Freeze Frame

Chapter 125

Third person pov

They were all crowded into a massive room with one another. The chatter was so loud that Lillian could hardly hear herself speak, let alone her friends. They'd all sort of huddled together with the rest of class 1-A, Lillian squished between Hagakure and Katsuki as the room started to settle. The provisional licensing exams were a big deal. A lot of their opponents would probably have a year or two more experience than them. It was a terrifying but true fact that only made Lillian's nerves spike more. This thing hadn't even started yet and she was already tired. What if she wasn't as ready as her dad thought she was? What if she couldn't do this? They were one of the few first year classes taking this thing. 

Katsuki grunted as he was shoved yet again, resisting the urge to blast a couple of these extras in the face to let them know who was boss. He pushed the temptation off. Getting kicked out would but a real dent in their whole plan. Lillian looked like she'd just been forced to eat a lemon whole, her entire expression pinched. He couldn't even fucking blame her. This was ridiculous. You'd think they'd put money into getting a bigger building with how popular this shit was. The room was stuffed to the brim as it was, and there were still classes trickling in.

"Man!" Kaminari called over the sound. Shoto had gotten over his previous rage and was now simply glowering at anyone who got too close to him. He'd never particularly minded crowds, but he couldn't say he was a huge fan of them either. Without Hitoshi and Neito here, their little group felt quite a bit smaller. He made sure to stay near Lillian. Letting himself slowly melt into the crowd would only cause complications, especially if they were going to be working as a team. Kaminari cleared his throat a bit, his tone raising. "It sure is packed! I wonder what the first test will be?" 

Shoto shrugged helplessly, letting his right side cool a little bit when someone backed themselves into him by mistake. They jumped back with a yelp, whipping around briefly before darting off in a fairly embarrassed manner. He hadn't made it cold enough to hurt or anything-- just enough chill to be a shock. Lillian's small laugh was lost in the sea of sound surrounding them. Katsuki huffed, shoving his hands in his pockets grumpily. He hoped this would get started soon. Earphone bitch was shouting at Karate Tail at the top of her fucking lungs. Katsuki's hearing was the best but even he wanted to nail her in the side of the head with his fist. 

"There are so many." Ochako awed from right behind Lillian. The girl jumped slightly, turning. Iida was looming there too, his helmet stuck under his arm for the time being. He seemed a bit weary, glancing about the room as he tried his best to size up whatever competition he could. It was hard to say who was a threat and who wasn't. Everyone looked fairly intimidating.

"Yes, well, there are only one of these a year." Iida said in his usual, formal tone. Bakugo clicked his tongue irritably. 

A loud groan echoed through the speakers of the facility sent their attention snapping back to the front of the room. The man gazing down before them all, hosting the entire event, was a rather tired looking individual with slouched posture and messy hair. Lillian pursed her lips. Most relatable thing she'd seen all day, and she'd watched Neito have a breakdown this morning because he couldn't find a lid that matched his tupperware. She took a few deep breaths, centering herself as best she could. It was too late to back out now. She'd be fine. She'd been through much worse, right? Absolutely. Definitely. Yes.

Kaminari bit the inside of the his cheek as his excitement spiked. He felt like he was officially a part of the group now that they'd brought him in on their little Yakuza-killing plan. The absolute joy that reverberated within him couldn't be matched in the slightest. This was just... so cool! Lillian, Shoto, Katsuki, Hitoshi, and Neito-- they were the ones everyone secretly wanted to be. The most badass, weird group that you couldn't help but fantasize being a part of! They were just so awesome! And now, they wanted Denki's help. They wanted to work with him during the exams and intern with him. Him!