"It's our turn."
Without waiting for Shota Aizawa to prompt him, Egawa stood up on his own, staring at Shina Etsuha with open defiance.
Etsuha didn't react much. Calm and unreadable, he followed Egawa out of the monitoring room and toward the building. The previous matches hadn't caused much damage, so the structure was still largely intact.
"You've seen the level we're at now, and you're still not nervous? You've got some guts," Egawa said with a smirk. "If you beg your senior nicely, I might go a little easy on you."
"…"
Etsuha ignored him completely.
Egawa sighed, sounding almost exasperated. "You stubborn underclassman… don't you get it? Even if our grades aren't great among the second-years, we're still far beyond you guys who haven't even properly entered U.A. yet. The growth you experience here is on a completely different level… but judging from your face, you won't understand that."
He waved a hand dismissively.
"Go on. Since you're the weaker one, you can take the defensive role. At least that way, you won't lose too badly."
Egawa's reasoning wasn't wrong. Letting the freshman defend gave them time to prepare. If the roles were reversed, the gap in experience might lead to an instant defeat—leaving no room to learn anything.
But—
What he didn't realize was that the person standing in front of him was anything but ordinary.
Shina Etsuha was so unusual that even Aizawa found him difficult to handle.
"Alright… the third match begins."
The moment Egawa finished speaking, Aizawa's voice came through the nearby speaker.
"Shina Etsuha versus Egawa. Egawa will take the defensive role. Shina Etsuha will attack."
The announcement instantly stirred confusion in the monitoring room.
"What? Shina Etsuha is attacking?!"
"Did I hear that right? Egawa's one of the strongest in our class—are we seriously making him defend?"
"Maybe Aizawa-sensei is trying to crush that guy's confidence. Arrogant freshmen like him are pretty rare…"
The unexpected reversal of roles left many students puzzled.
Egawa himself froze for a moment, a flicker of doubt appearing in his eyes.
"Why am I the defender? Did Sensei make a mistake?"
The thought kept repeating in his mind as he entered the building, casting Etsuha a strange look.
Meanwhile—
Etsuha was actually… excited.
"This guy's strength is just right. Skilled enough, but not overwhelming. Perfect for testing the effects of genetic destruction."
That was his real thought.
Five minutes passed in the blink of an eye.
Etsuha stepped into the building.
He wasn't particularly skilled at traditional reconnaissance—but after mastering genetic modification, he could enhance his senses at will. By adjusting his ears, he could pick up even the faintest sounds, turning the entire building into his detection range.
And so—
He walked straight through the main entrance.
No hesitation. No caution.
Completely exposed.
"Is he trying to get himself killed?!"
The watching students were stunned.
This was enemy territory—the defender knew the terrain inside and out. A single ambush could end the match instantly. Under normal circumstances, walking in so openly would be suicidal.
Yet Etsuha moved forward at an unhurried pace, as if he were strolling through a park.
Provocative.
Mocking.
His pace remained steady—not fast, not slow. On the surface, it seemed like aimless wandering.
In reality—
Every sound within the building was being tracked by him.
At that very moment, Egawa—positioned on the fourth floor—caught the faint echo of Etsuha's footsteps.
A smile curled at the corner of his lips.
"Second floor, huh? Looks like it's time to prepare something special for you… my dear underclassman."
He took a careful step forward, minimizing the noise as much as possible.
But—
That single step was enough.
"The fourth floor."
Etsuha's eyes sharpened.
In the next instant, his entire demeanor changed.
From the surveillance feed, it was clear—Etsuha, who had seemed to be casually walking just moments ago, suddenly locked onto his target the instant Egawa moved.
His body exploded into motion.
Like a hunting lion.
In the blink of an eye, he charged straight toward the fourth floor.
Boom!
With a single punch, he blasted the door open—
And behind it stood Egawa, frozen in shock.
"You… found me?!"
Egawa's mind went blank.
Back in the monitoring room, the second-year students watching the scene couldn't help but cry out in disbelief.
How did he do that?!