NOVEL WEB 31 – Job 8:7
Job 8:7
And though your beginning was small, your latter days will be very great.
After a quick breakfast where his parents wished him and Himiko good luck on their entrance exam they ended up in their limousine picking up Momo on their way to the U.A. entrance exam. Just like in the original Momo wasn't actually participating in the exam, but was coming along as moral support to James. She said it was also for Himiko, but given their relationship that claim was shaky at best.
Their driver dropped them off right at the entrance causing them to gather a crowd when the other participants noticed the expensive limousine stop while the driver got out to open the door for the three attractive youngsters. They definitely gave off the feeling of young masters and ladies with their spectacular entrance.
He could hear multiple murmurs from the crowd some of the girls in it had already recognised him, some even taking photos with their phones. Those that didn't already know about him were even more surprised due to his appearance that made him stand out. Not only was he much more attractive than any of the other guys, but he also looked like he didn't fit in because he could pass for a third year which made them question why he was there.
The entrance was an imposing gate with the U.A. logo at the top allowing passage through the tall concrete walls protecting the campus from villains. It was followed by a series of smaller arches along the long path to the main building in the distance that was much larger and fancy than any High School had a right to be. The path was actually surrounded by a wooded area and surprisingly larger than James had expected.
On their way to the U.A. building James actually noticed the event where the distracted protagonist Midoriya was saved from falling over his own feet by Ochako's anti-gravity quirk, but didn't get involved. Involving himself too much with the protagonist of the story was only going to give him more headaches. Not to mention that he didn't particularly like the protagonist even when he was watching the show and suspected it would be even worse having to deal with the ball of energy and insecurity in real life. Friendly, but slightly distant was the way to go in his opinion.
James did take another look at Ochako who was indeed rather cute with her short brown hair and positive attitude just as he had expected, though his extra attention did not go unnoticed by the two girls by his side. They quickly started pulling him further along past the perceived threat.
The three of them walked into the designated auditorium quickly finding a place to sit down with Momo on one side and Himiko on the other. The definitely managed to draw the attention of the other applicants with his stunning looks and effectively having a beautiful woman on each arm. He had managed to make quite the entrance before the exam even started.
Seeing other girls in the auditorium paying a lot of attention to James the two girls beside him wrapped her arms around him to publicly show their ownership. James let them though knowing that having two of the most attractive girls around clinging to his arms wouldn't actually scare away the other girls, it would only make them more fervent in pursuing him so there was no harm to him. As for all the jealous boys why would he care about a bunch of weaklings?
There were actually so many applicants that James couldn't even find most of the characters he was familiar with from the show among the many faces.
The stage lit up as the surrounding lights turned on one by one for dramatic effect. A screen with the U.A. logo lit up revealing the silhouette of a tall lanky man with flamboyant blonde hair that looked like the plumage of a bird. He was wearing a black leather punk rock jacket and pants along with a pair of sunglasses, headphones and a collar around his neck covered in speakers.
'Ah yes, Present Mic.' James thought recognising the pro hero both from his memory of the show and many TV appearances.
"For all you examinee listeners tuning in... welcome to my show today! Everybody say HEY!" Present Mic yelled while animatedly spreading his arms.
James looked around the auditorium filled with prospective students in stunned silence.
"What a refined response. Then I'll quickly present to you the rundown on the practical exam! Are you ready? Yeah!" Present Mic continued undeterred by the quiet reception.
He was so loud Himiko and Momo ended up covering their ears though James remained unaffected already well aware of what was going to happen.
"As it says in the application requirements, you listeners will be conducting ten-minute mock urban battles after this! You can bring whatever you want with you. After the presentation, you'll head to the specified battle centre, okay?" Present Mic said while the huge screen behind him showed them the various battle centres so they would know where to go after his presentation.
"Okay?!" he yelled even louder when no one responded.
"Three different types of faux villains are stationed in each battle centre. You earn points for each of them based on their level of difficulty. Your goal, dear listeners, is to use your Quirks to earn points by immobilising the faux villains. Of course, attacking other examinees and any other unheroic actions are prohibited!" he continued to explain while the screen showed an animation of what they would be doing for the test.
"May I ask a question?" someone interrupted him loudly.
James looked over to find the straight-laced Tenya Ida with his hand up as if they were already in class.
"Okay!" Present Mic agreed.
"On the printout, there are four types of villains. If that is a misprint, then U.A., the most prominent school in Japan, should be ashamed of that foolish mistake. We examinees are here in this place because we wish to be moulded into exemplary heroes." Tenya Ida accused with a serious look.
He turned and pointed towards Midoriya dramatically"In addition, you over there with the curly hair. You've been muttering this whole time. It's distracting! If you're here on a pleasure trip, then you should leave immediately!"
"I'm sorry..." Midoriya said in embarrassment making himself as small as possible to avoid further attention.
"Okay, okay, Examinee Number 7111. Thanks for the great message," Present Mic appeased Tenya.
"The fourth type of villain is worth zero points. That guy's an obstacle, so to speak. There's one in every battle centre. An obstacle that will go crazy in narrow spaces. It's not impossible to defeat, but there's no reason to defeat it, either. I recommend that you listeners try to avoid it," he warned them.
"Thank you very much! Please excuse the interruption!" Tenya said while bowing formally then sat down.
The new information caused the crowd to burst out in murmurs and Himiko seemed excited too.
"That's all from me! Finally, I'll give you listeners a present. Our school motto! The hero Napoleon Bonaparte once said:
A true hero is someone who overcomes life's misfortunes.
Go beyond. Plus Ultra!" Present Mic yelled out passionately.
"Now, everyone, good luck suffering!" he added as an afterthought.
