Chapter 101: I’ll be number one.

Soon, another week passed, and during that time, Kai's house was besieged by those who called themselves 'the representative's training group', whom Momo personally trained with great dedication. She even managed to get Kai to give them advice and have small sparring sessions with them.

Although Momo's insistence on bringing strangers into the house was quite annoying for Kai, he could intuit the reason she did it. It was undoubtedly the same reason the beautiful girl wanted to leave her 'mark' on the world by being a hero—something that, although Kai didn't share, he could understand. After all, at one time, he had similar thoughts.

Because of that, and because Momo had the lucidity not to invite those who irritated him, Kai ultimately decided to let her have her way and occasionally helped the group. Moreover, he only gave her a symbolic punishment of training with Salem a few times, since no matter how much he understood her, it was important that her actions had a price—one she could remember. Besides, now that the cultural festival had arrived, he wouldn't allow more situations like that.

...

In a secluded corner of what seemed to be a locker room, Kai was playing with Salem, determined to ignore all the people around him, especially the looks Momo was giving him. Unfortunately, only the Pussycats had been able to come to support them, since Nejire was busy with a mission during her internship, and it was not good for Keiko and Yumiko to go to such a crowded place.

"What a shame, I wanted to wear my hero costume..." Mina commented in a disappointed tone, sitting next to Momo. Ojiro, the guy with the tail, sitting across from her and not far from Kai, replied casually.

"To be fair, we can't."

"But having someone like Saito with us, I don't think the costumes would make much difference, honestly." Kirishima said while looking at the young man determined to ignore them, to which Momo responded with a small laugh.

"Fufufu, 'fairness' is sought not for us in the hero course, but for the other courses that don't have the same opportunity to obtain a costume, since a flashy costume could draw a lot of attention."

"Oh, so that's why they allow support equipment but not costumes?"

Uraraka, who was sitting at another table with Midoriya and Iida, commented cheerfully while patting the curious device around her waist. Jiro nodded, sitting on the other side of Momo, and then explained while pointing to the fourth annoyance of UA according to Kai—a blond-haired, blue-eyed boy who acted like an aristocrat.

"Yes, although you have to make a request, and it's easier if it's something created within UA. From what I read, this is mainly done for two reasons: one, so that the students of the support course can showcase their capabilities, and two, because there are people who require the assistance of support equipment to use their quirks, like Aoyama."

While the students were conversing on different topics, the young man with half-white, half-red hair and a huge scar on the left side of his face, Todoroki, walked up to where Midoriya was. He then spoke in a serious tone, drawing the attention of everyone present, who turned to look at the unusual scene.

"Midoriya."

"What's up, Todoroki?"

Somewhat surprised by the sudden call, Midoriya turned to look at Todoroki and asked, a bit confused. The young man with two-toned hair responded casually but seriously, with one of his hands in the pocket of his PE uniform.

"Objectively speaking, I believe I'm above you in terms of practical strength."

"Eh?! Ah, yes, of course."

Feeling confused by the sudden outburst from the young man in front of him, Midoriya replied in an uncertain tone. Todoroki then added while looking directly at the green-haired boy, who had lowered his head.

"But even so, you managed to get All Might's eyes on you, didn't you?" Todoroki's words alarmed Midoriya, but the young man with the large facial scar continued speaking.

"I don't feel the need to meddle in that, but I'm going to defeat you." Todoroki turned to look at Kai in a corner and then commented in a more serious tone.

"And you too, Saito."

In response, all Todoroki got was an uncomfortable silence, while the black cat that the terrifying young man always carried turned to look at him, somehow expressing mockery and disdain on its cute feline face. But at that moment, Midoriya, still with his head down, began to speak.

"I have no idea what you want from me by telling me all this. You're definitely stronger than I am; I think the vast majority of people are probably no match for you. Besides, everyone—even the guys from other departments—is aiming for the top with all their might."

As he spoke, Midoriya began to clench his fists and fill with emotion, to the point where he raised his face to look directly at Todoroki, then announced with strength and determination.

"So I can't give up either, so I'll go for it with all I've got!"

The confident announcement from the usually shy and nervous Midoriya greatly surprised the students, especially Todoroki and Bakugo, who looked at the green-haired young man with different expressions—surprise and challenge in Todoroki's case, while in Bakugo's, only irritation was visible.

"Well, guys, it's our time to enter; please, let's do it in order."

Suddenly, Momo's voice was heard in the locker room, completely shattering the tense moment. The students quickly nodded, then got up from their seats with different expressions, but they all shared something in common: they were determined to do everything possible to start their careers on the right foot. Well, everyone except Kai, who had to be dragged out of the locker room by Momo.

...

"UA's Sports Festival!! Where the apprentices of the hero world aim for each other's throats—and also for the top! Our great annual contest! And let me guess, you all came to see them, right? The miraculous newcomers who, with nerves of steel, took care of a massive villain attack! From the Hero Department, the first-year class!! You're here for Class 1-A, aren't you?!"

