I cut down another bot with my makeshift sword, the slash nearly bisecting the thing as I had struck it with a Critical Hit.
The makeshift sword in question was just a long piece of metal from a defeated robot, but it felt too well-balanced to just be a coincidence.
They must have made the robots that way, where their remains could be used as weapons, likely so that examinees that required support equipment and weapons for damage stood a chance.
I didn't really know how many points I had at the moment, as I had just been focused on trying my best, but it was likely a lot. At least enough to pass, even though a lot of my abilities could not be used in such an environment.
But at this point, the robots were becoming quite scarce, which could be an issue.
Pursuit didn't help me in sensing inanimate objects, and its tracking ability could only be used on a person as well.
Now, as for where I could find some more-
My thoughts were interrupted as the earth began to rumble.
An earthquake?
No… no, it didn't feel like one.
With the sound of crumbling buildings, I slowly turned to look at the source, watching as a giant robot began to rise over the mock city.
That… that was just ridiculous!
That was the zero pointer!?
Seeing such a gigantic thing, I came to the only logical conclusion.
I could not defeat that thing.
And I doubted any of the examinees could.
And since there are no civilians around to be in danger… was this another test?
For most examinees, this was the first time they were able to freely use their Quirks in a battle with destruction as the goal, so… was this a way to determine if someone would immediately get arrogant and trigger-happy with such an opportunity, rather than doing the sensible thing and retreating?
I wasn't sure… but either way, this fight was not for me, and it looked like most of the examinees had the same idea, as they were sprinting down the street away from the slowly approaching colossus.
I was about to do the same thing, having already turned around to run away… at least, that was before I heard someone shouting for help.
"Please! Wait! Someone!"
A girl's voice.
No one else seemed to hear… or maybe, they had heard, but didn't spare the thought of trying to save her.
After all, this was a competition, and U.A. was unlikely to let anyone actually get seriously injured for an exam. And besides, with such a giant enemy, even if it was real life people would probably prefer to run.
But… well… I couldn't just turn away and ignore such a desperate-sounding plea.
Turning back to the robot, I jogged towards the pile of crushed rubble on the street where the sound seemed to be coming from, and with the giant looming overhead, I could see… no one.
"Please! I'm right here! I-It's just… my Quirk! I'm invisible!" the girl shouted.
I see… that certainly explained things, but with all this noise around, I couldn't pinpoint her location off of sound alone.
But thankfully… I had a technique for that.
Narrowing my eyes, I activated Pursuit, that of the Diligence aspect of my Quirk.
Its main use was being able to 'mark' anyone within sight, and while I could only hold one 'mark' at a time, I could track the 'marked' person through an inexplicable connection… though that connection exponentially weakened over time before being completely cut off.
But that wouldn't be useful here, since the girl in question was apparently invisible.
Instead, I would be using the passive aspect of my Quirk, which allowed me to sense others around me, particularly those who were in danger.
And concentrating on that power… there!
I changed my direction slightly to the right, running towards the pile of rubble as the girl's voice became clearer.
"I'm here! Right here! And- wait, how close is that thing to us? I can't see behind me!" she said, panicked.
"It's… fine. I'll get you out," I said, leaning down to where she was stuck as I threw my makeshift sword to the side.
I didn't want to say that it was practically standing over us now, but the sound of the tracks probably gave it away.
Enhancing myself with Empowerment, the power representing Virtue, I grunted with effort as I lifted the slab of concrete, and thankfully, the girl was able to exit by herself.
Although, from the hiss of pain she released, as well as how her sneaker was twisted in an odd direction, I was guessing she wasn't good enough to walk just yet.
"Alright, let's get moving!" I said, dropping the slab of concrete before I picked her up into my arms.
Wait. This warmth… no, it couldn't be, right? This was an exam, after all…
Ignoring my own confusion, I took advantage of me holding her to activate Empathy Healing, a sharp pain forming in my left leg as I began sprinting down the road, nearly causing me to stumble.
She really had been hurt, huh?
"Wait, I'm… feeling better? Is this your Quirk?" she asked.
"Something like that," I said, jumping over a collapsed lamp pole.
But then, I felt something.
Another sense that came from my Quirk.
That of the Charity aspect, Precognition.
Since she was probably healed enough to walk, I dropped the girl onto her feet as I turned around, reaching my left palm outward in order to catch the robot's approaching fist.
For a normal person, this would do nothing but ensure your arm was crushed before your body, but thankfully, my Quirk was quite versatile.
Temperance aspect, Kinetic Dampening.
It allowed me to dampen any force through my palms, storing it in my hands where I can then release it for a strike.
There were downsides, however.
First, I couldn't hold the collected energy for very long, and if I stored too much, my body began to overheat.
But more notably… it wasn't all powerful, as I had a limit to what I could dampen, and the stronger the force was, the percentage of force I could dampen decreased.
So against such a giant mass, where the force was strong enough to pulverize buildings… well, I was not in for a good time.
