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The second round of the Sports Festival finally came to a close under the watchful eyes of the crowd.
The final sixteen competitors had been decided from the forty-two participants, and Present Mic, in the commentary booth, enthusiastically announced each person who advanced to the finals.
Because of the ten-million-point headband, Konata Izumi's team naturally took first place without contest, while Shoto Todoroki's team was second. Everything went about as expected—except for Katsuki Bakugo, who, because he'd been paying too much attention to Konata's team, barely managed to hang on to fourth place.
"Beautiful! The second event of the Sports Festival ends perfectly! Now we'll begin a one-hour lunch break before the finals this afternoon! Eraser Head, let's go grab some food together!"
Ignoring Present Mic's voice in the commentary booth, Konata quickly put her shoes on, jogged over to Katsuki Bakugo, and held out her hand.
"Bakugo the Durian, give me back my hair tie."
"You want this?"
Looking down at the girl in front of him—who was a whole head shorter—Bakugo smirked and pulled out the piece of red hair tie he'd snatched from her during the match.
"That's right, thanks—"
Before Konata could finish her grateful words, Bakugo smoothly slipped the hair tie back into his pocket. Her smile instantly froze.
"Not giving it back."
After spitting out those two words, Bakugo shoved his hands in his pockets and walked toward the cafeteria without even sparing Konata another glance.
Konata: "…"
Not far away, Izuku Midoriya watched the scene with a wry smile. He was about to step forward when Shoto Todoroki appeared in front of him without warning.
"Midoriya, I have something to say to you."
Exhaling, Todoroki spoke in a calm tone.
"You really think I'm the kind of person who'd care about a piece of rope? I have plenty of those. That guy's just petty."
After turning down Ochaco Uraraka's invitation to have lunch together, Konata muttered to herself while making her way toward the second-year competition area. She'd heard that Cementoss was over there.
But before she'd gone far, a tall figure blocked her path.
Looking up in confusion, Konata saw a man with red hair, flames burning on his eyes and shoulders, and a… "kind" expression on his face.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Endeavor, Shoto Todoroki's father. Can I have a word with you?"
"Eh—eh—eh—eh—eh—eh?!"
Seeing her gobsmacked expression, Endeavor fell silent for a moment.
"I'd like to invite you to join my agency."
In a quiet corner, Endeavor stopped walking and got straight to the point.
"Huh?"
Konata was stunned.
She'd never heard Todoroki mention his father, but she still recognized the man before her from countless news reports. The eternal Number Two Hero—always ranked just below All Might—the Flame Hero, Endeavor.
A big-shot like him suddenly approaching her and inviting her to join his agency? What kind of wild development was this?
"Do you know about Quirk marriages?"
Meanwhile, Todoroki and Midoriya stood facing each other.
"A Quirk marriage is an inferior arrangement made so that the children will inherit strong and favorable Quirks from their parents. My father, Endeavor, wanted to raise someone who could surpass All Might. He used despicable methods to convince my mother's family and acquired her Quirk."
Touching the large red burn scar on the left side of his face, Todoroki's tone turned ice-cold.
"He succeeded. I inherited both his Quirk and my mother's. But my mother never loved him—she grew to hate the half of me that came from him. One day, she poured boiling water over my head."
He lowered his hand, his voice still flat.
"I never hated her. The only one I've ever hated is my father. I will never become the tool he can control. I'll prove to him that even without using his power, I can still win. Whatever connection you have with All Might, I will defeat you."
"Is this because of the first event—"
"You can think of it that way."
Todoroki turned and walked away.
"I will never let my father decide my life."
"Uh… is your agency short on people or something?"
After thinking for a moment, Konata cautiously asked Endeavor.
"I'm still just a student. I haven't even earned my Provisional Hero License yet. This feels like getting a Harvard acceptance letter before graduating middle school—it's hard to wrap my head around."
"I believe in your potential. After the Sports Festival, I'll send you an internship offer. You can train at my agency first."
"…Alright."
Konata thought it over—there was no harm in accepting—so she nodded.
"Good. Now, I have one more question for you. Would you mind answering?"
Seeing her agree, Endeavor gave a satisfied nod.
"What do you think of Shoto Todoroki?"
Perhaps realizing he sounded a bit blunt, he added, "Purely from the concern of a father toward a rebellious child."
"Todoroki?"
Not sensing anything strange, Konata tilted her head and thought for a moment before answering honestly.
"Hmm… I think he's a little cold—always keeping to himself in his own world—but he also has a surprisingly gentle side. In critical moments, he feels very dependable. Honestly, the rebellious phase doesn't matter as much as making sure parents show enough care for their kids. Arguments between parents and children are inevitable, so that's when you need communication and blah blah blah—"
After listening to Konata's five-minute speech—and realizing she wasn't even close to finishing—Endeavor's expression finally darkened.
"Like I said, as parents, caring for and communicating with your children is extremely important. No matter how busy you are with hero work, you still need to make time—no matter how small—to be with them."
