In the warm afternoon sunlight, the students stood awestruck before the massive mansion.
"Wow... I expected something fancy, but I never imagined it would be this grand."
"Hmm. It's huge. Considering we're in Japan, this place must have cost a fortune."
Their contrasting reactions turned everyone’s attention to Kirishima.
Yet he seemed unmoved, gazing through the iron fence as memories of his past life washed over him.
This mansion was about the same size as the very first one he had impulsively bought in his previous life—purchased on a whim after the gym owner had passed away when he had nowhere else to call home. Over time, however, it had become his sanctuary.
Even though he had grown so mentally exhausted that nothing else stirred him anymore, he would never forget the overwhelming thrill he felt when he first made the purchase. It was as if the child tossed about by life had finally matured against all the odds.
Lost in these thoughts, he barely noticed when Kaminari rang the doorbell.
Yaoyorozu’s excited voice came crackling through the intercom.
"Everyone, we've been waiting for you! Please, come on in!"
Soon, the large iron gate began to open automatically, and the students entered the mansion with a mix of wonder and curiosity.
"Hmm. So we won't be riding in a car after all."
"Yeah. It looked even bigger from the outside. And then again, land around here must be expensive. It's a world away from our neighborhood."
At the casual banter between Kirishima and Sho, the others exchanged puzzled looks.
While Sho's remark went by without much notice, Kirishima—who always claimed to come from an ordinary background—now sounded like the son of a wealthy conglomerate.
"Hey, Ashido, is Kirishima's family rich too?"
"Huh? No, not at all."
"Just ask him directly. What's with the beating around the bush? Our family isn't exactly wealthy—though you might be in the future."
"Oh, really? But you seem so at home in a place like this."
"Hmm, I was rich in my past life."
"Huh? What are you on about?"
"Haha, Eijiro sometimes spouts these weird things. You know, talking about a second life or his past life. It's best to just let it go."
Ashido grinned dismissively and gave Kirishima a playful elbow jab.
He had timed the release of his Hardening just right so as not to hurt her—but the resulting sting was all too real.
"You've definitely gotten stronger. All that training paid off."
"Oh, come on! What are you even saying?"
"Kirishima, you do spout nonsense sometimes too! It's amazing."
"Not just sometimes. When you're around this guy, you'll hear nonsense all the time. Whatever image you have of him, it's all just an illusion."
"You wouldn't even know what an illusion is, you little brat."
Taking advantage of a brief pause, Kirishima guided the bickering pair and the rest of the students into a spacious room.
The space was too large to be called a living room yet a bit too intimate to be an auditorium—if anyone had to label it, it was more like a grand reception hall.
Under Yaoyorozu’s guidance, Ojiro sat awkwardly at the long table and mused, "This place feels way too fancy for us. I'm starting to get a bit nervous."
"Yeah, me too..."
"Fancy or not, it's just a friend's house. Look at Bakugo—he's completely at ease."
"Hey, why are you picking on me all of a sudden!"
The light-hearted commotion quieted as Yaoyorozu herself appeared, carrying a small tea table laden with refreshments. Smiling gently, she asked, "Is something wrong?"
Her poised, refined demeanor brought smiles from everyone, each admiring the picture of a young lady raised with impeccable manners.
After a brief tea time and a lesson from Teacher Yaoyorozu, the students dispersed for break, scattering in all directions the moment the recess bell rang.
Kaminari and Ashido, however, wore expressions of comic exasperation, as though their heads might just burst.
"Ugh, this is so hard. We won't even need math once we become Heroes!"
"Exactly! And don't get me started on modern Hero art history either... Who in their right mind needs to study art history?"
Even Kirishima couldn't wrap his head around that part.
This wasn't an art school, nor was it a course on art; it was art history in the Hero Course—hard to justify at best.
Bakugo, clearly fed up with the grumbling, snapped, "Art history is just about memorization anyway. Quit your whining over something so trivial, you idiots."
"Watch your mouth, you dummy. I've been telling you for ten years, and you never listen!"
