I own nothing. May contain Out of Character moments.
The next few days were chaos.
A conference was held to officially announce All Might's retirement, a move that even shocked the United States of America. People all over Japan then began speculating what a future without All Might was going to be like.
Several Heroes were temporarily out of commission. Best Jeanist was one such Hero, who needed time to recover from his grievous wounds. Then there was Ragdoll of the Wild Pussycats, she had to take an indefinite leave. Since her abduction, she was unable to utilize her Quirk, much to the devastation of her teammates.
Honestly, none of it was good news to Mineta. But there was some light to break up the dark.
UA was finally taking action to keep their students safe. They sent a letter to inform parents that they were implementing a dormitory system. By keeping students on campus, they'd be within UA's impressive security and a stone's throw professional aid.
And, best of all, on the day of All for One's capture, Midoriya finally messaged Mineta. He simply texted his friend 'I'm home' and it was honestly all the shorter boy needed. But now that left the problem of how to apologize to him…
"Days later and it's still not easy…" Mineta thought as he paced around outside his apartment. Currently, he was waiting for a UA teacher to come and discuss the details of the Dorms. But he was also trying not to disturb his Dad who, at the most inopportune moment, was hit with inspiration and began drafting his manga's next arc.
And the shorter boy could only hope he finished before–
"What're you doing Mineta?" A tired voice asked. Mineta jumped and turned around, finding Aizawa in a formal wear. The man was starting to re-grow his scraggly beard and his hair was a little neater than usual. But he was still the same teacher that Mineta has known.
"Hey Aizawa… Uh… Dad's a little busy right now, so we might need to wait a bit." Mineta greeted, opening the door to his apartment.
"He is? Wasn't he aware of the visits?" Aizawa asked as he entered. The shorter boy could feel the man's eyes narrow, almost as if questioning Mineta's sense of urgency.
"Have you ever tried to stop an inspired artist?" Mineta asked.
"… Unfortunately yes."
"And how did that go?"
"Mic did it anyway and broke a foot." Aizawa replied, conceding to his student's point. Mineta smirked to that, finally having gotten one over his former master. But that wasn't the point now. So after the shorter boy closed the front door, he quickly hurried to his Dad's studio and opened it.
"Dad, he's here." Mineta said, peeking in.
"Sorry… I'll be out as soon as I decided who Oliver gives the last of his medicine to. Just prepare some tea and answer whatever questions your teacher has." His Dad answered. The man then adjusted his goggles' lenses before returning to the drawing board. Mineta could only let out a sigh as he quietly closed the door. He then walked over into the kitchen area where Aizawa patiently waited.
"Well?" He asked, readying to sit down. The shorter boy just shook his head, causing his former master to let out a groan. Mineta ignored Aizawa as he went to ready some tea. Since this could take a while, he elected to use a larger pot.
"Then I guess I'll just make myself at home…" Aizawa said with a sigh as he began walking around.
"Yeah, that's probably for the best." Mineta replied. But when there was no response, the shorter boy turned to see what Aizawa was up to. And that was when the shorter boy saw him examining the photos hanging on the wall. There weren't that many, but it was still enough to capture the bond between Mineta and his Dad. Though that did leave him wondering what sort of photos his friends would have and what stories lay within them.
This line of thought eventually got him to think about the Todoroki family. Based on what Mineta knew, the family's relationship was constantly on thin ice thanks to Endeavor. But now that the Flame Hero was Number One due to All Might's retirement… Has their situation improved at all? If not, Mineta feared his dual colored classmate might just start falling back into old habits.
"I should talk to him the next chance I get…" Mineta thought as he sat down. He then checked on Aizawa again, seeing him still studying the photos. And from how his brows were furrowed, the shorter boy could tell there was a question on his mind. What question could stem from those plain old photos, Mineta didn't know. But it probably wasn't important…
"Where's your Mother?" Aizawa asked finally. Unless it was that…
"I… Actually don't know. For as long as I can remember, it was just me and Dad. And he really doesn't like talking about her..." Mineta replied with a frown. Even though he doesn't know her, the shorter boy still felt an ache whenever his Mom was brought up. And this made Mineta understand why his Dad doesn't like talking about her. It brought up too much pain. Besides, other things have already filled that gap in his heart.
There was no need to think about this any longer than Mineta has to!
…
That sounded like repression talk, something Fenghuang said to avoid… If that's the case, then he'll have to meditate on this later. There could be answers that might help Mineta with old questions. But for now…
"The more I focus on the things I've lost, the less I have to give to those still here. My son's future far outweighs my wife's past." A voice commented. Mineta blinked and found his Dad in the room with them, still wearing his goggles. Aizawa immediately switched gears, briskly introducing himself to the man.
