We're shaking things up in this chapter.
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Monday morning…
"Say, it must be close to the end of your spring term at school."
"Yeah. This is the last week."
"So till July 19th, and then it will be summer break… huh. When does the next term begin?"
"September 2nd."
"… Huh."
Aizawa looked up briefly from the kitten named Mic laying on his chest this fine morning and glanced over at Hayate; they hadn't gone to Kasuya's that weekend, which made for a pleasant surprise today. He found Hayate looking rather thoughtful. "… Why do you ask?"
"Ah, I guess I was just wondering what your summer looked like." She looked away, secretly feeling a bit shy. "I'll still be working my usual days, of course… my weekends are free, though. Maybe we could get a coffee together, sometime?"
He thought about it for a moment and found it agreeable, then returned his attention to the kitten. "Mm… I suppose so. The number of days we'll cross paths in the morning… hm. They'll be slim, if any."
"Huh?" Hayate quickly looked back at him in a startled way. "What do you mean?"
"Well, with school not being in session, I don't have to go in nearly as many days. And the days I do, I don't have to come in until later anyway, so it's pointless to take a train this early instead of just sleeping another few hours." He finished his reasoning looking rather unbothered at the snuggling kitten.
"… Oh." Hayate's eyes dropped away from him. And that means… Her stomach sunk and her heart picked up its pace with a dawning realization at his words. I don't have four more weeks with him before the adoption; I only have this one! In a single morning, her plan of taking her time getting to know him had just been put into overdrive.
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Later that morning…
"Hey, Eraser Head!"
The man in question tensed as he recognized the voice. He looked up over the top of his computer screen to the tall, muscular hero standing there with eyes set on him. Blood Hero: Vlad King.
"Listen up! It's finals week, and that means you'd better get Class A to give it their all! You got that?" The Pro announced gruffly.
Eraser's eyes flicked back down to his screen and he kept typing. "Eh… sure—"
"Because it's got to mean something when Class B surpasses their scores!"
Eraser's fingers stopped typing and his eyes slowly slid back up to Vlad fixing him with an unamused stare. "… Rather presumptuous of you there, Vlad King."
"Hmph!" Vlad's fangs flashed in a wry smirk, clearly satisfied with the venom he'd roused his taciturn rival into spitting. "I've got full faith in the growth of my class! If you don't want to see my confidence in them, then prove me wrong!" He turned without waiting for a response and walked away.
Beside Eraser, Mic and Midnight both watched on not-so-subtly.
Midnight sighed. "Looks like Vlad's rearing to go for this week."
"Is there ever a time when he's not ready to take a nip at Aizawa, though?" Mic pointed out. He then spun up out of his chair and pointed his finger down over Eraser's head like a spotlight. "Come on, BUDDY! Stand yer' ground! You gonna take that sitting down?!"
"Well I don't feel inclined to stand."
"Don't be like that! Your class honor is on the line here! Have a bit of pride, man!"
"I don't give a damn what he says," Erasure shot back flatly, a flare of irritation disrupting his monotone as he went back to work. "Fools say all manner of things, and words alone hold nothing to results."
Midnight and Mic fell silent with the latter slumping out of his pose. He looked back at her and they shared a mutual look as if Eraser had said the most predictable thing in the world, then Mic settled into his chair and they carried on with their work without further comment. Dragging this conversation up again was a legitimate waste of time, and not just in Eraser Head's opinion. For Vlad King and Eraser Head were, well…
They had been incompatible right from the start.
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Several months ago, prior to the start of the current school year…
"Aizawa Shouta, Erasure Hero: Eraser Head. Nice to work with you."
A room full of Pro Hero teaching staff studied the newcomer to their ranks. He made a rather weak impression looking like he'd just rolled out of bed after staying out all night and decided to lazily throw on the same clothes he'd worn the day before, especially alongside the sleekly-dressed Present Mic. Actually, given his reputation, which was elusive and disinclined for anything social, it was entirely possible. But a Pro Hero he was regardless, and no one doubted the competency with which he wielded the Capturing Weapon around his neck.
A short mouse-like creature wearing a suit clapped his paws together. "It's always wonderful to welcome new minds into our teaching program. But you two aren't new at all to this school! I hope it proves insightful to have two alumni use their past experiences to push their school to even greater heights—truly, Plus Ultra!"
The creature rambled on for about another minute that Eraser Head didn't listen to before Midnight interjected with a shout-out to Mic which finally got the principle to take a hint and proceed much to everyone's thankfulness. Teaching at a hero school was certainly a good career option for a Pro, letting them pass down that knowledge to the future generations. But staff turnover was a fact of life even for the greatest of hero schools. Eventually those same veterans looked wistfully to the peaceful days of retirement, and new blood came in to take their place. At U.A., it was a hand-off carried out in a practical manner.
Throughout the final year of the current teacher's career, their replacement would come in on various days and work alongside them. This enabled the senior teacher to acquaint the junior with all key events related to the school year as they applied to U.A. specifically and pass on their teaching experience. In this way, no one was thrust in front of U.A.'s elite expectations bus as an absolute newcomer.
As far as Eraser Head was concerned, he was darn-near giddy to finally be free to exert his own authority. It was no secret that teachers at U.A. were allowed to assess students in the hero course according to their own discretion. Based on what he'd experienced the past year observing his senior, there was plenty of irrationality to be trimmed from U.A.'s program.
He took a seat for the first time at the desk which had been his senior's; now his own. Mic of course took the free desk to his left. It seemed he had barely gotten settled in when someone interrupted him.
"Hey."
Eraser looked up. A tall and heavily-muscled hero wearing a red suit with white gauntlets. He seemed to sport a perpetually grumpy pout thanks to the fanged underbite he sported, and the short grey spiky hair and red eyes didn't make him look any less intimidating. This was, of course, the Blood Hero: Vlad King, and his gaze was set firmly on Eraser Head.
