Archive of Our Own ^beta

Hitoshi doesn't, not for sure, but considering it's the day after the sports festival and the day before classes returned, he has a good guess for what's about to happen. He did tie for third in the sports festival.

Still, something in the principal's smile unsettles him. It shows a few teeth too many, it's just a tad too wide and the corners are crooked at an awkward angle. It isn't natural, and a primal instinct goes down Hitoshi's spine, a shiver telling him that he's in danger.

Though if he wants to be a hero Hitoshi will have to power through things much worse than some animal's creepy smile.

"Probably something to do with the sports festival, I think. The third years had theirs yesterday and I had a good placement in the competition." He shrugs, it wasn't that unexpected he'd place well, seeing as he does have a very powerful and trained quirk that basically no hero student knew about.

Somehow Hitoshi feels as if the principal's smile turned predatory even though he couldn't pinpoint any changes to it.

"Indeed, you are partially correct! While our discussion is related to the sports festival, it has little relation to your placement." A shiver went down his spine again. How could his transfer to the heroics department not be related to his placement? That's what all the forums and guidelines talked about 'an exemplary performance during the school year and activities such as the sports festival'. Hitoshi didn't win, but it's only because the exploding boy didn't fall for his quips and let him use his quirk, and even then, there were past cases of silver, bronze, and even a couple of non-medalists receiving a transfer offer. "You seem confused, Shinsou-kun."

"I guess I am a little. I thought the transfer to heroics was related to my performance during the festival."

"Oh, while a common misconception that is not necessary! Though I must confess a transfer to the Heroics Course was not on the agenda for today. Unless, of course, you wish it to be; then I can take a few minutes to discuss it with you." Hitoshi nods, a bit dumbfounded. This talk is not going in the direction he thought it was. "Great! I'll spare us a few minutes before my next appointment to explain to you how it works. But before that, our main topic: your performance yesterday or more specifically, your behavior."

His behavior? Sure, Hitoshi was being a little more ruthless with the hero brats, but he didn't notice anything unusual yesterday, nor had any of his family. How else was he supposed to prove that he belongs to the hero course? By being buddy-buddy and kissing their boo-boos after kicking them out of the ring?

"It is customary for our teachers to review their students' performances during the festival for a better understanding of their abilities and challenges. This is incredibly important for students in the heroics and support tracks, and for those with ambitions such as yourself." He nods. This isn't news to Hitoshi, Thirteen-sensei had explained before the sports festival that they'd be reviewing the footage and even had asked again who was aiming for a transfer to the other departments. "Before diving into our observations I'd like to ask you to share your perception of the happenings of each round."

Hitoshi hides his smirk, it's his time to shine. When he first got his quirk one of the things he trained the most besides control was how to speak - knowing which words to choose, perfecting his diction, training his micro-expressions and how to change his intonation to make sure people would not only listen but answer.

And here's Nedzu volunteering as a test subject.

"Yeah sure."

Nedzu was the first animal to fight and win anything resembling human rights, he fought for them fangs and claws with the government to be recognized as an individual in the eyes of the law. Widely acknowledged as one of Japan's smartest beings, he represented himself and wrote himself into history books for years to come. Hitoshi's words will have to be very carefully weaved, he has to find the perfect balance between nonchalance at his achievements (show him of course Hitoshi was going to do well when competing with humans instead of robots) while still showcasing his hard work and dedication towards his ambition.

The ambiguity is not that hard for him, he's had a lot of practice with it during middle school. There he had to tread a fine balance between unassuming and intimidating, veer too much to one side and he's accused right and left of bullying and quirk use that'd get UA's doors locked for him before he even got a chance to step in, overcorrect to the other side and he'd be seen as an easy picking for bullies, live without a moment of peace during school and might even get his grades tempered by the teachers.

Hitoshi not only managed that but thrived in it. He went after his bullies before they got to him, got them under his quirk through taunts and jabs to get them to stop attacking some of the weak kids then ordering to forget the whole ordeal, leaving behind bullies with an unsettling feeling and victims with awed eyes. He got one annoyingly loud kid to keep quiet during a test and a cheater to confess on the next year. One memorable time he even got that one homeroom teacher who nagged them about quirk use in class to quit. Most of the bullies knew not to mess with him, his classmates were all afraid of his quirk and the teachers pretended he was invisible. They didn't like him, but it was all right because he didn't care for them either.

It would be perfect, if not for the word that followed him in the hallways.

Villain.

How much he hates that word.

Only because he did what he had to do to survive, to become a hero.

Time to show Nedzu what he's determined to do to be one.

