Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Scott Fellman.
Taylor Pov.
"By the way, Hebert, come here. The principal is calling you." Aizawa said distractedly before turning around and walking away. I blinked and nodded.
"Did you do something?" Ruby asked, confused. I wrinkled my nose.
"You better go. It must be important. We'll talk later," Izumi said simply with a shrug. I looked at him conflictedly, I really wanted to have that conversation about his haki, but I couldn't keep Professor Aizawa and Principal Nezu waiting. I sighed tiredly.
"See you later. Don't start without me! " I told Izumi and the girls before grabbing my backpack and following Aizawa through the university halls until we finally arrived at the principal's office.
"Principal Nezu, I brought Hebert as you requested." Aizawa said as he entered the office without waiting. I followed him timidly.
"Ah, Miss Hebert! It's a pleasure to meet you! " Principal Nezu laughed in his chair. "Please sit." Principal Nezu said as he pointed to the chair before his desk. Aizawa ignored me, walked around the desk, and stood behind Principal Nezu.
"Principal Nezu, it's an honor to meet you." I said meekly as I took a seat. Principal Nezu laughed at that. "Is... is there a problem?" I asked uncertainly.
"Depends on how you define problems." Principal Nezu laughed. Aizawa sighed. "Have you been ignoring your duties as an exchange student?" Principal Nezu asked bluntly, and I blinked in confusion.
"My… homework? Is there a problem with my grades?" I asked, frowning.
"Not those, you're ranked 5th in the class, the 'other' homework." Aizawa said with a frown. My mind went blank.
"I... I don't know what you're talking about." I said, confused and slightly nervous. They both stared at me before sighing in unison.
"That's what I was afraid of," Aizawa said tiredly. Instead, Principal Nezu laughed happily.
"As you well know, Miss Hebert, you are an exchange student, and as an exchange student, you still belong to the United States. Normally, regardless of what might happen that might cause you to decide to stay in Japan permanently in the future, you are still primarily the responsibility of the United States, and with that comes… certain responsibilities. Responsibilities that you haven't seemed to be fulfilling." Principal Nezu said amusedly, as if what he was saying wasn't serious at all. I could feel myself going pale.
"I-what-what responsibilities?!" I squealed in surprise. Aizawa frowned.
"Really, you have no idea? All of this should have been told to you when you left the country." Aizawa asked seriously.
"Of course not!! I have no idea what you're talking about! " I exclaimed in disbelief.
"When did you last speak to the PRT, Miss Hebert?" I shuddered violently at Principal Nezu's question and could feel my body tense. Big, fat alarm bells were ringing in my head.
"The… PRT?" I asked slowly through gritted teeth.
"Exchange students are used to keep up appearances of 'friendship' between countries, usually, the whole thing is arranged by the governing body of heroes, in the case of the United States, the PRT. Miss Hebert, one of your responsibilities is to give a progress report on your studies constantly, every two weeks, no matter how banal those conversations are," Principal Nezu said.
"Every two weeks?! They never told me anything like that! They rushed the whole process as fast as they could! They gave me 3 days to pack before they put me on a plane! The last time I spoke to someone from the PRT was over half a year ago! And the agent I spoke to kept complaining about me breaking the lease on the apartment I was assigned to live in with Izumi! And it took them half a year to even call about it!" I immediately defended myself.
Principal Nezu and Aizawa frowned immediately.
"They didn't tell you anything? No brochures, no information packets, no messages or calls? " Aizawa asked seriously.
"Of course not!" I said immediately.
"3 days… you mentioned you were given 3 days, Miss Hebert, you… you volunteered to come to Japan?" Principal Nezu asked seriously. Izumi was right about him being smart. I shuddered violently, closed my mouth, and looked down.
"...I can't answer that," I said through gritted teeth. Both of their gazes hardened completely.
"Hebert, you-" Aizawa's words were cut off when Principal Nezu raised his hand-his paw? -his hand.
"Miss Hebert, may I have your opinion on this?" Principal Nezu asked, manipulating a tablet in his hand before pushing it in my direction. I blinked in confusion, but reached out and took the tablet. The page was in English. It was a public announcement on the PRT's official social media page, dated over a week ago. Almost two.
