You couldn't put it off any longer, even though you weren't bursting to try to convince Mr. Aizawa to keep the tabby kitten, Aki. Most of your classmates had already left the common room and headed back to their rooms, including Todoroki. From a distance, he had waved you goodbye and mouthed good luck.

Drying the last plate with a tablecloth, you took a deep breath. Although you thought Aizawa was a great teacher and sometimes understood your situation without you needing to say anything, that didn't take away the fact that you had yet again broken a 'key rule to life at the dorms'.

Puckering up some courage, you headed towards your homeroom teacher, who stared down at his cup of coffee. Though it was past seven o'clock in the afternoon, you didn't pay much attention to this as you began, "Mr Aizawa, can I talk to you, please?"

Aizawa gave you a sidelong glance before encouraging you to sit in front of him with a lethargic movement. "What is it now, (y/n)?"

You tucked your chair closer to the table as you went through the mental plan you had prepared for this. "Um, so I remember way back when, at the start of school, Mr Principal told me to inform you about any concerns I may have. So..." You trailed, as you noticed a line form between his eyebrows.

As Aizawa remembered that fight against Dabi in the training camp, his mind went blank for a moment. It wasn't possible that you knew about it yet. "I am listening."

Although you could feel your palms becoming sweaty at the thought of Aki's innocently surprised expression if she had to be separated from you, you knew your teachers were more likely to listen to your request if you acted with honesty. "So, what I wanted to say is that I've been hiding something."

"How long have you been aware of this?" Aizawa stared at you dead in the eye, but you didn't bat an eyelid.

I've been aware I've been hiding a kitten since I brought it in, right? What's Mr Aizawa talking about?

"How long have I been aware?" You echoed, trying to buy yourself some time so that you could think things through.

Alarm bells were ringing in Aizawa's mind because of your reaction. If you were trying to tell Aizawa you were hiding something else, then the realisation that he had slipped up would soon set in.

Dread locked your stomach tight, making you regret having that second portion of dinner. In all likelihood, Aizawa was referring to Daiki. All this time, no one had ever believed you when you tried to warn them that something was off with your uncle. Well, no one, except Todoroki.

As he awaited for your response, the truth of the subject at hand clicked.

"I've been aware for about a week." It was a miracle that you didn't stutter, as you studied Aizawa's poker face.

Yet, Aizawa wasn't one for careless mistakes. "First, what have you been hiding, (y/n)?"

"A kitten. I was hoping you'd let her stay at the dorms for a while. Shoto really likes her, and he's planning on taking her home soon, but she needs somewhere to stay until then."

Aizawa rolled his tired eyes, placing his elbows on the empty canteen's table. "You are looking to get suspended again," he said, which sounded more like a statement than a question.

---

Perhaps, because it was the first time you stood next to Todoroki since both of you got punished, his unintended cold words hurt you so much. You clutched your hero costume near your chest, trying to soothe the aching pain as you watched Todoroki take another step away from you.

You swallowed the lump in your throat. "Sho, I understand you don't want to hurt me with your quirk. I-I'll stay out of your way during the exam."

Todoroki gritted his teeth as, out of the corner of his eye, he tried to find his father in the crowd. If it were for Todoroki, you would be in his arms at this very minute. Especially as U.A. had lifted the social distancing between you two for the Provisional Licensing Exam. "(y/n), I also think we shouldn't be seen together today."

You tilted your head at Todoroki's unreadable expression, but he did not explain himself any further. With hundreds of students surrounding you in this hall, you let yourself sink into your thoughts as you allowed Todoroki to drift away from you.

"With a quirk like his, Metakinesis or whatever it's called, I'm sure I'd be a lot more popular," someone exclaimed behind you.

"Give me a break! It's not as if your personality is tolerable for the public anyway. But I agree, I wouldn't run a hero agency on my own. It's sketchy," another voice followed.

Your back stiffened as you worked out that they were talking about your uncle, but you didn't turn around to face them and defend him. After talking to Aizawa, you had called home and your dad had broken the terrible news that, two days ago, your uncle had gone missing while on one of his hero missions.