Over the past year of the teacher mentorship, Eraser hadn't spoken much to this man beyond an introduction and an occasional comment. Most of what he'd gleaned about Vlad had come from observing and overhearing his interactions with the senior hero Eraser replaced.
This isn't to say Eraser had gone out of his way to avoid the other hero. More like, the two of them simply had never been in the same room together long enough for a proper discussion. Eraser ducked out of any conversations amongst the teachers to go get a nap as soon as he could and declined social invitations for drinks after hours because he had hero duties, properly avoiding Vlad right along with everyone else. So what could it be that Vlad intended to say? Eraser couldn't fathom it.
"Now that you're official, Eraser, I just wanted to say that you're welcome to discuss any matters with me as the other hero course teacher. I'll gladly lend you my experience."
Ah. That was reasonable. Eraser was about to voice a polite 'thanks' when Vlad's lips suddenly turned up in a spirited smirk.
"Also—as Class A's new teacher, get ready to pick up the mantle of our class rivalry! Giving our classes a challenger to overcome always gets the kids' blood pumping. Your predecessor gave me a run for my money every year, so I'm looking forward to seeing what you bring. I won't hold back just because it's your first year, so give it your all!" Vlad seemed suddenly pumped up, his eyes glinting expectantly for a witty rebuttal the likes of which he'd become accustomed to from Class A's previous head.
But Eraser Head was not that person. He offered a dead stare in return for Vlad's enthusiasm and call to action. Eraser had picked up on Vlad's competitive spirit over the past year of brief observations, but getting hit with it in the face on his first official day in office was extremely off-putting from its sheer ridiculousness and illogicalness. He turned his head back to his computer dismissively.
"Whatever. Thanks."
Vlad King's spirited smirk departed in an instant for a look of irritation at such a blatant dismissal. "Tch…" He turned and walked off looking grumpy again. That reply confirmed in his mind the coldness and disinterest in what little he'd seen of the man over the past year. It didn't bode well for Vlad's opinion of him. Vlad's fighting spirit, however, was still burning bright. Regardless of whatever Eraser Head did with the challenge, it didn't change a single thing of what Vlad would do.
Behind him, back at Eraser's desk, the other newcomer with yellow hair leaned over to his desk mate.
"Sheesh, Aizawa-kun! It's your first day at school, play nice with the other kids!"
Eraser frowned in annoyance. "I'm not the one who went looking for a fight."
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The first day of the current school year…
From that first encounter onward, their relationship had not improved.
"Eraser Head! What's the meaning of this?!" A displeased-looking Vlad suddenly appeared at Eraser's desk and leaned forward over his computer screen, demanding his attention.
Eraser's eyes flicked up to meet the red glare, feeling slightly annoyed by such a brash interruption to his work. "… Going to have to be more precise than that, Vlad King. Meaning of what? Life?"
"You're expelling half of your class! That's what I've heard, am I right?!"
"Yes."
When Eraser didn't elaborate, Vlad's lip lifted in a snarl. "And what's the meaning of that?!"
Eraser's eyes returned to his screen and he continued typing as he replied. "They didn't meet my standards."
"Didn't meet—? It's the first day of school!"
"And?" Eraser didn't stop typing.
Vlad's teeth clenched for a few moments before he snapped. "And that's far too critical! Give the kids a chance!"
"That would be a waste of time. I've seen enough."
"A waste? Those kids? No… a waste is what you're doing, throwing them out like this!"
"Teachers here at U.A. are given the authorization to manage their classes at their discretion. That includes expulsion."
"That's not so you can cut them loose on a whim!"
"If you would like to see my reasoning, ask Nezu for the individual assessments I submitted. I can assure you, it wasn't on a 'whim'. It was the logical conclusion after thoroughly evaluating their past academic performance, entrance exam placements, Quick assessments, and direct observation."
"Logical…?" Expelling students on their very first day? Right after their hard work to make it here to the top hero school in the nation? Crushing their dream? Cutting them loose without support? That—logical? "You can take that logic and shove it up your ass!"
Eraser's hands finally did stop typing at that one. His eyes lifted and returned Vlad's fuming gaze with a glower. Eraser was down to his last string of patience and Vlad's had snapped. Eraser opened his mouth.
"This is U.A. It is a school for the best. I'm not lowering my standards or changing my mind so that less than that occupies my time. But if that's where your standards are, then feel free to accept them into your class."
The insinuation made Vlad absolutely bristle. He leaned forward further with a glare locked on Eraser's eyes. "You really are a piece of work, Eraser! You want to standards? I'll shut you up with the standards of Class B! These kids are going to show you just how damn wrong you are, and so am I!" He pulled back suddenly and stalked off, still growling under his breath. "We'll see what you have to say then."
Eraser watched him go without comment, a scowl on his face when his eyes did return to his computer and he resumed typing. Beside him, Mic and Midnight had watched the whole thing with their eyes wide and mouths a bit open; right along with the other teachers in the room.
Mic spoke first, his eyes sliding to Eraser. "Whew… o-kayyyy. That was something."
"Don't start with me," Eraser shot back, definitely not in the mood for any teasing remarks.
Midnight frowned at that and objected, lifting a hand. "Hey now, that's a bit like the pot calling the kettle black."
"I'm not the one being aggressive."
She scoffed. "You are the most passive-aggressive guy in this room with that snarky mouth of yours. You definitely could have handled that better."
"I have work to do."
Midnight looked displeased and opened her mouth to speak again, but Mic shifted in front of her line of sight of Eraser motioning a cutting gesture across his neck, urging her to stop. Their relationship being as close as it was, Mic could read the man's signs not to push his irritation right now. Midnight frowned at him but closed her mouth, swiveling forward in her chair but keeping her eyes to the side where Eraser was like she wasn't going to forget this. For his part, Eraser did not regard them in the slightest as he carried on with his work.