"Hmm let me see. Right at the beginning Endeavor's son tried to freeze everyone to the ground, so I jumped and passed the bottleneck while most students were getting their bearings. I know most support kids are strong since they haul all that equipment every day, so I got a few of them to carry me around and a few random kids to protect us." He shrugs. "They were really clumsy and I soon realized I'd be much faster on my own, so I got them to put me down and stay behind to prevent other competitors from going ahead. I knew they'd be free from my control soon enough, so I also got them to throw away their equipment that way they'd have a harder time going after me if they ever caught up.

After that, not much happened during the race. I waited for the hero kids clear a path from the robots and a quarter into the chasm I found a kid from the support course that had a grappling gun, so I got them to give it to me." He rolls his eyes "It wasn't even that good, I had to haul myself up sometimes. From then on the race was pretty okay, the grappling gun had a good reach, and the others had exploded most of the bombs, so I would just get some kids to stop running when I could and run to the finish line."

He decides to take a sip of the tea and eat a few biscuits Nedzu offered just as he sat down.

Eh camomile. It's a pity the animal doesn't have any honey to sweeten it, it does a lot better to Hitoshi's throat than just warm water with sugar. The biscuits though were otherworldly and he has half a mind to bundle the leftovers in a napkin to take home.

While Hitoshi's chewing the biscuits and drinking Nedzu takes the time to take some notes and ask him a couple of questions regarding UA.

"So Shinsou-kun, how long did you train to get into UA?" Hitoshi munches on a raspberry jelly biscuit while thinking about how to answer that.

"Well, I've been training my quirk since I got it. At first, it was just about control, figuring out how it activated and deactivated, then it got to how to maintain that control - my first teachers and counselor were really good at encouraging me. My family left Jakku in the middle of my first year of elementary, since I was already seven the new school didn't have to provide me with sessions with a counselor anymore even though in Jakku they did that, and since my family couldn't afford a private one, we kind of had to find out and develop my quirk by trial and error.

When I was twelve or thirteen I decided to seriously try for heroics, so we doubled up on my quirk training. We expanded my time limit, strengthened my hold, and raised the number of people I can control simultaneously. That's something we always did to become a hero, so I don't really count as training just for UA...

To pass specifically your entrance exam I started studying a bit of psychology and heckling techniques last summer, I was already pretty good with my quirk by then so I just had to make sure to use it a few times a day. Still, that work was for nothing since you have robots in your exam." Hitoshi lets the bitterness flood his last phrase. He doesn't know if the principal has feelings but if he has, guilt should be one he feels that would also help Hitoshi a bit.

Nedzu dares to nod in agreement, not showing any sliver of sympathy for Hitoshi. "The robots are quite challenging, aren't they?" The rat  gives him a half smile, Hitoshi can't help but think it looks predatory "They do bring forward people's strongest traits."

Hitoshi quickly schools his expression not to show any of the rage he feels, but he gets the impression the principal sees right through him. "Anyhow, what are you finding about your classes and your classmates?"

He feels like an idiot, but he has the sudden realization that he should be treating this conversation as an interview for the hero course. Nedzu said a transfer wasn't on the agenda today. He probably needs some time between the interview and offering the spot to Hitoshi. Maybe he has to show a list of candidates to the other teachers or some kind of board for approval.

Okay, that is a whole lot more at stake from this single meeting then.

"General classes are quite challenging, I don't know if that's because of high school or UA. I've been studying hard to keep up with the coursework while training for the hero course." He bites his last biscuit, ginger, and cinnamon, very yummy. "As for my classmates, they're all right I guess. I don't talk too much to them." It was definitely a mutual preference, but Hitoshi was not above playing up the lonely kid to gain a bit of sympathy.

The principal gives him a smile, but once again he feels the animal saw exactly what Hitoshi was playing.

"Yes, new environment, new people, it can all be too intimidating."

He feels a spark of indignation at the suggestion that he feels intimidated by his classmates and before he could even think things through he's already shaking his head.

"Not intimidated, principal Nedzu." He rushes before stopping to think.

It's not like he can tell him the truth - that Hitoshi has no interest in befriending anyone, much less someone from Gen Ed.

"We found out soon enough that my ambitions don't line up with theirs."

There are some really strong quirks in Gen Ed. Quirks that could've put out many hero brats from the competition if people even tried. There's a girl that paralyzes people for half an hour with a single touch, it's not as versatile as Hitoshi's, but it's hella strong. Especially because it's basically untrained. She could've run the entire obstacle race putting people down and leaving them behind instead, she got trapped in ice and gave up. Why? Because she wants to be an actress, she doesn't want to be seen as threatening to potential scouts.

The most frustrating part is that it isn't just this one girl, his class is full of those people.

A boy who has knives for hands when he wants to? Child psychologist.

