On the same day, at 8:40 AM—
The gates of U.A. were fully opened, and the sign above them had been replaced with "U.A. High School — Entrance Exam Venue." A steady stream of students poured through the entrance, all gathered for the same purpose.
Shina Etsuha stepped onto campus and quickly spotted several familiar faces. The first among them was Bakugo Katsuki.
"Yo, Bakugo."
Etsuha caught up with him.
"..."
Surprisingly, Bakugo didn't fire back with his usual insults. He merely glanced at Etsuha and snorted, as if he had already given up the idea of provoking him.
"Looks like you've calmed down a bit," Etsuha remarked, slightly surprised. "Your temper's improved."
Bakugo suddenly halted.
His sharp gaze locked onto the green-haired boy ahead of him.
"Move it, Deku. Don't stand in my way… or I'll kill you."
"G-Good morning…"
Midoriya Izuku stiffened, his voice trembling under the weight of Bakugo's presence.
Bakugo ignored him completely and walked past without another word.
"Morning, Izuku."
Etsuha stepped forward, giving Midoriya a quick once-over. Even under his long-sleeved uniform, the changes were obvious—lean muscle, better posture. Months of intense training had clearly paid off.
"Etsuha!"
Midoriya's face lit up with relief, as if he'd just been saved. Then he suddenly froze.
"Wait… didn't you already pass the entrance exam? Why are you here? Don't tell me—"
His expression shifted in alarm.
"Relax, it's not what you think." Etsuha waved it off casually. "I've got… other reasons for being here."
He didn't bother explaining the "final boss" situation.
Instead, his eyes gleamed with interest.
"You've gotten stronger. Been training nonstop these past few months, huh?"
"Huh? Y-Yeah!"
Midoriya perked up immediately, launching into an excited explanation of his training regimen—carefully leaving out any mention of All Might.
Etsuha listened calmly.
Then, right in the middle of talking—
Midoriya tripped and fell flat on his face.
"…Impressive."
Etsuha shook his head.
A round-faced girl nearby rushed over and helped Midoriya back to his feet.
Not wanting to interrupt the moment, Etsuha continued on toward the Hero Course exam briefing area alone.
Most of the students gathered there were seasoned enough to recognize strong competitors.
Bakugo's presence alone had already stirred whispers.
But when Etsuha appeared, the reactions intensified.
"Isn't that Shina Etsuha? The guy who defeated that sludge villain?"
"It's really him! I heard he's already at pro-hero level. Why is he here with us?"
"Hard to say. News exaggerates things all the time."
"Still, if he made headlines, he's got to be strong, right?"
"Or maybe… he failed the exam?"
"Yeah… maybe."
Rumors spread quickly through small groups.
Many doubted him.
Etsuha didn't care in the slightest.
Ever since he'd appeared in the news, challengers had been coming after him nonstop. If he was in the mood, he'd deal with them. If not, he wouldn't even show his face.
This level of suspicion meant nothing.
He walked into the Hero Course exam hall with practiced ease, found a seat, and glanced around.
There weren't many familiar faces nearby.
Not feeling like talking, he leaned back and closed his eyes.
He'd spent the entire night experimenting with the Sharingan and studying Nomu gene structures. His mental state was… less than ideal.
A nap sounded perfect.
Students continued filing in, filling the tiered seating like a theater audience.
At some point, a boy wearing glasses sat down beside Etsuha. He glanced at him briefly, frowned slightly—but said nothing.
Then—
Bang!
The stage lights flicked on.
A loud, energetic voice echoed across the room.
"Welcome, everyone, to today's live broadcast! EVERYBODY SAY HEY!"
Silence.
Complete silence.
"…."
Even so, Present Mic didn't falter. With impressive confidence, he shrugged it off and continued.
"Alright then! Let's get straight to it!"
"ARE YOU READY?!"
Still no response.
"YEAH!!"
He answered himself enthusiastically.
His resilience was… admirable.
The only person visibly fired up was Midoriya Izuku—and even that was more because he was seeing a pro hero in person than because of the speech.
"…Yeah, no."
Etsuha, half-asleep, pulled out a pair of earplugs and adjusted his position.
He deeply regretted arriving early.
He could've slept longer.
"Now then—let's go over the rules!"
Present Mic explained the basics of the practical exam: defeating mock villains—robots—to earn points.
Finally, he added something new.
"After clearing the initial stages, you'll be given a choice—whether or not to challenge the FINAL BOSS!"
"…Final boss?"
The glasses-wearing student beside Etsuha widened his eyes in shock.