On the other side of the examination area, Chacha and Aoyama relied on the fact that their opponent, Thirteen, was not skilled in close combat. By exploiting this weakness, they quickly closed the distance, turning what should have been an overwhelmingly powerful Quirk into something awkward and restrained.
After all, Thirteen's Black Hole Quirk was far too dangerous. Used at close range, it meant either severe injury or death. Under such circumstances, Thirteen simply couldn't unleash it against students.
In the end, relying on the physical training they had accumulated over the semester and a few basic combat techniques they had learned, the two successfully subdued Thirteen and passed the assessment.
Of course, not everyone was that fortunate.
At this moment, Mineta Minoru was the unluckiest example.
He had been paired with Sero Hanta, and their opponent was the R-rated Pro Hero—Midnight. When Mineta first heard about it, he had been excited for a long time. If something accidental happened during the fight, surely the teacher would understand… right?
But once the battle began, that filthy fantasy was completely shattered.
"I'm afraid that kid has very little hope~"
Recovery Girl commented cheerfully as she watched the footage on the screen.
Among all the teachers involved in this exam, All Might, Present Mic, Cementoss, and Midnight were clearly the most troublesome to deal with. Unfortunately for Mineta, he had drawn one of them.
At the very start of the fight, Sero was instantly affected by Midnight's Quirk. By the time Mineta realized what was happening, Sero was already lying with his head on Midnight's lap, sleeping peacefully.
Faced with the spreading aroma, Mineta could only run for his life, tears streaming down his face as he fled.
Masata zoomed in on the screen and fell silent.
Those weren't tears of fear at all—they were clearly tears of envy, jealousy, and hatred!
He had to be jealous of Sero. There was no other explanation.
Still, Masata sensed that Mineta had a plan. Since enrolling at U.A., Mineta had gone through several real battles. He was no longer the immature middle schooler he once was—he was gradually growing up.
Sure enough, after leading Midnight to a specific location, Mineta suddenly stopped.
"Why aren't you running anymore?" Midnight asked lazily. "Watching you scream and flee in front of me really awakens my sadistic side~"
She flicked her whip toward Mineta, the smile on her face making him feel like a helpless little rabbit.
That's the gaze of a predator trying to mentally corner a villain…
Just moments ago, Mineta had been jealous to the point of tears. Now, under that gaze, his body trembled slightly. He felt the fragrance spreading again.
Quickly, he wrapped the tape Sero had left behind around his neck and head, tightly sealing his nose and mouth.
"This way… I won't be hypnotized by your scent!"
His words were muffled, but for once, Mineta didn't turn to run. Instead, he charged straight at Midnight.
"Oh?" Midnight raised an eyebrow. "You can still fight while breathing like that?"
She snapped her whip forward again.
The whip cracked through the air like a venomous snake striking at its prey. Mineta's response was—
"Biubiubiu—!"
He frantically ripped the sticky spheres from his head and hurled them forward. Thanks to his small size, he barely dodged the whip's path.
The super-sticky balls glued the whip firmly to the ground—and unfortunately, Midnight's palm was also caught in the process, sticking to it as well.
She was immobilized.
The exit was still a long distance away, but with the scent no longer affecting him, Mineta hoisted Sero onto his back and sprinted with everything he had.
They passed.
At this point, only one battle remained unresolved.
"Yo! You're here!"
The door to the monitoring room suddenly swung open as All Might walked in, carrying two figures—one in each arm.
Although it was called the monitoring room, it was also serving as a temporary infirmary. After all, Midoriya Izuku and Bakugo Katsuki had been seriously injured, and All Might had personally brought them to Recovery Girl for treatment.
Seeing Masata, Midoriya greeted him weakly, then turned his gaze toward the large screen, noticing that most of the class battles were already over.
"You want to check on everyone's situation?" Masata asked, easily catching his thoughts.
"Yes," Midoriya replied. "It's rare to watch everyone fight professional Heroes. I want to see if there's anything I can learn."
True to his reputation as a data maniac, Midoriya lay flat on the bed after receiving basic treatment, his eyes glued to the footage.
Since no outsiders were present, All Might relaxed and reverted to his thin form, sitting down on a nearby stool.
"You really didn't hold back, All Might," Masata remarked casually.
Recovery Girl wasn't much fun to chat with, so Masata took the chance to tease.
Looking at Bakugo, still unconscious from severe injuries, and Midoriya, forced to lie face-down because of his damaged waist, it was obvious how harsh All Might had been. None of the other teachers had sent students in such condition.
"This is also for their growth," All Might said with a wry smile. "And Igarashi boy… when it's your turn, your test may be even harsher than theirs."
He felt slightly guilty. Bakugo and Midoriya had fought with such intensity that he had no choice but to respond in kind. Bakugo's injuries were largely self-inflicted through reckless explosions—but All Might still felt responsible.
"So… what exactly am I being tested on?" Masata asked. "I still have no clue."
"You'll challenge me," All Might replied immediately. "One-on-one."
"…Eh?"
Masata had expected All Might to keep him guessing a bit longer. Hearing the answer so directly left him strangely disappointed.
Maybe it was true—what you couldn't get was always more exciting.
Seeing Masata's lack of reaction, All Might became curious.
"You're not nervous?" he asked. "You won't have any teammates helping you."
Masata scratched his head.
"What's there to be nervous about? It's just a fight. I've seen real storms before—I'm not losing sleep over a battle."
After all, Masata had faced All For One directly. Compared to that, fighting All Might didn't frighten him—it excited him.
Deep down, Masata smiled.
"I just want to know… how far I still am from the summit."