Of course, it felt great to turn the examination hall into a shōnen manga scene, but she had to consider the reality of the situation.

Setsuna began to anxiously wait for the results the day after the exam ended. As mentioned before, the combat test had chosen a simple and easy-to-understand point system, which meant that no matter how harmonious and friendly the atmosphere in the examination hall was, the points would still clearly calculate everyone's ranking.

She recalled the small game of rebuilding her home in the second half of the exam and wished she could travel back in time and give her hot-blooded self a blow to wake up. In the second half of the exam, no one was looking for robots in the entire examination hall. It was a small matter if one person failed, but it was a big deal if she dragged the entire examination hall down with her.

"Well … I had a lot of fun."

Erlang was practicing bass at home when he said this. When he received Setsuna's call, he pressed the answer button without hesitation. "And after all, we're considered accomplices, right?"

His frankness made Setsuna feel a lot better. After she put down the phone, she went to contact the other members who were preparing for the exam one by one.

After all, they were not strong players who could play consistently. Xin Cheng and Midaya's replies were vague. Together with Setsuna, who had completely forgotten how many points she had obtained in the first half of the exam, the three half-baked people waited for the results together anxiously.

The notice was delivered on a sunny weekend. Setsuna went out shopping and found the letter lying in the mailbox when she walked downstairs. The blue emblem on a white background and the UA logo indicated the source of the letter. Setsuna went upstairs with the letter with a sullen face. After entering the door, she threw the bag in her hand on the ground and tore open the thin envelope.

"Someone asked me what a hero is."

The virtual screen projected in the air distorted the original image, but the moment the strong voice entered her ears, she recognized it. The active No. 1 hero stood in front of the red screen with a smile and opened his arms to her.

"Is it a powerful force?

Is it a merciful heart that saves the world?

Is it a person who is in deep trouble and has no way out, but still struggles to take the step toward hope?

Is it Ultra? "

"But I think, in this entrance exam, you already have your own answer.

Seeing the dilapidated place return to order, the panicked companions become united — "

"— feel happy."

"— feel proud."

"— Cheer for your own achievements!

Sunyoung Combat Test First Overall Score, Senzaki Setsuna!

Sunyoung High School's Hero Department welcomes you!! "

His heart was beating wildly, and his body temperature was soaring. His body was as stiff as a wooden doll that had been locked in a box for a hundred years. The slightest movement would cause him to make a sound that could not bear the burden. Instantly, he slowly raised his hand and pressed hard on his mouth that was opened due to excessive panic. However, he could not stop his vocal cords from trembling involuntarily. Intermittent sobs fell out from between his fingers and mixed with the video on the light screen that was playing repeatedly, becoming a completely unrecognizable sound.

The voice said.

............

. "You got in."

What happened next was so unrealistic that it felt like a dream. Setsuna slid to the floor and sat there for a long time before she remembered to call her contacts to report the good news. Five minutes later, she received a message from Erlang. "Me too!!!

I thought it was all over when I didn't hear from you for so long. I'll tell Mom and Dad that we'll see each other when school reopens!!! "

.. Ascending Ringing. "I told you, Little Chisaki has no problem!

I'm finally relieved. All three of them got in. It's fate!

Should we call Little Erlang out to celebrate? "

Green Valley's frantic phone call couldn't go through smoothly after the call was connected. Throughout the whole process, he kept repeating "That's great" and "That's really great". There was even a simple "Congratulations" from Xin Qing, who had always been cold and indifferent.

All the hubbub ended with a congratulatory call from the school. On the other end of the line was the head teacher, who spoke in a deadpan tone unique to society. He routinely informed her of the time and place to collect her student records and personal information. He was slightly surprised that three of his class's elite students got into the Sunyoung High School at the same time. He hesitated for a moment before he hung up the phone and added a sentence.

"… Qian Qi, if your parents knew about this, they would definitely be happy for you."

He said in an awkward tone that he was not used to. As a teacher who was always striking the bell, he was not used to being too involved in the lives of his students. Thus, he ended the conversation in a hurry after a brief word of condolence.

"That's all then."

"Okay. Goodbye."

Setsuna said in a low voice. She thanked him for his kindness in her heart. Even if it was a negligible concern, as a head teacher, he still cared about his students' family matters.

