Chapter 5 – Interludes One
UA Staff Room –
"What are we going to do about Mineta?" Inui asked. This meeting was restricted to the available first-year Hero faculty, himself, and the Principal. Hizashi, Ken, and Nemuri were busy with the second day of the Sports Festival, so were unable to attend. Just as All Might was stuck in a battle in Nagoya. This left five men to decide the boy's fate.
As the guidance counselor for the Hero track, Inui was of mixed opinions about Mineta, at least he was now that he had gotten over his initial rage. If the boy had been within his reach when Ectoplasm had informed him of the little creep's actions, Inui would have ripped him to rubbery chunks. Now that a day had passed, the counselor was better able to think out it professionally. "The boy obviously has deep seated psychosexual issues. Appearently no one has ever held him to appropriate limits. The question is are we prepared to abandon Mineta because he made one stupid choice, or should we keep him at UA and work to give him an awareness of right and wrong, privacy and personal boundaries, and equip him with strategies to make better choices. He is fifteen. We don't have to give up on him."
"It wasn't just one stupid choice," Ectoplasm disagreed. "The boy had scouted the location beforehand, obviously planning on perving on someone in there. He said if he had made it into the second round, he would have missed the professional cheerleaders. But he admitted he had a plan to get his classmates to put on cheerleading outfits while he and a few of his classmates watched from hiding. It was premeditated and carefully planned. It is only Mineta being out of the running that saved his classmates from getting into trouble as well. The kid was brave, or smart, enough not to name his potential accomplices. We'll have to keep an eye on the whole class."
"It's out of our hands," Shota stated flatly. "This isn't just me giving my usual speech that we don't have time to waste on kids who have no chance to become successful heroes. You must have heard by now; the Foreign Ministry and the Hero Public Safety Commission are demanding his head."
"I've talked to the HPSC President. Unfortunately, I was unable to procure any leniency for the boy," Nezu admitted. "Mineta is permanently banned from Hero licensure in Japan. Therefore, keeping him in the program is untenable."
"What about moving him to General Education?" Inui inquired. "I could work with Okamoto to build a program to keep the boy in line."
"The Ministry is demanding full expulsion and arrest," Vlad said. The 1-B homeroom teacher was personally uninvolved in the issue, as Mineta was not one of his students. This made him the most objective person in the room.
"Why?" Inui asked. "This seems like a lot of trouble for what is really just a minor matter."
Ectoplasm snorted.
"No pun intended," the counselor growled at his friend.
"The Americans are using this incident as a public relations ploy in a large political game dealing mostly with North Pacific fishing rights." Vlad taught civics before he took on a homeroom, so he was the most cognizant of the larger political ramifications.
"Juvenile Division has already removed Mineta from his home," Shota reported darkly. "An expedited trial date is expected. His father will be lucky to keep his job. The whole family may have to leave Tokyo." Shota's tone was flatter than normal. The man presented as heartless, but Inui knew it was an act, at least partially. Mineta had only been Shota's student for a few weeks, but the teacher would be feeling some responsibility for the child's crime. The underground hero's wounds from the USJ and his conscription to announce with Hizashi were some mitigation for his error. But he was carrying a lot of guilt.
Inui knew they all felt they had failed the boy.
No one seemed to know what to say following that.
"Speaking of public relations," Nezu segued to a marginally less painful topic. "We need options for lessening the negative public impact of our first-year champion's behavior during the competition, particularly his poor sportsmanship on the podium at the end. His was not the behavior we want people associating with UA and the Sports Festival."
The room was silent as the staff members each hoped someone else would have a brilliant idea. Bakugo's behavior was the opposite of the image they wished to present. But he was a skilled and driven young man with a powerful quirk over which he had exceptional control. Unfortunately, he did not seem to even try to control his temper or the behavior it spawned. He had yet to attack a classmate or teacher outside of combat training, but there was a concern that could happen. Even with all that, Inui knew the boy had some of the highest potential of any student they had seen in years.
Nonetheless, the face the boy had shown the Sports Festival audience, both in the stadium and on the net, was ugly and ultimately unacceptable.
"We need to rein him in," Inui said. "And he needs to make a public apology at the least." The others looked at the guidance counselor. "Shota and I can talk with his parents. The behavior started there, and we need them to stop reinforcing it. We also need to strip him of any privileges, both at home and at school, and we need to put him in enforced anger management training."
"I agree," Ectoplasm said. "I think we need to create a rota of teachers to work with him both before and after school. By switching out, no one teacher becomes accustomed to his behavior and we can each try different strategies to inculcate the necessary new attitude."
"I suggest we prohibit his participation in the internship program, no matter how many invites he gets," Shota offered. "He would represent UA to any agency he landed at."
"Mwa-ha-ha!" Nezu let out his evil cackle. Every teacher in the room shuddered in dread. That sound never heralded good things.
"No. I think I have the perfect idea for his internship supervisor. Someone with experience whipping young scofflaws into proper order. Just leave it to me." After a moment, the chimera had full regained his composure. "In the meanwhile, come up with a roster that fits your schedules. Leave All Might off the roll. The boy might consider it a reward to be forced to spend on-on-one time with him."