Over time, the students had grown accustomed to watching Kirishima tease Bakugo while Bakugo fired back with his trademark intensity. At first, their bickering stirred unease—was it an actual fight?—but now it was just the familiar back-and-forth of long-time rivals, a background score to their conversation about the upcoming exam.
"But if the practical test is all about robots, isn't it too easy? We all smashed robots when we entered, and we're stronger now than we were then."
"True, but they used robots last year too. I suppose it'll be the same this year."
"Really?"
Kirishima paused his teasing, turning to address the optimistic predictions. "Still, don't get too comfortable. We're a special case—things could change."
"Huh? Suddenly?"
"When the world changes, even the school curriculum must evolve. We haven't experienced everything yet, but since we started, we've already gone through incidents like USJ and the Hosu City event in just our first semester. Two events in one semester means, by simple math, there could be as many as ten before graduation. Life doesn't always add up logically, so you never know—stay alert."
"If Eijiro puts it that way, I'll be prepared... although all I can really think of is robots."
"Why not? Maybe you'll end up fighting the teachers or something."
Casually, Kirishima let slip a few details about the exam before taking a thoughtful sip of tea.
The students, though uneasy at his calm demeanor, stored away a nagging feeling that the exam might differ significantly from their expectations.
After break ended and studies resumed, dinner was served, and the students eventually headed home. By the time the fulfilling study session—where they bonded and reviewed their weak points—ended, exam day had arrived.
Kirishima completed the written exam without issue, but Ashido and Kaminari, overcome with emotion, rushed to Yaoyorozu the moment the test ended.
The day following the three-day written exam, the students converged at the practical exam site.
Dressed in their costumes, the students gathered before a lineup of teachers similarly attired.
Representing his fellow instructors, Aizawa explained the exam, "Alright, we'll begin the practical exam. Of course, there's a failing grade here too. If you want to avoid being sent to training camp, don't make any careless mistakes."
"Why are there so many teachers here?"
After all, if the exam were just about fighting robots, there would be little reason for the teachers to gather in one place.
Jiro suddenly recalled something Kirishima had mentioned earlier.
Aizawa seemed to confirm his thought as he continued, "I trust that you've all gathered some information in advance, so you probably have a rough idea of what you'll be doing."
"It's like the robot massacre we had for the entrance exam!"
"Fireworks! Curry! And a test of courage!"
As Kaminari and Ashido animatedly bantered—unaware of the mounting tension—a twitch in Aizawa's capture device became evident.
While the students tensed, an unexpected figure emerged from the side—Nezu.
"I'm sorry to say, but due to various circumstances, we're changing the content of this exam starting this year!"
"Principal!"
"Changing... it?"
Amid the startled voices of the students, Nezu calmly gripped Aizawa's capture device and, sliding down from his position, added, "From now on, we'll emphasize real combat and practical training based on actual activities. That means you'll now be paired up, and your opponent will be one of the teachers here!"
"Fight... the teachers?"
Unperturbed by trembling voices, Aizawa continued coolly, "Furthermore, the pairings and the teachers you'll fight have already been decided. I considered your movement tendencies, grades, compatibility—everything—and now I will announce them. First, Todoroki and Yaoyorozu are a team, and they'll face me."
Although Yaoyorozu flinched at Aizawa's unusually cheerful smile, she said nothing.
The pairings and opponents were announced one after the other.
"Next, Midoriya and Bakugo will team up, and their opponent is—"
Before either could react, All Might descended from the sky.
Rising from his landing stance, the colossal hero bellowed, "I'll do it!"
"Work together and secure victory, you two."
As Midoriya and Bakugo exchanged startled glances, Aizawa's explanation proceeded.
One by one, the teams and their opponents were announced until finally, the briefing neared its end.
"Each stage has been prepared in advance. Ten teams will begin simultaneously. Your assigned opponent will brief you on the exam's outline. Transportation will be via school bus—so don't waste any time and board right away."
As the students boarded buses bound for various locations, Aizawa himself climbed aboard the bus carrying Todoroki and Yaoyorozu, his thoughts drifting back to recent days.
Meanwhile, at a teachers' meeting, concerns about the increasing activity of Villains had escalated to something akin to a fire alarm.
