One week.
Seven days of waiting, and Rei was starting to lose his mind.
Not in an obvious way—he still went about his routine, still trained every morning, still kept up with his balanced schedule. But the anxiety was there, a constant buzz in the back of his head that wouldn't shut up.
'Did I pass? Did I do enough? What if I miscalculated?'
It was stupid. He knew he'd passed. The math was simple—forty-plus villain points from robot takedowns, plus whatever rescue points he'd earned helping Uraraka and slowing down the zero-pointer. That had to be enough.
But knowing something logically and feeling it emotionally were two different things.
'Welcome to being human again,' Rei thought as he stared at his apartment mailbox for the third time that day. 'Emotions suck.'
It was Friday afternoon, exactly one week after the exam. Rei had just gotten home from his final day at Aldera Junior High—graduation had been yesterday, a boring ceremony where he'd gotten his diploma and immediately left.
No tearful goodbyes. No promises to stay in touch. The original Rei hadn't made friends at Aldera, and the current Rei hadn't changed that.
'Ghost in, ghost out,' he thought. 'Just like always.'
He opened his mailbox.
Bills. Junk mail. A coupon for a ramen place.
No letter from UA.
'Of course not,' Rei sighed. 'They probably send them all at once. Probably later today or tomorrow.'
He headed back upstairs to his apartment, tossed the junk mail in the trash, and tried to distract himself with training prep.
Didn't work.
His mind kept wandering back to the exam. Replaying every moment. Every robot he'd taken down. Every decision he'd made.
'Should I have been more flashy? Less flashy? Did I stand out too much? Not enough?'
The waiting was worse than the actual exam.
Rei was about to head out for an evening training session when his phone buzzed.
A message from an unknown number.
Unknown: Check your mail. Now.
Rei's heart skipped a beat.
He didn't question it. He was out the door and down the stairs in seconds, his enhanced speed making the trip almost instant.
The mailbox was still empty.
'What the—'
Then he heard it. The sound of something mechanical approaching. Loud. Distinctive.
Rei looked up just as a small drone descended from the sky, a package clutched in its mechanical arms. It landed in front of his apartment building, scanned him with a red laser, then deposited the package at his feet before flying away.
The package was thin and rectangular. Official-looking. And stamped with the UA High School logo.
'Here we go.'
Rei picked it up, his hands steadier than he expected, and headed back to his apartment.
He set the package on his kitchen table and stared at it for a solid ten seconds.
'Schrodinger's acceptance letter,' he thought. 'Right now, I both passed and failed.'
'Stop stalling, idiot. Open it.'
Rei tore open the package.
Inside was a small metal disc, about the size of a coaster. The moment he pulled it out, it activated, projecting a hologram into the air above his table.
And there, larger than life, was All Might.
Not the skinny, deflated version that Rei knew existed. The full Symbol of Peace version, all muscles and charisma and that signature smile.
"I AM HERE!" All Might's voice boomed from the projection. "AS A PROJECTION!"
Rei couldn't help it—he smiled. Even knowing this was pre-recorded, even knowing All Might was just reading from a script, the man's presence was magnetic.
"YOUNG MIZUKI!" All Might continued, pointing at the camera. "I HAVE COME TO DELIVER YOUR EXAM RESULTS PERSONALLY! WHY, YOU ASK? BECAUSE AS OF THIS SPRING, I WILL BE WORKING AT UA HIGH SCHOOL AS A TEACHER!"
'Right,' Rei remembered. 'He announced it during the results. Big reveal moment.'
The projection shifted, showing a screen with Rei's exam data.
"NOW THEN! LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR PERFORMANCE!"
The screen displayed two numbers:
VILLAIN POINTS: 45
RESCUE POINTS: ???
"FORTY-FIVE VILLAIN POINTS!" All Might's voice was genuinely impressed. "AN EXCELLENT SCORE! YOU SHOWED GREAT COMBAT ABILITY, STRATEGIC THINKING, AND EFFICIENCY! HOWEVER!"
