Ahhh, the second part. The best part.

Anyways, here's your chapter. Here's the Discord: /cgFmXz3qJ5

The next morning, Kumagawa woke up early to prepare for the first day of classes. He went about his morning routine in a calm and efficient manner, taking his time to make sure everything was just right. After he finished showering and brushing his teeth, he dressed himself in his Shiketsu uniform, consisting of a white dress shirt, black pants and of course, the signature Shiketsu hat.

He checked his appearance in the mirror one last time before grabbing his bag and heading out the door. Kumagawa made his way through the halls of the dormitory, nodding politely to the other students he passed. He remained neutral and composed, not letting any excitement or nerves show on his face.

As he walked outside, Kumagawa took a deep breath of the crisp morning air. He had no idea what the day would hold, but he was ready to face whatever challenges came his way. He adjusted his hat and set off towards the school building, ready to start the new school year.

Suddenly, Inasa appeared out of nowhere, jogging up to him with a wide grin on his face. "Good morning, Kumagawa! Ready for the first day of classes?"

Kumagawa nodded, keeping his expression neutral. 「yep」

Inasa laughed, clapping him on the back. "That's the spirit! I'm so pumped for today, I feel like I could take on the world!" He struck a dramatic pose, flexing his muscles.

Kumagawa raised an eyebrow. 「maybe tone it down a bit, it's just gonna be boring schoolwork」

Inasa chuckled. "Maybe not, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared, right?"

Kumagawa shrugged. 「fair enough」

As Kumagawa and Inasa made their way to the classroom, they spotted Saki waiting for them in the hallway. "Took you long enough. Leave it to you to get prepped 20 minutes before class."

「all my best work is rushed」 Kumagawa shrugged.

"Hey there, I'm Inasa Yoarashi!" Inasa said, saluting Saki. "You must be one of Kumagawa's friends?"

"Yeah, let's run with that." Saki said. "Saki Sukinaki. Nice to meet you, Yoarashi."

"LET'S MAKE THIS DAY LEGENDARY!" Inasa boomed, walking into the class. Saki chuckled.

"Your roommate seems nice." Saki said.

「if we work hard enough we could corrupt him」 Kumagawa joked.

As the trio entered the classroom, they were greeted by the sight of their classmates settling into their seats. Kumagawa made his way to his assigned desk and took a seat...and took out a Jump magazine and started reading.

"So, you still read those..."

Kumagawa looked to his left to see Zenkichi- looks like they were 'seat neighbors'.

Kumagawa nodded, flipping through the pages of the manga. 「yeah, it's a good way to pass the time」

Zenkichi shook his head. "That's an old issue, too..." Zenkichi was right. The magazine was so old it still had 'One Piece' on the cover- or, wait, maybe it was modern. "Still living life at your own pace, huh?"

「something like that」 Kumagawa replied, not looking up from his magazine.

As the rest of the class settled in, the homeroom teacher entered the room. Jaune took a deep breath, and shook his head. This was his first year as a homeroom teacher- usually he was a combat trainer or the guidance councelor, but he'd lucked out this year.

My first class- I really hope these kids aren't gonna make me stress like Eraser over at UA. Jaune chuckled, as he walked towards his desk. However, someone was standing in between him and the desk.

"Yes, can I help you?" Jaune asked.

"I just wanted to introduce myself," the girl said, bowing slightly. "My name is Medaka Kurokami, and I've already taken attendance and done some cleaning around the classroom. I hope I'm not overstepping my bounds."

Jaune was flabbergasted. He had never had a student take initiative like this before. "No, no, not at all! That's... that's very impressive, Medaka..."

...I kinda wanted to do attendance. Jaune thought.

Medaka smiled. "Of course, sir. I just want to do my best to make sure you have an easy first year!"

"W-well, uh, thank you. Now, please, take your seat," the Pro hero said. With a nod, Medaka returned to her seat, leaving Jaune to go over the list. He took a look at the attendance list that the over-enthusiastic student had filled out for him. Everyone accounted for. Unfortunately that did still leave him in a position to where he needed to put faces to names.

Jaune took a deep breath, before stepping up before the class. "Welcome to your first day at Shiketsu High, Class 13. Did you all settle in nicely?"

