Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Of course, the Hero Academy was centered around a building that looked like a giant letter "H" I'm getting the impression the word subtle may not exist in this world.

It is said that the difference between a hero and a vigilante is less in the legality of the hero's actions than in the overt nature of their existence. Vigilantes fight in the shadow. Heroes are raised as symbols. And symbols cannot be subtle.

Hearing Emily's thoughts on symbols I could appreciate the main building in a new light. The Rig with its rainbow bridge was an example of heroes doing the same thing in my world.

Are you procrastinating because of a newfound interest in the sociological implications of architecture or are you nervous about the new situation and its potential pitfalls? I could appreciate the concern in her 'voice' but was anxious enough to still be snippy.

You're the one to get me into this mess, so I wouldn't be getting snarky. I could still turn around and enroll in a cosmetology course. I'm sure it would be much more peaceful and the challenges of so many types of hair might even keep it interesting.

Beauty school? That is your response? I could sense her smile. Hmmm … although it would greatly distress my father, maybe it is a better idea.

I chose not to reply.

We were standing at the gate to U.A. High School, watching as the students in their grey uniforms filed into the school. There was a variety of hair colors and body types, including a number of obvious mutations among the crowd.

"Right. Here we go," I muttered in English.

I really was dreading the thought of returning to high school. Even a different school in a different country in a different world. I couldn't get over the idea that the horrors of high school had to be universal. Multiversal?

Nothing happened when I passed through the gate.

Following the crowd, we entered the main building. According to the map app, my classroom was on the second floor. I passed the giant door for 1-A, where a rosy-cheeked brunette was excitedly embarrassing a guy with green hair while another boy looked on. Seeing their antics, I realized these were just kids. A lot of my initial anxiety faded.

Next down the hall, I came to the twenty-foot-tall door labeled 1-B.

Are the doors also symbolic or should I be expecting some ginormous classmates? I could see it going either way.

I cannot say.

Most people got more talkative when they got nervous. I was learning that the normally verbose ghost became more economical with words instead.

I slid the well-lubricated door and it opened smoothly. It seems to have been well-soundproofed too, as a blast of noise hit me as I walked in. Almost instinctively, I sent out a flight of spirits to give me a sense of all the people, objects, and movement in the class. There was a lot going on.

Eighteen kids – not including me – were gathering and scattering almost randomly. Several were shouting at the tops of their voices. A lizard-faced boy was yelling at a kid with metal skin and hair who was responding at a similar volume. Several other students, including a girl with giant hands and a green-scaled boy, were trying to separate them before they came to blows. A handsome blond guy seemed to be laughing at them all.

Only a few turned to look at me as I walked in. I moved along the wall towards the back of the room. I stopped near the rear door, ready to make my escape if needed. Many of the kids in the room looked normal. Almost half had visible non-human characteristics that might have had them classified as Case 53s back home. One boy, with a head like an incense burner, and another with a fucking comic book dialog bubble coming out of his collar instead of a head were the most noticeable.

Do you recognize anyone? I asked Emily.

I may recognize a few from the examination, but I cannot say I am familiar beyond that.

We're probably all in the same boat then.

"Everyone settle down and take your seats," ordered Kan-sensei as he came in the door. Emily started translating automatically. She had not bothered translating the noise of the other kids. The teacher was wearing his red costume, rather than civilian clothes like he had when he visited me. He looked pretty impressive. "If you don't know where your seat is, they are marked."

Emily mentally drew my attention to the correct seat. We'd found she could basically point things out to me. I was even beginning to see her with a body when we interacted. She matched my current form, but dressed in formal miko robes. I suspected the image came from her.

I was assigned the second seat from the back along the window side of the room. In front of me was the smirking blond boy and behind me was the boy with scales, though they were no longer visible. Next to me was a normal looking girl. She offered a friendly smile, which I returned. I wasn't the same wallflower I'd been in tenth grade the first time.

"Today we will attend the Opening Ceremonies, then we will have an orientation for your classes and activities here at U.A. High." He paused to look around the class. His eyes stopped on mine momentarily. "After that we'll get outside and get to know each other a bit better. You will have a chance to exercise your quirks as well. Are there any questions?"

