My Hero Academia: Aura Farming

[The Synonym]

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[The Truth Comes Out]
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…

"…"

"…"

A contest had begun. A staring contest.

Taka locked eyes with Nezu, and the principal returned the gaze without blinking, silent and unmoving—save for the knowing smile fixed on his muzzle.

Then, Taka's eyes darted to Seiji at his side.

Seiji met his gaze just as unblinkingly, a smug smirk tugging at his lips.

Taka slowly looked back at Nezu.

'I'm being ganged up on…'

A bead of sweat ran down his temple as he felt the weight of both stares pressing into him—heavy, sharp, and painfully aware of the implications behind this little "visit."

Or rather, intervention.

Still… nothing was certain yet.

Maybe Seiji had just bragged about his great and amazing potential to Nezu after their spar the other day, hence his visit?

…No. He doubted Seiji had those kinds of connections.

Taka swallowed nervously.

This was thin ice.

Very thin ice.

He had to choose his words carefully, or everything would go to shit.

"So…" he said at last, feigning confusion as he gestured vaguely at the massive white rat… bear, dog, whatever he was. "Who are you?"

Nezu's ears perked up, delighted.

"Oh my, where are my manners?" he said cheerfully. "I'm Nezu, Principal of U.A. High School. Does that satisfy you, Mr Rockinesis?—oops! I wasn't supposed to say that yet."

"…"

After a long second of sheer disbelief, Taka snorted and shut his eyes.

'Yep. Never mind. Everything went to shit a long time ago.'

Suddenly, something pressed down on his shoulder.

He turned to see Seiji leaning on him casually, staring at him with that same damn smirk.

"You know," Seiji said lightly, "it was quite the surprise when U.A.'s actual principal knocked on my door and explained the certain… connections between a criminal mastermind that's been causing a lot of havoc lately—and my dear little ward. Anything you'd like to say for yourself, Taka?"

"You have no evidence," Taka replied instantly.

"Unfortunately, I do," Nezu cut in pleasantly. "Monetization records from that very successful channel of yours. Bank transfer history. IP address logs. Upload timestamps. Location metadata. And that's just the short list. Shall I continue?"

"…No. That's enough." Taka's poker face crumbled.

He was completely, utterly caught. There was no point in pretending anymore.

'Fucking Quirktube and the bank—where's my right to privacy?! I thought they weren't allowed to share any of that!'

Seiji suddenly burst into laughter, patting Taka's back loudly.

"Well, well, well! Looks like you got caught, little Taka! Your crime spree ends here!"

Taka gave him a long, flat stare.

Then—

"This guy knew too! I'm just a poor, innocent minor! If anyone's going to prison, it should be him!"

Seiji's laughter died instantly, and he snapped his head towards Taka with a panicked look.

"You little shit!"

Taka smirked, pointing at him accusatorily. "If I'm going down, you're coming with me!"

"After I raised you for twelve years, this is how you repay me?!"

"Hahahaha!"

Nezu's sudden cackle cut cleanly through their argument, making both of them snap their attention toward him in disbelief.

"You two really are quite the pair," Nezu said cheerfully. "There's no need to worry. I didn't come here to send either of you to prison, Takahashi-kun… nor you, Seiji-san."

"For real?" they both asked in unison.

Nezu nodded and hopped down from the couch, beginning to pace casually around the living room.

"While I am the principal of a hero school—and would normally be obligated to ensure you face the appropriate legal consequences for what I've discovered—you have, in fact, done some rather brilliant work as a vigilante. Illegal, yes. But impressive nonetheless."

"Hah? Brilliant work? This guy?" Seiji scoffed, poking Taka's cheek mockingly, which the teenager responded to by slapping his hand away.

"Indeed," Nezu replied with a sly smile. He pulled a small disk from his pocket and flicked it onto the floor. A holographic projection flared to life, displaying recordings of Taka's exploits as Rockinesis. "I took the time to analyze all your appearances. And surprisingly, for someone with no formal hero training, your environmental damage control is quite refined."

The images showed Taka redirecting attacks in harmless directions, positioning enemies, reducing his powers' impact on the surroundings, and minimizing collateral destruction.

"Though not perfect," Nezu continued, "you consistently reduced the impact on surrounding infrastructure. That's something even seasoned heroes often neglect. Most people wouldn't even think to prioritize it."

"Heh, that's because of me," Seiji said proudly, crossing his arms while leaning on Taka. "This brat was always tagging along at my job. So I gave him a tip or two about the hero life during my many outings capturing villains."

Taka deadpanned. "Bold of you to assume it's all because of you."

Seiji shot his ward a sideways grin. "Well, am I wrong, little Taka?"

"…No," Taka admitted quietly. "But still."

Nezu smiled and clicked a button on a remote. The projection shifted—now showing footage of Taka, or Rockinesis, clashing with multiple heroes who had attempted to apprehend him.

"Then there's the matter of you fighting heroes," Nezu continued. "Legally speaking, it is resisting arrest, without question. However, you consistently showed restraint. You even held back when you clearly had a very clear advantage."

Taka winced slightly as the footage showed him humiliating a few opponents.

"While you did seem to enjoy embarrassing them more than necessary," Nezu added with a knowing look, "I'll chalk that up to youthful immaturity. In the end, you caused no lasting injuries and disengaged responsibly."

Taka's face relaxed, suspiring relieved.

'Good thing I took something like this into account.'

Nezu clicked the remote once more.

Two final images appeared.

One being Taka's battle against the three A-class villains… And the other—his recent clash with Gigantomachia.

His eyebrow twitched at the clearly recent picture. From what it looked like, it was taken from the coastline with a very good zoom. Whether from the spectating crowd or the police, who knew.

"And finally," Nezu said, his voice turning more solemn, "there is your willingness to face foes that would have placed established heroes in extreme danger. In both of these cases, casualties were not only possible—but likely."

The room grew quiet.

"If you hadn't intervened," Nezu continued, "there was a chance the outcome could have been catastrophic. And while that does not excuse unauthorized hero activity—nor your involvement in conflicts beyond your legal standing—I must thank you. As the principal of U.A., and as someone who values human life, despite not being human myself."

"Uh… sure," Taka replied awkwardly. "You're welcome, I guess."

With that, the projection shut off. Nezu tucked the disk and remote back into his pocket, smiling faintly as the room settled into silence once more.

But then Nezu turned back to Taka. This time, however, his eyes locked onto his with a pressure wholly unbecoming of such a small body.

"Due to all the details I mentioned earlier, and considering your young age, I decided to take a small gamble," he said calmly. "Today, I did not come to apprehend you—nor your guardian—but to offer you a deal."

That immediately caught both ward and guardian's attention.

"But first," Nezu continued, raising one finger in its paw, "there is a question I must ask."

Taka frowned slightly. "What is it?"

Nezu's smile widened—then sharpened.

"What is your true Quirk, Takahashi-kun?"

"...!"

The instant the question left his mouth, the tension in the room spiked violently. Both pairs of eyes snapped onto Taka at once.

"Your registered Quirk, Muscle to Mind, supposedly allows you only to convert physical force into telekinetic power," Nezu continued. "Yet that description is clearly... insufficient to say the least."

He gestured lightly.

"Cloning. Energy manifestation. Physical strength and durability in the superhuman range, matched by an equally abnormal telekinetic ability. And what I can only assume are some degree of precognitive capabilities, judging by how accurately you anticipate crimes and conflicts to crash at them and play your shows."

Nezu's eyes glinted.

"To say your Quirk's official description falls short of its real scope would be a severe understatement, wouldn't you agree?"

"..."

Taka sweatdropped, his gaze sliding away under the weight of that stare.

What was he supposed to say?

He was cornered. Completely.

Nezu had already noticed nearly every ability he'd displayed so far—save for the ones he hadn't yet revealed. And the moment he did in the future, those too would be noticed. Lying now would only guarantee that he'd be caught in that lie later.

So… should he just tell the truth?

This was Nezu—an ally to the main cast. Not the government, with its sick machiavellian stuff, and certainly not a villain's spy. Even if terrifying in his own way, he was one of the few people Taka could reasonably trust. Both because of his proven character and because the guy was simply that competent.

Unless this was some AU where Nezu was secretly the true mastermind behind everything.

Rodent for One, or some shit like that.

'Focus, damn it.'

Realizing his thoughts were drifting, Taka forced himself back to the main point.

He glanced at Seiji—who was practically breathing down his neck, eyes wide and prodding smile brimming with expectation.

Taka trusted Seiji.

As for Nezu… he trusted him too, even if they'd only officially met today. The guy may be a rat, but he was a nice rat.

Or nice bear, or dog, whatever he was.

'I guess... It's fine.'

With a quiet sigh, Taka finally spoke.

"My Quirk's energy source isn't physical strength..." he admitted, his eyes growing serious as the revelations began unfolding. "It's a kind of energy that my body naturally builds up over time, piling up in me like a battery, and which lets me enhance myself, as well as project it into something akin to telekinesis. As for the other abilities… the energy seems to be quite versatile in how it can manifest outside my body, which lets me do all the other stuff—there might be more abilities, but I haven't discovered them yet."

"It accumulates passively?" Nezu asked.

"Yeah. Just on its own."

"And it somehow allows you to create clones, boost your physical prowess to inhuman levels, allegedly predict the future, and control things from afar?"

Taka nodded. "As I said, it's… uh, kind of versatile."

"Damn, kid," Seiji exclaimed from beside him, looking at him in a completely new light.

Nezu chuckled, but tapped the area beneath his muzzle thoughtfully. Clearly, not letting his amusement overshadow his running thoughts.

And while he did that, Taka sighed inwardly.

In the end, he still kept part of the truth to himself.

Not because he didn't trust the people in the room.

Not because he was afraid.

But because—

'The true Aura Farmer always keeps a few cards up his sleeve.' Taka thought, his eyes shining with a faint, sly glint for a second—Of course, just for dramatic effect while you read this. It wasn't something visible either to Nezu or Seiji.

Such a vain reason was all he had in mind when keeping the full information.

Maybe telling everything wouldn't change anything.

Or maybe… it would one day mean the difference between survival and death.

But for now, he preferred to keep those secrets wrapped.

That way, if someday an epic situation arose in which his foe somehow knew about his supposed Quirk and had prepared a countermeasure…

He would make the big reveal—then proceed to crush them with his full power.

That would be truly cool.

Of course, that was all just wishful thinking.

Whether it would actually come true or not was a matter for the future.

"Very well. Despite its bizarreness, I suppose it covers most of the loopholes I had noticed," Nezu suddenly nodded, giving the half-truth a pass.

Seeing that, Taka nodded as well, heaving a sigh of relief inwardly.

But then, he felt a pat on the shoulder.

He turned and saw Seiji smirking at him, looking a bit too excited.

"The next time we spar, you're showing me what you're really capable of."

Taka nodded silently, his expression unchanged.

Though in his mind—

'You just gave me free rein to beat your ass without the system's interference.'

If his aura could manifest a second face that revealed his true emotions, it would be wearing a wicked grin.

While Taka savored the future beating in his head, Seiji turned back to Nezu.

"So, what's this deal you were talking about, Principal?"

"Yes, I was just about to get to that," Nezu nodded, then fixed Taka with a sharp gaze, snapping him out of his thoughts. "You wrote in your desired career plan that you wanted to join U.A., correct?"

Taka nodded, once again inwardly cursing the concept of privacy.

Nezu smiled, offering a handshake. "Given your amazing potential, I want to make sure such talent is properly groomed into becoming a hero in the future, so... what would you say about receiving a recommendation?"

Taka tilted his head, unfamiliar with the term.

But then, Seiji gently smacked his shoulder, whispering it to him. "It means you won't have to take the usual entrance exam everyone else does. Instead, you'll go through the recommendation exam—fewer competitors, and thus better chances of getting in."

Taka's eyebrows lifted, finally realizing it was the method Todoroki and Yaoyorozu used to get in.

Nezu nodded. "Indeed. With the skills you've displayed, I have no doubt you'll excel in the practical portion. As for the written exam, you'll still have to study."

"I see…" Taka murmured, closing his eyes enigmatically for a moment to think, his usual edgy persona slipping as a matter of habit.

