'It's too early for class…'
Izu yawned as she settled into her desk, struggling slightly to keep her head raised. She felt… strange. Sure, she hadn't been able to sleep a wink, but she'd had sleepless nights before. This was… par for the course. Right? Feeling odd after missing sleep...
There was always a short span of time before class started where Aizawa would typically give them a rundown of the day, and maybe pick their brains with some interesting questions. It varied. Considering he was never not on time, he would arrive within two minutes.
Every student had arrived by this point. Many were out of their seats, chatting with each other. Izu largely paid them no mind, although she did sneak a glance at Kirishima. He was talking with Bakugo and Sero about something. Bakugo was giving Sero a nasty look, but they did seem to be maintaining a conversation.
She wasn't able to shake this weird, hard to describe feeling. Her first thought was that it was related to the news she'd received yesterday. She certainly felt terrible and worried nonstop about All Mights retirement… but it wasn't the same as what she was feeling now. It only started after she entered the classroom. She almost felt… watched? Maybe not? Uncomfortable for sure. Which made… no sense. She understood internal sources that made her uncomfortable... but outside ones? Those were rare. Izu had visually swept the room multiple times, but couldn't find something to pin the feeling on. She didn't like it. Not one bit. Her eyes lingered for a moment on Asui, the Frog girl. She was fidgeting at her desk. She also seemed to be scanning the room, though with much less practiced stealth.
'Unusual. At least compared to how she normally acts.' Izu couldn't pretend to know the girl all that well, but over the two weeks of class they'd had so far she'd pegged Asui as being one of the more stable and controlled students. Something to keep in mind.
She couldn't dwell on the mystery any longer; Aizawa had arrived and brought everyone to attention. Conversations were abruptly ended, and those standing scurried to their seats before their homeroom teacher was forced to address the issue himself. Everyone knew how terrifying that was.
"Good morning, class. Thank you for taking your seats. Classes this week will be a bit special…" He flipped to a different page on his clipboard. "-You all will be participating in personalized training exercises with various Pro's. Heroes from around the country have been hand selected to come in for this week and the next to amp up your training in preparation for the Sports Festival. Your regular fifth and sixth period classes have been canceled for this week, to allow for more training time."
With Aizawa reaching a stopping point - seemingly - the class erupted into a chorus of questions and excitement.
"We're working with Pro's outside of UA? Tailor picked for us?! UA is incredible!" Iida's booming voice earned many nods and sounds of agreement.
"How interesting. I wonder how these Pro's are at teaching…" Yaoyorozu wondered out loud.
"I imagine it would come naturally to them, don't ya think?" Ochako responded to her left.
"K-Kaminari! We get to miss Math and English!" Both of Ashido's hands shot up in excitement. The lightning bolt blonde mirrored her actions, cheering. A tear almost formed in his eyes.
A few hands were raised, wanting to ask Aizawa some questions directly. Before anything could get too out of hand, the Erasure user reined everyone in with a simple raised hand. "We'll take the next…" He checked the clock behind him. "-Thirty minutes to discuss and answer questions about the lessons near the end of today. During this time, you all must also pick a Class Representative."
A number of gasps and cheers were heard around the room. Izu was… a bit surprised to hear this. 'Class Representative? Oh, well of course our class will have a rep. I… kind of forgot about it considering no one mentioned it yet. Though I'm glad we we're given time to get to know each other before we select someone. I wonder who it will be.' Her gaze absentmindedly wandered around the room, imagining what each person would be like as 1-A's rep.
A stoic arm swished through the air. Iida raised his hand, and spoke up before Aizawa had a chance to even acknowledge him. "Sensei! What process should we use to select the Class Rep? Am I right to assume there will also be a Vice Rep, Sir?"
Aizawa looked slightly ticked off at Iida's urgency to speak, but answered his question anyways. "Yes, Iida, there will be a Vice Rep. You all must decide how the Representatives will be selected. I don't care what method you use, so long as the class agrees on it. Anyone who has questions about the coming lessons, come up and see me while this is happening." Aizawa waved a dismissing hand, leaving the students to select a someone.
'Are we going to apply for the position and prepare speeches? That sounds... hard to accomplish in only thirty minutes. Though in two weeks we've learned a bit about each other I guess. I've really only "talked" to a few students. Even then they weren't real conversations. Mainly involving the exchange of Quirk information or the like. I'm certainly not running… but I have an idea of who I would select, I guess.' Izu glanced at the tall blue haired guy.
'Tenya Iida. He… made me very uncomfortable on the first day. Though he's been nothing but polite since then. He didn't seem to have any bad intentions when interacting with me. I think that's just… how he is. From what I've seen. Uraraka said he's usually like this, and that he's a good guy. I… don't have anything against him. We just… don't mix. Which is fine. He does seem like he'd be a stellar face for our class. Probably.' She glanced over at Bakugo, trying to imagine him as the class rep left her feeling more than a bit worried.
Izu still wasn't able to shake the strange feeling she'd had since she entered class. It was faint, but something was definitely off. It was… almost like an itch that planted itself outside her body. Impossible to scratch or locate, but she still knew it was there somewhere. Iida's loud voice eventually broke her train of thought.
"Attention everyone! We must now select a regular and vice Representative! What does everyone think about a simple majority wins, democratic voting process!"
'Does he ever speak without exclamation points?' Izu wondered.
Many throughout the room murmured their agreement, and eventually Iida and Yaoyorozu were standing up to organize and collect voting ballots. Iida instructed everyone to vote for one person in the class; voting for yourself was allowed, as the ballots were anonymous.
Izu stared at the slip of paper in front of her. The intensity of her gaze threatened to burn a hole in the paper. 'Who to vote for… Probably just Iida. He, no offence intended, absolutely fits the Class Rep stereotypes. He's hard working, so I've no doubt that he'd do his duties well. And the Vice rep will simply be whoever gets second place. What if there's a tie? Probably a second vote. Well, I'll just vote for Iida.' She scribbled his name down and folded the slip of paper multiple times, handing it to Yaoyorozu as she made her way across the classroom.
Now that her decision was finalized and out of her hands, Izu silently wondered… 'Should I have voted for Kirishima...? He's… my friend. Is that what he would've expected of me? Did he vote for me? Wait no, he has more than one friend. He isn't you, dummy.' She frowned. This was completed uncharted territory, so she had no idea which way was up, down, left, or right. 'Though... I don't think Kirishima would've WANTED to be the class rep…' Izu glanced over at him. His eyes were shut as he laughed alongside Kaminari and Sero. 'I just… have a feeling.' Seeing the redhead look so genuine and happy caused her small frown to fade away. An odd half-smile replaced it.
A number of minutes passed as everyone's votes were collected and tallied. Izu simply stared out the window to her left, aimlessly scanning the horizon for something while waiting for the Rep announcement, and the eventual start of first period. A shrinking number of students were still lined up to ask Aizawa questions. She had a few herself, but was able to make basic guesses as to what the answers would be.