No one raised their hand.

"Then let's go to the auditorium."

The opening ceremony was nothing special. I admit the strange little talking teddy bear who was the school principal blew my mind. When Emily told me he was not even human, but some mammal with a hyper-intelligence quirk, I was astounded. Why would a society place their top students in the hands – paws? – of an uplifted animal? Other than that, it was boring pageantry and necessary administrivia.

Things got interesting again when we all went out to the sports field in our gym clothes to find five towers of what looked to be railroad ties stacked twenty feet tall in a sports field. Mr. Kan was standing in front of them.

"This afternoon we will have three tasks. Two of them involve these giant blocks. First we will play Jenga as a class." He held up a wooden block. It looked to be six feet long, a bit over a foot high, and almost two feet wide. He started passing it around the class. When it got to me, I found it was heavy – more than fifty pounds – but not impossible to work with. My poltergeists could lift it easily.

"You will go in turn to remove a block from the tower without causing the tower to fall. Once you have the block, you will find a question on it. You will read and answer to the class. If the tower should fall, you will be out, but will still answer the question. Do you understand?"

"How are we supposed to get to the top of the tower?" asked a black-skinned boy. I don't mean of dark-skinned. I mean black as night, but with pure white hair.

"You can use your quirk. But remember, you are not allowed to destroy any of the blocks."

The students got excited. I thought this was an easy task for me. I was curious how the others would handle it.

"Let's start with Awase Yosetsu."

A boy with spiked black hair held back by a headband walked up to the left tower. He ran his hands over several blocks, starting at the bottom of the stack. After a few minutes he pulled one of the middle blocks out. "I've welded the outside blocks in the first three levels. That should improve the stability of the tower while leaving the middle blocks free for those that can't reach higher up," he informed the class.

Nice. I said to Emily.

He seems very helpful.

"And the question?" Mr. Ken asked.

"How did you get one of your scars?" Awase read. Rolling up his left sleeve he pointed to what I assumed was a scar. I was too far away to see it easily. "I got this one while camping near Mt. Fuji. I slipped on some rocks I was climbing. I like camping."

Everyone offered him applause.

"Next is Kaibara Sen." Another boy – this one particularly good looking, with coal black hair and sharp features – stepped forward. He ran to the tower and leapt up. He climbed like he was crawling across a floor. When he was at the top, he pushed the corner block off, letting it fall to the ground then crawled back down. As he moved, I saw his hands and knees were spinning like drills allowing him to cling to the wood easily.

"What sort of pets do you have?" he read. "My family has two dogs."

Next was the mandible boy who sprouted blades from his arms and legs to climb the tower. Then the black and white guy who seemed to teleport to the top. Everyone had some way of doing it.

The oddest were probably the girl who grew mushrooms on the tower – it didn't seem to help move the block but she wanted to show off the quirk – and the comic-book head who loudly yelled "Shlurrp!" and sucked the block out! The sound was printed on the guy's 'face' in Japanese.

The questions and answers were pretty mundane, but I realized they did help humanize the strange people I would be spending some months or years with. For instance, I really would not have pegged the hairy dog boy as a flautist. Finding out the horn girl was from the States was nice. I would have another person to speak English with.

When it came my turn, second to last, we were on the third tower. Two of my classmates had managed to get their block, but at the cost of the tower's stability. I was easily able to pluck my block while steadying the tower with my swarm. The question, translated by Emily, was "Who is your favorite Pro Hero and why?"

Fuck. Emily, I think this one's on you.

Please refrain from such lewd utterances. I would say All Might. As the Symbol of Peace, he helps spread tranquility around the world.

Great. Translate please.

She did and I repeated it. The students noticed my odd delay in answering and my somewhat halting speech. But I still got my applause.

Rin Hiryu was last. He shot scales at a single block, each impact pushing the block a little further, until it fell from the tower.

After Rin's Q&A – it is not possible to live a normal life and never tell a lie – Kan-sensei had something to say.

"It is important for you to understand there are many ways a hero may be called upon to use his or her quirk outside of combat. Rescue operations and clean-up are just two examples. You all managed to get creative individually. Now it is time to see how well you can work together in teams."

