After Lock told Mei Hatsume about the discussion in the office, she secretly let out a sigh of relief.
Soon, the lunch bell rang.
Lock waved goodbye and returned to the Hero Course building.
The afternoon passed in a blur.
After school.
As usual, the students of Class 1-A packed up and prepared to head home. Uraraka Ochaco, who sat near the front, reached the classroom door first and slid it open—
"…Huh?"
She froze.
The hallway outside was completely packed.
Dozens of students crowded the corridor, forming a dense wall that entirely blocked the exit of Class 1-A.
"What is going on…?"
Uraraka stared in shock.
Minoru Mineta hopped twice beside her, trying to peek over the heads in front.
"W-We can't even squeeze through?!"
"Hmph."
Bakugo Katsuki strode forward, expression full of disdain.
"So a bunch of extras came to scout the enemy, huh?"
He shoved his hands into his pockets and glared at the crowd.
"If you're done sightseeing, move. You're in the way."
His arrogant tone immediately stirred the hallway into an uproar.
Then—
The crowd parted slightly.
A boy stepped forward.
Purple hair like tangled seaweed. Sharp, inverted triangular eyes. A gloomy expression that made him look more villain than hero.
He faced Bakugo head-on.
"I was wondering what kind of people Class 1-A were," he said flatly. "But seeing this… I'm a little disappointed."
Bakugo's eyes flared.
"Hah? And who the hell are you?"
"Hitoshi Shinso. General Studies."
The moment he introduced himself, the students behind him fell quiet, as if acknowledging him as their representative.
Shinso continued calmly,
"Many of us failed the practical entrance exam. But depending on performance at the Sports Festival, the school may re-evaluate transfers into the Hero Course."
U.A. had kept details of the USJ incident under control. While everyone knew villains had invaded, they didn't know the level of threat involved.
In the public eye, it seemed like Class 1-A had simply repelled a bunch of minor criminals.
And that only made the Hero Course even more famous.
To students in other departments, it looked like glory.
"Scouting?" Shinso sneered. "We're here to declare war."
"If you think you're special just because you drove off some villains, you'll be overturned."
His words were bold.
But aside from him, the others in General Studies looked… less confident.
At that moment, Lock and Kyoka Jiro reached the doorway.
Lock had no intention of wasting time in pointless arguing. He simply planned to clear a path.
The instant the crowd saw him—
Gasps erupted.
"That's Lock!"
"The Pro Hero student!"
"He defeated the villain during the USJ attack!"
"If he participates in the Sports Festival, isn't the championship already decided?!"
The fear in their voices made Lock remember Principal Nezu's earlier reasoning.
This was exactly why the faculty had asked him not to compete in the student bracket.
Weak people feared overwhelming strength.
And fear turned into hostility.
Shinso's eyes locked onto Lock's.
"Are you Lock—the so-called wizard?"
His tone was casual.
But he had already activated his Quirk.
Brainwashing.
Lock knew exactly how it worked.
If he responded while Shinso's Quirk was active, he would fall under control.
Lock's lips curved slightly.
"Yes."
The moment he answered—
Shinso's eyes flashed with triumph.
Got him.
"So that's it," Shinso thought. "All the hype, and he's this careless?"
He raised his voice sharply.
"Kneel."
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
Even Bakugo frowned.
Only the General Studies students understood what was happening.
But Lock simply looked at him calmly.
"…Is that it?"
Shinso's confident expression cracked.
"What? Why aren't you reacting?!"
He knew his Quirk had activated.
Once someone responded, the brainwave resonance should've taken effect.
The method of release was simple—intense external stimulation could break the control.
And within Lock's body, thunder-element magic surged like a living storm.
The instant Shinso's Quirk touched him, the electric magic flared violently—
Shattering the influence before it could take root.
Lock stepped forward.
The temperature in the hallway seemed to drop.
"Kneel."
He didn't shout.
He didn't need to.
A suffocating pressure erupted from him.
It wasn't magic.
It was present.
The accumulated killing intent from battles. The overwhelming dominance of someone who had crushed Nomu. The quiet authority of a Pro Hero.
The air itself felt heavy.
Students trembled.
Sweat rolled down their temples.
Shinso's pupils shrank.
His legs weakened under the crushing pressure—
"Thud."
He dropped to his knees.
The hallway went dead silent.
Lock's gaze swept across the crowd.
"Don't play tricks you can't control."
"You'll only discover how small you are."
The words were calm.
But no one dared respond.
The students instinctively parted, forming a wide path through the corridor.
Lock took Kyoka's hand lightly—not dramatically, just enough to guide her forward—and walked through the parted crowd without another glance.
Behind them, Shinso remained kneeling, teeth clenched, eyes burning—not with humiliation alone, but with something deeper.
Resolve.
The small disturbance ended there.
Two weeks passed in the blink of an eye.
And finally—
The day of the U.A. Sports Festival arrived.
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