Chapter Text
Riiiiiiing!
Aizawa-sensei yawns as he picks up various books and papers from his desk.
Despite the bell having rung, no one makes a move to start packing up for lunch. Aizawa-sensei had been quick to train that habit out of the class when the school year started.
Of course, Yaoyorozu had never had such a habit. You never know what information one might miss when acting impatiently.
"One last thing," Aizawa-sensei says as he begins walking towards the door, "Final exams are in about a week. There will be a written and a physical exam, so make sure you study for both."
Yaoyorozu nods slightly; she had been expecting something like this to happen soon.
"Oh, yea, if you pass both exams, you'll be coming to a summer training camp we're setting up," Aizawa-sensei casually adds.
Two seconds later, once the information has had time to set in, chaos breaks out in the classroom.
"Training camp!?"
"Wait, where's it gonna be?!"
"I can't wait!!"
Another two seconds later, and Aizawa-sensei has flashed his Quirk, which gets the class to quiet down. The man sighs, "Yes, a training camp. For security purposes, I can't tell you anything more at this time. Pass both exams, and you'll get all the answers you want."
Yaoyorozu can feel the excitement rise around her. She can't blame her classmates. Personally, Yaoyorozu is quite excited for it. Her Quirk still has a lot of room for development, not to mention she might even get to train her battle sense while there.
Fighting on the same team as Dazai and Chuuya, which now feels like it was months ago, had been enlightening in a way. Back then, Dazai had said he didn't have a plan, which Yaoyorozu still doesn't quite believe. Nevertheless, he had followed along with her ideas without complaint.
In the end, her idea to make copies of the briefcase had worked great—something that still makes her happy to think about.
Since the cops and robbers fight, she's tried to remind herself of that success whenever her nerves try to get the better of her. Sometimes, it works; other times, it doesn't.
Hopefully, she'll be able to get even more confident at this training camp.
Aizawa-sensei, now by the door, takes one last glance at the class, "Good luck."
With that, he steps outside and slides the door shut behind him.
An air of relaxation falls upon the class… Well, most of the class.
Kaminari jumps up to his feet, "I've been barely taking notes this semester! I haven't even had any time to read the textbook." Beside him, Mina laughs despite likely being in a similar situation herself.
"Indeed, the various obstructions we have faced are limiting ones," Tokoyami agrees, a sombre look on his face.
Yaoyorozu takes a moment to try to decipher his words; it's a habit she's picked up lately. Most of the members of class 1A don't seem to think too hard about what Tokoyami says; instead, they take the odd manner of speech at face value. Yaoyorozu used to be like this, but now she sees the merit in figuring out what he means. Not only does it help her understanding of language, but it also helps her to build a deeper bond with her classmate.
If she's correct, then Tokoyami means, 'Yes, we haven't had a chance with everything going on.'
She'll have to ask him later if she was right or not.
Mineta, striking a pose that doesn't look that flattering, scoffs, "As someone ranked in the top ten, I'm not that concerned."
Kaminari and Mina are quick to whip their heads around to face him. "What the hell?!" Both of their voices are perfectly synchronised in their offence, and funnily enough, their faces are also matching.
"And here I thought you were one of us!" Mina tacks on with dramatic flare.
Kaminari nods, "Don't you know weirdo little creeps like you are only likeable if they're kinda stupid?! Who's going to love you now?"
Yaoyorozu can't help but feel that's a little harsh, even if Mineta is quite… unlikable at times.
Unfazed, Mineta just scoffs, "Everyone, trust me." A smug expression appears on his face, one that seems to irritate Kaminari even further.
Fortunately, before Kaminari can insult Mineta any further, Midoriya steps in with a smile. "Guys, we still have time to study! That way, we'll all get to go to the training camp together!"
It's a nice sentiment, one that is quickly ruined when Todoroki chimes in. "It's pretty hard to fail if you just pay attention in class, isn't it?"
Kaminari falls like he's been physically struck by that. "Why do you have to cut me down like that?…"
An idea comes to mind upon seeing Kaminari like that. Surely, there must be a way Yaoyorozu can help him, right?
She feels a little silly injecting herself into the conversation like this, especially with an idea that might just get immediately shot down. Nevertheless, she catches Kaminari's and Mina's attention before speaking: "Hey, don't worry about it; I can catch you up to speed on the important topics if you want?"
Yaoyorozu has never had the chance to organise a study session before, a fact that has always weighed heavy on her. The idea of sitting with friends while studying and helping people achieve better grades has always appealed to her.
In the past there was no need for it. Her middle school was full of students who never failed a single test. In that type of environment, studying with friends might have been detrimental rather than helpful.
