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| The same day, three hours later… |
...
A group of figures emerged from the forest's shadows, their movements sluggish like zombies—and the sounds they made weren't much better.
"Ugh…"
"Uooorgh…"
"Brain... my brain hurts…"
"I can't feel my legs…"
"We're finally here!"
"How long was that? A hundred kilometers?!"
"It was around five, actually."
"Well, it felt like a hundred."
"Someone catch me, I'm about to collaps—"
-Thud-
"Did someone say something?"
The group was none other than Class 1-B, finally done with the monster-riddled forest and standing at the edge of the campsite.
Some were slouched, others dragging their feet, and a few were outright limping. Needless to say, they were completely beat. Their once clean uniforms were now covered in dust and mud all over.
Whatever had happened inside that forest, it certainly hadn't been pretty.
Even Suzaku, who was still at the front and kept some of his usual swagger, looked visibly exhausted and dirty like everyone else.
As they approached the buildings where they'd be staying for the camp, three figures walked out to greet them.
"Well, looks like you made it just in time." Vlad King crossed his arms with a proud smirk.
Mandalay smiled wryly. "Technically, you're four minutes late. But honestly, we didn't expect you kids to make it here in just three hours. That's how long it usually takes our team."
Pixie-Bob, standing up front, pouted. "Normally, it takes students over ten hours to get here… You guys really handled my earth beasts easily… especially you." She pointed at Suzaku. "You took out every earth beast that appeared in your path, which kept the rest of your class from being stalled by frontal attacks. Even though they still got hit from the sides and above, it made a big difference."
The class glanced at Suzaku. They had noticed it too.
He'd cleared the way through the front while they dealt with everything else. If not for him, they would've been stopped three times as much and taken hours longer to reach the end of the forest.
But...
"Heh." Suzaku turned and shot them a smug grin.
...No one wanted to feed his ego more than necessary.
While the class collectively averted their eyes, Pixie-Bob smirked and licked her lips. "You're the first-ranked student, right? You're promising… I call dibs when you turn 18!"
Then, she lunged at Suzaku.
But before she could even reach him, he caught her by the face, stopping her midair.
"You said there was lunch. Where is it?"
Mandalay stepped in, pulling Pixie-Bob back. "Ah—well, we didn't expect you to get here so fast, so it's not ready yet… but it won't take long."
Vlad King stepped forward next. "For now, get your stuff off the bus and leave it in your rooms. After that, you can explore the area and get familiar with the place. Once the food's ready, we'll call you. The rest of the day is yours."
"Wait, just like that? You're not gonna make us train to death right away?" Sen looked genuinely surprised.
Vlad huffed. "The original plan was for you to unload your stuff, eat, and then sleep. You just got here seven hours early, so we don't really have anything else scheduled."
"Neat." Suzaku smirked.
Vlad gave him a look, then returned the smirk. "All the train-you-until-you-drop part is tomorrow. So enjoy the free time while you can."
Suzaku's smirk vanished. "Not neat."
The class collectively stared at Vlad King with mixed feelings. They had earned a free day… but at what cost?
-Plaf!-
Vlad clapped his hands, breaking the moment.
"Alright, enough chit-chat. Go unload your things."
The class looked at each other for a second, then nodded and began heading toward the bus.
Watching them go, Vlad smiled to himself before turning to the two heroines. "Mandalay, Pixie-Bob, once they've got their stuff, can you show them their rooms?"
Mandalay nodded, then tilted her head. "Sure, but what about you?"
"Oh, I have to go boa—I mean, go have a chat with Aizawa. You know, to coordinate for tomorrow's training."
The two cat heroines sweatdropped, having clearly heard him nearly say boast.
Still, they nodded and let him go.
Let him enjoy it. And maybe annoy Aizawa a bit while he's at it.
…
°
°
°
| Hours later… |
…
After a hearty meal—which everyone enjoyed a lot, even comparing it to the hero Lunch Rush's at their cafeteria—Class 1-B was given free rein to do as they pleased for the rest of the day.
