Chapter 10: To Evaluate Those Closest (Ep. 32-35)

Hitoshi was no stranger to sleepless nights. He's been a diagnosed insomniac as long as he's known his quirk, so waking up at ungodly hours and not being able to fall asleep again was nothing new.

Waking in a cold sweat, phantom hands around his throat, on the other hand…

He couldn't lie to himself like he lied to the others. He knew, deep down inside, that the Reaper messed him up, possibly more than anything else in his life: more than his parents' accident, more than his foster home abuse, more than Takaoka, more than Principal Asano. Whenever he closed his eyes, the Reaper was there — mocking him, threatening him, grabbing him, choking him. It was like he never really got away.

He doesn't remember getting taken by the Reaper. It happened so fast that there wasn't really anything to remember. He recalls the feeling of his capture rings being snapped and crushed, and that was it.

He does remember waking up, bound and gagged up in a cold, dark room next to an unconscious Bitch-sensei. A charismatic looking young man sat in a chair in front of him, humming while he sharpened a knife.

"Oh, you're awake!" the man said, and Hitoshi didn't understand how he knew that. Hitoshi was completely silent upon waking up, and the stranger didn't even look up once. "Thank goodness! I was getting kind of lonely."

The man rose from his chair, and Hitoshi shamelessly scooted back. The man smiled wider. "I guess introductions are in order. Hello, I am the Pro-Assassin infamously known as the Reaper. Nice to meet you. What's your name?"

Hitoshi glared, biting down on his gag. The Reaper laughed. "Sorry, had to take precautions. I guess you could say I already know who you are, but I didn't want to seem impolite, Shinsou Hitoshi."

The man seemed to take extreme pleasure at seeing Hitoshi wince at his name. The Reaper crouched down so the two were eye level. "Yeah, I did a little reading up on all of your classmates; nothing too thorough, just enough to know who I'm up against. Though I must say, out of everyone listed, you were the one who caught my eye. I'm just so happy we get to meet in person!" The Reaper chuckled. "Sorry about the circumstances, though. I was planning on just taking your teacher, but having you already there was an opportunity I simply couldn't miss out on. You understand, I'm sure."

No, Hitoshi most definitely did not understand, and he most definitely did not want to me here. He struggled helplessly in his bonds as the Reaper brandished his knife, looking all the more sinister in the dark lighting. Next to him, Bitch-sensei began to stir. She opened her eyes, blinking slowly before jolting to life. Her gaze darted frantically between her student and their attacker.

"Oh, goodie, you're both awake," the Reaper drawled. "So, here's how this is going to work. In two days, the rest of your class will be joining us. You are the bait to lure them in, and they are the bait to lure in your Korosensei. From there, I will kill whoever I deem a necessary sacrifice in order to destroy the beast. Sound good?"

The man didn't even bother looking at them for a reply. He merely gazed down at his blade, running thumb down the edge.

"And in the meantime." Never had he seen eyes so deranged. "We're going to have a lot of fun."

-.-.-.-

Some nights he dreams the Reaper is above him, faceless, gruesomely skinning himself with his own knife.

"For a protectant, the human skin is astonishingly easy to remove," the Reaper explained. He liked to talk a lot for an assassin. "Too bad doing so causes the normal human being immense pain. Say, Shinsou, do you think you'd scream if I removed your skin?"

He didn't scream as the Reaper cut off random coin-sized pieces on his torso, arms, and legs — refused to give him such satisfaction. He did cry, though. He's not sure if that's worse.

He wakes up from those nightmares crying too. They aren't even the worst ones.

No, the worst ones are when he dreams of the Reaper pinning him down after the man explained his Frankenstein quirk, and Hitoshi began to realize what the assassin's play was all along. He remembers trying to scream as the man reached into his mouth, but found he couldn't when a foot stepped down on his throat and cut off his air. He remembers choking and crying and tasting blood as the Reaper pulled out a tooth with his bare hands. He remembers gasping and gagging and spitting up blood and bile as the Reaper stood, brandishing his prize before pulling out one of his own teeth and replacing it with Hitoshi's.

The man's wide smile that followed, flaunting the new addition, is what haunts him the most.

"Let's test it out and see if it worked, huh?"

The Pro-Assassin gagged the brainwasher again before going into the other room and dragging in Bitch-sensei by her hair. He's not sure what the Reaper has been doing with her the past two days; he seems to have spent all his time torturing Hitoshi. Slamming and locking the door, the Reaper pulled off the woman's own gag. Bitch-sensei spat at his hand and looked at Hitoshi desperately.

"Shitsou!" she cried. If she managed to be that concerned, Hitoshi must look really messed up. "What have you done to him?!"

"Oh, nothing too damaging," the Reaper replied. "I've just been dying to get to know the students of the infamous Tentacle. I can see why he likes them so much."

The man winked at Hitoshi, and the boy wanted to throw up.

"I can't wait to meet the rest of them; they should be arriving tonight, after all. Speaking of — Irina, I hope you're ready for your big solo."

"What the hell are you talking about you—"

Her face went blank. The Reaper smiled.

-.-.-.-

With the end of fall came the famous Kunugigaoka Fall Festival. While the U.A. Sports Festival was by far the most anticipated school event in Japan — and the world, for that matter — Kunugigaoka's Fall Festival was a close second. People from all across Japan would come to experience the larger than life events put on by the middle and high school students. Rumors were already flying around about what Junior High 3-A was cooking up. Supposedly, they were able to get multiple brand sponsorships with some of the biggest restaurant corporations in Japan.

E-class, on the other hand, didn't have the slightest clue what they were even going to do.

"We could put on a haunted house!" Fuwa exclaimed. "Our assassination skills would make it easy for us to jump out and scare people. Not to mention how Okano's quirk lets her go all exorcist on people."

The class laughed at the idea while Okano demonstrated such horror, snapping her neck in a way that should kill her.

"Have a whole section dedicated to Karma and you'll for sure scare them shitless," Hitoshi commented. The devil-boy grinned.

"Oh really? I bet you could hang upside-down from the ceiling with your eyebags on full display and people will go home crying."

Their bickering was cut off by Maehara. "I like it, but let's be real. Who's going to hike up a mountain for a haunted house?"

"A haunted forest then?" recommended Hara.

Takebayashi shook his head. "Way too much ground to cover."

The class went silent for a second, trying to come up with another idea.

"What about a concert?" Kanzaki suggested. "Those are always really popular."

Sugino's face twisted. He wasn't alone in that. "Can anyone here even perform?"

The answer was a resounding no, nixing that idea entirely. Someone started elbowing him, making him jolt away from the sudden touch like it burned him, and Hitoshi turned to find a demon-faced Nakamura holding up a purple wig.

"We can always put on a drag show. We know we have talent in that genre."

"Hell no!" the brainwasher shouted and made a failed grab for the wig. "Where did you even get that thing?"

"Aw, c'mon," she said, pulling a skirt out of nowhere. "I'm sure Nagisa would be more than willing to help you."

The blue-haired boy jolted. "Hey, leave me out of this!"

Hitoshi growled and turned to Midoriya for help but found the green-haired boy staring out the window, not paying attention in the slightest. He's been doing that a lot lately, the brainwasher noted. Now that he thinks about it, they haven't had a morning training session since the Reaper incident two weeks earlier. Without really talking about it, they both stopped showing up early — Hitoshi because of his nightmares, and Midoriya because of…who knows why. Hitoshi made a mental note to confront his friend about it later.

Before their bickering could escalate any further, Korosensei interfered, using his tentacles to pull them apart. "Calm down, children," he said, setting them back in their seats. "You see, class, I think you're missing out on a golden opportunity here. The answer to your question is all around you — literally!" The octopus brandished an assortment of acorns, berries, fish, and roots commonly found on the mountain. "These are the ingredients to your success! An Assassination Restaurant!"

"I like your thinking," Terasaka said, gripping his coyote-friend's shoulder. "With Muramatsu's cooking, it might just work."

