Withdrawing from the Exam

"That's Best Jeanist!" Camie Utsushimi blurted out in astonishment. She turned to Jilan Jiyu. "Did you account for all of this?"

"Ah, that's because the area around the cinema has a high crime rate. Pro Heroes always pay special attention to it during their daily patrols."

Jilan Jiyu made no secret of it and openly explained the situation. "Besides, the commercial district isn't far from here, and there are several hero agencies there. Even if it's just for the sake of their own businesses, the Pro Heroes won't let any major incidents happen around here."

"I see." Camie Utsushimi finally understood. "Competition is fierce around here. One careless mistake could damage their reputations, and they might even be squeezed out of business."

That was about right. Although Pro Heroes received government subsidies, they still had to rely on the public. The worse a Pro Hero agency's reputation, the less government funding it received. If things got so bad that everyone turned against it, its license could even be revoked, permanently barring it from hero work.

Because someone without a sense of responsibility could never be a qualified hero.

For that reason, Pro Heroes needed to make frequent public appearances to maintain their visibility and popularity. Only then could newer agencies avoid being crushed by established ones.

With the person at the center of it gone, the commotion gradually died down. The people who had been at the heart of the incident walked out of the screening room, excitedly discussing what had just happened.

"Did you see that? That's the number four Pro Hero for you! He didn't even move, but that guy who was raging like a T. rex just a moment ago got tied up on the spot. He couldn't move at all!"

"I know! That was Best Jeanist's Quirk, Fiber Master, which lets him control all fibers. It can break down the denim clothes he's wearing into fibers and restrain enemies from a distance!"

"That sounds so powerful!" "Right? Right?"

"Aren't you leaving yet?" Jilan Jiyu asked Camie Utsushimi, who was still hanging around. Twenty minutes had passed since then, and the crowd had long since dispersed. The cinema lobby was empty now, with only her left by the counter, doing who knew what.

Camie Utsushimi deliberately blinked her big eyes at Jilan Jiyu. "I'm a customer. Are you trying to chase me away?"

The junior employee who had gone to watch the commotion earlier tugged at Jilan Jiyu's clothes. "Senior, she's a beautiful girl. There's no harm in letting her stand there..."

"First, I'm just a ticket checker. I don't care about this place's sales." Jilan Jiyu put on a stern face. "Second, as a customer, the movie you wanted to see started a long time ago."

"What a boring guy," Camie Utsushimi muttered loudly enough for Jilan Jiyu to hear.

She's provoking me, right? She has to be! Does she really think I can't make her stop?

Just as Jilan Jiyu was about to do something, someone suddenly appeared in his field of vision, someone he hadn't expected to see there.

"Inasa Yoarashi?" Jilan Jiyu looked somewhat puzzled as the tall young man ran in, panting, dressed in sportswear and wearing a black hat that didn't match it at all. "Shouldn't you be taking U.A. High School's exam right now? What are you doing here?"

Camie Utsushimi raised her hand and waved it from side to side, trying to get Inasa Yoarashi's attention. "Over here, over here~"

"Huh?!" Inasa Yoarashi seemed equally surprised. After catching his breath, he strode over. "Kiba, why are you with someone from Shiketsu High School?"

Yoarashi is the person Camie Utsushimi was waiting for, and she's from Shiketsu High School?

Camie Utsushimi grinned and stepped in front of Inasa Yoarashi. Facing Jilan Jiyu, she said, "This isn't a good place to talk, is it? Let's go to the café next door. Make sure you come over." Then she headed for the door ahead of them.

"I'll leave this to you." Jilan Jiyu gestured to the junior employee, who nodded vigorously with an exaggerated expression.

Jilan Jiyu came out from behind the counter and followed Camie Utsushimi alongside Inasa Yoarashi, one on either side behind her.

"Yoarashi, how do you know her? Shouldn't you be taking the exam right now?" Jilan Jiyu tilted his head as he asked Inasa Yoarashi, who was sweating a little for some reason.

"Haha, there are a lot of reasons for that..." Inasa Yoarashi laughed it off with a guilty look, then hurried forward a few steps to walk beside Camie Utsushimi.

Something's definitely wrong... Jilan Jiyu narrowed his eyes. Inasa Yoarashi was definitely hiding something. He followed them without speaking up.

Although she seemed to be visiting the café for the first time, Camie Utsushimi only glanced at the menu after sitting down before saying, "Ceylon black tea, please."

She rested her hand under her chin, apparently in a very good mood, and said cheerfully to Jilan Jiyu and Inasa Yoarashi, "It's spring now, you know. Fresh black tea tastes the best. I recommend you two order it too."

If anyone's going to make a recommendation, shouldn't it be me, the local? Jilan Jiyu ignored her questionable remark.

Inasa Yoarashi braced both hands against the edge of the table and asked solemnly, "Are the terms Shiketsu High School offered for real? Can I really take the entrance exam?"

Before she could answer, Jilan Jiyu coughed, reminding him that he still had no idea what was going on.

"Oh, Kiba, here's what happened." Feeling a little guilty, he slowly told Jilan Jiyu what he had encountered that day.

"Right, to put it simply, you met Endeavor's son during the exam. He ignored you just like his father, and you felt insulted. You didn't want to go to the same high school as that guy, so in a fit of anger, you told the proctor you were withdrawing from the exam? Since you'd also listed U.A. High School for the upcoming group exam, you used your principal's connections to get in touch with Shiketsu High School so you wouldn't be left without a high school to attend, right?"

Inasa Yoarashi covered his face. "That's more or less what happened, but why does hearing you say it make me think I have too much pride?!"

"Don't you, though...?" Camie Utsushimi silently remarked, holding her cup and sipping her black tea.

"That's not it at all."

It was the first time Jilan Jiyu had seen Inasa Yoarashi wear such a gloomy expression as he said, "That man, Endeavor, doesn't deserve to be called a Pro Hero. There's no light of justice shining in his eyes. He's just a power worshipper who keeps his hateful gaze fixed on All Might at all times. As far as I'm concerned, he's no different from a criminal. He's just someone who uses his Quirk to vent the frustration in his heart. The only difference is who he uses violence against."

The words that came out of Inasa Yoarashi's mouth were as deep and dark as hell, condemning the man ranked second in Japan, the record holder said to have resolved the most criminal cases in history-

-Endeavor-as utterly worthless, describing him as someone who only knew how to use violence to solve things.

But was that really true?