"Aaaaaand that, my dear listeners, was AJR with Netflix Trip. After this break, we have Mother Mother, Three Days Grace, and more rockin' bands for you to listen to!" Hizashi sighed and clicked the on/off switch for his microphone, waiting for the light to off before taking a sip of his tea. Slipping off his headphones, he noticed his staff whispering in hushed voices.
"Now would be a good time to tell him, the principal is on the line."
"Do we have enough staff to cover him while he leaves?"
"Shit he's looking this way! Yui, you've known him longer, you tell him!" One of the staff members pushed Yui into the booth, phone in hand.
"Is everything okay, Yui?" Hizashi asked, the unease of his staff being quite unusual. "Who is on the phone?"
Yui took a deep breath and looked at the blonde man in front of her. "It's…..Principal Nedzu…" She began, handing him the phone. "Something happened at U.A. and he needed to talk to you directly."
Hizashi nods, bringing the phone up to his better ear and relaxing a bit. "Hello?"
The cheery voice of the principal rang from the speaker. "Hello, Mr. Yamada! I'm sure your staff told you, but I'm Principal Nedzu from U.A. There was a bit of an incident today during the Hero Course's rescue training. I wanted to call and let you know directly instead of having you hear it from the news. I can explain more at the school if you would like to come in, and to see your sons in the clinic."
Hizashi felt his heart stop at the mouse's words; his worst fear happening and he didn't even find out until now. Both his sons, Izuku and Hitoshi, weren't part of the Hero Course yet; being a part of the Support and General Studies courses respectively, yet they always dreamed of being heroes. The homeroom teacher for Class 1-A noticed their potential and offered his help, getting them to join his students for rescue training at USJ. It was all Izuku could talk about for a few days, his happiness infecting Hitoshi, who rarely showed his excitement for things.
He didn't hesitate to grab his jacket and belongings before rushing out of the studio. His staff could handle the rest of the show, his kids needed him! Thoughts began racing through his head as he ran to the school, which was luckily only a few blocks away.
"How badly were they hurt? Who was hurt? Did anyone else die? What even happened? How did this happen?"
It felt like he wasn't even breathing by the time he reached the gates of U.A., seeing the Principal's short-form not too far away. Hizashi forced himself to calm down, slowing his breathing before approaching the man….mouse...rat bear thing in charge of his sons. Said rat bear thing smiled and reached out his paw, patting Hizashi's leg.
"There there, Mr. Yamada, everything is alright. Your sons were treated by Recovery Girl and are resting in her office. While I guide you there, let me explain what happened." The small creature hummed and led the way, discussing the events that occurred earlier in the day.
The blonde learned about what happened; villains from a new organization had attacked the students; the efforts of Eraserhead, Thirteen, and the kids managed to keep them at bay until All Might and the other teachers arrived. Hitoshi and Izuku were especially helpful; the purple-haired boy stayed and fought while his green-haired brother analyzed and guided his peers during their battles. Towards the end, however, there was a particular villain called Nomu that injured the two boys but were saved as the other pro heroes came.
"Their efforts during this exercise certainly won't be ignored; in fact, it's one more push towards them being admitted into the Hero Course," said Nedzu as they arrived at Recovery Girl's door. With a quick knock, the two entered the small room and were guided to the two beds that the brothers occupied. "Without them, I'm not sure the students would have been able to go home alive today. So, thank you, Mr. Yamada, for not only allowing your sons to join the hero students today but for raising them into capable young men. I hope that today does not waiver your feelings towards U.A. and their dreams of being heroes." The white mouse stated, bowing deeply in front of Hizashi.
Hizashi smiled and looked at his kids, grateful for them to be alive. Izuku had a broken arm and scratches all over his body, while Hitoshi had a broken wrist and suffered from quirk exhaustion. "It's quite alright, Principal Nedzu. You couldn't have predicted that these events would happen. What matters is that everyone is okay."
The rodent looked up and nodded. "That's right Mr. Yamada….on another note, I've heard that you're a hero journalist, correct?"
The green-eyed man nodded, sitting down in the chair in between the seeping boys. "That's correct, sir. I write about smaller heroes and sometimes work with the police to investigate lesser crimes. Usually, things that happen before the news can arrive, or things too minor for stations to discuss."
Nedzu nodded, taking in the information, before giving a small hum. "I see...then, could I ask a favor from you?"
"Of course!"
"Could you ask around about this 'League of Villains'? We are trying to learn as much as we can about this organization, in case they strike again. I'm sure people are more likely to talk about such things around someone they think is just a civilian, as opposed to a police officer."
Hizashi thought for a moment; it wasn't the first time he's been asked to do some investigating, as his charms and down-to-earth nature allowed him to blend in and gain intel without others being suspicious. "Sure. I can't promise I can gain any information, but I'll definitely keep an ear out for anything similar."
The scarred rat nodded in understanding. "Thank you, Mr. Yamada. Any sort of intel is bound to be helpful. I'll be taking my leave now; I can see your sons are waking up, and I'm sure you all want to get home. I'll reach out to you in a few days with more information as to what this League of Villains is." He bowed before exiting, his little steps slowly fading away.
"D….Dad?" groaned Izuku as he sat up, looking around nervously, settling once he saw the groggy form of his brother. "What are you doing here?"
"The school called and asked me to come here….they told me what happened." Hizashi smiled, cupping each of their cheeks with his hands. "I'm so proud of you two, you're already becoming such wonderful heroes."
Hitoshi flushed, being interrupted before he could deny such claims.
"Well it's good to see you two are awake," said Recovery Girl, stepping into the room. "You two should be good to leave since you've gotten some rest. Just try to take it easy the next few days, and if you're still in pain, don't hesitate to reach out to me."
Hizashi helped his sons out of bed, refusing to let go of their hands as they left the school. Refusing to allow the injured to carry their things, the father happily carried their school bags. "How about we just relax at home, order takeout, watch a movie, and eat ice cream?"
"Oh god, Dad please don't remind me of how hungry I am," Hitoshi whined, the scents of various restaurants wafting as they walked to their apartment.
Hizashi laughed, ruffling his hair before smiling. "I can tell someone is feeling better. During dinner, I want to hear about what happened from your guy's perspective. I can invite Tenya over tomorrow to hear his thoughts too."
Izuku held onto his dad, leaning in a bit as they entered their apartment. "Yeah! Toshi and I will shower and then we can have a family night!" He cheered, carefully taking off his shoes before cuddling up with one of the cats.
Hitoshi snickered at the fluffy mass swarming his brother as he went to take his shower first. Their dad laughed in the background as he went to order their pizza.
Things may have been chaotic but at least they were alright. They were alive and that's what mattered.
Hizashi has had worse calls, after all.