A few affirmative murmurs came from the crowd. Jaune smiled at that.

"Good to hear. My name is Jaune Arc," He turned around to write his name on the board. "But you can call me Mr. Arc, or my hero name, Arclight."

Kumagawa blinked. Arclight was a lower ranking hero, but too low ranking to be on Kumagawa's radar. Inasa's eyes lit up with excitement. Saki just leaned back in her chair and continued doodling in her notebook.

"First on our itinerary- intros!" Jaune said. "Let's all go around and say our name, and a fun fact about ourselves." He pointed to Kumagawa. "You! You go first."

Kumagawa stood up. 「my name is misogi kumagawa」He declared. 「and my type of women are women who look younger than they are」

Everyone stared.

「and women in jeans」

Saki made a face. "Dude."

"That..." Jaune just blinked for a moment, trying to process this, "Oookay...should've brought a cup of coffee with me. You can...uh...sit back down now. Moving...on from that..."

Kumagawa sat down. There were now a dozen eyes on him. He didn't care what they were thinking.

"Hello everyone, my name is Medaka Kurokami," Medaka introduced herself, her voice ringing with confidence. "A fun fact about me is that I can do anything I set my mind to." She flashed a dazzling smile as she finished speaking.

Jaune blinked. Weird, but more normal than the last one. His eyes darted over to Zenkichi.

"Name's Hitoyoshi Zenkichi." He said. "And I..."

Kumagawa leaned in.

"...I...find it easy to reach out to people. Easier than most, honestly."

Jaune nodded. "Alright, that's something."

Ok, good. Looks like only one of the students was going to start off with a weird fact. Next up on the list was-

"MY NAME IS INASA YOSARASHI AND I LIKE HOT BLOODED, PASSIONATE HEROES!" The boy declared.

Well that just made Jaune question who was more enthusiastic, him or Medaka. The intros went on for a few more minutes, going down the attendance list so that Jaune could have something to know about each of his new students.

"I'm Saki Sukinaki." Saki said. "I collect face masks, and I do some singing on the side."

"Hiroshi Sato." The box headed boy said. "I like...stuff, I guess."

"Yo! I'm Itsuki Hiroto!" A pink haired boy said. "I like boxing and monster movies!"

"Hana Hikari!" the girl with the horn hairstyle announced, "Pretty good at all instruments, but I'm the best at guitar."

"Mogana Kikaijima." The girl with glasses and a blue bow said. "I'm only here to get rich."

「 that's it? money's your only motivation? well, add one name to the list」 Kumagawa thought to himself.

"Yuna Nakamura!" A girl with a...brick for a head said. "Architecture is awesome!"

A boy with a cool and reserved look held up his first two fingers to wave 'hello'. "You can call me Ryuji Takahashi. I enjoy a good, long book."

"Yoshida Gakuto," the kid with blank face and white eyes introduced himself, "And...well, I guess I'm a good actor." He didn't really say that last bit with confidence though. Maybe it was stage fright.

"Alright, nice to meet you all," Jaune said with a smile, "Now, I know what you're all thinking. First day of class, probably just gonna be some boring schoolwork or syllabus hand out, know the ropes, things like that. Thought about it...and I immediately realized that's not gonna work. So, to get a better understanding of where you're all at, I managed to convince the headmaster to let us use one of the obstacles courses in the training facilities today."

The class sounded excited about this. Jaune grinned, pleased with their reactions.

"That's right! We're going to get straight into some hands-on training," Jaune continued, "But before we head out, I want to make sure we're all on the same page. Our school's motto is 'Fostering a spirit of challenge and innovation.' That means we're not just here to pass exams and graduate. We're here to push ourselves, to explore new horizons, to become the best versions of ourselves we can be."

"So in other words," Hana spoke out, "give it our all and then some? Dunno about everyone else, but I can do that!"

"Of course, I'm capable of that," Hiroshi countered, "I have no idea where you even got the idea of me being unable to."

"Wasn't directed at you and it wasn't really an insult either," Hana rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, not expecting the more negative response.

Kumagawa hummed. Although he didn't say anything, his expression suggested that he was amused by the exchange. Zenkichi just sat quietly, a small frown on his lips.

