For a moment, the monitoring room fell completely silent.
Then—
"That was—Clotho?!"
"Didn't that disappear ten years ago? How is it here?!"
Clotho.
A name tied to the concept of life itself. In the hero world, it represented continuation—one of the signature weapons once used by Kurose Haruto.
"And that's a Pro Hero–level weapon," someone snapped. "How does a kid end up with something that dangerous?"
"This is a serious oversight. Who cleared that equipment? Even for a healing-type hero, that shouldn't be allowed in an exam."
Nezu remained composed, though his expression tightened.
"Set that aside for now," he said calmly. "The exam isn't over yet."
In Test Area B, Izuku Midoriya was falling.
Falling fast.
In Area C, Kurose Kuro was in better shape—but only slightly.
After firing the pistol, his arms felt numb. The recoil had rattled through his body, even splitting the inside of his lip.
But pain was something he was used to.
The destroyed robot lay in two halves, crushing the street beneath it. Buildings around it had collapsed, debris raining down in waves.
Aoi Shindo kept moving, dodging falling rubble while using her Quirk to find the safest route.
"Kuro! Over here!"
She had already mapped out an escape path.
Kuro tried to follow.
Pain shot through his ankle.
Only then did he realize—
He had transferred her injury onto himself.
He tightened his grip on the still-warm pistol and pushed forward, step by step.
That attack…
It hadn't come from his own strength.
His Quirk had contributed, but it wasn't the main source.
Every hero's Quirk was different. Even similar abilities produced completely different results when paired with equipment. That was why hero gear was custom-built.
The gap was massive.
To recreate that kind of power—
Either his Quirk would need to fully recover…
Or—
"Time's up for borrowing my power."
The voice echoed in his ears.
Kuro froze.
"I'll take it back now. See you tonight. Didn't expect Clotho to end up with you."
The presence faded.
Kuro looked around, disoriented.
The sound of debris filled the air again.
"Kuro! This way!" Aoi called from a distance.
But before she could reach him, a collapsed wall blocked her path.
They were separated.
She hesitated for a split second—
Then made her choice.
She turned and ran.
Staying would only slow everything down.
She memorized his location.
She would come back if she could.
"Hey! Is someone still in there?"
A voice called out from above the rubble.
Aoi looked up.
A boy stood there, unfazed by the debris falling around him.
"Yeah—there's someone inside!" she shouted, pointing out Kuro's position before running off.
Her eyes stung.
She hadn't been able to help.
She had only made things harder.
Back inside the debris field—
Kuro felt hollow.
Not weak. Not injured.
Just… empty.
Then—
Something blocked out the light.
He reacted instantly, raising the pistol.
A figure dropped in front of him.
Crack—
The falling debris shattered on impact.
"Whoa, that shot earlier? That was awesome!"
The boy grinned, completely unfazed.
Spiky hair. A small scar near his eye. A solid, grounded presence.
Eijiro Kirishima.
"Manly as hell."
He smashed aside more debris with his hardened arms.
"Your leg's messed up, right? I'll get you out."
He crouched down.
Kuro didn't argue.
He climbed onto his back.
Even now, he activated Damage Replacement again, trying to reduce the impact of falling debris. But without the pistol's earlier power, the effect was limited. It could only redirect damage—not destroy it.
It wasn't enough.
Not even close.
Kuro clenched his fists.
So this was the difference.
"Time's up!"
Present Mic's voice rang out.
The exam was over.
In the monitoring room, the teachers began reviewing results.
On the screen—
Katsuki Bakugo.
"77 points from combat. Outstanding offensive ability. His endurance is solid too."
"…But rescue points?"
"Zero."
"He didn't assist anyone. No rescue contribution."
Next—
Izuku Midoriya.
"High output Quirk… but no control."
"He's not ready. This isn't a place for reckless self-sacrifice."
"…And yet—60 rescue points."
"That's impressive."
Then—
Kurose Kuro.
His scarred face appeared on screen.
For a moment, the room went quiet again.
Then the discussion resumed.
"His Quirk is promising. Good situational awareness."
"But that weapon—there's a question of fairness."
"I don't see the issue. He focused entirely on rescue. Played to his strengths."
"His file mentions severe Quirk overuse. That's a concern."
"Set that aside. Score the exam first."
A pause.
Then—
"Combat points: zero."
"Rescue points: seventy-five."
Final result confirmed.