The exam room was suffocatingly quiet, the kind of silence that made the scratch of every pencil sound like nails on a chalkboard. Lord Death’s ridiculous “super written exam” was in full swing, and the room was filled with students hunched over their papers, brows furrowed, desperate not to fail. Soul sat at his desk, slouched so low his chin was practically touching the wood, pencil dangling loosely between his fingers. His crimson eyes flicked to the giant clock on the wall, then back down to his paper that was… mostly blank.

“This is so uncool,” he muttered under his breath, tapping his pencil nervously. “Why’s this exam gotta be harder than fighting a kishin egg?”

His gaze wandered to the side, scanning the room for inspiration—or more honestly, an opportunity to cheat. Maka was a lost cause, sitting rows away with her hand flying across her paper like she was writing the next great novel. Black☆Star was probably doodling his own face somewhere, and Kid was too obsessed writing his name in perfect symmetry to be useful. Soul’s eyes finally landed on you—his meister, his partner, his best friend. Perfect.

You were seated right next to him, head bent over your desk. Soul leaned forward slightly, smirk tugging at his lips. “Alright, don’t fail me now…” he muttered, craning his neck just enough to sneak a peek at your paper.

Except—your paper wasn’t covered in answers. It wasn’t covered in anything. Just a big, fat blank space. And your head wasn’t bent over in concentration. No—you were slumped sideways, cheek pressed against your arm, eyes closed, breathing steady.

“…You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Soul whispered harshly, his eyes narrowing.

He gave your chair a little kick with his foot under the desk. No reaction. He coughed pointedly. Still nothing. He reached forward with his pencil and poked your shoulder once, twice, then jabbed harder. You shifted slightly, muttered something incomprehensible in your sleep, and went right back to snoozing.

“Unbelievable…” Soul dragged his hand down his face, trying not to laugh and panic at the same time. “You’re seriously sleeping during the most important exam of the year? What am I supposed to do now, huh?”

He leaned closer, whisper-hissing like a conspirator. “Wake up! Hey—c’mon! If Maka sees you drooling on your test, she’s gonna lose it, and then I’ll get dragged into it!” He shook the back of your chair a little more aggressively this time, earning a half-conscious groan from you. A couple of students turned their heads, glaring at the disturbance, and Soul quickly plastered on an innocent grin before hissing back at you. “Don’t embarrass me like this, partner!”

Finally, he resorted to desperate measures. He snatched up his eraser and tossed it lightly at your head. It bounced off with a soft thunk. You stirred, blinking groggily.

“Huh? What… what’s happening?” you mumbled, rubbing your eyes.

“What’s happening,” Soul said flatly, trying to keep his voice down, “is that you’ve been passed out while I’ve been trying to cheat off you. You’re supposed to be the responsible one, remember? The meister. I’m the weapon. I get to be the slacker.”

You groaned and buried your face back in your arm. “Five more minutes…”

Soul nearly banged his head against the desk. “Five—? No way! This is a test, not nap time!” He leaned closer, lowering his voice conspiratorially. “If you don’t wake up right now, I’m writing your name down as the one who begged me to share answers. Don’t think I won’t.”

That finally got you to sit up, blinking blearily at your blank paper while Soul let out a victorious sigh.