So, when Kaminari and Mina quite literally jump for joy at the idea, Yaoyorozu can't help but feel excited.
Finally, she'll get to help people study!
Although…
"I might not be that helpful with the practical side though…." She feels a little embarrassed saying it, even if it's the truth. Within class 1A, there are a lot of people better at fighting than her… and a lot of people more confident during fights-
Yaoyorozu shakes her head; now isn't the time to get lost in those thoughts.
"I've been studying, but could you help me out too?" Jirou asks with a sheepish look.
Sero is quick to jump in next, "Tutor me too, please!"
"Is there room for one more? I'm afraid I'm failing behind a little…" Ojirou adds on.
For a moment, Yaoyorozu is overwhelmed by how many people want her help. Then reality sets in, and she can't help but clap her hands in excitement. "Wonderful! Yes, let's do it!"
Plans immediately start coming together in her mind. Oh, it's such a shame she can't host this back home! The great hall would have made for the perfect venue. The dorms will have to do in that case. Perhaps she could rearrange a few things to make it more suitable.
Oh, and the tea! She can't forget about that. A good tea will be vital to helping everyone concentrate and learn. Yaoyorozu had made sure to bring some of her personal favourites to the dorms when she moved in but she may need to see about getting some more. Who knows which types her classmates like best after all!
She should invite Chuuya and Dazai too! While they both seem smart enough not to need a study session, it surely couldn't hurt.
A terrible thought strikes her then, what if Dazai and Chuuya prefer a type of tea that is only available in Yokohama? How can she be a good host if she can't get their favourite tea?
-
Midoriya sighs as he sets his lunch tray down on the table.
Final exams are coming soon, and he can't help but feel nervous, especially after the announcement Aizawa-sensei made this morning.
He knows that, logically, he'll pass the written exam at least. After all, Midoriya has always been good at tests like that. Back at his old school, he had been consistently in the top three or so for grades. Even now, Midoriya finds himself among the top of class 1A for written exams.
That doesn't stop him from doubting himself.
This year so far has been hectic, to say the least. First the USJ, then Stain, and now Dazai and Chuuya…
What if, in the midst of all this chaos, Midoriya completely forgot about something? What if a whole topic flew under his radar, and now he'll fail the written exam and get kicked out of UA? Will All Might take back One for All if that does happen?
Midoriya, thankfully, manages to stop himself from spiralling too far. Instead, he forces himself to tune in to the conversation of his classmates, which, as it turns out, is about the physical part of the exam.
"I'm also kind of scared about the practical exam; I have no idea what it's gonna be." Midoriya chimes in. Funnily enough, he feels less nervous about the physical exam than he does about the written exam. It might be because it's harder to forget about the fights and lessons he's had, especially the more dangerous ones….
Beside him, Iida nods, "It's hard to believe they'd give us anything too crazy."
Midoriya nods, "The written exam questions should all be stuff from class so I should hopefully be able to do those." As long as he hasn't forgotten anything, that is.
Across the table, Uraraka freezes, "Do you really think it's going to be that simple?" For a moment, Midoriya can't help but feel a little confused by her reaction. Surely, that should be a good thing, right?
Belatedly, he remembers that Uraraka isn't as high in the class rankings as he is. A guilty feeling washes over him. Why is he feeling so anxious when other people in the class are at a higher risk of failing?
Sheepishly, Midoriya attempts to move the conversation along: "It's driving me nuts; I just wanna know what they'll be having us do."
For the written side of things, he has a whole revision plan in place to go over everything he's learnt during his time at UA. By the time the exams come along, he should be completely ready for them.
Oh, maybe he should ask Aizawa-sensei to look over his revision plan? That way, if he's forgotten anything, it can be pointed out before it's too late…
It's hard to revise or practise for the physical exams, though, given he has no idea what he'll be tested on. Maybe he should work on his endurance? Or maybe practise his hand to hand? Working on his Quirk is definitely a priority, no matter what the exam ends up being on…
"It's a comprehensive test of everything we've learnt this year." Hagakure chimes in.
Beside her, Tsu nods, "Yep, and that's about all we know."
Uraraka seems to think about this for a moment before speaking. "Ok… So it'll cover combat training and rescue training.. Oh, and basic training…" With each new item, she puts another finger up.
Midoriya, feeling her list might start getting long, agrees, "That sounds about right, but we can't just study the techniques; we have to stay in great physiq-"
A sudden sharp pain spreads out from the back of his head. Instinctively, his hand flies up to hold the source of his pain.
What just happened?
"Oh, sorry, your head's so big that it's hard to miss." A smug voice calls out from behind him.