'All Might mentioned UA was seeking out Pro's specifically for me to spar against. The individual they selected is probably among the group. Guess I'll get to meet them today. Wonder what kind of Quirk they have.' She subconsciously began wringing her hands together as her thoughts gradually drifted back to her conversation with All Might. 'Retirement, huh? What on earth will happen when the No. 1 Hero… the Symbol of Peace, steps down willingly? This is… probably better than him having to step down for some other reason.'
She shook her head, surprised. 'What am I saying? Either way this sucks for everyone involved. The only ones… this won't suck for is Villains I guess.' She sighed, trying to think about something less dramatic and depressing. Her eyes searched the wide expanses of forest to her left, looking for something interesting as her thoughts wandered. 'I wonder if All Might will be teaching today. He did say he was transitioning to become a full-time teacher.'
She saw Aizawa scribbling on the blackboard out of the corner of her eye, but he was blocking the writing. 'The results… I figure Iida is a shoe-in for Representative. I'm more interested who the Vice spot will go to. Never been one for class politics, but I know they serve an important role.'
Their homeroom teacher stepped away from the board. Turning to face the class, he announced "Here are the resulting votes for Representative and Vice Representative. Could the two selected please come to the front?"
Izu turned her head to look at the board, but Aizawa's piercing gaze caught her attention first. Their eyes met. He was looking at her. Intently. 'D-Did I do something wrong?!' She quickly looked away, eyes focused on the results.
Tenya Iida - 5
Momo Yaoyorozu - 4
Izu Midoriya - 3
Shoto Todoroki - 2
Mezo Shoji - 2
Eijiro Kirishima - 1
Katsuki Bakugo - 1
Denki Kaminari - 1
Kyoka Jiro - 1
'I got votes? What? Who-'
The sound of two chairs being slid backwards interrupted her thoughts. Iida and Yaoyorozu both wore big smiles as they gathered at the front of the room. Aizawa nodded at them.
"These two will be responsible for representing your class. If you have changes you'd like to see, go to them. They will have access to the appropriate channels to begin discussion about any issues. They will also attend meetings about future UA events so they can relay information to all of you and help organize and plan 1-A's participation. Please treat them well."
Finished with his spiel, Aizawa turned and entered into a private conversation with 1-A's chosen representatives, leaving Izu with her thoughts once more.
'I… got three votes?' She stared down at her hands, not quite sure how to interpret this development. 'Why did people vote for me over someone like Iida or Yaoyorozu? I can barely hold a conversation with others, how would I make a good representative for our class…' Her face slowly morphed into a pout; at the same time, however, a warm feeling bloomed in her chest. 'Three people… wanted me to represent them.' The beginnings of a smile began to form, until…
'Danger.' Her mind screamed at her. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. A sharp jolt of electricity flooded through her back. 'Someone's behind me. Is this what I felt earlier?' With narrowed eyes, Izu tensed her body and channeled Full-Cowling, not caring about control. This unmistakable feeling of dread… something was incredibly wrong.
Time slowed to a halt as her mind went into overdrive. Almost on their own, her shoulders and torso twisted to turn around to face the intruding sensation. Surrendering to the idea of 'Hero Work' Izu held so close, her mind entered true-autopilot. 'I can see all the students. I sit in the back row. Aizawa is at the front of the room. There was no extra person in the room earlier, and no one has entered from the front entrance. I didn't hear a window open.' Her legs tensed and she gripped her desk to stabilize herself. The wood splintered where her hands pressed against it.
Pushing off the ground to stand, she whipped to the side to face her assailant in one swift motion. Her chair flew backwards with impressive force. Not bothering to regulate her power, a gust of wind emanated out from her, blowing any papers nearby wild. It was only there for a moment, but… she was fast enough.
The faintest wisps of purple... smoke(?) were visible for an indescribably short amount of time, vanishing as quickly as they appeared.
Now facing the back of the classroom, Izu scanned every inch of the scene in front of her. 'No threats visible… but there was one. I'm sure of it. Purple. Someone was here.' electricity continued to arc off of her as she channeled One For All. As her frantic search yielded no results, the effects of her movements were felt. The two closest to her, Ashido and Jiro, had their hair blown wild. Both let out screams of surprise.
Her connection to One For All was abruptly ended; her powers were cut off. Turning wildly to find the source of this new threat, her eyes landed on Aizawa at the front of the room. His hair was floating weightlessly around him, and his wide-open eyes glowed a threatening red. 'Right. Aizawa-sensei's Erasure Quirk. Wait… he cut off my powers? Why?!'
"Sensei?!" She questioned as loud as her voice would go. Panic rising with every passing moment. 'I need to tell him what I saw!'
"Midoriya!" He answered back, looking furious. "What. Are. You. Doing? Explain!"
Like a deer in headlights, she froze. Everyone was looking at her with incredulous expressions. A million thoughts flooded through her. 'Did no one else see that? Feel that? Earlier in the class, I felt something too! It couldn't have been more than twenty minutes ago. Were these both caused by the same source? Was it a person's Quirk? Are they affiliated with UA? Aizawa didn't notice… did anyone else close to me feel anything? Should I ask? Wait… everyone's looking at me. If no one saw, how do I convince them of what I witnessed? What do I say to him, let alone explain myself to the other students?!'
As if to answer all her questions simultaneously, alarms suddenly blared around her. The lights immediately shut off, replaced by dim red lights that gave the entire room an intimidating feel. Metal panels fell from the ceiling, sealing any access to the outside. Panic quickly descended on the class, as no one had any idea what was going on. Iida's loud voice was barely audible over the chorus of confused screams and questions. Izu, trying to take stock of the situation as best she could, looked to Aizawa for guidance.
A few seconds earlier…
Wind suddenly washed across the entire room. A few students let out sounds of surprise as the papers in front of them were blown wild. Immediately locking onto the source, he activated his Quirk and readied his capture tape to deal with any potential threat. He hesitated upon seeing what/who caused the disruption. 'Midoriya… she acted out?' He watched her frantically scan the back of the classroom. Nothing was there. 'What is she looking for? More importantly, I need to scold her for this interruption.'
"Sensei?!" Her eyes were wide open with worry, and she wore a crazed expression.
"Midoriya!" He yelled back, looking furious. "What. Are. You. Doing? Explain!"
Hearing the UA alarm system immediately changed his course of action. 'A breach?' He watched the window platings fall into place. 'We're under attack? This can't be a test. Nezu has always informed teachers of surprise tests, due to the safety concerns that come with Quirks. So that means…'
Instantly calming himself and assessing the situation with a clear mind, Aizawa was ready to take charge. He breathed in deep, ready to yell. He simultaneously steeled himself and his Quirk, canceling out the classes Quirks all at once. More than a few students turned to look at him upon feeling the strange itch that came with being affected by his Quirk.
