"Just got a text," Nejire declared as she looked up at Professor Ectoplasm. "Mirio's in the building and on his way up to us. Got held up in traffic on the way back from his parents' house."
"Good," the enigmatic man offered. "Good that he is on his way, I mean. We cannot begin without all of you here, given the nature of your first assignment."
"First assignment already?" Moss asked with an overly dramatic sigh. "Can't even give us a day to get settled in, huh?"
"You are settled," Professor Ectoplasm said flatly. "Perhaps too settled, given your reputation from the previous two years..."
"Aw, leave 'im alone!" Mei pleaded as she punched her classmate in the shoulder. "Moss an' I do have to get some stuff set up in the workshop before it's up and running again for the semester. Hopefully whatever you've got in mind isn't too time-consuming."
"Speaking of," Moss began as he dropped his feet from the edge of the desk and sat up properly. "You seen the new bloods yet, Teach? Any you already know might be inclined to come down to the sub-levels and work with us in the garage?"
Professor Ectoplasm furrowed his brow, though the change was barely perceptible behind his nearly featureless mask.
"…I have seen a few of them in passing, but I can only guess at which of them may be interested in the workshop. Funny you should ask, though…"
The door to the classroom was thrown open to reveal Mirio Togata, as though he had been summoned by the professor's words. Mirio looked panicky and distraught as he approached the desk and sank into a formal bow. His clothing was somewhat rumpled and his tie was uneven, suggesting that he had thrown them on in a rush.
"Professor, I am so, so sorry…"
Professor Ectoplasm merely raised a hand and shook his head before extending it out to the side toward the remaining open desk.
"…Togata. You have shown me over the past two years that you are entirely committed to the cause of becoming a hero, and that your heart is in the right place. Whatever is going on, I trust that it was important. I can imagine no scenario in which you would show up late to the first day of classes otherwise. All that I ask is that if the situation that caused your delay is ongoing and weighing upon you… trust enough in others to let them share the burden. Whether it is with me, your classmates, or both is none of my business. You're an adult. I expect you to make your own decisions and handle it on your own terms."
"Yeah. Thank you so much," Mirio replied before offering another bow. "I'll make sure that I do, and… I'll give you some details when I feel up to it. Sorry again."
Mirio went to sit down next to Tamaki and Nejire with a heavy sigh. Setsuna, occupying the seat next to him, looked over as the corner of her mouth twitched with unreadable emotion. With a shallow sigh, she leaned a bit closer to Mirio and spoke in a hushed voice as Professor Ectoplasm began to address the class.
"…hey. You good?"
Mirio blinked in surprise, unused to hearing from the woman.
"I'll… be alright. Thanks, Tokage," Mirio offered as he turned his attention to his other side. "Guys, what'd I miss?"
"Nothing yet," Nejire whispered as she leaned in close. "Well… not in class, anyway. What took you so long…?"
"I can't…" Mirio said vaguely before turning his attention back toward the front of the room. "Hold that thought."
"…but that's all the introduction you really need for Year Three," Professor Ectoplasm said as he picked up a manilla folder from his otherwise bare desk. "All of you- come here, please."
Mirio rose immediately and began to approach the desk along with the others as a series of laminates was laid out upon the table. Each was of a student in Class 1-A or 1-B, along with some cursory information such as their previous school, Quirk information, and entrance exam scores.
"This year, the faculty at U.A. have decided to try something… novel. Unprecedented in the history of the school, or any other, so far as I'm aware. All of you are familiar with work studies, and three of you have already begun internships. The Year One students will be embarking on similar journeys on a smaller scale… with all of you. As part of your Year Three work, you will be piloting the first ever U.A. Mentorship Program. Twenty of them- eight of you. Four of you will be taking three students each under your wings, while the remaining four will have two mentees. I have provided you with only enough information to get a passing familiarity with them. You have the remainder of this homeroom period to make your selections, and I will give you details as to your responsibilities afterward."
"Well that's interesting," Itsuka mused as she walked around the desk and began to eye up the laminates. "Sounds like a lot of work… but necessary work. Would've been nice to have an upperclassman to talk to while I was still finding my balance. How do we choose who gets triple duty?"
"That, Kendo, is up to you," Professor Ectoplasm replied. "I would suggest a group discussion."
"I will take on three in exchange for first pick," Shiv announced as he reached for a laminate. Mirio's heart skipped a beat as his furry classmate reached for Izuku Midoriya's profile and removed it from the desk. "This one seems to have potential…"
"An interesting choice," Professor Ectoplasm considered. "Any objections?"
"Yeah," Mirio announced, earning everyone's attention. "I… really think I should take Midoriya."
Shiv grew visibly tense as she transferred the laminate under his arm.
"…I have my reasons, Togata," Shiv said, his usually muted, soft voice gaining a bit of an edge. "You may be the star of our class, but would you please just let me have this?"
Mirio made a deflating sort of noise, well aware how the situation looked to those around him. He chewed his lower lip for a moment and closed his eyes, bracing for the inevitable negative reactions.
"…no. I won't. I also have my reasons, and I think it'd be best for Midoriya if I take him. This isn't about me, whether or not you believe it."
Shiv let out a heavy sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose as the tension in the room escalated. Neither Nejire nor Tamaki said anything, both unsure of how they could even help without raising suspicion.
"In that case… you and I need to settle this outside," Shiv asserted as he moved toward the classroom door. "Come."
