Chapter Four
Nathan watches as the new students filter into the classroom, keeping a close eye on Katsuki Bakugo as he takes a seat at desk 1, like Nathan assigned. Behind him, in order, is Mina Ashido, Setsuna Tokage, Ibara Shiozaki, and Reiko Yanagi.
In the second row is Eijirou Kirishima at desk 6, then Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu, Kyoka Jiro, Kinoko Komori, and Fumikage Tokoyami.
Row three starts with Toru Hagakure at desk 11, followed by Tenya Iida, Yui Kodai, Pony Tsunotori, and Mezo Shoji.
And finally, the fourth row starts with Ochako Uraraka at desk 16, followed by Izuku Midoriya, Tsuyu Asui, Itsuka Kendo, and Momo Yaoyorozu.
He tried to place them in groups that had similar wavelengths, but he'll reassign seats as needed. Except for Pony, as he saw that she is struggling with Japanese and is from the States, so he placed her near the two students who's files mentioned knowing English; Izuku and Momo.
Back to the present, however, Bakugo seems to be standoffish and rude, but nothing aggressive yet. The rest of the students are mingling well, although he may have to remind Tetsutetsu and Kirishima to tone it back a little. One of the more interesting students was Iida, as he walked right up to introduce himself and how much of an honor it is to be at UA. Then immediately turning around and berating Bakugo for having his feet on the desk. Nathan's metallic mask hides his smile, but his mechanized voice echoes in the room.
"He's fine for now, Iida. However, once classes start, your feet need to be on the ground, Bakugo." Bakugo merely clicks his tongue in acknowledgement, but Nathan can sense the acceptance and nods. Aizawa is still back in the lounge, lightly dozing, if Nathan is sensing correctly, despite only five minutes remaining before classes start. Of course, both Midoriya and Ochako seem to be running a little late as well, though both are in the building. Perhaps they have trouble reading maps? Deciding to help the last two students make it on time, he sends out little subconscious nudges, guiding the two down the correct hallways till they make it to class 1-A, with a minute to spare. And Aizawa is finally making his way to class as well.
"Deku…" Nathan's eyes flick to Bakugo at the growled insult, measuring the negative feeling radiating off of him.
"Everyone, go to your desks and sit down. The homeroom teacher will be here soon." All the students follow instructions, and Bakugo even places his feet on the ground. Although, Nathan can sense their confusion as his statement. Wasn't he the homeroom teacher? "I am not your homeroom teacher. This year, a small change has been made, and I will be acting as the assistant teacher for 1-A." The bell rings at that moment, and Nathan looks at the closed door, fully aware of Aizawa imitating a caterpillar just outside. Aizawa also seems to have no intention of entering the room just yet. Sighing, Nathan continues. "We have about 20 minutes to socialize before we must join the opening ceremony. All of these students around you are possible allies once you graduate. Even if you don't get along, it's important to be able to work together. Otherwise, your heroic career will be cut short, often brutally. Our ability to work with other heroes without risk of backstabbing is one of the few advantages we have over villains." Some of the students look happy at the statement, some look thoughtful, and others, such as Bakugo, look outright dismissive. And of course, there are others who still look scared of drawing attention to themselves, such as Midoriya and Kinoko. "You will have three years with the others in this class, so don't feel pressured if you have some trouble. The gods know I was horrible when I was starting out." That rouses a chuckle or too, but the nervous ones calm down slightly, so he considers it a win. Although, Shiozaki seems slightly offended at his joke.
"Sir! I can't help but notice our homeroom teacher has yet to arrive! Is such behavior truly acceptable at UA?" Iida speaks loudly, making little hand chops.
"UA prides itself upon its complete teacher freedom policy. So if a teacher wishes to be late and allow their assistant to handle all the tedious stuff, then they are technically allowed to do so." Iida tilts his head, clearly not happy with the answer, but not finding a way to complain since it's encouraged by the school. Aizawa finally enters the classroom roughly ten minutes later, while the students are distracted with their conversations. Only Midoriya, Bakugo, Jiro, Pony, and Tokoyami notice him, and Nathan can sense Aizawa mentally acknowledge those who noticed him, and condemn those who failed. Ah, so he wished to test their observation skills. Nathan says nothing however, as Aizawa crawls under the desk with his sleeping bag and starts another nap. The students who noticed him are either creeped out, or just ignore him. Another eight minutes pass the same way before Aizawa stands up from behind the desk and waits for exactly one minute before activating his quirk, easily gaining everyone's attention.
"For those few who noticed me enter, good job. Everyone else, work on your environmental awareness. However, none of you noticed me after I stood up. Work on it." Aizawa pulls out a juice pack and drains it before speaking again. "I'm Aizawa, the homeroom teacher. Nice to meet everyone. As much as it physically pains me, we are going to the orientation speech, then you will join 1-B for the meeting with Hound Dog, and have lunch afterwards. From there, we will have a quirk apprehension test. Do not disappoint me. Now move." The students remain frozen for a second or two, but upon Aizawa's raised eyebrow, they scramble into action. Nathan has them move by row, to maintain order and before long they are sitting beside 1-B, waiting for Principal Nezu to arrive.
