Chapter 76 one plan two plans
After some time chatting and laughing together, the initial excitement and joy from the pregnancy news still filling the room with a warm atmosphere, Aoi finally remembered a very important detail that needed immediate attention.
—Rumi, Mom, Nemuri, Ryuko... there's something we need to discuss about Rumi's pregnancy. It's serious.
Rei, looking at her son with a suddenly serious expression, asked worriedly:
—What is it, my son? You look concerned.
Nemuri and Ryuko also turned to him, their faces showing immediate concern as the mood shifted slightly.
Aoi said with a serious face, leaning forward:
—Since Rumi is pregnant, she's going to have to stop being a hero for a while. But there's a big problem: Rumi isn't some normal, low-profile hero that no one really knows or follows, where her absence wouldn't attract any attention from the public or media. She's in the top 5 of the hero rankings one of the most famous and recognizable pros out there. And if she suddenly decides to take a year-long break from all hero activities, it's going to draw a massive amount of attention and speculation. Even if I use my quirk to heal Rumi 100% the day after she gives birth and get her back to peak condition physically, it would still mean about 8 months without her appearing in public at all, which is impossible to hide completely.
Nemuri became serious upon hearing this and said thoughtfully:
—It's true. If it were me as a teacher at U.A., I'd just need to request a maternity leave or some kind of extended absence from Principal Nezu he already knows about our relationship anyway. And since I became a teacher, I'm not very active in frontline hero work anymore no one would really miss me or question it much. I could give the...
She didn't even finish speaking when she suddenly felt a wave of nausea hit her hard, and she started vomiting unexpectedly.
Everyone in the room froze, staring in shock at the scene unfolding.
Aoi said, wide-eyed:
—Oh shit. Seriously? Two at once? What a fucking lucky streak I have here.
Ryuko quickly went to help Nemuri steady herself and clean up. Seeing the expression on Aoi's face, she couldn't help but laugh lightly despite the situation and said:
—Good thing you're rich already. That's going to be two U.A. tuitions to pay for in the future.
Aoi gave a dry, exasperated smile and said:
—Could you not joke about this right now? The matter is serious. We haven't even come up with a solid excuse for Rumi yet, and now we suddenly have to come up with one for Nemuri too.
Nemuri finally stood up straight after recovering a bit and, after taking a moment to compose herself, said:
—It might not be that. It could just be an upset stomach or something I ate.
Rei then looked seriously at her and said firmly:
—Well, let's find out for sure—better safe than sorry.
Rei turned to Rumi and asked:
—Dear, did any of those pregnancy tests remain from when you checked?
Rumi smiled and said:
—Well, two are left over.
She then looked at Ryuko with a playful but pointed glance and said:
—Well, I think it's good if someone else uses one too, just to avoid any more surprises down the line.
Ryuko then took one of the tests, looking a bit shy and nervous, and headed toward the bathroom.
Nemuri also grabbed the remaining one and went to the other bathroom without a word.
Aoi leaned his head back on the armchair, staring up at the ceiling in disbelief, and said:
—I can't believe there's that popular saying that good news comes in pairs. Why does it have to be this exaggerated with me?
Rei said, smiling tiredly but with affection:
—We can only wait and see now. After all, who made my idiot son forget the word "protection" exists and then go around claiming to be a genius.
Aoi could only give a tired, resigned smile upon hearing that familiar teasing from his mother.
After a tense 40 minutes of waiting, Nemuri and Ryuko finally returned from the bathrooms, tests in hand.
Aoi looked at them anxiously and said:
—So, how did it go? What do the results say?
Nemuri said, smiling somewhat worriedly but with a hint of excitement:
—Well, congratulations are in order again. You just got another one for the team.
Aoi then turned his gaze to Ryuko, who shook her head and said calmly:
—No. It came back negative for now at least I'm in the clear.
Aoi sighed deeply in relief and said:
—Well, at least it won't be three problems to solve all at once. Two is already plenty.
Nemuri and Ryuko sat back down on the couch, joining the group again.
Rei sighed heavily and said:
—And now what are we going to do about all this?
Aoi said thoughtfully:
—In Nemuri's case, it's much simpler to handle. Principal Nezu already knows about our relationship and situation, so we just have to tell him directly. And Nemuri must be about one month along, just like Rumi, right? The timing lines up.
Nemuri nodded and confirmed:
—The difference must be just a few days at most.
Aoi continued:
—Well, then Nemuri can continue teaching classes for several months before the belly really starts showing noticeably. After all, unlike Rumi who is out fighting villains constantly, Nemuri, you only give theoretical classes at U.A. no physical patrols or combat. So you can stay active for a good while longer without issue. And in the last 4 or 3 months left when it's harder to hide, Nezu can easily come up with a believable excuse like you got injured during a training session and need extended recovery time, or you're on some classified hero work or consultation project. And right after the birth, I can use my quirk to heal you back to your maximum state immediately. That way you can return to school and teaching just a few days after giving birth, no problem.
