Mina is quite emotionally intelligent; this is a fact she's been aware of for a long time.
Back as a kid, she always seemed to know when someone was about to cry, even if they hadn't realised it yet themselves. For a period of time, she was convinced it was her Quirk; after all, she was by far the best at understanding the feelings of those around her.
Her parents had found it cute, even if it made no sense given their own acid-related Quirks.
So, yeah, she had quickly put her plans to get Dazai and Chuuya together on the back burner when the whole… incident happened.
At first, it had been the obvious thing to do, like, 'This guy almost died, so I probably shouldn't try to set him and his best friend up.' Then, after talking with the rest of the class, she had to spend a good few days thinking it all over and really questioning herself.
Had she wanted to get them together for good reasons? Had she just seen that there was something between the two, because obviously there is, and wanted to help? Had she really wanted to make them happy?
Mina was pretty sure the answer to all of those was yes, but still, she really wanted to be sure before carrying on with her plan. If she was only trying to get them together as a form of entertainment, or so she wouldn't have to deal with them as much, then she wanted to realise that and put a stop to it.
She had thought on that for a while and had felt pretty confident she was in it for the right reasons, although some doubt still lingered.
All that doubt cleared away when Bakugou confronted Midoriya in the hallway outside the changing rooms.
Mina had watched how Chuuya moved just enough so that his body covered Dazai's so that there was no way Bakugou could get to Dazai without going through Chuuya first.
Which, ahhh, just thinking about it makes Mina all excited! That's the sort of thing you see in TV shows, the ones where the love interest doesn't care if they get hurt as long as the protagonist is safe.
Thinking about that makes her remember the time Chuuya fought most of the class on his own. Dazai had been so sure he would win, oh, and the way he cheered for Chuuya!
Don't even get Mina started on the amused but fond glances, the subtle ways they work together without saying anything.
Chuuya had said it best himself; their relationship is one beyond a regular friendship. It's deeper and more intense, something that is hard to describe to an outsider.
Mina wants to help them get together; she wants to see them all sappy and romantic together because that's what a good friend does!
-
The first step in Mina's master plan is to do some research. While she does have some experience with romance, both personally and getting other people together, it doesn't hurt to look into a few things to make sure her knowledge is up to date.
Over the span of three days, Mina watched about twenty romance dramas of various genres. Some were the classic, simple type; the protagonists meet and fall in love, and everything is great. Some featured love triangles because, Mina acknowledges, there might be someone back in Yokohama keeping Dazai and Chuuya from getting together!
She also watched quite a few mafia romance dramas just to get a feel for what it might have been like for those two before they came to UA.
Had they actually been in a relationship, but then, just before they could escape the mafia to live happily ever after, the big bad boss pulled out some blackmail? Or maybe they had been on opposite sides of the law and fell in love, which, after a difficult relationship, led one of them to give up their morals and join the mafia? Perhaps one of them, the one already in the Mafia, was such a hulking, dark, and mysterious guy that the other was just immediately swooned and left everything behind to join the Mafia.
…
Ok, so maybe Mina got a little too into those mafia dramas. She knows it's very unlikely any of that actually happened, but still, it's fun to think about.
Chuuya and Dazai are still so mysterious; sometimes, Mina can't help but come up with crazy scenarios featuring the two of them. She's only heard a few stories here and there about their lives back in Yokohama, mainly the various ways Dazai has pranked Chuuya, so anything could be possible.
Anyway, armed with her new expertise, Mina moved onto step two of her plan.
Recruitment.
Sure, the other girls had said they would help, but Mina needs more trustworthy and dedicated troops. People like Yaoyorozu and Tsu, while nice and willing to help, just don't have the same drive as Mina when it comes to these things. They would likely object to anything that would actually set the two of them up, such as creating situations where the two of them are alone and in close proximity.
Mina gets it; a rookie matchmaker might push too far and end up making everyone uncomfortable. It's a very delicate balance between pushing two people together but not pushing them past their personal boundaries.
It's very fortunate, then, that Mina is a pro at matchmaking. Being able to pick up on other people's emotions so well means she can usually tell the moment someone starts getting uncomfortable, thus meaning she knows when to back off.
Her more responsible classmates might not understand that, though, so Mina must recruit some like-minded people to back her up.
Her second in command was an easy choice, and as she had expected, Hagakure had been all too willing to agree. Together, the two of them worked to craft the perfect list of people to join their mission.
They had also made a list of people who should not, under any circumstances, find out about the mission. The very first names they had written on this list were Kaminari and Todoroki.
Now, it's rather obvious why Mina doesn't want Kaminari on the team. As enthusiastic as he is, her friend happens to be a huge idiot. Kaminari might slip up and reveal Mina's grand plan, thus ruining all her hard work.
Todoroki had been a big no because, despite his earnest efforts to get closer to Dazai and Chuuya, the guy is too socially awkward, which is far from ideal when working on such an important mission. Being able to gather information without anyone noticing is going to be vital to the early stages of the plan; Mina can't risk Todoroki being too obvious with his questions.
(Aizawa-sensei had been a hard one to place. On one hand, he would probably scold Mina for interfering in something that has nothing to do with her. On the other hand, Mina is putting so much effort and planning into this that she is sure Aizawa-sensei would be proud of it.)
-
After all her loyal troops had been recruited, Mina launched the next step of her plan.
Before anything else can go ahead, Mina must find out how aware Dazai and Chuuya are about their feelings for each other.
Her research has shown that in many cases, people don't realise their feelings until it's too late, such as when their crush gets with someone else or is in danger.
If it turns out one of them is aware of their feelings, then she'll go with plan A, which is to play the part of the encouraging friend. She'll pull aside whichever one is emotionally aware and hype them up until they decide to confess.
If neither of them is aware, which admittedly, Mina is hoping is the case, she'll have to go with plan B. In this plan, she and her troops will work together to create situations where Dazai and Chuuya will have no choice but to acknowledge their feelings for each other!
Originally, she planned to ask Chuuya if he wanted to come hang out with her after school so she could get some information. She has a new dating game, one that would hopefully give her chances to ask Chuuya about his type and if he has any crushes.