She stood up, walked to the corner of the living room, and gently opened the wooden door of the cabinet on the wall. Two gray photos were revealed.

She looked at them quietly for a while before sitting down on the futon in front of the memorial tablet.

Everything started two years ago in the summer. A fire-type villain robbed a family of three on the street and took them hostage. When he realized that he had nowhere to go, he killed two adults to vent his anger. However, he still had a trace of compassion in his heart. Before he killed the youngest child, he hesitated for a moment. Then, Oermatt finally arrived and beat him up until he was paralyzed. He had to lie in the hospital for half a year before he was officially taken into custody.

However, all of this had nothing to do with Setsuna, who was turned upside down overnight.

She had a mental breakdown, nightmares, and her mother's sister came back from overseas to take care of her for a whole year. But at that time, she could no longer listen to anything. Then, she was suspended from school for half a year. The teacher visited her home, and the school gave her a psychological evaluation. Everyone said that —

— this child probably never wanted to set foot on the battlefield again.

— — What a pity, such a good personality.

"If it was me now …"

She raised her head and looked at her parents who were smiling lovingly in the photo. Two years ago, her maximum weight was only about 110 kilograms. It was simply impossible for her to carry two adults to escape. Perhaps from that moment on, she had longed for strength, but she also deeply hated violence.

"It's all thanks to Mr. Ormet."

The man who found the perfect balance between strength and violence. When she was at her most desperate, he easily reached out and pulled her out of her nightmare.

Even if for him, this might be an insignificant achievement that had long been forgotten, but for her, it was still worth mentioning.

"… Thank you."

… …

… … …

… … …

Now that the biggest problem was solved, Cat's Pupil's work schedule returned to normal. Plus, when school reopened, she would definitely need to move to an apartment closer to the school, so her financial situation would be even more tight.

After asking the store manager, she took over the rest of the unscheduled time during the summer vacation. The consequence of spending every day in the cat café was that she bumped into all of her regular customers, including Aizawa, who came to pet his cat.

"You passed the exam."

These four simple words were all Aizawa's thoughts about her getting first place in the Sunyoung School Entrance Examination.

"… Did I not make it clear?"

Even though Setsuna usually kept a low profile, she couldn't help but be deeply suspicious. She always disliked unnecessary attention, which could be seen from the fact that she didn't tell her ranking to the other members who took the exam with her. But in front of Aizawa, who was always calm and overwhelmingly led the conversation with his temperament, she couldn't help but show off like a child, trying to arouse the slightest change in his calm face.

But for today, she was destined to be disappointed.

"No, I heard you clearly."

Aizawa hugged the cat sleepily, lying on the carpet in the cubicle. "That kind of unreasonable ranking is not very useful. Don't take it too seriously."

"No matter what, I worked very hard to get it. It's too much to say that."

There was also Green Valley, who had almost crippled himself to pass the exam. When Cha Na heard about the tragedy in the examination hall, he almost failed to connect the young man in green sportswear with Green Valley Chu Jiu. It was not until later that he received confirmation from Green Valley that he reluctantly accepted the fact that Green Valley Chu Jiu, whom he had always thought was a little white rabbit, could bite people.

"It's just an exam, yet you work so hard. This is the evidence that you are still far from being good enough."

Aizawa yawned and turned over. His gaze through his messy bangs fell on the shop assistant who was complaining in a low voice not far away. "A team of professional heroes needs mature members who can steadily express their personality and can cope with any situation. They don't need troublesome people who go berserk on impulse and destroy their own combat ability after going berserk."

Complete. Correct. Argument.

Unable to find a single reason to refute, Setsuna held her breath and lowered her head, continuing to write and draw in the shop assistant's weekly newspaper. Perhaps this was the difference between adults and children. Young boys and girls would be hot-blooded because of a moment of heroism, but people in society could see through the turmoil hidden beneath at a glance.

(Just who is Asizawa-san?)

In the corner of her heart, such doubts quietly emerged.

"But as a junior high school student, you are not completely without redeeming qualities."

The man's voice came from the cubicle, with his usual calmness. "I keep forgetting to say, congratulations on passing."

(— But.)

She quietly exhaled the breath that she had been holding for a long time.

(It doesn't matter who he is.)

She put on a smiling face, like a very well-behaved junior high school student.

(He is not a bad person.)

So.