Casually walking down the sidewalk with his hands in his pockets, Alex stuck close to the right side. Hugging the white concrete walls next to him, he slipped past a group of slow-moving girls in front of him.
As he passed, one of the girls with red hair glared at him. As if to say that he was the rude one. One of her arms was wrapped around one of the girls in the middle, consoling her through what looked to be some kind of panic attack.
Nerves, he guessed. More than likely, she got too much in her own head, worked herself up too much. Alex didn't get that. Why worry about something that hasn't even happened yet? I mean, look at him. Does he look worried? Hands hanging loosely out of his pockets, a confident stride taking him forward, and an easygoing smile to carry him.
No, he's as calm as can be.
Alex was the picture definition of laid-back. He was showing the world that nothing could bother him. He wasn't ever gonna give up or be let down.
Even though inside Alex was, if not more so, buzzed as they were.
His lips started to twitch. Quickly, Alex grabbed his face, covering his mouth with his hand. Oh, that was close. Someone could have seen that.
Behind his hand, his smile had stopped being so carefree; instead, it was now just a little bit more feral. He had to be careful now. They might dock points for that.
The exam hadn't started, but already they were being watched.
That guy drinking coffee across the street. The cashier ringing up purchases, the old lady watering her plants outside her window. And the twenty different cameras scattered around with their lenses just barely catching the sun's glare.
Alex could feel them. Their gazes like weights tugged on him.
He didn't know for sure, but he was pretty sure that he knew what they were looking for. And while he probably didn't need to worry, today was not the day to be taking any chances.
Not for him.
Slowly, he moved his hand back to his pocket. Taking a deep breath, Alex breathed in that winter morning air. Musutafu didn't get as cold as El Paso did in the Winter, but it was pretty close. It was nice. Made him feel like he was back home.
Well, sort of. The air in the city was pretty bad, especially compared to the air at the Haven. The fresh mountain air from Wonderland was divine next to this.
But compared to being cooped up in that apartment. He'd rather breathe in a room full of smokers than be subjected to that again.
Breathing back out, Alex calmed himself down. It was hard, though. All he wanted to do was run as fast as he could in any direction, punching and kicking at anything in his way. This was the first time in a while that he had been able to walk outside.
For nearly two weeks, he had been holed up inside Rumi's and Ryuko's apartment. Kept there under a pseudo house arrest that forbade him from placing even a single toe off the premises.
And Alex could confidently say, it was all Rumi's fault.
After Ryuko had her big talk with Alex and Rumi in their kitchen, everyone had dispersed to continue on with their day. Alex went to finish unpacking, Ryuko went to the couch to catch up on her shows, and Rumi was forced to fight through the pain and clean up the mess she left.
Then the police showed up. And boy, they did not look happy.
Yeah, apparently, the good people in power don't like it when the two idiots that they let off with a warning, proceed to immediately go on a half-drunken bender across town. One that ended in a total of ¥ 45,700 something worth of damage, several counts of public intoxication, as well as charges of unlicensed Qiurk usage and viliganitism.
The last two coming from more than a few reports from concerned citizens witnessing several muggers/villians tied to a lamp post with ink-like rope.
Thankfully, they weren't there to arrest them.
Rumi said it was because HPSC didn't want one of their Pro Heroes seen walking out in handcuffs like a common criminal. And also because they probably weren't gonna get far if they tried. Alex believes her exact words were "I'd like to see you pig fuckers try. I'm gonna warn you, I don't hold back when I'm hungover. And last night, I got absolutely shit faced. So just try me."
No, instead, they were handed court orders. Several of them.
For Alex, a judge ordered that he be placed under a light house arrest. For the next two weeks, until the U.A entrance exams, he was not allowed to step within 50 feet outside of the apartment complex. They weren't giving him an ankle bracelet, but they did tell him that if he even set one foot past the line, then he'd be deported that day.
For Rumi, her punishment was being forced to pay the various fines out of her own pocket. That included the fine for the destruction of public property, as well as the multiple charges being levied against her and Alex. Those of which included the charge of public intoxication, the use of a quirk without a license, and underage drinking. No matter how much his quirk prevented him from getting drunk.
Alex still thought that she got off easy compared to him.
When all was said and done, Ryuko, the paragon of justice that she was, smiled at the officers with her hands on Rumi and Alex's shoulders and assured them that they would be following these punishments to the letter.
