"Ah, you are…"
Etsuha glanced at the senior in front of him, but couldn't recall his name. Aside from the first-years—who had plenty of prominent figures in the original story—there was very little information about students from other classes, especially the second and third years. Other than Izuku Midoriya's generation, the only upperclassmen Etsuha truly knew were the famed "Big Three." As for everyone else… they were practically unknown.
"Hmph, first time seeing me, huh? Then your luck's pretty terrible—you ended up facing the strongest one in this remedial group." The senior—now known as Egawa—looked at Etsuha with quiet confidence. "Don't worry. I'll go easy on you."
Egawa's reputation among the second-years was fairly solid. When the others saw that his number matched Etsuha's, they immediately broke into excited chatter.
"Nice one, Egawa! Crush him later!"
"Show him what a real senior can do!"
"Haha! With Egawa's Quirk, that kid doesn't stand a chance. This is going to be fun."
Etsuha nodded seriously. "I'll go easy on you too."
"…What an annoying brat."
Egawa clearly had no interest in chatting with a junior any further. He turned his attention toward Shota Aizawa. With the drawing complete, the match was about to begin. As Aizawa had explained, this wasn't just a straightforward fight—strategy and intelligence were just as important as raw power.
Once the match started, both sides would enter a designated building. One would take the role of defender, the other attacker. Victory would be determined by defeating the opponent within the structure—no matter what method was used.
Even if someone's Quirk wasn't suited for combat, Aizawa had no intention of giving them any special treatment.
According to him, Heroes constantly faced danger. Even support-type Heroes could find themselves in life-threatening situations. To prevent students from facing unsolvable crises in the future, they needed to experience such challenges early on.
"The first match: Gojima Ryōzō versus Koji Souta!" Aizawa announced, glancing at the list. "Gojima Ryōzō will defend. Koji Souta will attack. You have five minutes to prepare. After that, the attacker will enter the building."
The defender would enter first, giving them time to familiarize themselves with the environment. All else being equal, that provided a clear advantage.
However, Gojima Ryōzō had only just graduated from middle school. No matter who his opponent was, they had nearly two extra years of experience at U.A. The gap was obvious.
"Gulp…"
Gojima swallowed nervously before entering the building. The others followed Aizawa into the monitoring room, where they could observe the battle in real time.
On the screen, Gojima quickly began studying the layout of the floor, occasionally pausing to think. It was clear he was considering possible ambushes or ways to use the terrain to his advantage.
Unfortunately, five minutes wasn't nearly enough time.
Before he could fully analyze the environment, a bell rang sharply.
The signal for the attacker.
Bang!
Koji Souta entered the building without hesitation.
"Gojima, if you come out now, I might go easy on you," Koji called casually as he walked down the hallway, his eyes constantly scanning his surroundings.
"This guy… just because he's a senior, he thinks he's all that?" Gojima muttered, suppressing his frustration as he prepared to launch a sneak attack.
Koji's steps were careful—deceptively so. Though he moved quickly, it was clear even through the monitor that every step he took was deliberate, probing the environment for danger.
Tap… tap… tap…
Footsteps echoed.
Gojima's nerves tightened instantly. Then, suddenly, he saw it—
A foot stepped directly into the range of his Quirk.
A flash of excitement crossed his face.
"Got you!"
He activated his ability without hesitation. The ground beneath Koji's foot softened instantly, transforming into a swamp-like mire that began to swallow everything downward.
But—
The moment the terrain shifted, Koji reacted.
His foot snapped back instantly, as if he had predicted the trap all along.
Gojima's heart skipped a beat.
Realizing he had been baited, he tried to retreat—
Too late.
A massive fist slammed into the back of his head.
Boom!
The impact left Gojima dazed. Before he could recover, Koji seized the opportunity and struck him several more times in quick succession.
Only then did Gojima snap back to his senses.
"I—I surrender!"
"That's the smart choice," Koji replied with a relaxed smile.
"Hah… senior, what's your Quirk? Your speed is insane," Gojima said, letting out a breath of relief.
Koji's smile turned slightly strange.
"Quirk?" he said.
"I didn't use one."