Chapter Text
Shinsou Hitoshi didn’t have a single minute to rest. He had been given the chance to join the hero course and though that made him closer to his dream, he had to work twice as hard to catch up to his new classmates in class A. And his hard work had finally paid off, since he was now on his way to a stadium in Osaka, ready to take his provisional license exam with the hero students of first year. As a second year student himself, he didn’t know them very well, so he planned to survive the test on his own, instead of teaming up. Though the students in class A were very friendly and no one seemed to dislike him because of his quirk, he was still wary of others. He couldn’t help it, years and years of being a loner was something he couldn’t shake off so easily.
He had heard from Midoriya that it was likely students knew of his quirk, because of his participation in the sports festival. He was okay with this, he had improved so much since his appearance there. Soon enough, the teacher announced they had arrived. It was time.
Students from so many different hero schools were there, but Shinsou wasn’t that interested in meeting anyone there. Maybe it was nerves or a secret hope that he would get lost in the sea of students, so he wouldn’t be considered a threat by them. Shinsou hated to be minimized by others, but he had learned that it was the best position to be in, since no one would be expecting him.
In the battlefield, he learned that others did know what his quirk was, but since many schools fought in teams, he could always confuse them with his vocal cords, gaining points quietly but at a very quick pace. Soon enough, his name was announced on the speakers and he made his way to the resting area. He knew Eraser Head wasn’t there watching over him, but he silently hoped he was. He imagined what he would say, giving praise and criticism alike, all with a neutral face.
He was finally in front of the doors of the resting area, along with other students who had gained the first part of the exam. He vaguely remembered hearing their names, but he didn’t recognize them at all.
“Your quirk is very cool” A girl next to him spoke. He wasn’t sure if she was talking to him, so he stayed in silence, staring at the door which was finally opening. He walked inside, and as he took one of the beverages they were offering to the students, he noticed the girl had followed him there. Well, actually, she almost made him drop his water all over himself, when she started talking to him. “I saw how you used your quirk with those students outside, if it wasn’t for my good senses, my classmates would have fallen trap of your trick. It’s really impressive”
Shinsou knew it was appropriate to look people in the eyes when speaking to them, so he turned his head to look at this girl who had struck a conversation with him out of nowhere. He had noticed the white hair, but had missed the ears that struck out of her head, ears like those of a cat, that were previously hidden under her hat, which she now held in her hands. Her hero suit consisted of a simple crop top and a skirt, all white. It reminded him of Yaoyorozu’s suit, whose designers seemed to put aesthetics on top of practicality or protection.
“Oh you must be so confused, I started talking with you out of nowhere! I’m sorry, I’ll introduce myself. My name is Nekozawa Rose and I’m from Shiketsu High” She smiled at him.
“I’m Shinsou Hitoshi from UA. ” He simply stated, but did make the effort to smile at her, though he wondered if he looked awkward doing it. “What kind of quirk do you have? I mean, you did mention you had good senses, Nekozawa-san” What was he even saying?
“Just call me Rose, I don’t like how my last name sounds” She said, wrinkling her nose. “I thought it was obvious by how I look, but I have like a cat quirk. So I can do anything a cat does? It’s not as cool as being able to brainwash people”
“You think my quirk is cool? Don’t you think it’s scary, since I could make you or anyone do whatever I wanted?”
“I mean, it clearly can be used for something bad, but it’s the same for most quirks. Besides, you wouldn’t be here if you didn’t want to use your quirk to help people, right?” She said but all he could do was nod along. He had heard the same thing from his classmates, but somehow as Rose stared at him with those big golden eyes of hers, it meant so much more to him, though he couldn’t understand why.
He was about to ask her about the intricacies of her quirk, when a girl wearing the characteristic Shiketsu hat walked up to them.
“I’m sorry, Rose, but the class president is asking everyone to regroup, the second phase is probably going to start soon. Also, I don’t think I need to remind you of Shiketsu’s rules, right? ” The girl said, pointing to her hat, which Rose quickly put on her head again. But Shinsou almost missed the action, his mind running with the idea he had lost all the time he had in the resting area just talking, instead of preparing for the next phase of the exam. While talking to Rose, his mind had totally checked out from the exam, which wasn’t something he usually did.
“Yeah, sure, I’ll be there in a minute” The girl shook her head, clearly indicating she had to leave with her at that moment. Rose turned to him. “It seems like I have to go, but please do look for me when the test is over! And good luck, Shinsou-san!” Rose said and waved her hand enthusiastically before leaving with her classmate.
