[Third Person's PoV]
Flash forwards to the final weeks of June…
Early in the morning, Tony—who should have still been getting restful sleep before heading to school—was wide awake.
Heavy bags sat under his eyes as stacks of papers cluttered his desk. He leaned forward, one hand gripping his hair, mumbling to himself as his fingers moved rapidly across the documents.
This had become a constant ever since his return from another universe. The days blurred together, leaving him with barely any time for himself. School, building new Mark suits, and handling all the work Melissa usually dealt with—it was an exhausting cycle.
Even so, he had managed to complete Mark 44: The Superior Iron Man Suit, replacing his old Malware Suit.
His hands and eyes moved at superhuman speed, signing documents, approving contracts, and processing paperwork like a human printing machine. When he finally finished, he stacked the signed sheets to the side, pulled another from the remaining pile, and continued.
Once it was all over, Tony interlocked his fingers and stretched, letting out a loud groan.
"How the hell does Melissa even deal with this? If I had to do this for the rest of my life, I think I'd kill myself," he muttered, cracking his knuckles.
"I finished at least a month's worth… should be fine for a while. Hopefully," he said, though his tone was anything but optimistic.
"Friday, if anyone calls me about business crap, just copy my voice and handle everything. You know how Melissa and I do things, so you shouldn't have any issues. Oh, and make a report of all the calls. I'll get to it eventually."
"Sure thing, boss," Friday responded.
"By the way, Friday, any movements from AFO and his ashy students? Summer camp is coming up soon."
"They haven't made any suspicious moves yet," Friday informed him. "However, it seems they are patiently waiting for something. What that is, I cannot determine at this time."
"And the Doctor?" Tony asked, his irritation clear in both his tone and expression.
"I'm sorry, but we haven't been able to track his movements either. He has effectively hidden himself," Friday reported, her voice carrying a hint of regret.
Tony clicked his tongue in frustration.
"I'm sorry…" Friday added, sounding almost melancholy.
"No, it's alright. You've done more than enough. They wouldn't have lasted this long if they weren't experts at hiding from tech and surveillance," Tony sighed, a trace of regret in his voice.
He yawned, covering his mouth with a hand. "Anyway, I'm going into hibernation. Wake me up only if—and I mean if—the world is about to end."
…
"UGHHHHH! I DIDN'T STUDY!" Denki groaned, sprawled out across the table. "With everything that's been happening, it completely slipped my mind!"
"Studying isn't everything, you know. I heard there's a practical exam too," Mineta said, ranking somewhere in the middle of the class.
"Haven't you been attending classes? How could you possibly fail?" Todoroki asked in his usual stoic manner.
"You know, I may only be ranked third, but if you need academic help, I can always lend a hand," Momo offered.
"Do you really mean it, Momo?!" Ashido, who wasn't exactly excelling in academics, asked with teary eyes as she grabbed Momo's hands.
The others who were struggling in class perked up at the offer and quickly gathered around, asking for her help.
Tony and Melissa exchanged amused glances, smiling as they watched how happy Momo was to be surrounded by her classmates and inviting them over to her home.
"An entire class study session…" Melissa mumbled to herself.
She then leaned over and whispered in Tony's ear… Sharing the plan she came up with.
"What do you think?" she asked excitedly.
Tony shrugged. "Sure, I don't mind."
Melissa beamed and eagerly joined Momo and the others.
Meanwhile, Tony rested his head on his folded arms. As time passed, his eyelids grew heavier, and the excited chatter around him gradually faded into a distant hum until he drifted off to sleep.
"Tony!"
Melissa's voice shook him awake, and he lazily lifted his head, blinking at her. Momo, Denki, and Kirishima stood beside her.
"Hm?" he mumbled.
"It's lunchtime. Let's go," Melissa said, barely able to contain her excitement.
Tony yawned and stretched. "Alright, let's go."
As they walked toward the cafeteria, he glanced at Melissa. "So, what happened?"
"We actually managed to convince everyone to join us! Even Bakugo and Todoroki!" Melissa said proudly.
"So, we'll study at Momo's place during one day, and then the next everyone will come over to ours for physical training," she added, puffing out her chest.
Tony raised an eyebrow. "How did you even convince Bakugo? I'm pretty sure he would've just told you to screw off."
"She used reverse psychology on him," Kirishima laughed.
"Yeah, you missed it," Denki chuckled. "She kept egging him on, saying stuff like, 'Suit yourself, but at this rate, everyone's going to surpass you.' She even dragged Midoriya into it, playing off their rivalry."
"The hardest one to convince was actually Todoroki," Melissa sighed.
"And how'd you manage that?" Tony asked curiously.
Melissa turned to him and gave a thumbs-up. "I begged until he relented."
"You made him so uncomfortable that he agreed just to get you to leave him alone," Momo added warily.
Melissa shrugged. "Hey, it worked, didn't it?"
By the time they reached the cafeteria, their large group—including Midoriya, Uraraka, Asui, Iida, and Toru—had settled at a table with their lunches.
As they chatted about the upcoming midterm exams, Monoma suddenly walked past and elbowed Midoriya in the head.
"Ow!" Midoriya yelped, rubbing his head in confusion.
"Oh, sorry," Monoma said with a smug grin. "My tray just couldn't get around that big head of yours—ACK!"
Before he could finish, Kendo swiftly grabbed the tray from his hands and knocked him unconscious with a sharp karate chop.
"Sorry about him, Class A," Kendo sighed, hoisting Monoma over her shoulder. "You've seen how he is."
She then leaned in slightly and lowered her voice. "By the way, I couldn't help but overhear you discussing the upcoming exam. I heard from an upperclassman that the practical exam is going to be a battle against robots."
"It won't be," Tony said, shaking his head, his tone filled with absolute certainty.
Everyone turned to him in confusion.
"Huh? How do you know?" Kendo asked.
"Think about it," Tony said. "With everything we've been through lately, do you really think the teachers wouldn't change things up? Robots aren't enough anymore."
"That's true… The teachers will likely push us harder to make sure we improve—" Iida began, adjusting his glasses.
But he was cut off when Tony casually held up his phone.
"I also hacked into the school system."
Silence.
"..."
"TONY!!" everyone yelled in unison, their voices filled with reprimand.
Meanwhile, Melissa and Denki were the only ones dying of laughter at the situation.
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