…The next day, I woke up and found Kurohane sleeping beside me.
Sound asleep.
She hadn't done anything—other than hugging me tightly.
Too tightly.
So tightly it was honestly suffocating.
How did she even enter my room anyway…?
I double-checked the door.
Twice.
"Kurohane… wake up…"
"Five more minutes…"
"I have to go. Today's the first day of the festival."
"Ah…"
She yawned lazily, stretched once, and then—just like that—slipped out of my bed as if she owned the place.
I got ready quickly. Just as I was about to leave, her voice came again, muffled by my blanket.
"Take care, Izuku."
…What's with this girl?
Why is she clinging to me like this?
And yet—
There's something about her.
Something sad. Something heavy that doesn't quite show on the surface.
"How do you think she entered the room, Nana-san?" I asked as I walked.
"I don't know."
"…That's rare. You always have an explanation for everything."
"That girl… I can't read her. There's something sad about her—something I can't point out," Nana said quietly.
"You think so too?"
"Anyway, don't let your guard down just because she's nice and sexy, you pervert."
"…You didn't have to say it like that."
---
As I walked down the corridor, I suddenly bumped into someone—hard.
We both fell to the ground.
It was Hannah Weiss, from Germany.
She was slender, tall for a girl—almost 175 cm.
About my height… two years ago.
"Watch where you're looking."
"I'm sorry, miss," I said immediately. It was my fault.
"That sounded insincere."
…What's that supposed to mean?
"Eh? Sorry, miss… I wasn't looking where I was going. I truly mean it."
"Just because you have a nice face—"
Her words were cut off as her head was gently but firmly pushed into a bow.
A tall figure stood behind her.
Nearly 190 cm, a little taller than me.
Blond hair. Calm blue eyes.
"I'm sorry, Izuku. My friend doesn't recognize Japan's rising storm. I'm Kaiser Richter."
"Eh? He's the Izuku Midoriya—the hero who sacrificed his quirk for a little girl..." she said, startled.
"…I'm not that great," I replied honestly.
"You are. You inspired me to become a hero."
"Eh?"
"When I saw how you defeated that villain—even sacrificing your quirk—it lit a fire in me. Izuku, you inspired me to become a hero who saves lives. I'm truly sorry for her behavior."
He bowed deeply.
She followed.
"Eh—don't bow! Please don't bow your heads!" I said in a panic.
"I'm really sorry, Izuku. I heard you got your quirk back. I'm looking forward to facing you. See you later."
With that, Kaiser pulled her away.
"…Kaiser, huh," I thought.
"He seems like a nice guy. I wonder what his quirk is."
---
I reached the common hall.
Everyone from my team was already there—including Rin.
That bastard didn't wake up.
Left himself as prey to Kurohane.
"You're late, Deku," Kacchan said.
"…Sorry. I got up late."
The International Hero Association representative stepped forward.
"Heroes and students from all over the world—this place is not only a sanctum where heroes gather, but also a ground meant to encourage new talent and recognize emerging strength."
His voice echoed through the hall.
"Now… the International Sports Festival will commence."
With that, the festival officially began.
Another man appeared—important. Powerful.
He spoke about the essence of the tournament.
Its meaning.
Its cruelty.
Afterward, we were sent to our country rooms to discuss strategy.
Aizawa-sensei and All Might handed us the official forms.
---
🌍 INTERNATIONAL SPORTS FESTIVAL
OFFICIAL TOURNAMENT RULES
---
🔰 PRE-TOURNAMENT: TEAM FINALIZATION
Each country initially nominates 10 candidates
Before the tournament begins, each country must reduce their team to 8
REMOVAL RULE
2 members must be removed
Removal can occur by:
Voluntary withdrawal
Internal evaluation
Combat trial
Council decision
> Once finalized, the 8 representatives are locked in.
⏳ You have until end of day to submit the final roster.
---
GENERAL RULES
Total Participants: 64
Once the tournament begins, all competitors fight as individuals
Killing is forbidden; injuries are allowed
Ring-out, knockout, surrender, or inability to continue = elimination
All competitors wear vital-monitor watches
Arenas and conditions are hidden until entry
---
⌚ VITAL MONITOR WATCH SYSTEM
Tracks:
Heart rate
Consciousness
Critical injuries
Quirk overload
AUTOMATIC ELIMINATION
If the watch detects:
Loss of consciousness
Dangerous vitals
Inability to continue combat
→ Officials are notified instantly
→ Competitor is recalled and eliminated
---
🟦 ROUND ONE: GLOBAL QUALIFIER
64 → 32
Purpose: Weed out weak links and reckless fighters
FORMAT
4 arenas
16 fighters per arena
Mixed countries
Free-for-all survival
ADVANCEMENT
Top 8 survivors from each arena advance
---
🟨 ROUND TWO: ADAPTATION TRIAL
32 → 16
Purpose: Test teamwork and adaptability
FORMAT
8 arenas
Fighters randomly paired into teams of two
Pairings revealed only after entry
> You don't choose your partner. A hero adapts.
RULES
Both teammates must remain active
If one is eliminated, both are out
Fighting your partner is forbidden
ADVANCEMENT
One team per arena advances
---
🟥 ROUND THREE: ELITE TRIAL
16 → 8
Purpose: Separate fighters from survivors
FORMAT
8 arenas
One-on-one battles
Random matchups
RULES
Victory by knockout, ring-out, or surrender
Injuries carry over
---
🟪 ROUND FOUR: KING'S ARENA
8 → 4
Purpose: Decide who earns the right to fight for the title
FORMAT
One massive arena
Mixed terrain from previous rounds
RULES
Free-for-all
No teams
---
🏆 FINAL ROUND: CHAMPION MATCH
4 → 1
FORMAT
Semifinal Match A
Semifinal Match B
Winners face off in the Final
FINAL ARENA
Neutral terrain
No special hazards
---
🏁 OFFICIAL STATEMENT
> "The strongest hero is not the one who survives the longest…"
"…but the one who still stands when nothing else remains."
---
…That's one brutal set of rules.
And now we have to remove two members.
Everyone here worked to get this far.
You can't just ask them to back down.
And there's another catch—
In Round Two, we might be paired with fighters from other countries.
If they sabotage us, it's over.
At the same time, if we're from the same country, alliances are expected later.
So they want to see how we adapt.
…That's how the world works.
We can't expect things to go our way.
"Now, brats—be proud. You're representing your country on the international stage."
"…Sensei," I broke the silence, "what should we do about the eight-member rule?"
"…We remove two members. That's it," Aizawa said flatly.
"But sensei… everyone worked hard to get here. Isn't that unfair?"
"The world is never fair, Midoriya."
"Don't worry, young man. We have a plan," All Might said.
"We can still use the others as replacements in case of trouble."
"…Sensei, I'm a non-combatant," Saiko Intelli said calmly.
"I propose that I act as team commander and handle strategy."
Her quirk—IQ, activated only by drinking tea.
Honestly… I wish I had that while debugging code.
"If that's your wish, young lady… Saiko Intelli will be our team commander," All Might declared—
cough.
Blood.
He reverted instantly.
…Still, he can hold his buff form for a few seconds now.
"About the last removal… I have a plan," Aizawa said.
"What do you say, Phantom Thief?"
Monoma smirked.
…Looks like they already decided.
This is going to be a long day.