Jaune nodded at their enthusiasm. "That's the spirit! Now, let's head to the training facilities and get started." He gestured towards the door, and the class quickly gathered their things and followed him out of the classroom.

"This is gonna be AWESOME! Can't wait to see what you all can do!" Inasa yelled joyously.

The class filed out of the classroom, ready to take on the obstacle course and show off their abilities. Kumagawa hung back a bit from the rest of the group. He had a feeling that this was going to be an interesting semester. His eyes scanned the group, wondering who would rise to the challenge and who would fall behind.

「mogana already failed my test, she made it apparent what she was here for」He thought to himself. 「but I bet there's more to her than meets the eye. inasa's enthusiasm is obvious, but I wonder if he's all talk or if he can really back it up. and hana...she seems like she's got a lot of energy, but I'm not sure if that'll translate into actual skill」

Saki looked behind her to see Kumagawa at the back. "Sizing up the competition, are we?"

「in a manner of speaking」Kumagawa admitted with a shrug, 「also figuring out who to put first on the list of those who need to be humbled」

Saki chuckled. "I have a feeling that list might be pretty long."

Kumagawa nodded in agreement. 「perhaps. But I have a way of making people realize their place」

Saki raised an eyebrow. "And what's that?"

Kumagawa grinned. 「you'll see」

Saki shrugged. "I'm not worried. I know where I stand."

「at the bottom」

"Ha ha."

「in all seriousness though...i think the one who needs the most humbling is our dear classmate, Hiroshi. the name Sato doesn't sound familiar to you does it? In a Pro-Hero context, I mean. 」

"Sato is a common name." Saki huffed.

「what about people with boxheads」

"They're common too."

「you're taking the fun out of this」

"Yeah. And?"

「ok fine. buzzkill. how about this. did you know ingenium has a rival?」

"Those weirdo robot guys with the engines in their bodies? I did not."

「the rival to the iida family- the sato clan」Kumagawa reflected. 「its simple- iida's go, sato's stop」

"And...because his family's the 'rival' to a pretty well known Pro, he thinks he's some up and coming rising star," Saki reasoned.

「indeed. he thinks he's better than all the other students in our class... i'd knock him down a peg or two here but i don't know the full extent of his quirk yet. i need a bit more time on that front.」

"So, in other words...he's our first target." Saki said.

「possibly, yes」Kumagawa said. His eyes moved over to Zenkichi's back. 「however」

"Zenkichi?" Saki asked, "Why him?"

Kumagawa shrugged. 「i haven't seen my good friend in a while. he's very, very different...but i have my doubts」

Saki nodded. "How do you even know them?"

「i attended a majority of my schooling with them」

"Oh, I see," Saki said. "I didn't realize you knew them for so long."

「yes, well...we weren't always on the best of terms, to put it mildly. but I have a feeling that things might be different now」Kumagawa said cryptically.

Saki looked at him curiously. "You're being awfully mysterious today."

「i am rather good at that, aren't i?」Kumagawa chuckled.

"Yeah, sure. Let's go with that." Saki said, as she went into the girl's locker room.

Minutes later, the class emerged, in signature Shiketsu tracksuits. The Shiketsu tracksuits were black with white trim and had the school's emblem embroidered on the chest. The material was lightweight and breathable, perfect for physical activity.

As the class made their way to the obstacle course, they could see that it was an intricate and challenging setup. There were walls to climb, balance beams to navigate, water hazards to cross, and a variety of other obstacles that required both physical strength and mental agility.

Jaune stood at the starting line, clipboard in hand. "Alright everyone, listen up! This obstacle course is designed to test your physical and mental limits. Your goal is to complete it as quickly as possible while avoiding penalties for any mistakes or missed obstacles. And remember, this is a competition! The student with the fastest time will be recognized as the top performer in our class. Any questions?"

The class shook their heads in response.

"Alright then. On 3. 1...2...3, GO!" Jaune shouted.

As soon as he said "go," Medaka was already off running. It was like she was a track running prodigy with the speed she had. Hiroshi's eyes went wide upon seeing the girl's sheer speed, reminded of his family's great rivals.

