Bakugou promised his mom that he will try the hero school's entrance test. But he did not promise that he will try his best.

His plan is to take the test, get in with a mediocre ranking, and then get mediocre grades to show that he is not hero material. After he graduates with a free to use quirk license, everyone will stop pestering him about becoming a hero and leave him alone. Namely, a certain someone with broccoli hair.

So even though he receives an invitation to the U.A.'s recommended student test, he decides not to take it. It's so much harder to be average if he is surrounded by people who are deemed qualified for recommendations.

As for what he tells them to explain why he isn't taking the recommended students test. He simply says he needs more time to prepare. After all, on the surface, he has no quirk or any kind of hero training previously.

Upon hearing about this, the Hero Public Safety Commission offers to help him train. It looks like they still haven't given up on recruiting him. As an incentive, they even offered they could get the No.3 hero—Hawks—to train him.

What do they think he is? One of those hero otakus like Midoriya? Bakugou doesn't know why they are so persistent, but his intuition tells him it can't be good.

—

The UA entrance exam arrives sooner than Bakugou expects. In what feels like the blink of an eye, several months pass, and there he stands at the imposing gates of U.A. The campus looms ahead, its flashy buildings and expansive training grounds a stark contrast from Bakugou's goal of not attracting attention.

Following the written tests, they gather in an auditorium to listen to the instructions for the practical exam. Of course the universe decides to seat Bakugou right next to Midoriya and condemn him to the non-stop mutterings. It looks like someone agreed when he calls Midoriya out for it.

Thankfully, Bakugou is not assigned the same test center as Midoriya. As the bus arrives at the battle center, Bakugou gets his first real look at the vastness of the school, and a wave of doubt washes over him. The realization hits hard—damn, perhaps he should've picked a more low-profile hero school?

Bakugou doesn't have time to ponder on that thought as the practical exam begins. He follows the test takers into the opening gates while silently calculating the minimum number of robots he should blow up to get the third place. Judging by the other test takers, 50 points is probably more than enough.

What did the radio guy say again? 2 points for a medium robot? Bakugou notices one approaching him in the corner of his eye. He was about to use his quirk when suddenly a giant fist smashed it away.

"Careful," the girl with the giant hands warns before running away to another target.

A quirk that can change the size of their hands? Very…interesting.

The practical exam rages on with the sounds of destruction echoing through the arena. Bakugou scans the battlefield, picking up on the sounds and the movements of robots nearby.

He finds a cluster of small and medium robots, their metallic limbs clanking ominously. Without hesitation, his palms ignite, releasing a deafening explosion that sends metal shrapnel flying in all directions, reducing the group to a smoldering heap. So that would be 7 points, he calculates.

Using the smoke as cover, Bakugou taps another large robot—turning it into a bomb—before its red optics notices. The radio guy's voice echoes in his mind, three points for these. He denotes the bomb. BOOM! So that would be 10 points.

BOOM!

25 points.

BOOM!

37 points.

BOOM!

52 points.

This should be enough. Bakugou's pace slows to a walk. The practical exam around him continues, smoke billows and sparks fly in the arena as hero wannabes showcase their abilities.

One of them, Itsuka Kendo, is visibly exhausted from pushing her body to its limits. Despite her efforts, she's only managed to accumulate around 25 points. So the pressing need for more drives her forward.

As Bakugou strides through the testing arena, he spots the big-hands girl fighting over a robot with another test contestant. The other contestant, in a desperate attempt to gain more points, makes a risky move, only to end up pinned beneath the fallen robot just as the giant zero-pointer approaches.

The giant robot casts a threatening shadow over them, its metallic limbs ready for an attack. Kendo, recognizing Bakugou approaching, urgently calls out,"hey! You there! Please help us!" She gestures to the zero-pointer and reaches down to free the trapped contestant.

Bakugou glances at her and weighs his options. He couldn't care less about the safety of other people but this is someone with the ability to change the size of her hands. The robot in question is a mere zero-pointer that won't affect his score. Plus, if I help, Bakugou thinks, she will let me examine her hands.

Bakugou, having made his decision, erupts with a ferocity that shakes the ground. Explosions burst forth, a calculated chaos propelling him upward with each blast. Adrenaline courses through his veins as he dances through the air, narrowly avoiding the lethal retaliations of the giant zero-pointer.

Scaling the metallic giant with blistering speed, Bakugou's hands become instruments of destruction. Swift and precise, his fingers touch the robot's joints, turning them into explosive bombs and detonating them.

As he reaches the pinnacle of the mechanical giant, Bakugou makes his final move. With a powerful leap, he disengages from the robot's surface. His body arcs, and in a breathtaking display of precision and timing, he triggers the detonation midair.

KABOOM! Shockwaves ripple through the arena, the blast's deafening roar drowning out all other sounds. A flash of blinding white light follows.

Bakugou lands with a controlled grace, a triumphant figure amidst the dissipating smoke and cascading debris. The battlefield around him is transformed into a testament to his might. The crowd, silenced by the spectacle, can only marvel at the test contestant who just turned the tide with sheer, unbridled power.

Among the stunned onlookers is Kendo, speechless even as Bakugou approaches her. With a gentle gesture, Bakugou holds her hands to lift her up. In a surprisingly soft tone, he asks, "hey, can I ask you a favor?"

Kendo nods, unable to say no.

"Can you be my hand model?"