UA High School towered above the gathered crowd.
Steel gates stretched wide beneath white walls and fluttering banners. Snow dusted the ground in thin sheets, crunching beneath hundreds of restless feet. Cold wind slipped between uniforms, carrying the sharp scent of winter and ambition.
Tenji Kurokawa stood among them.
Fourteen years of preparation had brought him here.
From death.
To rebirth.
To discipline beneath an endless sky.
Yet his heartbeat remained steady.
Not excitement.
Not fear.
Only readiness.
Students clustered in uneven groups, voices overlapping in nervous excitement.
"U.A. is even bigger in person…"
"My parents said the entrance exam is brutal."
"I heard thousands apply every year…"
No one spoke with certainty. Only rumors. Anticipation. The trembling awareness that today decided everything.
Tenji listened quietly, letting the noise wash past him. He watched faces. Postures. Confidence. Anxiety. Potential.
He simply observed.
Ahead, he noticed familiar figures.
Bakugo Katsuki shoved through the crowd, radiating fiery confidence as if the world already belonged to him.
Midoriya Izuku stood apart, gripping his backpack straps tightly, shoulders tense, eyes darting around the overwhelming scene.
Tenji watched them.
Three paths, once parallel in a quiet middle school, now converging at the same gate.
Just before the crowd began moving, Midoriya suddenly stumbled.
His foot caught on uneven pavement. His body pitched forward.
Tenji saw the fall begin — saw the exact angle, the trajectory, the point where a fold of space could halt momentum.
But he didn't act.
Someone else did.
A girl with chestnut hair stepped forward instantly, reaching out.
Midoriya's weight vanished for a heartbeat. His fall slowed, softened, and he landed safely on his feet.
"Are you okay?" she asked, smiling brightly.
Midoriya's face turned scarlet.
Tenji noted the quirk without effort.
Zero Gravity.
Simple. Effective. Kind.
Another thread woven into the day.
A mechanical hum rolled through the courtyard.
Screens flickered to life above the gates.
A loud, electric voice shattered the murmurs.
"HELLLLOOOO, EXAMINEES!"
A holographic figure appeared—Present Mic—grinning with boundless energy, sunglasses flashing under artificial light.
The crowd fell silent.
Tenji tilted his head up as Present Mic launched into his announcement, explaining the exam structure, the battle zones, the point system, the time limit. Every word ignited anticipation, fear, determination.
The air itself felt charged.
The test had begun—before anyone even stepped inside.
Then a stiff, precise voice cut in.
"Excuse me."
A tall boy with glasses raised his hand sharply.
"I must address inappropriate behavior," he declared. "That boy has been muttering continuously since arrival. This is a serious examination. Please maintain decorum."
Midoriya froze in horror.
A ripple of awkward laughter passed through the crowd.
Present Mic waved cheerfully and continued as if nothing happened.
Tenji watched the exchange calmly.
Everything unfolding as fate intended.
Finally, the massive gates began to open.
A slow metallic groan echoed through the courtyard. Beyond lay concrete ruins, artificial smoke, silent machines waiting to awaken.
The battle centers.
The threshold between dream and reality.
Tenji stepped forward with the flow of students.
Snow crunched beneath his shoes.
Cold air brushed his face.
And above, the sky stretched wide and endless.
He glanced upward for a brief moment.
Folded space just slightly beneath his heel — a quiet, familiar response. A whisper between himself and the power that had shaped his life.
Then he crossed the threshold.
Tenji Kurokawa entered UA High School.
And the world of heroes opened before him