Location: U.A. Academy, Office of the Principal 7:10 AM
Principal Nezu practices a routine every morning in his office upon arrival. First he steps through the door and takes a long sniff, the smell of fresh paper, cleaned floors, and the collection of baby daisy flowers he kept at the window creating a very pleasant and calming aroma in the office. Satisfied with everything smelling the way it should, Nezu walks in and approaches the full length mirror behind the door. The next thing he does is make sure his outfit is the ideal combination of professional, clean, comfortable, and also adorable. If anything was out of order, he kept 3 unsealed items of each article of clothing in a wall compartment for him to use, but today, everything looks in order.
After that, he opens the blinds to the office window, letting the light from the early morning sun spill into his office. He stands at the window for several minutes looking at birds, noting the sound they make, their color, and how high up in the trees they perch. Prior to getting his quirk, the only memories Nezu could remember were ones where he chased birds around the trees. They were happy memories as Nezu remembers them, and watching birds was the only way he could remember the times when he was quirkless.
After staring at the birds, Nezu takes his seat at his desk in the middle of the large room. He folds his paws together on the top of the desk, and smiles to no one in particular. Everything was in its place, so maximum productivity could now be achieved, and that made Nezu happier than anyone else at their job at 7:10 in the morning.
"I'm ready!" Nezu says, speaking to the little microphone on his table. His secretary always responds to this statement with one of two options, signaling whether or not Nezu's day would be filled with busy pleasantries, or busy problems.
"We are ready to go at the front desk as well sir!"
That meant there were problems that needed to be addressed
7:27 AM
The door to Nezu's office swivels open as Vlad King steps through. He closes the door behind him and takes a seat in the chair across from Nezu's desk without saying a word. Nezu says nothing either until Vlad King takes a seat.
Nezu: "I can understand why you are upset, you can go ahead and let it all out"
Vlad: "How long did you know..."
Nezu: "I learned about it just minutes before I had my interview with Mazu"
Vlad: "That was several weeks ago now..."
Nezu: "Yes. Yes it was."
Vlad King leaned forward, incensed.
Vlad: "Alright look, it was one thing to stick the Risuto in my class at the very last moment so that I wouldn't have time to protest it, but THIS was a dirty move and you know it"
Nezu: "I underestimated how strongly you would feel about this, which was my mistake, but you still acted very out of line"
Vlad stands up out of his chair in anger and makes his way towards the window, looking outside at the campus below. "You've never lost friends Nezu. You've never lost people you've cared deeply about and watch the one who did it never get what they truly deserved"
Nezu: "I had a family before I had a quirk Vlad. I have no idea where they are now or what could have happened to them. I wish more than anything I could see them again, even if they are still just animals"
Vlad: "Your family aren't animals... The RISUTO'S are animals"
Nezu: "There are different kinds of animals Vlad, not to play semantics..."
Vlad looked back at Nezu and made his way back to his desk. "His dad killed his mom... A Risuto killed another Risuto... That has never happened before in the history of the family except for ONE TIME, because it to them it is the ultimate sin to complete. It's only happened ONE time... That means his father could ONLY be ONE person"
Nezu was surprised. "Vlad... Is this whole thing about Mazu's father?"
Vlad: "Of COURSE this is about his father!... His father is FROSTBITE"
He angrily takes a seat across from Nezu and points a finger at him.
"I watched helplessly as Frostbite slaughtered fellow heroes. Heroes I've known since BEFORE I went to school with them. He showed no remorse while inflicting as much pain as possible" Vlad began, seething in anger "He could have made it quick and painless, like other honorable villains before him, but he took his time. Rather than go for the heart or head, he went after joints... Hands and feet... Fingers and toes... Eyes even... He was able to toy with us like we were nothing before he decided to stop playing around... Thanks to his fucking quirk"
"Vlad you know how I feel about that language" Nezu interjected, becoming upset while still letting Vlad get it out of his system.
