"Next, Marumine."
Marumine scanned the surroundings. The scene unfolding around him was nothing short of a showcase of extraordinary Quirks.
There were engine-like legs capable of finishing a fifty-meter dash in three seconds,
superhuman strength that could shatter a dynamometer,
and leaps that could vault entirely over the sandpit.
Powerful abilities were everywhere. If the students unleashed their full Quirks, it wouldn’t take much for one to be labeled hopeless in tests like these.
That was probably why, despite Aizawa’s rant about expulsions, no one had ever heard of a student being kicked out of U.A. on their very first day.
But he recalled U.A.'s motto.
PLUS ULTRA.
That's right. You underestimated me, Heroes.
Just because there hasn't been an expulsion yet... that doesn't mean there won't be one today!
He had one goal, and one goal only: to get out of here.
Even if that exhausted-looking teacher doubts my ability, given the circumstances at the entrance exam he’ll likely chalk it up to an Interference-type or wide-area buff Quirk.
His mind raced. If his Quirk was indeed an interference effect or a global buff, it made sense that he wouldn’t shine in a physical test.
But if he were blatantly lazy or slacked off now, Aizawa’s suspicion would swiftly crystallize into certainty.
If I'm going to hide it, I have to hide it flawlessly. A half-hearted act will only give it away.
There was only one option.
Go all out on the physical side.
He would give everything he had using only his natural strength – completely setting aside his Quirk. By doing so, he would craft the perfect profile for expulsion: "a student who works hard despite having no innate talent."
A wry smile flickered briefly on his face as he steeled himself. Today, he was determined.
"Marumine! What are you doing? Get to the starting line!"
"Yeah, yeah. I'm moving as fast as I can, Aizawa."
At Aizawa’s prompting, he shrugged and sauntered toward the starting line for the first event: the 50-meter dash.
[Event 1: 50-Meter Dash]
At the starting line beside him stood a female student who looked distinctly like a frog. Crouched low with her hands planted on the ground, she mimicked an actual frog’s stance.
"I'm Asui Tsuyu. Call me Tsuyu. Ribbit," she announced in her distinctive tone. Tori simply nodded.
Bang!
As soon as the starting signal sounded, Tsuyu in the adjacent lane exploded off the ground, her powerful legs propelling her forward. With her tongue lashing out ahead, she quickly closed the gap like a nimble, four-legged amphibian.
At that moment, Tori surged forward with all his might. He gritted his teeth, feeling the impact of his sneakers on the asphalt, the burning strain in his thigh muscles, and the ragged breaths surging from deep within his lungs. He had never run so desperately on his own accord before.
"Huff... Puff...!"
Yet his efforts paled compared to the others. In the previous heat, Iida Tenya had achieved an astonishing 3.04 seconds by boosting his calves like engines, Bakugo Katsuki had clocked 4.13 seconds using explosive bursts from his palms, and even Uraraka Ochako had managed a time in the 5-second range by rendering her clothes and shoes weightless.
Crossing the finish line, Tori collapsed to his knees, gasping for air. He was utterly spent. Aizawa, without so much as a word, casually displayed the measurement device.
'7.52 seconds'
"Huh...? That's just average," he muttered.
"He’s about as fit as any regular kid who works out a bit, I guess," someone remarked.
"Looks like his Quirk isn’t a physical enhancement type," another added.
Murals of murmurs reached his ears. Aizawa wrote down Tori’s name on the record sheet without a word, his tired eyes remaining inscrutable. Inside, Tori felt a surge of satisfaction – the first step had been executed perfectly.
[Event 2: Grip Strength]
Next up was the grip strength test. Shoji Mezo, a student with several arms like a colossal octopus, simultaneously tugged at the dynamometer with six arms. The device screamed as it registered an outrageous 540kg. Beside him, red-haired Kirishima Eijiro, who could harden his entire body like stone, bellowed, "Oooooh! So manly!"
Then it was Tori’s turn. Clutching the cold metal handle, he took a deep breath and squeezed with every ounce of strength in him.
"Nnn... Nnnggh...!"
His forearm veins bulged and his shoulder muscles trembled with exertion; it felt as if his arms might snap. His face flushed bright red from the effort. But his Quirk was merely Stage Magic – his body was nothing more than that of a typical 17-year-old.
Beep.
The result: 58kg.
Although this was a healthy score—slightly above the average for a 17-year-old Japanese male—when displayed next to Shoji’s 540kg, it looked utterly pathetic. A few students could only regard him with sympathetic pity, too stunned even to laugh.
"Hey... are you okay?"
Ashido Mina, her pink skin adding to her concern, asked.
"Guess this test just isn’t compatible with my Quirk!"
"Seems so," Tori replied, hastily wiping away sweat and feigning nonchalance. His performance was, in every way, perfect.
[Event 3: Standing Long Jump]
This event was a true parade of Quirks. Bakugo roared as he propelled himself over the entire sandpit with explosive bursts emanating from his hands. Asui Tsuyu bounded effortlessly with her frog-like jump. Even Aoyama Yuga, who launched lasers from his navel, used the burst as propulsion to trace a graceful arc—though, once landed, he collapsed with a plaintive, "My stomach... hurts... ☆"
Tori took his position at the starting line, bending his knees deeply, focusing every bit of his concentration on his thighs and calves.