The screen shifted to show footage from the exam—Rei's perspective, swinging through Battle Center C, taking down robots with clean, precise movements.
'They recorded everything,' Rei realized. 'Of course they did. This is UA.'
"VILLAIN POINTS ALONE DON'T TELL THE WHOLE STORY!" All Might continued. "AT UA, WE VALUE MORE THAN JUST FIGHTING ABILITY! WE VALUE THE SPIRIT OF HEROISM! THE DESIRE TO SAVE OTHERS!"
The footage changed. Now it showed Rei helping Uraraka, pulling her from the rubble. Then swinging at the zero-pointer, webbing its eyes, buying time for civilians to escape.
"WHEN YOU SAW SOMEONE IN DANGER, YOU DIDN'T HESITATE!" All Might's smile was proud. "YOU PUT YOURSELF AT RISK TO HELP A FELLOW EXAMINEE! AND WHEN FACED WITH AN OBSTACLE YOU COULDN'T DEFEAT, YOU ADAPTED! YOU PROTECTED OTHERS!"
The screen updated:
RESCUE POINTS: 38
"THIRTY-EIGHT RESCUE POINTS!" All Might announced. "AWARDED FOR YOUR ACTIONS DURING THE ZERO-POINTER INCIDENT! FOR HELPING AN INJURED EXAMINEE! FOR CREATING AN OPENING FOR OTHERS TO ESCAPE! FOR EMBODYING THE SPIRIT OF A TRUE HERO!"
Rei stared at the number. Thirty-eight rescue points. More than he'd expected.
'That's...' He did the mental math. 'Eighty-three total points. That's gotta be high. Really high.'
All Might's projection continued. "COMBINING YOUR VILLAIN AND RESCUE POINTS, YOUR TOTAL SCORE IS EIGHTY-THREE POINTS!"
The screen shifted again, this time showing a ranking list.
And there, in fourth place, was his name.
4TH PLACE: REI MIZUKI - 83 POINTS
Rei's breath caught.
Fourth place.
Out of hundreds of examinees, he'd placed fourth.
'Holy shit.'
The projection showed the top ten:
1ST PLACE: KATSUKI BAKUGO - 77 VILLAIN, 0 RESCUE - 77 POINTS
'Wait, what?'
Rei blinked. Bakugo got first with only 77 points? But Rei had 83. The math didn't—
Then he saw the note: RANKED BY VILLAIN POINTS, RESCUE POINTS SECONDARY
'Ah,' Rei understood. 'They rank primarily on combat ability. Rescue points are a bonus, but villain points determine placement.'
Which meant technically, by combat score alone, Rei was... he scanned the list.
VILLAIN POINTS RANKING:
1. Katsuki Bakugo - 77
2. Shoto Todoroki - 52
3. Eijiro Kirishima - 50
4. Rei Mizuki - 45
5. Ibara Shiozaki - 42
'Seventh in combat, but fourth overall when rescue points are added,' Rei calculated. 'That's... actually perfect. Strong showing, but not #1 crazy. Exactly what I wanted.'
All Might's projection continued. "YOUNG MIZUKI! YOU HAVE PASSED THE ENTRANCE EXAM! WELCOME TO YOUR HERO ACADEMIA!"
The projection zoomed in on All Might's face, his smile somehow even bigger.
"I LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING WHAT KIND OF HERO YOU'LL BECOME!"
The hologram flickered and died.
Rei sat in silence, staring at the now-dark metal disc.
He'd done it.
He was in.
UA High School, Class 1-A—because there was no way they'd put someone ranked fourth anywhere else.
'I'm actually doing this,' Rei thought. 'I'm actually going to UA. With Midoriya. With Bakugo. With all of them.'
The weight of it settled over him. This wasn't just passing an exam. This was committing to a path. To becoming a hero. To standing alongside people who would one day be the greatest heroes in the world.