After summing up everything she had just said in a single sentence, Konata Izumi still looked like she had more to say.
"The hearts of parents are the same everywhere… there's no misunderstanding that can't be resolved."
"So you're saying… you don't dislike Shoto Todoroki anymore?"
Seeing that the girl in front of him was about to start another long speech, Endeavor quickly used the pause to slip in a question.
"We're classmates. There's no 'like' or 'dislike' about it," Konata replied, giving him a slightly puzzled look.
"In that case… could I trouble you with something?"
Endeavor worked hard to make his tone sound gentle.
"You know Shoto holds a deep grudge against me as his father. Even if I try to take the initiative to repair our relationship, I don't think it'll work in the short term—if anything, it might make things worse. So… I'd like to ask you to look out for him. Help him become…"
Endeavor trailed off, unable to find the right word.
"…Could you help me with this small favor, as his father?"
"Don't worry. I'll help him fix that stubborn personality of his," Konata said firmly.
If the Number Two Hero himself was asking for the sake of his son, how could she refuse? She nodded without hesitation.
"Sorry for blocking your way earlier—you must have important things to do. I guess I'll see you during the internship."
Having achieved his goal, Endeavor didn't linger. It was as if he feared she'd start talking again about father-son bonding. With a nod toward the girl, he turned and left with steady steps.
"Important things…"
Tilting her head in confusion, Konata thought for a moment—then suddenly pulled out her phone to check the time. Her expression changed instantly, and she spun around, rushing toward the second-year competition area.
"Fantasy, huh…"
Noticing her departure, Endeavor stopped, turned his head, and watched her retreating figure before letting out a cold snort.
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"Special Performance"
In the commentary room for the first-year competition area, Shota Aizawa turned toward the blue-haired girl who was leaning on her knees, panting heavily. He frowned slightly.
"Forget everything else—why are you this out of breath?"
"How was I supposed to know Cementoss-sensei was already in the first-year arena building the stage? I ended up running several laps for nothing!"
The moment she brought it up, Konata's face filled with resentment.
"Aizawa-sensei, can you grant my request? It won't take long—ten minutes at most. We could even do it during lunch break."
"…Did Midnight agree to this?"
Instead of answering directly, Aizawa shot back with a question.
"Uh… I'd rather she didn't know. Otherwise, my night's going to be a pain."
"Do what you want. Having a little entertainment in the Sports Festival isn't a bad idea. But… can you even sing?"
Aizawa eyed her skeptically.
In his mind, this girl was never the obedient type. Her performance in the first two rounds of the Sports Festival had already sparked discussions among the faculty about whether to change the rules for next year. Flying the entire obstacle course? Fine. But crouching in a defensive ball for almost the whole Cavalry Battle? Was she serious?
If she sang and turned out to be completely tone-deaf—like Present Mic—that would just be noise pollution.
"Mhm!"
Konata nodded rapidly.
"If you're worried, you can watch the whole thing. If my performance disappoints you, you can erase my Quirk on the spot."
She could see his concerns clearly—and thumped her chest with confidence.
When it came to singing, she was sure of herself.
"…Alright. Let's go."
Aizawa stood from his chair.
"Before lunch break ends, we'll do a quick rehearsal. If I'm satisfied, we'll add it to the entertainment program for the Festival."
He didn't really understand why she suddenly wanted to sing during the event, but there was no harm in it. The Sports Festival was meant to showcase individual charm—and popularity mattered for heroes, too. It might be unfair to others, but based on her results so far, the school could make an exception.
In fact, Aizawa suspected that if he refused, she'd just turn her individual matches into a live concert anyway. And Konata absolutely seemed like the type to do that.
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First-year venue stands
Since it was lunch break, most of the spectators had gone to eat, leaving only a few scattered in the stands. The media section was the same—just a handful of people remained.
Among them was a female reporter who had once interviewed Konata, only to be completely played by her. She was now editing a Sports Festival highlight reel. Although the tournament—the main attraction—hadn't started yet, the first two rounds had already provided plenty of great clips.
"So her name is Konata Izumi, huh…"
Seeing a familiar figure on her laptop screen, she nodded thoughtfully. The little schemer had left a deep impression—deep enough that she recognized her instantly, just from that silly ahoge sticking out from her head.
"Highlight reel… yeah, this clip's going in."
She opened a short video showing Konata going from walking like a robot to tripping flat on her face. In under three seconds, she made her decision.
As she mentally drafted her captions, her journalist's instincts kicked in—she noticed that beside Cementoss, who was building the stage, two more figures had appeared.
"…That's Eraser Head. But who's that next to him?"
Her eyes locked onto the unfamiliar green-haired, twin-tailed girl—someone who hadn't appeared in any of the earlier events.
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U.A. High Cafeteria Area
"Uraraka Ochako, have you seen Konata?"
Just after finishing her meal and stepping out of the cafeteria, Ochako found herself face-to-face with Momo Yaoyorozu.
"Konata?"
