Sunday passed.
Monday arrived.
As usual, Lock headed to U.A. High with his childhood friend Jiro Kyoka.
The difference was that today, the road in front of U.A.'s main gate was completely blocked by a dense crowd of reporters.
"How did it feel attending All Might's class?"
"What's the Symbol of Peace like when he's teaching on the podium?"
Lock glanced to the side and saw classmates like Yaoyorozu Momo and Iida Tenya already being surrounded and interviewed.
Of course, the reporters weren't there out of pure curiosity.
They had caught wind of the news that All Might had begun teaching last week and, like cats smelling fish, swarmed over in an attempt to get exclusive coverage.
To be honest, Lock had always disliked interviews.
The spotlight wasn't as glorious as people imagined.
For the sake of clicks and attention, reporters loved exaggerated headlines and distorted content, just to hook readers.
Especially during the Flamingo incident—their two-faced behavior back then was something Lock found truly disgusting.
When Flamingo tortured and killed criminals, they did everything they could to smear him.
But after the truth was exposed, those same reporters rushed to publish remorseful, regret-filled reports.
They praised you when you were shining, then turned their backs the moment you fell.
More than that, what annoyed Lock most was that reporters never cared about timing or place.
A situation like this directly interfered with students attending class.
After becoming a Pro Hero, Lock wasn't against interviews—but they were always arranged privately, at agreed times, with proper visits.
Not a swarm of people blocking the school gates like this.
"Uh… Lock, a lot of reporters are looking at us."
Jiro Kyoka gently tugged at his sleeve.
The reporters who couldn't squeeze further in had already noticed Lock, and their gazes locked onto him with barely concealed excitement.
"Watch me," Lock said calmly. "I'll get rid of these annoying guys."
"Eh—get rid of them?"
Seeing the slight curve of Lock's lips as he stepped forward, Jiro Kyoka froze for a moment.
What exactly was he planning to do?
At the same time, reporters from every direction rushed toward Lock, instantly surrounding him.
"If we can't interview All Might, we can interview the mage!"
"How does it feel to attend U.A. High as a Pro Hero?"
"As the youngest Pro Hero in history, what do you think about that title?"
Lock didn't answer.
He simply raised his head slightly.
Cold light flickered in his eyes as he looked down at the crowd.
Magic power surged through his body, and a pitch-black aura began to leak out around him.
"The Breath of Death."
In an instant, a monstrous killing intent descended.
The reporters felt as if they were being swallowed whole.
Some felt their stomachs churn violently.
Their surroundings seemed to transform—
a sea of corpses and blood beneath their feet,
countless twisted, hideous demons staring at them with blood-red eyes.
The dark magic of the Breath of Death.
As long as the target lacked sufficient strength, simply standing before the caster would induce overwhelming fear and nausea.
These reporters weren't even Quirk users—there was no possibility of resistance.
"Ah!!"
The reporters farther away barely managed to retch and stagger back.
Those closest to Lock collapsed onto the ground in terror, microphones and cameras forgotten, scrambling away from the center in panic.
This was only because Lock had deliberately restrained himself.
Otherwise, he feared some of them might have been scared to death on the spot.
"May I pass?" Lock said calmly, withdrawing the aura. "The class bell is ringing."
His voice wasn't loud, yet it rang clearly in everyone's ears.
"P-Please!" ×N
Countless voices answered in unison.
The road in front of U.A. High was instantly cleared.
The reporters stood in two neat rows, making way down the center, cold sweat streaming down their faces as they didn't even dare wipe it away.
The scene just now lingered in their minds like a nightmare.
As if they had truly glimpsed hell.
So… terrifying.
Jiro Kyoka stared blankly at the trembling reporters.
"Let's go, Kyoka," Lock said.
"Y-Yes!"
She snapped out of it and hurried after him.
The two walked into U.A. High without a second glance.
Only after they disappeared did the reporters finally breathe in shaky relief.
To think they had been scared stiff by a student—
even if that student was a Pro Hero.
"What was that just now…?"
"I don't know."
One reporter wiped sweat from his forehead. He had interviewed countless Pro Heroes, yet never felt pressure like this before.
"That was presence," an older reporter said gravely. "I felt the same thing once when I interviewed Endeavor. The same."
He recalled a past attempt to interview Endeavor—one glance from the man had frozen him in place.
They also remembered the incident where the Evolutionaries' stronghold was destroyed.
That case had later been announced by the police alongside details of the Flamingo incident.
The official report didn't hide the fact that Lock, acting under a lawful kill order, had personally killed a group of Evolutionaries.
At the time, it caused a massive uproar.
Even though it was legal, many people found it hard to accept that an underage Pro Hero could take lives.
Looking at today's scene, though—
With that kind of aura, it was no wonder he could kill.
"Alright," the old reporter said quietly. "Lesson learned. Don't try to interview Mage Lock like this again."
The others nodded deeply.
Then—
They turned back to interviewing students and teachers entering U.A.
In terms of dedication, reporters truly were unmatched.
Jingle—jingle!
The class bell rang.
The first period was with their homeroom teacher, Aizawa Shouta.
Aizawa still looked as though he hadn't slept in days, holding a thick stack of practical training reports as he lazily began summarizing the fundamentals of hero work.
The review itself was uneventful—he simply gave brief evaluations for each student.
He focused mainly on two people.
Bakugo Katsuki, for reckless attacks.
Midoriya Izuku, for severely injuring himself.
As for Lock, whose damage output was equal to or greater—
His actions had been tightly controlled, and Shoto Todoroki had suffered only minor injuries.
So Aizawa let him off.
"Alright," Aizawa said suddenly, his tone dragging in a way that made everyone tense.
"Although this is sudden, let's get straight to the point. Today, you—"
Every heart in Class 1-A lifted.
Then Aizawa finished calmly:
"The candidates for class president have been decided."
Silence.
Then—
The classroom instantly exploded.
Class President Election!
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