I Get Your Number And We Grow From There
Takoba National Stadium, 3 years ago.
"Heat Risi—"
Kurogane slammed her opponent's head on the ground, stopping him from ever unleashing his quirk.
She turned around to face the next one and was rewarded with a fist smashing into her cheek.
Her head whipped to the side, but the force wasn't enough to mess up her footing.
"Weak," she spat.
Covering her body, The Suit lashed out as tentacles, lifting her foe and flinging him into another.
More came to take his place. Ranged attackers, close-range specialists, and people with non-combat quirks trying to slow her down.
It was chaos. But that's what she expected from the provisional license exam. And she reveled in it.
It was chaos. But only for her. Her opponents showed off precision and coordination built upon months of working together.
Kurogane never understood why these exams had a U.A. hunt tradition. It was much easier to track down Shiketsu students because they were stupid enough to wear parts of their uniforms in their costumes.
But these weirdos wasted hours of their lives watching sports festival matches, only to target her and get eliminated.
"Pathetic!" she screamed, swinging a girl by her ankle and avoiding the blast of cold wind she'd tried to counter with.
"Enough examinees have been eliminated in Section D. I repeat, enough examinees have been eliminated in Section D."
As she pounced on another opponent, an announcement rang through the urban simulation zone, making her and everyone else pause.
That's right. The first phase of the exam spread students across various sections and pitted them against each other on a timer. If enough people weren't knocked out until the time ran out, everyone would be disqualified.
Their section was the first one to pass that bar. Thanks to Kurogane.
"Damn..." the blonde boy she was about to beat sighed. "Saved by the clock... "
He reached his hand towards her, waiting for her to pull him up.
Kurogane grabbed, tugged, and socked him in the jaw, knocking him out.
"What the hell are you doing?!" one of his classmates shouted amidst other exclamations.
Laughter burst from her lips.
Did they actually think she'd stop because of that announcement? That she'd pretend their little U.A. hunt never happened? That she'd let them pass on a whim?!
No. There was no rule saying she had to stop. The timer was still running, and they were still in range.
"You guys aren't going to the next phase."
Teach these Shiketsu wimps a lesson for their next year.
She leapt at the closest person she saw, starting the battle anew.
Each enemy taken down made it quicker and easier to beat the next one, until she was a storm ravaging their ranks, sending student after student flying—
A giant blur passed by, carrying her very last opponent away. Her eyes darted around to keep up with the flying thing's speed, tracking it to the top of a building.
It was another Shiketsu student, with brilliant blue scales and massive dragon wings.
Kurogane watched the girl he just saved babble away nervously, pointing in her direction. Probably talking about how the mean U.A. student was massacring her friends. As if they weren't the ones who picked a fight with her!
She launched a piece of The Suit like a zipline, pulling herself toward the roof ledge.
The dragon reacted in time, wrapping his tail around her target, and Kurogane's claw hissed through the air, missing the mark. His own claw batted her away a moment later.
She grunted in pain, spinning through the air and landing in a crouch.
The two were gone from the rooftop. Kurogane couldn't see her original target, but the dragon was flying away.
What a sorry bunch. If he was trying to distract her for his friend, the least he could do was face her.
Kurogane swung across the simulated city with purpose, constantly sending whips of The Suit to try and catch the dragon.
There was only him, her, and the exam proctor's announcements.
"Twenty minutes until the end of Phase 1."
"Fifteen minutes until the end of Phase 1."
"Enough examinees have been eliminated in Section A. I repeat—"
Once again, she thrusted her hand, and The Suit obeyed, making a strand to latch onto his ankle.
But for the first time in her chase, it landed.
Crimson eyes glared at her, and before she could drag him down, he swung his leg, hauling her up.
As he grabbed her by the throat and spun them around in the air, Kurogane knew that he'd let himself get snared.
She ignored the wind whipping her hair and wrapped her legs around his neck, trying to choke him and reverse their positions.
But the dragon's body was too wide and heavy for that, and Kurogane was unceremoniously power-bombed into the concrete.
Who the hell does this guy think he is?! Get him off us!
Pinned under him, she snarled, and the suit fed on her anger, giving her the power she needed to push against him.
"Were my classmates not enough for you, Yoshizumi?" he growled.