The girls of the class decided to go straight to the hot springs right away, the trip across the forest having left them completely spent.
The boys decided to get in once the girls were done. Since they had the entirety of the day for themselves, there was no need to go all in at the same time, even if there was a spring for each side.
As such, right now the boys were…
"So that's why you were carrying such a big backpack."
"What'll you do if Vlad King finds out you brought that here?"
"Hmph, he may be my teacher, but even he won't be safe from these hands if he touches this."
—Tack—
The single table in the room let out a sound as Suzaku placed something on it.
The entire group of boys gathered around, eyes sparkling as they stared at the object.
And how could they not? It was the freaking Quirkstation 3000.
"The heck… It's even the latest model," Sen muttered, catching a glimpse of his baffled reflection in the console's polished surface.
Meanwhile, Monoma shot Suzaku a look. "How the hell did you get your parents to buy that for you?"
Suzaku shrugged. "I bought it myself. With how I was doing academically before the final exam, there's no way they would've gotten me anything."
Monoma deadpanned. "So you're capable of self-awareness, huh?"
Tetsutetsu suddenly popped up, circling the device like it was a damn diamond. "But how? It's freakin' expensive!"
"I'm just made different. Anyway, enough with the questions. Any of you up to play?"
Tetsutetsu pumped a fist. "Oh, heck yeah."
Sen smirked, rubbing his hands together. "I'll finally get to put you in your place."
Monoma raised a hand, pausing them. "Wait, don't we need a TV to hook it up? This room only has beds and a few other things, right?"
"Already ahead of you." Suzaku walked over to his bed and pulled out an entire TV from under the sheets.
Silence fell over the room… At least until someone couldn't hold it in anymore.
Monoma stared at him, speechless. "Where the hell did you get that?"
Kamakiri, standing further back, shot Suzaku a look. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure you weren't carrying a TV when we boarded the bus."
Suzaku shrugged. "I saw it in Vlad-sensei's room, and since he hasn't unpacked yet, I borrowed it before he even knew it was there."
"You stole his TV?!"
"I mean… It's not really his. It's from the owner of this building. They simply gave him the room that had access to it, and that's what I call preferential treatment. So I think it's only fair we borrow it for a bit."
"You're insane," Monoma muttered.
"Come on, enough chickening out!" Suzaku slammed his hand on the table and pointed at the console. "Are you in or not?"
The boys looked at each other for a second—then all raised their fists in the air.
""Let's go!!""
And so, with that collective decision, everyone began gathering around the TV as it was being set up, using their own sheets or pillows as seats.
"Yo, you got Street Quirker 100!?" Tetsutetsu yelled, grabbing a case that showed a guy in a white gi and red bandana striking an epic pose, surrounded by other characters with wildly different looks.
"Yeah." Suzaku's voice came from behind the TV as he connected the cables.
Tetsutetsu immediately stood up, clenching his fist with a fire in his eyes never seen before. "Come on, man! Let's go one round! I'll completely destroy you!"
Suzaku didn't answer right away. He just kept working behind the screen until the TV blinked to life.
Once everything was set up, Suzaku stepped out, snatching the case from Tetsutetsu's hands.
"You know, I think we've been in this situation before…" He snorted, taking the game out of the case and sliding it into the console. The game started right away. Then, he gave Tetsutetsu a few pats on the shoulder, wearing a gentle smile. "But sure, let's see how that goes."
…
A few minutes later…
{"Perfect."}
{"You win."}
Suzaku stood up and stretched, wearing a calm smile on his face, before giving an encouraging pat on Tetsutetsu's shoulder. The latter was already standing, eyes wide as he stared at the screen. On it, a man with a ponytail and a pink gi smirked triumphantly, while a counter on the side read: Combo x153.
The entire group just stared blankly at the screen.
Tetsutetsu, on the other hand…
"How could it be…"
For a moment, he really thought he had it. He was pretty experienced with fighting games, mind you. So he didn't notice anything strange.
Suzaku had been totally at his mercy—his life bar was just one hit away from dropping to zero in the first round.