Deep in thought, the silence was finally broken by Snipe, "Of course, preemptively preventing such scenarios is best, but as a school, we must do it right. If future society is to encounter even fiercer Villain battles than now, then sparring with robots isn't realistic training. After all, the robots were originally just a safeguard against complaints about endangering people during entrance exams."
"You can ignore that sort of talk. They’re just blathering."
When Aizawa reopened his usual discourse, Midnight voiced her concern, "You really can't just ignore it, can you?"
"I understand the rationale behind changing the exam, but having the students fight us, their teachers, in pairs...it's a bit harsh."
"Well, if we were to crush them outright, there’d be no way to even grade the results."
As various teachers expressed their doubts, Snipe offered a solution, "Of course, we'll assign handicaps to the teachers to balance things out."
"What do you say, Principal?"
"What do I think? I'm in favor of changing the practical exam. We need to ensure our students aren't put in unnecessary danger. The answer is simple: we demand that the students become stronger on their own!"
Nezu crossed his arms and declared his conviction, which eventually convinced the other teachers.
Then Aizawa began outlining the team matchups. "Regarding the pairings: Todoroki is nearly flawless, though he tends to rely on brute force. Yaoyorozu, on the other hand, is versatile and is developing her own combat style, yet she still lacks quick judgment and adaptability. So I'll neutralize her Quirk and target her weakness through close combat."
"No objections!"
"Next, Midoriya and Bakugo will be facing All Might."
Glancing at All Might, whose eyes gleamed with an unusual light, Aizawa continued, "This pairing isn't based on grades or raw ability—it's entirely because they're like sworn enemies. You’re quite fond of Midoriya, aren’t you? Please guide him as you see fit. Lastly, there's one more issue: Kirishima."
At the mention of Kirishima's name, the teachers instantly straightened up.
In a calm yet cutting tone, Aizawa assessed, "To be frank, Kirishima currently has no major deficiencies in ability. If we judge solely on combat power, not even our teaching staff can guarantee a win against him—many would struggle depending on the matchup. I deliberated at length on who should face him."
His bloodshot eyes swept over the assembled teachers, as if still fighting off sleep, until they settled on Cementoss.
"Me?"
"Yes. Frankly, whichever one of us faces Kirishima with a handicap is almost certain to lose. Given the exam's rule that a team passes if even one member escapes, there's really no way to stop him. I heard that in a session with All Might, he once leapt several hundred meters in a single bound."
At Aizawa's words, admiration sparkled in the teachers' eyes. What absurd strength!
Even among the teachers—to say nothing of the entire Pro Hero community—few could match such a feat. If one were to narrow it down to leaping rather than flying, perhaps only Mirko and All Might could come close.
Kirishima's Enhancement-type Quirk was on an entirely different level.
"So, as the examiner, I'm sorry to say this, but Kirishima must be given a penalty. Otherwise, it wouldn't be fair to Sato, who's paired with him. First, he is forbidden from leaping into the air and clearing the stage in one go. And Cementoss, please restrain Kirishima without imposing any penalty on yourself."
"Isn't that a bit unfair? And isn't it too harsh on Sato?"
"It's better than administering an exam that has no meaning or value at all. As for Sato, I trust you'll handle that properly, Cementoss. I'm counting on you."
Cementoss considered Aizawa's words while watching Kirishima, who was stretching and showcasing a physique reminiscent of an ancient Greek bronze statue.
"Here are the rules: Kirishima can do anything as long as he doesn't leap upward. If either one of you escapes through the designated entrance or manages to cuff me, you'll claim victory."
Already in his Demon Form, Kirishima grinned menacingly at Cementoss.
The sight of his sharp teeth peering from his parted lips unnerved Cementoss.
A shiver ran down his spine as Kirishima's voice rang out clearly to all present, "Haha. I'll give it my all. With you, Cementoss-sensei, I really can relax."
Despite the slight upturn of his mouth, his eyes were cold, blazing, and filled with a vicious intensity.
And so the exam began—a contest where it was impossible to tell who was the examiner and who was the examinee.
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