She growled back at him, but inwardly, she was too puzzled to respond properly. How the hell did this freshman from another school know her hero name?
"It doesn't matter now. I'll be the one to take you down."
"That's my line, you cocky dragon bastard...!"
The Suit bubbled and grew on her shoulders, forming arms to hold his arms back while her claws were free to swipe at him.
This prey was tougher than the rest, but she wouldn't let her exam end here!
[I Get Your Number And We Grow From There]
"Keisaka, Keisan, Keishi, Keishima, Kei...shu..."
Kurogane Keisho sighed.
She didn't expect to see her name on the list, considering she got eliminated in the first round, but still... a girl could hope.
She walked away from her classmates and underclassmen, unwilling to look them in the eyes. She'd wait for the exam organizers to deliver the licenses at a safe distance.
She leaned on a wall, and something black and blue caught her eye.
It was the Shiketsu student who eliminated her. He was no longer wearing his costume's mask, so she could see his expression as he read the exam results list.
He was feeling the same disappointment as her.
So, in the end, he didn't pass either... and she could see why. Black and blue were the colors of his clothes and hair, but she could also use them to describe how beaten up he was.
Kurogane spotted a particularly deep claw mark on his chest and winced. She was pretty rough with him, huh? No wonder he couldn't do well in the next phase.
Above the disappointment, shame began to further weigh down her shoulders.
She lost control of her quirk again, messed up with someone else's chances of passing, and didn't have anything to show for it.
Even as the Hero Commission proctor got on his podium and explained that some of them would get a second chance to get their licenses, her mood did not improve.
Even as her name appeared in that remedial course list, her mood did not improve.
This was not a second chance for her. It was a third. She failed in her first year without a chance for a remedial and failed again a few minutes ago.
She glanced at the blue-haired boy again. His posture seemed more dignified after reading that list.
He was also getting another chance... and she would probably ruin it for him again. The Suit would hold a grudge over getting defeated by him.
Ah... she was already preparing for failing and dragging other people with her...
No. Not this time.
Kurogane decided that this time, things were going to be different.
And she would start with him.
"Hey."
He did not look surprised by her approach.
She took a step closer.
"Let's talk."
He met her halfway, red eyes boring into hers. But whatever he saw there was enough for him to lean back and nod, posture relaxing slightly.
They walked quietly, leaving the stadium's main field unnoticed and going inside an empty waiting room.
"I'm..."
The blue-haired boy sat on a bench, and Kurogane suddenly realized she didn't even know his name, deflating instantly.
"I'm Kurogane Keisho," she introduced herself first, sitting to his right.
"... Yuusei Atsushi."
Ah... Atsushi... dragon quirk...
A cold sweat ran down her back, but only for a moment.
This guy... she wouldn't get in trouble for fucking up his exam, right?
We have to make sure he doesn't get his family involved. Assert our dominance!
"So. What do you want from me?"
"I'm sorry!" she blurted out before The Suit gave her any more weird ideas.
He blinked. "Why?"
"I messed up your chances of getting a license."
"I got that part," he said, propping his chin on his hand. "But why me? There are plenty of others who won't even get to take the remedial course because of you."
More Shiketsu first-years, whom she defeated one after the other.
"Why aren't you apologizing to them?"
Because they were weak.
He frowned at her, and she realized the intrusive thoughts had won.
Aware of how rude she'd sounded, Kurogane stammered her words. "I-I mean... there was a cut-off for that first phase. If I didn't beat them, someone else would have. I regret going for other people when I didn't need to. You would've passed the next round with no problems if I didn't harass you, so... my bad."
"I see. Then I accept your apology, Keisho."
She nodded at him and began to shuffle away. No need to make this uncomfortable for him.
However, Yuusei held her hand before she could leave the bench.
"Wait. Before you go, can you satisfy a curiosity of mine?"
"Umm... sure," Kurogane mumbled, focused on his palm eclipsing hers. Mostly in surprise that The Suit wasn't hurting him right now.
"You seem like a completely different person from when we fought."
She laughed nervously. "It wasn't that bad, was it?"
"I vividly recall being told you'd rip off my wings and make me choke on them."
"S-Sorry..."
He waved off her apology, letting go of her hand in the process.
