My Villain Isekai 4 (MHA)

Principal’s Office

The door to Nezu’s office slid open automatically, the approaching person well-logged in the system and given permission to enter. Shikasi Yotsubashi stopped for a fraction of a second, her eyes darting around so quickly the Quirk enhanced animal suspected that few would recognize it as her checking his office for traps. Especially not with how easily she strides in a moment after her cursory scan is done, like she owns the place. She’s nervous but doesn’t want to let it show.

(Admittedly, his office, while having a respectable shelf of awards and books and a sunny, bright color scheme to make those invited feel welcome, did have plenty of traps hidden within it. Far more dangerous than the automatic weapons, the shock tiles, knockout gas, and expanding foam sealant traps within this room were the traps just outside the door.)

As to ‘why,’ that was a harder question to answer, but one Nezu hoped to find the answer to, along with several others of the mysteries that swirled around this girl as of late. “Am I a dog, rat, a bear, or a man? None of that matters because I am-”

“-The principal of U.A.” She interrupted him, casually taking a seat in front of his desk before being given permission. It certainly fits her ‘punk rock’ aesthetic, but hardly the behaviour I viewed in the logs before this meeting. “And what causes such an illustrious individual such as yourself to ask for a meeting with little ol’ me?”

“You were once a student of our school; as the principal, I feel compelled to check up on former students. Tea?” He asked, offering her a cup, which she took easily, downing the steaming hot cup in a single gulp.

“How compassionate,” she replied, sarcasm dripping off her voice. Yotsubashi clearly knew his words to be true (he would check in and keep in contact with U.A. graduates), and false at the same time (this meeting was compelled more by her current fame and the tangled situation with the League of Villains and class 1-A). Oh, I do so love engaging with someone on my level.

Quirks were incredible things, and the experiments that had been forced upon Nezu, however painful, had enhanced his intelligence to let him stand head-and-shoulders above most of humanity. But they had Quirks as well, and occasionally there were those who could match him. If it even is her Quirk enhancing her - the grades she got at U.A. were perfect and the effects noted from her Quirk, as varied as they have been, have all been physical. The fact that the effects were so varied however made him think it was versatile enough to have some effect on her intelligence.

“There are also a couple of group projects and assignments we’d like to hand back to you.” Nezu said, sliding over a manilla folder containing test papers and partial grades she’d been assigned. “You hadn’t stopped by since you left and we’d hate for you to be missing out, your classmates in particular insisted.”

A blink of surprise. She truly didn’t think anyone would notice she was gone? Would care about her? Shisaki was correct in that assumption admittedly, at least at first. When Nezu had investigated the situation, it took her classmates a moment to recognize that she was gone. Once they had however, they’d all been quick to mention how concerned they were for her and hoped she was doing well. 

For someone as talented as her to simply disappear without a trace, without anyone caring, a Quirk would have to be at play. Likely her own, if I had to guess. The lack of comments on Power Loader and the other teacher’s reports indicate it was an effect active while she attended U.A.

“Well, hardly my choice, now was it?” She drawled, not making a move to pick up the folder as she eyed them on the desk before flicking her gaze back to Nezu. “Haven’t kept in touch much since leaving here. I assume the group projects are down in the support classroom?” He nodded and she shrugged. “You can leave them there then; I’m sure they’ll mean more to the rest of the students who worked on them. You already mailed me all of my personal projects.”

She sighed heavily, as if she was exhausted. Given everything she’s dealing with, I wouldn’t be surprised if she was, but she shows none of the physical signs that would accompany that. The girl continued. “Speaking of, you could have simply mailed me these too, so why didn’t you? Really, this time.”

“I was hopeful that with the good memories coming back to you of your time here, I might convince you to re-attend,” Nezu admitted. Like the entire conversation up to this point, it wasn’t the whole truth, but it was a truth. “Seeing you leave was a shame.”

“With the sudden change of in-dorm facilities, and needing parent permission to stay here, I was kinda hooped.”

