4

“I wonder what act they’re on?

Looking somewhat bored, Itsuka Kendo sat on a folding chair in the dressing room and glanced up at the wall clock; based on the time, class B’s play would be about halfway done. A gentle breeze blew through the open window, ruffling the curtains. It was a beautiful October day, just warm enough to make one forget it was autumn.

As Kendo’s pageant attendant, Reiko Yanagi sat nearby, holding on to bags with makeup and accessories. She noticed Kendo’s gaze and spoke up.

“I hope the play’s going well.”

“Me too,” said Kendo.

The two girls had watched the dress rehearsal the day before and found themselves moved by their classmates’ efforts, so it was sure to be an amazing production, assuming nothing went wrong. A strained smile forced itself onto Kendo’s face, half out of concern, and half in faith that all would be well. If she’d been feeling like her normal self, she might’ve responded to Yanagi with, “I bet they’re killing it out there.”

“Nervous?”

Yanagi could guess what was going through Kendo’s head, so Kendo repaid her friend’s concern with a broad smile before standing.

Yeah, this isn’t like me at all.

“I’m great! We’d better get moving though. Lemme carry that?”

“Not a chance. It’s almost time for the main event, Itsuka,” said Yanagi, who also stood and made for the door before Kendo could insist on helping. Kendo felt awkward about her friend doting on her, and it showed on her face.

On her way to the dress rehearsal, she’d worn a dress several levels fancier than anything she was used to, covered up by only a thin events team windbreaker. As Kendo walked down the hall, her new look earned stares and whispers from passing students making poor attempts to hide their obvious interest. The extra attention felt like needles pricking her all over.

How do other girls wear stuff that’s so free and flowy …?

Neito Monoma and the rest of Kendo’s classmates had heaped on the praise, and she’d known it wasn’t empty flattery; they’d meant every word. Still, she felt like she’d never get used to wearing the dress.

I bet it comes as easy as breathing to someone like Yaoyorozu.

Kendo suddenly remembered her teammate during their internships, Momo Yaoyorozu. If anyone could slip into a fancy dress like she was born to do it, it would be little miss princess herself. Class A hadn’t put forward a contestant for the beauty pageant, however.

This would be Kendo’s first pageant, of course. She understood the excitement surrounding a bunch of young women competing to be the most beautiful, and as a woman herself, she could even respect that pursuit. But Kendo had never cared much about traditional notions of feminine beauty; her thing was more about being attractive and cool in ways that people typically associated with boys. Not that she wanted to be a boy. It was just about style, for her. The women competing in the beauty pageant, though, would naturally be judged on the basis of their feminine beauty.

Kendo had never dreamed of entering of her own accord. When class B’s homeroom teacher, Vlad King, had told the class that the School Festival would feature a beauty pageant, the thought hadn’t even crossed Kendo’s mind. Rather, it had been Monoma’s forceful recommendation that put things in motion.

“If anyone’s entering the beauty pageant, it would have to be Kendo,” he’d said.

The rest of the class had been convinced the moment Monoma uttered Kendo’s name, practically ruling out any other candidate instantly.

“Hang on—that’s way outta my wheelhouse,” she’d said at the time.

But she understood that Monoma was out to make class B shine, and the rest of her classmates were just as excited. Kendo never would’ve entered for her own sake, but she didn’t want to let the class down, so she’d reluctantly relented. Now that she was competing, of course she was aiming for the crown (or tiara, as it were), but she still couldn’t shake that nagging feeling that she didn’t belong. She hadn’t felt like herself since the day her name had been submitted for consideration.

Snap out of it!

As they reached the main greenroom behind the pageant stage, Kendo slapped her own cheeks with both hands to shake off the dark thoughts. At the sound of the slapping, Yanagi spun around in shock as if she’d seen a ghost.

“What on earth are you doing?”

“Just revving myself up.”

“You’re going to make your face all red!”

Yanagi put the bags down and placed her own hands on Kendo’s cheeks. The pale girl’s hands were as cold as the dead, and Kendo gave a slight shudder as they pressed against her warm face.

“What’s going on, huh? Huh? Trying to chase the pain away?”

“Oh, hello, Nejire,” said Yanagi.

Third-year Nejire Hado was staring at the two class B girls with a puzzled look.

“Nah, that’s just how I rev myself up,” said Kendo hurriedly, which earned a wide smile from Hado.

“Revving up, huh! Lemme try it! Hmph!” said Hado, clenching her fists and striking a power pose. Her own attendant, Yuyu Haya, smiled and raised an eyebrow.

“Careful, Nejire,” she said. “Rev too hard and your Quirk might activate.”

“Pfft, I know that.”

