Chapter 158: The Final Exams
Aizawa Shota glanced at the time and announced, "Time's up. Pass your papers to the front."
The moment the papers were collected, Kaminari leaped from his seat and rushed over to Kira. "Kira! Thank you so much!" he said excitedly. "I'm sure I passed the written exam this time!"
"Is that so? That's good," Kira replied coolly. He turned his head to look at the group of girls who had gathered behind him. They high-fived in excitement, then all looked at Kira in unison, let out a little "hmph," and turned away. Toru Hagakure, however, seemed to be waving excitedly in their direction, though it was impossible to tell what she was thinking without seeing her face.
Kaminari, noticing the girls' reaction, grumbled, "What's their problem? I get it with Jiro and Yaoyorozu, but Ashido... if she passes, it's all thanks to you, Kira. And she's still giving us that look of contempt... And Hagakure, I have no idea why she had to pounce on you like that and ruin all our hard work at the end."
"It's all your fault, isn't it?" Kira said coldly. "If you hadn't brought that magazine to Yaoyorozu's house, or if you had just found a better time to give it to me, none of this would have happened, would it?"
A week ago, Kira had used the "answer key" excuse to cover for the magazine Kaminari had brought. But at the last second, a hot-headed Toru Hagakure had pounced on him, spectacularly preventing him from destroying the evidence and allowing the girls to see the remaining explicit pictures...
Kaminari sighed. "But Kira, I did my best to fix it! I desperately tried to defend you!"
"It didn't have much to do with you. Even though they believed the magazine had nothing to do with me, I still lied to their faces without batting an eye," Kira said calmly. "It's only natural for them to be upset with me."
When the truth had come out, Kaminari had kneeled before the girls' icy glares and begged for forgiveness. In a fit of conscience, he had taken all the blame for Kira, saying that he had brought the magazine and that Kira had refused to take it, having nothing to do with it directly.
The girls all knew that Kaminari had blatantly offered the magazine as payment when he had asked Kira to tutor them. Combined with his earnest plea, they had quickly believed him. But even so, they were still unhappy with Kira for helping him deceive them. A week had passed, and they still hadn't given either of them a pleasant look.
Kaminari gave a wry smile. "You're really taking this well, Kira, even though you got caught in the crossfire..."
"What's done is done," Kira said lightly. "And at the end of the day, even if you look at pornographic magazines, it has nothing to do with them. What's wrong with a guy being a little pervy?"
"Exactly! Sex is just a part of human nature!" Minoru Mineta had appeared beside them at some point. "Honestly, I don't know why the girls are so guarded around me. Especially this week! They won't even let me get within two meters of them!"
"..." Kira and Kaminari exchanged a look but said nothing.
Even though Kaminari had admitted he had brought the magazine and had asked Kira to help him hide it, he hadn't wanted to be ostracized for having a sexy magazine of female Pro Heroes. And so... he had claimed he had gotten it from Minoru Mineta. That Mineta was the root of all evil, the spreader of pornography, the embodiment of lust.
Kira's usual good-guy image had worked in his favor. Since Mineta already had a terrible reputation among the girls, his last-ditch effort to pass the buck had been accepted. In their minds, Mineta was the culprit, Kaminari was the accomplice, and Kira was the innocent victim. Although they said they hadn't forgiven Kira and Kaminari, their hatred had been completely transferred to Mineta. They were just still a little angry with Kira...
Of course, Kira and Kaminari didn't know this. But Kaminari still felt a little bad for Mineta.
He grinned at him. "Hey, Grape Juice. You remember that sexy magazine of Midnight you lent me?"
"Of course! Was it useful? I had to wait in line for ages at cMarket to buy that!" Mineta said, puffing out his chest proudly. "If I wasn't so nimble, I probably never would have even made it to the sales booth! You know, that's a limited edition now!"
It was that precious...? Kaminari broke out in a cold sweat. He grit his teeth and said, "I'm sorry... I lost it."
"...Eh?" The smile on Mineta's face instantly froze.
"I'm sorry, Mineta! I treasured that book too, but... due to circumstances beyond my control, it's gone forever!" Kaminari said, bowing. "If it's possible, please let me compensate you! I'll pay whatever it costs!"
"It's not about the money! It's a limited edition! A limited edition!" Mineta stomped his foot in agitation. He looked at Kaminari's still-bowed head and sighed. "...Forget it, Kaminari. It was just a magazine. You don't have to compensate me for anything. You're my friend, after all."
"Mineta!" Kaminari threw his arms around him, moved. "You really are my best friend! And you too, of course, Kira!"
"Cough, cough! Let go of me! You're not a girl!" Mineta coughed twice, then grinned. "But, Kaminari, in exchange, you have to promise me one thing."
"What is it?"
"Are you free this summer? Want to get a part-time job with me?" Mineta asked with a mysterious smile. "It's a great place. It'll definitely satisfy all your needs."
Kaminari's breathing quickened. "Grape Juice... you don't mean... that kind of place?"
"It's exactly that kind of place."
"Hehehe..."
"Hehehe..."
As Kaminari and Mineta were giggling perversely in front of his desk, Kira tapped the table and said calmly, "I say, you two. If you're going to discuss that kind of thing, could you please do it in private? Your laughter is loud enough for the whole class to hear."
Kaminari and Mineta snapped out of their fantasies and saw that everyone around them was staring at them with looks of disgust. Mineta laughed awkwardly and whispered, "Kaminari, come over to my house after the exams. This job... you won't regret it."
With that, he ran out of the classroom.
"Hey! Wait for me!" Kaminari also scurried out.
"Man, the practical exam is the most important part, and they're still so relaxed," Kirishima said, resting a hand on his forehead in a look of exasperation. He then slung an arm around Bakugo's neck with a smile. "Bakugo, if you hadn't helped me study for this exam, there's no way I would have passed. You're really just a big softie with a bad temper, aren't you?"
"Shut up! You want me to kill you!?" Bakugo said, shaking off Kirishima's arm. He looked at Kira with cold eyes. "Hey, Kira! I heard the final exam this time is against robots, right? Let's have a competition. Let's see who can destroy more!"
During the entrance exam, Bakugo had gotten a higher combat score, but because he hadn't gotten any rescue points, he had placed second, with first place going to Kira. He had never been able to let it go.
But this time, there were no pesky rescue points to get in the way. The practical exam would be a test of individual strength. And so, Bakugo had thrown down the gauntlet.
"Alright. This time, as you wish. Let's compete."
To Bakugo's surprise, Kira had agreed without a moment's hesitation. In the past, he had always either refused or ignored him. This was the first time he had accepted his challenge head-on.
Kira had never wanted to fight Bakugo before simply because he felt it was unnecessary. But now, the name "DIO" was weighing on him like a mountain, making it hard to breathe. To protect against external threats, one must first secure the internal. If DIO were to send the League of Villains to attack All Might, and their own side was in the middle of infighting, Bakugo's personality would definitely cause a lot of trouble.
So... let the battle begin. Let him make Bakugo submit, once and for all.
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