The Bishop goes up to the board
Aizawa wakes up due to the car stopping moving. The short nap did not weaken his senses. Years of paranoia helped him with that. He hears the doors opening, moving bodies, and the rubbing of fabric against his skin as the bag is removed from his head. Without speaking to them, the pro-hero gets out of the vehicle with dark tinted windows and notices that he is at the back of a skyscraper. He looks around the alley and, with concern, understands that he does not have a direct exit to a street. From the sounds he picks up and the minutes traveled, he must be in the center of the city.
A detail that catches his attention is how sterile and empty the place is. He, the guards, the limousine and the reinforced door are the only things in the alley. No chance of taking cover in a firefight or throwing anything like a projectile with his scarf.
"What a clean alley; Not even rats walk here," he comments to no one in particular.
The guards remain silent and, like a death march, they head towards the enormous titanium door; the only rear entrance to the majestic "Milagros" skyscraper.
As a professional hero who moves in the underworld and sees the filth of society every day, he soon recognizes the place. This building saw more corruption in its ten years of existence than the entire Japanese government in its history. For years he spent investigating, analyzing, patrolling and monitoring the surroundings, looking for a way to enter. It had become his life's mission. Even if death awaited him, he would show the truth and the country would be cleansed of its greatest stain. It is his duty as a hero who watches in the darkness.
He never imagined that he would enter through the door, walking normally and surrounded by guards, as a guest. He finds it absurd, surreal and wants it to be a dream, he really wants it. Since the sender of his invitation is a clean person; He is the only person who can compare to All Might in his fight against villainy. Thinking that he is stained with dirt makes him doubt if there is hope for Japan.
Aizawa crosses the doorway and feels a sudden sting in his eyes. He refrains from rubbing them and holds them wide open, observing the long red carpeted hallway in detail. The guards guide him between famous paintings—some he recognized as stolen pieces that were on the news—and twists and turns, hallways that only lead to other hallways. It is obvious that they wanted to confuse him and prevent him from finding a way out. He walks for minutes through hallways whose only variation is paintings, until he stops in front of beautifully decorated double wooden doors.
"Honorable guest, beyond this door any aggression towards the diners, waiters and Milagros is prohibited. Head towards the end of the room; you will find an elevator. Your host is on the top floor. Have a good stay at Milagros"
Eraser Head nods at the guard's words and when the doors are opened for him, he enters a type of dining room that wouldn't be out of place in a six-star hotel. The living room exudes opulence. On the way to the elevator, I see well-known judges, politicians old and young, professional heroes—of dubious morals according to their interviews with civilians in the slums—and villains who barely come into the public eye.
His assumptions are correct. Here there is a lot of garbage and the worst, no hero or police force can intervene. Oddly enough, this place has government protection. He knew when trying to access the construction contract. They rejected access to high ranks of the Police to which he asked for their help in the investigation.
What this place entails is so big that only All Might can figure it out he thinks as he presses the button for the top floor. He is aware, with the help of the walk, that this place must be torn down physically and symbolically. They show in the center of the capital, a symbol of criminality and that can only be defeated by another symbol.
"That's why I need to know which side he's on," he says when he sees the elevator doors open. What is before his irritated eyes is a dimly lit hallway and dozens of doors on both sides; he cannot glimpse the bottom. With sure steps, he stands in front of the door with the number twelve on its surface. He knocks four times, as the invitation indicates, and opens the door.
The room looks like a living room, sparsely furnished with a table in the center. His host is sitting in a huge armchair, looking at the lit fireplace and a Cuban cigar in his paw.
Aizawa falls into the armchair next to him. It doesn't take him two seconds to demand answers.
"Tell me exactly, tell me why should I trust you? Tell me a justification for why you are in this place?!".
"You are also in this place, this room, at the same time as me," the aforementioned calmly points out.
"Don't fuck with me, Nezu! This is serious! You are the host and I am the guest. Now, justify yourself: why are the best of us in this dump? Are you one of them, an infiltrator, a double agent or are you just the director of UA to gain influence?" Eraser Head bombards him with questions to the one he confided that he was the only one incorruptible, except for All Might.
