My brother and I were distracted for the rest of the day. Even All Might seemed a bit out of it during our lesson with him, not that I blame him, after the bombshell I dropped on him earlier. I hope he took my advice about talking to his old mentor. That man took on too many burdens for himself. (If Shouto could hear what I was thinking, the look he'd give me would so be worth being called a hypocrite.) By the time school had ended and we were ushered into a conference room with Aizawa-sensei, the principal, and All Might (in his deflated form, surprisingly), I was a jittery mess again. Aizawa-sensei eyed us, me in particular, searching for something, a hint of deception perhaps? The principal offered us tea, which I accepted, hoping it would calm my nerves.

"Todoroki-chan, while we have informed a small group of trusted teachers of what you've told us, I thought it best if we kept your identity and how you came upon your knowledge a secret for your safety. They've been told that you're an informant with inside knowledge of the League of Villains. If what you said about there being a mole inside the school is true, then your identity must be kept an absolute secret, lest the villains come to target you."

I nodded, having absolutely no problems with that. If there was one thing I feared besides failing to change the future, it's dying. I've already experienced it once already. I wasn't about to go for a take two if I could help it. I had no way of knowing what would happen to me afterward if I did die. Was this my only second chance? Or would I be sent somewhere else to start all over again? I had no intentions of finding out the answers for a very long time if I could help it.

"Todoroki-kun, I trust that you understand the severity of the situation as well? I'm sure that your sister has shared a lot of what she knows with you, which is why you've been called in with her. You're just as much a target as she is, even if you don't know as much as her."

My stomach lurched and I suddenly regretted that tea. Why didn't I think of that? Dear God, I'm so stupid! Of course, the League would target him if they thought he knew even a fraction of what I knew. All because I couldn't buck up and handle it on my own. Nevermind that I would have had to tell somebody at some point or otherwise be regarded with suspicion from the teachers if I always happened to know when an attack would happen. And even then, would it matter if Shouto even knew anything or not? If Shigaraki or All for One knew about me, they'd have absolutely no qualms about using Shouto to get to me.

Just exposing myself exponentially increased the danger towards my twin. I never truly worried about him before. With his powerful quirk, Todoroki Shouto was a powerhouse acknowledged by nearly everyone. Even Bakugou saw my brother's strength. That's why he was so pissed about winning the sports festival. Shouto wouldn't have gone down nearly as easily as he did if he had been using his full strength if he didn't outright obliterate Bakugou. But he wasn't all powerful. Against the Hero Killer Stain, it took the combined efforts of Midoriya, Shouto, and Iida to take him down. If the League decided to actively go after him, what chance did he stand against them? Midoriya and the others couldn't prevent Bakugou from being abducted at the training camp. The villains could've easily killed him by the time the heroes tracked them down. If Shouto ended up in that position...

I was immensely grateful that the principal had the foresight to take simple precautions as limiting the number of those in the know to those in this room. My hand gripped my twin's and he squeezed back. Normally I could tell what he was thinking at just a glance, but right now, I couldn't begin to imagine what thoughts were whirling and his head. Did he regret me telling him? Did he wish we hadn't told anyone else and kept it to ourselves? No, if anything, my brother is a hero at heart. He'd want to use what I know to help others. Maybe not necessarily at risk to myself, but he was always willing to be a bit reckless if it meant helping someone (*cough cough* Stain *cough cough* Bakugou).

"Ah, Todoroki-shoujo, I know you said you wouldn't mind allowing Mi- my apprentice in on the secret, but I felt it prudent to ask permission to include him, given the circumstances." All Might looked awkward without his bulky mass. That is to say, he looked less loud and confident and more the typical, reserved Japanese man that he normally only was behind closed doors.

I bit my lip, suddenly unsure in the wake of my recent revelation. "I- no, sorry sir. It's not that I don't think he's a trustworthy person! He's got a good heart and I know he'll make you proud, but I don't want to take any risks. He's already told someone his own secret because he felt he had to, even if that person didn't believe him. I don't want to take the chance that he might decide that telling my secret is the right thing to do."

All Might's gaunt face watched me seriously, and I was unsure of how he felt about my decision so I hurriedly tacked on. "But I still think that a carrying a secret like that is too much for one person. I don't mind letting him know some of the facts. Like we could give him a similar story to the other teachers. Let him know that we know about him and you for reasons that you're not allowed to say. That way you don't have to lie to him."

Seeing the number one hero, powered down or not, sag in relief like I'd done him a favor was quite endearing, and my mind couldn't help jumping to the phrase Dad Might.

"Thank you, Todoroki-shoujo. I appreciate that you would allow me this leeway. I understand that it must be difficult divulging your deepest secrets to so many people."

I smiled softly at him, my doubts about telling others slightly lessened in that moment.

"Aizawa-kun, do you have anything to add?"

Aizawa-sensei, who I just noticed hadn't taken his eyes off me the entire time, blinked slowly as if coming out of his thoughts.

"You knew about the USJ."

It wasn't a question. I could feel the judgment in those words and I winced. My voice came out meeker than I wanted it to and my brother gave my hand another squeeze.

"Yes, sir."

"You handled it poorly. You're lucky Thirteen and I were the only ones who got seriously injured. If any student had gotten hurt because you withheld important information, I would've had you expelled."

I cringed and Shouto tensed at the harsh criticism. This was what I'd been expecting when I'd first told Shouto, but had been pleasantly surprised to be so easily accepted. It made sense, I guess. I was Shouto's twin. I'd been with him for longer than he can remember and he only knew me as his precious sister. Short of committing murder and becoming a villain, there wasn't anything I could do to make my brother think badly of me. Aizawa-sensei, on the other hand... Even though I expected someone to criticize me at some point, I couldn't help the tears that stung my eyes.

"Aizawa-kun! She's just a kid!"

"No, sir. It's alright. I understand. As a hero-in-training, I have to be held to a higher standard than others my age." Standing from my seat, I bow deeply toward the underground hero. "I'm sorry, sensei! I promise to do better from now on!"

I didn't stand back up, keeping my eyes firmly rooted on the ground until I heard a scoff from the erasure hero. "See that you do. I expect the best from my students."

I looked him directly in the eye, nodding determinedly. I wouldn't disappoint him a second time.

My shortest chapter yet, but I felt here was a good stopping place. Thanks for all the support you guys have given me so far! It still baffles me how highly some of you think of this train wreck lol. Ngl this started out as a purely self-indulgent fic so I could live out my every bnha fantasy vicariously. I never expected people to actually start liking it. So yeah, thanks for the validation. Also, I'm running out of clever titles to use so I might drop that eventually.