Technopath kid? Lawyer.

Girl with laser vision? Teacher.

Teen with bear mutation? Mathematician.

Twins that summon dragon familiars? Engineer and doctor.

Many of them could've had easy lives in heroics, instead, they're wasting their potential on menial ambitions while Hitoshi works his ass off for a seat. No, Hitoshi doesn't want to socialize with people like that.

"That along with the nature of my quirk, and people don't try too hard to get close to me." He gives him a half smile to appear resigned with his fate.

"Completely understandable Shinsou-kun." The animal tries to give him another smile, this one seems less threatening than his first attempt, but it's still too animalistic to be considered anything but creepy. "When I first began interacting with humans I too had difficulty connecting and understanding their motivations. Animals are much easier to read, a twitch of our ears, swing of our tails, or a flicker of our whiskers tell our emotions much more sincerely than baseline humans ever can with your expressions, and that's not even considering your fake smiles and sympathetic words." Nedzu shakes his head. "And that's not even broaching the subject of most humans feeling intimidated by those who appear to possess higher intelligence than them."

Nedzu feels sympathetic.

Hook, line, and sinker.

Time to change the subject of this meeting and talk about what really matters.

"There's not much to do but stand tall against adversity, right Nedzu-san? Go for our dreams in spite of what cards life hands you."

Nedzu takes a sip of his tea. "I believe 'need' is a more appropriate word for my situation. Dreams are inconsistent, volatile, and non-urgent. A need is resolute and has to be satisfied for guaranteed survival.

Had I not won the rights of an individual, I would most certainly be dead by now."

Too late Hitoshi realizes he misstepped when he compared his heroics goals to individual rights, however before he could try to correct it the principal's expression changes and his scar shines under the room's light.

"In a sense you are correct, it is necessary to stand tall in the face of adversity. Had I not demanded and fought for my rights I'm sure no human government would've gifted those to me. However, we are deviating too much from our original topic of conversation and I urge us to return to it."

Hitoshi takes a bite of a chocolate biscuit. "Yeah, sure. What's next?"

"You finished your recount of the first round now please provide me further details about your strategy for the second round. If I recall correctly you teamed up with Aoyama-kun, Ojiro-kun and Shoda-kun."

If Nedzu plans on ending the pity party, then Hitoshi will have to disappoint him.

He looks back down to his lap and sighs. Time to start act two.

"It was a bit complicated because most of the kids who got there were from the hero course and they were already teaming up between themselves. I figured no one would volunteer to have me on their team, so I got the sparkly boy, the monkey kid, and the small dude under my control to serve as my horses."

He bites his lip and looks back at the principal, hoping to be properly conveying a little bit of insecurity while appearing deep in thought.

"I expected most teams to focus on the quirkless boy's ten million points and since I plan on going twilight my strategy was to rely on stealth and my quirk to steal the points of other teams while avoiding conflict so I wouldn't lose control of my horses too early in the game."

Hitoshi gives Nedzu a small smile, finally allowing himself to show a bit of the pride he feels at besting most hero students in something crafted to showcase their heroic quirks.

"It worked. Nobody was paying any attention to my team and it was only at the last minute that my horses were knocked out of my control. In the time it took to have them understand what was going on, the round only had about five seconds left. It wasn't the performance that I was aiming for if they had remained under my control, but it was enough to get us to the final round."

Principal Nedzu has one of his paws on his desk, the other types furiously on the computer and their plate of cookies is empty save for a few crumbs. His tail moves lazily from one side to another before a glimpse of sharp teeth or a glint in his scar moves Hitoshi's attention back to the animal's face.

"Oh yes, I remember very well. It was an interesting development that we had there, wasn't it Shinsou-kun?"

Hitoshi ponders how much of his schemes to reveal to Nedzu. On the one hand, while not illegal, he didn't use his quirk on his teammates outside of the competition, it was probably morally wrong or at least frowned upon to imply to his teammates the teachers might consider it dishonorable to compete in the final rounds if they didn't do anything during the second round. On the other hand, Nedzu has a reputation for being a being of chaos who tends to favor machinations and manipulation so that he can get others to do his deeds.

A half answer that suggests his manipulation will get enough of Nedzu's interest without outright confirming what he did, in case Nedzu adopted enough concepts from a human's moral code.

"Maybe someone questioned within their earshot their place in the final round since apparently they did little in the second round."

One side of Nedzu's whiskers twitch, Hitoshi doesn't know whether that's a good or bad sign so he rubs his sweaty palms on his pants trying to discreetly dry them off.

"Perhaps someone did that. And what is your opinion on a statement like that, Shinsou-kun?"