“How’s your throat doing?” asked Haya. “Want some jasmine tea?”

“Yup, yup, I could use some. Thanks.”

As Hado gulped down the tea, Haya examined her earrings and headdress.

“I’m not too sure this is the right look for you …” she said, looking intense.

The sight of Hado—one of U.A.’s “Big Three”—acting surprisingly down to earth made Kendo and the other nervous pageant contestants smile and relax a little in spite of themselves. For all her charisma and skills, Hado came off as perfectly charming and relatable.

At that moment, another charismatic contestant entered the room.

“Oh ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho! How do you do, ladies?”

It was Bibimi Kenranzaki. A third-year in U.A.’s Support Course, she’d been the beauty pageant winner for two years running, was the personification of beauty itself, and pursued splendiferousness in every facet of her life. People joked that her long, gorgeous eyelashes could serve as earthquake seismographs, lightning rods, or even landing beacons for UFOs, and her reputation for fabulosity had made her something of a living legend at U.A. High.

Kendo and the others found themselves momentarily blinded by Kenranzaki’s splendor, as if they had stared at the sun.

“Today, we compete. I hope we all fight with no regrets left on the table!” said Kenranzaki.

“S-sure!”

“Y-yeah!”

Everyone besides Hado was suddenly all nerves, half out of delight from being graced with Kenranzaki’s gorgeous presence, and half out of despair over the sudden realization that they had no chance in hell of winning the pageant. If Hado was a charming angel with a soothing aura, Kenranzaki was a terrible goddess whose beauty filled the air with a nameless tension. These two were on opposite ends of that particular aesthetic spectrum.

Kenranzaki approached Hado. The others held their breath at this meeting of last year’s pageant queen and its runner-up.

“May the best woman win, Nejire.”

“Mm-hmm, I’m counting on it, cuz I’m the best, and I’ve got no intention of losing.”

At Hado’s undaunted throwing of the gauntlet, Kenranzaki’s long lashes twitched. Everyone glanced around, half expecting an earthquake, a lightning bolt, or a UFO landing.

“Ah, I’m so very sorry to inform you that victory will be mine once again this year. And shouldn’t you think about changing into your dress soon?” said Kenranzaki.

“Uh, I’m already wearing it?” said Hado.

“Apologies! I mistook that plain old thing for your everyday garb! Oh ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho!”

“That’s just mean! I think my dress is cute, okay?”

Ooh … I can see the sparks flying already!

Most of Kendo’s friends were as lighthearted and easygoing as she was, so she wasn’t used to witnessing catty showdowns like this.

Just like a scene outta some manga or a soap opera.

She was almost curious, watching what seemed like a scripted scene play out, whereas the rest of the young women present froze up, unsure how best to dodge the flying sparks.

It’s not like they’re gonna start throwing punches, but maybe I should step in?

Kendo’s big-sisterly instincts flared, but just before she could intervene, someone else made a move.

“Scuse me, Kenranzaki, but could I ask you to back off of Nejire?”

“Yuyu?” said a shocked Hado.

Haya had rushed in like a loyal hunting dog ready to defend its master from a looming bear, and her tone showed that she was ready to sink her teeth into the threatening foe if need be. Kenranzaki and Hado had known exactly what sort of electricity they were sending into the air a second ago, but Haya’s icy stare brought a new chill over the room. Not that it was enough to fluster Kenranzaki’s beautiful composure.

“My dear Yuyu, as Nejire’s attendant, shouldn’t you be the one reining her in? Instead of … getting so bent out of shape yourself?”

The comeback left Haya at a loss for words, but she was saved by someone from the pageant planning committee, who entered the room and began explaining the dress rehearsal procedure. During the explanation, the girls heard the cawing of a crow coming from the extravagant outdoor stage. Not exactly a good omen.

In the meantime, Kendo stole a glance at Haya. Standing beside a flustered Nejire, Haya wore a scowl with eyes cast down.

I wonder what’s up with Yuyu …?

They’d only met briefly at the pageant orientation, but Kendo had noted Haya’s remarkable self-possession—befitting a third-year—which was somewhat at odds with her short, bleach-blond hair, multiple piercings, and generally eye-catching appearance. Being paired up with the free-spirited Hado only served to amplify Haya’s levelheaded nature. When Kendo had introduced herself, Haya had smiled and offered to answer any questions Kendo might’ve had about the pageant, which had made her barefaced hostility just a moment ago all the more shocking.

Is this what became of women thrown into battle against one another? Kendo found herself thinking more than ever that if that was the case, then she really didn’t belong there.

The dress rehearsal ended without incident, and the contestants returned to their individual greenrooms. Kendo let out a long, pent-up sigh.

