“One more picture, Yui!”
“Pops, you’ve been taking pictures since I came down. We’re going to be late if we don’t leave soon.” Yui sighed softly, but couldn't help a small smile at Mic's fussing, the camera flashed catching it.
“I’m just so happy! Your first day of school!” Mic smiled wide as he bounced in place.
“Oooh goodie, interactions with kids my age…” She ran her hands down the pleated dark blue-green skirt, she would have preferred the slacks but those were only for the boys unfortunately. The rest of the uniform she didn’t mind, a white button up shirt under the gray blazer with dark blue-green accent stripes on the sleeves and lapel, she had on black knee socks with the brown loafers. The only thing that was different than a regular uniform was the black tie she had on instead of red.
The Commission had been reluctant to allow her attendance, but between the truth of her upbringing, and what she had done as ControlFreak, not to mention an impromptu visit from Nedzu, they had agreed to the principal's reformation student idea. She had no idea what he'd said, he'd sent a virus through the system to fry all connected monitoring electronics 2 minutes before he went through the doors; without personal access at that point she was officially kept out of the loop....darned rat.
The Commision would put her past under a confidential lock as long as she stayed on the straight and narrow. Yui knew she’d probably have to prove herself eventually, but for now she’d follow along with Nedzu, he had a better understanding at dealing with these people.
Izuku was bouncing in place as he held a black notebook in his hands. She ruffled his curls before she took it. “Yes, green bean, I’ll take notes on my classmates Quirks for you.”
“Thank you so much! You’re the best sister ever!” he hugged her tight, “I hope you have fun! And make lots of friends!”
She smiled softly, “Just behave yourself while we’re at school, okay? Don’t burn down the house and if you need anything just text me.”
“Or us.” Aizawa grumbled as he filled a thermos with coffee, grabbing his bag. “Let’s get going before the brats get there.”
Yui and Mic hugged Izuku tight, while the sleep deprived teacher ruffled his hair before they were out the door. She trailed a few steps behind her dads as Mic chattered on with Eraser’s grumbling interjecting every so often. It was a beautiful day, sun shining in the early morning with a breeze coming around with the smell of cherry blossoms.
“So, how many of Nem's first years do you think will make the cut?” she blinked, adjusting the hearing aid in her right ear as she tuned into their conversation.
“Probably most of them unless they surprise me. I’ll see what potential they have during the Quirk apprehension test.”
“You really have that much control over the 1-A class, even if you’re not their homeroom teacher?” she asked as she walked closer to the pair.
Mic grinned “Sho is the head of the heroics department no matter what class he homerooms. So he has a say about who makes it and he’s very selective. Kan has the same power over the ‘B’ class, though he isn’t as liberal with the expulsions as Sho is.” He nudged his husband with an elbow at his side.
“There’s a reason U.A. has such a high success rate, Dadzawa being a hard ass has to be a reason behind it. If they aren’t going to be serious, they’re going to get killed.” Yui pointed out as they approached the gate, the building was massive: four pillars rose into the sky, the mirrored windows displaying the bright blue sky above them.
They passed through the gate, they were the ones there due to the early hour, the dads had a meeting before school officially started and the teen figured she would just follow them. Plus, if she came early, she could avoid the crowds, so, bonus.
They led her through the hallways, Yamada pointing out different rooms excitedly, his trademark grin on his face as Aizawa yawned, taking a drink from the thermos. Yui couldn’t help but think he looked like he wanted nothing more than to burrow into his yellow sleeping bag and avoid the world, and really? Mood.
“And here’s the teacher’s lounge!” Yamada announced as he opened the door, revealing a large room; it was almost split in half, on the right was a line of desks with computers and personal flair, the left had some comfy looking couches and chairs with either side tables or coffee tables nearby. The right wall were large windows that let in the sunlight, the left had bookcases or empty spots with TVs. At the back of the room was a kitchen area with multiple microwaves, three coffee pots and two electric kettles and three fridges.
“Well, the teacher’s lounge for the heroic’s department, though some other departments like to mingle.” Aizawa mumbled as he walked over to his desk, it was pretty bare except for the yellow mug on his desk and a bright green post it on the corner of his computer. Yui bit down her grin, she knew that was from Izuku when he’d been Null; he’d drawn him a cartoon cat with Eraserhead’s capture weapon and goggles with a speech bubble saying ‘Have a Great Day, Eraserdad!’
