Kosei took a deep breath as he straightened his tie at the gates of his alma mater. The school was pretty much empty, save for some bored security guards. It was a Sunday, so the school was closed to students unless they had gotten permission to use one of the training facilities, and the majority of teachers took the day off to rest.

Making sure one last time that his suit was as presentable as it could be, he wandered the familiar halls of his former school, up to the principal's office and knocked on the door. It opened automatically to reveal a white-furred animal sitting in a large office chair behind a desk.

"Ah! Kosei Susumaru! Come in, you're right on time."

"Thank you, Principal Nedzu," Kosei bowed before taking a seat in front of the intelligent animal. "I must say, your fur looks as pristine as it did when I graduated."

Nedzu chuckled. "And your compliments are the same as ever, it seems. It's hard to believe that eight years have already passed. How did university treat you?"

"Well, I can definitely say that UA goes Plus Ultra on every part of their curriculum," Kosei laughed. "I probably could have tested out of all my first-year courses with the amount of knowledge the school crammed into my head."

Nedzu smiled with pride. "Well, it's good to see that even our General Education alumni are top-notch as well. Which university did you go to again?"

Kosei smirked a bit. "Sir, we both know full well that you have read through my entire academic transcript already."

Nedzu just laughed good-naturedly. "That I have! I suppose there's no point in beating around the bush as to why you're here. Tea?"

"Yes please."

The chimera got up and walked over to where he had a teapot over a low flame, keeping the liquid inside warm. He poured two cups and passed one to Kosei, who firmly gripped the cup with gloved hands. "I must admit, it was a bit of a surprise to see your application," he said. "It's not every day you get someone applying for a position that doesn't exist."

Kosei rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "I admit, it's a pretty bold move of mine. But I'm confident that what I have to offer will be beneficial to all students."

"Is that so?" Nedzu hummed. "Well, I have my own thoughts on it, but you're the expert, so give me your pitch. Why should UA hire a quirk analyst-slash-counsellor?"

Kosei took a deep breath before jumping into the spiel he had rehearsed countless times by now. "The idea first came to me in my first year here. I noticed a lot of the hero students in the sports festival, especially the first years, unsure of how to properly use their quirks, or had some form of complex around them. Do you remember the incident in the first round that year?"

"You mean the one where Ms. Yabuto got hit by a robot and flew into the crowd?"

"Exactly. She was unsure about using her quirk around so many people, hence why she couldn't move out of the way or stop herself from landing in the crowd. I saw it," Kosei gestured towards his eye. "After that, I started looking around. Hero students are three times as likely to drop out or transfer to a different track as any other student nationwide. Those that do graduate have a high chance of quitting being a hero within the first five years. And in the majority of the cases I could find, the main contributing factor can be traced back to their quirks — or rather, how they are using their quirks.

"When I watch the sports festival each year, I make sure to look at the participants' quirks, and at least 20% of them are either using it in a way that is unnatural to them, or not utilising the full extent of their powers. And this is across all years.

"I believe that by having someone to both push them in a new direction with developing their abilities and to also just talk about the troubles they are having will go a long way in helping your students be the best they can be. And if not, at least them knowing the full extent of their quirk will reduce the number of unfortunate accidents," Kosei lifted a gloved hand, fingers shaking a bit.

Nedzu was silent for a few seconds, scrutinising the potential employee. Kosei lifted the teacup to his lips to calm his nerves, well aware that the principal was analysing every possible benefit and detriment to such a role, the effect on finances, public opinion, and student safety. The rat-like creature's brain had to be a magnificent thing to behold, amplified to incredible levels with his quirk.

In fact… Kosei activated his own quirk, eyes turning to gold. The world went pitch black, and his surroundings could only be seen by a white outline around their edges. He looked at his future-employer — hopefully, at least — and saw the silvery-blue energy near the heart.

Nedzu's energy supply was actually smaller than most, given that his quirk was always active. It was much like people with solely mutation quirks, with no active component to them. Emitter and transformation quirks generally had a large ball near the heart, a place for the energy to reside when it wasn't in use.

Instead, the chimera had most of his quirk power in the brain, forming a complex web that blinked like a strobe, carrying signals from his neurons faster than what was possible for a normal person. The web would constantly shift, sometimes creating new branches and bridges faster than the eye could see.

"Well, I can't deny the need, nor the benefits, so let's just say you've convinced me of the need. Now, why do you wish to do this job? I'm sure someone with your qualifications and age can get numerous higher paying jobs easily."

Kosei smiled. "I'm sure you remember that I initially applied for the support course here."

