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There were little bits of robot scattered around Hiyaka’s feet. Scraps of metal that had either been melted or cooled until they cracked. Her breathing was hard, and there was a scratch on her knee.
“Listeners,” A voice boomed through the arena, not needing the assistance of a microphone. “Time’s up!”
Time’s up… She did it. Hiyaka smiled, unclenching her jaw and let her shoulders relax.
Her entrance exam was finished. Now it was all up to UA.
---
“I’m home!” Hiyaka called, kicking her shoes off and nudging them into place next to the other pairs. She saw her Mom’s heels sitting next to the step that led to the living rooms and sighed. She must have gotten off early today, which meant that Hiyaka was going to need to be careful with what she said.
Her little brother Daiki was sitting on the couch, his pink hair a mess. It looked like he had just rolled out of bed, which makes sense since he had still been asleep when she left. He rarely got out of bed before noon on Sundays.
He glanced away from his documentary, eyeing her sleepily. “Is that ice cream?”
Hiyaka looked at the mint chocolate-chip cone in her hand. She had gotten it as a celebration. “Yeah, what about it?”
“Did you get me any?” He asked, leaning forward to see if there was a cone for him in her other hand.
“No, I had to ride my bike back.” She sat down next to him on the couch, but jumped up when she heard her mother’s footsteps. They weren’t supposed to eat on the couch.
“Hiyaka?” Her mother called. “Are you home?”
“Yeah, living room.” She answered, watching her mother walk through the archway. She was dressed in a maroon turtleneck and a pair of black dress pants, her shoulder length black hair hanging loose around her neck. She looked pretty normal, a far cry from the pictures on the billboards that Hiyaka passed on the train. Pictures that tended to make the people sitting around her have to do a double take, looking between Hiyaka and the pro hero that was reminding drivers to buckle up hanging over the road.
Momo Yaoyorozu, more commonly known as Creati. The Number Four hero on the Japanese Billboard. To most she was a sign of comfort, the hero that had fought against the sexualization of hero students and famously rejected the idea that any young female hero had to cater to the male gaze. But Hiyaka generally just knew her as the woman who made her eat her vegetables and signed her permission slips.
“You were up early,” Momo observed. “Where did you go?”
“Oh, I uh… couldn’t sleep.” Hiyaka answered. “So I called Haya and asked her if she wanted to go on a bike ride.”
Momo shook her head. “I hope you didn’t wake her too early. She had her entrance exam today for UA.”
“Oh, yeah. We rode over and I waited for her to finish.” Hiyaka had practiced this lie in the mirror for weeks in advance. “We went out for ice cream afterwards.”
Momo smiled. “It must be an exciting time for you girls. You’ve worked hard and now it’s finally paying off!”
“Yeah, it’s… exciting.” Hiyaka laughed awkwardly, but her mother didn’t seem to notice.
Instead she smiled, looking as proud as usual. Hiyaka wasn’t quite sure why her mother looked at her like that. She hadn’t done anything to earn that yet. But she hoped that one day she would. She smiled back.
“Well, I’m glad your exams are over.” She sighed. “Now it’s just the waiting that’s left. I know Tagara High will make the right choice though.”
“Yeah… I sure hope they will.” Hiyaka forced another laugh. Tagara High School in Tokyo. One of the top ten schools in the country. The one that she had her entrance exam for yesterday. And the one that Momo thought was her first choice.
“Well, I’m going to pick up groceries and get your father from work.” She leaned forward and gave Hiyaka a kiss on the cheek. “Be back soon.”
She walked over and gave Daiki a kiss as well. “And you need to get dressed, it’s noon.”
Hiyaka walked up to the fish tank on the other side of the room, observing her pet fish Pebble swimming around happily. She followed him with her eyes, smiling. She had gotten Pebble when she was seven at a festival that she had gone to with her parents. The man who handed her the fish in the bag had warned her that these fish didn’t often live very long, a warning that took a lot of ice cream and hugs from her father to console her.
So when Pebble got “sick” a week later, her father panicked and took him to the doctor. At the time, She hadn’t noticed that the fish her father returned with was a slightly different color than the fish he had left with. It became a cycle after that, Pebble getting “sick”, her father taking him to the doctor, and him returning with a perfectly healthy Pebble swimming laps in a plastic bag. Now she did know what “going to the doctor” actually meant, but she didn’t want to shatter the illusion. After all, she had no idea which Pebble this was or how long it had been there. If she just thought of him as one immortal fish instead of several dead ones, it took the sting of grief away.
There was an unspoken rule in the house to regard Pebble as immortal. For her father’s sake.
The door closed, making Pebble jerk away from the plant he was shoving his face into. Daiki turned to face her.
“They’re going to find out eventually.” He pointed out.
