Several cheers erupted—full of support and admiration for him.
"That was amazing, Midoriya!" I shouted, filled with excitement and pride.
"The swelling on your finger reminds me of the entrance exam… what a strange Quirk," Iida added, examining it with respectful curiosity.
Yet amid the commotion, Bakugo stood frozen in utter disbelief. His mouth hung open, shock overwhelming his expression.
His emotions exploded.
"WHAT THE HELL, DEKU?! EXPLAIN YOURSELF, RIGHT NOW, YOU DAMN LOSER!" he roared, lunging forward with his Quirk flaring in both hands.
Fwip!
A capture weapon lashed out—Dad's binding cloth instantly restrained Bakugo, locking him in place.
"W-What the hell is this thing?! I can't move!" Bakugo protested, struggling in vain.
He glanced over his shoulder—right where Dad stood, calm as ever, the cloth trailing from the device wrapped around his neck.
"This is my special capture weapon—a blend of reinforced steel wire and carbon nanofiber. Hah... Don't make me use my Quirk so often," Dad said, half explaining, half complaining.
"My eyes dry out, damn it!" he snapped in frustration.
[Aizawa Shouta: Quirk – Erasure. Can cancel out a target's Quirk by looking at them. The effect disappears when he blinks.]
A tense silence followed. Dad stood tall, eyes scanning everyone as he let out a deep, heavy sigh.
"Oh, by the way—about that whole expulsion thing?" he said casually.
"Yeah… I was lying." He smirked, clearly amused by his own deception.
"EEEEHHHHHHH??!!" a chorus of shocked screams broke out from the students, their disbelief mixed with frustration from being so thoroughly played.
"HAHAHAHAHA!" I laughed out loud, clutching my stomach as it began to cramp from how hard I was laughing.
And now... before us, a scoreboard lit up with the final rankings.
[Izuku Midoriya – Rank 20 | Aizawa Tsukasa – Rank 19]
***
Now… the lessons had ended. The first day at U.A. had come to a close. I walked out of the hero academy with slow, quiet steps.
In the distance, I saw a girl—with her long, eye-catching hair tied back neatly. I ran up to her.
"Yaoyorozu-san!" I called out.
She turned to me—this time, wearing an expression I hadn't seen before. Blank. Emotionless.
"You ranked first in today's test. That's really impressive!" I said with a grin, trying to sound friendly and upbeat.
But she said nothing.
Yaoyorozu continued to stare at me with that same unreadable face, her gaze sharp and unwavering.
"You… weren't serious during the test, were you?"
Her question lingered in the air like a blade, slicing through the casual mood.
"What do you mean, Yaoyorozu-san? Of course I took it seriously," I replied cheerfully, trying to reassure her.
She gave a faint smirk.
"Sorry, Aizawa. I dislike people who don't give their all. I don't enjoy talking to them either. But I'll stay cautious. I'll continue to see you as a rival… someone capable of knocking me down from the top of this class."
I stood frozen, eyes slightly widened.
Then suddenly—I couldn't hold it in.
"Hehehehe… HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Laughter burst out of me, raw and unfiltered.
Yaoyorozu squinted, instinctively stepping back. Her body moved before her mind could catch up—an unconscious reaction to something dark, something wrong.
A shadowy aura had begun to radiate from me. And in her eyes, she saw… something else. A version of me cloaked in darkness, face obscured save for a wide, white grin cutting through the black.
"So this is your true self… Aizawa Tsukasa?"
I stopped laughing and gave her a thin smile, locking eyes with her.
"Not exactly. Let's just say… I'm a little amused."
With that, I turned and began to walk away, no longer sparing her another glance.
"Oh, and Yaoyorozu-san?"
She looked back at me when I called her name.
"Fight on~" I said softly, my tone unusually gentle.
***
The next day…
Just like any other high school, our morning began with regular classes. Apparently, even in a hero academy, we still had to go through the "normal" curriculum.
Present Mic was teaching English first thing in the morning, and I couldn't help but notice the blank stares across the classroom. The students looked utterly bored—especially Bakugo, who looked like he was one second away from screaming his lungs out.
By noon, we gathered in the cafeteria for lunch. Just an ordinary high school life… for now.
But then came the evening—time for something far from ordinary. It was finally time for our first scheduled Hero Training Program.
"IT'S MEEEEEE!!!"
A large man burst through the door in the most ridiculous pose imaginable. And at that moment… something clicked in my mind.
"Wait... that guy… he's a hero too? The one who trained Midoriya before… was a pro hero? Is he Midoriya's father or something?"
The questions echoed relentlessly in my head.
"NO WAY!!! ARE YOU TELLING ME ALL MIGHT IS REALLY GONNA TEACH US?!"
My eyes widened. That name struck something deep inside me.
"Wait... All Might…? So the one who trained Midoriya… was All Might? Why him? Why would someone like All Might choose Midoriya?
I mumbled under my breath, still trying to make sense of it all.
"FOUNDATIONS OF HEROISM!!" All Might boomed, striking another one of his bizarre poses.
"For this class, we'll be building the basics of your heroic spirit through a series of unique trials! There'll be lots to gain!"
The class erupted in excitement, faces shining with awe and disbelief.
"NOW THEN—LET'S GET RIGHT INTO IT! IT'S TIME FOR… THE COMBAT TRIAL!!"