"That's terrifying! Hitoshi Shinso—his Quirk can actually control other people. This match is a true underdog victory! But with such an incredible Quirk, why are you in the General Studies Department? That's way too strange, isn't it?"
Present Mic cried out in shock.
Sero, who had already left the arena and recovered from the brainwashing, stood frozen in place. He raised a hand, seeming to recall everything that had happened earlier.
Hitoshi Shinso had wanted to say something to Sero, but at the last moment, he merely shook his head and turned back toward the General Studies Department's seats.
Yet in that final moment, his gaze swept over the audience and landed on Yukino, who stood there with a calm expression.
A few minutes later...
Yukino yawned. Hearing Mic urge her to take the field, she had no choice but to leave her seat and step onto the arena.
"OK, the contestants are in position! The second match is between a Hero Course student who looks very dependable, but perhaps not all that strong... Ojiro, versus the top scorer in the entrance exam and also the top scorer in the Cavalry Battle... Su Lin! Hey, hey, first place in two events—aren't you a little too strong?"
Those words immediately piqued the curiosity of many spectators. Kamui Woods, seated nearby, showed a deeply interested look. "So she was the top scorer in U.A.'s entrance exam? But so far, the Quirk she has displayed hasn't been enough to convince everyone."
"I'm looking forward to seeing her true strength." Mt. Lady bit into a free sausage, her eyes sparkling.
Ojiro had already taken up a fighting stance. His expression was extremely grave. Having witnessed the terror of Support Barrage firsthand, he was naturally wary of the person before him, who appeared in the form of a girl.
"Ojiro, do you know what a true hero is on this arena?" Yukino rummaged in her pocket, took out a piece of candy, and tossed it into her mouth as she looked at him with ease.
"What is it?" Ojiro frowned, clenched both fists, and asked solemnly.
"It's someone who, even with absolute strength, doesn't use it to mock their opponent, but gives them enough dignity instead."
As Yukino spoke, a girl with twin tails appeared. She wore a snow-white dress, and her legs were wrapped in white stockings. She looked like a pure angel; merely standing there made many hearts flutter.
"This is..."
"I think of her as my little sister." Yukino flexed her hand, feeling the power surging through her body, and revealed a strange grin.
Sister Halo... as long as the conditions of being an allied unit and possessing little-sister attributes were met, it could provide a combat-power boost.
This was Haruhi Kasugano's first appearance before everyone, openly accepting the crowd's stares.
Her skin was snow-white, her figure petite, her features delicate and exquisite, and her appearance flawless to the extreme.
Her support aura was the real deal, enough to raise Yukino's close-combat ability to another level.
"Another Avatar I've never seen before? That really is... unbelievable." Ojiro's voice stalled for several seconds before he let out a bitter laugh. "Fighting you really makes me feel guilty. Why are all your Avatars... so fragile-looking?"
It was impossible to imagine the expression Sister Doma would make if she were hurt, let alone when she looked underage. Even Yukino's expression after taking damage was enough to make people feel sorry for her.
For someone with Ojiro's personality, ruthlessly attacking girls was indeed difficult.
PS: I had so much to do today. I squeezed out time bit by bit and wrote a chapter intermittently. I'll continue tonight.
I Hug Myself
"Enough talk. Show me your true strength. If you underestimate me, you'll lose." Yukino clenched her fists, and an iceberg-like aura radiated from her body.
Sister Doma beside her looked somewhat uneasy. This body had severe shut-in tendencies to begin with, and now that she was being watched by countless people, she naturally felt incredibly panicked. She looked pitiful and helpless.
"Fine." Ojiro sighed. "To keep someone else from using even harsher methods to hurt you, I can only use my full strength and ask you to leave the arena early. Though instinctively... this may just be my wishful thinking."
The moment he finished speaking, Ojiro's body suddenly burst into motion. His massive tail transformed into a terrifying beast, whipping up a piercing gust as it swept viciously toward Yukino.
He said he could not bear to hurt her, but when he actually fought, he was more ruthless than anyone.