"Mr. Mineta. I'm Aizawa Shouta, your son's homeroom teacher." He said as he extended his hand. Mineta's Dad simply took it and gave a semi-firm shake.
"Mineta Takumi, Minoru's father, author and artist of Last Frontier and Depths of Despair. Now, what's this about UA's dormitory system?" Takumi replied before releasing his grip. Aizawa looked over at Mineta, his question being passed over the silence. The shorter boy simply shook his head, gesturing over to his Dad.
"He knows. But before he comes to a decision, Dad wants to hear what you have to say."
"Given all that's happened, that's a very reasonable response." Aizawa replied as the he took a seat. Takumi followed as Mineta went to finish making the tea. And once he placed down three cups of the freshly brewed drink, the conversation began as Mineta sat down.
"I'm sure you're aware of why UA devised the Dormitory system, so I'll skip that part. UA's dorms have all the amenities to ensure the students are as comfortable as possible. And though they'll need to prepare their own meals, the school will provide them ingredients to work with. They'll also be receiving a stipend so they may be able to purchase whatever else they may need. Trips off campus are allowed, but only if it's to a single destination and they've gotten permission from a teacher beforehand." Aizawa explained.
Mineta simply listened to his teacher list off all the other details the letter mentioned. And as he did, he also watched his Dad for any response. But like with Tsuyu, Mineta's dad simply took the information with plain faced stoicism. It was only when Aizawa finished speaking that Takumi began expressing his thoughts.
"That all sounds great… But expensive tools do not guarantee a masterpiece. Tell me about the training UA has planned to ready their future Heroes. Because if I believe it won't be enough to keep my son safe, then you'll be down a student." Takumi said, his goggles shining rather ominously. Mineta froze, he never saw his Dad take on this level of intimidation.
Even Aizawa hardened his nerves to this change in demeanor, like he was facing a Villain and not a reclusive artist.
"… We aim to continue improving the students' combat abilities and decision making skills. Truthfully, before the recent attack, I believed we were making excellent progress. The students fought off their first Villain attack without any major injury... 1A dominated the tournament brackets during the Sports Festival… The internship week has successfully given them insight into the Hero lifestyle..." Aizawa began as he looked over to Mineta.
"But?"
"But there were a few areas we've neglected, such as reactivity and coordination during a scramble. In all the situations your son and his classmates have been through, they had moments where they could calmly strategize. Had we shored up these skills, perhaps the lodge attack wouldn't have been so devastating. Honestly, it was plain luck that none of our students died then." Aizawa continued before turning back to Takumi. He then lowered his head, bowing to the man as an apology escaped his lips.
"I'm sorry I haven't been of more help. So please give me another chance to show your son the way."
Mineta sadly looked upon his teacher before turning to his Dad. He was currently considering Aizawa's words, but the shorter boy was certain he knew what was going through his mind. That was when Takumi turned to his son, curiosity reflecting off of his goggles.
"What about you Minoru? What do you think of UA as a Hero-in-Training? Were their lessons lacking to you and your friends?"
Mineta thought about that question, wondering if UA's teachings had failed them. But as he crossed out options from the list, he could confidently say 'no, they weren't lacking'. UA and their staff, in the short amount of time since the start of the school year, had taught them a lot about how the Hero world works.
However…
He learned a lot more in much less time with Fenghuang. Just one week and Mineta learned Balintawak escrima. Just one week, Mineta learned how to rein in his more undesirable traits. In just one short week, Mineta learned to accept and work with the rat within. And if he continued to learn under her, who knows what could happen?
"… UA's good, but they didn't teach me the lessons I needed most. That honor goes to Fenghuang Shifu." Mineta answered, casting his eyes onto the table. It really hurt to say that. The shorter boy just threw his former master under the bus. Not only that, he just hurt his chances of going back to UA, the exact opposite result of his conversation with Inko.
"I'll admit… That woman is incredibly perceptive as an educator. She only met my all students in person once and yet she knew exactly what their problems were." Aizawa commented with a nod. Mineta snapped his eyes towards his former master, why aren't you defending yourself? The shorter boy then heard his Dad let out a hum of curiosity.
"Interesting... Then allow me to ask one more question before I reach a verdict. Minoru, if Aizawa-san here and Fenghuang were in trouble… Who would you save?" He asked as he rubbed his chin. Mineta felt a shock go through him; he had to choose between his masters? The shorter boy looked to Aizawa, who simply awaited his answer with closed eyes.
