Piiii~!!
The sharp whistle, followed by the roaring bustle of the audience, announced the end of the first event—just as Midnight-sensei had explained beforehand. The moment the forty-second contestant crossed the goal line, the round officially concluded.
Nora took a brief moment to steady his breathing. It didn't take long; by the time the first round ended, he had already returned to his normal state. This rapid recovery was one of the perks of being a half-beast—his physical resilience far surpassed that of an average student.
He watched as his friends cleared the first round one after another. As expected, the top forty-two were dominated by Class 1-A and 1-B. The audience seemed unsurprised; after all, it was practically an annual tradition.
"Sigh…"
Nora let out a quiet breath as he felt a sharp, piercing gaze boring into him. Casually, he turned toward its source.
Bakugo was glaring at him intensely. Every so often, Bakugo's eyes would shift toward Todoroki—the current first-place holder—with even greater hostility.
For a brief moment, Nora glared back. But after already planting a kick in Bakugo's face earlier, most of his pent-up frustration had faded. Feeling a little foolish for dwelling on it, he decided to let it go.
The second event was announced: a team-based battle—a cavalry match. Teams of two to four students would be formed on the spot.
For Nora, the most obvious choice was teaming up with Class 1-A students he was already familiar with. Like everyone else, he began searching for acquaintances first.
To fully utilize his physical abilities, Nora knew a two-person team would be ideal—three at most. Anything more would only hold him back. Despite his strength, his build wasn't wide enough to comfortably support multiple teammates. Adding another "horse" would severely reduce his agility and mobility.
He scanned his classmates. The ones he was closest to included Kirishima, Kaminari, Ashido, Yaoyorozu, Hagakure, and possibly Asui.
Yaoyorozu, with her versatility, would have been a great choice.
But the moment he looked in her direction, Todoroki had already approached her.
…Damn it.
Spotting another candidate, Nora immediately dashed toward her.
"Do you want to team up?" he asked.
"Of course!"
True to her bubbly personality, she accepted without hesitation—especially since he was the one who approached her first.
"Everyone ready!?" Midnight's voice echoed across the arena once more.
"In position!"
At her cue, teams quickly assembled their cavalries.
"And lastly, before we begin," Midnight continued with a playful tone, "to make things more entertaining~ the first-place finisher from the previous event will start with one million points!"
In an instant, everyone's attention snapped to Todoroki.
"Tch."
Bakugo clicked his tongue quietly—but he didn't back down in the slightest.
"Plus…"
"""ULTRA!!!"""
And just like that, the second round began.
***
It began with a bang.
Half of the participants immediately set their sights on the golden prize—the team carrying the million points—while the more calculating and shrewd competitors chose a different approach, targeting those reckless enough to challenge the number one head-on.
"Aren't we going?" the girl on Nora's back asked. "It's kind of embarrassing with just the two of us…" Her voice dwindled into a whisper toward the end.
"...It'll be fine if you don't say it out loud," Nora replied, deliberately ignoring both her words and the presence pressing against his back.
"But I already said it?!" she protested.
"..."
An awkward silence followed.
She squirmed restlessly on his back. "Ughhh, alright, alright! I see nothing, I hear nothing, I feel nothing!" she chanted, repeating it like a mantra.
"The last one was unnecessary," Nora muttered, glancing behind him—only to see nothing at all.
"Hey?!" she complained. "I was just starting to forget about it!"
"Hang on."
Nora suddenly tightened his grip. A sound—something ominous—had reached his ears.
"Kya! Where are you touching?!"
The invisible girl shrieked dramatically, though her exaggerated tone made it painfully obvious she was joking. Even a deaf person could've picked up on it.
Nora stared at the headband floating in midair—resting on her forehead, though she herself was invisible.
"…You're full of surprises," he thought. Just like an onion—layers within layers.
"Don't bite your tongue," he warned calmly.
Then, cold air erupted outward in all directions.
At visible speed, a massive wave of ice spread from the center of the battlefield.
Nora evaded it effortlessly, even with Hagakure on his back.
Only then did the situation become clear.
Todoroki had waited until the groups targeting him drew close—then unleashed a massive AOE attack. The ice expanded in a perfect circle. In a single word: a cage. It trapped his enemies inside while simultaneously forming an impenetrable wall protecting his own team.
"DIE!!"
A furious scream rang out, followed by a series of explosions that shattered part of the icy wall. From the breach burst out a cavalry team—
Bakugo's group.
"JUST YOU WAIT!" he roared at the towering ice barrier.
…
While most of the battlefield stood frozen in shock at the sudden ice fortress, Nora whispered quietly,
"Toru… we move now."
Unlike before, Hagakure was completely serious. As a promising stealth hero, she understood better than anyone how precious this moment was—when everyone's attention was focused elsewhere.
The plan was simple.
Nora would be the swift and agile legs.
Hagakure would be the unseen, nimble hands.
Nora would approach from an unexpected angle, and Hagakure would steal with invisible precision.
"Go, Nora!" she whispered, urging him on like a jockey whipping a horse.
"I'll get my revenge later," he muttered.
"—!?"
I heard nothing.
Hagakure shut out every stray thought, focusing solely on the task ahead.