That plan was quickly cancelled when Dazai and Chuuya got back to the dorms that day.
Dazai, slouched onto Chuuya's back like usual, was whining loudly about being left behind. In front of the pair was Aizawa-sensei, his hands casually tucked into his pockets.
What really caught Mina's attention, though, was Chuuya. Each time Dazai complained, Chuuya fired back some insult or another, something that shouldn't be a surprise at this point.
The softer tone of voice, the way Chuuya seems to actually be leaning back into Dazai's chest, is something new.
Maybe it wouldn't be a big deal for other people; maybe they would just assume Chuuya is too tired to deal with Dazai's nonsense today.
Mina isn't other people, though. To her, the way Chuuya teases back but doesn't tell Dazai to stop, the way he doesn't bother to move away from Dazai even after someone comes over to talk to him, and the way his hand absentmindedly finds Dazai's behind his back…
Well, in her eyes, it's a pretty big sign not to commence her plan. As much as she may want to, especially with this new evidence before her, it just wouldn't feel right.
-
Fortunately, it only takes a day for Chuuya to get back to usual.
Mina had been keeping an eye on the pair all throughout the day, both because she wanted to see if Chuuya felt better and because she wanted to see all the cute little moments between the two.
In the morning, just after Mina stumbled into class a few minutes before the bell went, she spotted Dazai sitting on Chuuya's desk chatting about something she couldn't quite hear. Chuuya's head was turned to face the window, but she noticed with glee that his hand was tightly holding onto Dazai's arm.
Well, she had been happy about it until Uraraka told her how Dazai made a joke about jumping out the window, which had caused Chuuya to roll his eyes before roughly grabbing onto him.
(Mina had been pleased to hear how a few of her classmates had either asked if Dazai was ok or had gotten up to stand by the windows, just in case.)
During practical heroics, All Might put everyone into groups to practise search and rescue techniques.
Mina, since her group was scheduled to be last when doing the rescue work, had picked a nice spot high up so she could watch everyone else. Some of her classmates had complained that she was too high; how the hell were they supposed to reach her?
Mina had argued back that there isn't a limit to these things; an injured civilian could be anywhere, after all! Limiting herself to being on the ground would be detrimental to her classmate's growth as Pro Heroes!
All Might had agreed with her, which wasn't surprising since the wording she used was heavily inspired by Aizawa-sensei.
Anyway, when Chuuya's group was doing rescue work, she watched as he used his Ability to easily traverse the training area and rescue people.
Mina has known for a while that Chuuya's Ability is powerful, the sort of thing that seems impossible to beat. Unlike Uraraka's Quirk, which is far from perfect, Chuuya seems to be able to do everything with his. With just a touch, he can control the gravity of an object; he can make it lighter or heavier, or he can make it fly around like a bullet with just a single thought.
It's cool to watch but really intimidating to be up against, Mina would know.
But, watching him work like this, it occurs to her that his Ability isn't inherently crazy strong.
Ok, well, maybe it is but! The point Mina is trying to make is this: Chuuya is just as good at rescue training as he is at fighting.
His Ability allows him to get around the training grounds quickly, which could save precious time in an actual rescue situation. One moment, he's helping Tsu get back to her feet; the next, he's pulling Kaminari down from a tree.
Pulling is the wrong word, actually. What Chuuya really does is use his Ability to create a floating rock to carefully carry Kaminari out of the tree.
All Might had warned them about moving people who might be injured without properly accessing them, but that doesn't seem to be a problem with Chuuya's method. He simply breaks up the ground below the person and then floats it and them off to the recovery area.
Honestly, Mina feels a little embarrassed that it didn't occur to her sooner that Chuuya could use his Ability like that.
Thankfully, her embarrassment quickly takes a back seat when she notices Chuuya going to 'save' Dazai, who is lying dramatically in the middle of the road, his legs 'trapped' under some rubble.
Mina watches as Chuuya walks up to Dazai and just stands there for a moment. She can't hear their conversation from this height, but she is sure Dazai must be complaining about Chuuya not saving him sooner.
After a few minutes, in which Mina entertains herself by imagining what is being said down there. Chuuya loudly sighs before moving over to the rubble on Dazai's legs.
His Ability shouldn't work, though. Not since Dazai is in contact with the—
Without any hesitation, Chuuya crouches down and just picks up the rubble, just like that. Isn't that stuff supposed to be really heavy??? Just how strong is Chuuya that he could still pick it up without the assistance of his Ability?
Chuuya deposits the rubble to the side and, after a back and forth with Dazai, picks up his bandaged friend in the same manner as he had done with the rubble. It's not quite bridal style, which Mina would have loved to see, but it's good enough to make her short circuit.
-
Things finally come to a head when, after classes, 1A gets together for a study session.
Mina watches as Dazai flops down on top of Chuuya, a usual state of affairs these days. Unlike yesterday, when Chuuya had been unwilling to step away from his friend, today, Chuuya yells and pushes Dazai to the floor.
While the others laugh, Mina turns her attention to Hagakure.
Across the table, Hagakure tilts her body to the left; in return, Mina blinks twice in quick succession.
It's time to formally start Mina's master plan!
Despite her excitement, Mina makes sure to bide her time. Jumping into things too quickly could lead to irreparable mistakes being made, such as one of the more 'responsible' (Or, as Mina likes to think, boring) members of the class catching on and putting a stop to her plan.
It takes some time, in which Mina has to suffer through actually studying before she sees the perfect opportunity.
Yaoyorozu, not fully clued into the plan, pulls up a picture of Midnight's debut costume as an example of… something. Mina wasn't quite listening, but whatever.
The point is, when Yaoyorozu passes around the picture of Midnight's debut costume and begins explaining how it caused a controversy that led to Midnight having to create a new one, Mina notices as Chuuya's face scrunches thoughtfully.
Wasting no time, Mina calls out to him in what she hopes is a casual tone of voice, "What's up, Chuuya?"
Chuuya glances up at her, then to the picture of Midnight's debut costume, before speaking, "So, do you guys get to design your own costumes or what?"