He then looked to his Dad, who also awaited the answer with closed eyes. They were literally putting faith into his answer. So with that, Mineta needed to have faith in himself and dig deep for his answer. The shorter boy closed his eyes and delved into the depths of his thoughts. And soon enough, several memories began to pile together until there were two objects.
The first was a baseball. The other was a baton.
Mineta began reaching his hand out towards one but stopped. He tried going for the other and the same thing happened. And as he looked at the two objects, Mineta slowly came to the realization. He couldn't choose between them. One was the symbol of his growth as a Hero and a person. The other was proof of the bond he has with his best friend. And though recent events found Mineta failing them…
His hands could never forget how either felt. How his right arm screamed when he finished his first 100 pitches… How his right arm held on when he first blocked Fenghuang's staff… How heavy his left arm was when he threw that ball at Muscular's face… How light his left arm felt when passing the baton to Ojiro…
Asking him to choose and give up one was like asking him to give up a limb.
"So don't choose. Both are incredibly important parts of you."
"Or choose both since one will be useless without the other."
The two parts of Mineta's mind was in agreement for once. And when his good 'heart' and dubious 'pants' made the same choice, then it was clear what the shorter boy must do. He opened his eyes and spoke his piece to bring himself to peace.
"I can't choose one over the other… Which is why I'll try to save them both." Mineta answered. Takumi looked over to his son just as Aizawa gave a small but noticeable smirk.
"Even if one is better than the other?"
"You don't get to quantify that just from a single conversation. Yeah, I don't like Aizawa as much as Shifu… And his teaching methods are bit hit or miss… But I wouldn't be nearly as ready as I am now. I learned how to pitch and serve my hairballs because of him. I learned how to move and be sneaky from him. I owe half of all my skills to him… So what if Aizawa's not Shifu? He's still my Sensei." Mineta replied, meeting his Dad's gaze with zeal and fury.
The man simply stared back before a proud smile spread across his face. Takumi then reached over and patted his son on the shoulder, the weight of his emotions filling Mineta. And that action seriously startled Mineta out of his determination.
"That was… The correct answer."
Wait a minute… This wouldn't happen to be a…?
"Why is my life full of people secretly testing me?" Mineta groaned, slamming his face into the table.
"That's because the most important lessons are the ones that test our character. What are we as Heroes if we fail as people first?" Aizawa answered. The shorter boy looked up and found Aizawa with a rather melancholic smile on his face. There was also a ghost from his past reflecting from his tired eyes…
"And what are we as people if we don't have moments where our lives change? Just as chisels and hammers shape stone, every person we meet and every event we experience shapes who we are. Midoriya Izuku, Aizawa-san, Fenghuang… They all helped you grow Minoru. So… If UA continues providing you moments like those… Then you may continue your training there and become a true Hero." Takumi said, catching his son's attention again.
Those words rattled his soul, which grew weary over the events of the past few days. To hear someone say that he could become a Hero, despite everything, reignited his determination. He was right, there were still so many people the shorter boy has yet to repay. He couldn't stop here. So with that, Mineta turned to his Dad and gave him a hug, one Takumi returned.
"Thanks Dad… I'll make you proud…"
"I already am… Now is the time to be proud of yourself."
Aizawa let out a cough, causing Mineta to let out a groan.
"Can't you see we're having a moment SENSEI?" He asked, his last word soaked with sarcasm.
"And I'm on a schedule. Now, let me explain what you'll be expecting once today's over." Aizawa retorted before leaning in. And so, the visit went on without any other incidents. But as his scraggly teacher left, Mineta began to reflect on all the things that happened today. There was just so much to consider, that Mineta had to start with two to stop himself from being overwhelmed.
One, what should he pack for the move?
Two, what should he say to Midoriya when they finally meet again?
And that has been Chapter 79!
You know, if you had people in your life who gave you secret tests of character all the time, things would start to get very annoying. Still, the reason they give these tests is to help you overcome life's many challenges. Were there any moments where someone you knew gave you one of these tests? And how did you feel after being given something like that?
Anyhow, I've got some unfortunate news for everyone... I will need to switch back to the bi-weekly, that is every two weeks, update schedule. There had been some serious issues with the planning of the next part. So I need the extra time to hammer out all the details. I hope you all understand and look forward to the next chapter of The Saint and The Sinner.
Next time, 1A move into their fancy new dorm though a strained atmosphere prevents two from completely enjoying it.
So with all that said...
Until Next Time. T1.
