"Our anxiety does not come from thinking about the future,

but wanting to control it."

-Kahlil Gibran

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Underline = English

ひらがな (Hiragana) = When I want to put extra emphasis on the fact that they're speaking Japanese. There might be a bit of Katakana too.

"...So you are Principal Nezu? I've heard a lot about you!"

'Why did I have to run into the smartest of the bunch right away... Focus on what you know about him for now. He's a rare animal that awakened to a quirk, possibly the only one in the world. This quirk gives him unbelievable intelligence... My worst matchup in this case.'

The little animal that mainly resembled a mouse lit up with an almost naïve smile. The only thing stopping him from making his judgment, in this case, was the creature's eyes. Calm, still, and embedded with a soft underbelly of steel. Like the waters of the lake hidden from humanity since time immemorial. And even if someone had the misfortune of stumbling upon the lake, all that would be awaiting them would be a cruel death at the hands of the lake's many predators. And then he did a... dance thing?

"Yes, that is me! Mr. Principal!"

'Could it be that I've made a misjudgment-... Not good, I almost unconsciously pegged him as harmless.'

He gently let his body drape down in a bow, keeping conscious control of his muscles. Otherwise, they'd quiver. It was at that moment when Nezu's threat level in Deku's mind even went above that of All for One. He had experience with All for One, after all. Knew the man's personality fairly well. But this Nezu guy... He knew nothing about him beyond the basic facts. And he had almost forgotten those facts.

Still, he didn't let it show on his face. Everything was kept calm and controlled. Even so, he couldn't stop the creep of paranoia from drawing ever so closer. What if he already knew? He knew that it was ludicrous that the creature could have found about him so soon; nothing he had done could paint him in a bad light, nothing beyond his timing at least. But that was circumstantial evidence, and something many would just consider random trivia. He took a carefully controlled deep breath before simulating words and conversations in his mind at the speed of light. His enhanced mental capacity came in handy at this time, and not even a few seconds after his bow, he had the words prepared.

"Ah, I apologize, where are my manners? 'When in Rome, do as Romans do,' I almost forgot to show my respect the Japanese way."

This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

He rose up from his bow.

"わたしわ アレン・ボウマン. ほかん るがくせい." (I'm Allen Bowman. An exchange student.)

"Oya, you're Japanese is quite good for an exchange student. I'm happy that the slot was finally put to good use. I can speak in English if that would be easier for you. You seem to have a Japanese accent, though. What to do, what to do..."

His fist clenched a little more tightly than strictly necessary, but his nerves were largely insubstantial. He already had the answer to that question, provided chiefly by All for One. It was slightly worrying as to how fast he could absorb information and make objective opinions on those things, however. He would need to get this job done as quickly as possible, just to avoid this Principal as much as possible...

"Ah, my father has been teaching me at home, and I suppose it just rubbed off on me, hahaha! It feels weird to say the words in a different way. You can just speak to be in the Japanese language, though, Mr. Principal. I am in Japan, after all! Is it true that you have squid ink ice cream here?! What about cat cafes? I really love cats..."

He constricted his blood flow and forced it, to the best of his ability, to rush to his face and form a blush.

"Sorry, I have a habit of slipping into English when I'm excited."

'This should help, it sounds like natural English, if not a little bit accented. But it's nowhere near how badly Japanese people butcher, no, pronounce actual English. To the point where I can't help but wonder if it's on purpose...'

"Squaiidddd iank? Cattuuee Cafe? Allen, what did you say?"

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he couldn't help but wince at the pronunciation.

"Haha, I was saying-"

Nezu finished the sentence.

"Squid ink ice cream, and a cat cafe, correct?"

He forced a smile on his face among the tidal wave of unease. If he didn't believe the Principal knew English before, he would believe it now.

"Yes, you're really good at English, aren't you? Oh, is it okay if I go to my room now? I'd like to leave my luggage somewhere..."

To emphasize his point, (and to get away from the situation at hand) he lifted his suitcase that Kurogiri had handed off to him.

"I'll guide you to your room, Allen. Ochako, you should be home by now, shouldn't you? Don't come to school tomorrow, either~!"

"Y-Yes! I'll be going now, haha... Allen, I'll see you later, okay?"

She then left in a hurry, leaving plums of smoke behind her in a display of incredible speed.

Principal Nezu seemed to have no reaction to it whatsoever, just carrying on his usual routine. Deku was still staring at the scene, wondering how they managed to (almost) beat such a force. She had entirely disappeared from his eyesight within seconds. Still, at the bequest of the creature's steps, he hurried forward to keep pace with him. Nezu led 'Allen' outside of the building, across the grounds, and even further past that. He was starting to feel like he was doing a workout, not simply walking to another place on Yuuei's ridiculous plot of land.

He once again pondered as to where they got the money. It could be because all of the teachers were pro heroes, but teachers aren't obligated to fund the school, they were receiving money. There was also the possibility that it was the revenue from the Sports Festival...

"Excuse me, may I ask for your opinion on the villain attack?"

And then he was broken out of his thoughts by one of the infamous arch-nemesis of heroes everywhere:

the Paparazzi.