[34: Ad Astra Per Aspera]
Here it is. The day of the final exams. And this part is the practical final exams, where we have to fight one of the teachers. The written part is over, and it was easy. Except for the classical Japanese exam, I have no clue what's going on there. I'm not saying I 'bombed' it completely, but I 'bombed' it relative to how I felt I did on the other subjects. Anyway, I do not know who I'm going against or who I'm teaming up with. I thought Aizawa would've told us, but I guess something about never knowing what villain you'll go up against and having to team up with random heroes is one of the things this practical exam is supposed to teach? Whatever, I just hope I don't have to do any kind of carrying.
Well, I was waiting for the test to start. I was in my hero uniform, the Azur Lane one, not the Italian one. As cool as it looks, it's not 'official' or whatever for the school. I don't think I'm at the point where I can casually ignore uniform rules. Why do those even exist? Okay, I know why they exist, but it's so annoying; high schools in America have no dress code. Well, some of them do, and they're usually the public ones.
"Madame Eleanor!"
You've gotta be kidding me. Of all people, it's this guy‽ What about Ochaco? That girl is so lucky! It's okay, we'll make it work.
"Bonjour, Yuga. Look, try not to sabotage our efforts, okay?"
"Huh? Why would I do that?" He looked nervous. Of course he did. After taking him by surprise when I spoke that French to him all ominously, he probably hasn't forgotten it.
I got up close to him, invading his personal space as I brought my face closer to him to look him directly in his eyes. I narrow my eyes, looking at him suspiciously. "You quirk…obviously. What else could I have meant? You have to use it correctly, and depending on who we have to fight, you'll need to really know how to manage your usage, because it will be punished." I backed away and became more friendly with him.
"Of course I know that! I'll shine the brightest at the best moment!"
I looked at him skeptically. "I don't think you understand. If you 'shine your brightest' for one moment, then that's only one usage of your quirk. You need to…how do I put this? Okay, I got it. You need to sparkle and glitter here and there."
"Oh, I see!"
That actually worked?
"Forming a strategy already? It's good to see initiative being taken," A deep voice suddenly cut in. I looked over and saw him. It was Cementoss. Alright, well, this is…not great, but not terrible. It's not All Might that's for sure. And it's not Aizawa. But, um, can Yuga's laser even break the concrete Cementoss makes? He probably can, but it'll take a lot more power and energy, which means his shots have to count even more. Geez, this is not looking good for him.
For me? This is…well, I could just use explosives to break the cement and just run for the exit, or even fly on some aircraft, but there's Yuga, and we both need to pass. Hmm…well, since Cementoss is tough, he can take a few hits, so I can be a bit rougher. What was it I mentioned before? Oh yeah, non-lethal lethal force. Yeah, that. He should be able to take on some small-caliber bullets like a 9mm. Now, I'm not saying it won't hurt, but if he is made of concrete, then the only damage done should be shallow surface damage. Unfortunately, the only way to get good results is to actually shoot him with a 9mm bullet, and that would cause way too much trouble.
Some rules are just way too stupid. Anyway, it looks like Yuga and I will just have to wing it. Oh, man, I could easily complete this if it were just me, but…complaining won't do anything. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm still going to complain, but I'll do something about it.
"There are two ways to pass the practical exam: you must either handcuff me or escape to the exit within 30 minutes," Cementoss said.
"A question, are there other rules we have to follow?" I asked him. You already know the deal. I need to find a way to exploit any rules and take advantage by pushing the limits while being able to reasonably defend myself should I get pressed on my actions. For example, if a country temporarily lifts sanctions on another country to…hmm, I don't know, try to calm a spike in energy prices, then you know they'll look for whatever possible way to exploit it. But that's just an example. Right?
"Use of lethal force against the teachers is not allowed," Cementoss said.
I had to hold back a grin. Perfect. How perfect.
"When do we start?" I asked.
"Now," Cementoss slammed his hand on the ground.
I immediately dashed to Yuga and moved him with me as I put distance between us. No way am I going to do any kind of close combat. That's not my style, and I'd be really stupid to think of engaging in close combat with literally anyone, since ranged combat is what I excel at.
"Whoa! You're fast!" Yuga said as I set him down. We got behind a building. It should give us precious time to come up with something quickly.
"Listen, Yuga, or Aoyama. What do I call you? I feel like I've used all the names, but, look, whatever."
"You can call me—" I interrupted him.
"Okay, I've got a plan, Aoyama, but it's gonna take expert timing and perfect precision. You got this?"
"Uh…"
"Ha! I'm just messing with ya! This isn't as hard as it'll be." Various drones started coming from my carrier rigging. These were small drones meant to move and deliver their payload.
"What are those?"
"Just some drones, nothing too drastic. They'll go in and explode."
"Like…on Cementoss?"
"What? No. Just…maybe a bit too close to him. But he's tough; he can handle it. And the explosions aren't exactly that powerful."
"Are we going to run for the exit?"
"Yeah. But just to be safe…" Another kind of drone was summoned from my carrier rigging. These drones were more for utility. They had advanced projectors. One of the drones lit up their projectors, and a hologram of Yuga and me showed up doing a t-pose. It was kind of funny, but 22nd-century technology is amazing. They look so real. And with the action that'll happen, any details will be very easy to miss, and even if the drone is going to be targeted, there's just going to be too many drones to make any kind of meaningful effect. "...there'll be a lot of versions of us running around."
"Wow!"
"Yup. Now, we just wait for the drones to start their attack, and then we have to start moving fast. Actually, I'm going to carry you. And no, it won't slow us down." I didn't give him a chance to say anything before I picked him up in a princess carry.