Higher, further!
He pushed off the ground and hurled himself forward in a textbook motion—crouching mid-air before straightening out. However, his body could not defy gravity. With a resonant thud, he landed awkwardly in the middle of the sandpit, barely managing to clear an area that others had effortlessly glided over.
Bakugo sneered openly at him.
"Hey, are those eyes just for decoration? Did you come here to take a nap or what?"
"Ahaha..."
To an arrogant and talented competitor like Bakugo, Tori’s earnest attempt appeared nothing more than feigned exertion—and a joke.
[Event 4: Sustained Sideway Jumps]
"This is my time to shine!"
Mineta Minoru, a short student with grape-like clusters on his head, declared as he stepped up. He detached sticky spheres from his head and affixed them to the floor on either side. Then he began bouncing between them at a remarkable pace, the spheres’ elastic rebound allowing him to shuttle back and forth with seemingly little effort.
It was Tori’s turn again. Already drained from the previous events, the continuous lateral movements felt both tedious and painful. The repetitive beeping of the timer, the friction of his sneakers against the floor, his rapidly quickening breaths, and the sharp stab of pain in his side all conspired to slow him down. By the end, he had barely managed to complete the allotted time—almost crawling through it.
"Huff... Huff..."
As he collapsed onto the floor to catch his breath, Aizawa looked down at him with an impassive expression. In his mind, the teacher mused,
Is this really all he’s got? If it were a wide-range interference Quirk, that might explain it…
But without even a basic level of ability, this was troubling.
[Event 5: Ball Throw]
Finally, the last of the common events arrived.
This event, the ball throw, was the one the students watched with the utmost attention—it dramatically showcased the destructive potential or creative application of a Quirk.
With all eyes upon her, Uraraka Ochako stepped into the circle, clutching the ball with a noticeably nervous expression.
"Zero Gravity...!"
She gently tapped the ball with her fingertips. With a slight spin, it levitated above her palm. After a deep breath, she launched the ball skyward with all her might. Devoid of weight, it soared upward, becoming a tiny white dot set against the vast blue before vanishing completely from sight.
A heavy silence fell over the grounds. Moments later, Aizawa raised the measurement device. On its display, a single mathematical symbol appeared.
'∞'
"...Infinity?!"
The students were stunned into silence.
"Amazing!"
"There really are Quirks like that?"
Even Uraraka’s jaw dropped in astonishment.
No sooner had that incredible result been recorded than Aizawa called out the next name.
"Finally, Marumine."
The atmosphere reached a fever pitch. They had just witnessed a record of infinity, and now the students began to harbor a glimmer of hope for Tori. Perhaps his Quirk was exactly the kind with a spectacular one-shot payoff that activated in a specific circumstance. Maybe his earlier underwhelming performances had all been a build-up to this final, decisive moment.
Under a gaze mixed with expectation and doubt, Tori stepped into the circle. The feel of the softball in his hand was strangely unfamiliar.
Well done, Marumine.
My body – you endured this hellish trial!
This is it. I’m going to finish everything with one brilliant failure.
He closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. Then he assumed his stance: one leg raised high, his torso twisting, and his shoulder arched like a drawn bow. His throwing form was as smooth and powerful as that of a professional baseball pitcher. Every muscle and joint in his body synchronized flawlessly for this single throw.
"H-yah—!"
With a fierce shout, his arm cracked like a whip. The ball left his fingertips with a sharp, “whiz!” – the epitome of pure physical force.
But that was all there was to it.
The ball appeared to surge forward momentarily before abruptly settling into a mundane arc, falling limply to the ground.
Bounce, bounce, roll…
It bounced a few times on the field before coming to a pitiful stop.
An atmosphere of stunned silence, as if doused with cold water, blanketed the playground.
The distance it covered was so ordinary, so dismal, that it was hard to believe it had come from such a nearly flawless throwing form.
Beep-beep.
Aizawa’s device chirped.
'62.5m'
On a field where Bakugo had managed a throw of 705 meters and Uraraka had recorded infinity, a mere 62.5 meters was virtually nothing.
"Pfft...!"
"..."
"What the hell was that form for...?"
"Seriously... does he even have a Quirk?"
It wasn’t just sympathy or pity anymore. Murmurs laced with outright laughter and disdain rippled across the field.
Bakugo looked so utterly defeated that he didn’t even muster the energy to get angry, his face etched with disbelief.
Tori deliberately slumped his shoulders and walked out of the circle with an expression of feigned disappointment.
He was satisfied with his performance. Now, everyone would see him as a lost cause.
"And with that, all the events are over."
At Aizawa’s signal, a holographic overall ranking appeared behind him in mid-air.
The top spot belonged to Yaoyorozu Momo, who had crafted the optimal tools for every event using her Creation Quirk.
Second was Todoroki Shoto, whose powerful freezing ability had made a significant impact.
Third was Bakugo Katsuki, who had demonstrated explosive power. One by one, the names scrolled by. And then…
At the very bottom.
'20th: Marumine Tori'
The moment he saw his name pinned at dead last, Tori almost broke into a wide grin. It was perfect. His plan had succeeded—now, all he had to do was wait for that one word from the teacher: expulsion.
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