"It's fine. I'd like to know... what happened during the exam to trigger this change of heart?"
She grimaced. Change of heart, huh?
"This is how I am normally," she stressed. "But my quirk... I don't wanna say it makes me a different person—"
That would be excusing herself too much.
"—How do I put it...? It makes me lose control. If I was fighting you without it, that wing threat would have popped into my head and disappeared. But when I'm using it, it's like—"
"Like there's a voice whispering in your head, feeding your worst tendencies."
"... Yeah." He understood. Too well and too quickly.
"Do you also have that?" she asked cautiously. It was a bit of a touchy subject for people with animal-based quirks, but then again, The Suit was also a touchy subject for her.
"No... at least not in the same way as you."
He avoided her eyes as he responded, then rose to his feet. "Thanks for answering, Keisho. We should go back now. Our teachers are probably looking for us."
Right. If anyone from the school caught her speaking with a Shiketsu boy like this, she'd never live it down. It'd be even worse for him. She'd get some teasing, he could be accused of breaking his school's rules.
And yet...
"Yuusei-kun."
Kurogane grabbed his arm, stopping him.
"Can you satisfy my curiosity too?"
"... Sure." he nodded, and she let go, falling into step beside him.
"Back when we were fighting, you called me by my hero name. How did you know?"
"... Your hero name is Yoshizumi?" he asked, eyebrows furrowing.
"You... didn't know?"
"No? There used to be a hero with that name, and you're very alike in costume and fighting style, so—"
Ah.
"It was an insult."
He looked away, confirming it. "Sorry."
"It's fine. I've gotten my fair share of rip-off accusations."
"That doesn't make it any better."
"Then we'll call it mid-fight banter."
He snorted at that, and to her surprise, she began to laugh, too.
Because of the constant mood swings brought by The Suit, Kurogane had burned bridges with most of her classmates at U.A. So it was nice to chat with another hero student, even if he was supposed to be from a rival school.
"This quirk was a parting gift from him. Yoshizumi, I mean."
After a lull in their conversation, the words came unbidden from her mouth.
"I'm the last person he saved, and I became a hero so his power could keep saving lives."
Yuusei smiled down at her, but Kurogane felt she was being looked up to.
"That's beautiful."
"Is it?" she asked mainly to herself. "Sometimes I feel like I'm tarnishing his legacy with how I act."
He pursed his lips slightly. "... You were born quirkless, right?"
"... Mh-hm."
She almost asked how he knew, but it was a bit obvious. She didn't use any other powers during the exam.
"Then it's only a matter of time until you stop feeling that way. You're still catching up to people used to their quirks since childhood. As you get more experience, the drawbacks that come with your powers will become more manageable."
That was the same advice some of her teachers had given her. But it didn't make the journey to that point any less tortuous.
"And besides... even if you're struggling, it doesn't make you inheriting his heroism any less beautiful. I daresay it's the opposite."
But that... it had been a long time since someone praised her like that.
They neared the arena's doors, and Yuusei stopped before her, pulling out his phone.
"Could I have your number?" he asked, showing it to her. A notepad app was already opened.
"H-Huh?"
HE'S BOLD! BE BOLDER!
The Suit moved ahead of her thoughts, sending a tentacle flying to the screen and typing her number with surprising dexterity.
"Let's keep in touch for the remedial course," Yuusei said, pocketing his phone.
Ah. That.
"Y-Yeah. I'll... talk to you soon, Yuusei-kun."
"Take care, Yoshizumi," he used her hero name playfully this time, and Kurogane giggled, waving him away as they entered the exam grounds.
Blending in with the staggering amount of students and staff, they split up, walking to their respective classes.
"Well, well, well... if it isn't the hiding dragon."
"Don't even start."
"I almost thought you'd flown back to Shiketsu to avoid the bus ride—"
"There you are, Keisho! Where were you?"
The call from her homeroom teacher stopped Kurogane from watching her new friend get teased by his classmate.
"Ah... Snipe-sensei... I just went outside to get some fresh air."
Somehow, she could tell the pro hero was frowning behind his mask. "... You alright?"
She was still sore from all the fighting and losing, but...
"Yes..." she replied, eyes almost straying again.
That little detour did wonders for her.