Medaka seemed to navigate the obstacles with ease, barely breaking a sweat as she cleared the course in just under a minute. She leapt over walls, ducked under low beams, and even managed to sprint across the water without falling in. Her movements were graceful and fluid, almost as if she was dancing rather than completing an obstacle course.

Her classmates watched in amazement as she effortlessly passed each challenge, wondering if anyone could even come close to matching her speed and skill. When she finally crossed the finish line, she turned around with a bright smile on her face, as if to say, "That was easy."

"W-what the?!" Mogana gasped. "Kurokami just blazed through the course!"

"So?!" Inasa yelled, getting all fired up. "SHE'S THE TIME TO BEAT!"

"W-what even was her time?" Hana asked, looking to Jaune. Their teacher was just stunned as everyone else, apparently having timed Medaka's run.

"A minute. Exactly," Jaune said, his eyes wide in shock.

"ALL THAT IN A MINUTE?!" the class sans Zenkichi and Kumagawa yelled in unison.

"Without a dedicated speed power...that just seems inhuman," Hiroshi said in awe.

"It might look like a lofty goal-!" Inasa began.

「and it is」Kumagawa interjected.

"BUT I BELIEVE WE CAN DO IT! COME ON, GUYS! LET'S SHOW HER WHAT WE CAN DO TOO!" Inasa announced, holding his hands behind him and summoning up two miniature windstorms around them. In an instant, the wind exploded around his hands and launched him forward into the obstacle course.

Inasa Yoarashi! Quirk: Whirlwind! Inasa's Quirk grants him the ability to freely manipulate the air around him over a very wide area. He can create incredible gusts of wind, and has extremely precise control over them, being able to delicately handle people while clearing away rubble using various different types of winds.

As everyone else took off, Ryuji was right behind Inasa, his powerful legs carrying her over the walls and beams with ease. Yoshida was using his Quirk to take on the appearance and abilities of other students, giving him a unique advantage on certain obstacles.

Hiroshi was close behind, using his strength to push through the water obstacles. Saki was making good time, her agility allowing her to deftly navigate the balance beams. Sunako was focused and determined, her analytical mind helping her find the best way to approach each obstacle.

And that just left Zenkichi and Kumagawa in the back.

Both of them were just going at it the old fashioned way, running the course without their Quirks. In Zenkichi's case, it made sense. His power couldn't really help him out in a scenario like this. No spring-like limbs or wings for him to sprout here. But Kumagawa? His Quirk definitely had some uses here. He could uses the screws to scale walls, make footholds for him to cross large gaps, things like that. But he chose not to use it.

"Not using the screws today?" Zenkichi asked.

「no. i thought it'd be much more fair to go without. show what i can do without relying on them」

As they ran, Zenkichi activated his quirk. Zenkichi's quirk was not made for power- no, it was made to understand others. And what better way to use it than to gain a better understanding of Kumagawa's intentions? He saw through Kumagawa's eyes and observed the obstacles in a new light. Kumagawa was deliberately choosing the more difficult paths, avoiding using his screws, and slowing himself down.

Zenkichi felt a pang of annoyance. It felt like Kumagawa was mocking his supportive quirk, implying that he was weak for needing to rely on it. But then he saw something else in Kumagawa's expression, something that made him pause. It was almost...sadness?

"What's wrong?" Zenkichi asked.

Kumagawa shrugged. 「nothing. just thinking」

"About what?"

Kumagawa smirked. 「oh, just about how you're slowing me down. If only you could run as fast as Medaka」

Zenkichi felt his annoyance grow, but he tried to brush it off. He knew Kumagawa was just trying to get a rise out of him.

He was...but it was also more of a test on the screw-user's part. He wanted to see if his behavior in the auditorium earlier was just because Medaka was there to be a good influence on him, keep him in check, or if this was an actual bit of character development.

Zenkichi could sense Kumagawa's intentions, and he knew that the other boy was trying to provoke him. But he also sensed something deeper in Kumagawa's behavior, something that hinted at a sense of self-doubt and insecurity.

"Look, I don't know what you're trying to prove here, but if you want to go without using your screws, that's your choice. It's not just about the quirk. It's about how you use it and how you approach challenges. That's what really matters." Zenkichi said firmly.

