"Time's up!!!"
At the exact moment Masata was blown away, Aizawa Shota's voice echoed through the training ground speakers.
"Igarashi Masata has passed the exam."
"Ohhh!!!"
Cheers instantly erupted inside the monitoring room. Whether it was Masata's final unexpected strike or the overwhelming strength he had displayed throughout the assessment, everyone in Class A was exhilarated.
Lying on the ground, Masata also heard the announcement ringing across the entire venue. A satisfied smile spread across his face.
All Might stood where he was, slowly lowering the arm that had just blocked Masata's final attack. His iconic smile still hung at the corner of his mouth, and his upright posture was as solid as an iron tower—as if Masata's attack had done absolutely nothing.
"Now that the assessment is over," All Might said cheerfully, "I'll be leaving first, Igarashi boy!"
Adopting a sprinting stance, All Might kicked off hard, trailing exhaust-like air behind him as he vanished from the training ground in an instant, disappearing from everyone's sight. Only his voice lingered faintly in the wind as it drifted away.
"So you're really just going to leave me lying here… not even helping me up?"
Masata was a bit speechless. Leaving an injured student behind without a second glance—how cold-hearted.
Still, he understood All Might's situation. It was highly likely that All Might's transformation time was nearly over. With everything being broadcast live, he had to leave in advance to avoid exposing it.
Relying on the residual recovery from his hidden Quirk, Masata forced himself up from the ground and slowly made his way toward the monitoring room to find Recovery Girl.
All Might, Elsewhere
"Cough—cough—!"
After rushing into a dark, secluded corner, All Might finally couldn't hold it in anymore. Covering his mouth, he spat out a mouthful of blood.
"So… you've grown to this level already," he murmured. "At this rate, it won't be long before I can retire with peace of mind."
He pressed the arm that had blocked Masata's Lava Burst Punch against his chest.
The combat uniform on that arm was completely ruined. The flesh beneath was mangled beyond recognition, looking like a bloody pulp, with pale white bones faintly visible inside.
To be honest, if All Might hadn't forcibly unleashed One For All at the last moment to offset the power of that punch, that arm might have been completely blown apart. Even so, the injury was already severe.
Blood continued to drip uncontrollably.
Yet All Might felt nothing but joy and relief.
The new generation had truly grown up.
Villains… are you ready?
The End of the Final Exam
The final exam, which had filled everyone with dread, finally came to an end.
The Next Morning
"Not qualified!"
"When you all come back, remember to tell me how fun it was staying together! Take my share of happiness and enjoy it for me!"
Early the next morning, when Masata entered the classroom, he was greeted by the sight of Kaminari Denki and Kirishima Eijiro hugging each other dramatically while shouting.
"Don't be so pessimistic," Sero said, leaning back in his chair as he tried to comfort them. "Honestly, I'm not even sure I deserve to pass. I got taken out instantly by Midnight at the start—I only passed thanks to Mineta. Maybe I shouldn't count as qualified either."
The best way to comfort someone, after all, was to bring up something even more tragic.
"Oh! Masata's here!"
Sharp-eyed Ashido Mina spotted him immediately and shouted excitedly.
"Masata, you were insanely cool yesterday! You practically destroyed half the training ground! You should've seen Cementoss's face!"
Kirishima also hurried over.
"I was trapped in those cement walls the entire time—seeing him suffer afterward really made my day!"
Because of Cementoss's Quirk, almost all of the repair work on the training grounds fell to him. Repairing damage on that scale was self-explanatory in terms of difficulty and time.
"You got stronger again."
Bakugo muttered flatly after Masata sat down, then said nothing more.
After yesterday's battle, everyone in the class had grown stronger in visible ways—and Bakugo felt a growing sense of crisis.
"Get back to your seats. The bell already rang."
Aizawa Shota walked onto the podium, holding a stack of papers.
"Regarding the final exam," he said calmly, "it's unfortunate that some students failed. As for the summer dormitory program—"
Everyone held their breath.
The critical moment had arrived.
"The entire class will participate."
The classroom exploded.
"Everyone performed well overall. The purpose of the summer dorms is growth and strengthening teamwork. Those who failed should make use of this opportunity to improve themselves."
"…So this is what they call reasonable hypocrisy."
"Long live Aizawa-sensei!"
"I can still go—ohhhhhhhhhhh!!!"
The four students who had failed the practical exam shouted joyfully.
"Everyone passed the written exam," Aizawa continued. "However, Kaminari, Ashido, Kirishima, Sato, and Sero failed the practical portion."
"Guess I really didn't pass after all…"
Sero scratched his head awkwardly.
"Don't worry about it," Kirishima said casually, throwing an arm around his neck. "We're still going together anyway."
"To be clear," Aizawa added coldly, "failing means failing. The school has prepared alternative remedial training for you."
"…And it's at least a hundred times more terrifying than simply staying in the dorms."
That sentence instantly sent all five of them from the peak of joy straight into despair.
Training and tutoring.
This was hell.
"Starting tomorrow, you'll have one week of vacation," Aizawa continued. "After that, gather at school and head to the summer dorms."
"If there are no questions, self-study."
After distributing the handbook and forest lodge materials, Aizawa left the classroom.
"Well," someone said, "being able to go together is still a good thing."
The atmosphere instantly relaxed again.
"So," Masata asked lazily, tipping his chair back and resting his feet on the desk, "what's everyone doing this week?"
"I'm going to the hospital."
"I'm staying home watching movies."
"I'll decide when I wake up!"
Although the answers varied wildly, everyone seemed content.
After all—if nothing was broken, why not relax for a while?