I own nothing. May contain Out of Character moments.
Mineta is a wreck.
After storming out of Midoriya's hospital room, the shorter boy just went straight home. He didn't stop for food, despite being hungry. He didn't stop for entertainment, despite being stressed. He didn't even stop to check his phone, despite all the messages he was receiving from 1A. Mineta was just tired and didn't want to do anything until it all blew over.
Upon arriving home, Mineta briefly greeted his Dad before shutting himself in his room. From there, he just crawled into bed and hoped for sleep to claim him. But his eyes never closed, just as his mind never ceased to think. He imagined other outcomes to his argument with Midoriya. He imagined Midoriya relenting and convincing Kirishima and Todoroki to do the same. He imagined joining Midoriya on their half baked raid. Whichever the case, Mineta realized something.
"I failed Mrs. Midoriya to keep her son out of trouble… I failed Shifu to become a better person… I failed Aizawa and Class 1A to keep things from imploding… I failed All Might and his expectations for me… I failed Midoriya as his partner…"
"I failed myself…" Mineta said out loud. Silence was the only thing that bounced back towards him. And as the minutes pass, the syllables of his last statement still lingering on his lips, the urge to scream rising in his chest. To prepare for this, the shorter boy simply took the pillow beneath his head and threw it over his face. He then pressed his hands against it before letting out all the air in his body. Soon, the sounds of a muffled scream bounced all over his room. And Mineta did not care who heard him. Then suddenly, a knock at the door grabbed his attention.
"Minoru? Are you okay?" His Dad asked through the door.
"… Not really." Mineta replied, his voice somewhat hoarse. At least he still follows the 'not keeping what he feels locked away' lesson Fenghuang taught him. Because honestly, all these emotions were starting to wear him down.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"Yeah… But I don't even know where to begin…" Mineta said with a grumble. But despite how quiet he was, his Dad still heard him. And thus, had this to say about it.
"It as it should my son... Life is like a cluttered studio. You wish to paint something, but there's so much in the way that you begin to feel discouraged. So you start picking things up, making the studio tidy, and putting things where they should be... Only then could you achieve the peace of mind to face the canvas."
Mineta didn't say anything to that. But he allowed the words to massage the folds of his weary brain. And thinking about it, his Dad's weird art metaphors always made Mineta's head feel clearer. Perhaps that's why he accepted Fenghuang's wisdoms more easily that Aizawa's lessons. They shared the root of getting Mineta to calmly think about its meaning.
"But what if the object's too big to move?" Mineta asked, thinking about his argument with Midoriya again. If anyone could give him a breakthrough, it would be his Dad.
"Well, is it something you want to keep?"
"Of course… But I ended up breaking it…" Mineta muttered as he began hugging his pillow. But as his Dad spoke again, the shorter boy realized he'd forgotten something again. Like with his first meditation session with Fenghuang, the words he needed were already with him. He just never practiced what he preached…
"You know as well as I that breaking something isn't the end for an artist. While it'll never regain its original shape, new beauty can be formed from the pieces of old. And who knows, it may even out shine the original. A marred canvas, after all, isn't a problem…"
"But an opportunity… Thanks Dad, I'll start meditating on that." Mineta finished, sitting up from his bed. He could practically hear the man nod behind the door before starting to walk away. That was until his Dad knocked again, bringing up something Mineta forgot about in his depressive stupor.
"You should probably eat. I've ordered a meatball sub for you two hours back. It's been sitting in the oven, so I'll warm it up for you."
"No, I'll get it. I've been sitting around for long enough." Mineta replied, getting up from his bed. He quickly ran to this bedroom door and opened it, catching his Dad just about to head back to his studio. He still wore his artist's goggles over his eyes and the mask from an old Hero movie. It made him look kind of weird, but it was still Mineta's Dad.
The same one who silently held faith this whole time.
"... I haven't thanked you for trying to talk to Mrs. Midoriya. If you hadn't given me a point to work from, I wouldn't have been able to convince her." Mineta said, putting a hand on his Dad's arm.
"You're welcome. But don't think that invalidates our concern for you two. Statues cannot be freed from the stone without damage… But that doesn't mean you should chisel and smash at it without any consideration. An artist plots and plans just as much as he crafts and creates. Only then could true masterpiece be made." His Dad replied. He then patted Mineta's head and walked back to his studio, closing the door behind him.
