Chapter 30

"Silence is Golden"

Alarice awoke to the sight of the dorm common room, bits of light streaming in, and oblivious as to how she got there. She assumed it was because of Mic, that made sense. Lying on the floor next to her was Jiro, they both had pillows carefully placed under their heads and blankets neatly over them. Though they looked like they'd been tucked in? Surely Mic hadn't stayed that long!

"Good, you are awake! Todoroki told me you both had fallen asleep on the couch downstairs! Well, Jiro-san fell asleep on the floor, BUT! I'm glad he did, you two didn't have pillows!" Iida paused, orange juice in his hand. "and Jiro-san didn't have a blanket!"

Alarice stared at him blankly for a moment, now starting to understand. "Thanks?"

"It's not good for your neck to not have a pillow." Iida stated, taking another polite sip of his orange juice while he enjoyed his breakfast.

"Thanks for that too, then." Alarice said again, sitting up now and stretching, to find she was still in her hero outfit. Well, most of it, as she hadn't really been wearing all of it, when she went out to practice. "I'm missing my shoes... I fell asleep outside, last night, listening to Mic.. Mic-sensei talk."

"I heard he got out of the hospital." Iida didn't seem all that phased or even concerned about that. "someone must have got your shoes back for you though, they're right where they're supposed to be."

"Oh. Okay." Alarice didn't know what to do with herself now. Everything had been, to some degree, taken care of. Either Mic had gotten her shoes for her, after carrying her in, to lay her on the couch, or Jirou... or maybe Todoroki? He'd seen them asleep after all. She was rather confused and her brain still trying to wake-up, didn't help her obvious confusion. Still, sleepy or not, she managed to escape the couch with no problems. Though her stomach grumbled loudly enough for the entire room to hear.

000

Just a little bit longer, she told herself as her classmates proceeded to leave for the day's internships leaving her there, on campus, ALONE again. Just a bit longer, and they'd all technically have to be here, and she'd stop feeling like she got put in the corner for being a bad dog, again.

She wasn't even a bad dog, right?!

She fiddled with the fidget spinner someone had left in the couch. She had found it after cleaning-up after everyone, out of pure boredom. Anxiety too, given she had no idea if she was staying in the school or not.

She jumped at the sound of the doorbell, heading to the door since she was the only one in the dorms, currently. She opened it to see someone she hadn't made active contact with since their extra training, and the joint training exercise.. Shinso.

"They said you'd be here. I could use an extra pair of hands moving things in." He said very casually, almost as if he was expecting it.. and then she realized he had simply avoided asking a question.

"Sure, I'll help." It's not like she had anything better to do, and alarmingly, the kid really didn't have that much to move. A total of 6 big boxes and 4 little ones. That wasn't that much, given how much they could furnish their own rooms. The pair were quiet between hefting boxes up to his room. Still quiet, as she helped him unpack a bit, and that stretched-on even into silently getting food together, since no one else was around.

"I'm... sorry I accused your dad of things just to get a rise out of you." Shinso said at one point, catching her entirely off guard. He didn't even look comfortable apologizing to her. She just looked at him, not sure how to respond herself.

"Thank you? I get it.. got it. Technically you weren't wrong, we are sisters by different mothers." Alarice said quietly, again not sure why the kids of this damn school were able to get her to be so honest? Was it that despite his quirk which made her uneasy still, their rounds of fighting each other to build up their skill had formed a bond? Did she trust Shinso because of his performance and the sight of his real dedication for wanting to be a hero? It was something.

"Yeah?" He asked, no quirk involved, but sleepily curious before putting more food in his mouth.

"mhm... Parasus was earlier on. We're 8 years apart in age." She said calmly, while Shinso comprehended the ages mentioned.

"8 Years is a long time, how old is your dad?" Shinso couldn't help the question, but Alarice just shrugged.

"He's 40 this year, His birthdays in the summer." Alarice said with such ease that she almost missed her table partner's expression.

"You mean your dad 'had' Parasus when he was our age?" Shinso looked almost horrified, and Alarice stared at him before realization hit her. She and Shinso were both 16... her dad had conceived Parasus when he was 16?!

"I hadn't... thought about that." Alarice began to push the broccoli around on the rice. "It was when he was uh... I don't know how much of this I should tell you, I don't really like talking about it, it uh... kind makes people dislike me more."

She was bring pretty open all things considered, which was probably why Shinso gave her a cat-like stare. "You don't have to if you don't want to, but it probably wont make me dislike you if you do." A smile not unlike their teachers spread on his face. "if anything I'm just curious, now."

"Promise you wont use it against me, then?" Alarice said, giving him a glare over her broccoli which she then ate.

Another equally indecipherable stare, and then a shoulder shrug.