Then—

He smiled faintly, looking Nezu straight in the eyes, confident and unflinching—

"I refuse."

…

°

°

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| Minutes later, Taka's room… |

…

-Click-

"Phew..."

Taka closed the door behind him and let out a long sigh.

"Today really can't get any more hectic…"

Groaning, he stretched and walked over to his bed, throwing himself onto it—his aura instinctively cushioning the fall.

Good thing, too. He did have a broken arm.

Lying there in the soft embrace of his sheets, his gaze drifted to the ceiling as his thoughts returned to the final exchange he'd had with Nezu.

More specifically, the moment he had refused the recommendation.

First of all—he didn't want to take Yaoyorozu's or Todoroki's spot. As for the other recommended students, he didn't even remember them, and he sure as hell wasn't interested in the class they'd end up in. Class 1-A was the one to aim for if he wanted to Aura Farm for good.

They just got into so much shit, it'd be a waste to go to the other class.

But that was only the surface reason.

The real reason he had refused was due to the entrance exam.

Hundreds of examinees. Teachers observing every move. And one giant robot just begging to be destroyed.

If that wasn't the perfect farming ground, then what was?

There was no way he was sacrificing that just to stroll in through the front door on a recommendation. That wasn't auratic at all.

'At least he didn't take it the wrong way,' Taka thought with a quiet huff, remembering how calmly Nezu had accepted his refusal.

Seiji had backed him up too, rambling on his own about " Taka does not like the easy way" and "It builds character," which conveniently spared Taka from having to come up with a believable excuse.

In the end, it was decided—he would take the normal entrance exam, just like everyone else.

But after that… came the unpleasant part.

Nezu had promised not to expose his vigilante identity—on one condition.

From now on, Taka was to cut ties with his vigilantism completely and focus solely on becoming a hero.

If he agreed, Nezu would also help erase the digital trail he'd left behind in his greed for money while aura farming: monetization records, paper trails, all of it. The police would never link Rockinesis back to Takahashi Fukumoto.

The principal really was frighteningly flexible. Why was he going that far? Who knew. Taka could only assume it was because he didn't want him to go to prison or something.

Cause if he did, he'd pretty much miss the chance to go to U.A.

'Yeah, that makes sense.' Taka nodded to himself.

So, just like that, Taka's vigilante career was forcibly brought to an end.

Though he had managed to negotiate one exception, he was still allowed to keep uploading songs.

Fortunately, Nezu had agreed to that much. Otherwise, he would have lost all sources of aura.

And honestly, with his fame already grown, the aura he'd lose by not making shows wasn't gonna be that much.

Besides…

'After today's shit, I think I'm gonna take a rest from beating up villains.' He thought, eyeing his broken arm with a wince.

Of course, if some level 10 trouble alert popped up in between these three months that were left until U.A., then he'd probably step up and help out with what was within his capabilities.

But for now, he was taking some vacations.

'It was some really hectic seven months… and they ended in the most hectic way as well.'

On the very same day he fought a living catastrophe. His life as a vigilante quietly ended.

Quite the coincidence.

And on that note, Taka recalled his fight against Gigantomachia. His eyes narrowing as his eyes darted to his broken arm, and then to his opposite arm's hand, picturing the destructive energy he could create.

Even his strongest attack, a laser beam filled with 10,000 points of aura, had merely burned his exterior.

That much had been enough to understand his place in the world as of now.

He was strong… But when it came to the top-tier powers of this world, he was still painfully weak.

And in three months, the canon would start.

The show lasted a single year, and in that year, the main cast jumped from dealing with baby-level threats to dealing with the motherfucking end of the world.

He had three months—and the time window in which the protagonists dealt with weak opponents—to up his game.

If he did not, then he would start to lag behind.

And, as an aura farmer, that was not permitted.

'Three months…'

He raised his working hand, clenching it into a fist.

"All Might, Gigantomachia, All For One, and whichever other powerhouse exists in this world…" He mumbled, clenching his teeth and raising his fist as aura enveloped it. "... Prepare yourself, because by next year, you will all be my errand boys!"

Unfortunately, in doing so, his broken arm moved a bit more than necessary.

"Ouch!"

…

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-To be Continued…-

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(A/N: And so, the preparations arc comes to an end. Now, a time skip is approaching.

How was the chapter? Was Nezu in character, or did I screw up?

Also, don't worry about Taka not being able to do his shows. As he said, the aura he gains during those is a bit prescindible when comparing it to his current passive earnings. And with the current level of fame, heh, as after presenting his original song, plus with the fight against Gigantomachia going viral, he has enough fame to keep his passive earnings high enough until U.A. arrives.

Also, I didn't get to add the last skill I had planned, but I suppose I can just add it later.

Ba bye now.)

 

[The Synonym]

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[Entrance Exam]
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| Three months later, U.A.'s gate… |

…

"This is it…!"

Midoriya swallowed nervously as he stood before U.A., cold sweat running down his back.

The school where All Might had graduated. The best hero institution in Japan. The place where he was about to apply to become a hero.

Staring up at the massive gate, he felt as if a literal barrier stood between him and the path he was walking into—like he wasn't meant to step inside.

He'd been Quirkless all his life, and yet here he was, about to take the hero course entrance exam. It felt almost contradictory.

'Although… I am supposedly not Quirkless anymore,' he reminded himself, expression flattening as he recalled All Might's bizarre instruction from hours earlier at the beach:

{Eat this.}

'He said if I ate that hair, I'd inherit his power… but did it really work?'

He examined himself. Truthfully, he didn't feel any different.

After exhaling his nerves, determination flickered back into his eyes. Ten months of hellish training—all leading to this day. All Might, the strongest hero, had entrusted him with his Quirk. He couldn't afford to fail.

He wouldn't fail.

-Paf!-

He smacked both cheeks at once to shake off the anxiety and stepped forward—

-Thud!-

"Outta my way, Deku."

—only to be shoved aside as Bakugo, his friend/bully—more bully than friend—stormed past.

"A-ah!" Midoriya flailed, trying desperately to assemble a proper greeting with his hands. "K-Kacchan! N-nice to see you! You're here for the exam, right? I wish you luck, and—"

But Bakugo had already ignored him completely and walked on.

Midoriya sighed as he watched the blond go.

'I got scared out of habit…'

Feeling embarrassed at how quickly he folded despite his earlier resolve, he forced his gaze upward toward the huge U.A. logo on the front doors. Then he shook his head sharply, chasing the nerves away.

'I'm not the same as I was ten months ago… remember your training!'

He took a deep breath, steeling himself.

'Time to take my first step toward becoming a hero!'

And a step he took indeed.

-Squeak-

—but right at the next one, his legs tangled clumsily, pitching him forward.

'I'm done for.' Midoriya thought, feeling his earlier resolve crumble like dust.

However, just as his face was about to slam into the pavement—

"Huh?"

—his momentum halted abruptly, stopping mere centimeters from the ground.

Then, in an instant, an unseen force pulled him upright again, leaving him staring ahead with a blank expression, completely unable to register what had just happened.

"Eh?"

Only when he finally snapped out of his daze did he look around to search for his savior, and soon, he noticed a girl standing right next, also staring at him—a brown-haired girl wearing a thick scarf.

Ochako Uraraka—albeit, unknown to the green-haired kid.

The instant he saw her, it clicked. She had helped him.

"Ah, you saved me—thank you!" he said, bowing quickly.

But the girl only blinked in confusion.

"Eh?! Me? No, that wasn't me!—I mean, I was going to help, but you stopped falling before I could even reach you!"

"Huh? Then that wasn't your Quirk?" Midoriya tilted his head.

"Watch yourself."

A deep voice spoke from behind him.

Startled, he turned.

There, a black-haired youth wearing a long, tailored overcoat, a fitted black turtleneck underneath, and similarly colored pants, walked past with a cold gaze and a confident stride. Beside him, a black-haired girl with earphone jacks for earlobes watched with vague amusement.

Before Midoriya could respond, the boy continued walking, the girl following.

"I guess it was him who helped," Uraraka murmured, eyeing the departing boy with awe as he walked away.

Midoriya did too. For some reason, that youth emanated an air of power—whether it was the way he walked, the tone of his voice earlier, or simply the way he carried himself.

He was the very image of someone… strong.

'And that Quirk… what was it?' Midoriya replayed the sensation of being yanked back to his feet, despite nothing touching him. 'A telekinesis-type Quirk?'

While the freckled boy got lost in his thoughts, several meters ahead, the black haired girl shot a wry look at the youth walking beside her.

"Did you trip that guy?"

"No." He replied, almost too fast.

She raised an eyebrow. "Then why did you say we should wait at the entrance, only to start walking again the moment that kid walked in?"

"I just thought it was a good moment to go in. His tripping was just a coincidence."

She didn't look convinced, but eventually nodded with a snort. "… Sure."

…

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| U.A.'s Auditory |

…

Once everyone found their seats, a blond teacher stepped onto the stage, wearing a wide smile that radiated confidence. And his outfit wasn't subtle either—he was dressed like an actual rockstar. Slicked-back blond spiky hair, edgy leather jacket and pants, headphones, orange sunglasses, and a massive speaker-like collar around his neck.

For many, a hero renowned across Japan. Present Mic.

And also, one of the teachers of U.A.

He reached the podium just as a massive screen behind him lit up, the U.A. logo shining for all examinees to see.

"For all of you examinees tuning in today, I welcome you all to my show!—everybody say HEY!" Present Mic threw his arms up theatrically.

For a moment, silence drowned the auditorium. Not a single soul dared to answer.

"Hey."

But suddenly, a deep voice echoed across the room.

Normally, anyone speaking up then would've been met with weird looks, but the voice carried so much weight and conviction that nobody dared judge it, even for a moment.

In fact—

"... Hey!"

"Hey…"

"H-hey…!"

—It encouraged others to follow, almost instinctively, like responding to someone of high authority without thinking.

And as everyone realized what they had just done, their eyes naturally drifted toward the source.

With hundreds of students gathered, a single voice should have blended into the crowd.

Yet somehow, all gazes settled on one examinee sitting with an unsettling level of calm confidence.

He wasn't flashy, nor did he stand out physically. His outfit was good—but not that good.

Instead, what drew every eye… was his presence.

Somehow, everyone felt it instinctively the instant their gazes settled on him.

He was strong.

"—Ahem." Present Mic interrupted, snapping everyone back to attention. Even he looked surprised—whether at the unexpected response or at the strange presence of that student was unclear. But soon, his trademark grin returned. "I can see you're all pumped! Then it's time to get into the rundown of the practical exam you came here for!"

He struck a pose befitting his rockstar aesthetic, raising a hand dramatically as he shouted.

"AAAAAARE YOU READYYY?!"

"Yeah."

"Yeah…!"

"Y-yeah…"

"Yeah!"

Once again, that same voice answered first—and everyone followed.

Satisfied, Present Mic nodded as the huge screen behind him shifted, showing multiple cityscapes—U.A.'s "Battle Centers," full-scale urban combat zones labeled from A to G.

He proceeded to give a quick rundown of how the practical exam would work and what the examinees would be doing.

After the presentation, every examinee would be sent to a different Battle Center depending on their assigned location. Once there, their objective was to destroy the multiple robots scattered throughout the mock cities—four types in total—earning points for each one defeated. The point values varied based on the size of the robot: the smallest, about the size of a person, was worth 1 point, while the largest, roughly the size of a tank, was worth 3. And, naturally, fighting between examinees was strictly prohibited.

This was a hero exam, after all. Unheroic behavior wasn't exactly admired.

"Excuse me, may I ask a question?!"

Suddenly, a sharp and loud voice cut through the teacher's speech. Though it didn't look like it bothered Present Mic.

"Okay!" He shot a thumbs-up.

The examinee—Tenya Iida, a dark-blue-haired youth with glasses—stood up, holding the printout they had all been given. It contained the same information that the teacher had been covering, albeit more summarized.

"On the printout, there are four villains. If that's a misprint, then U.A., the most prominent school in Japan, should be ashamed of such a foolish mistake! We examinees are here because we wish to be molded into exemplary heroes!"

Then, in a quick pivot, he pointed directly at a certain green-haired boy—Midoriya.