That's when it started.
The torture.
He couldn't move. His life bar was chipped away little by little with weak, annoying attacks that kept him locked down completely.
The torment continued into the next rounds. All it took was a single moment of distraction—bam, and he was trapped in another never-ending combo.
By the third round, he even tried pouncing on Suzaku in real life just to make it stop. Sadly, he was shoved off without much effort… and the combo never even paused.
Hence, his current state.
"What did I say to you the last time we fought?" Suzaku made a pondering gesture before raising his eyebrows like he had just remembered. "That's right."
He turned and slung an arm over Tetsutetsu's shoulder.
"If you wish to defeat me, train for another three hundred years."
"You bastard!"
And just like that, a brawl broke out.
"Come on, Tetsutetsu, hit him!"
"Don't let him get away with something like that!"
"Punch his annoying face!"
Of course, the rest of the group was very invested in the fight. A few might've preferred if things stayed civil… but even they could agree Tetsutetsu needed to vent.
"Stay still, you prick!"
"Stay moving, dumbass!"
Sadly, that was easier said than done when your target was Suzaku.
While the boys' room turned into a makeshift boxing ring, the girls—who had just finished their visit to the hot springs and were heading back—passed by.
Itsuka peeked through the already open door. "Hey guys, you can go into the bathhouse now if you… want?"
She froze, watching Tetsutetsu chase Suzaku around the room, swinging wild punches while Suzaku just laughed like a maniac.
The rest of the girls peeked over her shoulder.
"…What are they doing?"
"We were just gone for an hour. How are they already like this?
"…Is that a TV? We didn't have a TV in our room."
"Wait, why do they have a console?"
That's when Itsuka noticed it too—and felt her blood pressure spike.
After massaging her temples for a moment, she strode into the room.
Suzaku was the first to notice her. Without hesitation, he grappled Tetsutetsu and slammed him into the floor, somehow ending in a relaxed pose himself with Tetsutetsu trapped in a chokehold with the same arm Suzaku was using to support his head.
"Hey, what's up, class president?"
She approached with a raised eyebrow. "Suzaku, did you bring your Quirkstation here?"
"Yeah. It wasn't prohibited, was it?"
Itsuka deadpanned.
"No." She pointed at the TV. "But what about that?"
"Oh, that must've been a gift from God. It appeared on my bed out of nowhere. Right, guys?"
The boys looked at each other for a moment, then nodded collectively. Even Tetsutetsu joined in, though he looked like he was getting out of breath.
"God?!" Ibara, standing a few steps behind Itsuka, stared wide-eyed at Suzaku. "It must be a miracle!"
"She gets it," Suzaku nodded.
Itsuka scoffed. "There's no way a TV just showed up in your bed."
"God's power is capable of anything," Suzaku replied with a poker face.
"He is right." Ibara chimed in from behind.
"Ugh." Itsuka scowled. 'This guy just has a response to everything, huh?'
"Come on, Itsuka, don't tell me you're gonna take it away?!" Suzaku stood up, finally letting Tetsutetsu breathe.
"Huh? No, I—"
Not letting her finish, Suzaku raised a fist dramatically, a fake tear rolling down his cheek.
"For once, our class has something to share and enjoy together—just a day before we're thrown into full-on training. Don't tell me you want to take that away from us?!"
"What? When did I say—"
"No, right?" Suzaku suddenly smirked, grabbed her shoulders, and guided her in front of the TV before forcing her to sit.
"I knew you wouldn't defraud us, Itsuka."
"What? Hey, what are you…"
He sat beside her, pulled up the character selection screen, and grinned devilishly.
"Come on, pick your character, Mr. Accomplice."
For a moment, she considered getting up. She wasn't about to let herself get manipulated that easily.
But when she saw the entire class—including the girls she had entered just a second ago—smiling and chanting "Mr. Accomplice," she knew there was no way out.
So, with a serious expression, she tightened her grip on the controller and squinted at the screen.
"Alright. Bring it on."
Suzaku might think she was a newbie, but he was wrong.