"What the hell?" Mei asked, narrowing her eyes. "Guys, is this really important enough that you're about to throw down over it?"
"Let 'em have it out," Moss suggested as Mirio moved to follow Shiv out into the hall. "For the record, I'm cool with whoever. You guys take anyone that jumps out at ya."
Mirio blew out a breath as he made it out into the hallway, where Shiv was waiting for him. There was a rare passion in the other man's irritated gaze as he held the laminate protectively. Mirio couldn't help but feel somewhat annoyed by the sudden actions of his usually docile and despondent classmate. Maintaining the secret of One for All was paramount, above even maintaining his image among his classmates.
"What's gotten into you?" Mirio asked, starting off strong and assertive. "You're not usually like this. You don't even usually talk to any of us."
"Yes, I am well aware," Shiv said, keeping the harshness in his voice as he loomed over Mirio. He had a few inches on the other man and stood as straight as he could to use them to full effect. "I'm not popular, and I don't exactly need a reminder. I'm also not about to let you simply throw your status around and seize what you want, especially after treating the start of the year as a secondary priority on your list of oh-so-important things to do."
Mirio scowled, his frustration rising as he tried desperately to keep his cool.
"…listen. I'm sorry if you think I have it in for you, but I don't. I'm also not trying to use my status as one of the 'Big Three' to push you around. I just really, really think Midoriya would want to go with me. I know him… a little, anyway. I can help him through his first year in a way I don't think you can."
"You cannot," Shiv retorted, beginning to look uncomfortable.
"And why not?" Mirio asked, taking a step forward. "Why do you care about this kid you've never met so much, out of nowhere?"
"I don't have to explain myself to you," Shiv countered. "Why do you want to take him from me so badly over a passing familiarity?"
It was Mirio's turn to heave a sigh, and he put his hands on his hips as he shook his head.
"Look, I know we're not exactly close, but… Shiv, can you please just trust me with this? What can I do for you in return? I'm willing to make a trade. You want me to help you make some progress getting more integrated with the others? Get rid of your 'outsider' status?"
"That is a status I largely chose," Shiv balked, looking almost offended. "And no, I don't want your help with that, or anything else. I'm… I'm volunteering to do this for you. You, and the others. This is a massive burden, and one that I am uniquely equipped to handle. You don't know what you're asking for in Midoriya, and you don't need to know. Just let me take this on in silence and stay out of it. You do not want this burden in addition to whatever else you have going on."
Mirio straightened up a bit, suddenly feeling a bit wary.
"…Shiv, what are you talking about?"
"I shouldn't say," he replied, turning his singular uncovered golden eye down to the tile floor. "For your sake."
Mirio's expression softened a bit, his frustration giving way to curiosity as he tilted his head to one side.
"…Shiv. Talk to me. What are you thinking right now? Being this stubborn and confrontational isn't your thing. Sure, you're usually headstrong, but going out of your way to 'protect' me from this in a way I don't even understand? I mean, I appreciate the sentiment, but I'd appreciate it more if you didn't try to take whatever this is on by yourself without letting me help you. Think about what Professor Ectoplasm just said to me. That applies to you, too."
"He said to rely on the ones you can trust," Shiv reminded as his eye met Mirio's. "The fact that you think so little of me leads me toward a lack of it with you."
"I don't think little of you!" Mirio said, exasperated. "I know we're not like… friends, but you're still good at what you do, and we're classmates. Isn't that enough to help you with this?"
"I have been protecting you," Shiv hissed. "I have been contributing to our success in my own way, from the sidelines, for the entire past year. Now, I step out to try to do things your way, and this is the thanks I get?"
"Just help me understand," Mirio insisted, growing a bit heated once again. "We can settle whatever personal feelings you've got about me and the others later, but right now, I w-"
"Fine. Do you understand my Quirk?" Shiv asked suddenly, leading Mirio to trail off.
"…yeah? I think?" Mirio considered. "Scan, right? You see peoples' vitals and other data about them, way beyond what normal eyesight allows."
"I do, yes," Shiv confirmed. "I can see peoples' 'essence,' if you want to call it that. I know who you've recently been around based on the essence clinging to you, I can visualize your pulse, your blood-oxygen levels, your bone density… think of it as a visual status sheet being fed directly into my brain as I look at you, with an overwhelming amount of data when I use both eyes. I… saw Midoriya in passing, this morning, when he was on the way to his homeroom..."
Mirio felt a shiver tingle up his spine. He already knew what Shiv was going to say, and the notion caused his stomach to twist into knots.
"Shiv. What did you see…?"
The heteromorph's face twisted into an expression of something between confusion and annoyance as he looked off to the side and then back at Mirio.
"…none of it made sense for his frame and age. His muscle density, heart rate, all of it… far beyond what they should be. I removed my eyepatch for a moment to get a better read on him, and… the boy has more than one Quirk, Togata. He has seven."
"Shit," was all Mirio could think to say under his breath as his face paled. "Shiv… you cannot mention this to anyone else."
"Why?" Shiv asked, narrowing his eye. "What is it that you're not telling me? I shared what I saw with you because of your insistence and pleading. Don't even think of holding out on me now after I made myself vulnerable and took the first step."
Mirio eyed the closed classroom door, his heart beginning to hammer in his chest as he tried to decide what to say. Upon turning back to Shiv, he still wasn't sure.
Author's Note:
The idea that the transfer could actually be kept entirely secret in a superpowered society never sat well with me. Things are already beginning to unravel…
-RD