Nezu takes a drag on the Cuban cigar and exhales, forming a ring of smoke; Another exhalation forms an arrow that flies quickly.
"I understand that you have doubts, completely valid, it should be emphasized, but I ask you, as I always do, that you believe in me and my judgment. Can you do it, Shota? Trust me once again."
The hero thinks on a balance: on the one hand, the information he knows about the place and from what he saw. Visual and tangible evidence. On the other, years of trust and faith in the person in front of him. He knows the power and influence of the Director. If he wanted, he could change or falsify any material evidence to get away with it. If he is a criminal, he will do it. That is why he must be guided by the heart.
Aizawa chooses to believe.
This time, he must stop being paranoid and calculating. For the alternative is that only a superman can be truly pure in spirit. It would be a future where heroes failed.
"I trusted your judgment," he answers solemnly.
"That's all I need" after the last puff, he throws the remains of the Cuban cigar into the fire. "To answer some of your doubts and questions, I will inform you that to host a room on the fifty-eighth floor you only need money," he says, stammering when trying to pronounce the number. Aizawa got worried right away. The Director is never wrong in his words "legitimate money is also accepted. I paid out of my own pocket. You know that money is not something that I would lack in life."
The pro-hero snorts at the unequivocal.
The pro-hero snorts at the unequivocality of his words.
"I must tell you the truth. It is the first time that I entered Milagros although I knew of its existence and yes, I also heard the rumors of the deals done in these walls."
"I would be worried, if you didn't know about the rumors," Aizawa admits tiredly. Not sleeping for twenty-six hours and the stress of his trip added to the itch he has felt since entering the building, are taking their toll on him. The little nap in the limo is the only thing keeping him awake. "But why did we have to meet in this room?"
"Because I trust you. You are the one I trust the most in all of Japan." Seeing how Nezu straightens up on the armchair and crosses both legs, Aizawa imitates the gesture. The real deal begins. "At the risk of sounding contemptuous of the rest of the heroes, you, my friend, dedicated yourself to doing the right thing," he says matter-of-factly, like saying the sun is hot and pigs fly.
"I'm just doing my job, sir. Like any hero."
"That's where you're wrong, Shota. A hero's job isn't to work double shifts and infiltrate warehouses or patrol alleys every night far from your government-assigned territory. Saying you'll keep doing it, even without the license as a hero, it would be redundant" he lowers his head knowing that Nezu was right. He is not classified as a vigilante thanks to the fact that he always followed the most important heroic rules and protection of the one in front of him. He owes her a lot. The Director continues in a professional tone. The stuttering appears from time to time." Returning to the topic of the room. I needed to speak privately with you. And ironically, the rooms on the top floor of the Milagros are the most private places in the country. Not only is a place protected in a way legal, it is a fortress without windows; they have means of entering individuals incognito…
"I experienced it firsthand, sir," Aizawa interrupts.
"Sorry about that, but it was the only way for you to get in. What stands out most about the building and why I chose it as a meeting point, was not because of its soundproof walls or the privacy towards its clients. The most important thing and what makes it scary is what is happening to us right now. Shota, have your eyes been itching since you crossed the entrance?"
"How did you know?" he asks incredulously and begins to rub his eyes. The itching became unbearable.
"It's why I was stuttering in my words." He leans forward and speaks as if he were sharing his most intimate secret with his childhood friend. "Milagros is not normal. By some method I cannot reason, there is a field quirk weakener."
"Excuse me," Aizawa says in disbelief, not understanding what he just heard.
"What you heard. In the building, the quirks are weakened somehow. Even I didn't know until two hours ago when I came to the skyscraper. Even with my reduced intelligence, I can calculate the disaster it would cause to our society, to the entire world, if this weakening is caused by technology."
Aizawa can only sit there, shocked by the repercussions of the revelation. His mind expelled all traces of drowsiness and he imagined different cases of attack by villains carrying this technology. In front of him, the Director lights another Cuban cigar.
"I don't know if it's technological or because of a quirk, and it's not the time or the moment to think about future possibilities." Take the first inhale before continuing. "You have to think about the present. Professional hero Eraser Head, what you are about to see and hear is ultra-level confidential material. Let's skip the small details; this morning I had a telephone conversation with Leonir. You sound familiar?"
