The first thing that Mina woke up to was the smell of oil and the sounds of singing. Curious and bugged by the smell, she got up from her bed and walk over to the kitchen where the smell and singing coming from. The singing was soft and in another language. Besides the song, the oil was off-putting. Why is it so strong?
When Mina peaks into the kitchen, she found her new roommate, fully dressed in her uniform with a ankle-length skirt and an apron, and frying some long pieces of dough. Liu had a small smile, still humming to a gentle beat, as she stirs another pot of a white soup. Out of her corner of her eye, Liu sees Mina at the edge of the entrance, standing there in her blue pajamas. Liu cease her singing and turns her head to her and greets her.
"A-Ah! Good morning, Ashido-san! I'm making some breakfast for us."
Mina yawns as she look at the mountain of the fried bread on a long plate. "What's that, Chen-chan?" she asks with an interested look. "Is this Chinese food?"
"Yes, it is Chinese food!" Liu quickly expresses her joy with her soft voice, glad that Mina didn't told her to shut up. "This is called youtiao. It's what I ate for breakfast when I was still in China. It's like a doughnut and you can eat with sweet soy milk or savory soy milk! Personally, I prefers the savory soy milk with lots of chili oil! But I'm making some sweet soy milk too!"
Mina love her roommate. Liu was just so cute and nice that she have to hug her. And that what she did. Liu suddenly struggles as the taller girl picks her up and hug her. "Oh my God!" Mina coo. "Never leave me! You are just too adorable!"
Liu blushes. "P-Please stop calling me that word," Liu demands. "I'm really not cute!"
"But why?"
"B-Because I'm -" Liu's tongue was tied. "Just please let me down! The youtiao is going to burn!"
"Oh sorry!" Mina put Liu down as Liu brushes the nonexistent dust on her apron.
"So," Liu picks up her straining ladle and took the youtiao from the oil. "What's your answer, Ashido-san? Do you want to try some sweet soy milk with the youtiao or savory? Or maybe both?"
"Umm," Mina looks over Liu's shoulders. "What's in the savory soy milk?"
"Well, it's my own recipe which I took from other people that used to live with," Liu says. "Chinese vinegar, dried shrimp, sesame oil, salt, and a brunch of other ingredients."
"Dried shrimp?" Mina asks with a disgusted expression. "I want to try the sweet milk."
"Okay!" Liu adds more youtiao to the pile. Mina eyes the absurd amount of fried dough and then Liu who seems to be not stopping anytime soon.
"Um, Chen-chan," Mina say, "I think you are making too much."
"No I'm not," Liu firmly states. "I'm planning to make even more food! It will be never enough when you are sharing with other people."
"Sharing?" Mine's abnormal eyes widen.
"Yeah, I'm going to give this to those girls last night. I was a bit rude to them soooo . . ." Liu raises the plate to Mina with her same soft smile, "food? Because food makes people get together and be happy." Liu put a hand under her chin and sunk into deep thought. "Let's see. I'm gonna make some soup dumplings, scallion pancakes, some noodles, egg tarts, char siu, some sweet buns, and other traditional Chinese foods. So yeah, I need a lot of people to eat it. We can't finish it ourselves, right?"
Mina grabs her shoulders and tightly hugs Liu again. "You are an angel," Mina whispers with proud tears of joy. "An awesome food angel from God."
"Uh?" Momo looks at the table.
"Ribbit," the frog-like girl stares at the table with a drooling mouth.
"What is . . ." the floating uniform asks in wonderment.
The table was filled to the brim with various food dishes which no one, but Liu, saw before. The smell was intoxicating. A porky aroma, a sugary aroma, a spicy aroma, smells that shouldn't go together, but somehow, it comes into perfect harmony.
"So?" Liu asks with a soft smile. "Please dig in! I cooked plenty of - Ah!"
It didn't took a minute before everyone practically ran to their seat and began eating. The quick movements of plates and obnoxious chewing noises sound the room, causing the poor Chinese girl to be push to the side. Oh goodness, she thought, covering her gaping mouth. Not even starving kids can eat this fast.
"The soup dumplings are amazing!"
"This bread thing and salty soy milk are good too!"
"Ribbit. Ribbit."
"I would eat it forever! I love you, my Chinese baby! Never leave me!"
Liu's scared. Japanese people say that China is scary because of its scams and holes as toilets, but look at these girls eating! Liu know that they are not even pacing themselves! They are eating everything! In a matter of a few minutes, nothing lives. The soup dumplings were none. The youtiao is nonexistent. Someone took a bite out of space and time. And Liu was starving because no left anything for her.
But yet, Liu was happy as well.
At least they are not going to starve, and that's enough for her. Liu sighs, already exhausted for the day. A burp came from the frog-like girl as, one by one, they stood up and turns to the Chinese girl who was still in her apron.
"Thank you for the food!" they say in unison.
It was definitely worth it! She thought.
"You're welcome," Liu says with her same gentle smile.
Japanese trains are amazing, comfortable, and safe. Liu rarely take the trains back in China, but when she did, it was alway just little shaky. It's not bad (In fact, Chinese trains are pretty good), but it's not the best. Here at this moment, Liu never felt more safe than in this Japanese train despite being so crowded. The train moves so smoothly and quick. Her eyes wanders around in awe, looking at the sheer amount of technology that she never truly witness in person before. My goodness, she thought with admiration. How can anyone come up with these things? It felt like only yesterday that I was using a oil lamp to see in the dark . . .
