--Sunday, August 30, 2172
With the targets on her armor glowing blue, Momo flew toward the gathering point for those who had passed. Just then, Momo could see how, in front of the door, a tall and handsome young man with blue eyes and two cats perched on his shoulders landed and turned to look at her with a smile.
Seeing her future husband waiting for her, a beautiful smile couldn't help but form on Momo's face, and she increased the power of her repulsors to accelerate. Reaching within a few meters of her beloved, Momo activated the self-destruct on her armor, causing it to crumble into dust while she kept moving from inertia into the arms of her beloved.
With a warm smile, Kai opened his arms to receive his beautiful fiancée and began to spin to kill the momentum, then commented in a sweet, playful voice.
"That smile suits you. You look so beautiful that I think I've fallen in love all over again."
"You look so cool that I've fallen in love ten times more~" Momo replied in a cheerful and equally sweet voice, then gave her beloved a little peck on the lips.
Soon, Kai stopped spinning and set Momo down on the ground, then took her hand and walked toward the inside of the enormous hall in front of them. But as they entered, a pink "human missile" came shooting toward them, latching onto Momo while exclaiming, full of excitement.
"We did it, Yao Momo! The whole of Class A passed the first test!!"
"It's a joy that we can all pass, but don't try to take advantage of the moment, and keep your hands to yourself, Ashido-san." Momo commented with a soft, kind smile while firmly squeezing the mischievous hand Mina was trying to sneak toward one of her enormous breasts.
"Ow, ow, ow! Sorry, Yao Momo, it was unintentional, I swear! I was just really excited!"
"It seems you need to start training for your emotions, Mina. Otherwise, you might end up in a life-or-death situation without even realizing it." At that moment, Kai commented with a calm smile while staring straight into Mina's eyes.
As if struck by a jolt of electricity, Mina jumped several meters, then landed in a perfect dogeza in front of Kai, at which point she exclaimed in a solemn and ceremonial manner.
"I sincerely apologize for my behavior, Demon King-sama! My intrusive thoughts brought out the worst in me, but I swear I will train diligently to keep them firmly under control!"
For her part, Momo—who had frowned slightly upon hearing how her fiancé addressed her friend—let out a small sigh before commenting in a calm, kind voice.
"Get up off the floor already, MINA-san; everyone is watching us."
"…"
Mina couldn't help but lift her head and look at Momo, a little surprised, then look at Kai, who commented, somewhat amused by the pink beauty's antics.
"Stop clowning around; get up."
"I am infinitely grateful for your mercy, Demon King-sama, Iron Maiden-sama!"
Hearing Kai, Mina snapped out of her stupor and quickly rose to her feet, then thanked them effusively and theatrically. This finally made Momo bring a hand to her mouth to cover it while she laughed. At that moment, Kyoka approached with the great majority of their Class A classmates.
Seeing the group draw near, Momo looked at them curiously, but to her surprise, in that instant Iida stepped forward and performed a perfect ninety-degree bow. The young man in white armor soon announced in a loud voice while everyone else followed him in unison.
"""Thank you so much for your efforts, Class Representative!"""
"Guys…"
Momo couldn't help but murmur, visibly surprised and moved, covering her wide-open mouth with one hand while her eyes filled with tears. But right at that instant, Momo felt a gentle touch at her side, which made her look at her beloved, who gazed at her with a calm, reassuring smile that pulled her out of her stupor.
After nodding subtly toward Kai, Momo turned to look at her classmates and commented in a calm but firm and confident voice.
"Congratulations to everyone on passing the first test; you all worked hard and earned your places through your own effort; I was only a minor help. Today we took our first step toward our shared dream. A dream that, regardless of the reasons we pursue it, will lead us to face endless dangers in order to help people and try to make this world a better place.
"That's why you can't get overconfident; this exam has only just begun, and as a trial for that life full of dangers, it won't be easy at all and will be full of surprises and complications. Therefore, although I, as your class representative, will do everything I can to help you, in the end, it all comes down to the strength and dedication of each of you. Your future is in your hands, and this is nothing more than the first step toward grasping it firmly. Give it your all!"
"""Yes!!"""
The group responded in unison, full of motivation and resolve, while the other examinees in the place watched them with serious expressions. Even the examiners couldn't help but nod and take notes as they looked at the beautiful young woman with black hair, prepared to pay closer attention to that promising hero.
…
"That girl is good…"
Up in the stands, Joke couldn't help but comment in a more serious voice while looking at Aizawa, who responded in a casual voice while watching one of the screens.
"Although she won her position as class representative by a narrow margin, Yaoyorozu has gradually been becoming the undisputed leader of the class; she'll be a great hero in the future."
"… You'd better advise that young woman to keep a bit of distance… Being so open about her relationship will be very harmful to her career…"
Joke commented in a more serious tone while watching on a screen how Momo took Kai's hand intimately. Aizawa couldn't help but let out a subtle laugh, then explained casually.
"You're not the first to point that out, and more than one person has tried to advise her, but between being a professional hero and being Saito's girlfriend, Yaoyorozu will probably choose the latter, so it's a lost cause. For better or worse, Yaoyorozu Momo is a woman of strong convictions."
"I see… It's a shame. She really could be a great hero. One so great that we really could be like the United States and have a woman as our number one." Joke commented in an unusually serious tone, which led Aizawa to look at her before commenting casually.
"Everyone's priorities are different. Not everyone wants to reach middle age single."
"Then let's get married! By this time next year we could have chubby little ones running around all over the place!" Joke soon spoke with an enormous smile. Aizawa rolled his eyes and replied coldly.
"No, and that's not how having babies works."
"Hahaha! You really are worth messing with, Eraser; you're too good! Hahaha" Joke laughed heartily while holding her stomach, while Aizawa could only let out a tired sigh.