Korosensei grinned. "Well, everyone, get your chef hats on and turn your knives toward chopping vegetables. We've got a restaurant to run!"

-.-.-.-

The day of the festival arrived fast. He and Yada were put on marketing duty, meaning they had to stand at the bottom of the mountain and try to get people to attend their restaurant. Hitoshi is not exactly sure why he's here. Yada was an obvious choice: she's friendly, pretty and has a subtle enough quirk that made her perfect for this job. Hitoshi, on the other hand, was none of the above. It's not like he could brainwash people into coming up the mountain; it wasn't exactly what one called good customer service.

He stood off to the side, trying not to disturb Yada's work when a familiar gruff voice caught his attention.

"What kind of noodle-shit are you selling?"

Standing there, red eyes blazing was Poofy, flanked by two delinquent-looking lackeys. He was staring at the flyer like it personally offended him.

Yada didn't appear too off-put by the boy's crudeness, eyes gleaming. "They're authentic acorn noodles. I'd really recommend you check them out!"

Poofy sneered and tsked his teeth. "Yeah, whatever. Let's just fucking go," he said before marching toward the mountain path, his buddies laughing and taunting as they followed. The blond paused to glare back at Hitoshi. "What are you staring at, Eggplant?"

The nickname was familiar, yet there was no sign of recognition in Poofy's eyes. It would seem him being here was really just an awful coincidence.

The brainwasher held his hands up placidly and Poofy growled and walked away. Hitoshi watched them leave before turning to Yada.

"Do you think it'd be alright if I left you here to go follow them?" he asked. "I wanna…make sure they're not going to cause trouble."

Yada grinned and waved him off. "Go ahead. I can hold down the fort here!" She was much too nice to outright say she didn't need him, but he figured that was the message. The brainwasher smirked and saluted dramatically before racing after the delinquent group.

-.-.-.-

He followed them in secret for a while, jumping through the treeline and hanging in the shadows before running ahead to give the others a heads up.

Midoriya was the first person who spotted him. "Shinsou? Is everything alright down the mountain? Is Yada okay?"

"Uh, yeah. It's not what's at the bottom of the mountain that's concerning me," Hitoshi sighed. "Your little friend, back with the sludge villain? He's here at the festival, and Yada just sent him up to us."

Midoriya's eyes bulged while Nagisa turned his head. "You mean the explosion guy?" the blue-haired boy asked fearfully.

"Oh, don't sound so scared, Nagisa," Karma said, cracking his knuckles. "I've been wanting to get my hands on that kid since he set off an explosion in my face."

"You can't though, remember? Maehara blocked his memory of that incident entirely," Hitoshi pointed out, making the devil-boy frown.

Nagisa still looked concern. "But he'll still remember Midoriya, right? Maehara said he can only erase immediate thoughts and memories."

As if to prove the speculation right, a loud "Deku?!" interrupted their conversation. Just now reaching the top was Poofy and his clearly exhausted friends. The explosive boy scowled and pointed at Midoriya accusingly. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Feeling a major wave of deja vu, Hitoshi stepped in to tell Poofy off, but Midoriya beat him to the chase. "I go here, Kacchan," he said, astoundingly less meek and fearful than the last incident. "Wanna try the acorn noodles? It's our signature dish!"

He said it with a smile so sweet, his voice unwavering, and normally Hitoshi would've been proud of his friend. He was finally standing up for himself, not letting this bastard make him feel inferior or scared. But that smile…

"Let's test it out and see if it worked, huh?"

Hitoshi jolted. Only the Reaper had a smile sweet enough to mask his dark secrets.

Trying to shake off the disturbing revelation (he must've seen it wrong. This was Jolly Green he was talking about; he wouldn't hurt a fly. Right?). Poofy looked thrown off by the display too, crinkling his nose and muttering, "They better not make me barf."

The group of punks took a seat at a table while Okuda served them each. Hitoshi had never seen someone look so angry to be given food; Poofy ripped apart his chopsticks (almost snapping them in half in the process) and all but stabbed his plate, gathering up a huge portion and shoving it in his mouth. Hitoshi wrinkled his nose at the grotesque manners.

Then suddenly, Poofy looked like he was on the verge of explosion, but for once…not literally. He stared down at his plate in disbelief while his lackeys drooled and fawned over the dish. Poofy took another bite, and then another, and another, and within seconds his entire plate was empty, like he was trying to beat an eating record or something.

"Did he even taste it?" pondered Nagisa, to which Hitoshi could only shrug. Poofy, as if sensing the stares, turned toward them and glared.

"What are you extras looking at?" the blond spat, before turning and muttering, "What, you waiting for me to throw up that slob or something?" Because, of course, he couldn't give a compliment even when he liked something.

Hitoshi was more than ready to snark back, but a hand grabbed his shoulder, stopping him. Without even thinking, he shoved it off (these days, every touch felt like a slap), but it didn't even phase the woman. Bitch-sensei (who had made a habit of wearing turtle-neck sweaters since the Reaper incident; whether because of trauma or other reasons, Hitoshi didn't know, nor did he ask) pushed passed the group, winking back at them playfully and signaling for the students to plug their noses. They obeyed and watched the blonde woman approach the punk group.

"Oh no! Don't tell me you didn't like the food. My students worked so hard on it!" she said. The effect was instantaneous. Poofy and his little gang went red-faced, staring at Bitch-sensei like she was a goddess. Poofy could only sputter and nod as their English teacher talked the punks into buying everything on the menu.

"Wow, who knew Poofy could be reduced to a blubbering fool," Hitoshi commented. "Where's Mimura? I wanna make sure he Records this so it can live forever."

-.-.-.-

The topping on the 'Embarrassing Poofy' cake, however, came when Maehara showed up to give them the check. Poofy, now breaking out of his Honeypot Trap induced trance, made his hands spark threateningly the moment he saw the large bill, but the boy paused when he looked at Maehara.

"Wait a minute. Don't I know your shitty face from somewhere?" Poofy said. It then dawned on them that he actually would recognize Maehara, since he was the only face Poofy saw after he was Thought-Blocked.

Maehara barely even blinked. He took back the bill, stared Poofy in the eye, and handed it to him again with a wide smile and a "Here's the bill, sir!" like he hadn't said it five seconds earlier. The womanizer made quick work of escaping this time. Poofy 'tch-ed' and handed the bill to his sputtering lackeys, completely ignoring their claims of what just happened.

-.-.-.-

Business was unfortunately not as booming as they'd like, but such was to be expected when you had such an isolated location. Mr. Matsukata and the preschool bunch showed up at one point, which at least kept them busy even if they couldn't afford a whole lot. Hitoshi made sure to stop by all the kids he connected with during their two weeks at the preschool. It felt nice, getting to see them. It took his mind away from everything else, at least for a little bit.

There was also a round-faced girl from 1-B who came and talked amicably with Midoriya for a little bit. The green-haired boy stumbled with his words and looked flustered as usual, and Hitoshi told himself that everything was normal. Everything was alright.

He was standing with Nagisa wishing the preschool class farewell (Nagisa apparently still kept in touch with Sakura. Somehow he managed to really connect with the biting girl, and Hitoshi respected that) when he showed up.

Hitoshi says 'he' because he doesn't really know who the person is, but judging by everyone's reactions, he's important.

After some hard-earned clarification and maybe some brainwashing ("Will someone just tell me who that is?"), he learned that the boy was Norita Yuuji, a rich kid Nagisa met back during their island vacation. Upon further interrogation, he learned that they met each other when Nagisa was sneaking through the club as a girl.

Nakamura didn't even hesitate to steal Nagisa's pants and trade it out with her skirt. Hitoshi was too shocked (and scared that he might soon get the same treatment) to even interfere.

"Man, that's kinda brutal of Nakamura, given the incident with Nagisa's mom and all," Sugaya commented.