The voice is familiar in a way… Wait, is it that guy?
Midoriya turns his head to find none other than Monama from class 1B standing behind him. It's who he expected to see but that doesn't calm Midoriya's nerves, instead he feels himself become more on edge. If it was someone else then he might have been able to get them to apologise…
"You're from class 1B… Monama, right? That really hur-"
Predictably, Monama is quick to cut him off, "I heard you guys stumbled across the Hero Killer. Just like the sports festival, class 1A isn't happy unless they're the centre of attention."
Midoriya cringes back, honestly, he sometimes he forgets about the fight with Stain. It wasn't all that long ago but, with everything that has happened with Dazai and Chuuya, it feels like it was months and months ago.
If Monama knew the truth behind the fight with Stain… Midoriya shudders at the idea.
Monama continues, "But do you realise you're not in the spotlight because people think you're good Heroes, right? It's just that you keep getting into so much trouble. Especially with those two new… classmates of yours."
Midoriya, even without looking, can tell how his classmates react to that. When Dazai and Chuuya had first joined class 1A things had been awkward, especially when other classes were pointing and whispering whenever class 1A went anywhere.
Now that things have changed though, Midoriya feels the need to defend Dazai and Chuuya. While it's true that trouble seems to follow class 1A, neither Dazai or Chuuya have done anything to a UA student so far.
Before he can, however, Monama begins speaking again, "Here's food for thought, someday the rest of us might get caught up in your mess and then we'll all become unwitting victims as well. What kind of horrible Villains will you bring down upon us? What demons-"
With a sudden yelp Monama collapses to the ground.
Behind him stands Kendo who sighs deeply, "That's not funny Monama, you heard what happened to Iida, chill out."
Iida is quick to jump attention at that, "Kendo!" His voice shows a hint of familiarity which causes Midoriya to wonder if the pair run into each over very often. Well, they are both class representatives so it doesn't seem too far fetched.
Kendo nods in Iida's direction before looking over the table, "I apologise for him, I'm pretty sure there's a hole where his heart is meant to be." With her left hands she gestures down to Monama who has yet to get up.
Idly, Midoriya wonders if Kendo completely knocked him out.
"So I was listening," Kendo starts, "I know you're all worried about what's going to be on the big final practical. I heard it's going to be combat against robots like the entrance exam."
Midoriya's attention quickly returns to Kendo at that. "What, really? How do you know that?" Midoriya is quick to ask. If what she's saying is true then that makes preparing for the physical exam a whole load easier.
Kendo grimaces a little, "One of my friends who is a few grades up filled me in. I know, cheating, but oh well."
Midoriya quickly shakes his head, "No I don't think so. I'm sure gathering information ahead of time is also part of the test. I can't believe I didn't think of it…" It would make total sense for information gathering to be allowed or even encouraged, Aizawa-sensei is always going on about thinking outside the box and not taking things at face value.
There definitely has to be hidden elements to the exam, like with the rescue points in the entrance exam. Principal Nedzu won't repeat the rescue points thing though, not when everyone knows about it. That would just make the whole thing obsolete
A loud groan pulls Midoriya out of his thoughts. Monama, only now just getting back up, scoffs, "What kind of idiot are you Kendo? You just gave away our whole strategic advantage. This was finally our chance to pull ahead of that class full of idiots-"
Once again Kendo strikes him in the back of the head, this time Midoriya has no doubt he's completely unconscious.
Despite him being unresponsive, Kendo begins to scold Monama as she drags him away, "They're not the idiots!"
Midoriya watches the scene and can't help but think Kendo acts a bit like a big sister having to wrangle together a misbehaving toddler.
-
"Alright!" Kaminari claps his hands, "This'll be super easy if it's just robots!"
"Such awesome news!" Mina nods beside him.
Dazai watches on with a curious look. Apparently Aizawa had made some sort of announcement before lunch about the final exams, one that Dazai and Chuuya missed due to their rearranged schedule.
Honestly, Dazai doesn't get why he still needs to have an early lunch and extra morality and ethics lessons. Dazai knows perfectly well what a 'good' person would do, it's just that he doesn't care to do it. No amount of extra classes will change that.
Dazai slumps down in his chair a bit, maybe he should have pushed for more days away from classes.
The tentacle guy, Shouji, points one of his mouths towards Kaminari and Mina, "Why do you sound so happy? You both have a hard time controlling your Quirks."
Which is a fair point to make, except he clearly has missed something key…
Kaminari puffs his chest out, "Yea but I can let loose with robots!"
"And melting them will be a cinch for me!" Mina adds on with a grin.
