[One Week Later]
—Shinkou Academy Dorm—
Renji walked out of the bathroom to see a small envelope at the front of his dorm's door.
It definitely wasn't there earlier when he woke up, but that didn't matter since he was pretty sure he knew what was in the envelope.
Drying his hair with a towel, Renji crouched down to grab the envelope and moved to sit on his bed.
Not trying to wait longer than needed, he unceremoniously ripped it open to find a small card.
Holding in his hand, the card lit up in a brilliant show of lights as a hologram appeared out of thin air.
"Greetings, Kanzaki Renji!" A shrill voice blared from the hologram.
Standing in front of Renji was a hologram of Nezu, the principal of U.A. High School.
"We here at U.A. High are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into the Hero Course!" Nezu continued.
"Your written and practical scores have been thoroughly reviewed," He said cheerfully, his little paws clasped behind his back as he paced across the glowing projection.
"You displayed remarkable combat capability and tactical thinking during the examination, earning a grand total of 107 Points! However—"
The hologram paused, Nezu's sharp eyes twinkling with mischief.
"True heroism is not measured in strength alone. Your efforts in defeating the Zero-Pointer has awarded you 60 Rescue Points. These points were awarded by our faculty who observed your conduct carefully."
A chart of Renji's combined scores materialized in the air, the glowing numbers high and mighty.
"Congratulations, Kanzaki-kun!" Nezu explained, "You have officially achieved the highest score on the entrance exam in history!"
"With a combined total of 167 points, you have officially secured your place in Hero Course, Class 1-A."
A grin tugged at Renji's lips. It was about time they revealed his scores.
Nezu's voice grew warmer as he finished his announcement. "Welcome to U.A. High School, Kanzaki Renji. We look forward to seeing how far you will go on your path to becoming a Pro Hero. Orientation begins April 8th, so do not be late!"
With that, the projection gave a polite bow before vanishing into the card, leaving the room quiet once more.
Renji stared at the now dim card resting on his palm, the faint smile still etched on his face.
"Looks like I'm in for quite the ride."
—
[~1 Month Later]
—House, Musutafu—
"Yeah!" Renji screamed out, lifting his arms in the air with exictement. "We're finally done!"
"Wow that took way too long." Yamamoto said gruffly, wiping the sweat off his brow.
Weeks after the exam, Renji had told Emi that he was planning on buying a house in Musutafu.
That really shocked her, she knew he was doing well financially, but to buy a house at such a young age? Honestly, it made Emi consider if she made the wrong career choice.
Anyways, after Emi forced that little tidbit of information out of Renji, she insisted that she and Yamamoto-san would come and help out once his time at Shinkou ended and he moved out.
Unbeknownst to them, Renji had bought all kinds of furniture to spruce up the place. It was quite a large place too, being so close to U.A. High School meant that the houses nearby were all luxurious and would require a lot of furniture.
The place Renji had bought was a 3LDK home with a tatami room, a large garden in the back, and a small overhead parking space.
A narrow stone path led from the front gate to the genkan, where a small overhang sheltered the entryway. Compared to the cramped apartments lining most of Musutafu, the place felt spacious and almost luxurious
Inside, the first floor opened into a bright living–dining room, sunlight pouring in from sliding glass doors that connected to a spacious backyard garden.
The trio had already placed a brand new sofa set and a low table there, contrasting nicely with the island kitchen tucked away neatly along the back wall.
Just off the main hallway was a compact bathroom, complete with a separate room for a standing shower and sink, tucked neatly beside the staircase for convenience.
To the side was a six-tatami guest room, its paper-screen doors and woven mats giving the modern house a quiet, traditional charm.
Upstairs, three bedrooms spread out along a wide hall. The master had its own balcony overlooking the yard, while the other two were still bare, waiting to be filled.
A deep soaking tub gleamed in the bathroom, the kind of luxury most students could only dream of.
In the backyard, Renji had gone a little overboard, already planting a neat stretch of grass and a young cherry blossom tree, something he said would "look badass when it blooms."
Overall, the house had started to become very homey. Renji's last living space had been pretty bare since he already had plans of one day buying his own house.
It was satisfying to see all of his work come to fruition, even if it had taken quite a while.
"Man, I'm starving." Yamamoto complained as he laid down face up on the couch in the living room while Renji moved toward the bathroom.
It had taken the trio the better part of the day to place all the furniture, plants, and paintings.