Quickly, and with every word I read, I grew more and more livid. What kind of message was this?! I had been carefully selected?! I was someone promising and capable!? They were aware of all my progress!? Who the hell wrote this pack of lies!?
"What is this shit!!!" I exclaimed in complete fury as I finished reading the damn speech.
"Language," Aizawa said dryly. "But I suppose you weren't aware of this."
"Of course not! Like I said! I haven't spoken to anyone from the United States in months! " I exclaimed furiously as I squeezed the tablet tightly. I could feel my bugs going crazy along with my fury.
"I'll have to ask you to please calm down, Miss Hebert. We need to get to the bottom of this. It seems we're all working with half-baked information," Principal Nezu said. I gritted my teeth and nodded. I pushed all my emotions into my bugs. I could feel my anger completely blunted. I could barely feel it. It was there, but my mind was much clearer now. My face was completely devoid of emotion.
"You're scary when you do that," Aizawa muttered with a sigh. "But I guess it's a blessing."
"You are… an enigma, Miss Hebert. You shouldn't be in Japan," Principal Nezu said directly.
"What?" I asked hurtfully. Even though I directed most of my emotions to my insects, that statement stung deeply.
"I apologize, Miss Hebert. I didn't mean it that way. You're truly welcome to stay in Japan, at the university, and I'm happy to have you." Principal Nezu smiled slightly before putting on a more serious expression. "The problem is, you're too strong, Miss Hebert."
"Strong?" I asked, confused. Aizawa sighed.
"Yes, Hebert, you're strong, you're consistently in the top three of your year, and you got second place at the festival. You were classified as an S-rank as soon as the school term started. Your quirk is overwhelming and terrifying, not because of your insects, but in its functioning. The area of effect and the multitasking ability is incredible, truly worthy of an S-rank."
"But that shouldn't have happened, not with an exchange student. To put it in context, the other girl who comes from the United States is Tsunotori Pony from 1B, and she's only a C-rank, with hopes of rising to B-rank if she applies herself properly. That's the standard for exchange students. An S-rank should never leave their country." Aizawa said seriously.
The conversation with Izumi's grandfather came to mind.
"But-then why?" I asked, confused.
"and that's the question, isn't it? Why? Why are you here? Why did they send you? Why didn't they notice? Why? Why? Why? And you, Miss Hebert, have the answers," Principal Nezu said seriously. "Now, would you be so kind as to tell us everything that happened before you arrived in Japan?" Principal Nezu asked though it sounded more like an order than anything else.
I bit my lip hard. I couldn't. The NDA still existed, so I couldn't say anything. Not without breaking it. It's one thing to tell Izumi and the girls, but Principal Nezu? The UA principal, that was a completely different story.
And it wasn't just that. I could feel the distrust and paranoia rising. I knew UA wasn't Winslow, that Principal Nezu wasn't Blackwell, and Aizawa wasn't like Gladly or Knott. Everyone at UA had been wonderful, completely different from what I was used to. But Winslow had ruined me so much for teachers that the distrust was always on edge at critical moments.
"For the love of- you can trust Nezu! Tell him everything! He's on our side! He's going to help you!! " I turned my head so fast that I heard it creak as I looked towards the door, where Izumi's muffled voice came from. Had I been so focused that I hadn't noticed with my bugs Izumi listening behind the door?!
"Miyamura!!!" Aizawa growled as he started walking towards the door angrily.
"He's not there anymore." I sighed tiredly as I took off my glasses and massaged the bridge of my nose. My bugs searched everywhere for Izumi, but he was not in the immediate area anymore. Aizawa stopped and glared at the door, but he took my word for it and backed away once more.
"Your fiancé is a threat." Aizawa growled. I sighed once more.
"I know." I sighed miserably. Though I couldn't complain, I did the same thing to All Might a few hours ago. Principal Nezu, on the other hand, started laughing.
"Really! Mr. Miyamura's sneaking ability is truly terrifying when he wants to! It's impressive! " Principal Nezu clapped happily.
