dinner was warm. Lively. Loud in the best way.
Stories were exchanged. Plates were passed. Laughter filled the space between them until the stiffness in Sorashi's shoulders finally melted away.
And now, it truly sank in.
His journey of becoming a Hero is just beginning.
— — END — —
A/N: Academy arc incoming, people!
Sidenote, America's slowly becoming dystopian, man.