"Aya-chan!" The green-haired boy stopped in front of her, sweating and panting like he had run a marathon. They had decided to meet in front of the U.A. gates just before the practical portion of the entrance exam.
Ayano stopped her tinkering to look at him with a single raised brow. He was bent over, hands on his knees and head facing down. "You do know that this is the practical portion of the exam and not the written portion, right?" She asked, criticizing his use of energy before the exam even started.
"I…I was afraid…I would be…late!" He explained between breaths. She simply shook her head at him. After calming down, they started walking towards the entrance of the school. Ayano fiddled with some things on her belt, causing Midoriya to finally take a good look at her.
She was wearing their school's uniform, but he noticed that she replaced the skirt with pants. Ayano was fiddling with her utility belt. Midoriya's eyes widened at the array of materials attached to it. He recognized nearly none of the inventions hooked onto it.
They hadn't seen much of each other before the U.A. entrance exam. Midoriya taking to his own training with All Might and Ayano taking to her own preparations. He wondered what she had done the past ten months, but a simple glance at her belt told him she worked hard and prepared well.
"You sure brought a lot of your inventions, Aya-chan!" He eyed them, amazed at the variety of them. From what he could see, there was a slightly flattened, white sphere, compartments filled with what seemed to be different colored pills, and a type of rope.
"They told us we could bring whatever we wanted. As someone applying for the Support Course, it is only logical that I bring what I made myself." She explained. Midoriya was about to ask what they did when he heard a distinct, angry voice.
"Move aside, Deku! Get out of my way or you're dead." The green-haired boy flinched and held his hands up in defense while greeting him. The blond simply ignored him, brushing past the two childhood friends.
Midoriya and Ayano just blinked at each other, then looked at Bakugou. He had his normal scowl on his face, coupled with his palms emitting some explosions. Ayano's eyes widened at the object he held.
It was her gift.
Except this time, it was opened much wider and the flame looked much brighter.
Ayano gently smiled. It seemed like Bakugou was working hard the past ten months as well.
After a small encounter with a girl who seemed to have a gravity defying quirk, the two friends entered the hall. Ayano was seated between Bakugou and Midoriya, able to pacify any antagonistic actions the blonde may initiate.
Midoriya's fanboy mutterings were stopped when a boy with glasses supposedly pointed out a mistake on the handout. "Such a blatant error, if it is one, is highly unbecoming for U.A., Japan's top academy! We're all here today in the hopes of being molded into model heroes!"
Ayano scoffed and muttered, "Not all of us."
Another boy jumped in. He had black hair as dark as night. His hair and bangs were parted perfectly to the side, almost giving himself and 'preppy boy' look. His eyes, however, screamed anything but that. They had a serious slant to them, relaying his ferocity. "Yeah, and I was informed that people applying for the Support Course are taking a different exam! The exam should be fundamentally different given how different the Hero and Support Courses are. I came here thinking that U.A. was taking their other departments seriously but I guess you're all still concerned only about your precious heroes!"
Ayano looked at him in slight annoyance. Perhaps if these boys didn't jump to conclusions before Present Mic finished, their questions might be answered. Although, she had to admit that she was slightly miffed. After the support department she was interested in had switched allegiances, she too was under the impression that U.A. was trying to strengthen their other courses. Was all of it just a ruse?
Present Mic looked at the boy with glasses first. "Alright, alright. Examinee 7111 and 8236, nice catch. Thanks! The fourth faux villain variety gets you zero points! He's more of an obstacle – a 'gimmick' that'll rampage around in close quarters."
The pro hero then looked at the second boy. "As for you Support Course kids, your exam is different but not by much. You'll still be facing the same faux villains, but you'll be allowed twenty minutes beforehand to create anything you think will help you!"
Suddenly, a bunch of murmurings could be heard in the giant hall. They were mostly along the lines of "Only twenty minutes?!" and "My quirk won't help with this!"
Ayano's face hadn't changed at all, but Midoriya seemed to be panicking enough for the both of them. "Isn't twenty minutes too little?! And won't the same type of exam be too difficult for those with quirks not meant for hero type battles?!"
Before he continued, Ayano's voice cut in. "That's most likely exactly what they want." He looked at her in confusion, but her eyes remained trained onto the handout.