Hiyaka flinched. “Yeah… I know. But it’s better to ask for forgiveness than for permission, right?”
Daiki blinked before turning his attention back to his documentary. “Dad’s gonna freak when he finds out.”
“I know, but he would have freaked if I asked to take the exam in the first place.” Hiyaka said. “It was a lose-lose situation.”
“They aren’t gonna let you go.” Daiki responded. “Even if you get in.”
Hiyaka pouted, turning her attention back to Pebble. “You don’t know that.”
“Whatever.” Daiki shrugged, turning up the volume. “I was just saying.”
---
The next week drug by so slowly. Hiyaka had basically camped out by the mailbox, jumping up every time the mailman stopped by. He had gotten to know her way better than he should have, shaking his head before she could even ask him if there was anything for her.
The next Sunday came, and Hiyaka was finally holding the envelope in her hands. Her parents weren’t home, and her name was printed neatly on the envelope.
“Did you get yours?” She asked into her phone.
Her best friend Haya sighed. “Not yet. But you can’t open yours without me!”
“I won’t, I promise!” Hiyaka sighed, turning the envelope in her hand.
“So how does it feel?” Haya asked excitedly. “Heavy? Light? Thick? What’s the verdict?”
“Well, it’s heavy for a letter I guess? I don’t know, I would have to compare it to someone else’s envelope to see.” She wanted to rip it open so badly.
“Well did you hear back from Tagara?” Haya asked.
“Yeah.”
“And?”
“No.”
“Oh yikes…” Hiyaka could hear her friend wince. “You’re really riding on this then aren’t you?”
“Yeah…” She put down the envelope so her impulses wouldn’t get the best of her. “What about Shiketsu? Did you get in?”
“I’m on a waiting list.” She sighed. “But I’m really relying on UA right now. The commute for Shiketsu would be torture.”
Hiyaka was going to say something encouraging, but she was cut off by some commotion on the other line. She held her breath, positive it was the mail coming.
“Hiroki’s in!” Haya nearly yelled into the phone. Hiyaka could hear her friend’s twin brother cheering in the background, followed by the cheering of both their parents.
“Did yours come too?” Hiyaka asked, hopping on the balls of her feet.
There was a rustling noise on the other end of the line. “Yep! On the way!”
The call was cut off, making Hiyaka start pacing. She was full of both anxiety and excitement, but her rejection from Tagara was making her worry more than she thought. It’s not like she hadn’t expected it. Her grades in science were the only ones worth bragging about, so it wasn’t really a shock when one of the top schools didn’t let her in. She had really only applied as a cover story for her parents. They shouldn’t have expected her to get in either.
She was putting her entire future in UA’s hands right now, there wasn’t anything else to fall back onto. Only time would tell how smart of a decision that was.
She filled a glass with lemonade, downed it, and filled it again. It was supposed to be a ten minute bike ride from Haya’s house to hers, but the knock on the door came only three minutes after the phone call ended. Hiyaka saw the way that her friend’s shirt sleeves had been rolled around her shoulder blades, awkwardly exposing the engines on her back. She knew that Haya must have used her quirk to speed up the ride, but she couldn’t find it in herself to blame her.
Haya herself looked like a wreck. Her usually neat hair was thrown back into a messy ponytail and she hadn’t even bothered to tuck her t-shirt into her skirt. She quickly kicked off her shoes and walked into the house.
“We have to compare envelope sizes, Hiroki opened his before I could see how thick his was.” She put her envelope down on the coffee table next to Hiyaka’s. Both girls observed silently, tilting their heads to the side. They looked identical, aside from the names written on the front.
Hiyaka sighed, taking Haya’s hand and squeezing it. There was no reason to waste any more time. “You ready to open them?”
“No.” Haya squeezed her hand back. “But let’s do it anyway.”
Both girls hesitated before opening their envelopes. Inside were projectors and a written letter. Haya ignored the little black disk, jumping right into scanning her letter while Hiyaka fiddled with her projector a bit before setting it down.
A holographic screen popped up, showing a man with long black hair in a black suit. He looked like he was in his 60’s and definitely worse for wear even with the tie and his hair pulled back. He was reading off of a sheet of paper, but he was too quiet at first.
“-Thank you for your time, and thank you for choosing UA as the place to shape your future…” He droned on, sounding bored.
Beside her, Haya stifled a scream and wrapped her arm around Hiyaka’s. She tore her attention away from the projector to look at her friend’s sheet.
“Welcome to UA Academy Haya Iida. We can’t wait to see-” She read under her breath before she smiled and hugged her friend tightly. Haya had tears in the corners of her eyes and she hugged Hiyaka just as hard.
“Hiyaka Yaoyorozu,” Hiyaka whipped her head back around, hearing her own heart in her ears. The man with the black hair paused to smile fondly before he continued. “Welcome to UA Academy.”
