Chapter 12: Entrance Examinations (3)
In the thirteen minutes and some change Takumi had left over after leaving the ramen store, he had gone on to resolve a few smaller incidents, none of which were nearly as dangerous as the gas leak: directing panicked civilians away from a collapsing construction scaffold, pulling an 'injured' pedestrian out of the roadway before a simulated reckless driver passed through, stopping a fleeing pickpocket by predicting their escape route through a side alley, the incidents that followed were all relatively tame.
Beep! Beep!
And much to his relief, the sound of his drone signalling the end of the practical section finally graced his ears. Takumi had no interest in staying in the mock neighbourhood any longer than he needed to.
"You there." As he fell back into line, Kaede, the section's invigilator, pointed at him. Her brows furrowed in curiosity. "Was it your quirk that saw it? Or you?"
It was obvious what she was referring to.
"Saw what, Ishimura-sensei?" However, assuming it was the gas leak without her explicitly saying so was bound to come off as suspicious.
"Don't play dumb with me, applicant." Her tone grew harsh. "I'm talking about the gas leak, how did you detect it before anyone else? And more importantly, how did you know how to defuse everything without any guidance?"
Takumi adjusted his glasses, preparing to execute a pre-planned response. "I simply recognized the hissing sound the leak was producing from where I was standing, and since my father frequented soup kitchens to do volunteer work alongside me, I'm fairly familiar with the layout of an industrial kitchen. Older ones especially."
If the school checked his file and followed up on his foster father's records, they'd find Takumi's explanation to be 100% accurate.
Kaede's eyes narrowed with suspicion. "So it had nothing to do with your quirk?"
"No, my quirk is solely designed for battle-related situations. It was completely useless during the defusal." He could tell she was trying as hard as she could to spot a chink in his armor to call him out on his bullshit, but it was to no avail. Unless she had one hell of an intelligence-type quirk, it'd be near-impossible for her to see through someone who was more quirk than man.
"Whatever," she groaned. "Go to the cafeteria, you're on lunch break until everyone's had their turn at the simulation. There'll be an announcement on the intercom when it's time for the next section to begin."
He replied with a curt nod and made his way over to the cafeteria, inwardly pleased that his lunch for the day would be on the house. His quirk settled on a bowl of katsudon, it's high protein content helpful towards replenishing Takumi's stamina following the exam, and it's high calorie content suitable for someone who had just physically exerted themselves.
Most of the students that were first to enter the mess hall alongside him seemed preoccupied, brooding over whether or not the invigilators would pass them, and the exact nature of the purposefully hidden criteria.
Takumi on the other hand, was more concerned about whether or not his scholarship would include school-provided meals. If he could use it to cut down on grocery expenses, providing for Power was bound to be a lot easier.
"You seem rather carefree, Kisaragi-kun." Ren decided to sit down opposite of him, carrying a tray with a bowl of piping-hot udon. A light, yet filling meal with a good broth base for recovery. "You must've had quite the performance out there."
"It wasn't anything special," Takumi said before taking a bite. "Though I doubt they'll fail me."
"How modest." For whatever reason, Ren appeared to have made his own conclusions about Takumi beforehand. "I noticed Ishimura-sensei having a go at you out there, is everything alright?"
"She had some questions." He spoke without elaborating.
"Questions?" He muttered a curious hum. "It must've been about something you did well for you to be so relaxed."
"Maybe." For the first time in the conversation, Takumi looked up at Ren. "You seem fairly laid back yourself."
Ren let out a light chuckle. "I happened to have a strong start, that's all."
Takumi replied with a half-acknowledging hum, continuously meeting Ren's attempts to probe him through small talk with unenthusiastic non-answers in hopes of shaking off the A-tier's intrigue. Ren himself didn't know it, but the more he talked, the more defined Battle Algorithm's profile of him became. He was basically spoon-feeding Takumi a detailed sheet of his own brain: his mental strengths, his mental weaknesses, his likes and dislikes, it was all being calculated in real time.
Takumi didn't want any of this information, but like always, his quirk didn't give him any choice in the matter. It was like an overly eager golden retriever picking up a completely random item off the ground and insisting it's owner keep it.
Ding!
The sound of the intercom ringing was like music to his ears. It's gentle chime heralding Takumi's release from the A-Tier chatterbox's clutches.
With the urban simulation fully concluded, all applicants were brought to where the institution's training halls were situated, specifically the ones intended for one-on-one sparring sessions. There were ten halls in total, all spread evenly across a long, spacious hallway where the examinees were lined up.
"Alright everyone, listen up because I'm only going to say this once." Instead of Kaede, a different instructor was overseeing this section. "This is the final part of the practical section, and the final part of the entrance examination as a whole. One-on-one combat evaluations."