Liu pushes back a loose strand of hair and tuck it into her low bun. It took almost a hour last night to comb it loose, but it taught her a valuable lesson that she shouldn't let her hair run free ever again. And actually, she much prefers the motherly low bun hairstyle instead of letting loose. It was sweet, girly, and keeps her hair out of the way when she fights. If she ever fight.
Liu turns to her side and sees the her classmates doing various things. Some was sitting and reading, some was standing and daydreaming, and some was listening to music on their phones. Liu's reaction to meeting these girls yesterday was unnecessary. Liu originally thought that her classmates would be cruel to her for being a foreigner like what her grandfather ingrained into her gullible head, but no. They were really nice and kind, and Liu was glad that she will have three years to get to know them all.
Liu smiles brightly.
Yeah, that's a nice thought.
"Now, arriving to Yuuei Station," The speaker says. "Now, arriving to Yuuei Station."
The girls got up from their seats and walk out the train as a heavy flow of other students follow suit. Unfortunately for Liu, she was majorly smaller when comparing to her classmates and she got lost in the crowd.
Heads of taller people envelop her sight. She can't see where she was going, and there's barely any room to move. She was forced to follow the flow, whatever they go. She didn't like it was a understatement. She quickly turns petrified, scared. She didn't expect that the crowd would be so fast! Besides the quick moving crowd, she was worried that she might be late on her first day, and that isn't a very good impression for a foreigner like her. Can't make it seem like China has such lazy people!
Liu shoves some people out of the way, apologizing for her pushing, yet she was just keep being push back. Of course she would be pushed back, she wasn't using her full strength, and she doesn't want to use her full strength on people in fear of hurting them.
There's no other option other than being late.
She doesn't like to use her quirk for any petty reason, but this is an emergency. Liu took deep breath and then focus all of her bodily energy on generating on her quirk.
One layer . . .
Her muscles tightens.
Two layers . . . Three layers . . .
She put a leg back, feeling a stressful energy running through her body.
Four layer . . .
She calculates her landing in a fairly empty area before taking another breath.
Five layers!
She kick her leg off the ground, using the force to propel her to the air. In mid air, she backflips and already calculated where she is hoping to land. She gives a small smile, confident in landing where she want. But fate has other plans.
She feels a hand grabbing her ankle, causing her to fall down directly on her face. She broken a nose as blood flows from it. Her eyes water rapidly, causing everything to burr. She stands up, covering her bleeding nose.
"Oh shit! Are you alright?!" a masculine voice panics. Despite not being able to see well, she heard the opinions of the other students who witnessed her fall.
"Did she use her quirk? In public?"
"Is she gonna be alright?"
"I think it's that Chinese student!"
"Well of course it is! Chinese people always use their quirk in public!"
"Oh God! I think she is dying!"
"That girl is gonna co-"
Thud!
Liu faints.
"Is that why you used your quirk? To go to school?" the old woman sighs, slamming her clipboard on her lap and pinching the bridge of her nose. "Didn't anyone told you that it's illegal in Japan to use your quirk in public without a license?"
"Huh?" Liu asks, confused.
It only been a few minutes from waking up from her "Incident," and she already blushing a bright red. She was in the Yuuei Clinic when she woke up, and somehow, her broken nose was completely healed. No broken bone nor any bruises. It turns out that the aging women in a doctor's coat was a pro-hero named "Recovery Girl" with a quirk to basically heal anything. Recovery Girl has just explained to Liu about how got to the clinic when she was passed out. A male student took her there. The idea of it made Liu blushed and spited out Mandarin words out of supreme embarrassment. So after a good backhand on the head, Liu explained everything about her situation at the train station. Not to say, Recovery Girl was frustrated.
"You need a license to use your quirk in public," the woman says in a scolding tone. "Otherwise, it's illegal."
"A license? You actually need a license?" Liu gasps. "Oh God, I'm so sorry! It's just in China, everybody can use their quirk anywhere, even in public. It's just the norm."
Recovery Girl looks her clipboard with a frown. "You don't really have a medical record," she says, knowing that she has to no clue about what previous ailments or vaccines Liu had. "Other than a birth certificate, it seems like you never went to a proper physical since the day you were born."
"Sorry, it's just -"
"Stop saying that you are sorry. It won't help the situation," Recovery Girl look up from the board. "You do realize that your scholarship is on the line because of this incident? I'd been told you need to go the principal after school for it."
Liu widen her eyes. "W-W-What?! It can't -"
"It is happening," the woman says with seriousness in her tone. "You must go to the Principal Office after school or you may have to go back to China. After all, using your quirk in public is a serious criminal offense!"
Liu have no words. It felt like her breath has been taken. Was it it? Would all of her hard work be undone? Because of a cultural misunderstanding? Liu bit her lip as she took a deep breath.
"Okay," Liu quietly says. "I will go. I understand."
"Good," the woman nods. "You probably have to lay down for a bit. Me fixing your nose had took a lot of you."
"I'm sorry, but no," Liu says, getting out of bed. "I wasted so much time unconscious that school started. I'm already considered as late by now."
