CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN - JUZO NEWS
Monday morning came around much too quickly as far as Shigaraki was concerned. He was just not ready to face another school week, especially not one crammed with multiple practice exams slated over a consecutive number of days. They were getting so close to finals that preparation was really starting to ramp up and as much as Shigaraki thought he was prepped and primed to get through them all, his most recent exam results suggested that anything was possible. Pass or fail, neither was guaranteed.
Shigaraki walked into the classroom and sat down in his usual seat at the back of the room, instantly a wave of anxiousness washing over him. He'd been up since before dawn and despite his exceptionally early start to the day, he hadn't been able to stomach anything for breakfast and was feeling it now.
He sighed and took out his notebook, opening it to the study pages he had spent hours writing and hoping the words would give him a much-needed shot of confidence. Unlikely, but worth a shot while he had some spare time before class officially began.
A moment later, a shadowy figure blocked out the fluorescent lighting above him and then a large paper coffee cup was deposited onto his desk.
"I thought you might need this."
Shigaraki glanced up at the sound of his friend's voice and slowly reached for the coffee. "You have no idea."
"I think I do." Kai amended, slipping into the empty seat in front of him. He had an equally large cup, which was usual for him. "You missed breakfast so."
Shigaraki nodded his head slightly and took a sip from the cup, thankful for the caffeine. "Thanks."
"No problem." Kai said, watching his friend fixedly. "You okay?"
"Yeah," Shigaraki pushed his fingers back through his hair, bruising it out of his face, "Just tired."
"Uh huh. You disappeared all weekend," Kai tugged his mask down to his chin, "Studying hard, I'm sure." He teased, trying to lift Shigaraki's spirits. He knew very well where and when and, more importantly, what Shigaraki had been doing.
"Probably not as much as I should have." He mumbled; cheeks flushed warm.
Kai snickered. And their conversation would've continued if not for the final rush and commotion of students coming into the classroom ahead of their teacher.
"We'll talk later." Kai said, turning to face the front of the room.
"Settle down, everyone. Please take your seats." Mr. Aizawa said, dropping a substantial stack of papers onto his desk. They were their test papers, waiting to be handed out.
It took a few minutes for the class to get to their seats and straighten out, but finally, everyone calmed down and were ready to start their school day. Well, as much as anyone could be ready first thing on a Monday.
"Good morning, class. I know you're all very eager to get to your exams." A quiet snickering went around the classroom. Mr. Aizawa allowed the soft noise with a slight sense of amusement but, before he continued a hand was raised at the front of the room.
"Miss Mai, you have a question?"
"Yes, sir. I saw some reporters from Juzo News in the common room. Are pro-heroes visiting the school today?" She asked, excitedly.
"No but thank you for bringing that up as it leads into what I was just about to address with the class." Mr. Aizawa said, turning his weary gaze from her back to the rest of the students.
"Much like every year, the Juzo News Team will be conducting interviews and photoshoots with some Third Year Students. And actually," Mr. Aizawa paused, pretending to review a list of names even though he knew very well who Juzo News had requested to speak to, "All three are from our class."
A chorus of chatter filled the room. The central gossip was pretty clear, both Dabi's and Takami's names were being said, and they were fairly obvious, but who was the third?
"So, this morning, while the reporters are making their introductions with the selected students, the rest of the class will be given a thirty-minute recess."
"What about our exam?" Asked one student.
"Is it canceled?" Said another, optimistically.
"I'm afraid not." Mr. Aizawa confirmed, to the absolute disappointment of the class, "The exam will go ahead as scheduled right afterwards."
More sounds of dismay filtered around the room.
"Okay, okay. Calm down." Mr. Aizawa said, shaking his head. "Dabi, Takami. And-" Another pause. It was almost as if their teacher was doing it purposefully, for dramatics. Silence settled over the room as they waited for the third name. "Shigaraki."
