The dark sky slowly brightened, the eastern horizon glowing as a new day began.
It was early spring again.
Life revived, grass sprouted, birds chirped.
February 26 — the day of U.A. High School's entrance exam.
"U.A. is ridiculously rich…"
Lock stood before the massive front gate of U.A. High School, staring at the long, wide central road leading upward.
He couldn't help being impressed.
On both sides of the road stood rows of stone statues—monuments carved in the likenesses of famous Pro Heroes from the past.
"Kyoka, relax. With your current strength, you could pass the test even without trying."
Beside him, Jiro Kyoka rubbed her fists together anxiously.
She was clearly nervous.
But in Lock's view, Kyoka had almost no idea how strong she had become.
Her Earphone Jack Quirk could now deliver double damage—soundwaves and lightning magic channeled through the jacks.
The combined output was frightening.
"But… what if I don't pass…?"
Kyoka bit her lip, taking deep breaths to keep herself from panicking.
"Don't worry about passing," Lock grinned. "Our goal is 100 points."
A few examinees walking by glanced at him, thinking he sounded arrogant.
He didn't care.
He was confident because he knew exactly what Kyoka could do.
Unless the exam changed drastically, the practical test would still revolve around robots.
And Kyoka's Quirk was their natural predator.
She only needed one earphone jack inside a metal gap—
Her soundwave strike alone could shred the internal structure.
Add lightning magic, and even the zero-point giant robot would fall.
"Okay… go do what you need to do."
Kyoka's cheeks reddened slightly, embarrassed by the attention.
"Alright. After your exam, let's meet in the U.A. cafeteria."
Lock nodded and walked toward the main building.
He had come for two reasons:
To accompany Kyoka.
To handle the entrance procedures as a specially invited student.
He didn't need to take the practical exam.
He was already a Pro Hero—making him participate would be bullying.
Instead of heading to the principal's office immediately, Lock detoured to the Support Course wing.
He mentally reviewed how U.A.'s departments were divided:
• Hero Course
Elite training. Best teachers. Best resources. Graduates were immediately scouted by Hero Agencies nationwide.
• General Course
Still trained like Hero candidates, but with fewer resources.
Better than any normal school in the country.
• Business Course
Trained to manage Hero Agencies—handling PR, finance, legal compliance, government relations, and marketing.
The people who kept Hero society running.
Lock planned to recruit some Business Course talents for his own agency, Fairy Tail, once it expanded.
• Support Course
Hatsume Mei's specialty.
The home of inventors.
The classes were almost completely freeform.
The school didn't restrict creativity—
students could build, tinker, and invent nonstop.
And Lock arrived at their workshop.
It wasn't a classroom.
It was a massive room filled with tools, equipment, spare parts, and sparks flying everywhere.
As soon as he stepped in—
BOOM!
A small explosion burst from one corner, smoke rising.
There stood a girl with cherry-pink hair—
face covered in soot, coughing as she held a smoking device.
Hatsume Mei.
"Ahem—!"
She waved smoke away as Lock rushed over, placing one hand on her back.
Soft healing magic glowed, easing her lungs.
With his other hand, he summoned a small whirlwind to extinguish the sparking equipment.
"You alright?" Lock asked.
"I'm fine! Lock, you're here," Mei grinned, wiping soot from her cheek. "Explosions like this are totally normal!"
Lock glanced around.
All the other students had paused for roughly one second, looked at the smoke—
Then returned calmly to their own workstations.
Yes.
This was absolutely normal in the Support Course.
Hatsume Mei had passed her exam weeks ago with her Speed Boots invention.
For support students, inventing something impressive was the test.
U.A. provided every material for free.
Ridiculously wealthy.
"Yo, Sorcerer Lock. Here to finish your admission paperwork?"
A deep voice spoke from behind.
Lock turned to see a man wearing construction excavator-style armor.
"Ah, good morning, Power Loader-sensei."
Power Loader—real name Higari Maijima—was both a Pro Hero and an elite inventor.
He was the main Support Course teacher.
Lock remembered him from Mei's support-course exam.
When he demonstrated his full-speed sprint for data testing, even Power Loader was shaken.
He had said Lock's speed rivaled All Might's full-power dashes.
After a brief chat, Lock bowed slightly.
"Then I'll head out. Please keep an eye on Mei, Power Loader-sensei. She'll blow up the workshop at this rate."
He patted Mei's cherry hair gently.
Hatsume Mei smiled brightly.
Power Loader shook his head with a meaningful sigh.
He knew how difficult it was for inventors to form normal emotional bonds—
Their minds were always buried in technology and ideas.
Seeing Mei smile so naturally at Lock was… rare.
And Lock, of course, had no idea what Power Loader was thinking.
He exited the Support Course building—
and headed to the principal's office to complete his entrance procedures.
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A/N: A New Fanfic Is Out "Bleach: Reborn As Ishida Uryuu"
A/N: Advanced Chapters Have Been Uploaded On My Patreon
Support: patreon.com/Narrator_San