""Don't encourage him."" Aizawa and I growled at the same time. Aizawa in annoyance, me in pain. Still, we stared at each other for a few seconds before sighing. Principal Nezu started laughing loudly once more.
"I..." I began slowly once Principal Nezu finished laughing. I bit my lip. I could still feel the nagging emotions there, but much more subdued than before. Izumi's voice, as completely inappropriate as it had been, really calmed me down, and... he would never do anything to hurt me like that. He had limits, and I knew this was one of mine. If he trusted Principal Nezu, then... "I guess it all started 4 years ago-"
I gulped audibly as I began my story. From the camping trip, through everything Emma and Sophia put me through, the devastation of my Christmas swarms, the locker at the start of term, my time in the hospital, the whole PRT issue, and my… my exile to Japan.
Really… it hurt a lot less than usual. It had been over a year and a couple of months since all of that happened. Everything just… felt so much further away, so much less than it once was.
Oh, I definitely still hated Emma, Sophia, and the PRT. I had some resentment toward my parents for not believing me and siding with Emma like everyone else. But all of that… didn't hurt like it used to. All the time I spent with Izumi and the others was a wonderful way to heal.
Once I finished speaking, my throat was dry, so I looked at Principal Nezu and Aizawa. Aizawa had a murderous expression on his face. It seemed like his quirk was about to activate as he gritted his teeth in fury. But the most terrifying thing was Principal Nezu. I didn't know why. There was not a single emotion on his face, and he was terribly still, but for some reason, Principal Nezu made me shudder even more.
Principal Nezu sighed and frowned at Aizawa. Aizawa grunted but moved on, making three cups of tea and placing them in front of us. I immediately grabbed the cup and began drinking. The hot liquid warmed me and calmed me slightly.
"What happened to you, Miss Hebert was horrible, but you were certainly lucky," Principal Nezu said calmly as he sipped his tea. I looked at him in disbelief.
"How was that luck?!" I asked incredulously. Principal Nezu took a long sip of his drink.
"You had a reawakening, one strong enough to get you to an S rank. The situation is horrible, but the chances of it happening are minuscule. Then, you were charged with a crime that could have easily been dismissed by any competent lawyer. Whoever was in charge wanted you out of the country and was so incompetent that they ignored most of the procedures in doing so."
"So no one knew about your rise in ranks. That was enough to get you out of the country without them noticing. You were able to slip out of their control right under the nose of the PRT and every other organization, with the PRT's approval itself, and you had a year and a half of staying under the radar. Not only that, you were able to heal, with help, I assume, from Mr. Miyamura."
"Amidst all that misfortune, you were lucky. Under other circumstances, if the PRT had discovered your new status, they would have banned you from leaving the country. They may have forced you to stay in Brockton Bay. Since you were already being accused of a crime, they would have kept you under a much more restrictive collar than going to another country."
"I'm not being cruel when I say that. You really got lucky," Principal Nezu said seriously. And I paled considerably. I didn't want to believe the PRT would stoop to that point. But I couldn't deny what Principal Nezu said. The PRT had already accused me of crimes committed in self-defense.
If they'd known my rank before I left for Japan, I could see the PRT forcing me to join the Wards, the Protectorate. With Sophia, and Emma. Without listening to my complaints, without hearing my grievances. It would be hell.
I shuddered violently. Truly, Principal Nezu was right. I was lucky, lucky to be able to come to Japan, lucky to be able to distance myself from that toxic environment, lucky to be able to meet Izumi and fall in love with him. Lucky to have him. Lucky to know the others. Lucky to keep my distance so I could heal properly.
"So… now what? I really don't want anything to do with the PRT," I said tiredly. Principal Nezu nodded.
"Now, it depends on exactly what you want to do?" Principal Nezu said, smiling widely again.
"What... do I want to do?" I asked, confused. Principal Nezu nodded.
"Of course! It's your decision, Miss Hebert! You are a precious student at my university! I'll do what I can to help you! But that depends on what you really want! Do you want to return to the United States? Do you want to stay in Japan? What do YOU want, Miss Hebert? " Principal Nezu asked with a smile.
