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"This kind of destructive power… Eraser Head, are the students in your class all monsters?"
Perhaps because Konata Izumi's performance in the previous two matches had looked too strained compared to others, the audience—including Present Mic—subconsciously didn't hold much hope for her fight against Bakugo Katsuki in the semifinals.
Yet in the first ten seconds of the match, the girl on stage gave them an unbelievable answer.
"How about it? Do you still want to continue fighting?"
The short-haired, chestnut-brown girl frowned slightly as she repeated her earlier question, eyes fixed on Bakugo not far away.
"This kind of battle… now that's interesting!"
Bakugo suddenly raised his head, his face twisted into a savage grin.
"You're finally willing to bring out your full strength, right? Victory only counts when I defeat you at your best!"
His body leapt into the air, propelled by explosions from his palms, charging straight at the girl.
"In that case, I'll answer your expectations, just a little."
The girl stood her ground without moving, calmly watching Bakugo rush toward her. His shadow was reflected clearly in her brown eyes.
Blue-white lightning flashed around her, scattering like fireworks. Sparks leapt across her forehead, then gathered and solidified in her hand, shaped into a spear of pure electricity. She thrust it forward toward Bakugo in midair.
In an instant—
Boom!
Crimson explosions and blue-white lightning collided in the sky, bursting into smoke and dust. From within it, a figure suddenly broke through as Bakugo's voice rang out.
"That's it! Since you're standing on this stage, then fight me with everything you've got!"
With a violent smile, his eyes locked tightly on the brown-haired girl. The explosions from his palms erupted at their peak.
"AP Shot—Howitzer Impact!"
The roaring explosions thundered across the stadium, followed by raging winds. A black tornado formed, unstoppable, rushing toward the girl.
"Full power, huh…"
The girl exhaled softly with her eyes closed.
At the edge of the arena, Cementoss and Midnight, who were ready to intervene at any moment, suddenly felt the ground trembling beneath them.
The air grew restless. Pebbles scattered by her earlier Railgun bounced off the ground. Electricity arced wildly around the girl as she opened her eyes.
"Your request really puts me in a difficult spot. After all, I don't have Railgun-onee-sama's precision and control. If I truly use full power, this entire arena will be destroyed. So…"
The air cracked with thunder, the earth shuddered. Countless black iron sand particles erupted from the ground, swirling around her to form a colossal serpent of lightning.
"…this will do."
A violent clash erupted at the center of the arena. When the dust finally settled, the sight before everyone was one they never expected.
"So, can you admit defeat now?"
Standing behind her massive lightning serpent made of iron sand, Konata Izumi addressed Bakugo Katsuki, who stood nearly unharmed just a short distance away.
"I already said I don't have that kind of precise control. If I actually let this serpent collide with you, sure, I could strip away all your fighting ability—but you'd also suffer heavy injuries. Even if you attack like before a few more times, you won't be able to break through its defense. The outcome should be obvious."
"Tch…"
Bakugo glanced down at his hands. Even though the serpent had only passively defended, his palms were cut with countless fine wounds from the vibrating iron sand. His body was numb from the electricity. If he forced himself to continue fighting…
"…I give up."
Shoving his hands into his pockets, Bakugo turned and leapt straight off the stage.
"Resorting to a defensive style out of concern for casualties… in all three matches, her opponents chose to surrender on their own. It seems she already possesses some qualities of a true hero."
Watching the girl who had become the center of attention, Aizawa Shota silently made his assessment.
Afterward, because the arena was too heavily damaged, Todoroki Shoto's match against Midoriya Izuku was delayed by ten minutes. But following this battle, any lingering doubts about Konata Izumi's earlier performances completely vanished.
If her reputation had spread only in small circles after the earlier incident, then after this match she became widely known. Not a household name, but certainly recognized far and wide.
Even if she never wanted such fame.
Right now, she had a different headache.
Her upcoming fight against Midoriya Izuku. How could she lose in a way that didn't look like she was deliberately holding back?
Her overwhelming strength against Bakugo was burned into everyone's memory. If she were to fall to Midoriya in just a few exchanges, anyone would suspect foul play.
The League of Villains had already been watching her closely for reasons unknown. If they discovered the limits of her Quirk, she doubted she could ever stand against them.
So now, how could she lose to Midoriya logically, reasonably, and convincingly? That was the question tormenting her.
Her original plan had been to surrender at the end of her match against Bakugo. But who could have predicted that Bakugo, with his personality, would give up so suddenly and decisively? That was supposed to have been her line!
Yes—she had already decided Midoriya would win.
But as always, reality rarely followed expectations. The result of this tournament would be nothing like she had imagined.
Konata had thought of many possible outcomes, including the chance that Midoriya might lose to Todoroki. Yet in the end, not a single one of her predictions came true.