Breathe, Hitoshi tells himself. He reaches for the newly placed glass of water right in front of him, trying to get a few extra seconds to organize his thoughts into an acceptable answer.

"I think it could be a genuine concern, at least on a surface level. If a spectator doesn't understand what is going on they saw me convincing opponents into giving me their points and my teammates just lugging me around the whole time."

One corner of Nedzu's mouth extends in what Hitoshi is hesitant to call a smirk, it has the same animalistic traits from the first one he gave Hitoshi and he hates that it stills disturbs him. The animal refills Hitoshi's glass of water and he takes another sip.

"I supposed it is a reasonable hypothesis." The principal moves to the counter nearby where the kettle is, leaving Hitoshi to stew over his answer.

Was he wrong? Is Nedzu looking for someone confident in their abilities or does he think Hitoshi was actually hypothesizing and the positive outcome was merely a coincidence?

Maybe Nedzu sympathizes more with an animal and is mad that Hitoshi made the tail guy quit from the competition. But before Hitoshi could fall too deep into a paranoia of Nedzu's bias towards mutant quirks the principal turns back with two cups of tea in his paws, settling both on the table, quickly turning back to grab two plates with bits of cheese and grapes, pushing one closer to Hitoshi.

"Let's move on to  the third round, shall we?"

After the almost panic Hitoshi put on himself he could only nod numbly to the principal's suggestion.

"Your fist battle was against Ashido-kun from 1-A. What are your thoughts on that fight?"

He knew from the start that getting his opponents under his control right at the start would be his best chance, but the girl resisted answering his quips from the beginning.

"I did pretty well on that, considering the training she's had and I not. She refused to answer my questions right from the start though, tail boy probably warned her about my quirk." Hitoshi mutters the last part bitterly, as if it wasn't enough that they had training he hadn't, the boy had to hold some grudge against him and tell his quirk to the girl. It was not fair, he went in not knowing her quirk!

Nedzu takes a sip of his tea.

"That is a correct assumption. Ojiro-kun approached Ashido-kun right before the match to share his observations on your quirk. Some of these were quite astute, I must say."

Hitoshi can't hold back a scowl. "She should've been disqualified then, I didn't know her quirk."

Some kind of emotion passes through Nedzu's eyes and for the first time since this meeting started Hitoshi thinks the principal might be mad at him.

"Gathering information and building a trusted network is not something we punish our students for, Shinsou-kun. It is actually encouraged in class and out, as it is proven to boost a person's overall performance when they do it." Nedzu chews on a small piece of cheese, Hitoshi wishes he wasn't feeling nauseated so he could enjoy some of it too. "I believe all students, barring you, entered their first match already knowing their opponent's quirk. Some knew it because they are classmates, others because they paid attention to previous rounds and others because they got that information from other people. Besides, we can hardly fault Ojiro-kun from wanting a classmate to win over someone he feels wronged him."

"He sabotaged by performance."

"He didn't sabotage your performance, he improved hers."

Hitoshi swallows dry at the derailing conversation, thinking on how to right it before Nedzu comes too strong on his opinions.

"Anyway, she threw that goo at me right as Midnight started the match. Some of it got my shoes and uniform, but it wasn't so bad, it just itched for a few hours at most. While I kept avoiding her goo, I was also trying to get her to answer me. When it finally happened I told her to walk out of bounds and she was doing that, then she slipped on her own goo, hit her head on the ground and fainted." Hitoshi hugs and finally smiles a bit again, remembering the moment. "It was stupid, but hey I was going to win the match anyway, at least we got a good laugh out of it."

Nedzu's nod is tense and Hitoshi feels a chill going down his spine, it's a similar feeling to when he first saw the animal smile right at the beginning of the meeting. It feels like he's missing something important.

"It was fortuitous win. But the second match wasn't like that one was it?"

Hitoshi doesn't know what fortuitous might mean, but he understands undertones and Nedzu wasn't showing any positive ones anymore. Anxiety begins to bloom under his ribs, making it hard to keep his cool while talking.

"I- uh. The second one was a lot - uhm - easier, the other kid's quirk made him small so it's basically useless in a fight. I just had to find the right buttons to push to get him under my quirk then it was done."

The next time he speaks the principal sounds much warmer and the tight feeling from Hitoshi's heart loosens a bit.

"You're quite good at finding buttons to push, aren't you?"

"I hope so, I studied how to read people just so I could do that."

"Unfortunately that was not enough for your third and last match against Bakugou-kun, was it?"

Hitoshi closes off his expression at recalling the humiliation he suffered, the comments he's seen online in that past days and specially what happened at the finals, after he'd been eliminated.

It feels a bit distant when he replies to the principal.

