Chapter 276: The Tenth Exam Begins!

As the ninth exam—Minoru Mineta and Hanta Sero's test—was underway, an unexpected figure appeared in the monitoring room.

"Hey, why did you come here?" Kirishima asked in confusion, turning to the newcomer. It was Bakugo, who, as always, maintained his indifferent attitude toward others.

"That's none of your business!"

Bakugo snapped back impatiently, then found a quiet spot where no one was nearby. Leaning against the cool wall, he closed his eyes as if completely uninterested in the ongoing exam displayed on the screen.

"He's probably here for Kaminari and Todoroki's exam…" Just as some students began to question Bakugo's presence, Midoriya, who understood him best, softly shared his thoughts.

"Oh…"

Everyone immediately reacted with exaggerated expressions of realization.

The dramatic response made a vein pop on Bakugo's forehead. His eyes snapped open, and he glared at Midoriya with barely contained irritation.

"Shut the hell up, damn nerd! You're so damn annoying!!"

"Uh… s-sorry…" Midoriya awkwardly rubbed the tip of his nose.

Just as the tension in the monitoring room began to rise, the door swung open again. This time, Aoyama strutted in with his usual air of elegance, immediately shifting the mood.

"Hm? What's wrong? Why is everyone looking at me?"

As soon as Aoyama entered, all eyes turned toward him. Rather than showing any discomfort, he struck a pose as if posing for a photoshoot.

"Did I somehow become even more dazzling?"

Uraraka walked over and asked curiously, "Aoyama-san, why did you come here?"

"Oh, nothing much. I was just admiring myself in the bathroom mirror for a while…" Aoyama replied with his signature dazzling smile.

"…."

Midoriya, Uraraka, and the others fell into a brief silence. This meant Aoyama had been looking at himself in the mirror since the fifth exam all the way to the ninth!

"…I think I finally understand now," Ashido said, grinning. "Back when we first introduced ourselves, Aoyama-san said his hobby was 'himself.' I always wondered what he meant by that. But wow, you're really full of yourself!"

Meanwhile, Tokoyami, who had been quiet until now, spoke up. "Speaking of which, Kaminari's group's exam seems to have captured everyone's attention."

"Of course! Their opponent is All Might, partner!" Dark Shadow emerged from Tokoyami's body and chuckled.

At the same time, just as Mineta's unexpected outburst was about to decide the outcome of the simulated mountain area test, Kaminari had already walked Kyoka down to the building entrance. Then, with 'Pikachu' perched on his shoulder, he made his way toward the simulated city zone's entrance.

"So, even someone as cold as you can get fired up, huh?" Kaminari teased as he approached Todoroki, who was already standing at the gate, waiting silently.

"…Nothing like that. I just got here a few minutes early," Todoroki responded calmly.

"I'm looking forward to this, Todoroki." Kaminari stepped up beside him, gazing at the massive gate before them.

He knew that the moment it opened, the Symbol of Peace would enter from the opposite side.

And then… they would have to face him in battle. Or, with everything they had, try to escape.

Todoroki didn't respond. He simply continued staring at the gate. However, the faint mist of cold air rising from his right side and the heat radiating from his left suggested that he was already preparing himself.

But at that moment, Kaminari said something that made him frown.

"When the exam starts, I'll hold All Might back. You should run for the exit as fast as you can."

"I've told you before, you're faster than me," Todoroki countered, displeased.

"Yeah, I am faster than you," Kaminari admitted. "But I did the calculations, it would take me at least a full minute to sprint from the center of the exam site to the exit without any obstacles."

He wasn't bluffing. Before coming here, he had actually asked 'Pikachu' to run simulations for him. Despite how small the exam area might seem, it was nearly the size of an actual small town.

"And you? Forget holding All Might back for a minute, you probably wouldn't last half that long. But I might."

"…Why?" Todoroki's tone was slightly irritated. He could accept that he wouldn't be able to stop All Might. But why was Kaminari so confident that he could? Sure, Kaminari was stronger, but how much stronger? Would it really matter against All Might?

"Because with 'Pikachu' supporting me, our combined strength is on par with two or three top Pro Heroes."

Kaminari wasn't boasting. His expression remained neutral, as if stating an undeniable fact.

Then, he turned to meet Todoroki's cold gaze and continued, "Your giant icebergs? They'll slow All Might down for maybe three seconds, at best. Your flames? They wouldn't even make him blink."

Ding!

"Minoru Mineta, Hanta Sero – conditions met!"

Before Todoroki could argue further, the broadcast announcement rang out.

To them, the message was clear: The tenth exam is about to begin.

And sure enough, moments later, the massive 20-meter-tall iron gate before them slowly creaked open.

"No matter what happens, I'll give it my all."

Todoroki made his stance clear before stepping into the exam area first. Kaminari let out a helpless chuckle, then followed.

"…Neither of us are the type to be convinced by so-called 'truths' that easily."

Yet, as he walked along the city streets surrounded by towering buildings, Momo's words unexpectedly resurfaced in his mind.

"Relying too much on external tools… Aren't you just throwing away the opportunities and challenges your teachers provided for you? Is that really okay?"

"…Heh."

Kaminari chuckled softly, as if responding to her through space and time.

"Our situations are different, Momo. Even with these tools, it's not like we can guarantee an easy win. Heck, we can't even guarantee we'll make a dent in him!"

For Kaminari, using 'Golden Sand' might buy Todoroki a few extra seconds to escape.

But if he didn't use it, if he threw away this advantage just to follow some moral principle, then he might as well give up now. What would be the difference?

There'd be none at all.

"'Pikachu,' it's starting."

Hearing Kaminari's serious tone, 'Pikachu' nodded, jumped down from his shoulder, and locked its gaze straight ahead.

And then—

Ding!

The broadcast rang out once again.

In that instant, everyone's nerves tightened.

Not just Kaminari and Todoroki.

Not just the students in the monitoring room.

But even the Pro Heroes gathered in the principal's office, watching the live broadcast—Nezu, Aizawa, Cementoss, Snipe, Ectoplasm, Midnight, Thirteen… Nearly every Hero Course teacher had come to witness this exam.

Then, on the big screen, a familiar figure appeared, one wearing a bright smile as radiant as ever.

"All right, then… Here I come!!"

With that, All Might swung a simple, straightforward punch toward the test site.

BOOM!!

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