“Pretty intense out there,” said Yanagi, not sounding particularly amused—more like she was making a simple observation.

“Yeah. Caught me off guard … But I should’ve known.”

“Known what?”

“Erm, never mind. Forget it.”

Yanagi’s look seemed to ask, “Are you sure it’s nothing?” But Kendo smiled, shook her head, and changed the subject.

“How’d I do?” she asked, referring to the little preview of her pageant performance. Kendo herself didn’t know if she wanted to talk about the competitive aspects or chat about how she felt so out of place, and she feared that in this unsure state, anything she said would come off as pointless complaining.

“It looked really clean, I thought. But is the hem of that dress too tight?” asked Yanagi.

“It’s fine. This kata doesn’t feature too many wide stances,” said Kendo.

For the talent show part of the competition, she’d chosen to perform a martial arts routine. Kendo had racked her brain trying to think of a way to showcase her feminine sensibilities, but when she’d come up short, she had settled on doing something she knew she was good at. After all, the other contestants would be highlighting their own special skills through dance, song, or what have you. Each had done a small portion of her act during the rehearsal (leaving the full performances for the pageant itself), though an apparently unconcerned Kenranzaki had skipped the rehearsal altogether, saying only, “I look forward to the main event!”

“Are you hungry? Want anything for lunch?” asked Yanagi.

“Not really. I’ll wait ‘til it’s all over. But you should eat, Reiko.”

“I’m not that hungry either, honestly.”

As they sat around chatting while waiting for the show to begin, Kendo and Yanagi heard someone cry “What the hell is this?” from the next greenroom over. They locked eyes and raced to the source.

“Um, what’s the matter?” asked Kendo, peeking into the room. Hado looked upset, and beside her, Haya had a high heel in one hand and a large nail in the other. Her face was practically quivering with rage.

“This nail was in one of Nejire’s shoes …” said Haya.

“Whoa!” said Kendo.

“This is sabotage, I know it!” said Haya, unable to hide her anger.

“Hmm,” said Hado. “How can we know for sure, though? Maybe it just fell in there.”

“Fell? From where? Nuh-uh. That doesn’t just happen,” spat Haya. Kendo had to agree it was unlikely, but she wasn’t fully ready to accept the sabotage theory. The nail was huge. Too big for intentional sabotage, since the would-be victim would be sure to notice it before slipping the shoe on. A thumbtack would’ve worked, maybe? But a nail was just begging to be discovered. Still, Haya had lost all composure and was convinced that someone was out to hurt Hado.

“Probably that Kenranzaki …” said Haya with a start. Hado’s face grew dark.

“Cut that out. We have no proof,” she said.

“Sorry. But c’mon … The former winner has the most to gain by making sure you’re out of the running …”

“I said, cut it out,” repeated Hado sternly, leaving Haya unable to respond. Just as Kendo was feeling awkward about witnessing the minor spat, a nearby voice cried, “Well, search harder, please!” All four girls looked at each other and stepped out to see what was up.

“What’s wrong in here?” asked Kendo.

“Oh. You ladies,” said Kenranzaki. “Well … I cannot find the necklace I’m meant to wear for the main event. It was on that table until the dress rehearsal! I will swear to that!”

She pointed to a jewelry box on the table near the windowsill. Meanwhile, her attendants were scurrying about, searching every nook and cranny of the room. The shadow of a bird raced across the curtains fluttering in the wind.

“Was the door unlocked? And the window open?” asked Kendo.

“Unlocked, yes, but only while I stepped out for a brief moment,” admitted Kenranzaki.

It seemed like a careless thing to do, but it wasn’t as if Kendo or Hado had locked their own greenrooms. Since this was all happening within the safety of the school grounds, most of the contestants weren’t being particularly vigilant.

What if it was a thief, though?

As the thought crossed Kendo’s mind, Yanagi muttered to herself.

“Looks like it’s true …”

“What’s true?” asked Kendo, who’d overheard.

“That these pageants are rife with sabotage,” said Yanagi. Her main hobby was surfing the internet, and Yanagi had done some reading about beauty pageants in her free time. Apparently, mudslinging and dirty deeds were common occurrences behind the scenes.

“Though I guess we don’t know for sure yet,” added Yanagi.

“Yeah, but this is no laughing matter …” said Kendo with a bit of an edge to her voice. Whether it was all part of some devious plan or not, a nail had found its way into a shoe and jewelry had gone missing. It wasn’t a huge stretch to connect the two incidents.

Sabotage, though …? How would we even deal with that …?