As Kai exited through one of the stadium doors where the cultural festival would take place, a powerful voice resonated in the stadium, coming from a prominent professional hero and UA teacher, Present Mic. This caused great euphoria among the audience, especially in a certain group of heroes with colorful costumes and robotic cat ears, who carried a large banner with the names of two students.

"Whoa, there's really a lot of people..."

Seeing the enormous number of attendees, Midoriya commented nervously while looking around, at which point Iida commented to himself in a somewhat worried and serious tone.

"Can we give our best with so many eyes watching from all directions...? This is also another link in the academy's great hero training system."

"Wow, they're really praising us... I'm starting to get nervous. How about you, Bakugo?" Kirishima, with a somewhat anxious expression, commented while looking around, then looked at Bakugo next to him and asked with some excitement. The blond replied with an arrogant tone.

"There's no way I'm getting nervous; you just have stage fright, loser."

"They haven't been here long, but they're full of talent—Hero Course! Class 1-B!!" Present Mic continued announcing the students who entered through different doors, placing special emphasis on the hero courses, then introduced the others more quickly.

"Following them are Classes C, D, and E from the General Education Department! F, G, and H from the Support Department are also here! And the Management Department, Classes I, J, K! All the first-years are gathered!!!"

After the students gathered in front of an elevated platform that served as a stage, the entire stadium could see one of the women publicly recognized as one of the most beautiful heroes in the world. She entered, walking with a firm yet elegant step, as if she were on a runway.

"It's Midnight!!!"

Suddenly, one of the students shouted as if he had seen his greatest idol, which caught Kai's attention. He turned to see where the voice was coming from, finding someone incredibly short, the height of a small child, with hair that looked more like a bunch of purple grapes than anything else.

(Mmm... that guy seems familiar for some reason, but I don't remember from where. Was he a 'character'? But he's not in the class, how strange...)

While Kai tried to search his memories, among the students and the multitude of spectators, a great commotion had arisen due to Midnight's appearance. Despite having changed her costume to a more 'modest' one and her long retirement, not only had she not lost followers, but on the contrary, they had grown like foam, becoming even more famous than before.

Seeing the commotion, Midnight couldn't help but smile mischievously at Kai, who simply rolled his eyes. At that moment, she forcefully whipped the typical BDSM whip—one of the few things she used from her old costume, along with her handcuff-shaped bracelets—which caused a loud noise.

"Silence!!" Midnight announced loudly, with a serious and authoritative tone, which instantly silenced the entire stadium. She then began to announce in a similar voice.

"Bakugo Katsuki! Representing the first-year students!!"

Upon hearing his name, Bakugo began walking toward the stage, while several students from Class 1-A looked confused, especially Midoriya, who couldn't help but ask in a low voice.

"Huh? Kacchan?"

"Well, he was first in the entrance exam, so it makes sense." Sero, who was near Midoriya, explained in a low voice, but was still overheard by a girl from the General Course who was nearby. She commented with an expression full of disdain.

"Yes, from the Heroics entrance exam."

Shortly after, Bakugo reached the microphone on the stage. He casually glanced at an annoying guy with black hair and blue eyes who was playing with a black cat, then commented in a flat, emotionless tone.

"I promise that I'll be number one."

Bakugo's words generated a great stir among the students, who began shouting all sorts of things at him. The blond responded with an arrogant expression, simultaneously making a throat-slitting gesture with his thumb.

"You'll be perfect stepping stones, I'm sure."

While Bakugo's taunts provoked an even greater reaction among the students, he couldn't help but look at Kai, who didn't even glance his way and instead simply played with his cat. As if he couldn't even perceive his existence—which greatly angered him. But at that moment, Midnight's voice resonated again through the speakers.

"Alright, with that, we can move directly to our first event...! In the 'preliminaries,' as they're called! A lot of good people end up drowning in their tears here every year!! And this year's first round of destiny is..."

As Midnight spoke, behind her appeared a huge holographic screen showing the names of different tests changing rapidly, as if it were some kind of roulette. Shortly after, it stopped, displaying a single name in large letters, [Obstacle Race], at which point the beautiful heroine pointed to it and spoke with an alluring smile.

"...This one!!"

Seeing the next test, the students looked at each other surprised, but the holographic screen quickly changed to show different images. At the same time, Midnight explained in a serious tone, perfectly executing her role as a judge and captivating both the students and the spectators—not only those in the stadium but even those at home couldn't help but look at the woman of almost divine beauty with hearts practically in their eyes.

"It's a race among the 11 classes! The track makes a ring of almost 4 kilometers around the stadium! We always talk about our freedom on campus, fufufu..." Midnight turned to look at the students, and with a soft smile on her face, added.

"Well, this is what it's about! You're free to do anything—anything—as long as you stay on the track!"

With Midnight's words, the students quickly approached one of the doors that automatically opened, at which point the beautiful heroine began the countdown for the first major event.

"Let's begin then... On your marks... Get set... Go!!!"