It was a week after the entrance exam. Rei sat perched on the kitchen stool, elbows on the counter, idly spinning a spoon between his fingers. The faint hum of the refrigerator was the only sound in the otherwise still apartment.
The front door clicked open, and Aizawa stepped in—same tired eyes, same unreadable expression as always.
"Hey, Aizawa."
"Hey," he replied simply, shrugging off his capture scarf. "I got something for you, Rei."
From his coat pocket, Aizawa produced a white envelope and set it on the counter in front of him.
In bold black letters, it read: "U.A. High School".
Rei's gaze lingered on the words, fingers brushing over the seal. "Is this… what I think it is?" he asked, voice even, though his eyes sharpened in focus.
Aizawa's lip twitched—almost a smile—but he kept his tone flat. "Go open it in your room."
Rei rose from the stool and took the letter with deliberate care. He turned toward the hall, his steps steady, but Aizawa caught the faintest trace of anticipation in his posture—just enough to betray what his face did not.
Rei closed the door and sat down on the edge of his bed, the faint click of the latch sounding louder than usual in the quiet room.
There it was. His future—sealed inside a thin paper envelope—resting in his hands.
It looked so ordinary, yet the bold UA High School printed across the front made it feel like it weighed ten kilos.
He'd crushed the test. That much he was sure of. But that didn't make the answer any less of a mystery. U.A. was U.A.—passing wasn't guaranteed, even for those who thought they'd done well.
Rei turned the envelope over once… twice… then carefully slid a thumb under the flap and tore it open with slow precision.
Instead of papers, a small, circular disk slid out onto his palm. He frowned, turning it over. It was cool to the touch, its surface smooth and seamless except for a tiny projection lens in the center.
A faint hum broke the silence, and a soft blue glow expanded into the air above it. The light sharpened—until a towering figure came into focus.
A figure everyone in Japan knew.
The number one hero.
The Symbol of Peace.
All Might.
"I AM HERE… as a holographic projection!" the figure boomed, voice so full of energy that Rei felt like his tiny room had suddenly grown stadium-sized.
Rei blinked at the display, momentarily forgetting to breathe.All Might? Why is he in this?
As if on cue, the projection leaned in. "I know you might be wondering, 'All Might? Why is he here?', right?"
Rei stared. Spot on.
"Well, I have great news! Starting now, I am a teacher at U.A., training the next generation of heroes!" All Might's smile widened, practically glowing in the blue holographic light.
Woah. Rei reached for his water bottle without thinking and took a long sip, never taking his eyes off the projection.
"Anyways, let me get straight to the point, Young Rei." All Might's massive frame shifted closer, holding up a sheet covered in numbers and charts.
Rei leaned forward, heart rate rising.
"Congratulations, Young Rei! On top of getting second place in the written test, you scored first in the practical test! You managed…" All Might paused, squinting at the paper as though double-checking.
"…75 points!"
The booming voice nearly made Rei's desk rattle.
Seventy-five? Rei tilted his head slightly. That's probably good…
"That already puts you above everyone else. Amazing work, Young Rei!"
Rei blinked. Wait… 'already'? What else is there?
"However!" All Might continued, his finger raised like he was delivering a sermon to the world. "U.A. doesn't only look for people with combat capabilities. In the practical exam, you showed excellent heroic potential—you went out of your way to help injured examinees, those who were in tough situations, and those in real danger. This… is exactly what U.A. looks for in a hero!"
Rei's brow furrowed slightly. That won't count towards my villain points, would it?
The hologram's grin widened even further. "You must be saying, 'That won't count towards the villain points?'"
Rei sat back slowly. How is he doing that…? For a fleeting second, he wondered if The Symbol of Peace secretly had some kind of mind-reading quirk.
"You would be correct!" All Might said with a nod. "Which is why U.A. introduced a second way of scoring—'Rescue Points.' And you, Young Rei, have earned… 50 rescue points!"
Rei felt his chest tighten.
"In total," All Might's voice rose to a triumphant crescendo, "that's 125 points! The most in U.A. Entrance Exam history!"
Rei just sat there, staring at the floating projection as the number sank in.
125 points.
The most in U.A. history.
It didn't feel real—like the words were meant for someone else, and he was just overhearing them.
All Might straightened up on the hologram, his booming voice somehow even louder than before. "With that, Young Rei, it is my pleasure to inform you that you have been accepted into U.A. High School's Hero Course! We look forward to seeing what you can achieve!"
The projection flickered once, then cut to U.A.'s crest, hanging in the air for a moment before the disk powered down with a soft click.
Rei leaned back in his chair, holding the now-dark device in his hands. The weight of it felt strange—not heavy, but solid, like it carried more than just metal and circuits.
"You alright?" Aizawa's voice came from the doorway, calm as ever—but there was something different this time. He leaned against the frame, arms crossed, and on his face… a faint, unmistakable smile. The kind of smile very few people ever got to see.
"...Yeah," Rei said after a long pause. His voice was steady, but his mind was still spinning. One hundred and twenty-five points… the highest in history. "I got in." He turned slightly toward Aizawa, still trying to process it all. "But… you probably knew that already."
Aizawa's smile deepened just enough to be noticeable. "Knew it from the start. Well done, Rei."
Rei scratched the back of his neck, a rare hint of shyness creeping in. "It's thanks to you, Aizawa."
"No." Aizawa pushed off the frame, stepping into the room. "It's your own hard work that brought you here." He rested a hand on Rei's shoulder, his gaze firm but not cold. "Don't downplay your abilities."
Rei swallowed, then nodded more seriously this time. "Right…"
The two stood in silence for a few moments—not awkward, but familiar. The kind of silence they'd grown used to.
Eventually, Rei brushed the hand off with a small grin. "So… what do you think about me going to U.A.?"
"I think you'll do fine," Aizawa replied, moving toward the door.
Rei smirked faintly. "Just hope Present Mic won't scream into my ears at eight in the morning."
That earned a low chuckle from Aizawa, who said nothing more.
"...Right?" Rei narrowed his eyes at him, practically drilling a hole through his skull.
Aizawa didn't even glance back. The lack of a response told Rei everything he needed to know.
Rei sighed in defeat and stood up from his bed. Well… I'm ready for U.A., ear-torturing classes or not.