…
…
…
"Well… For the 100 people who passed the exam, please look at this…"
After a while, an enormous television in the hall where the successful examinees were gathered turned on by itself, and the voice of a tired blond man resonated. Images of the field where they had just faced the first exam appeared on the screen. While the young people glanced at one another in confusion, on the television several explosions began to occur, destroying buildings, fake mountains, and so on.
"The next exam will be the last." The voice of Mera, the exhausted blond, resonated from the TV and soon explained calmly.
"We will ask all of you to carry out rescue exercises at this disaster site… We will assume that all of you who passed the first exam have received your professional licenses, and we will test how well you can perform rescue procedures. Helping us with this objective are the people of the H.U.C. company, professionals trained to act as people in danger.
"The H.U.C. people have disguised themselves as injured victims and are waiting throughout the disaster site. We will now have everyone carry out their rescue. Additionally, a point-based rescue tally will be kept, and if you keep more points than required by the end, then you pass. We will begin in 10 minutes."
Hearing the explanation, many people swallowed hard, among them Momo, Mina, Kyoka, and Toru, who instinctively looked at Kai with worried expressions. No matter how Mina and the others looked at it, they couldn't recall Kai saving anyone; in fact, just imagining it was difficult for them.
For her part, Momo, who knew that Kai had nearly given his life to save a mother and her child on the island of spiders, squeezed his hand and looked into his eyes before commenting in a serious tone.
"Try to be a little kinder with the injured… It's highly likely that, besides the number, they'll also take into account things like your treatment of them and the like…"
"… I'll try."
Kai could only respond after a small sigh, while internally calculating how the negotiation with Nezu would go in case he failed. But right at that moment, Kai couldn't help but look at Kaminari, who was shaking Midoriya by the collar, full of rage and helplessness.
"I misjudged you, you damn Deku! How is it that while we were trying to pass the exam, you were looking at a naked beauty!!"
At that moment, Kaminari and Midoriya turned to look at a beautiful girl with light-brown hair, who greeted Midoriya with a smile. Even more indignant, Kaminari shook Midoriya as if he wanted to strangle him while the green-haired boy tried to explain how it was something caused by the girl's quirk.
Meanwhile, not far from there, Uraraka brought her hands to her chest, then looked at Midoriya and then at the beautiful girl greeting him, with an expression somewhere between confused and pained.
For his part, Kai frowned and quickly activated his black-and-white vision to analyze the beautiful young woman, who was visibly interested in Midoriya.
[A shapeshifter….]
Seeing that the silhouette he could see in black and white differed from the young woman's appearance, Kai couldn't help but comment on the mental connection he shared with his assistant. The beautiful invisible fairy flying at his side soon commented in a somewhat puzzled voice.
[That figure looks familiar to me, master. I'll search the database to see if I find anything…]
[Familiar? I don't remember anyone like that…] Kai couldn't help but comment, somewhat confused. But right at that moment, a holographic screen appeared in front of him, and Sage commented with realization.
[I knew it existed! I have a match in the database, master. Himiko Toga, quirk: Transform. That young woman was at the bar the day the raid on All for One took place and was found guilty of several murders, so she should be in custody…]
[A convicted criminal who mysteriously manages to escape without drawing attention… Doesn't that sound familiar, Sage?] Kai commented as a dangerous light began to glow in his eyes. Sage replied in a cold voice while her dress began to fluctuate and shift moment by moment to a dark color.
[All too familiar, master. Should we mark her or capture her?]
[Let's mark her. It's better that she lead us to her hideout.] Kai replied in a cold tone while watching the girl walk away, while Uraraka stayed staring at her with a lost expression.
At that moment, Todoroki looked at the guy with the shaved head who had greeted them energetically at the entrance and asked in a calm voice.
"Hey, you, the one with the shaved head. Do you have some problem with me? Did I do something to you? You've been glaring at me this whole time."
"Oh?" The energetic young man let out an unusually cold voice, then turned to look at Todoroki, at which point he commented in a sharp voice.
"Well, I'm sorry, son of Endeavor… But I hate you. You've changed a bit since back then, but your eyes are still the same as Endeavor's."
Todoroki widened his eyes a little, surprised by the young man's cold declaration, but right at that moment, a bell rang out in the hall, and the young man walked over to his companions in a cheerful, energetic mood—a world apart from the cold attitude he had just shown. An instant later, the voice of the tired blond man resonated in the hall again.
[The villains have begun a large-scale terrorist attack. This is occurring throughout all areas of the 'nameless city.' Due to the collapse of buildings, there are many injured.]
At that moment, the hall began to open up like a die, which led the students to clench their fists with nervousness and anticipation, but the blond man's voice kept resonating.
[Due to damage to the road, the first group of rescuers has been delayed. Until they arrive, the heroes in the area will lead the rescue efforts. Save as many lives as you can… Begin!]
Just as the starting voice sounded, a trumpet rang out in the place, and the young people took off running. At which point, Momo released Kai's hand and took a step forward while her armor emerged from her exposed skin to cover her. As the helmet covered her face, Momo looked at Kai and reminded him with concern.
"Remember to be kind."
After speaking, Momo lifted into the air and accelerated, while Kyoka, Toru, and Mina ran at the same time, looking at Kai with worry. For his part, Kai simply let out a sigh, then he began to scan his surroundings while communicating with his trusty assistant.
[Well, Sage, I'm counting on your help; this is going to be the hardest test.]
[Count on me, master. I'll mark a route where we can rescue the highest number of people while at the same time creating an opportunity to mark that rat who slipped in.] The beautiful fairy replied in a serious tone while her wings glowed in different colors like a kaleidoscope.
***
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