Chapter 7
Something was wrong.
People were looking at me strangely.
I'd left the apartment early because I wanted to explore the neighborhood around the school. While the campus was up on a wooded hill, like a castle overlooking the town, there was a modern city all around it, much nicer than the area I lived in. I had noticed all sorts of shops and restaurants on the way from the bus stop.
I wanted to see if there might be a little café where I could occasionally stop in and get ready for the day over a nice cup of tea and something sweet.
It was odd. I had noticed that my tastes differed in my new body. I used to like sweet and savory foods but disliked anything sour or spicy. Now spicy curries were appealing. Japanese sweets, like mochi, which I don't think I would have enjoyed in my original life, I now found tasty. Luckily, I still liked tea – both black and green.
But my search for a new favorite relaxing spot wasn't working.
People, especially people in Musutafu City, were staring.
I was wearing my uniform. That marked me as a U.A. student, which might generate some interest. Though there were roughly 650 of us so that should be nothing noteworthy in this town.
I didn't like the attention.
Neither did Emily. I could feel her retreating.
Not what I needed before class.
Hey, partner, I called. Don't run away on me. There's nothing to be nervous about here. They're not looking at you. No one even knows you're there. This is all about me – for some reason.
That had not occurred to me. Or more correctly, I had forgotten, she said sheepishly. There is a definite sense of freedom when no one even knows of your existence. The armor of anonymity, one might say.
Exactly. Speaking of armor. I think I'm going to do a little shopping before class.
While I didn't have access to spider silk or other armor; and I couldn't afford to be found carrying knives or other obvious weapons, I still wanted to pick up a few things to make me feel safer. I tried to choose things I could come up with reasonable excuses for if I was stopped and frisked.
Between a small hardware store, a pharmacy, and a party story I collected a number of items I thought might prove useful – trash bags and zip ties, duct tape, several small cans of bug spray, a first aid kit, a gaudy masquerade party mask, a 'Wild, Wild Pussycats' brand utility belt, a flashlight, utility shears, two spools of clear high test fishing line, two dozen ball bearings, four solid rubber balls, four hacky sacks, a box of small finish nails, a box of ten-penny nails, and a few other knickknacks.
After storing everything in my oversized backpack I started walking towards the school. Looking up at the shining academy on the hill, I couldn't help comparing it to Winslow.
U.A. is so different from my old school. I told Emily. I was nervous and hoped talking might help. Cleaner. Better supplied. Mr. Kan is better than any of the teachers there. Even if all the other teachers here are shit, U.A. still wins out on that score. It seems safer, but only time will tell on that. I wonder how I would have turned out if I had gone here instead of Winslow the first time around.
Emily's tone was significantly darker, quite the reversal for the tow of us. My fear is that yesterday was an illusion. The teacher mentioned a Battle Trial. It is that manner of conflict, simulated or real, that grinds down my soul. You will need to be prepared for me to retreat should the events prove too traumatic for me to maintain coherence, much less comprehension.
We'll work on it. I assured her. In the end we'll get through it together.
There was a crowd outside the gate, blocking student access. They looked to be reporters. Two large vans with TV logos on them were parked nearby. I saw Tetsutetsu being harassed by a woman in a red suit with an armband reading 'HNA'. She had a mic in his face and was demanding something of him. I think he was considering biting the mic off and chewing it up. Further over Monoma was talking animatedly to at least three adults – one with a camera and mic.
That was when he pointed to me and everyone turned. Bastard!
Suddenly, there was a stampede as the media rushed to talk to me. I realized what must have happened.
The Inoue story must have broken. Time to be strong, Emily. I need you to help me help your family.
The lady from HNA must have had some sort of precedence. The others waited while she checked with her cameraman then turned to me with a mic in hand.
"Are you Yanagi Reiko-san?"
"I-I am." I played up the broken speech pattern. I needed to build sympathy and strengthen my brain injury excuse.
"There have been several reports that you were attacked with quirks by Inoue Goro in Kesuru Town and later by his father Inoue Kisho, owner of Red Mountain Mines. Can you confirm these attacks?"
"Yes. I-I was attacked … by both … father and son … using their q-quirks. I s-sustained … a head injury when … t-the son used his q-quirk to … b-bash my skull with … a r-rock."
"Was this because you were accepted to U.A. High School and he was not?"
"Inoue-s-san has always …hated me b-because … I am a Burakumin."
She looked honestly confused for a second. "B-but that's ridiculous. No one has cared about that for centuries."
"I … can assure you that is not the case … in many villages and … c-communities in the rural areas … my people are still persecuted … discriminated against … our plight has just … been forgotten by the people … in the big cities and modern places."
