After finishing the practical exam, Kisei Gin sat through the written test, which stretched into the afternoon. Feeling hungry, she rubbed her stomach and randomly picked a ramen shop to serve as today's lunch provider.
Her final practical score was 45 points. If her guess was right, she'd end up with around 50 to 55 total, once any hidden or bonus points were included. That would probably place her in the middle-to-lower range of the top 40. Zanba Hazama likely scored similarly.
According to Enoshima Junko's analysis, U.A. tries to balance classes as much as possible. That meant if she and Hazama ranked too close together, they'd likely be placed in different hero classes. For infiltration missions, being in separate classes was obviously more advantageous than being grouped together.
Having finished the exam, Gin wasn't in a hurry to return home. It had been a long time since she could aimlessly wander around like this. Though she was a top-tier mercenary with seven years of experience, at her core she was still a 15-year-old girl—a 15-year-old who hadn't gone out freely in months. Thanks to Junko, who held the title of "Super High School-Level Gyaru," her style wasn't out of touch, but having been cut off from society for so long, Gin was completely clueless about current high school girl trends.
So now she needed to walk around and find inspiration.
No, she wasn't playing—she was finding inspiration.That's what she told herself after standing in front of a claw machine for 30 minutes.
Another 30 minutes passed. Gin stared at her empty wallet and equally empty hands, sinking into contemplation.
This is a scam. A complete scam.
Gin had been trained to become an elite mercenary since the age of 8, and on missions, she really was excellent. But outside of work, she had a glaring flaw: a fiercely competitive streak.
During missions, she'd retreat without hesitation if the enemy was too strong. But in everyday life, she didn't back down easily. In fact, the stronger her opponent, the more satisfaction and joy she derived from the challenge. She especially loved fighting villains—win or lose, fighting heroes never led to good outcomes.
That guy she fought last time…He was excellent. Fast, experienced, skilled in hand-to-hand combat, with an entire fighting style crafted to match his Quirk—clearly honed for killing. Most importantly, he had a blazing sense of conviction burning in his heart. It had been a long time since she encountered someone like that.
Hmm… what was that outstanding enemy's name again?
Wandering aimlessly through a bookstore, Gin's eyes landed on a newspaper headline from a few days ago featuring the Hero Killer.
Oh, right. Stain. That was his name.
Clutching her now-flattened wallet—ruined by her competitive streak at the claw machine—Gin decided she'd head back before dinner. She had no money left for food anyway.
Her mind replayed the battle with Stain from months ago as she walked absentmindedly through an alley. Suddenly, someone lightly bumped into her shoulder. Realizing she'd been spacing out, Gin immediately apologized.
"Sorry."
The person didn't turn back. He just waved a hand in a dismissive gesture—on that hand was a dirty silver ring.
…That guy was kind of strange.
Gin stopped walking and turned around to examine the person she just passed. His short blue hair looked like it hadn't been groomed in ages. His body was lean—almost too lean for someone who looked about twenty. No matching memory or profile came to mind.
Maybe just my imagination. Gin shook her head and turned to walk away—Then suddenly stopped and bolted in the opposite direction, back toward the alley.
But by the time she returned to the entrance, the man was gone. After considering how hard it was to track someone down on a busy street, she gave up.
That ring he was wearing—It was made from a special alloy that only Gin could manipulate with her Quirk.
Her Quirk, "Silver-White World," allowed her to turn special alloys into liquid metal and control them. The amount and control precision depended on the alloy type—some alloys were easy to manipulate but yielded small quantities; others gave more material but were harder to control. Normal metals like iron, copper, gold, or silver didn't work—only special alloys Gin crafted herself could be controlled.
You might ask: With such strict conditions, how did she even discover her Quirk in the first place?
That's thanks to the secondary effect of her Quirk. Gin could transform materials into controllable special alloys. Each transformation produced about five cubic centimeters of usable alloy that lasted for 72 hours. The process was irreversible and could occur even when Gin wasn't present. Each batch of alloy also had a unique property—but she hadn't figured out how materials influenced those effects.
Naturally, she never let her rare alloys circulate publicly.So why did that man have a ring made from her alloy?
Gin thought about it all the way home and still came up with nothing.
Not enough clues. Might as well let fate sort it out.
Gin, who was surprisingly laid-back in certain ways, shelved the matter and returned to the safe house.
Hazama was already back. She nodded at Gin in greeting.
"Good work. How many points did you get in the practical?" Junko asked right away.
"Just combat? Forty-five. I estimate five to ten for rescue points."
"Very synced up. Hazama's total is probably 50 to 55 too." Junko nodded, satisfied. "Why don't we go out for hotpot to celebrate? On Koharu's tab?"
"Hey!!" yelled the "Phoenix," Koharu, in protest.
Gin knocked on the table."I have something to report. I encountered a very dangerous individual during the practical. His Quirk is powerful mental control, triggered when someone verbally responds to him. It's broken when the controlled person is physically touched, though I'm not sure if force matters. Male. Purple seaweed-like hair, dark circles under his eyes, height about 177 cm."
"A walking truth serum," Junko tilted her head. "Definitely worth preparing for. Think he'll make it into the hero course?"
"Not a chance. But he might get into the general course."
"If so, I'll handle him," Junko smiled.
"Don't push yourself," Hazama added.
After finishing her report, Gin began rummaging through the room.
"What're you looking for, Gin?" Koharu asked.
"A shrine statue."
"…Why?"
"To pray."
"Aren't you an atheist?"
"I am. But this situation needs divine intervention."
"What happened?"
"I ran into an annoying guy during the exam. I threw some sarcasm his way before leaving. Now I'm praying he doesn't get into U.A., or it'll be really awkward if we meet again."
"…Alright then. Good luck finding your god."
Failing to find a statue, Gin gave up on praying.
A few days later, U.A.'s acceptance letters arrived.Unsurprisingly, Gin and Hazama were accepted, ranking 17th and 18th respectively. Gin was placed in Class A, Hazama in Class B.
"Exactly what we hoped for," said Junko, tossing her own general course C-class letter on the table.
"All in the same school, huh. Fateful."
"Misfortune, more like. Nothing special."
"Sigh… soon you'll all leave and I'll be a lonely old lady," lamented Koharu.
"We'll still see each other at night—it's a commuter school," Hazama said seriously.
"Aw, what a shame," Koharu pouted.
"Hazama, how will you design your combat gear?"
"I'll just give them my usual merc uniform."
"Yeah, good idea. I'll do the same."
"You guys get free battle suits?! Are you serious?! Hero course perks are nuts! I want in!"
"You don't even have a Quirk, Junko. Keep dreaming."
"Koharu, zip it. Old ladies shouldn't talk so much."
"Honestly, it's the same as what we already wear. Nothing to be jealous of."
"Still—new clothes are always a joy!" Junko beamed.
Ignoring Junko's pouty declaration that "a girl can never have too many outfits," Gin finished drawing up her design request for her combat suit, including detailed specs.
With this, everything should be in place.Gin rested her head in her hand, looking out the window.
Hurry up and start already. And once it does… let it all be over soon.