(Nezu POV – Principal's Office)
I watch with interest as Toshinori and young Midoriya slump back into their seats, instantly unconscious as though their souls have been yanked out.
Kata, on the other hand, is…
'Perfectly fine?' I tilt my head, studying him. There's no sign of him passing out. Just the same calm, apathetic demeanor as always.
"How interesting." I murmur, letting my lips curl into a curious smile. "Did you not go along with them?"
"Not exactly." His voice is steady, almost bored. "I only sent half of my consciousness in."
My whiskers twitch. 'Half of his consciousness? So he can split it at will… or only under certain conditions? How fine is the division? How many parts?' A dozen questions bloom in my head, each more tantalizing than the last.
Of course, I restrain them. Asking directly would likely yield no results.
"Well, perhaps that's for the best." I say with a light chuckle. "There was something I wanted to discuss from your message last night… something I'd prefer Midoriya not hear."
That piques his interest and his eyes sharpen, the faintest crack in his usual mask of disinterest.
"Did you find anything?" He asks casually. Then, leaning forward just slightly: "Or rather… what did Aoyama say?"
'Ah. There it is. Not concern for the traitor himself, but interest in what truly matters. He's probably worried about Eri and her being on AFO's radar. It's comforting that he has people he cares deeply for.' I muse.
"He said quite a lot." I reply evenly, picking up the tablet from my desk. A few taps, and the file is ready. "You can hear it yourself."
The audio begins to play, and silence settles over the room. My eyes stay on Kata, not the screen.
Aoyama rambles about the class's karaoke outing. Innocuous enough—until he details Kata altering Hagakure's quirk, making her visible.
My gaze narrows subtly. That alone could spark quite the stir if it spread. The ability to not only disable a mutation type quirk, but to modify it as well… that'd be grounds for both fascination and fear.
And yet, Kata doesn't so much as twitch. 'Is it genuine indifference, or is he just hiding his true thoughts?'
But then Eri's name surfaces. Aoyama mentions how much Kata cares for her, and for just an instant, his brow furrows.
'There it is. A crack in his facade.'
And eventually, after Aoyama giving more details, the recording ends.
"Unfortunately…" I say with a sigh. "We can't trace who he called. They used disposable burner phones to communicate with Aoyama, and made it one sided contact. They're quite the cautious bunch."
"That's to be expected." Kata replies flatly. "They'd have been caught sooner if they weren't."
I let my smile curl politely. "I wasn't aware you could alter quirks." I keep my tone airy, almost playful.
"You never asked." His answer is immediate and calm.
My whiskers twitch with amusement. "Fair point. Still… people know about it now. Did you consider how that might play out?"
"Of course." He nods once. "Toru is my classmate. I wanted to help her. And I knew it would push Aoyama to report it. I could help a friend as well as set a trap."
'How perfectly that works out… but he's not the type to be altruistic, nor would be stage traps without something to gain.'
Even when he found out Aoyama was a spy, he never disclosed it. He sat on it until he could use it as a bargaining chip.
"How very noble of you." I say aloud, my voice light, though my thoughts are far from convinced.
I fold my paws neatly on the desk. "As this is thanks to you, what would you suggest we do? Expulsion would be simple. But if we let him leave him be and strictly monitor him discreetly, we could make good use of him."
Kata answers immediately, having already decided on a course of action. "It's better to use him as bait. Feed him false intel to draw AFO out. Trying to keep him long term requires divulging real information, since faking info risks AFO getting suspicious."
There's no hesitation or kindness in his voice. Just a cold, ruthless strategy.
I tilt my head, smiling slyly. "Cold words, considering he's your classmate."
Kata meets my gaze calmly. "Would you have considered him your student if you'd known he was a spy from the start?"
'From the start?' The phrase lingers In my mind. 'Is that a hypothetical… or is he admitting he knew from the beginning? How would that even be possible?'
"I suppose not." I say with a sigh, masking my suspicions.
He nods, seemingly satisfied.
"Anything else, Principal Nezu?"