Mina nods, "Yep! Pros get complete freedom to design their own costumes and support weapons." Which is something Mina is so excited about. Right now, as a first-year, she has some limitations regarding what support items she can actually have.
Her original costume design, the one she had sent in before school had started, had quite a few things changed for 'school safety' or whatever the teachers had said. Honestly speaking, Mina had been too despaired over her acid bombs getting rejected to properly listen.
But, anyway, once Mina is a fully fledged Pro, things will be different! She'll have the freedom to use her acid creations as much as she likes, and just to top things off, she already has someone interested in making them for her.
During the sports festival, Mina caught sight of Hatsume Mei and just knew she would be all for Mina's acid creations.
Mina was, naturally, right about that. Hatsume had been ecstatic to look over her ideas and almost immediately started pulling things together to make one of Mina's 'Not-so-fun-time-acid-explosions' (the name is a work in progress).
Unfortunately, Power Loader, the one in charge of the support course first-years, had been quick to step in and shut things down. That had been disappointing, but before Power Loader could stop her, Hatsume had promised to think about Mina's inventions and make them as soon as she graduated.
So, yeah, Mina is really excited to debut now!
"Just before school started, we had to submit our costume design forms, and then the support course made them for us," Yaoyorozu adds, a soft smile on her face.
From across the room, Jirou coughs in a way that sounds far too fake, "Although some of them didn't listen that well…"
Mina winces; she knows exactly what Jirou is talking about.
The support course, talented as they are, do have a bad habit of changing things on the fly. Most of the time, it isn't that big a deal, something like changing the shape of a clasp, adding extra padding, or even removing aspects that are 'insanely dangerous for teenagers to use.' Stuff that is altered for genuine reasons, like safety or efficiency, is understandable.
Some people draw the short straw, though, which was the case for Uraraka.
Mina remembers how mad she'd been when Uraraka had first mentioned what her costume was meant to be like that whichever idiot was in charge of making her costume made it a lot more form-fitting than she wanted.
Uraraka didn't want to say anything about it, even though Aizawa-sensei told the whole class to go to the support course workshop if they ever wanted anything changed or added.
If it were Mina, she would have gone down there the first chance she got to bring up her concerns.
And sure, maybe it's not that big a deal, especially with how Uraraka acts way more comfortably in her costume these days, but that doesn't matter. That first week or so when she was so obviously uncomfortable is reason enough for Mina to go down there and tell someone off herself.
She hasn't yet, though, mainly because Uraraka has been so against the idea.
Mina watches as Chuuya looks confused, follows Jirou's eyeline to Uraraka, and then frowns.
From what Mina knows about Chuuya and his badass mentor and older sister, he would probably be next in line behind Mina to talk to the support course.
Uraraka looks up from her work and blushes, clearly not expecting to be the centre of attention. "Oh! It's nothing really…" She trails off with an awkward smile, "My costume's just a little tighter than I wanted, but I'm used to it now!"
Chuuya's frown deepens, and somewhat surprisingly, Dazai even glances up from his (Kaminari's) handheld gaming console. Mina can't tell what his face is saying—she never really can—but she gets the feeling he's also annoyed at the support course. That's what she likes to think, anyway.
For precisely a second, Mina revels in the idea of those two going down and giving that support course idiot a good talking to because, let's be honest, it would be really great to see.
Pretty much everyone outside of 1A is still terrified of Dazai and Chuuya, so if they were to go down there, all they would have to do is glare, and Mina is almost certain the problem would be solved.
The more responsible part of Mina then takes over and demands that she change the topic as soon as possible.
Uraraka, despite her soft but awkward smile, is clearly not a fan of this topic of conversation. Mina can just tell, and so, like the amazing friend she is, she needs to move the conversation along.
Mina, hopefully without looking too obvious, turns to look Chuuya directly in the eye, "So, Chuuya! How about you guys?"
For a second, she isn't sure it'll work, but after one last look at Uraraka, Chuuya turns his attention to Mina with a confused expression, "What?"
"Did you design your costumes?" Mina asks. Which, while yes, she came up with this question on the fly as a topic changer, that doesn't mean she isn't interested! Chuuya and Dazai's costumes are really stylish, the perfect mafia criminal look really.
Chuuya rolls his eyes, "We wear uniforms, not costumes. Everyone in the Port Mafia is expected to wear black suits; the higher in command you are, the more customisation you can have."
"Ohh, that's super super interesting!" Mina says, which is the truth, so it's not like she's lying or anything. It just so happens that she also had an epiphany on how to progress the plan and, by repeating 'super' twice, signalled to her agents what to do next.
Hagakure, in a tone of voice that is perfectly smug and teasing, calls out, "And here I thought you guys wanted to match with each other."
Mina grins and does her best not to look suspicious. What a perfect response by her second in command!
Now, all they have to do is wait to see how Dazai and Chuuya will react.
Will they act all flustered? If they do, or if just one does, then Mina can be confident that they are aware of their feelings.
Maybe, instead of being flustered, one of them will get a look of longing. Who knows, maybe under all that teasing, Dazai longs for an excuse to match with Chuuya and let the world know who he likes.
Oh, oh! Maybe they-
"Who would ever want to match with a little doggy?"
Dazai's sharp voice cuts through her thoughts, much like a canon hitting and sinking an enemy ship.
Chuuya's face scrunches up in anger, "Bastard! I've told you to stop calling me that!" He leans his weight onto Dazai, which, in other circumstances, would be great evidence for Mina's theory that they like each other.
Unfortunately, Chuuya very much looks like he is trying to crush Dazai to death, and so, with a heavy heart, Mina is forced to reject this as evidence.
Despite being crushed, Dazai still manages to stick a tongue out before teasing Chuuya further, "Sounds like a you problem to me~"
It only takes a second for Chuuya to wrestle Dazai off the seat and onto the floor; his body hits the ground with a thud that goes straight to Mina's heart.
Ok, looking back, Mina thinks her plan was a bit too generic. She'll need to make a new one, one that takes into account Dazai and Chuuya's… Weird flirting/bullying thing they have going on.
-
Shinsou likes to think he has a great poker face, the type that makes people wonder if he hates them or not.