Having poor Quirk control only matters when there are other people or places you can't risk hurting. Fighting against robots is a dream scenario for those two.
For Dazai, however, it will be far more annoying. He can beat them, sure, but it'll take so much more energy. Maybe if Aizawa gave him a real gun then things would be easier but no, he's stuck with a paintball gun and a dream.
Across the room, Chuuya looks at him for a few moments before glancing to Kaminari and Mina. Tch, that Chibi is teasing him. Not everyone can have an Ability perfect for every scenario.
"Now you just need Yaoyorozu to help you study and you'll be all set for finals." Shouji says.
Dazai glances towards Shouji and then back to Chuuya. Chuuya huffs and looks away.
Chuuya might end up doing better on the physical exam but there is no chance he'll beat Dazai on the written exam. Not when a decent chunk of it will be about Pro Hero history and general culture, something Chuuya neglected to touch up on before leaving Yokohama.
Kaminari and Mina share a look of absolute excitement before cheering, "We'll definitely be able to go to the training camp now!"
Oh yea, the training camp. Dazai is actually partially looking forward to the training camp, mainly because it'll mean he gets to leave UA for a bit. It's getting way too boring being in the same place all the time…
Unlike the rest of class 1A, who have to earn their place at the training camp, Dazai knows he'll be going no matter what his exam results are. After all, Aizawa needs to keep a close eye on him and Chuuya.
Although, Dazai does wonder what exactly he'll be expected to do at this training camp. It's not like No Longer Human can actually be developed that much, he's already found out all the possible tricks he can pull with it after all.
Getting to see the class 1A kids train might be entertaining, especially if…
An idea comes to Dazai's mind, one so perfect that he can't help but feel a tad excited. Oh, Chuuya and class 1A will likely hate it but Dazai just knows Aizawa will let him do it. Maybe he can even make a game of it…
Across the room Bakugou slams his hands down on his desk, "It shouldn't matter if it's robots or actual people. Why are you morons so excited?"
Kaminari's head whips around, "Who are you calling a moron!" Despite his words, Kaminari stays put behind Mina.
Dazai laughs and pushes his previous thoughts to the side, shouldn't he be more confident if he's going to respond to Bakugou like that? Kaminari looks at Dazai with an offended expression, which quickly becomes a fearful one when Bakugou starts yelling again.
"Shut up!!! You need to learn how to control your Quirk, you got it?!"
If Dazai didn't know any better, he would say it sounds like Bakugou is worried about them. That or he's just sick of having to deal with those two…
Kaminari and Mina pout at that, which means Dazai really has no choice but to match their expression and speak up.
"Awww, is Kacchan worried?"
Bakugou's face twitches in anger, "Shut it, Bandages." His hands jerk up a little. If Dazai had to guess then he'd say Bakugou was about to use his Quirk but realised how it would look given his prior comment.
It's nice to know Bakugou hasn't bothered to change in the wake of Dazai's suicide attempt.
Dazai makes sure to grin in his direction.
"Oh wait, you two are taking part in the exams, aren't you?" Uraraka asks, her head tilting to the side as she does.
Dazai isn't sure who exactly she's talking to, but decides to answer either way, "Yep~ Make sure you don't lose to us, that would be way too embarrassing."
A few kids, mainly the ones at risk of failing, look a little nervous.
Dazai is about to make another comment, maybe even point out a weakness or two, when he notices someone walking with purpose towards him.
Once she's close enough, Yaoyorozu stops and smiles, "Dazai, I was wondering if I could ask you something?"
"You just did," Dazai says, just to be difficult. He likes to pull this little trick on Chuuya often, he always gets so annoyed with it. Odasaku, on the other hand, will just shrug and say 'Guess I did' and not bother to ask anything more.
"Then can I ask another two?" Yaoyorozu responds without missing a beat. Mentally Dazai boos at her for cutting his fun short.
Dazai waves his hand, "Fine fine."
Yaoyorozu takes a deep breath, one of her hands comes to rest on her chest. "A few of us have set up a study group for the upcoming final exams, I was wondering if you'd like to join? I'll be asking Nakahara too."
How should he respond? Oh, maybe he could-
"A study group?"
Yaoyorozu startles a little and turns, clearly she had not expected Chuuya to hear her from across the room. Dazai scowls behind her back, stupid Chibi just had to go and interrupt.
"Yes! We'll be going over the hardest stuff we've learnt so far," Yaoyorozu is quick to answer. A decent chunk of the class seems to be listening now that she's talking across the room like this.
Dazai doesn't really have any business at a study group to be honest and so, before Chuuya rudely interrupted, he was going to reject her offer.
Now, though, he has a better idea.
