Chapter 10: Seteth's Secret

My name is Seteth. I'm fourteen and I'm a student of class 1-A at UA. Just like my classmates, I want to be a pro hero, though my reasons are admittedly less noble. Not that it's anyone's concern of course.

I'm what some people refer to as an animal folk. A person whose body is more like that of an animal than a person. In my case, I'm a vampire bat, and that makes it rather tricky for me to live a normal life. Well, as normal as it can be in a world full of quirks.

Still, despite all that, I'm at least able to live pretty quietly. Or at least, that used to be the case. Everything changed after the entrance exam and it's all thanks to him.

"Morning Seteth, did you sleep ok?"

"I did, thank you Alexander."

Alexander, a white wolf animal folk who's built like a mountain and has the strength of one too. Some people, including myself, recognize him as 'the foreigner.' Though, to be honest, that's a bit hypocritical on my part. While it is true my parents and I were born here in Japan, my grandparents on both of my parents' sides were from europe.

Still, I never felt out of place despite heritage. At least, that's what I thought until Alexander came along. He pretty much ingrained himself into my life, reminding me that I'm not too far off from being considered a foreigner myself. That said, I don't hate him in the least. Quite the opposite in fact.

Out of everyone in the class, I see myself being friends the most. The reason, he understands me and accepts that I'm not much of a talker. At first, I thought he was a loud mouth like Bakugou or just someone who talks a lot, but he isn't. He talks more than me, but he's also comfortable with silence as well. It's why we're able to hang out and not have any issues.

There's another reason why I'm glad to be counted as one of his friends. It's because I admire him. Like me, he takes being a hero seriously and even though he's a good person, he isn't a pushover. If someone tries to give him grief, he stands up for himself and shuts them down right then and there.

He trains hard everyday and he has a goal in mind, something I wish the others would adopt. In fact, it was just this morning that he once again proved how much effort he's willing to put in.

I was flying to school like always when I noticed them. Alexander and our own principle Nezu having a race and I was amazed by what I saw. During the whole thing, the two went all out and in the end, Alexander won. I'm faster than both of them, but I couldn't help but be impressed. Plus, it was funny how Alexander celebrated.

Overall, he was an interesting person and he definitely keeps things interesting.

"So Seteth, are you excited for today?" Alexander asked.

I tilted my head a little in confusion.

Alexander smiled at me before reaching down into the duffle bag he brought. He pulled out a dagger with some runes on the hilt. It was a magnificent dagger that was unlike anything I've seen. That's when I remembered what he said about him being a blacksmith.

"Did you make that?"

"I did. Since everyone was going on about having me make weapons for them, I figured I'd bring in samples of my work. I also brought a catalog so that I could show everyone what else I can make, including the metals I'm able to use to make them."

"Metals?"

"Yea, you know. Steel, iron, silver, ebony, and so on."

"Those are hard to work with," I said thoughtfully. "Does it take longer to use them?"

"It does take a little longer, but it's nothing my smelter can't handle."

"Smelter?"

"It's what I use to melt the metal and make ingots. I'm just glad I got a new crucible for my birthday. The old one was getting pretty worn out, so it's been a big help."

"Crucible, that's the bowl that holds the metal."

"It is. I'd be happy to show you some time."

"Maybe."

I turned to face the front. Alexander knew this meant I wanted to end the conversation and he respected that. That said though, I could tell from his wagging tail that he wanted to talk more, despite the fact that he was facing the front. I would have said something, but since class was starting, I didn't engage.

That's when the rest of our classmates started pouring in. As they did, our teacher stood up from behind the desk, still wrapped up in his yellow sleeping bag. I never said anything, but every time Mr. Aizawa did that, I would immediately think of him as a caterpillar.

"Alright problem children, we have a lot to talk about today," the raven haired teacher said in an exhausted tone.

Just then, that pink girl raised her hand.

"Mr. Aizawa, where's Bakugou?"

If I remember right, her name was Mina. She's definitely the type of person I wouldn't hang out with. It's not that I don't like her, but more that I don't do well with her type. Mina has no filter when she speaks and she often blurted out whatever was on her mind. She was nice enough, but I just can't be bothered with people like that.

As I thought about that, Mr. Aizawa let out a sigh, getting everyone's attention.

"Bakugou is no longer a part of class 1-A," the raven haired man said.

All of us looked at our teacher with a mix of shock and confusion. At least, for the most part. I wasn't surprised to be honest considering what happened during yesterday's exercise.

I looked over at Alexander, who had a serious look on his face. I'm sure he wasn't surprised either, but it looked like he was at least interested in knowing what happened to that idiot.

"Why not?" Mina asked.

