Since Eye-Goddess is part of the top superheroes based on the SAO Rankings, the internship was pretty much canceled for today since she had to go to the SAO Headquarters to discuss the recent Dungeon Event with everyone. Satoshi's parents were a part of it too, and they too left their agencies. The members of the agency were free to leave, but since there are still a few things that needed to be accomplished before the end of the day, some of them decided to stay.
With disappointment written on his face, Satoshi headed back home with nothing else to do. He was looking forward to another day as an intern but as it turned out, he received a day off. If it were any other person, they would've been elated, but to Satoshi who wanted to gain as much experience as possible to further prepare himself for his lifelong dream of becoming a professional superhero, it was a punch in the gut. Aside from physical training and mastering his control over his familiars and their newfound skills, there was really nothing left for him to do. He could help Emma with her training, or call over the noisy Midori or Hiroshi for a practice match just like he did this morning... but that's about it. And it's not like he was lacking in combat training with his dad giving it to him on a silver platter every day in the morning.
When he got home, he was surprised to see both Midori and Hiroshi waiting for him by the front gate. Emma was there too, answering their call since she and Aira were the only ones at home.
"What are you two doing here?" Satoshi picked up his pace to greet them.
"Our agency's on break and we figured yours too. Well, turns out every agency in Japan is on break so there was nothing to do." Midori shrugged. "And that's why we came to pick you up!"
"What do you mean?" Satoshi asked.
Without further ado, Midori pulled up a flyer from his pocket and showed it so enthusiastically. It was a flyer of the recognized Hero Licensing exclusively run by the SAO. Hiroshi briefly grinned as he nodded along the display. The two of them have talked about this, and unbeknownst to Satoshi, every first year in the world was already aware of what they were about to say.
Ironically, Satoshi had always been updated with superhero news, in fact, he was a great fanboy when it comes to every superhero. There was one point in his life when he had saved up articles about superheroes every day, compiling them in folders per month and per year on his retro computer. That retro computer is now Dex though, but he could always revert into his previous form so Satoshi could access the files. Going back to the topic, since Satoshi had been busy the past few days, he was unable to update himself on the recent news regarding the superheroes he admired the most. Fortunately, Hiroshi and Midori were here to save the day and update him of one of the most important things he had to know.
"The Superhero License Exam. You're not going to take it?" Hiroshi asked, much to Satoshi's surprise.
'They're still first years and teenagers at that. Why are they suddenly talking about the Superhero License Exam?' Satoshi had question marks running to and fro his mind as he tried to figure out what Hiroshi meant. He still couldn't think of a reason why though, so he just had to ask. "What are you talking about?"
"You mean, you're not going to take it?" Hiroshi, with a doubtful face, confirmed.
"Of course, I will, but we're still ineligible to take it, you know. Only third and fourth years can take them and one needs to be at least eighteen years old, right?" Satoshi asked, perplexed.
"Well, not really... you see, starting today, the Superhero License Exam is extended to first years, and anyone from sixteen years old and above can take the exam. Just like a driver's license." Midori said. "I'm surprised you are unaware of this. But then again, it was just reported on the news yesterday when they announced the Superhero License Exam schedules."
"So, are you going, or not?" Hiroshi asked for the second time even though he already knew the answer.
"Sure," Satoshi answered, grabbing the flyer that Midori pulled up from his pocket. While giving it a quick scan, he kept on thinking just how soon it was for him to be taking the Superhero License Exam. But then again, it's not like he wasn't yet prepared for this. "Let's go," He said after confirming the address.
"Before that... who's she?" Hiroshi curiously asked, jerking a thumb towards Emma who had been standing quietly by the side.
Emma fidgeted. The reason why she hasn't spoken up until now was that she didn't want to interrupt their conversation. Besides, she doesn't know that much about this world so she was trying to limit her speaking.
"Is she your cousin?" Midori asked.
"Um, not really, she's a guest." Satoshi continued. "Her name's Emma Leisenberg."
"I see, she's a foreigner. Must be from the Midoriyam Duo's connections." Hiroshi assumed. "Is she coming with us?"
Emma shook her head. She had to look after Aira, after all, unless of course, Aira will come with them. It was written all over her face that she badly wanted to come but she couldn't. And she didn't want to disturb Satoshi while he was going to take that Superhero License Exam. At the very least, she knew what the Superhero License Exam was, and this was all the more reason why she couldn't go with him with Aira tagging along. After all, Aira can be especially clingy to Satoshi.
"Yeah, she's coming with us," Satoshi spoke before Emma could outrightly reject the offer. And then he mouthed to bring Aira with her too. "Just, make sure to hide her hair. Someone might recognize her."
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