"Additionally, the curly-haired one over there… You've been muttering the whole time. It's distracting! If you're here on a pleasure trip, then you should—"

"That's quite enough."

Once again, that familiar voice rang out, cutting Iida off midsentence.

The bespectacled youth turned sharply to the unknown youth, indignation written across his face.

"What?! I'm merely—"

"You could've said something to him without announcing it to everyone. Stop wasting our time and let the teacher answer."

"I—"

"Okay, okay, examinee 7111, thanks for the great message," Present Mic interrupted, stepping in before things escalated. "The fourth villain is worth zero points. Why? Because it's an obstacle, so to speak. It's not impossible to beat, but there's no reason to either. So, I recommend you all just avoid it."

Iida fell silent for a moment, his gaze drifting toward the examinee who had cut him off on the far side of the auditorium, before finally bowing deeply.

"Thank you very much. I apologize for the interruption."

And with that, he returned to his seat and remained silent.

After that, and having finished explaining the rest of the smaller details, Present Mic echoed the school's motto—Plus Ultra—to encourage everyone and bid them farewell. Thus, the rundown came to an end, and the wait for the practical exam officially began.

From then on, everyone was on their own.

Soon, the mass of students began moving, each walking toward the Battle Center assigned to them on their identification cards.

And while the crowd moved, sitting calmly in the stands was the youth from earlier. He narrowed his eyes slightly as he inspected the card in his hand.

"Battle Center G…"

Snorting, he stood up and adjusted his coat.

"Very well."

…

°

°

°

| Minutes later, Battle Center G's gate… |

…

"Hey, why's he still wearing that outfit? Didn't they let us change into athletic gear before getting on the bus?"

"Huh? Oh damn, you're right. Maybe his Quirk lets him ignore stuff like that?"

"Dammit, why did I have to get the same Battle Center as him?! Now I'm not gonna get any points."

"Maybe he's not as strong as he looks? Honestly, I can't see a single hint of what Quirk he might have."

"Hm, you're right. For all we know, he could have a crappy Quirk and is just putting on a façade!"

A group of examinees narrowed their eyes as they watched the youth from earlier, who leaned casually against a wall with his eyes closed while everyone waited for the gates to open.

"Yeah, now that I'm seeing him up close, he's not all'at—"

The youth opened his eyes and glared at them.

"—Is what I'd say if I were a fool! Haha… ha."

They immediately looked away.

"Hmph." The youth snorted, but didn't close his eyes again. Instead, he glanced around at the other examinees who were busy stretching or trying to calm their nerves.

'I don't see Midoriya,' he thought.

Indeed, this until-now unidentifiable youth was none other than the aura farmer himself… Taka. Now three months older.

Not only was he a little taller, but even through his clothes, it was clear his musculature had developed. He was no longer just fit—he was genuinely strong.

The last three months of training had pushed his body to its physical peak.

From here on, it would mostly be up to aging naturally, with maybe a bit more training. But growing stronger through pure exercise alone would bring much slower gains.

Of course, with some Aura, human limits were a joke.

Back to Taka, he continued giving all his competitors a glance, eyebrow twitching faintly upon not seeing a familiar green-haired curly teenager.

'…Too bad. I guess I'll have to settle for having aura-farmed him earlier.' He sighed, looking genuinely regretful—only to shrug a moment later, uncaring. 'Then again, I also won't have to worry about him failing to get into U.A. because I smashed the 0-pointer instead of him.'

He didn't dislike Midoriya. There was no reason for stopping him from getting into U.A.

The guy did his best to be a proper hero, and while a frustrating crybaby earlier on, he became someone somewhat to be respected by the end of the show. Even if he ended up a Quirkless bum.

That's also why he had helped him with Iida. Like he had reprimanded the glasses earlier, there was no need to humiliate Midoriya publicly for something he could have said over a hush or something.

Hence why he had spoken up.

That, and to aura farm, of course.

But he definitely didn't plan on being friends with Midoriya.

After all, he was the protagonist of this world. And if there was someone who could steal his aura-farming opportunities, it was that green-haired gremlin.

From now on, a rival relationship was about to begin—even if Midoriya had no clue.

And it was one he had absolutely no intention of losing.

He'd made sure the last three months were more than enough to cement his absolute superiority.

Midoriya could try, but he for sure wasn't gonna be catching up any time soon.

Smirking inwardly, Taka glared to his side. 'System, flash me with my gains.'

<... Watch your phrasing.>

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

[STATUS PAGE]

▸ Strength: (162 Base) 2500

▸ Defense: (324 Base) 2500

▸ Aura Projection: 26568

─────────────

Total Aura: 31082

─────────────

Skills:

▸Clean

▸Trouble Radar

▸Connoisseur

▸Pain is Just a Feeling

▸Innamovible Object

▸True Speaking

▸True Breathing

▸True Walking

▸Good job beating me… But that was merely a clone!

▸Efficient Body

▸Aura Projection - Pew Pew Mode

▸Imaginary Technique: My Theme

▸Sperm Eye

▸Let's Dance!

▸Aura Projection - Even A Stick Is Enough Mode

▸Aura Projection - Hardening Mode

▸Aura Projection - There There Mode

▸Aura Projection - Master Of Elements Mode

▸Aura Projection - Aura Type

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Over the past three months, he had tripled his aura.

His original song's video had earned him a huge amount during the first ten days. Sadly, after that, the passive gains stabilized—probably because the views were coming from the same people repeating the song, which didn't generate that much awe and hence didn't yield much aura, or because it simply wasn't reaching many new viewers after that.

Unfortunately, he didn't have a professional company pushing his track, so while it got really popular, it never reached the outrageous numbers big promoted videos could get. And, as expected, time eventually took its toll, slowing the gains even more.

Of course, his earnings were still massive compared to what he had before the video—just nothing like those sweet 1,000-a-day spikes.

In total, he'd managed to pull in twenty-thousand-something aura, up until today.

Pretty good considering he had been forced to stop his vigilante activities.

And then there was the matter of all the new modes he'd unlocked for his aura projection.

Some had been easy enough once he thought of them, coming naturally to him after one or two tries. Others—like the healing mode—had been tricky and took him weeks or months of constant practice to develop.

But they were definitely useful for aura farming. He already had plenty of ideas for how he'd be using them from here on out.

He just had to bide his time.

'Though for now, I have to focus on the event ahead.'

Closing his eyes enigmatically, he walked toward the front of the gate along with the rest of the examinees.

His eyes scanned his competitors, wondering if anyone from the future 1-A would be here too.

And, to his surprise, there was someone.

A certain purple-haired, dwarf-like teenager was among the crowd.

For a moment, he blinked.

Then he snorted—mentally apologizing.

'Sorry, Mineta. But someone had to go… and it looks like it's gonna be you.'

As if on cue, the gates to the Battle Center began opening—silently, almost imperceptibly.

Some students were distracted and didn't notice.

Others simply stared, waiting for a teacher to appear and announce the start of the exam.

Taka, however, smirked.

He stepped forward—passing everyone—and strode calmly straight into the battlegrounds, leaving the dumbfounded examinees behind.

"What are you—?" one student asked, feeling wronged, as if Taka were cheating.

But Taka shut him up with a single line:

"Don't you know? Villains won't wait for you."

And then—

-Swish-

—he vanished.

That's when it dawned on everyone, even if the teacher hadn't said it himself.

The exam had begun, and they hadn't even realized it.

…

────────────────────────

-To be Continued…-

────────────────────────

(A/N: How was all that aura farming? It was a fun chapter to write, except for the part where I had to check the chapter every now and then to guide myself.

Though I suppose that's gonna have to become a regular thing, seeing as we have stepped into the canon for good.)

 

[The Synonym]

Join my Patreon to get access to more chapters, and you'll help me make ends meet while doing so.

patreon.com/TheSynonym

────────────────────────
[Entrance Exam 2]
────────────────────────

…

In a dark room, several figures sat before a row of faintly lit monitors, each displaying young boys and girls fighting desperately against robots.

"This year's examinees are really promising," Cementoss said, rubbing his barely prominent chin with interest as the students on-screen showcased a wide variety of Quirks—many of them powerful, or at least highly versatile.

"Yeah, but if we're talking about promising, a few of them are shining a lot brighter than the rest," Ectoplasm muttered, loud enough for everyone to hear.

The others nodded in agreement.

Indeed, some examinees stood out far more than others.

On one monitor, a blond student rampaged through the battlefield, violent explosions erupting from his hands as he demolished robots with brutal efficiency. It wasn't just the raw power of his blasts—his control was exceptional. He used his explosions as propulsion, launching himself across the battlefield, twisting midair to dodge attacks while maintaining relentless momentum, speeding up his collection of points massively.

His name: Katsuki Bakugo.

"He already got to first place even though we are not even halfway through the exam. At the rate he is gathering points, no one will be able to take that place from him." Vlad King commented, sweatdropping as he glanced at the charts and watched the student's score climb at an astonishing pace.

"Well, I wouldn't be so sure about that," Nezu said suddenly from the back of the room, prompting several raised eyebrows.

He believed someone would score more than this?

Judging by the principal's enigmatic tone, though, it seemed they only needed to keep watching to understand.

Soon, more examinees began to draw attention.

A boy whose skin hardened like stone, tearing through robots while assisting nearby examinees whenever he could—Eijiro Kirishima.

A girl who, upon touching robots, rendered them weightless before sending them crashing back down like meteors—Ochako Uraraka.

The younger brother of the hero Ingenium, dashing through the battlefield with terrifying speed and precision—Tenya Iida.

Many promising prospects filled the teachers' screens as they continued their evaluations.

Still, none had yet matched Katsuki Bakugo, who—despite having earned not a single rescue point—remained firmly at the top through sheer destruction efficiency alone.

And so it continued… until the four-minute mark.

Up until then, nothing had seemed out of the ordinary.

But then—

Something strange happened.

On the rankings display, where the top ten examinees' names were listed, a single name suddenly appeared from nowhere.

It passed 10th place.

Then 9th.

Then 8th.

It skipped straight past 6th.

Then 5th.

And it kept climbing at an absurd speed.

"What the hell is happening? Did we get hacked?" Snipe asked, disbelief clear in his voice.

The rate at which the ranking was changing was far too abnormal. It almost looked artificial.

Nezu, however, merely snickered.

"I'd say it's only fitting."

The teachers stared at him in disbelief.

"I've found him," Eraser Head—or rather, Aizawa Shota's voice suddenly cut in.

Everyone immediately turned, searching for the monitor displaying the mysterious examinee.

And when they found it—

"W-why is he standing atop a building…?"

They couldn't believe what they were seeing.

Instead of a hyper-aggressive prodigy rushing through the battlefield and destroying robots left and right, the monitor showed something far stranger.

A black-haired youth stood calmly at the edge of a building, arms crossed as he observed the battlefield from above. His long coat fluttered behind him in the wind, hair swaying as he remained perfectly still, framed against the sky.

It looked undeniably cool.

But it explained absolutely nothing. How the heck was he getting so many points?

"H-hold on… what's happening in Battle Center G?" Sniper suddenly asked, noticing something odd on another monitor.

The teachers' eyes shifted—and widened.

Across the battlefield, robots were barely being engaged at all.

Instead, dozens of them were rising into the air, suspended helplessly, unable to resist an unseen force. An eerie, crimson aura wrapped around their metallic bodies as they floated upward like puppets on invisible strings.

"It seems to be limited to the central area of the stage," Aizawa noted, eyes narrowing. Then his gaze flicked to the idle examinee on the other screen. "…And it all appears to be centered on that kid."

"What's his Quirk?" Vlad King asked urgently.

They immediately began pulling up his data.

Midnight was the first to find it. "Takahashi Fukumoto. Quirk: Muscle to Mind. It allows the user to convert physical force into telekinetic power…"

"That doesn't add up," Cementoss muttered. "Even if the robots are made of lighter materials, that's still two or three tons he's lifting."

As if responding to the comment, the youth suddenly stepped forward—and jumped.

He dropped straight off the building.

Then, a moment later, he landed below in a textbook superhero landing, the concrete beneath him cracking outward as it shattered.

Yet, despite the impact, he stood completely unharmed.

