(A few months after applying to UA.)
Mezo-san and I were currently on our way to UA because today was the day we had to do the entrance exam.
We were wearing our most durable clothing and brought an additional pair just in case they got destroyed during the upcoming physical exam.
But before anything else, we had to do the practical exam, though that shouldn't be too much of an issue.
Believe it or not, Sir Nighteye visited me about a month ago and gave me a few study materials for the upcoming test.
They didn't really mention what was on the test, but the material mainly focused on how a hero should act and the different types of villains we may encounter.
All in all, the material was really helpful, and I even gave it to Mezo-san when I finished using it. After doing all that, Sir Nighteye came back with a rather strange request for me.
He didn't specify why I had to do it, but it wasn't all too difficult. He instructed me to wear a big smile on my face that resembled All Might.
It was a rather strange request, but maybe he had his reasons for why I had to do this during the entrance exam.
---
When Mezo-san and I finally made it to UA's main entrance, we marveled at just how big and prestigious the place was.
Steeling ourselves, we made our way inside, where multiple students were sitting patiently and waiting.
We took our respective seats and waited for the instructors to arrive for the practical exam.
After about half an hour of waiting, an instructor finally arrived, and he looked sort of… out of place.
He didn't look like a normal pro hero. His clothes were mostly shades of black and were more practical than most heroes'. He wore a white scarf—or maybe it was tape; I couldn't really tell.
"Alright, students. My name is Shota Aizawa. I'll be the one overseeing your practical exam for this batch, and… that's it," he said before grabbing a remote from his pocket and clicking it.
Suddenly, the seats we were sitting in all moved slightly back with us still in them, and in front of us, a desk with our test and a pen patiently awaited.
"Answer this test in an hour, and once you're finished, head toward the next building where the practical exam will be announced," Sir Aizawa said to the students.
"Before we begin, do you have any questions?" he asked.
No one spoke up, and after a few seconds, he pressed the remote once more, causing a timer to appear in front of us.
"If not, then you'd better start writing and don't disturb me. The entire room is being monitored by cameras, so don't even think about cheating. And as always, do your best—and don't cry if you fail there's always next year," he finished before leaving the room, leaving everyone a bit confused.
But that confusion didn't last long, as everyone began to write down their answers on the test.
Not wanting to waste time, I grabbed the pen on the desk and started doing my test.
---
(1 hour later.)
Well, that wasn't too hard. Looking over at Mezo-san, he seemed to be done as well.
Grabbing my test, I placed it inside the small machine in front of everyone.
The machine began to make a bunch of noise before finally handing me a small card.
Grabbing it and reading it, I saw it had a small map that seemed to lead to the next building for the practicals. It also doubled as some sort of pass.
After reading it, Mezo-san and I left the testing area and headed toward the next building where the practical test would be taking place.
After only a few minutes of walking, we finally made it to the next building. It looked pretty similar to the last one, but with the key difference being that it had a biometric lock—or something close to that.
Grabbing our passes, we moved them closer to the mechanical lock, and with a click, the doora opened.
Once fully opened, Mezo-san and I went inside and were immediately greeted by a rather large number of students.
Compared to the previous group, this was way more.
Grabbing seats of our own, Mezo-san and I sat next to each other and waited for the next instructor. Thankfully, we didn't have to wait long, as a man wearing a speaker around his neck appeared.
"What's up, UA candidates! Thanks for tuning in to me, your school DJ! Come on and let me hear you!" he said, turning his ear toward the students, awaiting their excited cheers.
…
Except no one decided to cheer.
"Keeping it mellow, huh? That's fine. I'll skip to the main show. Let's talk about how this practical exam's gonna go down."
He then grabbed a remote from his podium, and the screen in front of us changed, showing multiple silhouettes.
"As you can see, there will be multiple different villains in the practical exam. All you guys have to do is take them down and get those points! The points range from one to three, and the test will only go on for about an hour, so you'd better get your running shoes, because the faster you move, the higher your chances of scoring high are—basically doubled! Now, any questions?" the speaker man asked.
A student from far across me raised his hand, grabbing the instructor's attention.
"Yes! You there with the fancy spectacles!"
"Thank you! My name is Tenya Iida from Somei Private Academy! I would like to ask why you deliberately forgot about the other villain on the screen right now. Should I assume this was a mistake from Japan's most prestigious school?" Iida announced.
"Uh, no… That other villain gives zero points, so feel free to ignore them," the instructor replied.
"Thank you for clarifying that, sir! But while I have everyone's attention!" he said, turning behind him and pointing at a green-haired boy. "Please refrain from murmuring and distracting everyone! UA is a place to learn and grow as a hero. Someone who can't even pay attention shouldn't be attending such a prestigious school!" Iida exclaimed.
"Oh, sorry! I didn't know I was disturbing everyone!" the green-haired boy said before sinking into his chair.
"Heh, of course a spoiled elite like yourself would think that," another boy spoke from the crowd.
"Excuse me!" Iida said.
"So what if that loser murmurs a lot? Someone like you shouldn't be deciding what we can or can't do. You sound almost like a stuck-up villain whose mommy didn't give them enough attention!" the boy shot back.
"Well, that's rather rude of you to say!" Iida replied.
"What? Wanna fight me for it, glasses?" the boy challenged.
"What?! Of course not! Why would I fight another student?" Iida said.
"Well, then if you're not gonna fight, sit your ass down and pay attention!" the boy snapped.
Begrudgingly, Iida sat down, and the instructor finally spoke.
"Well, that was dramatic… Anyways!
Everyone get your game faces on, because we're staring in ten! And remember to always have fun!" he said, raising his fist to get the crowd pumped.
…
Once again, no one spoke—far too nervous and anxious to do well on the test.
I'm not too worried about the practical exam, since Mezo-san and I have been training for this for a while. I just hope we end up in the same class together.