Nezu nodded his head, apologetic, practiced, empty. The same motion he’d done hundreds of times for irate parents, demanding reporters, and upset students. “It was a necessary precaution with the increased villain attacks targeting our students. You were hardly the only one to feel displeasure at that, and have made those feelings clear to the staff.”

The Yotsubashi heiress let out a short bark of laughter, shifting from the lounging position she’d been sitting in to something more upright. Why the change in posture? Why now? Does she treat things like Sir Nighteye, looking for humor, or was there something else behind her thought process? The only thing Nezu was certain of was that she did it on purpose: Shisaki Yotsubashi was a very deliberate person. What else could you call someone who hid the exact details of their Quirk hidden since it was registered as a child?

“I’d be more concerned with the people that aren’t here to speak up about it. How many students left without a word?” 87 students across the three years, only twelve of whom had families that sent letters of complaint to the school board. Two of the students ranted anonymously about the ‘unfairness of it all’ online. Her question however, was rhetorical, so Nezu addressed the root cause.

“We’re hopeful that with the end of Tomura Shigaraki that we’ll be able to leave the dormitories optional. We’re also looking at getting online classes started for all but the Heroic Classes. With the chaos that process has been slow, unfortunately, but once they’re up to snuff, we’ll be offering them to all of the students that have left.”

“Guess you’ve been too busy with that little U.A. defense system, huh?” She said with a smirk. “You’ll be happy to know your hypothesis was correct, by the way. Tomura Shigaraki’s Quirk evolved exactly as you anticipated it, able to spread on contact. Your separated plates system would have worked wonders, I’m sure of it.”

It was Nezu’s turn to stiffen, his eyes darting to his computer and then staring past the door, wondering how she could have gotten that information. Did she hack into U.A.? My systems are good, but she’s had three years to put in a backdoor. Even the majority of the staff was unaware, but most the changes were done in-house with the support course, and she was enrolled in that track before she left, someone could have squealed. Or maybe she simply analyzed the materials that came into U.A. at the time, and derived their purpose from there.

As the grin on her face grew wider and his own shrunk, Nezu knew he had to shelve those thoughts for later, to focus on the problem at hand. Beaming, he replied, “I’m glad to hear it! It’s always wonderful when an invention works out the way you hoped it would, as I’m sure you understand. And as you’re now a legal adult with no guardians, if you wished to, you could re-enrol in the Support Course. Or a different track if you desire.”

“Really now? What gives you the impression I’d want to be in a different track? I mean, I am the daughter of the late Rikiya Yotsubashi, the famed CEO of Deternat. Why wouldn’t I desire to be in the Support Course?” She certainly loves her hypotheticals. It was true they gave her a chance to pry, but in framing them, Nezu gleaned a bit more insight into her character as well.

“I find that not everyone agrees with what their parents have in mind for them. School is a wonderful place for young people to explore their freedom and hopefully decide their own path.” Her face went entirely blank, as good as flinching at her remark.

Rikiya Yotsubashi, his Quirk: Stress. Descendant of Chikara Yotsubashi, Destro. You can’t have had an easy childhood growing up with him as your father, could you?

“Any track I like huh? What about Heroism?”

“Of course,” Nezu chirped brightly. It’s hardly the curveball she thinks it is to throw me off my game, but she’s just using it to regain her balance - no, she already did that. This is a smokescreen to hide how fast she did so. It was hard to tell, reading her microexpressions was difficult. There were unusual subtle twitches, like pain would spike through at erratic intervals, and her self-control was excellent. Some intuition told him that she’d already processed his jab and was back in on their mental sparring match.

“That seems surprising. Feels like the kind of thing that could degrade U.A.’s reputation. Shiketsu and the other schools must be salivating at the prospect of getting the best applicants with all of the scandals this past year alone,” she pointed out. “It’s pretty rare for a student from another course to get accepted into Heroism, even in the first year. Unheard of after it. And that’s discounting my current legal woes. I’m on trial at the moment, if I were to get criminally charged while a student? Youch. Not sure U.A. could survive the scandal.”

