Lemillion To One

Chapter 9

Autumn brought forth with it not just a cool change in the weather. Yuuei High had changed dramatically in terms of appearance; sideshow booths and unusual assortments of equipment built from the hands of its numerous students. The festival was a week away, and excitement hummed through the grounds like the buzz of a hornet nest.

Along with these changes, Mirio Toogata found himself becoming adept to the change in studies. Despite his rocky start in the infirmary, within two weeks he had gone from having no knowledge on the subject of medicine to being able to confidently take charge of diagnostics and treatment. He would always state that it was because you were there to supervise that he was confident in his abilities, but you knew it was more to do with the amount of effort he had put in. You had found him on numerous occasions with his face buried in one of your textbooks as he lifted weights, or had you quiz him on arbitrary questions when you were together. Mirio's focus during what would normally have been his quirk enhancement training with the rest of the class showed you just how much potential he could have had as a professional hero.

Mirio didn't know everything. He didn't need to know everything right now. What he did know after such a short amount of time, however, not only impressed you, but your mentor as well.

So much so, that she pulled you aside one day to discuss with you "something imperative."

Recovery Girl had relented that there was discourse throughout the faculty in regards to Mirio's return to the school. Half of them believed that Mirio being in the presence of his peers without the same advantage he once had could, potentially, lead to not only emotional scarring, but put him in harm's way without an appropriate way to protect himself. The other half had every faith that bringing him back was the right to do; that having a quirk wasn't the only discernment to what it takes to be a hero. It was much more than that. Recovery Girl's faith in the boy was strong; so much that she had even challenged the doubters to give him the opportunity to prove himself once more. Ultimately, the decision would come down to Principle Nezu, who had requested that any and all additional evidence from both parties be given to him by Saturday afternoon for his deliberation by Monday.

Saturday happened to be tomorrow.

It seemed simple enough; all you had to do was report on your observations of Mirio's development, how being quirkless impacted his relationships with his peers, and if you, as a classmate, believed that he should be in class again.

Why did this feel like a bigger thing than it was?

Recovery Girl's request of you was not technically difficult, but at the same time, it had the possibility of backfiring so intensely that Mirio may lose the last of his education at his dream school.

Which made it all the more difficult to watch him play carelessly with Eri while you worked.

At least Izuku Midoriya was able to spend some time with them both; it helped to let you focus a little more on the task in front of you. You smiled softly at the way the three of them were playing with hula hoops, although you could sense an impending competition brewing between the older two; both of them would find any excuse to turn playtime into a workout.

You looked back down at the words that you had written, but it all just felt so off. You were trying to keep your language to professional, since the knowledge that the principle was going to read it constantly loomed overhead.

"Maybe that's the problem." You whispered to yourself. "Maybe I just need to say what I'm feeling."

Excluding obvious emotions, that is.

You swapped to some fresh sheets of paper on your clipboard, pen poised above waiting to make contact.

"I wonder if anyone else has to do this..." You thought.