Aizawa shakes his head and waits silently.
"Short summary: he is the largest donor to the UA... Don't look at me like that. Don't think that the giant robots are paid for by the state. They barely give five percent of the total expenditure. Leonir and I cover ninety-two percent. Curious fact: he was already a donor before I became director."
"I'm surprised that someone would give up so much money out of the goodness of their heart" knows that the last entrance test exceeded three billion yen in material costs. The money that is being moved is not a change from some rich person who woke up in a good mood and wants to donate. "Is he asking for a favor?"
"I have no record that he ever asked for one before I arrived and none since I've been director" a deep inhale of Nezu consumed the Cuban cigar. A moment later, he was lighting another one under the worried gaze of the pro hero. "Well, none until today morning. See the briefcase next to the table? Open it and see for yourself."
Aizawa lifts the black briefcase and places it on the table; He notices the lock is unlocked. He lifts the lid and pulls out a stack of papers with trembling hands. He blames the weakening quirk field for feeling so nervous. A quick glance is enough to realize that what he is holding is a UA registration letter. A photo of a girl with yellow hair tied in a ponytail is located at the top of the form.
"Leonir asked me to get her into the hero department... this year."
"A stupidity," Eraser Head exclaims. "Even if for some reason he paid a renowned hero to get her admitted as a recommended student, we are twenty-one days away from the start of classes. There are no more vacancies."
"I thought the same thing too and told him what you just said. The UA has an image and values to maintain. I wouldn't kick out a young future hero who fairly earned his place as a student at my school. And he asked me very insistently to let her in."
The pro-hero reads the papers, and at the same time, he listens to Nezu. There are normal details of an inscription: age fifteen years, female sex, French nationality, date of birth... nothing remarkable.
"Everything you read is false, Shota. Or rather, the part about his previous school is false, making the rest false a very high possibility" he looks up from the papers at those words. "A small call to a retired hero with computer skills, vast to find out the truth. She never studied there. What I should point out and you should know, all the teachers and students stated that she did attend there. The student named Chloe Bourgeois. You understand, right? ".
"Yes, I understand," he answers quietly. He massages his head, feeling the beginning of a migraine. The AU faces a crisis. He is not a villain who can be arrested and taken to the police. He can't even be blamed for bribery. The worst thing is that he can come out with the victory, if the losses are so great. "Nezu, it's not your fault. Accepting this girl is the lesser of two evils. No one will think badly of you."
"There you are wrong. I would think badly of myself. As director of the UA, I must be a role model. What decent hero will graduate from my school, if I am corruptible? I rejected the proposal all the time" throws the Cuban cigar, half consumed, on fire and with a raspy voice says "and because of me, the UA lost forty percent of its funding."
"What?!" Eraser Head stands up screaming.
"I've been doing equations all day. The students' outfits will have significant cuts and their quality will drop greatly, the contracts for the special food deliverers for students with unique needs have been lost, the spare parts for the robots and security systems have not yet been purchased and with this cut I do not think it will be possible to do so. UA took a hard blow"
"Shit" he falls limply on the couch, shocked by the revelation. The papers slip from his weak grip, scattering on the floor of the small room. "And you can't, excuse my rudeness, pay all the expenses for the year while Are you looking for more donors? You are in the top ten of the richest people in the world.
The little hope the pro-hero felt was crushed by the movement of a paw. Nezu denied it.
"And being labeled an opportunist, we cannot take that risk. A hero school is seen as a public company in the eyes of the government. The UA had a lot of independence thanks to Leonir and I covering most of the costs. Something very different is for an individual to have full control of the heroes, equipment and personnel contracts. I can't help that way."
"...does All Might know about this?" Aizawa asks, not knowing what else to say. These political/economic issues surpass him as a hero and make him feel worthless.
"For my part, I didn't tell him, but I don't think he's ignorant of Leonir," seeing the hero's eyes full of doubt, he continued the clarification. "Leonir not only canceled his donation, but also threatened to take All Might as professor, he said and quoted *to a school where they will appreciate having her as a student* His voice was confident. I think he could take All Might."
Many answers and possibilities flash through Eraser Head's mind, like lightning. Until he came to an obvious conclusion of how he could do that.
