Chapter 154: The Week Before Exams
After that day, Kira was taken by Tsukauchi to the police department's psychological monitoring unit. After filling out a few questionnaires, a police psychologist gave him a head massage, soothing his nerves while speaking to him in a hypnotic voice.
When Kira felt a thick wave of drowsiness wash over him, he immediately reacted, focusing his Hamon in his brain to stay awake.
"My name is Yoshikage Kira. I'm 17 years old. I live in the Suginami district of Tokyo. I am unmarried. I attend U.A. High School in the Hero Course and study until 6 p.m. every day before going home. At night, I do some translation work at home. I don't smoke, but I occasionally drink. I go to bed at 11 p.m. and make sure I get eight hours of sleep every day. Before I go to bed, I drink a glass of warm milk and then do 20 minutes of light stretching. Once I get into bed, I fall asleep immediately. I sleep until morning without any trouble and never carry my fatigue or stress over to the next day. The doctors all say I'm perfectly normal."
Yoshikage Kira could finally recite this speech, which was like a skill's incantation, naturally.
Denki Kaminari tore at his hair and screamed, "Kira-kun! What are you talking about!? We're all worried about the exams in a week!"
"It's just an exam. What's there to worry about?" Kira said lightly.
In the blink of an eye, it was the last week of June, the eve of the final exams.
Kira hadn't been back to the hospital. He had only heard from an excited Iida that his brother had been discharged and had regained his mobility. He believed that after a period of recovery, his brother would be able to become the Pro Hero, Ingenium, once again.
After Stain's injuries had mostly healed, he had been transferred by Detective Tsukauchi to the same prison where the Nomu were being held, where he was also enjoying the "signal-blocking" treatment. Tsukauchi had interrogated him several times, but Stain had not revealed anything. The only lead the police had was the name "Giran," which they had gotten from Kira.
The police had secretly used their various networks to search for "Giran" in the underworld. In a raid in the Shinjuku district, Pro Heroes like Best Jeanist and Kamui Woods had assisted the police in destroying a den that was privately supplying battle costumes and support gear to criminals. They had not only confiscated a large amount of equipment but had also gotten a lead on "Giran" from the criminals.
Tsukauchi hadn't given Kira the detailed information, only that "Giran" was using Stain's name to contact many wanted criminals, trying to get them to join the League of Villains. After the police had taken control of the criminal den and had gone to the location they had gotten from the leader to make an arrest, the target had already disappeared, leaving behind an explosive booby-trap. Although no one was injured, all the clues had ended there, and the case was at a standstill.
Kira had privately told All Might about "All For One." At Stain's request, he had not revealed his status as an All Might admirer, only mentioning that it was a piece of information Stain had let slip and might not be accurate. He had therefore not told the police, but he was still worried, which is why he had decided to tell the "Symbol of Peace."
All Might knew that Kira had spoken with Stain and did not doubt him. He had just laughed boisterously and told Kira that it was all a lie from Stain, just to create a panic, and that he should ignore it.
On the surface, Kira had agreed with All Might, admitting it was nonsense. But seeing the frown on his face and the sharp glint in his eyes, Kira had understood. All Might probably already knew from other channels that "DIO" had returned. He was just trying to keep his students from getting involved, which is why he was hiding it.
As Kira was reminiscing about the events of the past few days, Mina Ashido squeezed in next to him, her fists clenched as she said with determination, "Don't forget, Kira-kun! Mr. Aizawa said we'll be having a forest training camp!"
The forest training camp was something Mr. Aizawa had announced in class a week ago, but the news had actually been posted on the U.A. website a month before that.
The first-year summer forest training camp was one of the Hero Course's long-standing traditions. While the rest of the class was excitedly discussing summer activities like the "test of courage," "mixed bathing," and "fireworks," Kira had already gotten the real story from his second-year senpai, Yuta Togashi. The so-called "forest training camp" was actually just intensified training—just remedial classes with a different name.