"One moment Midnight-sensei was counting down to the start of the match, the next the explosive kid was right on me. His screams never registered as a response to my quirk and he blew me off the ring just as fast as he did it with the electric boy in his first battle. I didn't stand a chance against such strong quirk."

The principal clears his throat and Hitoshi forces himself to look up at the obvious call to attention.

"I wouldn't say you didn't stand a chance, Shinsou-kun. Midoriya-kun managed to beat him and he has no quirk to speak of." But that's the thing that's bugging Hitoshi the most, how could he lose and a quirkless kid win?

It's all over the internet. UA's quirkless student who won the sports festival.

Most news paint him as an inspiration for all people who struggle with their quirks.

Some call him a delusional dreamer and UA a dangerous enabler.

Reports from Jakku write him as a fluke who's probably a cheat.

There's even one cult calling him a prophet pointing out his superiority by winning against kids with strong quirks.

And Hitoshi? Hitoshi feels conflicted as hell.

A part of him is furious some quirkless kid had weapons to counter an explosion quirk while Hitoshi only had himself.

Some part is begrudgingly impressed at the boy's show of strength.

But the biggest part feels jealous. Jealous because the quirkless boy is getting the praise Hitoshi wants, he got the medal he's been dreaming about since he got the rejection letter from the hero course, he had the weapons and training Hitoshi never had the opportunity to have. It's not fair.

"Yeah, but it's not fair. I didn't have weapons!" Hitoshi knows he's sounding almost like a toddler on the verge of a temper tantrum, but he honestly feels so angry he might cry.

"No you didn't, but you had your quirk and he didn't. And also, one can say you chose not to have weapons when you indicated the general course as your second option for entry in UA."

"Well, I didn't know support course take weapons to the sports festival." Which is not completely a lie. Looking back on it, there was somewhere in his subconscious a memory of support students using gear. It just didn't come up when he was enrolling for the exam.

"That is fully public information. It's on the prospesctive student guide in the school website and announced yearly during the school festival. You can't fault us for making uninformed decisions."

Hitoshi splutters, he doesn't know what to say to that, the rage that's been blooming on his chest is threatening to explode and he can't have that, not when his spot in the hero course is on the line.

"Anyhow, we are here to discuss your behaviour in the sports festival and not your choice of course of study. Now that you've shared your point of view, I'll share my observations." Nedzu looks straight at him and Hitoshi nods, clamping down on his anger and doing his best to keep it from his face. "I'll not be going into detail of each event as I find it unnecessary considering your behavior was consistent throughout the day.

A fair warning, I've been told my feedback is often harsh. But I urge you to listen with an open mind." That does not make for a promising beginning and he swallows dry once before reaching for his cup of tea.

"During the sports festival you made some concerning decisions in regards to your schoolmates' well-being. I gathered that your main tactic is to manipulate people, benefiting from them then discarding them without much thought for the consequences of your actions. You did that during the race, when you ordered the support students to discard their gear and in the team battle, when you took control of your teammates before even asking if they'd accept you and when you made fun of Ashido-kun's loss despite her bearing a concussion, you showed no concern at all for her well-being.

You also did not take responsibility for your actions or admits your mistakes, preferring to blame other people for your misgivings. Such as when you complained about the quality of the grappling gun instead of admitting you lack the physical prowess of an aspiring hero or your complaints about not possessing equipment being due to the your lack of forethought putting you in general education instead of support.

And for some reason that I believe to be quirkist you isolated yourself from your peers, hindering your social growth, like when you decided to take control of your teammates for the second round. Additionally despite me mentioning several times the names of your schoolmates, not once you referred to anyone by name, using their quirks whenever possible.

You have enough drive to perform well on the sports festival, but it falls short on putting in the work where you need it the most."

Hitoshi almost stops breathing, his heart is beating so fast in his chest he wouldn't be surprised if Nedzu is able to hear it as well. He sees the principal's snout moving but hears nothing, everything is quiet but for the constant ticking of a grandfather's clock in one corner of the room. Nedzu had taken all of Hitoshi's actions a viewed them as villainous just because he used his quirk on people.

What can he do to change his mind?

Hitoshi already knows the answer to that, he learned it through hard and painful lessons.

Nothing. There's nothing he can do to change people's mind in regards to his quirk.

Just like in middle school, Hitoshi is back to being villainous and he lets everything fade.

***

When he comes back his hands hurt, Hitoshi looks down to see his hands gripping a pillow so tightly his knuckles are white. The corner of his lip stings and Hitoshi knows he bit it raw. The ticking from the clock is constant, but now he hears words too and it's not long after that he remembers where he is.

He snaps his head to the principal who has the softest expression Hitoshi's ever seen since entering the room.