There was a scream of pure delight, and it took Hiyaka too long to figure out it had come from her own throat. Haya tacked her into a bigger hug, sending the two girls crashing onto the couch in a fit of giggles and relieved tears.
The wait was finally over. They were in.
Now it was time to actually tell her parents that she applied.
---
Her father got home first, as he usually did.
“Mom’s going to be a bit late tonight.” He said, seeing her sitting on the couch. Haya had left hours ago, but Hiyaka was still both smiling and crying.
She turned to face her father, wiping the tears out of her eyes.
“Hiyaka, what’s-” He started to ask, but then he saw the open envelope on the table. He didn’t bother looking any closer at it. “... Is that-?”
Hiyaka nodded, technically not lying. Her father was on the right track. It was an admissions letter. Just not the one he thought it was.
He nodded, still staring at the envelope. “And did you…?”
She nodded again and her father’s face slowly split into a wide smile. He scooped her up into a big hug, twirling her around like she weighed nothing. She wrapped her arms around him and hugged back. She knew this probably wouldn’t be the reaction once she told him the truth, so she had to savor it while she could.
Her father put her down, wiping tears from his own eyes now. His two-toned hair was a mess, red and white strands crossing over the divide in the middle and making him look like he didn’t own a brush.
“We have to text your mom and let her know! Then you have to tell me everything!” He pulled out his phone.
Hiyaka laughed awkwardly. “How about I just… tell both of you later. At the same time.”
“... Oh, I get it.” Her dad put his phone back into his pocket. “You want to make an actual announcement over dinner?”
It was kind of silly how much emphasis her family put on formal announcements over dinner. Something about the way that her mother had been raised. They were meant to be a surprise, but everyone knew what was coming whenever anyone pulled out the good plates and her father actually busted out a bottle of wine for himself and his wife. They were ridiculously fancy, and didn’t feel quite right to watch while wearing a sweatshirt and jeans, but they had become something of a tradition.
“Yeah… Something like that.” Hiyaka actually did not want to bring this tradition into her elaborate ruse, but she didn’t want to have to admit to her crime twice. It was better to just rip the band aid off all at once.
Her father pulled himself together, grabbing his car keys. “Let’s go to the store, you can pick out whatever you want for dinner.
Hiyaka smiled again. She was going to enjoy this feeling for as long as she could.
---
They were all preparing dinner when Momo came home. Hiyaka laughed as her brother complained loudly about having to wait for the water to boil.
“You and Hiyaka could both heat this up faster with your quirks.” He pointed out. “We don’t have to wait for the stove to do it.”
Their father sighed. “It’s dangerous for me to use fire inside and Hiyaka would just melt the pot.”
“Plus someone has to chop the carrots,” Hiyaka said teasingly. “And you aren't allowed to use knives anymore.”
Daiki groaned loudly. “It was only ONE electrical outlet! No one died!”
That’s when their mother walked into the kitchen, looking disappointed. Their father didn’t notice, walking over to give her a kiss.
“We’re having Udon for dinner, Hiyaka’s choice.” The corners of his mouth raised a bit, but Momo’s face still didn’t change. She looked over to Hiyaka.
“Daiki.” She said calmly. “Could you please go out and set the table?”
“But I’m-” He started, pointing at his pot of water that he was put in charge of. Momo gave him a serious look and he stopped speaking. “Yes ma’am.”
He scurried out of the kitchen, giving Hiyaka an “I told you so” look over his shoulder before leaving. Her father looked between his wife and daughter, finally sensing that something was wrong.
“I ran into Mr. Aizawa today while I was out.” She was still looking directly at Hiyaka, waiting for her to intervene. “He got promoted this year.”
“Yeah I heard that.” Her father backed up, leaning against a counter and still looking between the two. “He’s the principal.”
“And he’s also in charge of admissions.” Hiyaka could feel her mother’s glare getting more pointed.
“... Yeah, I suppose that would come with the job.” The gears in her father’s head were turning, but Shoto Yaoyorozu was never known for being the quickest to catch onto things.
“He congratulated me,” Momo said, still as calm as ever. “On our daughter being accepted to UA.”
Shoto blinked. “Did you correct him? He must be having trouble remembering who’s who. He is getting older.”
“I told him he must have been confused, but he was pretty sure.” Hiyaka didn’t dare look up. “He was even able to give me her full name.”
There was silence. No noise except for the faint sound of Hiyaka chewing on a carrot.
“... Hiyaka?” It was her father speaking now. “Is there something you want to tell us?”
Hiyaka looked up, her face full of carrot. “Only if you promise not to be mad.”
“You told us you didn’t want to be a hero.” Momo tried to keep up the calm exterior, but the confusion was showing through it. “What happened to Tagara High?”