Hitoshi arched an eyebrow. He hadn't heard anything about Nagisa's mom. "What do you mean?"

"Dude, you don't know? Have you been living under a rock?" Yoshida exclaimed, and Hitoshi bit back saying something about how, no, he wasn't, he just had a lot of other shit to worry about. He restrained himself and shook his head.

"The lady apparently has been trying to live vicariously through Nagisa all his life," Sugaya explained. "It's why his hair is long even though he always ties it up — his mom won't let him cut it because she wants him to be a girl and live the life she never did. She supposedly tried to get him out of E-class last week during career counseling, and when Nagisa objected, she threatened to burn down our entire building!"

"I heard it was absolute insanity!" added Okajima. "Her quirk is all based around anger. If she makes herself angry enough, she can start spitting lava! Thankfully Korosensei was able to stop her, but apparently the whole situation was really bad, and Karasuma-sensei and the government had to get involved. I feel so bad for Nagisa; to have a mother so hurtful and controlling…I hope he gets away."

Hitoshi swallowed down the bile in his throat. He knew first-hand the horrors of an abusive parent, but to think one of his classmates and close friends was going through the same thing was heartbreaking. He just hoped that getting away for Nagisa wouldn't include, oh, something like getting taken in by Principal Asano. The bastard.

While Nagisa was forced to go play hostess to this Yuuji guy, Hitoshi fearlessly approached the fuming Karma that was watching from afar. "What's wrong, buddy? Thought you'd get more of a thrill seeing Nagisa dressed like that."

The devil-boy didn't even hesitate to swipe at his head, but Hitoshi easily dodged, laughing. "C'mon, don't take it out on me. If it really bothers you so much, go interfere and control the situation. Isn't that what people like you and me do best?"

Karma eyed him for a second before rubbing his face and sighing. "I should be burying you six-feet under. That's what people like you and me do best."

The red-haired boy continued scowling, and Hitoshi faltered. "Um. Are you alright?" He assumed Karma was mad about the whole Yuuji situation, but maybe he miscalculated? The normal playful bite Karma normally had was gone.

"Just peachy, my dear Shinsou. Why do you ask?"

The brainwasher snorted. "Because you look like you want to murder someone, and I don't think it's that Yuuji kid." The silence he received told him he was right. "What's wrong? Is...Is there something going on between you and Nagisa?"

"I don't know," the red-haired boy sneered. "Is there something going on between you and Midoriya?"

Hitoshi gritted his teeth, because of course out of everyone, Karma would be able to pick up if there was an issue between him and his best friend. He rolled his eyes. "Fine, well if you're going to be an ass—"

"I'm not," Karma cut him off, almost sounding apologetic. Hitoshi froze. "I'm not trying to be an ass. It's just...do you ever wonder with Nagisa? About his quirk? About what he can do? What he can make you feel or think?"

The brainwasher paused, considering it. Frankly, he didn't really know what Nagisa's quirk was even after Midoriya revealed it was misdiagnosed. He knew it had to do with manipulating emotions, but that was it.

"I can't say I have. Why do you ask?"

Karma scowled crossly. "It's- It's nothing. Just forget I ever said anything."

Without letting Hitoshi respond, Karma stomped over to Nakamura's watching spot in the bushes, and Hitoshi wondered if he should do something to make sure someone's body didn't go missing. The brainwasher was distracted, however, by a tap on his shoulder. His whole body tensed, ready to fight.

"So what do you recommend we eat, kitty girl?"

Hitoshi has never spun around so fast. "B-B-Breezy?! What — Why are you — How did you?"

The queen, dressed in all drag glory, just laughed. "I was hired as an act for the 3-A portion of the festival — those kids really know how to throw a party by the way — and I figured the girls and I could stop by. You disappeared on us last time, didn't even say goodbye."

"Uh, sorry," he apologized, though it was mostly habitual. He blinked at the tall drag queen and the two accompanying her. "Something, uh, came up. Can I seat you three?"

Madam Breezy grinned. "A gentleman as well as a lady. Of course you can, babe!"

It took everything within Hitoshi not to grimace as he led the queens to a table. It was then that he realized who all of their customers were.

"I'll, uh, be right back with menus," he choked out before running toward the main building. He could hear the queens giggling and gossiping behind him, but he ignored it. He had much larger concerns now.

"Karasuma-sensei," he said when he walked into the building. "Why are there dozens of Pro-Assassins sitting outside?"

Their P.E. teacher at least looked equally annoyed. "The octopus took my phone and sent a mass text out to all of my contacts to boost business. Let's just say I have some very interesting contacts."

Hitoshi didn't even know how to reply to that, so he didn't. He grabbed a handful of menus and sped outside, almost running right into someone. His refined reflexes let him dodge easily, but he still ended up stumbling when he realized who it was.

"It would seem Izuku is not the only one of you students who is often assaulted by air," Lovro said, eyeing Hitoshi with what he thinks is amusement (it was literally impossible to tell with the man. Hitoshi's fairly positive Lovro's face muscles aren't capable of smiling). "You are good friends with my student, yes? Tell Izuku I need to see him; I wish to discuss continuing his training."

Hitoshi blinked and nodded slowly. Lovro smirked and walked up to Karasuma, leaving the brainwasher to awkwardly skimper away. He passed off the menus to Kanzaki and asked her to serve the drag queens while he went off to hunt for Midoriya.

He found the boy clearing off tables. As he approached, he wondered when he started feeling so anxious around his best friend. Before the Reaper incident, Hitoshi wouldn't have hesitated to go up to Midoriya — hell, he wouldn't even have to, because they'd always be together. But now…

Hitoshi knows he's been more withdrawn since the incident. Physical contact was a lot harder to bare, he absolutely would not talk about it with anyone for any reason, not even Bitch-sensei, and she's probably the only one who could even grasp his headspace right now. It was only natural that he'd feel more distant with people, but with Midoriya...

It wasn't a distance issue. He didn't feel distant when he looked at Midoriya. He felt like was looking at a completely different person.

The boy had also been weird since his short kidnapping by Shiro, and Hitoshi now vividly understood why, but in the past week or so, something seemed off about Midoriya. The only timeframe he had was that it happened sometime around their career counseling sessions. While Hitoshi may be at fault for the divide for the few weeks following the Reaper, the green-haired boy was definitely to blame for the cracks that have followed recently.

Something was up with Midoriya, and worst of all, Hitoshi wasn't sure if he was ever going to find out what.

"Hey, Jol-I mean, Midoriya, Lovro just showed up. He wants to see you; something about training or whatever," Hitoshi finally worked up the courage to say. Midoriya paused in his cleaning but didn't even look up.

"Oh. Okay," he said and went back to cleaning.

What is wrong? Tell me! Hitoshi wanted to scream, but held it in. It would be embarrassingly hypocritical to make Midoriya confess his demons when Hitoshi won't even look at his own.

"...are you going to go talk to him?" Hitoshi eventually asked after an uncomfortably long beat of silence. This time, Midoriya did pause and look at him.

"No. I'm really busy right now," he said. His voice was normal, his face appeared neutral, but everything was so unnatural Hitoshi wanted to scream.

He didn't. He watched Midoriya walk away and didn't say a word.

-.-.-.-

On the second and final day of the fall festival, Hitoshi chose to stick with his original marketing post at the bottom of the mountain with Yada. Because that was his assigned job. Definitely not because it was far from Midoriya.

It turned out, they didn't even need to try to market themselves. A line for their restaurant was formed long before the festival even started, and business was booming all day long. Apparently, that Yuuji guy ran one of the most popular food blogs in Japan and gave them a huge shoutout, even after he learned Nagisa was actually a boy. It was pretty cool of him, actually.

And while the press was great for sales, Hitoshi didn't quite grasp the impact of it until Pro-Hero Lunch Rush was standing in front of him.

"Gah — M-Mr. Lunch Rush, sir, you, uh…." God, he felt like the old Midoriya, stumbling over words and fanboying pathetically. Yada giggled at his struggles.