I honestly wanted to face palm. She was there and she saw what that hot head was really like. It was so obvious why he was kicked out that she needed to be completely oblivious.

"After looking at Almight's report, it was clear that Bakugou had very serious issues," our teacher said in a tired voice.

"You think?" I thought as I rolled my eyes.

"Principle Nezu took immediate action and launched an investigation. Surprisingly, or perhaps, unsurprisingly, we were able to find evidence right away. Evidence of bullying, harassment, death threats, and more. It also came to light that this went back all the way to elementary school and that Izuku Midoriya was actually a victim of his."

We all turned to look at Izuku, who was staring at his desk. His face was red as a tomato and he had the look of someone who wanted to be anywhere else but here.

"With all that said however, Bakugou will not be expelled from the UA, not yet at least."

We turned back to Mr. Aizawa. Everyone, except for Alexander, Shoto, Tokoyami, and myself look at him with shock. We however, were more serious with our stares. It didn't take a genius to know that Bakugou was no good, so it made no sense that they didn't expel him.

"The reason why he wasn't expelled was because principle Nezu wanted to give him a chance to make up for everything he's done. So instead of expulsion, Bakugou will be suspended for two weeks and will be demoted to class 1-B."

I still wasn't satisfied with that answer, but I knew it was a waste of time to say anything. Personally, I would have made it so that he could never become a hero and would have to pick a new career. After all, I'm of the belief that one should not receive a second chance unless they are truly remorseful.

"Mr. Aizawa," I said, getting everyone's attention. "What now?"

"I assume you mean what's gonna happen to this class. Well, just as one student from class-1A will be going to class 1-B, a student from that class will join us."

"I don't know who that is though since it's something that Nezu and Vlad King needed to discuss. I was able to say who I thought would be best to bring in, but that was just for them to have someone to consider. Ultimately, the decision is up to them."

"Do you know when they'll join us?" Alexander asked with a raised hand.

"I believe either tomorrow or the next day. From what I heard, they currently have two students they are considering, one of them being the one I chose. So it's most likely tomorrow. It all depends on when they make their decision and get all the paperwork done."

We nodded our heads and immediately started the lesson. We went over the usual stuff, most of which didn't really interest me. I never considered myself a bad student, but I have trouble paying attention to things that I just can't be bothered to care about.

Of course, even if I didn't pay attention, I still do great in class because I study on my own. It's honestly so much easier than doing it in a classroom. Still, I knew it was important to at least look the part, so I did what I could to appear as though I was paying attention.

As I kept trying to concentrate on the board, I accidentally kicked Alexander's bag. It made a thump, which caught everyone's attention.

"What was that?" Mr. Aizawa asked.

"Sorry professor, I kicked Alexander's bag by mistake."

"It's ok Seteth, I shouldn't have left it so out to the side like that," Alexander said to me with a dismissive wave.

He reached down and moved the bag so that it was directly underneath his desk. It still stuck out a little, but even I could see that it couldn't be helped thanks to how long it was.

Mr. Aizawa nodded to us and continued with his lesson. I didn't want to cause any more trouble, so I made sure to pay more attention. Still, our professor spoke so unenthusiastically, then I wondered if he was putting himself to sleep.

Once the class was close to being over, Alexander raised his hand.

"Mr. Aizawa," he said as he lifted the bag he brought.

"What is it now Alexander?" our teacher said with an exhausted tone.

"Well, since everyone wanted to know more about the weapons I make, I brought a few with me. Hey Seteth, mind giving me a hand?"

"Me?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yea, I could tell you liked the dagger I showed you and I'm sure you have an eye for quality. Plus, I could tell from training that you have a lot of finesse and great hand-eye coordination, which is what you need for some of these weapons. So, you mind helping me out."

Sigh "Sure, why not."

The two of us went to the front of the class after our professor gave us the go ahead. We started out with the dagger he showed me. Only this time, he also gave me its 'brother' as well. As I held up the two daggers and showed off as few basic attacks with them. Some were slashes, others were stabs, and I even used my quirk to sneak up on one of our classmates and held the weapons up to their neck.

They started to cheer about how cool I looked and that I was like a rogue from a RPG video game. Even Mr. Aizawa looked like he was interested.

After that, Alexander showed off the rest of his weapons. Some of them were too heavy for me, so he handled those himself.

I was really impressed by the quality of the weapons, especially since they were just meant to be samples of his work. My guess, he probably put just as much effort into these as he did with his normal weapons so that he could show us that his skills were genuine.

Once the presentation was over, Mr. Aizawa had us sit down. He used the rest of the class time to explain that what Alexander and I did was a perfect example of the relationship between a pro hero and a support hero. Alexander made the weapons while I wielded them.

