Shota Aizawa

Something resembling a caterpillar suddenly appeared at the classroom door. The yellow caterpillar wriggled around in a circle, revealing a human face.

He stood up and shed the caterpillar-like sleeping bag, revealing his appearance.

The clearly visible dark circles under his eyes and the sparse stubble around his mouth laid bare his irregular lifestyle. He wore a somewhat dirty tracksuit that probably hadn't been washed in a long time. For some reason, bandages were wrapped many times around his neck. A pair of goggles hung from his messy head, their lenses covered in smudges...

There was no need to say more. One look told you he was a middle-aged man who often stayed up late, and who knew which izakaya he spent his nights in.

"All right, it took eight seconds for you to finally quiet down." He unzipped the sleeping bag and stepped out. Like Moses parting the sea, the students blocking the door unconsciously moved aside, clearing a path to the podium. "Time is limited. It seems all of you are sorely lacking in rationality."

"Are you a teacher?" someone asked. "Does that mean you're a Pro Hero too?"

"I'm your homeroom teacher, Shota Aizawa. Nice to meet you." He looked around the classroom and, seeing that everyone was present, continued, "Now put these on and come to the field. Speed is of the essence."

From some dimensional storage pocket in his sleeping bag, he pulled out the sportswear the school had provided for everyone, showed it to the class, and stuffed it back inside.

Was he really their homeroom teacher? Everyone in Class A had their doubts: could someone this listless really teach them?

Besides, it was only their first day at school. Why were they going to the field...?

Though thoroughly confused, the students of Class A got moving.

Jilan Jiyu found an empty seat and put down his schoolbag, then followed the rest to the changing room. He easily found a locker with his name on it.

These days, examples of Quirks changing people's physiques and appearances were everywhere in society, and the old method of making school uniforms in standard sizes had become outdated. Schools now collected basic information such as each student's height and weight before the term began. Clothes like uniforms and sportswear were generally custom-made so students wouldn't experience any discomfort.

The sportswear was predominantly blue, with white as a secondary color forming the letter "A," representing Class A's emblem. It looked sharp without sacrificing appearance.

...Much as he wanted to take that for granted, the same letter was actually on the front of Class B's sportswear too.

Though Jilan Jiyu didn't care much about clothes as long as they were clean and neat, even he couldn't help marveling at U.A. High School's deep pockets.

Speaking of which, before enrollment, U.A. High School had also asked them to submit a list of requirements and a rough design for their future battle costumes, which it passed on to a manufacturer it worked with. U.A. High School paid for those to be made too. Of course, anyone dissatisfied with some aspect or wanting improvements would have to find someone to make the alterations themselves, and the Support Course at U.A. High School taught that kind of work to those serving as support personnel.

Once everyone had gathered on the field, their homeroom teacher Shota Aizawa said calmly, "We're going to do a Quirk Apprehension Test."

"What about the entrance ceremony? The school orientation?" a girl named Ochaco Uraraka asked in disbelief. Wasn't it normal to do those things on the first day of school?

"If you aspire to be heroes, you don't have time to take it easy like that, do you?" He turned to face them. "Next, we're going to do physical fitness tests. You all did them in middle school, right? Tests where you weren't allowed to use your Quirks."

"But I think that standard is completely irrational. It's an oversight on the Ministry of Education's part." He looked at Bakugo. "Bakugo, you came first in the practical exam, right? How far did you throw the softball in middle school?"

Bakugo gave Jilan Jiyu a somewhat smug glance and said, "Sixty-seven meters."

"Now try it using your Quirk. You can do whatever you want, as long as you don't leave the circle."

"Yeah?" Bakugo stretched and took a throwing stance. With a roar, he hurled the ball. "Die!"

Like a rocket, the softball shot straight into the sky wreathed in flames, leaving smoke that lingered for a long time!

"Knowing where your limits lie is a rational way to make heroes." Shota Aizawa displayed Bakugo's result.

"705 meters... Are you kidding?!" someone exclaimed. "Can using a Quirk improve your result that much?!"

Did he use the blast wave from an explosion to propel the ball? Jilan Jiyu analyzed it silently. Under normal circumstances, even with the force of an explosion, it shouldn't have been possible to reach that distance. Unless... he used the heat generated by the softball's friction with the air to accelerate it a second time!

He glanced at Bakugo, who was staring at his palm, lost in thought. Has this guy's control over temperature already reached that level? He's surprisingly delicate, unlike his appearance. Not only does he have a powerful Quirk, he has a mind for combat too... He'll surely be a powerful Pro Hero someday.

That power is too strong. If we fought head-on, I might suffer a crushing defeat. Of course, that was assuming he didn't use Killer Queen.

"This really is fun!" Mina Ashido clapped happily. "We can use our Quirks freely. That's U.A. High School for you!"

"Oh... fun, is it?" Shota Aizawa looked at the excited students, his expression darkening. "Are you planning to spend the next three years with that attitude?"

The class gradually fell silent, looking rather uncertainly at Shota Aizawa as he suddenly gave a sinister smile.

"In that case, I'll deem whoever ranks last in the combined results of the eight tests to have no potential and expel them."

"That can't be right. It's only the first day of school!" Ochaco Uraraka unconsciously took a few steps toward Shota Aizawa. "Even if it weren't the first day, that's far too unreasonable!"

Tenya Iida pushed up his glasses and said, "That's right. We did our best to get into the Hero Course at U.A. High School, and you're going to make someone leave just for failing a physical fitness test? That's not something U.A. High School, the cradle of heroes, should do."

"The cradle of heroes?" Shota Aizawa sounded as though he'd heard something laughable. "This is no cradle. This place is full of hardship. If you want to spend three safe and peaceful years here, going to McDonald's for hamburgers with your classmates after school, then I can apologize right now. For the next three years, U.A. High School will spare no effort in putting obstacles in your way."

"And what you have to do..." Shota Aizawa pointed at Izuku Midoriya, whose face was sweating for some reason. "...is overcome those hardships with everything you've got."

"Do your best not to get eliminated, future little heroes." Shota Aizawa said it with a cold smile.