"…The description seems a bit incomplete..." Midnight added, sweatdropping. "It probably includes superhuman physical strength as well, which makes his telekinetic power equally as superhuman."

"Was he the one you were referring to earlier, Principal?" Vlad King asked, glancing at Nezu in disbelief.

Nezu only smirked. "Perhaps. We'll see. He still hasn't reached first place yet—and there are six minutes remaining."

The teachers turned their attention back to the monitors.

After landing, Taka raised one hand—and then brought it down in a sharp, decisive motion.

Instantly, every robot suspended in the air plummeted downward, crashing violently into the ground. Not a single one survived the impact.

Without wasting a second, his figure blurred as he kicked off the ground and shot forward, hunting for his next targets.

Any robot that came even remotely close to him was obliterated in an instant. And at the speed he was moving, his point count began climbing rapidly.

Faster than Bakugo's.

"…Yeah," Vlad King muttered wryly. "At this rate, he'll take first place before long."

Suddenly, Nezu stepped forward and lightly tapped Vlad King on the shoulder.

"We don't know that yet, do we?"

A concealed panel slid open, revealing a massive red button.

"It's often during the most critical moment of an exam that examinees truly show what they're made of," Nezu continued pleasantly. "Perhaps Bakugo-kun will give us a spectacular comeback… or perhaps he'll be fullyovertaken."

With that, Nezu pressed the button.

…

°

°

°

| Taka's POV: |

…

Too easy. Way too damn easy.

I definitely went overboard with my preparations—at least for these early stages of the show.

Even though I'm sparing the other participants a few robots so I'm not being a complete dick, I'm still wrecking most of the ones around here.

How many points have I racked up already? Sixty-two?

No, that'd only be the case if I'd destroyed nothing but one-point robots. I'm pretty sure I've taken down a good number of two- and three-pointers as well.

Honestly, I barely had time to register each robot before turning it into scrap, so I didn't even see how many points they were worth. I'm just estimating based on how many I've destroyed.

I'm probably nearing first place by now. If I'm not there already.

Normally, if there had been anyone from 1-A here who wasn't Mineta, I'd have slowed down about now. No point in accidentally robbing them of points and risking some random getting into the class instead.

But since this Battle Center seems to consist of that guy, Mineta, and a bunch of randoms, I don't have any reason to hold back.

I was going to use every robot in this place to score the highest of today, of this decade, or of this damn century.

Was this school even a century old?

No matter.

'Let's do this.'

My eyes narrowed as I began accelerating.

I wasn't flying—I didn't want to look too much like Rockinesis. Honestly, the telekinesis alone was already a pretty big giveaway.

Which, admittedly, made me grateful Nezu had stepped in and forced me to retire that identity. Otherwise, I would've ended up revealing a lot more of my abilities over these past three months. I just couldn't resist showing off.

But now that my vigilante days were over, I had plenty of powers I could use without linking them to my delinquent self.

Of course, there was still the issue of showing too many seemingly unlinked abilities to my supposed Quirk… that alone would link me to Rockinesis, who showed a similar level of randomness.

'I'll just have to sneak them in as subtly as possible.'

With a sigh, I slowed down and surveyed my surroundings.

Behind me, dozens of robots lay completely destroyed.

Still, this was far from enough.

I was planning on setting a whole new record.

'Now then… which direction still has robots left?'

I tried to recall which sections of the mock city I hadn't cleared yet.

That's when—

—RUMBLE—

The ground shook.

For a moment, I was confused. Too focused on searching for robots, so it startled me a bit.

But soon, it clicked.

"Hmm? Oh, right. Almost forgot this thing existed for a second," I snorted, turning my gaze toward the massive figure rising nearly a mile away.

The Zero Pointer.

Honestly, between point farming and aura farming for the teachers watching us, it had completely slipped my mind.

But not anymore. Seeing that giant, titanic, and terrifying figure in the distance, my mouth became watery.

The biggest moment for Aura Farming in this exam has come.

And I'm not wasting it.

Smirking, I turned and started running toward it.

I'd like to walk toward it calmly and epically, but with it being a mile away, the exam would be over by the time I arrived. So I had to sacrifice a few cool points just to make it there in time.

At my current speed, it didn't take long to reach the area where it was wreaking havoc.

Many participants were fleeing in groups or hiding from its scanners while desperately searching for any remaining robots. However, none of them was actually facing it.

Which was good.

Otherwise, who knew if my robot-monopoly ended up causing one of these guys to think of something desperate and steal my spotlight?

'Not happening.' I thought, finally slowing my running to a walk as I got close enough to focus back on looking cool.

As I strode calmly towards the metal behemoth, one examinee after another ran past me, throwing perplexed looks my way when they realized I was heading toward it instead of away.

Soon, I even crossed paths with an entire retreating crowd of panicked examinees.

When they saw me approaching, they parted instinctively, making way.

I smirked at the sight but didn't slow my pace in the slightest.

Before long, I was close enough. A few examinees were still nearby—some frantically searching for other robots, others hiding or trapped beneath collapsed buildings left behind by the giant robot's rampage.

All of them realized I was there the moment I stopped walking.

Including… the Zero Pointer.

Its many red eyes locked onto me, glowing like a hunter that had just spotted its prey.

Murmurs of disbelief rippled through the nearby examinees, who stared at me as if I were insane for facing it head-on.

But this is what an aura farmer does.

—Rumble—

The air around stirred, and the horrifying sound of metal screeching against itself filled the air as the giant mass of metal began descending, ready to smash me into smitherens.

But all I did was close my eyes and smirk faintly.

Then—I raised my hand.

—Screeeech!—

The Zero Pointer's metal plates and components groaned as their momentum slammed into an invisible force, stopping the punch dead in midair.

The resulting shockwave tore through the air, slamming into the ground and sending my coat whipping violently behind me.

Violently—but epically.

"Hmph."

I opened my eyes again, still smirking.

Then—

—Swoooosh!—

I flicked my hand aside, forcing the Zero Pointer's arm away.

With its guard wide open, I moved.

-BAM!-

My figure blurred like a shooting star. In an instant, I slammed into its chest, warping the metal inward as smoke burst free.

I kicked off immediately, rebounding toward a nearby building, and using it as a foothold to launch myself back again.

Another strike—this time to its arm.

Then again, landing along its side.

Again.

And again.

And again.

I ricocheted around the battlefield, striking from every angle while the Zero Pointer stood helplessly, absorbing blow after blow.

-Thud!-

"Fuuuh~"

When I finally landed back on the ground, ending my assault, the Zero Pointer was pitifully deformed from the sheer number of impacts. Morphing from a machine of pure destruction into a bullied little kid.

Yet, as it recovered from my onslaught, it still moved, still trying to attack me.

"Foolishness, zero pointer, foolishness."

... Of course, that was only because I was allowing it to.

As I was now, a single strike would've been enough.

But that would have made everything too short. And where was the fun in that?

Snorting, I turned my back on it.

Moments later, I felt the air pressure of one of its massive hands swinging toward me.

But before it could reach—

"Begone."

I raised my palm—and clenched it.

—BOOOOOOOOOM!!!—

In an instant, the Zero Pointer's head compressed like a crumpled paper ball and exploded, unleashing a massive shockwave that sent my hair and coat whipping forward as it struck my back.

And as all of that happened—

I walked away without looking back.

Because walking away from explosions without turning around... is always cool.

….

────────────────────────

-To be Continued…-

────────────────────────

(A/N: How was all the aura farming? Decided to add a few style points by banging on the zero pointer before deciding to destroy it for good.

Anyway, see you next chapter, and merry already-passed Christmas.)

 

[The Synonym]

Join my Patreon to get access to more chapters, and you'll help me make ends meet while doing so.

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────────────────────────
[I don't know this guy]
────────────────────────

…

Thirty minutes after the exam ended, and after receiving information about when they would be able to check their results, the examinees began leaving U.A.'s facilities in waves.

Amid the mass of teenagers heading out, two stood out, as the crowd seemed to give them far more space than it did anyone else.

"Phew… those were easily the most hectic ten minutes of my life… even more if we count the waiting time before the exam," Jiro said, letting out a relieved sigh.

Taka nodded, though he didn't look even remotely as tired as she did.

She noticed immediately and deadpanned. "Why the heck are you nodding? You probably had it easy. I overheard some guys who were in the same battle center as you, they said you went and toppled that huge robot that appeared at the end."

"Fighting was the easy part," Taka replied, his gaze fixed straight ahead. "The rest wasn't."

'Constantly searching for cameras and good aura-farming spots was a pain,' he added inwardly.

Jiro didn't look convinced. "I mean, I knew your telekinesis was strong after seeing how you dealt with those delinquents months ago… but I didn't think it was strong enough to take down a giant robot."

"You never asked." He answered matter-of-factly.

She snorted, clearly unimpressed. "Then what even is your Quirk? You always answer with 'something like that,' so I never actually learned what it is. And there's no way a simple telekinesis Quirk has that much… power."

Taka took a moment before answering, glancing to the side as if considering it.

"It's called Muscle to Mind," he said at last. "The stronger my physical body is, the stronger my telekinesis becomes."

'Or at least, that's what's registered under my name,' he thought.

Fortunately, Nezu hadn't seemed to mind the misleading description, mentioning that it could be adjusted into a more appropriate one over time once Taka began showing more abilities.

After all, Quirks evolving—or revealing their true nature, different from what was thought in a beginning—wasn't unheard of.

And in his case, being a late bloomer benefited him even more since he'd barely had any time to explore it compared to someone who'd had their Quirk their whole life.

However, although Nezu did advise him to show his other abilities so they could adjust his Quirk's description over time, he did clarify that slow changes were preferable, as anything too abrupt would raise suspicion and link him to his Rockinesis identity.

'Still,' Taka thought, 'holding back all these abilities without using them is starting to itch.'

He had plenty of time to train and refine them—but very few chances to actually use them and show them off.

His inner aura farmer was being edged, and he didn't like it.

'Well, U.A. isn't far off. I'll have plenty of opportunities there,' he reassured himself, smirking inwardly.

Lost in his thoughts, he failed to notice that instead of the matter being clarified, Jiro now looked even more confused.

"But… is it exponential or something?" she asked. "Because you definitely don't look like someone who could smash a giant robot with his bare hands."

"I could," Taka replied without hesitation.

"Pfft—yeah, right," Jiro scoffed, amused for a moment.

But when Taka didn't laugh—and instead remained completely serious—her smile slowly faded.

"…Seriously?"

Taka nodded, glancing at her. "Wanna see?"

She raised an eyebrow. "How? I don't see any robots around."

"I could lift you…"

Jiro's face turned awkward. "That's a bit..."

"—and throw you into the sky. Then I'd just catch you with my telekinesis."

She deadpanned. "Please don't."

Taka rolled his eyes. "Suit yourself."

A brief silence followed, both of them lost in their own thoughts about what had just been said.

Eventually, Jiro spoke up again, shooting him a smirk.

"By the way, how do you think you did? Enough to claim first place as you said before?"

Taka smiled faintly. "Easily."

"Whoa, not even a second of humility with you," Jiro laughed.

"I'm pretty sure I destroyed over seventy percent of the robots in the entire stage… That, plus the rescue points I probably earned after taking down that huge robot, should've put me in first place without much trouble."

"R-rescue points?" Jiro asked, startled—like someone who had just found out an already finished exam had an entirely hidden section they hadn't seen.

Taka fell silent for a moment.

'Right. They didn't tell us that,' he mused, pursing his lips but keeping it off his face.

"Yeah… rescue points. They, uh…" His mind kicked into overdrive, scrambling for an excuse. "I overheard some guys talking about a secret gimmick. Apparently, the faculty also awarded points for heroic actions during the exam, not just for destroying robots…"

"Who said that?" Jiro asked, worried.

"Hmm… some random guy in my battle center. But honestly, it sounds like something a hero school would do, so I figured it was true."

She looked shaken by the information. "Y-yeah, it does make sense… Did I help anyone during the exam? I think I did—How do they even evaluate that? Like, does saving one person equal one point or something?"

Taka shrugged.

"No idea."

"Come on, Takahashi. You can't just drop info like that and leave me hanging."

