The lunchtime bell rang. The morning, so far, had been fairly uneventful – well, in comparison to the first day – and they were starting to get the feel of what classes would actually be like most of the time. In fact, each of them left the classroom feeling just a little bit better about their prospects as heroes.
"Hey, uh, Sasaki-san, you wanna come sit with us for lunch?"
"Please, Hima-kun is fine." He looked at his watch. "Sorry, I have a catch-up session with Aizawa-sensei. I'll see you two later!" With that, he headed off down the corridor to the left, leaving Hayate and Miku to turn in the other direction to the food hall.
"So." Miku made sure Sasaki-san was out of earshot. "That guy looks exactly like someone, but I have no idea who. You got any idea?"
Hayate smirked. "You're not gonna believe me."
"Try me, Speedy."
"Think about it. Last-minute recommendations. Not having to do any of those tests. This really stinks of nepotism. And there's only one teacher at this school who we know is blond. There's only one logical answer."
"Yeah? Go on."
"He's the illegitimate son of Present Mic!"
"What? No way." Miku wrinkled her nose. "He's way too young for a child that age."
"Well, yeah, but it's not completely impossible…"
"Pretty damn unlikely, I should think."
Just as he was about to expound on his theory (well, okay, it had a few holes, but come on), a man came out of one of the side rooms who killed all his belief in the Present Mic hypothesis. The man was tall – at least six, if not seven foot – and skinny with it, and he was the spitting image of Sasaki-san. His hair was longer and yellower, and his eyes were dark and overshadowed so that one could hardly see the blue, but otherwise it was like a creepily accurate déjà vu. The twins tried not to stare, merely giving the man a polite nod, then waited till he was out of sight to stare back at each other.
"That was –"
"Not Present Mic, that's for sure."
"You were right. It couldn't possibly be anyone else."
"Perhaps he's a teacher we don't know?"
"Well, we did miss orientation."
"But where's his hero costume? That gold suit can't have been it."
"Maybe he's not a hero…"
Miku sighed. "I don't know, Hayate. This is weird, and we still haven't figured out who either of them remind us of."
He nodded. "Well, if the guy's a teacher…"
"We'll soon find out, I guess."
There was a confident-sounding knock on the door, and a booming voice interrupted the intellectual silence of the office.
"I AM HERE… for our meeting, Principal Nezu!"
Nezu looked up towards the giant mass of muscle and blond hair that was All Might. The superhero was grinning as always, his well-structured face making up for the ugly yellow suit he was wearing.
"You can drop the act, Yagi-san. Gran Torino has told me everything."
All Might sighed and allowed himself to deflate into his weaker form. "Well, if he trusts you, I shall as well."
Nezu nodded and gestured towards the seat across form him, where a cup and saucer were laid out on the low table in preparation. "Please, take a seat. Tea?"
"Thank you." Yagi sat, trying to look more confident than he was. This was far outside his comfort zone, which mostly consisted of punching things until they stopped. "To be blunt, Principal Nezu, I am going to retire from my hero work soon."
"Indeed. And what will happen concerning… One for All?"
"I would like to figure that out too." Yagi sighed. "I need to pick a successor. There are… one or two that could take it on, but I haven't really seen… what I'm looking for. I don't have any children of my own, and, well, the clock is ticking for me."
"How much longer do you think you can keep this up for?" asked Nezu, pouring the tea.
"Three, perhaps four years if I stick to my time limits and don't do anything reckless."
"And we both know that will never happen, not while there are villains in this world." Nezu smiled. "And that's what you're here for." He proffered the teacup.
"Exactly, sir. Thank you." The Symbol of Peace took a delicate, almost maidenly sip of his tea. "If I may, I'd like to do some scouting here. Both with your current students and with anyone applying here – for the next few years, if necessary."
Nezu nodded. "You will need a reason for it. An alibi, if you will."
"Perhaps I could take a job as a security guard, a janitor…?"
"That is no job for the Symbol of Peace, Yagi. You underestimate yourself. Why not simply become a teacher?"
"Become… a teacher?" It was true he'd have to teach his successor, but… somehow he'd never seen himself in such a profession. "I don't have any training."
"It can be acquired."
"But… do you have space for me?"
Nezu looked thoughtful, as far as his expressions could be read. "Not this year, no, I have everyone I need. But…" He brightened. "I believe Sakura-sensei is due for retirement at the end of this year, and Snipe-sensei will be taking her position, so… you could easily take his place."
All Might began to look more hopeful. "Them – can I really be a teacher here? To aid in the search for a successor?"
"Of course! Your experience and knowledge alone would be of great help to the students. You could teach them a great deal while you're here."
The bony face smiled openly, for the first time since he had deflated. "Then I accept."
"Excellent. Now, if I may change the subject a little, I need your insight on something."
"Mine?"
"There is a certain student that came to us on recommendations today. I won't go into it, but we believe his power will be excellent if we manage to harness it for good."
"And what does that have to do with me?"
"Have you ever heard the name Sasaki? Perhaps an old friend of yours?"
Yagi Toshinori frowned. "I can't deny it sounds vaguely familiar, although I've met a few people with similar names. Perhaps I rescued or fought someone by that name, a long time ago."
"How long ago, do you think?"
"Oh, years and years. The first person by that name was probably more than twenty years ago, and there have been perhaps two or three since then. It's all a bit fuzzy, though. You know how it is, everyone begins to blur together."
"Hmmm." Nezu gave him an odd look. "You're sure? Only the vaguest connection from a long time ago?"
"I'm sure. If it was something more significant I'd tell you. Why?"
"Oh, it was just something about this student's Quirk."
"You think I have chosen my successor already?"
He really didn't know. Nezu smiled and waved a paw. "I'm sorry, perhaps I'm seeing a connection that isn't there. At any rate, I can satisfy myself that there is nothing untoward going on."
All Might nodded. "I'm glad I could be of service."
"Indeed. Now that's settled, perhaps we can have a chat about other things…"
Nezu watched the tall, emaciated figure stroll out of his office. Now that they had everything organised, he could take a little time to think properly about everything All Might had said. He would happily take the aging hero on, but… did the big guy really not know about Sasaki? Or was that bony face better at hinging things than it appeared?
He shook his head. Gran Torino had said his old apprentice would never knowingly deceive anyone unless it was necessary for their safety, and even then, he was the truthful type at heart. And yet…
Nezu picked up a folder he had laid aside for his meeting and opened it. There, on the front page next to his blood type, Quirk, and homeroom teacher, was a picture of Sasaki Himawari – almost a perfect replica of the man who had just left his office.
Who was this kid?
