The Exam Begins

As Tenya Iida asked his question, time ticked by second by second.

"By the way, you over there with the curly hair." Tenya Iida suddenly turned and pointed at Midoriya Izuku.

Midoriya Izuku stared blankly and pointed at himself, as if asking, Me?

"You've been muttering to yourself this whole time. That's far too careless. If you came here to sightsee, then please leave immediately." Tenya Iida spoke loudly, showing Midoriya Izuku no mercy.

For a moment, most of the people looked at Midoriya Izuku. Covering his mouth, Midoriya Izuku said in a small, aggrieved voice, "Sorry."

"OK, OK, student from Exam Hall 7111, that was an excellent question. Thanks." Present Mic gave a thumbs-up. After Tenya Iida sat down, he continued explaining the exam grounds and the rules of the format.

Chiffon had not noticed where Midoriya Izuku was before. Only after Tenya Iida pointed him out did he spot him. That green curly hair was really conspicuous.

The young hero Izuku had his head lowered at the moment, seemingly lost in thought, while Ochaco Uraraka beside him comforted him. Though the two were not familiar with each other yet, that did not stop them from taking the CP spot.

After a full half hour of explanations and arrangements, Present Mic finally finished. Everyone scattered in a rush and headed for the exam grounds to prepare.

The exam was undoubtedly about defeating large numbers of three types of mock enemies, each worth a corresponding number of points based on their difficulty level.

They had to use their respective Quirks to crush the mock enemies and earn points. Each ground also had a major gimmick: a giant mock enemy. If they encountered one of those, they had to run.

But Chiffon knew that the giant mock enemy gimmick was actually another bonus question. Saving others with a hero's heart in a moment of danger was the very essence of a hero. He had no intention of competing with Izuku for those special rescue points. After all, Izuku's punch carried 100% power, so knocking down the giant mock enemy was possible.

His Thunder God's Arrival was only at LV2 for now. Even if he unleashed it at full strength, he could not defeat the giant mock enemy unless he struck its weak point.

Chiffon only wanted to earn more ordinary points. As long as he could get into Hero Class A, that was enough.

U.A. High School, Hero Course, Training Ground B.

All the students taking the exam had gathered here. There were not many people at Training Ground B, only around a hundred, and Chiffon was not particularly noticeable among the crowd.

I-I have to do my best. Standing before the enormous gate, Izuku thought, I'll show the results of these ten months of training under All Might without holding anything back.

I'll definitely become the hero I've always dreamed of becoming. Somewhat nervous, Izuku raised both hands and slapped his cheeks to calm himself down.

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, Izuku saw a boy smiling at him. The feeling was strange, as if the other person could see through all his thoughts.

Chiffon smiled at Izuku. If there was anyone here who understood Izuku best besides Bakugo Katsuki, it was naturally Chiffon.

Still, Izuku found it very strange at that moment. The meaning behind that smile seemed profound, but he returned it with a smile anyway. Maybe they would become classmates in the future.

Chiffon shifted his gaze and began observing the other candidates. Many of them looked extremely strange. These people seemed to be mere background characters; basically none of them would make it through the exam.

"Can't you see that girl is concentrating?" Tenya Iida grabbed Midoriya Izuku by the shoulder and said sternly, "What are you trying to do? Did you come here to take the exam just to interfere with others?"

"No, it's not like that," Midoriya hurriedly explained, immediately drawing everyone's attention.

"That guy is the one who almost fell at the school gate earlier, right?"

"What a cowardly guy, shrinking back the moment someone warns him." A bald man with a scar on his head mocked him.

"At least that's one less competitor, isn't it?" A boy with spiky hair said disdainfully.

Most people were thinking that they had gotten lucky. Izuku lowered his head awkwardly. He had kept encouraging himself and telling himself he could do it, but now that it was really beginning, he had become somewhat timid again.

"Hmph, looking down on people." Chiffon snorted, folding his arms as he looked at those self-important guys. They were all nobodies, yet they dared to mock Izuku like that. He could not tolerate it.

"Who's this guy?" Someone immediately noticed Chiffon, who had an arrogant expression.

"He looks pretty cocky. Wonder how strong he really is. Don't piss yourself when the time comes." A sharp-faced student said teasingly.

Tenya Iida, however, lingered on Chiffon for a moment. He felt that this student was anything but ordinary. It was instinct.

Chiffon did not bother with these people any longer. Izuku, on the other hand, cast him a friendly look.

"Looks like things are going well. Little brother Izuku has a lot of goodwill toward me." Chiffon chuckled.

"Hi, Start!"

Present Mic shouted from the raised platform, "What's wrong? A real battle won't give you a countdown to prepare!"

"Get running, get running." Present Mic spun one hand before spreading both arms wide. "The competition has already begun!"

Chiffon moved his feet and ran through the open gates with the crowd. He turned his head and glanced at Izuku. That guy was still standing there in a daze.

After entering the training ground, Chiffon immediately chose an unoccupied direction. He only wanted to defeat mock enemies alone, not fight others for the credit.

He had not run very far before a green mock enemy burrowed out of the ground. With a flick of his right hand, Chiffon fired a blue electric arc from his palm, easily piercing through the mock enemy's head.

That was not all. Seven or eight more mock enemies emerged from street corners, upper floors, and the roadside. Without a word, Chiffon charged toward them. These were all points.

The other students were also working hard for their scores. Tenya Iida excelled with his legs, Ochaco Uraraka excelled at zero gravity, and Aoyama Yuga excelled with lasers. These were basically the only future classmates in this exam ground. The other candidates would either soon face elimination or be assigned to other departments.

By then, Chiffon had already earned fifty points. He did not plan to earn any more. With this score, getting into the top ten was a sure thing.

BOOM!!!

A thunderous explosion rang out, and the building closest to Chiffon collapsed with a crash. Chiffon dodged the flying rubble and leaped out. A massive mechanism appeared atop the ruins.

This was the gimmick in every training ground, the final boss.

Chiffon had no intention of fighting it. He slowly retreated along with the panicked crowd. Everyone else ran like crazy, while he took his time.

The situation was much the same as in the story and anime. Ochaco Uraraka's leg was pinned beneath a chunk of rubble, leaving her unable to move, while Izuku stared fearfully at the massive machine, unable to decide what to do.

"Don't hesitate. You already have the answer in your heart." Chiffon said this as he looked at Izuku, then ran toward the exit.