So with that, Mineta began his first task of 'getting something to eat'. It was only when he was starting to reheat his food that he realized the time, 10 PM. This caused Mineta to rush to his phone and finally check the messages he received.
Since his outburst with Midoriya, 1A said all sorts of things. 'Are you okay?', 'Midoriya hasn't said anything since you left', 'If anything happens, we'll keep you updated', or some combination of the three could be found. But there wasn't a single message from Midoriya or Tsuyu. The why to the former was obvious, but Mineta was surprised with the latter.
Was she okay? I mean, this week has just been a train wreck of unimaginable proportions… But Tsuyu's one of the most stable people Mineta knows. So if she gone silent…
"I should give her a call? But I can't even figure out what I want to say to Midoriya… Let alone a girl who doesn't easily show her feelings… I'll just eat first and get my body up to speed." Mineta thought as he took his sub out. He took exactly one bite of the thing, feeling his stomach settle to the tender meat and flavorful sauce, before his phone pinged again. It was the 1A group chat…
Kaminari: TV Now Aizawa On
Mineta raised his eyebrow as his body unconsciously darted to the living room. Why on Earth would Aizawa, the man who avoids attention like crazy, be on TV? And as the shorter boy thought about the answer, the most obvious one appeared. UA has been under fire from the media these past few days. So, to put an end to all the questions and rumors, Aizawa was going to respond to them himself.
His fingers pressed the power button on his TV remote and the device flashed on. Because the channel was already tuned to the News, Mineta was there to see it. UA High School's Apology Press Conference from earlier that night… Sitting at a table before a crowd of reporters was Aizawa, Principal Nezu, and Vlad King.
And, for the first time since Mineta met him, Aizawa has cleaned up his scraggly appearance.
"Holy shit, I almost didn't recognize him…" Mineta thought, noting just how different his former master was. From his gelled hair, clean shaven face, well rested eyes, and sharp business suit, Aizawa now resembled a responsible adult.
"First, I would like to regretfully announce that our negligence has led to the harm of many of our first year students. Though we are an institute for Heroes in Training, we've failed to ready appropriate measures against possible Villain attacks. And we understand that this has made many of you uneasy. So please, before we begin answering questions, allow us a moment to apologize" Nezu said calmly as he, Aizawa, and Vlad bowed deeply before the press. Mineta swallowed the lump in his throat before continuing to watch intently.
He had no idea how this will end…
"Question from NHA. This marks the third time this year UA students have been confronted by Villains. Given how some were severely injured this time, what explanations have you given to their understandably concerned families? Furthermore, please tell us, in concrete details, what measures you've taken to prevent these incidents from reoccurring in the future." One reporter asked as he stood up.
Mineta felt his eye twitch. They've been to the Sports Festival for God's sake! These idiots should know exactly what measures UA's been using since USJ. All they're doing here is ripping into UA for their mistakes and perceived incompetence. Principal Nezu on TV leaned forward, answering the question with the same professionalism he's known for.
"We've increased surveillance of the surrounding areas and revamped our school's security system. We've also explained to parents that our strong stance against Villainy will guarantee the students' safety. And though recent events have tested those measures and beliefs, we refuse to buckle to the pressure and will work continuously to uphold these aspects."
The reporter sat down as another one stood up. This one, unlike the other, had a rather nasty glint in his eye. And if Mineta compared that look with anyone, it would be most like Shinso's tired glare. That reporter was an expert at getting someone to say the wrong thing… This made Mineta worry since the man went after someone who was inexperienced with the Media.
"Mr. Eraserhead… You claimed it's for the students' safety, but in the middle of the Forest attack, you urged for the students to fight. What were your intentions at that point?"
"Since we were unable to grasp the full situation at the time, I gave the order to avoid the worse-case scenario. While our current situation is, by no means, ideal… Had I hesitated with my command, we would've had student DEATHS on our hands. And that is not something I, let alone anyone, am willing to entertain." Aizawa answered, meeting the man's glare calmly. Mineta nodded to that. If anyone had issues with that, then they needed their heads checked.
