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### š *Tensura: Multiversal Shenanigans*
**Arc 3 ā Komi Can't Communicate**
**Chapter 25: Midterms and Monsters**
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**\[Scene: Itan High, One Week Later ā MIDTERM EXAM WEEK]**
A dark cloud loomed over the school. Students shuffled in, their spirits crushed, backpacks heavy with desperation and instant noodles.
**Tadano:** "So this is the true battlefield."
**Rimuru (eyes wide):** "I've fought Demon Lords with less tension in the air."
**Ciel:**
> "Warning: Tactical retreat not recommended. Exams are mandatory."
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**\[In Class 1-A]**
The teacher entered with a stack of paper taller than Ramiris.
**Teacher:** "Midterm week begins now. No cheating. No magic. No familiars whispering answers."
**Rimuru (elbowing Milim):** "That means you."
**Milim (pouting):** "What if my pencil has a soul?"
**Teacher:** "Then tell it to write quietly."
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**\[Exam 1: Literature]**
Komi glided through it like a ghost of grammar. Her pencil moved like a calligraphy sword.
**Tadano (staring):** "She'sā¦ beautiful."
**Ciel (to Rimuru):**
> "Her literary analysis on Shakespeare's existential metaphors is terrifyingly advanced."
**Rimuru (scribbling):** "What does 'synecdoche' mean again?!"
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**\[Exam 2: Math]**
Milim tapped her pen against her head.
**Milim:** "Why do letters exist in numbers?! Is this a summoning circle?!"
**Ramiris (on her 4th eraser):** "I summoned an F."
**Komi (writing calmly):** *Answer: x = 42.*
**Tadano (sweating):** "That's not even the question!"
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**\[Later, in the Library]**
**Rimuru:** "Okay, this is getting out of hand. Komi's a genius."
**Ciel:**
> "Confirmed. She has near-eidetic memory and speed-reading over 300 WPM."
**Rimuru (grumbling):** "If only I could copy-paste her brain."
**Veldora (bursts in):** "I HAVE A PLAN."
**Everyone:** "NO."
**Veldora (pulls out blueprints):** "We createā¦ the EXAM DUNGEON!"
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**\[Flashback: Veldora's 'brilliant' plan]**
**Veldora (narrating dramatically):** "A dungeon beneath the school. Each test question is guarded by a monster. Solve the riddle, defeat the beast, earnā¦ the right answer!"
**Ramiris:** "Wait. That's actuallyā¦ genius?"
**Ciel:**
> "Morally questionable. Statistically effective."
**Rimuru:** "That could help us *train* for exams."
**Veldora (gloating):** "I call it: The Scholarly Gauntlet!"
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**\[Scene: The Next Night ā In the Boiler Room]**
Using a suspiciously detailed floor plan (Najimi had it, don't ask), the crew opened a hidden trapdoor.
**Ramiris:** "I can't believe there's actually a dungeon here."
**Milim (excited):** "I CALL FIRST MONSTER!"
**Tadano (sweating):** "We're breaking every school rule."
**Rimuru:** "We've already broken reality. Rules are just mild suggestions at this point."
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**\[Inside the Exam Dungeon]**
Each floor had a theme:
* **Floor 1: Grammar Ghouls**
* **Floor 2: Algebraic Abominations**
* **Floor 3: Historical Horrors**
* **Final Boss Room: The Spirit of Standardized Testing**
**Ciel:**
> "Dungeon Rating: B-rank. Final Boss has passive aura of existential dread."
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**\[Battle Highlights]**
* **Milim dropkicked a Grammar Ghoul** yelling, "IT'S 'YOU'RE', NOT 'YOUR'!"
* **Ramiris got swallowed by a sentient equation**, only to escape via "guess and pray" method.
* **Komi calmly solved a logic puzzle**, causing a Sphinx to cry from appreciation.
* **Tadano tried to fight a History Specter with a textbook**ā¦ and won.
* **Veldora narrated everything like a sports commentator.**
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**\[Final Room: The Spirit of Standardized Testing]**
A glowing entity hovered above a desk.
**S.O.S.T:** "You cannot passā¦ unless you correctly format your essay in MLA style."
**Rimuru (drawing his pen like a sword):** "I'll APA your face!"
**Komi (already done):** *"Here is my properly cited 5-paragraph essay on the hero's journey in modern anime."*
**S.O.S.T (fading):** "S-soā¦ beautifulā¦"
**Ciel:**
> "Victory achieved. Everyone gains +10 Intelligenceā¦ temporarily."
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**\[The Next Morning ā Actual Exam Day 3]**
**Teacher:** "You all lookā¦ weirdly prepared."
**Ramiris:** "I fought a ghost who was the physical embodiment of comma splices. I am *ready.*"
**Komi (writing on her notepad):**
> "This was fun."
**Rimuru (yawning):** "If I pass, it'll be thanks to Komi and that weird dungeon."
**Milim:** "Can we go back in next week?!"
**Veldora:** "I'm already designing the SAT Expansion Pack!"
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**To Be Continuedā¦**