The officers never saw the dark evil hiding behind those kind eyes. Nor did they notice Rumi and Alex sweating as the hands upon their shoulders began to smoke. The only thing they saw was the front door creaking as it slowly swung shut by itself.
After the officers left, Ryuko decided that it wasn't enough. Kneeling on the hard floor before her with bumps on their head, she told them that they were being let off to light. That Rumi's fame and work as a Hero was no excuse for leniency. So she was gonna add her own punishments on top of everything else.
For Alex, that meant that his area of play was shortened. From the complex to the penthouse, and even then, he was only allowed to go to the kitchen, the restroom, and his room. No TV, no music, and no sending out the Musicians to get him anything.
It was only later that Alex realized. He was locked away in a tower, with nothing but his school books to study with and his little friends to talk to. With a Dragon guarding the way out. He had been turned into a Disney princess.
For two weeks, he lived in that hell. Nowhere to go, and nothing to do. The lack of open space was the main killer. Going from the wide-open Wonderlands to the stifling walls of glass messed with him more than he had thought.
Before, he had been able to wake up and go for a morning hike in the woods, taking a different path each day with no clear goal as to what he was doing. Now, he was happy if he got in twenty steps before he was sent back to his room.
He couldn't even check out that fancy gym down below.
But you know what, those two weeks taught him something very important. They taught him to both respect and fear Ryuko. Respect for her restraint, cause she could have very well thrown him out on the street. With nothing but the clothes on his back and a certainty of going home.
And fear for the pained screams that he heard from Rumi's room.
Alex shuddered. That memory still haunts him. Not the scream. But the way that Ryuko smiled in the dark as she watched TV. To this day, he still doesn't know what punishment she gave Rumi.
But none of that mattered. Cause today, U.A was finally opening for the entrance exam. After five months, two weeks, and however many days, Alex was finally going to take the Entrance Exam.
Stopping in front of the main gate, Alex took a second to admire the view. And he had to say, it did not disappoint. Coming from America, Alex was used to large schools, most of their colleges were actually small towns in and of themselves.
But U.A, this place was something else. With its four main buildings and walkways connecting them, its iconic structure made it seem like four H's forming a square. In the courtyard, people stood around waiting for the doors to open.
They had come from all over Japan, waiting for this day. Most of them looked ready for the combat portion, dressed in tracksuits, while others looked like they had just grabbed whatever. Alex swore he saw someone wearing short-shorts. And it wasn't a pretty girl.
Turning away, Alex shuddered. Seriously, man, wear whatever you want. But understand, even clothes have a weight limit. Or at the very least, a common decency scale.
Walking through the gate, Alex couldn't help but feel like he was stepping into another world.
No matter how cool he tried to portray himself, this was still the same school that All Might graduated from. Say what you will about the guy, but no one could deny the level of awe and respect that everyone had for him. Including him.
And now he was here. Standing in the same place that he stood, once upon a time. And not only that, but he knew that All Might would be joining U.A this year as part of their staff. Teaching the Hero course personally. He could see it now, learning from All Might, getting pointers, fighting him.
No matter how hard he tried, Alex couldn't wipe that smile off his face. Nothing could ruin this day for him.
"Move it long ears!"
Eyes widening, Alex fell forward. Not paying attention, someone had come up from behind and shoulder-checked him.
Catching himself with his foot, Alex's eyes glazed over. Smile still on his face, Alex turned his head. Walking past him with a bag slung over his shoulder, some spiking-haired blonde kid was walking away.
Catching Alex looking at him from the corner of his eye, he turned back, red eyes blazing.
"What!" He growled at him.
Keep smiling. He'll remember his face for later. But for right now-
Ignoring him, Alex went back to enjoying the view in front of him. Nothing could ruin this day for him.
"Yeah, that's what I thought," Mr. Sunshine huffed. Alex felt his eye twitch a little. Flexing his left hand, Alex cracked his fingers. Well, one broken jaw shouldn't be that much trouble, he convinced himself.
Fortunately, the kid saved himself an ass beating by walking away. Disappearing in the crowd as he pushed his way to the front.
Snorting, Alex looked away. The mood was ruined now. Fine, whatever, it was time to head in anyway.
At the front, the people inside were unlocking the doors. The exam didn't start until another hour, leaving them enough time to sign in, find their rooms and get saturated before it was time.
Quickly, the courtyard emptied as everyone rushed in. Pushing and shoving just so that thye could be the first ones inside. Thankfully, the organizers were already used to this after years of seeing the same thing. Getting everyone into a line, they got everything back into order.