Vlad continued. "It was a miracle All Might showed up when he did and finally put a stop to it. But even now, all Frostbite is doing is sitting in a prison cell customized just for him, while the ones I cared about the most are buried in the ground"
"His father was horrible, and now he is in prison for the rest of his life. I completely understand why you hate everything about Frostbite, but there's no reason to take it out on Mazu just because he is his son..." Nezu replied, trying to reason with Vlad
Vlad: "That's very easy for you to say Nezu... You have never had a son to lose, Frostbite took mine"
A heavy silence fell on the room. Seconds that feel like minutes tick by, and the usually charismatic and comforting Nezu had his expression of perpetual understanding replaced with the realization that he made a terrible error.
Nezu: "So then its true... Reinherz is your son..."
Vlad: "Was, Nezu... He was..." He looks down, breaking eye contact. "He may not have been my 'legitimate' son, or even known it himself, but I knew he was... I knew it when his mother couldn't deny it, even though she had every reason in the world to deny it"
The two of them paused as Nezu took in these revelations.
Nezu: "This is more complicated than I could imagine, I can only wonder how heavy the weight of these secrets you've kept must be"
Vlad: "If you told me you were putting Mazu in my class sooner, or that his father was Frostbite of all people, then we could have worked something out and this all could have been avoided"
Nezu: "Sekijiro you still were-"
Vlad: "My name is Vlad in this facility"
Nezu: "My apologies... Vlad, you still were way out of line about what you did to the poor boy"
Vlad: "He's the spitting image of his father, Nezu. A lot shorter and less muscular sure, but I can see it in his eyes... I know his lineage, I've seen his father, I've seen both of their faces. I know what this kid is capable of doing, and I don't want him near any of my other students... I will not let any of them end up like my son"
Nezu: "Are you doing this for their sake, or this because of your history with Frostbite?"
Vlad: "It is ENTIRELY for the sake of the rest of my class. You know I don't use that as an excuse for light matters"
Nezu: "Then why keep bringing up the boy's relation to Frostbite?"
Vlad: "Because you didn't trust me..." Vlad stands up out of his chair again, towering over Nazu. "This shows that you didn't trust me with this information that is of critical importance to the safety of the rest of my class, to the safety of the school itself!" Vlad walks around the room in frustration. "I thought the boy was dangerous before, but NOW I know its much worse than I could have thought, and its because you didn't trust me"
Nezu: "It's not because I didn't trust you Vlad, I know how much you care about your students..." Nezu gets out of his chair and approaches Vlad "I didn't know your struggles with Frostbite were this extensive, and if I did I would have certainly told you about it before the semester began"
Vlad: "If you were willing to tell me about it before the semester began, then you would have been willing to move him out of my class... But you weren't then and still aren't now"
Silence again hangs over the room before Nezu responds. "He deserves a chance to become a hero Vlad, and he has the potential as well"
Vlad: "He doesn't even want to be a hero himself, he only wants to be a support"
Nezu: "He doesn't want to be a hero because in his entire life he has only been surrounded by people who would deny him the opportunity to become one. He is a smart boy, he wouldn't choose a path he doesn't think exists in the first place... We need to show him that the path is there, because he can walk it if he wants to. If he tries to and fails, THEN he can move to a different course. But that should be his choice to make Vlad, not yours"
Vlad scoffs and shakes his head, walking away from Nezu and returning to his seat. "Thats rich... 'he should make the choice himself, not the teacher'... How many students has Aizawa kicked out of this school within the first two weeks, yet you still defend him?"
Nezu nods in understanding, returning to his seat at the table and joining Vlad. "Aizawa shows much less patience for students than you do, absolutely, and I commend you for how patient you have been with students in the past... Aizawa though has never used personal beliefs as the main motive for an expulsion, let alone almost strangle someone"
Vlad: "It's not about 'personal beliefs' though, its about experience. I have experience seeing Frostbite in battle, I have experience seeing what he was capable of doing, and based on that experience of what happened, I can see that this Mazu kid is cut from the same crop"
Nezu: "What, specifically, has he done that reminds you of Frostbite? Of any villain you've fought against, Risuto or not?"