"Yes. One more matter." I smile warmly. "Regarding Toga Himiko… I've assigned her to Class 1-C in the General Studies Course. As I can't give more special treatment, we do expect her to arrive in class tomorrow."
"Thank you for arranging this."
"You're quite welcome. I'm simply returning the favor."
Before the mood can stiffen further—
"They're done." Kata suddenly interrupts.
And indeed, Toshinori and Midoriya stir awake, groaning and rubbing their temples.
"Are we back?!" Midoriya blurts in panic, eyes darting frantically.
Toshinori stiffens, scanning the room as though expecting an ambush.
"This is the real world." Kata mutters, almost exasperated.
Both of them release simultaneous sighs of relief and my ears perk.
"Goodness, you two seem far more tense than usual." I note brightly. "Did something happen?"
Their gazes dim, and neither of them answer. Kata rises before they can.
"I have to pick up my little sister. Excuse me."
We all nod. "Thank you for your time." I say politely.
He slips out, and the silence he leaves is heavy.
Midoriya fidgets, then blurts, "I… I need to go too! Excuse me!" He bows deeply and without waiting for leave, he bolts for the door after Kata.
'Now that is curious.'
I turn to Toshinori, who hasn't moved. He looks graver than I've seen him in years.
"Nezu…" He says at last, his voice low. "We need to talk."
I blink, ears perking. "Oh? About what?"
"What it really means to be the Symbol of Peace." He says, jaw tight. "I've realized… there's so much more I could… should have done. So many people are suffering in the shadows, and I never heard their cries."
My paws drum against the chair. 'The darkness in society is something I've always known about. But for Toshinori to suddenly mention it?'
"…What brought this on?" I ask carefully.
His eyes shadow. "Because not every hero helps people. And I can't ignore it now that I'm aware."
(Kata POV – U.A. Hallway)
Despite so much time passing in the Vestige World, not much has passed in reality. All Might had his long overdue reunion with Nana, and Midoriya… well, he sat beside me at first, but the Vestiges pulled him away eventually.
I had no reason to stop them from taking him since it gave me the silence I wanted while copying OFA.
Now, I'm ready to teleport to Eri's school early, and wait for her outside since it's her first day, and she'd feel much better if she sees me as soon as she's out. But before I can leave, I hear footsteps trailing behind me.
I sigh. 'Of course.'
"You didn't need to come after me." I mutter, turning to face Izuku. "Whatever you said in the Vestige World isn't going to change my mind if you repeat it out here."
'Pity is often disguised as compassion.'
And it's what I'm expecting from him.
But instead—
"I know you don't want to hear it again." Izuku says, his voice tight but firm with his fists balled. "But know that you're our friend and classmate. We're all here for you whenever you need it! Even if you don't ask for help, we'll be there to support you."
I stare at him. Unsure if I should be impressed or irritated. It's a generic shounen speech… but the worst part is that he means every word of it.
"Fine." I sigh, my face deadpan. "I'll… be sure to ask for help or talk if I ever need it."
'Not that I ever will.'
But that's enough for him. His face lights up and he beams at me, unguarded relief and hope shining through. And as wonderful as it is… I take that moment to vanish—
Disappearing around the corner when—
"Oh! It's you!" A voice full of cheerful energy crashes into me.
I freeze.
'…There are way too many cheery people in this place.'
(Nejire POV – U.A. Hallway)
'I knew it!' As soon as I saw him, I was sure.
"Hey! What happened to your scars?" I blurt out, stepping right into his space. "They made you look sooo cool! But actually, you look better without them! Wait—no, maybe with? Hm, I can't decide!" I circle him, hands behind my back, leaning in to inspect him.
"I got rid of them." Kata says, as calmly as always. He doesn't even flinch at my sudden proximity.
"Did you want to? Or was it accidental? How'd you even do that? Ooooh! If I got a scar, could you fix it too?" I query rapidly.
"Yes, I wanted to. I used my quirk. And yes, I could heal you." He answers, ticking each question off like items on a shopping list.
My eyes sparkle. I've got so many questions to ask! And before I can unleash them—
"Don't you want to introduce me to your friends first?" He interrupts smoothly, glancing past me.