Recovery Girl stares at Liu with a sadden look. She knows that Liu was embarrassed and tired, and yet she desperately wanted to got to class. Most students in the situation would want to hide in the clinic because of the probable bullying that they may face, but Liu can't afford not to go to class. Liu cannot miss a single class or her scholarship will be on the line. Not to say that it already is but still though.
Liu bow to the old woman with a smile. "Thank you ma'am," she says before standing up straight and walking out.
Rumors had been flooding on the internet about a Chinese student on recommendation for the past few months. Even through the media has swarmed over to China to uncover the student, no one truly knew what the student is or look like other than a few facts:
1. The student is from China.
2. The student is a female.
3. The student has been involved in the biggest cheating scandal in Yuuei History.
The last fact has caused a quite controversy within the Japanese media. Many people assumed that the student was a cheater and Yuuei, the prestigious school for training pro-heroes, had just simply let her in. Even though the Yuuei principal had debunked the myth to the news and explained that the student stopped the scandal, people continued to be skeptical about the mysterious student.
So when the door to Aizawa-sensei's classroom, everyone turns to their heads and see a small tan girl in the long skirt version of their uniform. The room was quiet. No one have words to describe her. For so long, the media had painted an image in their minds that the Chinese student was a frightening being that is over seven feet tall with muscles the size of soccer balls. But no, she's entirely different. She was small, flat-chested, and have the most round cheeks in existence, a feature that is presented in almost all Chinese girls. Is she really the Chinese student that been involved in a cheating scandal?
"Um," she starts as a blush was present on her cheeks. She bows quickly as stutters our. "My name is Chen Liu! I'm sixteen years old and from Beijing! Please take care of me!"
A Yuuei gym uniform had been thrown over her bowing head.
"Just wear that," Aizawa says before taking another sip from his juice pouch.
"O Great Buddha, I beg of you for wisdom and strength. May I request you spare me a portion of your luck to me? I need it please to overturn my despair and bring light into my day. Please listen to my call and -"
"Um, Chen-chan," Mina asks while undressing."What are you doing?"
Liu looks up from her prayer beads, wrapped around her hands, and gives Mina a confused look.
"Pardon?"
"You have been standing there for two minutes while muttering to yourself in Chinese," Mina put on her uniform jogger. "It's kinda creepy."
"Oh goodness!" Liu gasps. "I'm sorry. It's just when I'm having a bit of a stressful day, I pray to Buddha and ask him for guidance. I didn't know it was creepy."
"Buddha?" Mina zips her jacket. "You're a buddhist?"
"Yeah, I am," Liu put her prayer beads put down on her locker as she undress herself. "My whole family are buddhist ls and I used to live with a buddhist village, so I was basically a buddhist since I was born."
"Ah okay!" Mina look over to her friend and gasps.
"Huh? What is it?" Liu stares at Mina with confusion as the pink-skinned being quickly grabs Liu's naked arm and raises it to her eyes.
"Oh my God, the rumors are true!" Mina look back at Liu who was blushing hard. "You do got muscles!"
"So?!" Liu pulls her strong arm back and quickly dresses herself, ignoring the raging heat on her cheeks. "I'm training to be a pro-hero. Why wouldn't I have a bit of muscles?"
Mina giggles as she leans on her locker. "Sorry, sorry. It's just you looked so thin and so girly that I haven't thought you exercise at all!"
"Pardon me, but I take offense to that," Liu jokingly says, zipping up her jacket. "Plus, I don't see any muscles on you. You're all fat!"
Mina jabs the small girl to her side with a laugh. "At least I'm not flat like you!"
"Hey you two! We got to get going!" Momo swiftly passes them, heading to the door. "Aizawa-sensei's going to get mad if we don't show up on time!"
"Right!" they says in unison, running to exit.
You know, Liu follows Mina with a hopeful smile, maybe this day isn't bad at all!
"A Quirk assessment test?!"
"Okay!" Liu cheerfully says, not bother at the slightest by her homeroom teacher's demand. After all, she has no clue about Japanese culture and thought it's the norm.
"What about the entrance ceremony?" a brown bobbed girl says. "The orientation?"
"Huh?" Liu's cheerfulness suddenly drains from her face. "Ashido-san," she whispers. "Japan has entrance ceremonies?"
Mina nods, not wanting to get in trouble.
"Then why are we here?!" Liu raises her voice in surprise.
"Hey China Girl," China girl?! Liu jumps at her teacher's monotone voice. "Be quiet. I'm trying to teach."
"O-Oh, um," Liu stutters before bowing down, apologizing while blushing.
Aizawa huffs. "If you're going to become a hero," Aizawa answers the bobbed hair girl. "You don't have time for such leisurely events."
Even though it's for the best to forget her teacher's bluntness, her blush refuse to disappear once again as she tries to fan it off. Well, her grandfather always said that Japanese men aren't gentle beings and prefers to be cruel to women, so there's no reason to get surprise at this truth. Or maybe it's just some lies to prevent her from marrying a Japanese man? Nah, her grandfather would never lie to her like that.