However, out of a malicious desire of "misery loves company," every year's Hero Course students would praise the summer camp to the high heavens, describing it as a paradise where the glory of youth could be realized. The only reason Kira had gotten the truth out of Togashi was because he had some leverage over him, forcing him to reluctantly submit.
Kira was about to pour cold water on their excitement, but he thought about it and decided it was better not to say anything, for the sake of their motivation to study.
But... it seemed his good intentions were completely useless.
Kira, his eyes half-lidded, watched as Denki Kaminari ran around the classroom in a frenzy. "What am I gonna do!? There's only a week left, and I haven't studied at all!!"
"I know, right!?" Mina Ashido chimed in, seeking validation. "We have to train every day, and I'm so tired! When do we have time to study!?"
"Yeah, yeah! And we have a practical exam, too! It's so tough," Minoru Mineta said, shooting a smug look at the two of them.
Kaminari and Ashido were silent for two seconds, then shouted angrily at Mineta, "How come you get to copy homework just like us every day but still get good grades!? Are you cheating or something!? We thought you were one of us!"
On the midterm exams, Kaminari had been last, and Ashido had been second to last. As for Mineta, his grades were in the upper ranks, at ninth place.
"Don't you two forget, I placed fifth on the written entrance exam," Mineta said in a tone that made their teeth itch with frustration. "Just by looking at other people's homework every day, I can pretty much get the gist of the day's lessons. Don't tell me... you two are just mindlessly copying?"
"...Urk!" Mina and Kaminari both felt as if a knife had been plunged into their chests.
"If you just pay attention in class, you shouldn't fail," Shoto Todoroki added another blow in a cool tone. He had been sixth on the midterms.
"There's still a week left. If you just focus on the key points, you should be able to barely pass," Yoshikage Kira, who had been third, said, closing his book.
In his past life, Kira had fought his way through the sea of exam-oriented education. He was naturally skilled at this kind of thing. He didn't spend much effort on his studies every day, just occasionally reviewing and consolidating his knowledge, which was enough to surpass most of his classmates.
Mina slammed her hands on the desk and stood in front of Kira, bowing her head. "Kira-kun! Can you please teach us!? So we can all go to the forest training camp together!"
"It's not that I can't, but..." Kira averted his gaze from her chest. "My house isn't a very suitable place for studying. But if you're willing, we can go to a family restaurant."
(Camie Utsushimi was being held back by their childhood friend, Inasa Yoarashi; she wouldn't be able to get into his bedroom. But if he let Kaminari and Ashido into his house, with their curiosity, they would definitely want to see his room. While he could hide his figurines, the large amount of experimental equipment would be hard to move. To avoid trouble, it was best not to let these two curiosity-seekers into his home.)
"A family restaurant... Is this a date!?" Mina nodded eagerly. "Of course! Just the two of us!"
"Hey! What about me!?" Kaminari looked at Mina, annoyed, then turned to Kira with a grin. "Kira! If you can tutor me, I'll let you borrow all the books Grape Juice lent me!"
"I was here first!" Mina glared at Kaminari.
"So what if you were first!? I'm sure Kira will make the right choice!" Kaminari was extremely confident. He believed no man could resist the temptation of those magazines.
Kira's eyes were half-lidded. "Hey, hey, Kaminari. I never said I was going to accept those publications of yours. Don't you dare ruin my reputation..."
"Um..." Momo Yaoyorozu, who had been watching them from the side, stood up. She cleared her throat, a blush on her face. "My house is rather quiet, and I have a lot of study materials. If you don't mind, we could hold the study session there. I can also help you all."
Momo was first in the class. Her Quirk was Creation, but on the condition that she had to understand the molecular structure of the object. To develop her Quirk, her reading volume was beyond that of any normal person. She was a true academic prodigy.
Kira thought for a moment and decisively agreed. "Then we'll be in your care."
Mina and Kaminari exchanged a look and helplessly shrugged.
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