"With Mineta out, that leaves an opening in 1-A," The Principal continued. "I have asked the other first year teachers to forward recommendations for the place. The three standouts from yesterday – Shinso, Hatsume, and Kagayaku – are obviously included. The three others I have selected are:
· Agoyamato Tsutsutaka – Class: 1-C – Quirk: Man Mountain
· Koumori Keiko – Class 1-D – Quirk: Bat
· Kesseki Shiryoku – Class 1-K – Quirk: Petrification
Pictures and videos of the students from the Practical Exam and the Sports Festival displayed on the digital table, along with their recommendations and applications.
Agoyama was a large boy with a distinctive pompadour hair style and a jutting chin. His quirk let him change into a giant stone form that could be anywhere from four to twenty meters tall. The problem was the statue was immobile. This was a great defensive quirk with limited utility otherwise.
Koumori was a short, slim girl with black hair and bat wings. Those wings allowed her to fly for short distances but doing so required a lot of effort. She had echolocation as well as enhanced senses of hearing and smell. Her strong claws allowed her to climb or cling to rough surfaces. Together these abilities made for a versatile package with real potential in search and rescue, investigation, and combat missions. Her problem was one of motivation. She had done little to increase her physical fitness and combat skills. She did finish forty-fifth in the obstacle race, only a few places from qualification for the next round. She was beginning to push herself.
Kesseki was a true border case. His quirk was powerful, allowing him to petrify any person he looked at. But the quirk was useless against the robots in the practical exam and the obstacle course. That did not stop him from trying. The boy had worked hard to master various martial arts and used carbon fiber tonfa to great effect in the practical exam. In truth the boy, who had embraced the nickname Basilisk, reminded Inui of a young Shota. Each had a conditional quirk combined with an immense drive to succeed. Basilisk's biggest problem was that his petrifying vision was always on. Without his special eyewear, he would petrify everyone he looked at. This made him a constant danger to both allies and bystanders.
Inui was familiar with four of the contenders. All but Hatsume and Kagayaku had been in his office asking about ways to transfer to the Hero track. Historically, the majority of transfers in and out of the Hero course happened following the Sports Festival. He knew two current Hero students had been considered on the cusp of transferal due to poor performance, but their experience in the USJ had obviously made a difference in their motivation.
"How are we going to decide who gets the seat?" Shota asked. His concern was evident. It was his class after all.
"Same way we decide everything here, I assume," Ectoplasm replied with his trademark sarcasm. "Trial by combat."
"Combat has to play a role," Vlad offered. "But both Mineta and Bakugo have shown we need to be focusing more on attitude and character."
"Combat, search and rescue, even teamwork and leadership skills can all be taught," Ectoplasm agreed. "That's our job. It's good to have a solid foundation and quirks that lend themselves to the mission, but innate character – that special something that drives a person to put their life one the line for others day after day – that has to be in them before they get here."
"So, a test of combat and character?" Inui inquired.
"I'm sure we can think of something appropriate." Nezu smiled.
Radiant Innovations Executive Meeting Room -
"What are we going to do about the boy?" Kagayaku Haruki demanded, slapping his open hand onto the smooth synthetic inlay of the conference table. He glared at each of the people at the table individually. To he left was Kami, his Executive Assistant. Next to her was Hori Kosuke, a slim man whose face looked younger than his forty-something years. He was the company's Chief of Public Relations. At the foot of the table was Saiko, with her Personal Assistant Hideki Shirane to her left. Finally, Okubo Tomo, Haruki's Senior Executive Associate sat to the President's right.
"By 'boy', I assume you mean our son, Jack?" Saiko asked quietly.
It's just like her to push that damned adoption in my face, Kagayaku thought. The mongrel's shameful origin and Saiko's overly sentimental decision to legally cleave the stranger to their family was widely known throughout the company, as was the President's continued objection to it.
"He made a public spectacle of himself during the UA Sports Festival, then did not even have the decency to win. His widely-broadcast failure will not only bring shame to our family, but it will also reflect negatively on this company – making us look weak in front of our competitors and our customers. We need to do something to mitigate this disaster!" He pounded the table with his fist this time, standing to loom over his audience.
"Do sit down, dear," Saiko said placatingly. "Remember your blood pressure. I think you're getting upset over nothing. Jack did us proud yesterday. He advanced far beyond all expectations. He set a record for a Business course student – advancing to the semi-finals. This was better than any other non-Hero student yesterday. And he did this without having access to the full extent of his quirk. I think he's a great symbol for this company. 'Doing much more than expected.' 'Going beyond all expectations.' Something like that. What do you think Hori?"
The PR Chief swallowed as he looked between the President and the Chairwoman of the Board. "We could certainly play it that way." He paused and Saiko smiled. "But given many of our clients are Hero agencies, claiming we're better than the other non-heroes can easily mean we're worse than the heroes. And given that our two largest rivals have former Pro Heroes as the faces of their companies, that does not help us."