"EVERYONE!" He bellowed. The normally soft spoken teachers shout got the attention of nearly everyone in the room. Wasting no time, he continued: "The UA security system as activated. There is a breach of some kind." He motioned with his hands for everyone to stand as he started walking towards the back right of the room. "Everyone! Stand! We are to gather as a group in a corner of the room to await pick up."
'I'm assuming someone with a transport Quirk will come to pick us up, based on the type of defences that were deployed around the building. Windows sealed. Door reinforced. Lights replaced with infrared to detect invisibility users or illusions. I didn't get a chance to memorize the list of Pro's that are on campus at the moment, but Nezu said there was an extreme variety. Over thirty Pro Hero's were enlisted for their various specialities to help train the students this week. You know what you're doing, right Nezu?! You wouldn't trap us in here.'
Aizawa's orders fell on many deaf ears, as only about half of the class stood up. Confusion and disorder only increased as many students scrambled towards the back of the room, where Midoriya was now standing.
"Wait! Not here! Don't gather here, Sensei!" Midoriya spoke with a frantic energy as she gestured towards Aizawa to get his attention.
'Did she notice something? She reacted strangely only a split second before the alarm was triggered. She must know, or have seen, something important. No time to ask, I just have to trust her. She's not one to do something like this for no reason.'
Again raising his voice, Aizawa shouted "Move the desks aside and gather in the center of the room!" A few more students regained their senses and began to move. The reality of the situation was slowly setting in… and the results weren't pretty. Iida was shouting Aizawa's orders and gesturing wildly towards the center of the room.
Slightly more confident now that no one would act out in a panic, Aizawa closed his eyes to cancel his Quirk. Second by second the class slowly organized themselves in the center of the room. He moved to the door to peer out into the hallway.
'Even the hallway windows were barricaded? Just what is happening?'
With almost comedic timing, all 21 people in the room were surrounded in a translucent light blue aura. Panic once again threatened to take over the class. After a number of seconds and a blinding flash of white light, all members of 1-A (and Aizawa) appeared in a large room. Aizawa immediately readied himself for battle, dropping into a low angled fighting stance, but quickly relaxed upon seeing where they had been relocated to.
The room was the size of a large gymnasium, though it was sparsely decorated. The floor and ceiling were lined with unassuming white tiles. The far away walls were occasionally broken up by monitors, computers, or doors of some kind; but were nonetheless white. The room had a clinical feel to it, despite being the farthest thing from a medical room.
'The UA bunker…' Aizawa realized. He'd only been here once before. All around them were various groups of students huddled together in nearly identical manners to 1-A. Quiet, slightly panicked chatter descended upon all students in the area as they took stock of the events that just occurred. Every few seconds another group of students and teachers would suddenly materialize in an empty spot.
Aizawa immediately located Principal Nezu only a few dozen feet away. He was standing next to a tall blue haired woman in an elaborate kimono-esque costume. She had her eyes closed and was surrounded by a similar blue aura to the one he saw only a few moments ago. Aizawa didn't take any extra time to analyze her. Judging by her proximity to Nezu, she was probably the one responsible for teleporting the class into the bunker.
Aizawa fast-walked over to the Principal after requesting Iida keep the class in place and calm.
"Nezu." He halted his approach as he got within arms reach. Bending his knees slightly, he leaned down to talk to his short leader. "What's the situation?"
Nezu responded by simply holding up a finger. The small mammal didn't miss a beat as he continued to list off locations and person numbers to the blue haired heroine. A few moments after each location left his mouth, a new group of students or teachers would materialize in an empty location somewhere in the large room they now occupied. This continued for another minute, until Nezu stopped with his listing. The blue haired woman opened her eyes, turning to look at the rodent.
Still with a panicked expression he added. "We undoubtedly missed a few. As the teachers gather, I will ask who had any students out of their classrooms. All cameras are being monitored, so I will come to you immediately if any other students are found. As if on queue, UA teachers and staff began to flock around the principal. With a nod and a bow in Nezu's direction, the woman extricated herself from the forming group, hovering only a few feet away just in case.
After a quick sweep of the room, Nezu found that all UA staff were present in the expeditiously formed group. The large number of Pro Heroes present fanned out among the classes to help instill a sense of security, and ease the nerves of the undoubtedly confused student body. For any onlookers, it was fairly easy to pick out the different grade levels of UA. As expected, all third year classes were calm, composed, and focused. They looked ready to move at a moments notice. The second years exuded a similar level of preparedness, with only a few outliers.
The first years, 1-A included, did not fare so well. UA's freshmen classes were unanimously the loudest of all the student groups. Many were shifting around, and had to be asked to sit still by the Pro's nearby. Izu observed the situation with a keen, watchful gaze. Her eyes lingered on the huddle of UA teachers near the center of the room.
'Should I tell them what I saw? Aizawa listened to my warning in the heat of the moment, but that may have just been a precaution. Plus… I didn't see much. A nondescript cloud of purple smoke. And even then it was only there for a fraction of a second. Did… did no one else really see anything? Or feel anything?' She looked around at her classmates. As her eyes landed on the expressionless frog girl, Izu's eyes lit up.
'She was acting strangely earlier, just before the alarm and that purple thing appeared.' Trying to remain low to the ground and inconspicuous, Izu slowly shuffled her way over to the frog girl. Apparently Izu wasn't as stealthy as she thought, seeing how Asui turned towards her the instant she got close.
"Midoriya." Her face remained totally neutral. It was… a bit off putting.
"H-Hi Asui…" Izu started. 'Crap. I didn't think about how I would even ask her about this. Won't I just sound crazy if she didn't see anything...?'
Asui watched her classmate with careful eyes, counting the seconds as they ticked by. Eventually, sensing Midoriya was stuck, she interjected.
"You came to ask me something. Right? Gero." Midoriya gave a small nod in response. Asui shifted to sit cross legged, facing towards Midoriya. "What did you want to ask?"
"Well… earlier in class, before the alarm sounded, I uh…"
"You felt something was off?" Asui questioned.
"Yes! So you did feel it too?" Izu silently cheered at the small victory. Her assumption was right, Asui was acting strange earlier.
"I sensed... something was wrong as soon as I walked into the classroom this morning. I thought it was just me, so I didn't say anything." The frog girl paused, looking intently at Midoriya. Izu shrunk back slightly, still not sure how to feel about the other girls expressionless gaze. She was very hard to read. "You felt a similar feeling, and you came to confirm it with me. You looked like you had more to say. Right?"
'Well… she is right. Jeez can she read my mind?'
"Y-Yeah. The reason I used my power in class was because I felt something behind me. That's what caused the wind. I turned around and saw some… pu- odd… something odd." Asui tilted her head to one side, nodding patiently, but didn't provide a follow up reply. Izu sighed at this. "So I take it you didn't see anything of note?"
Asui raised a finger to the edge of her mouth. "I didn't. Nothing I could put into words. I just… had a feeling something was off. I trust my instinct. Gero" She confirmed.
Izu simply shrugged. 'Considering I don't know what I even saw, I… I can't risk telling anyone what I saw. Well… any student that is.'
