Katsuo still found himself surprised that he was even considered for this mission, even as he sat in the spacious room holding all these U.A. hopefuls.

For the umpteenth time that morning, he glanced down at the ticket he received upon arriving. It only had his examinee number and what battle center to go to, but to Katsuo, it was a reminder that this was real. That the mission's success depended on his acceptance to U.A. High. He didn't want to know what would happen if he failed.

His mind couldn't help but flashback to that meeting with Saitō-sama. Katsuo wasn't exactly jumping with joy at the idea of attending U.A., but if Saitō-sama thought he was the best one for the mission...

If anything, though, at least whatever he learned here at U.A. could be used against them.

Mindlessly, he trailed after the other teens as they were dismissed to the battle centers, his thoughts still scattered. If not for the fact that he bumped into someone, he likely would have kept going.

"Hey, watch where you're going, will you?"

"O-oh, sorry about that-!" Katsuo stuttered out, focusing his gaze only to find himself looking into quite the pair of purple eyes. Looking up further, said eyes were accompanied by a shock of similarly purple hair. "Ah..."

"Tch. Whatever..." the other boy muttered, dropping his eyes from Katsuo's. If Katsuo didn't know any better, he could have sworn that there was a slight blush to the other boy's cheeks. "Just-watch where you're going next time. Tall guy like you ought to have a wider range of vision."

"R-Right..."

If it weren't for the fact that his Quirk allowed him to do more than just move shadows around, Katsuo was sure he might not have made it through the exam. It certainly wasn't easy, not with so many other people fighting to get in.

At the end of it all, he was battered and bruised, but for all of that, he couldn't help but feel the slightest sense of pride.

As the warm water of the shower ran over him, Katsuo's thoughts kept running in circles: worry about whether he got in; worry about what would happen if he didn't; and so on and so on.

Idly, he flicked around the surrounding shadows, the simple movements settling his mind. It was almost funny. Here he was, worrying about getting into U.A. like he wasn't part of an organization set on destroying the hero world as Japan knew it. Like he was a normal teenager.

Ha... He wasn't normal. Not that any of U.A.'s faculty would know. They thought he wanted to be a hero, yet here he was on the opposite side of history.

Moving from the bathroom to get dressed, Katsuo let out a resigned sigh. This was the exact opposite of what Saitō-sama wanted him to do. He knew he should have more trust in Enigma's leader-Saitō-sama was practically his father, for God's sake — but Katsuo's life had always been one of uncertainty.

He never knew his parents; never knew his true identity; never even knew if what Saitō-sama told him about his former family was true... But the man's word was all Katsuo had.

"The world changes too often to dwell on things," Saitō-sama always said. "It's just not logical."

"Katsuo."

Katsuo startled at the sound of his...well, new name. Being directly addressed like that would take some getting used to for sure.

"Saitō-sama?" It was rare that Daisuke ever visited anyone this late, let alone Katsuo. It had been years since Enigma's leader had even stood in Katsuo's doorway.

"Just checking in," Saitō-sama said with a tilt to his head and the tiniest hint of a smile ghosting across his face.

"Everything is fine, Saitō-sama," Katsuo said with a frown. There was something in his tone that set Katsuo on edge. He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something there that felt so off from the man's usual demeanor.

"Really?"

Ah, there it was: concern. Fake or not, there was concern in Saitō-sama's voice. How odd for the man who claimed no attachments-except for, perhaps, to Katsuo, once upon a time. Perhaps even still now.

"Yes, Saitō-sama. Just tired." Katsuo gave him a weary smile, though it didn't settle the sense of unease that took root. It wasn't exactly a lie, anyway; he really was tired.

...He just wasn't sure of what anymore.