Controlee

93. The Roots I Cannot Keep

Rule 106: There's as much kindness in the world as there is cruelty.

"What's the range of Eri's quirk?" It could make people disappear. It could kill. But how many could it hurt at once? The line between dangerous and mass destruction wasn't clear cut but knowing Eri's range might make it obvious.

The two adults stared at her and she tried very hard not to blow a fuse. This was important.

"Any day now," she pressed. If the answer was what Otsuka feared then they didn't have this time to waste.

"Eri's quirk won't be a threat to anyone. That's why I'm here."

It was such a simple question. Why the fuck wouldn't they just a answer it? "Fine. Does it turn off?"

They frowned at her, like they had the seconds to spare for funny looks.

"Does she have to keep it deactivated or does she have to try to activate it?"

"Why are you trying to figure out what level controlee she is?" Yamada asked.

"Answer the questions," she demanded, keeping her voice down so Eri wouldn't overhear and be frightened. Fear and controlees never mixed well. Eri had probably been so afraid for such a long time.

"A few metres from what I've seen," Aizawa finally answered, hearing the tone of her voice for what it was at last. "And she seems to have a supply of energy marked by the size of her horn which presumably runs out. Is that considered-"

"That's off," Otsuka confirmed. "And that's level four." Nobody could argue a few metres as mass destruction. Eri could kill with her quirk, but not enough to be high level. That was good. And she had an off button. Even better. There was no way she could be level one. "Who are her guardians?"

The two adults looked to each other in one of those silent conversations that had grown so familiar over the last few months and yet still so infuriating. "Well, that's actually something we wanted to talk to you about."

"Ok, so talk." What she had to do with another child's guardians to the point of needing to be talked to, Otsuka didn't know, but she also didn't have time for an explanation of the whys. Important stuff came first right now.

Yamada blinked, visibly put off. She'd been trying to speed him up, not slow him down more.

"Eri doesn't have guardians right now," Aizawa thankfully spoke up.

He spoke up with the worst possible answer.

No. No, no. Eri needed guardians. Eri had to have guardians. Sure, if she'd been level one, it wouldn't have mattered. But she wasn't level one, and all she needed was guardians.

If Eri had been level one, Otsuka knew what she would've done. Otsuka had already been making plans to leave with TT. They weren't deep into the plans yet, it was still a new idea, but they would've figured it out. No matter what, Eri wasn't going to end up at the same kind of government-mandated control school Otsuka and TT had gone to. Eri wasn't going to be put through that. Otsuka wasn't letting any more children be manipulated because of a quirk that was too much for them.

But Eri wasn't level one. They shouldn't have had to move their plans up so suddenly. Otsuka shouldn't have had to get her first kidnapping charge at age fifteen.

All Eri needed was guardians. But she didn't have guardians. Eri didn't have guardians, so there was nobody to stop her from being forced into a control school.

"Considering her situation, finding her guardians would be pretty difficult." There Yamada went, adding a nail to the coffin (adding kidnapping to the rap sheet). "But we were thinking- Well, we wanted to check with you first, because this is your family too now, and we're also acting as guardians for Oboro at the minute too, and you've only just officially been made part of the family-"