He likes to think that, but when Todoroki and Yaoyorozu bump into each other, he can't help but crack a smile.
He had seen it coming miles away, but—and maybe he shouldn't have—he stayed quiet to see how things would pan out.
Shinsou had slipped in just before the study session had ended, when Yaoyorozu was looking a little dazed and Kaminari confused. That isn't at all unusual; in fact, that's how the study session usually tends to end. Someone gets confused and asks a complicated question, one that leaves Yaoyorozu fumbling to find the answer in her many, many notes.
Personally, Shinsou has never bothered to stick around for the study sessions. He still studies; he's got to work hard to stay in the Hero course, after all, but he finds it easier to work by himself.
He made sure to catch the end of this one, though.
This morning, he had managed to hunt down Aizawa-sensei and talk with the man, which had been nerve-wracking as always. Really, you would think after months of training with the man, Shinsou would be over his Hero worship, but nope. It's still very much there and, much to his embarrassment, probably won't ever leave.
Whatever, the point is that Aizawa-sensei agreed to Shinsou's plan, so now all he has to do is talk to Dazai and Nakahara.
That's why he slipped into the end of the study session, so he could hope to catch the pair after it finished.
That's why he noticed both Todoroki and Yaoyorozu getting up, clearly with the intent to go over and speak with Dazai and Nakahara.
He saw them, both not looking where they were going, and thought, 'Well, let's see where this goes.'
They bump into each other, nothing dramatic, and Shinsou finds it funnier than he probably should.
During the collision, Yaoyorozu dropped a few papers, and Todoroki, ever the gentleman, was quick to start helping her pick them up.
Seeing this as the perfect opportunity, Shinsou slips forward and just about manages to catch up to Dazai and Nakahara before anyone can beat him to it.
"Hey, I want to talk with you both."
Dazai turns to look at Shinsou, and it really doesn't take a genius to pick up on what he's thinking.
If Shinsou had to guess, he would say Dazai is wondering why the hell Shinsou, of all people, is talking to him right now.
Shinsou sighs, "Yeah, I know, but we made that promise to be better classmates and everything, so here I am."
Dazai and Nakahara share a look—one Shinsou doesn't have such an easy time reading.
A second passes, and Shinsou mentally prepares himself for the humiliation of being rejected before he can actually say anything.
Surprisingly, Nakahara shrugs before gesturing for Shinsou to follow the pair into the kitchen. There's some irony in that; Shinsou is about to try and make amends where those two first pissed him off.
"Well?" Nakahara asks, not caring for Shinsou's internal poetics.
It's now or never, Shinsou supposes.
(For a brief moment, Shinsou considers picking the 'never' option. It's not too late for that, right?)
With a sigh, Shinsou begins, "Neither of you trust me because of my Quirk, which, I'll be honest, pisses me off, even if I understand why. Being mad each time you don't answer me won't help anything, though, so I've come up with a plan."
"Oh ho, now I'm interested," Dazai places a finger to his chin as he hums, "Let me guess… You want me to use No Longer Human when you ask questions, right?"
Shinsou delights in being able to shoot that down, "Nope." Honestly speaking, that had been a possibility Shinsou was considering at first. He eventually threw the idea out for two reasons. One, Dazai would probably get sick of doing it pretty quickly, and two, Shinsou has heard how off-putting it is to experience No Longer Human.
Call him selfish, but Shinsou would rather avoid that for as long as possible.
Dazai is good at controlling his facial expressions, so despite his idea being wrong, he doesn't look all that affected. Nakahara, on the other hand, looks just confused enough that Shinsou feels satisfied.
He should probably explain his real idea, but as it happens, he can't help but drag things out a little.
"Originally," Shinsou starts, "I didn't pass the Hero course entrance exams."
"You didn't?!" Chuuya exclaims, his face perfectly reflecting the shocked tone in his voice.
Which, huh, Shinsou didn't expect that response. Sure, when he explains about the exam and the inherent unfairness of it, people usually pity him, but, like, acting that shocked?
Shinsou is unable to stop himself from huffing, "You sound surprised."
The shocked expression melts off Chuuya's face and settles into something more normal, "Tch, even if I don't like your Quirk, I can see how it's useful."
Shinsou can't tell if that was meant to be a compliment or insult, or maybe a mix of the two. There's no time to get caught up on it, though; he'll just have to roll with it.
"Yeah, well, the entrance exam is geared towards physical Quirks, so I had no chance," Shinsou shrugs and hopes the bitterness in his voice isn't too obvious, "Fortunately, Aizawa-sensei took me aside and helped train me. I was able to get into class 1A after doing well at the sports festival."
Shinsou remembers that conversation like it happened five minutes ago.
The first day at UA had been disappointing, from when Shinsou woke up to when the last bell rang.
He had to get up that morning knowing he was heading to his dream school, the one he had wished to attend for years, but he would be nowhere near the Hero course.
It stung when he walked past the kids chatting about being taught by All Might, chatting about how hard the entrance exam was despite the fact they passed in the end.
It stung when he went to orientation, and class 1A wasn't there. Instead, they were off doing some Hero course shit that Shinsou would die to join.
It stung when he learnt that Erasurehead, his all-time favourite Hero, was in charge of the class Shinsou never had a hope of getting into.
Then, when classes ended and Shinsou started dragging his way out of school, Aizawa-sensei pulled him aside.
He noticed Shinsou's Quirk in the entrance exam; he knew how biased the exams were and wanted to help. Aizawa-sensei invited Shinsou to train with him; he offered his help so that Shinsou could make his way up into the Hero course.
"A very touching story indeed."
Shinsou pushes the memories from his mind at that; there's time to be nostalgic later.
With a breath, Shinsou settles his nerves and sets his determination. It's now; he'll ask now and waste no more time. "I still have one-on-one training with Aizawa-sensei. I figured if you both came, then we could, like, bond or whatever. If I have any questions, then Aizawa-sensei can just erase my Quirk before you answer, so you don't have to worry that I'll use it."
The words come out faster than he had wanted, which makes Shinsou cringe. It wasn't much faster than he usually speaks, but still…
Across from him, Dazai raises an eyebrow.