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One week into the current school year…
Actions had consequences. Not all of those consequences were logical. This Eraser Head had been reaffirmed of on the following Monday after the first day of school.
A stack of ten files greeted him on his desk first thing in the early morning hours of the silent and empty staff room well before anyone else would be there. Well, usually.
"Ah! Early as usual, Eraser Head. Bushy-tailed and bright-eyed no doubt, hoho!"
Eraser's eyed flicked up dully from the top-most file he had just lifted and to Nezu, who seemed to be smiling at his own word choice given the short fur on his tail and Eraser's eyes which looked half-asleep. He stood at the opened door to his principal's office primly holding a teacup on a small saucer. Eraser got the feeling that Nezu had been waiting for him based on the timing; not to mention the animal was never to the office before him.
"… Morning. What's going on, Nezu?"
"I just figured I'd pop in early to give you the great news." Nezu gestured towards the file Eraser held. "See for yourself."
Eraser's eyes flicked back down to the file in his hands. He slowly flipped it open and started to read. His brow furrowed. "These are student files… what is this?"
"Upon honoring your expulsion requests, your class was left with ten empty seats. Being as this is the very start of the school year, I saw it as the most opportune time to fill them back up as there would be virtually no disruption to the learning progress of the transferred students. Quite logical, no?" Nezu chimed cheerily.
Eraser frowned immediately at this surprise. "What…? Transferred students from where, exactly?"
"From U.A.'s entrance exams, of course!"
"… What?"
"The top thirty-six students from the entrance exams made up our original Classes 1-A and 1-B; plus four recommendation admissions. Vlad King has not expelled any of his, leaving just ten students from your class. Naturally, I contacted the families of the students who placed thirty-seventh through forty-sixth to fill in the rest of your class," Nezu explained matter-of-factly with his voice still light and carefree.
Eraser's frown deepened. In other words, students who had placed lower than the ones he had just expelled. The whole point of trimming them was to focus on the very best potential heroes in the top ten, not rotate in more of lower standing. "And you did this without telling me?"
"Yes, yes, you're a very busy person, after all, maintaining such a robust hero schedule outside of school hours. It's quite admirable of you! Logically, I didn't want to infringe on your valuable time with something that I could do myself. The ten students had found enrollment in other hero schools, but fortunately our reputation is such that they were eager for the opportunity to transfer into U.A. All of the paperwork and supplies have been taken care of and will be of no concern to you. Isn't it wonderful?" Nezu looked at him with an expectantly bright smile.
"…" Eraser looked down at the file in his hands, still frowning deeply. "… And they start when?"
"Today!" Nezu chimed.
Eraser's eyes narrowed at the page, displeased. "Seriously?"
"Yes, yes, seriously. In fact, I should say that… you should take this very seriously." Nezu's tone, having been chipper and light-hearted, suddenly shifted to something cooler. It made Eraser look back at the principal.
Nezu was looking at him, still smiling, but it was a very different sort of look than the cheerful smile just before. The smile was smaller and controlled, and Nezu's head was shifted so that his beady black eyes looked him straight on. The impression Eraser Head got was a piercing look betraying something of the animal nature beneath Nezu's seemingly innocuous persona, and it triggered in him an instinctive sense of unease.
"It would be quite a shame if these transfer students were forced to switch schools yet again in a great hurry… it could certainly be said that it would be detrimental to their full potential. They should have a proper chance to take in this sudden change of their high school plans… I'd say, at least one full term. Wouldn't you agree, Eraser Head?"
Whatever Eraser might have usual said was stilled by his instinct, which considered Nezu's words carefully. When he opened his mouth after a long pause of silence, his tone was neutral.
"… Yes, sir."
The darkness slipped from Nezu's face like a passing shadow as he grinned and lifted his cup for a sip. "Mm-hm! As I thought, quite a reasonable person you are. Very well then." He drank and brought the cup down which clinked the saucer with finality. "I'll leave you be to get acquainted with your newest class additions. Teach them well… Plus Ultra."
And with that, Nezu turned and disappeared into his office, closing the door with a click behind him. Eraser stood still, his eyes still on the spot where Nezu had stood for several seconds before he looked down to the files again. The frown finally shifted into a full-on scowl as he gave a sigh.
He read between the principal's lines loud and clear; these ten were not to be expelled until after the first term ended, and not without good reason, either. It seemed the freedom to direct one's class at his choosing was not as great as advertised, or at least not without reproach. The consequences of not listening to Nezu were unclear, but the inhuman glint of the animal's eyes made him absolutely certain that it wasn't worth finding out.
Something of an oddity in this world, Nezu was a being that Eraser had at least passing knowledge of when it came to his dark past and certain pension for toying with humans, and his High Specs Quirk provided him with the genius intellect for all manner of creative outlets for his feelings. Whatever Eraser's consequences would be, they wouldn't be anything straightforward or logically predictable.
So, Eraser did the logical thing; he slumped down into his chair and flicked open the first file. He had a lot of reading to do before morning homeroom.
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About two months into the current school year…
"How are your students doing?"
He thought about that for a while, mulling over how much effort that response was worth. Their performance at the sports festival just that spring had been rather...
Lackluster.
The word he had spoken to Hayate back then in the early days of their chats had summed it up, yet barely scratched the surface.
Only two students in Class 1-A had made it to the final tournament stage of the event; the best two students in his assessment, to be fair, but still just two. And even then, all of the top three placings of the festival had been from 1-B.
Vlad's competitive spirit had been inflated by the prospect of the nationally-televised event, and it set the enthusiasm of his own students alight. The long and colorful banner on Class B's stands and their spirited cheering were equally flamboyant and obnoxious. And yet, the class seemed spurred on and united in this demonstration of excessive zeal. Despite his lack of commitment to the contest, Eraser had given Vlad something to prove and he absolutely delivered.
