"Reiji, wake up!"
The insistent pounding on the door was accompanied by the voice on the other side, repeating itself with the sa energy that characterized Himiko when sothing really mattered to her. It wasn't usual for her to be so persistent. His parents had made it clear from the start that Reiji's room was a space that wasn't to be disturbed without good reason.
But this ti… she wasn't following that rule.
Reiji opened his eyes slowly, not moving right away. It took his mind a second longer than usual to register where he was, but the white ceiling of his room did the rest. He blinked once, then again, feeling a strange heaviness in his body.
Fatigue.
Sothing he rarely experienced.
'It's been too long since I slept…'
The thought settled clearly as he let out a low exhale. His regeneration was already working on it; he could tell by how the muscle tension was fading on its own.
He had returned every night to the burned-out building, trying different routes, different tis, different angles. What he had found didn't match what he expected. The place that initially seed empty… was now full.
Graffiti covering the walls, trash piling up in a matter of days, empty bottles, people sleeping inside as if it had always been a makeshift shelter. Everything visible, everything obvious, everything… Useless for what he was looking for.
Reiji sat up slowly, running a hand over his face.
"Reiji, I told you to wake up!"
The door opened before he could answer. Himiko appeared in the doorway, breathing slightly heavily, with a smile that clearly mixed excitent and nervousness.
Reiji looked at her for a second before finishing sitting up in bed.
"What's going on?"
"It's here!" Himiko replied imdiately, stepping inside without thinking twice. "The letter's here!"
The news snapped him out of his previous state just enough to react. Only a few days had passed since the exam. The response ti was fast… he hadn't expected it to be so imdiate.
Reiji let out a small smile.
"Go downstairs," he said, planting his feet on the floor. "I'll be right there."
Himiko nodded, too excited to keep her brother waiting.
"Hurry up," she finally added, before turning and leaving the room.
The door closed.
Reiji exhaled, leaning back for a second before sitting up fully. His body responded quickly, as always. The fatigue was already dissipating, replaced by a cleaner, more controlled sensation.
He stood up, grabbed the first thing within reach, and got dressed without wasting any ti. It took him no more than a couple of movents to be ready.
He turned the doorknob and stepped out into the hallway.
Morning light stread in through the open windows, sweeping across the floor toward the dining room. The atmosphere was different. Lighter. More… orderly than it had been in the previous days.
When he arrived, the scene was clear.
The table set.
Breakfast served.
And the envelope.
White.
With the U.A. seal in the center.
Himiko was sitting in front of the envelope, completely still, her fingers pressing against the edge as if that were the only thing keeping her in place. Her eyes didn't leave the envelope.
Her mother was nearby, watching from the kitchen with a restrained expression.
Her father leaned against the doorfra, silent.
Reiji sat down without saying a word, picking up a cup of coffee that was already prepared. The warmth helped her focus.
She waited.
"Do you want us to open it with you?" her mother asked gently.
"No… I can do it," Himiko replied, without looking away. "It's just… a little scary."
"If you studied as you said, you have nothing to fear," her father added calmly.
Himiko took a deep breath.
She broke the seal.
The sound was clean, short—enough to make the atmosphere tense for another second. She opened the letter carefully, scanning the lines quickly… then more slowly.
And she stopped.
"I got in…"
Her voice ca out low.
But firm.
"I got into U.A."
The reaction was imdiate. Her mother hugged her from behind, holding her tight. Her father smiled proudly, resting a hand on her shoulder.
Reiji set the cup down on the table calmly.
"I didn't expect anything else," he said, holding her gaze. "Not just anyone gets into U.A."
He paused briefly.
"But you're not just anyone."
Himiko smiled, lowering her gaze slightly, visibly calr.
"Thank you…"
Reiji took another sip of coffee.
"Now we won't see each other as much as before. U.A. is pretty demanding, and you'll have to study a lot. Finally, I'll have so free ti."
She looked at him with a mix of annoyance and amusent.
"Is that a joke?"
"A reality that sounds like a joke," he replied without changing his tone. "Perfect for you."
Himiko snorted, but ended up laughing. She simply couldn't get angry; she'd been admitted to the country's largest academy, and it would only be the first step toward what she could build alongside her brother.
***
He'd left the house after Himiko; U.A.'s start ti was later than Reiji's new school's, but the commute was much longer. The youngest of the Togas was barely getting dressed when Himiko was already leaving the house.