An older man with a mic cut in. "I understand the injury you sustained to your brain has had negative effects on your ability to communicate clearly."
"As you ... c-can hear. We hope it will … get better."
"How will this affect your attendance at U.A.?" asked a third reporter.
"How is All Might as a teacher?" shouted another.
The pack started to swarm. I think they smelled blood.
"I think that is enough questions for now," Kan-sensei cut in. He loomed over most of the crowd, backing them down with his sheer presence. "If you wish to talk to a student in the future, you must apply to either their parents or the school staff for permission. You know this already. Please allow our students to enter the school in peace."
They slowly backed away, eyes on the ground.
"Follow me please, Yanagi-san."
Once we were on school grounds, Mr. Kan explained what had happened. "The media was already primed because word has gotten out that All Might is teaching at U.A. this year. When a story broke involving one of our first year's being attacked twice by a wealthy family with government connections, they became particularly interested."
I said nothing. It was what I had hoped would happen, bringing national attention to the troubled valley. I had not anticipated that the father would come to Tokyo or be so high on his own sense of entitlement that he would openly attack me when I defied him. That was on him. Too much time in his own little pond. It distorted his sense of his place in the world.
"The Principal would like to meet with you before class. To discuss this situation – more particularly, your confrontation with the senior Inoue. I'll take you there now."
"Yes, sensei." I automatically started gathering more spirits and looking for escape routes. What I had read about the Principal suggested that he was a Thinker on par with Tattletale or Accord. I hated the idea of meeting him unprepared.
Mr. Kan had a blood-based Blaster/Shaker power, as well as years more training than I had. I could either try to escape him, using my poltergeists to enhance my speed and mobility. Or I could attack to disable him, allowing me to get away. Either way it was better to make the attempt before we got into the building.
I directed part of my swarm to gather the ball bearings in my backpack. I would have to knock him out or kill him. Eyes, ears, mouth, windpipe, spine, or brain were my logical targets.
Any wound that bled would only help him if he were still capable of fighting.
STOP! Emily yelled, breaking through to me. This is not a battle. You do not have to fight Kan-sensei. The Principal is not a danger. He simply wishes to talk. Calm yourself. Breath deep. Find your center.
What was I thinking? I realized I had been regressing to fight to flight mode. Since waking in this world, I had found myself occasionally flashing back mentally or emotionally to the final battle or other particularly stressful conflicts I had been in. I wasn't sure what the trigger for these episodes was, but they were dangerous. If I went out of control, I could really hurt the people around me.
I breathed deep.
"Are you ok, Yanagi-san?" Mr. Kan asked, his hand on my shoulder. "I assure you; you are not in any trouble with the Principal. He simply wants to understand what happened at the restaurant. Anytime a U.A. student draws this much attention – it impacts the school as well. I'll go with you as your homeroom teacher. And Mirko will be there too. She is a U.A. graduate and was willing to give her perspective."
After a moment to center myself, I offered the teacher a shy smile. He returned it and we resumed our walk.
I will say this. Principal Nezu is one cute, cuddly-looking, scarily high-level thinker. And he, of course, knows it and plays on it when dealing with frightened first years.
I'm not a normal first year. It was easy to spot his manipulative ploy. I still smiled inside when I first saw him. Then I started look for escape routes.
If I'd had my bugs, I'd have felt confident I could have taken down the rodent Thinker and the two other capes in the room long enough to get away. But I didn't have my bugs.
I was still finding my way with my new powers and didn't want to risk relying on them in a confrontation. More importantly, I didn't want there to be a confrontation.
I see no reason there should be an altercation. Emily said soothingly. They have no reason to react so badly, unless you were to attack them first. I would greatly prefer that you not do that.
No. I won't. I almost snapped. I've just had some very bad experiences with people who had similar powers to the Principal and it has me on edge. I would've preferred more time to prepare for this meeting. I keep thinking about Coil and Accord – two particularly dangerous thinkers – and Contessa, the Thinker who actually killed me.
You have talked about friendly Thinkers, have you not?
Yes. Lisa and Dinah. I was considered a bit of a Thinker as well.
And no one had anything to fear from you. Right? I honestly couldn't tell if she were joking or not.
I laughed aloud. Well more of a combination laugh and sob. But it caught the attention of the others who had been talking to the Pro Hero.
"Yanagi-san," The Principal stood in on his chair and bowed. "Please have a seat."
He pointed to a couch next to him. Kan-sensei was seated at the other end of the couch, while Mirko took her seat in a chair across from the Principal's. The furniture made a shallow 'U', with a coffee table in the middle. Someone I barely saw set tea on the table in front of each of us then left the room leaving no impression behind.