"The restaurant is right up this mountain. Enjoy!" she cheered. The Pro-Hero gave them a thumbs up and left them, leaving Yada to pick Hitoshi's jaw off the floor.

"I'm not surprised he showed up!" she commented. "Lunch Rush is a known food enthusiast. It's so cool we got to meet him. Oh, Midoriya's going to flip! I wish I could be there to see his reaction."

That knocked some somberness back into Hitoshi, who began to wonder if this new, strangely quiet Midoriya would even react at all.

-.-.-.-

One day, Hitoshi finally worked up the courage to confront Midoriya…sort of.

"Hey, why don't we train in the mornings anymore?"

They'd been walking home together in awkward silence for the past few days. Usually, Midoriya would be the one to keep conversation during their walks to the train station, but like many things with his best friend as of late, that has thoroughly changed.

"Hmm?" Midoriya hummed. "Oh, I guess we haven't. I don't know; at first, I wanted to give you some space, and then all the sudden I just found myself becoming super busy."

"Busy? With what?"

"With, uh. Just some planning. Research stuff."

Hitoshi bit his lip. "Planning what? An assassination attempt or something?"

Midoriya shrugged. "Yeah. Or something."

-.-.-.-

It seemed Hitoshi wasn't the only one who noticed something was up. He was sitting alone during lunch (Midoriya left him, saying he had something 'important' he needed to do) when Nagisa approached him.

"Shinsou," the blue-haired boy greeted. "I've been meaning to ask you something. There's...There's something up with Midoriya's emotions. I was wondering if you knew anything about it? If there's anything going on in his personal life right now maybe?"

Hitoshi clammed up. "What do you mean?"

Nagisa shrugged. "It's just…when I look at him, his emotional state is all out of whack. For a while, it was just randomly spiking, but lately, it's constant. Like he's permanently distressed."

Remembering his previous conversation with Karma, Hitoshi asked, "Nagisa. How does your quirk work, exactly?"

The blue-haired boy blinked. "Um. Well, I'm still learning, to be honest. Since Midoriya pointed out that it was really Empathetic Projection and not Misdirection, I've been trying to understand it better. Before, I would just Project uncontrollably, not even conscious I was doing it. Korosensei's been helping me lately to expand upon it. While I still don't know how to Project an emotion into a singular person instead of everyone within my range, Korosensei has helped me figure out that I can kind of…see a person's emotional state, I guess?" Nagisa shrugged. "It's like, when I focus really hard on someone, I can envision a wavelength that shows me their emotional state. If I'm doing that, I can Project extremely strong on that person. Korosensei says if I keep practicing, I should be able to only Project to that person."

"So, when you look at Midoriya…?"

"His wavelength is crazy sporadic as of late. And it spikes usually when he's around other people, especially you."

"Me?" the brainwasher echoed, and Nagisa nodded.

"Yeah. It's kind of like, when he's around you at times, he gets scared." Hitoshi jolted, and Nagisa quickly backtracked. "Not that he's scared of you! It's like…he's scared of something else, and because of that, he's scared for you. I don't know, it's weird. That's why I was wondering if you knew anything."

Hitoshi sighed, propping his chin in his palm. "No, I don't. I've been sensing something was off too, but he won't tell me anything…"

Nagisa patted his shoulder, and he felt a sympathetic warmth envelope him. Despite the physical contact, he didn't jerk away. It felt nice, safe. He knew it wasn't real, and that it was just what Nagisa wanted him to feel, but he wasn't shutting it away.

"Thanks," Hitoshi sighed, relaxing. "Hey, by the way, I heard what happened with your mom. If you don't mind me asking…what happened?"

The blue-haired boy quickly withdrew his hand, and the warm Projection went with it. "Oh. Yeah. I don't know, really. She's always hated her quirk; said it's a manly quirk because of destructive how it is. That's why she wanted my quirk to be something small, subtle like Misdirection. It's not a hero's quirk in any way. She always wanted my life, I guess, which is why she's so controlling."

"So what made her snap?"

"A lot of things, I guess. She wanted me to move out of E-class for one, so I'd have a better chance of making her dream school. When I refused, she got angry, which is dangerous, obviously. It doesn't take much to get her quirk worked up. I panicked and used my quirk to make her calm down, not really thinking much about it. I didn't realize until it was too late that I never told her about discovering my Empathetic Projection.

"She totally flipped. I was no longer her perfect 'daughter' with the invisibility-type quirk. I accidentally let it slip that I learned about my real quirk in E-class, and that was the final straw. She marched to the campus and was about to spew it down with her lava, but thankfully Korosensei stopped her. We had to get Maehara to block her memory of Korosensei, but the damage was done. Karasuma-sensei said the government was going to get me out of her house, even offered to let me stay with him if I had nowhere to go."

Hitoshi blinked, intrigued. "Did you accept?"

Nagisa shook his head. "Nah, I'm staying with my dad now. I always wanted him to have custody, but he was too scared of my mother's quirk to go against her. Since the government got involved, the legal stuff was taken care of."

"That's good," Hitoshi mused, feeling genuinely happy for his friend. He knew better than anyone the suffering Nagisa must have gone through with his ordeal. "So now that she's not controlling your every move, do you know what your plans for the future are? What career and school you want to pursue?"

"No," Nagisa sighed, pursing his lips. "I already told Korosensei this, but sometimes...it just feels like the only this I'm good at is assassination, I guess? And while I'm not sure I want to spend my whole life doing this, what choice do I have when there are no other options for me?"

"I hardly say there are no other options, and I don't think the only thing you're good at is assassination. You know, in a way, assassins and underground heroes are pretty similar. You can hop on the U.A. hero train with Midoriya and I if you want. It's a wild ride, that's for sure."

Nagisa laughed. "I don't know about that. I've never really felt like the hero type. But...what did you mean when you said assassination isn't the only thing I'm good at?"

Hitoshi resisted rolling his eyes. Could this kid me anymore self-deprecating? He thought Midoriya was bad, but goodness, this kid had no faith in himself. Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. This was the guy who got misdiagnosed with an invisibility-type quirk because he subconsciously Projected that he wasn't worth seeing to everyone around him.

"Look, Nagisa, I saw you with that Sakura girl. She can freaking make flower petals act like flying knives, and she is happy to threaten anyone and everyone with her quirk, but you still somehow got through to her. While your quirk may be excellent for sneaking up on targets and keeping them subdued by manipulating their emotions, you can also do good for other people too. Like I said, you can be a hero, and you can do it without the license or the official title; kind of like how Korosensei saved us. I'm sure that's what Sakura sees you as anyway."

Nagisa paused, his blue eyes deep in thought as he considered what Hitoshi just proposed. Hitoshi met his eyes, trying to convey just how serious he was being, daring Nagisa to look at his emotional wavelength and see it for himself. Finally, the empath smiled. "I'll...I'll think about it."

"Good," Hitoshi sighed, sinking backward. "Also, are you going to cut your hair now that she's not forcing you to wear it long?"

Nagisa gently touched his pigtails. "Not right now, I think. I started wearing pigtails when I joined E-class, and I think I want to finish the year out with them. It just feels right."

Hitoshi grinned and threw a comforting arm around Nagisa's shoulder. It was the first time he initiated physical contact with someone in weeks.

"I'm happy for you, Blue's Clues."

-.-.-.-

With the arrival of second term finals, Korosensei decided to bring back their bet to place the entire class in the Top 50 spots in their grade. It was an advantageous bid, but E-class was more motivated than ever to guarantee success; especially when they heard that Principal Asano was personally prepping 3-A for the exams.

"I also heard that the Quirk Final Exam was coming back too," Sugino explained, making the entire class tense. "Apparently U.A. gave them special permission to replicate the hero course entrance exam, so while it won't include quirk theory this time, it'll just consist of an insanely difficult practical."

