Pop. Pop. Pop.
Fireworks burst into the sky, announcing the opening of the School Festival.
"Hero Class 1-A!" the emcee called out.
At once, Class 1-A rushed onto the field together.
"Woahhh!!"
The roar of the crowd was so overwhelming it felt like a passive buff activating on everyone's heart.
It was like standing in a modern colosseum—no, more like a World Cup stadium. That was exactly how Nora felt as he stood on the field.
"I've seen this a few times before, but standing here in person really does feel different," Nora said, awed by the excitement.
"Hehe, I feel the same way. It's hard to believe I'm the one standing here right now," Hagakure replied, instinctively trying to hide herself from the audience.
"Dude! I'm so excited!" Kaminari jumped into the conversation.
"Shh!" Iida immediately reprimanded them.
"Welcome, everyone!"
Midnight, acting as today's emcee, took control of the event.
"Our first event is an Obstacle Race! The participants must overcome numerous obstacles, and the top 42 will earn the right to proceed to the next round! As for what those obstacles are…" she paused dramatically, "…it's a secret for later~"
Nora nodded at her coquettish act. As expected. It was hard to ignore.
On the other side, Mineta was already on his last HP.
As Midnight continued explaining the rules, all eyes were fixed on Class 1-A—not just from the audience, but also from Hero Class 1-B, the General Studies students, and even the Support Course.
No exaggeration—they had everyone's attention.
"Alright! Everyone, take your positions!"
"And… GO!"
The crisp sound of something freezing instantly caught Nora's ears.
Normally, he wouldn't hesitate to warn his classmates—or even other students—but this was a competition, not a death game or anything like that.
I'll be polite and not trample on your effort.
Nora leapt forward, using another student's body as a stepping stone. In the very next second, a wave of ice spread across the ground, immobilizing everyone it touched.
"Fast…" Nora muttered, praising both the power and speed. His gaze snapped toward the front.
Jumping left and right, he moved through the chaos, accompanied by cries of protest:
"Ouch!"
"Hey!"
"How dare you!"
Ignoring the complaints behind him, he surged ahead. His feet slid briefly across the frozen floor, and before long, he was right behind Todoroki.
"Tch."
Todoroki clicked his tongue. He had expected this—but it was still annoying.
A moment later, one by one, students from Class 1-A began breaking free from the frozen ground.
"Woahhhh!"
Another thunderous cheer erupted from the audience in support of Class 1-A. The reaction was immediate. The commentators sang praises of the class—partly because everyone was already familiar with Todoroki's quirk, but also because their experience at USJ clearly showed.
It was obvious who today's side characters were.
The rest of the students could only watch, their expressions darkened by the blatant favoritism toward Class 1-A.
It didn't take long for Todoroki to reach the first obstacle.
Creck. Creck.
The sound of shifting gears echoed through the stadium. Then, with a heavy impact, the Zero-Point Robot emerged, blocking their path.
"Wow. Seriously… how rich," Nora whistled at the extravagant display of U.A.'s budget.
"Huu…"
Todoroki exhaled coldly, and that same crisp freezing sound reached Nora's ears.
In an instant, the massive Zero-Point Robot was completely immobilized by ice. As Todoroki sprinted past it, he heard a voice right behind him.
"Someone seems spirited today. Thanks," Nora said cheerfully, taking full advantage of the free pass.
"Tch!"
Todoroki flicked his hand, and the ice surged toward Nora as if it had a will of its own.
"Ah—! Phew!"
Nora hopped back a few steps, narrowly avoiding the attack and putting some distance between them.
"Haa!"
Todoroki let out another cold breath, clearly annoyed. Still, dealing with Nora would take too much time. Clicking his tongue, he refocused on his original goal—
To prove himself.
Nora stayed behind him after that. It wasn't that he couldn't overtake Todoroki—he simply decided it wasn't worth the effort.
Only forty-two students would advance.
He was easily within that number.
When they reached the second obstacle, a canyon stretched out before them, with ropes suspended across it. There were multiple routes to cross, but all were roughly the same length.
Nora peered down. The canyon was over ten meters deep.
"U.A. really is versatile…"
Looking ahead, Todoroki was already halfway across.
Still, that wasn't a problem.
"This obstacle looks like it was built to give me an advantage."
Without hesitation, Nora dashed onto the rope.
As a cat-type Quirk user, he had two natural passive buffs: enhanced dynamic vision and reflexes—and an exceptional sense of balance. Remembering the earlier attack from the lead, Nora deliberately chose a slightly wider route than Todoroki's and crossed the rope like a gust of wind.
"Woah!! Class 1-A's Nekoyama is running like he's on flat ground!"
The commentator went wild. "Will he take the lead!?"
Despite starting later, Nora and Todoroki reached the opposite side of the canyon at the same time.
A wave of ice suddenly lunged at Nora from the side.
He reacted on instinct—leaping and rolling forward.
"Hey! Can't you stop that?!" he protested.
Then, with a sigh, he answered himself. "…Yeah, I figured you wouldn't."
"Andnn—the third and final obstacle! There are landmines ahead! The power has been reduced, but they're still strong enough to send someone flying two to three meters into the air!!"
Midnight continued her explanation excitedly.
Unfortunately, Nora had already reached the area.
Click.
"…!?"
BOOM!
The moment he realized it, the landmine detonated beneath his foot. Nora reacted instantly, throwing himself backward—but the blast still carried him forward.
That brief delay was enough for Todoroki to reclaim the lead.
"Huu…"
Todoroki exhaled coldly, and a smooth path of ice formed in front of him, turning the minefield into little more than a flat road.
If the second obstacle had been a feast for Nora, then the third was undeniably a feast for Todoroki.
Nora shook his head and quietly followed behind the ice path.
—!?
Suddenly, Nora's ears twitched.
His instincts screamed.
"DON'T STAND IN FRONT OF ME!!"
A wide right swing, paired with an explosion, lunged toward him like a tiger pouncing on its prey.
"Oops!"
Nora crouched on instinct, barely avoiding the blast. When he looked up, he saw Bakugo clashing head-on with Todoroki.
"…This mad dog," Nora muttered, gritting his teeth as he forced himself to calm down.
I get it. You want to win. Everyone does.
I can tolerate it once or twice—but I'm human, not some Buddha with infinite patience.
It's not fair that you're the only one allowed to be pissed all the time, right?
If you're going to be angry, at least have a reason.
With his emotions settled, Nora dashed forward.
Todoroki and Bakugo were both trying to seize the lead by harassing each other, slowing one another down.
Nora slipped into that chaos like a silent cat stalking its prey—
—and in an instant, his shoe smashed straight into Bakugo's face.
"Eat shit for once."
Bakugo was caught completely off guard. Losing his balance, he crashed backward—right onto another landmine.
BOOM—BOOM—!
A chain explosion erupted.
Nora was blasted off to the side.
Todoroki was launched forward.
When the dust settled—
Todoroki claimed first place, followed closely by Nora, then Bakugo, and finally Midoriya, who arrived riding yet another explosion.