This document beta'd by kylekatarn77
3: Laying Mortar
I am different, not less.
—Dr. Temple Grandin
The teacher frowned as he set the test on Izuku's desk, 78% circled in scarlet ink. "I'm disappointed, Midoriya. Your grades are usually a lot better. For someone who says he wants to get into UA, you're sure not showing it."
Izuku guiltily tucked the test away in his binder, his face burning as red as the ink. It wasn't actually a terrible grade to get, all things considered. The test had been a difficult math exam, covering the basics of trigonometry. Izuku glanced up at the teacher, but they'd already moved on to lecture the other students.
Suddenly, a wad of paper bounced off the back of Izuku's head. Cringing, he turned around to see Bakugo leering at him from a few desks back.
"Well nerd, have you just given up on life yet? You can't even get good grades. Guess you should just give up on getting into UA. Or better yet, try. Runts like you will make it easier for someone like me to get in with the competition so weak."
"I-I-I've just been really b-b-b-busy, Kacchan, I d-d-didn't study enough and-"
"Whatever. It doesn't matter. It just shows that someone like you can never hope to measure up. UA will laugh your application right out of the building." With that, Bakugo went back to goofing off with his friends. He'd been out for a few days after the Slime Villain attack, but after a bit of moping Bakugo was back to his usual self, claiming he'd fought a villain so tough even All Might had struggled to defeat him.
Izuku glanced at Bakugo's desk, where his own test had been haphazardly thrown into his folder. His score was 98%. Normally, Izuku was a match for Bakugou, at least academically.
"But if I fall behind here, I'll never catch up to Kacchan," Izuku muttered to himself.
The problem was, he really was very busy. In the month since he'd met Mei, he'd spent hours a day helping her find salvage or working on the Power Armor (now up to MK III). Plus, he'd started physical training, using a plan he'd found on the internet called "The Hero." It called for 100 sit ups, 100 push ups, 100 squats, and a 10k run every day, plus a rotating daily routine of other exercises like weights or specialized training for various muscle groups. It left him physically exhausted by the time he got back home, usually very late. And that had left little time for studying.
Until now Izuku had simply coasted on his already solid academic foundation. He'd never found most of his classes particularly hard, and for the most part, the amount of studying he'd done had been excessive. But both Kacchan and his teacher were right: If he wanted to get into UA, his grades needed to be the very best.
At the end of the school day, Izuku decided to run to Mei's home, which was about 5k from his school. This gave him time to think and consider his next steps.
"Hatsume?" he called when he arrived at her shop. He'd stopped once to grab an old toaster he'd seen sticking out of a dumpster, and the run had taken him longer than usual. Despite that, she wasn't home yet, so Izuku sat down and pulled out his textbooks to do some studying.
After about 20 minutes, Mei barged in, her bag bulging with various objects she'd scavenged. She took differing routes home everyday to find new and interesting things to bring back to strip for parts, and seemed to have a rather impressive haul today, including a large piece of sheet metal.
"Ah, Midoriya! You are Midoriya, right? Well great, you're here already. Did you manage to figure out the power drain issues on the-"
"Hatsume, not right now. Come on, we need to study," Izuku said, patting the bench next to him. "You can help me with math."
"What?" Mei walked over, frowning at the page. "Oh, those are easy. The answer to that one is-"
"Don't just tell me the answer!" Izuku said, half panicked. "I need to learn how to do this!"
That made Mei glance askance at Izuku. "What do you mean, learn how to do this? It's math. The answer's not gonna change."
Izuku blinked. He realized he'd never seen Mei study, not even once, and by now he'd spent a very long time in her 'lab,' including two whole Sundays. "Um, don't you ever study?"
"No," Mei said with a huff. "I already get good grades in all the important areas. Math, and Chemistry, and Physics. The rest of it isn't important to an inventor like me."
"Well, doesn't UA look at all your grades?" Izuku prompted.
