(Kata POV)
The two weeks leading up to the final exams weren't exactly thrilling. If I had to sum them up, I'd say predictable, and maybe tediously repetitive. Every day felt like running through the same motions… with slightly different weather for flavour.
To start, the class wasn't nearly as panicked about the written portion of the exams as they were in canon. Turns out, when you have a class president who actually talks to the teachers about what everyone struggles with, and even gives them exact advice on how to adjust their lessons to maximize everyone's learning… it really pays off.
Even Mina and Kaminari, who were once prime candidates for "hopeless cases," managed to hold their own. Everyone else was comfortably above average.
Of course, there are always a few overachievers who treat "good enough" as never enough. People like Momo, Bakugo, and Deku specifically, and thanks to their relentless efforts, landed in second, third, and fourth respectively.
Naturally, I had to take first. It would be setting a bad example if the class president wasn't at the top, wouldn't it? So, I reluctantly took it upon myself to occupy the position.
The best part? No one even needed the big study session at Momo's place this time. My constant reminders, plus everyone's slow but steady improvement, made it unnecessary. And just like that, my plan to avoid the last minute badgering worked.
Though that didn't stop my classmates from discovering where I live, as my address was spread faster than gossip in Class 1-A.
Now I have an open-door policy I never agreed to. Kirishima, Kaminari, and Sero swing by to hang out. The girls drop in to visit Himiko or Eri. And the rest? They say it's to "see how I'm doing," which isn't entirely untrue, but their real goal is to see and play with Eri, who's cuteness won everyone's hearts, as it should.
Even Bakugo showed up once with sweets for her. He pretended it was no big deal, glaring the entire time, and likely would've caused an explosion , given his short fuse, but Eri's hug of thanks immediately disarmed him. The next time, he brought candied apples, muttering something about them being the "brat's favourites.". He's secretly fond of her, but he'll rather die… or kill everyone else, before admitting it.
Honestly, the hardest academic battle wasn't our exams. It was convincing Himiko to study for her own. The word "responsibility" doesn't exist in her vocabulary, and between her obsession with me and her general disinterest in school itself, getting her to open a book was like teaching a cat to swim.
Eventually, I got her to agree… by framing our study sessions as dates. The promise of a proper date if she actually passed did wonders. Who knew romance could actually further academics?
I actually spent a lot of time with Mina, Toru, and Momo, who all came over quite often with the excuse of wanting to study together, despite Momo being the only one to seriously follow through.
Another thing that kept me busy was trying to design a new hero costume. I approached Midnight for help, thinking she'd offer some practical guidance… which was my first mistake.
Midnight's definition of "practical" is apparently synonymous with "attract as much attention as possible." After I vetoed her suggestion to have me go shirtless, and a bit of threatening to ask someone else for advice (which I should've followed through on), she gave me more reasonable suggestions, and we spent days arguing about it. Her wanting something dramatic and less revealing, but revealing nonetheless, and me wanting something more discreet and casual.
We eventually reached a compromise in concept, though it's still a rough draft. I'd rather refine it properly after the exams. I want a functional costume, not just something cosmetic… and to that effect, I'd want to make it capable of integrating well with my quirk. Which means, unfortunately… I'll have to deal with Mei, as she's the only one crazy enough to try the things I want to attempt, since I can't make my own support gear… legally.
She's an amazing inventor, but talking to her almost guarenteed something exploding. And my biggest concern is whether she'll stop bothering after seeing what I plan to do.
And finally, the rest of my days have mostly been spent training. Constantly.
In the last two weeks, I pushed my limits and raised my weight capacity from ten tons to a hundred, boosted my force output to a million newtons, and increased my max instantaneous acceleration to about 5,000 meters per second. As for how long I can use my quirk… longer than before. My recovery is quite absurd, and I've yet to reach physical exhaustion from quirk usage.
