The front door clicked open.
Reiji stepped inside, shoes scraping quietly on the entry mat. He didn't look tired, just… done. His jacket hung half-open, collar loose, hair a little out of place. The faint smell of smoke and scorched metal still clung to him.
From the kitchen, his mother's voice called out, cheerful as ever.
"So, did the testing grounds survive, or should we start watching the news?"
Reiji ran a hand through his hair, shaking out a bit of dust.
"Didn't check. Might be on the news later."
His dad leaned around the corner from the living room,
"You alright? How'd it go?"
"Fine."
"Just fine?"
Reiji finally cracked a grin, brushing his fingers through his hair. "I passed. Probably."
His mom poked her head out from the kitchen, eyebrows raised. "Probably?"
"I scored high. Unless they fail people for not sweating."
His dad chuckled. "Then you're in."
"Dinner's in twenty," his mom added. "Wash up. You smell like melted vending machine."
The days that followed passed quietly.
Reiji didn't talk much about the exam. He trained. Slept. Waited.
There wasn't much to say. He knew what he did. He knew what it meant.
Still... sometimes, between drills or while drying his hands in the kitchen, he caught himself glancing toward the mailbox.
Not because he doubted.
Because after everything—he wanted to hear it out loud.
Then, one morning—
A knock at the door. Thick envelope.
The family gathered around the living room as Reiji slid the disc into the player.
The TV screen blinked to life.
Reiji sat forward slightly on the couch, remote in hand. His expression was calm, but his eyes stayed locked on the screen. His mom stood in the doorway, towel over one shoulder, drying her hands absently. His dad hovered behind the couch, brow furrowed, one hand resting on the back cushion as he leaned in.
The envelope had arrived that morning. Thick paper. UA seal. Inside, a single DVD.
Reiji had already guessed the result—but he slid the disc into the player anyway.
The screen went black. Then:
"I AM HERE TO DELIVER THE GOOD NEWS!"
All Might's voice boomed as his massive figure filled the frame. He gave a thumbs-up, teeth gleaming.
"Young Kogane Reiji! You passed the practical exam with ninety villain points... but that's not all!"
Another screen appeared beside him, showing a slowed-down clip of Reiji's Stand smashing through a training bot, then helping two students under fire.
"For rescuing fellow applicants during the trial—even when it didn't earn you any points—you've been awarded twenty rescue points, bringing your total to one hundred and ten!"
All Might beamed.
"You've passed with flying colors!"
Reiji let out a slow breath through his nose. A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.
His dad ruffled his hair from behind. "Guess we'll have to frame that acceptance letter."
His mom peeked in. "You remembered to smile, right?"
He just got up, picked up the remote, and turned off the TV.
He stretched one arm across his chest.
"It's official."
A week later.
The sun was still low when Reiji stood outside U.A. High.
The school loomed ahead—sleek architecture, reinforced glass, and that massive gate every student in the country knew by sight.
Reiji stood just past the front path. Hands in his pockets. Uniform neat. Tie sharp. Hair styled.
His eyes traced the height of the walls, the shape of the doors, the size of the campus. It wasn't nerves. He'd trained for this. Fought for this. Still—seeing it in person hit different.
At nine years old, he didn't even have a Quirk.
But as he stepped toward the gate, his Stand flickered faintly behind him—chrome fists clenched, humming quietly in rhythm.
UA High.
He adjusted his collar and walked through the gate.
He reached the gate.
A staff member with a tablet stood nearby, checking names.
"Name?"
Reiji's voice was calm.
"Kogane Reiji."
The man tapped the screen. "Building A, Class 1-A.You're clear."
Reiji gave a short nod and stepped through the gate.
"UA High. First day."
He kept walking, hands in his pockets.
At nine years old, he didn't even have a Quirk.
Now he was walking into the top hero school in the country—with a quirk no one could see, and the top score out of all the applicants.
Not bad for a late bloomer.
Two weeks earlier.
His dad tightened the straps on the weighted plates. Reiji didn't flinch. three hundred kilograms, evenly spread between his back, shoulders, and calves.
Daigo stepped back. "No Stand."
Reiji nodded once. Then dropped into a low stance.
He exploded forward.
The sprint cracked the concrete beneath his feet. Each stride left shallow craters. He crossed the 200-meter stretch of the lot in just over six seconds, pivoted, and sprinted back.
Again. And again.
His father checked the stopwatch. "Eight laps. That's over 3,000 meters in under a minute. You're faster than I was in my second year."
"I know." Reiji didn't stop.
Next came strikes—barehanded, full force.
The reinforced targets—thick alloy panels—dented on contact.
One after another. Punches, elbows, low kicks, knees.
No commands. No Stand.
Just Reiji.
When he finished, his shirt clung to his back. His breath came heavy. Not wheezing—controlled. Efficient.
Then he rolled his neck.
"Now I'll use it."
He stepped forward into the open part of the lot. The sun hadn't risen yet.
"Harder. Better. Faster. Stronger."
The Stand emerged—polished and bright in the pale morning light. Reiji didn't speak. He just pointed to the line of wreckage waiting downrange.
"DRIVE! DRIVE! DRIVE! DRIVE! DRIVE!"
Impact.
The first strike split the scrap loader in half.
The next one collapsed the concrete barrier behind it.
The last launched a steel drum clean off the property.
His dad didn't speak for a while.
Then: "You're ready."
Reiji pulled off his gloves. "I know."
[TL:- Do you think the chapters are getting better? Let me know if anything feels off—I'm open to thoughts!]