Emi had taken it upon herself to go to the grocery store to bring back some ingredients for dinner while the guys finished up the final touches.
Pulling up his phone from his pocket, Yamamoto tapped into his locator app, scanning it to find out if Emi was on her way back.
"Hey, Renji-kun!" He called out while holding the phone above his head. "Emi is—"
"Here!" An excited voice penetrated the house as Emi walked in through the doorway with multiple bags of groceries.
"Welcome back," Renji said, walking out of the restroom and towards Emi to take the bags to the kitchen.
Letting Renji take over, Emi slipped her shoes off and bounced towards one of the island kitchen counter's seat.
"I went all out!" she said excitedly, gesturing at the pile of bags. "We've got everything we need for a proper housewarming feast!"
Taking a peek inside the bags, Renji's eyes widened in response. "Wow, you weren't kidding."
"Only the best for my dear nephew~!" Emi replied with a grin.
"I'll handle the cooking tonight." Renji said, already moving to prepare the ingredients.
"What?!" Emi and Yamamoto yelled, the latter raising his head above the couch to peek over at him.
"I can let you do that," Emi said, pulling the bags away, trying to stop him. "Let us cook for you, Renji. This is supposed to be your celebration."
"Yeah, I know." Renji replied dryly, yanking the bags back toward him. "I like cooking, consider it my treat."
Both of the adults looked into Renji's confident eyes and eventually conceded.
"Fine." Yamamoto sighed, shrugging his shoulders. "At least let us set the table, kid."
"Sure thing." Renji had already brought out the cutting board and knife set he bought earlier that day.
The kitchen quickly came alive with the rhythmic sound of chopping as Renji worked with ease, slicing vegetables with clean precision before moving on to the meats.
The sizzling of oil soon followed, the rich aroma of garlic and soy sauce drifting through the living room and pulling Yamamoto up from the couch despite his exhaustion.
"Since when could you cook this well?" He asked with a puzzled expression.
"It's not that hard to do," Renji said offhandedly, flipping the pan.
Emi leaned against the counter, her eyes narrowing as she studied him. "Not that hard? You're cooking like pro, Renji. Don't act like this is normal for a high schooler."
"Exactly," Yamamoto added, shaking his head as he set down the plates and utensils. "When I was your age, my idea of cooking was burning instant noodles."
Renji smirked but didn't answer, focusing instead on seasoning the meat with quick, precise movements.
The sound of sizzling filled the kitchen, blending with the faint hum of the refrigerator and the soft creak of the new house settling into itself.
"Oh!" Renji suddenly said, realizing he had forgotten something. "I forgot to tell you that I invited a friend over."
"You did?" Yamamoto asked, grabbing an extra pair of utensils. "Will they be here soon?"
"Yeah," Renji nodded as he maneuvered around the kitchen. "She's already here actually."
Emi's head snapped toward Renji like a lion about to pounce on it's prey. "She?!"
Ding Dong
The doorbell rang out before Renji could respond. "Can you get that?"
Emi shot up from her seat, eyes narrowing with the intensity of a detective who'd just sniffed out a lead.
"Renji…" she said slowly, her voice dropping into a dangerous tone. "You didn't think to mention this earlier?"
Renji didn't even flinch, casually flipping the food in the pan. "I figured it'd be a nice surprise."
Yamamoto groaned, already heading toward the entryway. "Kid, you're giving your aunt a heart attack."
"Stop calling me that!" Emi yelled, "It makes me sound old."
"Haha," Yamamoto laughed as he neared the door. "Think of it as making you sound mature."
The lock clicked, and Yamamoto pulled the door open.
"AAH!" A scream tore through the house as he fell back onto his butt.
Standing before him was… an invisible girl?
Emi rushed over, grabbing his arm to haul him up. "What's wrong with you?!"
Yamamoto jabbed a finger at the doorway, eyes wide. "Th-There's clothes… floating there!"
Sure enough, a young girl's outfit stood in the doorway, her jacket, skirt, and shoes visible, but her body itself completely invisible.
"Uh… hi!" she said cheerfully, waving. Her voice carried a hint of embarrassment.
Renji, still at the stove, didn't bother turning around. "Come on, Hagakure. Stop freaking them out and come in already."
The floating clothes moved forward, and Emi instinctively stepped closer to make sure Yamamoto was steady. "Oh… wow," she murmured, still wide-eyed. "That's… interesting."