"Ah yes, I probably still have your application somewhere in here," Nedzu said, gesturing towards the dozens of filing cabinets that lined the walls. "Unfortunately, the particular brand of support is still something that doesn't attract many students, so we weren't able to accommodate, despite the interesting prospect. I assume quirk development is still an interest of yours?"

"Yeah, I'm sure I could get a high-paying job researching quirks, but I still want to directly help people. I know I'm not cut out for hero work — especially not with how my hands are — but if I could help the heroes, then everyone they can save thanks to my assistance would be a person whose life I made better."

"And your quirk has nothing to do with it? I noticed you using it on me earlier."

Kosei chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, your quirk is still really interesting to watch in action. I do admit that my own quirk is quite uniquely suited for this job, but that's just another reason to hire me, right?"

"Indeed, it is!" the chimera beamed. "Well, barring a few hiccups here and there, your academic transcript is top notch, and you have all the necessary qualifications, so how about you show me your skills?"

Kosei sat straighter in his chair, leaning forwards slightly. "And how would you like me to do that, sir?"

"Why, of course, by analysing me! Tell me everything you can about my quirk and how to improve upon it."

Eyes turning gold once again, the prospective employee activated his quirk as he spoke. "Well, it won't be 100% like what I'd be doing with students, since I have seen your quirk multiple times while at school here, but here I go.

"Your quirk is High-Spec, a mutant-type quirk with the main effect being an extreme boost in intelligence. The energy I see in you is focused approximately 90% in the brain, being a constantly shifting web. I believe that in your case, the 'quirk energy' transmits the normal electrical signals from your neurons at a much faster than biologically possible, almost being a perfect conductor. It also can connect to more neurons than a normal brain can."

Nedzu brought his paws to his mouth in contemplation. "Most interesting. Any other insights?"

Kosei nodded. "Though your energy is mostly concentrated in the brain, there are traces of it through your entire body, a trait normally exhibited by those with full-body mutations. That would suggest that your more human-like appearance is also an element of your quirk, and also why your brain is much larger than you'd expect from someone who was once an animal. It would be interesting to see how you function under a quirk-erasing effect, as there's a chance your quirk has improved your natural brain function as well as amplified it, so even without the active part of the quirk boosting your intelligence, you would still be just as, if not more intelligent than a normal human.

"As for how to better utilise your quirk, there isn't as much. You have covered most of the obvious and less obvious ways your quirk can be useful, such as gaining a wide knowledge base, training in strategic thinking, and even your choice to use your skills to improve the future generations for when you are no longer around.

"The only addition I can think of is to do with combat, though this may have also been covered. I've never gotten to see you fight, sir. Your intelligence and quick analysis would work best at a range, where you can use the environment against your opponent. For example, you could use projectiles and ricochet them against the environment to attack from unexpected angles, and even supposedly impossible shots." Kosei downed the rest of his tea, soothing his dry throat.

Nedzu leaned back in his chair and let out an ecstatic laugh. "How interesting! Your analysis skills are truly impressive, especially for an improvised speech. I had come to the same conclusions myself many years ago, though some of them took me quite a lot of time to realise myself. Your theory about me maintaining my sapience even without my quirk is truly fascinating and is something I might look into in the future."

Kosei bowed his head. "Thank you, sir. I admit, the combat applications of your quirk were more difficult than it would be for most quirks just due to its nature."

"And yet you gave expert analysis regardless. You've definitely proven yourself in my eyes, and I'm the only one you need to impress, no?" he laughed a bit at his own joke. "I can see how you will be a benefit to my school, so consider yourself hired. I will have to officially create your position through the school board, but they should be easy to convince. If not, we could always have you work as an assistant to Hound Dog until they see your usefulness."

"I thank you sincerely for this opportunity," Kosei said, bowing as deeply as he could while being seated.

"Please, I should be thanking you! After all, it's our students who will be benefiting the most from your tenure. Now, shall we draft up a contract?"

~X~

"I'm really not sure all this is necessary."

"Oh, hush," Midnight said, tussling the kid's hair. "You want to make a good impression on the students, right? For that, you need to cultivate the proper image. Right now, you look far too formal."

Kosei just groaned a bit and let her do her work, trying to wrangle his blue hair into a more casual look. Her newest co-worker — or was that All Might? — had already been there for a few weeks, but Midnight had only met him now, an hour before the entrance ceremony would begin. Kosei was clearly nervous and was dressed far too cleanly for someone who was meant to be approachable to the students. He really did not need to be in a full suit.

