Hey I hope yall like this one. I'm planning to possibly post the next one tomorrow maybe if I have enough time. I want to get the back story out of the way as I know some of you won't like a whole week focused on it so i will try. Anyways hope yall enjoy
Chapter 14: meetings and revelations
The staff meeting room at U.A. was smaller than most people would expect for such a prestigious institution. A plain conference table, a few chairs, and a single window that looked out over the training grounds. Tonight the lights were dim, the air heavy with the scent of stale coffee and exhaustion.
Nezu sat at the head of the table, paws steepled, his usual cheerful demeanor replaced by something far more solemn. All Might sat to his right, muscle form gone, he was now in his skeletal Toshinori Yagi form looking every bit as drained as the rest of them. Aizawa was slumped in the chair beside him, bandages wrapped around his torso and one arm, eyes red-rimmed from both his Quirk and lack of sleep. Thirteen stood quietly by the window, arms crossed. The other instructors filled the remaining seats, the silence between them thick enough to cut.
Nezu spoke first, voice quiet but carrying the weight of authority.
"We lost a student today," he began.
"Toru Hagakure of Class 1-A. She was one of the brightest, most energetic young heroes in training I have ever had the privilege to watch attend this school. Her death… is a failure on every level. Security, Preparation, Our underestimation of Villains as a whole and their willingness to escalate to this. I will not sugarcoat this. We failed her."
"We failed all of them," Nezu corrected himself gently. "The security breach should never have happened. Security was compromised from the beginning. The League knew our schedules, the layout, and our students' Quirks. They had counters prepared specifically for Cid, Todoroki and any other student they thought may have a quirk that caused issues for them. This was not random. This was planned."
All Might's shoulders sagged. "I should have been there sooner. If I had arrived even a few minutes earlier—"
"You were not the only one to blame for this…." Nezu cut in gently. "We all bear responsibility. We will need to rework security measures from the ground up and make sure this never happens again. Aizawa, your and thirteen's quick thinking kept the casualties from being even higher. But the simple truth is this: we were not prepared for an attack of this scale and precision."
Aizawa's eyes narrowed from where he was seated. "And they almost succeeded. If not for Kageno we would have lost far more than one student."
The room fell silent again. Several teachers exchanged uneasy glances.
Nezu's tail flicked once. "Speaking of Kageno … that is another matter we must address. The boy is currently in critical condition at the hospital. His Quirk underwent significant changes during the battle due to stress and manifested new abilities. The reports from the scene describe him manipulating not just mass and size on a scale we have not seen from him during his time at school. We are not 100% sure what his new abilities are but I am hypothesizing it to be the ability to manipulate distance and space itself, this is based on what I have gained from watching the footage. He pulled dozens of students to safety in seconds. It was… extraordinary."
All Might leaned forward, concern etched on his face. "Is he stable?"
"Physically, yes. The doctors have stabilized his wounds and the blood loss. Mentally and emotionally…" Nezu paused, choosing his words carefully. "That is more complicated. He was the one who found Hagakure's body almost immediately after almost dying in a planned ambush. The trauma of that, combined with the awakening, will more than likely leave him in a fragile state."
There was a long pause of silence then aizawa spoke
Aizawa's red eyes narrowed. "He's always been… detached. Lazy. But the way he moved during the attack, the power he showed… that wasn't the same kid we've been teaching, that was someone moving like they had been trained. What do we know about his background? The entrance exam file was thin. No family mentioned. No guardian listed beyond 'ward of the state.'"
Several heads turned toward Nezu. Midnight leaned forward, voice sharp. "Exactly. We've had students with complicated pasts before, but this feels different. The HPSC has been unusually quiet about him as well. No follow-up evaluations, no requests for reports on his progress. It's like they're watching from a distance. Why?"
Nezu's small paws tapped once on the table. The room fell completely still.
"Because the HPSC are his legal guardians," he said quietly.
The silence that followed was absolute.
All Might's skeletal frame straightened. "What?"
Nezu's beady eyes swept the table. "Cid Kageno has been under HPSC custody since he was eight years old. After an incident that killed his parents, they took immediate legal guardianship and They trained him, they tried to shape him into an asset. But that didn't go exactly as they planned he pushed back, Hard, His trauma and fear of his own Quirk's full power led him to develop the lazy, low-effort personality we all know. It was a coping mechanism and quiet rebellion against them forcing him to use his quirk. After years of back and forth they reached a critical point with cid, The Commission eventually realized that pushing him any further risked turning him radically against them and possibly against hero society as a whole. So they compromised. They allowed him limited freedom and permitted him to attend U.A., seeing long-term value in him even in his current state if he was at least a hero. They still require weekly check-ins and maintain significant pull. They can pressure him when they choose."
Midnight's eyes widened. "They never told us. Not a single word."