Shinsou mentally prays he doesn't comment on the word vomit that just happened.
A tense, at least to Shinsou, second passes before Dazai speaks, "You don't sound too enthusiastic about it."
Shinsou shrugs, grateful for the conversation to keep moving, "I'm a pessimist at heart; what can I say."
Nakahara smirks at that, which makes Shinsou feel like he won a gold star or something.
Shinsou only feels better when Nakahara nods, "You know what? Sure, lead the way."
God, Shinsou is so good at this 'making friends and building trust' thing.
Despite his worries, Nakahara (and Dazai, by extension) have agreed to his plan. Not only that, but Shinsou already asked Aizawa-sensei to train today in preparation for this.
As Shinsou leads the pair out of the kitchen and through the common area, he can't help the smug feeling when he notices Todoroki and Yaoyorozu.
Clearly, Yaoyorozu and Todoroki had separate plans for hanging out with Dazai and Nakahara today, plans that Shinsou has absolutely trampled over.
Oh well, Shinsou thinks, that's not his problem.
-
The walk to the training grounds is quiet and not the comfortable kind Shinsou usually revels in.
This quiet is awkward because Shinsou gets the distinct impression he's meant to say something, but try as he might, he can't think of anything to say.
He did just have a successful conversation with those two, but that was a prepared conversation with an objective. This is just… small talk, which Shinsou sucks at no matter who he speaks to.
For a second, he imagines himself just saying something, anything, to get the ball rolling. Maybe he could make a joke or tell a story from his childhood, although that might not be the best idea. Shinsou isn't sure a story of him being bullied would help break the tension.
That second passes and Shinsou quickly decides that he's been brave enough for today. Maybe tomorrow he can try again, baby steps, you know?
So yeah, the rest of the journey passes in silence. Shinsou keeps his head forward and tries his best to ignore the feeling of eyes on his back.
Fortunately, Aizawa-sensei is already waiting when they arrive at the training grounds. Sure, the man might not be the most social per se, but Aizawa-sensei has a better chance of starting a casual conversation than Shinsou does.
In the end, though, it's Dazai who starts the conversation. Shinsou is only a little salty about that; couldn't he have done that five minutes ago during the silent walk here?
"So," Dazai starts, "What exactly are we doing here?"
Aizawa-sensei glances over at Shinsou, perhaps gauging if he wants to answer instead, before speaking, "Shinsou's endurance is still subpar, so we are mainly working on improving that."
It's the truth, but ouch.
"You didn't have to be so blunt about it…" Shinsou grumbles.
Aizawa-sensei gives him a look that clearly says, 'When aren't I blunt?' before turning back to Dazai and Nakahara, "I also teach him some hand-to-hand stuff along with the capture weapon."
That seems to catch Nakahara's attention, "I've been wondering about that, actually. I haven't seen anything like it back home. Is that type of weapon common over here?"
Aizawa-sensei shakes his head, "Not really. I came up with this myself when I was your age; I taught myself how to use it, too."
Shinsou allows himself just a single moment of fanboying because, man, his teacher is so cool. How many Pros can create a whole new weapon type as a teenager and master it without any help?
Back at the start of Shinsou's training, Aizawa-sensei had caught him admiring observing the capture weapon. It was then that he asked if Shinsou would be interested in learning; the answer to that was a very enthusiastic yes.
Dazai hums and, after a moment, asks, "Say, Sensei, will you teach me the capture weapon, too?"
Shinsou can't quite tell if he's teasing or not. It would be in line with Dazai's personality to make some sort of joke, although Shinsou isn't sure what the punchline would be, but, at the same time, the capture weapon is cool enough to make anyone want to learn it so…
Aizawa-sensei, without hesitation, nods, "Sure, if you want to learn."
Now, someone else might get jealous hearing that. There is only one user of the capture weapon in the world, and now he wants to take on another student. That's a textbook case for jealousy to grow, the type that ends with a big fight between the students.
Shinsou, however, feels happy.
While his classmates might be sympathetic when Shinsou complains, they can never truly understand how hard it is to learn the capture weapon.
Now Shinsou will have someone to share that pain, how wonderful. Maybe, if things go well, this will be the thing to bring the two of them closer.
Both metaphorically and physically. Shinsou is almost certain they'll end up tied together with the capture tape at some point, either by their own hand or by Aizawa-sensei's.
Shinsou is, rudely, might he add, dragged out of his daydreams of Dazai tangled in the capture tape by a loud huff.
Looking over, Shinsou watches as Dazai crosses his arms, "Why are you looking at me like that, Chibi??"
A quick glance confirms that Nakahara is, in fact, giving Dazai a look of amused disbelief. With a raised eyebrow, Nakahara quickly replies, "For some reason, the idea of you and a long piece of strong fabric doesn't sound good in my mind."
It doesn't…?
Oh, right.
Dazai rolls his eye before poking Nakahara in the chest hard enough to make a loud 'thump', "That's because you always jump to the worst case scenarios, try being a bit more optimistic."
Personally, Shinsou thinks it's not exactly a 'worst-case scenario.' From what he knows, Dazai trying to hang himself with the capture weapon would be more of a 'most likely scenario'.
It seems he isn't the only one to think like that, either.
Aizawa-sensei, with a look Shinsou privately refers to as his 'disappointed dad look,' shakes his head, "Dazai…"
What a lethal attack. Personally, Shinsou would never be able to recover from that. (Which is only 60% a joke; disappointing Aizawa is one of his biggest fears.)
Dazai's head snaps around to face Aizawa-sensei, "Senseiiii, not you too!"
Aizawa-sensei doesn't say anything, instead choosing to let his facial expression do the talking.
Shinsou glances between the two, Aizawa-sensei with his disappointed look and Dazai with his defiant look, and wonders who he should place his bets on.
Aizawa-sensei, he decides quickly. Sorry, Dazai, but Shinsou has to be loyal to his favourite teacher and Hero.
It takes about three seconds of continuous eye contact before Dazai huffs and throws his hands up with a dramatic flourish; it seems Shinsou was right to bet on Aizawa-sensei after all.