"I apologize for scaring you, Shinsou-kun. Keeping in mind that this will be difficult to get through, I believe it would be better to reschedule the rest of our conversation, what do you think?"

Hitoshi would prefer this conversation to never happen, but he knows this is not a viable choice so he pushes through and chooses to rip off the band-aid.

"No, let's get over with it." Nedzu's black button eyes watch him for a few seconds.

"Very well. It's your choice, Shinsou-kun. The well-being and development of my students is always my priority, I ask you to inform me if at any moment you decide to postpone our talk."

The principal gets back on his feet and to the kettle.

"Would you care for some tea?" Nedzu's behavior is giving him whiplash and he nods still a little distant from his earlier episode "I took the liberty of asking for more snacks while you were unwell. Eat some, we don't want you passing out."

"How long was I... out?"

"You dissociated for eleven minutes." Nedzu slips a new cup of tea in front of him, this time he brings along a teapot and honey as well. "Where would you like to resume?"

Hitoshi shrugs and takes a sip of his tea, it's not like there's any point in choosing, no part of this looks good or promising for him anymore.

"Did you know Shinsou-kun, that you almost didn't make it to UA at all?" Shock snaps Hitoshi's head back to the principal.

"It seems surprising now, doesn't it? But you will probably believe it when I say you have quite the record." Hitoshi almost automatically nods before holding himself back. Wait. He got his anger on a leash and kept himself from doing what he wanted during middle school because he didn't want to get his record tainted.

Nedzu must read his confusion because he quickly lists the reports of his record: multiple records of unlicensed quirk use, bullying, violence, and one instance of cheating.

"We accepted you into UA despite what is reported in your records because statistics state that someone who's quirk is viewed as scary or dangerous like yours tend to be discriminated against. Considering most of our staff has also fallen victim to similar acts, UA as an institution tends to be sympathetic to such cases, it was with that mentality that we understood most, if not all, of the incidents reported in your file were likely fabricated or exaggerated. So between thousands of candidates that have that similar profile we pick a few dozens to take the entrance exam. I could go into the details of it, but basically you got lucky.

These are students who usually faced a lot of hardships during their lives so quite a few teachers cheer for them during the entrance exam. You were no exception." Against his best efforts pointless hope begins to bloom and Hitoshi takes his eyes from his cuticles to look up to the principal, barely holding back a smile.

"Yes, someone with a weird powerful quirk, the kid people would see as villainous is trying to change the tides and become a hero. It's an inspiring story and our staff was hoping to see it come to life.

Unfortunately you failed to deliver. You froze when you saw the robots, your unprepared body failed to keep up with the effort of looking for them for very long and you ignored all calls from the other test takers. In the end you scored a meager six villain points."

Hitoshi doubts anyone would like to be in his shoes at the moment, living the ups and downs of the conversation, listening how he failed to meet the expectations of heroes who put their faith on him.

"Still, when Thirteen-sensei informed the staff of your ambitions to use the sports festival to transfer to the heroics course at the beginning of the semester many were interested to see the efforts you'd put towards it. And yet again, not only did you not demonstrate much commitment to developing your abilities, but with more of your teacher's attention on you, they were able to notice some aspects to be worked on.

The most concerning one is that you display great disdain for all your school mates and opt for self isolation whenever possible, not working well with others and showing certain arrogance in regards to people's ambitions. And while you seem aware of it, you also show great resistance whenever one of your instructors request teamwork."

Hitoshi wants to argue in his favor, to explain that in the real world he wouldn't do that, but he remembers Thirteen-sensei pulling him aside to explain that developing his interpersonal skills is important no matter his career choice, that teamwork exists in every field. He also remembers holding back a scoff, of thinking that Thirteen-sensei didn't understand what it's like for someone with a villainous quirk to interact with others, of getting more bitter and spiteful in his group exercises.

"The most recent example of this is the second round of the sports festival."

He manages to find his voice back, even if it rasps and creaks at the wrong time he has to put his argument forth, he has to make Nedzu understand that he tried.

"I worked in a team, the three hero course boys." He refrains from describing them using their quirks, but for the life of him he can't remember their names.

"No Shinsou-kun, you did not work on a team. You were a puppet master or a chess player in which your peers were your pawns. If you had asked their consent to control them and utilized their abilities I would agree with you, but you did not. You needed people to compete and they were there, so you took them. That's what happened.

Teamwork is about utilizing individual skills to the betterment of the whole. Everyone has something to contribute."

That's something that Hitoshi wants to believe, but he's much more of a realist and that concept is too idealistic for him. Nedzu is preaching about what he wants to see in the world, not the grim realities of it. Sure, it'd be nice if everybody got a shot in doing what they want and pursuing their dreams, but people like Hitoshi always end up with the short end of the stick, having to accept whatever people leave behind.