"I want to stay with Izumi, in Japan, and the others, at UA." I said immediately. I didn't need to think about it. Principal Nezu's smile grew much broader. Aizawa was smiling, too.
"Then we have work to do! And luckily for us! It's so easy! " Principal Nezu began to laugh almost madly. "The PRT's speech gave us everything we need! Time! They planted the similarity of your case with All Might and that you would learn under him! So they expect your stay to be temporary! But that also means that, in the short term, you'll be in Japan! The only thing you have to do is keep trying like this and nothing else! " I blinked in confusion.
"That's all?" I asked without understanding. Principal Nezu smiled and nodded.
"Yeah, well, plus, you'll have to call the PRT every two weeks. By demonstrating your strength and Shusui, you've caught the attention of the entire PRT. You can't ignore it. They want to control you. They want information about you. And you have to give it to them to appease them. So they'll continue to ignore our plans."
"You don't have to tell them anything personal you don't want to. If you answer the questions they ask you directly and tell them exactly how you're doing at university and your overall grades, that's more than enough to fulfill your obligations."
"And then… let me do the rest of the work! The United States has always prided itself on its ability to acquire hunters and heroes from other countries! I've always wanted to steal an S-rank hunter from them! " Principal Nezu said happily before laughing madly. I looked at him worriedly. Aizawa sighed tiredly from the side.
"Just… ignore the principal, Hebert. We'll do everything in our power to keep you in Japan. As long as you remain a UA student, you have a great deal of protection. The PRT can't easily remove you from the university, not when they've already planted the claim that you were sent to study under All Might. We have years to prepare for this." Aizawa said confidently.
"Y-thank you, Principal Nezu, Professor Aizawa," I said honestly. This… was really different from what I expected, but it was a very welcome and pleasant surprise.
"Don't worry, Miss Hebert! We're just doing our job! " Principal Nezu chirped. "Now, I would recommend you visit Hound Dog as your therapist. While you're healed and it's been a while, what happened to you is horrible, so you may find it beneficial even after all this time." Principal Nezu said with a soft smile.
"Hound Dog is a therapist?" I asked, confused. Was he some kind of counselor? Aizawa sighed.
"We're in a school for heroes and hunters, Hebert. Of course, we need a therapist." Aizawa said dryly. I blushed slightly.
"And Hound Dog is perfect! He's a therapy dog! " Principal Nezu laughed madly, and I looked at him in disbelief. Could that be considered racism? Aizawa groaned loudly.
"Just… ignore the principal, but think about it. Your friend Azula has her sessions with him. You can ask her for her opinion." Aizawa said with a sigh. Oh, did Azula have her sessions with him? I know her therapy sessions were mandatory; she was forced to have them when her brother broke her out of the mental asylum, and UA also forced her to have it because of her 'past,' but I didn't know he was Hound Dog.
"I'll... I'll think about it." I said simply. Principal Nezu didn't insist further and nodded happily.
"Good! Now for the next topic! All Might told us that you had an... unwanted run-in with Goto Ryuko, when you were finishing your internship. Are you okay? " Principal Nezu asked seriously. I stopped and nodded.
"Yeah, no problem. All Might arrived in time to stop any conflict. I doubt Goto could bother me here at UA, so I'm fine." I said honestly. Principal Nezu nodded.
"I'm glad you feel safe at UA! You have my word that no one from Draw Sword will bother you here! If the problem persists or you're harassed elsewhere, please contact me, and I'll take care of it." Principal Nezu said firmly, I nodded. Principal Nezu's expression changed once more, and he smiled widely. "Now, finally, let's move on to a much more cheerful topic! Your spider silk! " Principal Nezu exclaimed. I tilted my head.
"What?" I asked, confused. The change of subject caught me entirely off guard.
"We were drawn to your costume and Izumi's. They were not made by us or any of our affiliated companies, so we had to thoroughly review them to approve them for your safety. And I must say! We were all really impressed with the material they were made of!! " Principal Nezu practically trembled in his seat.
I remembered something like that: after the hologram message about our passing grade on the entrance exams, we had to send a message with everything required and what we wanted for our costumes. But since I was the one who had made both costumes, we had to send them a few days in advance for approval.
