Chapter 72 - CH 54: QUIRK ASSESSMENT (2)

"WHAT?"

Looking at the dumbfounded look of his students, Aizawa couldn't help but think back to his discussion with Principal Nezu a few years prior.

--FLASHBACK START

"YOU WANT THE ABILITY TO EXPEL AND RE-ENROL STUDENTS?"

Aizawa watched calmly as the principal Nezu exclaimed with shock. He didn't want the principal to misunderstand, so he decided to explain carefully,

"Yes...Self-sacrifice and recklessness are very different concepts. But in order for those headstrong students to learn this, I would like for them to experience 'Death' at least once. Doing so will push them to strive even higher."

Only falling to the deepest abyss before rising up from it can allow some people to mature. The feelings born from failures gave more long-lasting lessons than the ones born from success.

Success had a sweet taste. It makes you want to taste it again and you forget everything else. But failures have a bitter taste. So bitter that tasting it once makes you want to never taste it.

Someone who only tasted success will become blind and arrogant. But someone who tasted both will become mature and careful.

He knew it. He personally lived through this. The death of Shirakumo, his best friend, haunts him even to this day.

"I see, I accept your proposition, and will give you this right."

---FLASH BACK END

He already used this right once, on the students who were now in 2-A. Yes, they hadn't been expelled. He would never destroy the future of young people because of his own selfish view of the world.

But such a wake-up call was necessary. He hoped this class wouldn't disappoint him too much.

Aizawa came back from his thoughts and let out a grin

"Welcome to U.A's hero course!"

He could hear the complaints about this. He almost felt bad making them go through this but it was necessary for them to become serious. He decided to add more explanations in order to rile up them even more

"Natural disasters, big accidents, and selfish villains. Calamities whose time or place can't be predicted. Japan is covered with unfairness. Heroes are the ones who reverses those situations. If you wanted to go talk with your friend at Mc D after school, too bad. Why? Because, for the next three years, UA will do all it can to give you one hardship after another. Go beyond. Plus Ultra. Overcome it with all you got."

Yes, hardship and unfairness were part of life. If you weren't happy, if you couldn't accept it, you just had to overcome it.

---

After hearing about the test, Kuroha couldn't help but facepalm. He remembered what he said to Minagata yesterday about the impossibility of such a thing happening.

(*Sigh* I can already imagine him laughing his ass off if he learns about it. Still, Plus Ultra huh?)

Kuroha always found this line to be cheesy as hell, but now it seemed it had some profound meaning. 

Kuroha could feel his blood boil a little. Until now, school was always boring for him. Everything was simply so easy there.

Whatmore, being worshipped by a group of fangirls became tiring after a while. But now, He let out a small smile.

(Seems like things will be really interesting here.)

----

(AN: No way I am going to go through all the numbers. No one really cares, and you already know Kuroha speed and relative strength.)

The first test was the 50m race. The first ones to go were Asui Tsuyu and the glass guy who spoke with Izuku, Tenya.

Tenya seemed to have a quirk completely geared toward speed. Asui, on the other hand, was a mutant type quirk.

Everything was going well with Kuroha being the uncontested first thanks to his hoverboard. He could have used NUEVA ESPERANZA, but that would be stupid.

This was basically a super move that would have destroyed anyone without a super regeneration like his. Why would he use such a move for such a simple test? He had no worries about being expelled, neither Izuku or Momo. 

It was when Izuku and Bakugo chose to run that things degenerated fast.

"DEKU, YOU BASTARD!!"

---

A few seconds earlier,

Bakugo stood on the starting line while looking at Deku. He couldn't help but let out a smirk

(I don't know how you cheated to reach the first rank but now everyone will see that you're nothing more than a quirkless small fry.)

After stretching a little, the two of them took position on the starting line. A robotic voice sounded,

[On your mark, get set, START!!]

Bakugo immediately activated his quirk to propel himself. He didn't look back, he was sure that Deku was far behind him.

But, just as he was about to reach the finishing line, a green flash went past him. It was...Deku?

Bakugo couldn't but have his mind blank out.

How is it possible? How could it be possible? Deku was quirkless. They have known each other since they were kids. Everyone's quirks manifest by the age of four. Izuku didn't have a quirk. This is unthinkable!

What is the meaning of this? Perhaps,

(HE LIED TO ME?!!)

The moment this thought entered his head, Anger instantly clouded his mind. He couldn't help but activate his quirk and rushed toward that Deku while screaming.

"DEKU, YOU BASTARD!!"

He could see Deku take a fighting stance. This bastard wanted to fight with him? This angered him even more.

But, just as he was about to reach him, he suddenly felt all his power leave him, while his movements were restricted by some sort of bandage.

(What's happening? These clothes are so hard!)

He struggled to turn toward the source. It was, Aizawa sensei,

"They're weapons for capture made of carbon fiber woven together with metal wire made of a special alloy. *Sigh* Don't make me use my quirk so fast on the first day. I HAVE DRY EYES!"

"WHAT!!"

---

Kuroha observed this situation with interest. He didn't recognize him with his disheveled and sloppy look, but he knew only one hero with this quirk and this fighting style. It was really the Erasure Hero: EraserHead.