He was about to go into more detail, but the bell rang, meaning it was time for lunch. Some of my classmates headed to the cafeteria, but most of them crowded around Alexander, which he didn't like. I would've helped, but there was somewhere I needed to go and while I hated using him as a distraction, I didn't want anyone to see or follow me.

"I'm sorry."

After a few minutes of walking to the halls, I made it to the nurse's office. I wasn't sick or anything, but I had a good reason for coming here.

"Hello Recovery Girl."

"Oh, Seteth, I'm glad to see you made it." She said in a really sweet tone. "Did you have any trouble getting here?"

"No."

"You know, it's nothing to be ashamed of. Many people have quirks that affect what they can eat."

"Not like me."

"Well, just because you don't know them, doesn't mean they don't exist. Besides, wouldn't you feel better eating with your friends instead of spending lunch time with a boring woman like me?"

"... You're not boring."

"Hehehe, well, maybe not, but my point still stands. Isn't there someone you want to have lunch with?"

I looked to the side before shrugging my shoulders.

"I see, in that case, I'll stop pestering you now."

Recovery Girl patted my shoulder and headed to a cabinet in the back. She pulled out what looked like a juice box with pictures of cherries all over it. Of course, I knew what it really was.

"Here you are dear, drink up."

I nodded to her and consumed my beverage.

"You know, with that kind of packaging, I don't think anyone would notice. So I really don't see why you can't enjoy lunch with your friends."

"If I did, they would ask questions."

"Yes, I suppose they would."

Recovery girl went to her desk and started what looked like paper work while I had my lunch. She wasn't wrong about me wanting to enjoy lunch with others, but I just couldn't. In this world, real monsters exist and if anyone found out about me, they'd see me as one of them. Recovery Girl always told me that I was assuming the worst, but she also understood where I was coming from, so she never pushed me into doing something I didn't want to.

After I finished my 'juice box' and Recovery Girl gave me another one. They were pretty small, so I always needed at least two of them to quench my appetite. While she was getting it, another student came in. I hid my juice box and when I looked over to Recovery Girl, she hid the other one before going over to check the newcomer.

When I got a good look at him, I was shocked to see how banged up he was. He had burn marks all over him and there were a lot of bruises on his arms. I could also tell from how he was holding his abdomen that he had some broken ribs.

Recovery Girl kissed his forehead and just like that, he was completely healed. It really amazes me that she could heal someone like that and not cause any negative side effects. The only thing she needed to worry about was feeling tired after using her quirk.

I finished my lunch, said goodbye to Recovery Girl, and headed to the classroom. When I got back, it was still early, so no one was there yet. That was fine by me since it gave me the chance to catch up on my reading.

I pulled out Homer's 'The Odyssey,' an epic poem that told the story of king Odysseus. It strongly resonated with me how the main character often used clever solutions to overcome the many trials the god had set for him. It was truly a tale about ingenuity and resourcefulness.

As I finished the scene of Odysseus overcoming the Laestrygones, I heard the door open. I looked over and saw Alexander, who looked exhausted for some reason. I felt bad about before, so after he sat down, I felt like I had to say something.

"You ok?"

"I'm fine," the white wolf said in a surprisingly tired voice. "Lunch was just a headache for me since our classmates wouldn't stop asking me about the weapons. And because Kaminari couldn't keep his mouth shut, students from other classes started bugging me too."

"Were you able to eat?"

"I was, but just barely. By the way, why were you at Recovery Girl's office?"

My eyes widened. I knew for a fact that no one saw me go there and that I hid my face from that kid who was there, so there was no way for Alexander to know where I was.

"How did-"

"Your scent," he answered. "I wanted to thank you again for helping me with my presentation, but when I didn't see you in the cafeteria, I tracked you down."

"I see," I said as I returned to my book, hoping he wouldn't catch on. "It's nothing."

"Are you sure, because you smell nervous right now."

"You can smell when someone's nervous?"

"I can. Well, short off. See, a person's emotions can change their scent and those changes to tell how someone is feeling. For example, if someone feels confident or courageous, their scent becomes more pronounced."

I tiled my head slightly before nodding.

"Anyway, I'd still like to know why you went to see Recovery Girl and if you need to go back."

"Why would I need to go back?"

"Because of the scent you carry."

I looked at him for a second before taking a quick whiff of myself. I tried to find what he meant, but the only thing I smelled was the bodywash I used.

"I don't know what you mean."

"Seteth, I get that you're secretive, but I need to know if you got hurt or something because of my weapons. So I'm going to ask you one more time. Why do you smell like human blood?"