"Do they?" Mei said, frowning. She lifted her goggles, showing her crosshair shaped pupils, and looked at Izuku, then at the page. "You mean, like Japanese, History, and English and stuff? I hate English. It doesn't make any sense!"
"Um, yeah. I'm pretty sure all those matter on the entrance exams, Mei," Izuku said gently. "Um, how are your grades in those?"
"I'm passing, so it doesn't matter, right?" Mei asked. For the first time since Izuku had met her, she actually sounded unsure of herself.
"Well, UA looks at all your grades. And well, if they're not good enough, they might reject you." Izuku flushed and looked down. "Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that. I've been so busy, working with you on the Power Suit, training my body, and, well, my grades are starting to slip. If I want to get into UA, I need to spend more time studying. Otherwise, even if we build the most amazing armor ever, they won't even let me take the entrance exam."
"You're serious?" Mei demanded, scrambling over and putting her hands on Izuku's shoulders and pressing her face close to his. "You mean, if I don't have great grades in EVERYTHING, they won't let me in and I won't get unlimited funding to build all my babies?!"
"Um, y-yeah, that's how entrance exams usually work, Hatsume," Izuku stammered, leaning away from Mei slightly. He was getting used to her frequent violations of his personal space, but it still felt strange. "They screen out anyone who doesn't excel. Lots of people want to get into UA, so they can afford to be picky."
Mei let go of Izuku, sitting back on the bench with a poleaxed expression. "Then you mean I actually have to learn English and stuff?"
"Um, yeah…"
Mei suddenly jumped up, scrambling over to her bag. She dug out a battered textbook, its cover stained with grease and torn and tattered from being thrown in with scrap of all kinds. She raced over and dumped it on the table. "Ok, well, you're my partner. Teach me English!"
Izuku winced. "Well, it's not that easy. And, um, well, I could use some help in math. Because if I don't get my grades up, well, I won't get into UA either."
"That is completely unacceptable!" Mei declared. "You are, in fact, the best partner I have ever had. I tried to get Nikawa to help me but he's always glueing stuff in random places because he thinks it's funny or something. Hari and mom and dad are too busy, and Komaru is no help at all. I cannot afford to lose you! My production efficiency had gone up by 50% since you arrived! The power issues are improving, I have more materials to work with, and my parents have stopped bugging me about making friends! It is of vital importance that you keep helping me, especially when I get to UA!"
"Well...maybe you could help me in Science and Math, and I can help you in Japanese and English?" Izuku suggested.
"That is acceptable. We shall spend 30 minutes a day studying."
"Um, Mei, I-I-I think it might take more than that. We should really spend 30 minutes on each subject."
"Hmph. This seems like a tremendous waste of time." Mei bowed her head, thinking. Finally, she looked up. "Alright! If it means I get to obtain unlimited funding and keep you as my lab partner, I suppose it would mean an overall increase to our production capabilities. Very well! We shall study. Now, the way they teach you to do these problems is stupid. I know a much better way. Let me show you."
As it turned out, Mei's method of solving the problems involved a lot of rapid mental math and skipping of steps that left Izuku confused. But once he got her to slow down and explain what she was thinking, it took a few tries but they did get there, her methods did turn out to be fairly effective. Conversely, Izuku was shocked at just how bad Mei was outside of Math and Science subjects. Apparently, she had a low C average in English and Japanese Studies, and a high C in history. It ended up taking a considerably longer time than he'd thought it would to fully tutor her in those areas, but by teaching Mei material he was already fairly solid in, Itzuku found he gained a better understanding of those subjects himself.
It was actually sort of fun, and kinda nice, to have a study partner. It had been a long time since other kids had wanted anything to do with Izuku. While 80% of the population might have quirks, the number that didn't have a quirk was concentrated mostly in the older generations. In Izuku's generation, that number was more like 95%, and Izuku was one of the few kids at his school who were quirkless. It made him something of a pariah, especially since Bakugo, who was popular and powerful, seemed to have made it his life's mission to make Izuku miserable.