"Yee-haw! After some baffling negotiations, Ojiro has finally made his move! I thought you two were going to keep chatting forever."
What happened next was completely beyond everyone's expectations.
The spectators had assumed Yukino would avoid the attack and dodge the sweeping tail. Instead, her body rushed forward in an instant.
Boom—
One punch!
Violent airwaves surged in every direction as her slender arm collided with the enormous tail. In the next moment, rippling force expanded outward and sent Ojiro flying more than ten meters away.
"What? He flew away? The one sent flying was Ojiro, one of the best close-range fighters?"
Mic's pitch shot up instantly.
The moment he landed, Ojiro sprang back to his feet, several drops of cold sweat appearing on his forehead.
He had landed only half a meter from the edge of the arena.
Yukino had already returned to a normal standing posture. Only her long hair and plaid skirt fluttered softly in the wind.
When Ojiro's gaze fell upon Sister Doma and he saw her pale, weak appearance, trembling in the wake of the battle's shockwaves, he finally sighed. "I surrender."
"Hm?" Yukino brushed aside the long hair blocking her vision, her expression briefly blank.
"Sorry. I feel guilty."
"..."
Midnight, standing in the referee's position, immediately raised her hand and shouted to the entire audience, "Ojiro surrenders! Su Lin advances to the second round!"
The applause of tens of thousands erupted at once. Sister Doma's Avatar immediately vanished from where she stood, and Yukino nodded at Ojiro before turning and walking off the field.
Katsuki Bakugo clicked his tongue irritably from his seat, yet had absolutely no idea what to say.
He was obviously the top scorer in the Practical Test, and Shoto Todoroki was obviously the strongest Recommended Student, yet when facing this person, he could never find even the slightest sense of reassurance.
All Might narrowed his eyes and glanced at the silent Izuku Midoriya, unsure what to say for a moment.
The third match afterward was Tsuyu Asui versus Denki Kaminari.
With no suspense at all, poor Tsuyu-chan could only surrender rather than become an electric-grilled frog.
Watching her, Su Lin felt that if he awakened Railgun's Avatar, he would probably become completely infatuated with Tsuyu-chan. After all, the famous A Certain Scientific Railgun loved Gekota most of all, didn't she?
The fourth match was Ochaco Uraraka versus Katsuki Bakugo. It was perhaps the most exciting battle so far. Despite the absolute difference in strength, Ochaco fully utilized her strengths and, combined with her unyielding determination, forced Bakugo to reveal most of his power. Though she lost, she earned the recognition of countless heroes.
The fifth match was Tenya Iida versus Mei Hatsume. Relying on her equipment, Mei completely toyed with Iida and gained the approval of many companies present in the process. However, at the final moment, she forfeited and gave Iida the chance to win.
The sixth match was Fumikage Tokoyami versus Yaoyorozu. Just like in the Original Work, Tokoyami defeated Yaoyorozu in only a few seconds before she could create a weapon, successfully advancing.
The seventh match was Izuku Midoriya versus Eijiro Kirishima. This battle was practically a head-on clash with little to see. Midoriya, who had mastered ONE.FOR.ALL, won the battle at the cost of injuring one finger.
The eighth match was Shoto Todoroki versus Mina Ashido. There was no suspense—Todoroki won.
With that, the top eight had been decided.
There was not much rest time afterward. Once the injured contestants had been treated, the next round of matches quickly arrived.
"Second round, first match: Su Lin versus Hitoshi Shinso... start!"
Mic's voice was truly terrifying, possessing a magic that stirred emotions. Everyone seemed to be infected by it and began cheering for the two fighters on the field.
Then... Hitoshi Shinso began spouting meaningless trash talk.
"You're obviously male, yet you always face others in the form of a girl. Don't you think that's ridiculous?"
Yukino remained expressionless as she walked toward him step by step.
"Because of your Quirk, the friends around you don't truly care about you. They only care about your Avatar's beauty. If you lost this Quirk..."
Do you think I'm stupid? Yukino sneered inwardly, knowing that once she answered him, her body would be completely controlled.
Thus, everyone witnessed an awkward scene.