Interestingly, when Dazai's hands come back down, one of them slips behind his back just ever so slightly. If Shinsou hadn't been looking, or if he hadn't been stood there, then he likely wouldn't have noticed.
He does notice, though, and he has a hunch as to why Dazai decided to sneak his hand behind his back.
Dazai, unaware of Shinsou's thoughts, huffs, "Ugh, fine, I promise not to try and off myself with it!"
Shinsou watches that hidden hand carefully as Dazai speaks and, just as Dazai says 'promise', he is able to confirm his little theory.
Shinsou just can't help himself from chiming in, "His fingers are crossed."
Aizawa-sensei nods in his direction, which makes Shinsou feel good, before looking back to Dazai, "I'll start teaching you it tomorrow after we've had a conversation about this. I'll be telling Nedzu too."
Dazai jerks back, almost like he's been shot. It feels far too dramatic for the situation, but then again, Dazai is the type to get dramatic over small things.
With a huff, Dazai whirls around to face Shinsou. His hand, once carefully curled to hide his crossed fingers, is now clenched into a fist. "Just so you know, that did not help with your whole friendship is magic plan," Dazai says with a glare.
It's hard to tell if Dazai is genuinely upset with Shinsou, which would be a huge mess up on Shinsou's part, or just being dramatic again. It would be embarrassing to ask, though, right? Like, 'Wait, time out, do you dislike me right now? More than usual, that is.'
Fortunately, Shinsou catches sight of something that makes him think Dazai isn't actually mad or, if he is, not mad enough to ruin any progress class 1A have made with befriending him.
Reassured, Shinsou grins, "Not with you, maybe." In an exaggerated movement, Shinsou looks over Dazai's shoulder to see Nakahara smirking.
Naturally, Dazai is quick to turn and even quicker to get offended, "Chibi!!! You're supposed to be on my side!"
Nakahara shrugs, the smile still on his face.
Well, hopefully, this is a sign Nakahara is warming up to Shinsou.
"Alright, alright, let's get on with it," Aizawa-sensei says, although Shinsou is sure he can hear a hint of amusement in his voice, "Shinsou, start on your usual warm-ups."
And there goes any happiness Shinsou had.
Don't get him wrong, he's beyond happy and honoured to work with Aizawa-sensei like this, it's just… So much effort. The warm-ups alone feel like a full workout, never mind all the stuff after that Shinsou has to do.
Shinsou sighs but diligently starts stretching, if he tries to drag things out then Aizawa-sensei will double the warm ups, a fact Shinsou knows from experience.
As Shinsou leans down to begin stretching out his legs, Dazai takes it upon himself to speak up next, "What about us, Sensei? What great wisdom will you depart on us?"
Shinsou can't help but grin at that,
"Dazai, go join Shinsou. The warm-ups he does help build the necessary muscles for using the capture weapon, so if you're serious about learning, get to it."
Ah, so the sharing of pain will start already.
"Ugh, fine, fine." Dazai sighs before dropping down to the floor beside Shinsou. Interestingly, he doesn't actually start stretching. Instead, he sighs and then just… falls down.
"And me?" Nakahara asks, either unaware or uncaring about Dazai's antics.
Shinsou looks between Aizawa-sensei and Nakahara, then to Dazai, and tries to decide if he should say anything. Dazai's just lying on the ground, not bothering to do any of the stretches Shinsou is currently doing.
He should say something, maybe encourage Dazai to give it his best try…
Who is Shinsou kidding? He'd never do that.
If Aizawa-sensei isn't saying anything about it, then it's fine… probably.
Instead of saying anything about Dazai, Aizawa-sensei hums a little before speaking, "Without your Ability, how acrobatic are you?"
Shinsou, glad for something else to think about, glances over to find Nakahara's face scrunched up. Had… Had he never thought about this before?
Shinsou can't help the huff of laughter; shouldn't Nakahara know this? Aizawa-sensei had asked Shinsou the same question when their training started, and without hesitation, Shinsou had answered, 'Not at all.'
Then again, Aizawa-sensei did specify 'without your Ability.' Nakahara has probably never had to do flips off buildings without his Ability, which would explain why he looks like a kid being asked about rocket science.
For some reason, Shinsou gets the urge to look over at Dazai, who is still lying unmoving on the floor.
Dazai meets Shinsou's eyes and, after a second of consideration, gives a pointed look in Nakahara's direction.
Shinsou nods, which earns him something resembling a smile from Dazai. It's not an actual smile, and definitely not a real one at that, but it's better than nothing. It's also way better than Dazai still holding a grudge from earlier, so silver linings and all that.
Although now he's thinking about it, it's funny that insulting one earns him points with the other. Part of Shinsou wants to push this little theory. If he called Nakahara 'Chibi,' how much would Dazai warm up to him?
That could have the negative effect of making Nakahara dislike him, though, so maybe it's best he doesn't experiment.
Nakahara still hasn't answered and, in Shinsou's opinion, probably won't any time soon. Maybe he's really struggling to figure out the answer, or maybe he just doesn't want to admit he's not that acrobatic without his Ability while Dazai is around.
Whatever the reason, Aizawa-sensei must realise that he won't be getting an answer as he points over to a tree, one that sits at the edge of the training grounds, "You see that tree over there?"
Ah, yes, that tree. Even without looking, Shinsou knows just the one Aizawa-sensei is pointing at.
Nakahara, unknowing of the torture he's about to endure, glances over before nodding, "Yeah?"
"I can climb that, without my capture weapon, in one minute thirty. Go see if you can beat me," Aizawa-sensei says.
The thing about that tree is that it's big, like, absolutely huge. When Aizawa-sensei first instructed Shinsou to climb it, back when they had only just started training together, Shinsou had been convinced it would take all day.
It didn't, but it did take an embarrassing amount of time. Shinsou doesn't like to talk about his first attempt climbing that tree, mainly because he can do so much better now.
If he's being cautious about falling, then it takes about fifteen minutes, a significant improvement on his first attempt.
