Third Person POV
Aoyama gazed up at the two kitsune, who now looked vastly different.
One was nearly seven feet tall, her chest straining against her tracksuit—forcing the zipper to give slightly—three bushy tails swaying behind her.
The other had shrunk to half his size.
It was hard to believe this was Hikari—if not for her hair bun, he would've thought a child had snuck onto the bus with them.
Kohaku and Hikari… the two had explained their powers before they got off the bus.
Kohaku's quirk was called Big Sister.
Hikari's, on the other hand, was called Little Sister.
It was a parasitic quirk that forced them to drastically change roles when they interlocked their fingers.
"At least I get several times stronger," Kohaku said, her tone more mature now, her cleavage pressing against her tracksuit. "Don't underestimate Hikari either—she gets a hundred times more agile."
"I didn't say it was bad," Aoyama replied. "I said it's strange."
"Well then, let's get to the front. Something tells me there won't be a countdown before we start our hunt."
Aoyama smirked, picking up his duffel bag and slinging it over his shoulder.
The two were starting to get used to his unique brand of banter and followed after him.
The drills on his skates weren't activated yet, letting him glide lightly for now. In the meantime, his eyes searched for someone else—someone from the main cast he could recruit.
His instincts didn't fail him.
Hmm~
He found his target.
His skates slowed, forcing the two behind him to stop as well.
"What's wrong? I thought you said we should get to the front?" Hikari asked, following his gaze.
She spotted a girl trying to calm her nerves, fanning her face.
Kohaku followed his line of sight as well, her expression shifting slightly—uneasy.
Aoyama turned to them, noticing the change.
It wasn't jealousy… but it was close. They thought he was about to replace them after learning what their quirks could do.
"Why the long faces? I just saw a familiar face, that's all."
Kohaku crossed her arms.
"Well, she looks busy. Maybe you shouldn't try hitting on her."
"Yeah, you don't want her to think you're a creep."
Surprisingly, it wasn't Kohaku who said that—it was Hikari.
"It's better to leave her alone so she can focus."
…?
"Did I really look like I was about to try something?" Aoyama asked, turning fully toward them. "You didn't even consider that I might just want to add her to the team?"
"I don't know… maybe if you didn't stare at girls' chests half the time, we wouldn't assume the worst."
Kohaku puffed out her chest slightly.
"I'd also appreciate it if you stopped staring at mine. I already rejected you, remember~?"
Her arms pressed against her chest teasingly, watching his eyes track the movement.
Then she grabbed her zipper—
Ziiiiip—
Sliding it almost all the way up.
"How mean," Aoyama said with a pout. "I was just starting to relax. Now my phobia might flare up."
He shook his head dramatically.
"What, you have a phobia of covered breasts?" she shot back. "Then Hikari must be terrifying right now."
Kohaku glanced back at her sister, who stood behind them with her jacket fully zipped.
"Then what about us up close like this?" she added, lifting the miniature Hikari and placing her over her shoulders—like a big sister carrying her little one.
Except now, the roles were reversed.
"Oh no, you're both too scary." Aoyama covered his face playfully. "I need to get out of here and talk to the nearest girl with her oppai out."
His body rippled into a slurry of silver and violet.
The energy didn't cover him—it was him.
It flowed around his bag, clothes, and gear before splitting cleanly down the middle into two equal forms.
Two Aoyamas emerged—
Brain, soul, skin, equipment… all identical.
One remained beside the sisters.
The other—
Kicked back, laughing as he dropped low, pressing the drill on his skate.
The mechanism roared to life, gears spinning as the chain caught—
And he shot forward.
He didn't wait for their reaction.
Other examinees scrambled out of the way as he sped through the crowd, eyes locked onto Uraraka.
"Hey, aren't you the girl from the entrance?"
"The one who stopped that broccoli-haired girl from falling—Uraraka-chan?"
He wasn't sure if those events had happened in this version, but if they had, it was his best segue into a conversation.
Aoyama circled her before stopping, cutting his drill.
"I thought you were placed in another district. I didn't think I'd get the chance to find you."
Uraraka blinked, startled.
"Eh—yeah, that was me—"
It took her a moment to process the rest.
"W-wait… you were looking for me?"
Aoyama nodded with a bright smile—this one genuine, almost free of hidden intent.
"Why?" she asked, tilting her head.
"This might sound a bit invasive," he said, standing upright. "But I wanted to ask—can your quirk levitate multiple things at once? And does it strain your body?"
Uraraka hesitated, unsure how to respond.
"Like I said, it might sound invasive—but I don't have bad intentions. I might even be able to help you overcome your limitations."
He raised his hands slightly.
"I've been told my quirk is second to none when it comes to recovery."
"That's why I'm looking for people with powerful quirks that come with heavy drawbacks—so we can help each other through this exam."
"That's why you were searching for me…?" she asked slowly.
She tried to maintain eye contact as Aoyama casually spun in place.
"If you're good at healing…"
Uraraka glanced at his bag, then his modified skates.
"Are you a support hero? I mean—planning to be one?"
She laughed nervously.
"We're not pro heroes yet… we still have to pass."
He nodded.
"I am—or at least, I want to be."
"But after hearing the rules, it feels less like a test and more like survival of the fittest."
"That means weaker quirk users—and pure support types—get weeded out first."
He exhaled, still rotating slightly.
Her expression shifted to surprise as she suddenly realized—
There were three Aoyamas spinning around her.
"W-what? How are you there and there?"
She turned quickly, trying to confirm she wasn't imagining things.
A cloning quirk?
One of the Aoyamas split off, moving through the crowd before disappearing.
"I knew I couldn't do this alone," one of the remaining two said.
"That's why I came to you."
"Me?"
"You have the perfect quirk to pair with mine," he said calmly. "With your levitation and my support, you could spend the entire ten minutes crushing robots for points."
"If you trust me, that is."
Her eyes flickered.
"Even if you don't have bad intentions…" she said, fidgeting with her fingers, "I don't know how much your help would actually do for me, but… I'll be honest."
"When I use my anti-gravity for too long, I get nauseous. So unless you have something for that in your bag, you might want to find someone else."
Aoyama smiled.
"Nausea, dizziness… even worse."
He extended his hand.
A green light bloomed in his palm—plus signs drifting around it.
"I can make it all manageable."
Uraraka blinked.
She looked at him… then around again.
Her head turned left and right, trying to make sense of how there was only one of him now.
What confused her more was the glow in his hand.
Wait… is his quirk not cloning? Illusions? No… that can't be right…
"So," Aoyama said, tilting his head slightly,
"what do you say?"
"Do you want to team up?"