And then the dreaded moment after the event that day came for Vlad to track Eraser down. Eraser gritted his teeth and said not a word, eyes fixated on his screen to keep from saying something short-tempered and illogical. Boisterous, gloating, and annoyingly pressing forward his points on another; Eraser shut Vlad out of his mind. He had his own student's shortcomings to worry about and no patience to listen to Vlad sing his students' praises.
When Vlad did finally leave Eraser be, seemingly put-off by the stony silence and blatant refusal of acknowledgement, a pair of eyes turned Eraser's way.
"It would do both of you some good if you two actually communicated."
Eraser didn't look at Midnight to his left with Mic's empty seat between them. "Thank you for your concern," he replied neutrally, typing without pause.
She frowned at him and shifted her chair to face him undeterred. "Vlad's over the top, but you playing the silent game isn't any better. I get that this is a lot different than working on your own, but cooperating with others comes with being a teacher."
"I'd have no problem talking with him if he did so logically. I'm not wasting my time on him."
"That's just dodging the issue."
"I don't recall asking for your advice."
"Come on, Aizawa. Don't be anti-social."
He stopped typing, saved the completed document, and hit the 'shut down' button on the computer screen. Then, he stood. "My work's finished. Later."
A displeased look on settled Midnight's face as she watched him push in his chair and walk away without another glance her way. Really proving my point, Aizawa.
He didn't care. After the disappointment that was his class's performance at the sports festival and Vlad's inane gloating, having someone trying to convince him that talking with the source of so much illogical behavior was a good use of time was just too much irritation to take in one day. People were being so annoying.
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"Principal Nezu, I feel like you should say something to them." Midnight sat with her legs folded, a cup of tea held over her knees, and leaned forward a little with a serious look on her face aimed at the animal hero sitting on the couch across the table from her.
"Nah," the creature chirped cheerfully.
Surprise reflected in her eyes. "I beg your pardon?"
"Nope! That's what I said. Hm, why, you wonder?" He lifted his own tea from the little saucer it sat on and took a sip as if to make an intentional anticipatory pause. "That's very simple you see. The answer is…" Nezu looked up with a carefree smile. "It's not my problem!"
An 'are you serious' expression met his assessment. "That's not a solution at all!"
"It's not my problem to solve. The only ones who can do that, are those two themselves! That's the sort of problem this is." Nezu clicked the cup back to the saucer and settled back in his seat as he shifted into a more thoughtful demeanor.
"A clash of perspectives and personalities is what they've got. You can't make anyone get along against their will. Forcing the issue with my authority will most probably lead to a begrudging truce without resolving their core disagreements. And bringing it up as a mutual friend in this shared environment just makes it seem like picking sides, as I'm sure you've experienced. In any case, I'm not worried. The school year is young; they're still figuring each other out. But, if I were to place a bet…"
He brought a paw forward to rub his chin. "Hm, I suspect the end of the first term will be a crucial point. Second term will hold our answer for how things are going to be between them. If they haven't found a resolution naturally by then, I'll step in and expedite the plan... haha, hahaha, haHAHAHA!"
He ended with a cackle that nearly spilled his tea which made Midnight shrink back looking concerned and bit disturbed. The laughter died out suddenly as if Nezu hadn't meant to let it out, then he gave a polite cough and tapped his forehead with a clever and completely unconcerned grin. "Have no fear! It's barely an inconvenience for someone such as myself."
If it's that easy, why don't you just do it from the start? Do you like watching them suffer or something? "Uh… 'the plan' you said? So you are going to take care of it?"
"Of course! I've always got a plan," Nezu replied cheerily.
Midnight seemed relieved by that, Nezu's brief moment of madness aside. "That sounds alright, I suppose… though how do you figure all that, exactly?"
"Oh! Would you really like to know?" Nezu leaned forward eagerly for the tea thermos on the table. "Wonderful! Have some more tea. I'll tell you the details. You see, it all starts with probabilities—"
Midnight stiffened up, her eyes showing the exact moment she realized her mistake. "O-Oh, er, probabilities? How… interesting."
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Eraser Head and Vlad King were incompatible, and not even in an opposite way. Eraser Head got along just fine with Present Mic despite the ocean of difference in their personalities, and could even call him his best friend. Because as pestering as the loudmouth could be, Mic knew when he had pushed too far and read the signs to back off. He was down for a good fight of course, but he wasn't bullheaded. Vlad King, on the other hand…
Stubborn. Competitive. Proud. Passionate. Dedicated. The sum of these individual traits was a man who grated on Eraser's sensibility. Vlad was seriously dedicated and caring towards his students. That made him proud of them and the methods he had employed to aid in their success to a fault. His passion for their growth was an enthusiasm that in Eraser's logical opinion made him lose sight of their faults and avoid the use of more callous but effective techniques, favoring more energetically haphazard methods resulting in wasted time and effort. But because Vlad was competitive, he had something to prove with his students. And because he was tenaciously, ridiculously, bulldoggedly stubborn, he wouldn't back down from his passionate stances in an impulsive and illogical manner.
Eraser was for his part also stubborn. He absolutely refused to indulge an illogical stance, and it fueled Vlad's relatively short temper to no end that Eraser viewed him and his suggestions of a warmer teaching approach in an illogical light which he dismissed in an instant. The way Eraser treated his students was distant and cold in Vlad's disapproving eyes; completely unfit for growing the confidence of uncertain teens. The dreary man was dismissive, irritable, unengaged, and unforgiving in Vlad's opinion; all qualities he regarded with disdain.
Driven apart by a clashing of both personalities and ideology, the two of them did not see eye-to-eye at all. And none of this history was Hayate aware of, as we return to the present…
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Tuesday morning, final's week…
"What are your students like?"
Aizawa glanced over at Hayate's question, finding her looking at him a little hesitantly, but hopeful.
"I know you don't really like me asking about your work… but I'm curious, if you don't mind."
