Daily Meme
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The next day at school, Toru practically bounced up to me as soon as I walked into class. "Okay, okay, listen! My mom's starting the painting more today, and I need you to come by again to check if it looks right."
I sighed. "Toru—"
She clapped her hands together. "Please?"
I glanced at the rest of the class. Mina, Jiro, and Kaminari were already listening.
I sighed again. "Fine."
She fist-pumped. "Yes! I'll text you the time."
Jiro leaned on her desk. "Damn, Ryuu. You seeing her twice in a row? That's commitment."
A wild Tsuyu appeared next to me. "Ribbit. You promised me the next date after the internship."
I slapped my forehead. "Right. Sorry, Tsuyu-chan. A lot happened. I will make it up to you."
Mina fisted the air. "I am after her, remember!"
Uraraka joined in. "And I am after."
Kirishima chuckled. "Damn, bro. Forgot he had a whole queue lined up."
"Shut up," I muttered.
Jiro side-eyed me. "No, really. How does this work? Are we supposed to book appointments?"
"It is not that complicated," I said.
Mina leaned closer. "Says the guy who got three dates lined up and counting."
Tsuyu tilted her head. "Ribbit. If it helps, I do not mind waiting if it is a problem."
I shook my head. "No, no. You are next. I will figure it out."
Kaminari nudged me. "Where you taking her?"
Tsuyu stared at me, waiting.
I opened my mouth. Closed it. "You like aquariums?"
She nodded. "That sounds fun."
Uraraka gasped. "Oh, that is perfect!"
Mina crossed her arms. "Damn, now I wanna go to an aquarium."
Jiro smirked. "You just wanna see the penguins."
"Of course I do!"
Sero grinned. "Bro, imagine Tsuyu at an aquarium. She might jump in."
Tsuyu blinked. "Ribbit. Maybe."
Kirishima laughed. "Please do it. I want to see security freak out."
I sighed. "Alright, fine. Aquarium date. Settled."
Mina clapped her hands. "Alright, I am next. And remember, exciting."
"Right, exciting."
She tapped her chin. "It better not be boring."
Jiro muttered, "So basically, nothing Ryuu would plan."
Uraraka poked my arm. "And do not forget mine."
Yaoyorozu sighed. "Should you not be focusing on the exams?"
I waved a hand. "This is post-exam planning."
--
The day of the practical exam arrived. Everyone stood in their hero suits, except of course Toru, staring at the lineup of teachers like they were about to be executed. Nezu sat on a table in front of us, sipping tea like a little gremlin while Aizawa droned through the explanation.
"Each of you has been assigned a partner," he said. "Your objective is to either capture your assigned teacher with the provided handcuffs or escape through the designated gate. You will have thirty minutes."
I adjusted my gloves, glancing at the board where the matchups were listed. My name was next to Yaoyorozu's. Our opponent? Principal Nezu.
"Hey, Yaoyao," I muttered. "We're fighting a rodent."
Yaoyorozu frowned. "He is not a rodent. He is a highly intelligent—"
"Maniac," I finished.
She hesitated. "That too."
The rest of the class started reacting to their own matchups.
Kaminari groaned. "Snipe? Bro, I'm gonna die."
Sero patted his shoulder. "At least it's not All Might."
Izuku, who was paired with Bakugo against All Might, was already looking like he needed a paper bag to breathe into. Bakugo just cracked his knuckles.
"Finally," he muttered.
Todoroki was with Shoji against Eraser Head. Tokoyami and Asui got Ectoplasm.
Mineta looked at his card and paled. "M-Midgnight?!"
Ojiro sighed. "Should've seen that coming."
Hagakure leaned toward me. "So, uh, you got a plan?"
"For what?" I asked.
She gestured vaguely. "You know, not dying?"
I shrugged. "We'll wing it."
Yaoyorozu huffed. "We will not 'wing it.' We will make a proper strategy."
"Cool," I said. "You handle that."
She pinched the bridge of her nose. "You're impossible."
Nezu took another sip of tea. "Oh, how exciting! I do wonder how you'll handle this."
I stared at him. "We just have to escape, right?"
"Or capture me!" he said cheerfully.
I nodded. "Yeah, we're running."
Yaoyorozu looked horrified. "We are not running!"
"Yes, we are," I said. "I like my limbs intact."
She crossed her arms. "You really have so little faith in us?"
"No, I have little faith in him," I said, pointing at Nezu. "That thing is a war criminal."
Nezu chuckled. "Oh, you flatter me."
Aizawa sighed. "You'll all go in pairs. No outside help, no interference."
I tapped my bat against my shoulder. "So if we get obliterated, do we get pity points?"
"No."
"Cool."
Aizawa looked at the class. "I will now announce the teams and your designated villains."
He read through the list.
Izuku & Bakugo vs. All Might
Todoroki & Shoji vs. Eraser Head
Tokoyami & Asui vs. Ectoplasm
Iida & Ojiro vs. Power Loader
Aoyama & Uraraka vs. Thirteen
Mina & Jiro vs. Present Mic
Kirishima & Sato vs. Cementoss
Sero & Mineta vs. Midnight
Yaoyorozu & Ryuu vs. Principal Nezu
Kaminari & Hagakure vs. Snipe
"The teachers will be wearing weight bracelets to limit their speed and mobility," Aizawa continued. "All Might will have additional restraints to balance the fight."