If he doesn't worry about falling, then he can climb the thing in just over eight minutes. Of course, that does increase the risk of his falling, which either invalidates his attempt or adds on even more time, depending on how bad the fall is.
Nakahara might have a better time at it, though; he probably has more experience with this sort of thing.
Is it bad to hope that Nakahara doesn't beat Shinsou's personal best?
Realistically, Shinsou knows it's bound to happen. Still, if Nakahara could wait until, like, his third attempt, that would be great.
Shinsou glances over at Dazai and briefly wonders if he'll have to climb the tree, too. If he does, then Shinsou's personal best will be safe; he's sure of it.
Dazai looks up at Shinsou and, for a startling moment, Shinsou feels the need to apologise to him.
… Dazai can't read minds, right?
Shinsou very deliberately drags his attention away and, just in case, apologises to Dazai in his head. It's unlikely he can read minds, but Shinsou would rather be safe than sorry.
Nakahara seems to have taken the tree challenge in stride if the way he's already across the training grounds and quickly approaching the tree is anything to go off.
Aizawa-sensei watches for a moment before glancing down at the students stretching on the ground.
Well, student. Dazai is still lying there, doing nothing.
Shinsou thinks, for a moment, that Aizawa-sensei will say something about Dazai doing nothing.
Aizawa-sensei instead gives Shinsou a pointed look, the very look he gives Shinsou whenever he chickens out of doing something.
Ah.
So Aizawa-sensei had noticed Dazai doing nothing. He had noticed and expected Shinsou to say something, probably ask a question since that is the point of this whole thing.
Ughh, that means Shinsou has to do it now. He had been hoping to ease into the whole 'Aizawa-sensei will erase my Quirk when I ask questions' thing, but it seems like there's no time for that now.
"Are you," Shinsou starts, his eyes flicking to Aizawa-sensei to make sure his Quirk is actually activated, "Are you going to start warm-ups?"
Dazai hums, his eye quickly glancing over to Aizawa-sensei.
For a second, Shinsou is convinced he'll be ignored, which would suck big time. Sure, he gets that Dazai is probably still apprehensive or whatever, but each time he gets ignored because of his Quirk stings more and more.
The whole point of this is to build trust so that Dazai and Nakahara can actually answer Shinsou's questions without fear of his Quirk activating.
For now, they'll rely on Aizawa-sensei's Quirk. Then, once those two have gotten to know Shinsou and trust him, Shinsou will be able to ask all the questions he wants without being ignored.
He just has to deal with it now.
Or not because, just as Shinsou is accepting he won't be getting an answer, Dazai looks back over at Nakahara and actually speaks.
Like, answers Shinsou's question.
"Later, I'm watching Chuuya right now! I want to see it if he falls." Dazai answers, his tone so relaxed that Shinsou feels a little stupid for thinking he wouldn't respond.
From across the training grounds, Chuuya's voice echoes out, "Fuck you!"
"Nakahara, language," Aizawa-sensei sighs, "Dazai, you can do warm-ups and watch Nakahara at the same time."
Dazai groans but does, in fact, lean down to match Shinsou's current stretch, "Ugh, fine."
Ok, so apparently, Shinsou is the only one who felt that Dazai responding to his question was noteworthy. Good to know.
For about five minutes, Shinsou works through his warm-up, Dazai lazily copying him while watching Nakahara climb the tree.
It's interesting to watch Nakahara climb, actually. At some points, he seems so confident and natural at it, then at others, seemingly for no reason, he looks like Shinsou did during his first attempt.
At one point, near the middle of the tree, he starts climbing a certain set of branches that Shinsou is very familiar with. You see, those branches look very stable and perfect to climb on, in reality they buckle under any amount of weight.
Many of Shinsou's climbing attempts have been foiled by that set of branches, and at the risk of sounding mean, he's glad Nakahara is about to fall into the same trap.
Like clockwork, Nakahara grabs one of the branches and heaves himself up—only for the entire thing to bend down and force Nakahara to fall down a few branches.
Compared to Dazai's laughter and insults, Shinsou thinks his smirk is quite the respectful reaction.
Aizawa-sensei, on the other hand, is responsible and yells out some instructions for avoiding that section of branches. After making sure Nakahara isn't about to fall out of the tree entirely, Aizawa-sensei turns to face Dazai and sighs, "Dazai, you're not doing warm-ups again."
Shinsou, on the other hand, is still moving through his warm-ups without hesitation. After training with Aizawa-sensei for so long, it's second nature to keep going no matter what else is happening around him.
(Something Aizawa-sensei had drilled into him by having Shinsou warm up and practise with Present Mic chattering in his ear the whole time. After surviving that, there isn't much that can distract Shinsou.)
"Hmm?" Dazai hums, almost like he hadn't noticed it either, "Oops, say, Sensei, why'd you decide to help Shinsou like this? I thought you didn't have favourite students?"
It's a very obvious attempt to change the topic, which, to Shinsou's amusement, actually works.
Aizawa-sensei shakes his head, "I don't have favourites. I wanted to help Shinsou because I knew he could make it to the Hero course and…"
Dazai leans in, his singular eye comically wide with curiosity, "And? Sensei, don't hold out on me here."
Aizawa-sensei looks back at Nakahara, either out of worry or as a way to avoid eye contact, "… Because he reminded me of myself."
Which, yeah, Shinsou is so totally chill hearing that. It's not as if being like his all-time favourite Pro has been a dream of his for, like, a decade or anything. Nope, not at all.
Shinsou is so chill about it that he misses the next minute of conversation, which is a normal, chill thing to do. Totally.
He comes back to the conversation when Dazai scoffs, "Shinsou here told me how he bombed the entrance exam, and now you're telling me you did, too?"
Ok, Shinsou is pretty sure he didn't say it like that—
"I did," Aizawa-sensei responds, not at all trying to defend Shinsou's honour.
Scrambling, Shinsou tries to figure out what the two of them are talking about. Something about the entrance exam, Shinsou failing it, Aizawa-sensei failing it too…
Dazai looks between Aizawa-sensei and Shinsou with an incredulous look, "So if you didn't fight to be in the hero course, then what? You'd just be some random guy?"