As they worked, Izuku managed to learn a bit more about Mei's school life as well. It turned out they were both social outcasts, though for obviously different reasons. As Izuku had guessed, Mei didn't have much in the way of a friend group.
"The other kids never understand! I bring one of my babies into class for show and tell, and it suddenly turns into run and hide! They just don't understand how amazing my babies are! So what if there was one little explosion or two? Barely anyone was hurt!" Mei complained as they worked on the Power Suit.
"E-e-explosion?" Izuku gasped, looking around.
"Don't worry, those hardly happen at home any more. Mom said if I set the building on fire again she'd take away all my babies! Can you even imagine?"
Unlike Izuku, Mei was perhaps too talented for her peers. She was clearly a natural born genius, as her aptitude for math and science quickly showed Izuku during their study sessions. She also easily picked up the subjects she'd struggled in, apparently only having put in enough effort to pass previously and "get my parents to quit bothering me."
That, and Mei's obvious lack of social skills. She was domineering and blunt, and completely unaware of social conventions. There had been more than one time when she'd simply started undressing or barged in on Izuku when he was changing in the bathroom, apparently oblivious to the fact that she had an admittedly attractive body to a boy of Izuku's age. Thankfully, Izuku had learned to lock the door, and had gotten quite adroit at looking away when Mei decided she needed to change into a different set of clothes when she came home from school or to head out dumpster diving.
"Hey, Mei, I-I-I was wondering, um, my mom, ah, she'd like to meet you," Izuku said one afternoon as they were testing out some of the modifications to their creation.
"Oh, does she want to see some of my babies? I could bring that grappling hook I built for you!" Mei said excitedly.
"Grappling hook? When did you do that?" Izuku asked, confused.
"Oh, you know, I saw it in one of those books you're always carrying around and thought maybe it would improve the mobility on the Power Armor MK III. I just modified baby number 17, it was originally a spring loaded umbrella launcher I built back when I was a kid. It didn't work out very well for keeping the rain off, but it was great at hitting pigeons. It's gas loaded but I want to see if you could figure out a way to give it more power."
"Um, OK. Yeah, um, that might be cool, and I have been experimenting with gas powered stuff on the suit. But, ah, mom just kinda wants to meet you. I d-d-don't have many friends, you see, and she um, she just wants to get to know you," Izuku explained.
"What? Do you even have a workshop at your place?" Mei demanded.
"Um, no, but we do have some old stuff laying around the apartment we could maybe bring back here, like, um, an old vacuum cleaner and my dad's old electric scooter that's just sat around for a while," Izuku offered. "I think I could get a motor with a decent power draw off the scooter."
"Well why didn't you say there was salvage!" Mei said happily. "We can go over and pick it up right away!"
Izuku quickly shook his head. "No! Um, my mom, ah, she's kinda...sensitive. She worries a lot, and um, well, I want to give her a good impression of you."
"Well what's wrong with me now?" Mei demanded, furrowing her brow in irritation.
Izuku blushed, looking away. Mei was once again in her stained overalls, with a ragged grey shirt that she frequently used to wipe her greasy hands on. Her face was smeared with oil, grime, and sweat, and her hair was unwashed and uncombed. It turned out her older sister practically had to force Mei to wash and clean her hair properly, but as that day was a Saturday with no school the next day Mei absolutely refused to bother.
"Er, maybe you should think of it...like an interview. You know, impressing a potential investor. Maybe if my mom thought what we were doing was useful, she'd be willing to, er support us."
"You mean, like a showcase for investors?" Mei demanded. When Izuku nodded, Mei immediately ran over to where her sleeping mat and clothes lay, one of the few areas of the room Izuku flatly refused to organize for her. "Why didn't you say so?! I think I've got some clean clothes somewhere. Yes, we'll definitely need to bring Number 17. Oh! And Number 35, that's my handheld heat ray! Good for drying hair, but I meant it to be used for melting metal. Couldn't get enough of a power source."