Kumagawa raised an eyebrow. 「oh? coming from the guy who's quirk is just...looking at things?」

Zenkichi grit his teeth.

「i mean, i doubt there are a lot of ways to do that. or do you mean, different eye positions? give someone sideye?」Kumagawa quipped, hoping to get some kind of reaction out of Zenkichi,

Zenkichi took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. He knew Kumagawa was just trying to get under his skin, but he couldn't let it affect him.

"My quirk may not be flashy or powerful, but it has its uses. And I'm not ashamed to rely on it when I need to. Besides, it's not just about seeing things. It's about understanding people, their motives, their feelings. It's about empathy and insight," Zenkichi said, trying to explain the full extent of his quirk's abilities.

Kumagawa seemed to consider this for a moment before responding. 「hmm. i see what you're saying. maybe i could use my screws more...strategically.」

Zenkichi watched as Kumagawa began to use his quirk to pull ahead in the obstacle course. He watched in frustration as Kumagawa stabbed his screws through the obstacles, impeding the progress of other competitors, and used them to hop over difficult obstacles effortlessly.

Zenkichi gritted his teeth as he watched Kumagawa's unsportsmanlike behavior. He knew that the other boy was doing it to gain an advantage, but it still made him angry.

Further ahead in the course, Ryuji was using his Quirk to jump off one obstacle to the next, keeping up a surprising amount of momentum. He was completely focused on the race ahead, so he didn't notice that one of his jumps destabilized a pillar of fake rock on the way forward. I'm sure that won't come back into play.

As Kumagawa jumped from one unstable rock to another, he suddenly felt the ground beneath him give way. He stumbled, trying to regain his footing, but it was too late. The rocks collapsed underneath him, and he tumbled down into the pit below.

Zenkichi couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction as he saw Kumagawa's misfortune.

But that quickly faded.

Ryuji must have destabilized a few bits of fake stone around the obstacle course. Just his luck that some of those rocks started to fall towards him. He ducked and weaved his way through some of the falling debris, but one rock was about to get lucky and slam into him, followed by several others. Surprisingly, what seemed to be the back of a dump truck appeared and caught the rocks.

"What in the-?" Zenkichi asked.

"Sorry about that! Ryuji gets tunnel vision and he forgets that not everything can be as sturdy as a building sometimes!" the Lego-like girl called out.

Yuna Nakamura! Quirk: LEGO! It's a fun power! It lets her create and manipulate plastic blocks of various shapes and sizes, letting her build whatever she can think of! She doesn't have instruction manuals for these sets, so she has to get creative! Only problem is that her builds are as strong as plastic, definitely not as durable as concrete!

Kumagawa laid on the ground, desperately in need of first aid. 「ow」

Zenkichi could've raced past him, and finished the race. Honestly. And he could've let Kumagawa suffer for his karma.

...but...

Zenkichi knew that wasn't the right thing to do. Despite Kumagawa's behavior, he was still a fellow student and a human being in need of help.

Zenkichi jogged over to Kumagawa and kneeled beside him. "I don't need to use Parasite Seeing to see you're in pain..."

「ha.」

"Oh! There was someone else?!" Yuna yelled.

"He's fine, I got him!" Zenkichi called back.

"Are you sure? I can make a bulldozer plow, help clear away the rubble!"

"Appreciate the offer, but I'm sure!"

The boy turned his attention back to Kumagawa. "What the hell were you thinking?" Zenkichi demanded.

「i was doing my best」Kumagawa said.

Zenkichi sighed, feeling a mix of frustration and disappointment. "Doing your best? Jeez. You really never learn, do you..."

「mistakes are my lifeblood」He said with a small smirk.

Zenkichi shook his head. "But it seems like you keep making the same mistakes over and over again. You need to start thinking about your actions and the consequences they have on others..."

「i know」Kumagawa said.

"Huh?"

「consequences will always follow us」Kumagawa said. 「so, rather than say 'oh dear!', i choose to simply ignore them」

Zenkichi raised an eyebrow at Kumagawa's statement. "Ignoring consequences doesn't make them go away. It just means you're not taking responsibility for your actions."