Yamada dumped his bag by his desk before he went over to start one of the kettles. His desk had the matching black mug, with a digital picture frame that rotated through different photos. Him and Eraser getting married, the duo with Auntie Nem at a karaoke place, a wild group shot with other teachers that she assumed was from an anniversary or an office party? Then there were the ones of her and Izuku with the two.
“Good morning! Aww Yui, you look so cute in uniform!” Midnight walked inside, her heels clacking on the floor. The woman pulled her into a hug, “We have to take a picture together!”
“Oh Kami, more pictures. You’re only allowed five.” She groaned as her aunt pulled out her phone.
“Deal! Zashi turn into a shutterbug this morning?” She growled grinning as Yamada stole her phone, backing away as he grinned.
“You bet I did! I’m not done yet! I’ll get a good one of you two first, then you can do whatever you want.” He waved her away as he held up her phone.
Yui smiled nicely as they stood together, Midnight’s hand on her shoulder as he took the picture, and then allowed the woman her selfies, making faces with her.
“Okay, that’s five. Dad, where’s your thermos?” She wiggled her way free from her grasp. Aizawa raised an eyebrow, holding it in his hand.
“I drank out of this already, problem child.”
“You’re really going to deny me the special blend? That’s cold.” She groaned as she went over to the coffee pots, “Should I start all of these, or no? Don’t tell me people drink decaf in this building with super-powered brats running around?”
“You’re one of those brats, you know.” She could hear the slight smile in the gruff tone without turning around as she pulled the coffee down from the cupboard, pre-ground coffee…heathens.
“At least I know what I am. You didn’t answer my questions.” She started the first pot.
“The silver one is for decaf, and yes, there are one or two people who drink it. And feel free, Yui, everyone should be here soon so they’d probably appreciate hot coffee!” Yamada smiled as he pulled up his email.
“If anyone asks, it was dad. I don’t want anyone assuming crap about me.” She started the other machines, finding the cursed decaf grounds.
“We all know you’re really a sweetheart, Yui.” The teen rolled her eyes at the other woman, filling a cup with coffee.
“That’s a bunch of bullsh-“ She closed her mouth with a snap as the door opened, staring at Cementoss, Snipe and Ectoplasm as they walked in, Thirteen and Vlad King right behind them. The heroes paused by the doorway, staring at the teenager as she slowly took a sip of coffee.
“Uuhh…what’s a student doin’ in here?” Snipe finally asked.
“You look familiar…wait-“ Yui tried to hide a wince when Thirteen spoke up. Shit! They were going to accuse her of being a villain, a spy, maybe hold her rooftop escapades against her, then they'd kick her ou-“You’re the girl in Mic’s photos! The one he and Eraser adopted a couple months ago. It’s nice to meet you, Mic talks about you and your brother all the time!”
Surprised at her sudden imaginary amnesty, she blinked at them as relief flushed through her adrenaline flooded system, “Um…it’s nice to meet you too?” She jolted a bit before she bowed, “My name is Yui Yamazawa,”
She blinked at them, “Um…it’s nice to meet you too?” She jolted a bit before she bowed, “My name is Yui Yamazawa,”
“What class are you in? You’re joining Heroics, ain’t ya?” She thought she heard a smiled in Snipe’s voice, though it was hard to tell with the mask the man wore. Cementoss smiled as he gave a small bow before he started to boil some water for tea.
“Good morning, everyone!” They all turned to the cheery voice of the principal as he walked into the room. “Oh good, it’s good to see you here, Yui-san. Please stay for the meeting, would you?”
“Oh, if you’re sure?” She asked, moving out of the way so Ectoplasm could pour himself a cup of decaf…so he was one of the psychopaths.
“Absolutely! After all, you will be a topic of discussion, so we should get it out of the way! So, as long as everyone is ready, let’s move to the conference room, shall we?”
'Ah....so he was just gonna rip the bandaid off anyway?' Yui pushed down the tightness in her chest, wondering if the rat could see the flash of betrayal that went through her when she was so close to being let off the hook
Just like that they were moving to the room next door, a large room with tables in a ‘U’ shape, with Nedzu at the head, watching them all as he sipped his tea. Yui sat down between the principal and Aizawa, her hands clenching around the mug.
“Now that we’re all seated, let me start off by saying welcome back! Let’s make this another successful year of raising the next generation of heroes. The first-year teachers for the new students are Midnight and Ectoplasm, so Eraserhead and Vlad King, please coordinate your tests with them.” Nedzu started talking about updates to security and new additions to facilities in the building. The mug in her hands had cooled before he turned to her, “Now, I’m certain most of you are wondering why I’d have a new student sit in on this meeting. This is Yui Yamazawa, my personal student.”