While Liu was blushing at her own embarrassment, she missed all of the important information about why they are doing a test and that they can use their quirks during this test. It even got worse when she saw a cute blonde-haired male student walked pass her with an air of coolness. She almost faint again as she tries to keep in her fangirl squeal silence. He's so cool! He's so cool! So cool! Her face was dyed in a whole other layer of red as she tried to cover it with her hands, missing Bakugou's explosive quirk demonstration.
By the time that Liu calmed down, she was oblivious about the whole testing standards. Even about the fact that she would be expelled if she get last place. Hey, why the air so tense? Liu thought, feeling the displaced aura. It's not like we aren't going to die, right? Right?
Test 1: 50-meter dash
Liu stretches her arms and legs for this as she put on a small smile. Awesome! I'm great at running! She thought. Watch out guys because this "China girl" is gonna beat ya!
But she eat her own words in the next second when she tried to running next to a glasses-wearing man with engines on his legs. She was gobsmacked his inhuman fast speed and his sudden quirk usage.
"Um, pardon me Aizawa-sensei," she asks right after she ran. "Why is he using his quirk?"
"He supposed to use his quirk," the teacher say. "This test suppose to test the maximum that your quirk can do. But you didn't listen to me, did you?"
Liu blushes red.
Chen Liu's results: 7.28 seconds.
Test 2: Grip strength
Okay! Liu looks at her hand weight. Her roommate has just explained the rules again to Liu, so she was catched up about everything. Even the expelling part. Because if it wasn't obvious that my scholarship is about crash, I have to go all the way to present that!
Five layers . . .
The number increases.
Twenty-five layers . . .
The number increases.
Fifty -
Crash!
Liu broken the machine with her quirk. Liu blushes as she slowly walks towards the doors and away from those gawking eyes of her shocked classmates.
Chen Liu's results: ERROR
Test 3: Standing long jump
Okay! Okay! Liu stands on the high raised platform above a sandbox. DO NOT EMBARRASSED YOURSELF! Do you want to be considered as "China girl" for the rest the year? Of course not! It's time to blow them away like before!
Liu took a deep breath and starts to add her layers.
Five layers, twenty-five layers, fi - Urk!
Liu falls to her knees, clutching to her aching stomach. It's rumbling like if it was begging.
Hunger.
The biggest drawback to using her quirk: starvation.
Oh God . . . Liu stands up and reposition herself. My quirk is eating me up already? At this point? She look over the other side of the sandbox. God, I think I won't have enough fuel to use my quirk to the fullest. I might have to hold back or I may lose some muscles. Liu sighs. I should have eaten my breakfast!
Five layers!
She jumps high and lands over midway in the sandbox.
Good enough!
Chen Liu's results: 58.36 meters
Test 4: Repeated side steps
Screw it! Liu jumps between the side steps, not using her quirk at all. I'm gonna starve if I used my quirk here! Gotta conserve it!
Chen Liu's results: 58 steps
Test 5: Ball throw
Liu tosses the ball, testing its weight, before she added her layers and threw it.
Twenty layers!
The ball zips through the air at an alarming rate until one no longer see the ball anymore. Aizawa holds up her score from his phone.
1037.48 meters.
Her classmates gasp at her high score.
"Is this what a recommended student can do?!"
"Goddamn, she's so strong. She literally destroyed that grip test from earlier."
"Does she have like an enhancement quirk?"
Liu softly blushes at their compliments as she lingers behind the group, not wanting to be notice any longer. Her stomach rumbles with the ferocious intent of a beast. Maybe it isn't a good idea use so much of my quirk . . .
Chen Liu's results: 1037.48 meters
Test 6: Sit ups
Easy. Liu didn't need to use her quirk because her core muscles are on-point. The hardest part was still her never ending hunger. It distracted her when she was doing the sit ups.
Chen Liu's results: 89 sits up
Test 7: Seated toe-touch
Easy as well. She's flexible as rubber.
Chen Liu's results: Able to complete the set.
Test 8: Long-distance run
No. Hell no. She can't, she won't use her quirk during the long-distance run. Okay? That's going to kill her! You read this, reader! That's going to kill her!
Chen Liu's results: tenth place
Time has come. The results are in. The answers of who's gonna get expel and who's gonna stay. Please don't let it be Liu! Liu mutters a quick prayer and look at her results.
3: Chen Liu
As Liu took a breath of relief, she was so glad that she won't have to go back to China yet. Well, she might have to if the principal got mad at her public incident, but for God's sake, let her enjoy her moment! Her rank had just solidified her place in class! And maybe, her classmates might gain a little respect for the foreigner. Wait, is that a little disrespectful to her classmates? After all, she can't force them to like her.
Oh whatever, let's look at the others.
For first place, some person named "Peach" got it. Oh wait, it's Momo! Liu remembers that her Momo's name can translates into "peach" in Japanese. God, she really needs to learn kanji if this became a problem. Or was it hiragana? Or katakana? All three? Why do Japan have such a complicated writing system?!
For second place is . . . Todoki Soto? Soto as the chicken rice soup thing? Weird. Who named their child something like that? Or maybe she read it wrong again? Also, does Soto sounds like a girl's name to anyone? Liu thinks so, so if she sees that girl, she has to offer her some food later!
The rest she doesn't know. Liu never learn their names so she can't connect them to a face. But hey! Her roommate got a fairly decent place! Maybe Liu could cook something special again to celebrate. When she got to the last place spot, she can't help to feel bad. That student is gonna be expelled so . . . At least Liu could remember them, she guess. It's sucks to be in their situation right now.
