Beginning of a New Spring (MHA/PJO crossover)

Chapter 18

The entrance exams were something Ophelia shouldn't have felt nervous about, but she was. The path to the doors seemed to call her name like the sirens called their prey into the oceans. Ominous, at the same time, enticing. That was what she wanted. A path she willingly chose to follow, if not for herself, for those she cared about and the world they lived in. She knew what her hubris was and would bet her soul on where she placed her loyalty was the right place.

A hand grasped her in a light squeeze before letting go. She glanced over at Katsuki before setting her sights in front of her.

"You coming or what, pollen-head?"

Ophelia nodded in reply, not having the words to form how she felt. She followed behind Katsuki, slightly jealous that he could walk so casually as if what awaited them ahead didn't determine what they could and couldn't do. Something headed her way made her pause and turn around, glancing around the open area with teenagers milling about to find what she felt. She couldn't put her finger on it but knew there was something out of place. She saw Midoriya running in her direction before he seemed to trip on nothing. Ophelia would have winced if he wasn't saved by a girl with short-brown hair touching him before he hit the ground.

It still amazed Ophelia the kind of powers—quirks people were able to get. Being able to make someone weightless just by touching them, though, probably had a drawback that was something she didn't want to know.

Ophelia narrowed her eyes at Midoriya for a second longer, but he seemed his usual self, so she brushed it off. She knew Midoriya didn't have a quirk, which he hid being upset about, so he couldn't be what she was feeling. Everything that was piled up on her could have been making her paranoid.

Listening to lectures from Athena's kids was one thing, but listening to Hizashi, who was known for being loud and eccentric, was not what she had in mind. At the same time, she, Katsuki, and Midoriya were seated in the auditorium. She thought it would be a basic run-through of what they could and couldn't do during the exam. She was pretty sure Hizashi added more details just to talk longer.

Ophelia drowned Hizashi out at some point; no doubt she would hear about it if he caught her. She rubbed her thumb over Katsuki's hand that she held at some point. She didn't realize she had until he squeezed her hand lightly, making the corner of her lip curl up. She scanned the room, taking in everyone that had shown up. People with quirks that could be guessed, others who looked like they were there for the other courses the schools offered, while some you couldn't tell what they were there for. Those would be people to watch out for. Whether they had a quirk that had nothing to do with their personality, like Katsuki, they were even trying to get into the Hero Course. Shouta had informed her that they only accepted so many into the courses, limiting who got accepted. He did assure her that if she passed, he would make sure to be her teacher. Having her in another Hero class could cause problems since they decided to keep her 'quirk' a secret unless needed to.

She faced forward again as a voice in the row in front of her started speaking loudly, asking about the general point system. Hizashi told him he would get to that.

Ophelia rolled her eyes, internally scowling as the blue-haired boy didn't seem to be finished, and pointed to Midoriya next to her, saying how loud his mumbling was.

"You're being louder than he is," Ophelia retorted.

Others around her laughed while Midoriya chuckled nervously, slumping further into his chair. The blue-haired boy turned to her with his eyes wide and mouth agape. She shrugged a shoulder at him in response. She wasn't in the mood to deal with a loud-mouth who was a stickler at that moment. Exams were meant to be written and in the field, not what Hizashi was doing, and her mind wasn't allowing her to sit still for much longer, and Katsuki seemed to know it. He tried to give her something to keep her mind busy– tapping or squeezing her hand every now, drawing random patterns, or playing with the ends of her wavy brunette hair.