"Chibi will definitely join you!" Dazai watches as Chuuya's face scrunches up across the room. He lowers his voice to a comical whisper, "He's not academically trained, I'm sure you understand."
Yaoyorozu nods with a look of understanding on her face.
"What the hell?!" Chuuya shouts, which only causes Iida to scold him. Pushing past the guy, Chuuya marches his way to Dazai's desk with a glare on his face.
"Academic training isn't even a thing!"
Dazai rolls his eyes, "You don't even know that much? You're embarrassing yourself here Chuuya."
For a second Dazai can see a flicker of doubt in Chuuya's eyes, good, Chuuya always reacts better when he actually believes Dazai's lies for a moment. With a sigh Dazai continues, "Haven't you seen those dogs that can use buttons to speak? You aren't even-"
"Bastard!" Chuuya swipes a hand at Dazai's head. He misses because he's far too predictable and Dazai was able to duck down in time.
"Now now Chuuya! You're totally scaring Yaomomo here~" Dazai sends a sad face in her direction to really reinforce his point.
Chuuya pauses, glances over to Yaoyorozu, realises she doesn't look scared at all, and the sighs. "Whatever, when is this study session? We'll both be there."
Yaoyorozu perks up, "Oh! The first session will be today after school, but it's just so we can figure out which topics to go over."
After school today? Something about that sticks out to Dazai, there's something he's meant to do then…
Oh, yeah.
Therapy.
-
Nedzu greets Dazai with a smile as he enters, "Please sit! I have a new tea for you to try today."
Dazai sighs as he sits down, mentally he wishes he was at that study session. He takes a sip of the tea; it's rather bland, if he's being honest. "What are we doing today?"
Well, aside from discussing the whole suicide attempt thing. There's no way Nedzu won't bring it up, right? He's be a rather terrible therapist if he didn't…
Then again, Dazai doubts the validity of him being a therapist anyway.
Nedzu grins and pulls out a large rectangle box. Taking a closer look Dazai can see the logo 'Suspectdo' with various cartoon items on the front. Interesting.
"While chess is entertaining, I think changing things up every so often is for the best. Have you ever played Suspectdo before?" Nedzu slips the lid of the box off and sets it to the side, all the pieces inside are carefully aligned and arranged.
Dazai shrugs, "… In a way." Does it count if he got kidnapped once, by his own intention of course, and overheard his dear kidnappers playing while he was tied up? He thinks it should count, after all he heard them play through at least five rounds before Chuuya came crashing in through the window.
Nedzu doesn't bother asking for further explanation on his answer, which is rather fortunate. That particular kidnapping plan had ended with Dazai throwing himself off a bridge, he can only imagine what Aizawa would say if the story got back to him.
"Do you wish to start today, or shall I?"
Dazai glances down at the table and finds the game all set up. Hmmm… He was still unconscious when his kidnappers actually started the game back then. Dazai gestures with his hand for Nedzu to start.
Nedzu rolls a dice before moving one of the small figures across the board, "Final exams are coming up, I trust you're studying well for them?"
"Who do you take me for?" Dazai asks. Naturally, he won't be studying. He rolls the dice and is pleased to find he got a six, "Although…"
"Although?" Nedzu takes his turn, this time his figure stops off in one of the rooms printed on the board. It looks to be a kitchen if the tiny dumplings are anything to go off. He picks up the cards set face down and checks them, he doesn't bother writing anything down.
Dazai sighs, intentionally on the dramatic side, "My dear classmates seem to think we'll be fighting robots for the practical exam." They all seemed rather excited by the idea too, likely due to the familiarity of it.
Dazai doesn't quite buy it though. When Uraraka had first announced to the class the news Dazai had only thought of how annoying robots would be for him to fight. He had thought so more about it on the way to Nedzu's office though, which had lead to a few doubts being created in his mind.
"Do they now?" Nedzu tilts his head to the side as if he's curious. It would be more convincing if he didn't have a grin on his face.
"They do, they do."
Dazai rolls his dice and gets a three. He decides to move his little figure into what seems to be an office, various papers and books are spread about across the floor.
He flips the cards to check them.
Cat
Vines
If Dazai remembers this game correctly, whichever character, location, and weapon aren't on the board are the ones linked to the murder.
He thinks the options so far are a little weird, then again, he's killed people in weirder ways. Maybe this game is more accurate than expected.
Nedzu hasn't responded, which isn't at all surprising.
"If you tell me what we'll really be fighting I promise not to tell anyone." Dazai's left hand just so happens to be tucked away out of sight, if his fingers are crossed then that isn't Nedzu's business.