“I might have… Lied. Just a bit.” She admitted. “Plus I didn’t get into Tagara anyway.”
“Why would you go behind our backs instead of just telling us you changed your mind?” Her father sounded frustrated.
Something about the way that comment came from him specifically set something off in Hiyaka. “You still make me wear knee pads and elbow pads to school when I take my bike.” She pointed out. “Why would I think you would say yes to being a hero?”
“That entrance exam can be dangerous, you could have gotten seriously hurt and we wouldn’t have even known where you were!” Momo raised her voice a bit. “It’s not that we don’t support you, it’s that we are your parents and we’re supposed to protect you-”
“That’s the problem!” Hiyaka hit her palm against the counter. “Be honest, what would you have said if I told you I wanted to go to UA?”
They both hesitated. “That’s not the point-”
“Yes it is!” Hiyaka insisted. “It’s not fair! You both went to UA! Why can’t I?
“It’s different with you, you’re-” Shoto started, but then stopped himself.
“I’m what?” Hiyaka said. “Stupid? Not good enough? Not you?”
He sighed. “I wasn’t going to say that-”
“But you were thinking it!” She kept pushing it. “I didn’t get into any other school. I couldn’t get into any other school.”
“Hiyaka, that doesn’t mean you can lie to us and go behind our backs.” Momo insisted.
“But I wouldn’t have gotten into any school if I didn’t! And I was actually good at the test UA gave me! I got in!” Hiyaka begged. “I have to go!”
“You could have gotten hurt!” Shoto said.
“But you wouldn’t have said yes if I asked.” Hiyaka repeated. “Would you have?”
“... Your father and I need to talk about this privately.” Her mother said calmly. “I’ll help him finish dinner. You go to your room. We’ll call you when the food's ready.”
Hiyaka dropped the knife back onto the cutting board. “Don’t bother. I’m not hungry. I’m going to bed.”
She pushed past her parents, heading straight for her bedroom. Daiki was standing right outside the hall, giving her a sympathetic look before rushing off to fish setting the table.
She went to bed that night hearing her parents quietly arguing in the room down the hall. They weren’t yelling, so she couldn’t hear what they were saying exactly…
But she had a feeling she wouldn’t be attending UA.
---
Her mother stopped her the next morning before she could leave for school.
“How about I drive you instead?” It wasn’t actually a question, just phrased as one for the sake of being polite.
Hiyaka sighed and nodded, grabbing her bag from the floor and following her mother out to the car. She was running late anyways, so maybe this was a good thing. Daiki had left an hour ago anyway for a morning club meeting, so it’s not like she had to escort him either.
She buckled her seatbelt, refusing to look at her mother as the car started. The first few minutes were silent.
“So…” Momo said, clearing her throat. “Your father and I talked about it last night.”
Hiyaka winced, not wanting to have this conversation right now but knowing she didn’t have a choice in the matter. “Yeah?”
There was another beat of silence. “And we decided to let you go.”
Hiyaka jumped in surprise, nearly hitting her forehead against the window. She whipped her head around to face her mother. “Wait, really?!”
Momo gave a small smile and nodded. “We… realized that you were right. We were treating you like a baby and weren’t thinking about what you wanted. If you had told us about it before we probably would have said no.”
Hiyaka nodded, waiting for there to be a catch. There had to be some kind of “but” that was going to dampen the mood.
“But,” Ah, there it was. “If we are going to treat you like an adult then you have to prove to us that we can trust you. Right now, we don’t know that we can. Until you can show us that you’re mature enough to make smart choices on your own, you won’t get to be on your own.”
Hiyaka furrowed her eyebrows, not sure where this was going.
Momo sighed, adjusting her grip on the steering wheel. “There’s a dormitory exemption form for first years that can be filled out online. We’re sending it in this afternoon. Until we know we can trust you, you’re staying at home with us”
Hiyaka wanted to argue, but realized she wasn’t in the position to make demands. “That’s… Fair, I guess.”
Momo smiled as she pulled up in front of Hiyaka’s middle school. “Just so you know, your father and I-”
“-Aren’t mad.” Hiyaka finished for her. “Just disappointed.”
“Well… yes. That too.” Momo laughed a bit. “But first and foremost, we’re proud of you.”
Hiyaka wasn’t expecting that answer, but smiled anyway. “That’s all I wanted.”
She grabbed her bag, feeling weightless as she opened her door. It may not have gone perfectly, but what mattered was that she was going to the school of her dreams with her best friend and her parent’s support. Also, she had gotten off surprisingly easy with the whole lying thing.
“Oh, by the way!” She turned back around to look at her mother, who was still smiling. “You’re grounded for a month as well.”
Ok, so maybe she spoke too soon. But once again, she wasn’t in a position to make any demands.