Such news would typically be a damper on the mood, and had it been said even a semester ago, the entire class would've likely despaired. But they weren't the same kids as they were during their last finals; they were stronger, faster, and more confident than ever before. A spark seemed to light up in everyone at the news.

"Tch," Terasaka mocked, leaning back in his seat. "Bring it on. We've faced opponents ten times as strong."

The class echoed their agreement with battle cheers. Korosensei stood at the front of the class, looking remarkably proud.

"How you've all grown," he said softly. "I have the best intentions when I say I expect great things from you all. And with that in mind, let's get ready to study!"

-.-.-.-

Hitoshi was at the library hoping to get some last-minute self-studying in when he ran into the person he least expected.

"Asano?" Hitoshi questioned. "Why are you here?"

The principal's son scowled. "My father has forbidden me from studying in class with my schoolmates, forcing me to prepare for the exams completely on my own," Asano spat, though it was clear his anger wasn't directed at Hitoshi. "It'll be no setback for me, but his reasoning behind it infuriates me to no end."

Hitoshi paused for a moment before thinking 'Fuck it' and taking a seat at Asano's table. He even kicked his feet on the table just for the hell of it.

"Let me guess," the purple-boy drawled. "His brainwashing techniques won't work on you, so he has to remove you from the fray to prevent any disruptions."

Asano blinked, shocked, before chuckling cruelly. "Yes, I suppose you would be the only one who knows how he works at this point. What unfortunate circumstances we've found ourselves in."

"Understatement," Hitoshi snorted. "I say this nicely, but your dad is fucked up."

Asano rolled his eyes. "You're telling me. Since I can remember, our relationship has never been anything more than a teacher and a student. My house is just another classroom. I'm positive the few photos of him holding me as a child are 100% photoshopped."

Hitoshi genuinely laughed. It was sad to think that this is the most comfortable he's been around someone in weeks. That the first person to make him laugh since the Reaper was someone he used to so deeply despise. Oh, how twisted his life has become.

"It angers me to think of what his philosophies have become — this idea of the weak only existing to boost the strong. Because of you and your classmates, it's apparent how fundamentally wrong he is, but he won't admit it. There's always something else to blame when E-class rises to the occasion. But now, with him taking over and brainwashing A-class in hopes of crushing your class once and for all, I find an opportunity has presented itself that, even though it pains me, I cannot pass it up."

Hitoshi waited patiently for Asano to continue. "Come the day of the exams, I am going to ask your classmates to kill my father."

Hitoshi jolted hard and almost choked on his spit.

"Don't worry, I don't mean literally. I don't condone murder," Asano said, giving him a weird look. Oh, right, of course. Hitoshi awkwardly settled back down and tried to keep his face passive. "I need your class to kill his philosophies once and for all. If his personal soldiers are beaten by your class, he'll have no choice but to accept defeat."

"Sounds like you've got a real deep grudge here," Hitoshi commented, standing up from his seat. "You won't need to worry too much though. Even without your surprising request, E-class is already gunning for the Top 50 spots, and we have no intention of failing. You just focus on trying to keep the top spot; I believe Karma is going specifically for that one."

Asano blinked, gave Hitoshi a one-over, before standing as well. "It seems we've reached an understanding," he said, holding out his hand. Hitoshi glanced down at the bare palm, and Asano scowled deeper. "Oh, please. You do know my quirk is active, right? I won't invade your brain every time you—"

Asano went hysterically silent as Hitoshi shook his hand, his own palm equally bare. The principal's son looked at a complete loss for words as Hitoshi smirked, releasing the hold and scratching the back of his head. It was a risky move; he had a lot of secrets, from the Reaper to very Korosensei's existence. But despite that, the move felt necessary.

"I suppose I've been awfully hypocritical then," Hitoshi explained. "You speak to me with no fear even though I could have brainwashed you at any time. I know all too well what it's like to be avoided for your quirk. Granted, you haven't proven yourself exactly trustworthy in the past, and your evil father doesn't help, but I guess that's no excuse. I'm sorry for being an ass, thanks for not invading all my secrets."

Asano looked at him like he was an alien. "...right."

Hitoshi laughed and saluted farewell.

-.-.-.-

If they thought first semester finals were hard, second semester's were a whole other monster. Half of the questions were practically urban legend in the world of academia, and the other half were likely taken straight from top-tier university senior courses. But despite the rigorous curriculum, E-class fought back. Korosensei's tactic this time around of having students tutor each other was proving to be shockingly helpful, Hitoshi noted as he answered a math question he distinctly remembered Karma teaching him.

The true beast, however, wasn't even the final question on the math portion — it was the Quirk Exam's actual monsters.

For the Quirk Exam, all of the students were put into a massive arena, where inside they had to face off against giant robot monsters. How they were being scored was kept a secret, but the general objective — destroy as many robots as you can — was clear.

"Man, it sucks they won't let us take weapons with us," bemoaned Kimura as they approached the E-class entrance to the arena. Outside help was strictly forbidden on the exam; you had completely rely on your wits and skills once you were inside. Much of the class nodded solemnly as they readied themselves for the countdown. Three... Two... One…

Showtime.

The class launched into action immediately. Being who they were, they devised a strategy from the beginning. Now it was time to put their brains and training to the test.

Kimura went first to scope out the terrain and competition, and then swiftly returned to inform Isogai. The class president nodded and turned to address the class.

"It appears to be a standard dirt arena, with little obstacles other than the giant robots. Remember the objective: work together and take them down. There's no way we'll fail."

The class roared in agreement before taking off at their first beast. The giant metal robot was armed with an array of weapons and was firing at will. Fortunately for E-class, dodging attacks was just another day on the job.

Terasaka and Muramatsu were the first to attack, just as planned. The two animal-quirk boys used their above-average strength to rip pieces of the robot right off and throw them at Isogai, Itona, and Yoshida, who were working at top speeds to develop weapons for the class. They weren't foolish — they knew they didn't have the most offensive quirks on their own. But that was in no way going to stop them.

While they did that, Sugino began throwing rocks at lightning speeds at the robot to keep him subdued long enough for other classmates to get armed. Kimura, now armed with what looked like a sword, ran up the monster using Sticky Feet and sliced two gun-type weapons off the beast.

"Chiba, Hayami, catch!" he shouted, tossing it down to them. The two sharpshooters snatched up the weapons and made quick work of firing them. A couple well-placed blows from the powerful guns, and the robot was down.

"Alright!" Mimura cheered, but the celebration was short-lived as another beast took the fallen's place.

As more weapons were given out, the class began attacking in full, even taking on multiple robots at a time. Nagisa wielded a mace-like a natural and smacked down anything that came near him. Yada, Kurahashi, and Kataoka worked together to trip a robot with a wire and behead it once it was down. Nakamura jumped from robot to robot as if she was freerunning on roofs, smashing the head of any beast she touched. Hitoshi moved to pick up a massive hammer weapon Isogai just finished that looked wicked cool, but was stopped by a sharp tug on his sleeve by Itona.

"I thought you might like these," the white-haired boy said, holding up two small items that easily fit in his palm and looked a lot like…

"Capture rings?" Hitoshi said, suddenly feeling way too emotional for someone in a war zone. He hesitantly picked up the metal weapons and just stared at them.

"I've been drawing up an improved prototype ever since I saw you use them against Shiro," Itona explained. "When I heard the Reaper destroyed your old rings, I was going to make them, but I never had the parts. Who would've thought I'd find everything I needed from robots in an exam?"

With shaky hands, Shinsou slipped the rings on. They were smaller and much more comfortable than his last pair, and the design was surprisingly slick-looking all things considered. Itona really made these in the short amount of time they've been in the arena? Out of robot scraps? What kind of prodigy was he?

"I'll definitely want to tweak them once we're out of the exam, but they should work fine for now," Itona continued. Hitoshi nodded and made quick work of testing the boy's theory.

