"Hm?"

  The voice that called out was uedly pleasant, so Kaminari turned around. Tetsutetsu, standio him with his hands shoved in his pockets, relutly stopped as well, gng back to see who it was.

  "A girl... anirl?" Tetsutetsu's expression immediately stiffened.

  Is this what it's like to be a star? Girls just call out to you wherever you go?

  "Looks like we really did run into each other here!"

  The girl, with short purple hair, walked up quickly and started looking Kaminari up and down without a hint of shyness, almost as if she were firming something.

  Kaminari, ever the showman, fshed a charming smile and said, "Hey, I'm Kaminari Denki. And you are?"

  Since she was here, it retty clear she was also a didate for the U.A. entrance exam, possibly even a future cssmate. He couldn't afford to act cold or distant, even if he was used to being treated like a celebrity.

  Not that he was that type of person anyway.

  "My name's Jiro Kyoka," she said fidently, her hand for a handshake. "I'm also here for the Hero Course. Looking forward t with you, especially when it es to rod roll!"

  She extended her right hand boldly, clearly full of fiden how she'd perform iest.

  "Uh, sure..."

  Kaminari was caught slightly off guard but quickly shook her hand. After all, who would refuse a handshake from a cute girl? Maybe she's an orphan, too... Well, as expected, her hand's nid soft, Kaminari thought with an internal chuckle. He shook her hand briefly, the go.

  "Hey, there's only ten minutes left before the briefing starts," Tetsutetsu suddenly said from beside him, his voice ft. He was alunctual, it definitely wasn't because he had any ulterior motives...

  "And who's this?" Kyoka asked, coolly tilting her head toward Tetsutetsu. Her right hand casually toyed with the headphone jack attached to her ear.

  A closer look revealed that the jack wasn't just an accessory. It was actually ected to her earlobe clearly part of her Quirk.

  "Is that part of her ability? Seems sound-based," Kaminari o himself, making a mental note as he resumed climbing the stairs. He was about to introduce Tetsutetsu, but his frie him to it.

  "Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu!" he decred, puffing out his chest proudly. "I'm Kaminari's best friend, and the future number one pro Hero!"

  "Uh... hello," Kyoka replied, momentarily taken aback by his boisterous introdu. But after a brief pause, she gave a genuine smile. Tetsutetsu's straightforersonality was hard to dislike.

  And just like that, the duo became a trio, with Kaminari leading the way through the open red door beled "2."

  "Man, talking to girls so easily..."

  At the back of the group, Midoriya Izuku watched them with a bit of envy. He'd just met a girl earlier, but all he did was stammer a few words. He didn't even manage a proper response before the moment passed.

  Even though it had been thrilling just to have a girl speak to him, he couldn't help feeling a little regret. Seeing Kaminari chat so effortlessly with girls only made him more self-scious.

  As he stared after them, a lyri the song "Hero"—a song he'd had o for days popped into his head:

  "Even with girls, you've got to take the first step! You 't just sit and watch! Have the ce to speak up!"

  "Ce…" Midoriya muttered under his breath, g his fists tightly as determination swelled inside him.

  Ten mier, in a spacious lecture hall filled with rows of seats, the exam briefing finally began. The event was hosted by the one and only Present Mic, a top-tier pro Hero known for his DJ skills and signature booming voice.

  Behind him, a massive eleic s dispyed the U.A. emblem, simple but unmistakable. Every student in the room immediately reized it.

  "Wele, everyoo my live broadcast!" Present Miounced, his eic voice eg through the hall. "Everybody-Say-Hey!!"

  His over-the-top energy, bined with his rap-like tone, was both amusing and distinctly his own. It almost felt like an Ameri rapper speaking Japahis was his uyle, and the students familiar with him couldn't help but get a bit excited.

  Well, except for the fact that everyone was still too nervous to respond. Silence filled the room as no one dared to follow his cue.

  Kaminari smirked at the awkwardness. This was amusing.

  Especially whe Mic awkwardly muttered about how "b" the students were for not pying along. Kaminari thought this whole exge did woo ease the tension in the room.

  Meanwhile, Tetsutetsu and Kyoka, sitting oher side of him, were both clearly more nervous than he was. They hadn't said a word siering the hall, their lips pressed into thin lines.

  "Well then, dear listeners! Let me give you the rundown on today's practical exam!"

  Despite the ck of enthusiasm from the audience, Present Mic recovered quickly, ung into his usual routihe guy ro, after all.

  But he still couldn't resist trying to get one more iion.

  "Are-you-ready?!"

  ...Silence. Again.

  Kaminari couldn't help but chuckle under his breath. The only person who seemed genuinely excited by Present Mic's energy was Midoriya, who had probably been a fan of his broadcasts for years. Kaminari could tell he admired Present Mic quite a bit.

  "Just like it says in the exam guide, you'll all be participating in a ten-minute 'simuted cityscape battle!'"

  "You're allowed t anything you need. After I finish expining, you'll head to your desigest sites!"

  Kaminari g the exam ticket he'd received earlier and noticed that he, Tetsutetsu, and Kyoka were all assigo the same test site—Test Site C. That brought a mix of relief and ay. While it was o be with familiar faces, they were also direpetitors now.

  But Kaminari's mind was elsewhere. His focus was more on uanding the rules that Present Mic was expining. In an exam like this, knowing the rules inside and out could make all the difference.

  With over a thousand didates and only forty spots avaible, he couldn't afford to slip up.

  As Present Mitihe s behind him switched to a series of images.

  "Each test site is filled with various categories of 'vilins,' and they're divided by difficulty. Defeating them will earn you points based on their level!"

  "Use your Quirks to defeat these 'vilins' and rack up as many points as you . That's the name of the game!"

  "The 'vilins' are robots..." Kaminari observed, easily reizing the shapes shown on s. A wave of relief washed over him. If they were robots... well, this was going to be fun.

  Present Mic then spun around dramatically, pointing toward the audiend giving a stern warning.

  "And remember! Attag fellow didates is strictly prohibited! Such behavioes against the spirit of being a Hero!"

  The "spirit of Heroism," huh? Kaminari thought. While this line might not have meant mue of the other students, it struck a chord with him. He was starting to piece together the deeper meaning behind this exam.

  Coupled with what he already knew about U.A., he felt about 80% fident in his theory... but something still didn't sit right.

  "I have a question!" A sudden voice broke through Kaminari's thoughts. A tall, imposing figure in the crowd raised his hand, and a spotlight immediately illuminated him.

  What followed ointless bad-forth that, in Kaminari's eyes, wasted everyoime.

  Kaminari sighed in annoyahe guy's question was self-righteous and unnecessary. U.A. wouldn't have such a gring loophole in their exam. Sure enough, Present Mic casually thanked him and moved on.

  "The fourth category of vilins is worth 0 points! They're only there to slow you down!"

  "There's o every test site. While they be defeated, it's not worth your time! I reend you avoid them at all costs!"

  "This is it!"

  Kaminari's eyes lit up. He was now 90% sure he'd cracked the code of this exam.

  "The structure of this test... it's a bit predictable."