Either really well trained or a Stranger power. I thought.
"You may not remember, but this is the Pro Hero Mirku. She was the one that saved you at the restaurant in Tokyo last week." Nezu prompted.
"Yes. I recognize her," I replied then turned and addressed the hero. "Thank you very much. I am sorry to have caused so much trouble." The words were formal, but I did appreciate the hero stepping in. It potentially saved me from significant legal problems. Prompted by Emily, I stood and offered a deep bow.
"I was happy to help. How did you get in that situation though?" She asked.
"Yes, I am very interested to hear about that as well." The Principal's voice was high and slightly nasal. "Why don't you start with why you were meeting Inoue in the first place."
I knew better than to try to lie directly to a Thinker, so I considered my words carefully. This naturally increased the hesitancy in my speech. I did not try to exaggerate the stutter or pauses in any way.
"You are probably aware of the existing … issues between the Inoue and my family. I understand from my mother that they are generational in nature, going back well before my father's time." I stopped for confirmation.
They all nodded.
"When the video of his son's attack on me and my family became public, Inoue-san was very angry. He contacted my parents. They refused to … recall me to Kesuru-machi for Inoue-san to … chastise me in public. I believe he wished to make an example of me for … defaming his family name he called it."
"Has he done this sort of thing before?" Kan-sensei asked.
Emily offered three different examples. The man usually couched it in terms of company discipline. Once he had forced Mr. Yanagi to perform a public fast for five days in the center of Kesuru Town as penance for some slight.
"And no one has complained to the authorities?" Mirku sounded astonished.
"He is the elected mayor … and owns all the houses and buildings. If the people do not work directly for him, they live on his property. I am told, though I do not know for sure … that he has … special terms written into employment and rental contracts … terms that allow him various … authorities."
"That should not be enough to prevent legal action," the hero replied, her anger evident.
"Do not concern yourself too much with these speculations," the bear-dog said. I started to wonder if he was going to ignore the injustices – just like Blackwell.
"The Investigative Hero, Sir Nighteye and the Mountain Hero, Alpine are traveling with a team of Police Force and National Tax Agency investigators to find out the truth and protect the innocents." The Principal informed us, somewhat smugly I thought. He knows things we don't – like Lisa.
He turned to me. "I want to know more about your actions and thoughts in the restaurant."
"I was nervous when I arrived. I suspected he might want to … cause me harm in some way. So, I contacted a reporter I had met."
"Yes, Tokuda Taneo," Mirko interrupted. "He's the one that tipped me off to be in the area at that time. Said there might be trouble with a quirk user – or two." She looked at me when she said the last.
"Exactly. I tried to take as many precautions as I could. Calling the police … without justification would have been … wrong."
"Go on," Kan-sensei urged.
"I got there and went to Inoue's table. He did not say anything. Neither did I. After ten minutes I started to leave. He yelled at me … accused me of lying. I argued I was telling the truth. He ordered me to 'submit'. I refused. Then he attacked me with a giant cement hand. He tried to catch or crush me. I don't know which. I jumped out of the way. He … threw? … a piece of the floor. I slapped it down because people were behind me. I didn't want anyone to … get hurt. He was coming at me with his arms … encased in … cement. I dove between his legs and that's when Mirko-san arrived and saved me."
"What did you do after that?" the Principal asked.
"I tried to get everyone else out of the restaurant, but most people had evacuated already." I turned to Mirko. "I guess hero fights are a lot more common in Tokyo than in my little village. I think people there would just freeze up or panic and hurt themselves."
"Was that everything?" the Principal prompted. I wasn't sure what more he wanted. "Did you use your quirk at any time during the confrontation?"
"I used it to help me jump over the fist and to swat down the concrete he threw. That was it."
"You never even tried to get a little poltergeist punch in while I was taking him down?" Mirko winked, miming a one-two punch combination.
Not terribly subtle, are they? I joked to Emily. Her silence was chiding.
"No," I said and stopped there. Only answer the question asked if possible.
The three adults looked at each other for a moment. The silence stretched. Finally, Mr. Kan spoke to me.
"Thank you, Yanagi-san. Please go to class. I am running a little behind. Please take roll, then inform the class to change into P.E. gear and meet in field #6. Any questions?"
"No, sensei."
"Off you go then."
I wished I could listen with my spirits like I could with my bugs, but that wasn't the case. So rather than getting caught with my ear to the door, I made my way back to class.
Are you still distressed, Taylor? Emily asked.