21: Midora Izuku
Well, she thinks she got that name, right? Right?
Luckily, Aizawa puts a twist on them and said that the last place loser won't get expelled because all he wanted to do is to give them an incentive to pull themselves even harder. Wow, Liu thought. That's so anticlimactic! I expected something to happen, not saying that I want to see someone to get expel or what, but c'mon! I was expecting someone to cry while being drag away by the hand. Her stomach loudly rumbles, causing everyone to stare at Liu. Liu blushes in embarrassment as she walks in the back of the group where she belongs.
Liu feels physically destroyed, emotionally dying, lost about a kilo! She was a bit dizzy and have probably have low-blood sugar. Her stomach needs nutrition ASAP! Bread, rice, anything really! So when she went to cafeteria, she order everything.
Well, she wanted to order everything, but when she check her wallet, a fly flew out and nothing else.
She only have enough for a strawberry jam bread and some black tea. Clearly not enough to feed her quirk, but it's better than nothing. All she has to do now is to wait in line.
"Psst!" Liu heard a manly whisper behind her. "Do you think it's her?"
Oh God, Liu thought with widen eyes. They're going to talk about me. They are, aren't they?
Gossip was one of Liu's worst nightmare. When she was still in middle school, she was always the one to fade in the background. The person that no one but a few will know.
She much prefers it that way, so no one can bother her as much.
But here in Japan, she is a foreigner and a recommended student. Everyone is gonna be talking about her behind her back and spread lies around like a disease. Liu take a deep breath and focus in her situation. It's just words, Liu, she reassures. Just words . . .
"Yeah, it should be," another feminine voice enters. "I read on the internet that China student has really tan skin. Like skin like a black person!" Liu's hand subconsciously pulls on her sleeve, concealing her ugly skin. Her skin isn't that dark, isn't it? A black person is darker than her complexion, right?
"Really? I heard it's pale," the manly voice says. Of course, pale skinned girls are indeed prettier, however, Liu is not pale.
"But she's still kinda cute. I mean, she's small like a baby chicken." Her size is due to malnutrition from a young age. It's not like a choice to starve in a famine that someone caused.
"Yeah, I guess it's true."
"But I think she's poor," the female voice say, no longer hold her volume to a whisper. "She's only getting strawberry jam bread and black tea. Those are the cheapest items on the menu!"
"Yep, she got tan skin and eating cheap stuff," the manly voice says with such conviction. "She is poor! But I heard that she's from Beijing! That's a rich city. Hell, it's the capital! Didn't her parents love her enough?" The manly voice gasps, "Does that mean she was abandoned?"
Abandoned . . . Abandoned . . . Abandonment.
Liu opens her mouth to say something before closing it. It's just words, Liu. She thought, taking a deep breath. It can't actually hurt you physically. She grips her fist tightly and suck up her angry tears. Grandpa told me many time that words bares no weight on one's shoulders. Only actions do. So I must remember to be a normal student, do my work, so I can do what I want later. A hero.
After a few minutes baring with those students' gossip, she got her bread in a small plastic bag and black tea in a disposable cup.
She ate it alone in the bathrooms where she wouldn't hear anymore trash.
Call it a bad omen. Call it a curse, but Liu is rubbing her prayer beads in her hands while practically chanting for Buddha's help for the past few minutes. Of course, she's worried like she should be. From all the schools that she ever attended, the principal was always strict on the students. What make this principle any different? In fact, he might be even more cruel for the foreigner!
The door opens and Liu stops praying and hides her beads in her bag. "Chen-san," a familiar monotone voice says. "Principal Nedzu wants you now."
With one more deep breath, Liu stands from her waiting chair and went into the office, seeing Aizawa holding the door for her. He closes the door and walk over by the principal's side. Liu was surprised at Nedzu's appearance. He was literally a mouse! A small, tiny, little mouse like the ones that she used to kill back home! Just only in a cute suit! A suit!
"Good afternoon, Chen-san," the mouse says. "Do not worry. You're not in trouble. Please take a seat."
Liu mutters a quick thank you before pulling up the chair in front of his desk and sitting in it.
"Chen-san, I have expected for you to know your situation, correct?" Nedzu says with a calm attitude.
"Yes," Liu starts with her small voice. "And I do apologize for it. I really didn't know that -"
"That's not why you are here."
Liu widen her eyes in disbelief. "Wait, what?"
"You are here for a whole different reason than what you expected," Aizawa explains. "If you haven't realize yet, you are the first student in this new program, and we researched about your culture. We knew that the Chinese always uses their quirk whenever, whatever, despite the laws. That's why China have lots of traffic accidents, yes?"
"Does that mean?"
"You are excused, but for only this time."
Liu let go a breath of relief, knowing that she doesn't have to go back home yet. "Thank you so much!" she beams a bright smile to her teacher. "I thought I'm gonna be deported for a second!" Aizawa didn't react to his student's innocent smile.
"Now, now Chen-san," Nedzu says. "That's still not the reason why you are here. You are here because you are the first student in the expansion program."
"Program?" Liu says, confused. "Oh yeah! The Chinese Student Emissions Program! The thing that Yuuei put in to get more foreign students to enter in the courses!"