He looked at her for a few seconds then back at the kitten on his chest. "… Not much I'd care to say. Half of them are falling short of my expectations. The other half is meeting them with the two I'd expect exceeding them."
"Oh… sounds like things are kind of tough. I imagine they'll be trying their best this week, though. Maybe between the training camp and their time to study this summer they'll improve."
"…" Optimistic in his opinion.
He seemed really unenthusiastic about continuing with this thread, so Hayate shifted it after thinking for a moment.
"I wonder what sort of student you were like in school." She smiled teasingly and leaned his way a little. "Let me guess… I bet you slept in class all the time."
"Depended on the lecture. Between classes—yes."
"And as for your school performance… hm, you have high standards for yourself, but I bet you found schoolwork to be tedious and pointless in the long-term. You did the minimal effort, I'd say. How's that?"
"Accurate."
"As for your easiest subject—that was probably the most logical one; math. And as for your worst—probably something abstract like art." She leaned a little closer with her teasing smile. "That about right?"
His eye shifted sidelong to her, lids heavy with disinterest. "There are point to your interview?"
"I'm curious," she replied simply, meeting his eyes with an earnest look.
His eyes didn't move from her for a long pause with her not looking away, then his gaze shifted back to the kitten. "… I'm not very different from back then. It's rather boring."
"That so?" She looked forward across the tracks and lifted her eyes in thought. "I wasn't very interesting either. Mostly just kept my head down. Biology was my favorite subject, no surprise there. I liked a lot of subjects, though. I enjoyed learning things, still do… The only one I never really liked was P.E."
A single 'hmph' of amusement sounded from his throat, and Hayate looked over at him sharply with interest.
"Did I say something funny?"
"That last part sounded like me."
Hayate put it together in a second and smiled. "Oh yeah—because it's the one class you can't fake sleeping in!" She laughed and even he cracked a ghost of a smile at the sound of it.
"… If you get creative, you can."
"Tell me about it."
He thought it was just a turn of phrase, so he didn't answer. But then the silence stretched out and he got the sense that she was watching him. He looked back over at her, and he found her watching him expectantly with a look of rapt attention in her eyes when his met hers. Oh. She was serious.
He felt a flicker of something like self-consciousness and looked away with an awkward clearing of his throat. "Uh, well… that was a long time ago, I'd have to think a minute."
"Go ahead." Her voice was patient.
"…" He reflected in silence for some time, dredging up a few lost-since-past moments from his school days while she waited. "… Hm." His lip pulled back in a smirk. "Well, I suppose if you want to start with a good one…"
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Thursday…
Hayate seemed oddly inquisitive this week.
That was Aizawa's conclusion as he stepped off the train and parted ways with her again. She was asking a lot of questions. Some of them were superficial and trivial like favorite foods, but others were deeper, probing questions; the kind that got down to who someone was as a person.
Back and forth she'd go asking a question and getting an answer of his then offering hers in return. It was engaging conversation that stirred up a lot of reminiscent thoughts and made their time on the train seem to pass quickly. He didn't mind it. Actually… he liked it. However strangely-elevated her enthusiasm was, it gave him a small window of peace every morning before the stress of the school day began. And today that was… well…
Failure.
When the results of all the students' finals the previous days that week were compiled and found his desk, he squinted at the results humorlessly. Eight students had passed their written exams but failed the practical. Two had failed the written and passed the practical. The remaining ten had passed both.
Frankly, he was angry. It was an astounding failure to meet his lofty expectations. And of course, once Vlad got wind of it…
"Looks like Class B wins again!"
Eraser made a conscious effort to keep his lip from curling back at Vlad's proud tone.
"How many times are we going to do this, Eraser? Talk all you want about your astronomical standards, but I get results with my way whether you like it or not. Your methodology is flawed. Just admit it already—you were wrong, let's get it over with and move on." Vlad fixed his eyes on Eraser and waited.
Midnight and Mic watched on from their seats beside him with baited breath, eyes pinned on Eraser. However crudely and bluntly put, it was still an olive branch of sorts that Vlad had willingly proposed; a way forward to end this increasingly antagonistic rivalry.
Eraser was no longer typing, though his eyes remained glued on the screen unfocused as he sat still as a statue. And then he made up his mind. His brow furrowed into a firm frown and he lifted his eyes to meet Vlad's with the anger of the day's results swirling in them.
"I'm not done yet." How presumptuous of Vlad to assume he was just going to quit there.
"Hmph!" Vlad turned away. "Your standards can come down out of the clouds anytime."
Eraser watched him go with quite the stink eye aimed at the back of his head. Bring his standards down? Hell no. That's not how he worked. The very suggestion was insulting to his logic. Eraser's eyes returned to his screen and he got back to work. He'd see them rise up to his standards; and if they couldn't rise, they had no place in his class.
Beside him, Midnight and Mic silently wept internally and shared a look. They were so close…
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Friday morning…
"How did your students do on their finals?"
An unpleasant tension rose up in Aizawa at the question's answer. His hands didn't stop petting Mic the kitten, but a little furrow creased his brow. "Terrible."
Hayate winced a little at his answer, not expecting one so negative. "Oh… I'm sorry to hear that."
"…"
"Was it their written exams? Or—hero schools have physical tests, too, right?"
"… Both. Two failed the written. Eight failed the practical. Out of twenty."
Hayate went quiet at that noticing the displeased look starting to slowly shift his features. This was a sore topic for him. She hesitated, torn between shying away from it and pressing onward. He'd been really responsive to their conversations this week. In her efforts to get to know him better with summer's fast-approaching change in schedule, she was feeling the pressure of having to connect deeper more quickly. Things had been going well this week with her having drawn out of him interesting memories and experiences, and some of his persona likes and dislikes; wherever the natural flow of the conversation took them. It made her feel emboldened to tread onto the topic of his work, which was something she usually shied from.
"… What are you going to do?"