"Um, O-o-oK!" Izuku gasped, turning his back and sidling towards the door. "I'll, um, text my mom and tell her you're coming over for dinner. I'll, er, need to go get ready too."
"What?! But we've just finished modifying our baby together! You were going to take it for a test drive!" Mei protested, her voice coming closer.
Izuku risked a glance, then quickly turned around at a glimpse of bair skin. Mei appeared to be in the process of removing her overalls. "Ijusthavealottodowelldoittomorrowokseeyoulaterby!"
He was halfway home before he felt his phone vibrating. He took it out to see a text from Mei on it.
"You did not give me the address of our meeting location. Please respond."
Izuku quickly returned Mei's text, and a moment later her reply came. "Confirmed. Will be there at 6:00pm sharp. Please have devices ready for PowerPoint Presentation. Sound required."
Letting out a soft groan, Izuku quickly fired off a text to his mother warning her that Mei was coming as he continued to jog home. Hopefully, this wouldn't be a complete disaster.
"It's just so nice to know you've got a friend coming over, Izuku!" his mother babbled for perhaps the 50th time. "You've told me so much about Hatsume, but I just can't help but wonder what sort of girl she is!"
"She's um, very passionate," Izuku said, looking up from his computer that he'd connected to the TV. "She's really helping me work towards my goal of, er, getting into UA."
"Does she want to be a hero too? Is she, you know, like you?" his mom said, dropping her voice so low it was hard to hear her over the sizzling sounds from food she was frying.
"Um, no, not really. Hatsume wants to get into the Support Program at UA. She...she has a-a-a quirk, but, er, she doesn't really use it that much. It just gives her the ability to zoom in on stuff, with her eyes. She has great vision."
"Oh, well, that's...that's good! Maybe...maybe you could be in the support class with her! It would be so nice to go to school with a friend, don't you think?"
"I go to school with Kachaan mom," Izuku said, smiling slightly.
"Izuku."
He turned to see his mom standing over him, wringing her hands slightly. "Izuku...Bakugou...he isn't your friend."
Izuku felt his smile freeze in place, and cold sweat trickle down his back. "What do you mean? Of course Kaachan is-"
"Izuku, that boy's a bully. He's been cruel to you for...years. Since you were in kindergarten. It's just gotten worse. I know...I know you like to think of him as a friend but…" His mother took a deep breath. "I've tried so hard, and so long, to protect you, to encourage you, but...but you're almost in High School. I can't do that to you anymore. You have to...you have to realize what the real world is like. And Izuku...I'm so very, very afraid for you. If you try to get into the UA Hero Program, I think you'll be hurt, or even worse. And...and how would the other kids treat you? You're...well, you're a great kid, Izuku."
His mom knelt down and hugged Izuku, who felt her tears trickle onto his shoulders. "God, this is hard for me...I...I'm sorry. But...but well, you're a lot of things. You're smart, and talented, and brave, and cheerful, and kind, and...and all the things a mother wants her boy to grow up to be. But...you're also quirkless. And...and if you tried to fight a villain with no quirk, what would happen to you? Something bad, I just know it. I don't want to see you get hurt."
"Mom...it's OK," Izuku said, patting his mom's back. Inside though, he felt numb and cold. Did no one believe in him? "Mei and I, we're both going to chase our dreams into UA. We'll make amazing gear, better than any quirk. And I'll be the World's Greatest Hero someday. You'll see."
Tears continued to well up in his mother's eyes. "Oh, Izuku, I-"
There was a knock at the door. "Oh! That's Hatsume!" Izuku said, seeing the clock read 6:00. Well, at least she was punctual. He separated himself from his mom and hurried over to open the door.
