After Hosu, things change.
Mouse-king hire tutor. Hero—Aizawa listen more.
Japanese hard though.
All little lines look same, new brain not good.
Babies help.
Learn I not know, make big flash cards. Pony-tail-kind-baby try help study. Always-have-cake baby brings sweets. Nomu mouth not appreciate like old mouth. Still eat though! Try help them too!
Spend more time with Loud-blonde—Present Mic.
Good teacher! Try help, sit by babies that not know good. Tap desk when English wrong. Blonde-zip-zap like lot, think maybe need more help. Look ADHD.
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Aizawa sighs as Present Mic scowls petulantly at him while he tries to nap. Based on the expression, general moodiness, and time of day, it's more than likely complaints regarding her.
"Yes?"
"You know it speaks English?" his coworker asks, voice pitching high. "Like, I'm not talking a few words or whatever, but fluently speaks English?"
He's not really sure why, but it's almost relieving.
At least it explained why she was so particularly bad at Japanese.
Sitting up, he unzips his comfortable sleeping bag and quietly mourns the loss of nap time. Instead, he drags a hand through his hair, reluctantly dealing with this new development.
"And you know this because…"
The blonde settles on possibly the most aggravated look he's seen in a while.
Aizawa almost snorts, but settles instead on scratching his head.
"Seriously? She's been in my room every day! I get it, whatever, the kids are getting used to her, and she's not exactly the worst anymore, but her big bug-eyes have been in there staring at me all week. You think I don't notice everything she does!? She's correcting their English, she's sitting next to Kaminari tapping when he gets shit wrong! And it's not even just your class, she's in there constantly, setting herself up with the first and second years almost constantly. It knows English!"
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Bug eyes?
Loud-blonde think I bug eyes?
Loud-blonde not like bugs… scared. Maybe that why not like?
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Hizashi stares at the monster in the middle of his class sporting the largest pair of sunglasses he's ever seen.
Was this a joke?
He scowls, petulant when their guest passes him a card.
Hi.
Was this a joke? Was he a joke?
He passes it back with a grumbled "hi" and returns to teaching.
Why?
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Maybe eyes not problem after all…
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Mouse-king bring new computer to try.
Best day ever! New computer have letters—English letters! Type out letters very slow, need peck long time to make words. Still, make words! First words for Mouse-king and Hero.
Thank you.
Have card for, not need, but feel so good write. Make brain feel less slow!
Mouse-king smile.
Hero look… not sure.
Mouse-king ask new question.
"Do you have a name?"
Nod, but then stop. Old name not thought in long time. Old me not here, not story world. What if look and not find?
Slowly, take sooooo long, type words.
I no remember.
Mouse-king eyes take unholy shine. Even Hero look worry.
"I see! Well, I've prepared a list of questions for you!"
The questions all in English. If eyes had tear makers, I probably cry. As is, I nuzzle Mouse-king thankful. Turn to Hero, but Hero back away fast. Not sure why, but cheeks pink. Maybe want hug in private? Hero not like lot attention…
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Aizawa considers the principal silently.
The small, chimeric genius had read through the answers of the Nomu twice, and he doesn't doubt, the moment he leaves, he'll probably comb through it for everything it's worth.
"Tea, Aizawa-kun?"
"No thanks."
Leaning back into one of the plush chairs, Aizawa settles himself to wait. He'd read all of the answers already as well, texting Yamada with any tricky bits he wasn't able to quite translate. The Nomu wrote… strangely. Skipping subjects, forgetting clauses, and sometimes leaping from one thought to another without any kind of transition. He was pretty sure she thought like that, which was worrisome as well. If they were to test her intelligence, where would it fall?
The other Nomu hadn't shown any signs of intellect or even capability of thought.
Were they seeing the prototype or was she the mistake?
"So our guest was human before waking up as a Nomu," the principal hums, tail twitching as he scours over the papers. "Fascinating, though certainly not unexpected. And a foreigner at that…"
American.
Honestly, it explained her rather clear inability to eat with chopsticks. He'd gotten her a fork and the ridiculous thing had actually nuzzled him.
"It didn't answer any of the questions about how it knew," he points out flatly. He'd even tried asking directly, but the Nomu had found itself suddenly quite tired. The fake snores were obnoxious enough he stopped, but it left more questions than it answered.
"Are we back to considering her a spy?" Nezu asks, sounding exasperatingly amused.
Aizawa stares back flatly.
It doesn't help. Nezu just chuckles before setting aside the page with claws clicking loudly against the wood of his desk.