Oh, so that's what they're talking about; that makes sense.
Aizawa-sensei nods, "A civilian, yes."
For a second Dazai closes his eye and doesn't say anything, then, without warning, he sighs so deeply that Shinsou feels a little worried.
Dazai opens his eye again and just shakes his head, "I thought you were all stupid, but this is a new low…"
"You thought we were stupid?" Shinsou blurts out, and fortunately, Aizawa-sensei is quick enough to activate his Quirk in time.
Which, yeah, maybe Shinsou shouldn't be surprised Dazai thinks… UA is stupid? Or maybe Pro Hero society as a whole; it could honestly be either.
Anyway, it totally makes sense for him to think that, given where he's from. Shinsou is sure if he lived in an isolated city his entire life, he'd think the outside world is full of morons. Still, it's shocking to hear Dazai just say it. It's even more shocking because Dazai sounded authentic, in a way, not like his usual mocking and annoying tone.
Dazai waves his hand roughly in Shinsou's direction, "Obviously. Everything you do over here is inefficient and stupidly rigid. I can think of so many ways to improve things, and that's just here at UA."
"Well, you could always take it up with Nedzu," Aizawa-sensei interjects, which is met with stony silence.
Which, Shinsou can admit, is really funny. Dazai has a problem with how efficient Hero society is, but it's not his problem to fix, so whatever, right?
"Anyway, Sensei, if you ever need work, I know a lot of people who would hire you," Dazai says, effectively ignoring Aizawa-sensei's suggestion. It takes a moment for his words to catch up with Shinsou, though, in which time Dazai glances over at him and adds on, "You too, mind washing is very useful."
Now, maybe Shinsou is wrong here, but did Dazai just offer to let him join the Port Mafia? Or, like, get into organised crime in Yokohama, at the very least.
"Uh, thanks?" Shinsou dumbly responds, because how the hell is he meant to respond?
Dazai grins, but before he can say whatever teasing Shinsou could just feel coming, his eye snaps over to where Chuuya is climbing the tree.
A moment later, Shinsou hears the snapping of branches and yelling.
When Shinsou braves a look, entirely worried that Nakahara has broken branches that are needed to get to the top, he finds the boy sitting on two of the larger branches with almost a nest of broken branches around him.
Dazai laughs loudly, likely an intentional move so Nakahara can hear him, "Ha! Maybe I should call you 'little birdy' from now on!"
Cue the enraged yells from Nakahara that Shinsou can only just make out. If he had to guess, then Nakahara yelled out some swears, various fish, and a plethora of insults.
After Nakahara finishes yelling and, with a bit of hard work, gets himself free of branches, Dazai turns his attention back to Aizawa-sensei and Shinsou.
After checking that Nakahara is alright, Aizawa-sensei continues where the prior conversation left off, "I appreciate the offer, Dazai, but I prefer the work I'm doing right now."
"Oh yeah?" Dazai starts, "What's so good about being a pro? Sounds like too much work to me~"
Now, if Shinsou were closer to Dazai, he would say, 'I'm pretty sure being in the Mafia is also a lot of work.' He's not, though, so Shinsou keeps his mouth shut.
He's not sure when one becomes close enough for Mafia-related jokes, actually. What are the chances he could find the answer online?
Aizawa-sensei shrugs, "It is a lot of work, but it's worth it, in my opinion."
Maybe it's Aizawa-sensei's tone of voice, or maybe just the atmosphere that was built, but Shinsou can't help but ask a question of his own, "Hey, Aizawa-sensei? Why'd you want to be a Pro anyway?"
Every Pro, or Pro in training, has their own motivation for getting into this profession. Sure, some only want to be Pros for the money or fame, others just go along with the childhood dream everyone has.
Aizawa-sensei doesn't seem the type to be like that, though, and so, yeah, Shinsou can't help but be curious.
"To protect the weak; to be on the side that saves people," Aizawa-sensei responds, his voice clear of any hesitation.
Shinsou feels the need to just sit and take that in, to repeat it until he has it memorised. Aizawa-sensei sounded so sure of himself, so certain that his motivation for saving people is the right one and is just.
Unfortunately, Shinsou doesn't get to take it in for much longer as Nakahara starts yelling again. Either he's fallen again or he's at the top of the tree, Shinsou honestly can't tell which.
-
After training, Shinsou is so dead on his feet that he is almost tempted to ask Aizawa-sensei to carry him back to the dorms. He doesn't because that would be embarrassing, but it's a near thing.
Behind him, Dazai and Nakahara chatter on about… something.
After Nakahara finished climbing the tree, with a time of just over fifteen minutes (Scarily close to Shinsou's 'trying not to fall' time, which was terrible to find out), Aizawa-sensei had been quick to set them off on various training exercises.
Dazai and Nakahara don't seem that affected, which is rude considering how tired Shinsou is right now.
Shinsou tries his best to tune into the conversation on the off chance someone asks him something.
"Ugh, Chibi! The long-tailed rosefinch is such an obvious choice; you'd be a fool to go with that."
Are they… talking about birds?
"I didn't say that's my favourite! Just that I noticed some recently!"
Shinsou is pretty sure they're talking about birds. Which is surprising, he thinks, or maybe it's not. Maybe the Port Mafia makes sure all its members are bird watchers. Who knows? Shinsou certainly doesn't.
"What's your favourite bird, Sensei?"
Oh, now they're getting everyone involved with the birds.
"Owls."
Is Shinsou gonna be asked next? Uh, quick, what's his favourite bird?
"You don't say~"
Crows? That's a solid choice, right? Or, uh, maybe magpies? God, Shinsou is too tired to think about birds right now.
"Owls are a pretty good choice. After you've gotten used to them, anyway."
What other birds exist? Ducks? Do they count? Or, huh, swans? Geese?
"Sensei, I'd believe, but I didn't think of you as an owl person, Chibi."
Chickens?? Penguins?? Mayb—Wait, neither of those can fly… Do birds have to fly? Does being without flight change what a bird is? Does it make it too different to be seen as the same as other birds?
"Yeah, well, they've been growing on me recently."
Shinsou…. Shinsou's too tired for this.