"Oh? Thank you, ma chérie."
I close my eyes, holding back an urge to slap him. "Ne pas se prendre pour de la mer—" A small explosion interrupted us. I commanded the projection drones to start moving and making holograms of Aoyama and me pretending to struggle against Cementoss. Before I fully committed, I peeked out from behind the building. Various walls of concrete were being put up as Cementoss was blocking the drones. Each explosion took a bit of concrete off the walls. Alright, it worked. He thinks the drones are coming for him when they're actually just aiming at the ground around him. Enough to feel the impact, but nothing lethal. The plan is working.
I took a breath in and out. I had to run like I'm escaping a favela, so I could jump onto a Pave Low while avoiding a mob of people shooting at me. No pressure.
"When are we—Whoa!" Aoyama screamed as I started running. Every step I took made the ground crack slightly. Buildings became a grey blur around us. I noticed Cementos attacking a hologram, a large concrete wall coming up in front of it, but the hologram went through it. Now, I really gotta pick up the pace before he notices the real me.
I kept running, and then a concrete wall came up. "Oh, come on, we're like right there!" I could see the yellow exit. "Hold on, Aoyama, I don't want to fail." Let's test my vertical. I bent and jumped, and whoa, I got really high, but the wall also increased in height. "Aoyama, when I tell you to, shoot your laser." In mid-air, I moved Aoyama's body so his laser faced down. "Aoyama, shoot it!"
His laser activated and propelled us further upwards. I moved his body and positioned him away from the exit. "Again!" Another laser propelled us to the exit very fast. I commanded the drones to attack the ground beneath us. Cementoss tried to construct more walls, but they were destroyed by the drones before they could be fully built. "This is gonna be a hard landing, Aoyama!" I braced myself as we got to the exit. We passed it, but we hit the ground rolling. We spun multiple times before we finally came to a stop.
I let out a groan and stretched my arms as I got up. I shook my head. I found my cap near me and put it back on. "Course: steady! Objective: completed! Enemies who can stop us: none! Heh, don'tcha love it when things go smoothly? How was it, Aoyama? I'd say things went perfectly without any issue." I looked over, and he was hunched over, throwing up rainbows. "Hmm…yeah, still no issue."
"What kind of plan was this?"
"One that got us to pass the practical."
/\\//\\//\
(Grading room)
Some time had passed since the practical exams ended. Now the teachers had to grade the written exams. So far, it was standard; average grades, and then a few standouts, and of course, the below-average ones. The bell curve once again told the story.
"This is a pretty standard year, so far," one of the teachers said as they started to grade the algebra exams. That was until they got to Class 1-A. "What?" The teacher started to look through the exams. They set some of the exams aside, something clearly off about them.
"What's happening?" Aizawa asked as he noticed the teacher's confusion.
"Why? Why are they using this? This isn't part of the curriculum."
"Hey, what's the problem?" Aizawa asked.
The teacher showed Aizawa one of the exam papers, Kaminari's exam paper. "Why is your student applying calculus to a simple algebra test?"
"Is the answer right?"
"Well….yes, it is."
"Then I don't see a problem. It's correct. Give them the points."
"But they aren't demonstrating the required method."
"Is it really a problem if they get the right answer?"
The teacher looked through more exams before landing on Eleanor's exam. "And this one. She's the exchange student, correct?"
"Yes."
"Well, just from seeing this exam, she does not belong in this math class. She needs to be placed into pre-calc and trigonometry at the absolute bare minimum."
"That's a class usually for seniors or advanced students."
"Yeah, I know, so place her in it. She's learning nothing in these simple math classes. I don't know why she hasn't tested her way through everything when she clearly can."
"I'll bring it up with Nezu," Aizawa said.
/\\//\\//\
"Okay, did I do something wrong?" I asked Nezu.
Yup, for some reason, I was called to Nezu's office.
"It's about your performance during the practical exam with Cementoss. I believe Cementoss told you not to use lethal force against him?"
"Now, hold on just a second, Nezu. He said, and I quote, 'Use of lethal force against the teachers is not allowed.' The drones I used were not aimed against him, but at his surroundings and at a safe distance. I was using 'lethal force' against the ground and inanimate objects. I didn't break any rules, Nezu. Just watch the video; I'm sure there are cameras that recorded everything."
Nezu looked at a monitor on his desk, which was showing a video of Eleanor's practical exam. When he saw the drones, they were all aiming at the ground. It only looked dangerous because of Cementoss defending against an attack that was never even aimed at him.
"Well, Eleanor, you seem to be correct."
"See? I told you. I didn't break any rules."
"Well, with that matter done for, I want to explain more about why you're here."
"Oh, okay. As long as I'm not in trouble."
"How do you feel about credit by examination?"
Now, this is something I'm interested in.
"I feel very good."
"Well, due to some methods you showed on your algebra exam, and from how you were able to teach some of your classmates calculus, I'm giving you the opportunity to get multiple credits by exam."
"Deal. Yeah, let's do it. Give me all the science and math ones. Give me chemistry, physics Ⅰ and Ⅱ, algebra Ⅱ, pre-calculus and trigonometry, all the calculus courses, all the computer science courses, political science courses, materials science courses, and economics courses."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, let's do it. This school semester is over, right? Let's do it over the summer. Maybe if I finish quickly, I can go home for the summer before having to come back."
"About that. There will be a summer camp. And you have to attend."
Goddamnit! I forgot about that!
I sighed, "Alright, fine. I guess we have to start soon?"
"You'll still have a break, so don't worry; you'll have time to go to America for a while before you return."
"Oh, okay, it's not all that bad then. Let's get to it."