A tidal wave of tension washed over everyone.
"Over the intercom, you'll hear a name and a hall number. When yours is called, report to the allotted hall to meet with your combat instructor and await their instructions. It really doesn't get any more simple than that, so I won't be taking any questions for this section." Satisfied with an explanation, the instructor took a steep back and waited for the intercom to call the first ten names.
["Takumi Kisaragi, Hall 1."]
Reactionless, Takumi started making his way over to the training hall.
["Ren Arakawa, Hall 2."]
"It looks like we're the ones they've got their eyes on," Ren smiled as he walked past Takumi. "We best not disappoint, don't you think?"
"I suppose," Takumi gave him an idle wave over his shoulder. The moment this section was over, he was high-tailing it back home before Ren could find another opportunity to talk him towards the brink of insanity.
He stepped into a large padded arena, roughly the size of a basketball court. Its interior was fitted with reinforced flooring, absorbent walls, a few padded walls here and there, bright fluorescent lights hanging overhead, and a one-sided observation area up above for the faculty to observe the battles from.
"I saw some of the arrests you made on the low-level criminals during the simulation." A familiar voice rang out throughout the chamber, stemming from a figure standing about ten meters apart from Takumi and slowly approaching. "They weren't half-bad, but I didn't get to see you go up against any of the villain actors. For a quirk like yours, I think it's only right that we get to observe it in a proper combat test, wouldn't you agree?"
Takumi adjusted his glasses. "If that is NMHU's decision, I have no complaints."
"What a model student you are." She rolled her eyes, clearly expecting a little more gusto from him. "The match will last three minutes, if you survive those three minutes, you win, if you get knocked out before then, you lose."
Keyword 'lose', not 'fail'.
The entrance exams would be virtually unpassable if every student was expected to actually beat their instructor. Realistically speaking, the examiners were simply using this as an evaluation on how adept a student was with their quirk in a one-on-one scenario.
"When you hear the buzzer, the match will begin. Any questions?" There was a clear note of impatience in her voice.
"None."
His quirk had already analyzed all that it could when he looked at Kaede before the urban simulation exam began, and now that the retired pro hero was preparing for a spar, its analysis deepened a step further. Forming a complete database that told Takumi everything he needed to know, before the fight had even begun.
"Good," she nodded.
It started with her physical indicators.
'Items noted: muscular density in her forearms and shoulders, stance weight distribution favoring the front leg, slightly flexed fingers suggesting grip or striking readiness, small bruising around the knuckles.'
'Indication: close-range combat specialization.'
Then it analyzed her micro-movements.
'Tracking shifts: foot pivot, tension change in calves, shoulder rotation range.'
It concluded her body had been trained and specialized towards explosive bursts of motion, which in exchange, made it poorly-suited towards grappling. Knowing that alone was enough for Battle Algorithm to narrow her quirk down to several possibilities: kinetic amplification, force release, momentum storage, or impact reinforcement.
'Initial prediction: opponent likely converts incoming force into outgoing force. Direct strike probability of empowering opponent: high.'
Finally, it began to strategy craft.
'Strategy A - Direct Suppression. Close distance immediately and attempt quick grapple. Outcome simulation: target releases stored force at point-blank range. Suffer severe counterstrike in return. Rejected.'
'Strategy B - Ranged Harassment. Use repeated small strikes to weaken target over time. Outcome simulation: each strike may accumulate energy for target. Eventual counterattack projected to be extremely powerful. Rejected.'
'Strategy C - Energy Starvation Force. Target to expend movement and attacks without gaining kinetic input. Method: evade rather than block, redirect attacks into environment, create positional disadvantages. Outcome probability: Highest success rate. Approved.'
It had even taken the psychological factors into account, Kaede's words and posture suggested an aggressive personality and deep-rooted confidence in her power. If Takumi refused to engage her directly, chances were her attack frequency would increase, and she'd attempt riskier lunges at him.
"Try not to disappoint me, Kisaragi-kun."
BUZZ!
Kaede threw the first punch.
'Muscle contraction detected. Attack classification: right straight punch. Time until full extension: 0.31 seconds.'
'Projected impact zone: left cheek/jawline.'
'Tactical recommendation: execute slip maneuver.'
Takumi followed his quirk's instructions to the letter, displacing his head 10 centimeters to the right and rotating his torso 14° clockwise.
Kaede's fist passed through empty air, causing her to overextend, unintentionally shift her weight forwards, and nearly trip over via a loss of balance.
Detecting a follow-up opportunity, Takumi stepped inside Kaede's now-ruined guard and used minimal force to redirect her shoulder, causing the woman to fall over in an unfortunately clumsy-looking manner. Like she had just tripped over a stone she hadn't noticed on the ground.