「ignorance is bliss」Kumagawa said. 「i find it easier to accept that than a loss」

Zenkichi frowned. "I don't know why I bother with you." Zenkichi got back up, and started jogging off. "Get up. Those rocks aren't heavy. If a bunch of Legos can haul them away, I bet you they're pretty light."

「well of course. why would shiketsu put their new students in such serious danger?」

"You do know that U.A. uses surplus military bots that are used at Tartarus, right?" Zenkichi asked.

「point taken」

Zenkichi put his focus back on the course and began running. He could feel the wind on his face and the thud of his feet hitting the ground. The remaining obstacles were challenging, but he was determined to finish.

As he rounded the final bend, he could see the finish line in the distance. He pushed himself harder, picking up speed until he was sprinting towards the end. He crossed the finish line, his heart pounding with adrenaline.

And shortly after he did, Kumagawa crossed the finish line as well.

In dead last. As he fully expected.

「last place」Kumagawa huffed. 「if i got last place at UA, i would've been expelled」

Jaune frowned. "That's...not how it works."

「are you sure? huh. dunno where i heard that from」Kumagawa shrugged.

"There's no one crazy enough to do that at UA-" Jaune then paused. He recalled that one really, really tired grouchy guy Pyrrha described from last year's spring license exam.

"...nevermind."

Kumagawa smiled at that. 「at least i win that」

"Small victories. Take 'em when ya can, right?" Saki smirked.

"Ok so," Jaune looked over the times for each of the students, "No one beat Medaka's time, but people got close. Closest three were Inasa, Ryuji, and Mogana."

Mogana did some cooldown stretches. "It's only because of the water section- I was able to cut through that river with ease."

"I'm quite good at jumping..." Ryuji said.

"And I just flew over everything!" Inasa yelled, as he turned to Medaka. "How did you do that!?"

Medaka smiled. "I've done courses like this since I was a child. This is nothing new." She didn't sound 'condescending' about that tidbit, more like "oh, you've never been?"

"She's serious on that, isn't she?" Saki asked.

「very much so」Kumagawa nodded.

Zenkichi frowned. No shock. She's always been like this. It's almost like she doesn't get the fact she's better than other people at things. He closed his eyes, knowing what was coming next.

"I know it's only the first day, but- worry no more! I will help you all! I will straighten you all out! Right the wrongs! Improve you and rebuild you!" Medaka declared. Everyone gave her a weird look.

As a result...she kinda puts effort into making those around her as good at things as she is. Zenkichi shook his head. And amps it to 11...,000.

「zenkichi might've changed...but medaka? 」Kumagawa chuckled a bit, 「if medaka changes, i'm going to start questioning whatever gods there are in the world. and i know those two can hear me」

"...I will never understand you," Saki deadpanned.

「as you've said. and will continue to say」

"I've kinda accepted it but...still..."

If Medaka is so focused on improving others... Saki thought. Why didn't it rub off on Kumagawa?

Zenkichi raised an eyebrow as he looked at Saki. "...hey. You're friends with him, right?"

"Close enough to it I think, yeah," Saki said.

"Lemme just tell you this. A guy like me? I could fail a task 999 times, and finally get it on the 1000th. But Kumagawa...he's already accepted he will fail 1000 times." Zenkichi frowned.

Saki nodded. "I think I get what you're saying. Kumagawa's already set his expectations low, so he doesn't get hurt when he fails."

"Exactly," Zenkichi said. "But that's not a healthy mindset to have...and he refuses to break out of it."

Kumagawa chuckled. 「well, that's not entirely true. i just...don't like to think about it too much. failing, i mean. so i'd rather be pleasantly surprised when i succeed than disappointed when i don't」 He shrugged.

"That's still not a healthy way to approach things," Jaune chimed in. "You should be aiming for success, not just trying to avoid disappointment."

Kumagawa hummed. 「you'd know about that, wouldn't you」

Jaune looked disappointed for a second, but took a deep breath. He turned his attention back to the class. "That was a good hustle, everyone. Even if you didn't beat Medaka's time, you still gave it your all. And that's what's important." He smiled encouragingly at the students.

Mogana nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it was a good warm-up. Looking forward to what else is in store for us."

Inasa pumped his fist in the air. "Bring it on! I'm ready for anything!"

