Chapter 16: The Gigantic Door and the Yellow Caterpillar
The gray blazer was stiff.
Kaito stood in front of his mirror for the third time that morning, his fingers fumbling with the red tie. He had practiced this knot a dozen times the night before, but watching his own hands in the glass was still a distracting novelty.
It's crooked, he thought. Again.
"Need help?"
Aoi was leaning against the doorframe. She was smiling, but her eyes were shimmering with that familiar, watery pride. She walked over, her hands gentle as she batted his fingers away.
"You're overthinking it," she said softly. "You're looking at your hands too much. Trust your fingers. They remember what to do better than your eyes do right now."
She deftly looped the fabric, tightening the knot against his collar. She stepped back, smoothing the lapels of the U.A. uniform. The dark green accents stood out sharply against the gray—colors Kaito now knew meant "Hero Course."
"There," she whispered. "You look... you look like you belong there."
Haru was waiting by the front door, holding Kaito's backpack. He didn't say much. He just handed the bag over, his grip lingering for a second.
"Don't get lost," Haru said, a terrible dad joke that made Kaito groan and Aoi laugh.
"Seriously, you've already picked me up four times. I won't get lost — I've learned how to use the navigation app, and there's also Tokoyami." Kaito said. He stepped into his shoes—red sneakers, a color he had chosen himself because it was the brightest thing in the store—and opened the door. "I'm going..".
"Take care.." his dad replied.
The world outside was blindingly bright. April in Japan was a wash of pale pink cherry blossoms and stark blue skies. Kaito blinked, adjusting his aperture, and stepped out onto the path.
Tokoyami was waiting at the corner.
In the morning light, Tokoyami's feathers looked almost purple-black. He wore the same uniform, but the blazer sat differently on his broader shoulders.
"You look nervous," Tokoyami noted as Kaito approached.
"I'm terrified," Kaito admitted, falling into step beside him. "I feel like I'm walking into a movie. Everything is so high-definition. The train ride is going to be a nightmare."
"Focus on me," Tokoyami said. "I am a void of color. It will rest your eyes."
Kaito laughed. "Thanks, buddy."
The commute was indeed an assault on the senses. The train was packed with students from other schools, a sea of navy, black, and tan uniforms. But as they got closer to the station nearest U.A., the gray blazers multiplied.
When they finally stood before the main gate, Kaito stopped dead.
He had sensed this gate during the exam—a massive, cold barrier of energy. But seeing it?
It was a fortress of glass and steel, shaped like a gigantic 'H'. The sunlight reflected off the blue glass towers, creating dazzling streaks of white light. It looked less like a school and more like a monument to power.
"It's huge," Kaito whispered, craning his neck back until it hurt.
"It is the summit," Tokoyami said simply. "Come. We will be late."
Navigating the hallways was a labyrinthine task. Kaito's depth perception was still calibrating, so the long, polished corridors felt like they stretched into infinity. He kept close to Tokoyami, reading the numbers on the doors.
1-C... 1-B...
And then, they stopped.
The door to Class 1-A was massive. It was easily three meters tall, towering over them.
They really built it for giants, Kaito thought, staring at the red letters painted on the metal. Or for Mutants like the Zero-Pointer.
"This is it," Tokoyami said.
"Yeah." Kaito took a deep breath. "Let's do this."
Kaito reached out and slid the giant door open.
The noise hit him first—shouting. Then, the visuals.
The classroom was a kaleidoscope. The morning sun streamed through the massive windows, illuminating a room filled with the most bizarre and colorful collection of people Kaito had ever seen.
There was a boy with bright red, spiked hair. A girl who looked like a pink alien with horns. A boy with elbows that looked like tape dispensers.
But the loudest noise was coming from the front of the room.
"Remove your foot from the desk immediately!"
It was the boy with the glasses—Iida. He was standing stiffly, chopping his hand through the air like a robot. His energy signature in the exam had been rigid blue, and looking at him now, he looked exactly like a rigid blue rulebook come to life.
"Hah?"
The person he was yelling at was sitting with his feet propped up on the desk. He had ash-blond, explosive hair and eyes that were a piercing, angry crimson.
"It's an insult to the upperclassmen who used this desk, and the craftsmen who built it!" Iida shouted.
"Like I care!" the blond boy sneered. "What junior high are you from, you extra?"
Kaito and Tokoyami quietly slipped into the room while the argument raged. Kaito found his desk—number 19. Tokoyami was at number 14.
Kaito sat down, placing his bag on the hook. He looked around, trying to process the faces.
After few seconds, the back door slid open again.
Kaito's head snapped around.
A boy with messy, curly green hair stood there, looking like a deer caught in headlights. His uniform looked slightly too big for him. He was trembling.
Kaito, at that moment, had no idea who Midoriya was. He couldn't recognize that he was the boy who had destroyed the robot because he lacked any sensing ability. Everyone except Tokoyami seemed new. At that time, Iida had already marched over to interrogate the poor boy.
Then, a bubbly face popped up behind Midoriya.
"Oh! It's you! The plain-looking boy!"
Kaito's black eyes trembled when he recognized that specific tone of voice.
It was Uraraka. Up close, she was even brighter than her energy signature. Her brown bob hair bounced as she moved, and her cheeks were permanently flushed pink.
"You passed!" she cheered, pumping her fist. "That punch was amazing!"