He flung his hands out in a fluid motion, and the rings sprung to life. He almost cried real tears when he saw it wasn't string-rope inside, but strong wire metal. They sliced through the air like it was butter and latched onto a nearby robot, feeling more secure than his old ones ever did. With very little effort on his part, he yanked back and pulled the robot to the ground with a loud crash!

"Nice one, Shinsou!" Okano called out while she bent her spine in half to dodge a blow. Hitoshi grinned and turned back to Itona.

"Thanks, dude. I don't even…"

Itona gave what appeared to be a smile (emotion was an impossible thing to decipher with that boy) and picked up the hammer. "Don't mention it. We're a team after all, aren't we?"

Hitoshi smirked and raised his hands again. "Yeah, we are." And then together, they charged.

-.-.-.-

Just when they thought it was over, the big boy monster came out.

The robot was so tall it barely fit in the arena. It didn't have as many weapons as the smaller robots, but its sheer size was enough to make it seem ten times more threatening.

"What the hell?!" Sugaya cried. "A beast like that at the end? No one has the energy to stop that thing!"

The gray-haired boy was right. At this point, even E-class was too exhausted to fight another beast, despite having by far the best endurance thanks to their training. Their main campus counterparts ran out of energy to fight long before this.

"Well someone has to stop it. The exam probably won't be over until we do," Kataoka argued. "If we all attack at once, we should—"

Then, out of nowhere, Midoriya darted out of the fray and charged at the beast with alarming speed. He stabbed the robot through both of its feet with his spear, and then just as quickly scaled the robot until he was at its neck. The green-haired boy unstrapped a gun from his back and wasted no time in firing right through the beast's head

It's like it wasn't even a challenge. The robot began to self-implode and crashed to the ground, Midoriya standing triumphantly on top of it with only a few scratches. The whole arena was silent for a second, no one quite sure what just happened, before E-class erupted.

"Holy shit, Midoriya! Where did that come from?!"

"Midoriya, the Robot Slaying Hero. Who'da thought?"

"I take it back. That was way more badass than your first-semester exam!"

"You're our hero, Midoriya!"

"Wow," Karma said, breaking his way through the crowd. "Seems Lovro's training really does work, huh?"

"I was just using the skills we were all taught. We were all pretty amazing today," Midoriya answered. He smiled, and for once, it almost seemed normal. Except —

Except, Hitoshi thought, watching from afar. There was absolutely nothing normal about what he just did.

-.-.-.-

The following week, the entire class waited with bated breath for Korosensei to reveal the results.

"Here we go," the octopus said, holding up their test papers. "Did you wield your second blades to victory? Let's find out."

In a blink of the eye, every test was passed out and Korosensei was back at the front of the class. "Of course, the individual scores tell very little sometimes of how you stacked up against your opponents. Let's take a look at the Top 50, shall we? I believe the main campus will be hanging this very same banner right now too."

Hitoshi didn't even bother looking down at his tests, too nervous to even stomach it. He kept his eyes peeled as the octopus hung up the score results painfully slow. His eyes bulged when he saw the 46th spot.

"You're kidding me," Terasaka gasped. "I'm…I'm 46?"

That spoke words. It was no secret Terasaka consistently scored the lowest of all the class. If he was 46, then…

It took Hitoshi a painfully long time to find his name, and for a second, he panicked, thinking he messed it up for everyone. That he was the one person who failed to make the Top 50. He was jolted out of his thoughts when Mimura slapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Ninth place, good job Shinsou! We almost swept the top ten!"

Sure enough, there was his name in the first row, right above Sakakibara Ren and the other three Virtuosos. The only Virtuoso to rank above E-classers in the top ten was (unsurprisingly) Asano, but not even he was the highest. Stealing the number one spot was Karma with a perfect 600.

"You sure showed them," Hitoshi commented with a smile, and the rest of the class echoed their compliments. Karma for once looked oddly serene and — was he blushing?

"Hey, Shinsou," Midoriya said, popping up in front of him. "Good, um. Good job. I'm really happy for you."

Hitoshi swallowed down his emotions as he smiled back, thinking maybe, just maybe, all of his speculation was in his head. Because for once, this actually felt like the Midoriya he knew.

"Right back at you, Jolly Green," he complimented. "Third place is insane, even more so considering your competition was Asano and Karma."

The green-haired boy broke into a natural-looking grin. "Thanks, Shinsou!"

"Man, I've never felt more ready for entrance exams," Okajima cheered. "I might actually get into my dream school at this rate!"

"You two must be feeling pretty confident too," Hayami noted, looking at Hitoshi and Midoriya. "Compared to this, I bet the U.A. entrance exam will be a walk in the park."

Hitoshi shrugged and scratched the back of his head. "I certainly hope so."

"Oh man, what I'd pay to see the look on A-classes' faces," Maehara said. Isogai nodded and leaned on his best friend, saying, "We certainly showed them."

"To be fair, your A-class counterparts fought hard on the first part of the exams. However, when it came down to it, they ran out of bloodlust towards the end and simply didn't have the strength, stamina, or strategy that you all did to continue on," Korosensei explained. "And, not to take away from your other successes, but you Quirk Exam scores certainly gave you the extra nudge to blow them all away. Take a look at them."

Hitoshi glanced down at his scoring sheet and arched an eyebrow. He glanced over at Midoriya's and Nagisa's to double-check.

"We all got hundreds?!" Kurahashi exclaimed as the entire class started passing around the score sheets to witness it for themselves.

"Indeed," Korosensei said, dripping with pride. "Your teamwork and skills were unparalleled in every front. The judges would be out of their minds to score you any lower. It goes without being said, but I am so very proud of you."

The class grinned, glancing at each other. Isogai led them in a class bow.

"We couldn't have done it without you, sir."

-.-.-.-

Their celebrations were short-lived. Principal Asano, unable to accept that he'd been bested, showed up at their building with a bulldozer and declared that the old building was going to be removed and E-class move to a new prison-like facility. Then, on top of all that, he declared he was going to kill Korosensei, claiming the octopus doesn't fit in his 'vision'.

And given this was Principal Asano, the man planned to kill the octopus the best way he knows how: through bets and blackmail.

Korosensei had to open and solve a problem out of four workbooks. The trick was that an anti-sensei grenade was set in each book, ready to detonate whenever it is opened. There was a fifth grenade and workbook, but that one was set with an explosion to target and kill humans. Korosensei would go through the first four books, and if he survived, the principal would do the last. The only way to win was to either let Principal Asano get blown up or force him to back out.

There was an 80% chance of it succeeding — greater than anything done before.

Those odds seemed to be guaranteed with the first workbook; Korosensei panicked and even with his super-speed processing, the grenade still went off, very effectively injuring the octopus.

"It's all a part of the balance," Principal Asano explained. "While the weak rely on elaborate assassination, the strong can kill with leisure. There's a reason heroes are greater respected in terms of strength. I know your weaknesses, Korosensei. You get flustered with puzzles; this will be a breeze on my end. Once I collect the bounty, I'll be sure to build schools all across the world that preach my philosophies. Maybe I'll even buy out U.A., hmm? I've worked so closely with them over the years, it shouldn't be hard."

Hitoshi gritted his teeth; of course this was all about ideologies. Wasn't it always with this man?

Korosensei, still partially melted, reached for the next workbook. The whole class winced in anticipation, waiting for the next explosion. Would it be the killing blow, or would the next one? Were they really about to watch their sensei get taken out right under their noses?

But then Korosensei closed the workbook just as fast as he opened it, preventing the grenade from going off.

"I'm afraid that first textbook was one I wasn't so familiar with," Korosensei explained, speedily finishing the other workbook problems without any issue. "It's been on loan to a student for so long, I simply forgot about it. These next three, I know like the back of my tentacle. I know practically every question on every page at this point. I've memorized every Japanese school material out of duty as an educator, so I'm afraid your one-dimensional plot isn't as effective as you hoped.

