It had been a month since Itsuka Kendo received her acceptance letter.
Even now, the orange-haired girl was still in disbelief not only had she managed to get into the hero course, but she had also placed first in the practical exam.
What surprised her even more was that she hadn't been penalized for following the lead of the lilac-haired boy during the test. In fact, she had benefited greatly from it.
And now, dressed in her U.A. uniform, she stood before the massive gates of U.A. Academy not as a guest, but as an official student.
She tried her best to contain her excitement, but as she stepped past the barrier, she couldn't help the wide smile that spread across her face.
Her eyes darted around, taking in every detail benches, buildings, students, trees. 'This is my school now,' she thought, feeling a rush of pride.
Then, her gaze landed on a familiar figure a girl with vine-like hair.
Before she even realized it, her legs moved on their own, and she ran toward her.
"Hey, Shaozaki!"
Itsuka winced as she saw the girl flinch, nearly dropping her phone.
"Ah... Hehehe, sorry for startling you, Shaozaki," she said, scratching the back of her head.
Ibara waved a hand dismissively. "Do not worry, Kendo. I should have been paying more attention to my surroundings while walking."
The orange-haired girl smiled at her, and Ibara returned the gesture before tucking her phone into her pocket.
"Oh, I almost forgot!" Ibara's eyes lit up with excitement, momentarily confusing Itsuka.
"Congratulations on being the top scorer in the entrance exam, Kendo!"
Caught off guard, Itsuka felt her cheeks heat up as she sheepishly rubbed the back of her head.
"Well, I mean, you placed second in the practical, Shaozaki. You did amazing too."
Even as she said it, Itsuka couldn't help but feel a slight pang of guilt. She wasn't sure how Ibara would react if she found out that she had only secured the top spot because she had started collecting villain points earlier than everyone else essentially stealing first place from Ibara.
"I honestly didn't expect to score that high," Ibara admitted, clapping her hands together. "But I'm glad our hard work paid off. It also seems that rescuing others during the exam played a significant role in our scores. I'm happy that U.A. values more than just combat ability it prioritizes saving people, which is the true essence of being a hero."
Itsuka nodded in agreement. Since most of her own points had come from rescue efforts, it made her feel a little better.
Even without her villain points, she still would have passed. She had earned her place here.
Heck, even that one guy with only 60 rescue points and no villain points had managed to get in. 'So, it's not like I cheated my way into U.A.'
As the two continued their conversation, they made their way toward their classroom, relieved to know they would be in the same class. Having at least one familiar face on the first day made things a little less nerve-wracking.
"By the way, Shaozaki, did your best friend make it in?"
Itsuka immediately noticed the shift in Ibara's expression. Her cheerful demeanor soured in an instant.
Ibara sighed and pulled out her phone, clicking her tongue as she checked her messages.
Itsuka hesitated. "Ah, sorry for bringing it up~"
Before she could finish, Ibara turned to her, realizing she hadn't answered the question.
"I'm sorry for ignoring you for a second, Kendo," she said, bowing slightly.
"No, no! You don't have to apologize, Shaozaki. I was just curious since we were in the same test area, and he helped me during the exam," Itsuka reassured her, waving her hands.
"Ai helped you?" Ibara tilted her head, looking at her curiously. "He actually went out of his way to help you? Is that why he got rescue points?"
Itsuka blinked in confusion. "What do you mean, Shaozaki? You make it sound like your best friend wouldn't help someone in need."
Ibara winced, realizing she had unintentionally given the wrong impression.
"No, no! That's not what I meant! He's a good guy. He just... knew this was an exam, and since he was in synchronize with me, I figured he wouldn't go out of his way to exhaust himself. He's a good person, he's just... a bit odd sometimes."
Itsuka chuckled. "Hey, friends can be odd sometimes. He saved me during the exam, so I'm sure he's a good guy."
Ibara sighed in relief, grateful for Itsuka's optimism.
"But seriously, what's up with that?" Itsuka gestured toward her. "You don't have to answer, but I'm just curious."
Ibara hesitated for a moment before sighing. 'Might as well tell her.'
"He made it into the hero course. Actually, he placed fourth."
Itsuka's eyes widened. That actually made sense. If she had ranked first by following his actions, then it was only logical that he had placed high as well.
But...
"Wait, fourth? What was the fourth-place score again? 50 villain points and 25 rescue points... for a total of 75?"