Aizawa was quiet for a while as he considered her question and how to answer. He had several steps in mind and a few routes to consider yet, but his thoughts on the bottom ten that Nezu had forced on him were quite settled.
"Expel the ones not making the cut. The rest I'll push harder."
Hayate looked startled. "Expel? Did they break some sort of rule, too?"
"No."
She paused as if waiting for him to elaborate, but when he didn't she pressed him. "So what, they just aren't meeting standards?"
"Yes."
"Why would you do that? You said you're taking your class to training camp this summer, and there's summer makeup classes they could do. There are other options."
Aizawa's face shifted fully into a displeased frown. Like he hadn't heard enough protests to his methods lately, and now he had to hear it from her, too. He couldn't even walk away from it this time given he had to take the train. His tolerance was starting on a short string. "I'm not going to have time and resources be wasted on anyone who can't meet standards," he replied bluntly.
She frowned back at him. "And you can't bring them up to standard? You're a teacher, aren't you?"
"It isn't worth my time."
Not worth…? Was he suggesting those students weren't worth trying for? Those children? Hayate felt her mind being a bit boggled. Such a callous comment jarred her perspective of him, which was 'tough love' but certainly not cruel without reason. Surely that couldn't have been what he really meant. She leaned in towards him a little and pressed harder, trying to figure it out.
"I don't understand that. I teach people who are legitimately clueless about veterinary medicine how to care for their pets regularly. They don't know the science, and a lot of them don't care. They just want their pets to get better. But even they can learn how to give fluids, prepare meds, take glucose readings, or whatever.
Your students want to know how to become Pro Heroes. That's why they're in a hero course, isn't it? There's no way you can tell me that they can't learn when it's their desire to do so."
"Wanting something and being able to achieve it are two different things."
She could agree with that point to an extent. But there were thousands of Pro Heroes on register from all walks of life in Japan alone with many different specialties. "Are you saying they aren't capable of becoming Pro Heroes? They made it into your school's hero course, didn't they?"
"Out of my control. The school's policies are illogical."
"And what, expelling them after they're in is your loophole method of getting your way?"
His eyes were getting narrowed with impatience. "It's not about me… There's nothing crueler than letting someone chase their half-baked dreams."
A sarcastic quip rose to her lips at that. "Oh, so you're just directing their future for them by stonewalling their aspirations. That makes it sound like it's exactly about you."
The string frayed down to its last thread. Aizawa's voice was harsh as his eyes flicked over to hers with a sharp look. "I won't be the one responsible for giving them the false confidence that gets them killed."
Hayate's snark died with that statement. Confronted by the hard look of his eyes, she hesitated. There was a weight of feelings to his words that carried unspoken experience, and she looked away from him silently backing down to think. It was an insightful statement confirming that he wasn't cruel. Underneath the cold exterior of his words and proposed actions, there was the detached kindness of a realist.
I don't know what you've been through. She was sure he had seen things he'd rather never see again… people dying, just like he clearly sought to avoid it happening again by cutting it off as a possibility altogether with his students by accepting only the 'worthy' of his standards. But then another mode of thought fought back. You know what, no. They were friends now. If friends couldn't speak their honest thoughts to each other, then—well now, what kind of a friendship was that? Her expression steeled again and she looked back at him. He had looked away from her to focus on Mic the kitten again, clearly assuming they were done talking.
"… And what if you kicking them to the curb doesn't work and they go to a different hero program?" His eyes flicked back to her with a displeased look at her continuing on, but the determined frown on her face didn't budge.
"What if that teacher doesn't share your sentiment and standards? What then? Following your logic, they'd get that same false confidence elsewhere and be dead just the same. You aren't saving them. You're just the guy who failed them and passed them off like a problem to the next person."
The string snapped. Aizawa's eye sharpened with anger as he fix her with the unkind look. "You want my job or something, Hayate? You seem to have a lot of ideas better than mine."
It was snidely spoken with cutting sarcasm. And it hurt. Hayate clenched her teeth at the feeling. She had really made him angry; for the first time. He meant for it to hurt. But that made her angry, too. Angry blue rings didn't back down from his unblinking black glare for a long, tense moment as she gathered her swirling thoughts. Careful, she thought; lest she say something regretful.
Her eyes flicked away from his to gather some calm, but her face didn't turn away from his. He kept his eyes pinned on hers unblinkingly waiting for their return. She looked back at him, the anger gone but still firm.
"… No. You're their teacher. And that's precisely why I think that… if your standards are so high for yourself, is expulsion really the best you can do for them?" She saw his brow give a tiny twitch at her words, and she pressed on with her voice getting calmer and her frown easing a little. "Back at the TNR, when you caught all four kittens at the same time—I thought that was amazing. The level of skill and experience you have is something they don't, but they could get there with you; their teacher. But if you aren't giving them your all, then… don't blame them for failing when you haven't tried everything you can. Don't hold them to a standard as students that you aren't meeting as a teacher."
Aizawa didn't move a muscle as she finished and watched him, but there was a very subtle shift in his expression. His eyelids had lifted without his awareness as he absorbed her words. He remained motionless for a long pause, not even petting Mic, then looked forward with still quite a displeased look on his face to apparently brood. However, he did not offer further comment.
Hayate kept her eyes on him for a while, but nothing changed, and her own brow creased with concern as her eyes finally dropped away. A palatable tension filled the space between them now, and despite her earlier thoughts she started to feel a little regret for having spoken up again. This Friday could be the last day that she saw him for a while with it marking the beginning of summer, and they were ending it on an unpleasant note. It made the feelings that had been growing ache a little. But her stubborn streak scolded her.
She had spoken her mind, and he had lashed out in return with sarcasm and anger. Well, I guess it's good to know someone's bad side before you commit to them. Someone was being a Shit Head today, and this time it wasn't a cat. Is that really what she wanted in someone? The thought made the inquisitive, growing flame cool by a degree.
