Chapter 5
Administrator Moujin, called "M" by most, looked over the reports for today. He was the handler of both agent Argent and agent Carmilla, two of their most exceptional assets. Normally only one subject would be assigned per supervisor, but due to the unusual nature of their relationship it was deemed more appropriate for their cases to be processed together.
Of course while that was simply a way of saving additional budget for the higher-ups, it only meant more work for him. Especially considering that they were often used apart from each other in different operations. The sheer amount of paperwork that went over his desk each day was madness inducing! Next year he would plead for a reassignment at Central Management if he hadn't suffered a burnout by then.
He forcefully calmed himself down with the help of his quirk "Clear Head" that let him slow the brainwaves of any individual within a certain radius. A handy quirk, but thankfully not powerful enough that the higher-ups had deemed him "operationally applicable". He did not want to be thrown in the meat grinder that was the Special Operations Unit, no thank you. Moujin valued his life very much, regardless of how shitty his job could be at times.
At least he had the potential for promotion now that he was basically spearheading the newest brainchild of the Modern Tactics Department. Even if the paperwork was absurd, he had the satisfaction of knowing that his efforts were being watched by those above. The elusive committee had many careful eyes trained on his charges.
While agents Argent and Carmilla may act independently at the moment it would not be long until Protocol 21749-b triggered and they would be deployed together again. The "Mirror-Image-Initiative" had been declared a success four months ago after all and the Modern Tactics Department was filling binders upon binders with new theoretical applications for the two-man team. Or should he call it a "two-woman team"? Irrelevant.
Since the moment Argent had been given responsibility for subject Carmilla (who back then had been simply registered as Vampire) they had trained together. Argent was the committee's favourite agent produced by the Legacy Program. Sometimes Moujin wondered why the ones above not simply acquired more children to mould into perfect heroes when Argent and Hawks had been such perfect achievements. Subtly creating more orphans was well within their capabilities and more candidates would lead to an increase in production.
Oh well, it wasn't his job to think about such things.
Absentmindedly he stamped another report describing the internal workings of UA highschool by Argent. Why even bother reading it when all the information was unimportant anyway? Who cared what kind of coffee they drank or which students had problems with algebra? A pure waste of time.
Carmilla on the other hand...
Damn, that girl was on a killing spree! Two crime lords in one week! As opposed as some of the eggheads in Central Management had been to her recruitment it was clear the investment had paid off! Her quirk "Transformation" was simply an amazing skill for infiltration and intelligence gathering. Not to mention her superhuman speed and agility that made her the deadliest knife-wielder in the whole Association. If he hadn't seen the videos himself then he would not have believed what that girl could do with a blade. An amazing tool that was as effective as it was versatile. Those numbers she achieved were bound to gather favour from the higher-ups. He could already smell that promotion...
~[#҈#]~
Tanya sat down at a rare abandoned table in a corner of UA cafeteria's for lunch. Normally, she would eat from a bento box in the teachers' lounge while working on some paperwork, but dealing with a villain attack near her apartment complex in the early morning led to her running late and forgetting her lunch. However, when she smelled the meal Lunch Rush prepared for her, she began to think that perhaps that was not such a bad thing. Especially as she eyed the large piece of chocolate cake that the man had packed on the upper right corner of her tray.
A few minutes into enjoying her lunch, a pair of shadows fell over the ruins of her feast and she looked up to see two of her students. Asui Tsuyu and Uraraka Ochako, the former had her hand on the latter's shoulder, who looked quite flustered and ready to flee, not unlike a frightened rabbit.
"Hello, Ms. Degurechaff, may we sit with you? Ribbit."
Tanya quirked a brow, but politely answered: "Of course, please take a seat."
Once the girls settled down with their own trays, she continued: "Is there something you'd like to discuss with me? Concerns? Schoolwork?"
"Nothing like that. Ochako-chan is just a really big fan of yours and wanted to ask for your autograph. Ribbit" Asui explained bluntly.
At the revelation, Uraraka's face grew even redder and she whined: "Tsu! You're embarrassing me in front of our teacher!"
Asui blinked at her friend. "There's no reason to be embarrassed, I'm also a fan. Ribbit."
"I... see," Tanya said evenly, prompting Uraraka to hurriedly explain herself.
"I-it's just, I know you said you don't think of yourself exclusively as a rescue hero, but you're still one of the best in that regard, and I'm aiming to be a rescue hero myself. Honestly, you and Thirteen are some of my biggest inspirations."
"You are an inspiration to all of us girls who want to become heroes. Ribbit," Asui added. "You're strong, intelligent and hardworking. Everything a good hero should be. Ribbit."
Tanya's lip twitched upwards and she sighed: "I suppose I can sign something, if you have-"
Before she could even finish, Uraraka thrust her notebook forward. Idly, she noted that the cover had been extensively decorated, featuring a menagerie of female heroes such as Mirko, Ryukyu, Midnight, and even Tanya herself, surprisingly.
