The first day at U.A., marked by an impressive test, was drawing to a close.
Kirishima was carefully reviewing everything the students had demonstrated.
Since he wasn’t sure how they would operate together moving forward, he planned to note each student’s strengths and weaknesses and devise a strategy accordingly.
Lost in thought, Kirishima’s phone vibrated. The screen read “Shiozaki.”
"Hello?"
"Hello. Have you had dinner, Kirishima?"
"I ate a while ago. How about you?"
"I just got home and ate as well."
The two delved into conversation, discussing the school, their impressions, and their classmates. The chat continued until Kirishima learned that Class B hadn’t mentioned anything about expulsion or similar issues.
At that moment, the front door opened.
Kirishima frowned and immediately expanded his situational awareness. As information streamed in from all sides, he quickly identified the intruder.
It was Ashido, balancing a tray in her hand.
He had given her the door code when she requested it—just in case one of them overslept—which now proved to be problematic.
"Hey, what are you doing sneaking into an adult’s house at night?"
"It’s fine—Eijiro’s cool with it."
"Why are you the one who gets to decide that?"
"Hehe. I know everything. By the way, were you on the phone?"
"Ah, dang it."
Kirishima immediately picked up the phone from his desk and apologized to Shiozaki.
"Sorry—the kid next door just dropped by."
"That’s fine. You must be very close if she’s visiting at this hour."
"Yeah, we’ve been friends since we were three. Anyway, sorry for the unexpected visitor. Let’s talk again later—or catch up at school."
"Alright. See you later. Good night."
"You too—sleep well."
"Is she from our school?"
As the call ended, Ashido clung to Kirishima’s side and asked curiously.
Kirishima gently shook her off and replied,
"Stop clinging. It’s hot. Yes, she’s from our school. Remember? I told you about her—the one I met at the exam site."
"Oh, the one with hair like a plant stem."
"Exactly. But more importantly—what’s this?"
"Hehe, I brought cake for the occasion. Today is the historic day of our U.A. entrance, after all."
"Historic? I’m not so sure. You want to share it?"
"Of course. How can I eat this all by myself?"
"Ugh. You know I’m watching my figure, and here you are with cake?"
"Hehe. On days like today, you deserve something delicious."
Sighing, Kirishima cut a slice of cake with a plastic knife.
"I’ll just have this much—no more."
"That should be plenty for a celebration."
"Perhaps."
The two shared the cake while reminiscing, chatting about everything from childhood memories to the events of the day.
After a while, noticing Ashido nodding off, Kirishima helped her to her feet.
"You look really sleepy. Go on, head home."
"But can’t I just crash here?"
"No way. Come on, go now."
After firmly ushering a grumbling Ashido toward the next door, Kirishima clicked his tongue.
Ever since they were little, she had been inseparable from him—so much so that fear never registered.
Thinking he should one day have a proper talk with her, Kirishima prepared for bed. Once changed into his pajamas, he lay down and quickly fell asleep.
*
Morning arrived. Kirishima and an unusually punctual Ashido reached school, exchanged greetings with friends, and settled into their morning classes.
The morning session, filled with standard subjects, was dreadfully dull.
"So, which one of these English sentences is wrong?"
"So ordinary."
"Damn, this is boring."
"Everybody, hands up! Get excited!"
Present Mic tried to spark some excitement by playfully voicing the students’ inner thoughts, but it didn’t transform the tedious class into something engaging.
When lunch break finally arrived, Kirishima headed into the cafeteria with the others.
The main dining hall offered top-notch meals at a bargain price.
Dragging along a grumbling Bakugo, Kirishima selected his food, took a seat, and began eating without hesitation.
True to his love of meat, his tray overflowed with a variety of meat dishes.
Bakugo observed his rapid yet neat eating, then scooped up a spoonful of rice and called out,
"Hey."
"Yeah, what is it?"
Between chews, Bakugo clicked his tongue at Kirishima’s nonchalant response, but pressed on,
"That devilish thing you showed yesterday."
"Demon Form?"
"Yeah, Demon Form. When did you develop that?"
"Not long ago—maybe about two weeks."
"Really? And that was its full power yesterday?"
"At the moment, it’s the strongest for a single burst."
"Wait, you can chain it into rapid attacks?"
With a quizzical look, Kirishima replied,
"Have you ever seen me pull off something that ends in just one hit?"
"N-no..."
"Exactly. The fact that I can do it means I can string together a combo."
"You crazy bastard..."
Bakugo grumbled in disbelief. Though everyone else fell silent, Midoriya, Ashido, Iida, and Uraraka—overhearing from nearby—shared similar thoughts.