As soon as he opened it, Mei strode in uninvited, a wide grin on her face. "Hello! I am Mei Hatsume, and I am here to show you the incredible things that myself, and my partner Midoriya have created together!"
"Oh, um, pleasure to meet you, Hatsume" Inko said hesitantly, taking Mei's offered hand.
To Izuku's immense relief, Mei had actually taken the time to dress presentably for dinner. She was wearing slacks and a clean polo shirt with the logo of her family's shop on it, and was carrying a backpack that was bulging with several objects. For once, she was without her distinctive goggles, apparently having left those behind. She hand even washed her hair.
"Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to meet with me, Ms. Midoriya," Mei said, bowing slightly. Her politeness was somewhat ruined by the manic grin plastered all over her face.
"Oh! Well, um, I just wanted to get to know Izuku's friend. He's kind of shy you know and he's always had a hard time getting to know people so when he told me he had met a young lady and the two of you were working on a project together I-"
"Yes! Baby number 47! Oh, it's so wonderful! When we're done, it's going to be the greatest of my creations! Izuku will be able to lift over 1000 kilos, run over 35 miles an hour, and jump up to 10 feet, plus more with the attached grappling hook!"
Inko only blinked very rapidly, clearly baffled by this.
"Well, I brought over a presention to show you, with footage from our last field test along with a few graphs I made and-"
"Why don't we eat dinner first!" Izuku interrupted. "We made miso soup with tofu!"
"Oh." Mei paused, glancing at Izuku with a slightly confused expression. "Is it traditional to eat first before the presentation?"
"At this house, yes!" Izuku said, frantically taking Mei's hand and leading her over to the table. He sat her down and hurriedly served up the food as his mother made her way over and sat down.
"So, Hatsume, Izuku tells me you're um, an inventor."
"Yes! I have created 51 adorable babies so far! But the most impressive one is number 47, which Izuku and I have been working on together for over a month now! It started as a simple exo-skeleton I called the Power Suit to help me when I scavenged for heavy parts, but Izuku has totally improved the electrical systems! He's helped me turn it into a fully fledged set of gear that has a multitude of functions, including-"
"Here's the food! Let's eat!" Izuku interrupted, hurriedly putting filled bowls down for everyone.
"Yes!" Mei began slurping her soup, then stopped and paused. She glanced at Inko then said in a rather robotic voice, "Thank you very much for the food." She clapped once, then went back to scarfing down her meal.
Inko blinked and looked to Izuku, who was fixedly staring into his bowl and eating himself, his face beat red. Mei ate like this with her family all the time, only pausing to argue with her siblings or tell of her latest creation. Small talk was not her speciality.
"So, um, Hatsumei, what school do you go to?" Inko asked, trying again to get the conversation going. "What classes do you like?"
"I go to East Nabo Middle," Mei said around a mouthful of noodles, her eyes still on her food, her tone once more oddly robotic. "I enjoy math. I enjoy science. I enjoy going to Mr. Onizuka's room for social groups. I do not like English."
That got Inko to blink. "Um, social groups? That sounds, ah, nice."
"It's boring and stupid but I have to go because I'm ASD or something," Mei said, rolling her eyes. "I don't have it bad but apparently it makes me antisocial or whatever. I don't care, as long as they leave me alone and let me make my babies. It's not like I can't talk or anything. But!"
Sudden energy entered back into Mei's voice, and she looked up, her odd crosshair irises sparkling. "Mr. Onizuka lets me build things for social groups! I've built two leg supports that help Nishima and Garo walk, and I built six augmentative communication devices that they've sent to other schools to give kids who are like, super high needs or something! They give me all these materials and since I'm like, the most social one in the social groups I get to spend all my time building stuff if I promise to talk to the other kids while I do it and then I can show my babies off and I'm working on designing an exo-suit for some of the kids with cerebral palsy and I've got an award for it which I don't care about but Mr. Onizuka say's that if keep this up I can get a recommendation to get into the support program for UA and if you're there you can build whatever you want even if it's super dangerous or something and no one yells at you if you don't do your English homework because it's stupid and we live in Japan and you can just keep building things all day for all kinds of heroes which is super awesome and Midoriya wants to go there too and I bet if I make him some amazing babies that let him pass the UA entrance exam everyone will let me build things forever and I can have as many babies as I want!"