"2 minutes 48 seconds," Takumi muttered under his breath as a mental reminder. He expressed absolutely no interest in pursuing Kaede any further after she had fallen, simply reassuming a neutral stance and waiting for his instructor to choose her next move.
Kaede ground her teeth in a mix of disbelief and outrage. More so at herself rather than Takumi, an instructor ought to have a certain level of dignity after all.
She performed an immediate, effortless kick-up to straighten herself. Usually she'd make some kind of remark right about now, but this was a timed exam for a reason. The examiners wanted to see three minutes of pure battle, not chitchat.
Once more, she moved to attack.
'Attack detected: left hook. Projected impact zone: lower rib cage.'
'Recommended action: pivot.'
Takumi performed a slight rotation through his heel, causing Kaede's hook to sweep past him by a few centimeters, the carried momentum forcing her to take another step forwards lest she wanted to be the ground on the again.
In that moment, Kaede's experience opened her eyes to something.
Her opponent wasn't simply dodging.
He was avoiding her attacks before they even began.
Takumi wasn't merely reacting to her, he was predicting.
Instead of committing to fierce, wound-up single strikes. Kaede altered her tempo, opting for a rapid combination of right straight punches, left hooks, and knee strikes, a tried and tested barrage she had actively used to overwhelm defensive fighters during her days as an active pro hero.
Takumi didn't block a single one of them, nor did he express any interest in counterattacking. He just moved, Kaede's attacks missing by centimeters or even millimeters each time. A step to the side. A slight lean. A subtle shift of his shoulder. Every one of Takumi's movements were minimal, almost frustratingly effortless.
Kaede kept attempting to adjust to disrupt his rhythm, but even her almost two decades of active experience couldn't spot the slightest error in Takumi's impossibly precise predictive dodging.
And to make matters worse, unless Takumi decided to hit her with a proper strike, she wouldn't be able to make use of her quirk: Impact Storage. An ability that allowed her to store the kinetic energy from blows, store it in her muscles for a brief amount of time, and release it in an explosive burst of force.
She couldn't make sense of it, but somehow, Takumi had deduced that before the battle even started.
Battle Algorithm started to adjust Takumi's footwork, his steps subtly guiding Kaede across the chamber's floor in a specific direction as she continued to press the offensive. Kaede was well aware of this fact, but made no comment, she couldn't afford to waste breath against an opponent like this.
Their path started to drift towards one of the padded supporting pillars in the chamber, which was very clearly an intentional effort on Takumi's behalf. But for what purpose? Kaede wasn't sure.
She threw a heavy punch, and like all her other attacks, Takumi slipped right through it, causing her knuckles to crash against the padded pillar. Since the structure's padding absorbed most of the impact, her quirk gained virtually no energy to use against him.
Kaede let out a sharp, annoyed exhale. "You're not even fighting."
Takumi adjusted his glasses. "You instructed me to survive for three minutes, I was not informed that I was required to hit back in any manner."
She clicked her tongue. "That doesn't mean you can't throw back a punch or two, smartass!"
Kaede lunged at him, priming a shoulder rush aimed to knock him down.
Immediately, Takumi's quirk calculated her trajectory, having him take a small step sideways at the absolute last moment, and causing the poor instructor to barrel right past him. The excessive speed she carried completely ruined her balance, and as she lost her footing, Takumi's quirk spotted an opportunity.
'Opportunity window: 0.18 seconds.'
He hooked his foot behind her ankle and used a slight amount of force to remove the support from her foot. It was all he needed to do to make the instructor collapse on the spot and drop to one knee, all the momentum she had been building up from her flurries and rushes dying right then and there.
THUD!
Before she could push herself up, Takumi shifted his weight forward and trapped her against the matted floor. His posture oozed composure and control as he did so, not an ounce of wasted force present, only a beautiful display of how to leverage an opponent into immobilization.
"That's enough, Kisaragi-kun. Ishimura-sensei."
A voice spoke through a hidden speaker system, one which Takumi recognized to be none other than President Sakamori's.
"May I leave now?" He looked up to the observation deck and asked with respect.
"Yes, you may. The entrance examination results will be posted near the front gate in a week's time. Please don't engage in any discussion with the other applicants on your way out."
"Understood." He released Kaede from his hold and stood up, making his way towards the exit without sparing the woman a second glance.
His mind clocked a total elapsed time of 1 minute 42 seconds since the buzzer rang. As long as Ren didn't finish before him, he wouldn't have to worry about getting trapped into another one-sided discussion.
Kaede let out a soft exhale, rubbing her shoulder that Takumi had just slammed into the ground, and looking up at the student's gradually distancing figure.
"You planned that from the start, didn't you?"
Takumi paused.
"Possibly."
///
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