She wasn't a pro, but she'd played this game before—and she wasn't half bad.
A small smirk crept onto her face.
If he really thought it'd be easy, then he was in for a big surpri—
…
A few minutes later…
"Come here, you prick!"
"Hey, hey, don't blame me for being too good!"
Suzaku darted around the room, easily dodging every one of Itsuka's attacks, while she looked on the verge of tearing someone apart.
On the screen, the same character stood victorious once again.
And on a corner, the counter spoke for itself: Combo x124
Meanwhile...
"Aaargh, why won't you stay still?!" Itsuka groaned as she threw a punch, and Suzaku somehow threw his head back just enough for it not to hit my milimeters.
As the fist retracted, Suzaku made an almost mocking dance amidst his escape. "Because we must continue moving, or be left behind by this harsh world."
"What's that guy even saying?"
"I never know. Come on, Itsuka, hit him!"
"Yeah, if you do, I'll vote you for class president!"
"The votes were at the beginning of the semester, though?"
"Yeah, but if they repeat one day, she'll have my vote."
"Oh."
While the crowd watched the two move across the room, Suzaku turned to them despite still dodging Itsuka's attacks.
"Anyway, who's up next?"
Instantly, the crowd that had been watching the skirmish with joy all collectively averted their gazes from the redhead.
"Hah." Suzaku shook his head with a smile.
Then, just as Itsuka was about to hit him, he caught her hands.
"Alright, since none of you can match up to me, let's play something else. I've got plenty of stuff."
Itsuka seemed like she wasn't exactly done, but all that ended when Suzaku suddenly used the pressure between their lock to throw her out of balance, and then trip her.
-Ploof-
—only for her to fall on a pillow he swept below her just as she was falling.
"Smooth."
"He got you good, Itsuka."
"Oi, why didn't you put a pillow below me when you threw me to the ground?!"
With her down, and ignoring a certain Tetsutetsu, Suzaku walked to the batch of games he had brought and began looking for what might be good.
"Let's see, who wants to play some Jumping Heroes Party?"
""...""
"Yeah, that'd probably make the entire class fight each other," Suzaku muttered, throwing the case onto his bed before picking another game. "Then how about Jumping Heroes Kart?"
"That sounds good!"
"Yeah, I bet I could win in that!"
"I haven't played it… But I'm sure it'd be fun."
Seeing the collective acceptance, Suzaku nodded. "Jumping Heroes Kart it is."
And with that, he put the game on.
While the intro passed, he grabbed a few more controllers from his backpack and connected them to the console.
"Well, who wants to go first?" He asked, raising one of the controllers.
Right away, many hands shot up.
Suzaku rose an eyebrow.
'Well, I should have expected it. Almost the entire class is here.' He scratched the back of his head before glancing at Itsuka, who was still lying on the same pillow he had left her on.
She picked up on his gaze quite quickly, and after a huff, she stood up and walked to his side.
She glanced at everyone who had their hands up, counting them. "Alright, since it's quite a few… let's do it from left to right. Anyone's got a problem with it?"
No one said anything.
"Alright. Then, Awase, Komori, Setsuna, and Juzo, you're up first."
The four immediately stood up and took their seats in front of the TV, grabbing their controllers tightly.
As they selected characters and a map, Suzaku gave Itsuka a grin.
"What?" She shot him a deadpan.
"Want a snack?" Suzaku suddenly took out a bag of chips from who knows where.
Itsuka didn't even know what to say.
'This guy… did he even pack anything essential at all…?'
After a bit, though, she just snatched the bag away. Her expression mildly dissatisfied.
"Sure."
...
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-To be Continued…-
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(A/N: A slightly more lighthearted chapter passed. What did you think about the comedy? I honestly laughed a few times while re-checking this, but you never know. Whatever your opinion might be, the next chapters should be about the training and improvement the class goes through—Suzaku included—, and then some more impostor-action as per some of your pleas, so this will be the last more slice-of-life-ish chapter of the arc. After that, it'll be pure chaos.)
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