"It all es down to keeping a clear head…"

  Sitting in the special seating area for Css 1-A, Kaminari g Hitoshi Shinso, who wore an indifferent expression down on the field. Turning around, he asked Ojiro, who was sitting just behind him.

  "Did you tell Uraraka about his Quirk?"

  "Yeah, I did…"

  As soon as Ojiro responded, he noticed Kaminari's calm tone and asked curiously, "Wait, you knew about his Quirk too?"

  "I ran into him a couple of times before, so I knew a little bit."

  Kaminari nodded and looked back at the arena with a fident smile. "If she's aware of his abilities, Uraraka should win without much trouble… huh?!"

  But before he finished speaking, his smile froze along with the figure of Ochaco Uraraka on the field.

  "What?! She knew what to expect, so how did she still get caught?"

  ---

  Half a Minute Earlier

  "Do you think you'll lose?"

  The crowd had fallen quiet, and Shinso broke the silence, his voice ced with subtle dession.

  "Hmm?"

  Uraraka furrowed her brow slightly, feeling a bit fused by his question.

  "The Hero Sports Festival is meant to test a person's irength," Shinso tinued, starting his psychological game. Uraraka might not have realized it, but for him, the match began the moment he opened his mouth.

  "No one who truly wants a future as a hero should care about something as trivial as dignity," Shinso added, his expression showing a hint of disdain. "That guy—Ojiro, was it? He was just being foolish, talking about dignity and giving up his ce. Doesn't that sound ridiculous to you?"

  As expected, a fsh of anger appeared on Uraraka's face. She was normally a kind, cheerful person, but Shinso's btant insult towards her cssmate sparked something in her.

  "Don't you dare look down on Ojiro-san!!"

  In her anger, she fot everything Ojiro had warned her about earlier. She took a step toward Shinso, ready to defend her friend.

  But as soon as she spoke, her body suddenly froze. She stood there with a bnk look on her face, her movements stoppiirely. Across from her, Shinso's lips curled into a satisfied smirk.

  "Got you…"

  ---

  "What?! How did this happen?! I warned her specifically about this!" Ojiro ractically pulling his hair out in frustration.

  Kyoka looked equally worried, biting her lip as she whispered, "Oh no, this doesn't look good."

  Kaminari's smile had disappeared entirely, leaving him staring down at the field with a stoic expression. "Unbelievable."

  He'd thought it was a sure win for Uraraka. If she already knew about Shinso's Quirk, she only o stay quiet, no matter what he said. Even if she ended up losing, he hadn't expected her to fall for something so simple.

  "What's going on down there?"

  In the announcer's box, Present Mic watched the field in surprise, his voice growing louder in irritation. "This is supposed to be the opening match! Get things moving!"

  Meanwhile, on the field, Uraraka was now slowly turning around, walking toward the edge in a trance-like state. The entire audieched, puzzled by her strange behavior.

  "Uraraka's standing there, pletely out of it, and she's walking back to where she started! Could this be Shinso's Quirk?" Present Mic specuted aloud, stirring up murmurs throughout the crowd.

  "Mind trol, huh… That's a pretty powerful ability." A pro hero in the audience, dressed in a suit resembling a dynamic superhero, muttered to himself with a look of awe.

  "Yeah, that kid doesn't stand out much, but he's tougher than he looks," another hero, red and green armreed.

  "The entrance exam really doesn't cater to everyone's strengths," Aizawa muttered from the teachers' area, turning his attention back to his notes with a furrowed brow.

  "With a Quirk like his, Shinso ood a ce at passing the bat-oriented entrance exam. Those robots are immuo mind trol."

  But as Aizawa sidered Shinso's options, he felt a hint of uanding. "He probably anticipated that and applied to the general studies course as a backup. A smart choice."

  In the Css 1-A seating area, most of the students—except for Kaminari, Bakugo, Todoroki, and Tokoyami were on their feet, shouting encement to Uraraka, desperately hoping she'd snap out of it. But it was no use.

  "She's out," Kaminari muttered, watg as Uraraka crossed the boundary line. For a moment, he felt a pang of disappoi. He'd expected her to stay calm, but clearly, she'd let her emotiohe best of her.

  "Eh?"

  Just as Uraraka stepped out of bounds, she blinked, ing back to her senses. But it was already too te. Present Mic's voice filled the stadium as he decred the winner:

  "The first person moving on to the sed round is from Css C—Hitoshi Shinso!!"

  The crowd erupted in cheers, and Present Mitio hype up the victory. "Talk about an underdog story! A general studies student, taking down a hero course student with ease!"

  Meanwhile, down on the field, Uraraka's face was a mask of shod realization. She remembered Ojiro's advice, advice she had pletely ignored.

  She sank to her knees, feeling utterly defeated. "I… I didn't even put up a fight…"

  "Uraraka-san!!"

  In the audience, Midoriya ched his fists tightly, clearly heartbroken for her. Her words from before echoed in his mind, reminding him of her motivation.

  ---

  "Uraraka-san!"

  "Yes?"

  "Why do you want to bee a hero?"

  "Oh… well, holy, it's for the money."

  "For the money?"

  "Yeah, I know it sounds a bit shallow, but… my family's been struggling, and I want to bee a pro hero so I earn enough to support them. I want to give my parents a better life."

  ---

  Tears glistened in Midoriya's eyes as he looked down at his friend, devastated on the arena floor.

  "She… She just wao do well. She worked so hard, just to make a differen her family's life…"

  Hearing this, Kaminari's expression didn't ge. He uood Midoriya's emotions, but he knew better than to let himself get caught up in sympathy. This world didn't guarantee success just because someoried hard. Sometimes, good people still lost.

  "This was her fault for letting her emotions cloud her judgment," Kaminari thought, though he kept the opinion to himself.

  Uraraka, still g, was escorted off the field, while Shinso walked back to his area to appuse. Midoriya, Ashido, and a few other cssmates rushed off to fort her.

  Kaminari had initially inteo go over as well, but Present Miext annou stopped him in his tracks.

  "The match is between two of the reeudents—Shoto Todoroki and Juzo Honenuki!"

  Kaminari decided to stay. He was genuinely curious to see if the reeudents, supposedly top-tier talents reized by U.A., could match Todoroki's strength or Momo's tactical knowledge.

  "Honenuki… let's see what you're made of."

  ***

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