"He knows All Might," the implications of the revelation make him tremble. "In a personal way. An acquaintance or close friend, enough for him to have the idea that All Might would accept his proposal."
Nezu nods his head and continues talking about Leonir's conversation.
"Although it may sound bad, since no one should intervene in other people's friendships, a friendship with the Symbol of Peace is something serious. It is talking about someone who can influence the pillar of the modern world" he applauds with the small legs that he uses as hands and smile. The first smile of the night." But Leonir, despite how I unintentionally painted him, is a reasonable man. I was able to convince him to give up on the transfer of All Might. Doing it at this point, so close to the start of classes, would be a brutal blow to hero society. UA, the best school in the country, would be questioned, starting a domino fall. All Might is staying with us" he finishes with a smile.
"That you would go to the trouble to get a private place, the best according to your words, and tell only me the current situation, it is because the other heroes and teachers will not know anything about this, the real reason, right?" He sees the mouse/bear smile and growls from the migraine pain. He thinks it must be the weakening quirk field that is affecting him through his eyes. So this is what my opponents feel? he asks in his mind before continuing the conversation. "I can try to understand where you want to go with my help. You can count on me for everything you need," he states with conviction, ending by pointing at the sheet of paper with the girl's photo. "If she is accepted into a hero school in Japan, leave it to me to follow up. There are too many red flags going off in her head. A girl who comes in at the last minute will be easy to spot."
"Thank you, Shota. Honestly, I do need a confidant for the next few months to come."
The time passed in complete silence. Aizawa was trying, unsuccessfully, to relax his blood pressure and eliminate the migraine that tormented him; and Nezu finishing the last Cuban cigar he had brought with him that night.
The wall clock indicated eleven at night, when the Director spoke slowly as if remembering something hidden in a mist.
"One, one, did you say a girl?" He waited until he had a confirmation that came as a nod. "It may be that the weakening quirk field affected me more than I thought, but I remember that there are two girls who wanted to enroll as students. The papers of the second one were in the pile of the briefcase. Didn't you see it?"
Eraser Head berates himself in his mind for that mistake. He can't blame his migraine, tiredness and mental exhaustion for why he didn't finish reading the papers before releasing them.
As he is about to get up and collect the papers, the renaissance painting moves from its place above the fireplace, revealing a screen on the wall.
Before he can ask what was happening, the screen comes to life showing a late-night news channel.
"Eraser Head, pay attention. I'm told that every room has a screen that activates in case of a national emergency. News so important that they can't keep their customers in the dark, regardless of privacy, and what the fuck?!"
Aizawa had turned to Nezu as he explained what was happening until he heard that scream that he never thought someone so polite and professional would make. He returns his gaze to the screen and exclaims the same thing.
Without them knowing it. Members of neighboring rooms shout the same or similar words. The capital and the entire country do it too. Even people from other countries who watched the Japanese news exclaimed in disbelief.
A green-haired boy drops his grade book without understanding the unreal situation he witnesses on the screen.
A muscular guy drops the dumbbells from him without thinking about the fact that something like this could happen.
A marked boy squeezes, until it breaks, his glass cup angry that someone surpassed him in power.
A masked man in a formal suit smiles as he sees his theory confirmed.
More than two hundred million screens around the world show a journalist making ridiculous and hysterical expressions while pointing at two images behind her. One shows the Symbol of Peace holding the arm of a woman in a yellow and black suit, surrounded by police officers and other heroes. The next image is two seconds after the first, the time at the top of both photos indicates this. The woman makes contact with her leg on All Might's head at the same time the building next door explodes.
What leads millions to question immovable reality is what is inside the red circle in the second image. With a zoom, you can clearly see two red drops coming out of Number One's mouth. The same mouth that is found on a face looking at the sky.
"BREAKING NEWS. BREAKING NEWS. THE VIGILANT KNOWN AS QUEEN BEE SHEDD THE BLOOD OF GOD. BREAKING NEWS"
Hello everyone. Vicav12 here.
I hope you guys don't kill me for all the talking, but Nezu likes to talk. There will be short chapters like this from time to time. Not everything can be action unfortunately.
See you next month.