Izu turned to look towards the group of teachers huddled near the center of the large room. All UA staff were still engrossed in a conversation. She couldn't see the principal, but was sure he stood at the center of the group. They'd only been here for a few minutes, and the chatter of the entire student body had quieted thanks to the efforts of the Pro Heroes and representatives from each class.
Izu turned back to the frog girl. "S-Sorry to bother you then. I'll be sure to let the teachers know what I saw as soon as is appropriate."
"You weren't a bother." She said straight faced. "Telling the teachers sounds like a good idea, especially if you did see something." Asui spared a look over to the group of teachers, only to spot Aizawa walking over with a determined urgency in his step. "Or they may come to you." She nodded towards the advancing teacher.
Izu gulped, turning to see what Asui meant. Her eyes instantly met with Aizawas. No doubt about it, he was headed right for her. Izu immediately dropped her head to look at the floor as tons of worrying thoughts flooded through her.
'Is he angry with me because I acted out? Did the teachers figure something out? Am I in trouble because of what I saw? Wait… does Aizawa even know if I saw anything? He did listen when I warned not to gather in an area. He must know that… something happened… even if neither of us know what exactly DID happen. What has Aizawa told the other teachers... Does Nezu know? What will Aizawa ask of me…'
Aizawa walked around the circular perimeter of class 1-A. "Midoriya." He said as he strode into range. "Would you accompany me for a minute?" He stopped and stared down at her, waiting for her answer.
She swallowed again, while her eyes shifted back and forth looking for some possible escape. Finding none, she nodded towards the ground, rising slowly. Izu, thinking she was in trouble, rather dejectedly followed behind her homeroom teacher, shoulders sagging the entire way.
Asui watched the entire exchange with bated breath. She hadn't been able to speak up. 'Theres nothing I could have said to… change anything for the better.' Asui released the breath she'd been holding, coming out as a long sigh. 'Wow. Watching Midoriya makes me tense. She wears her… complicated tangle of emotions on her sleeve. She might not be the most audibly expressive person ever, but she certainly has a lot going on… inside. I didn't want to pry so early on in the school year… so I waited. This display is making me doubt whether I should have tried to talk to her sooner.'
The teacher-student duo didn't walk far, merely out away from the large groups of students so they could talk in private. Aizawa turned towards Midoriya with an inquisitive look on his face. He opened his mouth to speak, but stopped after he took in her expression.
'She's scared?' He paused. 'Maybe not quite scared, but I don't have time to decypher her right now. This is important.'
"Let me begin by saying that you're not in trouble, if that's what you were thinking." He raised both hands up, palms facing forward, in an effort to pacify the girl.
Izu raised her eyebrows. 'That is what I was thinking.' She shuddered. 'Am I… that predictable? Asui could read me, too.' She gave a small nod in reply.
"Then… tell me, Midoriya-" He paused for effect, narrowing his eyes. "What did you see in class?"
She was shocked. "H-How did you-?"
"Just before the alarms. You reacted to something you saw in the classroom, didn't you? I need you to tell me what you saw." He bent his knees slightly to get more on her level. There was more than a foot of height difference between them, so he didn't want her to feel intimidated, especially when talking to an authoritative figure like himself. It was important that he got the information from her as quickly and succinctly as possible.
Aizawa swore he could almost see the gears turning in her mind as she tried to process what he'd said. He scanned the girl from top to bottom, trying to get a read on her body language. 'Reserved. Defensive. Worried? She clearly has something to say, but isn't confident that it's what I want to hear. It… is certainly possible that's true. She could've seen nothing useful, and panicked in the moment.'
"Well?" He asked.
She ceased her anxious hand movements, looking up at him from under her curtain of hair. "I uh… saw purple smoke."
His heart skipped a beat. 'This… this means too much. Not good. I need to tell Nezu.' Before his emotions could show on his face, he stood up and turned away from Midoriya. She didn't need to see him panic.
He took a deep breath to calm himself. "Anything... else?" He asked in a slow voice, trying hard to keep his tone from giving anything away about his state of mind. Appearances were important.
'There… is something else. But I don't know if this will be of any use. I should include it, though. I can't possibly know what could be of use to the teachers and their investigation. If… if the information is useless then they will just ignore it.'
"Y-Yes actually, though I don't know if this is what you mean. It's… not something I saw."
'Spit it out!' Is what he wanted to say. His heart was thumping restless energy. 'She doesn't know the implications of what she said. But… I need to know if there's anything else before I go tell Nezu.' He swished his hand in a circular motion, signaling her to continue.
"E-Ever since I stepped foot in the classroom… I felt awful. It was this… terrible mix of things. I felt watched, and horribly anxious." She paused, realizing something important. Izu looked down at her feet, shuffling around in embarrassment. "M-More anxious than usual! Something was abnormal. I-I can't describe it."
He appreciated the extra assertion that something was abnormal… but feelings weren't too important in this situation. Nodding at her, he needed a quick way to wrap up the conversation. Turning farther towards the group of UA staff, he told her what to do.
"Return to your classes huddle and listen to the instructions of the Pro's, Midoriya. You… you may be asked to meet with more UA staff later, to confirm anything you saw during this incident. If so, you will be contacted later." Finishing his spiel, he half-waved at her and walked away.
A bead of sweat rolled down Aizawa's head as he marched towards the group of UA staff. 'She couldn't have made this up. Purple smoke is too much of a coincidence. It must be them.'
Left standing on her own, Izu waited a few moments to watch her teacher leave. Confident he wouldn't turn around and continue their stressful conversation, she turned back to face her class. Her eyes met Asui's, and Izu looked away in surprise. Asui's eyes looked… expectant.
'Does she want me to come and sit with her again? We… didn't discuss anything like that before hand. Will she be offended if I don't? We… well we aren't exactly friends. At least I don't think we are. Plus she's on the opposite side of the class huddle. I'd have to, very obviously, walk around the entire class to sit next to her. People would… notice that right?' As she slowly approached the group, she glanced at Kirishima. He was sitting next to Bakugo, who looked pissed, and Kaminari.
'Do I go sit next to Kirishima? Is that what… friends do? Ahhh I don't know! Is it wrong to go and sit next to no one? On my own? Or just next to people I don't usually talk to…'
Deciding to go with what she thought to be the path of least resistance, Izu walked to the nearest edge of the circle. Away from both Asui and Kirishima, she planted herself down. The ones closest to her, the Avian-headed Tokoyami and the masked Shoji, simply nodded at her as she sat down.
Failing to return the gesture, she quickly lost herself in thought. There was too much to think about right now.
The normal school-wide class schedule resumed after only fifteen minutes. All students were assured that the entire campus was scoured, and cleared, thanks to the Pro's currently on campus. Many were also aware that, with so many teachers and Pro Hero's so close by, they were probably safer than most people in the world currently.
The UA teaching staff had gathered in a meeting room. They sat around a U shaped table. Many of them wore worried expressions; a stark difference from their usual confident, calm demeanor.
