It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call the situation chaos.
The reporters' forced intrusion triggered U.A.'s security defenses. With alarms blaring, a massive number of students were pushed out toward the school grounds in confusion.
It was lunchtime.
Many students had been eating in the cafeteria when the sudden emergency alert sounded. First-year students—who hadn't yet undergone proper emergency training—panicked. Near the safety exits, the crowd nearly turned into a stampede.
Fortunately, Tenya Ida reacted quickly.
Despite being injured, he rushed to the front and took command, calming everyone down before things escalated further.
As Etsuha moved through the scene, he noticed a group of reporters crowding around Aizawa Shouta and Present Mic. At a glance, there were at least fifty of them.
"Hurry up and let All Might come out! He's inside, isn't he?!"
"Yeah! How long are you planning to hide him?!"
Present Mic looked visibly irritated. "I already told you—he's not working today."
A balding reporter pushed forward. "As long as he comes out and says a few words, we'll leave."
Aizawa Shouta glanced at him coldly. "People like you… one sentence always turns into twenty-five."
There was no doubt about it—this was illegal intrusion. By definition, it could even be considered villainous behavior. Present Mic looked like he was barely holding himself back from driving them out by force.
But he couldn't.
These reporters controlled public opinion. If U.A. used force against them, it would only fuel a media storm. Even U.A. had to tread carefully.
Only the police could handle this situation.
Etsuha ignored the chaos and headed toward the cafeteria. A large number of students were still gathered there, being evacuated under Tenya Ida's direction. Since he hadn't eaten yet, he decided to grab something while he was there.
"Wait… doesn't that person look familiar? Ah! It's Etsuha—Etsuha's back!"
Tenya Ida spotted him immediately and called out in surprise.
The moment the other students heard Etsuha's name, their attention snapped toward the entrance. Within seconds, several of them had gathered around him.
"Hey! I heard you've been interning at Best Jeanist's agency! That's insane—we just started at U.A., and you're already working like a pro hero!"
"Etsuha, you've changed a lot… you feel even stronger now!"
"That's the guy from Class A, right? I heard he hasn't even been attending classes—he's been interning the whole time!"
"Seriously? That's incredible!"
…
Etsuha smiled as he looked at them.
During his time away, they had all grown—more mature, more confident. Their strength had improved visibly.
"I've experienced quite a bit at the agency," Etsuha said. "But you've all changed a lot too. You're much better than when we first started."
"Haha, we've trained hard too!" Tenya Ida replied proudly. "Next time, we won't lose so easily in a boss fight!"
The class had clearly reflected on their earlier battles. At the start of the term, Etsuha had seemed overwhelmingly powerful—but now, they believed that with proper strategy, especially by protecting someone like Shoto Todoroki, they might stand a chance.
Etsuha simply smiled, offering no comment.
"By the way," Denki Kaminari suddenly said with a grin, "now that Etsuha's back, should we make him class representative?"
Recently, Class A had been debating who should take the position. Everyone was relatively equal in strength, and no one wanted to concede.
But Etsuha was different.
His strength had been undeniable from the very beginning.
"I agree," Tenya Ida said immediately. The others seemed ready to follow.
"You don't need to consider me," Etsuha said, shaking his head. "My schedule is a bit… unusual. I might not be able to participate in group activities consistently. If I became class rep, I wouldn't be able to fulfill the role properly."
Before his internship, Aizawa Shouta had already explained things to him. Given Etsuha's abilities, the standard first-year curriculum wasn't suitable. U.A. planned to assign him more advanced training.
That meant he would often be separated from the rest of Class A.
"…I see." Tenya Ida paused, a faint sense of distance forming in his heart. The gap between him and Etsuha seemed to be widening more and more.
After eating, everyone returned to the classroom.
By then, the reporters had been removed by the police, and the damaged entrance was under inspection by Recovery Girl and the principal. Both were visibly concerned about the Quirk that had breached U.A.'s defenses so easily.
The principal, in particular, had a lingering sense of unease—as if something was about to happen.
But he couldn't quite put it into words.
Soon after, the class formally elected Izuku Midoriya as their class representative.
Not long later, Aizawa Shouta stood at the front of the room.
"Today's Hero Basics class will be supervised by me, All Might, and another teacher."
The announcement caused a stir.
"Three teachers? Is this some kind of special session?"
"What are we doing today?!"
Aizawa held up a card. On it was written:
RESCUE
"Disaster rescue training," he said. "Simulating situations like natural disasters and large-scale accidents."
The training facility was called the USJ.
Etsuha, who had been casually reading, paused.
He slowly looked up at Aizawa.
"…USJ."
In his memory, this was the point where the League of Villains would launch an attack—
To kill All Might.