Chapter 275: Who Is Watching Them?

At present, Present Mic looked in horror as black ants burst out from the cracks in the ground and quickly swarmed up his legs in dense clusters. In that moment, he felt like he was already dead.

"No… no way!!"

"They're coming from underground, where sound propagation is weak… That's why I hate forests!!"

"Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!"

Overcome with extreme fear, he rolled his eyes, tilted his head back, and collapsed. This scene left Kyoka Jiro, who was lying not far away, stunned for a moment.

"What… just happened?"

Ding!

"Kyoka Jiro, Koji Koda's group – condition fulfilled."

"Eh?"

"Eh!?"

It wasn't until the exam announcement echoed through the speakers that the teachers in the monitoring room snapped out of their stunned silence.

Everything had happened so unexpectedly, one moment, it seemed like Kyoka's team was on the verge of failure, and the next, there was an unbelievable turn of events.

"…Where did those ants come from?"

Unlike the original battle, where everyone saw Koda command various insects, the camera angle didn't reveal his involvement this time. As a result, no one knew exactly what had happened.

Still, these were all students who had been accepted into U.A. High School, and their intelligence was certainly above average. It didn't take long for them to realize they had overlooked a certain classmate.

"That guy Koda can control ants too?" Tetsutetsu scratched his silver hair and laughed.

"That's right. I always thought his Quirk only worked on birds and mammals, but it looks like he can command insects too… That's a really powerful ability." Tsuyu Asui tilted her head slightly, her expression curious.

"Well… shouldn't we be more concerned about Present Mic rather than discussing Koda-san's Quirk?" Momo interjected softly, covering her mouth in discomfort.

"Uh, true… Even a Pro Hero couldn't withstand that kind of attack," Class Rep Tenya Iida said as he looked at the screen. Seeing Present Mic foaming at the mouth, he adjusted his glasses, his expression filled with concern.

Toru Hagakure shook her invisible gloves, her voice trembling slightly. "That was seriously terrifying… From now on, Koda-san is definitely the last person you want to mess with. Otherwise, you might wake up surrounded by bugs. Honestly, at that point, you might as well just drop out of school!"

Meanwhile, Recovery Girl seemed unimpressed. She let out a small huff, her expression exasperated. "It's just a few bugs. What a useless guy."

At the same time, Kaminari had already left the monitoring room and was heading toward the entrance of the simulated forest area. As he walked, he spotted Present Mic being carried out on a stretcher by two support robots. The sight left him speechless.

"Humans are such fragile creatures," one of the support robots commented. "Just a few bugs, and he completely shut down."

"That's right…" the other robot responded.

Kaminari stopped in his tracks, his expression blank. Wait, what did I just hear…?

Before he could dwell on it, a familiar voice called out to him.

"What are you staring at so intently?" Kyoka smiled as she approached.

Kaminari snapped out of his daze and turned to see Kyoka, Koda, and the others.

But something about Koda seemed… different. It wasn't his appearance, but rather his overall presence. The usual self-doubt in his eyes had been replaced with confidence and determination.

Still, Kaminari didn't dwell on it for long. He simply gave Koda a friendly nod before turning his attention to his girlfriend.

"Man, you guys really gave Present Mic a hard time. When he teaches English class in a few days, he might not even dare to step into our room," Kaminari teased.

"Hey, don't blame me! I was just as shocked as everyone else!" Kyoka protested.

The three of them continued chatting as they walked. Every time Koda overheard them praising him, he would rub the back of his head in embarrassment, though the happiness in his eyes was undeniable.

When they reached the control room building, Kaminari stopped and let Koda head upstairs alone. As soon as Koda disappeared from sight, Kaminari gently took Kyoka's hand, stopping her in her tracks.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Kyoka asked, her cheeks turning slightly red. Their relationship was still new, and casual hand-holding like this was enough to make her feel flustered.

"Well… the battle against All Might is getting closer. I want to find a quiet place to think. Will you come with me?"

"Of course."

Kyoka didn't hesitate to agree. Even though Toru Hagakure's exam was still ongoing, between watching the test and being with her boyfriend, she decisively chose the latter.

Soon, the two of them arrived at a small open space surrounded by lush greenery. There were a few clean benches lined up next to the control room building, and more importantly, there was no one else around.

Kaminari and Kyoka sat down on one of the benches.

Neither of them spoke. They simply sat side by side, quietly enjoying the warm afternoon breeze. Their fingers remained tightly intertwined.

At that moment, Kaminari felt a rare sense of calm. The weight of facing All Might, the doubts planted by Momo's words, everything seemed to fade away in the presence of Kyoka's subtle, comforting scent.

So this is what peace feels like…

Only now did Kaminari understand why Todoroki often chose solitude over watching other people's matches. To some, just sitting in silence might seem like a waste of time but for him, it was the best way to relieve stress.

Maybe they were both too caught up in enjoying the tranquility, because neither of them noticed how quickly time passed.

Ding!

"Mezo Shoji, Toru Hagakure's team – condition fulfilled."

The announcement made Kyoka instinctively turn to Kaminari, her voice laced with nervousness. "That means… the only ones left are Mineta's team right?"

"Yeah." Kaminari exhaled slowly. "But I'm not as worried anymore. I've thought through everything I need to do, and thanks to you, I feel ready to face whatever comes next."

"Me?" Kyoka blinked in surprise. With her free hand, she tugged at her long, thin earlobe. "How did I help?"

"You just did." Kaminari tightened his grip on her hand, then reached up to gently brush her cheek. His voice was soft but sincere. "Just having you by my side helps me more than anything else."

Kyoka's heart skipped a beat. As her pulse quickened, the only thing left in her world was Kaminari's tender golden eyes and the warmth of his breath as he slowly leaned closer.

"…Mmm."

"Pika?"

A short distance away, "Pikachu" tilted its head as it observed them. Then, as if making an executive decision, it activated its camera function, capturing the moment in perfect stillness.

The next second, their lips parted. The blond boy gazed into the purple-haired girl's eyes. The purple-haired girl gazed back at the blond boy.

***

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