"So that's why… I'm going to enter U.A.!!!"
...…
Even on the morning of the first day of school, Izuku's face was still swollen.
"Izuku, are you really okay? Did you bring everything with you?"Inko asked worriedly.
"I brought everything! I've got to hurry, or I'll be late!"Izuku said as he hurriedly put on his shoes.
"Then… Mom, I'm heading out!"
"Izuku—today… you look amazing!"
"Then I'm off!"
Half an hour later, Izuku reached the school relying entirely on his own legs.
The distance was long, but he had already become somewhat proficient at using One For All.Using it just to travel… should be fine, right?
"Huff… huff… I finally made it. Was stuffing in that much iron really still too much…?"
Izuku felt as if his feet were stuck in mud—he couldn't lift them without exerting serious force.
"Class 1-A… 1-A… This school is way too big…"
He wandered through the building for another ten minutes before finally finding his classroom.
"Such a huge door…"
Izuku stared up at the nearly three-meter-tall door in awe.
"I really hope there aren't any troublesome people inside…"
He pulled the door open—and immediately saw Bakugo arguing with someone.
"I'm doomed. It's the two most troublesome people possible."
Back in middle school, the people Izuku feared the most were Bakugo and the class representative.And the guy arguing with Bakugo right now looked like the very definition of a class rep.
"I'm doomed, I'm doomed, I'm doomed…"
Izuku lowered his head, trying to reduce his presence—but he was still noticed.
The class-rep-looking student extended a hand toward him.
"You must be Izuku Midoriya. I'm Tenya Iida, a graduate of the prestigious Soumei Private Middle School. Pleased to meet you."
Izuku nervously shook his hand.
"Iida is really great—ah, no, I mean—cough—nice to meet you! I'm Izuku Midoriya. Please take care of me, Iida."
While Izuku and Tenya Iida were exchanging names and contact info, another student opened the classroom door.
"Huh? Soft hair… the quiet one! It's you! I didn't expect you to be in this class too!"
Ochaco Uraraka stared at Izuku excitedly.
"Just like Present Mic said—you passed!! Of course you did! That punch of yours was incredible!"
Her excitement was contagious.
"N-no, really… it was thanks to you going to negotiate with them that I—"
"Huh? How did you know that?"
"Ah… well…"
Soon after, several more students entered the classroom.All eighteen seats were filled.
"Everyone's here—so where's the teacher?"
"Maybe the teacher is waiting for us outside. Let's go,"Iida said as he opened the classroom door.
Suddenly, a long yellow object appeared in the doorway.
"AAAAHHHH!!! A caterpillar!!!"
Uraraka screamed—she was terrified of caterpillars, especially one that big.
"I'm not a caterpillar!"
The yellow object suddenly stood upright.
Only then did Uraraka realize it wasn't a caterpillar at all—but a person wrapped in a sleeping bag.
"Slurp—"
The person inside finished drinking an unknown beverage, then crawled out of the sleeping bag.
"I'm your homeroom teacher: Shota Aizawa. Nice to meet you."
His voice was fast and flat.
"Alright, time is precious. Change into your gym clothes and head to the field."
As he spoke, Aizawa pulled several gym uniforms out of the sleeping bag and tossed them to the students.
A few minutes later, Izuku—now the last one dressed—ran onto the field.
"Alright. We'll now begin the Quirk Apprehension Test."
"Huh? What about the entrance ceremony? The school tour?"
"Heroes don't have time for that."
"Ehh—?"
The teacher glanced sideways at them.
"U.A. prides itself on 'freedom.' That freedom applies to teachers as well."
"Alright, we have eight events. Time is limited, so we'll start immediately. First up—softball throw. Bakugo Katsuki."
'Eight events… I wonder if I can even survive this.'
Twenty minutes later, a nervous Izuku took the softball from Tenya Iida and stepped into the throwing area.
"Alright, begin. And I'll say this again—the person in last place will be expelled."
'What do I do?! What do I do?! I haven't finished training my arm strength yet!If I use One For All right now, I'll completely destroy my arm! What do I do?!'
"Hey! Are you throwing or not? If you're this hesitant, don't bother becoming a hero!"
'No choice—use arm strength first… then at the exact moment of release—!'
Izuku raised the softball and threw it upward.
'Use my Quirk in my fingers!!!'
"BZZZZ—!!!"
The softball shattered two sound barriers as it shot into the sky.
"It still hurts!!! But I can still move!!!It's not like during the entrance exam!!!"
Izuku clenched his rapidly purpling right index finger and looked at the teacher.
"Well, not bad," Aizawa said lazily."705.2 meters."
"That's a real hero-worthy result!"Uraraka said happily.
"But your hand's swelling again… just like during the exam. That's a really strange Quirk,"Iida said, tilting his head.
"...…"
The only one truly shocked was Bakugo.
'What the hell is that Quirk supposed to be?!?!'
"DEKU!!! YOU'RE GOING TO EXPLAIN THIS TO ME RIGHT NOW!!!"
Bakugo charged at Izuku without hesitation!