As expected, as soon as the fist hit my palm, it slowed down to a halt, sending a splitting throb through my arm as my internal limit instantly shattered, causing me to unintentionally release a groan of pain.
No, not yet.
The burning sensation within my body… I then willed it over to my right hand, which was closed in a fist, the heat releasing a bit of steam as I punched forward.
A crash echoed through the street, and the robot was sent reeling backwards, a few pieces of metal shooting off from its arm.
But still… that wasn't enough to take it down.
And not only that, but I felt exhausted.
Shit… that last strike must have used up the last of my Quirk energy…
"Holy… okay! Time to move!" the girl said, moving under my arm. "Can you walk?"
"Yeah… running might be an issue though," I said, struggling to keep my eyes open.
"Darn… okay, then let's go!" she said.
And with her taking on most of my weight, the two of us began to run through the street, away from the robot that had once again started rumbling towards us.
It was getting closer… and I doubted I could do that feat again.
"Just… drop me off at the side… there's no use with both of us getting caught," I said.
"As if! You think I would be fine just abandoning you?" she replied.
"But still-"
"Time's up!"
The speakers from the far wall echoed with Midnight's voice as, simultaneously, the sound of approaching tank tracks ground to a halt.
"If you're injured, please wait in front of the city entrance for a medical check-up! If not, you are free to go home, and buses will continuously shuttle examinees towards the entrance! Expect your results to come within a week's time, and thank you for your time!"
The silence that remained after the announcement ended was quite eerie, as the girl beside me slowly lifted my arm off of her shoulder.
"Haa… saved by the bell, I guess?" she said. "Regardless… are you okay to walk?"
"Yeah… I'm fine. Just a bit drowsy, but that should go away after a while," I said, wiping the sweat from my brow.
Ah… and my arm was probably fractured… well, I would probably have enough Quirk energy to heal it by the time I got home, so there was no need to waste their medical resources.
"If you're sure… but anyway, thank you. For saving me. It… was quite scary, trying to get help when you're invisible…" she said as the two of us began walking towards the large gate.
"It's nothing. This is a hero school, after all. It would be quite shitty if I ignored someone in danger," I said.
"I… guess so, yeah… but you were the only one…" she mumbled. "Anyway, my name is Hagakure. Toru Hagakure! It's… nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you too… and I'm Lukas Tsugai, but you can call me Lukas. Actually, I would prefer if you did," I said.
After all, I didn't like sharing my family name with that shitty old man who was the antithesis of family.
"Lukas… I'll remember it! I hope we end up in the same class! That is… if I got enough points…" she said, her tone despondent before she suddenly began walking away. "Oh! There it is! I'll be back in just a second!"
I waited for a few moments before she returned, with that seemed to be…
"Your tracksuit?" I asked.
"Yep! Once I realized I needed my stealth to defeat those robots, I cast it off to the side. Thankfully, they had an off switch behind their necks, or I would have been screwed," she said.
"I… see…" I muttered, in momentary shock.
Her tracksuit was there… and as she put it over her shoulders and zipped it up, I could still see it… so did that mean…?
"Then… if that's your tracksuit… what were you wearing before?" I asked.
And that warm sensation… I knew that it was her bare skin, but I didn't think it would be… you know… her entire bare skin.
"U-Uhh… w-well…" she muttered, her steps coming to a pause.
It seemed she had just realized as well.
"A-Anyway! Thank you for saving me! Hope to see you in class, okay, bye!" she said before she began running away in embarrassment, the floating tracksuit soon disappearing amidst the crowd of gathering examinees.
Ah… well, let's just… forget about that.
It was a serious situation, after all.
But still… conducting an exam like this naked?
She definitely had guts, that's for sure.
Taking the bus back to the main building of the school, I gathered my stuff that had been stored in a locker before I looked down at my phone.
Well… Nejire said she had something to do, but was she finished by now? Or had she already gone home? Should I wait for her?
As I moved out of the building and towards the main courtyard, I was about to text her before I felt someone pat my back, causing me to look to the side, only to get poked in the cheek by a finger.
"Nejire… what's this for?" I asked, looking at her pouting face.
"Hmm… nothing," she said before lowering her finger. "Anyway, you know the three friends I have at school, right? Well, I wanted you to meet them!"
I then turned to face the three unfamiliar faces.
"Hello! I'm Mirio! Mirio Togata!" he said.
Togata… he was a bit taller than me, with a round nose, short blond hair, beady blue eyes, and a muscular build, which was easy to see despite his casual clothing.
According to Nejire, he hadn't been anything special as a hero student, but halfway through this year, where they began work-studies, he quickly rose to become the strongest second year in the entire school thanks to his mentor's guidance.
Sir Nighteye… I wonder if I could get an internship with him?
"I'm Lukas. Nice to meet you," I said, looking over to the other two. "And you're Amajiki and Yuyu, I'm guessing?"
The purple-haired guy with long ears nodded before repositioning himself behind Togata, while the red-haired girl sent a look over to Nejire.