"I see in your expression that you disagree with me Shinsou-kun. That's expected, if you didn't we probably wouldn't be having this conversation, I believe that we found one of the roots of our issue with your behavior.

In UA we want believe all of our pupils have potential for doing good and reaching beyond society's expectation. We are as proud to graduate the best heroes, support engineers, analysts, PR managers as we are of those who become doctors, teachers, lawyers, entrepreneurs, actors and bankers.

We find reprehensible that you scorn a person's potential for their ambition and quirk, this behavior cannot continue."

He remembers some senpais complaining about how Aizawa-sensei was unfair in his judgement of potential and the explosion kid who spewed out quirkist comments while brutally attacking the quirkless boy and demeaning his dreams, even after the kid won their match, he remembers taunts he received after his loss. Hitoshi gets angry again and finds strength to dispute this assessment.

"You say that, but that's exactly what I heard that Aizawa-sensei does, using the excuse of potential to expel kids. Many senpais complain about him being unfair when he tells them they have no potential. And that exploding kid from 1-A is much worse than whatever I do, he just got a strong quirk to pass the entrance exam and I don't."

Something sparks in the principal's eyes and Hitoshi can only hope he isn't digging his hole any deeper.

"There's something admirable in your resilience, if only it weren't so misguided."

The animal breathes deeply, sighing.

"Yes, Aizawa-sensei usually expels a relevant number of his students due to their lack of potential. As per his assessment, those who do not show a diligent work ethic towards heroics are not fit for the field. What your upperclassmen have refrained to tell you is that he explains to these students and their parents the terms of their transfer to general education as well as the conditions for their re-enrollment, which usually happens when they display proper commitment for their career choice. Many of them are successful in their transfer back. You have a sampling issue, it is biased towards those who failed, to correct that you should expand it and question the point of view of those that were successful.

Aizawa-sensei is also one of the greatest sponsors for transfer from the other courses to the heroics department, last year he transferred two first years and one second year student, all from the support course. And while I don't doubt Aizawa-sensei's evaluation, all of his expulsions and transfers are, of course, run by me before their formalization. Potential for doing good is different to heroic potential, Shinsou-kun."

A bubble of resentment grows in his chest, why didn't Aizawa-sensei offer to train him then? Shouldn't someone with a villainous quirk sympathize a bit more with Hitoshi's situation? Aizawa-sensei was even one of the few students not on the heroics course to win the sports festival.

"As for your second argument, I cannot fault you for that train of thought. The entrance exam exists in it's current format for a reason, there's no viable way to assess dozens of thousands of students in a manner that is personalized and fair for all, so we do prioritize students who develop physically. Do not think, however, that it was not possible for you to pass it. Class 1-A has a student who's only known ability is to be invisible, however she was not able to use that ability during the entrance exam otherwise we wouldn't be able to see her to award her points. They have also a student with a tail mutation, that in itself wouldn't be very useful if he hadn't dedicated years to martial arts. Class 1-B has someone with a copy quirk, that boy has to get a quirk, find out what it is and how to control it and get points in a span of four minutes before having to restart the process.

We have developed methods to make the entrance exam more accessible to a variety of quirks, the fact that you were not informed of them is a reflection of your own poor performance. And the fact that you did not reap those benefits does not invalidate their existence for the hundreds that did."

Nedzu takes another sip of his tea while Hitoshi wallows in self pity.

"As for the matter of Bakugou-kun's behavior, you are completely correct. We cannot deny people entry to UA unless we receive proof of misconduct that is not reported in his file or he commits a crime during the exam, neither of those happened so despite his worrying display we could not deny him a place in the heroics course. His erratic behavior had been noted by his teachers during practical class, and warnings and time were given to him to show some improvement. However his performance during the sports festival was unacceptable and, while I won't share with you another student's personal information, understand that it will be addressed as well. The nature of his quirk is irrelevant for us."

Not knowing what to do Hitoshi nods trying to hide the shiver went down his spine when Nedzu talked about the exploding boy, Bakugou, if Hitoshi felt threatened by the principal's aura then it's nothing compared to the fury he feels at the moment. Bakugou is in deep shit.

"Any further questions, Shinsou-kun?"

Hitoshi wants to ask about his transfer, there was that little spark of hope that refused to dies despite Nedzu not having a single positive comment about him at all. He kind of already knows the answer, but maybe, just maybe he could've misunderstood. He doubted, but maybe this is just a cautionary tale of some kind.

He needed to know for certain.

"The transfer for the heroics course from the sports festival, how does it work and will I get it?"