Renji flipped the pan with a grin. "She's a friend. Don't worry, she's harmless."
Yamamoto shook his head with a sigh, muttering, "I've officially seen everything now."
Emi peeked at Hagakure's floating clothes, her eyebrows twitching in disbelief. "I can see your clothes, but everything else?"
She rubbed her temples. "Renji, you really didn't warn us about this?"
Renji finally glanced over his shoulder with a grin. "What a surprise right?"
Hagakure gave a small laugh, the sound coming from midair. "I promise I'm not scary! And wow, your place is amazing!" She floated a few steps into the living room, moving carefully so she wouldn't knock over anything.
Emi's wide eyes softened a bit, though her voice still had that nervous lilt. "You're a friend of Renji's, huh?"
"Yep." Renji said, returning to the stove. "She's really cool. And I invited her over for dinner."
Yamamoto, still settling onto a chair, muttered under his breath, "I don't know whether to eat or faint…"
Hagakure twirled in place, her skirt swaying as she did. "I can't believe you actually bought a house, Renji! And look at the size of your backyard! This is incredible!"
Emi took a cautious step closer to the floating clothes, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Well, I guess it's nice to meet you, Hagakure-chan. Even if this might be a little strange."
Hagakure beamed. "It's nice to meet you too! I'll try not to scare you any more than I already have."
Renji chuckled as he finished preparing the food. "Alright, you two, go ahead and settle down. Dinner's almost ready."
The once quiet house now buzzed with warmth and laughter, the easy flow of conversation weaving naturally between the four of them.
The original plan was for them to celebrate Renji's purchase of the house but after hearing Hagakure explain that she and Renji had gotten accepted into U.A, the atmosphere seemed to become even more celebratory.
Well, it would have been if not for the fact that they had received their letters of acceptance ages ago and Renji had not told anyone about it.
"What the fuck?" Emi blurted out, food falling from her chopsticks. "Hagakure-chan, when did you get your letter?"
Hagakure brought a finger to her chin in contemplation, recalling exactly when she had been notified of her acceptance. "I think it was about a month ago?"
Emi froze once Hagakure finished her sentence, eyes shining like lasers into Renji's skull.
Meanwhile, Renji was just eating his home cooked meal without a care in the world, almost as if ignoring Emi would make the problem go away.
Before Yamamoto could de-escalate the situation, Emi launched herself like a rocket towards Renji, who swiftly dodged in a smooth fashion.
Picking herself up from the floor, Emi yelled incessantly. "You're supposed to tell me about these things, Renji!"
Renji calmly set his bowl down, dabbing at the corner of his mouth with a napkin as if Emi hadn't just tried to tackle him across the dining table.
"I was going to tell you," he said evenly, eyes glinting with mischief, "later."
"Later?!" Emi's voice cracked, half outrage and half disbelief. "You've been accepted into the most prestigious hero school in the country, and you didn't think that was important enough to share?!"
Hagakure giggled from her seat at the dinner table, shoulders shaking in amusement.
Yamamoto pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering, "Here we go…"
Hagakure raised both hands comically, her sleeves flapping in the air. "Sorry, I didn't mean to cause trouble. I just thought, surely you knew already…"
Renji leaned back in his chair, completely unbothered. "See? Even Hagakure assumed you'd already figured it out. Not my fault."
Emi's jaw dropped. "Not your—Renji!"
She lunged again, but this time Yamamoto caught her by the back of her shirt before she could do anything. "Easy, tiger. You'll knock over the food. I'm kind of surprised you didn't the first time."
Emi let out a long, defeated sigh as Yamamoto eased her back into her chair. She picked up her chopsticks again, though the twitch in her eye betrayed her irritation.
"Unbelievable," she muttered, stabbing at her food. "Absolutely unbelievable."
Renji, smug as ever, calmly took another bite as if nothing had happened.
Hagakure tried to lighten the mood, her airy laugh filling the space. "Well, at least we know Renji's great at surprises?"
Yamamoto groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "Great at driving people insane is more like it."
Despite herself, Emi's lips twitched. The frustration still lingered, but between Hagakure's cheer and Yamamoto's grumbling, the edge of her anger dulled.
With the situation now under control, the four of them slowly slipped back into an easy rhythm.
This is pretty nice, Renji thought as he watched his guests converse and enjoy the food he cooked.
For the first time today, the new house felt like a proper home.