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At the award ceremony, the only ones standing rather awkwardly on the podium were Konata Izumi and Bakugo Katsuki—one as the champion, and the other as the third-place winner. As for the other second-place and third-place winners, they were both currently lying in the infirmary.
The battle between Midoriya Izuku and Todoroki Shoto could only be described as brutal. Konata honestly couldn't understand why Midoriya would push himself that hard, to the point of ending in mutual destruction against Todoroki, who had used his full power.
Technically, the victor was Midoriya. But in truth, it wouldn't have been wrong to say that no one won. That fight was even more insane than Konata's earlier match with Bakugo, and the arena—which had just been painstakingly repaired—ended up being utterly destroyed again.
After both boys collapsed unconscious, they were quickly sent to Recovery Girl for treatment. Since Midoriya had no chance of continuing, and because Konata's strength had already been clearly displayed—leagues above the others—she ended up becoming champion without much fanfare.
Still, standing on the podium with only Bakugo by her side made Konata feel completely out of place. She couldn't shake the feeling that Bakugo kept sneaking glances at her under the constant flashes of the cameras. Forcing a stiff smile, she looked toward the press.
The one awarding the medals was none other than All Might. The comic-book-like man descended in full costume, giving both Konata and Bakugo a hug before personally hanging the medals around their necks.
But at that supposedly glorious moment, Konata's mind was preoccupied with just one thought:
Hmm… can I sell this medal for cash? I've been running low on money lately.
Once the ceremony was over, the Sports Festival officially drew to a close. After narrowly evading the horde of reporters desperate for an interview, Konata quietly made her way toward the infirmary. There were questions on her mind that needed answering.
But as soon as she rounded a corner, she found Bakugo already waiting, as if he had predicted she would come this way.
"You goin' to see that half-and-half bastard, or Deku?"
He cut straight to the point without hesitation.
"Uh… aren't they in the same hospital room?"
Leaning back against the wall instinctively, Konata answered weakly. For some reason, Bakugo was giving off a weird vibe.
"C'mon, you were obviously going to visit them. Asking that doesn't mean anything, right?"
"I overheard your little talk with that half-and-half bastard," Bakugo suddenly added. His crimson eyes narrowed.
"The bet you two made—I heard it all."
"Uh…"
"And before Deku's match, I told him everything I overheard. Including the part about you and half-and-half's… 'quirk marriage.'"
Konata: "…"
So the real mastermind pulling strings behind the scenes was you, huh? You damn bastard.
Seeing her blank, dumbfounded expression only made Bakugo's temper flare. His voice dropped cold.
"You get what I'm saying, right?"
"Uh… you're indirectly telling me you're a peeping tom?"
"…"
Bakugo inhaled deeply, resisting the urge to smack her through the wall.
"Feelings. You girls always figure this stuff out way earlier than guys do. Don't tell me you can't see how Deku feels about you. He's been throwing himself into battles just to prove himself to you. So I'm asking you—give him a straight answer. I don't wanna see—"
Before he could finish, Konata bolted like a startled rabbit, sprinting over ten meters away in an instant.
Throwing her hands up defensively, she declared with absolute seriousness:
"Forget it! Impossible! Absolutely not! I treat you all like brothers, and you actually want to hit on me?! That's a crime! A crime!, do you understand?!"
Bakugo's mouth twitched violently. He seriously regretted ever trying to have this conversation—his IQ must have dropped just by dealing with her.
"…Idiot."
Veins bulged on his forehead. Finally, Bakugo snapped, yelling across the distance:
"If it weren't for Deku, I wouldn't give a damn about this crap! You idiot, how the hell can you say that with a straight face?! At least act like a damn girl once in a while! Deku's gotta be blind to—"
"Bye bye bye bye bye bye bye bye!"
Firing off eight "byes" in one breath, Konata spun on her heel and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Bakugo: "…"
Yeah… I'm definitely gonna punch her one of these days.
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The evening sun cast its warm golden light into the modest infirmary room.
"Alright, you two can walk around now. But for your wounds to fully heal, you'll need at least one night of rest. Really now, you can't keep overdoing it like this," Recovery Girl scolded as she packed away her tools.
"Even if I can treat you, my healing isn't all-powerful. You've both pushed yourselves way too far. Remember this—there won't be a next time."
Leaving those stern words behind, she exited the infirmary, giving the two boys some private time.
"I lost," Todoroki finally admitted after staring silently at his left hand for a long while. Resting his head against the bed frame, he closed his eyes. "But next time, I won't lose again."
Midoriya, gazing out at the sunset, broke his silence with a quiet question.
"Are you still… lost?"
"…Lost?" Todoroki turned his head slightly.
