Analytics: Intervening Moments
Chapter 2: Laying It Out
Author's Note: Not gonna lie, if you're a Dadazawa fan you probably won't like this chapter.
Toshinori scrambled to hide his new book as Aizawa entered the teacher's lounge. He was embarrassed enough having to read Teaching for Dummies, but if Aizawa saw it, he'd never hear the end of it.
Thankfully, his coworker didn't bother looking his way, nor did he close the door behind him, instead making a beeline for the coffee pot. It was unusually abrupt even for him, but then young Yaoyorozu knocked on the open doorframe, "Excuse me sensei, do you have time to speak with us?"
Aizawa gestured for her to enter as he filled his mug with the burnt and bitter hours-old coffee that remained in the pot. He didn't bother adding anything to it, simply taking it back to his desk as the girls from 1-A filed in.
Yaoyorozu took the lead, walking in with the others following along. Uraraka glanced around and gave him a little wave, which he returned but otherwise stayed silent.
He could already tell something was wrong. They were too stiff. Yaoyorozu tried to conceal her nervousness, while Jiro wore her displeasure openly. Ashido and Hagakure stood preternaturally still, while Uraraka and Asui–he sat up a little straighter.
Asui was always hard to read. Her mutation quirk made expressions difficult for her, but with more than thirty years of field experience, he had learned to read people. Asui struggled to make herself smaller than usual. Uraraka was just trying to be supportive, leaning into her friend and putting on a brave face as she looked at her homeroom teacher.
"What do you need?" Aizawa asked in his decidedly uninterested tone.
Yaoyorozu composed herself, standing up straight, "Sensei, we wanted to talk to you about one of our classmates and his…" She hesitated, clearly choosing her next words with the utmost care, "unheroic behavior."
Aizawa narrowed his eyes, "Who?"
"Mineta," Jiro blurted out, scowling. "He's a complete perv."
Toshinori bit his lip. He had noticed the way that Mineta looked at his female classmates. He wasn't the only boy, of course, the entire class was coming of age after all, but he tended to stare for longer than was strictly appropriate.
And yet Aizawa seemed to relax at her answer. "What did he do now?" The danger in his voice all but disappeared.
"What?" Toshinori couldn't help himself, looking up sharply. The phrasing was unmistakable. Mineta had done something before, and Aizawa was aware of it and let it go. Why hadn't he been informed? Did the other teachers know?
Aizawa glanced his way, "We had an incident at the summer camp. He tried to scale the wall that separated the hot springs to look into the girl's bath before he was knocked off."
"He also tried to look into the girl's bathroom through a peephole." Jiro seethed.
Aizawa nodded, "And got stabbed in the eye by your earphone jack for the attempt."
All Might felt his mouth dropping as they spoke. Was this some sort of blindspot for Aizawa? He seemed… Well, he sounded almost approving of what Jiro had done, but for a man with a reputation for expelling students at the drop of a hat, it seemed like he was just brushing this off.
"So, what did he do now?" Aizawa asked, oblivious to his mounting horror.
"It's…" Yaoyorozu hesitated, "it isn't something new. This happened a while ago." She looked uncomfortable as she stepped out of the way, motioning to Asui.
Toshinori watched the way Asui moved, stepping forward before looking up at Aizawa. It was an echo of what he'd seen many times before. The sort when some poor soul came into a police station to report a crime committed against them, something embarrassing and shameful.
"He…" She hesitated, staring at him for a moment, "touched me. Inappropriately."
Toshinori's eyes widened and he looked at Aizawa only to find him nodding, "Did you do something to make sure he doesn't repeat that error?"
"What?" Toshinori asked again, staring at Aizawa in shock.
His fellow teacher glanced over at him in annoyance, "Something wrong?"
He motioned to the girls, "She just told you that he touched her inappropriately!"
Aizawa gave a long-suffering sigh, "It's something heroines have to deal with in the field."
Toshinori stared in disbelief, "So you're just going to allow it? To let him touch his classmates?"
Aizawa frowned, "They are better off learning how to deal with it now. Something to make sure he doesn't attempt it again."
"But this was before he tried to peep!" Uraraka said.
"And before he tried to climb the fence at the bath," Ashido added.
Aizawa looked back at them, "He hasn't tried to touch any of you since, has he?" That seemed to bring them up short, an uncomfortable silence descending among the girls as they glanced at each other.
Toshinori stood up, "It doesn't matter if it hasn't happened since, it shouldn't have happened in the first place."
