Chapter 173

Prepping for the School Festival Is the Funnest Part (Part 2) (文化祭って準備してる時が一番楽しいよね②) is the one hundred and seventy-third chapter of Kohei Horikoshi's My Hero Academia.

Summary
It is Saturday which means that Class 1-A has a day off. With Katsuki Bakugo and Shoto Todoroki's Provisional Hero License training also on break, Class 1-A use their day off to prepare their dance live performance for U.A.'s Cultural Festival. The music team, dance team, and staging team are using the afternoon to practice. In a nearby bush as Mirio Togata prepares to surprise Class 1-A, Izuku Midoriya notices his presence. Mirio reveals the surprise which is Eri herself. Ochaco Uraraka and Tsuyu Asui comment on Eri's cute outfit while Shota Aizawa states that they received permission from Nezu to bring Eri to the Cultural Festival but warned him that abruptly bringing someone who has had lack of social to a big social event might be a bit too much for her. Shota tells Class 1-A that they are bringing Eri beforehand so that she can get used to U.A. and not to let her get shocked or panicked. After Tenya Iida and Minoru Mineta introduce themselves, Mirio states that he is showing Eri around U.A. and invites Izuku to join them. Izuku accepts as Eijiro Kirishima goes to see Eri.

As they stroll around, Mirio comments on U.A.'s day off due to the new boarding school system. They come across two third year students from the business department who hand out fliers to them while commenting on Class 1-A's popularity. Izuku, Mirio, and Eri continue their tour throughout U.A. and see many students making their preparations for the Cultural Festival. They come across Class 1-B who are preparing a fantasy play dubbed "Romeo, Juliet and the Prisoner of Azkaban: The Return of the Kings". As Neito Monoma flaunts their superiority, Yosetsu Awase puts Neito in his place and comments on Itsuka Kendo's absence and Miss Con, U.A.'s beauty pageant. After Mirio apologizes to Eri for U.A.'s bad side, he decides to taker her to see Nejire Hado who was runner up in last year's Miss Con. In the equipment room, Nejire is preparing for the pageant and comments on the winner of each year's Miss Con, the champion Bibimi Kenranzaki of Third Year Class G, and Nejire hopes to beat her for once since this is her last year.

Izuku, Mirio, and Eri go and see U.A.'s Development Studio. Mei Hatsume comments on the Cultural Festival's opportunity to let them shine. As Mei introduces her combat suit, Izuku comments on Mei's unclean and unkempt appearance. Mei hopes to use the Cultural Festival to garner attention and be the center of attention since U.A. Sports Festival as for the Hero Department. Mei asks Izuku about his Hero equipment and to inform her if he needs anything. As Mei's combat suit explodes, Mirio hurries Eri to their next destination.

In Lunch Rush Cafeteria, Eri comments on everyone doing their best and she wishes to see how their hard work will turn out in the Cultural Festival. Izuku and Mirio are happy that Eri is feeling excited and tell her the emotion she is experiencing. Nemuri Kayama and Nezu sit down; the principal is excited for the Cultural Festival and glad to see all the students doing their best to make the festival a good time. Nemuri comments on the Police Force's issues with the festival, to which Nezu tells her to keep such privy information to herself and leaves before reminding the students to enjoy themselves.

Nezu thinks back the the Police Force's Commissioner General who came to visit U.A. himself to persuade him to curtail the Cultural Festival. The Commissioner General commented on the rising number of Villains and the destabilization of the Heroes, believing that if an attack occurred on the Cultural Festival, it would make preventing the next attack impossible. The Commissioner General requested Nezu to cancel the Cultural Festival altogether, wanting to quietly focus on training the next generation of Heroes. Nezu agreed but believed the Cultural Festival was a necessary time for the students and begged the Commissioner General to let the festival go on since he did not want to count on a dark future.

Nemuri comments on the fortified security and should such an attack occur the Cultural Festival will suspend all activities and evacuate immediately, which is how Nezu managed to convince the Commissioner General to agree, having even dispatched Ryo Inui to patrol U.A.'s premises. Nemuri comments on Class 1-A's reaching the staff room and encourages them to work hard. Izuku tells Eri that Class 1-A will be doing a dance party with live music performance and hopes Eri will come and see them.

One week later, Mina Ashido approaches Izuku and tells him that he has been fired, which shocks Izuku.