Feeling his left eye twitch, Nezu took a short sip of his tea, not rising to the bait. “And yet I have every faith in your capabilities. You made it to the third round of every Sports Festival since you arrived here, even if you were unable to compete in the final round due to fatigue each time.” There was a sharp smile he flashed at her which she matched back. A point for you, for managing to slip under the radar for all these years, with a bogus excuse…

He continued. “Not to mention how your fellow yearmates in Business and General Studies had nothing but praise for you and your intelligence. When reminded, many of them often mentioned how you’d seek their coursework and take copies of it to study. So I feel quite confident in saying you’d manage to do well in any course we offer here, and put to bed any rumors of U.A.’s troubles.”

Nezu didn’t even bother addressing the trial or those issues - while he’d be willing to lend his legal acumen and connections to any student, she clearly was unconcerned about how things were proceeding on that front. Note to self: Investigate Justice Yansei for ties to the MLF. Shisaki directed her eyes upwards exaggeratedly, as if thinking the offer over before shaking her head.

“While that’s a very generous and inspired offer you’ve given me… unfortunately, I must decline. I’m the head of the largest Support gear manufacturing company and a sizeable publishing house. Feels like a step backwards to return to school, you know?” The blue-skinned woman offered an apologetic smile, the warmth not reaching her eyes.

…And if I’m being generous, a point back for me, for seeing that this is not just some traumatized girl. Oh, Nezu felt sure there was some level of trauma in her life - neither of her parents appeared on examinations of their pasts to be entirely stable individuals, even before taking into account Shisaki being raised in a terrorist organization. But it was clear as day to the principal that Shisaki had her own ambitions, something she confirmed with her next words.

“That all being said, I can’t deny how prestigious and prominent a school you’ve made this place into, Nezu. But I still wonder, why would an animal go into educating students to become heroes?”

“Excuse me?”

“Oh, I mean no offense by that. I know some people throw that term around to describe heteromorphs or the like, but in your case, you really are an animal. One with a Quirk, a person deserving of all the rights and values we hold for all sentient life, but still. Not human.” Nezu quietly sipped his tea, waiting for her to continue. 

“With that inhuman mindset, I have to wonder, why teach at a superhero school? Superheroic society is, in many manners of speaking, the zeitgeist of these times, a very human phenomenon. So I’ll ask again, why did you become a principal here?” How funny that you call my mindset ‘inhuman,’ when the first real look I’ve gotten behind your mask shows how alien your views are. Or perhaps, not funny, merely fitting. Like recognizes like, after all.

As he analyzed her, Nezu keenly felt her gaze boring down on him, as if she was dissecting every breath, every heartbeat he took in this moment. Steeling himself, he responded, “It’s because of that mindset, that disconnect, that I truly wish to understand how humans grow. How they develop. To guide them on the right path.”

“I see. I can’t deny that you’ve done an excellent job with that, but don’t you ever feel constrained?” She continued, not waiting for an answer yet. “I know U.A. has a sprawling campus and all, but there’s only so much you can do, so much you can understand of the human condition, confined to a school.”

Nezu motioned for her to get to the point, and a gleam entered Shisaki’s eyes as she spoke. “I’m looking to make some real changes with… the companies I’ve inherited. The board of directors on both Deternat and Shoowaysha Publishing have gone through some shake ups. I’ve kept a few of the old staff and have some promising new hires, but I could definitely use more help in shaping my vision for the future.”

She’s talking about the losses sustained when the League of Villains attacked the MLA, and then got the remainder of the former to join the latter. And now she thinks I’d be willing to join? As if sensing his disbelief, she added, “I know it seems crazy, but I think your insight would be invaluable to us.”

“While you might be worried about being outweighed by those who had been in on things from the ground floor or our new hires, I promise you that your voice will have significant weight on our direction moving forward. I’m making this offer because of all the hard work I’ve seen you put in to the school, both generally and directly in my time as a student here, and I truly respect that. So, what do you say?” She finished, holding a hand out.