Nedzu's grin grows wider, "What makes you so sure you won't be fighting robots?"
"It just doesn't make sense, if that's been the exam for the past few years why is there so much secrecy now?" Dazai resists the urge to roll his eyes. Nedzu isn't stupid enough to assume no one will ask kids from second and third year what they did on the exams. "Besides, with those Villain attacks you'll surely want to step things up a bit."
The sound of dice hitting the desk is his only answer.
"You're not going to tell me are you?" Dazai watches as Nedzu moves his figure down one of the drawn hallways.
"Nope! You're rather smart, I'm sure you can figure it out on your own!" Nedzu doesn't even look tempted to reveal it. Oh well, it's not like Dazai expected much more than that. He had thought it was worth a shot to just ask, maybe Nedzu still had some lingering pity from the suicide attempt.
Which, speaking off, Nedzu still hasn't brought it up.
"My promise not to tell anyone doesn't count if I figure it out myself." Dazai glances down at the next set of cards as he speaks.
Sunfish
Training grounds
Shrugging, Nedzu rolls the dice again, "I expected you'd say something like that. I do doubt you'll actually follow through on the threat, though."
Dazai can't help but laugh a little at that, "You think so highly of me?" Maybe he'll intentionally go out of his way to expose every secret he's learnt at UA so far just for that…
First the truth about the physical exam, then Midoriya's little secret about his Quirk, and then that other one…
Amusingly, Nedzu doesn't even try to pretend he does. "Something tells me you know the value of a good surprise!"
Well, it's not like Dazai can argue all that much against that. Surprising Chuuya with plans and fights is a favourite pastime of his…
"Have I ever told you why I work at UA?"
"Nope." Dazai rolls his dice. He hasn't heard the story and he doesn't want to.
"I'll enlighten you then!"
Oh, great.
"It was a dark and rainy day, the cold easily cutting past my luscious fur-"
Dazai cuts him off, "If you're actually writing a novel and need my advice you should have just asked."
Nedzu grins wider than before, "Haha, not many would say that to me! Well, as I was saying, before joining the UA staff I lived a rather… uninspired life."
"The truth is that I am not a mutant, as so many might believe."
Seeing a talking animal isn't so unusual these days, at least outside of Yokohama anyway, so Dazai had never thought to think deeper on what exactly Nedzu is. Of course, he did a background check of sorts. He even dug through some classified files to see if there was any dirt he could use to blackmail him.
In the end he had found nothing of note, which he now assumes was an intentional move. Nedzu covered his tracks so he could be passed off as a mutant…
"Not a mutant… Then you're a rat… or whatever, with a Quirk?" The only other answer that would make sense is that Nedzu was a human and got turned into whatever he is now. Dazai doubts that's the case though, surely if Nedzu was an ex-human he would be finding a way to get back to that state and not teaching a bunch of teenagers.
"Precisely!" Nedzu claps his hands together with a nod, "Naturally, after such a change, I was restless for quite some time. Not to mention my superior intellect often left me wishing for harder challenges."
Nedzu takes his turn by rolling the dice and moving his figurine.
"I find that geniuses often struggle to be entertained with what the layman would enjoy… It can make finding a purpose in life difficult." Nedzu continues.
Hah, he doesn't have to tell Dazai that. There was a period in time where Dazai actually did search for something to do with his life, a passion or hobby to spend all his time on. It was fun at first, but then things became predictable and the challenges never seemed to get harder.
That's why he's currently on the hunt for a good way to die.
Wait a minute, is this the long-awaited suicide chat?
Dazai should have expected Nedzu to do something like this. As much as he may hate it, Nedzu likely has a decent idea on how Dazai operates due to their shared intellect.
A straight up conversation would mean little to Dazai, but hiding the core of the message within some story or another… It's annoying because that's what Dazai likes to do too.
Well, now Dazai has picked up on his trick it won't work so easily.
Nedzu, perhaps unaware or just that confident in his plan, doesn't bat an eyelid as he continues to speak, "Joining the UA staff, and eventually raising to the top of the school, gave me something to focus all my energy on. Teaching the next generation of Heroes is never easy, each year new challenges come along to keep me entertained."
He pauses before turning a curious glance towards Dazai, "Now I can't help but wonder… What goal keeps you entertained?"
So Nedzu found a reason to live, how fortunate. Currently, if Dazai was to list how important all his goals are, it would go as follows;
-
Die.
-
Talk with Odasaku.
-
Bother Chuuya.
Everything else, including this mission and any others Mori wants to send him on, aren't worth mentioning.
He can't talk with Odasaku right now for obvious reasons, so for the time being bothering Chuuya is in second place. The doesn't make the list any better though, in fact, Dazai would say it makes it even worse!