The trashy tabloids would start licking their chops upon hearing of backstage scandal and intrigue at U.A.’s beauty pageant. But were these young women really like that? As boys would tell it, girls were prone to fighting their battles in sneaky, underhanded ways, and not in the light of day. Kendo didn’t think she was that sort of woman, but how could she be sure?

Woman.

To Kendo, the very word often felt like a burden. She preferred to be defined on her own terms. Plenty of men felt the same way, no doubt, while some people out there felt like they didn’t fit snugly into either discrete category. It was like somebody, at some point, had decided to stuff everyone into these cramped, preconceived pigeonholes, where women had to be one way, and men another. The whole notion was obnoxious, in Kendo’s opinion.

Hmm? Men … Obnoxious … Obnoxious men …

Switching tracks on her train of thought, Kendo saw a certain face rise in her mind’s eye. An obnoxious guy who took gleeful jabs at class A whenever the chance arose. Monoma.

“Listen, Kendo! You have to win this!” he’d said, shortly after she’d agreed to compete in the pageant. “Your victory will prove class B’s worth to the entire school! To that end, you have my full support! Whatever it takes!”

Recalling Monoma’s words, Kendo went pale. She had 99 percent faith that he wouldn’t stoop that low, but she couldn’t discount the possibility outright.

What if sabotaging the other girls is Monoma’s idea of “supporting” me?

If Monoma’s deranged love for class B had led him to such vile actions, it was Kendo’s job to find him and put a stop to it all with a swift chop to the neck. At that moment, though, the girls in the greenroom heard heavy footsteps just outside.

“Has anyone seen my baby’s remote control?” screamed Mei Hatsume, wearing a grimy tank top and running at a breakneck pace. “Hey, Kenranzaki! Have you seen it?” she said.

“What on earth are you talking about, Mei? And despite my repeated admonishing, have you still not bathed?” said Kenranzaki.

“I was up all night tinkering!” said Hatsume.

Seeing the mad inventor run right up to Kenranzaki, Kendo recalled that they were both members of the Support Course.

“Very well. What’s this about a remote control?” asked Kenranzaki with a resigned look, knowing that trying to convince Hatsume to focus on anything besides her inventions would be a losing battle.

“The remote for my super-duper cute baby #202 that I’m exhibiting at the festival!”

If U.A.’s Sports Festival was where the Hero Course got to shine, then the School Festival was meant as a platform for General Studies, the Business Course, and the Support Course to strut their stuff. The Support Course, in particular, garnered plenty of attention for their time-honored tech exhibition, which members of all grades helped put together. The guest list this year included only a small number of outside parties, but those handpicked industry bigwigs would still be expecting a lot from the exhibition, even if it was on a smaller scale than usual. If a Support Course student’s inventions could catch the eyes of these visitors, that student could very well expect multiple job offers upon graduation, so Hatsume was understandably upset over her predicament. Without that remote, she couldn’t show off her prized invention.

“Well, it’s not here. We were just scouring the room for my necklace, so I’m sure we would have come across your remote,” said Kenranzaki.

“Gah!” yelped Hatsume.

“What, you didn’t think to create a spare one?”

“A spare? I was too busy working R&D to think about spares!”

“I assume you searched the studio already?”

“Of course! And the classroom and the dorms and the cafeteria and the bathrooms! Everywhere I’ve been! This was my last hope!”

“Why were you here?”

“You told me I oughta add some more sparkle to my babies, so I dropped by to watch you in action and learn a thing or two! But you weren’t here! Argh, what do I do, Kenranzaki? The exhibition’s about to start! Don’t tell me I gotta operate my baby by hand? Or maybe it actually would be more effective if I just climbed inside and did it all manually?”

With far too little sleep powering her, Hatsume’s bloodshot eyes bulged from their sockets. Rattling on and on at top speed, she resembled a robot in the process of short-circuiting. Observing this, Kenranzaki walked up to Hatsume and made use of her impressive eyelashes. As Kenranzaki’s luscious lashes descended from above, they gently forced closed Hatsume’s eyes (she hadn’t blinked since showing up) as well as her mouth, which had been spraying flecks of saliva all about.

“Mmrgh?” mumbled Hatsume.

“We of the Support Course must at all times strive for beauty!” barked Kenranzaki.

Her lashes withdrew from Hatsume’s own eyelids, allowing the younger girl to blink again.

“Now calm yourself, and I will help you search,” continued Kenranzaki, decisively. It was Kendo’s turn to look wide eyed.

“Are you sure? What about the pageant?” she asked.

“We still have time,” declared Kenranzaki.

Hado, who’d been watching the back-and-forth from the sidelines in silence, raised her hand.

“Yup, yup, I’ll help too,” she said.