Nemuri smiled warmly and said:
—Well, that's a great idea—practical and low-risk. I like it.
Aoi said, shifting to the bigger issue:
—The real problem is with Rumi. After all, she's currently rank 5 in the entire country one of the most visible and popular pros. If she asks to stay away for too long without any public appearances or patrols, people fans, media, even villains will want to know the reason immediately. And she has way too many enemies watching her every move.
Everyone fell silent for a moment, absorbing the gravity of it.
Aoi took a deep breath and said:
—There's really only one realistic way to handle this without raising massive suspicion.
Rumi asked curiously:
—What way is that?
Aoi said, looking at each of them seriously:
—Well, we're going to publicly say that you got seriously injured during an intense training session with another high-ranking hero, and you'll need to undergo specialized physiotherapy and recovery for about 8 months before being cleared to resume full hero activities.
Rei asked curiously:
—Why can't we just say it was in a fight against a dangerous villain? That happens all the time.
Ryuko answered with a serious face, explaining the logic:
—Because that would cause absolute chaos and panic. After all, everyone media, public, other heroes would immediately want to know exactly who this villain was that managed to injure and take out the number 5 hero badly enough for such a long recovery. After all, it's not just any random street villain that could pull that off against someone like Mirko. Plus, people would get terrified knowing there's an unknown villain out there strong enough to defeat a top 5 pro, and we wouldn't even know their name, appearance, or quirk. It would spread fear everywhere. So Aoi's idea is much smarter because it will just seem like two powerful heroes pushed too hard in a private training session and ended up with an unfortunate accident. Nothing major or threatening to the public. Soon she'll be back in action. They'll just be curious about who will temporarily replace or cover Mirko's duties during that time.
Nemuri said, smiling approvingly:
—Well, it's a good, solid plan. There's just one small problem we haven't solved yet: where are we going to find a high-ranking hero credible and willing enough to go along with this story and pretend to be the one who "injured" her in training?
Aoi clicked his tongue in slight frustration and said:
—My father. He's literally the only one the public would fully believe has the raw strength and capability to cause an injury serious enough for Rumi to need that much recovery time. After all, if it was someone ranked below Mirko, no one would buy that she got hurt badly enough to need so much rest fighting someone lower-ranked than her it would seem suspicious or weak.
Aoi then looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully and continued:
—The only real difficulty here will be convincing my old man to actually help and play along. After all, you all know how he is these days. It's been weeks since I last went there to check on things. I only go once in a while just to visit and make sure Shoto is okay. The most we've exchanged is a quick "hi, how are you." That's literally it—no real conversation.
Rei looked at Aoi softly and said:
—Son, you may not believe it or want to hear it, but despite all your father's many flaws and the pain he's caused, he was a gentle man when I first met him truly. But the burning ambition to become number 1 destroyed all that gentleness over time. But even today, as obsessed as he is with that goal, when he finds out that this is to help protect and ensure the safety of his own grandson, he won't be able to turn away or refuse to help. Deep down, there's still something there.
Aoi fell silent for a long moment, remembering the face full of pure hatred on Dabi—his hidden brother—and finally said quietly:
—I just hope you're right about that, Mom. But if it doesn't work out and he refuses, we can always fall back on asking All Might for help in this matter. We could say that Mirko specifically wanted to train with him to test and see the difference between her abilities and number 1 hero's, and an unfortunate accident ended up happening during the session. With All Might's unmatched strength and overwhelming popularity, no one in the media or public would dare question the story. And even though it would be a lie, when he finds out it's truly about the safety and protection of an unborn baby, he won't mind bending the truth a little and will help without hesitation. Besides, he also knows that All For One is actively targeting me, so All Might must understand the critical importance of keeping the pregnancy and the baby completely hidden from any potential threats.
Nemuri said thoughtfully:
—Aoi, from everything you've described, All Might sounds like a much more reliable and safer option than your father in this situation. So why are you still insisting on trying with your father first?
Aoi sighed deeply, closed his eyes for a moment as if gathering his thoughts, and then said:
—Because it's a test I want to do with him one last chance, really. I want to see if he still has even the slightest desire or capacity to help his own family when it matters, or if he's become so completely blind with ambition that he thinks even this small favor could somehow affect his popularity or chances, preventing him from finally reaching number 1.
Aoi then opened his eyes again, his gaze steady and resolute, and said:
—Depending on what he does and how he responds, I don't want him anywhere near my children.
Everyone fell silent upon hearing that raw honesty, the weight of his words hanging in the air.
Rei, listening to this and seeing the pain behind her son's resolve, thought quietly to herself: "I just hope you're not so selfish now, Enji. After all, this is a chance our son is giving you—a real opportunity to see and be part of our grandchildren's lives."