Izuku watches his two teachers as he and his classmates approach the field. Aizawa looks familiar, his attire and scarf sparking a memory, but Izuku can't pinpoint it yet. Most likely an underground hero then.
The assistant teacher, however, leaves him with a complete blank, which almost never happens, unless it's a completely new hero. Frowning as he realizes the assistant teacher never introduced himself, he takes in as many details as he can. He has a black, skin tight shirt with pale grey patterns that look runic, in a way. His pants are the same color, but slightly baggier, and the bottoms are tucked into solid black combat boots. He doesn't wear any gloves, so Izuku can tell he has pale skin. His helmet is simple, but effective, and covers the entire head. Pale grey, almost appearing as a skull, but missing the nose piece, and having three vertical slots that presumably function as a gas mask, and voice changer. Physically, Izuku is fairly sure that the teacher is only as tall as Kacchan, if maybe a centimeter or two taller. However, the teacher does have more muscle on him. Not quite like All Might, but enough to be comparable.
Izuku is fairly certain that this teacher is Jackson, who All Might mentioned, but he can't say anything yet. He's glad that Uraraka and Iida made it into class 1-A, but while he is bothered by sharing a class with Kacchan, he's glad to not have seats close to each other at least. Izuku is drawn out of his thoughts when Aizawa starts talking.
Nathan watches the students as they go through the tests, some of them oozing confidence, such as Bakugo, some of them worried about making the cut, and the rest worrying for their fellow classmates. He knows that Aizawa is telling the truth, and can feel his conviction, but he's not feeling any disappointment from the man yet. And honestly, Nathan is impressed with these students. Despite their fears, they are working their hardest to make the cut, though a few do appear to suffer from a lack of imagination.
However, Nathan has another objective here. He did not miss that spike of fear from Midoriya when Bakugo used his quirk on the ball throw. That level of fear tasted like it was a personal fear. An experienced fear. He can sense the anger in Bakugo, and the confusion when the small sparks of green lightning started arcing off of Midoriya. And it's only growing as Midoriya continues to do well in the tests. Oh, Bakugo is feeling frustration at the contestants doing better than him too, but only Midoriya is earning his hatred.
Nathan is pulled from his thoughts as he spots All Might hiding nearby. His nervousness about Aizawa warring with his pride towards Midoriya. As long as he doesn't interfere with the testing, he can watch. Turning back to the students, Nathan realizes it's time for the other students to do the ball throw.
Honestly, he doesn't have much of a job here other than sense if the students were holding back or not taking it seriously. Thankfully, most of them are. Iida does seem to be holding something back, but it seems to be more of a last resort ability than safely use ability, so Nathan won't call him out on it.
Nathan glances at the gaggle of students who are waiting for their turns, sensing their attention turn to him in their conversation. Nothing malicious, simply curious on their part. Hmm, maybe it will do some good for him to be more approachable? If Aizawa takes the 'bad cop' role for the students, then Nathan doesn't mind playing the 'good cop' role. Not to mention, he forgot to ask for cooling parts in his costume, so the dark colors and full cover helmet are starting to get a little unbearable. Pressing the deactivation button, Nathan waits as his mask folds into itself, retracting back from his face to store itself in the neck compartment. The students who aren't preoccupied snap their attention to his face, like the curious children that they are.
Nathan ignores the students in favor of savoring the crisp air of the cold day before Aizawa has all of the students follow him to the racetrack for the last test of the day. As far as Nathan is concerned, the endurance test is the most boring of the eight. Just watching people run, just as exciting as watching paint dry. But this is still his job, so he pays attention for the agonizing fifteen minutes it takes. After Aizawa reveals the results, lies about his decision to expel someone, and leaves, Nathan starts directing the students back to the locker room. He looks over to where All Might and Aizawa encounter each other and almost misses the point when Bakugo snaps.
Izuku can't stop the flinch or squeak that happens when Bakugo launches towards him, demanding answers, smoke trailing off his hands. Izuku almost resigns himself to another beating when Bakugo slams into the dirt like a plank, palms at his sides and pressed against his thighs. Izuku turns to Reiko to thank her when he sees that she's just as surprised as him.
"Bakugo Katsuki." Jackson doesn't yell, but the deep rumble in his voice makes his anger apparent. "Does everyone know where the locker rooms are?" Now his voice is a little lighter, as everyone nods. "Please go there on your own. I must speak with Bakugo, one on one." Everyone nods again and hurries off, Izuku hesitating slightly before joining his two friends.
Nathan watches the students leave before turning his attention to Bakugo, pulling him up to hover in the air before Nathan, and releases his hold on Bakugo's jaw.
"What the fuck do you think you doing?! That little nerd owes me answers!" Nathan raises an eyebrow at Bakugo's outburst.
