"We will now conduct a Quirk Apprehension Test."
Master Eraser Head's blunt declaration sent a ripple of unease through the class. Uraraka spoke up, questioning what had happened to the orientation, but Eraser Head dismissed her concern without a second thought. "We don't have time for such leisurely pleasantries," he said, his voice cold and final.
He gave a brief, clinical explanation of the test before his gaze settled on me.
"Masue. What was your distance for the softball throw in middle school?"
Every eye in the class turned toward me. Unfortunately, I didn't have an answer to give him. Until his explanation just now, I hadn't even known "fitness tests" existed.
I understood the basic premise—a physical evaluation where Quirk usage was permitted—but I remained ignorant of the specific events, the scoring system, or why I seemed to be the only one who had never heard of it. I had no choice but to be direct.
"Master Eraser Head. My apologies, but... could you explain exactly what a fitness test entails?"
The entire class, Master included, froze. Apparently, this was something I was "supposed" to know.
Well, almost everyone froze. Midoriya was currently staring at Master with sparkling eyes, muttering something under his breath about the hero's name.
"...You don't know what a fitness test is?"
"I do not. I have never taken one."
"How...? Ah. Right. I see. You skipped grades, didn't you?"
Master scratched his head, looking like he'd just solved a particularly annoying puzzle. The rest of the class—save for Himiko—stared at me in pure shock.
"You skipped the fifth and eighth grades entirely, if I recall?"
"I did."
"...Well, no wonder you don't know. Fine. Listen up, because I'm only explaining this once."
He proceeded to give me a summary of the national physical fitness testing standards.
I see. These are statistical tests conducted during the fifth and eighth years of schooling to track physical development. Since I had bypassed those years entirely, I had no reason to be familiar with them, nor did I have any records on file.
"Ask Toga for the specifics later; she went to the same middle school as you. I'll put you last in the rotation for each event."
"Understood."
"Now... the runner-up in the general entrance exam was Bakugo, right? What was your middle school softball record?"
Master turned his attention to Bakugo—the boy who had threatened to kill me earlier. He seemed incensed by the mention of being "runner-up," his face contorting in a snarl, but he answered the question regardless.
"...Sixty-seven meters."
"Then try throwing it using your Quirk."
As long as you stay within the circle, anything goes.
Master tossed the ball to Bakugo.
The logic was sound: by adding a Quirk to baseline physical ability, they could measure a student's current potential and use the data to guide future training.
"Himiko... how impressive is a sixty-seven-meter record?" I whispered.
"Pretty amazing, actually. I only hit about twenty meters."
"I see. Gender differences aside, he has clearly trained his body well. I could sense it from his presence, but the numbers confirm it."
As we spoke, Bakugo took his stance.
"DIE!"
With a roar and a massive, concussive explosion from his palm, the ball was launched with terrifying velocity.
Well. Setting aside the choice of words for the shout, that certainly traveled a significant distance.
"705.2 meters."
"Se—... Seven hundred?!"
"We get to use our Quirks as much as we want! This looks like fun!"
The students erupted in excitement at the record.
But the moment those words left their mouths, Master's aura shifted. His lethargic, bored demeanor vanished, replaced by a crushing, oppressive weight. Himiko and I knew he wasn't truly directing his malice at us, but the others clearly felt the pressure.
"'Fun,' you say... do you plan on spending the next three years of your hero training with that mindset? Fine. Let's make it interesting. Whoever ranks last in the total scores will be judged as having no potential and will be summarily expelled."
The declaration carried a sharp, jagged edge of intent. Immediately, the class broke into protests.
"Kotoha-chan, is he...?"
"The intimidation is mostly for show, but the threat of expulsion is real," I whispered, shrugging. "It seems he is a master who is exceptionally demanding of his disciples."
Himiko gave a light laugh. "Well, we'll be fine."