After months of experiencing the reality of the world with his father, tons of books re-read multiple times, and hundreds of reflections, Sukuna had locked in on what he wanted to become.
Yes, he wanted to become a hero, though not the one people wanted him to be. He'd be the rule breaker, the black sheep, the one who'd challenge authority when no one else does. He was confident in his abilities (and grades) to do so. Plus, he has Mina with him, so it'll be alright.
"Today is the UA entrance exam, son." Jin began as he took a sip of coffee his wife made. Kaori smiled at her son, drinking her own cup of coffee.
"I'm sure you'll do well, just don't let the nerves get to you. We'll be praying for your success."
Sukuna smiled a little and nodded, grateful for their support. "Thank you, mom, dad. I won't let you down." He got up and hugged them both, kissing them on their cheek.
"Say hi to Mina-chan for me, okay?" His mother reminded. Sukuna nodded as he turned around, giving a lazy wave at them without looking back. A few moments later, he was out of the house.
"Do you think he and Mina-chan are dating in secret?" Kaori wondered as her husband chuckled.
"I wouldn't be surprised if they are. They remind me of us when we were younger." Jin commented. Kaori sighed at his words, raising her hair, running her hand across a long horizontal stitched scar across her forehead, a two decade long scar that became an insecurity more than anything.
Jin rolled his eyes, standing up before picking up his wife who gasped. He made it so that Kaori wrapped her legs around his waist, carrying her as he stared in her eyes, their heads at the same level of each other.
"I fell in love with Kaori, not how she looked like. Would it surprise you that I fell more in love with you after you got that scar?" He grinned, using the same words he always used whenever she was insecure about her scar.
"I-i know Jin it's just—Kyaa!" Kaori gasped as Jin gently kissed her forehead before touching his forehead with hers.
"I will always love you. No matter how you looked like."
"E-even if I was a brain monster?"
"Yes." Jin laughed. He wondered where his wife gets these silly ideas from. "Even if your true form was a brain monster."
"Uh... guys..."
Both adults looked at Sukuna deadpanning at them. "S-sukuna! Wh-what are you doing here?!" Kaori yelped, her face brightening. Jin only smiled. Sukuna sighed, displays of affection like this between his parents wasn't a strange sight, though they should probably get a room.
"I forgot to take something, just... just pretend that I'm not here or something... Or maybe just get a room..."
...
"Dude, how are you so chill about this? My hands are getting sweaty just thinking about the practical exam." Mina nudged him gently, both her and Sukuna sitting together at an auditorium.
Both of them had got by the written test without a problem, Mina actually feeling proud of herself due to the test being a breeze. The ease wasn't without hardship though, she'd study like crazy with Sukuna's help during middle school, and she'd like to keep it up if she gets into UA, wanting an easy school life and good future.
"You'll be fine, Mina. I don't think they'd give something out of the ordinary." Sukuna muttered, waiting for something to happen while crossing his arms.
"Sukuna look, it's Present Mic!" Mina muttered as a tall, slim man walked in. This was Present Mic, the Voice Hero. The man had long blond hair, which he wears spiked upwards and very eccentric glasses which had a certain shape and color that looked like the glasses of a certain villain in One Piece.
As Present Mic stood at the stage, a bunch of teenagers, possibly students of UA started handing out a piece of paper to each of the attendees. Sukuna received the paper, whisper a small 'thank you' to the person who handed it before reading the contents of the paper.
'Interesting. It seems we will have to dispatch as much 'villains' as we can, the higher our score the higher our ranking.' He thought as Present Mic started his speech. The man's voice was loud, excited, and he actually referred the crowd as his 'listeners'.
The hero's explanation was just a summarization of what was in the paper, so Sukuna tuned out the speech, until he looked up after hearing that someone had interrupted Present Mic.
He noticed that it was a blue haired boy wearing glasses. He looked strict as he accused Present Mic for not explaining things properly. Mina huffed and rolled her eyes.
"Geez, what's up with him? Present Mic was about to explain it anyways..." She mumbled. She could tell the guy takes everything too seriously and probably has a habit for jumping to conclusions.
"If that is a misprint, then U.A., the most prominent school in Japan, should be ashamed of that foolish mistake. We examinees are here in this place because we wish to be molded into exemplary heroes! Moreover..." He then pointed to a certain green haired boy, who Sukuna recognized as the quirkless teen he saved a couple of months ago.
"You with the green hair! You've been muttering this whole time. It's distracting! If you're here on a pleasure trip then you should leave immediately—Hngh!" The dark blue haired boy suddenly froze as a wave of pressure fell over him. He felt his heartbeat speeding up to uncomfortable levels, his breathing uncontrolled, panic surging.
"You done?" Sukuna asked, genuinely annoyed. He'd like to get on with the test as soon as possible, already forming a plan in his head and not wanting any sidetracks.
'The hell... That guy's here too?' A certain sandy blonde boy gritted his teeth as he glared at Sukuna from his seat.
"Sir, please continue." Sukuna looked at Present Mic, as the dark blue haired boy sat down muttering apologies. As most of the crowd sighed in relief, glad that the interruption was over, Mina smirked, a little proud of her friend.
'Hah! In your face! That's my man right here!.... Wait what—'
Aa the speech continued, Sukuna wondered why Mina was flustered. "You okay?" He asked, concerned that his wave of killing pressure had affected her although he made sure to specifically direct it at that boy.
"Y-yeah, I'm fine..." She whispered, patting his arm in reassurance. Though they had grown closer to each other, Mina was actually confused about what they were at this point. Best friends? Lovers?
'Best friends don't walk each other home, visit each other's parents' houses to 'hangout', and they sure as hell don't buy matching pens together.' Mina remembered what one of her middle school friends said one day. Yes, Mina had actually bought her and Sukuna matching pens. Though pink in color(Mina wouldn't have it any other way), Sukuna had been using it ever chance he got ever since then.
Mina shook her head, focusing back on the speech. Apparently, three of the four types of robot 'villains' gave them points, with the fourth type having zero points, meaning there's no point in defeating it, only acting as an obstacle in every battle center.
"Finally, I'll give you listeners a present, have a listen to our school motto! 'Go beyond. Plus Ultra!' Now everyone, good luck suffering!" Present Mic cackled as he went out of the auditorium as the UA students, acting as faculty started guiding the examinees to their respective battle centers.
"Looks like we're going to separate for a bit. Bummer..." Mina grumbled, the least bit satisfied. Sukuna nodded.
"I'm sure you'll do well." He muttered preparing to leave. Mina stopped him by grabbing his wrist. Sukuna looked down at her, raising an eyebrow as she became shy.
"Um... So uh... H-hug... Please..." She stuttered, stretching out her arms. Sukuna blinked, a little surprised at the suggestion.
"I-i see you do it all the time to your parents. S-so I wanna give you a hug for good luck." Sukuna chuckled before he stepped forward, going in for a gentle, comforting hug. He gently patted Mina's back before separating, much to the girl's displeasure.
"Thanks Mina. I'll see you after the exam."
"Y-yeah. Bye..."
As Sukuna walked away, he couldn't help but feel that his body was warmer than before. He smirked to himself, the sensation of the clumsy hug lingering.
He could definitely get used to whatever this new stage of their relationship was.
To be continued.....