"I should have known not to expect anything from the zero-pointer. Really, even those guys in 1A trashed them during the Sports Festival. Thinking it would take more than a single hit was just wishful thinking."
Hiro sighed. He was currently cooking egg fried rice as breakfast for the kids, though his mind was wandering back to the practical exam that happened last week.
It had been quite a while since he had a satisfying fight. At this point, powerful monsters in OPM were still very uncommon. More often, he could only practice with Bang-sensei and his fellow disciples.
But he and his sensei already sparred so many times to the point that he no longer felt any growth in combat experience. And none of his fellow disciples can really keep up with him.
He thought he could stretch his muscles in the entrance exam, but it seems he'd have to wait a while longer.
"Hiro-nii!! You have delivery!"
In the middle of a wok toss, one of the kids ran in from outside. In his hand was an envelope, which he was trying his best not to open.
"Thanks, Kyo. Just put it there first. For not opening it, I'll give you a larger portion later."
"Yayyy! You're the best, Hiro-nii!"
Hiro smirked as Kyo gleefully went back to the yard and bragged to the other kids about his 'achievement'. Then, he continued cooking the fried rice.
"What's that, Hiro-nii? Did you order something?"
Shara, who was setting up the table, asked as she eyed the letter.
"Well, if there's nothing else, it should be that thing. Come on, I'll give you guys a surprise later"
"Tsk, acting so mysterious. It's probably just junk mail."
Shara grumbled and continued to set the table. However, from time to time, her gaze lingered on the envelope.
Breakfast came and went. As he promised, Hiro gave Kyo an extra scoop of egg fried rice. Seeing him brag about his larger portion to the envious looks of the other kids, Hiro and some of the older kids snickered.
Only these stupid guys cared about that 'larger' portion. As an orphanage established by All Might, it may not be extravagant enough for them to get a room each, but the No. 1 hero definitely didn't skimp on the food budget.
Hiro knew how much each child in the orphanage could eat. And sure enough, after the extra large serving, Kyo was too full to ask for seconds, leading him to ultimately eat just the same amount as the others who did.
After breakfast, just as the young ones were heading to the sink to reluctantly wash the dishes, Hiro coughed.
"Everyone, wait a minute. There's something fun I want to show you."
Then, amidst their curious and inquisitive gazes, he opened the envelope from earlier and took out a circular, metallic disk with UA engraved at the side. He placed it on the table and clicked the middle button.
"I am here…as a projection!"
"All Might!"
"It's All Might!!!"
The kids, whether the old or the young, had their eyes sparkling.
Hiro also raised an eyebrow in surprise. He didn't know whether All Might was in-charge of giving all the notice, or he was lucky and got the same treatment as Midoriya. Either way, for the kids who idolized All Might, seeing his familiar projection was a very pleasant surprise.
"You might be surprised to see me. But as an upcoming teacher in UA, I thought it best to greet some of the upcoming students."
"Eh? Upcoming student!? Hiro, you…"
Hearing what All Might said, the Dean and some of the older kids turned to look at him in surprise.
When Hiro came back from the exam, they didn't ask much about it in consideration of his feelings- already presuming he had no chance of passing. But from what All Might said, did they, perhaps, underestimated him?
"That's right! Getting first place in both the written and practicals, Hiro Ryugamine, not only did you pass the exam, you SMASHED it!"
Along with All Might's words, a scoreboard appeared. At the very top, the name "Ryugamine Hiro" was very prominently displayed, along with the breakdown of his score: 100 Villain points and 60 Rescue points, for a total of 160 points.
The 100 villain points was something Hiro intended, stopping his hunt for robots after counting up to that number. However, the rescue point being only 60 was a surprise.
He defeated a zero-pointer and rescued many of his fellow examinees, yet his rescue point was just equal to Midoriya's?
After some thought, Hiro guessed the reason. He didn't go out of his way to rescue the examinees, instead only helping those that wouldn't waste much of his time. And his fight against the zero-pointer was pure curbstomping.
Meanwhile, Midoriya literally sacrificed his arm and legs, along with his possible chance of entering UA, to save someone trapped under the rubble. As rescue points were subjective in nature due to being given out by the other teachers, that act, along with the strength he showed, earned him a massive amount of rescue points.
Hiro didn't dwell too much on this topic. Instead, he basked proudly in the adoring gazes of the other kids and played with them as All Might explained the meaning of the rescue points in the background.
At last, while the kids were arguing over who to ride on his shoulders, All Might began his final speech.
"Young Ryugamine, I've watched the interview for your reason to be a hero."
Here, the ever present smile on All Might's face softened and the tone of his voice became much gentler. Suddenly, Hiro's skin tingled and he felt a sense of foreboding. He needed to stop the projector.