You know, once the conversation started, all my fear and paranoia vanished. It sounds like this PR plan is coming together. They are sending outside investigators in. Especially with Inoue already in jail, or wherever he is, his family should not be able to cover everything up.
Do you think so? The mix of doubt and hope in her voice was heartbreaking.
Unless he has something on the national leadership, it looks like his house of cards is about to fall.
I could feel her silent contentment.
"Alright everybody," I said as I entered the classroom. I caused all the desks to rattle up and down for a second. That got their attention.
Emily did not bother to translate their exclamations, so I mentally translated them as 'What the fuck!'
They were not so vulgar, she scolded.
Really? I let my doubt show.
Well … not all of them at any rate. I couldn't tell if she was more put out with them or me.
Translate please. "Kan-sensei is held up with the Principal. He sent me to take roll and give you instructions for the next event."
"Oooh … the two white-hairs together in the morning." Came an anonymous voice.
"Is he your father?" called another.
"Is he your boyfriend?"
Do you wish me to keep translating all their responses?
You win. Just the general gist, plus anything meaningful or funny, please.
"Please let me know if someone next to you who should be here is not." I said. There is a trick I'd learned, to pitch your voice to be heard throughout a room, without shouting. I used it.
No one identified anyone – except for the three wits who pointed out I was not in my seat. I didn't see any other empty seats either, so I noted everyone was present.
"We are supposed to get in our PE gear and meet at Field #6. We have …" I looked at the clock. "Five minutes!"
I was about to rattle the desks again to get them moving when I remembered … this wasn't my team. I had no authority over the class and didn't want any.
"Yanagi-san?" I felt a hand on my arm. I looked and it was a short, somewhat pudgy boy with a soft face and brown hair. I couldn't remember his name or his quirk.
"Sorry," I said, not explaining. I left for the girl's locker room. I was the last to get changed. When I came out the same boy was waiting for me.
"Are you ok?" he asked.
"Yes, thank you. We should go."
"I'm Shoda Nirengeki," He introduced himself. "Please call me Shoda. It seems more formal, but mostly it's because it's shorter."
"Shoda-kun, I am Yanagi Reiko."
What should I ask people to call me? I inquired of my built-in etiquette teacher.
It is best to allow the other person to select the level of formality or intimacy which a name can indicate. His offer of his family name, despite the implied informality of his reasoning, still sets the relationship at the proper distance for the newly acquainted.
"Nice to meet you, Yanagi-san." Shoda expressed.
The banter petered off after that. Not every fifteen-year-old boy was comfortable talking alone with a girl. And every Japanese conversation was an effort for me at this point. I had to work on learning the language.
When we arrived at the field the rest of the class was mingling. I took a quick count. We were the last ones there. Kan-sensei arrive at almost the same time from a different direction.
"All present." I informed him then stood back into the crowd. Not that I thought he would, but I did not want him picking me for any more leadership activities. My over-reaction today showed I was in no condition to lead these kids anywhere. I wasn't certain I was safe for them to be around.
"Each of you, except perhaps our exchange students, have participated in standard physical fitness tests in middle school," Mr. Kan started. "But those tests prohibited the use of quirks. Kaibara-san, please come here." The kid with the drill hands and feet stepped forward. The teacher handed him a baseball.
"You are here at U.A. to learn to use your quirks to their best effect as part of a Pro Hero career. To do that you need to know the current capabilities and limitations of your quirk. For instance, what was your maximum distance thrown in middle school?"
"Forty-seven meters," the boy replied proudly.
"I want you to think of a way to use your quirk to do better than that. Just stay in the circle. Go when you're ready."
Kaibara stepped into the indicated circle, thought for a moment, then held the ball in an odd scoop-like grip. He extended his arm straight down, ball facing behind him. He sported a savage grin as his arm started spinning at the shoulder. It circled faster than my eye could follow. With a final roar, he catapulted the ball into the air. It sailed almost out of sight, finally arcing down to the ground.
"673.4 meters." Mr. Kan informed the class. He was looking at his phone.
And the crowd went wild.
I wondered how far my spirits could carry something. I might be able to go a lot farther than Kaibara, or I might be much more limited. I could already see the value of this exercise.
"There are eight events. They are – in order – the Ball Throw, 50m Sprint, Standing Long Jump, Repeated Side Steps, Grip Strength, Sit Ups, Seated Toe-Touch, and the Distance Run. If anyone is unfamiliar with these events, I will explain them to you individually. You will be scored across all events with a prize to the top three."
I wasn't worried about a prize. I started thinking how I could test my spirits' capabilities, and my own, in these events.