Despite the distraction, he managed to get back into the right mindset just in time for the second phase. Though the second part was very collaborative and he managed to catch a glance of several Shiketsu students, he didn’t see Rose anywhere. But maybe it was best like that, since for an unknown reason, he had been completely absorbed by their small conversation before, something he knew wasn’t something that could happen in the test or in the battlefield, for that matter.
After what felt like an eternity, the second phase was over and now changed into their uniforms, the students waited for the results to be announced on the big screen. He skimmed the list, quickly finding his name. He was finally in the same starting line as his classmates in the class 2-A. He also saw Nekozawa’s name in the list, but still didn’t see her anywhere.
Some students were booming with energy outside of the stadium, cheering over passing the exam, while others were comforted by their peers or teachers, over their failure. After all, the exam had only gotten more and more difficult as the years passed. Shinsou had to be proud that despite being a simple general studies student a year ago, now he belonged to the selected few who had gotten their hero licence.
“Shinsou-san, congratulations!” Said Rose, appearing out of nowhere, which seemed to be a common thing for her. Her voice was loud and excessively clear, maybe a way to mask an almost imperceptible accent, but he was sure he would have to ask her to teach him about stealth, since she seemed to move in such a quiet way that put even Hagakure to shame.
“Congratulations to you as well, Rose-san” He gave her a small smile.
“Can I see your license? Let’s swap, you can see mine as well!” She offered the plastic ID to him and he gave her his license without thinking. “I don’t think I look good though, my hair was all over the place”
He looked down and despite Rose’s comment, he thought she looked fine, with a huge smile that showed her sharp canines. She looked pretty, if he was allowed to think so. He wondered what she thought of his license. He hadn’t been too preoccupied with his picture, the end goal a lot more important, but for some reason now he wondered if maybe he should have checked it before giving it away. He knew cameras would often highlight his eyebags, and despite Kaminari once saying he looked like he was popular with girls, he had never seen it happen in his lifetime so far.
“Oh, you look good! So mysterious-looking, in a good way” She said, her eyes still fixated on the license.
“Uhhh, you also look nice in your picture and your hair looks good” He said, internally asking if that was a weird compliment to give. But she didn’t mind, giving him a big smile, before asking him about the second phase. For someone who usually had to be quick on his feet to make conversation with anyone, since his quirk depended on it, he found she was better than him at making conversation, so this was again another thing she seemed to be better at. Where was Midoriya with one of his damned notebooks when it was needed?
Still, he tried to ask more questions, telling himself he couldn’t let the conversation become one sided, but also to satisfy his own curiosity about the girl standing in front of him. So he asked her about his role in the last phase of the exam, of her school and her hero suit.
“So it’s not just a crop top and a skirt, but it also has a protective base under it?” He asked.
“Of course! It would be so dangerous for me to go into the battlefield without proper protection. So yes, my suit is cute because the media doesn’t like heroines who wear too many clothes or say protection looks bulky and “unsexy” but that’s why the support students came up with these almost invisible pieces we wear under our suits to keep us protected. So despite how it looks, my suit can protect me from bullets, fire, everything. I get the surprise though, I’m certain your UA classmates surely use something a lot more advanced, maybe nanotech or something” He was surprised, that was true, but at that moment he didn’t know how to tell her that his female classmates had nothing of the sort. Were they really the top hero school if their students weren’t really properly equipped? He would have to mention this to them and to Eraser Head.
But before he could mention this, the same Shiketsu classmate from last time approached Rose. Was it their time to leave?
“Rose, you disappeared again! We have been looking for you for a while!” She said, exasperated. “No time for goodbyes, let’s go, Mr. Suzuki isn’t in a good mood. Besides, I don’t think I have to remind you of the school’s policy, right?” She looked at Shinsou, before looking back at Rose. What was that about? Rose was wearing her uniform, including the hat. What more rules did Shiketsu have?
This classmate seemed to be very strong, since she pulled Rose’s arm without the latter being able to resist, resigning to waving Shinsou goodbye as she was dragged away.
He didn’t had much time to react to anything, as a first year appeared to take him to the bus back to UA. And it wasn’t until he was in his seat that he noticed that the license on his hands wasn’t his, but Rose’s. They had never exchanged them back and they had both left without exchanging a single contact info. How was he now supposed to explain he did get his license but didn’t have it with him?