"The Final Exams are next week," Mister Aizawa announced bluntly. "There'll be two parts: the paper test, and the practical," he narrowed his eyes. "Based off of your midterms, those of you who need to study know who you are. We'll be having a summer camp over the break-" Excited gasps and mutters broke out, and Mister Aizawa raised his voice impatiently. "Those of you who don't pass don't get to go." The excitement immediately died. "That's all," Mister Aizawa finished, shuffling out of the room. I smiled wearily and shook my head, I wasn't surprised by his style of dropping a bomb and then leaving.

As soon as the door shut, Ashido and Kaminari burst out in unison, "I didn't study at all!" Ashido started laughing, hands up behind her head casually, while Kaminari hung his head, exuding an aura of doom.

I ignored them in favor of a more urgent topic, turning in my seat to face Momo. "Back to what we were discussing before," I started, eyes narrowed. "Hamlet is obviously the best! I can't believe you're arguing this!" I declared, arms crossed defensively.

Momo raised an elegant eyebrow, steepling her hands on her desk. "You're very passionate about this, Ichigo," she observed. "But I maintain my statement: Romeo and Juliet was better than Hamlet."

"How can you say that?!" I demanded incredulously. "Hamlet is literally where Shakespeare's most famous lines came from! 'To be or not to be, that is the question'!" I gestured with my hands emphatically as I spoke, determined to make Momo see the error of her ways. "Not to mention its themes are something that remain understandable to this day, unlike Romeo and Juliet, which's plot of romance between fourteen year olds of opposing families isn't nearly as well translated into modern times. Hamlet was also remade by Disney in the movie the Lion King," I sat back in my seat. "And it touches on more in depth topics than petty romance," I sniffed.

Before Momo could respond, we were interrupted by Kaminari appearing between us, eyes wide and panicked. "How can you guys be arguing about movies at a time like this?!" he demanded. "The Final Exams start next week!"

"We're debating Shakespearean Literature, actually," I corrected him. "And I think I'm prepared for the midterms."

Ashido suddenly leaned over my shoulder, smiling mischeviously. "Oh really? I know you got the top score in the class… but how well did you do?" she placed her hands on my desk, eyes focused on me.

I ducked my head, wondering how my classmates would receive my scores. I didn't want to be pegged a braggart, after all. "I, uh… got perfect scores," I answered nervously, swallowing. "On everything."

Ashido and Kaminari's jaws dropped, and they stared at me with eyes as wide as dinner plates. I coughed, trying to hide my rapidly reddening cheeks with my bangs. My stomach fluttered anxiously, hoping they wouldn't become upset.

Momo chuckled, cutting through the awkward silence. "Ashido, Kaminari, if you're having difficulties studying for the Final Exams, I wouldn't mind offering my assistance," she interjected smoothly. "I may not have perfect scores, but I also did very well on the midterms and wouldn't mind helping you prepare."

Ashido turned to Momo, eyes sparkling. "Yaomomo!" she squealed, clapping her hands together excitedly. "Thank you so much!"

"Please help us, Yaomomo," Kaminari said, bowing to Momo like she was some sort of god. I leaned away from them, slightly disturbed by their worshipping Momo's presence.

Izuku stepped forward, holding up his fist. "I hope you guys study well!" he cheered, smiling excitedly. "Let's all do our bests, right?"

"They wouldn't have so much trouble if they paid attention in class," Shouto commented from behind Izuku, killing the brightening mood apruptly.

Kaminari pressed a hand over his heart dramatically. "Be - be careful with your words," he whispered faintly, expression bleak.

I grinned at Izuku and Shouto from my desk, relieved for the distraction. "You guys think you're ready for the exams?" I asked cheerfully.

"I think so," Izuku said, looking down worriedly. "I mean, there's still a lot I want to review before the test so I can make sure I'm ready-"

"I'm prepared," Shouto interrupted confidently. I grinned and gave him a thumbs up, as Izuku continued to mutter in the background, clearly lost to the world.

Jirou, Ojiro, and Sero approached Momo next, looking sheepish. "I'm not one of those two, but... can I get some help as well?" Jirou requested, despite having been eighth in the exams.

"Yeah, me too…" Ojiro agreed apologetically, scratching the back of his head.

Sero clapped his hands over his head. "Mind helping me with Japanese Literature?" he requested eagerly.

