The next day, the class began operating a little differently than usual.
As soon as Aizawa announced the final exams, it became clear that most students were going to start taking their preparations much more seriously. Some began borrowing textbooks, others arranged group study sessions, and a few people looked as if someone had just announced the end of the world.
I was somewhere in the middle.
I had no reason to panic, but at the same time, I didn't want to completely underestimate the exams. The written portion shouldn't be a problem for me, but the practical portion was a different story. There, knowing the right answer wasn't enough. We had to prove that we could use our abilities correctly and react to situations that might arise during actual hero work.
And that was precisely what interested me most.
In the morning, I arrived at U.A. as one of the first. There were already several students in the classroom, and it was obvious that the final exams had become the primary topic of their conversations.
Midoriya was jotting something down in his notebook, Iida was explaining a portion of the curriculum to him, and a few other students were discussing who their opponent might be in the practical part.
I sat down at my desk and watched them for a moment. "So it has begun."
"What?" I turned around. Toru was standing beside my desk. "The study madness," I answered.
"Yeah," she laughed. "I've already heard about ten different theories today regarding who we'll be facing."
"And does anyone actually know?"
"Nope."
"So they're just theories."
"Exactly."
Toru took a seat next to me and adjusted her gloves for a moment. "Aren't you scared?"
"No."
"Not at all?"
"No."
"Not even a little bit?"
"Should I be?"
"I don't know." She paused to think for a moment. "Mainly, I'm scared of the practical part."
"Because of the teachers?"
"More because we have no idea what's waiting for us."
"That's true."
Toru leaned in a bit closer. "And what if they put us up against someone really strong?"
"Then we'll have to figure out a way to beat them."
"You say that like it's a total walk in the park." I shrugged my shoulders. "Because there's no point in stressing over something I don't know yet."
Toru stayed silent for a moment. "That's actually pretty reasonable."
"Thank you." I smiled.
Toru laughed, then went quiet for a moment. "By the way... how did you like your internship with Hawks?"
"It was good."
"Just good?"
"It was exactly what I wanted it to be."
"So you're satisfied?"
"Yeah."
"And Tokoyami?"
"I think he is too."
"That doesn't surprise me."
Both of us went quiet for a moment. Then Toru spoke up again. "You know what's strange about you?"
"What now?"
"When you were at the festival, everyone looked at you like you were someone completely terrifying."
"Sounds good to me."
"No, wait, let me finish." She laughed. "But when someone talks to you normally, you're totally chill."
"That's a good thing, isn't it?"
"Yeah." Toru paused for a second. "And also..."
"Yes?"
"When you're around, a person feels a bit safer."
I looked at her. "I'm glad to hear that."
"So if I get someone awful for the practical exam, can I hide behind you?"
"That depends on the rules."
"So no."
"I said it depends."
"So maybe."
"Maybe."
"I'll take it." She laughed and stood up. "Anyway, I should probably go study."
"Sounds reasonable."
"Good luck, Shadow Monarch."
"To you as well, Toru." Toru walked back to her desk, and I watched her go for a moment. She was a bit peculiar, but in a good way.
After school, I stayed behind for a bit in the U.A. library. This time, I picked up something focused mainly on hero laws and response procedures during incidents. Some sections were fairly simple, while others I had to read through multiple times.
Not because they were difficult. Rather, because they were boring. "Who even came up with this many rules?"
"Likely people who wished to prevent chaos," Agrona answered me.
"And they created further chaos in the form of these books," I replied to him, and after about another hour, I closed the book.
This time, I felt like I had done enough. Leaving the library, I spotted a few more classmates who were still studying. It looked as though some of them were taking the exams very seriously.
In the evening, I returned to the dorms. I lay down on my bed and pondered... who would I be teamed up with, and who would I fight against? I couldn't even remember exactly how it all went, and besides, the butterfly effect was already starting to show... Tokoyami was satisfied with his internship, unlike his anime counterpart, Bakugo didn't win USJ... which makes sense given that I intervened, but to this day, I still don't even know what happened to Monoma, for instance, when he tried to copy my Quirk...
Well, hopefully, everything turns out fine...