Ochako was a polite girl, most of the time. She never spread rumors, and she didn't talk badly about others, even when other people did. The brunette had more important things to do, such as becoming the best hero she could be, and make a lot of money to help her parents out! Despite all of that, she still found herself glaring at Japan's Ice Queen whenever the slightly shorter girl wasn't looking.
Schnee was so cold, pun not intended, for no reason, only sticking to her small friend group. Actually, Schnee was nice most of the time, polite even, unless she happened to be several feet away from Deku.
"Sado and Kirishima shall face Cementoss!" Principal Nezu kept announcing each team and their opponent. Speaking of Deku, he was going to go against All Might, with Bakugou as his teammate of all people. Still, it was better than having Schnee as a teammate since she ignored poor Deku's existence.
She didn't have to be so rude after the USJ attack, and Schnee certainly didn't have to go out of her way to act like the green haired boy didn't exist whenever they ran into each other in class.
"Tokoyami and Asui shall go against Ectoplasm."
Ochako kept an eye on Schnee from her spot besides Midoriya. Why would the white haired idol dislike her friend so much? There had to be a reason!
Bakugou was Bakugou, which was all the reason the angry blond boy needed, he was an ass to everyone except maybe Kirishima.
"Yaoyorozu and Jirou shall face Hound Dog."
Ochako's face suddenly started to heat up. T-There was only one possible explanation for Schnee's behavior.
She had a crush on Deku!
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"You don't lose the war if you're defeated here and there." Schnee said, a small smile on her face, her blue eyes seemed to sparkle in the light. "Besides, it's your fault for not using your quirk to its full potential." She tilted her head to the side, ever so slightly.
"And I do mean everything."
Their eyes met, her sapphire blue ones and Shoto's mismatched ones.
"You could have ended the fight in one blow if you had used your fire."
Each word sent a stab through Shoto's heart. As much as he hated his Father, and using his quirk, being embarrassed by that blond guy in front of the country hurt just as much, if not even more.
"Why are you telling me this?" Shoto croaked. He could tell by her tone that she wasn't being malicious, she didn't laugh or sneer at him.
"You're in my way, literally." Schnee said sarcastically, pushing her bangs out of the way. "If we ever spar, I want you to go all out with your quirk."
Go all out? Using both sides? Could he do it without thinking about Father and Mother? Mother's eyes-
"Why?" The question left Shoto's lips without thinking.
Schnee simply flashed him a smile, showing off her pearly white teeth, as white as her hair. "Because it's your quirk, duh."
She's right, his quirk wasn't his Father's, nor his Mother's.
"You're one of the strongest guys in class. You really should listen to my music, buy an album or two." Schnee started walking around him, but he remained frozen in place. Heh, if only she knew. Shoto owned a copy of every album the Ice Queen of Japan had released, even buying her English and German versions.
He was too scared to ask her for an autograph, so he bought a signed copy of the White Album from a reseller in his sister's name.
"Schnee!" Shoto turned around quickly. Thankfully, Schnee was only a few feet away. She paused, and turned her head to look at him with one eye.
"Yes?"
Shoto felt his hands shake ever so slightly, as well his cheeks warming up despite his quirk not being in use. He refused to meet her eyes, turning his head down an opposite hallway.
"Thwnk you."
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Was Shoto surprised to be paired up with Schnee? Very much so, he had no expectations on how the practical exams would go, but there was one thing he did know. He needed to pass with flying colors, especially after his embarrassing performance during the Sports Festival.
Shoto wouldn't become the Number One hero to make his Father proud, he would do it to spite the man.
"The time limit for the exam is thirty minutes!" Principal Nezu explained. He pulled out a gold and purple colored handcuff. "Your goal is to either put the handcuffs on the teacher, or to have one of you escape the stage!"
That was easier said than done, Mr. Aizawa's erasure quirk would make Half-Cold Half-Hot useless if he activated his eyes. And, their homeroom teacher was a pro-hero, with decades of experience under his belt, along with all of the martial arts he used in combat.
Standing next to Schnee, Todoroki remained silent as she stared straight ahead. Was she thinking of a plan? Or was she also as shocked as he was?
"So it's okay to run away?" Ashido asked, raising her hand in the air. She was paired up with Kaminari, who was by her side.
"Yup!" The Principal gave them a thumbs up and a grin.
"This will be different from combat training." Hound Dog snarled. "This, hehe, time you'll be up against someone with more experience ahoooooowwwwwl!" The pro started howling.
"More experienced?" Shoto heard Schnee mutter under her breath. It seemed no one else heard her.
"This time, your exam will be more similar to a real battle." Thirteen explained. "Throughout your exam, please think of us as villains."
"And if you come across your opponent, and think you can win a fight against them, that's fine." Snipe added. "However-"
"-In cases where there's a big difference between your abilities, it would be smarter to run away and get help." Mr. Aizawa finished his sentence. "Todoroki, Midoroya, Iida, I'm sure you three understand this very well."
He was right, they wouldn't have been able to fight off the Nomu in Hosu City on their own. This test wasn't just going to test their skills and quirk usage, they wanted to see their decision making abilities as well.
"To give you all a chance, each teacher will have a handicap of having to wear weights that are half their body weight." This time it wss All Might's turn to speak. "We had the support course students have a competition to see which design we would use, and young Hatsume won."
That last bit was useless to Shoto, he didn't even know what a Hatsume was.
"All right, each team will have to take the practical exam on the stage that has been prepared." Mr. Aizawa interrupted before Bakugou could comment. "Sato and Kirishima, get ready."
The teachers started to walk away, heading towards the building behind them.
"Those waiting their turn can watch the exams or strategize as a team. Do whatever you want, I don't care." Mr. Aizawa turned and joined the others. "That's all."
Shoto turned to his partner, who had a grimace on her face, and her gauntlet covered hand sitting on her chin.
"Todoroki, how much hand-to-hand combat do you know?" Schnee asked.
"I know how to punch someone without hurting my hand." Shoto answered truthfully. He spent most of his training working with his ice.
Schnee sighed softly, and nodded slowly. "Great…"
That didn't sound too good.
A/N
This chapter was supposed to come out next week, but I decided to release it early, so the next update shall come out on January 17th for the anniversary!
The gift shall be released on the same day, and I can't wait to share it.
Till next time on Schnee: Hero or Huntress!