“Seriously, Nejire?” said Haya. Hado grinned.

“The more people looking, the better our odds of finding it,” she said, as if that were the only reasonable response. Kendo gasped.

“Um, me too,” she said hastily.

“My, my …” said Kenranzaki. “All of you, then?”

“Sure, but let’s be quick about it,” said Kendo.

“Thank you so much, girls!” said Hatsume, who’d finally recovered a modicum of composure. Kenranzaki asked if there was anywhere else she’d been that morning, which sparked Hatsume’s memory.

“I forgot about the woods! I ran through there on my way back!”

Once one of Kenranzaki’s attendants had explained the situation to a pageant committee member, the girls were off to the races. As Kendo ran, she apologized to Yanagi for implicitly volunteering her services too.

“Why should I stay behind just because I’m an attendant? Plus, I figured you would offer to help, Itsuka,” said Yanagi.

“Thanks for understanding,” said Kendo, before glancing back at Haya, who was running a few paces behind. Haya had looked ready to protest when Hado had volunteered but had remained silent in the end. Fully in search mode, Hado was asking Hatsume what the remote looked like.

Are they fighting …? Nah, that couldn’t be it.

Haya was looking grumpier than ever, with a fully furrowed brow.

“Huh? Where are you off to, Hado?” came a voice. It was Tamaki Amajiki, who, as another of Hado’s pageant helpers, was on his way to the greenrooms. He agreed to help after a quick explanation, opting to use his Manifest Quirk to sprout wings (courtesy of quail eggs he’d eaten from a stall earlier) and search from the air.

“Thanks again for helping out, everyone,” said Hatsume. “Now let’s find my super-duper cute baby’s remote control!”

Upon reaching the woods, the group split up to search along Hatsume’s approximate route.

“Dratted tree branch … Hmph,” said Kenranzaki. Her eyelashes had gotten caught on a branch, but she quickly freed herself with lash power alone and kept searching. Since she maintained proper posture while minding her flowing dress, Kenranzaki’s search effort almost resembled an elaborate contemporary dance.

Seeing this, Kendo was reminded of Kenranzaki’s resolute offer to help. This was a day when the older girl no doubt wanted to focus entirely on herself, but she had still set aside everything to aid a first-year without a second thought. Kendo thought that was cooler than cool. The way Hado had done it, too. It took a certain strength of character to step up and help a virtual stranger when they were in a pinch.

“Come to me, remote!” cried Hatsume, crawling around on all fours nearby.

“Don’t worry, we’ll find it,” said Kendo.

“Thanks, I sure hope so! Because this baby of mine just has to make a good showing today! This little one is really amazing—useful in just about any situation, and simple enough that anyone can handle it, no matter their Quirk!”

Hatsume’s stomach gave an unearthly growl.

“Did you skip breakfast, by chance?” asked Kendo.

“Erm, come to think of it, I haven’t had a thing since yesterday. Also forgot to get any shut-eye!”

“Huh? How are you still standing?”

“Relax, I’ll eat and sleep for ages once this is all over, to make up for the past forty-eight hours.”

So Hatsume had been tinkering nonstop for two days straight? Kendo was beyond impressed by that sort of abnormal focus.

“Is everyone in the Support Course as dedicated as you?”

“Plenty of us can get kinda obsessive, yeah, but Kenranzaki is different,” said Hatsume. “She eats and sleeps according to a real strict schedule and only gets in focus mode during set times. That’s the most beautiful way to live, she says. But judging from her bold, cutting-edge, dazzling designs, I would’ve guessed she regularly skips whole weeks’ worth of sleep, if I didn’t know better! Her work’s already earned her a whole pack of crazed fans, y’know!”

The Hatsume talk train was roaring out of the station, and she was now up in Kendo’s face.

“But even while working, Kenranzaki is always looking out for us in all sorts of ways! Sure, her ‘You ought to bathe once in a while, Hatsume’ routine gets old real quick, but otherwise, she’s a role model I know I can rely on!”

“Hatsume, focus!” came Kenranzaki’s chiding voice. Speak of the devil.

Hatsume gasped, came to her senses, and resumed her frenzied search.

Not the type who can multitask, I take it.

Kendo got back to searching too, wanting to help more than hinder. She advanced slowly—checking between every tree and bush as she went—but soon bumped into something soft that went, “Huh?”

“Oops, sorry, Yuyu …”

“Oh. Kendo … Don’t sweat it,” said Haya, who hadn’t shaken that scowl from a moment ago. Kendo wasn’t sure if it’d be appropriate to ask, so she kept searching in silence.

“Hey. Sorry about earlier, if I made things weird,” said Haya, who also didn’t seem so sure about speaking up.

