𝘚𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘴 𝘍𝘭𝘺 || 𝘒. 𝘉𝘢𝘬𝘶𝘨𝘰

1. Misplaced Optimism

A/N: Revised 12/22: Necessary and major revisions have been made! :) Happy reading!

Chapter 1

The walk to UA was short. Too short.

1,275 steps from my front door to the school wasn't nearly enough time to squash the ugly little bastard that was lurking beneath the surface of my skin, itching to come out. The commute across town was spent slaying one intrusive thought after another. Like cutting the head off a hydra, get rid of one, and three more grew back with a vengeance.

Anxiety truly was a bitch—and it just had to be the biggest one in the existence of forever today of all days.

Today was extremely important. Like life-altering, make or break, do or die level important—my first day at UA High School.

The reflective sheen of the campus building caught my eye as I willed my feet forward. They had been carrying me on autopilot since I left home, and I hoped they wouldn't fail me now.

Four blue towers stood tall in the morning sky, demanding their presence to be felt by everyone around. It was hard to ignore a building that represented a beacon of hope, one whose very presence stood for bravery and promised the success of a new generation of heroes.

I stopped on the cobblestone path just past the front gate and took in the hundreds of students maneuvering around the school grounds—a sea of gray and blue swarming in every direction. The contortionist performing in my lower gut decided now would be a good time to up the ante by tying my stomach in even more knots than before as I looked up at the building.

It would be truly tragic to drop dead in the middle of the street, but that looks like a pretty enticing option to me right now.

Maybe people wouldn't notice... a dead corpse... on the ground... in public...

Oh, who am I kidding?

Someone would probably be at my side to "help" before I ever hit the ground. Stupid good-hearted wannabe heroes. I mean, I would consider myself one of those people too, but that's beside the point.

What mattered was that I was finally here.

Two months ago, I was accepted into the UA Hero Course based on the recommendation of my older brother, Keigo, or as Japan knew him, the Wing Hero: Hawks.

The mere thought of not becoming a hero was nauseating. Failure wasn't an option. Not here, not ever. There wasn't another path for me in this world—not one that I would willingly accept, at least. I had a plan for my future and intended to see it through no matter what.

And the first step to that plan was UA.

Either nepotism wasn't frowned upon at UA, or the board of directors thought I actually had something to offer to their institution. The reason for my acceptance didn't matter in the grand scheme of things—whether it was my hard work, quirk, or simply my brother's name and reputation that got me into one of the most prestigious schools in the country, it didn't matter.

I wanted to help people, plain and simple—to make a difference in someone's life, even if it was just one person.

Like Keigo had done for me.

Despite his notorious titles and prestige, to me Keigo was simply Keigo, a great hero, and an even greater brother.

As if on cue or some weird witchy voodoo, my phone buzzed in my uniform pocket, signaling an incoming call.

I didn't even have to see the contact name to know who it was calling.

Speak of the devil.