"Izuku? Izuku!"
"Hm? What is it, Mom?"
"What do you mean, what is it? Why are you staring blankly at a salted fish head?"Izuku's mother looked at him with clear worry on her face.
"Ah—no, it's nothing. I'm done eating. I'll go out to train now."Izuku put down his chopsticks, quickly changed his clothes, and ran outside.
Still uneasy, his mother quietly picked up a video camera and followed him.
But Izuku wasn't training at all.
He walked slowly along the riverbank, lazily kicking pebbles on the road.
"Well… this time it's probably really over."
"Maybe it's better if it's over. I can seriously think about my future now. But… do I really have no chance of getting into U.A.?"
Izuku kept muttering to himself.And as he muttered… he suddenly began to cry.
"Sniff… sniff… Did I really disappoint All Might after all? Am I really just useless?!"
His crying grew louder and louder. Luckily, this was by the river—otherwise someone would've complained about the noise.
"Cough—cough… I can't cry anymore. If I do, Mom will find out… and she'll just worry again."
Izuku wiped his tears with his sleeve and stood back up.
"Next is a twenty-kilometer cross-country run. No matter what, training has to continue!"
He wiped his face hard and sprinted off into the distance.
"That child… he's still worrying about me,"Inko Midoriya murmured, wiping tears from the corner of her eyes.
That habit of crying so easily… really did come from her.
Half an hour later, Izuku returned home looking completely exhausted.
Today, he had gone beyond his limits and run thirty kilometers straight.Was it because of his unwillingness to accept reality?
"Huff… huff… today was really pushing it… cough… huh? Mom, what are you doing?"
As soon as Izuku opened the door, he saw his mother holding an envelope, her face full of anxiety.
"Izuku, you're back! Quick—this is from U.A.!"
"What?!"
Izuku snatched the envelope and rushed into his room, locking the door behind him.
Twenty minutes later, unable to hold back any longer, Izuku tore the envelope open.
A round, unfamiliar object rolled out.
"This isn't an acceptance letter… what is this?"
Suddenly, All Might's holographic projection burst out from the device.
"I'm on camera!"
"WAAAH!!"Can you not always scare people like that?!
"Well—because of various procedures, it took quite a while, so I couldn't contact you earlier. My apologies!"
All Might appeared to be at the site of a TV program recording.
"The reason I came to this city is because I've started working at U.A. High School."
U.A.! All Might!!!
Suddenly, a dark-colored hand reached into the frame and waved at All Might.
"Ah—what is it? I'm busy right now. The preparations afterward are ready? Got it—OK!"
"Even if you passed the written exam, getting a zero in the practical would still mean failure."
All Might's words pierced straight through Izuku's heart like arrows.
I knew it… I knew it!!! I knew it—but still… it hurts so much!!
"It's not over yet."
All Might raised a remote control and gestured toward the screen behind him.
"I'll play the role of entertainer for once. Please watch this recorded VTR!"
Beep.
The screen lit up, revealing a face Izuku immediately recognized.
"That girl…"It was the girl who had almost been crushed into pulp by the simulated enemy.
"Excuse me, um…"The girl nervously clutched her clothes as she spoke.
All Might paused the video.
"She came to negotiate immediately after the exam! What was she negotiating about? Keep watching!"
The video resumed.
"Um—have you seen someone with messy hair… freckles… kind of plain-looking… um… very unnoticeable…"
She gestured frantically as she described him.
Izuku's heart jolted.
She's talking about me!!
"Can I give him some of my practical exam points?!"
"That person said, 'At least let me get one point!' I heard it… so I thought he might still be at zero…"
Izuku's expression completely changed as he watched her.
"At least let me make up for the part he lost because of me…!!"
The girl closed her eyes and shouted.
The video paused again.
"Not only did you obtain a Quirk—your actions also moved others,"All Might's profile appeared on the screen as the video continued.
"He saved my life!!"
"In the entrance exam!! We are NOT only evaluating points from defeating enemies!!!"
All Might crossed his arms in a bold X.
The video continued, showing an evaluator gently patting the girl's head.
"I can't transfer points," he said,"but honestly… I don't think points are necessary at all, young lady."
The recording ended.
All Might threw his arms wide and shouted:
"What I want to say is—if the Hero Course rejects those who save others—who do the right thing—"
"Then what use is such a Hero Course?!"
"You think it's just pretty talk!? Perfect!"
"This job is about betting your life to live up to that pretty talk!!"
"Rescue Points!! And they are judge-based!!"
"That is another foundational ability U.A. values highly!!"
"Izuku Midoriya!! Sixty points!!!"
"And by the way—the girl you saved, Ochaco Uraraka! Forty-five points!!"
Izuku stared at All Might, overwhelmed.
"Th—that's… that's way too reckless…"
"In other words—you passed!"
All Might reached his hand toward the camera.
"Come, young Midoriya! U.A. is your Hero Academy!!!"
"...YES!!!"
Izuku wiped away his tears of joy, rushed out of his room, flung the door open, and embraced his mother, who had been standing outside for a long time.
"Mom!! I passed!! I got into U.A.!! I got into U.A.!!!"
That night, even while lying in bed, Izuku kept thinking about getting into U.A.
Wow!!! I can't believe it—I really got in!!!
Of course I did—with my abilities, I was always going to make it!!!
Before he realized it, Izuku fell into a deep sleep.
In his dream, he saw someone who felt strangely familiar.
The person stood in the small park where Izuku and Bakugo used to play as children.
"Who are you?"Izuku walked toward him.
"So you forgot me too after the memory wipe, huh? Oh well. Here—this is your compensation."
The faceless figure pulled a belt from behind his back.
"What is this?"Izuku took the belt.
"This is my compensation to you. But it's a bit special. You'll need to find someone you truly trust, kneel on one knee, and recite a knight's oath to them. Once they accept your oath, you'll be able to use this power—and the person you swear to will also receive a special power boost."
"…What does that mean?"
"I can't tell you too much. In the end, you'll have to rely on your own strength."
"Alright, I'm leaving now. Have a good dream!"
The faceless figure suddenly pinched Izuku's cheek hard.
"Kids' cheeks really are nice."
With that, the figure vanished from Izuku's dream.
When Izuku woke up the next morning, his face ached slightly.
But there was nothing at all in his hands.
"…Did I want my own Quirk so badly that I pinched myself in my sleep?"