“What? Oh, that’s cool! Don’t worry!”

“No, I know how high strung I can get. Kenranzaki was right—I am bent out of shape …” said Haya with a self-deprecating chuckle. Kendo now understood that the girl’s scowl had been directed at herself.

“I’m willing to listen while we search, if you wanna talk,” said Kendo.

“Sure, if you don’t mind,” said Haya with a bitter smile. “I was the one who suggested Nejire compete in the pageant, originally. I mean, have you seen her? Total cutie. I was sure she’d bring home the crown, but then she lost to Kenranzaki two years in a row. Not that she did anything wrong. If those judges can’t see how cute she is, their eyes must be malfunctioning, cuz nobody in our whole damn galaxy can hold a candle to Nejire!”

Haya seemed to be thinking back on those bitter losses, because she started snorting in indignation. She went on, stressing how undeniably cute it was when Hado did this, that, or just about anything.

It’s like she’s bragging about her amazing sweetheart?

It warmed Kendo’s heart to see this third-year’s eyes sparkle in admiration, but suddenly Haya’s face grew dark.

“So this whole time, I’ve been feeling like I went and got her hurt for nothing … Pageant or no pageant, Nejire’s still just as cute, right? But this year, she said she wanted to compete and she wanted to win. I want that for her so bad I’d do just about anything, but when I get so worked up and worry her like that … Ugh, I’m the worst. I’m usually more put together, you know? As we’ve gotten closer and closer to the big day, I’ve felt my fuse getting shorter and shorter, like I’m not even myself …”

Kendo wished she could cheer up Haya, but she couldn’t find the words. In all honestly, she didn’t feel like herself either.

“Yuyu.”

“Nejire …?”

Hado peeked out from behind a nearby tree, and the strange look on her face told the tale; she’d overheard everything.

“Nejire, I …”

“Listen, Yuyu …”

The two girls started to talk simultaneously, but a cry from Amajiki interrupted them.

“Hey, I found the culprit!”

The culprit?

Everyone glanced at each other before running in the direction of Amajiki’s voice.

“Where?” shouted Hatsume and Kenranzaki in unison, only to spot Amajiki up in the air, flying away from a cawing crow that was after him.

“Huh?”

“A crow?”

“What do you mean?” asked the confused girls.

Amajiki pointed to the branch of a nearby tree, where they spotted a necklace and Hatsume’s shiny remote control.

“There it is! My baby’s remote!”

“And that would be my jewelry!”

“I remember hearing something about how crows are attracted to shiny objects,” said Amajiki, still fighting off the bird.

“You’re saying our thief is a crow?” said Kendo, shocked to learn the identity of the unlikely culprit. The girls were thrilled, though. Once Amajiki grabbed the items, it would be case closed.

“Cawww!”

It wasn’t that simple, however. The crow continued to harangue Amajiki, as it could sense that he was out to steal back its hard-earned stash.

“Hey. Cut that out. That stuff’s not yours to begin with … Yikes, get away from me!”

Amajiki was equipped with any number of ways to battle villains, but he’d never fought a bird before, let alone one of the smartest birds around. This crow knew it couldn’t beat the human attempting to steal its treasures, so while Amajiki was flailing in midair, it swooped down, deftly grabbed Kenranzaki’s necklace and Hatsume’s remote in its beak, and flew off in the opposite direction. The girls gave chase, tracking the bird from the ground.

“Sorry … Crows are actually pretty scary up close …” apologized Amajiki.

“Not a problem,” said Hado, who activated her own “Surge” Quirk and rose into the air on spiraling waves of energy. She sped ahead, cut the crow off, grabbed the necklace and remote right out of its mouth, and left it in her dust.

“Thanks a ton, whoever you are!” said Hatsume.

“Uh-huh, I’m Nejire Hado.”

“Look out, Hado!” cried Amajiki, alerting her just in time to see the enraged crow coming at her.

“Eek!”

She dodged the bird’s attack by a hair, but it had plenty more where that came from. The crow kept up its assault, all the while cawing at an earsplitting volume.

“Oh no, Nejire …” said a worried Yuyu.

Desperate to help, Kendo used her “Big Fist” Quirk to enlarge her hands, but since the bird was out of reach up above, all she could do was flap her hands to create small air blasts. One of these knocked the offender for a loop, but before everyone knew it, a murder of several dozen crows had emerged from nowhere, chasing not only the airborne Amajiki and Hado, but also the gang on the ground. It seemed the original offender had caw-called for its birds of a feather.

