"Class 1-A… this should be the place, right?" Kameshou Gin stood in front of the massive classroom doors. "These doors are huge—must be part of a barrier-free design?"
As she opened the door, she saw that about half of the class had already arrived. She nodded slightly in greeting and began scanning for an open seat. Because there were 21 students but only 20 desks arranged in four columns and five rows, one extra desk was awkwardly placed. A nightmare for anyone with OCD.
Fortunately, Kameshou Gin didn't have OCD, so she sat at the extra desk without hesitation.
Suddenly, the mood in the classroom lightened.
A pink-skinned girl walked over with a sentient-looking school uniform and initiated conversation."Hey hey! I'm Mina Ashido, and this is Toru Hagakure. Can we be friends?"
Gin flashed a carefully trained smile, one she'd spent a whole month perfecting."Sure. I'm Kameshou Gin, nice to meet you."
"Good morning, everyone! I'm Tenya Iida. Pleased to meet you!"The bespectacled boy who scolded Midoriya during the entrance exam came over to greet them.
"Good morning, Iida-kun. I'm Mina Ashido, she's Toru Hagakure, and this is Kameshou Gin."
"By the way, Gin, huh? It matches your eye color—so pretty!" Hagakure added cheerfully. Her voice was bright and full of life—clearly an energetic type.
"Yeah! Silver eyes are so cool! Ah, I wish I had eyes that pretty too," Ashido said as she leaned in with a wide smile.
"Really? I rarely get compliments on my eyes. Honestly, it's hard to tell where the whites end and the irises begin with this color."
Suddenly—"Don't put your feet on the desk. Don't you think it's disrespectful to UA and the people who built these desks?"
"I don't think so. What middle school are you from, huh?"
While Gin was chatting with Mina and Toru, the spiky-haired kid (Bakugo) had arrived and was already clashing with Iida.
...Yeah, best not to get involved.
While they were arguing, the classroom door slid open again and a panicked Midoriya appeared in the doorway.
Iida immediately turned to him."You're…?"
Time for the mutual admiration society.
Shortly after Midoriya arrived, Ochako Uraraka showed up too. The three of them immediately launched into a round of friendly banter.
"If you're here to make friends, go somewhere else. This is the hero course."A lethargic voice came from behind them.
A strange figure stood in the doorway.
"Okay, it took eight seconds for you all to shut up. Time is limited, and you all seriously lack rationality. I'm Shouta Aizawa, your homeroom teacher. Nice to meet you."
"Eh?" Mina gasped.
Aizawa pulled a gym uniform out of his sleeping bag."Stop wasting time. Put this on and head to the training field."
Gin thought something big was coming… turns out it was just the Quirk Apprehension Test.
"What about the entrance ceremony? Or school orientation?" Uraraka asked in disbelief.
"If you want to be a hero, there's no time for that. UA is known for its freedom—and that applies to the teachers too. You all did this in middle school, right? A physical test without using your quirks."
Aizawa turned to Bakugo."What was your best softball throw in middle school?"
"Sixty-nine meters."
"Now try it using your quirk. Just don't leave the circle—otherwise, go all out."
"Heh…" Bakugo grinned menacingly. "Die!"
With an explosion, the softball launched into the sky.
Yep, he's an angry durian head.
"Understanding your limits is the foundation of becoming a hero."
The display showed 705.2 meters.
He must've been top-tier in middle school. If he throws 69 meters normally and 705 with his quirk, then I should be able to hit at least 300 with some support from mine.Gin slipped on a custom metal ring she had prepared.
"Ooh, what's that? Looks interesting!"
"Being able to use your quirk freely—this really is the hero course."
"Interesting, huh?" Aizawa suddenly smiled sinisterly."Okay then—whoever ranks last in the total score of all eight tests… will be expelled. No potential means no place here."
He's serious. Gin instantly picked up on Aizawa's intent. If he says "expelled," he means expelled.
This test was brutal for someone like her who relied on agility and technique.
When it was Midoriya's turn to throw, he looked resolute and focused.
Hmm? Gin noticed a massive surge of energy in Midoriya's right hand—then it vanished right before release.