A chunk of tofo slid out from between Inko's chop sticks as she stared open mouthed at Mei, who was once more grinning madly. "That, um, that sounds, um, really interesting, Hatsume. So, er, you think you and Izuku can get into UA together?"
"Absolutely! It will be required! He's the best lab partner ever! He's very helpful and organized and he helps me find all kinds of scrap for my babies and he's really good at wiring and power supplies and he's actually getting really good at making things himself and you have to let him keep helping me build stuff!" Mei suddenly jumped up, ran over to her backpack, and dug out a small USB device. She hurried over to Izuku's computer and plugged it in. "I made a presentation!"
Izuku hurried after Mei, turning on the TV. "Um, she's really smart, mom," Izuku said. "We, um, we study together and my grades have never been better! I didn't get a single C after she and I started studying together!"
Inko frowned, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Izuku, when on earth did you ever get a C?"
"Who cares, let's show you our baby!" Mei cheered, opening up her presentation.
"DUN DAN DUH DAAAAA!" Mei's cheery voice screamed from the speakers. Inko let out a squeal of surprise, and Izuku hastily lowered the volume before the neighbors started complaining.
The presentation was, mercifully, short and to the point. It showed a few short videos of Izuku testing out the Power Armor MK II, along with pictures of their current progress. It then outlined a five step plan for Mei and Izuku to get into UA.
"Step 1: We create an amazing baby together that-"
"She means the power armor!" Izuku interrupted, flushing bright red. "Not...not the other kind of baby!"
"Well what else would I mean?" Mei asked, clearly not understanding the implications. "Anyway, yes, we create the Power Armor MK III, along with several of the planned upgrades we've discussed."
"Step 2! Izuku uses it to earn the highest score ever on the UA entrance exam! Step 3, they let us into UA, where I join the support program and continue to create ultra cute babies with Izuku! Step 4, We show them off and everyone realizes that I'm the greatest inventor ever and that Izuku is an incredible hero, and then Step 5, we get all the funding we need and make babies together for the rest of our lives!'
"Inventions!" Izuku said, waving his hand frantically. "She means inventions! We create inventions together!"
Inko knelt on the floor in front of the TV, looking a bit overwhelmed. "Well, that's...that's quite the impressive goal you two have there, I suppose."
"So, will you support us in our efforts?" Mei demanded, leaning forward toward Inko, causing the older woman to lean back in discomfort.
"I...well...I guess...if you're going to be in the Support Course at UA...that does sound safe enough and...and it's a good dream for Izuku to have, so...so yes. I will support you two. As long as Izuku keeps his grades up! If I hear one more thing about Cs, young man, you won't leave this house until your grades go back up again!"
"Yes ma'am!" Izuku said, grinning widely. "And thank you!"
"Great!" Mei said, standing and looking around. "Now Izuku said something about a vacuum and scooter we could have for parts?"
Inko blinked, looking at Izuku, who only grinned and shrugged. She looked back at Mei, and managed to smile. "I...I think maybe I do."
Authors Note:
Disclaimer: I am not a clinical psychologist. Data presented here is a fabrication, and any resemblance to real persons is unintentional, and is not in breach of confidentiality.
Assessment Results Summary
Name: Hatsume, Mei
Date of Birth: April 16
Age: 15
Gender: F
Quirk: H-5
School: Nabu East Middle
Teacher: Onizuka, G
Test Results / Percentile Rank
Cognitive 139* / 99
Academic 109 / 73
Adaptive 69 / 2
Social 68 / 1
Speech 86 / 18
*Score considered to be of questionable validity.