“Whoa! Back off, birds!” cried Kendo, covering her friends with one massive hand while attempting to shoo away the crows with the other. She could’ve smacked them out of the air with ease, but since these weren’t actually villains, Kendo was trying to avoid harming the animals. Hado and Amajiki were of the same mind, which left them unsure how to cope. Suddenly, Kenranzaki ran by and shouted, “This will just take a moment!” A good portion of the murder chased after her, drawn in by her glimmering, ornate hairpin, which she plucked from her head and tossed while crying, “You can have it!”

Meanwhile, Hado was under siege, desperately defending the remote and the necklace. Unable to restrain herself, Haya ran over and said, “Nejire, throw them to me!”

“Or me!” screamed Hatsume, who’d also been tracking Hado. “Once I’ve got ‘em, I’ll show these birds how fast I can run!”

Watching this scene play out, Kendo paused to think. The tech exhibition was about to begin, so the priority was putting the remote in Hatsume’s hands and getting her to the show.

“Give Hatsume the remote, and I’ll catch as many crows as I can,” shouted Kendo toward Hado and Amajiki.

“Me and Amajiki can shoo away the rest, sure. You good with that, Amajiki?” said Hado.

“Um, yeah. I like that plan better than just being pecked at forever,” said Amajiki with a weak nod. Hado looked for an opening and tossed the remote toward Hatsume.

“Ahh, my precious baby’s remote!” cried Hatsume, who caught the device and made a break for it. The bulk of the murder noticed the transfer and gave chase, but Kendo was ready; she scooped a number of crows out of the air and slammed her enormous cupped hand to the ground, forming a small, sealed dome. While Hado and Amajiki were attempting to drive off the rest of the birds, Hatsume stumbled and fell in a grand fashion.

“Ack!”

Kendo’s body moved on instinct to help Hatsume, and before she could stop herself, the seal of her hand dome broke ever so slightly, allowing the trapped crows to escape and resume their assault on the others.

Ugh, what’m I even doing?

But Kendo didn’t have long to blame herself, because the ground started rumbling.

“What on earth?” said Yanagi with wide eyes.

A massive tank shaped like Kenranzaki’s face was approaching from the nearby path, sending the crows into a confused panic.

“Oh ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho! How do you like this, you awful avians?”

“Kenranzaki?”

Riding atop the metallic face was Kenranzaki herself.

“Wuzzat? Wow, so cool!” said Hado, prompting a smug Kenranzaki to explain.

“My creation for the talent portion of the pageant, of course. It’s my Beautiful Perfect Gorgeous Armored Vehicle! I had hoped to unveil it for the first time during the show, but alas—I would do anything for a fellow member of the Support Course!”

Every surface of Kenranzaki’s tank glittered and glistened, and in the sunlight, one might have mistaken the shining mass for some sort of deity incarnate.

What had Kenranzaki created this thing to do, exactly? Questions swirled in the minds of everyone present, except for Hatsume, who shouted like a child might at the appearance of a hero.

“Go get ‘em, Kenranzaki!”

The maddened crows were driven into a further frenzy by the largest shiny object yet, which they now made a beeline for.

“Watch out!” cried Kendo, dashing over to help, but Kenranzaki calmly pushed a button on her control panel.

“Dine on this! Goddess Zephyr!” screamed Kenranzaki, as if naming an ultimate move. The robot’s eyelashes began to flap up and down, instantly creating a series of complex air currents that caught the murder in their grasp and flung the birds high into the air, as if by a passing tornado. Everyone’s jaws dropped, and Kenranzaki pressed another button.

“Now, come quietly! Confectionary Sigh!”

This time, the robot launched a lacy net of glittery white thread from its mouth that enveloped the crows and sent them hurtling to the ground. But just before impact, a small parachute popped open, making for a gentle landing. An image of Kenranzaki’s face decorated the parachute too, of course.

Kendo was dumbfounded by this capture operation that had come in like a sudden squall and subdued the crows without harming a feather on their heads.

“These corvidae cretins certainly gave us a run for our money,” said Kenranzaki, finally putting her stolen necklace back on.

“There’s one more thing, though …” said Haya. She reached into her pocket and took out the nail they’d found in the high heel earlier.

“Where’d this come from, huh?”

“Why, we use those nails in the Support Course,” said Kenranzaki.

“Oh yeah?”

“But the only person using ones of that size at the moment is … Mei.”

Prompted by Kenranzaki, Hatsume took a look at the nail.

“Huh? Ohh, yeah. When I dropped by your greenroom this morning, I stuck that nail in a shoe—where I knew you’d find it—to let you know I’d been there.”

“Why the shoe?” said Haya.

“Well, it might’ve rolled right off the table, right? But she’d be sure to notice it while putting on her heels.”

“Yes, but why a nail?”