Itsuka frowned. 'He got the second-highest villain score, and I had 65 rescue points for saving Kodai, but he only got 25? That doesn't seem fair. He practically did all the work back then assisting me, catching me, and rescuing Kodai at the same time.'
She shook her head, pushing the thoughts aside.
"He left early this morning, but he's not here yet. He said he's on his way, but he won't tell me where he is. I'm worried he'll get in trouble if he's late on the first day."
Itsuka blinked at the sight of Ibara fidgeting with her phone.
"He won't tell you where he is? Do you have any idea?"
Ibara let out an exasperated sigh. "I have a guess, but it's annoying that he's prioritizing something else over U.A. His future is at stake here!"
Itsuka nodded in understanding. U.A. was the top hero school, and it was a privilege to be accepted. The fact that someone would risk their place on the first day was bizarre.
Just then, Ibara came to a halt in front of a large door with "1-B" painted on it.
"Um, Kendo, I think this is our classroom."
"Oh yeah, here it is. Shall we go in?"
Ibara glanced at her phone one last time before nodding.
Itsuka slid the door open and stepped inside. As she took in the sight of the classroom, a wide smile formed on her face. 'This is real. I am officially a U.A. student.'
All the hard work, sleepless nights, and training had paid off. She was here.
The classroom was already filled with students, all buzzing with excitement for their first day.
As Itsuka scanned the room, she noticed Ibara sighing worriedly. '@I guess the lilac-haired boy still isn't here...'
Before she could say anything, a cheerful voice greeted her.
"Hello there! Sis, welcome to 1-B! Name's Setsuna Tokage."
Itsuka smiled at the green-haired girl who had enthusiastically greeted them.
"Hi, Tokage. I'm Itsuka Kendo."
"And I'm Ibara Shaozaki. Nice to meet you, Tokage-san," Ibara added politely.
Setsuna grinned, her sharp teeth giving her an almost mischievous look. She had just started making small talk when another person approached the trio.
"S-Shaozaki... glad to see you again."
Ibara gasped in realization she had completely forgotten that Kinoko Komori was also in their class.
"Komori! I'm happy to see you again too. Congrats on passing the exam!"
Ibara stepped closer to her shorter friend, gently taking her hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze.
Kinoko couldn't help but smile joyfully. Not only had she made it into her dream school, but she also had a friend who knew about her Quirk and didn't seem the least bit disgusted by it.
,'Things are already looking so much better compared to middle school...'
But...
Her gaze shifted toward the classroom door, her excitement fading slightly as she scanned the room.
She was waiting for someone.
Yet, no one else entered.
Ibara noticed the way Kinoko's smile faltered as she anxiously glanced around.
"S-Shaozaki, where is Aino? I saw his name in the rankings... is he not in our class?"
Ibara's eyes widened slightly before her expression darkened. She sighed, remembering her best friend's whereabouts.
She looked at Kinoko and sighed dejectedly.
"No, Ai is in our class... it's just that it seems like he's going to be late. He said he's near U.A., but he won't tell me how close he is."
"Oh, oh... that sounds bad. Did something happen to him?" Kinoko asked, worry evident in her tone.
Ibara smiled slightly at her new friend. Kinoko had such a kind soul, already concerned about that idiot.
"Don't worry, Komori." Ibara shook her head, trying to ease the mushroom girl's concern. "Ai is on his way. He'll be fine."
"So... you two already know each other?"
The two girls jumped slightly when a third voice suddenly joined their conversation.
"Oops! Sorry, didn't mean to startle you both!" Setsuna clapped her hands together, looking apologetic.
"I-It's f-fine... d-don't worry a-about it," Kinoko stammered, clearly not used to talking to new people.
Ibara took Kinoko's hand again, gently pulling her closer toward her and Itsuka.
"Yes, we became friends during the exam. Her name is Kinoko Komori," Ibara said, introducing her properly.
Kinoko hesitantly raised her hand and gave a small wave.
"Komori, this is Kendo. I met her during the written exam," Ibara continued.
"Sup! Nice to meet you, Komori!" Itsuka greeted with a warm smile.
"I also just met Tokage. I hope we all become good friends," Ibara added.
She squeezed Kinoko's hand slightly to help ease her nerves.
"Heya! Setsuna Tokage here just call me Set or Setsuna! We're gonna be classmates for the next three years, so let's just skip the formalities, yeah? What do you think, Kinoko, Ibara, and Itsuka?"