Momo smiled at them all, eyes shining. "I would be honored to help you all!" she cheered, popping onto her feet excitedly. "I shall ask mother to open up the Great Hall for our studying!"

I blinked in surprise at the words "Great Hall". I glanced over to Izuku. "Momo's pretty popular, huh?" I observed, jerking a thumb over at the excited girl talking about tea preferences.

Izuku nodded. "Yeah, she's an excellent student though, so it's not surprising," he looked at me appraisingly. "I didn't know you got a perfect score on the midterms."

I grinned sheepishly, cheeks flushing again. I directed my eyes to the ceiling. "I didn't want to brag about it, so I didn't mention it," I explained quietly.

"It isn't bragging," Izuku assured me, smiling brightly. "You deserve to be proud of yourself. A perfect score is pretty awesome!" He paused for a moment, then added, "I was actually wondering if you wouldn't mind helping me study…"

I stared at him in confusion. "I wouldn't mind at all, but why do you need my help?" I responded curiously. "You got the fifth highest score on the exams in the class."

"There's always room for improvement, and you didn't miss anything," Izuku said, holding up a clenched fist with determined eyes.

Ochako showed up out of nowhere between us, looking excited. "Does that mean we're having a study party? Can I come too?" she begged.

"Ah, it's at Izukun's house, right?" I asked, and Izuku nodded. "Is that okay with you…?"

Izuku grinned. "It's fine!" he confirmed, and Ochako gave him a high five. "I'll ask my mother about it tonight, when are you guys free?" Izuku continued, flipping out his phone.

I smiled, relaxing into my chair. "I can make free time whenever," I said. "Mister Aizawa doesn't mind me taking breaks as long as I ask ahead of time… he actually says I overwork myself."

Ochako leaned over Izuku's shoulder to peek at his phone screen as he typed. "I can meet up Thursday or Friday," she informed him.

Izuku nodded thoughtfully, staring at his phone. "I think Friday is the best idea," he agreed. "We can come from school to my house directly and start studying," he looked up nervously. "If that's okay with you both?"

"It's fine with me!" Ochako agreed, bumping her shoulder against Izuku's, who immediately became flustered.

I smiled and nodded. "Sounds good!" I confirmed, before giggling over Izuku's embarrassed mutters as he tried to justify his blushing to Ochako.

I stuffed my mouth with rice and steak happily, very much enjoying my lunch. At my side, Momo was watching my antics in bemusement. Shouto and Izuku were quietly conversing off to the side, with Ochako inserting her own bubbly comments when she felt like it.

Momo smiled, wiping her mouth politely. "Do you have any hints about the exams, Ichigo?" she asked. I started slightly, startled by the question. Then, a slow smile spread across my face.

"Are you asking if Mister Aizawa allowed me access to the administrative paperwork?!" I gasped with faux horror. "That would be a most egregious violation of school policy!" I looked back to my food, grinning smugly. "But if I had, maybe, seen the files on his desk while helping grade homework yesterday - hypothetically, of course - I could've seen that we'd be working in teams in a combat scenario. If I had looked," I asserted, quickly stuffing my mouth with food again.

Momo nodded. "I will keep your hypothetical scenario in mind," she said, taking a small bite of her own food.

Ochako leaned in from across the table, smiling brightly. "It's nice being friends with someone on the inside," she said, offering me a thumbs up. "Thanks, Ichigo!"

"Thanks for what?" I asked, blinking innocently. "I told you nothing," I said, determined to at least have plausible deniability on my side.

Izuku opened his mouth to say something, but before he could he got elbowed in the head. His hands instantly snapped up to cover the sore spot, and we all turned to see Monoma, from Class B.

"Sorry," Monoma simpered, holding his tray. "Your head was so big, I couldn't get around it," he insulted. I narrowed my eyes at him, but before I could speak, the blonde continued. "You encountered the Hero Killer, I heard! You Class A kids really are trouble magnets, huh?" Monoma grinned, expression eerie. "It's scary for everyone else, you know? It's like you've been cursed, and maybe one day the rest of us will get caught in your bad luck and-"

He never finished, because a red headed girl with a long ponytail and disappointed expression came up behind him, and karate chopped him on the back of the neck. Monoma dropped to the ground immediately, and Kendou stood there holding his tray. "That's not funny, Monoma," she scolded, hauling his unconscious body up by his collar.