"So Kurogiri has coordinates inside a UA classroom, is what we're saying?" Present Mic summarized.
"It seems so, if what Izu Midoriya said is true." Nezu confirmed.
"I don't see how it can't be true. She identified what she saw as purple smoke, and said she felt like she was being watched." Aizawa added. "With no prior knowledge of Kurogiri, her description seems like solid confirmation."
"So what you're saying is…" Midnight's tone was dark, and laced with worry.
"-There's a traitor among us…" Mic finished.
Nezu remained silent, simply closing his eyes as the thought on everyone's mind was voiced out loud.
"Mic! You can't be serious!" Cementoss quickly interjected. "We can't suspect our comrades or students. That would be heinous!"
"Then how did Kurogiri get coordinates INSIDE UA for his warp?!" Mic asked, raising his voice slightly. "Someone had to have let him in at some point."
"There was only one confirmed teleportation site, right? The one in 1-A's classroom." Snipe asked the group.
"As far as we know." Nezu confirmed, still with his eyes shut. His small hands (paws?) were clasped in front of him, on top of a stack of papers.
"Then we need to come up with a plan of action. Work directly with the police if we have to." Ectoplasm surmised. "We cannot let another break in like this happen. We were able to downplay the seriousness of this intrusion to the students and Pro Heroes… but if it happens a second time we won't be so successful on damage control. Especially if things get violent."
"Ectoplasm is right, Sir" Aizawa looked directly at Nezu. "We need to actively start working against this 'League of Villains' group, especially since they've demonstrated the ability to attack us whenever they want." He paused. "As a matter of fact, with coordinates inside the main building, they don't even need to put anyone in danger to disrupt our day to day activities. We are at their whim, it seems."
With the frightening truth of Aizawa's words resting on the minds of all present, Nezu spoke up. "It is… undeniable that the League was granted access to UA's campus in some form. The Pro's we have on campus at the moment... were screened beforehand, and none had free access to the main building, so most of them can be ruled out right away. There are a key few I will look into personally. However… this breach likely occurred more than a week ago. It is extremely unlikely that the breach required to obtain the coordinates was a recent occurrence." Quiet murmurs drifted throughout the room, but they knew better than to speak up.
Nezu continued after a moment. "Cementoss is correct, though. We cannot suspect our brethren. As such we will rule out all possibilities before addressing such a concern. Does anyone object?"
A chorus of denial confirmed all teachers responses. Nezu spared a glance at All Might, who'd been largely silent the entire meeting. He looked… especially upset. 'Given the timing of all of this, I imagine it's quite tough for him. He and I are the only ones in this room who are aware that he will be retiring soon. No doubt he is regretting his choice, and dreads the reactions of the rest of the faculty. Once they learn that the infallible No 1. Hero is resigning, no doubt morale will fall. The same can be said for the students. We will need to be extremely careful these coming weeks and months. UA's morale, and for a larger part, that of the whole country… must be taken seriously if we are to maintain our organization and efficiency. We must also address the problems immediately in front of us. The breach. The coordinates. I checked the UA's log of alarm triggers; none occurred around the time period when the coordinate were likely acquired. Someone indeed let them in, not triggering the alarm.'
All Might met Nezu's gaze for a moment. Both were indeed worried about similar things. Sensing now was a good idea to wrap up, Nezu adjourned the meeting for the time being. With a promise to continue conversing all possible leads after further thought, the teachers left with solemn expressions. At Nezu's request, All Might stuck around for a bit longer to talk.
As the large door shut behind the last exiting teacher, Nezu let his pent-up sigh release. "Today is a terrible, terrible day."
All Might simply grunted in confirmation.
"You were silent for most of the meeting. I know… you certainly have a lot to think about, but I do want to know your thoughts on the situation. Your input is certainly invaluable considering your overwhelming experience."
"Y-Yeah…" All Might rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. "I apologize for not speaking up earlier… but it is as you said."
"Of course. I do not blame you. Then…"
"The traitor, if there is one, is likely a teacher or a student of 1-A." All Might finished for Nezu with a painful bluntness.
"I came to the same conclusion. We will have to check if any other student classrooms experienced a similar 'purple smoke' phenomenon. We can discreetly interview the student body to check. But such a large scale information hunt... will take a while."
All Might nodded in agreement. "Then for now, 1-A will need to be monitored."
"Are you able to contact Tsukauchi? His assistance will be invaluable. Plus, he ought to be able to shed light on the situation, considering the sighting of Kurogiri. Tsukauchi's investigation into the league has been going on for quite a while." Nezu rubbed his face in frustration. "Despite what I said to them, I will begin investigating each of them individually. The rest of the staff I mean." Nezu's eyes were downtrodden. He hated having to hide things from his colleagues, regardless of whether or not he was justified in doing so.
All Might nodded, feeling a small bloom of warmth in his heart. He noted Nezu's choice of 'them' when addressing the UA faculty. Nezu trusted him completely, and it meant a lot to have that trust be reiterated in this troublesome time.
The rare, cynical, part of All Might's mind piped up for once. 'Nezu just knows that the Symbol of Peace couldn't be a traitor. Given my position... I would've had many other, far larger opportunities, to betray hero society. None of which I did.'
With their conversation seemingly wrapping up, All Might had one unanswered question on his mind. "What of the students training with Pros? Will that still happen? I was hoping to be able to instruct Midoriya during school hours, and would hate for that chance to be missed." He wore a somber expression. "Every day counts now."
Nezu looked up, smiling slightly. "I believe it will be good to have that continue. The importance of morale cannot be overstated. Plus, the students will gain invaluable experience, comparable to that of an internship under Pro's." His smile broke out into a more devious looking one. "And… I don't think we could keep Usagiyama away from Midoriya if we tried. She desperately wants a chance to interact with your successor."
This was, at least temporarily, enough to clear up All Mights worries. He grinned at Nezu's statement. The eccentric Bunny Heroine was one of the few who could hope to match Midoriya's current level of speed and power.
"Indeed." All Might agreed. "I also think that she will be… an incredibly good influence on Midoriya. Although my talks with her were admittedly brief, Usagiyama's enthusiasm was clear. Plus… having a strong female hero to use as a role model will undoubtedly be good for Midoriya see."
Nezu laughed, catching All Mights meaning. "Hah, that is certainly right. Midnight is unquestionably a great hero, but her and Midoriya couldn't be more different. In both personality and Quirk."
Nezu looked up towards the ceiling. This private conference room had no windows unfortunately. Speaking more to the room than All Might, Nezu finished with "The plan to have the students train with Pros will continue. I think it will be invaluable for them. Hopefully, this will help spur the growth of many."
Four days ago…
"Of course! Thank you for your agreement and cooperation. A faculty member will get in contact with you soon in order to inform you of your temporary residence on campus, and timing of various events."
