Chapter 28

With the conclusion of Golden Week, the day of the UA Sports Festival had finally arrived. Class 1-A had been asked to gather in a waiting room so they could step out onto the field together, so Izuku promptly headed that way after getting changed into his gym uniform.

As usual, Izuku was one of the very first to arrive, appearing second only to Yaoyorozu. When she noticed him entering, her expression blossomed into a smile as she commented, "You're looking especially focused today, Midoriya-kun. I take it you're satisfied with the preparations you made for the Sports Festival?"

Adopting a smile of his own, Izuku confidently replied, "I'm planning to take first in the entire event. But let's both give it our all."

Extending his fist for a bump, the corners of Izuku's smile curled upward when Yaoyorozu initially just stared at it. When she eventually realized his intentions, the faintest of blushes colored her cheeks as she reciprocated the gesture and replied, "Yes, let's give it our all! As for your declaration of claiming first...I won't make things easy for you!"

Retracting his hand, Izuku remarked, "I would be disappointed if you did. I trained hard for this day..."

Noticing a familiar figure enter the waiting room, Izuku's words gradually trailed off as his gaze 'met' Toru's. He couldn't actually see her face, but he was certain their gazes had met since she abruptly stopped, standing stock still in the entrance.

Following Izuku's gaze, Yaoyorozu, seemingly unaware of the sudden tension, beamed as she said, "Oh, Hagakure-san! Midoriya-kun and I were discussing the Sports Festival. He claims he'll be taking first place, so let's both do our best to stop him!"

Freed from her stupor, Toru pumped her fists and replied, "Of course! I trained super-duper extra hard for today's festival, so I won't be yielding the crown that easily...!"

Seeing Toru back to her usual self, or at least pretending to be, Izuku felt obliged to play along, regaining his smile as he said, "Then I'll have to do my best."

With that said, Izuku, Yaoyorozu, and Toru made casual conversation until their remaining classmates began trickling in. Izuku thought of separating himself from the duo once another girl arrived, but he became stuck when Ochaco, Tsuyu, and Mina entered the waiting room together. He had been radio silent the latter half of Golden Week, so Mina, in particular, had a lot of questions she wanted answers to before she was willing to let him go...

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"Now, let's hear a ripping round of applause for our First Year students! Starting with the Department of Heroes', Class 1-A...!!!"

Prompted by Present Mic's introduction, Izuku and the rest of his Class made their way out onto a circular grass field, surrounded by a stadium packed to the brim with well over 50,000 people.

Since many of his classmates were nervous about having so many eyes on them, Izuku gave them at least a basic idea of what they should be doing by raising his hand, smiling, and waving. The entire purpose of the Sports Festival was to show off, appeal to Pro Heroes, and impress future Sponsors. Displaying confidence and making a good first impression was nearly as important as your actual performance.

Following Class 1-A's entrance, Class 1-B from the Hero Course, Classes 1-C, D, and E from the General Course, Classes 1-F, G, H from the Support Course, and Classes 1-I, J, and K from the Business Course made their way onto the field. There was very little fanfare for the General, Support, and Business Classes, but Class 1-B was nearly as popular as 1-A due to the latter having no real hand in repelling the Villains during the attack on USJ.

Once each of the Classes had taken their positions, Midnight, wearing her incredibly scant Hero costume, made her way onto the field, climbing the stairs to an elevated platform as the crowd and many among the students celebrated her arrival.

After reaching the microphone that had been prepared for her, Midnight flicked her leather BDSM whip and shouted, "Silence, everyone! It's now time for the Student Pledge! As for the Representative of the First Years, I call Izuku Midoriya to the stage...!"

Blinking in surprise, countless thoughts invaded Izuku's mind, chief among them being, ("What the fuck?") followed by, ("Shouldn't it be Todoroki or another one of the referral students...?")

Despite the many questions appearing in his mind, Izuku made his way up to the stage with a practiced, casual, and confident smile. He wasn't one of the people who feared public speaking, but he would be lying if he said it wasn't a little unnerving to be the focus of tens of thousands of people, and that was just in the stands. The international viewership of the Sports Festival exceeded 300,000,000, so there were 'a lot' of eyes on him...

Making his way up to the prepared microphone, Izuku raised his gaze to the crowd, forcibly maintaining his mask as he considered what he should say. He was ultimately the Representative of all the First Years present, so while it was tempting to say something arrogant, doing so would come at the cost of his public image and rapport.

After a brief moment of consideration, aided by his combined Intelligence and Dexterity, Izuku calmly stated, "Though it's only been a month since we became students at UA, everyone here is giving it their all to carve a path toward their future. While the Hero Course is undoubtedly the focus of today's events, please show some consideration for those in the other Departments. In a world where Quirks make anything possible, physical fitness and combat proficiency are not the only metrics for talent. Please keep that in mind."

Punctuating his speech with a bow, Izuku was relieved when the crowd practically erupted. Humility, especially in the strong, was a trait that was greatly appreciated by the public. If Izuku was going to become the No. 1 Pro in the future, even if only for a short while, he needed to have at least some awareness of how others perceived him.