Ignoring the shifting expressions around him, Kirishima continued his meal, saying,
"Hurry up and eat. The morning was dull, but the afternoon might get moving. You need a full stomach to perform well."
Only then did his teammates resume their interrupted dining.
The cheerful time spent enjoying Lunch Rush’s fare passed all too quickly.
Soon after the class reconvened and the students settled into their seats, a massive door swung open.
"I—"
"Have arrived!"
"…through the door, like a normal person!"
Instead of echoing All Might’s usual line verbatim as Midoriya had anticipated, All Might delivered a quirky variation as he strode in.
"Oh, it’s All Might! Look at you, teaching here!"
"This is my Silver Age costume."
"The art style is so different—it gives me goosebumps!"
Despite the students’ murmurs, All Might walked confidently to the lectern, straightened his back, and declared,
"My class is Hero Basic Training—a course designed to hone your potential through various drills. It also carries the most credits."
For some inexplicable reason, as he spoke, All Might struck a bodybuilder’s pose and continued in a booming voice,
"Today’s lesson, though sudden, is this: Combat Training!"
"Combat!"
"Training?"
Watching Bakugo and Midoriya echo the words in turn, Kirishima wondered whether their rapport was growing or if things were about to get competitive.
"And also—look here!"
When All Might pointed to one wall, a hidden storage cabinet slid open.
"These are the Quirk registration forms you submitted before enrollment—and the costumes prepared according to your requests."
"Ooooh!"
Amid the students’ cheers, All Might’s resonant voice reached every ear as he continued,
"Change into your costumes and assemble at Ground Beta in order."
Once everyone had received their costumes, they headed to the changing rooms.
Watching the students’ infectious excitement, Kirishima mused that kids really would always be kids.
He recalled that even the Kirishima of his past life had felt his heart pounding when he first donned his robe and stepped into the ring.
Back then, he had wanted to impress his mentors and the audience with his boldness—and perhaps even look a little cooler. Now, however, those feelings had waned.
Kirishima quickly slipped into his costume—a uniform-like outfit that, aside from a minor modification for his [Demon Form] (which allowed his knees more freedom), resembled ordinary clothes.
All he wore were a pair of black pants, combat boots, and his bone-conduction earphones.
The only unusual detail was his belt, featuring a heavily horned buckle shaped like a demon’s face. He had originally requested a plain belt, but the manufacturer had delivered something ostentatiously flashy—and then, after hearing his concept for [Demon Form], had altered the design on a whim.
Though the belt was the only standout detail, his chiseled upper body—resembling a finely sculpted statue—naturally drew attention.
"Kirishima, aren’t you wearing a shirt?"
"Nope. Thanks to my Quirk, if I absorb impacts with my body, my clothes would tear every time. Instead of constantly mending them, it makes more sense to forego a top—although I don’t always take hits directly."
Sho asked timidly, prompting Kirishima to tap his own chest with a confident grin.
Sho hummed in agreement,
"I see... Maybe I should redesign my costume too."
"Hmm? Did you say your body gets tougher too, Sho?"
"Yeah. When I keep my mouth shut, my body becomes sturdier."
"I suppose that's your choice. Honestly, having four or five spare costumes wouldn’t be a bad idea."
"I see."
After their brief exchange, the students finished changing and gathered at Ground Beta, where All Might addressed them once more.
"Appearance is important, too. Boys, girls—take note! From this day forward, you are Heroes!"
His voice was buoyant as he looked out at the assembled students in their costumes.
"Isn’t that great? You all look amazing! Now, shall we begin? Let’s get started, hatchlings!"
All Might’s hearty proclamation rang out, striking everyone in the chest.
Midoriya, heartened by the reassuring tone, ran a hand over his new costume. It was his first time wearing it, reminding him of events that had unfolded a few weeks earlier.
Before enrollment, U.A. operated a clothing subsidy system: by submitting their Quirk registration and physical details in advance, students received cutting-edge uniforms courtesy of the school’s dedicated support company.
Having handled his registration long ago, Midoriya felt no urgency. Still, he had given much thought to his costume. He’d wished for features to reduce the shock when using One For All—though he knew such enhancements were unlikely.
While discussing costume details with All Might over the phone in his empty house, Midoriya’s mother had arrived home.
"I'm home!"
"I accidentally hung up—I'll have to apologize later. Welcome back!"
"Izuku, congratulations on your acceptance! It might seem premature, but..."
"A jumpsuit!"
"It might not fit perfectly as it is, though."