Snatch, the gruff Sand Hero, simply nodded in response. He was glad their lengthy, but necessary, conversation was over. He was looking forward to being able to train the next generation. Especially those who managed to get into UA.
With the Sand Hero gone, Nezu looked down at the various stacks of paper in front of him. 'The next scheduled interview is with…' His eyes roamed down the list, eventually stopping on a name he dreaded. "Oh lord hav-" He was interrupted by the door flying open with a crash.
Rumi Usagiyama, or the Rabbit Hero: Mirko, entered into his office looking like she owned the place. Her outfit was a far cry from her usual Hero Costume. She was wearing a simple white shirt and jeans that ended just below her knees. Her long straight white hair reached down to the middle of her upper legs. Due to the unique shape of her feet, she wore a pair of custom made large white high heels, making her seem far taller than she actually was. In truth she stood just between five foot two and five foot three, depending on the day. Not including her ears, of course.
"Nezu! Nezu Nezu! How good to see you again you cute little thing!" Usagiyama called out in her usual boisterous volume. The Rabbit Heroine strode over to his desk, completely ignoring the seat he gestured towards. Leaning forward onto his desk, she reached out a hand to touch the top of the UA Principals head.
Time slowed as Nezu debated moving away or reacting to her outstretched hand. 'I can't upset her too much… she's too volatile. Calm Nezu, calm. There are times to be diplomatic, serious, and… cute?' He mentally rolled his eyes, barely believing that he'd thought such a thing. 'She's the ideal candidate to train Midoriya, aside from All Might himself. I need this conversation to go perfectly. Manipulate her if I have to.' Deciding to let himself be pet, Nezu steeled his nerves and grit his teeth.
She pushed down on his head, ruffling his fur and squealing with delight. "Ahaha! You're so soft Nezuuuu~! No wonder you don't let people do this more often, they'd never be able to stop!"
"Yes indeed. Thats truly the reason why I don't let this happen." He said through a clenched jaw. He glared at her, his mouth halfway between a scowl and smile. Their eyes met breifly, and her dumb grin grew larger.
"Ahahaah! You're always so much fun to tease. Only when others aren't here though, right? That's your rule I take it. You never let me do anything like this when others are here to intrude. I'm so glad we have this understanding, Nezu" She swooned, leaning further onto his desk to the point she was almost laying on it. Her large ears brushed against a few tall stacks of files.
Worried she was going to knock over some stacks of paper, Nezu pushed back against her hand, glancing at the various tall towers of paper. She wore a brief look of surprise, but quickly saw Nezu's reasoning. Smile returning, Usagiyama straightened herself, still standing right in front of his desk.
"So Nezzzuu~..." She cooed his name with a sultry twist, as Nezu was silently thankful that he wasn't human. The Rabbit Hero certainly was provocative, able to get a rise out of nearly anyone it seemed. His mind briefly recalled some of her interactions with the less conversational types. Like Endeavor, Best Jeanist, or Edgeshot. They had no idea how to interact with Usagiyama's personality type. "Why'd you call me in today? It's not everyday I get a personal summons from someone of your stature." She gestured towards him with both her hands, wiggling her fingers as she did so. Slapping two hands down onto his desk, she jumped up, planting her rear on the edge of his desk and turning to look at him with innocent eyes.
'She was one of the few Pro's who wasn't told why we were calling her in. I… was sure she wouldn't show up if we told her the reason in our summons request. However… I'm confident I can convince her in person. The hard part of getting her to show up is already complete.'
Nezu sighed at her choice of seat, but continued after only a moment of pause. Jumping right in, he started with "Well, Mirko, I've called you in today to request your assistance. We-"
"Oh ho ho. Being formal now, are we? And really! YOU need help from ME? Whatever with?"
Nezu continued without missing a beat. "-We're starting a program in which various Pro Heroes will be temporarily contracted by UA to provide our students with more specialized training."
Her seemingly endless smiles and joking attitude instantly vanished, replaced with a bored disposition. Her back slumped, and she seemed to visually deflate. "Oh." Mirko looked towards the door.
'Now to play with her ego.' Nezu quickly spoke again, knowing he had to keep her attention. "There is a particular student that I feel you are uniquely qualified to train."
Her ears flinched, angling slightly towards him. She narrowed her eyes, twisting back to look at him. "Unique how?" She questioned.
"Besides All Might, we don't have anyone on staff who can even remotely keep up with this students speed and power."
Mirko tilted her head to one side. "Flattery won't get you very far with me, you should know that."
'Though being compared to All Might was certainly a nice compliment. Well done, Nezu.' She thought with a smile.
She continued after a moment of pause, voicing a question. "So why not just use him? He seems more qualified than me in those fields, don't you think?" Her voice was clipped, the suspicion she harbored was clear.
"We are seeking two specialized Pro's per student, so that the students don't adjust to a singular fighting style. If you accept... you will be tutoring three, maybe four students in combat and style."
She shifted her hips, turning to face Nezu as best she could with her legs hanging off the side of the desk. "Why bring up one student to me then? How is he different than these others you mention?"
"She."
"She?" Mirko questioned.
"Yes. And I bring up this one student because she is… unique. Frankly, her abilities are overwhelming compared to her classmates."
"Physical abilities? Must be if you're asking me to train 'em" She inquired.
"Yes. In truth most of your time will be spent with her."
Mirko removed a hand from the desk, moving it to her chin. She straightened her back slightly. "Okay, fine. I'm slightly interested."
Nezu smirked. 'Got her. I know your backstory, Usagiyama. I know you already see the similarities. Now… for the finishing touch.'
"I knew you would be! Now I'd like to-"
"Let me see her. Actually, give me information on all the students I'd be working with. I won't just work with anyone, students or not." She interrupted, glaring pointedly at him.
"V-" Nezu paused for a split second, making sure he knew the list of students he'd selected. "-Very well." He opened a folder resting on his desk and dug into its contents, thumbing through the various pages, he occasionally pulled one out. "These are the students I expect you'll work with. Though the list may change." He added that last part just in case.
Mirko looked at each of the papers in front of her. She pointed to the one that pictured a short green haired girl. "This is the problem child you were talking about?"
Nezu was slightly irked at her phrasing, but nodded nonetheless.
Rumi smiled at the picture of the girl, a different kind of smile than her previous ones directed at Nezu. Much more genuine. Nezu watched Mirko's expression with a practiced stealth, trying to read her as best he could.
She paid little to no mind to the other two sheets of paper Nezu had placed out, instead opting to pick up Midoriya's sheet and start reading.
'I've no doubt that this isn't a complete student file, but hopefully they left me enough information to get a feel.' She focused on the girls picture. 'This girl is the one that no one can match up to? Looks are deceiving. She's labeled as… "timid and nervous". But her peers apparently describe her as "a force of nature". Hah! What a riot.' Her eyes jumped from personality descriptions to that of the girls Quirk. 'Energy Augmentation. I feel like I've heard of something similar. But it gives her enhanced physical abilities? Interesting. That's… especially impressive if Nezu thinks I'm needed to train her. There aren't many that can compare to me in speed or power. Well, in terms of physical output that is. Those damn emitter types like Endeavor can certainly pack a powerful figurative punch.'
