Aizawa Shouta paused deliberately, letting the tension linger.
Then, with a sudden grin that showed his teeth, he spoke in a teasing tone.
"Student Toru Hagakure—you still need to work harder on your physical fitness. And by the way, the whole 'expelling the last place' thing?"
He shrugged lazily.
"It was a lie. Just a bit of reasonable hypocrisy, tailored to your Quirk."
The entire class fell silent.
"…."
Regardless of whether the students felt tricked or emotionally played with, Aizawa Shouta was in a very good mood.
From his perspective, the overall level of Quirk control and adaptability in Class 1-A had already reached an acceptable standard.
Even Midoriya Izuku, whose situation was obviously problematic, had demonstrated tremendous potential under Lock's guidance.
After all, under today's strict Quirk regulation laws, ordinary people rarely use their abilities in daily life. Long-term suppression like that naturally limits creative thinking.
For most Pro Heroes, true Quirk development only begins after entering the Hero Course.
As the homeroom teacher, Aizawa's job was to determine one thing first and foremost:
Do these students have the possibility of becoming heroes?
"There's information about future lessons in the classroom," Aizawa said, turning away from the field. "Read it carefully once you're back."
He waved a hand casually.
"Starting tomorrow, the training will be far more brutal. Prepare yourselves."
With that, his figure disappeared completely from the training ground.
Yaoyorozu Momo pressed a hand to her forehead, letting out a long sigh.
"Honestly… I was terrified. Expelling students on the very first day—no way would normally happen."
The others nodded in agreement. At the time, they had truly believed it.
Now that they thought about it calmly, wasn't it obviously a bluff?
"Not necessarily."
Lock's sudden voice drew everyone's attention.
He continued calmly, "The second-year Hero Course—one year above us—was completely expelled by Mr. Aizawa when they entered their first year."
"What?!"
"That's impossible!"
"An entire class?! That's insane!"
Compared to today's 'fake expulsion,' the revelation Lock dropped was far more shocking.
"You can look it up," Lock said with a shrug. "U.A. didn't hide it. Teachers here genuinely have the authority to expel students—and the school bears all responsibility."
Aizawa Shouta was infamous in the Hero world.
Once he judged someone as having zero potential, he discarded them without hesitation.
And to be deemed 'zero'—every single student in that class must have failed his standard.
Which said a lot about how exceptional that previous class actually was.
In truth, this aligned perfectly with the reality of modern Hero society.
There were far too many people chasing fame and profit under the title of 'Hero,' and only a very small number who truly deserved the name.
Once Hero became a profession, its nature inevitably changed.
"So… it was real…"
Yaoyorozu quickly pulled out her phone and searched for U.A.-related news.
One headline stood out clearly:
"Aizawa Shouta Expels Entire First-Year Hero Class."
"…Thank you for telling us, Lock."
She exhaled deeply, cold sweat forming on her back. She truly hadn't expected their homeroom teacher to be this severe.
"Don't worry too much," Lock said evenly. "As long as your attitude is right. The road to becoming a Hero—and being one—was never simple."
Hearing those words from an already licensed Pro Hero carried weight.
Every student in Class 1-A instinctively straightened.
After that, Lock greeted Jirō Kyōka, and the two headed back together.
Today's lessons officially ended there.
There were no formal classes on the first day, and while campus tours existed, the Hero Course was treated differently.
Lock and Kyōka collected their materials and left together, while Midoriya Izuku, whose injuries from OFA had worsened, was sent to Recovery Girl for treatment.
Thus, the first day of school came to an end.
Everyone returned to their respective homes.
At the same time—
In a dark, sealed room.
A man with a grotesque, tumor-riddled head and no eyes lay on a hospital bed tilted at an angle.
Countless tubes and unknown devices were connected to his body, regulating, maintaining, and sustaining his life.
He was—
All For One.
After breaking free from the hallucination magic Lock had cast that day, he discovered Lock had already vanished without a trace.
Sirens echoed in the distance.
So he abandoned the frozen office building—along with the League of Villains' headquarters.
As for how he escaped the hallucinations?
He simply killed everything that appeared and disturbed his emotions.
All of it.
Beside him stood a doctor in a white coat.
An old television sat at the foot of the bed.
Though AFO had no eyes, black, cable-like tendrils extended from his fingers into the screen, transmitting images directly into his brain.
On the screen—
A young man with deep dark circles and messy silver hair appeared, radiating sickness and madness.
Tomura Shigaraki.
"Teacher," Shigaraki asked from inside a laboratory, "can you lend me a Nomu?"
"What's this?" AFO replied casually. "Have a new idea?"
His tone lacked warmth—more like indifference than concern.
"I heard All Might is becoming a teacher at U.A.," Shigaraki said after hesitating. "I want to give him a… surprise."
His fists clenched.
The teacher he admired, respected, and depended on had changed after the incident with Lock.
And it was all because of that man.
Shigaraki's gaze darkened.
"With Kurogiri's Quirk, we can ambush him. I want to see if Nomu can kill All Might."
AFO paused.
"The idea isn't bad," he said slowly. "But it's reckless. Discuss the plan with Ape Yamamoto. You can test All Might's current limits."
Recently, rumors had been spreading.
All Might seemed… different.
The mutual, incurable wounds AFO and All Might had inflicted on each other remained.
Yet All Might continued to act as the Symbol of Peace, while AFO was confined to darkness, dependent on machines.
And yet—
All Might's recent activity suggested something had changed.
This led AFO to a suspicion.
Had All Might already found a successor?
"…I'll allow you to use that Nomu," AFO said at last. "But Kurogiri and Ape Yamamoto will be in charge of the operation."
Shigaraki clenched his teeth in frustration—but nodded.
He didn't dare defy his teacher.
He would prove himself through this operation.
After the screen went dark, the doctor beside AFO spoke quietly.
"Is this really wise? Shigaraki may grow resentful."
AFO chuckled.
"Favor the new, abandon the old. Even after living for centuries, that never surprises me."
It was like shopping.
You buy something for 100 yen, then later discover something better for the same price.
The money is gone. No refunds. No replacements.
So naturally, regret follows.
Tomura Shigaraki was what AFO had 'purchased' for that price.
His performance wasn't bad, but as a successor, his growth was too slow.
Compared to him—
Lock was the superior option.
If not for current circumstances…
Tomura Shigaraki would already have been replaced.
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A/N: 40+ Advance Chapter Has Been Uploaded.
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