The stunningly beautiful petite girl walked step by step before Hitoshi Shinso, grabbed his clothes with one hand, lifted him into the air, then walked step by step to the edge of the arena and tossed him out with a swing.
"First match, Su Lin... wins!"
Only then did Yukino smile. "Your trash-talking skill is too weak, idiot."
Thud!
In the next instant, Yukino's body suddenly stiffened.
"Pfft, got you."
Fine, she had gotten carried away and actually forgotten that this guy could activate his Quirk after the match ended as well.
Hitoshi Shinso's ability was terrifying.
If she were controlled by him, she would be entirely at his mercy.
But at this moment, he did nothing excessive. Instead, he said "Sorry" to Yukino and slowly left.
Yukino stood there in a daze.
After a while, she decided to try something and had the main body separate from Yukino. After confirming that the main body had not been affected, he gave Shinso a strange look, tightly shut his mouth, then looked at Yukino in front of the entire crowd.
"I can't move... what now? Do I have to have the main body carry me away?"
"Tch, in front of so many people, carrying myself..."
Su Lin swallowed, somewhat embarrassed as he stepped forward and embraced that soft, delicate body with its faint fragrance.
"Ahhh, I want to hug her too!" Mineta was jealous to death.
"Pfft, so soft."
The instant his fingers touched her, even Yukino, who was controlled by Hitoshi Shinso, felt the stimulation of being touched.
A girl's body was different from a boy's, or perhaps Yukino was simply softer than other girls. Breathing in the fragrance from her hair, Su Lin carefully avoided certain overly sensitive areas and walked step by step toward the rest area in front of countless people.
Conversation
Su Lin carried Yukino indoors and carefully placed her on a chair.
She had no ability to resist, lying there weakly like a doll at someone's mercy. Only the faint breathing from her nose and the heartbeat in her chest proved that she was still alive.
Her black hair spilled messily from her shoulders. Her fair arms and thighs felt soft to the touch, while the pale skin beneath her short skirt made it impossible to look away.
Su Lin leaned closer to her hair and clearly smelled its faint fragrance.
"Did she use the shampoo from the system?"
Like Midoriya in the anime, although she could still think after being controlled, the speed of her thoughts had noticeably slowed. Moreover, according to Ojiro's description in the Original Work, after the brainwashing ended, the victim's mind would most likely go blank and lose all memories of that time.
"But Midoriya in the Original Work apparently didn't lose his memories, right? So only breaking free from the controlled state through one's own ability can prevent memory loss?"
Su Lin was not certain, but he tried extending a hand and pinching Yukino's left arm hard.
The distinct pain seemed to make her briefly regain consciousness.
"Seems like it works."
So he pinched harder. With a buzz in her head, Yukino abruptly opened her eyes.
The two pairs of eyes stared blankly at each other for several seconds. Then Yukino's heartbeat visibly accelerated, and her breathing became unnaturally rapid.
Su Lin swallowed and hurriedly stepped back half a pace.
"Why is the main body so attractive to the Avatar too?"
He was absolutely certain that when Yukino saw the main body, she had also felt something like... being flirted with.
Perhaps female hormones were at work?
He swallowed and tried not to think too much, allowing the two bodies to merge together.
When she stood again, only Yukino Yukinoshita remained in the room.
She stretched lazily, confirmed that she had recovered, and left the lounge.
Then his footsteps stopped at the doorway.
"Midoriya?"
Izuku Midoriya's gaze darted away a few times before he gathered his courage. "Um... Su Lin-chan, are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Shinso's control has already been released." Yukino waved her arm, proving that she was normal.
"Then I'm relieved." Midoriya nodded, but his tightly clenched fists showed that he was not in a good mood.
"Um, what do you think about my Quirk? I mean... how should I continue improving my strength?"
"Train your body properly." Yukino answered seriously. "Although your performance has already been quite good, you are still far from mature. You can't even maintain five percent Full Cowl steadily yet, and you still want to aim too high? If your physique does not meet the standard, all further improvement is empty talk."
Before you continue