"Er well, at 16, my Dad probably still would have been part of this group that like, bred hell-hounds? " Alarice looked both nervous, and embarrassed, the only person she had mentioned this to, had been Mic, after another boy had flirted with her, and she had panicked, in not knowing how to respond to that. Mic has been an ear of opportunity in that situation, and the truth had just fallen out of her mouth."It's as awkward as it sounds.. but I think it was probably arranged... mating."

Now her face was entirely red and she just boxed her ears. "please don't tell any one, Shinso, I can't believe I just told you that."

Shinso took that information in stride, "I don't really have any friends so I don't really have any one to tell."

Alarice gave him a look but he just gave her a look back till they went back to eating, with a few other small comments exchanged afterwards.

000

With Shinso moved-in, there was another student now, that Alarice lived with and yet still an air of mystery on her staying. Perhaps him moving-in meant that with the class evened out now, she would be staying?

Such a mystery.

Since she had also spied her homeroom teacher around more, lately, the burning urge to seek-out the answer became impossible to resist. Especially, after being held back from finishing her internship. So, swallowing some of her nerves, she headed over towards him, despite generally having an incredibly difficult time talking to him if she didn't have to.

"Aizawa sensei." She started, inhaling. "I need to know... Am I staying, for this coming semester?" He just sort of stared, for a moment, and her cheeks began to turn pink. She shook her head to get the flush off her face. It was getting annoying, flushing like that all the time.

"Has someone told you, that you won't be?" He asked, tone calm and as tired as it always was.

"N-no I just... haven't heard anything and I know I was only here to really get the provisional."

"Then you're staying." He moved to continue on his way, pausing for a moment. "Assuming you still want to, that is."

"Of course I do!" She couldn't keep the flush out of her face a second time, instead jerking on her own braid a little. "Thank you, Aizawa-sensei."

He nodded then, and made some 'shoo-shoo' motion with his hand as he walked away. Alarice taking the hint and heading back towards her dorms spying Shinso, and still having a lot of tension left to release. "Hey Shinso, you wanna fight me, out in the usual spot, again?"

The purple haired teen gave no vocal response, just a shoulder shrug, and turning to go back to grab his things. Alarice, beating him inside and passing by Kaminari, who graciously offered to be her Cheerleader. Even though she didn't need one or ask him to be there.

Why he was even there, was a bit of a mystery, but he provided some amusement. Also her phone had died so he provided his phone re-charging skills, which meant he was tolerated.

Alarice and Shinso were fighting fairly aggressively with each other. Alarice getting flung into a tree once by Shinso, then Shinso being dragged by the force he had used on her. Alarice being a good dog for messing up and falling to one of Shinso's tricks with his persona cords.

"Hey" came a familiar voice, Jiro walking up to the trio, baring gifts of water-bottles. "Denki said you guys were probably in need of water."

She handed them out, Alarice having gotten up to meet her, just took her water gracefully. Taking a few needed sips. "Thank you, Kyoka"

"Hey, it's no problem. Though, maybe next time remember to bring them?" Jiro said with a smile, probably at their expense. Alarice, blushing just a bit, going thankfully unnoticed by Kaminari who was just shouting that her phone was fully charged for her. Shinso was watching, to her chagrin, even going so far to have a subtle smirk on his face.

She thrust her water bottle into Kaminari's hand when he'd walked over to hand the phone back. "Waterbreak is over! Rematch!" Alarice barked out, her face now that frequent flush again, Shinso hiding his face, but she was pretty sure he was still smirking.

They got into position and with a call from Jiro and Kaminari, their fight began. Shinso using that capture weapon to enhance his movement, and Alarice focusing on her movement as a were-hellhound, or were-hound (there still wasn't a very good name for it), and it was hard to shout anything, while transforming.

Shinso flew right over her head, thanks to the trees, and she managed to pin him to the ground after catching onto his clothes, with her tail. Doing an awkward, and clearly impromptu, sort of flip over him, so she didn't slam him into herself.

"That's 4 to 2 now! Not counting ties!" Kaminari called out, Jiro wasn't making much response but she looked entertained. The two fighters straightened themselves out, Alarice mostly pulling twigs and leaves out of her hair. Shinso picking up his grey scarf by hand, not quite as good with it, yet as Aizawa.

"Your both too fucking slow." Growled a voice from trees and bushes.

"Oh, hey Bakugo!" Kaminari waved, the other three turning around to face the other student, who stood there, looking like an angry muscular hedgehog with his hair. "Did ya come to watch?"

He gave Kaminari a huffing noise in response, not really answering. Alarice was unswayed by his generally aggressive demeanor.

"If we're too slow, do you have any advice... or... do you want to join?" She offered, not entirely sure she wanted to do that, it was Bakugo after all, and he had a history so far of destroying her hero costume. The kids all seemed to wait on what kind of response they were going to get from Bakugo. He let out a growling noise and opened his mouth to speak.

~Hello, juvenile heros.~

A cold invading thought came into the minds of the teens in the small clearing.

~Please be still, and silent for me.~