Inside, Alex tugged at his shirt a little. The heaters above dispersed the cool air from outside, making him feel a little unconfortable. Uphaead fold-out tables were placed along both walls. Splitting everyone up into twelve lines, officials with laptops took their names and numbers, signing them in.
Taking the letter he got last week out of his pocket, Alex double-checked his number.
"I can take whoever next." Alex looked up. Looks like he was next.
Walking over to the empty spot, an older lady with tied-back grey hair was typing away at her laptop. In front of her eyes, a clear visor hung mid-air. When she looked up, Alex was surprised by how the visor seemed to enlarge her eyes. Like those old coke-bottle glasses from the movies.
"Name and number."
"Alex Conjeo, number- uh-" Dammit, he already forgot. Alex took the paper out again "-175563009."
The old lady nodded as she went back to typing away at her laptop.
"Yes, I see you right here. Oh, looks like you're coming from the States as well. We've got another one just like you that came in earlier. Even has horns like you too." She smiled at him, handing him a slip of paper and a card.
"Mhmm." Alex looked at her half-lidded. Didn't like that. Not the way that she said 'another one of you' or that she called his antlers horns. Please, horns only have two, maybe four points at most. His antlers have twelve, making antlers clearly the superior cranial weapon.
Alex fought to hold his tongue. Normally he'd say something, but today he was gonna let it slide. One cause she was an old lady: wasn't gonna deal with that. The other were the cameras all around. If he made a scene, there was a high chance he'd be thrown out on his ass before he could even yell racist.
Today was finally the day that he could cut loose and go wild. After being cooped up in that apartment for so long, he needed this. No way was he gonna mess that up cause of one little old lady and her mild racism.
Plus, whatever Ryuko would do to him if he got sent home with the police again. No matter what, socking an old lady in the teeth just wasn't worth it.
So, he shut his mouth, took his room number, and went about his day.
Holding the slip of paper up, Alex read the number printed.
"102"
Alex looked at the sign on the wall. That was- to the left.
Turning down the hallway, he eventually found it. Fifth door on the right. The was already open so Alex just went in. Inside, twenty desks were placed facing the front. Half of the seats were already filled. Alex found an open chair in the middle and went to it.
Sitting down, Alex took his hands from his pockets and laid them on the desk. Tapping his fingers against the hard plastic of the desk, Alex watched as minute by minute more and more people came in.
By the time 9:25 rolled around, all but one desk had been filled. At 9:30, a man pushing a cart came into the room. Stopping in front, he checked his watch. Nodding his head, he closed the door, locking it behind him as he went.
Moving back to the front, he stood behind the podium facing and addressed them for the first time.
"Good morning. We will now be beginning the written portion of the U.A Entrance Exam. Please use a #2 pencil on the answering sheets and please, no talking."
Looking at a particularly loud group of kids, he continued. "Any disruption will be a disqualification, and you will be asked to leave. At 11:30, all tests will be collected, and you will be free to go. To those of you taking the Hero portion of the exam, you will have a thirty-minute free period before the start of the practical. The lunchroom will be open to you if you want it. But at 12:00 the doors to the auditorium will be shut. Any lateness-" This time he looked at the open seat. "-Will result in an immediate disqualification. There will be no exceptions."
Turning his eyes back to the class, a hush fell over. His eyes, Alex realized for the first time, were completely black, as if someone had poured ink over them.
"These are your test booklets; pass them down, and you may begin."
Taking one of the packets, Alex absent-mindedly handed the rest to the minotaur kid behind him. Looked like any normal test to him. Bubbling in his name and other general information,
He wondered what they would be testing him on. Hero procedure, law review. Maybe some of those 'if you were in this type of situation, what would you do?' questions. Some of his teachers back in El Paso always liked surprising the kids with those.
The best part of those kinds of questions is coming up with some kind of coked-up plan that sort of works in the long run but makes the people look at you like you're insane.
Like that one teacher, Mr. Mathews, who, after reading his answer, generally thought Alex was a demon-worshipping cultist. And all because Alex came up with a plan to save a few child hostages using only chicken blood, some red cloaks, and a wheelbarrow.
Ah, good times. . . Where was he? Oh, that's right, the test.
Cracking open the seal, Alex turned to the first page.
Booklet 1- Math.
Bang
Alex slammed his head onto the desk. A loud sigh came from his nose. This was gonna be a long day.
Over at the front, the Administrator chuckled. Licking his thumb, he turned the page on his magazine. "There's always one." He chuckled.