Medaka stepped forward once again. "My fellow classmates, let us not dwell on our shortcomings, but rather focus on the potential for growth that lies within us! We are all capable of achieving greatness, and with hard work and dedication, we will reach new heights-!"

Jaune, however, interrupted her before she could continue. "Medaka, as much as I appreciate your enthusiasm, we do have other classes to attend. Let's save the pep talk for later, shall we?"

"Of course!" Medaka said, saluting Jaune.

The class made their way back to the locker rooms to wash up and change. As they walked, Jaune approached Kumagawa.

"Hey, Kumagawa," Jaune said, "can I talk to you for a minute?"

Kumagawa paused.

Jaune cleared his throat. "I just wanted to point out that you started out strong and had a solid middle, but it seemed like you almost wanted to lose towards the end. It's like you didn't want to succeed, even though you're capable of doing better."

Kumagawa shrugged. 「maybe i just lost steam.」

"But that's not a good enough excuse," Jaune said firmly. "If you want to be a hero, you need to make an effort. You can't just give up when things get tough. You need to push through and give it your all, even when it's difficult."

Kumagawa shrugged. 「what if this is my all」

"Well, we'll just have to increase it, won't we?" Jaune replied with a determined look. "That's what training is for. To help you improve and reach your potential. And I believe you have more potential than you're giving yourself credit for."

Kumagawa didn't respond, but he seemed to be mulling over what Jaune had said.

"Look," Jaune continued, "I know it's hard to break out of old habits and mindsets, but that's what being a hero is all about. It's about overcoming obstacles, both physical and mental. And I believe you have what it takes to do that."

Kumagawa remained silent, but his expression seemed less guarded than before. Jaune hoped that his words had gotten through to him.

「i haven't learned anything」 Kumagawa declared, as he turned to walk off. 「but thanks for your concern」

Jaune was stunned and silent, but sighed. "This is gonna be a long year..."

From a camera installed on the training course, the principal Hakama Shiranui watched the students as they completed the obstacle race. As the principal of a school that trained the next generation of heroes, it was important for him to keep track of how his students were progressing in terms of their physical abilities. Through the camera footage, he could assess their strengths and weaknesses and determine which areas needed improvement.

He was particularly interested in one student in particular, Kumagawa Misogi. As Shiranui observed the race, he couldn't help but notice Kumagawa's lack of effort. He watched as the boy stumbled and fell, and then gave up entirely towards the end of the race. It was clear that Kumagawa had no desire to push himself to be better.

...he'd be perfect for his little plan.

Just then, Shiranui's phone rang. He picked up the phone, and smiled.

"Rikyia...I was just thinking of calling you." Shiranui said. "Did you have him bug my phone too?"

The voice on the other end laughed. "No, no. I would never do something so heinous to our 'top recruiter. how are things on your end?"

"Everything is going according to plan," Shiranui replied. "I'm currently observing the students in their training exercises."

"Excellent," Rikiya said. "Have you found any potential recruits?"

"There is one student in particular who caught my eye...but we'll have to see more and more of his power. But, listen to this- he holds no regard for others. He's more willing to carry out violent or destructive actions without remorse or hesitation..." Shiranui said.

Rikiya hummed in thought. "Interesting. Keep an eye on him and report back to me if you notice any signs of potential. We could use someone with that kind of attitude down here in Daika..."

Shiranui's eyes drifted over to a book on his desk. He put his hand over the cover, and closed his eyes.

"For Destro's sake, we *will* create a new world that truly values individuality and freedom..." Shiranui said. "...but enough about me. How's my granddaughter doing at your academy?"

Rikiya chuckled. "She's doing great. She's been excelling in her classes and has even caught the attention of some of the upperclassmen. You should be proud."

"Of course. That young upstart didn't want to upstage me here at Shiketsu." The old principal laughed.

"I'll make sure she stays on the right path. And I'll let you know if I find any potential recruits down here."

"Excellent," Shiranui said. "Remember, we must continue to work towards our goal. A new world is on the horizon, and we will be the ones to create it..."

"And it starts here." Rikiya...no, I shouldn't call him that anymore. Re-Destro said.

Shiketsu High was in for an interesting year indeed.