Ochako tilted her head, thinking for a moment before replying.
"When I invited her to eat with me earlier, she said she had something very important to do, so she left on her own. I have no idea where she is now. Is it something important you need her for?"
"So she's not with you either?"
Momo scratched her head in mild frustration, then grabbed Ochako's hand and started walking toward the changing room.
"Never mind, we'll just talk to her when we find her later. For now, let's check your measurements so I can use my Quirk to create clothes that fit you perfectly."
"M–Measurements?"
Hearing Momo's words, Ochako blinked in confusion.
"Ah, maybe you don't know yet. I was only informed just a short while ago myself."
Still holding Ochako's hand, Momo continued walking.
"This afternoon, all the girls are going to wear cheerleader outfits for the cheerleading competition. I've already notified everyone else—only you and Konata are left. But I just can't seem to find her anywhere."
"Eh? There's a requirement like that during the Sports Festival?"
Ochako's eyes widened.
"It seems so. I saw other girls wearing cheerleader uniforms during previous festivals. Apparently, Kaminari and the others were supposed to tell Konata, since she's the class rep, but they couldn't find her, so it ended up falling to me."
By the time Momo finished speaking, the two had arrived at the girls' changing room. The moment Ochako saw the cheerleader uniforms on the others, her face instantly flushed bright red.
"W–Wait, do we really have to dress like this?"
"In terms of design, I think they're actually very cute. Besides, cheerleader outfits are supposed to look like this. And since all the girls are wearing them, there's nothing to feel embarrassed about."
Momo walked to her locker, pulled out a measuring tape, and turned toward Ochako, who was still standing near the door.
"In order to make your outfit fit as well as possible, I'll need your exact measurements. Do you want me to help?"
"I–I already know my own measurements!"
Ochako waved her hands frantically, refusing Momo's offer.
"If it's Konata's measurements you need, I know them too."
This time it was Tsuyu Asui—already dressed in her cheerleader outfit—who spoke up.
"I've gone shopping with Konata before, so I remember."
"Perfect! That solves the problem."
Momo's eyes lit up.
"I can make her cheerleader outfit now, and she can just change into it later."
"Do we really have to wear something like this in front of everyone?"
Holding the cheerleader uniform Momo had just created for her, Ochako looked conflicted—but her conflict quickly shifted into sympathy after hearing Tsuyu casually reveal Konata's measurements.
Just then, the entire campus was suddenly enveloped in a beautiful melody.
No—calling it just a melody wasn't quite right. It was less of a sound and more of an outpouring of dazzling emotion: ethereal, pure, and filled with a feeling that seemed to rise naturally from deep within the heart. The song pierced straight through to the soul, as if it carried some kind of magic, compelling everyone to quietly listen.
There were no lyrics, no message—just a simple melody. And yet, that alone was enough to draw everyone in completely.
Moments later, the melody faded, replaced by a voice identical to the one from before, speaking directly into everyone's ears.
"Hello, everyone! My name is Hatsune Miku—you can call me Iku. I'll be performing one of my personal favorite songs for you today. I hope you enjoy it."
"Hatsune Miku?"
Kyouka Jirou's eyes widened in recognition as she connected the name with the melody she'd just heard. She rushed to her locker, pulling out her phone and opening a certain website.
When she saw the poster of a green twin-tailed girl appear on the screen, her eyes lit up instantly.
She might prefer rock music, but one day she had stumbled onto a simple little website and listened to a few songs there—and instantly became a fan of the mysterious singer who had been releasing music for months without ever showing her face.
It turned out she wasn't the only one. Although Hatsune Miku had a growing fanbase, the lack of promotion and her complete absence from public appearances—along with no affiliation to any record label—meant her fame was contained to a small circle of devoted listeners.
"The legendary singer… here at U.A.?"
As soon as she reached this conclusion, Jirou couldn't sit still. Still in her cheerleader outfit, she bolted out of the changing room with her phone in hand, leaving behind a chorus of startled voices.
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I'm the number one princess in the world,
so make sure you know by heart how to treat me...
GOT IT?!
Number one, notice when I have a different hair style from usual
Number two, Make sure you look down at my shoes closely, okay?
Number three, Answer in three letters (I Love You) When i open my mouth and speak to you.
If you understand, So do something now about my right hand, It's not like…
I'm being selfish and bothering you
I just want you to feel from the heart that i am the best to you~♪
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As the music started again, everyone who heard it—students, teachers, pro heroes, even media personnel—instinctively began moving toward the source.
Those who remained in the first-year arena during lunch break were treated to a breathtaking visual and auditory performance.
On the stage stood a green twin-tailed girl, dancing like a playful sprite, leaving an indelible mark in their minds.
Just as the song title proclaimed—She really conquered their own world.
The first sound from the future—Hatsune Miku.
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I really tried my best in this chapter. My mind went completely blank, and on top of that, I've been dealing with headaches, so I couldn't think of anything to improve it. Also… don't forget to vote with your Power Stones!
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