"Yes, that's it, and you still know why you are so different from other, right? It's because you're -"
"Oh! Because I'm the first student that enters into the program and got through it via by recommendation," Liu cut him off, realizing what the principal wants. "That's what it is, isn't it?" Liu sighs, exhausted. "Principal Nedzu, I know what you want to talk about, and . . . I really don't want to talk about it. I wasn't proud in what I was doing. In fact, I did out of rage instead of rational thought. So please just let this end. The media keeps bugging me so much back home."
Nedzu crossed hands together and leans back in his chair. "Originally," he goes in, ignoring his student's request, "there was going to be quite a few students that in the program. Each becoming a normal student in the one of our courses, but due to the cheating scandal, you are the only one that could attend, and you gained a recommendation because of it."
Liu feels a weight on her shoulders. She can't even open her mouth and throw a rebuttal. She felt so guilty for what she had did to the moderators, even if they deserved it.
"And, because of what you did," Nedzu continues, "We uncovered some of the most corrupted pro-heroes of the century. I just can't thank you enough for your involvement. Who would know what happens if they continues their 'heroism'?"
"So you want to thank me? That's it?" Liu asks bitterly. "Please respect my wish and let's stop talking about this. I don't want it to be even mention."
"No, that's not it. We need to discuss about your scholarship."
"Huh?" Liu asks before realizing they have something extremely important to say.
"Yeah," Aizawa says. "We got to talk about how can you keep your scholarship."
Liu leans towards her teacher, all ears on his words.
"You know that your scholarship is basically your student visa, right?" Aizawa explains. "And there's some tough requirement for retaining it if you want to stay in Japan. You know what it is, right? It's in your acceptance letter."
"Um," Liu tries to remember the words of letter she got, but her inability to read Japanese is coming back to her again, causing her to blush at her ignorance. "Well, I think that I have to be part of Top Five in academics and this year's annual Sport party too, right?"
"It's actually 'Sport festival,' Chen-san," Nedzu corrects. "And you have to be the Top Five in Hero Studies, not general academics."
Liu blushes harder, further embarrassed.
Aizawa huffs. "Chen-san, I have something else to say. And you need to hear it," Aizawa says. "From your Quirk assessment test, you're at the high end of the scale, but I noticed something that is detrimental." Liu understands as she nods in agreement, hiding her blush with her hands. Aizawa continues.
"To be honest, even with your scores, I recognized you as one of the people that I wanted to expel." Wait, what? Liu stops blushing as she looks at Aizawa with a confused look.
"Pardon me," she says. "But I thought that threat was just an incentive for us. It wasn't real, wasn't it?"
"You have too many major flaws to be a hero," Aizawa bluntly says, ignoring Liu's question. "You are a complete and utter airhead," Liu felt a cut in her heart, "and too emotionally sensitive. You don't have thick skin. In fact, I had a chance to look at your recommendation and how you got it. Like what you said from earlier, in a fit of rage while you just happened to walk by the moderators talking, you then caused millions of yuan of property damage in that same rage. Thankfully, no one got hurt other than the moderators, but you caused a major dent in the local economy. A lot of people lost their jobs because of what you did. People went homeless because of your action." Aizawa stares at Liu with a disappointing look. "You can't be a hero if you can't control your own emotions. You, out of all the students of this school, have one of the most dangerous quirk, to others and to you. Don't let your emotions control that quirk because of it."
What? Is he suggesting that Liu doesn't feel anything about that? Does he thinks that Liu doesn't feel quilty? She felt guilty for the past several months! She is recovering for that guilt, but innocent people could gotten hurt by her fight. And people did get hurt by the aftermath of it! How dare he. How. Dare. He.
Liu nods, but inside, she was feeling her wrathful ugre building. Take a deep breath, Liu thought. Don't get yourself expel just yet.
She took a breath before forcing a smile to her teacher.
"I understand," she states. "Those are flaws that I need to work. I totally understand that, buuuut," She raises her tone, letting a bit of her anger slips from it. "I wanted to be a hero since I was a child in a rural Chinese village. I'm far away from that village now, but I did what many people there thought was impossible. Many of which said that I couldn't do it." Liu closes her eyes in deep thought. "I know I'm emotional. I know I'm little . . . Naive, but," Liu snaps open her eyes and glares at her teacher with her flaming ferocity. "I don't know if you heard about this Chinese phase: Jia you. It means 'go for it.' And that I'll do for the next three years, Aizawa-sensei." Liu stands up from her seat and bow respectfully to her seniors. "Thank you for the talk and I understand my situation, but it's late now and I have to go to my dorm before the last bus leaves."
As Liu walks to the exit, she opens the door and slams it shut, audibly echoing through the Yuuei hallways.
"You had just proved my point," Aizawa claims.
"Emotionally sensitive!" "Airhead!" Who the Heavens he think he is? Liu, cross arms, walks at an aggressive speed. Liu just got off the bus and arrive at Yuuei Dormitories. Currently, she is walking to her dorm, maintaining pout upon her thin lips. She can't believe that teacher. Her grandfather was right. Japanese men are jerks, but maybe Japanese teenage boys aren't. They aren't men yet so that means that Liu can get a boyfriend, right? A really cute boyfriend which she can marry and have children - Wait, wait, what was she mad about?