Sure, bothering Chuuya and talking to Odasaku entertains him but only to a certain extent. As soon as he leaves Lupin, the moment Chuuya gets sent off to some mission on his own, any entertainment seeps away.
Nedzu has his own goal based on improving Pro Hero society or whatever. Two of three of Dazai's goals disappear once the person associated leaves, which then leaves him with just the goal to die.
To put it simply, Nedzu doesn't have a limit on his goal. He can improve Pro Hero society and teach teenagers in various different settings and ways. The only one of Dazai's goals which matches that is his wish to die, which then defeats the whole 'find a goal to entertain you and keep you alive.'
"Ah!" Nedzu claps his hands together, "It seems it's time to reveal out guesses. Let's say it at the same time, shall we?"
Not a very subtle way to change the topic but Dazai will allow it, it's not like he wants to hear more about Nedzu's life goals anyway.
"3, 2, 1…."
In sync both Dazai and Nedzu call out, "The Squid with the sword in the library."
Nedzu smiles as he flips over the final set of cards, the ones containing the correct answer. It isn't surprising to find they were both correct. "Another round?"
Dazai shrugs, as long as he doesn't have to talk about his life goals then why not?
-
"Nakahara, it's been too long!" Yamada smiles as the boy enters his office, hopefully he isn't coming off too strong here. He is genuinely happy to see the kid again, especially in a (somewhat) lighter context than the last few times.
He had been a bit worried Nakahara wouldn't want to continue these sessions, or at least not in the same way as before. For the past few days Nakahara and Dazai have been nearly inseparable, part of Yamada had expected to see Dazai trail in after Nakahara today.
That doesn't seem to be the case though. Nakahara is quick to sit down without even a second glance at the door.
Once sat down Nakahara nods, "Yea, I guess."
Alright, this is where Yamada needs to think carefully. Obviously, he'd like to talk to Nakahara about Dazai's suicidal tendencies and the effect they have on him but it's far too early for that. Maybe he could elude to it every so often, just as a brief mention so Nakahara can bring it up if he wants, but focusing on it right now would surely end in disaster.
Whatever he says now will surely decide the tone of the session… Imagine if Yamada leads with a careless 'How have things been?' Even just thinking about it makes him want to curl up in embarrassment.
Thus, he needs to bring up something that will set a good, happy, tone. Fortunately, he has just the idea in mind.
"So, I heard you got to head up to the rooftop. How was it?" Yamada asks.
Nakahara smiles at that, which makes Yamada feel like he won big.
"Obviously not as good as the sights in Yokohama but not bad," Nakahara glances out the window as if trying to re-see the view from the roof.
With everything that had gone down with the HPSC Yamada had, shamefully, let his last session with Nakahara slip from his mind a little. He had intended to speak with Nedzu and a few other staff members about letting Nakahara onto the roof but quickly found himself more worried about other, more pressing, matters.
Once things had calmed down a bit, Yamada remembered about Nakahara's love for high places and figured there was no time like the present. Back then, the kid had looked so happy recalling stories from Yokohama. He had hoped Nakahara would feel a bit better if he got to chill on the rooftop for a while.
In the end Shouta had been all too willing to bring the kid up there without needing any explanation- A fact Yamada had very much appreciated. He didn't want to have to break the kid's trust in him after all.
"I'm glad to hear it," Yamada replies earnestly, "Final exams are coming up soon, so, if you want to go up there to unwind, just ask."
Nakahara glances over. "Are these final exams that big a deal?"
"They aren't as important as some other exams, such as the provisional license exam and end of year exams, but the grades students receive on these exams will impact the rest of their year," Yamada explains. Doing exams throughout the year is important to check in and see that the students are actually learning. If any students do terrible on these finals exams then there is still time for Yamada and the other teachers to get them back on track.
Similarly, if a student does particularly well, they might end up with better opportunities later on.
Yamada clears those thought from his mind with a smile, "The physical exam will likely be new for you, but the written exam is like any other school exam really. I'm sure you and Dazai will do great!"
Nakahara huffs, "Who said I was worried about that idiot?"
"Right," Yamada agrees, although he can't keep the laughter out of his voice. In truth he hadn't suspected Nakahara of being worried at all, likely just curious on how exams work at UA. He knew bringing Dazai up in such a way would cause Nakahara to react like that though while also lightening the mood further.
All in all, he's successfully started the session without any mistakes!
Nakahara leans forward in his seat a little, "Hey, I have a couple questions."
