By the time the recovery girl arrived, Kurose Kuro's condition looked worse than it actually was.
Nothing serious—just a collection of minor injuries.
Throughout the exam, he'd moved like a field medic, treating others, taking damage onto himself, and pushing forward. It suited his Quirk.
The recovery girl didn't even bother using her ability on him. Instead, she shoved a handful of candy into his mouth, gave him quick first aid, and sent him off to the medical room—scolding him the entire way.
Inside, he spotted Izuku Midoriya being treated as well.
"Hey."
They were separated by a wall between test areas, so Kuro hadn't seen what happened during the exam.
"You're hurt too," Midoriya said.
"Just scratches," Kuro replied, waving it off.
Compared to Midoriya, he looked worse—but Midoriya had taken real damage. Broken limbs, heavy strain. Kuro's injuries were shallow.
Their treatments reflected that.
Midoriya was told to increase calcium intake.
Kuro—
"Stick to a light diet."
Kuro's expression immediately fell.
He loved spicy food.
"…You like spicy food too?" Midoriya asked.
Kuro perked up. "You do too?"
"No—just… someone I know does."
Right.
Kuro didn't press further.
Outside the medical room, three people were waiting.
One of them was Hitoshi Shinso, crouched down, calmly petting a stray cat. The animal lay on its back, completely relaxed.
Kuro crouched beside him, giving the cat a few strokes. "Didn't expect U.A. to have strays."
"Hey, I was just about to look for you," Shinso said.
Kuro smiled awkwardly. "Keep this between us, alright?"
If Nekoyama Fumiko found out how he'd pushed himself during the exam, he'd be in trouble.
"How about dinner?" Kuro added.
"Dinner?"
"I'm in!" Aoi Shindo popped into the conversation, cheerful as ever. "Can I come too? And Kirishima as well!"
"Me?" Eijiro Kirishima scratched his head, surprised.
Kuro recognized him immediately—the one who had pulled him out of danger.
His opinion of him jumped instantly.
After quick introductions, they agreed.
"I got discount coupons yesterday," Kirishima said. "Let's do barbecue."
Everyone agreed.
Then they ran into a problem.
Three people meant a small discount.
Five people meant a much bigger one.
So—
Kuro went to grab Midoriya.
For "team bonding."
Even though they'd barely spoken before.
The restaurant was lively.
Kuro and Kirishima handled most of the ordering, solving the "what to eat" problem immediately.
Aoi handled the grill, flipping meat with practiced ease.
Shinso sat off to the side, still focused on the cat he'd somehow brought along, occasionally feeding it scraps.
Midoriya sat quietly, eating mostly fish cakes.
"By the way," Aoi said, turning a slice of beef, "I heard someone in Test Area B took down a zero-point robot in one hit."
Kuro focused intently on the meat in front of him.
He didn't respond.
Aoi blinked. "…Kuro?"
Kirishima leaned back. "Seriously? That's insane. If people like that are in this year's exam, I might be in trouble…"
Kuro snorted. "You? You've got a strong Quirk. Solid offense and defense. You'll be fine."
If he or Shinso had something like that, the combat section wouldn't have been a problem.
"Speaking of Quirks," Aoi said, turning to him, "what's yours, Kuro?"
"Healing-related," Kuro said simply, piling meat into his bowl. "Nothing special."
Aoi and Kirishima exchanged a look.
Nothing special?
They had both seen that shot.
That wasn't "nothing."
Kuro ignored them, taking a drink.
He glanced at Midoriya.
"…You didn't eat much. Didn't go well?"
Midoriya hesitated. "…Yeah."
He hadn't defeated a single target.
He clenched his hands under the table.
He had thought—
That borrowed power would be enough.
That he could stand alongside the others.
He had been wrong.
But that didn't mean he would stop.
He looked up, watching the others.
Kuro. Bakugo. Everyone else.
He had to catch up.
No matter what.
"Kuro—?"
"Huh?" Midoriya snapped out of it.
"You spaced out," Kuro said. "Eat properly. If you're not feeling well, don't force it."
"…Right."
The meal ended with everyone satisfied.
Thanks to the coupons, it was affordable.
Kirishima and Kuro immediately started talking about trying another barbecue place next time.
Aoi managed to get Kuro's contact info.
Midoriya left quietly after eating.
Shinso continued playing with the cat on the way back.
Back at the orphanage, Kuro stretched.
"That was nice."
He glanced at Shinso.
"…I didn't expect eating with people to feel like that."
"You've never gone out with friends before?" Shinso asked.
Kuro paused.
"…Not really. No one invites me."
He tapped his face lightly.
That was usually enough explanation.
Then he slung an arm around Shinso's shoulders.
"Next time, I'll treat you properly. Today doesn't count."
"Wait—"
The cat suddenly jumped down and ran off into the bushes.
Kuro followed instinctively.
Pushing through the grass—
He stopped.
A pair of black shoes stood ahead.
The cat clung to the figure's leg, meowing softly.
The man bent down, picked it up, and absentmindedly patted its head.
Kuro stepped back slightly.
"…Yours?"
After a moment of silence, the man nodded.
"…Yeah."
Shota Aizawa.
Kuro glanced at Shinso.
Then back at the man.
Something about them felt…
Similar.
He wasn't sure why.