A Life Worth Living (Aizawa x OC)

15 - Denial

Aizawa

I hate Mondays.

Reluctantly dragging my overly tired body to the teachers' lounge after a long night of patrolling, I didn't even try to stifle the yawn that threatened to escape my mouth.

Today, I'd only made a short pit stop at home to take a shower and grab my stuff before I'd directly headed to school.

I mean, by now, I've already gotten used to getting little to no sleep at all, but I had to squeeze in a nap whenever there was time for it. After all, it wasn't exactly the best idea to patrol in a half-asleep state, especially since it became increasingly difficult to use my quirk when my eyes desperately wanted to rest.

Exhaustion only causes unnecessary mistakes, and unnecessary mistakes usually had the potential to draw serious consequences.

Therefore, it was highly irrational to no seize the opportunity to sleep whenever it was possible. No matter what everyone else had to say about that, even though it was clearly none of their business.

I entered the lounge, relieved to notice that it was still empty, and headed straight to the kitchen corner to get myself a coffee, glancing at the clock as I waited for the cup to fill with the black liquid I was craving for.

Satisfied with the knowledge that I could enjoy the peace and quiet in the lounge for at least another thirty minutes until the rest of the sometimes way too lively bunch of my colleagues would start to arrive one by one, I made myself comfortable on the couch, placing my feet on the small table and taking a sip of the steaming, hot beverage in my hands.

One sip was already enough for my body to gradually reboot its functionality, which caused me to let out a tired but content hum.

Placing the cup on the table and horizontally positioning myself on the couch, I crossed my arms behind my head and focused on the ceiling, already feeling the pent-up tension from tonight's patrol dissipating.

Usually, I use this time of the day to clear my mind and mentally prepare myself for the rest of the week, which includes dealing with lesson plans, upcoming exams, individual training plans for my students, and so much more. All of that while my head was still busy with whatever went on during the night.

But today, I found myself struggling to remain concentrated.

Since Saturday's unexpected turn of events, my thoughts somehow repeatedly drifted back to Ishihara...all the time.

After my first encounter with her, I'd been a bit amused. It had been obvious that this woman was a walking disaster. But at this point, I hadn't known yet that she'd be roaming the hallways as my new colleague in a not so far future.

No matter how much time I spent with trying to figure out Nezu's reasoning regarding her sudden employment, I couldn't wrap my head around it. He didn't provide us with any information about neither her nor his intention to employ her. The small rodent had never done something like this before.

It was illogical and didn't fit his usual scheme at all.

That woman wasn't even a pro hero, hell, he didn't even tell us if she'd a quirk, and on top of that, she basically had no qualifications for teaching, if it was true what Yamada had told me.

Her employment didn't make any sense at all, and it irritated me. And what irritated me even more, was the fact that nobody else seemed to realize how weird all of this was. Everyone else just accepted the situation and went on with their work as if nothing had changed.

Why on earth would Nezu want her to teach here at the U.A.? I couldn't think of one good reason. The entire situation could easily backfire, and I hoped that Nezu was aware of that possibility.