Chapter 76: I’d like to see you try.

In front of the iconic gates of the prestigious UA, an excited Nejire and Momo could be seen, wearing their hero costume and school uniform respectively. They hugged the arms of an evidently annoyed Kai, who was also wearing his uniform and kept his Conqueror's Haki active so that no one would approach him.

"Kai, stop making that face and releasing your intimidating aura, we're about to go in." Momo commented with a smile as she looked at Kai, to which Nejire quickly added with a serious expression.

"Yes, Kai, you're about to take the entrance exam, this is an important moment."

"I still haven't forgotten that you two sold me out..." Kai remarked, clearly annoyed, which caused a playful giggle from the two beautiful teenagers.

"Hehe, let it go already, we told you not to do it, but you were stubborn, so we had to call for backup." Momo responded playfully, to which Nejire quickly added in a 'strict' tone, fitting of an older sister like her.

"Hehe, yes, Kai-chan, you can't go around threatening the principal just because you don't want to take the entrance exam, that's wrong."

"I didn't threaten him, I was just subtly exercising my influence." Kai replied, sounding like an innocent man being accused of a crime he didn't commit, which made Momo and Nejire roll their eyes.

"Yeah, sure, your 'influence,' scaring him with your intimidating aura and a terrifying expression is your influence?" Momo commented sarcastically as she looked at Kai, who responded with a proud smile on his face, as if he had nothing to be ashamed of.

"Exactly."

"Hehe, that's not right, Kai-chan, you can't use your quirk to scare others." Nejire said again, trying to sound strict, although it didn't really come out very well.

"It's not a crime if they don't notice. Besides, I was very subtle." Kai responded casually, as students wanting to enter the place took a wide detour around him due to the intimidating aura surrounding the group.

"Yeah, very subtle, that's why the principal's fur stood on end." Momo commented, rolling her eyes, to which Nejire quickly added to end the conversation.

"Well, let's leave that aside now, Kai's already gotten scolded by everyone, so for now, stop emitting that intimidating aura and smile."

After a sigh, Kai could only deactivate his Conqueror's Haki in silence. After all, he'd already gotten an hour-long lecture when Principal Nezu came to his house to talk about the entrance exam and ended up scaring him a bit accidentally. And although the principal didn't give it much importance, his family certainly did, especially Shino, Ryuko, and Nemuri, who apologized profusely on his behalf. Honestly, he didn't want to go through that again anytime soon.

"Hehe."

Noticing that the intimidating aura had ceased, Nejire smiled in satisfaction, then let go of Kai's arm and inspected the appearance of the blue-eyed young man with great attention to detail. She buttoned a loose button and adjusted the collar of his uniform, before moving on to Momo and doing something similar.

"You both look perfect. Good luck on the exam, I'll be cheering for you with all my might." Nejire said with a smile after nodding in satisfaction, to which Momo responded with a happy smile on her face.

"Hehe, thanks, Onee-chan."

"See you later, Nejire." Kai said with a smile, followed by a warm hug from Nejire to each of them, before flying off into the air to meet her internship schedule.

"See you, good luck."

After Nejire disappeared, Momo led Kai to a classroom set up with individual desks arranged in rows and columns facing the front of the room. Each desk had ample space for writing and an office chair with a backrest, all seemingly made of a metallic material, adding to the futuristic aesthetic of the room.

Some students were already seated in the classroom, while at the teacher's desk stood a man with a peculiar appearance, even by heroes standards. His body seemed to be composed mostly of a material resembling cement, with a square head and fingers, black eyes without pupils, a flat nose, and a large mouth. He was dressed in a typical red hero costume.

With some curiosity, Kai stared at the teacher for a moment, but Momo quickly dragged him to his seat, where she then sat in hers. They waited in silence, with Kai lying on his desk and Momo sitting upright and elegant, until the last person arrived.

The last to arrive was a student with the right half of his hair white and the other half red. He had a prominent burn mark on the left side of his face, and displayed an irritated and angry expression that practically radiated hatred.

(Uwaaa, that guy looks like a hassle, but he seems familiar, so he must be one of the 'characters,' though it's been so long that I don't even remember, so it's better to stay away from that obvious mountain of problems in human form.)

Seeing the young man, Kai couldn't help but think to himself as he felt a certain sense of familiarity. However, his thoughts were interrupted when the hero, who looked more like a cement block in humanoid form than anything else, stood up from his place and began to speak.

"Well, students, the time has come. On your desks, you will find a package containing a booklet with the questions and an answer sheet, a pencil, a sharpener, and an eraser. Remember that it is strictly forbidden to use anything other than what is provided in that package, and don't forget that breaking this rule will cause you to automatically fail the exam. If you're caught cheating, not only will you automatically fail, but you'll also be banned for life from UA. Any questions?"

After looking at the clock on the wall, Cementoss got up and informed all the students, as he had done many times in the past. Though it was only a formality since all the information regarding the exam had been sent to the candidates beforehand. But to his surprise, for the first time since he'd been in charge of overseeing this exam, he saw a hand raised.

"Yes?" Cementoss asked as he looked at the black-haired, blue-eyed young man who had raised his hand, who asked in a tone that made it seem like he'd rather be anywhere else.

"What's the minimum score to pass?"

"That information was sent to you more than a month ago, so you should know that to pass, you need to answer at least 90% of the questions correctly."

"90%?!" Kai exclaimed in surprise and turned to look at Momo, who averted her gaze and covered her face with one hand, as if she didn't know him, while muttering to herself in evident annoyance.