Assessors notes:
Cognitive
Mei's cognitive ability is a rough estimate, as the test does not score high enough to get an accurate result. Mei consistently scores at the top end of all subtests. The only subtests Mei has ever shown any difficulties in are language related subtests, and even in those her scores are well above the average range. The assessor feels the cognitive results are, if anything, low, as Mei has been observed to rapidly lose interest in subjects she does not find stimulating (ex: language). Her current score is the maximum possible on the cognitive evaluation.
Academic
Mei scored at the top end in the math and science subtests, achieving a scaled score of 139 in both areas, the maximum possible. However, her scores in history, reading and especially writing were relatively low, the lowest result of 74 being achieved in the Written Expression Subtest. It should be noted that Mei is achieving passing grades in all her classes, and should not be separated from same age typical peers for the purpose of core academic instruction.
Adaptive
Adaptive results attained from teacher and parent interviews. Mei is capable of functionally caring for herself. She can make meals and carry out complex hygiene routines independently. However, without frequent prompting, Mei fails to take care of herself. At school, Mei will often not eat unless prompted repeatedly by teachers. She often forgets to properly attend to hygiene needs unless reminded, even when provided with proper hygiene products and education. Mei also displays stereotyped behavior, frequently humming or bouncing on her toes. When she was younger, Mei had a compulsive need to count objects and calculate the area and volume of things around her, though with support these behaviors have mostly been brought to extinction. Mei's challenges in adaptive skills require specialized instruction.
Social
While Mei has demonstrated the ability to have appropriate social conversations with peers and adults, she frequently fails to do so. Mei rarely initiates social interaction with peers, and when she does so her conversations are stereotyped and limited to a few topics that Mei finds interesting. When peers initiate social interaction, Mei will often not respond appropriately, or simply ignore them. Mei lacks concepts of personal space, appropriate volume, and when and where certain routines are appropriate. There have been multiple incidents where she went into the boys bathroom due to lines in the girls bathroom. Mei's difficulties in social behavior have impeded her ability to form friendships within her peer group. Mei requires specialized instruction in the area of social behaviors.
Note: Recently, Mei has begun to talk about a friend she has made outside of school. Efforts should be made at home to maintain this peer relationship.
Speech
Mei has improved greatly since her initial evaluation. While Mei was verbal from an early age, the majority of her speech was stilted and robotic. She has learned more social language, and will use her scripted responses appropriately. After many years of speech instruction, Mei has been dismissed from Speech/Language services, and has been placed on a consultation basis.
Quirk
Mei's quirk is a heteromorphic type quirk inherited from her father's family line; she is a 5th generation quirk user. Mei's quirk is registered as Zoom, and grants her superior vision equal to about 100x the human norm. At this time, Mei's quirk is not believed to have any impact on her cognitive, academic, social, behavioral, or adaptive development.
Diagnosis
Mei was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at the age of 5 by her family pediatrician. The diagnosis was upheld by the school clinical psychologist. Mei has been qualified for specialized educational services since the age of 5 under the category of Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Final Recommendation:
Mei should continue to receive specialized services under the qualification area of Autism Spectrum Disorder for social and adaptational needs. Recommendation is 300 min/wk for non-core academic instruction.
…
What? That's actually what I do for a living. Anyway, I've decided that for the purposes of this story, I'm going to go ahead and write Mei as though she had a mild case of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). I'd argue that this isn't even much of a stretch from her behavior in cannon, but I will be amplifying it at least slightly so you can consider that an AU element. For those interested, Mei in this story would score at about a 65 on the Gillingham Autism Rating Scale (GARS 2nd ed.) which indicates that she has a case of high functioning ASD.
(Yes I know there's a 3rd Edition now but I can't just use those copies for funsies like I can the old ones).