Chapter 2: The Path No One Expected
The acceptance letter arrived on a quiet morning, slipped under my door without a sound, like it was afraid of being noticed, and when I picked it up, the paper felt warmer than it should have, as if it had passed through the hands of someone important before reaching me.
UA High School.
I stared at the words for a long time, reading them again and again, not because I could not understand them, but because part of me believed that if I blinked, they would disappear and prove that this moment was never meant for someone like me.
"Congratulations. You have been accepted into the Hero Course."
That single line changed something inside my chest, slow and heavy, like a door opening after being locked for years.
I sat down on my bed, still holding the letter, listening to the house around me as it always was—quiet, tense, filled with a pressure that never truly left—and for the first time, the silence did not feel like it was trying to crush me.
I was going to UA.
---
Shoto received his letter later that same day, and as expected, Father was the one who opened it first, standing in the living room with his arms crossed and his expression sharp, already knowing what the result would be before he even read the words.
"Good," Endeavor said after a short glance at the paper. "As expected."
Shoto stood straight in front of him, his face calm and unreadable, and simply nodded once, because that was what Father wanted to see and because anything else would only lead to more words, more pressure, more fire.
I stood near the wall, half-hidden by the shadow of the hallway, holding my own letter quietly, not sure if I should speak or remain invisible like always.
Endeavor's eyes finally moved to me.
"You applied as well?" he asked, his tone flat, almost bored.
"Yes," I answered.
"And the result?" he asked.
"I passed," I said.
For a moment, the room felt warmer, not because of his quirk, but because of his attention, which always carried weight.
He looked at me carefully, searching my face, my hands, my posture, like he was trying to find something familiar, something useful.
"UA is not a place for weak quirks," Endeavor said.
"I know," I replied honestly.
"Do not slow Shoto down," he added, already turning away.
"I won't," I said.
That was the end of the conversation.
---
The day we left for UA, the train station was crowded with students my age, all wearing different expressions of excitement, fear, confidence, and pride, while parents stood nearby giving advice, warnings, and encouragement, their voices mixing together into a loud noise that made my head ache.
Shoto and I stood side by side, but there was a clear distance between us, not because we disliked each other, but because we had learned to exist separately, even in the same space.
Students around us talked loudly about their quirks, showing small sparks of power without caring who saw them, laughing and bragging like the future was already theirs.
I stayed quiet.
The train ride felt long, not because of distance, but because every second brought us closer to a place where being unnoticed would no longer be easy, and that thought sat heavy in my chest.
Shoto broke the silence first.
"You really chose this path," he said, staring out the window.
"Yes," I replied.
"Why?" he asked, his voice calm but curious.
I thought carefully before answering, because this was not a question I could respond to without honesty.
"Because if I stay still," I said slowly, "I disappear."
Shoto did not reply after that, but he did not move away either, and that small thing mattered more than words.
---
UA High School was larger than anything I had ever seen, with tall gates, wide paths, and buildings that looked strong enough to stand forever, and as we walked through the entrance, I could feel something change in the air, like this place demanded effort and truth from everyone who stepped inside.
The classroom was loud the moment we entered.
Students argued, laughed, and shouted across the room, already forming groups and rivalries before the first lesson had even begun.
I chose a seat near the back, close to the window, where I could observe without being forced into attention.
Then the room went silent.
A tired-looking man stood at the front, wrapped in a sleeping bag, his eyes sharp despite his careless appearance.
"I'm Aizawa Shouta," he said calmly. "Your homeroom teacher."
Some students complained under their breath, clearly disappointed.
"I don't care about your expectations," Aizawa continued. "If you fail today, you leave UA."
The room froze.
His eyes moved slowly across the class.
They stopped on Shoto.
Then they moved again.
They stopped on me.
"Todoroki," Aizawa said.
"Yes?" Shoto answered automatically.
"I wasn't talking to you," Aizawa said without emotion.
He turned fully toward me.
"Kido Todoroki," he said. "Your file is strange."
I stood up slowly.
"Yes, sir," I said.
"Your quirk does not fall into normal categories," Aizawa said. "Explain it."
I took a breath.
"My quirk reduces extremes," I said. "Heat, cold, movement, emotions."
A low murmur spread across the room.
"So you cancel quirks?" Aizawa asked.
"Not exactly," I replied. "I calm them."
"And people?" he asked.
"Yes," I said.
The room went silent again.
Aizawa stared at me for a long moment.
"That is dangerous," he said finally.
"I know," I answered.
---
The physical tests began soon after.
Running, throwing, strength, balance.
Other students pushed their bodies to the limit, shouting and showing off their quirks with pride and desperation.
I did not rush.
When my legs burned, I softened the pain.
When my breath grew heavy, I slowed my heartbeat.
I did not win.
But I never lost control.
Aizawa watched me closely during every test, his eyes never leaving my movements.
---
After the tests, he called me aside.
"Your quirk can erase emotions," Aizawa said.
"Yes," I replied.
"That includes fear," he continued.
"Yes."
"And hesitation," he added.
"Yes."
He looked serious.
"If you go too far," Aizawa said, "you could erase yourself."
I nodded.
"I already know," I said.
He paused.
"Then survive," he said quietly.
---
That evening, as I stood outside the classroom, Shoto joined me.
"They noticed you," he said.
I looked back at the building.
For the first time in my life, I felt like my presence mattered.
And that scared me more than anything else.
--------------- End of Chapter 2 ---------------