I blink. 'Friends? Oh—right!'
I spin around. Tamaki's half-hidden behind Mirio, trying to be as small as possible, while Mirio stands tall and proud, arms crossed and smiling wide.
"Come on guys! Introduce yourselves!" I beam, bouncing a little.
Kata gives them a polite nod. "Kata Okada. It's a pleasure."
"Tamaki Amajiki…" Tamaki mutters, barely audible, eyes fixed on the floor. But it counts! He definitely tried!
"Hey there!" Mirio steps forward with a dazzling confidence. "I'm Mirio Togata, but you can call me Lemillion! 'Cause I'm gonna save a million people!" He laughs heartily, thrusting out his hand, offering a handshake.
'Ohhh, here it comes.' I can't help grinning. 'He always does this prank.'
Kata raises an eyebrow, but calmly accepts it. "Nice to meet you."
I watch in excitement, wondering how Kata will react as their hands… connect.
'Wait. Connect?'
"Huh?" Tamaki and I blurt at the same time, wide-eyed.
Mirio's grin doesn't falter. He just keeps shaking, cheerful as ever., and after a few seconds, they part.
My brain spins. 'Why didn't Mirio use his quirk?'
"Actually, I have to go." Kata's voice cuts through the silence. "It was nice meeting all of you. I hope we meet again."
And just like that, he walks away.
"Bye, Kata!" I wave, then turn to face Mirio. "Hey, Mirio! You didn't use your quirk, did you?"
Mirio's still frozen. Statue-still, arm half raised.
I poke him. "Earth to Miriooo~"
He slowly begins to move, like a rusty machine starting once again. Then his grin widens, fists clenching tightly as he starts trembling with excitement, like he's about to explode.
"Mirio?" Tamaki whispers cautiously.
"My… my hand." Mirio mutters, then blurts out, standing ramrod straight. "I was using my quirk! But he managed to grab me!"
He bursts into wild laughter, shaking with exhilaration.
I just stare, then glance down the hall where Kata disappeared.
'Really? How did he even…?' I begin thinking, before suddenly realising…
"Ah! I forgot to ask him more questions!" I yelp.
"Ah! I want to meet him again!" Mirio shouts, fists pumping.
"Ah! Why is everyone screaming?!" Tamaki jumps, eyes wide, voice cracking.
We all pause. Then Mirio and I burst out laughing, while Tamaki buries his face in his hands.
"Hey, Nejire!" Mirio says, a fire in his eyes. "You've known him longer, right? Tell me everything about Kata."
"Hmmm…" I tap my chin, rocking slightly. "Well, I've only met him once before, but… okay! I'll tell you what I know!"
And so I do—chatting away as Mirio listens with bright-eyed enthusiasm, and Tamaki, shy but curious, quietly absorbs every word.
'I knew he was interesting.' I think, secretly proud. 'We'll definitely run into him again. With Mirio this fired up? There's no doubt about it.'
***************
A/N: Hello Everyone! How are you all? If you've enjoyed the chapter and book thus far, please consider leaving me some comments, reviews, or power stones. It really helps the book out.
So, sorry for the delay. IRL was hectic this last week🫠. Going forward, I'll be uploading once every 2nd day (thankfully). So, moving on to the chapter...
We're done with the whole OFA scenario. Kata's thoughts and what he'll do with it will come later. Including his interaction with The Big Three. Nezu and All Might are talking , and this will actually impact the plot quite a bit. Not too sure how much yet, but it'll probably be significant.
Then, with regards to the Big three... I'm super happy. I can finally have Nejire show up more often, and the other 2 too. They're quite fun. I'll be upfront and say that Kata does like Mirio quite a bit, be abuse of him saving Eri (and that'll probably be shown in the next chapter).
And yeah, Kata was kinda cold this chapter, but that's mainly because he was kinda exhausted with Deku after the Vestige World, and he left because he was genuinely in a rush to pick Eri up, so the next chapter will be very cute.
You can also read 10 chapters ahead, and support me at [email protected]/AMV_WEAKLY
I suppose that's everything I have to say🤔. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and have a good rest of your day/night😁