He averted his gaze. "The guy I overheard didn't seem to know much either."

"Dammit." Jiro clicked her tongue. "What if the others in my stage knew and scored more points than I did because of it?"

He glanced at her with a faintly guilty look. He'd overspoken, and now she was clearly worried.

After a moment of thought, he spoke again.

"I'm sure not many people knew. You'll probably be fine. And even if you didn't get many of those points, everyone else's Quirks weren't anything special. You should pass easily just off the robot points."

"Ugh… hopefully."

She still didn't look convinced.

Seeing that, Taka grumbled inwardly.

'Me and my big mouth.'

Suddenly, his eyes darted upward, an idea forming.

He lifted his head and pointed at the sky. "Huh. Isn't that Rockinesis up there?"

Jiro's head snapped up. "Huh?! Where—"

"I was joking," Taka said flatly.

Her shocked expression instantly twisted into a glare.

Unbothered, Taka slapped her shoulder.

"Come on, lighten up. You have my vote of confidence—and I'm pretty strong, so that should count for something."

"Again with the confidence," Jiro scoffed, though a slight smirk tugged at her lips.

Taka smiled in quiet triumph.

However, as they finally reached U.A.'s gates—slowing slightly since they were too narrow for the crowd pouring out—and stepped onto the street beyond, Taka saw something that shook him to his core.

'No…' His eyes widened as he froze mid-step, cold sweat running down his back. 'This can't be!'

Jiro quickly noticed that he had stopped walking and raised an eyebrow, turning to see what had frozen him like that.

But all she saw was an empty street… save for a car parked not too far away, with a blond man standing beside it and—waving at them?

'Does he know him?' Jiro wondered.

Taka, however—

"I think we should take a detour," he said suddenly.

But before she could even answer—

"Yo, Taka! I came to bring you home!" the blond man shouted.

"I think he's calling you," Jiro said.

"He must be talking to someone else. Taka is a common na—"

"Takahashi Fukumoto—which, by the way, is not a common name—I said I came to get you home. Your home. In Shizuoka. In case you think I'm mistaking you for someone else. Now get your ass over here!"

"This fucking guy…" Taka muttered.

And so he did—he started making his way over. Jiro followed along, figuring she might as well say hi to whoever he was.

Soon, they stood in front of the man, who smirked at Taka with smug satisfaction.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't my ward, Takahashi Fukumoto, who, for some reason, likes to act as if he doesn't know me."

"Enough already." Taka clicked his tongue.

Seiji snickered, then shifted his gaze to Jiro standing beside him.

"And who is this young lady? Did you make a friend during the entrance exam?"

"Hi, um… I'm Kyoka Jiro. I've been friends with Taka for a while now," she introduced herself awkwardly.

Seiji tilted his head. "Huh? Taka? A friend? That's impossib—"

—Whack!—

"OW!"

His head snapped forward as something struck him from behind.

When he looked down, a baseball was rolling on the ground.

A group of kids quickly ran over, apologizing profusely and saying the ball had flown over by accident.

"Kids these days sure are careless when they play," Taka muttered, staring straight into Seiji's eyes.

The adult's smile twitched in annoyance.

Still, he didn't let the matter drop.

"So you've been friends for a while, huh? Funny how this little prick never told me," Seiji said with a smirk, ruffling Taka's hair aggressively.

That is—until Taka caught his wrist mid-motion and stopped it cold, creating an awkward standoff as Seiji tried to force it and Taka held him in place.

All the while, Seiji kept talking.

"So, you're probably from Shizuoka too, right?"

Jiro nodded.

"Then you must recognize me. After all, I'm quite the famous her—"

—Whack!—

"ACK! What the hell?!"

Another ball struck Seiji on the head.

Once again, the same kids hurried over, looking flabbergasted as well.

After grabbing their ball, they apologized before running off.

Seiji shot Taka a narrowed glare, then sighed and turned back to Jiro.

"So, how about you come with us?" He tapped the car's roof. "Or are your parents waiting for you?"

Taka very not discreetly shook his head at her.

She smiled wryly at the sight. Even if he hadn't, she would've refused anyway.

"My parents are already waiting for me, so I'll have to pass."

"Is that so? Too bad. I wanted to ask you what this rascal is like at school. You see, he acts all broody and serious, but he's actually—"

—Bam!—

This time, there was no ball.

Taka elbowed him hard.

"You little shit," Seiji hissed.

"Stop running your mouth," Taka shot back.

"I see you got cocky just because you beat me once. Just so you know, I wasn't even trying!"

"Sounds like loser talk."

While the two traded insults, Jiro snorted in amusement.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed. When she checked it, she realized her parents had arrived.

She prepared to leave, giving Taka a small wave.

"Well, Takahashi, see you in a month—hopefully."

"See you in a month," Taka replied, still half-wrestling with Seiji.

And with that, she walked away.

Once she was finally gone, guardian and ward separated.

"So why did you come? I would've been home in just a few minutes on my own," Taka said with a frown.

Seiji shrugged, his expression sly.

"Come on, kid. You just took the entrance exam for the best hero school in the country—and probably passed, considering how overpowered you are. Let your guardian spoil you a little."

Rolling his eyes, Taka smiled faintly.

"Suit yourself."

…

°

°

°

| A week later… |

…

Taka sat at his desk, tapping a pencil against his chin as he glared at the sheet lying before him.

Right now, he was planning yet another song to upload to his channel.

Ever since his early retirement from vigilantism, this had become his only source of aura, along with the songs he had already uploaded.

Since then, he had released a few more tracks, all of them taken from his old life. Having already proven himself, he was no longer against recreating them, and since he was busy studying and dealing with other matters, he decided to make the process easier on his clones by having them recompose the songs instead of creating entirely new ones from scratch.

He had already done "Hunting Soul" from the anime DanDaDan, "New Divide"—since he needed to maintain an edge—and "I Despise" from Chaotica, which used to be one of his favorites.

All of this, besides giving him a bunch of aura daily, also allowed him to add them back into his playlist again. Two birds with one stone, if he said so himself.

Now, he was busy deciding which song should be next.

But as he searched the deepest corners of his mind, looking for something that would hit nicely—someone knocked on his door.

—Wham!—

Only to be slammed open before he could even say anything. Revealing an excited-looking Seiji behind it.

"Yo, Taka, it's here!" the older man said as he stepped inside, waving an envelope in front of his face.

"What is it?" Taka asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Your entrance results!"

For a second, Taka looked genuinely surprised—before quickly regaining his composure.

"Is that so? Hand them over."

Seiji did, and soon Taka placed the small projector sealed inside the envelope onto his desk.

The moment he pressed the button, a projection of Nezu appeared in midair.

{"Hello! Takahashi-kun. It's been a while, hasn't it?" The principal waved cheerfully at the camera, almost like a child. {"I'm here with your results! Though I'm quite sure you already know what they are, given the huge show you put on during the exam."}

Seiji shot his ward a sly glance, which Taka completely ignored.

{"You certainly made sure to cement yourself as one of the best participants we've ever had. Not only did you rank first, but you also achieved the highest score ever recorded!"}

A panel appeared in the projection, displaying his name above all others. Making Taka's and Seiji's eyes widen like platters for a split second.

[Takahashi Fukumoto: 100 Villain Points | 70 Rescue Points]

{"Be proud, Takahashi-kun. Not only did you achieve an unprecedented result—"} Nezu leaned closer to the camera, covering one side of his mouth as if whispering. {"—you also surpassed the score All Might himself once achieved."}

Seiji grabbed Taka by the shoulders, shaking him excitedly as he laughed.

Nezu's projection finally reached its end, showing the principal opening his arms wide in a welcoming gesture.

{"You are hereby invited to join our institution, Takahashi Fukumoto. This is… Your Hero Academia."}

The projection cut off, leaving the room in silence for a moment.

Then Taka spoke.

"This is nothing less than the expected result."

Even as he discreetly pumped his fist.

…

────────────────────────

-To be Continued…-

────────────────────────

(A/N: No more waiting, U.A. is finally here.

I have already planned a few things so that you guys don't have to watch merely a repetition of the show, but with a guy aura farming in the background.

It also wouldn't make sense given the level Taka already has.

Also, updates should pick up the pace a bit from now on since I've reached my goal of putting the Patreon 10 ahead.

Not like instantly, though. But eitherway, the wait between chapters should be smaller.)

 

[The Synonym]

Join my Patreon to get access to more chapters, and you'll help me make ends meet while doing so.

patreon.com/TheSynonym

────────────────────────
[First Impression]
────────────────────────

| A month later… |

…

Monday morning, 7:40 a.m. Taka stood in front of his bathroom mirror, brushing his hair with a still faintly sleepy look.

"... Now's the moment. Tonight's the night—well, in this case it should be something more like, now's the moment, this morning's the morning…"

Muttering nonsense, he smiled faintly at his reflection as the dandruff and dried saliva from having slept a bit too well vanished without him doing anything.

"This shit's so convenient."

Now looking more presentable, he stared intently at the mirror, shifting his face from side to side, checking for anything that might need fixing.

Of course, there was nothing. That was impossible—he was simply too perfect.

Letting out a smug laugh, he brushed his hair up and looked at himself with pure arrogance.

"Prepare yourself, U.A. You're about to be aura farmed."

With those words, Taka left the bathroom and went to grab the rest of his things, preparing for his first day of school.

The day had finally come. Today, U.A. began its classes, and with them, canon would start unfolding.

Fortunately, he had been sorted into Class 1-A, which meant he'd have a front-row seat to all the crazy events that were about to happen—and, by extension, the perfect scenarios to become the ultimate aura farmer.

If he had ended up in Class 1-B, though, he honestly wouldn't have known what to do. Those guys were never present for the good stuff.

'Though… being a mysterious character from the other class who only appears at the clutchest moment would've been pretty epic too,' Taka mused, before quickly discarding the thought. He was already in 1-A—no point in planning for something that didn't happen.

Yeah. Imagine going to 1-B. That must suck. Who would do that?

Finished gathering his things, he went downstairs and tossed his backpack onto the couch before heading to the kitchen to make something to eat before leaving.

Something to eat, as in All Might's Puffs with milk.

After a quick preparation, he sat at the table, pouring his breakfast into a bowl while checking his phone.

His eyes drifted to the time.

7:50 a.m.

Classes started at 8:25 a.m., meaning he had barely thirty-five minutes left.

And he was still in Shizuoka—a trip that normally took about two hours.

"Heh." Taka smiled.

As powerful as he was now, though, it would take him no more than twenty minutes.

Basking in his own awesomeness, he began eating his breakfast with a relaxed smile.

But as he took his first bite, a familiar sensation hit him.

A déjà vu.

Chewing slowly, Taka stared ahead pensively.

"It's been a while, huh?" he muttered, recalling the day everything had begun.

Twelve months ago, he'd received his reincarnator starter pack—complete with memories of a past life and a system.

Since then, he'd been dragged into all kinds of ridiculous situations in the pursuit of becoming a true aura farmer. His power had grown by leaps and bounds, and his brain had been thoroughly washed in the process.

Now here he was—well, sitting—right where his life had done a full 180°, eating the same breakfast as back then.

Though, to be fair, he always ate this in the morning, so maybe it wasn't that crazy of a coincidence.

Either way, he had grown a lot since that moment.

"And it's only going to get better from now on." He smirked.

Glancing at his bowl, he opened his mouth wide and dumped the rest of his breakfast all at once.

His Efficient Body skill had really turned him into a glutton when he felt like it.

Licking his lips clean, he picked up his things and got ready to leave the house.

But before he could—

"Yo, Taka, already leaving?" Seiji stepped out of his room, looking half-dead from sleep.

"Yup." Taka nodded.

"Well, good luck on your first day," Seiji said.

Taka was about to nod—but Seiji wasn't quite done.

"Though try to tone the edge down a bit—you wouldn't want to scare possible new friends and ladies, would you?"

"Just go back to sleep." Taka rolled his eyes, though a faint smirk tugged at his lips.

After that, Seiji waved at him half-heartedly and closed the door behind him.

With that, Taka opened the door and stepped outside, taking in the morning air as he closed the door behind him.

Then—

—BOOM!—

With a sudden burst of air, Taka shot straight into the sky.