Nezu wanted to say something, but stayed his tongue, opting instead to see Mirko's reaction to Midoriya's generalized file first and foremost. She continued reading down the file, absorbing all the information she could, until she finally finished. To look slightly responsible, Mirko did spare a glance at the other two students files. Some students named Kirishima and Tetsutestu.
'Though Nezu did sneakily add that more students could be added on. But… he assured that most of my time would be devoted to this girl. Is she really so different from her classmates?'
Finally deciding to speak, Mirko asked "Do you have footage of her in combat? I want to see the real deal. Then I'll decide. Plus… there IS pay involved, right?"
A devilish smirk appeared on Nezu's face, but he managed to hide it quickly. 'Perfect! I didn't even have to request that she take a look at recordings. She asked herself! Good job, Midoriya.'
"To answer both your questions… Of course! " Nezu said in a delighted sing-song voice.
It was quite odd to return to a normal day of classes after such a strange first two periods. Many of 1-A were, understandably, quite tense after the mornings events. However as class after class passed, eventually rolling over into lunch, the promise of specialized training with Pros inched ever closer. Everyone was excited to see what kind of lessons and training this would involve.
Not that training with the UA pro's was lackluster or anything. They knew a lot, and were qualified teachers in every way. But being given the chance to work with Pros that had hand-picked skill sets, tailored to compliment training individual students, was undoubtedly not an opportunity every first year got. UA was truly able to flex its reputation when it mattered.
All of class 1-A entered the lunch room before dispersing. Some rushed over to grab good seats, others opted to get in line for food sooner, while many simply stood around talking; waiting for their friends from other classes to arrive.
Izu had just finished condensing her tray of food into a brown paper bag, and was now moving towards one of the cafeterias far exits. After requesting, and receiving, permission to eat on the roof, that's where she ate her lunch essentially everyday. She was almost out of the large, noisy room, when she heard someone call her name. It was quiet, so much so that Izu wasn't entirely sure it was real; the noise of the cafeteria didn't make it easy to discern.
She did stop in place though, knowing better than to keep walking if someone did happen to call out to her. Turning around answered her suspicion: Asui was standing a little bit away with a tray of food, giving her an expectant look. Asui began to walk over, now that Midoriya was aware of her presence.
'She called out to me? Is this related to what we talked about earlier today? The break in? And damn, I almost made it out the door.' Izu turned to face Asui fully as she approached.
"Gero. Hello Midoriya."
"H-Hi, Asui. What… did you need?" Izu gave an awkward half wave, a gesture that Asui couldn't return due to her tray occupying both hands.
"Would you like to eat lunch with me?" She took another half step forward, tilting her head towards an empty set of tables.
Izu gave her bag of food an odd look. She'd already ditched her tray. 'Would I look weird eating in the cafeteria without a tray? I could go grab one… but I'd have to wait in line again. Also wait, I need to answer her question. Do I want to eat with her? She… wants to eat with me apparently.'
"Um. I don't usually like eating with crowds…" Izu responded. She wasn't lying… but part of her knew she was just trying to take the path of least resistance. It was much easier to reveal these convenient truths with her hair down. If people could look her in the eye, they'd almost certainly see the guilt behind her eyes, and question what was wrong.
"I understand. I also prefer smaller social groups. We could eat alone, just us, if you want... Gero? I've wanted to talk to you again since that time with the rest of the girls in the communal dorm space."
This was a surprise. 'She does? I didn't think I made the best impression back then…'
Izu stopped to think for the first time since the frog girl approached her. Weighing the various options, potential outcomes, and after being a bit more honest with herself, Izu came to an answer. She did want to eat with Asui. So far she seemed very competent and observant, both in hero lessons and as a person. If she was going to say yes to eating with anyone, besides maybe Kirishima, Asui was a good choice.
"S-Sure? Where would… you like to sit?"
Izu slowly unpacked her brown bag of food, feeling extremely out of place. All around her people ate off trays. 'Why'd I have to go and ditch mine…? I mean there's no way I could've known Asui would approach me… but still.'
Asui's eyes jumped between Izu's hands, and trying to catch a peek at her expression. 'She's clearly uncomfortable about something. I could tell she was hesitant about agreeing to eat, but Midoriya looked… rather content with her decision. It seemed genuine. What's wrong now?' It was brief, but Asui saw Midoriya glance at some of the nearby students. Her eyes darted between the food placed in front of them. 'Does she not like her food? No. That can't be it, she has similar food items to them. Is it her tray? She was leaving the room when I stopped her, so she didn't have one. Hmm.'
"One moment, Midoriya. I'll be right back." Asui excused herself before they got settled in and began eating. She made her way over towards the long lunch line. Izu watched her out of the corner of her eye, curious what the frog girl was going to do.
'Is she going to get more food? She'd have to wait in line again though, right? The lines long… does she want me to wait to start eating until she gets back? That… will take a while but I guess I have to wait. I don't want to be rude to her…' Izu was a bit shocked to see Asui slink past the line of students. Occasionally someone would say something to her, Izu could see Asui would say something, and the student would let her pass. 'She's skipping the line? No wait, people are letting her pass.'
Izu had to hold her mouth shut as the reason for Asui's departure became clear. The frog girl reached the front of the line for food; grabbing a tray. After this, she simply ducked under a railing to exit the food line with nothing on her tray.
'She got a tray? Why? She has one.'
As Izu wracked her brain to come up with an answer to Asui's confusing actions, the frog girl returned sooner than expected. She wordlessly placed the empty tray besides Izu's food items, then took her seat without missing a beat. Izu was speechless. She stared at the girl across from her, unable to determine why she'd gone and got her a tray.
'I wouldn't have been able to do that. Trying to skip to the front of the line, even with good reason… too much confrontation.' Izu looked at the tray with a frown.
"Thats what you were nervous about, Gero? I hope I didn't make an incorrect assumption. I didn't want to offend y-"
"No! No you didn't… assume wrong. I was surprised, is all." Izu looked down at the food in front of her, hiding her face. "T-Thank you."
Asui smiled in response, breaking her chopsticks apart in preparation to eat.
The two ate in silence for a few minutes. Izu had moved her various items onto the tray with a sheepish expression. The food was good, evident by the content expressions both wore. Izu wasn't sure if the silence was a positive one or not; either way she wasn't going to be the one to break it. Path of least resistance, as always.
Eventually Asui broke the silence. She did say she wanted to talk more, afterall.
"I wanted to thank you for your actions during the lesson we had together."
Izu's eyebrows lowered, her face becoming one of disbelief. '-Lesson we had together? The only time we've worked together was during the bomb defusal exercise. And… we didn't really work together. I was…' She searched for the right word. '...angry? I don't know what I was feeling, but I know I ruined the lesson. You four didn't get to participate at all. Is she joking?'