"Thanks, Kendou!" Ochako cheered, smiling at the Class B student.

Kendou smiled sheepishly. "Sorry about him, but you know how it is, his heart is…" her voice dwindled off, as she laid Monoma's food tray on the empty table next to us. I glared at the blonde frustratedly. The Hero Killer Incident wasn't something to mock, I had almost died! Kendou faced us again, and I straightened my expression out. She smiled apologetically. "Anyways, I heard you guys talking about the final exams earlier," she said. "I talked to one of the upperclassmen, and they said we'd be fighting robots."

My eyes widened. "Robots? Then why are they creating teams?" I asked myself, surprised. Shouto alone could dominate an entire field of 0-pointer robots. Allowing us teams would be… well, it'd be like offering those robots up for slaughter. Yuuei Academy had plenty of money to burn, but I doubted that Principal Nezu was that wasteful.

Kendou laughed at my surprised expression. "That's what I heard, yeah," she confirmed.

Monoma pushed himself off of the ground shakily. "Are you stupid, Kendou?! You just threw away our hard earned intelligence advantage," he accused angrily. "This was out chance to get ahead of the detestable Class 1-A-!" he was again interrupted by Kendou's hand slamming into the back of his skull. The blonde fell forward again like a marionette with cut strings.

"I told you, we don't detest them," she reprimanded, picking Monoma's tray up again. Kendou grinned at us over her shoulder. "Good luck with the exam!" she finished as she left for her table, dragging the blonde deadweight behind her.

I huffed irritably, mental cogs spinning. "Against robots in teams…?" I repeated disbelievingly. "We're missing something… there's no way they'd make it that easy," my eyes widened. "Wait! They wouldn't make the test the same for every year, would they?! We can't be fighting the robots!" I protested.

Momo shook her head. "I believe you are overthinking this, Ichigo," she said. "Information gathering could be a part of the exam, but we should be prepared for challenges beyond the robots regardless."

Izuku nodded in agreement. "We have a week to prepare," he said optimistically. "I'm sure we can be ready for whatever's next!"

I stared at him disbelievingly. I'd had a week to prepare for the Hero Killer too. Let's review how that turned out: Me, on the ground, with a sharp metal object stuck through my skull. I shivered, filled with a sudden, ominous feeling. Izuku had just jinxed me for the exams, I could feel it.

"Mister Aizawa…?" I started, poking my head into the teacher's lounge. The room looked empty, but I heard a tired grunt from the couch. Stepping inside, I shut the door behind me, quietly walking around the couch. Mister Aizawa was laying on the grey cushions, wrapped up in his yellow sleeping bag, with his eyes closed. "Uh, Mister Aizawa?" I repeated, seeing him looking half-asleep. "Should I come back later?" I asked.

Mister Aizawa frowned, eyes still shut. "I'm awake, ask your questions," he said irritably.

I tugged on my braids nervously. "I thought you said Tenya would be back a week ago…" I said. "Is he not returning…?" I questioned, feeling dread pool in my gut.

"He requested an extension, he'll be back in time for the test," Mister Aizawa answered shortly. "Now go do whatever things you kids do and let me sleep," he ordered.

I nodded, smiling gratefully. "Right, thank you! Sleep well!" I said, scurrying out the teacher's lounge. All I heard was a half-hearted grunt before the door shut. I was so busy hurrying out of the room, I missed the open file folder on the coffee table with my, Bakugo's, and Shouto's faces on it.

Mailbox

Sumiiana: Thank you for the compliment! I actually will be starting up a regular update schedule for this story soon. A new chapter every Monday and Thursday. I'm just trying to build up enough content for some wiggle room in case I miss a week and don't manage to finish a chapter in time. The regular updates will begin April 30th :)

GreenDrkness: Forcing someone to fake their identity never ends well, you're totally right. In this case, it ended with a broken family, an emotionally unstable and insecure young girl, and a potential casualty list. I tried to make this situation as realistic as possible in that there's no real "villain"... but Koharu does kind of suck, you're right. She has her reasons, but just because someone is understandable doesn't mean they're right. I'm glad you picked up on that :) And as I said in the response above, I will be continuing to write, I'll actually have a regular update schedule pretty soon. Thank you!