"Well, sir," Korosensei continued, motioning to the remaining workbook. "I believe it's your turn, is it not?"

-.-.-.-

Korosensei, unsurprisingly, didn't let Principal Asano blow up, though it wasn't without try on the principal's part. The man refused to concede and opened the explosive-rigged workbook, only to be protected by Korosensei's molted skin. In the end, Principal Asano actually admitted defeat and allowed E-class to remain as they were, and it finally seemed like things could go back to the way they were.

But then he went down the mountain to go home and spotted Asano off to the side with a large bandage on his cheek. Hitoshi slipped away from his friends unnoticed and made his way over to the principal's son.

"That's a pretty nice bruise you've got going on there," he commented.

Asano eyed him before sighing. "It would seem the old man took losing even harder than expected," he said, and Hitoshi wanted to laugh. No shit, the man just tried to take out their building, their teacher, and himself. "How'd you know?"

The brainwasher shrugged. "It'll come as no shock to you that I know very well what a beating from an old man looks like."

"Such knowledge is at full fault of mine, I'm afraid. I apologize." The two teens jolted and spun around to find Principal Asano approaching. For once, the man didn't look like he was plotting anything, but maybe that's what was so terrifying.

"It's come to my attention that I've kept much of my life and my intentions under wraps, which isn't fair to anyone," the principal continued. "I believe a owe both of you an explanation. Might I offer you both a ride? I don't think words will be enough for you two understand."

The man motioned to his car where a chauffeur was waiting. Wait…what?

Hitoshi felt like a fish out of water. Evil brainwashing Machevalian principal was apologizing to them and offering them a ride? Hell no. The only reason Hitoshi wasn't 100% convinced the man was plotting murder was because he invited his son along, but even that was thin logic. Asano looked just as shocked as Hitoshi, and the brainwasher wondered if he'd ever ridden in his father's work car before. He couldn't exactly picture them riding to school every morning.

Whatever be the case, Hitoshi must've blacked out at some point, because the next thing he knew, he was in the backseat of a car, sitting next to an uncomfortably stiff Asano. The principal sat up front. The car ride was eerily silent, and Hitoshi spent the whole time wondering if he could brainwash the principal and get away with it. He was so lost in thought that he didn't even realize they'd arrived at a house and gotten out of the car until he was standing in what he assumed was Principal Asano's personal office.

"Allow me to start from the beginning," the principal began. "Twelve years ago, I ran a humble cram school, located in what is currently the 3-E building. It was a small business, with only three students. I was the main teacher, but a dear friend of mine would come help out in his free time."

The principal reached into his desk and pulled out an old wooden box. From the box, he grabbed a photo and held it out to them. "I believe you know this man every well, Hitoshi."

The picture was of three junior high aged children standing in the front with two adults in the background. One was Principal Asano, and the other was...

"...Dad?" Hitoshi croaked, and his senses went dark for a moment. "H-How…?"

"We were childhood friends," the principal explained. "Toshio, your father, often worried about me, working such a small business on my own, even though my stock market funds were more than successful. But whenever he had the time, your father would come help teach the children so I could get a chance to rest — something he never needed, as you know."

Hitoshi's lip quivered in what would've been a smile, except his emotions ran too high to properly react. There was a roaring in his ears and a frog in his throat, and he couldn't speak. Thankfully, Asano could.

"What's the point of this?" the boy challenged, voicing Hitoshi's own thoughts. "You knew his dad. So what? And if you really were so close, why is Shinsou just learning of this now? You'd think good friends would keep in touch more."

"Don't jump ahead so quickly, Gakushuu. I promise to answer all of your questions when the time comes," the principal continued. "You're correct in your observations though. I'm afraid the only explanation for it was a falling out we had three years after the cram school opened. You see, one of my first students, Ikeda, committed suicide." The two teens tensed as the man continued on. "He was being bullied and couldn't take it. I spent my time teaching Ikeda to be a good student, but it was then that I saw the weakness in my ideals. It's not the good who thrive, it's the strong. Toshio…he didn't agree with me.

"He tried to say it wasn't my fault, that the bullies were to blame — that, which I agreed with him on. It's why I drove those bullies to gambling to ruin their lives, and it was the first time I learned the brainwashing capabilities of my quirk. When Toshio learned what I had done, he was furious. Screamed at me about how his dear son, who just developed a brainwashing quirk, was and forever would be facing discrimination because of stereotypes set by people like me who used their quirks to manipulate. He cut off all connection, told me he never wanted to see me again. This is the last photo I have of us together."

He held out another picture. This one showed both of Hitoshi's parents as well as himself. He looked about five-years-old. It also showed the Asano family, with the principal proudly holding his son and standing next to a beautiful blond woman. It looked to be taken around Christmas time. He heard Asano's voice hitch, and in his panic, Hitoshi vaguely recalled their earlier conversation when he said he didn't think his father ever actually held him. Well, it seemed the night was going to be full of surprises.

As for Hitoshi's reaction, well...it threw him for a loop, to say the least. He felt like his world was crumbling at the seams. His father's best friend had been Principal Asano? They partially worked together? Their families spent holidays together? He knew Asano Gakushuu when they were babies? Had they been friends? Raised together? How much did he never know about himself? Why —

"You...You weren't at the funeral," Hitoshi ultimately said despite all of his questions. The principal actually looked saddened at the thought.

"No, I wasn't," he confirmed. "Their accident took a great toll on my life. It's partially why my wife left me; the grief and guilt I felt drove me mad."

"Guilt?" Asano and Hitoshi echoed at the same time. The principal nodded.

"The night they died, I was at the same charity ball," Principal Asano said, looking at them both in the eye. For once, the principal's eyes weren't invading or malicious, they just looked…sorrowful. "It was actually being thrown in my honor, to celebrate my opening of Kunugigaoka Junior High. I didn't expect them to go, and when I saw them there, well. I didn't even have the confidence to approach them. But it made me so hopeful, seeing my dear friend. It made me wonder, did he come to support me? Was he here for me, or just because he was once a founding educator at the cram school?"

The principal laughed sadly. "I guess I'll never really know. I couldn't approach them, had to go outside even. That's when it happened." Principal Asano's face turned dark. "I ran into a driver and was able to get a glimpse into his mind. He had just received payment to purposefully crash the car he was driving."

Hitoshi's world literally veered upside down, and Asano had to grab his shoulders to keep him from falling down. "P-P-Payment?" God, he was going to be sick. He couldn't take this.

The principal continued on anyway. "Yes. I was disgusted by his weakness, by how quickly he was willing to take a life in exchange for money. I quickly left to find security, planning on stopping him, but I got distracted when I saw your parents leaving the benefit. I froze up, didn't dare move for fear they'd see me. Your mother wanted to get home early. She was talking about how her son was upset they were gone, and she didn't want to leave him alone any longer."

Hitoshi clutched the photo in his hand as he stared down at his mother's smiling face. Tears threatened to spill, and he breathed heavily as he tried to reign in his emotions.

"In my foolish stalling, I didn't even see who their driver was until it was too late." The principal suddenly slammed his fist on the table, making both teens jump. The man looked absolutely murderous. "It was that pathetic bastard. I rushed to stop them, but I wasn't fast enough. I called the security team, made them give me a car and drove after them myself, hoping to stop them. To save them."

The principal choked on those words, and the room went silent. Hitoshi felt like his heart had completely crawled out of his chest. He didn't need to hear the rest of the story, didn't want to hear the gruesome retelling of his parents' death — no, murder — but at the same time, he had to.

"I was the first one to arrive at the scene," Principal Asano spoke up, and both Hitoshi and the younger Asano jolted. "I found the car in the ditch. I tried to get to them, tried to help them. I got to your mother first, opened her eyes to see and found nothing. She was already dead. Toshio...I still saw something in Toshio's mind — his large, never-stopping mind." This was nothing Hitoshi didn't already know, but it hurt to hear, nonetheless. "I had already called 911 when I realized the driver was still alive."