The entire class seemed to gasp in surprise and some even turned in their seats to look back at Shigaraki - who looked extremely uncomfortable with the attention on him.
"You three can head over to the common room. The rest of you, back here at a quarter to ten. No excuses." There was a moment of silence, where no one moved. "Come on, let's go." Mr. Aizawa said, ushering the first row of students out of their seats. Eventually, the rest followed.
At the front of the room Dabi waited for Shigaraki to join him, to Takami's complete and evident irritation, and he quickly grabbed his boyfriend's hand.
"Surprise!" He chuckled.
Shigaraki remained as impassive as usual. What was he getting himself into? He had been all for the interview when Mr. Aizawa had explained how beneficial it could be for him and his career but now with his thoughts securely on passing his exams and graduating, he was really considering going into the common room and telling the Juzo team that he really wasn't interested.
"Oh yeah, I bet you were both shocked." Shigaraki replied, rolling his eyes. "The first-born son of Endeavor and the fucking golden boy. Big surprise."
"Ha!" Takami laughed, actually amused by Shigaraki's commentary for once.
"But I am glad you're coming with us." Dabi crooned before smacking a kiss against Shigaraki's cheek. Shigaraki reeled away at the affection and they all began walking, out into the hall and then towards the common room.
There was quiet chatter inside the room and when the three boys entered two reporters from the station practically jumped out of their seats to greet them. One, Shigaraki recognized as Taneo Tokuda, he was a well-known freelance journalist and had published works on many pro-heroes, including All MIght and Dabi's dad. The lady with him, he did not know at all but then again, he didn't read or watch a lot of news so that didn't say much.
"Ah, our heroes." Tokuda announced, clapping his hands together. "Come in, come in."
"Oh My. Have you boys been drinking from the same well?" The lady exclaimed, fanning herself theatrically, "Seriously, where did you all come from? So many handsome boys this year."
Shigaraki raised a brow at her enthusiasm, Dabi was entertained by her excitement and Takami just ate that complimentary shit right up.
Tokuda waved her off and then offered his hand to Takami who was first in their little line, "Takami Keigo. Hawks. We're so glad to have you for this project."
"I bet." He replied, smug. Shigaraki quietly gagged at his lack of humility. His arrogance was sickening.
Tokuda stepped to the side and then shook Dabi's hand. "Ah, Endeavor's oldest son. Toya Todoroki. I cannot even begin to explain what an honor this is."
"Dabi."
"Excuse me?"
"I like to be called Dabi."
"Oh. My apologies. Dabi." Tokuda repeated, scribbling the correction on his notebook. "And last but certainly not the least, you must be Shigaraki Tomura."
"Yes, sir." Shigaraki nodded his head and accepted the reporter's hand. Tokuda looked down then, glancing curiously at Shigaraki's partially gloved fingers. "Do you always wear these?"
"Yes, all the time." Shigaraki confirmed.
"And what happens if you take them off?"
"I'd rather not take them off."
"Can you show me? Please?"
Shigaraki's brow furrowed, but then he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly "Can I see that pen?" He asked, clicking the retractactable finger plates to bare all five of his fingers.
"Sure."
Shigaraki took the pen off Tokuda and it instantly decayed into a million tiny little pieces.
"Ah, okay." The reporter scratched absently at his head, "Very impressive. Though, I kind of liked that pen." He joked with a small awkward laugh. Though Shigaraki could tell that he had not expected to lose what appeared to be a somewhat nice ballpoint pen, it looked expensive. For a pen.
"Sorry." Shigaraki immediately re-engaged the fingers of the gloves. He felt much more comfortable with them on, something akin to a security blanket.
"Nevermind that. It's just a pen." He smiled tightly, "Let's go down to business, shall we? I know you are in the midst of your exams."