He pointed to five stacks of twenty blocks, each set in different part of the field. "You will be split randomly into groups of four. Your tasks are to use your quirks and use all twenty blocks to build a tower as tall as you can."

He held out a small leather bag to Rin. "Take a single tile. The number on it is your team number."

Soon we were all appointed to our teams. I got dog boy, zombie face, and a normal looking guy with short brown hair who could apparently blow hard air. His name was Kosei-kun. Dog boy was Shishida-kun. He was a physically enhanced Changer/Brute. Zombie face was Juzo-kun. He had a Shaker field that softened matter, though I did not see what that had to do with his obvious physical mutation.

"So, you two can lift the blocks," Kosei said, pointing to Shishida and me. "I can make platforms for people to work from while Juzo-kun can soften the ground to give the tower a better footing."

The others nodded. I had a few ideas, but held back. If I went like I normally would, I'd take over any group I was part of. That was a bad idea. I wasn't the sort of person these kids should be following. If it came to a fight, I'd probably end up sacrificing them to win. I stayed silent. This was just a class thing anyway.

"But how do we stack them?" Juzo-asked. "The tallest design is to stack them end on end. But they'll fall unless we can attach them somehow."

"If we can continue to hold them with our quirks, I could build a wall to hold them up while Reiko-chan braces the top blocks."

He is being overly familiar, calling you that. I think Shishida-san is the only properly behaved one of the three. Emily complained.

"I do not believe that would be within the spirit of the rules to actively use quirks once the structure is built," Shishida admonished. "If the effect of a quirk is long lasting – like Awase-san's or Bondo-san's – it would be another matter."

"But Kan-sensei did not specify that," Kosei complained.

"I think Shishida-san is probably right," Jozu allowed. "What do you think, Yanagi-san?"

"I agree."

"Fine," Kosei pouted. "But we aren't going to win with that attitude. Plus Ultra! Remember?"

"Then let's try our best, without cheating," Shishida encouraged.

"Hey!" Kosei barked. "I never said to cheat. Just play smart."

"Then let's do that," Jozu pacified.

In the end we got the tower raised, but Awase and Bondo – who shot glue out of his jar-like face – both managed to build theirs taller.

"Thanks for your hard work, Reiko-chan," Kosei offered as we were walking back to the classroom. He stepped into my personal space and lowered his voice. "It was fun working with you."

How lewd! Emily sounded scandalized.

I just nodded to him and increased my pace. I thought his unsubtle advances were funny, in a pathetic way. He was good looking enough, but way too young for me. More to the point I was all wrong for him – given that my first reaction was 'Come talk to me after you've killed your first villain.'

Taylor! That is a horrible thing to wish on anyone. Emily sounded shocked and distressed.

I was joking. A dark and inappropriate joke I admit. My sense of humor seems to have taken an edge since my reincarnation – likely in response to my experiences and fears. You're all so innocent. In truth I envy you all that. But I haven't been innocent in a long time. I don't know if I'll really be able to form any kind of relationships with these … kids. We are just so different.

We have a relationship.

We have no choice. I realized after I said it how blunt that sounded. But it was true. Your reactions to my thoughts and past actions tells me that you're not comfortable with the sort of person I am. Can you honestly say I'm safe to be around these people – that they're safe to be around me?

Emily was silent for the rest of the walk. Luckily no one tried to talk to me.

Once we were back in class Kan-sensei addressed us. "You begin to see how different combinations of quirks can allow for different results. Pro Heroes need to know their goals and plan on how best to achieve them given the quirks and skills at hand. They also need to be able to work with heroes not normally part of their teams. Teamwork, planning, and creativity are all essential to be the best heroes you can be. Any questions?"

"Could we have held up our tower using our active quirks after you stopped the construction phase?" Kosei asked. He just wasn't letting it go.

"I did not say you couldn't," the teacher said, catching my attention. "In the real world there are very few rules. You need to think outside the box and not restrict yourself, beyond the most basic legal and ethical strictures. So … yes. You could have. The question you should be asking is – why didn't you?" He barked out the last words, his voice harsh.

Kosei glared at us, looking both smug and angry.