Something gentler goes through the principal's eyes, and Hitoshi thinks it might be pity. Somehow that's worse than when he was angry.

Nedzu recites the text from the student's guidebook "'An exemplary performance during the school year and activities such as the sports festival', is that what you're referring to, Shinsou-kun?" At Hitoshi's nod he continues "That is a statement with many intricacies that is mainly misinterpreted by the general public. As a starting point, though the sports festival is a pivotal moment, the transfer evaluation happens throughout the year, you have been appraised from the moment you announced your intentions on the first day of class. Some the feedback and tips your teachers gave you happened only because of your goals, and you chose to ignore most of it because you were unaware of their nature." Nedzu drinks the rest of his tea before serving more for both of them.

"And what is an exemplary performance, you might ask. You must know by now that a placement on the podium is not what we are looking for." Hitoshi managed to give him a weak nod, trying to hold his cup of tea in a way that hides his trembling hands. "To answer that we are looking for students who: show commitment to their goals; are not blinded by their own deficiencies; work to make the world a kinder place; and lastly, have faith in people." At each topic the principal raised and gave a little tap on one of his fingers before putting his paw back down at the end "That's the kind of hero UA wants on the streets, people who see the world's unfairness and choose to be better, kinder. Unfortunately Shinsou-kun, you will find that myself along with the majority of the voting staff agree that at the moment we do not believe you have what it takes to become the kind of hero UA wants representing us."

Hitoshi almost feels his heart break with the statement and he tries to keep the tears from falling from his eyes, he fails miserably and quickly wipes the stray tears with the back of his hand while willing the others away. Nedzu pushes a tissue box in front of him and Hitoshi blows his nose. UA doesn't think he can be a hero. Deep breath. Okay. Alright.

"You don't think I can be a hero." His voice is weak when he whispers, the shock and disbelief clear for anyone to listen. Nedzu's whiskers twitches and he tsks.

"Do not twist my words, Shinsou-kun. I said that at this moment we don't want you as a hero that represents UA, that we think you are not ready to be one, not that you can't be a hero. I'm sure there are other hero schools willing to accept you in their main course if you wish for a transfer. Bu-"

Hitoshi cuts him off, the whiplash of emotions almost making him faint from how excited he is at the prospect. "Shiketsu? Or maybe Ketsubutsu? I'll take Ketsubutsu!" Nedzu raises an eyebrow and Hitoshi feels distinctly judged for his outburst.

"Shiketsu and Ketsubutsu are both schools that maintain close relationships with UA, many of our staff work or studied together and our impression on the matter would be taken into account. It is unlikely they would accept you into their hero course with the observations our teachers have made regarding your attitude, and even without considering our relationship with those schools I trust they also have high standards towards their students and have made similar observations regarding the behavior you showcased this weekend." Hitoshi slumps again.

"Other schools such as Hontetsu or Butsuyama are much more likely to take your case, if you're inclined. And I'm sure there are dozens of others as well, considering your visibility in the sports festival."

That only makes him slump further. Hontetsu and Butsuyama are the schools for neighborhood heroes who take small cases and need second jobs, for kids who have powerful quirks and records, not for people like Hitoshi. He is better, he deserves better.

"If you truly desire to transfer to another school, I suggest you begin your research as soon as possible so all documentation is ready by the second semester. And I urge you to tell your parents to schedule a meeting with me so that I can explain all your options, a transfer is not your only one nor I believe your best one.

Unfortunately our meeting has run for far too long and I must prepare for another appointment. If you have any additional queries or issues do not hesitate to reach me or any of your teachers. We are here to help you, Shinsou-kun.

And consider this a warning, your second chance if you want to call it, there will be no academic repercussions or punishments for your behavior as of right now. I hope you understood that your demeanor towards your colleagues is appalling and that you are open to measures to correct it. I'll send you some extra material so you can read in the next weeks and in a fortnight we'll have another meeting to debate them."

Hitoshi sighs in relief at the dismissal, anything extra on his file would hinder his chances of a transfer to the hero course even more, specially if those incidents happened while in UA. He doesn't want to question Nedzu's goodwill or put any seed of doubt in his mind, but Hitoshi has to know why he's giving Hitoshi a chance after listing all of his problems.

"Nedzu-sensei? Why are you giving me this second chance?"

A small smile shows up on the corner of Nedzu's mouth, something a tad bitter that resonates with Hitoshi.

"Because I am a teacher and you are my student. UA is a school unlike most others, we want to teach more than academic subjects. We understand it's easy to fall into a pool of bitterness and anger when the world has been cruel, but we believe in your potential and that you can be better than that.

The question is if you are willing to put on the effort as well."