Bakugo scoffed. "Tch. Like that will help Deku."
Izuku looked like he was going to be sick.
"Each fight will be monitored," Aizawa went on. "If you are injured beyond what Recovery Girl can handle on foot, you fail automatically."
Hagakure had to go last, and I had to leave. Otherwise, I would see her naked. She glared at me, blushing slightly.
"Not looking," I said, hands up.
"You better not be," she muttered.
"Relax," I sighed. "I would rather not get labeled as Mineta."
Mineta grumbled, "Hey!"
But Shoji slapped the back of his head.
Nezu sat on his table, sipping tea like he had not just signed a death warrant for half the class. I pulled Yaoyorozu to the side while the others started preparing.
Yaoyorozu crossed her arms. "We should strategize properly. Nezu is highly intelligent and unpredictable."
"He's a lunatic," I said. "Fluffy exterior, genius mind, and lowkey a sadist. If you told me he caused international incidents for fun, I would believe it."
She sighed. "We need to anticipate his movements."
I sighed. "Alright, fine. You're the smart one here. What do you suggest?"
She blinked. "I—well, I was expecting more resistance."
I shrugged. "I'm not dumb enough to argue when you actually know what you're doing. What's the plan?"
She straightened. "Nezu's biggest advantage is his ability to manipulate the battlefield. He has access to all the controls, and he will use them to corner us. He's probably already got the entire field rigged to collapse, reroute, or explode just to keep us off balance."
"So we don't let him control the battlefield," I said. "Sabotage or force him into an area he can't manipulate easily."
She nodded. "Exactly. If we control where the fight happens, we limit his options."
I grinned. "See? You get it. You should believe in yourself more."
She blinked again, then looked away, rubbing her arm. "That is—well—thank you."
"Alright, what's step one?"
She composed herself. "We need to move fast before he starts setting traps. The longer we stay put, the worse it gets."
"Got it." I squeezed my bat. "If things go south, I'll be the bait."
She frowned. "That is not ideal—"
"I'm faster, and I can take a hit. You focus on getting the cuffs on him."
She hesitated, then nodded. "Alright. We'll need to communicate efficiently."
I grinned. "Create us two earpieces. Can you create an EMP?"
Yaoyorozu nodded. "Yes, but it will take time. How strong?"
"Enough to disrupt his cameras and sensors, but not so strong that it permanently knocks out everything. We don't want to turn the battlefield into complete chaos—just enough to slip past."
She started forming the devices. "It will also disable our own comms."
I thought for a while. "Are you familiar with a Faraday Cage?"
Yaoyorozu nodded. "Yes, but are you suggesting we keep the earpieces inside cages while using the EMP? That is impractical."
I shook my head. "We still have six matches before ours. Can you integrate Faraday shielding into the earpieces by then?"
She frowned, then shook her head. "That is—no, that would require materials I cannot create on the spot. The design alone—"
I grabbed her shoulders. "Yaoyao, I trust you. You can do it."
She stared at me for half a second, as if waiting for me to take it back. Then, slowly, she nodded. "I—" Her fingers twitched like she wanted to start forming something but wasn't sure where to begin. "I need schematics."
I grinned. "No problem. I am a huge spy movie nerd. Let's draw them."
She stared at me for a second, then exhaled and nodded. "Alright."
We found a spot away from the others, and she pulled out a notebook. I started sketching out a rough design. "If we use a fine mesh, we can shield against EMP bursts without completely blocking comms. The gaps have to be smaller than the wavelength of the signal, so we'll need a fine-threaded weave."
Yaoyorozu's hands hovered over the page as she analyzed my crude drawing. "That could work, but I would need a stable alloy that can be fine-threaded without interfering with transmission. I can make copper, but it would need additional layering…"
"Silver?" I suggested.
She frowned. "Too costly in terms of lipid expenditure. I need a compromise—something conductive but not too energy-intensive to create."
I tapped my fingers on the table. "Nickel alloy?"
Her eyes lit up slightly. "That… could work. It has the right properties and is within my capability to generate." She flipped to a new page and started sketching. "We can embed the mesh directly into the earpiece casing. That way, the shielding is part of the structure instead of an external attachment."
I nodded. "Exactly. How long to make two prototypes?"
She chewed her lip. "I can attempt one now and refine the design before our turn."
I leaned back. "Perfect. Get started."
Yaoyorozu took a deep breath and activated her Quirk, forming the first prototype. As the material took shape, her confidence seemed to solidify with it.
"You are really pulling this off," I muttered.
She didn't look up from her work. "Of course I am."
I smirked. "Told you."
She rolled her eyes but didn't argue.
--
And in the end of days,
when memes run dry and plot twists turn to dust,
only those who voted
shall find sanctuary beneath the wings of Ryuu."
"The rest?"
"Cast out."
"To the land of eternal hiatus.
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