The day they would be back to school was a rainy one. Wrapped in their warm coats and armed with their umbrellas, Sora and Yuu fought their way into the rather crowded train.
" How are your wounds?" Yuu asked her as they found enough space to stand.
" They're fine. You know how fast I recover." She waved her hand. " Anyway, I'm really nervous about today. Aizawa-sensei will present the recruiting results, right?"
Yuu nodded his head and stared out the window as the train zoomed past buildings. " I'm worried too. I couldn't make it past the cavalry battle."
Whisper sighed. " Darn it. If it wasn't for your stamina..."
" Yuu..."
" But I don't regret it at all. You getting to third place alone was enough for me." He smiled at her. Sora somehow managed to return his smile with a dewy one.
Suddenly she felt a tap on her shoulder, at first she didn't give it that much attention. It was natural to get squeezed and hit on the train. However, when it was repeated twice, Sora reared her head to get a glimpse of the person, only to see a middle-aged woman smiling down at her. " I knew it, you're Shirogane-san from UA."
Sora was flattered for a moment at the fact that a stranger knew her. It didn't help at all that most of the people around her stared back at her. " I watched the sports festival. Congrats on coming third. "
" A... Ah, thank you." She rubbed her head with an awkward smile.
" Keep up the hard work."
" You're our future hero, right."
" Yeah... Yeah... Thank you..." Sora was circled by them at that moment. Yuu couldn't help but smile seeing everyone gathered around her.
" She kinda became famous thanks to that." Whisper smiled as he crossed his arms in front of him. " Hope it doesn't get to her mind though."
" It's Sora we're talking about, she wouldn't."
" Ano..." A tug on the brim of his coat made him look back. " It's really you!" A boy widened his eyes in excitement at him.
" Huh?"
" Excuse us." A rather young woman addressed him this time. " But our child didn't stop talking about you since the sports festival. Seijin Yuu-kun, right?"
" Eh... Yeah." He nodded, a little befuddled.
" If you don't mind, could you sign this for him?" She said holding a doddle of a white nine-tailed fox.
" Kyubi?" Whisper wondered as he looked at the drawing. " So you liked Kyubi, right?" He smiled at the kid who broadened his grin.
" Kyubi, awesome!" He cried. " Nii-chan, amazing!"
Yuu smiled mildly at the kid before dipping his hand into his backpack and bringing out a pen to sign the picture.
" Thank you so much." The woman bowed her head as she took the doddle back. " Kyousuke too, you should thank him."
" Nii-chan, thank you!" The boy cried ecstatically. " Do your best, hero!"
Yuu's smile widened as he nodded his head. " I will."
________________
" Heh? A boy?" Sora looked back at him once they were making it through the heavy rain to the campus.
" He seemed to have taken a liking to Kyubi," said Whisper.
" He even told me to do my best," added Yuu rubbing his head.
" Glad for you, Yuu!" Her smile broadened. " You got your very first fan!"
" You also did. And quite a bunch." He pointed.
" I don't know. It doesn't feel the same." She pivoted on one foot and hopped on the ledge of the flower beds by the street, balancing herself. " You know... All those people who congratulated me back on the train, it won't be long before they forget about me. Well, I'm not a pro hero or anything after all."
She twirled her umbrella and reeled her head at him. " While that kid, he will grow to admire you. You left an impact on him didn't you?"
" You think so?"
" Mark my word!" She said jumping into a puddle before pointing a finger at him. " He will be your first fan when you become a hero!"
" Huh, we'll have to wait to see that." Whisper shrugged before a certain blunette in a green raincoat passed them.
" Good morning, Seijin-kun, Shirogane-kun and Whisper-kun!"
" Iida-san!"
" Stop wasting time! Hurry up or you will be late!" He called as he was disappearing in the distance.
"But," Sora checked the time on her phone. " We're still-"
" It's that rule of his." Whisper sweated. " The one that you should be 10 minutes early."
" Well, guess we have to hasten then," Sora said taking the lead.
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They caught up with Midoriya and entered the school around the time Iida was taking off his boots. Midoriya glanced over at him from the corner of his eye. Sora and Yuu exchanged anxious looks. The incident with Ingenium was all over the news. They themselves hardly grappled with it.
" Iida-kun, um-" Midorya began.
" If it's about my brother, there is no need to worry." He turned back to them with a smile. " I apologize for worrying you needlessly."
So he knew. Thought Yuu. It was pretty obvious Midoriya and Uraraka knew something about Iida going off. But seems they didn't want to make a fuss about it.
" Iida-kun..." Sora stared after him as he left rather promptly.
" I wonder if he is alright." Whisper was concerned for the boy.
" ... He is not." Sora's eyes couldn't be taken off him. His swirling dark aura gave her the chills. It was rather disturbing and out of order unlike usual.
________________
The class that morning was rather lively with everyone talking about the broadcasted matches and how they all had people talking to them on their way to school. Sero for once was rather disappointed for having elementary schoolers telling him ' don't mind '.
Sora and Yuu took their seats just as the door opened, leading in their homeroom teacher. They were rather relieved that most of his bandages were gone. However, he still had some under his sleeves and apparently a permanent scar under his right eye.
" More importantly, we're having a special hero informatics class today," Aizawa informed them.
Special? Sora thought. What could it be? Some kind of test? She wondered recalling the Quirk assessment test. Yuu was slightly apprehensive of what was to come.
" Code names." Aizawa began. " You'll be coming up with hero names."