“Kenranzaki’s in the Support Course too, so she knows the nails I use better than anyone! But I guess I picked the wrong greenroom? Oops, sorry! Anyway, I’m short on time, so we’ll have to pick this up again later! Thanks so much for the help, everyone!”

Hatsume’s feet were already moving as she said her thanks, and she raced off to the exhibition with remote in hand. She was out of sight by the time Kenranzaki shouted “Take a bath, you!” one final time.

“I must also thank you for assisting my first-year,” said Kenranzaki to the rest of the group.

Seeing her polite bow, Kendo blurted, “No prob! Really.”

“Yeah, more importantly …” said Hado, her eyes swiveling up to the Kenranzaki face tank. “What the heck is this thing, Kenranzaki? It’s nuts!” She could hardly contain her childlike excitement.

“Oh ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho! So you’re a fan of my armored vehicle? If you truly appreciate my work, say the word, and I will create a support item or two just for you.”

“Nah, your stuff’s not my style.”

“Hmph! You have no eye for beauty, in that case!” said Kenranzaki, suddenly in a huff over this differing of opinions.

“Nejire’s a little more minimalist. More cutesy than gaudy,” said Haya, trying to explain, but still seemingly holding back a bit, like she’d been doing all day. Hado walked over, smiled, and made a declaration in her usual innocent way.

“And you’re you, Yuyu.”

“Huh?”

“That’s what I wanted to say before. You were all like, ‘I’m not myself,’ but even when you’re not acting like yourself, that’s still part of you, Yuyu. Even when you get all anxious or when you wish you were another way—that’s the whole package, and that package is my good friend.”

Kendo’s eyes grew wide.

All just parts of the package, huh?

“But what if I hate some parts of myself?” asked Haya, looking enraged and miserable all at once. Hado mimed slapping her own cheeks and glanced at Kendo as she responded.

“At those times … rev yourself up!”

Kendo recalled her own cheek-slapping routine from earlier.

“How would that help?”

“Well, cuz it’s all about taking that stuff you don’t like and seeing it in a better light! Like, I’m going on and on about wanting to win this pageant cuz I know how happy that’d make you, Yuyu. And cuz I can’t just sit back and accept being a runner-up!”

“I guess you are a sore loser, Nejire.”

“Yup, so I’m gonna rev myself up, and I’m gonna win this thing!” declared Nejire, puffing out her chest.

“Careful, Nejire—your Quirk’s gonna squirt out,” said Haya with a smile, and the smile gave way to tears rising in the corners of her eyes. After this pep talk from her dear friend, she had no choice but to keep doing her best.

“Um, Kenranzaki, I’m …sorry, about before …”

“Think nothing of it, oh ho ho ho ho ho ho ho ho!” said Kenranzaki, laughing off Haya’s timid apology.

Thinking hard on Hado’s words and seeing these smiling faces around her, Kendo felt a sudden lightness in her own chest. She might not feel like herself sometimes, but there was no denying those other facets. Even when she didn’t feel feminine enough or when trying to be someone she wasn’t put her in a funk. That was still all her.

I’m always gonna be me, since there’s nobody else I can be. And I’m good with that. I’m good with who I am.

At that moment, a pageant committee member ran over to the group in a panic.

“You’re all contestants, right? We’ve been searching for you high and low! The show’s about to begin!”

Kenranzaki turned to Hado and Kendo.

“Let us give them a noble, proper, and—above all else—beautiful show to remember!”

“As gorgeous and magnificent as the kanji in your name?” asked Hado with a grin. Kenranzaki smiled back, and the group hurried off to the stage. Watching the two older girls run, Kendo felt a relaxed smile emerge on her own face.

“What’s up?” asked Yanagi, noticing Kendo’s expression.

“I’m gonna tackle this as me. The best way I know how.”

Kendo realized that Kenranzaki and Hado weren’t competing on the basis of some preconceived notion of feminine beauty; what they were pitting against each other was what made each of them beautiful. If anything, those two were shining examples of being true to oneself.

“Hmm? Itsuka, your dress …” said Yanagi in a tone tinged with mild horror.

“Huh? Oh. It’s ripped.”

Indeed, the hem of her dress had a tear in it, probably from getting caught on a branch while she was crawling around in the woods.

“I’ll have to mend it really quickly,” said Yanagi, half in a panic, but Kendo thought for a moment and turned down the offer.

“That’s okay. I’m probably gonna rip it even worse later.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah. And actually—remember that extra lumber they had, after building the set for the play? You think that’s still lying around somewhere?”

With a new plan to showcase what made her, her, Kendo smiled again. Gleaming in the sun, hers was the face of someone aiming for the top.