"They don't have to," Nezu replied. "Technically, he is still their ward. The fact he is now eighteen gives him more autonomy, but the HPSC retains vast influence in multiple areas. They can make life very difficult for him if they decide to and with the new powers he has awakened they will push to regain as much control of him as they can. I have already taken steps to shield him from that pressure as much as possible. I will not allow them to reclaim him or treat him as a tool."
Aizawa's voice was low and dangerous. "And if they try?"
Nezu's smile was small, sharp, and cold. "Then they will discover that U.A. is not as easy to push around as they might think."
The room stayed silent for a long beat.
Nezu said. "For now, we focus on the students. The public statement will be measured. Parents are already calling. Some will pull their children. We will do everything we can to keep the rest together, as for Kageno we will need to help him through the turmoil he will no doubt be in upon awakening, assist him in getting a handle on his new powers and shield him from the HSPC as much as possible."
The meeting lasted a while longer with talk of security upgrades and new additions and how to prevent similar incidents from happening. Nezu stayed behind, staring out the window at the training grounds as the others filed out thinking about what all he saw from the cameras, especially on what he had deleted from the footage as he thought of the sight of Cid killing those villains he didn't feel unease or revolution. He felt worried for cid because that was the exact kind of thing the HSPC trained him to do.
-The next day at Musutafu private hospital-
Yui stood at the head of the small group of Momo, Jiro, and Kendo, who had insisted on coming with her. They had taken the earliest train they could after the chaos at USJ. None of them had slept. Their clothes were wrinkled and they looked visibly tired with dark circles under their eyes.
The hallway outside Cid's room was quiet except for the soft beep of machines behind the closed door. Two men in crisp black suits stood guard, earpieces visible, expressions blank and professional. They looked more like secret service than hospital security.
Yui stepped forward first. "We're here to see Cid Kageno. Class 1-A. We're his friends."
One of the agents didn't even blink. "No visitors at this time."
Momo's voice was polite but firm. "We're his classmates. He was injured saving us. Please we just want to check on him."
The second agent shook his head once. "Orders. No one enters without clearance."
Jiro crossed her arms, voice tight. "Clearance from who?"
The first agent's gaze flicked to them, cold and professional. "That's not your concern."
Yui's hands clenched at her sides. She could feel the frustration and worry building in her chest, but she forced it down. "He's alone in there. After everything that happened… he shouldn't be alone."
The first agent's expression didn't change, but his tone sharpened, low and clipped. "Step away from the door. This is a restricted area. If you continue to interfere, we will have you removed from the premises and reported to U.A. administration for disciplinary review. This is not a request."
The group were surprised at how forcefully the guards were acting, like they were causing trouble just by asking to see cid.
Before any of them could respond, a small figure rounded the corner at the end of the hallway.
Nezu.
The principal's white fur was pristine, his suit immaculate, but his usual cheerful demeanor was tempered by the gravity of the last twenty-four hours. He walked with measured steps, paws clasped behind his back, tail flicking once as he took in the scene.
"Ah," he said softly, voice carrying easily down the quiet corridor. "I see the welcome committee has already arrived."
The two agents straightened slightly, recognizing him at once. One of them gave a curt nod. "Principal Nezu. These students were attempting unauthorized access."
Nezu's beady eyes flicked to the agents, then to the four girls. He stopped a few feet away, head tilting in that deceptively innocent way of his.
"Unauthorized?" he repeated, tone mild but carrying an edge. "These are Mr.kageno's classmates. They have every right to be concerned for his well-being after the events at USJ. Or has the HPSC decided to treat a hospitalized student like a prisoner rather than a young man recovering from severe injury?"
The agents didn't flinch, but the air between them and Nezu grew noticeably cooler. The first agent's voice remained flat. "Our orders are clear. No visitors without prior approval from our superiors."
Nezu's smile was small and sharp. "Then perhaps you should inform your superiors that the HPSC's 'PRIOR connection' to Mr. Kageno does not override U.A.'s responsibility for its students in this situation. Especially after one of them has just died and another nearly bled out saving dozens of lives."
The girls stared, stunned. The word "HPSC" hung in the air like a live wire. Yui's eyes widened, Momo's polite composure faltered, and Kendo looked ready to step forward and demand answers.
He turned to Yui, voice gentle but firm. "Only you may go in. The others can wait in the waiting area. Too many visitors at once would cause unnecessary stress while he's still recovering."
Yui nodded quickly, heart hammering as she slipped past the agents and pushed the door open.
The room was dim, machines beeping softly. Cid lay propped against the pillows, eyes half-lidded and tired, but open. The glowing pattern from the USJ was gone; both eyes looked like his normal black ones again. He looked exhausted and pale with faint blood stains under the fresh bandages wrapped across his chest. But he was alive at least.
When he saw her, the corner of his mouth twitched into a small tired smile.
"yo" he said softly.
Yui's breath caught. Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes as she rushed forward, standing next to the bed and reaching out to gently touch his arm, checking he was really there.
"You idiot," she whispered, voice cracking and tears pooling in her eyes"You scared me."