It would be easy to reach over and shake her hand. Tempting too. For multiple reasons. The League of Villains had been one of the most devastating stains on U.A.’s records in recent history. While Shigaraki was confirmed deceased, the rest had still traumatized his students for far too long. The Metahuman Liberation Front was poised to be just as if not more dangerous a threat than any the country had faced before. Nezu was being given a golden opportunity to infiltrate and root out this evil at the source.

She’s not an idiot; this offer must come with ways to keep tabs on me. To prevent me from revealing my information… and to easily silence me if I break their trust. While the principal was confident that Shisaki could kill him here if she wanted to, she couldn’t do so and easily escape, either justice or the legal repercussions that would come from committing such a deed. Disappearing him if he left the safety of the school was a different story entirely.

The other thought was that the offer was genuine; that Shisaki Yotsubashi entirely believed that either he would be willing to join them, or she could convince him to believe in her cause along the way. I wonder if she realizes just how close I am to accepting. I could put safeguards in place for treachery and pull information on them by joining, and at most it would cost me a little of my ever-dwindling social capital. But I’m tempted. By the prospect of being able to guide people away from reckless waste and pointless hatred. From the worst of themselves. To have power over the world, my intelligence letting me use the Liberation Front as my tools, directing my will upon the world! Finally, me in charge and them the ra-!

Clearing his throat, Nezu shook his head. “I’m flattered by the offer, but like you said; I think it would be a step back.” Morally, as well as politically.

Slowly, she pulled her hand back, a blank flash on her face as she carefully thought it over, keen to not give him any hints as to how she felt about that development. Then, the young woman gave him another sad smile, this one true. 

She is sad. Because she believes, in this moment, that she’s going to kill me someday. And she will feel sad on that day, not for her deeds, but for the situation that led to that point. Then she will discard that sadness and move on. Because in her eyes, he saw a woman with more Determination than the Hero Killer, Stain. From her deeds, she had more power than Tomura Shigaraki, the hand picked heir of the Demon Lord, All for One. And from her words, he heard hints of a grander plan than Overhaul, the most dangerous leader of the longest lived crime family in Japan.

“It appears we’re at an impasse then. Thank you for the notes and the tea, it was… enlightening,” Shisaki said pleasantly. Grabbing up the notes and placing down her cup, Nezu felt the urge to say something. Some clever phrase or pointed insight that would win her over. Something that would show I haven’t failed her as a teacher.

For all his intellect, he couldn’t think of an answer to the puzzle that was Shisaki Yotsurashi, so he nodded and simply said, “I wish you the best. Remember, that you will always have a home at U.A.”

Glancing over his shoulder, she gave him an enigmatic smile. “I wouldn’t be sure of that, but I appreciate the sentiment.” Then she stepped out of the doorway, exiting his office.

***

The next day, he was greeted by an alert from his phone. U.A. had been tagged in a number of stories trending on social media and starting to get picked up by news outlets. ‘Someone’ had determined and leaked the true cost of all of the upgrades done to U.A. and the other hero schools, and the public was in an outcry over ‘wasted taxpayer dollars’ for a defense system based around a villain no longer alive.

Sighing, he mentally shifted the pieces around in his head, moving the figurative chessboard slightly ahead on Shisaki’s side. “A decent opening move, I’ll admit. But this game is far from over,” the principal muttered to himself before going over damage control and counterplay options.

A/N: There are many underutilized characters in My Hero Academia, as I’m sure many fans will attest to. In my opinion though, one of the greatest examples of this is Nezu. He’s the principal of the most influential hero school in the country, possibly the world, a super genius… and mostly exists to just exposit about the situation at paw hand. 

Yes, U.A. has some pretty cool inventions, but a lot of that isn’t even directly attributed to him. Just things he’s approved of. We don’t really get to see him engage intellectually, admittedly because it’s a Shonen series, but still. I found it to be a shame, so we’re definitely going to see a bit more of his (and others) maneuvering on a political/media/strategic level here in this story.

I hope the SI hasn’t felt too glazed here. I do want her to come across as a capable threat, and good at leveraging her skills and metaknowledge, but she’s hardly unbeatable. Also, this update would probably happen after the next one chronologically, but I feel that for the current collection of snippets, this one works better here.