"It's Yuyu Haya. And sorry about this… Nejire was insistent," she said, shaking her head.
"It's fine. I've been curious about meeting you three anyway," I said.
"Same here! Especially with how much Nejire talks about you! But either way, now I can see why!" Togata said, his smile still plastered on his face. "I wasn't able to follow everything, but you did a really awesome job! Especially at the end against the zero pointer!"
Even Amajiki nodded in agreement.
"It was… cool. Much better than I was before U.A." he said.
…What?
"Were you guys… watching the exam?" I asked.
"Yep! But sorry, we can't spoil any scores! Not that we were there to see any final ranking anyway…" Nejire said with a frown.
"Oh well, I guess he'll know in about a week, right?" Togata said with a shrug. "Anyway, I'm going to head over to Sir's place now, but still, good job Lukas! I'll hopefully see you in school!"
"I think Fat Gum wanted me in today as well…" Amajiki said as he followed behind Togata.
And as for Haya…
"Well, unlike them, I don't have anything to do… but I'm going to go anyway," she said, sending the two of us a smirk. "I think it's best that you both have some time together, is all."
Oh… so she was the teasing type.
And unfortunately for me, it was a bit effective, causing me to look away from the blue-haired beauty at my side.
But instead of being similarly embarrassed, Nejire reached out to hold my arm.
"Mmm… you're right," she said, though not with her usually chipper tone.
I was going to ask what was wrong, but before I could, Nejire began pulling me forward, causing me to send her a look of confusion.
"You're tired, right? So let's go back home… we can go to dinner later to celebrate," she said with a smile.
A genuine smile.
Then what was before about?
Either way, we quickly left the gates of U.A. and walked down the city street towards my house, which was a brisk 15-minute walk that was done mostly in silence, with her continuously holding my arm, while I took the time to slowly heal my fractured one.
Dammit… it really sucked that the efficiency was so bad when healing myself rather than others.
And then… we arrived.
"Lukas… I can come in, right?" she asked.
"Yeah… of course," I said as I unlocked the door.
She entered the front door naturally, walking past the small kitchen to the right, and as she approached the living room, where we usually hung out… she suddenly turned towards the hallway.
"Nejire?" I said in confusion as I followed her.
Walking past my door to where she was standing in the middle of my room, with my bed barely having the sheets pulled up properly, I was a bit flustered at the situation, to say the least.
"Nejire… what are you doing?" I asked.
"-ug…" she mumbled.
"What?" I asked.
"I… want a hug," she said, turning around with her arms spread outward.
"Uhh, sure," I said, moving forward to wrap my arms around her.
Just what was with her today?
And while she had been physically affectionate before, increasingly over the past year, she had never been like… this.
"Mmm… that's better… but not good enough!" she said before leaping into my arms, her legs wrapping around my hips as she buried her face into my neck.
I felt my body freeze for a moment as my face was tickled by her hair, and ignoring the pleasant scent and enticing feeling of her body pressed against mine, I took a deep breath to calm myself.
"Y-You! What are you doing, Nejire?" I asked.
"Hmm… just getting my energy back," she said, before dropping back down. "Plus, you were fine with that other girl being in your arms, so why not me?"
"Hagakure?" I said, watching as her eyebrows furrowed at the name. "Firstly, that was a slightly different situation… and secondly, it's not that I mind you there… I'm just confused."
"Hmm… confused? I guess so…" she muttered as she went over to my bed.
And looking at the messy sheets… she immediately jumped into it, grabbing the sweater that was thrown on the pillow and pressing her face into it, taking in a deep whiff.
"Mmm… that's the stuff," she said, turning her face to look over at me. "And Lukas… I want food."
"Ignoring what I just watched… isn't it supposed to be the opposite, considering that I just finished the exam?" I said, shaking my head with a smile as I began heading out the door. "Is chicken katsu alright?"
"Yesh please…" she mumbled into my sweater.
Well, that was that.
Getting the ingredients ready and cutting up the chicken, I thought back to how Nejire had been acting since the exam.
Mentioning Hagakure… that clingy hug… was she… jealous?
That was definitely jealousy, right?
But still, while she was always affectionate with me, she was also a generally bubbly person, so I wasn't even sure if that meant anything.
But if it did mean anything…
With the chicken coated in panko, I washed my hands off before heading back to Nejire to check on her, and lo and behold, it seemed as if she had fallen fast asleep.
Kneeling down beside my bed, I gently brushed the periwinkle hair out of her face, my fingers lingering as they traced down her cheek and to her ear.
She really was incredibly beautiful.
And it wasn't just her face, nor her body, that I was attracted to… it was her personality as well.
Kindness, love, empathy… she had everything a person could want in a partner.
So if there was even a chance of her feeling the same way towards me…
"Well… then I would love to be with such an amazing girl," I whispered softly, sure to not wake her up.
I remained there for a few moments, simply watching her soft breaths and her chest rise and fall, before I eventually left to finish dinner.
I guess that celebration dinner would have to wait for later.