…

°

°

°

| Minutes later, U.A.'s Classroom 1-A |

…

Amidst a classroom full of strangers, each sitting at their desks and waiting patiently in silence for their teacher to arrive, two individuals stood out for the opposite reason. They were loudly arguing without restraint.

"Get your feet off the desk! Don't you know it's disrespectful to our seniors and to the people who built it?!" Tenya Iida berated, standing beside Katsuki Bakugo's desk.

"Of course not…" Bakugo spat, then glared at Iida with narrowed eyes. "And who the hell are you supposed to be…?"

Iida blinked, as if realizing he had violated the unspoken rules of human interaction by not introducing himself first.

Quickly, he gestured towards himself, extending a hand. "My name is Tenya Iida. I attended the private academy Somei."

Bakugo ignored the proposed handshake and clicked his tongue, hostility flashing in his eyes. "Tch. So you're an elite? I'll thoroughly enjoy crushing you."

Iida recoiled slightly at the declaration. "Crush me?! Y-you—are you seriously aiming to become a hero?"

Bakugo snorted and looked away, already bored with the conversation.

'Tsk, again some nobody.' He thought disdainfully, before his narrowed gaze scanned the whole classroom, falling on everyone's skulls.

Someone had dared to steal first place from him. Whoever it was, they were probably feeling like they were the king of the world right now.

'I'll make sure to remind them what their place is before they get too ahead of themselves.' He thought, mouth stretching slightly into a small grin.

He may have lost, but he for sure didn't think he was less than anyone for even a second. He had seen the scores; whoever it was, they either cheated or had a skill that went really well against robots.

Otherwise, there was no way someone could have attained that kind of score.

Or at least, that's what he thought.

"Hmm?"

But as his gaze drifted back toward the front of the classroom, he noticed someone standing at the entrance. Someone he recognized clearly and who made him scoff in disdain.

Midoriya Izuku.

And as Bakugo noticed him, so did Iida, who immediately left Bakugo's side to greet the newcomer.

As Midoriya stepped inside, his way was blocked by the glassed student, who offered yet another handshake.

"Good morning! I'm Tenya Iida from the private academy Som—!"

"I-I heard it!" Midoriya cut him off, accepting the handshake with a nervous smile. "I-I'm Midoriya. Nice to meet you, Iida-kun."

Iida nodded, but his expression suddenly turned serious, making Midoriya even more nervous. "Midoriya… you knew about that extra rule in the practical exam, didn't you?"

"Eh?"

Ignoring Midoriya's confusion, Iida clenched his fist, frustration clear on his face. "I never realized… yet, you did. I truly misjudged you! I hate to admit it… But you're better than me!"

Midoriya deadpanned as a bead of sweat rolled down his temple. "S-sorry, I actually didn't know either."

Sadly, his nervousness turned his normal voice into a mere mumble, making it so Iida never caught that.

"Ah! That curly hair—you're that common-looking guy! You passed the exam just like Present Mic said!"

Before Midoriya could try to speak louder, though, a new voice interrupted them.

Turning his head, Midoriya saw Uraraka—recognizing her instantly as the girl who had helped him during the practical exam to avoid his death by fall damage, and whom he had helped prior to that by smashing a certain giant robot's face flat.

'It's the kind person!—and she looks really nice in that uniform…'

While Midoriya got lost in his own weird thoughts, Uraraka heaved a relieved sigh before snickering as she punched the air enthusiastically. "Well, I mean, of course you passed. With a punch that strong, it'd be weird if they rejected you!"

At the compliment, his face instantly turned red like the bum he was.

But just as the atmosphere was turning pleasant—

"A-ah, u-uhm, well, it was thanks to you going to talk to the teachers that—"

"You're in the way."

—A blunt but powerful voice cut through it. Making their conversation, and any other that may have been going on inside the classroom, die in an instant,

Instantly, all eyes turned toward the source, including those of the students who had been quietly seated.

A black haired boy stood there, his dark, sharp eyes landing on Uraka and Midoriya, who stood at the entrance.

Without realizing it, both took a step back, giving way to the newcomer.

And so, with the path open, he stepped into the classroom.

—Step.

""...!""

The moment he did, an oppressive sensation washed over the entire room.

Not heavy, not frightening.

But the kind of feeling you get when standing in the presence of someone... superior.

Nervousness.

Averting gazes.

Not knowing how to exist.

That kind of feeling assaulted almost everyone.

And as that pressure settled on them, Bakugo—who had been lazily leaning back in his chair with both feet on the desk—snapped upright, his eyes blazing with sudden realization.

He had been wondering who the bastard was who'd stolen first place from him.

But now, the question felt almost stupid.

The one standing before him… was clearly the culprit.

It had to be.

That presence—there was no way it belonged to anyone else but to the bastard who had dared take first place from him!

"You—!"

In an instant, Bakugo prepared for conflict. Ready to put him in his place.

But just as the words reached his throat, the boy's eyes met his.

"...!"

And in that very instant, it felt like a brief clash had occurred. Like the meeting of two predators, who gauged each other from their gazes alone.

—One that Bakugo lost a millisecond later.

His gaze averted itself before he even realized it, and when he did, his eyes snapped wide in shock.

'I—I dodged his gaze?!'

While Bakugo spiraled over his own unconscious reaction, the boy snorted before his eyes returned to the front and he continued walking into the classroom, eventually stopping right in front of Iida.

"I-it's you…" Iida said, his mind flashing back to their brief confrontation in the auditorium. For a moment, he hesitated, unsure whether to greet him like the others.

To his surprise, however, the handshake came first from the boy himself.

He didn't give an introduction or say anything at all. He simply offered his hand.

Iida hesitated for a moment, questioning if this was some kind of trick. After all, they had started off on the wrong foot.

But in the end, his manners won out over his unease.

"I-I'm Tenya Iida." The bespectacled guy gave a curt nod.

The boy nodded once too, then finally spoke.

"Takahashi Fukumoto… Though you can just call me Taka."

The instant those words left his mouth, the oppressive aura blanketing the room vanished.

Several students let out unconscious sighs of relief as the tension dissipated. For a brief moment, the imposing presence surrounding the boy seemed to thin, almost fading away entirely.

But just as the atmosphere began to lighten—

"Go make friends somewhere else."

Another voice cut in.

Everyone's attention snapped back to the classroom entrance—more specifically, to the floor just behind the door.

There lay something resembling a caterpillar. One that, for some reason, had a human face.

Nevermind. It was just a guy inside a sleeping bag.

Slurping from a pouch of mashed fruit, the man wriggled free from the bag and stood up, staring at the class with an utterly exhausted expression.

Messy, shoulder-length black hair. Dry, perpetually tired eyes. A thin, unshaven beard. A plain dark-green jumpsuit, paired with a thick scarf wrapped loosely around his neck.

He was the very embodiment of hoboness.

Eraser Head—Shota Aizawa.

"Alright, it took you all fifteen seconds to shut up," he muttered, folding the sleeping bag under his arm before sweeping the room with a sharp glare. "Time's limited. You kids aren't rational enough."

The students stared at him in disbelief, unsure of who—or what—they were looking at.

Thankfully, he didn't leave them guessing for long.

"I'm your homeroom teacher. Shota Aizawa," he said flatly. "Nice to meet you."

The classroom erupted into gasps.

Under normal circumstances, such an introduction wouldn't have caused such a reaction. But such was his hoboness to provoke those reactions.

Before anyone could voice their questions, though, Aizawa reached into his backpack and pulled out the standard U.A. gym uniform, holding it up for everyone to see.

"This is sudden, but put these on," he said. "We're heading outside to the field."

Confusion rippled through the class. Aizawa, however, clearly had no interest in suspense.

"We're doing a Quirk Assessment Test," he added, a faint grin tugging at his lips.

And he wasn't the only one smiling.

"Heh."

Taka let out a quiet snort, the corner of his mouth curving upward.

'Oh yeah,' he thought. 'It's aura farming time.'

…

────────────────────────

-To be Continued…-

────────────────────────

(A/N: The first impression has been made, and what an impression indeed. How is it looking so far for you guys? I have to ask since the line between cringe and epic is often thin. Gotta make sure I'm keeping a safe distance.)

 

[The Synonym]

Join my Patreon to get access to more chapters, and you'll help me make ends meet while doing so.

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────────────────────────
[Hardcore Ball Throw]
────────────────────────

After receiving their instructions, the students made their way out of the building, walking together in the meantime until they reached their respective changing rooms and had to separate. Along the way, a few of them made small talk with whoever seemed approachable.

Which, obviously, did not include Taka.

That said, someone still approached him.

"Hey," Jiro said, lightly elbowing his side.

He glanced at her, raising an eyebrow in confusion. "Didn't you say you weren't making it into U.A.? Why are you here?"

She deadpanned. "I get it, I get it. You were right about me getting in."

"Of course I was," Taka replied seriously yet confidently, making her click her tongue.

"Is it just me, or have you been getting cockier ever since we met?"

"It's not cockiness. It's confidence."

"Yeah—way too much of it." She rolled her eyes, but a moment later her expression sharpened, suspicion creeping in. "By the way, what was all that about?"

"What do you mean?" Taka frowned at her in confusion.

"You messaged me fifteen minutes before class saying you arrived. So how come you were the last one to enter?"

"…"

"Not to mention how everyone reacted. The whole class went silent the moment you walked in. It's like you planned it—like you were making some kind of grand entrance."

Taka took a moment before responding, averting his eyes.

'She knows too much…'

Clearing his throat, he looked ahead again, expression unchanged. "I don't know. Maybe I just have that effect on people."

"You really don't understand moderation, do you?" she deadpanned.

Taka didn't reply, simply staring forward stoically, as he couldn't afford to break character.

Inside, however, his thoughts were racing.

'Maybe I should make my aura farming more subtle…'

Back in the classroom, he had indeed planned everything carefully. He'd waited patiently until everyone had arrived, and then, when Midoriya and Uraraka were in the middle of talking, he decided to make his entrance.

One that he purposely made extra intimidating, so everyone could be clear who was the real strongest here.

Todoroki? More like Bumoroki.

Midoriya? More like Bumdoriya.

Bakugo? More like Bumkugo—pretty accurate, actually.

And so on and so on.

Like that, he made sure his first impression was unforgettable.

Of course, no matter how good his True Walking ability was, it couldn't have caused that pressuring sensation that everyone experienced earlier.

The real MVP had been the latest Aura Projection mode he unlocked.

Aura Projection - Aura Type.

Thinking about said skill, he opened the panel mentally and gave its contents a satisfied look.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

[Aura Projection - Aura Type] (Active)

Description: It's often said that body language speaks louder than words—and they're right. Physical cues convey what people don't, or can't, put into words. In that sense, it acts as a window into our true selves.

But who says Aura can't do the same?

Intimidation, warmth, anger, excitement. Time to let your aura speak for itself, don't you think?

▸Allows you to make your aura visible and freely change its color.

▸Your aura can convey your emotions to those around you. Certain emotions may trigger special effects.

▸Your aura can also make people feel certain emotions themselves. Though, this function is dependent on the type of emotion, the person's mental fortitude, awareness of this sensation, and the resistance they may put.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

With this awesome skill, he'd sent a faint wave of oppression through the room to complement his other abilities, turning his entrance into something undeniably impactful.

He hadn't gone as far as outright scaring them—just a subtle sense of authority. Combined with his passive skills to look cooler than usual, it had been more than enough.

Even so, he hadn't expected it to be that effective.

Even Bakugo—who he'd fully expected to lunge at him like a rabid dog—had backed down after their eyes met.

That didn't mean the guy was scared. Taka could still feel Bakugo's furious gaze burning into the back of his head.

He'd likely retreated strategically, waiting for the right moment—or for whatever activity was coming next, to call him out.

And Taka was looking forward to it. Conflict meant someone to put in their place—and that, in turn, meant aura.

As to why he had greeted Iida, that had been a last-second adjustment. As he had been entering the room and scanned his soon-to-be classmates briefly, he'd realized how thick the atmosphere had become due to his aura's effects.

So, realizing he may have exaggerated a little, he decided to soften his own image a little.