"They informed us beforehand that we could bring anything we wanted into the exam. That, by itself, is an excellent indicator of the prepared. For those of us who are not prepared, the extra twenty minutes to build will be your only lifeline. For those of us who are, it will be a perfect opportunity for last minute touches and to show our capabilities, especially within a tight time frame." Ayano began digging into her bag, pulling out her bionic arm cover. It was the same one from the sludge incident, but new and improved.
"As for fighting the same faux villains as the Hero Course, that will show the different levels of experience. Those with suitable quirks for fighting will have most likely brought a support item that matches their quirk or they will simply make one in the twenty minutes allotted. Those without suitable quirks will have to make something that is suitable for the situation, thus displaying their competence." She pressed a few buttons on the bionic arm, causing it to activate and move about.
"Putting us through the same exam as the kids applying for the Hero Course makes perfect, logical sense. How can you expect to make support items for heroes when you, yourself, have no idea of the kind of situation they are in? If you do not know of the dangers that heroes face, you cannot possibly make a proper support item for them that will decide between someone's life and death." She turned her left hand over, examining the scars wrapping around it with glazed eyes. Bakugou stared at her hand as well, seeing the scars for the first time but only for a few seconds before she turned it over again.
"Woah…" Midoriya breathed. Ayano finally looked at him, causing him to flinch at her sudden gaze. "You're amazing, Aya-chan! To figure all of that out! But don't worry, you'll be fine!"
"I never said I was worried. If anything, I should probably be the one saying that to you." She looked up and down at him, pointing out his tense posture and gloss of sweat. He squeaked in embarrassment. "I-I'll be fine!"
With Present Mic sending them off with a 'Plus Ultra!' Ayano separated from her two childhood friends, silently wishing them luck.
Upon reaching her test site, she was met with work stations and piles of scrap metal. Ayano glanced around her at the other test takers. She saw the panicked expressions of the unprepared and the concentrated ones of the prepared.
"Your twenty minutes starts now!" Announced the proctor, many of the examinees rushing to a station. Ayano simply walked to one. To an outsider's point of view, it would seem as though she were just taking a leisurely stroll. In reality, she was in deep concentration.
"Given Present Mic's wording and the amount of people here today, it's nearly impossible for the faux villains to be real people. In that case, they would be some sort of robots. If we only have to 'disable' them like he said…then I'll do this." Finishing her thought process, Ayano pulled out a bunch of pieces from the piles and set out to work.
Twenty minutes was indeed a tight time frame, so she could only do so much. Laid in front of her were three disk like objects about the size of her palm. She slapped on an electronic wristband and a small holographic screen was projected in the air. Ayano set about programming the disks, causing them to light up as she did so.
"Those are some magnificent babies!" Ayano's hands stopped and she blinked, turning to the voice. A girl with pink hair and yellow eyes stood next to her with a gleam in her eyes.
"If by 'babies' you mean inventions, then yes, I suppose they are…" At the response, the pink-haired girl lunged forward, her face getting very close to Ayano's. The brown-haired girl blinked again but did not back away.
The pink-haired girl pulled down her goggles and used them to examine Ayano's creations. She pulled the girl's right arm, raising it to her eye level. "I saw this on the news with the sludge incident! But it's different now! The wind tunnel on top is gone! And it looks like it was made with a different metal! Is it tungsten?! Have you thought about using titanium?! One of my super cute babies would be a great addition to this!" She grew more excited as she talked.
Ayano gently pulled her arm back and answered her questions one by one. "The one you saw on T.V. was a prototype. This is a more advanced product. The tunnel from before is now implemented into the palm of my hand, making it more compact while still fulfilling the same purpose. It is made of tungsten, and I have considered using titanium. That was what the last prototype was made of. I will have to decline your…'babies,' although I do appreciate the offer…" She trailed off, prompting the girl to introduce herself.
She pushed her goggles up on her forehead and smiled. "I'm Hatsume Mei and these are my cute babies!" Mei was about to shamelessly promote her 'babies' when the proctor spoke, "The twenty minutes are now up!"
"It appears to be time for the test. Apologies, Hatsume-san. We will have to discuss later. My name is Sasaki Ayano." She gave a small bow.
Mei just smiled again with that glint in her eye. "You'll just have to see my babies in action during the test then, Sasaki Ayano!" Ayano gave a small smile as Mei ran off. "Perhaps I will."
She gathered her belongings and began walking to the exam site, a look of determination on her face.