Though it had been broadcasted on the news shortly after, you had to promise that you wouldn't mention it to your classmates, as they probably didn't know about your connection with such an unrecognised hero. Even then, your heart resounded in your ears as you remembered your uncle's words that time at the hospital.

"On second thought, I will give it to you on a later date. Soon, but I don't think you're ready yet."

His unhinged chuckle almost echoed in your ears, as you pondered about what he had meant, but soon returned to reality as the main examiner announced the rules for the exam.

---

You stole a glance at one of the three targets on your body which was lit up with a blue light. A student from Shiketsu High had caught you by surprise, so you had decided to hide so you could work out a strategy.

Even though you had stumbled upon Todoroki, you dashed away from him in the blink of an eye, not even shouting some words of encouragement to him. Now, you kneeled down behind a bin, the concrete floor making you more than aware that this artificial factory environment would only disadvantage you.

You couldn't feel her presence, but you closed your eyes, hoping to scope the area before you came out of your hiding place.

Only a hundred students would pass the first phase of the exam, so you bit your bottom lip as the announcement that the 56th person had passed came through. You still needed to eliminate two students by hitting their targets with your orange balls.

However, water began trickling from the top of the building, down the wall. You didn't pay it much attention at first, but you wrinkled your nose when a waft of salty air accompanied it. The smell reminded you of the coast, definitely out of place.

As soon as three targets dropped on the ground, the puddle of seawater began rising. Clenching your jaw as you noticed the mass of water form into a human figure, you grabbed your capturing weapon and trapped him with it.

Aoi Narumi.

"Wait, (y/n). I won't try to eliminate you!" His voice sounded like he was gargling, making you wonder what would happen if you spun around to throw him as far away as you could.

"As if." You tightened your grip on your capturing weapon.

The muscles in your arms contracted as he continued, "It's probably not the time to say this but... Chiharu's stop responding to me and I didn't do anything wrong this time! I was visiting my younger brother in hospital, but she doesn't believe I've even got any siblings."

"Shut up, Aoi. I won't fall for your lies." Though you tried to bring him close enough to you so you could steal his life energy, he stayed in his place. The specialist fabric cut through him, and he returned to his form with his quirk activated.

Aoi shook his head, realising that you were in for a fight and would not listen to anything he had to say. In all fairness, he didn't want to fail the exam either, even if he had come across you by chance.

A wall of water surrounded you, making it difficult to pinpoint where the main source of life energy came from. The water closed in, to the point you needed to hold your breath.

You used your capturing weapon again, this time to hold on to a metal railing outside of the water bubble. You felt your lungs burning up, and you placed your hand over your mouth.

Knowing that he couldn't hit your targets in this state, Aoi warned, "(y/n), give it up. That won't work, and I don't want to hurt a friend of Chiharu's."

Instead of pulling yourself up as Aoi expected, you drew one of the orange balls and hit a target. Your body went limp, but Aoi returned to his human form as his time limit in his seawater form was spent. This made you land on the concrete floor on your belly, prompting you to forcefully cough up the water you had swallowed.

Aoi squinted as he noticed the purple bruises you had left on his arms. Seeing you helpless as you tried to get up, he held onto the orange ball with a puzzled look. Why did you always have to try so hard?

Noting that Aoi got distracted, you pushed yourself off the ground with the last of your strength and shoved him with all your might.

Before Aoi could realise what was happening, you threw another ball at him which landed right on the target. You had eliminated him, so you took a few steps forward to touch his arm and gain some more energy to eliminate the next candidate.

Though you sighed in relief, you noticed how Aoi's azure eyes widened as he looked at something behind you.

Please, tell me it's not her.

The lavender-haired girl that had been chasing after you earlier. Her mouth parted as she realised that you only had one target left, just like her. Not wasting any time, she touched a pipe next to the wall, letting her arm obtain the properties of steel. She had seen you at the Sports Festival, so she was aware that your quirk only worked on living things.

"Not gonna let you escape this time," she declared.

As you still gasped for air, the girl approached you.

At the last moment, you used your capturing weapon to reach out for the same metal railing you had used earlier. Though you lifted yourself above her, you slipped and kicked her forehead. It soon turned the same colour as your hero costume's shoes.

Crap. I messed up, didn't I?