That causes Yamada to perk up, he always loves answering questions! The fact Nakahara is willing to ask them is a good sign that he's not too closed off after everything that has gone on. Yamada nods with a smile, "Ask away, little listener!"
"I heard we're fighting robots for the physical exam, apparently they were also part of the entrance exam. To make it fair, you should also tell me about them," Nakahara speaks in a no-nonsense tone.
Part of Yamada feels a little bad as he begins digging around his desk draws, "If you'll wait a minute I'm sure I have a- here it is!"
Yamada pulls out one of the paper handouts from the entrance exam, it's a little crinkled but should do the job. He hands it over to Nakahara and tries not to look too guilty.
He's also heard the rumours about the final exam being on robots, someone from second or third year likely told a first year student and it spiralled from there. Yamada had also felt bad hearing students get happy about fighting robots. He can only imagine how they'll react once the truth is out…
Across from him Nakahara nods, "This is it? Seems easy enough."
Ah, there's the easy confidence Yamada has come to love.
A funny thought pops into his mind at that. While class 1A are likely to freak out at hearing they need to fight Pro Heroes and not robots, Dazai and Nakahara will probably shrug and be completely unbothered.
Nedzu and Shouta haven't revealed the match ups yet but Yamada mentally prays he doesn't have to fight those two.
Nakahara places the paper down on Yamada's desk before shooting him a suspicious look, "Anything else?"
"Any- what?" Yamada has a bad feeling about this.
"There's gonna be some sort of twist, right? That bastard Dazai has probably figured it out already so I need to do the same," Nakahara's face turns grave the more he talks. Seeing this expression one might think he was recalling a great injustice he had faced.
Yamada, as much as he might want to, can't tell Nakahara anything…. He'll have to try and deflect. "Won't Dazai just tell you if he has it figured out?"
Nakahara scoffs, "As if. He's the type of guy to keep me in the dark until the enemy is literally in my face."
A terrible thought comes to mind, that description sounds an awful lot like Nedzu. Dazai and Nedzu are spending time together right now, if their personalities and intelligence were to combine…
Yamada shudders. Is it bad that he hopes Dazai never trusts Nedzu enough to collaborate with him?
"Anyway!" Yamada tries to shake off the feeling of fear at his previous idea, "I'm sure you'll do fine no matter what the exam is."
Nakahara eyes him for a moment, Yamada holds his gaze and hopes he doesn't look too shady.
A few moments later Nakahara sighs and leans back in his chair, "I'm leaving that idiot to fend for himself this time."
Crisis averted!
There will still be a few sessions between now and the final exams but, with any luck, Nakahara won't press any further on the matter.
Yamada glances over at the clock, a decent amount of time has passed now. There's no exact time limit for these sessions per say, but Yamada knows Nedzu only likes to keep Dazai for an hour so he usually tends to do the same. If Nakahara were to ask for extra time, or if they were in the middle of discussing something when the hour was up, then Yamada would naturally extend the session.
This session has been good so far, a great way to get back into the routine. Although, there is one thing that has been bugging him for the past few days.
Back when Nakahara had his meeting with Nedzu, and technically with Yamada and Shouta too, he had said something that keeps coming back to Yamada's mind.
“I have a powerful Ability, obviously people are gonna fight over it,”
He would hate to end the session on a bad note, so he won't get too into things. Just a question or two to test the waters.
"There was one thing I wanted to ask about, if it's alright."
Nakahara glances over with a shrug, "Yea, sure."
Alright, now how to word it?
"You mentioned during the meeting that people often try to 'poach' you?" Yamada purposefully doesn't say 'poach your Ability'.
"Oh yea," Nakahara looks a little annoyed if anything, "It happens every so often. Although way less now I'm in the Port Mafia, people don't wanna risk getting targeted if I don't join them."
"With your Ability I'm not surprised!" Yamada hopes he comes across as enthusiastic as he pretends to be.
In truth he can feel a dark swirl of anger in his chest. Nakahara likely hadn't thought too much about what he just said but Yamada had caught the deeper meaning.
It happens less now that he's in the Port Mafia, a sentence implying that a bunch of, presumable, adults were trying to get Nakahara to join them for a while now. How long had it been going on? How young was Nakahara when the first thug came up to him hoping to use his Ability?
Yamada tries to do his best to push that anger down for now, "It must have been annoying though, right?"
Nakahara laughs, "More annoying than even Dazai." He doesn't seem that bothered by it. To Nakahara it really must have been just an annoyance, a buzzing fly that just keeps coming back no matter how many times he hits it away.
A buzzing fly that came back once again, this time ending with Dazai in pain.
It won't happen again, Yamada mentally promises. He'll make sure Nakahara is seen as more than just his Ability.