"Information that lets you grasp the situation at a glance."
"It’d be ridiculous if you showed up late. Mobility."
"Judgment that stays calm no matter the situation."
"And pure combat ability."
"This year’s harvest is looking plentiful."
"No, it’s only now that their true value is coming out."
______________________________________
"So this makes 50 points?"
I focused on the 1-point and 2-point mock Villains in front of me and brought them down. I cut, thrust, dodged, let their attacks slide past me, then cut again with the longsword. I repeated that over and over, and whenever I had the chance, I helped people who looked frightened or in danger from the mock Villains. Then, while trying to assess the situation, I looked down over the area from atop a building.
"Hm? That person is...?"
Someone familiar came into view. The one I had bumped into this morning...
"Jiro?"
She seemed to be in trouble with a 3-point mock Villain. Watching the situation, I climbed down the building to help her.
Side: Jiro Kyoka
"This is tougher than I expected."
The mock Villain in front of me was sturdier and more persistent than I’d thought.
"Hah... hah..."
My breathing grew ragged, and my chest hurt.
While I was running blindly with that thought in my head, I twisted my ankle and fell. More than the pain, I was thinking about the mock Villain closing in on me, and I tried to get back up, but my body wouldn’t move the way I wanted.
"Eek."
Terrified by the mock Villain in front of me, I shut my eyes.
"Is this the end?"
With a mix of frustration and resentment, I was about to give up on the exam. But when the attack that should have come for me never did, I thought something was strange.
"What...?"
I opened my eyes to understand what was happening. And there, in front of me, were the mock Villain cut cleanly apart and the man I had met this morning.
"Taka?"
______________________________________
I came down from the building and approached Jiro. She had fallen, and the mock Villain looked ready to attack at any second. From the pouch at my waist, I drew two throwing daggers and hurled them at the joints of the legs supporting the mock Villain’s body. The daggers struck the joints and stopped its movement.
"Now."
I took the longsword in my right hand and the dagger in my left, reversed, and cut away the remaining Villain’s legs. The Villain lost its mobility and spun as I slashed with the reversed dagger, leaving only its torso behind. Then, using the momentum of the spin, I brought the longsword down in a clean arc and severed its head. I sheathed the dagger in the leather scabbard on my back, then turned to check on Jiro.
"Jiro, are you okay?"
"Taka?"
I activated [Sense] to check her condition.
After dreaming and growing used to [Sense], I had learned quite a few things.
[Sense] could see a person’s soul and see through objects to determine where things were. And if I focused and stared at a target, I could check that person’s condition.
"Did you twist your ankle?"
After confirming Jiro’s condition, I lifted her into my arms.
"Huh?!!"
Startled by the sudden situation, she made a strange sound, but I ignored it and started running while holding her. I moved to an area with fewer mock Villains and began first aid.
"It’s not a serious injury, but don’t push yourself. It’s only first aid, but it’s better than leaving it alone."
"Ah... yeah... thanks."
Then, suddenly, a loud noise came from behind us. I turned and looked. A mock Villain on a completely different scale...
"Is that the 0-pointer?"
The people around us immediately started running away. A natural reaction. Feeling psychological fear in the face of something huge is instinct. But one man shouted at the 0-pointer and stood his ground.
"What are you running for? Didn’t you come here to become Heroes? I’m not running!! Bring it on!!"
A silver-haired man with hair standing on end and a body like steel.
"Is he brave, or just stupid? ...Still, I like him."
More than anything, that stance looked like a Hero’s. Agreeing with him, I said,
"That man’s right. Even if you can’t fight, you can still help people who can’t move or who are hurt!! If you just run away because something is big, nothing will ever begin!! Help and save people in trouble. That’s what a Hero is supposed to do!!"
The people who heard me turned back and said, as if making up their minds,
"Yeah, I came here to become a Hero."
"Me too. I’ll do everything I can."
"All right, bring it on!! Villain!!"
Encouraged, the others began doing what they could. Those who couldn’t fight supported or treated the injured, and some of them, with determination, began resisting the Villain directly.
"You there, the girl with the orange side tails. Please take care of her."
After entrusting Jiro to the girl with orange side tails, I approached another person and asked for help.
"Excuse me. Could you help me?"
"Huh? Me?"
The girl with vine-like hair looked flustered at my sudden request.
______________________________________
Everyone was attacking the Villain, but no one was dealing it a decisive blow. Still, because I kept my eyes on where the attacks were landing, I was able to approach and climb the Villain easily. Before long, I had reached the part I assumed was the camera the Villain used to identify people. I drew my longsword and hung in front of the Villain’s camera.
"Hello."
Then I stabbed the camera part of the Villain with my longsword. As a result, the Villain lost its ability to see ahead and began thrashing wildly. I signaled to the girl below with my hand. Taking that as her cue, she shouted,
"Now!! Attack!!"
"I’ll take away the Villain’s sight. I’ll signal you then, so tell everyone to attack the Villain’s joints together. And..."
Fortunately, they followed my instructions. After that, I carried out my part and climbed up to the Villain’s head. Looking down, I shouted to her,
"Now!!"
She looked up at me and nodded, and I spread both arms wide and jumped.
The people at the exam site and even the faculty watching the test all gasped and shouted in shock at what I was doing.
[Leap of Trust]
I had seen it in my dreams. The ritual and technique he used before assassinating his nine targets, a landing method that used cushioning to descend from high places more safely and quickly.
The girl below, who had signaled me, was startled by my actions, but she quickly regained her composure and used her Quirk to weave a net out of her hair so she could catch the man who had asked her for help.
"If I’m not mistaken, you can control your hair, right?"
"Yes. My Quirk lets me control my vine-like hair."
"If I signal you with my voice, could you use your Quirk to make a net out of your hair?"
"A net?"
"Yes."
"I didn’t expect you to jump down, though," she muttered.
Using her Quirk, she made a net and caught him as he fell, muttering that under her breath. As she set him down, she shouted at him loudly,
"What were you thinking?!! If you’re going to do something that dangerous, warn me first!! If I hadn’t caught you, you’d be dead!!"
I was flustered by her scolding and apologized. And while I was being lectured, the 0-pointer lost its mobility to the others’ attacks and finally stopped functioning. At the same time the Villain was defeated, the announcement blared out.
"Time’s up~~~~~~~~~~~~~!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
______________________________________
After the exam ended, an old woman was using her Quirk to heal the injured. I checked my gear and was about to leave the exam site and head back to the orphanage.
"Taka!!"
I turned at the voice calling me. It seemed Jiro was calling out to me.
"Uh, well... so..."
She muttered as she looked at me. Then, as if she had made up her mind, she squeezed her eyes shut, opened them again, and looked straight at me.
"Thank you."
I bowed my head, then turned and left the exam site. For some reason, my expression felt softer than before.
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