You could have screeched out of joy as the lavender-haired girl deactivated her quirk in a desperate attempt to pull out her now rubber hair out of her eyes. You bent your knees as you landed behind her and placed your hand on her back, absorbing her life energy until she collapsed.

Though Aoi shook his head at you for discovering her weakness by accident, you punched the air before drawing an orange ball and hitting her last target.

---

Your smile faltered as soon as you made it to the hall. You didn't even care that much about the girls surreptitiously talking about him to your left. In their eyes, Todoroki was the most eligible bachelor undertaking the exam: he had the looks, a powerful quirk, and a respectable background.

But what made it the hardest not to approach Todoroki was that, while Todoroki had told you that you shouldn't be seen together today, Yaoyorozu was chatting to him right now. A poisonous feeling that caged your heart, making you want to push her away from him.

"Hi, (y/n). Are you alright?" You recognised Midoriya's taut voice beside you. "Your hands are trembling again."

You glanced at Midoriya, who wore a nervous expression as he scratched his cheek. You hadn't noticed, as you were getting so riled up over the various events unravelling before your eyes. There was no need to get jealous, was there? Your hands continued shaking, now more violently, as you were at your limit of absorbed energy.

"Deku?"

"Y-yeah." He flinched. "That... that's not happening because of that time we fought, right? If it is, then I'm really sorry, I still blame myself for not being able to control my quirk and--"

Before Midoriya could continue with his guilt-ridden rambling, you shook your head sideways and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Deku, that was as much my fault as it was yours. I couldn't control how much energy I absorbed. But, would you mind if I donated a little energy to you now? It'll help heal your muscles a bit, and will put less of a strain on my nervous system if that's okay?"

Midoriya's eyes widened at first, surprised at your request. Nevertheless, he soon flashed you one of his characteristic smiles which could light the whole hall with its brightness. "Yeah. N-no problem."

A dim light shone from your palms, allowing them to stop trembling and invigorating the freckled teen at the same time.

Midoriya fidgeted with his fingers as he noticed Todoroki's hardened gaze directed to your back. "Er, is it really okay? I would have thought that you'd rather support Todoroki than me, (y/n)."

"I suppose it can't be helped." You shrugged your shoulders. In a softly spoken tone, you added, "Even if I'm going out with Todoroki, you're my friend, Deku. The first friend I made when I came to U.A. at that."

As Yaoyorozu tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, the same way that you would when you'd sheepishly think about what to say, Todoroki lost it. His aggravated footsteps got drowned out with the constant chatting amongst examinees, as he headed towards you. He needed to talk to you.

However, Todoroki spotted his father, standing with his arms crossed next to a few other spectators. Todoroki stopped right on his tracks before he pivoted on his heel and headed to the bathroom. Little did he know that someone had followed him.

---

Todoroki peered at his unyielding expression in the mirror, trying to pull himself together. The image of you walking with a spring in your step in front of him flashed in his head. He could picture you in that stunning autumn dress you wore when you visited his mother with him. Despite this, the image of Endeavor's disapproving face returned to torment him, just as swiftly as it had throughout last week.

Shaking his head, Todoroki splashed some cold water on his face. As much as he resented his father, there was a part of him who wanted to believe in the changes he was making. When Endeavor said he was going to stop pushing him towards you, Todoroki felt nothing short of fear. Scared that Endeavor was lying, or playing some trick on him.

His wet bangs clung on to the front of his forehead, water dripping down his face. What the hell was he meant to do now?

Stepping outside of the bathroom, Todoroki rubbed the fibrous skin on the scar on the left side of his face as he let out a drawn-out sigh. He could nearly feel your soft fingers trailing on it, reminding himself of how you had made him feel so accepted and wanted when you did that.

But he tensed up when he saw his father waiting for him with his arms crossed over his chest and fire dancing on his stern face and torso.

"Shoto." Endeavor pointed at him. "Well done on following my advice. Now, go and pass this exam. It should be easy with the genes I have passed on to you."

Todoroki wouldn't have any of it, especially not today. Scoffing, he stormed down the corridor, but froze as he heard his father clear his throat in a gruff manner.

"And, of course, keep away from (y/n)," Endeavor instructed. "I will not allow those loaded rumours about her uncle damage my reputation."