"Most of the students' injuries were caused by a Villain's gas Quirk. Because of Kendo-kun and Tetsutetsu-kun's quick thinking, the damage was minimized. All our students also received psychological evaluations; none of which seemed to have suffered emotional trauma. A rather thin silver lining… But any blessing should be counted as long as our students still have their future." Nezu added with cautious optimism.
"Can you say the same about Young Bakugou, who was abducted?" The reporter asked, his tone getting colder. Mineta froze to that, just as the UA staff at the conference readied themselves. If this was the part where the media rip into the school for being unable to temper Bakugou's personality, then this wasn't going to end well. And despite everything the bastard has done to Midoriya and Mineta…
Bakugou should at least be there to take the criticism himself.
"He won your Sports Festival despite many powerful opponents. He struggled valiantly against a powerful Villain during the Sludge Incident. These feats indicate the makings of a Tough Hero. However… Bakugou's violent attitude, which has persisted since the Festival finals, suggests a rather mentally unstable individual. Combined with the speculations that it was he who blinded the Villain Muscular based on the burns around his once healthy eye… Is it not safe to assume that Bakugou became a target because of these qualities? That the Villains are aiming to recruit a powerful ally before he could take on the Heroic ideal? Could you provide proof that the boy still has a future?"
That question was so verbose that Mineta needed a moment to breakdown what he heard. Yes, Bakugou was a formidable fighter. Yes, Bakugou's an asshole who needs to calm down. But blinding Muscular? No, that was 100% Mineta and was a means of survival, not an act of cruelty. And the Villains recruiting him?
Mineta already knew that could only end explosively for the League of Villains. A sentiment Aizawa shared as he stood calmly before the press, ready to lecture them like the fools they were.
"There are many things that could be said about Bakugou Katsuki… But there are two things you shouldn't misunderstand about him. The first is that he's not responsible for Muscular's blinding. As his teacher, I noticed that, despite his aggressiveness, Bakugou isn't excessively cruel. The debilitating injury in question could've also been made with a torch, a survival implement that anyone can make."
"And what of his behavior? Are you denying Bakugou's attitude as problematic?" The reporter asked, grimacing that his prior critique didn't get the desired response. Mineta was honestly glad they moved away from the Muscular talk. Granted, the shorter boy had a feeling he and Aizawa were going have a chat about it in the future…
"No… I am taking responsibility for it. Had I been more attentive, I could've lessened his negative qualities. So his failures are my own…" Aizawa answered as he bowed before the crowd. But before anything else could be said, the scraggly man continued to speak. But this time, his eyes flashed its signature glare.
"However… Bakugou is also an individual with strong convictions and ideals. Qualities that grant him a powerful motivation to become a top class Hero with everything he's got. And if the Villains mistaken that as a weakness to exploit… Then they're in for a rude awakening."
The members of the press began clamoring. Some were talking to one another while others furiously writing notes. But in general, none of them were expecting such a powerful yet tactful response from the media shunning Eraserhead.
"That doesn't sound like proof of anything… But aside from Bakugou's emotions, do you have a concrete counter-strategy against the Villains?" The reporter asked, unfazed by Aizawa's determination.
"We are hardly acting passively to this situation. Currently, I am personally cooperating with the police in their ongoing investigations. Make no mistake; we WILL retrieve the student who was taken from us." Nezu said. There was a shine in the fuzzy Principal's eye that Mineta found mysteriously reassuring. Kind of like the light that dwelled within Midoriya or Fenghuang's eyes whenever they were doing their thing.
Nezu had a plan, one that was already in motion. And that left Mineta wondering…
What's Midoriya doing right now?
And that has been Chapter 77.
I've always wondered how parents of Heroes-in-Training would console and support their children, knowing they are risking life and limb for the greater good. While we know most support them, what sorts of worries dwell within parent's like Inko? So I thought I take a moment to explore that with the first half.
The second half is on how the students would react to the press conference that was criticizing UA. Like what were their thoughts on seeing their teachers and principal before a ravenous swarm of reporters? How did they feel about the accusations leveled against their school? And how did they feel about Bakugou being branded as a potential Villain?
But all in all, not too much happens. What did you think of this though? If you were a Hero-in-Training or a parent of one, how would you react to these events?
Next time, we get to see the legendary battle at Kamino Ward through the eyes of someone who isn't there...
So with all that said...
Until Next Time. T1.