Kuroha didn't have any favorite heroes. But, apart from All Might, and Nighteye, if there's one hero that he respected, it was Eraser head.

His quirk was called Erasure. It gives him the ability to erase the quirks of those he looks at. The effect goes away when he blinks.

In a society where all villains relied on their quirk, this quirk was a really high tier one.

"Kyaa!! IT'S ERASER HEAD!!"

Kuroha couldn't help but put a hand on his face. Why was Izuku always so embarrassing? Thankfully, Aizawa-sensei ignored this before releasing Bakugo.

"We are wasting time. Whoever's next, get ready."

Kuroha was about to stop paying attention to this when one of the two participating in the next race caught his attention.

A guy with white and red hair on his face. He felt like he had seen this face somewhere but he couldn't remember. But, when he used an ice type quirk to propel himself at high speed and win his race, Kuroha felt like being smashed by a bolt of thunder.

But how could it be possible? He was about to dismiss this thought when he remembers one lesson Nighteye gave him some years ago.

---FLASHBACK

A serious Nighteye could be seen teaching a younger Kuroha in his office. It was a lesson about investigation and intuition.

"You see, many people reject their own intuitions simply because it looks ridiculous. This is simply stupid. While not all intuitions should be believed, we should never completely ignore it either."

Kuroha nodded and waited for Nighteyes to continues

"Kuroha, never forget this. If it looks like a duck, swim like a duck and quack like a duck...Then it's most likely a duck."

"I understand."

---FLASHBACK END

Kuroha took another look at the boy.

He looked like Rei, had half the same hair while the other half was a little like Fuyumi, had a burn on his face like Rei said her son had and had an ice type quirk.

He could basically confirm that this guy was Rei's son.

What should he do? Go and say hello? Until now, he never made the decision to befriend others. It was always the others who tried to befriend him.

He fidgeted a little before ultimately deciding to not do it today. Afterall, going in front of him and saying something like 

"Hello, You might not know me but I know your mother. You remember right, the crazy woman who poured boiling water on your face."

Yeah, like hell that would go well.

---

The rest of the time went surprisingly fast. Finally, his fellow students were really full of surprisingly interesting quirks.

Like this guy who could harden his whole body. He was sure that Minagata could make a dirty joke about that.

There's also this girl who is Izuku's friend and basically threw the ball towards infinity. He could see many deadly and practical uses for such a quirk.

Finally, Aizawa-sensei sounded the buzzer that marked the end of the assessment. 

"Okay, I'll quickly tell you the results. The total is simply the mark you got from each test. It's a waste of time to explain this verbally, so I'll show you the results all at once."

A screen of light was projected by the controller in Aizawa-sensei's hand.

Kuroha didn't care about his ranking but he was still curious. The first one was him, followed by Momo, then Izuku and… Todoroki Shoto in fourth place. That confirmed it. He was really Rei's son.

Apart from that, Bakugo was fifth and Tsuyu was 13th. The last one, with zero points, was… Yoarashi Inasa? What does that mean? 

Since Kuroha didn't see him, he thought that Inasa was in 1-B. Seem like he was wrong. But why wasn't he present? He hoped that nothing grave happened. Still, this wouldn't count since there must be a good reason for him to not be here. As such, the last one was … Toru Hagakure. Who was it?

Just as he began to hear the murmur of uneasiness, Aizawa-seinse suddenly laughed as he shut out the hologram

"By the way, I was lying about the expulsion. It was a rational deception to draw out the upper limits of your quirks."

Kuroha wasn't particularly surprised. No way a prof would really expulse a student on the first day for such a stupid reason. Looking at the face of surprise of everyone apart Momo, he guessed that most people really believed this.

---

It was after classes. Kuroha could see Izuku walking with the infinity girl and Tenya. Normally, he would have gone and said hello, but he didn't have time. He spoke to Momo and they decided to go to a cafe.

Once he reached the school gate, he could see Momo waiting for him.

"Momo let's go."

Momo, put her hand in her hair to put back a rebellious wick before nodding and following without a word.

(Awkward!!!)

This was how he felt right now as he walked with her. He has never been a great speaker. Once again, he never had to engage in discussion first. Others were always the first ones to do so.

As such, they walked until they reached the cafe close to UA in total silence. Just as he was about to enter 

*Beep* *Beep*

He received two messages on his phone. When he looked at it, it was from Himiko and Nejire.

[How was your first day? I'm waiting for you at the cafe near your school.]

[YAHOO!!! My kouhai, I am in the cafe near our school with a new friend who is from America. Come meet us if you can.]

Kuroha could feel his blood froze in his veins. He didn't know why, but a feeling of dread suddenly assailed him.

(Don't tell me?)

He looked at the door of the cafe like it was the mouth of a giant beast.

"Kuroha, what's happening? Let's enter."

(Wait!!)

Kuroha wanted to stop her...But it was too late.

This cafe was rather high-priced so few students came.  As such there was basically no one present in the cafe right now.

The moment the door opened, Kuroha could directly see three pairs of eyes look toward him. Two were girls wearing UA uniforms while the third was a girl wearing Shiketsu's uniform.

Himiko, Nejire and...Melissa?