"That damn Nezu is a tyrant, I'll complain to customer service."

Cementoss was quite surprised by the whispers of the black-haired young man, but he quickly dismissed him as a troublemaker, someone who most likely wouldn't pass the exam. At the same time, he wondered why anyone would recommend a kid like that in the first place.

"If there are no further questions, you may begin. You have one hour to complete this part of the exam."

All the students started opening their packages and taking out their booklets, then reading the questions seriously. Meanwhile, Cementoss occasionally glanced at the black-haired, blue-eyed boy, who had an annoyed expression as he opened his package. Only to then start answering the questions at an impressive speed, while casting venomous looks at the girl next to him from time to time.

(So, he already knows he’s going to fail and is answering randomly, hoping for a miracle. Seriously, who recommended him? I've never seen anyone like this at UA.)

About 15 minutes later, the black-haired boy put the booklet and answer sheet aside, then lay down on his desk and closed his eyes indifferently, which greatly offended Cementoss, who couldn't help but comment with evident disapproval in his tone.

"Student, I demand that you show respect for the exam. If you have no interest in taking it, you may leave, but don’t distract the other examinees with your attitude."

"I'm already finished, but you said I had an hour, so I'm just killing time." Kai responded without even opening his eyes, his tone full of disdain, causing one of Cementoss’s eyelids to twitch violently.

"Then hand in your sheet and wait outside." Cementoss replied, clearly angry. Kai simply got up from his seat and responded without much interest.

"Fine."

With an annoyed expression, Cementoss watched as the bothersome black-haired youth handed him the answer sheet and then left the room while 'waving' at the same girl from before, something that a hero and teacher like him couldn't allow. He quickly reprimanded him with a strict tone.

"Student, I won’t tolerate any more disrespect. If you act like that again, I’ll expel you from the premises immediately."

As Cementoss stared at the young man in front of him, he suddenly felt a terrifying pressure engulf him. At the same time, the boy's gaze became dangerous as he spoke in soft, measured words, staring directly into his eyes.

"Oh, really? I'd like to see you try."

Outraged, Cementoss wanted to get up and teach the arrogant boy a lesson, but to his surprise, his body refused to respond. He felt paralyzed with fear, as if he were standing before a dangerous predator that could tear him apart at any moment. But just then, the voice of the girl was heard, reprimanding him in a strict and angry tone.

"Kai, behave and wait outside."

After being scolded, the boy seemed to reflect for a moment, and shortly after, the pressure that had surrounded him vanished as if it had never existed. The black-haired boy left the room like a scolded dog, kicking the floor without saying a word. This allowed Cementoss to let out a sigh of relief, which he managed to hide from the other students, though he could still feel the cold sweat running down his back from that brief confrontation.

(That boy is dangerous. I need to inform the principal as soon as possible.)

With a serious expression on his square face, Cementoss thought to himself, then waited impatiently for the exam to finish. When it ended, he gave the students a 10-minute break, which he used to go to a secluded spot where he urgently called the principal.

[Hello, Cementoss. Is something the matter?] Nezu’s voice was heard on the other end of the line after the call connected, and Cementoss quickly explained the complicated situation.

[Principal, there's someone very dangerous taking the recommendation exam. He's a black-haired, blue-eyed boy, terribly disrespectful, and my instincts are screaming not to get near him. I think it’s best to expel him immediately and bring in reinforcements in case things get dangerous, because I don't think he'll take it kindly.]

[Hahaha, you're mistaken, Cementoss. If you did that, he’d probably be so happy that he'd invite you out to eat and even make a generous donation to your agency] Principal Nezu said, clearly amused, which greatly surprised Cementoss, who quickly asked, confused.

[What are you talking about, Principal?]

[The boy you're referring to is named Saito Kai. I recommended him myself, but he only accepted very reluctantly, so he's basically looking for excuses to get kicked out. He despises the idea of being a hero so much that he can’t help it, and he tends to react defiantly to authority figures. So just ignore him, and he’ll calm down.]

Principal Nezu explained in a serious tone, which led Cementoss to ask, full of confusion and disapproval.

[But why recommend someone like that, Principal? No matter how talented he is, if his attitude isn't appropriate, he shouldn’t be allowed into UA, let alone become a hero.]

[While you're right about that, Cementoss, there are always exceptions, and this boy is one. The country would benefit immensely if we manage to turn him into a hero. After all, Saito-kun can go toe-to-toe with All Might at full power and come out unscathed while managing to injure him.] Director Nezu explained in a much more serious tone, taking the cement hero completely by surprise.

[What?!! Are you sure about that, Principal?! No matter how I look at it, that sounds impossible!] Cementoss exclaimed loudly, absolutely astounded, to which Principal Nezu explained in a solemn tone.

[I witnessed it with my own eyes. It happened about a year ago. But just wait for his physical tests; they’ll surprise you. Also, don't worry. Saito-kun isn't a bad person; he's just very withdrawn and defiant towards authority. But he's not dangerous or anything like that. He’s very intelligent and loves his family deeply, caring for them like no one else. So, I hope we can pass some of that love on to others and inspire him to become a hero. I hope you can help me with that, Cementoss.]

[It’ll be difficult, Principal, but I'll keep an eye on him from now on and decide from there] Cementoss replied in a more serious tone, though he didn’t sound entirely convinced. Nezu thanked him with his typical adorable attitude.

[Thank you very much, Cementoss. I'll be keeping an eye on things, and don't hesitate to call me if anything happens.]

[Of course, Principal. Goodbye, I need to start the next part of the exam.]