After the conversation in the principal's office, I was finally able to return to the dorms. Honestly, I had expected something worse.
Not that I thought what I did was entirely fine. I had simply vanished during the internship without authorization and turned up right in the middle of an incident with the Hero Killer. Put that way, it actually sounded much worse than I had let myself realize during the situation itself.
Then again, I couldn't just sit around and wait.
In the end, it only resulted in a light reprimand and a warning. Besides, Hawks forgave me. Maybe because over those few days he came to understand that once I decide to do something, stopping me isn't usually easy.
Or maybe he just didn't want to deal with additional paperwork. The second option felt more likely.
Right now, I was sitting in my dorm room at U.A., staring out the window. Outside, it was already dark, and the lights of the surrounding buildings illuminated the streets below the school.
I leaned back in my chair and pondered silently for a moment. The internship was over. That meant we were gradually heading toward the next part of the school year. And based on what I remembered... "Final exams." I spoke the words aloud and sighed.
"This is going to be interesting."
"Why are you smiling, My Lord?" Agrona's voice echoed in my mind immediately.
"Because I'm curious about what they have prepared for us."
"If it is merely an ordinary school exam, there should be no cause for concern."
"That's easy for you to say."
"My Lord, with your capabilities, even most professional heroes would likely fail to stop you."
"That's not the point."
"Then I do not understand."
"Neither do I." I chuckled for a moment.
Then I stood up and headed over to the desk. Lying on it were a few textbooks that I practically hadn't needed to open over the past few months.
Not that I was some kind of genius. I simply remembered most of the material from my world. The following morning, I arrived in the classroom a bit earlier than most of the others.
That had become quite a habit of mine over the past few months. I sat down in my seat and set my bag beside the desk. A few minutes later, the others began trickling in.
Midoriya walked in holding several notebooks, immediately flipping through and reading something. Iida arrived right on time as usual, and Bakugo looked as if the mere existence of school irritated him.
"Good morning," Midoriya greeted me.
"Morning."
"How have you been since you got back?"
"Good."
"And... nothing else?"
I looked at him. "What are you expecting?"
Midoriya paused slightly. "Nothing."
"Alright then." Silence settled for a moment. "By the way," Midoriya continued, "I heard the Hawks Agency was really interesting."
"It was."
"And Tokoyami praised it too."
"I'm not surprised."
Tokoyami was sitting a few desks away, organizing his things. "Hawks's training method was... unconventional."
"That's probably the best word for it."
Just then, the door opened and Aizawa entered the classroom. Everyone quieted down instantly. Aizawa walked up to the podium and placed several papers on the desk without saying a word. "Alright." He looked at us. "Internships are over."
Nobody said anything.
"And now, the next part of your studies awaits you." Several students started looking nervous. "The final exams."
A murmur rippled through the classroom. "Already?" Mina voiced.
"Yes, already."
Kaminari grabbed his head. "I completely forgot something like that even existed."
Jirou looked at him. "That might be the biggest problem here."
"I know."
Aizawa sighed. "The exams will be split into two parts. Written and practical."
Midoriya immediately began jotting things down. "The written portion comes first," Aizawa continued. "It will cover what you have learned throughout the year."
Kaminari looked increasingly desperate. "And the practical?" Aizawa paused for a moment. "That will be a bit different."
"How different?" Uraraka asked. Aizawa leaned against the desk. "You will be working in pairs." That caught everyone's attention immediately. "In pairs?" Kirishima repeated.
"Yes."
"And against whom?" Midoriya asked.
Aizawa offered a faint smile. "Against us."
Silence. Total, absolute silence this time. Several students looked at one another. Kaminari slowly raised his hand. "Excuse me... like, against you?"
"Yes."
"Against the teachers?"
"Yes."
Kaminari slowly lowered his hand again. "So we're dead."
"We are not dead," Iida corrected him. "This is a school exam."
"That's even worse." Mina started laughing nervously.
"Wait, so we're supposed to fight against the teachers?"
"It is not purely about fighting," Aizawa replied. "Each pair will have a different task. You will need to utilize your abilities, cooperate, and above all, demonstrate that you can react properly under pressure."
Now that sounded more interesting. I leaned back in my chair and listened—so it wasn't just a simple battle. I liked the sound of that.
Aizawa continued explaining while most of the class slowly began to panic. I remained calm, however. Not because I thought I would automatically win, but rather because I was curious how much they would try to adapt the exam to my ability. Because if they wanted me to truly show what I could do... it could turn out to be quite interesting.
After classes ended, I returned to the dorms. I sat down at my desk and opened the first textbook—even though I didn't need to study as much as the others, there were still some differences from my old world.
"Alright then." I rested my head in my hand. "Let's begin." A few minutes later, I closed the book again. "Done."
Honestly, I wasn't sure if I needed to make any special preparations at all. The written portion likely wouldn't be a problem for me.
The practical portion... that would be more interesting. Especially depending on who they paired me up with. If they put me against someone like Aizawa, it could get troublesome.
His Quirk-erasing ability could be a problem if he tried to use it on me. On the other hand... it might end up just like it did with that guy who tried to copy my ability. "So I'll probably have to think things through a bit."
"That is the correct approach, My Lord," Agrona chimed in.
"Thank you for the profound advice."
"You are most welcome."
I offered a faint smile and looked back out the window.