However, Rika riding on his shoulders and the other kids surrounding him caused him to miss the best opportunity to do it.
The projector shifted to the scene of his interview. Then, an all too familiar voice to everyone in the orphanage rang out.
"Whenever I come to pick them up from school, I always see my younger siblings cast a look of envy at other children. I try my best to act as their parent, but in my heart, I know it's not enough."
The Hiro in the projection, and the one in real life, simultaneously clenched their fists- though for entirely different reasons.
The kids quietened down. Seeing their faces, Hiro contemplated, then finally sighed. Whatever. As an aspiring hero, this can be considered a chance to get used to it.
"Most of them are ostracized during school activities. And some of the older kids have developed self-confidence issues, thinking they are somehow lesser than others."
"As their elder brother, I want to help them. But…I don't know how."
Projection Hiro's head hung low for a brief moment, before it slowly raised back up. Now, his eyes were filled with hope and admiration.
"One day, our orphanage went on a trip to the All Might museum. There was a video there, about All Might saving families from a burning building. And every time he did, all the kids would cheer."
"Right there and then, I realized what I could do. I'll be a hero."
Projection Hiro smiled. However, the tone of his voice was firm, as if nothing could stop him. It made one subconsciously believe that he could really do what he said.
"I'll be the kind of hero that would prevent kids from ever having to lose their family to villain attacks or disasters. The kind that would inspire more families to adopt more children from the orphanage."
"At the same time, I want to inspire others with a similar situation to mine. I'll tell them through my actions- if I can do it, then they definitely could, too!"
The projection froze on Hiro's resolute expression, and All Might's figure returned.
"Such a pure and selfless ambition! Young Ryugamine. In you, I see the bright future of the next generation. Come! Let us help you achieve your dreams! Become the hero you aspire to be! This is your hero academia!"
With that, the projection vanished, with only the echo of All Might's words hanging in the air.
Ringggg!!!
Before anyone could speak, Hiro took out his phone that suddenly rang, once again causing the others to hold their breath.
"I see, I see. Got it."
"Dean, everyone, let's talk about this later. The manager called. She said they'd need an extra hand in the store, ASAP."
"Ehh!"
Without waiting for further response, Hiro calmly walked out of the orphanage, not forgetting to take the projection disc on the table before leaving.
"Awww~ I want to see All Might again."
"Shush. Just ask Hiro-nii when he gets back. But if you don't do your dishes now, he definitely won't lend it to you."
"Ehhh! No wayy!"
Shara watched the brats hurriedly scamper towards the sink with a smug smile. In her mind, however, she was still recalling Hiro's unusual actions.
Ever since she could remember, Hiro-nii never really had much of an emotional outburst. He was always gentle with them, sometimes playful, but never flustered, angry, or impatient.
He was the perfect elder brother.
Seeing him get embarrassed, although briefly, made her somehow feel giddy.
Running away because of something so childish, pfft! Hiro-nii is unexpectedly cute.
—
"What the hell, that was cringy as fuck. Ugh, why did All Might have to include that part?"
Hiro sighed. His answer to the interview wasn't entirely truthful. No, it wasn't truthful at all.
He didn't have any intention of becoming a hero in the first place, ergo, everything he said about becoming one is ultimately false.
He may have had the Strongest Hero System, but what he was more interested in was the part about becoming the strongest. As long as he doesn't become a villain, the system wouldn't care.
Being a hero is only for the martyr and the masochist. Not only would one have to sacrifice their time and life risking to save people they don't know, but they also put their loved ones at risk of retaliation by the villains.
Hiro, whose only wish is to have the kids in the orphanage safely grow up, is impossible to become one.
After defeating AFO and becoming a deterrent to the villains, he'd drop out of UA and start his world travelling journey. He'd only return occasionally to check in on the kids, and remove the villains in the area that could pose a threat to the orphanage.
"Anyways, enough about that. I have to decide where I'll stay out tonight. That should be plenty of time for those guys to forget about what happened."
Hiro mumbled and took out his phone to message the Dean, stating he'd work the night shift and would be back tomorrow.
After doing that, he took some time to contemplate before dialing a certain number.
"Hnnghh~ Shiro-kun, what did you call for so early in the morning?"
"Early? Marika, it's almost lunchtime. How long do you plan to sleep in?"
"Ah? Is that so? Tehehe, anyway, what did you call me for?"
Hiro smiled wryly. She must have stayed up late again. Though it wasn't something he should concern himself with, he noticed that ever since her university break began, her sleeping schedule was becoming more and more unhealthy.
"I'm looking for a place to stay tonight. Are you free? I'll cook lunch and dinner."
"Of course! Of course! Hehehe, such a rare opportunity, how could I pass it up."
"Then tidy up. I'll be there in 10 minutes."
"Ehhh! Wait—!!"