I trained my quirk by using it against itself. I'd hold objects together while trying to tear them apart to the best of my ability. It's exhausting, but effective. For speed, I practiced by launching a small ball in an artificial vacuum, accelerating and stopping it repeatedly to avoid property damage. The vacuum was mainly to avoid damaging anything from the sheer pressure it'd generate, and prevent the ball from burning itself, or the surrounding area.
For reflexes, I made a small object orbit me, making it move faster and faster by continuously applying force, and setting up barriers for when I inevitably lost control. Eventually, my reactions caught up. For stamina training, I just… never stopped. I used my quirk 24/7. Eating, sleeping, showering, general existing. If I was conscious, which was always, I was training.
And now… everything within twenty kilometres of me is within my Radar's perception. Expanding it caused me near constant migraines, and actually being aware of everything was almost impossible… but eventually, the sensation dulled and became manageable. It's almost like breathing now. I'm aware of everything, but it no longer overwhelms me, as my body keeps adapting and evolving with my quirk.
Beyond brute power, I've been refining my abilities. Spatial manipulation had been my main focus, and that was probably my best idea so far.
I managed to carve out a small pocket dimension, hidden within space itself. It's fragile, constantly on the verge of collapsing, but maintaining it is perfect training. It's become my private lab… a place where I can experiment without accidentally killing anyone.
I use it to test new applications of my quirk, like constructing denser, more permanent TK constructs, experimenting with energy conversion, even manipulating atomic forces on a micro level. Small things, like splitting atoms or producing controlled radiation. Things that I could easily shrug off, but are way too dangerous to be done anywhere else. I find the process fascinating and fun, all while sharpening my understanding of what my power can really do.
So, yeah. The past two weeks have been… routine. Train, eat, repeat. Occasionally deal with friends invading my home and personal space.
It's peaceful. In its own way.
(Kata POV – Kata's House)
Tomorrow is the exam. The written portion was easy, but the real test is yet to come. Practically everyone I know is either panicking or doing last-minute preparations to improve their odds of doing well.
'And I should probably be doing the same.' I muse internally.
But instead…
"Hakuna Matata!" Eri sings, the song bouncing off the living room walls with a beautiful echo that acts like a chorus.
She's on my lap, knees tucked up, a small bucket of popcorn balanced on her legs. Himiko is beside me, slumped languidly against my shoulder, eyes half-closed, while her breathing is slow and content. On the screen, an ancient movie plays a collection of bright colours, silly animals, and a song that makes Eri clap every time the chorus hits.
I should be making plans to deal with whichever teacher I'll face tomorrow…
Instead, I watch Eri get popcorn crumbs on her cheeks and think about how happy it makes me to see her smile.
"They're having so much fun dancing." Eri narrates, her voice full of wonder. Himiko nuzzles deeper into me, her body warm and annoyingly comfortable.
It's our first time watching a cartoon, and the movie is called "The Lion King." It's an old cartoon from centuries ago, but it still manages to carry profound depth about betrayal, exile, and a found family.
'A cub who's pushed out and then finds Home again.' I think. My eyes stay on the screen, but my hands move to smooth Eri's hair without thinking. 'Its almost funny how differently Eri and I view it.'
To her, it's a happy story where the underdog finds happiness after being betrayed by his uncle. Yet, to me, it almost parallels our lives.
Betrayed by our families, and effectively abandoning them, only to form our own, with those we chose as family.
"Is there something on my face?" She asks, wiping the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand, which only ends up leaving me popcorn crumbs on her face.
"There is now." I chuckle and wipe it away. She continues looking up at me with bright, earnest eyes, and I give in and answer. "I was just wondering who's who, if we were the characters?"
Eri squints at the screen for a moment, then puffs out her chest like a tiny general. "I'm Simba. Himiko's Pumba because she's loud and likes having fun." She points at Himiko who pretends to snort.
'Very warthog like.' I think internally. Saying it aloud would result in me being stabbed tonight.
"And me?" I ask.
Eri's little hand lands on my chest, over my heart. "You're Timon, because you take care of us. You're very kind and have a good heart." Her smile is simple and honest.