That, and because they were gonna be classmates from now on. There was no point in antagonizing someone who, according to the canon, stopped being an asshole pretty quickly after U.A. began.

So, he decided to return their animosity to zero with that handshake.

Hopefully it worked.

'Still, the side effects of my aura are becoming a little too obvious,' Taka thought wryly as his eyes swept over the class. Most of them were avoiding his gaze entirely.

He had been simply too intimidating, it seemed.

'Nothing I can't fix later,' he huffed.

All in all, he'd rate that aura farming attempt a solid 8 out of 10.

Great at establishing power and presence—but he might've overdone it just a little.

Fortunately, he had a new incoming aura-farming opportunity to make up for his earlier mistakes.

Maybe now he'd go for a more approachable aura farming, rather than the intimidating type from earlier.

'How do I do that, though? I already established my edginess in their minds... If I go back on that, wouldn't that backfire?'

While he mused thoroughly on how to lessen the barrier he had accidentally created with his classmates, soon the class reached the field.

Once there, everyone splits off toward their respective changing rooms.

However, as the boys entered theirs and began changing into their gym uniforms, competitiveness sparked immediately.

U.A. was an elite school. And as such, it was normal for most of the hero department to be fit to some extent. Being a hero involved a lot of body movement, after all.

So, in a room full of muscled teenagers, gauging each other's levels right away was a given.

And naturally, eyes were drawn to the biggest threat of all first.

""...?!""

—Only for most of them to widen their eyes in surprise. Taka's body looked as though it had been honed specifically for combat efficiency, striking a perfect balance between musculature and flexibility.

They had muscles, but Taka looked literally sculpted.

Kirishima, unsurprisingly, was the first to blurt out what he thought.

"Yo, man—you look crazy strong."

Taka paused mid-change and gave the redheaded student a nod. "Thanks."

Seeing no hostility or coldness, Kirishima's friendly nature was encouraged. "How much do you lift, bro?"

Taka seemed to think about it for a moment. "Hmm… about one ton."

"H-huh?"

'At least with my current stat configuration,' Taka added mentally. Still, there was no need to reveal his true limits just yet. A slower, more deliberate reveal would be far more epic.

While Taka smirked inwardly, the rest of the boys had clearly overheard the exchange. Soon, several pairs of eyes turned toward him in disbelief, wondering what kind of Quirk could allow someone to lift a full ton.

The obvious answer would be super strength—but that felt too simple, didn't it? Besides, they'd seen the rankings. There was no way mere super strength alone could account for all the points Taka had earned.

"Tsk."

Of course, some weren't wondering; they were scowling.

But putting those people aside…

"T-that's a lot," Kirishima muttered, clearly taken aback. Still, he wasn't the type to be intimidated by sheer power. After pulling on his upper gym uniform—much like Taka had already done—he extended a hand. "I'm Eijiro Kirishima. Nice to meet you, man."

Taka accepted the handshake without hesitation. "Takahashi Fukumoto. Just call me Taka."

That earned him a wide grin. "Sure! Call me Eijiro if you want!"

"Sure."

…

°

°

°

| Minutes later… |

…

After everyone finished changing, they returned to the field and gathered together, waiting for their teacher to arrive.

Not long after, Aizawa appeared, carrying a small device in one hand and a ball in the other. He stepped in front of the class and gave them a half-hearted look.

"Alright. Let's begin immediately."

"W-wait—sensei, what about the opening ceremony?" Ochako asked quickly before he could continue, clearly worried about skipping it.

Aizawa looked almost bored by the question, fixing her with a stern glare. "If you're aiming to become heroes, you don't have time for such leisurely events. U.A.'s selling point is how unrestricted its traditions are—and that applies to teachers as well. So this is what we'll be doing instead."

She shrank back slightly, intimidated by his seriousness on their very first day.

Huffing at her reaction, Aizawa returned to the point, gaze directed at everyone. "You've all done this since junior high, haven't you? Physical fitness tests where Quirks aren't allowed."

The class nodded hesitantly.

Aizawa sighed, irritation flashing across his face. "For some reason, this country still relies on averages based on students who aren't allowed to use their Quirks. It's completely irrational." He clicked his tongue. "Well, that's just the Ministry of Education procrastinating."

Then, his gaze locked onto a single student. A black-haired boy standing at the front with both hands coolly on his pockets.

"Takahashi. You placed first in the practical exam, didn't you?"

A few surprised gasps echoed around the field—mostly at the confirmation that this year's exceptional record genuinely belonged to him. Most of them had already suspected as much.

"Hm." Taka nodded faintly, his expression flat and unreadable.

"What was your best result for the softball throw?" Aizawa asked.

Taka pondered the question for a moment, looking away as he tilted his head slightly.

'My results were pretty pathetic until I started training seriously last year… After that, I took one more test. It was more acceptable, but still nowhere near my current limit without aura.'

"About sixty meters," he answered at last.

Aizawa nodded. "Then try again—this time, using your Quirk."

At that, a dangerous glint flickered in Taka's eyes.

"Are you sure?"

Aizawa didn't bat an eye. "Yes."

He tossed the ball toward him.

-Tack!-

Taka caught it without even looking, then walked over to the marked throwing area—a large circle painted onto the ground, with growing arcs ahead of it.

"You can do anything you want as long as you stay inside the circle," Aizawa clarified.

Taka nodded faintly, his eyes locking forward with focus.

Then, he took a step back.

—Step—

As he did, a sensation similar to the one from earlier in the classroom spread across the field, making many of the students squint and unconsciously focus on him.

This feeling was familiar—yet different.

Before, it had made them avert their eyes.

Now, they couldn't look away.

And it was a good thing they didn't.

"W-what is that…?" muttered Kaminari, the blonde with the bolt mark in his hair. His words echoed everyone else's confusion.

Suddenly, a red aura began to emanate from Taka, its waves calm, almost fluid.

But despite its peaceful appearance, somehow, it oozed something that all the class couldn't help but swallow in awe at.

Pure, raw power at its finest.

"I suggest you all take a step back," Taka said, his voice snapping them out of their daze.

Most of them backed off instantly without hesitation.

The only ones who didn't move were Bakugo and Aizawa.

Taka glanced at them briefly, as if confirming they wouldn't budge, then shrugged faintly.

And so, with the preparations taken, his muscles tightened.

One foot stepped forward.

His body twisted.

His aura visibly condensed around his arm and the ball.

And then, his arm whipped forward.

He threw.

—BOOOOM!—

The instant the ball vanished from his hand, shooting into the distance, the air around him exploded outward in every direction like a bomb.

As a result, both Aizawa and Bakugo were forced to shield their faces as the violent gust slammed into them head-on. The others had to do the same, though the force they felt was noticeably weaker than what hit the two standing at the front.

Even so, Aizawa never took his eyes off the device tracking the ball's distance.

Beep. Beep. Beep-beep—

The numbers climbed relentlessly.

Ten meters.

A hundred.

A thousand.

They just kept increasing.

"...!"

—Until, finally, they stopped.

Aizawa's eyes narrowed.

Noticing his reaction, Taka smirked inwardly.

'How's that?'

The truth was, he had held back—but not just to hide his true strength.

Raw power was good for aura farming, sure.

But there was something even better.

"3,500," Aizawa announced. Not a digit more. Not a digit less.

The class erupted into gasps.

—And that something was power paired with control.

Aizawa stared at the device in his hand for a moment too long, his expression unreadable.

Eventually, his gaze lifted and locked onto Taka, his brows knitting together.

"Takahashi," he said flatly, "you held back."

Taka didn't blink. He stoically turned toward his teacher.

"Yeah."

That answer only seemed to irritate Aizawa further.

"Do you think being a hero is a game where you can afford to hold back?"

Taka met his gaze without flinching.

"I think it's a job where I'll have to know how to."

A brief silence followed.

"And if you can't?" Aizawa pressed.

"Then I won't."

"…Hmm." Aizawa studied him for a moment longer before his expression softened slightly. "You might actually be rational."

"..." Taka wasn't sure how to respond.

Luckily, he didn't have to.

—Tack!—

His hand instinctively caught the ball again. He looked at it, brow raising slightly.

"Knowing how to hold back is good," Aizawa said, "but this is a Quirk assessment test. Go all out."

'So much for control satisfying him,' Taka scoffed inwardly, staring at the ball for a bit. 'Go all out, huh?'

In his previous throw, he'd barely used twenty-five percent of his true strength.

He wasn't about to reveal everything just because he was told to. Big reveals required timing.

Still… if his teacher was feeling so curious, then he could show a bit more.

Half, maybe.

Either way, by the time a revelation became necessary, half of today's strength would probably represent way less in the future.

So, stepping back into the throwing circle, Taka rolled his shoulder and wound his arm.

But just before releasing, he glanced at Aizawa—and Bakugo.

"Step back." He advised. Though now not so kindly.

This time, even though Bakugo hesitated for a moment, both eventually complied—Mostly because Aizawa forced the blonde with a glare.

Seeing that, Taka smiled faintly.

Then, he tensed.

His aura flared violently, not like water anymore, but instead like raging fire, sending visible tremors through the air.

His muscles tightened.

His arm wound up to the max.

And then—

—BOOOOOOM!!!—

The ball was launched.

This time, it wasn't just air that exploded outward.

Dust erupted from the ground as the shockwave blasted through the field, sending students staggering back. Even Aizawa was forced to shut his eyes for a brief moment.

By the time everyone recovered, the ball was already long gone.

Aizawa immediately checked the device.

His eyes widened—then, involuntarily, he grinned.

"7,698 meters."

In an instant, the field fell into stunned silence.

…

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-To be Continued…-

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(A/N: Ah, another cliffhanger. I must be the very devil.

How was that? Was it tuff? Or am I doing too much? Hopefully the first.

Sorry for the wait, I was gonna start uploading faster, but university got intense this week... And it will do so in the next one, too.

Fortunately, my academic year ends next week as well, so I'll be finally free.)

 

[The Synonym]

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[Tests]
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…

'This… is the first place of the entrance exam?' Midoriya's eyes trembled in disbelief.

A month ago, after finishing the entrance exam, he'd heard people talking about someone destroying a Zero Pointer. At the time, he'd assumed they were talking about him, even though some of the people who were speaking about it weren't from his battle center.

But now he understood.

They had meant that boy. He, too, had accomplished the same thing.

No—with that level of power and technique, it probably was much different from how he had done it.

With the power he'd displayed today, destroying a robot like that wouldn't have been any harder than blowing away dust.

He, on the other hand, had to break an arm to accomplish the same result.

And what shook Midoriya the most wasn't just the strength on display—it was the fact that someone like this would be his classmate for the next three years.

'Is this the level of U.A.?' he wondered, glancing down at the fist that he once destroyed in doing what the youth in front of him could have done without breaking a sweat.

For a brief moment, doubt crept in. Had his ten months of training really been enough?

He shook his head sharply, forcing the pessimistic thoughts away.

'No… even Kacchan can't do something like that. That person, whatever his quirk is, is simply on a whole different level.' A drop of sweat rolled down his forehead.

While Midoriya's thoughts spiraled, the field itself had fallen into a deafening silence after the loud display of power. Everyone stood frozen, too stunned to say a word after realizing not all Quirks were made equal.

This shit had levels.

Fortunately, a voice cut through their collective daze.

"Is that enough, sensei?" Taka asked calmly.

His tone was neutral, serious—but there was a faint trace of challenge beneath it.

Aizawa's smirk faded.

"…Yeah. Now go back to your place."

Snorting softly, Taka turned and walked back toward the group.

As he returned to his spot, he could feel countless eyes on him—stares filled with awe, shock, and unease. He ignored them all.

Cool people didn't acknowledge admiration.

"So, did you all understand what we're doing today?" Aizawa said sharply, snapping everyone back to attention. "Judging by your faces, you were daydreaming instead of listening. You'll be performing the standard physical fitness tests—this time while using your Quirks."

Instantly, chatter broke out across the field, excitement replacing the earlier shock.

"For real?"

"We get to use our Quirks right away?!"

"That's U.A. for you!"

"This sounds fun!"

Unfortunately, that last comment—spoken by a certain pink-haired student—seemed to flip a switch on Aizawa.