That is surprisingly realistic for a schoolteacher, I said silently. I'm a little upset I didn't treat this exercise as I would have in the field.

It is good that you are remaining open to new learning experiences. Perhaps this school will offer you an opportunity to grow in ways that you need to achieve your enlightenment.

Forget enlightenment. If I can get out of here without killing any of the students or teachers, I'll be happy.

Taylor!

I took a deep breath. I think being back in high school is really fucking with my emotions. Again, that was gallows humor. But it was serious too. In the last battle I really don't know how many people I killed. People who were once friends or teammates. I may have known in the moment, but that's all a jumble now. I don't want anything like that to happen here.

I cannot imagine the burden you are carrying. The guilt you are feeling. Emily soothed in her 'therapist' voice. Can you posit alternative choices you might have made to avoid the disaster? Where those deaths necessary to save your world?

I thought so at the time. But a real hero would have found a different way – a better way. I just wasn't …

It was my turn to grow silent.

"The last task for the day is a sort of debate exercise," Kan-sensei explained. "A hero must rely on his mind, even more than his quirk. Often the best route to a peaceful resolution is to be able to convince the villain to surrender. Being able to convince someone to change his mind is a useful skill. Even more important is your ability to make up your own mind quickly, even under pressure."

He looked at the students as they started fidgeting nervously.

"Everyone, stand and push the desks against the walls," he barked. He switched between being a reasonable guy and a drill sergeant at the drop of a hat. Once the floor was clear, he continued.

"You will stand in the center of the room while I read out a short case. It will be a situation a hero has or might find himself in. I will offer you two actions or choices. You will have five seconds to make a decision and run to whichever side of the room represents your choice."

"The last one to touch the wall will have to explain their decision to the class. Now here is the fun part. After the student explains their thinking everyone will have ten seconds to decide if they want to change their own choice and go to the other side. The last one to hit the wall will have to explain their reason for switching."

"Understand?"

I'm betting no one will change their mind if they are risking a public explanation like that. I thought. Still the idea has potential.

Perhaps that depends on the courage of the person's convictions. While few students will relish having to speak before the class; if they feel certain of the righteousness of their new choice, they may risk the price.

We'll see.

"We will walk through the first example. Gather in the center of the room. Remember that the corridor side wall is for the first choice and the window side for the second. That will stay the same for each case."

He began to read from a tablet. "A villain has taken a civilian hostage in a public space. Your attacks on the villain have proven ineffective. Both your attacks and the villain's responses are causing collateral damage and risking bystanders. Do you understand the basic scenario?"

Everyone nodded. Sounded realistic enough to me.

"You have two choices A – Continue to attack with the hope that something will prove effective before the hostage is killed. Or B – Retreat, get the bystanders to safety and mitigate the collateral damage – while waiting for another hero who may be able to affect the villain?"

"On my mark chose that side for attacking again and that side for waiting for help. Go!"

I chose attacking again. Several others chose the same option. Pony, the American girl was the last one on my side. Shiozaki, a girl with green vines for hair was the last to choose the other side.

"Your reason Tsunotori-san?" prompted the teacher.

"Never give up hope … have to keep trying."

Her Japanese is heavily accented and has a few errors. Emily informed me.

Maybe later I can work with her on it. We could help each other. And I can speak to her in English.

"Concise, but does anyone on this side disagree with the reasoning?" Ken-sensei asked.

We all shook our heads.

"Shiozaki-san, what was your reason for choosing to wait?"

"If my attacks are fruitless, then it is better if I can either keep the villain engaged verbally to maintain the stalemate or work to protect lives and property rather than persisting in actions certain to fail." The vine-haired girl spoke with a certain airy quality to her voice. I wasn't sure how convinced she was in her own argument though.

"Does anyone on that side disagree with her reasons or have something different to add?"

No one spoke up.

"Very well, I want anyone who wants to change their minds after hearing these reasons to run to the other wall on zero. Three … two … one … zero!"

To my surprise two people ran towards my side. They bought the emotional rather than rational argument. I was tempted to change sides as well, but I didn't want to make the sacrifice plays any more. I wanted to save everyone that I could.