"See!" Kagayaku snarled. "I told you this was a bad idea. He should never have been allowed to go to UA. Kyōgoin would have been much better for him."
Saiko looked sour at the renewed suggestion.
"Maybe you can distance the boy from the family, and therefore the company?" Okubo suggested. "Explain his parentage and prior upbringing mean he's not really a fair representation of Radiant. He'd need to pretty it up, but they'd get the message." The large man gestured to Hori.
"That's two possible approaches for spin," Kami said. "Hori, why don't you have your people flesh both of them out a bit so we can see what they might look like. That might make the decision more real."
"There is another alternative," Hideki said, a slight quaver in her voice. Everyone looked at the lowest ranking person in the room. "Jack-kun could transfer to the Hero course."
"What!" Kagayaku shouted.
"I have word there will be an opening soon," Saiko added. "Jack certainly showed himself head and shoulders above any other prospect."
"That would reflect well on Radiant," Hori said with some excitement. "Especially if we could get him in a Radiant branded costume. I mean it would have to be subtle. UA forbids direct corporate tie-ins. So he couldn't call himself Radiance or anything like that, and no actual corporate logos on the suit, but I'm sure we could get some connection through the administration."
"It would make setting up the Radiant Hero Agency easier if there were two affiliated heroes graduating in the next three years. Jack could join as Haruto-san's sidekick." Kami pointed out.
Though he knew his assistant often played the contrarian role in planning sessions, and that she had some odd fascination with the mongrel due to his supposed generation, but Kagayaku thought her suggestion that his son publicly tie his name to the abomination's might be going too far. He made a mental note to reprimand her later. The thought of how he might do so brough a stirring to his loins. She needed to be reminded of her proper place.
"I think that might be taking things too far," he said, frowning mightily. Then his fear was made manifest.
"I think this is a wonderful idea," Saiko said with excitement in her voice. "I'll see if I can convince Jack to consider switching programs. I know he only chose the Business track to please you, husband, because he was following in your footsteps." She frowned slightly. "But we all know how much good that did. Maybe now he can be convinced to do what's actually best for him."
"It seems you have three campaigns to outline, Hori. Get them to Kami no later than noon tomorrow." Kagayaku began to wrap up the meeting before Saiko could press her agenda further. "Whatever we do, we have to move fast. Before it's too late."
The President subtly motioned for his two assistants to meet him in his office, then marched out of the room.
He was firmly ensconced behind his desk when Kami and Okubo entered the office. They took their places in front of him.
"Sir, I know you were not pleased that I suggested the boy as your son's sidekick," the young woman began. "If I may, I would offer an explanation of how I put the idea forward to prevent something worse."
"What could be worse than my son professionally tied to that creature in such a way?" the President demanded.
"I felt it likely that Hideki would have suggested the boy's inclusion in the proposed agency, possibly as your son's equal partner, or worse, as the only Radiant Agency Hero – cutting your son out completely."
The powerful man stared silently at his assistant for almost a minute.
"Very well," he said finally. "This is all ridiculous anyway!" he yelled. "Why are they proposing that thing could be a hero? First, he demonstrated his weakness of mind when he allowed himself to be brainwashed by that gen ed student. Then, he was soundly humiliated once he was facing a real hero. The Iida family have an honorable history and you see how easily their scion defeated this pretender."
"Urgh," Okubo grunted in agreement.
"Nonetheless, the media are calling his performance record breaking and there is a lot of interest in him. You might consider taking advantage of that." Kami pulled out her tablet.
"What do you mean?" the President demanded.
"I have received numerous inquiries from families throughout the Circle as to your breeding plans for the boy." She gestured and the names of several prominent families, along with images and details of their daughters, appeared on the presentation screen. "It might be best to lock in a permanent match for him now, while the interest is so high."
Kagayaku was surprised at some of the names he saw on the list. His family had been active in the Circle since his grandfather's time. His parents were one of the first acknowledged Quirk Marriages in Japan. They had selected his wife the same way. He smiled at the thought that he even selected his mistresses from the families in the Circle, just to be sure. He did not begrudge Yuga's illegitimate birth. He had other bastards of the right lineage. He was greatly disappointed that something in the French bitch's blood had cause the runt to be defective. There had never been a defective in the Kagayaku line. That was another reason he had so much difficulty believing that Haruto's son would ever defile the line with an American wife. The boy must be lying.
"Leave this with me," Kagayaku finally said. "I'll review them carefully. That is all."
Kami bowed low and left the office. The President turned to his hammer. The menacing man had sat silent throughout the discussion. Now he turned to his master.
"The mongrel has told the story of how he was used to power an entire lunar base of some sort. I think it may be time to approach some of our friends in the energy sector. Specifically, those outside Japan or the West. They may wish to experiment on the creature to determine if that capability actually exists and, if it does, determine what they might be able to do with such a resource without the problematic limits the of our more civilized laws."
"I know just the people," Okubo said, nodding.
"I thought you might." Kagayaku opened a file as his minion silently left the office.