Vlad: "His last name is Risuto, thats all I need to know"
Nezu: "I understand why that would alarm anyone, but its still not good enough"
Vlad: "It actually is..." Vlad shifts in his seat to a more assertive post "Every major Risuto who has managed to kill a hero has had children go on to try to be like the rest of the family. The very name Risuto is associated with 'hero-killer' and 'evil'..."
Nezu: "I'm aware of how extensive the crimes of the Risuto family are... I've also had the opportunity to talk to Mazu all by myself, and it was a pleasure to do so"
Vlad shook his head, not believing it.
Nezu: "Mazu is kind. He is compassionate. He looks up to All Might as an idol of what heroes should be... He threw himself into incredible danger during the tryout exam and did everything that Heroes are taught to do when they rescue people. He is a natural at it and has the potential to be good!... He just needs the opportunity to grow into it"
Vlad: "He can seek the opportunity in Class 1-C like he wanted to in the first place. He may have convinced you, but he has not convinced me"
Nezu: "Vlad... Are you really going to deny this boy the chance to become a hero just because he is a Risuto, or because his father is Frotbite?"
Silence, then Vlad spoke.
Vlad: "If you saw what Frostbite did to my boy before he killed him, If you heard the last words his... You would understand why it is so hard for me to say... That I do want to be able to give him a chance to succeed... I just keep reliving that pain whenever I look at his damn face"
Nezu put his paw on Vlad's hand to try to comfort him. "I know it must be painful for you to deal with this, but if there is any teacher in the administration who would be strong enough to bare these burdens, and still be able to make this boy into the best possible hero he can be, it would be you... " He pauses "This pain you feel is not one that can be solved quickly..."
Vlad pulls his hand back. "Then what do you propose be done about it? If you don't want to move the kid to a different class, then the other option is that you will have to fire me"
Nezu shook his head. "No, we don't have to do either of those things"
Vlad: "Put the kid in Class 1-C... Hell, put him in Class 1-A if you want, maybe Aizawa expels the kid and solves the whole issue for us..."
Nezu: "Vlad listen..."
Vlad: "I don't have the strength to relive that horrible day every time Mazu so much as looks at me"
Nezu speaks almost in a whisper. "Vlad, just listen"
Vlad looks at Nezu, and Nezu can see the glossiness of Vlad's eyes from the sunlight coming into the office.
"Here's what we can do" Nezu begins "Give it two weeks... See if you can get through 2 weeks with Mazu in your class without anything else happening... If that sounds like too much, then just think about it as 2 days with him... Or take it 2 hours at a time... Just see if you actually can find it in you to be the mentor to this boy that he has never had
Vlad: "And if I can?"
Nezu: "If you can make it 2 weeks with him, then you can make it the whole semester with him, and then the year will be over"
Vlad: "And if I cant?"
Nezu: "I believe you can do it Vlad, you just need to believe in yourself"
Vlad: "And if I cant?"
Nezu: "Then in 2 weeks time, we'll re-evaluate our options and see if I can work out a solution"
Vlad: "And if you cant?"
Nezu chuckles "Have I ever NOT been able to come up with a solution before?"
Vlad shook his head. "Good point... So is that all I have to do?"
Nezu nodded. "I'll handle the 3 reports that were submitted from students about the incident in the classroom. You need to re-establish trust with your class, which I have no doubts you'll be able to do-"
"And then we'll meet again in two weeks" Vlad finishes his sentence
Nezu nods again. "Today is the quirk apprehension test yes?"
Vlad nods "Aizawa finished using the area yesterday for his class, so now its open and can used for mine"
Nezu breaks out a classic smile "I can't wait to hear what you learn about your students!"
Vlad takes a deep breath and stands up out of the chair. "I'll send you the reports as soon as I can" He turns and walks out the door, closing it gently behind him.
Nezu glances at his watch and talks out loud to himself. "Interesting, it's only been 8 minutes. Today is going to be very busy!"
He folds his paws at the top of his table and smiles, waiting for the next order of business to step through his door.
