Becoming a Hero (bnha x OC)

Chapter 23: Test My Quirks, Not My Patience

"A quirk assessment test?!" The whole class gasped as Aizawa explained what they would be doing.

"What about the entrance ceremony?" Uraraka voiced the thought on most of the class's minds. "The orientation?" Izumina had to admit she'd been hoping for a quiet first day, though, as Aizawa continued any hopes she'd had of that dissipated.

"If you're going to become a hero, you don't have time for such leisurely events," Aizawa stated in response to Uraraka's question. "U.A.'s selling point is how unrestricted its traditions are. That's how the teachers run their classes." Once more the teacher spoke in a deadpan tone. He turned to face the class and paused for a moment as he scanned the students before him. Izumina stiffened as his gaze met hers. She wondered for a moment if she'd rubbed him the wrong way when she stepped forward to take the uniform earlier, but before she could worry about it too much, his gaze shifted away.

"You kids have been doing these since junior high, too, right?" Aizawa held up a device that looked to be a phone, though Izumina had never seen one so professional used for school assessments before. "Physical fitness tests where you weren't allowed to use your quirks. The country still uses averages taken from results from students not using their quirks. It's not rational. Well, the Ministry of Education is procrastinating."

Izumina tried her best to hide the disagreement from showing on her face. 'Where is he going with this? It seems rational enough considering 20% of the population is quirkless after all. Schools can't honestly expect students without quirks to get results similar to those of a student with quirks!' Izumina took a breath to calm herself down. Thoughts of defending the quirkless raced around in her head, but begrudgingly she let it go. 'Aizawa sensei isn't like the teachers at Aldera,' Izumina told herself. She knew she had no reason to resent him for his wording; Afterall, how was he supposed to know about Izuku's past? Izumina glanced at Izuku, whose expression was unreadable. She knew, even if he didn't show it, that deep down he must've been worried about testing One For All. She hoped he'd manage his new quirk well for the test.

Aizawa continued. "Bakugou, you finished at the top of the practical exam, right? Tying with Yūsha, if I recall correctly? It's the first tie result I've seen in all my years of teaching, so It'd be hard not to remember."

Bakugou hummed in acknowledgement, though Izumina noticed the slight twinge of confusion written on his face. She was certain he knew that she'd been the one to tie with him in the exam. She figured he must've been confused by her different last name. She internally cursed. Maybe applying to U.A. with another last name wasn't the smartest idea after all. She silently scolded herself for not telling him and Izuku about that before school started up again.

"In junior high," Aizawa stated, regaining Izumina's attention, "what was your best result for the softball throw?"

"67 metres," Bakugou answered, causing Izumina to remember how the class and teachers would applaud for the boy after every fitness test. They always had praised Bakugou for every little thing he did.

"Try doing it with your quirk," Aizawa said, tossing Bakugou a ball and gesturing towards a circle a few paces away. "You can do whatever you want as long as you stay in the circle."

Bakugou stepped forwards and headed towards the circle. Once there, he turned to face Aizawa and the rest of the class. Izumina felt his gaze fall directly on her and the two of them locked eyes. He must've had so many unanswered questions, about how she'd passed the exam, why her name was different, and more. Izumina wondered what was going through his mind at that moment, but before she could come up with an answer, he looked away.

'What's up with him?' Izumina wondered as she watched him stretch the muscles in his throwing arm. 'He's been acting off ever since...' And then, something clicked. It wasn't an exact answer for Bakugou's behaviour, but it was something Izumina had pushed to the back of her mind ever since it'd happened.