Beside her, Aizawa was silently seething. It seemed everyone had a mind to pick a fight with his methods and viewpoints, and not even this bench of brief daily peace was sacred. He attempted to push them aside in dismissal as he focused on Mic, but the frown didn't leave his face. Ignore it as much as he might try, he was still stewing even as the train came and he tucked the kitten away into the carrier.
His feelings were such that as they boarded the train, Aizawa didn't give a single thought to walking on by Hayate; all the way back to his former usual spot further down the train. Had he looked back at that moment, he would have seen a stricken look on her face at that choice which stung more than his snarky remarks.
She took her seat and looked down the way to him biting her lip, feeling quite torn and unhappy at this. It had been a mistake to push him on this topic; she regretted it now. And yet, a stubborn note persisted. No, it wasn't; she did nothing wrong by speaking her mind. It was his poor response that left a lot to be desired.
It still hurt to see him sitting down there, though. Was this what he always was like when he was angry? Passive aggression, snark, refusal to acknowledge? Or was it just the sore topic? She didn't know the history of the subject she'd pushed him on, and now she doubted her own words to him. Her feelings flickered uncertainly. She didn't really like this part of him…
Sleep evaded him even as he remained motionlessly hunched over with his eyes closed. Something about her words had resonated in him when they struck that chord of anger, and it kept ringing in his ears, blocking his nap.
"Don't blame them for failing when you haven't tried everything you can. Don't hold them to a standard as students that you aren't meeting as a teacher."
"Don't hold them to a standard—that you aren't meeting as a teacher."
"A standard—that you aren't meeting."
"That. You. Aren't. Meeting."
Why is she making me so angry—
—Because she's right.
The thought cut through his mind like a knife, jarring it to a stop.
She was right. That was the simple, logical truth. He hadn't tried everything he could yet to draw out their potential, and that was a practical argument with no basis in appeals to emotions or any other illogical thing. He could not refute that, and more than that, she called him out on it where he hadn't acknowledged it before. As students, their duty was to give it their all. And as a teacher, he should be taking that and giving it his. Expelling them instead of giving them his best… she was right. He wasn't even meeting his own lofty standards. For some reason, that made him even angrier. Why hadn't this occurred to him until now? Just what was it that caused him to make such an illogical oversight?
It was a simple answer, and one that Aizawa was not alone in feeling. This was a thing that had plagued minds striving for logic since the beginning of the sciences and was a source of constant critique even in the modern era; bias. It was an inescapable aspect of human nature that had snuck into his mind without his notice. A blind spot that had started simply enough on Vlad's opinions, it had subtly grown to block out and reflexively dismiss everything related to that initial source of conflict with a label as illogical as its origin point.
"You could have handled that better." Midnight had been right, but he'd blocked it because handling the illogical point he'd set was dismissed… an act illogical in and of itself.
A growing feeling of combined resentment, annoyance, and frustration had clouded his usually clear judgement by building gradually over months and being fed by repeated instances of things that started it in the first place. It ripened slowly into the knee-jerk reaction of silently ignoring the source and passive-aggressive snark.
And the thought of considering any points of the 'opposition' as anything but illogical had ceased to cross his mind, no matter what potential merit they might have held.
Being a solo Pro fighting tooth and nail night after night was worlds apart from the desk work and social effort of being a teacher; not to mention a teacher in their first year. Bridging the gap between those experiences was crucial.
With the problem of his bias identified, there was only one thing for Aizawa to do; banish it without hesitation. Logical order of his mind demanded it.
"Teach them well… Plus Ultra." For some reason, his thoughts stirred up Nezu's words. Go beyond… your own ideology.
His eyes were closed and his outward appearance completely placid, but internally his mind was a whirlwind of activity. His freshly cleared mind was reviewing the current state of affairs and all he'd overlooked before. A plan was forming; those students were going to rise to his standards no matter how hard he had to push them.
It wasn't until his stop that his eyes opened, though they still fixed unfocusedly on the environment as his thoughts kept moving while he gathered his things. Aizawa started walking for the door on autopilot, not noticing Hayate's eyes on him.
"Aizawa-san…" He stopped walking, her voice pausing his thoughts. Oh, right. Almost didn't say goodbye. He blinked and looked up from the ground to where she sat. Her expression was a bit uncertain, but she met his eyes. "… I'm sorry. I got you all riled up right before work… and regardless of my opinion, what you do with your students is up to you."
His eyes widened a little at that, caught by surprise. Her eyes flicked down to her lap where her fingers fidgeted with a piece of paper. "Um, also, since summer break is starting, I'm not sure when I'll see you next so… here."
She held out the paper. He reached a hand out to take it a little curiously and read:
疾風 愛香 [Hayate Aika]
XXX-XXX-XXXX
Her number?
"For if you have any questions, like to how get to the adoption event… and we should have some way to get in touch this summer if we're going to meet up for coffee." She looked over with a smile at the kitten carrier and gave it a pat. "... Or, you know, if you ever want a cute cat picture."
His expression softened a little. Of course, she'd be the one to apologize and attempt to resolve their conflict as if she'd started it. Sure, she'd pushed, but it was without knowing the history that brought about his sour reaction… and what she'd said had resonated with him. A simple sorry in return didn't feel substantial enough, like there was missing to it that he had to figure out, so he didn't say it.
"… Thanks. I'll see you around, Hayate-san."
"Yeah… see you."
He kept walking past her and was nearly to the door when another thought crossed his mind, and he stopped.
"And… your opinion is fine. Don't hold it back for the sake of my own."
She looked at him in surprise, but he didn't say anything more and continued on his way off the train and out of her sight. Her eyes lingered there for a few moments, though. Then she looked away with a faint smile coming to her lips. It wasn't an apology, exactly… perhaps an acknowledgement? Of respect for her viewpoint? It made her feel a little better at any rate, though in the back of her mind she fretted over that paper she'd handed him. She wasn't sure if any of her nudges or conversation had worked at all, but… it was in his hands now.