'Is that how you see me?' I hug her a bit more tightly as warmth floods my chest, and she takes my arms and wraps them more around herself, like a blanket. 'Then I'm happy.'
I know I'm neither good, not kind… and if with all my flaws and imperfections, Eri sees me like that…
'Then I must be doing something right.'
"We should watch more cartoons and movies." I say casually, hoping to eventually have more of these peaceful moments.
"Yay!" Eri screams in delight, clapping excitedly.
Himiko opens an eye. "Yay~" She says lazily.
Then, suddenly, my radar detects something, or rather, someone rapidly approaching. It's someone I recognise, so…
"We're about to have a guest." I say, letting out a small sigh, as I can already predict what this is about.
Himiko perks up. "Is it Mina, Momo, or Toru?"
And before I can answer, impatient, quick knocks echoed from the door. It is not a polite knock. It is a knock asserting presence, rather than requesting entry.
I stand up, gently transferring Eri from my lap, and onto the couch.
I open the door, and there stands the expected figure.
"Rumi. Nice to see you again." I say casually. "It's strange though. I didn't take you as one to knock."
Rumi frowns, before clicking her tongue as she crossed her arms and stomps her foot in irritation. "I'm not. But after the enhancements you made to me, I ended up tearing a hole through my house when I kicked the door just a little." She rubs the back of her head like it was no big deal. "You're overdue for our bi-weekly sparring sessions."
Eri's eyes go wide as she peeks at us from around the corner. "Are you really Mirko? The No. 3 pro-hero?"
And yes, after the enhancements, in just 2 weeks, Mirko has climbed to the number 3 hero spot.
Rumi waves Eri over, and she obediently rushes forward. Then, Rumi crouches down and scoops Eri up.
"Yep, that's me! Mirko, the rabbit hero. And you must be the famous little sister." She flashes Eri a wild grin, which only seems to dazzle the child even more, as her eyes fill with greater excitement.
Mirko then begins giving Eri a more pointed appraisal, before nodding. "Damn. You're as cute as he said you were." She laughs. "No wonder he's so obsessed with you." She teases.
I just roll my eyes. 'I love Eri because she's Eri. Her being the cutest is just a bonus.' I grumble internally.
Eri beams, happy to be complimented. Rumi them ruffles her hair once and sets her down gently, before turning her attention back to me.
"It's time for our spar, and I heard your exam's tomorrow. Let's make it a warm-up for ya!" Rumi grins, and I can tell she's just trying to find reasons to stop me from backing out.
But…
'I've trained so much, and a test subject just conveniently showed up?' I return her smile.
"No need to convince me. I happily accept." I reply immediately, both of us smiling.
One is feral, the other calm… but both consider each other prey.
************
A/N: Hello Everyone. If you've enjoyed the chapter and book thus far, please consider leaving me some comments, reviews, or power stones. It really helps the book out.
It is currently 2AM, so forgive any spelling errors or some such in the later half of the chapter. I tried my best to avoid errors, but when you start imagining you wrote a line, only to suddenly regain consciousness and nothing is there... Yeah, things tend to happen.
But anyway, onto the chapter.
The Mirko argument won, and while I tried to show events (hopefully I did it well), I did my best to not let it feel too info-dumpy...
I also think the Lion King fits them quite well as a first cartoon, and it's more about Kata and Eri having both missed their childhood. Initially I wanted him to be fascinated like Eri was, but he's too mature to have the same excitement. So, I went with him enjoying cartoon, but looking for the hidden depth within them (there are actually quite a lot).
Then, the fight with Mirko would be him testing some stuff, but Mirko hasn't been issue either... (Subtle foreshadowing?)
I have so much more I want to say, but sleep is pulling me under... So, feel free to ask anything in the comments🫠
You can also read 10 chapters ahead and support me at [email protected]/AMV_WEAKLY
Good night to all😴 (I will also restart reading comments from this chapter, upon waking up. Sorry for not having done so for all the ones before, but there were too many for me to manage😭)