Pressing a button in her palm that disabled the mic, Midnight surprised Izuku by remarking, "My, aren't you a little cutie..." before punctuating her words with a playful wink. "Now, get off the stage so we can proceed with the first event."

Responding with a curt nod, Izuku descended from the stage and retook his place among the students of Class 1-A. They were asked to stand in order of their seating chart, so Yaoyorozu was only two spaces behind him, ignoring the fact Mineta was between them as she said, "That was an incredible speech, Midoriya-kun. I understand why you were chosen as the Representative of all the First Years."

Speaking from Izuku's right, Sero added, "Yeah. If it were me, I would have tried showing off to market myself. Guess I still have a lot to learn before becoming a Pro, huh?"

Adopting a faint smile, Izuku replied, "We all do." before adding, "Also, we should probably quiet down. Midnight-sensei is glaring at us..."

As she could hear Izuku's remark, Midnight narrowed her blue eyes in amusement before flipping on her mic and shouting, "Without further ado, it's time to get started! The first game is what you call a qualifier. In other words, this is where you begin feeling the pain...!"

Striking a pose with her whip, a holographic display appeared behind Midnight, a roulette-like wheel appearing on the screen as she mused, "The first game of the festival is...what could it be~?"

In response to Midnight's words, the roulette abruptly came to a stop, revealing the words 'Obstacle Race' in big, bold letters. At the same time, Midnight snapped her whip and exclaimed, "Ta-da! The first event will be an Obstacle Race! The track is a four-kilometer obstacle course that runs around the stadium~!"

Directing a narrow-eyed gaze to the students below, Midnight licked her lips and added, "I don't want to restrain anyone, at least not in this game. As long as you don't leave the course, everyone here is free to do as their heart desires! Now then, take your places, contestants! It's time to show everyone here what you can do...!"

As the crowd erupted in response to Midnight's words, the eleven First Year Classes raced to be the first at the starting point. Those with keen eyes and common sense could see that the opening wasn't very wide, so if you found yourself at the back of the pack, you would need to wait for everyone else to get through before doing so yourself.

Contrasting the frenzy of the other students, Izuku intentionally took his time reaching the gate. What he didn't anticipate, though he really should have, was for his actions to draw the attention of some of his classmates. More specifically, Ochaco and Tsuyu came over to him, the latter taking the initiative to ask, "What's up, Izuku-chan? Don't you want to get a good position at the gate?"

Adding to Tsuyu's words, Ochaco exclaimed, "Yeah! If we don't hurry and take our positions, we'll end up getting entangled like the students during the evacuation!"

Understanding that the duo was compromising their placements out of concern for him, Izuku's smile broadened as he replied, "Thanks for your concern, but I won't have any trouble getting through the gate. And if you combine your powers, I bet the two of you can leap over the entire group in a single bound."

Touching her bottom lip out of habit, Tsuyu asked, "Is that even allowed? I know Midnight-sensei said we could do whatever we wanted, but this is still a competition. Teaming up feels like cheating."

Shaking his head, Izuku asserted, This might be a competition, but it's also an opportunity for us to demonstrate the types of Heroes we wish to become. Most of the Scouts won't be looking for hotheaded powerhouses that can sweep through a group of Villains in the blink of an eye. I imagine the vast majority will be searching for capable and cooperative individuals they can potentially groom into Sidekicks."

"That...makes a lot of sense..." remarked Tsuyu.

Spurred by Izuku's words, Ochaco's face blossomed into a smile as she asked, "If that's the case, then why don't the three of us team up!? If we work together, I'm certain we can sweep through the competition...!"

Adopting a markedly wrier smile, Izuku explained, "I would like that, but there's just one problem."

"What's that?" asked Ochaco, tilting her head curiously.

"I'm a guy, and the two of you are cute girls," explained Izuku. "If I were to carry you or run with you on my back, nearly every male in the stadium would come to resent me."

"Ah..."

Envisioning the scene of her clinging to Izuku as he ran at full speed, a faint blush colored Ochaco's perpetually blushing cheeks. As for Tsuyu, she offered one of her characteristic 'keros' before pointing out, "Maybe, but it's a good way to show people you're capable of performing rescues. Being able to transport people to safety is an important skill for a Hero to have. That's especially true for people with reinforcement Quirks, ribbit..."

Realizing there was a considerable amount of truth to Tsuyu's words, Izuku paused for a moment before adopting a broad smile and saying, "If that's the case, I wouldn't mind carrying the two of you to the finish line. But won't that be pretty embarrassing?"

Without so much as a second of deliberation, Tsuyu replied, "I don't really mind, ribbit. This is just the first round of the Sports Festival, so we'll have plenty of chances to show off if we perform well in this event."

Emboldened by Tsuyu's words, Ochaco pumped her fists in a guts pose as she appended, "Let's do this!" with a resolute smile. The thought of being carried by a boy on international television honestly scared her. However, since the boy in question was Izuku, she was, for reasons she didn't fully understand, more excited than afraid...

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(A/N: That's one way to stand out...)