I woke up from a pleasant nap to the sight of Kacchan's demonic scowl and Kirishima's face drenched in a cold sweat.
For a second, I wondered if they had tried to sneak up on me while I was sleeping, only to be fended off by the explosive guardian beast, "King Katsuki." When I asked, they just yelled at me, "We aren't that suicidal, you brat!"
Apparently, they had come looking for us because the final event had started and we hadn't shown our faces. Wow, look at them being actually decent people. Kacchan, you should try to be more like that.
As we walked back to the stadium, Kirishima mentioned something interesting: the two participants who had managed to slide into the special entry slots.
"General Studies?" I asked.
"Yeah. One was Tokoyami, who worked his way back up, but the other was a guy from the General Studies course. His name was... Shin... Shin... Oh! Shinso! That's it, Hitoshi Shinso!"
Never heard of him. No idea who that is. I had assumed one of the Class B kids would make the cut—maybe Side-Pony, or the "Ghost-Hair Crane" girl, or even that Copycat Jerk.
"...Midoriya, judging by that look, you don't remember him at all, do you?" Kirishima sighed.
"Hm?"
"I'm talking about Shinso. Remember the day we heard about the Sports Festival? You know, the day you girls had your 'Girls' Night' and we ended up being shoved into a cafe by you?"
"I remember the Girls' Night, but I have no recollection of forcing you into a cafe."
"DON'T JUST SELECTIVELY ERASE THE PARTS WHERE YOU'RE THE VILLAIN!! None of us victims have forgotten!!"
Kirishima was "O-Angry." For some reason, I was being treated as the bad guy.
"Anyway," I said, "what's that got to do with anything?"
"Don't just slide past the topic! Fine, whatever. We're never gonna get anywhere at this rate."
As he explained further, a vague memory started to surface. I think back then, when I was trying to head out for our girls' night, the hallway was packed with students who had heard about the USJ incident. I'm pretty sure I just brushed them off.
"There was a guy who spoke to you first, right? The one who looked like he had a massive grudge against the Hero Course. He said he was 'disillusioned' or something."
"Nope, no idea."
"Talking in that cute voice isn't going to fool me. He was right there!"
Apparently, he existed. I don't remember even a fraction of it.
"So he's participating? What's his Quirk?"
"You're really gonna ask that? We're technically rivals, you know. Besides, even if I wanted to, I couldn't tell you."
He couldn't tell me?
I glanced at Kacchan, and he seemed to be thinking the same thing, given the deepening furrow in his brow. Based on Kirishima's tone, it sounded like Shinso's Quirk was a total mystery.
Given the nature of the recreational games, it would be impossible to rank high without a Quirk. So he definitely had one and was using it... but if he managed to keep it hidden even under the gaze of a stadium full of people, he was going to be a real pain to deal with. Quirks where the effect isn't immediately visible are usually the most annoying.
"Is he fighting Ojiro? Or Ashido?"
"Ojiro. Ashido is up against Tokoyami."
Ojiro, huh? If he just went in for a lightning-fast physical strike before the guy could use his Quirk, he'd probably win. But Ojiro has a bit of a soft spot.
"Well, let's get back before the match ends. I want to see this."
"Yeah," Kirishima laughed. "I might end up fighting him later, so I better keep a close eye on his moves."
Next to the laughing Kirishima, Kacchan was giving him a look that suggested he was contemplating homicide.
Oh, Kirishima. You better watch out. "King Katsuki" is right next to you. Not regular Katsuki—this is Katsuki who has evolved into a "Spirit of Wrath."
For Kirishima to talk about fighting Shinso, he first has to get past his first-round opponent: the Spirit of Wrath himself. By not even mentioning Kacchan, he was effectively telling the shimmering explosion-demon next to him, "You're not even on my radar."
Provoking him like that is a dangerous game, Kiri-shima.
Wait, if Shinso were to face Kirishima, that would mean they meet in the finals. Which implies I'd have to lose first. Is he picking a fight with me too?
