MTLNOVEL Chapter 3: Written Exam
Ibara released a sigh of relief as she finally finished checking her answers for the written test she had just completed.
She nodded to herself, satisfied with her answers.
The UA entrance exam was divided into two parts. The first was the written exam, a standard high school admissions test that all applicants had to pass in order to be admitted to their school of choice, including UA Academy.
The second part, however, was unique to hero schools in Japan the practical exam.
This test applied to all three available courses at UA: the Hero Course, the Support Course, and the Business Course.
Any UA hopeful who passed the written exam but fell short in the practical exam, depending on which course they applied for, would be offered admission to UA's General Studies program.
Students in this program had the opportunity to transfer into their preferred course if they demonstrated exceptional performance in UA events.
Alternatively, they could remain in General Studies and complete their high school education there.
Since UA was the top hero school in the country, simply gaining admission and graduating from such a prestigious institution was enough to provide its alumni with greater career opportunities.
UA was widely recognized for its high-quality education and outstanding graduates, making it a priority for many companies to hire UA alumni.
This was why the exam was so important to Ibara. She and Ai needed to pass.
This accomplishment would be a major milestone, opening doors to a promising future.
Letting out a deep breath, Ibara stretched her neck slightly, trying to relieve the stiffness in her shoulders after the long test.
Her eyes unconsciously darted toward where her best friend was sitting.
Ai, the lilac-haired boy, appeared to have already finished his exam.
He was busy shuffling through something on his desk, though from her angle, Ibara couldn't see what it was.
She squinted, studying the back of his head. She had no idea when he had finished or how much time he had taken.
All she knew was that the proctors had instructed all students who had completed their exams to remain seated and wait for their test papers to be collected.
Ibara knew Ai well.
Despite his carefree attitude, he was actually quite intelligent. He learned quickly during their study sessions and had an impressive memory for retaining information.
Because of this, Ai had developed a habit of not taking his lessons seriously during class, relying instead on their study sessions. As a result, his grades remained low not enough to fail, but just barely passing.
He consistently aced his quizzes and exams, which was a source of frustration for their homeroom teacher.
Their teacher often pointed out that if Ai put effort into his studies, he could easily be one of the top students in their middle school.
But Ai had no interest in academic rankings.
Ibara sighed. Ai had the potential to be an excellent student, but instead, he chose to dedicate his energy to things she considered ridiculous.
Lost in thought, she didn't realize how long she had been staring at her best friend. Her curiosity about what he was doing kept her attention locked on him, so much so that she failed to notice someone standing beside her.
"Examiner 1567, if you're done with your exam, I'll be taking your papers."
Ibara jolted in surprise at the voice. The proctor, Pro Hero: Snipe, had called her attention.
"A-ah! Y-yes, here!" she stammered, hastily handing over her test papers.
The gunslinger hero took them without hesitation and tucked them into his folder.
As he turned to leave, Ibara hesitated before nervously speaking up. "U-um, sir, may I ask you something?"
Snipe paused and looked back at her, nodding for her to continue.
Pointing toward the lilac-haired boy, she asked, "Um… my friend over there, the one with lilac hair… When did he finish his exam?"
Snipe followed her gaze before nodding in recognition. "About an hour ago," he replied.
Ibara's eyes widened.
"I asked him if he was sure he was done with his exam," Snipe continued. "He just happily nodded and said he did his best answering all the questions."
Ibara scowled.
She knew Ai had studied hard for this, but rushing through such an important exam was concerning.
"Now he's just making origami out of the scratch paper he used for his math equations," Snipe added before moving on to collect another student's papers.
"That sounds reckless."
Ibara turned toward the voice that had just spoken.
A girl with bright orange hair, tied into a side ponytail, made her presence known.
"Hello! My name's Itsuka Kendo. I couldn't help overhearing what you and Snipe were talking about."
The now-identified Itsuka Kendo, who was sitting beside her, gave Ibara a friendly smile.
"Snipe said we can talk after handing in our papers just as long as we keep our voices down and don't disturb the others."
Ibara nodded.
She remembered the briefing earlier. While students were not allowed to leave the exam room until time was up, those who had submitted their papers were permitted to converse quietly so long as they avoided discussing the test.
Itsuka shifted her gaze to Ai before returning her attention to Ibara. "Your friend?"
Ibara nodded again. "He's my best friend. We're both trying to become heroes together."
Itsuka smiled.
Becoming a hero alongside your best friend it was a childhood dream for many.
She, too, had made such a promise when she was younger.
But as people grew older, they came to understand that not everyone had a quirk suited for heroics.
Her own best friend had once wanted to be a hero with her. But when their quirk manifested, the dream slowly faded.
After all, how could someone become a pro hero when their quirk only allowed them to create ambient music that matched the mood of a scene they were reading or writing?
Still, that friend was now thriving as a music composer for a game development company something that made Itsuka genuinely happy.
"No wonder you looked worried," she said.
Ibara sighed. "We studied a lot for this exam, so I'm confident he at least has the knowledge to pass."
Her shoulders slumped. "But with how fast he finished, I just hope he didn't mess up his answers."
She groaned. "Or, at the very least, I hope he remembered to write his name on the test."
Itsuka chuckled.
This vine-haired girl was adorable, being so concerned for her best friend.
"Well, let's just hope he didn't fumble his exam."
Unbeknownst to Itsuka, Ibara had already prayed for that hundreds of times in her mind.
"I understand your worries," Itsuka added. "If you fail the practical exam but pass the written test, you still have a chance to get into General Studies. But if you fail the written exam, your chances of getting into UA are almost gone."
She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I've never heard what happens if someone passes the practical but fails the written. I wonder if they're accepted or not."
"UA doesn't share that information with the public," Ibara replied.
After all, UA was still a school. Beyond hero training, students needed to excel academically to graduate.
"Oh! I forgot to introduce myself!" Ibara realized. "That was very rude of me. I'm Ibara Shiozaki."
Itsuka smiled and waved off the concern. "No problem! Nice to meet you, Shiozaki-san."
Ibara returned the smile.
She already liked Itsuka's friendly attitude.
Another hour had passed.
"THE ALLOCATED TIME FOR THE WRITTEN EXAM IS OVER. ALL EXAM TAKERS, PLEASE LEAVE THE EXAMINATION ROOM. YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN A TWO-HOUR BREAK TO WALK AROUND OR HAVE A MEAL BEFORE YOUR PRACTICAL EXAM. YOU ARE ONLY ALLOWED TO ROAM WITHIN FACILITIES MARKED WITH AN ORANGE AREA SIGN. GOOD LUCK ON YOUR PRACTICAL EXAM—AND ALWAYS REMEMBER GO BEYOND, PLUS ULTRA!"
Ibara stood up from her chair and waved goodbye to Itsuka, who returned the gesture before leaving the examination room with a schoolmate.
As Ibara turned her gaze toward Ai, she noticed something…
He was talking to a brown-haired girl—and handing her something?
The girl hesitated before sheepishly accepting it.
Ibara watched as her best friend spoke to the girl with his usual cheeky grin, laughing as he said something that made her blush.
Her eyebrow twitched involuntarily as she observed the exchange.
Oh yeah… I still need to scold him for rushing his exam.
Maybe I should give him a good whipping for good measure.
Yeah… that sounds about right.
End of Chapter 3