"Of course, it shouldn't have happened," Aizawa scowled, "it shouldn't happen in the field either, but just talk to Midnight about her experiences." He glanced at Yaoyorozu, "Or Uwabami, I'm sure she told you about some of her experiences with overeager fans." A look of exasperation crossed the young girl's face before she gently shook her head.
Toshinori frowned, "I don't think this lesson is appropriate, not at the cost of your student's well-being."
Aizawa's eyes drifted to his desk, right to where he'd hidden Teaching for Dummies, "I don't think you have enough experience to tell me how to run my class, considering your reading material."
Toshinori flushed at being caught but pressed on regardless, "I may not have much experience as a teacher, Aizawa, but I have been a hero since before you were born. No one should have to deal with this sort of harassment, let alone students from a fellow classmate." He steeled himself, standing up straighter, "Since you seem to have no interest in doing it, I'm going to investigate, and if I find proof I'll remove Mineta from the hero course."
Aizawa merely arched an eyebrow, choosing to say nothing, but the girls stared at him wide-eyed, Ashido even smiled. But most importantly, young Asui finally relaxed. He smiled reassuringly, "Girls, can you please follow me? I think we should discuss this in private."
Interviews were in order. He was sorely tempted to call Tsukauchi, but his students didn't know him. Better to deal with them himself for now, as their teacher and someone they trusted. If anything came of it, he could always get the police involved after.
"I'm going to speak with each of you in turn. I'd like you to tell me what happened, and if you remember any dates or locations. UA has many security cameras, so if he acted inappropriately it may have been caught on tape." He smiled, trying to reassure them, "I know this is eating into your lunch period, and may continue into other classes, but don't worry. I'll write you a pass, and I'm sure you'll be able to get notes from your classmates for anything you miss."
A series of nods greeted him, which was a relief. "Now, I'd like to speak with Asui first. Why don't the rest of you grab something from the cafeteria? And for Asui, of course."
The girls hesitated again, and Uraraka stepped forward, "Can I stay? I won't interrupt, I just want to offer her support."
He nodded, "Of course. Make sure to pick up something for Uraraka as well."
Reluctantly the other girls nodded and slowly filed out of the room, Ashido offering a wave before closing the door behind her.
"Please take a seat." He said, waving them to some of the desks, and pulled out a notepad and pencil that he always kept with him. He pulled out a seat to face them, "Now then, I know this isn't going to be comfortable, but details will help. Do you remember the day he touched you?"
Asui and Uraraka exchanged a look before the former nodded, "Yes sir," she croaked, "it was during the USJ–"
The pencil tore through the top sheet of the paper before it shattered in his hand. Outwardly, his expression held, but blood threatened to rush up his throat. The USJ. The most dangerous situation any of his students had ever been in. More, a personal failure, when he had put his desire to stop villains led to him not being there for them when they needed him most. And now, even worse, one of his students had been… he was silent for a moment, swallowing blood and bile before he collected himself.
Uraraka's eyes were wide, but Asui ducked her head. As if she had done something wrong. As if it wasn't his fault for failing not just her but their entire class. And that's what it had been. "Please look at me Asui." He said quietly. His voice may have trembled, but he couldn't think about it. All that mattered for an instant is the way Asui looked back up at him without fear. She hesitated before looking back at him.
He stood and bowed, "I am sorry that I wasn't there to prevent it. It's my fault that I wasn't there, I cannot apologize deeply enough." He held himself there, his nonexistent stomach twisting into knots as he waited for a response.
"I accept your apology," Asui said, "but you weren't the one who touched me."
He let out a sigh of relief before rising again, "I know, but I should have been there."
Asui looked at the table, "I agree."
Uraraka took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze earning a glance from her friend. Toshinori pushed his failure back. It was time to gather all the evidence he could.
Author's Notes: Ho boy, I'm sure this is going to receive some pushback.
So, the problem has always been that Mineta doesn't seem to get pushback or get in trouble for his constant perving. I cannot believe that it has gone unnoticed, so there has to be another explanation. So taking everything into consideration, the most logical reason for Mineta's continual presence in the class has to come down to two options: either Aizawa doesn't care about this sort of behavior, or he isn't going to stop it because he knows they'll have to deal with it later anyway.
Well, I am choosing the latter. It's much more in keeping with his logical ruses than him being oblivious to it.
My problem with Aizawa is that he so wants to remove the sheen and glamour of heroics so his students will focus on 'the important stuff' that he sometimes forgets that they are still teenagers. Sometimes they really do need guidance and counsel, and he just doesn't make himself approachable for that sort of thing.
Oh, and by the way, based on Aizawa's and All Might's ages, it really is possible that Toshinori has been in heroics for longer than Aizawa has been alive.