The teachers beside her family all looked at her, their gazes making her skin itch but she knew this was just the start. Nedzu cleared his throat, “Now, I’d like to make things very clear, what I’m about to tell you does not leave the room. And I expect you all to remain professional with what I have to say. Yui Yamazawa was born Yui Andenryū, the daughter of Miyu and Haruto Andenryū, the A-ranked villains Break and Hack. Yui-san used to be known as Hijack until she was eleven years old.”
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
“Hijack was an A-rank villain that disappeared almost four years ago! Why is a villain in this school?!” Vlad King yelled out, glaring at the girl as she squared her shoulders, meeting his glare with the blankest face she could manage. She saw Aizawa clench his hand around his mug, his eyes narrowed at his colleague.
“Kan, calm down. Yui-san was a child who was groomed into being a villain, but that’s not who she is. She’s the one who turned her parents in to the police, in fact, for three years, give or take, she worked as a vigilante known as ControlFreak. She’s helped put away more villains and thugs than our third years!” Nedzu cheerfully supplied, sipping at his tea.
“Wait, you’re ControlFreak? You and your partner Null were pardoned by the Commission after they determined that you two weren’t using your Quirks. You two are the reason the term ‘vigilante’ is being officially changed in Japan.” Thirteen sounded thoughtful, but like Snipe, it was hard to see with the mask the hero wore.
“Indeed! Yui-san is actually here because of a deal I made with the Commission. She is considered a Reformation Student, training to be a hero to clear away her past. So, you will treat her as any other student. She came here in good faith into an environment full of possible individuals with the mindset you’re displaying Kan-chan. I’ll be speaking with you more indepth to address any of your concerns and put this to rest. And I expect it to be put to rest. Do I make myself clear?” Nedzu met Vlad King’s eyes until the man gulped, nodding slowly. “Excellent then-”
“I suspect it may be prudent to clear the air Principal Nedzu.” Thirteen speaking before Nedzu could dismiss the teachers.
Nedzu’s small beady eyes focused on Thirteen, the smile looking a little more plastic from the interruption, “Oh?”
Continuing on with a nod, “Everyone here can put two and two together Sir. We’ve been having a lot of cybersecurity breaches before her admittance. Miss Yamazawa?”
Yui gritted her teeth before straightening her back and glaring at her, “Yeah...that was me....It was easy too.”
Nedzu blew away the tension of the room as he broke down tittering, before melting down into outright laughter “You can get in our systems? hn hn hn hn! You're talking big little spark plug, when you can't get access to any insider information!”
Several of the teachers relaxed with the knowledge she hadn’t gotten anything they weren’t comfortable with. Yui looked at the rat who was in triumphant hysterics, “You shut down the monitoring! How can I get past that?!”
“The wailing of a child! HYAH HAHAHA. This is the real world young Yui! The POWER. of adults!"
The teachers ruminated in expressions of resigned concern and bemusement, Nedzu was a fantastic principal but his PTSD from the labs meant there was little they could do but ride out his moments of megalomania.
“So....hacking the school?” Thirteen raised a finger, prompting as the laughter of the suited mammal wound down.
Yui had the sense to look embarrassed but her expression lacked any hint of regret, "I just....needed to know we'd be safe. Honestly my brother adores this school and I had to make sure....well that there weren't any creeps or teachers that couldn't give him the best. We'd just as easily have gone to Shiketsu with Himiko my sister."
The teachers looked a little stunned at her bluntness, and clear resolve that spoke of her willingness to discard the school if it couldn't provide for hers. The miscellaneous group’s expressions relaxing. Clearly relieved to learn that the new student had noble enough purposes driving her, as they looked upon her with new eyes. Vlad King even seemed to nod with a considering look.
Yui grimaced, "I couldn't get anything important because of the rat though..."
Aizawa just gave her a, ‘We will be talking about this later’ glare as Mic covered his mouth to stifle laughter.
Nedzu finally able to speak, though a titter would shudder through his chest every few moments, "Admirable that you'd be so adamant to give the best for your family little Yui. And let this be a lesson to you all! If we rest on our laurels hn hn we'll lose the students just like that! MAGNIFICENT!"
Nedzu spun away from them to face Yui, coming up to his feet atop his chair to look down at her, "However Yui, hn hn as your teachers, you're already trusting them to teach you things that you'll eventually use to protect your life! Whether you realize this or not that is indeed what you are doing."