Tanya blinked, but accepted the notebook and proffered pen, deciding to sign the inside cover. As she did so, she remarked: "A rescue hero, hm? I suppose I can see the rationale behind that considering your quirk."
Uraraka nodded enthusiastically at that.
"Yeah, with Zero Gravity, I can easily lift fallen debris, no matter how heavy, to find civilians caught in disaster zones."
Tanya closed the cover and slid it back to her student.
"Yes, and it also lends itself well utilizing a wide array of support gear to aid in that endeavour."
Uraraka stared at her uncomprehendingly.
"Um, what do you mean?"
Tanya tilted her head, thumb and forefinger on her chin as she thought it over and explained: "A camera, for instance, perhaps designed like those tumbler dolls young children play with. That is to say, one that's designed to orientate itself directly downwards. With your quirk, you could float it high above the site of a disaster to get a bird's eye view of the area. Since your quirk provides the lift, it could be quite compact, and with added thermal imaging, it would make identifying civilians in need of rescue significantly easier instead of merely using your quirk to lift every large piece of debris randomly in search of them. After all, in our line of work time is always of the essence and every second you save in rescuing someone is another moment medical professionals have to stabilize their condition."
Another idea suddenly came to her mind and she snapped her fingers in annoyance that she hadn't thought of it immediately.
"Also you should seriously consider a jetpack or grappling hook of some sort. Maybe even both, why not? I saw in the footage of the battle trial that you can briefly remove gravity from yourself as well, so you should seriously consider upping your air mobility to properly take advantage of that. Just short bursts of your quirk should be enough to get you from street level to a nearby roof in seconds if you can maneuver more than just flying in a straight line."
When Tanya returned her attention to her bubbly student, she found her writing furiously in her newly signed notebook as she nodded emphatically, eyes sparkling like a certain green-haired boy when he was taking notes about other people's quirks.
"Those are all great ideas! Thank you, Sensei! Are there any other support items you think would work well with my quirk?"
Tanya contemplated the question for a moment then brought her hands up as if pulling back the string of an invisible bow.
"Projectiles. Specifically manually loaded and powered ones, like a bow and arrow... No, a slingshot would be more compact and easier to carry on patrols. By using your quirk on the projectile itself before firing, you would no longer have to account for drop off while aiming, making it easier and more accurate. As I said during my first class, rescue or combat heroes shouldn't expect not to have to be competent in both fields, and you will have to fight villains during your career. A good weapon will be useful in such a situation."
"Yes, Sensei," Uraraka declared more seriously as she wrote that down. "And thank you for the advice."
Tanya simply nodded and was about to return to her meal (that chocolate cake was practically calling her name) when she suddenly remembered that there was more than one student at her table. Looking over, she saw Asui staring at her, finger on her lip and head slightly tilted.
"Is there something you'd like to ask, as well, Asui?"
"Ribbit... Is there any support equipment I should add to my kit, or advice on better ways to use my quirk?"
Tanya held back the sigh that threatened to escape her and gazed sadly at her dessert that was growing staler by the second. Alas, she is a teacher, and she would be remiss in her duties not to advise one of her students when requested.
"You can cling to most surfaces, yes? Would that perhaps include skin and clothing?" Tanya asked.
Asui blinked, turned to her friend and poked the other girl's hand. After a moment, she tugged, and pulled Uraraka's arm with her slightly, who just stared at the point of contact with confusion. Then Asui moved her finger to instead touch the sleeve of her shirt and repeated the process.
"I can cling to both, but not as well to the fabric. Ribbit."
"I figured as much, still, that will contribute greatly to grip strength, which in turn will lend itself well to maintaining holds on opponents, such as limb locks and the like. I suggest looking into a grappling-based martial art, such as Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. With your quirk aided grip, even a technically sloppy hold will be significantly harder for an opponent to break out of, and will help in nonlethal captures. I also know you have exceptionally powerful legs, which beyond your impressive jump height and distance, means you should be able to kick like a truck. Perhaps you should think about incorporating those into your fighting style, as well."
Once she was done speaking Tanya carefully observed the young girl's face and although her expression was the same as always, Tanya could practically see Asui's eyes sparkling as she said: "Thank you, Sensei. I'll take your advice into consideration."
"I'm glad I could help," Tanya replied evenly, quickly eating a mouthful of food to hopefully stave off any more questions. Lunch Rush's meal was far more delicious than what she would normally bring to school, but perhaps she should take it to the teachers' lounge next time in order to enjoy it in peace.
She was all for helping her new students out whenever possible, but even her patience has limits, and letting perfectly good desserts grow cold and stale comes dangerously close to pushing them. They could take her freedom, but never her culinary enjoyment! Hopefully she would not be transferred to a new case any time soon.
