"Woo~!"
On the tram, Amano Sora sat beside Toru Hagakure, both of them gazing out the window at the passing scenery.
In the distance, the massive outline of U.A. High School slowly came into view.
Even from afar, its scale was overwhelming. The school grounds stretched endlessly, and nearly everything within sight belonged to U.A.—training facilities, testing zones, and massive buildings that radiated authority.
After chatting for a while, the two got off the tram and joined the flow of students heading toward the campus.
Just by looking at the crowd, it was obvious—every single one of them was here for the U.A. Entrance Examination.
"As expected of U.A…" Toru murmured, staring at the sea of examinees. A hint of nervousness crept into her voice. "There are so many people. Sora, do you really think I can get in? I mean, I…"
Sora glanced at her, then deliberately looked straight ahead.
"Don't worry," he said calmly. "U.A. isn't stupid. They won't judge someone based only on raw combat power. Your Quirk is excellent. You'll definitely become a great Hero someday."
His tone was firm and reassuring.
That said…
Sora himself wasn't all that confident.
In the original timeline, only Midoriya Izuku managed to pass purely on rescue points. Toru's abilities weren't much stronger than Midoriya's had been back then.
Then again… Izuku without One For All really was pitiful.
Sora suppressed a smile.
U.A. High School – Examination Venue
The massive semi-circular arena loomed before them.
Sora glanced around lazily. There had to be at least two or three thousand examinees here.
"As expected of the nation's top Hero academy," he muttered. "Even the venue alone is ridiculous."
He leaned back in his seat while the instructor spoke at the podium.
To be honest, Sora wasn't listening at all.
He already knew the rules.
Every trap.
Every trick.
Even the scoring system.
When he thought about how only thirty-six candidates would pass the Hero Course, he couldn't help clicking his tongue.
"That's less than one percent…"
The competition was brutal.
"Sora, pay attention!" Toru whispered urgently beside him. "This is important!"
"Relax," Sora replied lazily. "We already passed the written test. What's next is the practical exam. Listening too closely might even make you overthink things."
He shrugged.
"Besides, anything truly important would've been written in the rules. Everything else is just noise."
Toru stared at him, stunned.
She wanted to argue.
But the more she thought about it… the more his logic made sense.
In the end, she sighed and turned back toward the podium, listening seriously.
Sora leaned back again, a faint smile on his lips.
He could already picture her expression.
Sometimes, listening too much just gets in the way.
What he didn't notice, however, was a tiny red light blinking beneath his seat.
A listening device.
From the moment the examinees stepped onto campus, the evaluation had already begun.
Monitoring Room – U.A. High School
Inside the control room, several pro heroes and instructors watched the feeds carefully.
When Sora's words were picked up by the monitoring system, a few of them chuckled.
"This kid's pretty sharp," one examiner said with amusement.
"Or just overconfident," another replied calmly. "Understanding the rules is important."
A third snorted. "With Present Mic's volume, even if you cover your ears, you'll still hear everything."
That earned a round of laughter.
Before the Exam Begins
As the explanation wrapped up, Sora glanced around.
He spotted familiar faces.
Tenya Iida, standing stiffly upright.
Midoriya Izuku, looking painfully nervous.
A few others he vaguely recognized—students who would eventually make it into the Hero Course.
So this is how it starts…
When the group began to disperse, Toru looked down at her exam ticket and sighed.
"Ah… I'm in Area C. You're in Area F, right?"
"Looks like it," Sora replied. "They're probably separating students from the same schools."
Toru scratched her head awkwardly. "I guess I really should've listened more carefully…"
Sora laughed. "You did fine."
Then he paused, as if remembering something.
"Oh, and Toru?"
"Hm?"
"Being a Hero isn't just about defeating villains," he said casually. "Keep that in mind during the exam."
Toru blinked. "What do you mean?"
Sora waved his hand. "You'll understand later."
He turned and walked away before she could ask more.
Exam Site – Area F
Sora boarded the bus assigned to his group, watching the cityscape pass by outside the window.
The ride was quiet. Most candidates were either meditating, stretching, or muttering to themselves.
He spotted a few familiar faces:
Itsuka Kendo, the girl with vine-like hair
Mashirao Ojiro, with his distinctive tail
Minoru Mineta, the short boy with grape-like hair
Yeah… this lineup checks out.
The bus eventually stopped in front of a massive artificial city.
Even though Sora already knew about it, the sight still left him impressed.
Entire city blocks.
High-rise buildings.
Wide streets.
All constructed solely for training and exams.
"U.A. really doesn't hold back…" he muttered.
The massive steel gate slowly rose without a sound.
At that moment, something clicked in Sora's mind.
He smiled.
So this is how it starts.
He cracked his neck.
Lightning flickered faintly around his body.
Then—
Whoosh!
Sora launched forward like an arrow, disappearing into the test zone before anyone else could react.
The examinees behind him froze.
Then—
Several of the sharper ones immediately followed.
More followed after that.
Within seconds, the entire group surged forward.
From the observation tower, Present Mic's voice boomed across the field:
"Run, run, RUN! What—did you think someone would announce the start?! The exam began the moment you arrived!"
Panic spread through the remaining examinees as they rushed in.
Meanwhile…
Inside Area F, a streak of golden lightning tore through the streets.
The monitoring room fell silent.
Every screen was locked onto the same figure.
A blur of light.
A flash of speed.
A presence that didn't belong to an ordinary examinee.
One of the instructors whispered in disbelief:
"…That kid…"
Another swallowed.
"…What the hell is that speed?"
And in the center of the chaos—
Amano Sora smiled.
The exam had finally begun.