Taking a sip from his tea Nedzu smirked, "So it is time to GO ALL IN! You've already taken the leap!"
Taken aback, Yui stared at Nedzu with wide eyes, "Shit....No...wait...FUCK YOU'RE RIGHT!" Yui placed her head in her hands in disbelief.
Nedzu's teacup began to clatter against the plate in his hand, tea beginning to splash over the sides, "HYAH HAHAHA OF COURSE! This is what it means to guide the youth!”
Turning towards the gathered teachers Nedzu continued his passionate proclamation, “Now! With this object lesson, I’ll leave you to get ready for your classes. Yui-san please come with me to my office!”
She blinked as she stood up, “Yes, Nedzu-sensei.” She turned to the teachers, “I um…I just want to say, I really am trying to move past my…history. I know I’ve done terrible things, but I’d like to make up for those mistakes. I understand if you don’t believe me yet, but I’d appreciate it if you could give me a chance. Thank you, and I look forward from learning from you.” She bowed before she followed the principal from the room.
She sighed when they were out of sight, her shoulders slumping, “Kami, it’s so stupid to be this nervous, I’ve fought villains that have tried to smash my face into the ground. The teachers here aren’t going to hurt me.” She muttered, running a hand through her hair.
“It’s understandable to be nervous. Yui-san, this is a new experience for you. You’ve never attended a physical school, you’ve only taken online classes before now. And you do not have a stable history with trustworthy adults, besides recently, it’s natural to be wary of people you viewed as your enemies in the past.” Nedzu informed her before he hopped onto his desk as the large doors closed behind them.
She raised an eyebrow at him, “I guess you’re right…do you have a psychological profile on me or something?”
“Of course! Anyway, would you like some tea?” He asked, heading toward a small door that was between two bookcases.
“...Yes please. The chamomile you made last time was really good.” She took a seat on one of the loveseats.
“Thank you! Mastering the art of brewing tea is a favorite hobby of mine. I find it soothing.” She leaned forward to see a Nedzu-sized kitchen through the doorway, she’d been wondering how he indulged his hobby.
“I’m not really a tea drinker, honestly. At least not until I met you. I started doing some research so I could make better tea at home for pops.” Yui pulled out a pocket sized laptop she’d built, connecting to the school’s systems.
“How is the living arrangement going for you and Izuku? Are Aizawa and Yamada a good match?” he walked back in, pushing the tea cart over to the coffee table.
“It's great! Izuku is so much happier than I’ve seen him. Having parents really means a lot to him…and to me too. I didn’t know what I was missing from my life until I met those two. And Granny, Tsuki and Nem. It’s like we’re actually family.” Her lips were curled in a small smile as she took the teacup he offered her, “Thank you,”
“I’m glad you two are happy. And I heard from Tsukauchi that you and Izuku help him with his difficult cases from time to time?” he sat down across from her before he sipped his tea.
“Sometimes. It’s not like we’re beating up people, and we get approval from Eraserhead before we jump in. It’s like being an informant, I think? With my…skills, following trails and digging up information is pretty easy. Izuku is good at finding patterns and weaknesses for Tsuki to go after.” She took a sip, licking her lip as she looked down at the cup.
“It’s jade oolong. I chose it for the many health benefits, and for me at least, it helps with mental awareness.” The principal informed her, before setting the cup down. “Now, before the assembly, I’d like to discuss your test results. The test you took was different than the ones we use for the entrance exam.”
Yui nodded slowly, “I had a feeling, that test took me five hours.”
“The teachers call that my hell test.” The rat chuckled, “Five hours is actually the quickest anyone has completed it, and scoring ninety-one percent overall is fantastic! I saw your transcripts for your online classes, but I find it impressive that you took college classes before starting high school. You’ve tested out of our core classes. Why did you choose to become fluent in English and German?”
“Oh, America and Germany are top manufacturers of support gear, I had to learn to be able to understand the books I bought.” She lifted a shoulder in a shrug.
“I think you’ll benefit from a special curriculum that I have designed for you. You’d spend your mornings with me, and your afternoons after lunch with class 1-A in heroics. I’d also like you to learn from Power Loader after school three days a week? I’m assuming you’d be staying late anyway if you were waiting on Aizawa and Yamada?”
She blinked, before she nodded, “That sounds amazing. I was worried I’d have to sit through classes I completed a long time ago. What would you be teaching me?”