I started interrogating Kacchan and Kirishima about it until they literally cried and said, "We're sorry!" I forgave them.
***
The roar of the crowd greeted us as we reached the stadium. Down on the field, Momo and Kaminari were exchanging greetings. Their match was about to begin.
...Wait, the first match?
That must be over by now. I checked the bracket on the electronic board, and sure enough, Ojiro had lost. I knew it.
I was curious about Momo's match, but I had something I needed to take care of first, so I headed toward the changing rooms. Kacchan was going to be busy preparing for his own match soon, so I wanted to return his jacket while I had the chance.
I made the two boys wait outside while I quickly swapped into my (honestly pretty ugly) UA track suit. Unlike the oversized jacket I'd been borrowing, this fit me perfectly. It was easy to move in—a piece truly made for me. Despite the aesthetic, the comfort was top-tier.
But since it had been sitting in the air-conditioned locker room, the fabric was ice-cold. Putting it on made me shiver. I hate that feeling. Some people supposedly like that "refreshing" chill, but I will never understand them. Personally, I think clothes should be at least at body temperature. During winter, "Kotatsu-temperature" is the gold standard.
I looked at the jacket I'd just taken off. It was still warm from my body heat. I couldn't help but bury my face in it for a second. So warm... Kacchan is so lucky. He never has to deal with that initial chill.
Thinking about it, I started to feel a bit spiteful. Why should I be the only one who has to feel cold?
As a petty act of resistance, I held his jacket directly in front of the AC vent for a full five minutes. Take that! Feel the shiver down your spine!!
I handed the now-chilled jacket back to him, but Kacchan didn't even put it on. He just draped it over his shoulder.
My "Operation: Brain Freeze" was a total failure. I want those five minutes of my life back.
I clicked my tongue internally, and my eyes met Kirishima's.
"Midoriya... I think you've got it all wrong," he whispered.
"Hm? What do?"
What was he even talking about?
I led the two boys toward the spectator stands. I made Kacchan buy me a drink and some snacks on the way, so my battle preparations were complete. We reached the Class 1-A area to find everyone glued to the match below.
Todoroki and Sero were nowhere to be seen; they were likely in the waiting rooms for the next match.
"Yo. Ochaco, Tsuyu."
"Ah, Nico! Where have you been?! Ojiro's match is already over!"
"We were all looking for you," Tsuyu added.
"Sorry, I got a bit held away. Tell me what happened with Ojiro after this match ends."
"I can do that, but..."
Tsuyu's neighbor moved over to give me a seat. I sat down, clutching my drink and snacks, and prepared to enjoy the show.
"Who's winning? Not that I even need to ask."
"Ribbit. It's Momo-chan."
Momo-chan?! Since when did Tsuyu get so close to her?!
...Well, whatever.
I looked down at the arena. Momo, dressed in a white insulated outfit and wielding a staff, was closing in on a retreating Kaminari.
Kaminari was firing off bolts of electricity, but they were hitting Momo to zero effect. She just kept stalking him. That white outfit of hers must be perfectly insulated. Since his electricity was useless, Kaminari's chances of winning were effectively zero.
If he wanted to win, he'd have to find a way to corner her despite the insulation and force her to create a new weapon. If he could catch a glimpse of exposed skin for even a split second during the creation process and zap her then, he'd have a puncher's chance.
But that requires a level of base combat ability that far exceeds Momo's.
Maybe someone like me, who's a veteran of a thousand brawls, could pull it off, but a guy like Kaminari who relies 100% on his Quirk stood no chance. Especially since Momo already had her weapon out.
As I watched, Momo delivered a massive full-swing strike with her staff. Oof. That looked like it hurt.
A few moments later, Kaminari was knocked out of bounds, and the match was over.
Midnight-sensei, impressed by Momo's resolve, handed her a microphone so she could explain her motivation. Momo said only one thing:
"I could not afford to lose. This victory was an act of atonement for my friends!!"
Man, she is still carrying that cheerleader trauma...
***
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