His quirk? Was it canceled?
"That kind of entrance exam really lacked rationality. Even someone like you made it in," Aizawa said.
Quirk cancellation… that visor—so it's him. Eraser Hero: Eraser Head.
"You can't control your quirk, can you? If you end up immobile again, are you expecting someone to save you?"
"I… I wasn't thinking that."
Aizawa's scarf wrapped around Midoriya and yanked him forward."No matter what you think, others will have to save you. A hot-blooded hero once saved over a thousand people in a disaster. But even if you had his courage, you'd be useless after saving just one. Midoriya Izuku—you don't have what it takes to be a hero."
He released the scarf."Your quirk is back. You have two chances. Go again."
Midoriya readied himself again.
Wait… no way. Gin was stunned. The same massive energy gathered—but this time it was condensed entirely into his right index finger.
He can't regulate damage from his power… so he chose to localize the impact?
"Sensei," Midoriya said, gripping his obviously broken finger, "I can still move."
This guy…
Gin covered her mouth to hide the excited smile forming on her face. Her silver eyes sparkled.
This guy… is a real student.
"HEY! WHAT WAS THAT?! EXPLAIN YOURSELF, DAMN DEKU!"Bakugo rushed toward Midoriya, hands sparking with explosions.
"Aaaaahhh!!"
Before Aizawa's scarf could reach him, liquid silver metal wrapped around Bakugo's legs, flipping him upside down.
"Attacking someone because they did better than you? That's not what a hero does," Gin said calmly, arms crossed, with a provocative smile.
The metal collapsed, and Bakugo fell with a thud.
"Students aren't allowed to fight using quirks. Don't make me use mine repeatedly—I have dry eye syndrome," Aizawa said, glaring at Gin before turning to Bakugo and Midoriya.
Gin shrugged and reabsorbed the liquid metal into her bracelet.
Still more tests to go. No point wasting energy here.
"Let's get to the results."
Gin saw she ranked 13th and nodded in satisfaction.
Perfect. Smack in the middle. Not too noticeable.
"Still, Gin-chan! You were so impressive, yet only got 13th?" Ashido commented.
"Huh?"
"Because you stepped in before the teacher even acted—very eye-catching, you know," Froppy said. "Only 13th is a bit surprising. Are you not great at physical tests?"
"Uh… yeah, something like that." Gin answered awkwardly.
Ugh, not again. My old habit of overdoing it…
"Speaking of rankings..." Hagakure trailed off.
Last place was Midoriya Izuku.
But Gin wasn't worried. For Aizawa, potential mattered more than placement. If she could sense it, there's no way he missed it.
"Oh, and by the way," Aizawa added, "the expulsion thing was a lie. Just a rational deception to push you to your limits."
Gin averted her gaze.Yeah… figured. Still kind of a jerk move though.
After the test ended, it was time to go home. Gin headed to the infirmary to check on Midoriya but found he had already left. She sped up and caught him at the school gate.
"Hey," she said flatly, tapping his shoulder.
"Ahhhh! Oh, it's… the other nice person—ah no! I mean, Kameshou Gin-san, right?" Midoriya flailed in panic. "Thanks for helping me earlier! And during the entrance exam too—uh, I'm not sure if you remember, but you helped me back there too. I never thanked you—so, um—thank you so much!" He bowed deeply.
Gin stepped back in surprise."No need to thank me. About that Bakugo guy… do you two have some history? He seems really hostile."
"Huh? Oh, it's not what you think! We were middle school classmates. Kacchan's just competitive. Maybe he got upset because I outthrew him in the softball test."
"Is that so?" Gin stared into Midoriya's eyes. He blushed and turned away.
Gin sighed."Well, it's your business. Ganbare (do your best), Deku. Saying it like that kinda feels encouraging, right?"
"Huh? What?"
"'Deku'—I know it's a name Bakugo gave you, and it wasn't meant kindly. But from the word 'ganbare Deku' (do your best, Deku), it actually sounds kind of supportive."
Gin gave him a gentle smile and nod before walking away.
"'Ganbare'... huh?"Midoriya covered his blushing face.