Year One – U.A. Hero Course
Kaito stood at the edge of Classroom 1-C, expression unreadable behind his slate-gray visor. His uniform was crisp, the tie slightly loosened, the sleeves rolled once, deliberately, as if even the cloth was something to manage with precision.
He was four years older than most of the students. Taller. Sharper. More withdrawn.
The room, filled with chatter and nervous excitement, quieted when he stepped in.
"…Is that a teacher?"
"No, he's in our class. I saw his name."
"Wait—Shinamori? Like, the Shinamori case?"
He ignored them.
He took the seat in the back corner. Eyes forward. Every movement controlled. He was used to silence. Used to being an outsider.
U.A. didn't change that.
Day 3 – Quirk Assessment Test
It didn't take long for things to come to a head.
"You've got to be kidding," growled Jin Kuwabara, a second-generation hero student whose sweat turned into corrosive acid. "They're letting you take the Quirk assessment? You don't even belong in this course."
Kaito didn't blink. "Then you should beat me. Shouldn't you?"
"You think all that tech makes you a hero? Without that suit, you're nothing."
"You're mistaking my tools for my ability," Kaito replied calmly. "A scalpel is useless without a surgeon."
"Try me then!"
The teacher—Midnight, of all people—intervened before things got physical.
Kaito didn't flinch at the venom in their stares. He didn't care if they respected him.
He only cared about results.
Assessment Results (Top 5)
Speed Dash: 3rd (Grapple-enhanced movement, precision cornering)
Ball Throw: 5th (Magnetic wrist cannon, automated trajectory curve)
Long Jump: 4th (Spring-release boost pads in heels)
Combat: 1st (Neutralized Jin in 3.7 seconds without injuries)
The class didn't like it.
Some were stunned. Others whispered that he "cheated." That it "wasn't fair."
Kaito didn't argue. His performance spoke for itself.
But he felt it—that crawling weight in his chest, the knowing glance from Midnight as she read the room. Even winning made him more of a target.
Late Night, Dorm Level 5
U.A.'s dorm system was new. Kaito had requested private quarters. They granted it with little argument. He spent his nights surrounded by silence and screens.
Yoru's voice hummed from the intercom.
"Shall I summarize the top ten academic rankings today?"
"No need," he said, adjusting the targeting metrics in his portable drone.
"You already know you're at the top?"
"I'm always at the top. That's not the problem."
There was a pause.
"You're still trying to find your place."
"I'm not looking for a place," he muttered, tightening a magnetic seal. "I'm trying to build one."
Chapter 3 – In the Belly of the BeastMid-Semester: Mock Villain Exercise
Aizawa's expression was blank as he addressed the class from the training field.
"This will be your first full-scale simulation. Two-on-two. One villain team, one hero team. Objective: secure the hostage or neutralize the enemy."
Kaito adjusted the seal on his gloves as pairings were called out.
"Team 1 Heroes: Jin Kuwabara and Maya Hoshino.Team 1 Villains… Kaito Shinamori and Kenji Sato."
Kenji—a teleportation-type with low stamina but fast reflexes. Not bad. Not great.
Jin, on the other hand, was fuming. "You'll wish you failed the entrance exam," he hissed as they passed each other.
Kaito didn't respond. Again.
Simulation Start
Location: U.A. Training Building SigmaTimer: 10 minutes
Kaito and Kenji took position on the top floor. Kaito didn't speak much, but his plan was clear: disable the hostage beacon's location signal, control the enemy's entry vector, separate the two.
"Leave Kuwabara to me," he said quietly. "Draw Maya out, teleport behind her and hit her comms."
Kenji blinked. "That's risky—"
Kaito turned and looked at him. His voice low. Calm. Unflinching.
"You want to win or play safe?"
Kenji nodded. "Win."
Minute 3: Jin smashed through the front wall with a roar. Acid splashed across the metal, corroding beams.
Minute 4: Kenji blinked behind Maya and cut her earpiece. She reacted fast...but not fast enough.
Minute 6: Kuwabara found Kaito waiting in the stairwell. No gadgets. No drones. Just a stun baton and calm eyes.
"You've got no Quirk. No backup. No chance."
"You're right," Kaito said. "You're stronger."
Jin charged.
Kaito ducked under the first blow, planted a boot against the wall, and redirected himself upward. He flipped over Jin's head, slammed a high-voltage shock disc to the back of his neck, and used his own weight to push him down.
Jin collapsed with a grunt.
Maya surrendered.
Simulation over.
Aftermath
"I don't get it," Jin muttered later, sitting in Recovery Girl's office with an ice pack to his pride. "How the hell does he keep winning?"
"He doesn't fight the way you do," Aizawa said from the door. "He doesn't rely on brute strength. Or flash. He fights like someone who's already been through hell."
U.A. was supposed to shape heroes. Train them. Elevate them.
But Kaito?
He bent it.
He hacked the data room to find what the Hero Commission was doing with his parents' case.
He aced rescue simulations but left before the applause.
He beat third-years in strategy matches without fanfare.
He refused internships from top agencies and instead took assignments from lesser-known underground groups focused on rescue, logistics, or recon. The stuff no one celebrated.
End of Year One – Private Evaluation
All Might stood with Aizawa, arms crossed.
"He's… something else," Toshinori said, unease in his voice.
"He's not what we planned for," Aizawa admitted. "But he's what we need."
"And if the world rejects him?"
Aizawa looked toward the observation window, where Kaito trained alone in a reinforced chamber against a simulation of the Hero Killer.
"…Then we make space. One way or another."