At long last... the day had arrived — the day of the U.A. practical exam.
The area was packed with people, all eager to prove themselves.
I glanced left and right, hoping to catch a glimpse of my father watching me from afar.
But instead, my eyes landed on a familiar figure — a boy with messy green hair.
He stood there, lost in thought, staring intently at the sign bearing the name "U.A.", the school he had long admired.
Without a second thought, I sprinted toward him from behind.
"Mi-do-ri-ya!!"
I threw my arms around him in a tight hug, causing him to jolt in surprise.
He quickly turned to face me, his face pale, full of nerves and doubt.
"Y-You're... Aizawa-kun, right?" Midoriya stammered, trying to confirm.
I let out a soft chuckle at his awkward tone.
"That's right! It's great to finally meet you again," I said cheerfully, giving him a light pat on the shoulder.
Suddenly, a loud, forceful voice cut through the air.
"Move it, Deku!"
We both turned to see a boy with a fierce, burning gaze — his crimson eyes blazing with unspoken anger.
"Whoa... Looks like this is personal."
I thought to myself, deciding it was better not to get involved.
Gently, I tapped Midoriya's shoulder to bring his attention back to me.
"Well then, I'll leave you to it. See you around, Midoriya."
With that, I jogged away, giving him a final wave before wandering around the U.A. grounds.
***
[WELCOME EVERYONE TO MY LIVE EVENT! EVERYBODY SAY HEYYYYYY!]
The loud shout and booming voice echoed throughout U.A., shaking the very air.
"Who even let that long-haired guy take the mic?"
I muttered, my expression twisted in disgust as I stared at his messy yellow hair and bizarre outfit.
"Shhh, he's actually one of the teachers at U.A.,"
a girl's voice whispered nearby.
"Be careful what you say about him."
Turning my head toward the voice, I found myself looking at a girl with long black hair tied neatly to the side.
[LISTEN UP, EVERYONE! I'M JUST AS NERVOUS AS YOU ARE, YOU KNOW—]
the loudspeaker blared once again.
"He doesn't look nervous at all to me... More like a total lunatic,"
I grumbled inwardly.
[NOW, I'LL EXPLAIN HOW THIS WILL WORK! ARE YOU READY!?]
His words snapped my attention back to the crazed announcer, a flutter of nervousness stirring in my chest.
[LISTEN CLOSELY, EVERYONE! WE'RE GOING TO TEST YOUR COURAGE WITH A 10-MINUTE EXAM, TAKING PLACE IN OUR REPLICA CITY!]
[YOU'RE FREE TO BRING WHATEVER YOU NEED! AFTER THIS PRESENTATION, PLEASE GATHER AT THE DESIGNATED AREA, OKAY!?]
Hearing that, my gaze shifted toward a massive, imposing iron gate standing tall in the distance.
"Is that... the exam site?"
I wondered silently.
Glancing at the girl beside me, I offered a small, tentative smile.
"Hi, my name's Aizawa Tsukasa. Nice to meet you,"
I said, trying my best to sound friendly.
She turned to me slowly, then returned my smile with one of her own.
"I'm Yaoyorozu Momo. It's nice to meet you too, Aizawa,"
she replied gently.
***
We turned our attention back to the front, watching as the host continued his lively speech.
[WE WILL BE DEPLOYING NUMEROUS VILLAINS ACROSS THE BATTLEFIELD! THEY WILL COME IN THREE DIFFERENT TYPES, EACH ONE SCORED BASED ON THE DIFFICULTY OF DEFEATING THEM!]
[USE YOUR INDIVIDUAL QUIRKS TO TAKE DOWN AS MANY "VILLAINS" AS YOU CAN!]
[AND DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, ATTACK OTHER PARTICIPANTS OR ENGAGE IN ANY BEHAVIOR DEEMED UNHEROIC. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?]
Silence briefly fell over the crowd.
I absentmindedly rubbed my chin, deep in thought, murmuring to myself,
"Wait... this feels off... It's not what was written in—"
"Excuse me, may I ask a question?"
someone interrupted, raising a hand high into the air.
From where I sat, I could barely make out their tall figure in the distance.
"The flyers clearly stated there would be four types of villains! How could a prestigious school like U.A. make such an embarrassing mistake?"
"Geez, what a perfectionist... I'm starting to question his morals too,"
I muttered inwardly.
The tall student turned around then, giving me a clear view of his stern expression and neatly placed glasses.
Raising his hand again, he pointed directly at Midoriya, who was sitting nearby, practically vibrating with excitement.
"And you!" he barked,
"Yeah, you! The curly-haired kid!"
Then his hand shifted—this time, pointing straight at me.
"You too! That innocent-looking brat! You're both way too noisy! Can't you sit still for one second? You're disturbing everyone!"
Once again, the air grew heavy with awkward silence, broken only by Midoriya repeatedly muttering apologies under his breath.
Meanwhile, I leaned back casually, crossing my arms behind my head, thoroughly unbothered.
[OKAY, OKAYYYYY, THANK YOU FOR YOUR WONDERFUL INTERRUPTION, PARTICIPANT NUMBER 7111!]
[AS FOR THE FOURTH TYPE OF VILLAIN YOU MENTIONED, THEY WILL BE WORTH ZERO POINTS! THINK OF THEM AS OBSTACLES DESIGNED TO TRAP YOU IN THE ARENA!]
Hearing that, the tall student lowered his head respectfully in a deep bow.
"Thank you very much! Please forgive my earlier rudeness!"
[ALRIGHT, THAT CONCLUDES THE EXPLANATION! PLEASE REMEMBER ALL THE RULES WE JUST COVERED!]
[AS A CERTAIN HERO, NAPOLEON, ONCE SAID: "A TRUE HERO NEVER CEASES TO RISE ABOVE THE MISFORTUNES OF LIFE!"]
[NOW, LET'S MOVE ON TO THE MAIN EVENT—PLUS ULTRA! ENJOY THE EXAM, EVERYONE!]