" We're gonna do something fun!" Everyone shouted. Many of them including Sora bolted to their feet excitedly. However, their ecstasy was subdued by a glare from their teacher. The activation of his Quirk made it even more intimidating. They were instantly silent and quiet.
" This is related to the pro hero draft picks I mentioned the other day," elaborated the teacher. " The drafts begin in earnest in the second and third years, after students have gained experience and can become immediate assets to the pros. In other words, for them to extend offers to first years like you shows that they are interested in your future potential. These offers are often canceled if that interest dies down by graduation."
We still have a long way to go then. The sports festival isn't enough. We have to work harder to showcase our abilities. Thought Yuu.
Aizawa then put the offers on the board. Todoroki was at the top with 4123 offers. Next was Bakugo, Sora with 410 offers, Tokoyami, Iida, and so on.
" Yuu! You got some offers too!" Whisper shook the boy vigorously as he tilted his head so he could see the bottom of the list. That was true, he had about 12 offers.
" How?" He was astonished. He didn't even make it to the one-on-one battle like the rest.
" Seijin-san, you managed to showcase your abilities during the first two rounds," Yaoyorozu told him.
" It's not impossible but rather rare. Well, you've done your hardest during those two rounds after all." Sato rose a thumb at him.
" But-"
" It's your own hard work that got you this far," Todoroki told him in a rather wistful way. Yuu looked down at that. He understood the other boy was frustrated because most of his offers were probably because of who his father was.
" Midoriya-kun though..." Sora's eyes ran over the list time and time again. " He didn't get any offers though he was among the best eight. Was it because his fighting was rather reckless?''
Aizawa informed them that internship was mandatory for both those who got offers and those who didn't. It was meaningful for their training, especially after USJ.
" So that explains the hero names!" Sato held his fist.
" Things are suddenly getting a lot more fun!" Uraraka pumped her fists too.
" Well, those hero names are still temporary, but if you're not serious about it..." Their teacher was interrupted when the door slid open.
"... You'll have hell to pay later!" Midnight walked in, explaining how their temporary hero names may get recognized by society and end up being professional.
Aizawa told them that Midnight will be the one making sure their hero names were alright before going into his yellow sleeping bag and going to sleep.
" How did he choose his hero name in the first place?" Sora's smile twitched slightly before Uraraka passed her a white blank board.
Sora blinked at it, realizing she should write her hero name there. She rested her head on her hand while racking her brain for ideas. " Hero name... An image of the future me..."...
" Our Quirk is Angel, we need to behave in a way befitting that name given to it."
" You're my Angel."
...
She rose her eyes with a grin. " Yosh, so it shall be." She scribed something on her board.
" Okay, let's start presenting names starting with those who are ready," Midnight announced.
" Eh? We're presenting them?" Yuu asked rather stiffly in his place.
" Of course! Then, who wants to go first?"
Aoyama pranced to the front desk, giving his name ' I can not stop twinkling ' which got shortened to ' can't stop twinkling '.
" Is she really alright with that name..." Whisper shuddered in disbelief at Midnight's act.
Ashido was next, however, the name Alien Queen was immediately refused.
Sora could feel the whole class tensing up at the two names. She too looked down at her hero name with a sweat drop, maybe it was too simple, maybe she too ought to make it stand out. It wasn't until Asui showed them the name ' Froppy ' that they went back to their excitement and they embarked on cheering her.
" Froppy, huh? Such a cute name, Tsuyu-chan?" Sora held her thumb up at her friend.
" Ribbit."
" Then Shirogane, you want to go next?" Asked Midnight.
" Oh, yes!" She ran to the desk while hugging her board. " It's not anything special, but..."
She turned the board around. " Angel Hero: Angie."
" Sounds cute. Also the name Angie is fitting with your Quirk name. Way to go, Shirogane."
Sora smiled broadly at Midnight's compliment before returning to he seat, staring down at her hero name rather proudly.
Yuu glanced at his friend and then back down at his board. A faraway memory played in his mind as he stared at the whiteness...
" Then what about Exorcist!" Little Sora suggested.
" I... Don't think it's suitable... I'm not exorcising spirits, I don't even have the heart to..." He shrank further from her as she closed on him.
" So! Do you have another name in mind?"
Little Yuu fiddled with his fingers. " My relationship with spirits isn't that of hunting or fighting... So it can't be exorcist... It's not so friendly too... Rather-"
...
Yuu put his pen down after he finished writing the hero name he thought off. Iida had just finished showing his, which to everyone's surprise was his first name when Midnight called. " Seijin-kun, are you ready?"
He looked one last time at his board before standing up before walking up to their teacher. " Spirit Hero: Tsukai." He said showing them the board with the kanji word.
" Seijin-kun, are you sure of that name?" Midoriya asked.
" It means 'use' you know." Kirishima pointed.
" It's. But it also means Tamer. And that's kinda what I do."...
" Rather... I'm just taming them... in a way..."...
" I think this is the most fitting name," said Yuu.
" If you're sure of your choice," Yuu's eyes were rather determined. " Then I don't see anything wrong with the name itself. It's alright." Midnight gave her okay before Midoriya went next. Yuu sat down in his seat, oblivious to the red eyes staring at him.
Midoriya presented his name, surprising them all.
" Deku...?" Sora blinked. Everyone warned him that he might be called like that for the rest of his career. However, Midoriya was resolved.
The name that used to be an insult, huh? Sora flicked her eyes between Midoriya and Uraraka. Seems he really likes Ochaco-chan's interpretation of it. She said smiling widely. " I wonder where this is taking us to?"