Off the train, Aizawa lifted the paper again to look at her number and name. She had neat handwriting. He took out his phone and added her to his contacts before the paper could get lost somewhere, but did nothing more with it. He'd text her later when it was relevant, but right now, his developing plan for the summer demanded his full attention.
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When Mic arrived at U.A. that morning, he was greeted by a most curious sight.
Eraser Head seemed to be possessed by a fervor of activity. There were student files in two stacks on his desk, multiple teacher guide books, and his fingers were a flurry on the keyboard. From the look of things, he hadn't even gotten around to his usual pre-class morning nap yet.
"Yo! Good morning! What's going on here?" He struck a pose leaning over Eraser.
"Morning. I'm busy." Eraser deflected him without pause.
Mic seemed frozen in pose for a moment then he slipped into his chair wordlessly. Okay. That was okay. Whatever his buddy was up to, he could get behind that unbreakable focus, yeah! He read Eraser's screen with a sidelong glance as he got his own computer started. Besides, peeking and guessing was more fun!
After a thorough skimming of the page, it was a rather intriguing finding. Seemingly, it was an individualized lesson plan. Huh? Hold on… isn't that one of the kids he was going to expel? Weren't too many secrets around this office, especially not between two peas in a pod like them! That name was definitely on the list not meeting his expectations. Mic's eyes shifted over to his friend curiously. Aizawa, are you… reconsidering?
Eraser didn't answer of course. He couldn't read minds. However, he could pick up on Mic's completely unsubtle eavesdropping over his shoulder and it was really getting annoying. His eyes flicked over to Mic, Mic's unoccupied computer screen, then back again to his own screen as he saved the document and opened another one which he then hit 'print' for.
"Since you've clearly got enough time on your hands to stare at my screen, mind getting that at the printer?"
"Yeah, yeah! No problem, buddy!" Mic spun up out of his chair and strode back to the machines as the pages started spitting out. A pretty formidable stack started to gather as he plucked the first sheets out and started to read them. Questionnaire-style, points-based, huh… going to hand these questions out? Twenty-people's-worth of pages piled out and the printer whirred to a stop. Mic scooped them all up and spun on his heel, a bounce in his step all the way back to his chair next to Eraser's. He set them down beside the books.
"Hmm… self-assessments, individualized lesson plans, these guide books—you're up to something for this summer, huh, Aizawa?"
"Obviously."
"Hah! Well man, just don't work all summer long, alright? Even workaholics like you need a break sometime."
"I'll sleep when I'm done."
Huh. Sounded like it was going to be a long, sleepless summer, then. The opposite of hibernation! Mic lifted a hand and patted him on the back affectionately.
"You wanna get a drink, anytime, just let me know!"
"… Thanks, Yamada." Eraser's fingers paused and his eyes shifted away from the screen with a grimace already forming on his face at the thought of this coming summer. "… Feel like I'm going to be taking you up that offer sooner rather than later."
"Well then, a couple drinks! All summer long!"
"Hmph." Eraser made an amused sound. "So you're going to make me an alcoholic by summer's end?"
"Hahaha! Your humor's always so dark! Nah, not me, man; those kids are! Hahahaha!"
"Heh…" Eraser's eyes returned to his screen, but there was a faint smile on his lips. "Whatever. I've got to get back to work."
This summer was going to be rough.
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-Kind of rushed some bits because I was drowning in the details, but this has got the gist of the plot. Still a solid 9,500+ words excluding author notes, though. Not much of Hayate, because Aizawa's got a whole life outside of her to set up.
-I love writing about Aizawa's cool side, but everybody's got character flaws. Aizawa's apathetic traits don't lend to him playing well with others.
-I like to think that Aizawa and Kan didn't get along at first. Vlad's bio states he is caring to his students (in contrast to Aizawa's detached style), the Dabi clone riled up his temper easily during the summer camp attack, and in recent manga chapters he has shown a very passionate and proud nature for his class. So with these things in mind, I like to think about how their relationship evolved over time. We shall see where it goes from here…
-Going to rant for a minute. Was looking back at early manga chapters while writing this chapter and found the following. Canonically, Aizawa has an inconceivably high number of expulsions listed on his teacher file in Chapter 5 of the manga; 154 students! Think about it; since he only has 20 students in his class per year, that's equivalent to expelling all 20 for eight years straight! Assuming that Vigilantes correctly lines up with MHA, Aizawa couldn't have been teaching for more than ~5 years (because All Might is shown already injured in early Vigilantes which happened 6 years prior to MHA, and Aizawa isn't a teacher yet in Vigilantes as of that time). Which means that Aizawa was expelling all 20, getting more cycled in, then expelling a great number of those until he got the 'perfect' class in all ~5 years of him teaching.
Just think about how much utter chaos that would cause the school with 154 sets of parents calling for this guy's head, bad press getting wind of that, not to mention the paperwork and logistics of expelling and transferring students, as well as how bad it would make the school look to prioritize one man's opinions over the learning opportunities and futures of so many students! And then looking at the current 1-A class—how the hell does someone with questionable morals like Mineta, an inflated ego and aggressive tendencies like Bakugo, and an idiot like Denki make the 'perfect' cut?
Personally, I think that 154 was a number just slapped on there to make it clear he's a hard ass, but in my opinion that makes his actions highly illogical, which is contrary to his character. People have to start somewhere, and teenagers don't just come flying out of the gate perfect! Based on Aizawa's Quirk and relationship with Shinso, we can already infer that Aizawa himself really had to work his ass off to get to be the Pro he is today, and he certainly made mistakes along the way that he had to grow from. Him doing something so ridiculous is not a logical, in-character thing for him to do. So in light of the above rant, in this somewhat AU MHA universe, I'm changing that B.S. number with the power of character development.