The rat smiled, his sharp teeth on display, “Your skills in hacking are superb, you wish to go into underground heroics, correct?” At her nod he continued, “As you already know, underground heroes rely on not being in the limelight. They gather information, deal with the dredges of human society, they walk the lines that separate heroes from vigilantes and even villains. Your unique background will be your ace. Who better understands villains than someone who spent her first eleven years with them?”
Yui rubbed her thumb against the porcelain cup in her hand, “You have a good point. So you’re going to teach me how to be a…spy?”
“I will be teaching you how to walk those lines, how to manipulate to your advantage, to be able to read someone based on their tells and how to hide your own true feelings. Among other things! We have three years, Yui-san, I assure you, you will not be bored.” He grinned before he sipped on his tea.
She looked up at him, tilting her head a bit, “May I propose a project, Nedzu-sensei?” If she could get the smartest creature in Japan on her side, then something she’d been thinking of for years would suddenly have a chance at success.
“Of course,” he waved a paw for her to continue.
“How do you feel about helping me shake faith in a pillar of the hero society?”
Yui almost swore she saw the principal foam at the mouth at the prospect. She wasn't sure if it was excitement or rage so she rapidly went into why she wanted to knock Endeavor from his high horse. He was grinning through the foam so that was probably good?
"Hm. Pardon my reaction there. It was just such an intriguing statement I couldn't help myself." Nedzu dabbed his lips clean smiling contently at Yui, before his eyes opened and they were cold, and dead the tone of his next statement sending a shiver down her spine, "I can relate to being trapped and put through unfortunate circumstances. Lets discuss." Time seemed to become fluid as they talked, a general idea floating in the ether before noticing that they were about to be late to the assembly, and while the teen wouldn’t have minded missing out, the principal actually had to be there to welcome the new students.
Yui sat in the back, listening as Nedzu droned on as she looked around at the other students. The spot where 1-A was supposed to be was empty, and 2-A was missing their homeroom teacher. They were a pretty small class at seven though, but who knows how many Eraser had expelled and which ones had transferred after realizing they didn’t want to risk their lives in helping others?
After the assembly concluded, she joined Nedzu back in his office, the two eating their lunches in relative peace. Since talking about the flaming garbage can was going to need a more in depth discussion, they settled for a relatively safe topic. And Yui definitely had to have a talk with a certain big brother before she dumped any more secrets.
“Where do you get your tea leaves? I’ve had chamomile tea from the store and it doesn’t taste half this good.” Yui sipped at her cup, in all honesty, she’d like to find this jade oolong too.
“Oh, my dear, I am almost offended you’d compare the two! I conduct extensive research into suppliers, and then there’s of course the taste testing! I make records of who I prefer, but really, the act of preparing the tea can radically change the flavor. I’m certain if you made tea from the leaves I purchase, it would probably taste similar to ‘store’ bought.” She was pretty sure the principal tittered at her.
“Well, you can teach me, right? Pops keeps saying I need to cut down on the coffee, might as well enjoy tea.” She huffed, her chopsticks clicking together as she spun the around her fingers.
“If it is a skill you would like to learn, Yui-san, I can teach you.” He sipped at his tea, setting the cup back down on the saucer with a soft clink. “I will even teach you the proper etiquette.”
Yui opened her mouth to respond when the bell that signaled the end of lunch rang. “Oh how time flies! We'll continue this talk tomorrow, Yui-san. Would you like an escort to your next class?”
“No thank you, sensei. I memorized the floor plan, I should be okay getting to Midnight's class.” She smiled softly as she picked up her bag, closing her pocket laptop and putting it away. “I look forward to tomorrow.” She bowed before she left the room, heading for the first years heroics class. At least she wasn’t going to be in Vlad King’s class, being around that man was already going to push her patience from what she could see.
The teen stood in front of the large door that was marked ‘1-A', taking in a deep breath before she opened the door and walked inside. Ten pairs of eyes turned to watch her walk inside, some holding curiosity, suspicion or confusion. Midnight smiled at her as the bell rang.
“I was wondering when Nedzu was going to let you join us. Class, this is Yui Yamazawa, she was the twentieth student Aizawa mentioned during the test this morning. Your spot is the desk in front of Amajiki,” she pointed to the front row desk next to the window in front of a nervous looking navy haired teen.
Yui took her spot as Midnight clapped her hands. “This time is your heroics class, but since today is your first day and you already had to use your Quirks, I thought we could all just use this time to get to know each other better! Hopefully you’ll all be in this class for the next three years, so you should all get to know your classmates. Now, who wants to go first?”