"Why do you think she isn't sharing?"
Why indeed.
"Lack of trust," he sighs. It was really the most logical, and in truth, he couldn't say he really blamed her. He hadn't been the most considerate, offering up only the bare minimum and waiting to see what evolved. He hadn't wanted to see a woman hidden beneath a monster, and he certainly hadn't actively looked for it. The fact that he hadn't tried to understand her insistent gestures was only further proof.
"And your plan to fix it?" the principal asks, voice bright.
"Have one of the kids ask," he shrugs, only half serious. He ignores the quick thump of the animal's tail and lets his head thump backward to stare, exhausted, at the ceiling. "Better yet, why don't you have Vlad try, and I can resume active duty."
"Missing your self-destructive habits?"
Aizawa snorts, one hand rising to card half-heartedly through his hair.
He sighs a moment later.
"Do you have any suggestions?" he asks, finally.
"Oh at least a hundred," the principal responds unhelpfully. Of course, he did. "Not that you need them, Aizawa-kun. You're only here because you're moping."
"I am not moping."
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Mouse-king must not give Hero good answers.
Hero spend next day sulking.
Decide make happy! Use word cards (typing too slow) and tell follow! Hero follow too! Take to side of campus, know like kittens. Show kittens! Hero blink—mean very surprised! Baby kittens very small, too easy break, I not touch. But Hero do. Hero bend down and pet all, even sit and let crawl on him!
"You… You knew there were kittens here?"
I nod, sit back and watch.
Mouse-king find me new dress. Like lot! Even have more pockets. I search pockets until find card, hold them up.
Aizawa. Happy.
He blink again. This time make question face.
"You knew I liked cats?"
Nod.
Orange kitten crawl up chest and black kitten jump at hand. Hero catch black kitten and scratch head. White kitten creep for hair.
"How?"
I not try explain story. If I try, I type all day and all night! I type week and still not explain. I not want type that long. Besides, they think I crazy. Not worth it.
I shrug.
Hero frown, then white cat get hair. Hero busy then.
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Not realize how many days pass.
Hero talk about exams.
I see matches.
Not like.
Push Midoriya card at Hero and growl. Hero blink, look at card, and look back.
"Is there a problem?"
Nod lots!
Put Midoriya and Bakugou cards on table, growl, push them apart.
Hero sigh big and stand. I watch as he go get keyboard and… oh. Want type?
"Explain."
Not fair. Why he get one word but I write many? Sigh, loudly. Hero smile then, push keyboard, and wait. Type take forever. Babies old and gray by time I finish type!
No put M and B together.
B bad. Be mean. Hurt.
It take soooooo long write that. Finger not good hit key, sometimes hit wrong key, sometimes hit extra. Always have delete. Always take so long! Even has big keys, finger just not good. Ugh. Cards better!
"You don't want me to place Midoriya and Bakugou together." Hero say slow wearing question-face. "You don't want me to do this because… because Bakugou is 'bad' and 'mean'?"
Nod.
Then, cause see not believe on face, stand and hunch. Make arms bend like exploding-blonde and show teeth! Growl! Look at empty space.
Check with Hero, make sure watch, move to empty spot and squat hands on head. Make whimper noise. Wave arms. Move back mean-boy spot. Hit! Move back green-bean baby, squawk, fall.
Check Hero again-
Why he smile?
Scene not good!
"Are you pretending to be Midoriya and Bakugou?"
Growl.
Hero push stupid type machine back.
"I'm listening. But I need more, explain why."
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Midoriya Izuku fidgets nervously in his seat.
Miss Nomu, sitting on the floor beside him, settles its head across his legs. It helps, maybe a little, but he can't help the thousand thoughts flying in his head as Aizawa-sensei settles straight-faced, across the conference table.
Why was he in a conference?
Did he do something wrong?
Did they find out about his old quirkless-ness?
Was he going to be expelled?
Miss Nomu must hear his heart thundering inside his chest, because a moment later, she's closer, beak nuzzling gently against his chest.
"Kid, breathe. You're not in trouble."
He sort of wishes he could believe that, because Aizawa-sensei was the best—minus maybe All Might—okay, so one of the best teachers he's ever had. But he'd learned early that 'not in trouble' didn't always quite mean what it implied, especially when it came to side rooms and quiet reprimands.
"Listen, kid, why don't you stay out of that one's way?"
"Bakugou's going to be a great hero, he's got the perfect quirk for it."
And you don't, always goes unsaid.