Kaito rose from his seat, the motion stiff and unsure, his eyes narrowing as he focused on the familiar voice.
"That's the voice of the girl who was in danger from the Zero-Point robot."
Uraraka turned toward him, studying his face for a heartbeat before a warm smile bloomed on her lips.
"Oh! You're the boy who saved the green-haired boy from falling—and you lifted the debris off me. Hi, hi!"
Kaito took a small step forward, hesitation written in the slight pause between each movement. His hand hovered awkwardly at his side, as if he wasn't sure what to do with it.
"If that's really you… then the green-haired one must be… the boy who crushed the robot?"
Uraraka blinked and raised an eyebrow, a hint of confusion flickering across her face. Did he forgot how our look?
Midoriya stepped closer with a shy, nervous posture, lifting a hand in a polite greeting.
"Hello… I never got the chance to thank you earlier or even talk to you."
Kaito quickly shook his head, almost flustered by the attention.
"Don't worry about it. It wasn't a big deal. Besides—you're the one who did everything."
Midoriya's cheeks warmed as he rubbed the back of his head, embarrassed by the praise. His fingers tangled slightly in his messy green hair, a soft, awkward smile forming despite himself.
"If you're here to make friends, pack up and leave."
The voice was dry, tired, and came from the floor.
Kaito looked down.
Lying in the doorway, encased in a bright yellow sleeping bag, was a man. He looked like a giant, exhausted caterpillar.
Midoriya, Uraraka, and Iida were the first to scream, just like in the caterpillar scene from the chapter. Some other students yelled as well, while others—like Kaito—remained silent.
After the wave of noise faded, Aizawa emerged from his sleeping bag.
He was disheveled. His black hair floated messily around his face, his eyes were bloodshot and half-lidded, and he wore a capture weapon that looked like gray bandages around his neck.
"It took you eight seconds to quiet down," the man muttered, checking a pouch jelly drink. "Time is limited. You kids aren't rational enough."
The class froze.
A teacher? Kaito thought, staring at the man's stubble. He looks like a homeless person.
"I'm your homeroom teacher, Aizawa Shota," the man said flatly. "Nice to meet you."
He reached into his sleeping bag and pulled out a blue gym uniform. He tossed it onto the podium.
"Put these on and head to the grounds," he said, turning his back. "We're doing a Quirk Apprehension Test."
Ten minutes later, the class stood on a dirt field under the blazing sun.
"A Quirk Assessment Test?!" the class shouted in unison.
"What about the entrance ceremony? The guidance counselor meeting?" Uraraka asked, looking distressed.
Aizawa stood with his back to them, looking at the horizon. "If you're going to become a hero, you don't have time for such leisurely events. U.A.'s selling point is its freedom of style. And that applies to the teachers as well."
He turned around, his dark eyes sweeping over the students. Kaito felt those eyes linger on him for a split second—the boy with the black eyes.
"Softball throw. Standing long jump. 50-meter dash," Aizawa listed. "You did these in middle school, right? Quirkless physical tests. The country still insists on prohibiting Quirks when calculating averages. It's not rational."
He pointed at the ash-blond boy. "Bakugo. You finished first in the entrance exam. In junior high, what was your best result for the softball throw?"
"67 meters," Bakugo grunted.
"Try it with your Quirk," Aizawa said, tossing him a ball. "Anything goes, as long as you stay in the circle."
Bakugo stepped into the circle. He stretched his arms, a feral grin spreading across his face.
First place, Kaito thought, watching intently. Let's see what the top scorer looks like.
Bakugo wound up. He didn't just throw the ball. He exploded it.
"DIE!"
BOOOM!
A massive sphere of fire and smoke erupted from Bakugo's palm. Kaito flinched, throwing his hands up to shield his eyes. The flash was blinding—a searing white-orange light that left spots in his vision. The sound was a physical concussive wave.
The ball rocketed into the sky, trailing smoke like a missile.
"Die?" Kaito whispered to Tokoyami. "Did he just shout 'die' at a ball?"
Aizawa held up a digital device. It beeped. He showed the screen to the class.
705.2 meters.
The class erupted.
"705 meters? Are you kidding?!"
"This looks like fun!"
"We can use our Quirks as much as we want! Awesome!"
Kaito didn't cheer. He was staring at Aizawa. The teacher's expression hadn't changed, but his eyes had narrowed slightly at the word "fun."
"Fun, huh?" Aizawa said softly. The temperature on the field seemed to drop. "You have three years to become a hero. Will you have an attitude like that the whole time?"
He grinned. It wasn't a nice grin. It was wide, creepy, and predatory.
"Alright. Whoever comes in last place in all eight tests will be judged to have no potential..."
Aizawa swept his hair back.
"...and will be punished with immediate expulsion."
The silence that followed was absolute.
Expulsion?
Kaito's blood ran cold. He looked at the other students. They looked terrified. He looked at Midoriya, who looked like he was about to vomit.
I scored 36 Villain points, Kaito thought, his mind racing. My physical stats without my Quirk are average at best.
"Welcome to U.A.'s Hero Course," Aizawa said, his eyes gleaming with malice.
Kaito looked down at his hands. He clenched them into fists.
I didn't fight to get my sight back just to be kicked out on the first day. I must use my gravity in these test..
.
.
.
.
~ More Chapters;
Patr eo n. com/naminami0