章 30: Chapter 29: Minoru Mineta

At this moment, the comprehensive results of the practical test were tallied and displayed clearly on U.A.'s large screen:

NO.1 - Kaminari Denki - 103 (Hero Points) - 50 (Rescue Points)

NO.2 - Bakugo Katsuki - 087 - 00

NO.3 - Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu - 060 - 20

NO.4 - Jiro Kyoka - 053 - 20

NO.5 - Kirishima Eijiro - 039 - 35

The most impressive result was Kaminari's.

Not only had he racked up an incredible score, but he had also impressed the judges with his Hero spirit and exceptional teamwork. Even though the special rescue points weren't necessary for him, the examiners had still awarded him a symbolic fifty points.

Because of this, the discussion among the teachers regarding Kaminari was brief. He was guaranteed to be in Class 1-A, so there was no point in debating further.

Only Midnight, U.A.'s alluring and playful pro Hero, glanced at Kaminari's name with a mischievous smirk. She was looking forward to the next time they met, especially after he'd 'deceived' her during the exam.

"It's not very gentlemanly to toy with a woman's heart..." she muttered to herself, amused.

With Kaminari's placement secured, the real discussion about the distribution of students into Class 1-A and Class 1-B began.

"If we're going purely by scores, Minoru Mineta should be placed in Class B," Principal Nezu began, swiftly pulling up Mineta's exam data and his recorded performance. "But as we all know, class assignments are not based solely on scores."

"Minoru Mineta's Quirk is 'Pop Off.' Those round, grape-like objects on his head are extremely sticky. They can remain stuck to a person for more than twenty-four hours and regenerate quickly."

"However, if he uses too many in a short period of time, he begins to bleed from his scalp," Nezu continued, referencing the Quirk analysis on the screen.

Present Mic whistled and leaned back in his chair with a grin. "Tsk, tsk, tsk—control-type Quirks. Perfect for Heroes."

"Indeed," Midnight agreed, thoughtfully touching her chin. "While Heroes need the power to deal serious damage when necessary, capturing and restraining villains is always the preferred method. This kid's Quirk is perfect for that."

The other teachers quickly nodded in agreement. As professional Heroes themselves, they could all see the practical applications of Mineta's Quirk in various situations. Even though Mineta had ranked near the bottom of the results, his Quirk was highly useful. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that he belonged in Class 1-A.

Vlad King, the teacher in charge of Class 1-B, raised a practical point. "Are we really going to move Kirishima Eijiro to Class B, just because his Quirk overlaps with Tetsutetsu's?"

He pulled up Kirishima's data on the screen, comparing it with that of other candidates. "Kirishima ranked fifth in the exam. It doesn't seem fair to move him, especially when we've got other candidates like Rikido Sato, whose Quirk overlaps with theirs. Or take Koji Koda and Toru Hagakure, for example. They're also among the lower ranks and have more support-based Quirks."

All Might, Nezu, and the rest of the teachers paused, considering Vlad King's point. Then Principal Nezu turned to Aizawa Shouta, the pro Hero Eraser Head, who had been standing silently at the back of the room.

"As the homeroom teacher for Class 1-A, what do you think?"

Aizawa squinted at the screen, studying the profiles of the candidates for a long moment before his muffled voice finally emerged from behind his scarf.

"I've made my decision," he said, his tone flat yet decisive.

---

Meanwhile, the candidates were once again passing through the gates of U.A., though this time they were leaving, not entering. Each of them carried the weight of uncertainty, knowing that not everyone would be returning.

Some had already accepted that this was the closest they'd ever get to becoming a Hero. The reality was sinking in, at only fifteen years old, they were already facing the harshness of the world.

But Kaminari and Jiro were not among the crowd heading home just yet. Instead, they were standing in U.A.'s infirmary, watching over a snoring Tetsutetsu, who was lying on a bed.

Recovery Girl, the pro Hero with the Quirk that allowed her to speed up healing, had reassured them that Tetsutetsu wasn't hurt he was just knocked unconscious from his earlier "missile" adventure.

The boy who had been sent to the infirmary with Tetsutetsu, Midoriya Izuku, had already left. Kaminari heard his injuries were much worse, but Recovery Girl had healed him enough to go home.

"So, what now?" Jiro asked with a chuckle, glancing at their still-sleeping friend.

"Simple," Kaminari smirked, raising his right index finger and poking Tetsutetsu's arm. A small, controlled spark of golden electricity zapped through his finger with a crackling sound.

"Wake up time!"

"AHH!" Tetsutetsu shot up in bed with a shout, his steel skin activating out of pure reflex. His eyes darted around the room in confusion.

"Why are you here? No, where am *I*?" He looked down at the blanket covering him, then at Kaminari and Jiro, before blurting out, "Wait, what about the exam?!"

Seeing there was no immediate danger, his body returned to its normal state.

"The exam's over," Jiro replied, hands in her pockets.

"...Over?" Tetsutetsu repeated slowly, rubbing the back of his head as he swung his legs off the bed. "So... did we pass?"

"I'm not sure yet. Present Mic said the final results will be mailed to us," Kaminari said, giving Tetsutetsu a light punch to the chest. "But don't worry we totally passed. All three of us."

Tetsutetsu let out a long sigh of relief. "Whew good. I just wanted to get through that exam!"

"Alright, let's exchange contact info with Jiro, and then we can head home," Kaminari said, yawning as he thought about the long journey ahead. The Shinkansen would take another hour to get him back to Saitama, and the thought made him sigh inwardly.

While many students would be looking to rent a place closer to U.A., Kaminari had no such plans. In his previous life, he'd had a distant relationship with his parents, but now that he had this second chance, he cherished every moment with them. Maybe most people didn't understand that feeling, but for Kaminari, each home-cooked meal made by his mom was a small joy he couldn't give up.

He was willing to endure the two-hour commute just for that. And besides, he could always use the travel time to study electromagnetism or catch up on other subjects.

After saying their goodbyes to Jiro, Kaminari and Tetsutetsu made their way to the underground station where their journey had begun earlier that morning.

"You know, Jiro's pretty lucky. It only takes her fifteen minutes to get home from U.A.," Tetsutetsu said with a hint of envy as they walked.

"So, do you want to rent a place nearby?" Kaminari asked casually.

"I thought about it," Tetsutetsu admitted, before striking a pose that mimicked a judo stance. "But not anymore. I've fallen in love with practicing judo with Sensei Daimon. No way I'm giving that up just because of a longer commute!"

"Oh, is that so? Impressive." Kaminari glanced at him with a smirk. "So, how many moves have you mastered so far?"

"..."

Tetsutetsu froze, his face turning sheepish. He quickly looked away in embarrassment. "I don't want to talk about it!"