Except he had the perfect quirk now! All Might's quirk! So what'd he do-
Miss Nomu whines, pulling him from his thoughts, and he blushes, quickly petting the kind monster's beak.
"S-Sorry!"
Aizawa-sensei just watches, and he doesn't know if that makes it better or somehow worse.
Except a moment later the man is leaning forward, forearms resting on the table, and eyes pinning him in his seat.
"Midoriya, I need you to take several deep breaths slowly."
The command helps.
He moves to breathe immediately, chest rising slowly before sinking back in. The air passes through his nose in a steady stream, earning him a cluck of approval from the Nomu still weighing warmly against him.
"Better," Sensei says after the third, but he doesn't miss the deepening frown as he does. "I had some questions, but they can wait for now. Before we proceed, I need to know if you'd like me to call your mom?"
Mom?
He nearly jumps, except there's a massive head still weighing against his legs.
"W-Why would we need to c-call Mom?"
"To make you more comfortable?" Sensei answers, one brow rising. "Kid, you look like you're about to either pass out or run away. If it's me-"
"I-It's not!"
Midoriya quickly smacks a hand over his mouth and cringes, mortified that he just interrupted. Aizawa-sensei, however, just tilts his head, frowning.
"Then what is it?"
He swallows, gently pushing away Miss Nomu so he doesn't accidentally jump and hurt her—not that he thinks its easy to hurt her. There were videos on the news of her fight with another Nomu as well as the heroes fights with them, and they looked nearly indestructible! The way that one had ripped into her shoulder, clearly tearing out muscles, ligaments, and more, only for it regrow almost instantaneously… It was amazing!
They were so-
"Midoriya, you're mumbling."
He blushes, shoulders rising nearly to his ears.
Miss Nomu almost seems to preen, shuffling through cards before a simple Thank you is pushed across the table to him. His blush darkens at least three shades.
Sensei, with a exasperate look towards Miss Nomu, shoves her card back at her and pins him with a stare.
"What's making you so nervous?" Sensei repeats again.
"T-The room," he answers quickly. And then, because he knows Sensei will want to know why, he quickly swallows the fear jerking at his insides and steamrolls forward. "I- I've had to have meetings with teachers in the past, and they're never really great and I'm sorry! I know you're not them, it's just the room and-"
Sensei doesn't let him finish, already pushing back his chair.
Midoriya gawks, wide-eyed at him.
"S-Sir?"
"Come on, this room's too stuffy anyways. We can walk one of the trails outside. The Nomu probably need fresh air after being cooped up all day anyways."
He chuckles, feeling timid, when Miss Nomu actually huffs at Sensei and rises fully to her feet. Standing beside her is almost like standing beside a statue, he barely makes it to her stomach, and Sensei, who wasn't short in the least, only really made it to her shoulder. She pushes out of the room first, then he laughs when she—was she dancing?
Sensei just sighs, shaking his head.
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Hero good teacher.
Pretend follow me but ask many questions. Green-bean baby open up quick, like tell Hero about quirks, especially hero quirks. Such baby. Bounce when talk, arms swinging. Hero ask about Blond-Explosion baby and bouncing stop. Know Hero see, Hero heart quick. Good pretender though, act like not notice, look at flowers—look at me.
Realize late he want help.
I come back, fix.
Know exactly what help! Find All Might card, but need other word. Mouse-King give new words! Find it soon.
Dad.
All Might. Dad.
Green-bean baby bounce doubly! Red, arms waving, lots of words. Hero long blink, then slow smile.
"Todoroki asked you if you were All Might's illegitimate son?"
Green-baby whine.
Pat head kindly. Make all better, see?
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Hero change groups.
Also visit Green-baby old school, come back not happy.
Hero more mad then even when I go Hosu.
"They thought he was quirkless?"
I nod. Hero pace.
"How long has he even had that quirk if they all thought he was quirkless in Middle School, not that that excuses their clearly abhorrent behavior!"
Shrug.
Angry Hero passes keyboard.
"How the hell do you know all of this?"
Shrug again and type.
Late Quirk. 15.
Hero stare.
"Fifteen."
Shrug again, pass keyboard.
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Watch exams with kissy-nurse. Not like hero exams any more than hero sports. So violent! Watch babies hurt. Kissy-nurse not like either. Mumble lots, I nod lot.
Space-hero try kill babies with black hole.
Why?
But see happy-glitter-blonde remind me story.
Not remember right.
Something not right…
Need think.
Hard think now, miss old me. Miss brain.
Like strong though!
I protect!
Give happy-glitter baby nuzzle. I protect!