Hearing the relentless accusation from the bespectacled boy, Masata frowned slightly. Even though he knew that Midoriya Izuku had indeed been muttering to himself, calling him out like that in front of so many people felt excessive.
"Bastard! Who the hell are you supposed to be, Four-Eyes?!" Before Masata could step in to defend Izuku, Bakugo Katsuki, seated on the other side, exploded first. "Sit your ass down after asking your question!"
As expected… their relationship really hasn't changed at all, Masata thought with an amused smile.
"Y-you—"
"Okay, okay! Examinee Number 7111, thank you very much for your thoughtful reminder!" The hip-hop–styled teacher on stage swiftly interrupted before the argument escalated. "The fourth type of simulated enemy is worth zero points!"
He spread his arms dramatically.
"To put it bluntly—it's a nuisance type! Every test site will include one such enemy. While it's not impossible to defeat, even if you do, it earns you nothing! Therefore, I strongly advise all examinees to avoid it intelligently!"
The teacher smoothly redirected the situation, proving he wasn't just noise and flair.
The bespectacled boy immediately bowed deeply. "Thank you for the clarification. My apologies."
With a grin, the teacher continued, "That's all for the rules. Finally, let me share our school motto!"
"Once, a certain Hero named Napoleon Bonaparte said—"
"Only those who overcome the misfortunes of life can truly be called Heroes!"
"PLUS ULTRA!!!"
"I wish you all… a wonderful journey of suffering!"
"Whoa, this really is U.A. High School…" Masata exclaimed as he stood at the entrance of his assigned test block. "They're using an entire district as the exam site?! That's insane!"
Then he glanced to the side.
"Oh? Isn't this our adorable little Bakugo?"
Standing right in front of him was Bakugo Katsuki, teeth clenched so hard they practically squeaked.
"You little shit!" Bakugo snarled. "I'll crush you and use you as my stepping stone! Watch me take first place in this exam!!!"
Looking at Bakugo's furious expression, Masata couldn't help but laugh.
"Aw, the little puppy's angry~ How cute, Bakugo~"
"You bastard—!"
"Alright! Exam start! Time waits for no one! MOVE!"
The moment the signal sounded, Masata stopped teasing and dashed straight into the test area.
The instant he entered the block, a hulking robot lumbered into view.
"Perfect," Masata cracked his knuckles. "Let's start with a first kill."
"Normal Straight Punch!"
Masata planted his right foot, twisted his waist, drove his shoulder forward, and fired a clean, brutal punch.
BOOM!
A massive dent caved into the robot's torso. The machine was launched backward, sparks flying as it slammed into the ground and went completely still.
"Nice. Points secured."
The examinees who arrived moments later froze in shock.
"That power… his Quirk must be some kind of physical enhancement!"
"Are you blind?! That's the guy from the sludge monster incident last year!"
"I heard he beat villains even pro Heroes couldn't handle—with official permission!"
"How are we supposed to compete with someone like that?!"
"U.A.'s competition really is over three hundred to one…"
"Oooh! That punch was manly as hell!" a red-haired boy shouted excitedly. "I'm Kirishima Eijiro, and I totally respect you, man!"
Masata landed lightly as Bakugo arrived behind him.
Bakugo glared at the disabled robot, then at Masata.
"Damn magma bastard…" he growled through clenched teeth.
Bakugo knew better than anyone—Masata wasn't even using his real Quirk.
"Alright then," Masata said cheerfully. "I'll move on ahead, little Bakugo!"
With a powerful kick, Masata launched himself deeper into the block.
"At this rate, I've basically passed already… what, around eighty points?" Masata muttered, standing atop a tall building and casually brushing imaginary sweat from his forehead.
He hadn't come up here to rest.
He was watching.
Bakugo's explosive advance.A boy firing tape from his elbows like some kind of Spider-Man knockoff.Another candidate smashing robots with pure physical strength.
"Explosion-type Quirk… yeah, that suits Bakugo perfectly."
"Wow, tape generation? That's insanely convenient. Never late for school again."
"And that guy… barehanded combat? Not bad at all. Real straightforward."
Inside U.A.'s monitoring room, the teachers were also observing closely.
"The overall quality this year is outstanding," Midnight commented lazily. "Especially that boy from the sludge incident. He hasn't even used his Quirk."
"In a limited-time, wide-area test," said Principal Nezu, "combat ability, intelligence, judgment, mobility, and adaptability are all reflected in the scores."
He folded his paws.
"In that sense, this year's candidates are a bumper crop."
"But," he added calmly, "it's still too early to conclude."
He pressed a red button.
Across every test site, a massive shadow fell over the candidates.
A colossal robot, towering like a skyscraper, activated.
"What the hell is THAT?!" Masata shouted exaggeratedly from the rooftop. "That's not an exam—that's murder!"
Despite his words, his eyes gleamed.
"This really is U.A. High School… even the entrance exam is this extravagant."
Such a machine didn't need explaining—it was absurdly expensive.
Masata slowly straightened, feeling immense power begin to surge within his body.
A faint grin curved his lips.
"Alright then," he said softly, arrogance creeping into his voice.
"Let me see how much you're worth."
"Don't disappoint me."