She hadn't even had ti to finish breakfast before walking out the door; her last words to her brother were, "Wish luck." Reiji just gave her a calm wave with his hand—wish her luck.
'I can't believe I still don't have a damn clue again...' Reiji's thoughts inevitably surfaced as he walked through the streets of Musutafu, which were filling up with students, office workers, and mothers with children.
Ever since the burned-out building he had previously investigated was demolished and construction began on a residential area, he hadn't been able to follow up on any leads yet. The commission hadn't reported anything new either; he knew it was normal, but it was still frustrating not to be able to make progress.
With his mind wandering, he slipped into the large crowd trying to enter his new school. This ti, unlike his old academy, it wasn't under the commission's supervision, so he wouldn't really receive any special treatnt.
The hallways of his new high school slled of waxed floors and cheap markers. The walls were lined with colorful posters promoting school clubs, student councils, and events that didn't interest Reiji in the slightest.
Clearly, as anywhere, new faces stood out—especially when that person was undeniably handso.
It was inevitable that people would stare at him.
His hair had turned a dark blonde, duller than Himiko's but naturally styled in a tousled manner; his gaze revealed sharp eyes with a unique gleam that highlighted his single-colored amber-orange irises, which resembled beautiful flas.
He towered over most people, accentuated by an athletic, well-defined physique that the uniform couldn't hide. The results of his training were plain to see, carrying an aura of serenity and respect that drew strong attention.
Upon reaching his classroom, he paused for just a second. He took a deep breath, like soone preparing for a performance.
He pushed the door open gently.
The room was filled with murmurs as the teacher finished writing the schedule on the board. Reiji, still standing by the entrance, kept his gaze fixed on the group of students. One of them, sitting near the window, imdiately caught his attention.
Dark purple, ssy hair. Sleepy eyes, yet alert. Relaxed posture, as if he didn't care much about anything, but in reality, he hadn't stopped observing.
'Have I seen him sowhere before?'
The teacher snapped him out of his thoughts.
"Class, this is Toga, Reiji Toga. He's transferring from Tokyo. Try not to scare him too much," he joked dryly. "You can sit next to Shinso, way in the back."
Several students turned their heads curiously. The reactions were varied, but typical of what one would expect from a group of thirteen-year-old preteens with far too much internet for their own good.
Reiji sat next to Shinso. He placed his backpack on the back of the chair and took out his notebooks, resting his arms on the desk… And glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. Not knowing where he'd seen him could an only two things: either he was part of the official BNHA canon, which he ruled out sowhat.
Or he was part of the investigation and had probably seen him in one of the scenes he'd recently been in, and could help him continue or even close the investigation. Clearly, his obsession with the subject made him quickly believe the second option was the most likely.
"Shinso, right? Your face looks familiar… Have we crossed paths before?"
"I doubt it," Shinso replied, without looking at him.
Reiji raised an eyebrow, further reinforcing his earlier thought.
"Maybe. Sotis I dream about people before I et them."
Shinso turned his head slightly, just enough to look at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Are you one of those weirdos?"
"What do you think?"
Silence.
Shinso watched him for a few more seconds before looking straight ahead again.
"I don't know who you are, but if you think you're going to win over with those kinds of weird lines… It's not going to work."
Reiji smiled slightly. His second thought was shattered by that sentence; clearly, he was just a weirdo, and now his first thought was gaining more traction.
"Better that way," he said, relaxing his back against the chair's backrest. "Making people like isn't my priority."
Shinso seed to accept that answer. He didn't respond, but he didn't look away in annoyance either. The silence between them beca comfortable. Even natural.
A couple of students were whispering in the row in front, glancing at them out of the corner of their eyes. One of them muttered:
"What a combo… The new weirdo and the scary one."
Shinso heard it, but said nothing. He just snorted. Reiji leaned toward him slightly.
If he turned out to be soone from the main story, it was about ti he got to know him a little better, and besides, getting to know soone from the city would be good.
"Do people always say that to you?"
"It depends on the day."
"Well… today is one of those days."
They both fell silent for a mont.
Then Shinso, without looking at him, muttered:
"You're not as annoying as you seem."
"And you're not as cold as you pretend to be."
A slight grimace crossed Shinso's face. A smile? Maybe. Fleeting.
The bell rang, and the teacher began handing out books.
***
Here's Chapter 21 of this story. Today, I'm not going to promote the other site like so rcenary; instead, I'll remind you that we have Power Stone goals to unlock more chapters.
I hope you enjoyed it, and see you in the next chapter.
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