On the weekend, at the gates of the Yaoyorozu estate.
Kaminari, Ashido, Jiro, Ojiro, and Sero stood in front of the sprawling, seemingly endless manor. Their mouths were open—but no words came out.
If someone from an ordinary family saw a place like this for the first time, this reaction would be completely normal.
"Even though I knew for a long time that Yaoyorozu was a rich young lady," Kaminari muttered, "I didn't expect it to be this exaggerated."
Because the number of students needing extra tutoring was fairly large—and Masata's home didn't have enough rooms—the study sessions had been arranged here instead.
Once the five of them arrived, Yaoyorozu Momo and Igarashi Masata walked out of the manor to greet them.
The moment Kaminari spotted Masata, his eyes lit up with sudden realization. He stepped forward, wrapped an arm around Masata's shoulders, and whispered excitedly.
"Masata! Why are you here so early?"
Masata, completely confused by the question, looked at him blankly.
"Of course I'm here. I've been living here for the past two days."
"…Nani?!"
Kaminari froze in place.
That powerful Masata was being raised by the Yaoyorozu family?!
The world Kaminari thought he knew suddenly felt very different.
"No," Masata said quickly, a black line forming on his forehead. "I just have a room here."
Seeing Kaminari's exaggerated reaction, Masata couldn't help but wonder what kind of nonsense was going through his head. Why was he looking at him with such a strange expression?
Kaminari glanced at Masata again—taller by a head, broad-shouldered, with a handsome face—then looked back at himself.
"I really want to be a kept boy too!"
With tears streaming down his face, Kaminari grabbed Masata's sleeve, snot and all.
"Master! Teach me your ways! I swear I'll study them seriously!"
Masata slapped him away in disgust, utterly speechless.
"I already told you—I'm not a kept boy!"
A week passed in the blink of an eye.
On the day of the final exam, everyone learned through Class B that in previous years, the practical assessment had involved fighting the same kind of giant robots used during the entrance exam.
Because of that, aside from Mineta—who wasn't good at combat—most of the class didn't take it too seriously. No matter how destructive the robots were, their movements were slow and clumsy. As long as you found an opening, one decisive strike would be enough.
That morning's written exam had everyone fully focused, pens flying across the paper.
Those who had participated in the Yaoyorozu tutoring sessions wore relaxed, confident smiles. A large portion of the questions had been accurately predicted by Yaoyorozu. Even when the numbers differed, the problem-solving methods were almost identical.
Everyone looked satisfied.
"I'm definitely passing this time!"
"Long live group studying!"
The two students who had originally been most worried about failing were now brimming with confidence.
In the afternoon, it was time for the practical combat assessment.
When everyone put on their combat uniforms and arrived at the training grounds, they didn't see any giant robots at all. Instead, numerous U.A. teachers were already present.
"The next activity is this semester's practical combat exam," Aizawa said calmly, standing in front of the class. "Naturally, there is a passing line. Students who wish to participate in the forest dorm program should be especially careful not to make foolish mistakes."
"You should've already heard bits and pieces through various channels before the exam," he continued. "You likely have some idea of the format."
Hearing this, Masata—already very familiar with Aizawa's habits—felt that something about this test was definitely different.
Of course, the two idiots, Kaminari and Ashido, paid no attention to Aizawa's tone at all and instead jumped excitedly.
"The robot-harvesting battle from the entrance exam!"
"Fireworks! Curry! Courage test!"
"It's a pity," Aizawa interrupted coolly. "Due to various reasons, the content of this practical exam has been changed."
As his capture scarf shifted, a small, white creature suddenly appeared.
It was U.A.'s principal.
Ashido, who still had her hands raised, and Kaminari, who was mid-pose, froze in shock.
"This is different from what we imagined…"
"In the upcoming practical exam," the principal announced while standing on Aizawa's shoulders, "you will form teams of two to fight against one of our teachers."
"The conditions for victory are simple: either successfully restrain the teacher with handcuffs within thirty minutes, or have at least one member escape through the designated exit."
"The teams will be decided by the school," Aizawa added. "Each group will have a separate exam area, and all exams will begin simultaneously. The teacher acting as your opponent will explain the specific rules to you."
"Oh, right," Aizawa said casually. "Student Igarashi Masata will not be participating in this test. He will have a separate assessment, which everyone will be allowed to observe."
"Time is limited. Let's board the buses and head to the exam sites."
The students who had been preparing to easily crush robots were completely stunned.
One moment, they were expecting a simple battle.
The next moment, they were facing professional Heroes.
Everyone's brains short-circuited.
"Oh, and Midoriya boy, Bakugo boy—your opponent will be me."
All Might suddenly appeared behind them, his towering figure radiating pressure the instant he spoke.
"Wow… you're so lucky, Masata."
Kirishima walked over and patted Masata on the shoulder, envy written all over his face.
Masata didn't feel lucky at all.
"Didn't you hear what Aizawa-sensei said?" he replied calmly. "I still have a separate exam. Who knows what kind of opponent the school has arranged for me."
In truth, with Masata's current combat ability, even seasoned professional Heroes were no longer a real match for him. The gap between them was no longer strength—but official Hero licensing.
Since the others were heading off to their exams, Masata stayed behind in the monitoring room, where all the battle footage would be displayed.
"By the way," he muttered, "without me, there are only nineteen students left. How exactly are they planning to form teams?"
With nothing else to do, Masata pondered the oddity. If they paired students unevenly, some would suffer badly under the teachers. If it was one-on-one, there'd be no suspense at all.
He didn't have to wait long.
Soon, Masata would learn the school's solution.