'Can I do it?' The doubt crept in. 'Can someone like me—someone who's killed, who's lived in shadows—actually become a hero?'
He didn't know.
But he was going to find out.
Rei pulled out his phone and looked at the message from earlier—the unknown number that told him to check his mail.
'Who sent that?' he wondered. 'How did they know?'
He typed a response: Who is this?
Three dots appeared. Then:
Unknown: Someone keeping an eye on interesting people. Congrats on fourth place. Don't let it go to your head. 😉
Then the number disconnected. Blocked.
'Creepy,' Rei thought. 'But also... kind of helpful?'
He'd worry about mysterious watchers later. Right now, he had more important things to think about.
Like the fact that in two weeks, he'd be starting classes at UA.
---
..Meanwhile, at UA High School...
The teachers' lounge was quiet except for the sound of a projector running.
A dozen pro heroes sat in chairs, watching exam footage on the big screen. Aizawa, Present Mic, All Might (in his deflated form), Midnight, Cementoss, and several others.
They'd been reviewing footage for hours, analyzing each examinee's performance, making notes for class assignments.
"Next up," Aizawa said in his tired monotone, "Rei Mizuki. Battle Center C. Spider Quirk."
The footage started playing.
Rei's entrance was unremarkable—hanging back, observing, waiting for the right moment. Then, the moment Present Mic yelled "GO," Rei moved.
Web-swinging to a rooftop. Surveying the battlefield. Making tactical decisions.
"Smart," Midnight commented. "He didn't rush in like most of them. Took high ground, assessed first."
"Practical," Aizawa agreed.
The footage showed Rei's first engagement. Three 2-point robots, taken down in under twenty seconds with brutal efficiency.
"Fast," Present Mic noted. "Real fast. And those webs—he's got good control. Precise."
"Enhanced strength too," Cementoss added. "Watch how he tears through that armor. That's not normal teenage strength."
They watched as Rei moved through the mock city, taking down robot after robot with minimal wasted movement. No flashy attacks. No showboating. Just clean, efficient takedowns.
"He's trained," Aizawa said, leaning forward. "Really trained. Those aren't instinctive movements. That's practiced technique."
"Combat experience?" Midnight asked.
"Maybe. Or really good training." Aizawa's eyes narrowed. "Either way, he knows what he's doing."
The footage continued. Forty-five villain points in eight minutes, all while staying mobile, never getting hit, never wasting energy.
"Stamina's solid," All Might noted in his weak voice. "He's not even breathing hard."
Then came the zero-pointer.
They watched as Rei immediately changed priorities, swinging toward the danger instead of away. Watched him help the trapped examinee, then deliberately engage the zero-pointer to buy time.
"There," All Might said, pointing. "That's the hero spirit. He didn't have to do that. Zero points, high risk. But he did it anyway."
The footage showed Rei webbing the zero-pointer's eyes, climbing onto its head, gumming up its internal mechanisms. Calculated risks, strategic thinking, all while keeping civilians safe.
"Thirty-eight rescue points," Aizawa read from his tablet. "Highest in Battle Center C. Second highest overall."
"Who got first in rescue?" Midnight asked.
"Midoriya," Aizawa said. "Sixty points. But he also destroyed his body doing it."
The teachers watched the rest of Rei's performance in silence.
When the footage ended, Aizawa turned off the projector.
"Thoughts?" he asked the room.
"Capable," Present Mic said immediately. "Real capable. Combat skills are solid, Quirk control is excellent, decision-making is mature."
"Almost too mature," Midnight added. "Most fifteen-year-olds don't move like that. Don't think like that."
"Background check?" Aizawa asked.
All Might pulled up a file on his tablet. "Rei Mizuki. Orphan, parents died in a villain attack when he was seven. Been living alone since. No criminal record, decent grades, unremarkable school life. Spider Quirk manifested at age five—wall-crawling, enhanced physicals, organic webbing."