This was new. Hitoshi had always been told the driver died on impact; it's why they were never able to truly determine a cause. But if he was alive…

"I was so angry. How dare a weak man like him survive? How dare he attack the strong? He had a piece of glass in his neck, but it was far from life-threatening. He was sitting there, begging me to help him to pull him out. Without thinking, I pushed that glass through his neck and let him bleed out. I had to leave before the police arrived, but I never stopped thinking about it. I found the man who paid the driver and destroyed his life, getting him fired from his job. He was a competing neurosurgeon, couldn't take being bested. Drove him to suicide eventually. When I later heard Toshio was in a coma, it was the final straw. Not only had someone so weak been the cause of so much pain, but he made a strong man weak in the process. I couldn't bring myself to go anywhere near your family. I had myself added to the list of people to be alerted when Toshio woke, but he never did. I never even saw the name Shinsou again until you came to school at Kunugigaoka of all places."

The principal sighed and ran a hand through his hair, trying to compose himself — as if he hadn't just told two teenagers that he murdered someone and other dark secrets. "I believe this is where I apologize. Hitoshi, I am deeply sorry for my behavior toward you. Seeing you, after years of me nursing and worsening my burdens, snapped something inside of me. I wanted to make sure you were not weak like your father. I wanted to make sure you wouldn't end up like him, that you would thrive in society among the best, not fall among the stepping stones. And when I learned of your home life from Asano, well, that angered me again. I always assumed you would've been taken care of; it never crossed my mind that your family would not step in for you. Hearing the news just confirmed another oversight, another weakness on my part. It infuriated me, and I lashed out inappropriately. For that, I am sorry."

Hitoshi couldn't help but exchange a look with an equally flustered looking Asano. "...my father was never weak, Principal, and neither am I. But...thank you for telling me this," he eventually said, unsure how else to respond — to any of this, really.

"I suppose you're right." The principal smiled sadly, and he turned to Asano. "I also owe a lifetime of apologies to you, my son. I allowed my own fear-driven ideals to ruin much of your life in my attempt to make you strong. I'm truly ashamed. I hope, as your father, I can one day redeem myself to you."

To the shock of both teens, the man held out a hand — completely ungloved — to his son. Asano eyes were bulging and looked like he was about to pass out before he smirked and took the hand, shaking it.

"I hope so too, father."

It was a touching moment in an incredibly odd way, but Hitoshi felt his brain much too fogged to think much of it. He was still focusing on not throwing up when he felt a surprisingly gentle hand touch his forearm, and for the first time since the Reaper attack, he didn't shove the hand away.

"I'm telling you this for many reasons, Gakushuu, Hitoshi. To acknowledge my ideologies' defeat, to clear my heart and start new. But most of all, for you to know my intentions last time you were in my office, Hitoshi. I understand how I came off, and at the time I did it deliberately, to establish my strength and dominance. But I want you to know that truly, my offer back then was not as targeting for your quirk by any means. I don't need it, after all. My brainwashing craft is quite perfected." Hitoshi snorted, and it was awfully snotty. The principal grinned too.

"I know you made yourself plenty clear, but I feel, as your father's best friend — even if he may not see me that way — that I am obligated to protect you. It hurts me more than anything to know I failed you for six years. So, you should know the offer still stands if you ever find yourself in need of it. I promise not to report anything," he added quickly, clearly seeing the panic on Hitoshi's face. "But if you find yourself with nowhere to turn, my door is open, as it should have always been."

This was all too much to handle: his past was thrown into question, some of his darkest fears confirmed, and he learned in the past ten minutes what felt like more than he ever did this school year. He wasn't sure if he trusted Principal Asano — he had an itemized list of reasons not to. But as he stares down at the photo of his father with Principal Asano and the school children, smiling casually like old friends (which they were, he notes in shock), he can't help but hesitate.

Because that's what his father would want him to do. His father, the same man who went to a charity benefit, even though he hated charity benefits, for a man he supposedly hated, but clearly not so much.

"Well," Hitoshi finally said, wiping at his face. "I can't exactly turn you down and storm off like last time anymore. I mean, you did hold me as a baby."

It was so incredibly weird to say, and he's pretty sure he made Asano choke on his spit, but the principal was clearly amused. He laughed heartily, an evil yet clearly playful glint coming back to his eyes.

"Oh, I did more than just hold you," he said. "I'm fairly certain I have pictures of you and Asano bathing together when you were infants, if you want to—"

"No!" The two teens screeched, jumping far away from each other because, just, no. Hitoshi's not sure he can ever look at Asano again.

"Yeah, this is officially gotten too weird to handle. This is where I storm off," the brainwasher said, making his way to the door while Principal Asano laughed heartily. It was surprisingly not a painful sound for someone who probably never laughed anymore.

Before he left, Hitoshi paused at the door, a thought suddenly coming to his mind. He's not sure where it came from, but he knew it had to be said.

"Oh, and sir?" he said. The principal paused in his musings to look back over at him. "He went for you."

Both Asanos blinked. "Pardon?" the elder one asked.

"My father," Hitoshi clarified. "You said you never knew if he went to the charity ball for you or for Kunugigaoka. I didn't get to know him for long, but Dad hated being awarded for his accomplishments. There's no way he went to relish in the success of an old cram school he helped with. He went to support you."

The principal looked thoughtful, staring down at the photos in the box again. He even sounded choked up again. "Thank you, Hitoshi… I — well — thank you."

Hitoshi smirked. "No problem, Uncle Asano!"

He bolted out of the door with a cackle, but waited long enough to hear the younger Asano definitely choke on his spit as the principal laughed again.

-.-.-.-

Maybe he was caught up on the principal's confession, and how he let his friendship with his father not only become ruined, but ruin himself, but a few days later, Hitoshi finally worked up the courage to confront Midoriya — for real, this time. They were cleaning up spilled props in the storage shack after the play they just had to put on for the school. It was just the two of them, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity.

"Midoriya," he said. "Something's been off lately. What is it?"

The green-haired boy paused in his sweeping. "What do you mean, Shinsou?"

Hitoshi stopped cleaning as well and leaned against the wall. "You've just felt off lately. I feel like I can't even talk to you anymore, and I don't know why."

Midoriya looked genuinely sad. "I...I'm sorry, Shinsou. I guess I have been more distant lately; there's just been a lot on my plate, is all. I'm sorry if it felt like I was pushing you away."

God, even when Hitoshi was all suspicious of him, the boy still happened to look so freaking precious. Like a sad, kicked puppy. A puppy Hitoshi kicked. Damn it.

"It's...okay. I just wanted to make sure it wasn't something I did. You're okay, though, right? You're not too overwhelmed with this 'thing' or whatever?"

The green-haired boy paused. "I…I don't know yet. I want to tell you so badly, Shinsou, but I don't want to risk—"

"Oh, there you two are," Korosensei interrupted. "I was wondering where you two went off two. Would you like my assistance in cleaning up?"

Midoriya nodded ferociously. "That'd be great, Korosensei!"

Between the three of them, especially with Korosensei's enhanced speed, the job was quick work. Their teacher busied himself with picking up the small pieces, and seemed completely unaware of his surroundings. Sometimes, the brainwasher thinks, killing Korosensei seems like it'd almost be too easy, especially given the vast number of odd weaknesses the man had. Granted, he knew it wasn't so simple. Despite his weaknesses, their teacher was still the most powerful creature around. You'd have to be a super beast like him to even stand a chance.

Hitoshi was so lost in his musings, he almost didn't realize Midoriya was speaking.

"Actually, since you're both here," the boy was saying, "I think it's time I finally come clean. I don't know if I can hold it in much longer."

Hitoshi turned to find Midoriya standing there, a set of green tentacles bursting from his shoulder blades. There was just enough time to think 'What the fuck?' before the tentacles struck out at lightning speed and the whole shack exploded.