"Yes!" His lady partner mirrored and, again, with much more excitement. "My name is Cho Sato. I'll be conducting the interviews alongside Tokuda who will be primarily directing the photoshoot. Next week, let's see." She flipped through her phone quickly before addressing Mr. Aizawa, who had quietly slipped into the room to supervise. "Shota, can we have next Monday? We'll need a full day with the boys."
"Yes," Mr. Aizawa nodded his head, "I will keep their schedules clear."
"Excellent." She tucked her phone back out of sight and then clapped her hands together, "Now, let's talk preparation."
"Indeed," Tokuda interjected, "I just have a few questions before Cho speaks to you about socials." He waited for her to give all clear before he continued, "For the photoshoot, the group shots will be classic full school uniforms so dress accordingly. And individually, I think I want to go down an art renaissance period route." He explained, waving his hands slowly in front of him. "I can see it now."
The three boys exchanged glances as the reporter fell silent, almost in a trance-like state, like he was lost to the thoughts in his head. But he quickly snapped out of it and then pointed one finger gracefully at Shigaraki, "You. The Creation of Adam. Bold and beautiful. I want to recreate that art and make you a masterpiece."
"Wait." Shigaraki's brow furrowed. He knew the painting Tokuda was referring to, it was famously on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel afterall. And obviously he had some concerns. Specifically, the lack of clothing in said painting. "But dressed, right?"
Tokuda grinned. "Don't worry, we'll make sure you're all comfortable on set."
That wasn't particularly reassurance to Shigaraki but he didn't really have a chance to voice his concerns because Cho was already swooping in, ready to relay her information to the boys.
"Yes, nobody is going to feel uncomfortable. We'll make any adjustments as needed to make you boys happy."
Tokuda nodded his head in agreement. "Yes, yes. Of course."
"Any questions so far?"
All three boys shook their heads and responded with an accompanying no.
"Good!" She beamed, "We'll get you back to your class shortly but first, socials. Are you boys set up with Insta, Tik Tok, etcetera?"
"I am!" Takami replied proudly.
"Yes! Hawks, I have seen your profiles. Lots of content coming out. Very, very good." She praised, clasping her hands together in a silent prayer of thanks. "Dabi, I see that you have profiles but not a lot of posting happening. Start creating, show your family, your friends. UA High."
"Yeah. Right, I'll get on that." Dabi affirmed with a single, solid nod of his head. Shigaraki could tell he wasn't thrilled with the idea and his response was to appease her only.
"And Shigaraki" She tsked and shook her head slightly, "I would suggest you get your socials sorted out before the story is released. Typically, our up-and-coming heroes receive a substantial following after these interviews, and you want to make sure any mania generated is maintained."
"Okay…" Shigaraki replied, somewhat indifferent. He wasn't a "social" guy. He didn't want to be a content creator or take the time to actively think about it either. But he supposed gaining some followers couldn't hurt his pro-hero career so he would at least set them up.
"Excellent. Good." She clapped her hands some more and then redirected her gaze over to their teacher, "Any questions from you, Shota? We are, as always, grateful to have you accompanying the boys next week."
"Where and what time?" Mr. Aizawa said simply.
"Oh, yes, of course." Cho cleared her throat. "Monday morning, bright and early. The station will send a car to pick you all up at six. Outside the administrative building."
Mr. Aizawa nodded. "Thank you."
"I am very excited. I hope you boys are too." She grinned, hugging her arms against her chest, "I think that's all we had to cover. Tokuda?"
"Yes. If anything changes, we'll let you know. Otherwise, we'll see you next week."
The three boys nodded and remained unusually quiet, silently thinking about what the next week would bring them. This was all very new to them - interviews, photoshoots - but it was something that they would have to get used to once they became pro-heroes, so it was a good start for the each of them.
"Dabi, Takami, Shigaraki. Let's go." Mr. Aizawa said, holding out his arm towards the door. "Thanks again, Cho, Tokuda."
"A pleasure as always, Eraserhead."
"See you next week!" Cho exclaimed, waving them off.