Sensing the shift in Shota Aizawa's expression, All Might immediately reacted.
"You know him?"
"Know him?" Aizawa exhaled slowly. "That's an understatement. That kid has already shocked me more than once. His Quirk alone is enough to completely overturn my understanding of what a junior high student should be capable of. And the most terrifying part is how he uses it—his control is practically flawless. Aside from the limits of his physical stamina, everything else is already operating at a top-tier level."
He paused briefly, his gaze sharpening.
"But his Quirk is ice, isn't it? How did it suddenly become a medical-type Quirk?"
"…That surprised me too," All Might admitted. "But when I asked Shina directly, he told me the truth—he actually possesses two Quirks."
Even now, recalling that moment, All Might couldn't help but sigh.
"At first, I thought that was impossible. But after witnessing his abilities with my own eyes… my assumptions were completely shattered. I never imagined someone like that could exist."
"…Lucky, indeed," Aizawa murmured.
In this world, most people awaken Quirks, and many inherit them. As a result, individuals without Quirks have become a minority—sometimes even viewed as disadvantaged.
However, among those who do possess Quirks, fewer than thirty percent are truly useful.
Some people can pop their eyeballs out. Others produce unusual substances like explosive sweat. While these abilities technically qualify as Quirks, many of them have little practical application. For most people, their Quirk might never play a meaningful role in their entire life.
These individuals make up the overwhelming majority.
Take the middle school in Shizuoka Prefecture, for example—the one attended by Izuku Midoriya. This year, only three students applied to U.A.: Shina Etsuha, Midoriya himself, and Katsuki Bakugo. That alone speaks volumes about how rare truly exceptional Quirks are.
And among those "useful" Quirks, powerful ones are even rarer—one in a hundred, at best.
Yet Shina Etsuha possessed two.
And both were extraordinary.
"…Still," Aizawa said, stifling a yawn, "having a strong Quirk doesn't automatically mean someone is strong. Effort matters just as much."
He shifted the topic.
"So, if you want treatment, go get treated. Why come to me?"
All Might scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"Shina mentioned that treating my condition would take a lot out of him. I might even be unable to move afterward. Just to be safe, he suggested I bring along a few Heroes."
"…So you want me to act as your bodyguard?"
Aizawa frowned slightly. He disliked troublesome errands like this.
But—
a student with a second Quirk, especially one like that, was far too intriguing to ignore.
"…Fine. I'll go."
As for his classes, that wasn't an issue. The moment the principal heard that Aizawa was going to meet a student with a rare medical Quirk, approval for leave was granted almost instantly.
And so, the two of them set off together—
heading toward the Hero office of Mt. Lady.
…
"…This is such a waste of time."
Inside the Hero office, Shina Etsuha stared at his manga draft with a dissatisfied expression.
"Doing everything alone is just too slow. Still no response from any assistants…"
His update pace wasn't particularly fast—about one chapter per week, which was considered normal. But drawing manga was incredibly time-consuming. Even a single chapter required countless hours of detail work.
Lately, he had been squeezing in at least two to three hours a day just to keep up.
If he had an assistant, his efficiency could easily double.
Ding!
A notification suddenly popped up—someone had responded to the assistant recruitment post he'd put up earlier.
Etsuha quickly opened the message.
"Are you a U.A. student?"
He wasn't surprised the other party knew—he had mentioned U.A. in the listing. Still, he replied immediately:
"I've passed the recommendation exam. I'll officially be attending U.A. in a few days."
"Huh? Σ(っД;)っ"
The response came quickly, clearly surprised.
"…Etsuha?"
"Huh?!"
Etsuha blinked, then checked the sender's ID.
Momoka-chan.
The profile indicated female.
A familiar image instantly surfaced in his mind.
"…No way…"
Still doubtful, he typed cautiously:
"Momo?"
"!"
Silence.
Then—
confirmation.
He had guessed correctly.