"Alright, does everyone understand how this is played?" the teacher asked. I noticed he didn't make the last runner offer his reasons. That probably encouraged people to change their minds in later rounds.

"Then let's try it again. Back to the center."

We went through four more cases. They were interesting as there were no obvious right or wrong answers. Instead they forced the student both to make hard decisions quickly and to think about why they made the choices they did.

Are you seeing the pattern with Kamakiri, Awase, Tetsutetsu, and Kendo? I pointed out. This was a good way to learn about potential teammates.

Their preference for direct, aggressive action is rather marked. I notice you side with them often. Perhaps your shared predilections for violence is something to meditate on. You may want to pattern your decisions more on the likes of Shiozaki-san, Shoda-san, and Kodai-san. Their penchant sems to run more towards de-escalation and negotiation.

I'll give that some thought.

This was a surprisingly interesting day. I wonder what some of the Protectorate heroes or Wards would have done with these same scenarios.

"As you can see, the decisions heroes face are not always cut and dried. They are never easy," Kan-sensei wrapped up after the exercise. "We will address these cases, and many others, in future classes – including examining what the heroes in question really decided and the consequences of those decisions. I want you to learn from their experiences, to keep you from making the same mistakes. We will see you tomorrow for the Quirk Appreciation test. Wednesday will be the first Hero Basic Training class with the Battle Trial. After that, regular classes start. This is a busy week for you. Be aware, it is only going to get harder from here."

"Welcome to U.A." He concluded.

"Yanagi-san, may I have a moment?" The teacher pulled me aside as the rest of the class was packing to leave.

"Sensei?"

"Recovery Girl would like to examine you to determine if there is anything she can do about the lingering effects of your head injury. Do you have time this afternoon?"

"Yes, sensei."

"Do you know where her office is?"

"It was in the guide, so I think so."

"Very good. She is expecting you."

Inside the infirmary I found Recovery Girl talking to the green-haired boy I remembered seeing in the doorway of Class 1-A this morning.

She was saying something to him that Emily did not translate.

What are they saying? I asked.

Eavesdropping is unethical. I choose not to impinge on the privacy of others in such a way.

Someone was paying attention to the exercise in class. It did raise awareness of ethical dilemmas. I saw the nurse give the boy some candy. Was that a PEZ dispenser? He offered me an automatic bow on the way out. It looked like his mind was on something else.

"Hello, dearie," greeted the old lady. "How can I help you?"

"I am Yanagi Reiko. Kan-sensei said you wanted to see me?"

"Ah yes, the head injury. I've seen the video. It did not look too severe."

"It …"

"But I know brain trauma can have strange effects," she continued over my excuses. "Sometimes those effects vanish all on their own or heal over time. If this is one of those situations, I may be able to speed up the process. But first, I would like to take a look. Do you mind?"

"No, ma'am." I sat in the indicated chair and bowed my head so she could reach the injured area.

"Hmm? So desu? La la la?" she continued to make nonsensical sounds as she carefully probed the area under a strong light. "Your mother has a healing quirk? She used it on you after the injury?"

"Not exactly. Her quirk is more about preserving the dead and preparing them for burial. She did use it on me, but mostly to clean the wound and clear away the blood."

"It looks like it did a bit more than that, but I can still see evidence of the injury. I'd like to try healing it, if you don't mind. It may make you tired, as I have to use your own stamina to power the healing. Not to worry, a good night's sleep will see you right as rain."

So not quite Panacea, I thought to myself. I hesitated. I wasn't happy letting someone I didn't know use her power on me.

She is perhaps the best-known healer in the country. With decades of experience and has earned the trust and affection of the nation. I cannot tell you what to do, but I trust her to heal us.

Alright.

"Please go ahead," I replied though Emily. "Thank you for your efforts."

There was no noticeable effect from her kiss. That was to be expected as I currently had no wounds that I knew of.

"Anything?"

"Nothing that I can tell," I replied, just as hesitantly as before.

"We'll just have to wait for a bit. If nothing improves, I may want to try some more detailed tests to attempt to track down the problem, alright?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Off with you then! Oh wait, have one of these." She offered a PEZ candy.

"Thank you."

I went home.