Oh yeah, Aizawa-sensei! Her officially least favorite teacher ever!
But should she remain angry at her teacher or go back to her super cute boyfriend fantasy?
. . . Boyfriend fantasy.
So can this socially awkward Chinese girl get a cute Japanese boyfriend that don't have "low standards" please? Liu isn't like those low, rude, trashy Hong Kong girls who would let men do whatever! She has standards too! She want a good boyfriend someday. A nice and cute boyfriend. A nice and -
"Chen-chan!" Mina yells. Liu spun on her heels and saw that she walked way pass her dorm building and Mina was to go out and shout at her. Liu blushes and run over to her dorm.
"Gosh Chen-chan, I swear that you're secretly an airhead!" Mina complains.
As they walks down the hallway, Liu feels embarrassed again, trying to hide her blush by looking down. She wishes that her blushing problem would go away. Maybe I can be a bit of an airhead at times . . . Liu depressingly thought.
"Anyways, we are gonna be hosting a party at our dorm!" Mina claims, causing Liu to snap her head to her.
"Pardon?" Liu says with harsher than usual tone. The last thing that she want to do today is to be with people. Not to say that she doesn't like those girls, but she has a tiring day and wants to unwind with a book and a cup of tea. And she prefers to do it alone.
"Yeah! It's for celebrating yours and Yaoyorozo's scores!" Mina cheers, not noticing Liu's tone.
"For me?" Liu asks, completely snap out of her sulking state. "You don't have to celebrate for my score. It's just a score. It doesn't really mean anything."
"Doesn't mean anything? Chen-chan, you got third place and Momo got first place! Even though you guys are recommended students, that's great and call for a huge epic party!"
"But I just want some tea and a book in Chinese . . ." Liu melancholic says.
"Are you insane or you want to get out of this?"
"I want to get out of it."
"Too bad! You're going!"
". . . Will there be food there?" Liu hopefully asks, lightly touching her stomach.
"Of course!"
"'Kay," Liu firmly replies. "Let's go."
The plus side was the food was pretty good. The downside is that Liu was in her own corner, not wanting to talk to anyone, as she gnaws on the finger food. Soooo good! She happily thought as people conversed with each other. I thought I would never eat like this ever again!
"Um, Chen-chan?" Momo tries to talk to the starving girl. "I think that you're . . . Eating a bit too much. Already half the snack table is gone."
"Try to saying that this morning, Momo-san," Liu sharply says before going back to her sandwiches. "Wow, this is yuuuuuuumy! I want to eat like this forever."
"Yaoyorozo-san, did you get Chen-chan off the food?" the frog-like girl, or "Tsu" as Liu recently learned, asks. "I can't believe someone so small can eat so much."
"Is this part of her quirk?" Mina asks in horror. "I heard her stomach rumbles during that quirk test. I think she gets hungry when she uses her quirk."
"I don't know, but this is still an inhuman amount of food she's eating," Momo replies in the same terror as Mina.
"Oh my God, I'm so sorry!" Liu bows to her gawking classmates. "I didn't realize how much I was eating, but I'll make it up for you! Let me cook for you again!"
Her classmates can't believe it. Did Liu just realized that she ate the entire snack table? How can a recommended student act such an oblivious idiot? Seriously, who gave her a recommendation?!
"Um," Momo starts, "Don't worry about it. It's not we didn't eat all of your food this morning and leave nothing for you."
"Y-Yeah!" Mina stutters.
"But still," Liu stands straight from her bow. "I feel bad for eating your food so let me cook something real quick."
"Chen-"
"Nope! I made up my mind! I'm gonna cook!" Liu charges towards the kitchen with a grand meal plan, leaving the rest in silence.
"I don't know if I should consider it endearing or really stubborn. Ribbit." Tsuyu comments.
"I think it's both," Momo replies.
"Oh!" Mina perks as she runs to the kitchen. "Chen-chan! I forgot to tell you something! Kirishima said 'sorry!'"
Liu pauses, just about reaching over the neatly stack pans. "Pardon, but who's Kirishima?" Liu asks, confused.
"That's the boy who pulled you down this morning," Mina replies. "He was really panicking and carry you on his back to the clinic. He said that he's really sorry for breaking your nose and -"
Liu grabs her shirt's collar and tugs it to her eye level. "Can you tell me where he lives?" Liu asks. Her soft, motherlike voice all gone, revealing a layer of absolute seriousness. Mina got pulls away from Liu's grip and tell everything that she knows about him.
Red hair.
Sharp teeth.
A part of her homeroom class.
Liu calls in an emergency of fixing her reputation. She can dealt with the gossip outside her class, but inside? No. She can't.
She has to amend for this incident.
Liu prays for strength from Buddha before entering into the Male Section of her dorm building. Liu was not prepared for boys. Liu was one of those girls with dreamed to have a proper, personal relationship with them, but they never do so because they are messes with the opposite sex. In Liu's case, she's even more of a mess with talking to boys her ages.