Clenching his bandaged hand into a fist, Midoriya lowered his gaze.
"I'm lost right now."
"—Confused young people, on the road of life, who doesn't feel lost at times?"
Before Todoroki Shoto could reply, Konata Izumi's voice came from the doorway of the infirmary.
With a loud kick, the door flew open. She wore a pair of sunglasses (who knows where she even found them), a cigarette hanging from the corner of her mouth, both hands shoved deep into her pockets—putting on the full airs of a yakuza boss as she strode inside.
"Yo, you guys having a little roundabout meeting here?"
She swept her gaze across the two petrified figures in the room and walked up to the desk, planting one foot boldly on the chair.
Thumb jabbing over her shoulder, Konata put on a gruff, overbearing tone.
"—If you can walk, then hurry up and get back to the classroom for the meeting. Don't make me say it twice. Got it?"
Todoroki and Midoriya instinctively nodded.
"Good. Glad you understand. Then I'll be on my way."
Satisfied with their obedience, Konata kicked the chair aside with a loud crash and turned to leave. As she walked, she rattled on like an old gangster.
"—Listen up, the lot of you. At your age, just study properly and don't spend all day thinking about love or romance nonsense. If I catch anyone fooling around with early dating, then as the boss of this class, I'll make an example of them—drag 'em out in front of everyone and force 'em to write a hundred-thousand-word reflection—uwaaaah!"
Because of the sunglasses blocking her view, she failed to see the floor clearly. Just as she reached the doorway, her infamous loli flat-ground fall skill—previously displayed during the Sports Festival—triggered once again. She fell face-first, sunglasses flying several meters away.
Midoriya: "…"
Todoroki: "…"
Lying face-down for about five seconds, Konata slowly pushed herself back up, her grand plan to ruin her own image lying in shambles. Expressionless, she exhaled deeply, then turned toward the two boys.
"You didn't see anything just now, right?"
Both Todoroki and Midoriya shook their heads firmly.
"Good. Anyway, head back to the classroom. Your medals will be handed out by All Might later. That's all."
Turning back, she started searching for the sunglasses—no way could she afford to break Present Mic-sensei's shades.
But after taking only two steps, she spun around again.
"Oh, right, one more thing—just so we're clear, I only love lolis. We're all good bros here, so don't let a little fight damage your friendships. That's all."
With that, she finally left the infirmary, shutting the door behind her. Inside, Todoroki and Midoriya were left staring blankly at each other.
"…What did Konata even mean by that?" Midoriya asked.
"No idea." Todoroki shook his head curtly.
Thus, the Sports Festival officially came to a close. Even though the ending wasn't perfect—only two people received their medals—the event still wrapped up as a whole.
During homeroom, Aizawa-sensei gave a brief summary of the Festival, then announced the upcoming schedule.
Tomorrow and the day after would be holidays. After that, regular classes would resume, leading into the hero office internships. Those who performed well during the Festival would receive offers from pro hero agencies across the country. Even those without offers would be placed in agencies through the school's arrangements.
In short—every student would have a one-week internship. The better their performance, the greater freedom they had to choose; those who did poorly would only get to pick from the school's list.
As the sunset painted the sky outside, Konata lay on her desk, lost in thought.
After learning the truth about Endeavor from Todoroki, she had no intention of joining his agency. But after the whole Bakugo Katsuki fiasco, she found herself reconsidering.
Seriously though, what the hell? I only like lolis, okay? How did things end up like this?!
She had secretly used her Appraisal skill on all her male classmates earlier, and the results shocked her. Almost everyone's favorability was above fifty points. Midoriya's was the highest—ninety-seven! Tokoyami Fumikage was second with seventy-one, and Bakugo came in third with sixty-five.
Todoroki, meanwhile, sat neatly at fifty—perfectly average.
So when exactly had Midoriya's favorability skyrocketed like that?
Konata knew that high favorability didn't automatically mean romance. For example, All Might's favorability toward her was maxed at one hundred, but that was purely the affection of a senior toward a junior. Aizawa-sensei's was also over ninety, but that was simply a teacher's care.
So why couldn't Midoriya's ninety-seven just be brotherly camaraderie? Bakugo must have misunderstood everything! After all, Midoriya didn't look like a lolicon… right?
Wait. Could it be that Bakugo himself actually liked Midoriya, and so he saw everyone else as a love rival…? Hm. That hypothesis might actually have some weight…
As usual, Konata's thoughts wandered in a bizarre direction. Truly, it could be considered her innate talent.
When Aizawa-sensei finally dismissed class, Konata was the first to grab her bag and dash out the door, leaving everyone—including Aizawa himself—staring after her in confusion.
Finding a quiet, secluded corner, Konata took out her phone. After a moment's hesitation, she dialed the number Endeavor had given her.
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