"Midoriya does not owe you, or any other student answers regarding his personal life. However, should he tell you of his own free will, that's fine." Nathan narrows his eyes. "What's not fine is physically attacking another student for any reason outside of combat training. So tell me. Why did you think it was ok to do so?"
"Because he's a Deku. A quirkless little runt who needs to learn his place and stay out of the way!" Nathan was annoyed before, but now he's angry. His eyes start shifting from blue to yellow.
"Is that so? Well, let's see how that foolish idea of yours holds up to the real world. Tell me, what's your dream?" Bakugo snarls at Nathan calling him foolish.
"To be the strongest! I'm gonna be number one and surpass All Might!"
"I see. Do you think All Might's strength is what made him number one? Do you think All Might would attack one of his classmates for doing well on a test? Especially if that classmate was presumed to be quirkless for as long as Midoriya?" Bakugo notices that the air around them starts getting colder, even as he starts thinking about his idol. "Stew on that for a little bit, and compare your own actions to those of All Might's. This is your one and only warning, Bakugo. Go after a student like that again, and not only will you be expelled, but you will have criminal charges against you." Nathan sets Bakugo on his feet, and lets him go. "Your drive to improve, and your skill in adapting can take you far in the path of heroics, but only when tempered with patience and control. Go get changed." Bakugo scoffs and leaves, simmering, but thinking. Nathan watches him as Aizawa walks up beside him.
"Do you think he'll get it?"
"I hope so. He was more surprised about being disciplined than anything else, so if we can keep him on track without overloading him, he could get better. But only if he wants to change. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink." Aizawa nods.
"Were any of the students holding back?"
"Iida seemed to be holding something big back, but his thoughts and feelings made it feel like a super move, rather than something that can be safely repeated."
"Ah, I have a good idea what it is then. Tensai, his older brother, was a classmate of mine." Nathan nods and turns to where All Might wandered off too. "Let's head to the classroom. There are still some things I need to address with the class, and I'm sure you have your own input." Nathan nods again and follows Aizawa.
"I'm telling you, Anan, Yaoyorozu would really benefit from an American diet. I don't know the specifics yet, but I overheard her saying how she uses lipid fat cells to create her constructions." Anan just laughs as Nathan stirs the pot of goulash.
"Maybe so, but make sure to actually talk with her, not at her."
"I know, I know. I'll try not to overwhelm the poor girl." Nathan and Anan both pause when the doorbell rings. Nathan reaches out and senses Nezu, accompanied by an unfamiliar signature that is tinted with darkness, but he can still see some glimmers of light, similar to seeing stars while the sun is still setting. "Anan, could you get that? I believe our esteemed principle has brought a guest. Good thing I always make extra." Anan just chuckles and heads to the door. Nathan hears the door open, then Anan lets out a startled yelp.
"Hello, Principle Nezu. And hello, Lady Nagant." Oh, he was able to get her out this quickly?
"Please, just Tsutsumi. Nagant died when they threw me in Tartarus." A woman's voice, huskier than Anan's, responds.
"Hello, Kurose! Is Nathan home?" And there's Nezu.
"Come on in! The food is just about done, and I made enough for everyone!"
"Oh, excellent! Come along, Tsutsumi." Nezu chirps happily. "I'm afraid I don't recognize this smell. What are we having?"
"But…I can…just buy some noodles at a store or something." Nathan can tell Tsutsumi is more nervous than anything.
"Goulash! It's a family recipe, so I'm pretty proud of it. And I have some cake and ice cream for dessert."
"I didn't know that. What's the occasion, Nathan?" Anan walks back around the corner and grabs the dishes to start setting the table for everyone. Nezu's ears are just barely visible over the counter as he follows her and sits at the table, while Tsutsumi hesitantly takes her own seat at the table. She cut her hair. It looks nice. Nathan agrees with Anan's earlier comment, Nagant really is attractive.
"Haven't you been paying attention, Anan? Your hero rank went up by ten!" Anan makes an oh! Face before sitting down beside Tsutsumi.
"I didn't think you'd pay attention to hero rankings." She mutters, ear tips slightly red.
"Normally, no, but you, little lady, are my best friend." Nathan laughs as Anan sputters and glares at him while he grabs the pot of gumbo with his quirk and carries it over to the table.
"Little lady? I'm taller, and older than you!" Nathan just sticks his tongue out at her.
"I weigh more than you do." Nathan pauses, then frowns at Nezu. "Stop that."
"I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about, Nathan." Nezu's innocent smile and eye gleam doesn't fool Nathan for a second.
"Don't give me that. I can literally feel your thoughts. It's giving me whiplash." Then Nathan turns to Tsutsumi, ignoring the high pitched chuckle from Nezu. "And you, no one here is going to judge you for your past. Hell, I'd be hypocritical if I did. Just eat and relax as much as you can." A raised eyebrow is all he gets in response. "Don't think at me with that tone of voice. Just give it a shot. It won't hurt you, and this isn't a trick." Tsutsumi stares at Nathan for a few more seconds while he scoops goulash into everyone's bowls before shrugging and trying a spoonful of the unfamiliar dish.