"Organic webbing?" Cementoss looked interested. "That's rare. Most web-type Quirks require external tools."
"It's listed as a mutation aspect of his Quirk," All Might confirmed. "Biological web glands. No support equipment needed."
"Convenient," Aizawa muttered. "What's his stated reason for applying to UA?"
All Might scrolled through the file. "Application essay says, quote, 'I want to use my abilities to help people instead of just existing.' Straightforward."
"Trauma response," Midnight said quietly. "Parents died, he feels powerless, wants to be a hero so it doesn't happen to others. Classic motivation."
Aizawa stood up and walked to the window, looking out at UA's campus.
"He's capable," Aizawa said finally. "Maybe too capable. I want to keep an eye on him. Make sure that 'help people' motivation is genuine."
"You think it's not?" All Might asked.
"I think," Aizawa turned back to face them, "that someone with that much control, that much precision, that much tactical thinking... has secrets. And I want to know what they are before they become a problem."
Present Mic grinned. "So you're saying he's interesting?"
"I'm saying he's worth watching." Aizawa picked up his tablet. "Class 1-A. Put him there. Let's see how he develops."
The teachers nodded in agreement.
"Anyone else we need to review?" Midnight asked.
"A few more," Aizawa said, pulling up the next file. "Let's keep going. We've got thirty-six students to place."
The meeting continued, but Rei Mizuki's file stayed flagged in Aizawa's notes.
STUDENT OF INTEREST - MONITOR CLOSELY
---
Back at Rei's apartment...
Rei had spent the last hour just sitting, processing.
Fourth place. Class 1-A. UA High School.
It was real.
His phone buzzed. This time, it was a legitimate email from UA with an attachment.
CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR ACCEPTANCE TO UA HIGH SCHOOL
CLASS ASSIGNMENT: 1-A
ORIENTATION DATE: APRIL 6TH
PLEASE FIND ATTACHED: SUPPLY LIST, UNIFORM INFORMATION, DORM ASSIGNMENT DETAILS
'Dorms,' Rei remembered. 'Right. Everyone lives on campus after... when was it? After the training camp attack?'
No, wait. He checked the email again.
DORM ASSIGNMENT DETAILS: TO BE ANNOUNCED FOLLOWING FIRST SEMESTER EVALUATION
'So not yet,' Rei realized. 'Dorms come later. For now, I'm commuting.'
Which was fine. He liked his apartment. His privacy. His space to train without questions.
Rei opened the supply list and immediately felt his wallet cry.
Notebooks, specific types of pens, gym clothes, indoor shoes, outdoor shoes, hero costume design consultation fee—
'How much does this school cost?!' Rei thought, scanning the prices. 'Oh wait, it's free. Government-funded hero education. Right.'
The supply list was still expensive, though.
'I'm gonna need a part-time job,' Rei decided. 'The orphan stipend covers rent and food, but not "elite hero school supplies."'
He made a mental note to look into that later.
For now, he had two weeks before orientation. Two weeks to prepare mentally and physically for what came next.
'UA High School,' Rei thought, looking at the acceptance email one more time. 'Class 1-A. Future heroes.'
He stood up and walked to his window, looking out at the city.
Somewhere out there, Midoriya was probably crying happy tears. Bakugo was probably grinning like a maniac. Todoroki probably barely reacted. Uraraka was probably calling her parents.
And Rei?
Rei was just standing here, feeling something he hadn't felt in a long time.
Hope.
'Maybe I can do this,' he thought. 'Maybe I can actually be a hero.'
The sun was setting, painting the sky orange and red.
In two weeks, everything would change.
But for now, Rei Mizuki allowed himself a moment to just... breathe.
He'd done it.
He'd passed.
And soon, he'd walk through UA's gates not as an examinee, but as a student.
'Here we go,' Rei thought, smiling slightly. 'Let's see what kind of hero I can become.'
The city lights began to flicker on, one by one.
---