"You really did an amazing job on your costumes! They were almost professionally done! The quality and durability of your dragline silk surpasses some fabrics made from low- and mid-quality dungeon monster parts! It has some drawbacks, like being too stretchy, but that's easily fixable."
"So, we want to help you produce and buy all the dragline silk you can make," Principal Nezu said with a huge smile.
"Help me produce?" I asked foolishly. Principal Nezu nodded strongly.
"Yes! You just need to design a building that we'll place near the dorms and the main university building, so it'll be within your range almost constantly. You can work on it anytime you want if it's not a problem for you! "
"It's not," I said almost immediately. "I barely have to pay attention to produce the fabric," I said honestly.
"Excellent! I also noticed that your knitting is extraordinary! " I blushed slightly.
"I- I took knitting classes." I said, embarrassed. Principal Nezu beaming at me happily.
"A brilliant decision, Miss Hebert!" praised Principal Nezu. Even Aizawa had an approving look on his face. I blushed a little more. I wasn't telling them it was Izumi's idea, and he practically had to force me to attend.
"So, what do you say?!" Principal Nezu asked excitedly. "By the way, this is the offer per meter of silk." Principal Nezu said as he wrote a number on a piece of paper and threw it in my direction. My eyes almost popped out.
"It's too much!?" I squealed in disbelief, and Principal Nezu laughed happily.
"Of course not! Miss Hebert! It is a really unique and useful material! That's a fair price! " Principal Nezu said happily. I gulped as he swallowed audibly.
"I... do I have to think about this?!" I squealed. I had to talk to Izumi about this!
"You can do that." Principal Nezu said simply.
"If you agree, please think about how to keep the spiders under control when you're not around. I imagine it would be difficult to keep them from cannibalizing each other if you're gone for too long, or from being a danger if they manage to escape," Aizawa said distractedly.
"They won't," I said almost immediately. "I mean, black widows aren't even usually cannibalistic—only when sadistic arachnologists trap males and females together in a small box and deprive them of prey during mating season; their famous nickname for sexual cannibalism has rarely been documented outside of a laboratory environment designed to limit their movements and stress the spiders. In the wild, they just tend to avoid other actively maintained black widow webs, and after mating, the male spider just wanders off to do his own thing."
"Also, most black widow spiders don't even have venom that can harm us; only mature female black widow spiders with venom in their sacs can potentially do anything to people. Male black widow spiders have venom so diluted that it serves, at best, as an irritant, and young black widows generally just don't do much."
"Spiders, after they deliver their venom, have a pretty long dry period where they need to replenish their reserves and do practically nothing for days at a time, hidden in their webs. So naturally, when black widows bite someone and actually inject venom, it's a super-high-cost maneuver—that is, when they're trying to kill and eat prey or as a last, last, last desperate maneuver to kill or injure predators."
" So, most of the black widow spiders you see out there are usually hiding in your shoe or closet? Chances are they can't do anything to you. Venom is very expensive to make, so web-spinners spend 99% of their time in their webs doing absolutely nothing. They're almost completely harmless as long as they're not provoked."
"Typically, when black widows see their territory invaded by something much larger than themselves, their immediate response is to run away. The only time they bite is when they have nowhere else to go, and under extreme provocation, and even then, they often just bite you and don't inject any venom. A dry bite is used to threaten hostiles, as their black and red markings serve as an active deterrent signal—"
I took a deep breath after my babble before closing my mouth tightly. I started to blush completely. I just babbled about insects before the principal and my homeroom teacher! Principal Nezu started laughing!
"Wow! Thanks for the black widow lesson! It was fascinating! " Principal Nezu chirped, and to my surprise, he sounded terribly honest and fascinated. I still blushed.
"I- I'd better go find Izumi." I said, embarrassed. They both nodded while smiling.
"Go, and think about the offer! Also, don't forget to grab the PRT's phone. They've been trying to reach you without success. I guess you put it aside after getting your Scroll, so they couldn't contact you." Principal Nezu said happily. I sighed and nodded.
"Thank you for everything, Principal, Professor." I bowed once more and nearly ran out of the room. I had a lot on my mind.