Startled, Midoriya ended the call and turned toward his mother, surprised when she pulled a jumpsuit design he had been contemplating from her bag.
She immediately addressed his unspoken question.
"While you were sleeping and I was studying, I caught a glimpse of your notebook. Your mother... said some harsh things, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it."
Looking down with a somber expression, Midoriya could only listen as his mother continued.
"Back then, I almost gave up. But you—Izuku—you never gave up on your dream. I'm sorry, Izuku. From now on, I promise to support you no matter what!"
With tears in her eyes over the wound of the past, she extended the outfit toward him. Izuku silently took the clothes, wishing he could tell her that everything was fine—that with people like her around, he could face anything—but the words remained unspoken.
As the memory of that painful moment surged, Izuku dashed into the dim corridor leading to Ground Beta, thinking,
'This is my mother’s heart. What else would I choose but this? Even if it isn’t the most convenient or the latest model—this is my costume!'
Uraraka, who had been walking ahead of Midoriya, turned at the sound of his footsteps and said,
"Oh, Deku-kun? You look cool! You give off such a determined vibe!"
Flustered by her compliment, Midoriya covered his mouth in embarrassment. Uraraka, noticing his reaction, gave a shy smile and fiddled with the back of her head.
"I should have filled out my request more carefully. It turned into this skin-tight suit… how embarrassing."
All Might, whose eyes briefly met the flushed expressions of Midoriya, stifled a laugh.
Determined not to let his amusement show, he boomed in a mock-serious tone,
"Now, it’s time for combat training!"
"Teacher!"
At that moment, a student clad in futuristic armor raised a question.
Only after hearing the voice did Midoriya realize it was Iida speaking.
"Teacher! Isn’t this the same practice field we used for the entrance exam? Are we doing urban combat training again?"
"No! We're taking it a step further—this is indoor team combat training!"
All Might flashed a V-sign with two fingers and explained,
"While villain suppression usually takes place outdoors, statistics show that vicious villains appear more frequently indoors—think confinement, black-market dealings, and so on. In a society overflowing with heroes, the truly cunning villains hide inside."
Though All Might felt the weight of the students’ expectant glances, the pressure was far less daunting than the relentless scrutiny he faced as a top hero.
"From this moment, you’ll break into two groups—villains and heroes—and conduct a 2-on-2 indoor battle."
"Without basic training?"
At the frog girl’s exclamation, All Might clenched his fist and retorted,
"This is the practical test of your basic skills! And this time, you won’t be fighting fragile robots."
"How do we decide a win or a loss?"
"Can we just obliterate them?"
"Are you going to expel someone like Aizawa-sensei did?"
"How do we split the teams?"
"Isn’t this cape absolutely amazing?"
As the questions flowed from every side, All Might, visibly flustered, exclaimed,
"U-um, I only have two ears!"
Then he retrieved a sheet of paper and read aloud to the class,
"A cheat sheet?"
"Understand this: the scenario is that villains have hidden a nuclear weapon in their hideout, and the heroes must either capture the villains or retrieve the weapon within the allotted time. Conversely, the villains must either protect the weapon or hold the heroes until time runs out. The teams and opponents will be decided by lottery!"
"Is that really acceptable?"
In response to Iida’s incredulous shout, Midoriya offered his own observation,
"Professionals often have to form ad-hoc teams with heroes from other agencies, so maybe that's what we’re simulating."
"I see. Pardon me for getting ahead of myself!"
With Iida’s punctual bow, All Might turned, raised a fist, and declared,
"It's fine! Let’s get started quickly!"
Each student reached into a box to draw lots.
Soon enough, the results were in.
Kirishima shook hands with Sero, his newly assigned teammate, and said,
"Let’s give it our all, Sero. Right?"
"Yeah. I’m counting on you too, Kirishima. Being on the same team as the top scorer is reassuring."
Kirishima only grinned in silent agreement at Sero’s words.
After the teams were set, All Might drew the opposing matchups. In the lots labeled "Villain" and "Hero," the letters D and A appeared, respectively.
The Villain team—Bakugo paired with Iida—and the Hero team—Midoriya teamed with Uraraka—were set to open the battle.
Bakugo’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction as he saw the pairings. It felt as if fate had smiled on him: an opportunity to finally put Deku in his place had arrived.
Though he couldn’t directly surpass Kirishima in every way, Bakugo harbored a stubborn irritation toward him—a provocation he was determined to overcome.
A fierce grin spread across Bakugo’s face. This was the moment to settle the hierarchy once and for all.
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