Red Shoes: an MHA Tale

Chapter 6: The Letter

Katsuma clutched his UA letter in hand, still torturously unopened, as he ran up the few flights of stairs to an above average apartment door in an above average apartment complex for pro-hero housing.

As he reached the door, he quickly knocked with a speedy rhythm that could make a woodpecker jealous.

The hero Deku answered in a simple grey t-shirt. So simple, it literally had the kanji for "shirt" printed on it.

"Katsuma! I can see you're excited! Come on in!" He smiled and backed up in the doorway to let the teen inside.

"Thanks!" He said as he ran through the entrance and stopped inside the living space. "Nice place you got here."

Uravity, in a loose long-sleeve shirt and yoga pants came in with a plate of almost-burnt cookies, and her brown hair up in a ponytail. "Evening, Katsuma!"

"You remember Uravity, right, Katsuma?" Deku asked.

"I do! My sister follows all of your social media." The boy smiled, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head sharing such information.

"Well that's very kind of her." Uravity smiled. "And here you may call me Ochako."

Katsuma's face grew bright as the fanboy he was. He quickly bowed before her in gratitude. "Thank you, Ochako!"

Deku smiled. "When you got here, you seemed really anxious to open that letter."

"OH YES!" Katsuma zipped from where he stood to the closest sofa he could find.

"Nyah!" Deku jumped. He sighed happily and followed, sitting beside his big fan.

Ochako sat on the other side, offering the two her baked treats.

And yet, Katsuma sat there holding that letter with the UA's wax insignia seal on it, without opening it.

"S-Sorry, it's just..."

Deku smiled at him. "I know. When I was your age, I actually had a lot of doubts about it. But I saw that you did great!"

"So they let you in with the faculty to watch the exam?" Katsuma asked.

"Yeah. I got special clearance along with a few other heroes. Most of them were scouting for interns early."

Katsuma nodded before looking down at his letter again. "You really think I did good enough?"

"The entrance exam isn't meant to pick only those ready to become heroes the next day." Ochako added. "Just to see the spark that makes a hero in each of the examinees."

"Spark?" He asked.

"The drive to do what's right, no matter the cost. To use our abilities for others, especially those unable to defend and save themselves." Deku declared with a confident voice.

Ochako smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Wow..." Katsuma gasped. "I've waited for this moment for a long time." He clutched the letter before lifting it up and tearing it open.

Out fell a small metal disk that landed on the coffee table before their knees and immediately flashed a video up over the black television screen.

On the video stood the current Number 32 Hero, "Can't Stop Twinkling" as he was currently striking a flamboyant pose. "Bonjour, young hero-to-be! It is I, Can't Stop Twinkling, here to give you your results for the UA entrance exam!" As he spoke, he proceeded to change poses and hold them for a moment or two.

Katsuma smiled big. Deku knew they would normally pick the Number One Hero to give the announcements, but this particular Number One is... less than eager to share examinee results for UA high school. So they went with the first hero willing to be on camera and say just about anything.