As the resident expert on public image, Midnight was in charge of making sure Kosei fit in with the rest of the staff. All the heroes at the school taught in their hero outfits, or a slight modification to them. That's because it's what the students expect. They expect to be taught by heroes, so the teachers present themselves as heroes. Kosei was, by all rights, a civilian, but there would still be an expectation on him.

"Aaand, done!" Midnight chirped. "I think that's as good as we're going to get your hair today." His hair was much messier, the dark locks tousled in a more casual look, compared to his former pristinely straight hair. "Now, take off your clothes."

Kosei squeaked. "Excuse me?"

Midnight laughed at the adorable shade of red his face turned. "Oh, relax. You should only need to take off your jacket. We need to make you look like an expert in your field."

He brushed a bit at his hair, pushing a few strands out of his eyes. "Fine, what did you have in mind," he said, shrugging off his suit jacket.

"Let's see… Do you wear glasses?"

"Yeah, only for reading though, and they I can see fine with or without them on."

Midnight clapped her hands. "Perfect! At least for today, make sure you wear them when introducing yourself. People still have an association between glasses and intelligence, and it will boost your credibility among the kiddies a bit more. And for the final piece…" she pulled out an article of clothing with a dramatic flourish. "Tadaa!"

"I'm not wearing that," Kosei said bluntly.

"Oh, come on, it's not that bad."

"I'm a counsellor, not a researcher. I want them to think they can come to me to talk, not be put under a microscope."

"But you are an expert in quirk science," Midnight countered. "Besides, this will make you seem all the more legitimate."

He sighed. "…Fine, but I don't like it."

~X~

This had to be the worst part of the year, every year. The teachers were all forced to stand on ceremony while the students got to sit in the comfort of their chairs. And then they all had to listen as the principal rambled for over an hour about whatever he could think of.

"… but I've kept you all here for long enough as it is," Nedzu finally began to conclude his speech. "But first, I would like to introduce a new member of our student support staff, whose services will be of benefit to all students. Please join me in welcoming Dr. Kosei Susumaru!"

The students gave a half-hearted round of applause. None of them wanted to be there and were just waiting to be dismissed so they could meet and catch up with their peers. Midnight could see a group of boys trying to subtly play a card game between them, but it was clear to all the staff what was going on.

Kosei jogged up on stage, smoothing over the white lab coat Midnight… convinced him to wear, and nodded politely to the principal before taking the microphone. "I'll try to keep this brief, I remember from when I was a student how uncomfortable those chairs are," he joked. A wave of awkward chuckles went through the crowd, the students agreeing but not sure if they should laugh along or not.

With just one line, the kid had managed to grab the attention of a few students who were previously only thinking about what they'll get for lunch. A decent number of second and third years were now actually listening to see what the new staff member was all about. The first years were almost all attentive, as they had been the entire ceremony. Give them a few weeks before they are relaxed enough to even think about goofing off.

"Cutting right to the point, I am UA's first ever dedicated quirk counsellor. It is my job to be someone you can go to if you ever need to talk about your quirk, be it just how to better use it, or even dealing with side effects."

All of a sudden, a lot more hero students had perked up. On the other hand, many from the other tracks rolled their eyes at yet another resource exclusive to the hero students, especially those in gen ed. However, it would seem that Kosei had also noticed. "Now, I know what most of you are thinking. 'Yet another person to put the hero course above the rest of us,' right? Trust me, I know the feeling. I used to think the same thing from time to time when I was your age. That's why my services are open to every student, regardless of what they are studying.

"If you are in gen ed and want to transfer to heroics? If you're in the support course and want to find a way to use your quirk to help with making gear? If you just want someone to talk to, whatever you need, come see me and we can talk about it."

Midnight had to admit, she was somewhat impressed. The waning attention of the non-hero students had been grasped even firmer than before with just a few words. Either the kid had a great understanding of people, or he was a natural at this. Maybe even both.

Kosei continued his speech for a short while after that, explaining that everything discussed would be kept confidential, even from the other staff, and where to find his office. Midnight felt an odd sense of pride seeing how many students, both new and old, were seriously considering booking an appointment.

"Well, I think I have rambled on long enough, so I hope to see many of you soon." Kosei bowed before leaving the stage with a round of applause. The kid was clearly an amateur at speaking, but he had that aura of approachability to him that just grabbed your attention.

The students' attention — and not that they'd ever admit it, but the teachers' as well — was immediately lost however, as Nedzu took the stage once again.

"Thank you for that Dr. Kosei! I must say, I believe a quirk counsellor will be a massive benefit to your futures in knowing more about the abilities which define us. In fact, when we were first talking about that role, I myself…"

Midnight suppressed a groan, and she could hear others doing so too. At this rate, they'll be standing there for another hour at least.