The four girls exchanged glances before nodding in agreement.
"I'm fine with that. How about you, Ibara? Kinoko?" Itsuka asked, liking the idea of being more casual with her classmates.
"I would be happy to call you by your names, Itsuka, Setsuna, and Komori. I'd also be happy if you all addressed me by mine," Ibara said with a small smile.
"I-I would like that too... Ibara, I-Itsuka, S-Setsuna," Kinoko replied nervously, hoping they wouldn't change their minds about being friends once they found out what her Quirk was.
"GREAT! That's four hotties in a group already! Now we just need to convince the other girls to join us!" Setsuna grinned mischievously as she scanned the room.
The four girls continued chatting, occasionally introducing themselves to other students, when a blond-haired boy suddenly made his presence known.
"Oh? If it isn't Ms. Itsuka Kendo, the top scorer of this year's entrance exam."
With a smug grin, the boy flicked his bangs dramatically before striding toward the group.
"And if I heard correctly, this lady here is Ibara Shaozaki the one who took second place?"
He spread his arms and looked around as if demanding the class's attention.
"Both the first and second place scorers in our class? This just proves that Class 1-B is superior among the first years!"
The boy turned his gaze back to Itsuka and held out his hand for a handshake.
"Neito Monoma. It's an honor to be in the same class as this year's top students."
Itsuka tried her best not to scowl in front of her new classmates.
She didn't appreciate how this blond-haired boy had suddenly inserted himself into the conversation, drawing attention to her and Ibara in the process.
Glancing at her side, she saw that even Ibara looked a bit uncomfortable with all the eyes on her.
'Sighing,' Itsuka took his hand and shook it briefly.
"Itsuka Kendo. This is Shaozaki, Setsuna, and Kinoko. Nice to meet you, Monoma-san."
Monoma's grin widened as he turned to offer his hand to the others.
But unlike Itsuka, Ibara didn't accept the handshake. Instead, she simply gave a polite bow.
"Nice to meet you, Monoma-san."
Itsuka noticed the slight falter in Monoma's smile when the rest of the girls merely waved at him instead of shaking his hand.
Awkwardly, the blond-haired boy pretended nothing had happened and continued talking.
Meanwhile, Kinoko and Ibara scooted their way toward their seats, ignoring Monoma as he turned his focus toward Itsuka and Setsuna who were now stuck listening to him go on about Class 1-B's superiority.
"Shaozaki, class is about to start... why isn't Aino here yet?" Kinoko asked worriedly.
Hearing her concern, Ibara immediately pulled out her phone and opened her messenger app. Her eyes quickly landed on an unread message from her best friend.
"I'm in Musutafu now, near U.A. I'll be there in a minute. - Eve :)"
Upon reading his text, Ibara's fingers flew across the keyboard, typing furiously.
Near U.A.? You're supposed to be here now! Class is about to start, Ai! What in the name of pineapple are you doing that's more important than U.A.? Where exactly are you!?
Kinoko watched as Ibara typed aggressively. From the way her fingers moved, one might think the phone was a villain in disguise, and she was trying to defeat it.
"Tch. He won't answer my call. Ai can be so infuriating sometimes."
Ibara pocketed her phone and took a deep breath, trying to calm herself when she noticed Kinoko watching her with concern.
Realizing she hadn't actually answered Kinoko's question, she sighed and apologized.
"Sorry, Komori, I forgot to answer you. Ai said he's near U.A... I just don't know
how close. He wouldn't lie to me, so he's probably on campus by now."
The mushroom girl nodded, relieved at least a little. She hoped Aino would make it in time. The last thing she wanted was for her first real friend to get in trouble on his very first day.
Both Ibara and Kinoko were pulled from their thoughts when the classroom door suddenly slid open.
"MAGGOTS! STOP WASTING TIME AND ENERGY AND GET TO YOUR SEATS! THIS IS U.A.'S HERO COURSE.WE ONLY ACCEPT STUDENTS WHO TAKE HEROICS SERIOUSLY!"
The entire class jumped at the loud voice of their new teacher before scrambling to their seats.
'Oh, Father, give me the patience not to strangle Ai the moment he walks in here... Not even a second into class, and he's already in trouble,' Ibara thought, closing her eyes in exasperation.
'Oh no... Aino, where are you? This teacher looks like he could snap a student in half' Kinoko thought, wide-eyed in horror.
End of Chapter 9