Convincing my parents was an entire ordeal, sure, but editing the plans they had come up with was worse. Of course, singular person messages were a great help, but things progress much easier when you can just open it up to everyone else to play around with the ideas. That, and of course someone will end up forgetting and letting the greenest of beans know what is going on. Ahh, Makoto! I get that your kind of bullshit says that we shouldn't tell him or any of the other major players that we know of, but that isn't helping right now! What if... no. We'd recognize if one of us was from canon and know the fallout of that. Right?

"What'cha worrying 'bout, Taylor? If it's about the others, then don't worry! You know it's not that bad!" Jolting in my seat, I turn to stare at Zack. He looks genuinely concerned, but then again, it's Zack. He has the emotional range of a happy teaspoon. Oh, and what do you know? he's smiling again.

"What else would I be worrying about? You, alone in a professional work environment? Okay, I should worry about that as well, shouldn't I." Zack adopts a shocked expression on his face from my quip before going back to his grin. He slides into the seat across form me, and adopts a look on his face. Honestly, it would fit Alex more than Zack in how much it makes him look like a little shit.

"I resent that remark!"

"You resemble that remark."

"Doesn't mean I can't resent it as well! Besides, it's fine. Makoto will figure a few things out and things'll be fine." Zack starts digging around his salad, eating it between words. It seems tasty. Makes me regret my pathetic turkey sandwich. Eh, nothing like a good routine to keep memories by.

"I can't help it, there's no way that our plans can go as we want them now. I worry." While I motion with my hands, Zack chuckles before pouting.

"Really? In front of my salad?" Snorting, I take a moment to regain breath before leaning over to smack him upside the head.

"Yes, in front of your salad. Besides, as of... I think today, I am fully registered as a foreign exchange student and thus will be leaving you. UwU."

"This is a physical conversation! You do not get to UwU me here, I refuse! Shit, you just made me say UwU, didn't you?" Pain on his face, Zack stands up before sitting back down. "Ugh, you arse. I almost won that bet, you know. So, Japan? Gonna go meet them face to face, huh? Who first?"

"Hand it over, uh huh. Eh I think I'll go meet Hisashi and Makoto. Akane's a..."

"Stick up the arse? Yeah, but you're over there anyways. Might as well meet them all. Never know what'll happen if you don't." Zack laughs as he finishes his salad. "Where're you headed?"

"Dunno. As much as I'd like to go there, there's problems with that. Multiple problems. Besides, we're going into the sciences not heroics so the point of the exchange in the first place is moot." UA is a great school, but it gets too much media attention. It would be nice to go there but not good for what we want.

[Observer]; Five years out, just about. You all know what happens this year.

[Abilene]; Pity it doesn't stick. One half-dead Supervillain on the menu.

[Value]; [Query]

[Schrodinger]; [Refusal]. Sorry Zuzu.

[Value]; Zuzu?

[Schrodinger]; A nickname for the greenest of beans. I could call you Zuku but it's not the same.

[Sorites]; [Refusal] You're not the only one. Schrodinger calls me partner in crime, Zuzu. :P

[Zeno}; [Refusal] Value is Value, you guys. So, five years. everything going as planned?

[Abilene]; Just about. College is somewhat of a pain but I'm getting what I asked for. Eh. You could call me Abil, Zuzu. Schrodinger does. We just don't shorten her name 'cause its a pain to find a good nickname for her.

[Sorites]; It's a pain, but yeah. Internship is what it is and I'm going strong in the area with my connections. You try finding a scientist researching something and they're not on the island.

[Bhartrhari]: There's a few here and there if you know where to look. All's well on my end, as usual.

[Observer]; Nothing is appearing to go wrong on my end. We're all appearing fine so that's all good. Even you, Schrodinger.

[Schrodinger]; I get it, it's five years and I'm choosing to go over now. I won't break our rules, I just want to make sure the three of you make it through, is that too much to ask? Besides, talking like this is annoying.

[Value]; [Query]

[Zeno]: [Data] They're our rules, not yours. There's no need to subscribe to them for you, Observer might even say that you shouldn't.

[Value]; [Query]. [Annoyance]

[Observer]; [Refusal]. There are things some people are not meant to know and you're one of them.

[Value]; I promise I won't say anything!

[Abilene]; At the very least, if we tell you, you'd break our own rules for us by going to the government.

[Value];Your rules are stupid.

[Bhartrhari]; They're perfectly reasonable considering what we can do. Few would have the restraint to do this.

[Value]; What can you do anyways? You're just cryptic voices in my head!

[Schrodinger]; Many, many things Izuku. We just didn't ask to be able to do so.

[Value]; Liar.

Wake. Act. Sleep. Repeat. Go through the motions. Repeat and Repeat and Repeat. What's the point of all this? You can't go back. You can make things better though. You can pursue what you wanted to there here. You can try. Why is it that only once you've been shunted to a world impossible that you start to care? That you start to try? That you stop lying to yourself about what you want?

Maybe this is all a lie. A delusion to grant you what you want.

No. You wouldn't hate this, hate yourself so much if this was a lie, a grand delusion to admit the truth. The truth hurts.