As if sensing her shift in feeling, Asui continued before Midoriya could fall further down a metaphorical rabbit hole.
"After you left, we had a class wide discussion about the group roles we self-assigned, and our decision making process. The class agreed that you made the correct choice; engaging the enemies on your own." Asui shrugged her shoulders. "Though Aizawa would've liked to see the match last longer, he conceded that your choice was correct."
Unable to hold herself back, Izu asked. "How was what I did… even remotely the right choice?" She wore an incredulous look. She didn't understand. Couldn't understand! 'Didn't I just deny my teammates the chance to practice?'
"Shoji, Jiro, Sero, and myself. We all… aren't exactly best suited for direct combat. Maybe Sero is a little bit, but he acknowledges that he leaves a lot to be desired. We're much more suited for information gathering, environmental control, and capture, Gero. I believe Aizawa-sensei did this on purpose to see how we would adhere to group roles. Pairing four supportive styles, with an overwhelming combatant, like yourself, really tested whether or not we could conform to a standard group identity." Asui finished her analysis, but still sensed Midoriya wasn't convinced.
She hesitated, unsure if she should continue her justification. Over-explanation can also make people uncomfortable, Asui knew that firsthand. But... seeing how disturbed Midoriya was after the match, and the fact that she left early - meaning she didn't hear everyone's praise - was enough in Asui's mind to continue.
"The four of us agreed, by the way. None of us hold anything against you, Gero. Well... there's really nothing to even hold against you if we wanted to."
Izu didn't know how to react. 'It's true I missed the classes rundown of the various tests that day. Oh right, I'm supposed to mention that to Aizawa today. That's what he said back then. But… was that really the conclusion Aizawa and the class came to?' A realization struck her. 'Asui wouldn't lie. I… can't imagine her lying. Even then, what reason would she have if what she's saying is true?' An unfamiliar, hard to identify, feeling of warmth blossomed inside her.
"I… I'm flattered. I don't really know what to say, though. This is my first time hearing about… the class' discussion." She looked down to stare at her food.
"I'm glad I... got the... chance to tell you." Asui said through bites of food.
Realizing she'd stopped eating, Izu continued after a blush forced its way to the surface. The warm, fuzzy feeling had still yet to leave. She dug into her sandwich. PB&J was always her first choice.
As they ate, Izu was unable to stop herself from analyzing the contents of their previous conversation. 'Asui… didn't have to bring this up. She didn't have to seek me out. This was what she truly wanted to do when she asked me to eat, right? She's… very nice. Going out of her way to… make me feel better.' Her blush persisted, and she was once again thankful that she kept her hair long enough to hide her face at times.
"Thank you, Asui. I…" She searched for the right words, still with her head down. "That really meant a lot… to me."
"Gero!" Asui croaked with a crooked smile.
'Her cheeks scrunch up near her eyes in a really cute way…' Izu noticed. 'Is it because of her frog-like mouth? She definitely has trouble with facial expressions.' Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, Asui grabbed her attention again.
"You don't have to thank me. It's the right thing to do. You did great in our team exercise, so thank you. We're all here to learn from each other, contrary to what some may think."
'Contrary? What does she mean by that?' Izu voiced her thoughts only a second later. "Contrary? What do others think?"
The question made Asui pause, which Izu noticed immediately. The hestiation was short lived however, as Asui explained herself only a moment later.
"Well, there's... been some debate between a few members of the class about whether or not the Hero Program is a 'team effort'. Some think so, some don't. Aizawa wouldn't take a side, instead he advised us to come to our own consensus."
Izu simply hmmed in response, hoping she'd continue. She had an idea in her head about who would think this wasn't a team effort.
After gathering her thoughts for a moment, Asui continued. "I guess… well in my opinion neither option is explicitly wrong, Gero. There are very successful heroes that fit both molds. I don't want to assume where you would land on that spectrum, Midoriya, but I'm confident that you can win when you want to. Sorry if this is rude, but I feel like you're doing yourself a disservice by not embracing that part of you more."
Izu had heard that sentiment before. Her mind flashed back to Bakugo. He'd said the same thing on more than one occasion.
Flustered, Izu just said the first words that formed in her mind. "I've been told that before. I… don't know how to feel about it."
"Have you tried it?"
"Tried… what?" Izu questioned.
"Your best."
Asui's words hit her like a train, while her head and stomach felt queasy. 'Have I tried my best?' Her mind raced over all her actions at UA thus far. 'My grades are nearly perfect… but that's not what she or Bakugo meant… I know that.'
"My best…" Escaped her mouth. She was in disbelief, not quite sure what to think at the moment.
Asui shrugged. "Just a thought. Maybe mention it to the Pro's we'll be training under later today? They've all been through hero programs, so maybe they can give you some good insight."
"Y-Yeah…" Izu's mind was a mess. Thankfully, the bell rang overhead, signaling the end of the lunch period.
Asui glanced up at the blaring sound, wincing slightly due to its volume. "Well thats our sign to clean up. I enjoyed our time together, Midoriya. We should do this again sometime."
"Yeah." Izu repeated as she cleaned up her food, still a bit scatterbrained.
"I mean it, Gero. Will I see you in the lunchroom tomorrow?" Asui asked.
That struck a chord with her. This was... a meaningful question. 'She saw me going to leave the cafeteria, and also acknowledged that I'm usually never here. So this question…'
The ambient noise of the cafeteria grew as everyone began hustling and bustling about to clean up. Izu knew she had to answer quickly.
"S-Sure. I'd… I'll be here again tomorrow?"
Asui gave an enthusiastic nod, then moved to clean up her food. Izu did the same, muscle memory from middle school taking over as Izu cleaned her tray, placing it on top of the ever-growing stack on top of a nearby garbage can.
Only one period remained between now and their specialized training with Pro's.
'What will that be like? What kind of Pro's will UA have gathered? Also… how many will there be? I know I saw at least twenty in the giant room we were in earlier this morning. I'm… excited to see. And...'
Walking towards her next class, Izu clenched her fist in front of her. It briefly glowed with green electricity.
'From now on… I'll try my best.'
Authors Note:
Omg. 11k words for HALF OF ONE DAY. I promise I'm going to speed things up soon. The story needs to progress, dammit!
Also, rewriting the first chapter is my next focus. The content will remain the same, so you wont have to reread it. I think I've gotten better at dialogue and descriptive language usage over the 2 months I've been writing this. So... the first chapter reads really bad in comparison to some later stuff (IMO).
Rumi Usagiyama is not an OC. She's a manga character that hasn't gotten much screen time. I'm very excited to flex peoples powers and write the coming training arc and soon to happen sports festival!
Please leave your thoughts and comments!
~Till next time!
Review responses:
Tiguylerobot: Yeah he's not all good. But I hope to try and emulate some of the redemption he's gone through in the manga in a way that makes sense for this story.
DschingisKhan: Hey look! Asui!
Guest: Thanks! I hope you enjoy.