"Looks fun, huh?" Aizawa said, his voice flat, eyes locking onto her as if daring her to repeat herself.

She shrank back right away, and along with her, the excitement died instantly.

Smiles vanished, nervous expressions replacing them before their teacher's change in humor.

"You have three years to become a proper hero. Will you really keep that kind of mindset the whole time?" he asked, his eyes sweeping over everyone who had dared show even a sliver of excitement earlier.

The class didn't answer; no one dared risk stepping on another landmine.

Unfortunately, silence itself was a landmine.

"Alright… let's do it like this, then." A smirk crept onto Aizawa's apathetic face. "Whoever ends up in last place after all the tests are done will be judged as having no potential… and expelled."

""H-huh?!"" the entire class gasped in horror.

Taka, of course, remained as stoic as possible.

Uraraka was the first to protest. "Last place will be expelled?! But—it's just the first day of school! And even if it wasn't, it's still unfair!"

Aizawa didn't bat an eye. Instead, his tone gained even more conviction. "Natural disasters. Large-scale accidents. Dangerous villains without scruples. Calamities whose time or place can't be predicted—Japan is full of such unfairness. Heroes are the ones who defy that unfairness and make things right. During your three years at this school, U.A. will throw hardship after hardship at you to make you capable of doing exactly that. If you were expecting a place where you could make friends and go to karaoke after class, then I'm sorry to disappoint you. Go Beyond, Plus Ultra. There's a reason that's our school's motto. Here… you'll all overcome your limits, or fail trying."

That was enough to cement reality for everyone.

Iida took out a bottle of water and hydrated himself, mentally praising U.A. for its difficulty and preparing for the hardships ahead, just as Aizawa had said.

Bakugo spun his arm around, scowling with determination to reclaim the place that belonged to him.

Midoriya was having a mental breakdown, agonizing over how to survive this with his lack of control over his new Quirk.

Todoroki—he remained stoic throughout everything.

And Taka… he glared at Todoroki and deadpanned.

'What a copycat.'

Thinking so, he cracked his neck left and right, his eyes sharpening. 'How's this? Too badass for you, emo boy?'

Todoroki spared him a brief glance before looking away.

'Heh. That's right—run away,' Taka smirked.

…

°

°

°

| Minutes later… |

…

The first test was the 50-meter dash, held with two students at a time, paired according to seat numbers. Their speed was recorded by a special automaton standing beside the track.

Taka, very aurafarmingly, was in the last batch of seats, paired with Yaoyorozu—the actual last seat.

So, he was able to let everyone else have their chance to shine before his own turn finally arrived. As some could say, save the best for last.

As he and Yaoyorozu stood at the starting line, his eyes naturally drifted toward her, wondering how she was doing.

Yaoyorozu, standing beside him, swallowed nervously. In an instant, she materialized a pair of rocket skates and put them on.

'Does that even count as using her Quirk?' He sweatdropped, briefly glancing at Aizawa, then deadpanned when he saw him not reacting at all. 'I guess it does.'

{On your mark…}

As he pondered what truly counted as "using" one's Quirk, the automaton began the countdown.

{Get set…}

Refocusing on the task at hand, Taka's body lifted, floating just a centimeter above the ground.

Then—

{GO!}

His figure blurred.

{0.7 seconds}

By the time anyone realized what had happened, he was already standing at the finish line, his feet gently touching the ground again.

—Fwoosh!—

—A moment later, the force behind his movement exploded outward, faster than even the air itself.

A curtain of dust erupted all the way from the starting line, blasting in every direction. Those watching from several meters away were hit by the shockwave, forced to cover themselves.

For a moment, Aizawa's eyes narrowed while he, too, guarded himself against the force, wondering if that had interfered with Yaoyorozu's run.

But when his vision cleared, he saw that the massive shockwave hadn't affected her at all. Somehow, something shielded her against it.

'He accounted for that?' he thought, glaring at Taka, who stood calmly at the finish line with an impassive expression.

Seconds later, Yaoyorozu reached the goal.

{3.31 seconds} The automaton announced.

After slowing down, she removed her skates and heaved a sigh, whether glad it had ended, or because she was satisfied with her result, only known to her. Then she walked toward Taka, who spared her a brief glance as she approached.

"You shielded me from the shockwave, didn't you? Thank you very much," she said, performing a deep bow.

He blinked faintly at the sudden gratitude.

"It was my speed that caused it in the first place. Don't mention it." Taka closed his eyes enigmatically.

Though his thoughts were anything but enigmatic. 'How's that—powerful and responsible. Aren't you all feeling awed?'

He opened one eye slightly to glance at the spectating crowd.

Their expressions hadn't changed at all.

Then it dawned on him—they hadn't heard him at all.

'Forgot to talk loud enough.' He sighed inwardly.

<[+5 aura]>

'Hmm?'

Fortunately, it seemed his coolness hadn't been lost completely.

Turning to Yaoyorozu, it appeared she had appreciated it, judging by the newfound respect in her gaze.

With them finished, the test came to an end.

The second test was grip strength. They all moved to the nearby school gym, where grip-strength measuring devices were kept in stock.

The highest score belonged to Shoji, whose Quirk—allowing him to produce several limbs at will—pushed his strength to an impressive 540 kilograms.

The grip was immaculate indeed.

Many boys gathered around him in shock.

At least—until Taka stepped up as well.

—Crack!—

The device snapped apart under the speed and sheer force of his grip, instantly drawing every eye to him.

'Whoops.' Taka smirked unapologetically inwardly.

Aizawa could only sigh helplessly.

After that, the third test was the Standing Long Jump.

Aura farming was a bit harder here, since the task was simply jumping forward beyond the sand. A rather plain and simple task.

—That's what a loser, non–aura farmer would say.

—Bang!—

A burst of force exploded from Taka's feet as he leapt, sending him soaring skyward for a brief moment. He even performed a flip midair, hands tucked casually into his pockets for extra style.

An instant later, he plummeted.

—BAM!—

His feet slammed into the ground, shattering it on impact and embedding slightly into the earth.

But despite buckling a little from the landing, he soon stood up tall again, expression unchanged.

His hands… still in his pockets.

Jiro stood not too far, having done the test herself already.

'That guy's doing too much.' She deadpanned.

Even if deep inside, she thought that had been pretty cool.

Then came the fourth test. Repeated side steps.

This time, Taka decided to copy the style of a fellow aura farmer. A certain caped baldy.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—

Dust erupted, and air exploded as his figure multiplied into afterimages that moved from side to side, his eyes seeming to shine for a moment as a red stela traced his rapid horizontal movements.

And through it all, his figure remained unchanged. Despite the blurring speed, he stood relaxed with both hands in his pockets. His feet did all the heavy lifting, propelling him from side to side while the rest of his body was left to aura farm.

Soon enough, the test came to an end. Half the class stared at him in disbelief, while the other half looked worried for their own sake.

Then, at last... came the next test.

The ball-throwing test—the moment that would decide Midoriya's fate.

In the original show, the greenhead had pulled a plan out of his ass that earned just enough of Aizawa's respect to cancel his expulsion plans.

But this wasn't the show.

Nothing guaranteed he'd be that clever this time around. Perhaps the butterfly effect had already taken hold, and Taka simply hadn't noticed yet.

Maybe because of his own grand and mighty presence, the pressure on Midoriya would be higher than in the original, and the kid would either rise through it with that protagonist's determination of his—or screw up and go home as a bum after all the work it took to get into U.A. in the first place.

'I'll be watching, just in case,' Taka thought, ready to intervene if necessary.

A lesser person might have seen this as the perfect opportunity to eliminate an aura-farming rival… But a true master of the craft doesn't fear the light of others. He lets them shine as brightly as they can, as only when others are able to see how brightly others can shine, can they truly appreciate the brightest light of all.

<That was supposed to be my line.> The system chimed in.

'It was a bit obvious, and you were too slow to say it,' Taka scoffed.

<...>

Leaving the System to sulk, Taka glanced back at Midoriya, whose turn was drawing near.

'Come on, Midoriya. Clutch up.'

Feeling a gaze, Midoriya turned around.

But by then, Taka had already crossed his arms and closed his eyes enigmatically.

Midoriya sighed and returned to dreading the immediate future.

Finally, his turn came.

The greenhead stepped into the throwing circle, a bead of sweat rolling down his face as his mind raced at a thousand miles per hour, hand tightly gripping the ball in his grasp.

To use his Quirk or not? That was the question.

So far, he'd attempted every test without it, and the results were grim. His training with All Might may have improved his physique compared to last year, but his classmates weren't slacking during it either. They, too, possessed good physiques that allowed them to get fairly good results from sheer physical ability only.

But unlike him, his peers had quirks that allowed them to shine in specific tests, elevating their scores—and leaving him hovering at the bottom of the scoreboard.

At this rate, expulsion was inevitable.

Midoriya gripped the ball, frustration boiling over. Breaking his limbs was agonizing, but if the alternative was being kicked out on the first day, he had no choice.

'I'll do it,' he resolved. 'I won't let it end like this!'

With renewed determination, Midoriya wound up his arm. Faint arcs of electricity began to dance around him, his veins glowing with stored power. He stepped forward, a massive surge of energy funnelling from his core directly into the ball.

'I'll become a hero!'

And so, he threw.

-Thud-

A second later, the ball hit the dirt just some meters away, raising a bit of dust in its landing, but not much more than that.

In an instant, Midoriya's face went pale.

"H-how? I'm sure I—"

"I erased your Quirk." Aizawa's voice cut through the air with solemnity. "Honestly, to allow a kid like you here… that entrance exam was truly irrational."

'Here it is.' Taka narrowed his eyes.

Just as in the show, Aizawa proceeded to give Midoriya the pep talk, making him realize that by maiming himself, he would become more of a hindrance than a help to other heroes in real disasters.

With that done, and having left Midoriya to his thoughts, Aizawa returned to his spot. Now, however, low expectations were plastered all over his deadpan expression.

"You have two more tries for the ball throw. After that, we are moving on to the last person, and then to the next test," he declared, leaving the poor green-haired boy to get lost in his own swirling thoughts.

Taka's hand twitched, ready to boost the ball's speed if necessary.

For a moment, the field fell into a heavy silence. The entire class watched in a mix of pity and tension while Midoriya let his mind race. Soon after, it seemed he had reached a conclusion.

Just like before, he took his stance, his arm winding up for the throw.

Everyone caught their breath. Some were already mentally marking Midoriya as the one to be expelled—namely, a certain explosive blond.

And then, Midoriya's body snapped into motion.

Aizawa's eyes narrowed, wondering which path the boy would take. All in, or nothing at all. With the lack of control he had over his power, he could only choose one. And to Aizawa, whichever he chose mattered little.

As he was now, Midoriya had no talent for being a hero. Today, he would get rid of the kid before he harmed himself permanently. Being a hero wasn't a playground, after all.

Or at least—that's what he thought.

"...!"

Suddenly, Aizawa's eyes snapped open in surprise as his trained gaze caught a minute detail. While mid-motion, Midoriya had indeed activated his Quirk.

For a moment, he scoffed, thinking of it as the last try of a cornered rat.

But then, he truly realized what was different.

Unlike earlier, this time all that energy and power was entirely focused on the very tip of his finger.

—BOOOOM!—

The next instant, the air exploded as the ball shot violently into the sky. Midoriya's body sagged forward from the sheer recoil of the blast.

But then, he caught himself. He pulled his injured hand into a tight fist and looked up at his teacher. Despite the tears in his eyes, he wore a defiant, bright smile.

"I can still move… sensei!"

Aizawa's face, baffled until that moment, shifted. A wide, excited grin spread across his features.

In the meantime, Taka snorted, a slight smile tugging at his lips.

'Heh. Not bad, kid.'

His aura, which had flared invisibly around Midoriya to intervene if things went south, receded. It flowed back to its rightful owner, settling once more.

'This would have been boring, otherwise.'

…

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-To be Continued…-

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(A/N: Another chapter right away, so you guys are not left abandoned while I focus on my exams.

And so, the tests are over. At least the important ones. Did this chapter feel a bit like filler? I felt like I spent a lot of time on an event that wasn't that important.

Then again, aura farming must be done properly, so taking this long is probably to be expected.)