I handle children before, she reassures herself, carrying a bento-like container on her hands. Guys my age? Yeah! I can handle it! I can fight it! Boys are just people! Cute or not! They're all people! And I talk with people all the time! It's not that difficult! Talking and talking is ea-
Liu stops all of the sudden as a horrifyingly realization run through her head. Darn it! I don't know where he lives! Liu can't even breathe. Her heart wants to pop out of her chest and die. Darn it! Darn it! Darn it! Grandma! Where are you when I need advice about men?! Liu tries to move her feet, but was not able to. I'm so scared. Boys are not my forte. I'm not like those Hong Kong girls who has actual sex appeal. For God's sake, I HAVE A BODY OF A CHILLLLLD!
"Excusez-moi, mademoiselle," Liu hear a western voice. "But are you lost by any chance?"
Liu slowly turns her head and finds the ugliest person that she seen in her entire life. She wasn't one to judge other foreigners, but c'mon, plastic blonde hair, fake purple eyes, a oversized belt that covers his belly. He's ugly. He has been dropped as a baby. But she will be kind because he's still a person that deserves respect.
"Um, yes," Liu respond with her soft voice, firm. "Do you know where's Kirishima ' dorm is? I want to go visit him."
"Kirishima?" the blonde thought with his fake smile. "Yes, he lives in B-28. If you want, I can -"
"No thank you," Liu cuts him off, walking pass him. "My feet is fine, I can walk there myself."
The blonde fallen in a deep depression.
Okay! Okay! Okay! Liu looks at the door with a determined glare. Boys are just people. People are great. No need to be a loner. You need to apologize and give the food. Like my mother used to say, a man can forgive a woman who cooks well and didn't give him food poisoning.
Liu hesitates for a moment before ferociously knock on the door. She stops in mid air of her next knock. Wait, is that too loud? Oh God, I shouldn't even use my quirk to made it louder! He will see me as - Oh my!
The door slowly opens ajar as Liu immediately stands straight, both hands in the container. Who opens the door was, in Liu's honest opinion, the most beautiful person she ever saw.
She can't describe how he look like, but she'll try to comprehend his looks. He has a perfectly crisp body, shown his years of hard training though his casual tank top. His skin was pale and has a warmth glow to it. But those thing are nothing to compare to the abnormal colors that he bare. His eyes were different color. One green and one blue. His hair were two colors as well, spilt right in the middle. One white and one . . . Red.
Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait.
Is this divine beauty Kirishima? As the one who carry Liu on his back?
Liu never blush redder or harder in her life than right now. And she can't hide it from him. She has no words. She is unworthy to be in his presence. She's, at most, a five. He's a million, no, billion. But yet, he carried her in his muscular back of his. Why?
"What do you need from me?" he also cooley.
Liu gasps, forgetting the food in her hands. Unable to speak proper Japanese, Liu stutters out her words in Mandarin Chinese as she shoves her container into his perfect hands, lightly touching it. Liu can't even say anything anymore. His hands are so . . . Nice. It's not soft, not rough. It's its own kind of texture. And it send shivers to Liu' soul.
"Can you speak Japanese?" he requests. "I don't know any Chinese."
Liu suddenly slaps herself, causing "Kirishima" to slightly widen his eyes out of shock, before Liu gently smiles at him.
"Um, um, um," Liu stutters. "I said good evening Kirishima. My name is Chen Liu. A-A-And I would like to give you some char siu and rice I made as a thank you for this morning." Liu's voice gotten even softer than usual. "It was so nice of you to carry me to the clinic. I-I-I want to just stay thank you."
"Kirishima" looks at the girl who have a blush covering her face and shutting her eyes tight like if she's bracing for an attack.
"I'm not Kirishima," he replies. "Kirishima is my roommate." He moves to the side, revealing a fully-haired redhead, sleeping on the sofa in a ridiculous position. He still wears that uniform, and it's nine in the evening.
"Um," Liu doesn't know how to respond to this.
"Don't worry," the bicolored-haired boy says. "I'll just give him this when he wakes up." Then the door shuts.
Liu was left alone in the hallway in pure silence. She faints in the next second.
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I LOVE YOU GUYS! THANK YOU FOR 8 FOLLOWERS! I CAN'T BELIEVE PEOPLE NOTICE ME! IT'S LIKE A SENPAI NOTICING THEIR KOHAI FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME!
In all serious, I want to say thank you for following. I am just so happy. I love you guys. If I have a cookie, I will eat that cookie because I can.
. . . Oh! You want a cookie too? Too fucking bad cuz there's no real cookie to give. :3
Anyways, if you don't know by now, I'm a person who like to respond to stuff. Like this review.
Gashadokuro Amanojaku: Your review is too long for me to copy and paste it.
My answer: WELCOME TO THE CLUB, BROTHER/SISTER! We, at the club, don't tolerant abusive and/or bullshit relationships! In fact, we are helpful in giving advice to bad writers who ask for it!
But let's go on to the second of the review.
Yeeeah, it's not a Chinese society problem. It's a Liu problem. You know that friend you have that is shy and quiet but lacks common sense. That's what Liu basically is. She's the type of person that can believe in anything that anyone say. Even if the truth is literally two feet behind the liar. So when her paranoia grandfather ingrained these things to her, she just believes it. In short, Liu is a moron.
Anyway, thank you for reviewing.
So if you want to leave me a review so I can rely to it, do it. I love those responds, both good and bad. I'm a person can handle criticism like a pro. :)