The hallway felt quieter now, the energy of the exam slowly starting to fade away. Students who had finished earlier were trickling out, their faces a mix of exhaustion and relief. I leaned against the wall, waiting for Kaito to show up. He was supposed to meet me outside, but he was taking his sweet time.

Finally, I spotted him down the hall, his shoulders slumped and his usually carefree swagger completely gone. His face looked drained, like someone had sucked the life out of him. He walked toward me slowly, as if each step required immense effort.

When he saw me, his eyes narrowed in a kind of half-hearted annoyance.

Kaito: "Dude... I think my soul left my body halfway through that exam."  

He sighed dramatically, letting his head drop back as if he were about to collapse. 

Kaito: "Seriously, I thought I was gonna pass out."

I chuckled. Kaito had always been the type to exaggerate, but after what we'd just gone through, I wasn't about to disagree with him.

Me: "Yeah, I'm not gonna lie, it was rough but soo much fun."

Kaito slumped down beside me, still looking completely defeated.

Kaito: "Rough?  FUN?!!! That was borderline torture, man. They had us running through everything—logic puzzles, physical tests, hero analysis, and don't get me started on that mental endurance section. Who thinks it's a good idea to make someone fill out a page of complex equations in under a minute?"

I smiled at Kaito's rant. It was almost comforting to hear him complain about the same stuff I had been silently cursing.

Kaito: "And then there was that part with the heroes, man... I swear, I wrote about the most ridiculous things just to get it over with."

Me: "Yeah, I think we all did." I grinned, not about to share just how deeply I had analyzed each hero's quirks. "But hey, did you at least finish the test?"

Kaito shot me a look, lifting his head just enough to give me a half-glaring, half-tired stare.

Kaito: "Of course, I finished it. Do you think I'm some kind of loser who gets stuck halfway through?" 

He leaned in closer, lowering his voice with an almost conspiratorial tone. 

Kaito: "So, how'd you do? What's your game plan now, huh? You gonna beat me this time?"

I leaned back against the wall, crossing my arms, trying to look as casual as possible.

Me: "Checkmate."

Kaito froze for a moment, blinking rapidly as if trying to process what I had just said. And then, the realization hit him, and a smirk tugged at the corners of his lips.

Kaito: "No way. You're serious?"

Me: "Oh, I'm serious."

 I couldn't help but laugh, the weight of the exam finally lifting from my shoulders. 

Me: "I'm gonna win this, Kaito. Trust me."

At that, Kaito let out a long, exaggerated groan, collapsing fully onto the floor and staring up at the ceiling as if the universe itself had decided to punish him.

Kaito: "I can't believe this... I was so ready to take you down this time, and now you're acting like you've already got it in the bag. That's it. I'm done. I'm cooked. I don't know why I thought I could beat you... I'm clearly just a supporting character in your hero journey."

I couldn't help but laugh at his antics. It was good to see him back to his usual self, even if he was playing the part of a dramatic defeatist.

Me: "Nah, you're not done. You've still got a shot. But... I did maybe mess with someone's mind a little bit." 

I paused, giving Kaito a teasing grin. 

Me: "You know, just a little bit... "

Kaito shot up from the floor, eyes wide with disbelief.

Kaito: "Wait—what? Who? You messed with someone's head? Dude, you're not serious. Who'd you mess with?"

I gave him a mock serious look, keeping my voice low.

Me: "Eraserhead."

Kaito blinked. And then blinked again.

Kaito: "Wait, Eraserhead? The guy who's practically a walking tank of grumpiness and bad attitude? The one who looks like he could erase my quirk with just a glance?"

I nodded slowly, unable to suppress my grin.

Me: "Yeah, that one. It was kind of... well, let's just say, he didn't expect me to know as much as I did. I may have made him a bit... uncomfortable... poor little underground hero."

Kaito stared at me, wide-eyed and speechless for a long moment.

Kaito: "You're insane, you know that? I can't believe you did that. What did you even say to him?"

I shrugged, trying to look nonchalant despite the fact that my mind was racing with the memory of Eraserhead's stare.

Me: "Just pointed out some things about him, you know? Some... details. Things he probably doesn't like thinking about."

Kaito looked like he was about to burst out laughing or faint from secondhand embarrassment—maybe both.

Kaito: "I don't know whether to be impressed or scared. But you've definitely made this way more interesting."

Me: "Hey, it's all part of the game, right?"

 I leaned back against the wall, crossing my arms again. 

Me: "But don't worry. Everything's cool. I didn't go overboard. Just enough to make him think for a second."

Kaito chuckled, shaking his head.

Kaito: "Unbelievable, man. You actually messed with Eraserhead's mind." 

He paused, his expression softening a little. 

Kaito: "Well, I guess I'm glad I've got you in my corner. You're the kind of guy who makes the impossible look easy."

Me: "I wouldn't say easy... but yeah, I've got your back. Always."

Kaito stretched his arms over his head, yawning dramatically once more.

Kaito: "Alright, alright. I'll admit, you've got this. But don't think I'm going down without a fight. I'll see you at the finish line, Me."

Me: "We'll see, Kaito. We'll see."

As we walked out of the building, the sun was setting in the distance, casting a golden light over the city.  The competition, the stakes, the twists and turns—all of it was still ahead of us.....

But one thing was for sure: it was going to be one hell of a ride.