บท 36: Chapter 35: Kaminari Has Infinite Grip Strength?!

"Here we go!"

All the teachers, students, and onlookers fell silent as Kaminari and Todoroki stood ready. Despite not knowing each other well yet, everyone was focused on the outcome of this race, eager to see the results of this thrilling face-off.

The distance was short just fifty meters so if they didn't pay attention, they might miss the critical moment when the winner crossed the line.

"Huh? This is even possible?"

Tetsutetsu, who had been confident that Todoroki's ice-based Quirk wouldn't provide a speed boost, was left in shock as he watched the race unfold.

On the track, Todoroki was creating a path of ice beneath his feet, sliding across the frozen surface with impressive speed and stability. Even on such slick terrain, his balance remained perfect, a clear sign that he had mastered this skill through rigorous training.

Of course, Kaminari wasn't oblivious to what was happening beside him. He was running at full speed, electricity coursing through his body, but the blue blur of Todoroki was right next to him. Kaminari couldn't look directly at him, but the corner of his eye and his senses told him that Todoroki wasn't falling behind at all.

"Shua—"

"Crack!"

In a matter of seconds barely the time for a second breath both Kaminari and Todoroki had crossed the finish line. They finished almost side by side, each pushing their Quirks to the limit in this close race.

Interestingly, while Kaminari's path was clean and clear, Todoroki left a long trail of ice, glittering under the morning sun.

"Who won?!"

The spectators, unable to tell who had reached the line first, immediately turned their attention to the speedometer, eager to know the results.

"3.03 seconds!"

"3.09 seconds!"

The numbers were announced, but they didn't indicate who achieved which time, leaving everyone still uncertain about the outcome.

"Wait, that's… crazy fast!" Mina Ashido exclaimed, her eyes wide in disbelief.

But while most were impressed by the sheer speed, Iida Tenya, who had completed the race earlier, was left feeling a bit conflicted. "Their speed is on par with my third gear…" he muttered to himself.

Though his Quirk had higher speed potential, given enough distance, the fact that Kaminari and Todoroki had developed their Quirks to this level, especially when their abilities weren't naturally tied to speed, left Iida deep in thought.

"Kaminari won?" Ashido Mina shouted again, impatient to know the final answer.

"Who got the 3.03?!" someone else added, voicing the question on everyone's minds.

"Uh…"

Even Aizawa hesitated. Despite being their teacher, he hadn't been able to keep track of the race well enough. He might have powerful Quirks, but they didn't exactly include high-speed perception, and his eyes had dried out after straining to watch the race so intently.

"Kaminari got 3.03," Aizawa finally announced, holding up a small display linked to the speedometer.

"Yes! Kaminari won!"

"Kaminari's Quirk might be electric-based, but who knew he was this fast?"

"That was so cool to watch!"

Tetsutetsu, in particular, was beaming with pride. "Haha! I knew Kaminari would win!" he declared with a wide grin.

"Strongest recommendation student or not, Kaminari is the best first-year student here!" he added, sneaking a glance at Todoroki, who was quietly making his way back to the group.

However, while everyone was celebrating Kaminari's victory, Kaminari himself hadn't returned to the group yet. Instead, he had walked over to the icy trail left behind by Todoroki. He crouched down, placing his hand on the cold surface, and his palm immediately sparked with golden electricity.

"Crackle—"

The currents from his hand danced across the ice, but something strange happened they couldn't spread very far. The electricity dissipated almost immediately after touching the ice.

Kaminari frowned, deep in thought. "No conductivity... Is it because this ice was created by his Quirk?"

The reason wasn't hard to guess. In theory, pure water and ice don't conduct electricity. It's only when impurities are present that they become conductive. The ice Todoroki created was likely close to pure, uncontaminated by any natural elements, which explained why Kaminari's electricity wasn't spreading through it.

"This means Todoroki's ice has to be controlled through physical contact," Kaminari deduced. "He's powerful, but it's not like the freezing abilities of those in the world I know, where they can freeze entire areas just by releasing cold air."

His mind wandered for a moment, comparing Todoroki's abilities to that of a certain ice-based admiral from another world, but before he could get too lost in thought, Aizawa's voice snapped him back to the present.

"What are you doing over there? We're moving on to the second event."

"Uh, yes, sensei!" Kaminari quickly rejoined the group.

The second event was the grip strength test.

Each student was handed an electronic gripper to measure the force they could exert. Kaminari, naturally curious, inspected his device before activating his electric Quirk to briefly stimulate the muscles in his right arm. With his grip fully enhanced, he squeezed the handle hard, waiting for the result.

"???"

"Eh?" Kaminari blinked at the screen, which had displayed nothing but four question marks. He was confused what was this supposed to mean? Did he break it?

As the others around him began calling out their results, Kaminari remained silent, his mind processing what had just happened.

"Whoa, 540 kilograms?! Are you an octopus or something?!" Sero Hanta exclaimed, amazed at one of his classmate's results.

"Octopus…? That's kind of kinky…" Mineta muttered, his thoughts clearly going somewhere inappropriate.

Kaminari, still holding the malfunctioning gripper, looked over at Tetsutetsu, who had just walked over to him. His friend, unaware of what had happened, asked, "Kaminari, what's your grip strength? Mine's 610!"

Before Kaminari could respond, Tetsutetsu glanced at the screen in Kaminari's hand, his eyes widening at the display of question marks.

"Holy crap!" Tetsutetsu shouted, his voice carrying across the group. "Kaminari's grip strength is unknown? Does that mean it's infinite?!"

The entire class fell silent at this, their heads turning in unison to stare at Kaminari.

"..."

Aizawa, who had been watching from the side, raised a hand to his face, looking utterly done with the situation. "The gripper short-circuited," he deadpanned, his usual calm demeanor slightly shaken by the absurdity of the situation.

Kaminari stood there awkwardly, scratching his head. "Well... that's embarrassing..." he muttered, trying not to laugh at the absurdity of it all.