Chapter Sixteen : These children are going to be glorious!
The Perspective of Suzuki Saito
A week passed with alarming speed.
Social relations with the other students remained… low.
That was fine.Expected, even.
But I was observing.
Observingintensely.
Especially the individuals I wanted by my side in the end—the ones with the Quirks I needed.
It was only natural to watch them closely, to try and approach them in one way or another.
In the quiet moments between classes,I would take out my private notebook.
The leather cover was worn,the pages crisp and white.
With a pen that clicked with satisfyingclick-clicks, I began writing down the names I needed.
(Suzuki) was currently sitting in class.
His posture was rigid,spine straight against the hard back of the chair.
His crimson eyes were fixed on the other students,scanning, cataloging, his expression one of severe concentration.
Teacher (Aizawa) was meticulously going over this week's curriculum.
His voice was a lazy drawl,even with an undercurrent of seriousness woven into it.
Of course,no one dared to be as blatantly un-serious as (Suzuki) appeared to be during (Aizawa)'s class.
That was a given.
Finally, when the first period ended and everyone shuffled out for the break, (Mina) descended upon me.
She moved with a bubbly,irrepressible energy, a pink and yellow blur that latched onto my arm before I could even think to evade.
Thump.
Her grip was lively. Too lively. A weight more exuberant than I was prepared to bear.
But I had to,at the very least, respond.
I couldn't just tell her to go away.That would create negative social pressure.
In the end,I didn't want to be seen as a complete loner.
Especially not with my future plans,which required a degree of cooperation from certain individuals in the class.
From the corner of my eye, I saw other students glance our way as she seized my arm.
Most looks were brief,curious.
But my face was a practiced mask of neutral seriousness,so no one seemed to harbor any particularly nasty thoughts.
Some of the girls,however, looked at us with expressions that suggested they were cooking up their own little dramas in their heads.
"So, what have you been up to these days? You seem super busy!"
She asked the question while her golden eyes stared intently at me, her grip on my hand unrelenting.
There seemed to be a genuine flicker of concern in her gaze.
I had to employ the analytical skills I'd gained from reading countless psychology books.
Frankly,I'd been observing her too, so it wasn't difficult to guess her thoughts or personality.
Her true nature, as revealed to me, suggested she was worried I was becoming isolated.
After all,during this past week, I hadn't initiated conversations with many people.
At most,I'd offer a nod, a greeting—trying to appear approachable.
In the end,I couldn't just walk up to people directly.
I didn't possess that kind of social skill.
Even with the ability to analyze,it was impossible to instantly have the ability to apply.
I wasn't like those protagonists in light novels who,after being transported to another world, could immediately chat up the main character and form a friendship so close they could manipulate them at will.
This wasn't that kind of unrealistically convenient world.
I had to think through every conclusion,every method.
I couldn't rely on unscientific means like'just talking' and strengthening bonds.
Especially since the other party might realize I was trying touse them, which would damage the reputation I was trying so carefully to cultivate as 'reliable'.
So, I told her:
"I've been in the Support Department. Trying to develop my equipment."
Her golden eyes lit up.
It was as if she'd discovered something that put her at ease.
I guess she was thinking, 'Since he was just working, it's fine. At least he's not lonely.'
I don't know where she got the idea I was some lone wolf.Probably from my utter lack of gregariousness.
But that wasn't important,was it?
In the end, all I needed was to wait a little longer. Until the practical test.
There,I would gain the necessary leverage.
Besides,many still didn't know I possessed no superpower and relied entirely on equipment.
Of course,I'd looked at (Mina) several times.
She didn't seem to have revealed this fact to others.She was the only one who knew.
Not that I was actively trying to hide it.There was no point in hiding something that would be discovered naturally.
I had no reason to conceal it.In the end, it was part of my identity.
The very reason for my desire to become stronger and learn in this place—to prove that ordinary people could become heroes.
And of course, that wasn't all for some noble goal or social service.
It was for my own benefit.
My desire to prove to everyone that I was special.
I didn't want anyone to look at me as if I were beneath them.
My pride,my arrogance… it was impossible for them to hear of, or allow, such a thing to happen to me.
I wouldn't look at people who insulted me.
But if I stopped in my tracks,it meant they were right to insult me.
And that was something I would never,ever permit.
Without realizing it, (Suzuki)'s red eyes gleamed with a deadly intent.
But(Mina Ashido) didn't sense the murderous intent directed at the abstract concept of 'insulters.'
To her,it just looked like intense focus.
So she remained comfortable,holding onto his arm.
In the end, she dragged him out for a light snack, chattering all the while.
The nature of her conversation was about daily events in class,plus her relationships with the other girls.
She mentioned funny things once or twice,trying to make him laugh.
But he remained stiff.
It looked like he was thinking about several things at once.
He said he was just thinking about the equipment he had to develop.
It seemed the past week,for him, had been a veritable development festival.
He didn't tell me the nature of the developments, but he said he was waiting for the practical test that Teacher (Aizawa) would conduct.
So I didn't ask much.
I was excited to see the wonderful inventions he would create!
Especially since all his previous inventions were amazing!
And he said he made them fromtrash!
But now,he had support from UA!
So his equipment was sure to level up!
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In the end, (Suzuki) went alone after the final class, heading straight for the Support Department.
The heavy door hissed open with a softshhhhk-clunk.
Inside,the chaotic symphony of clanging metal, buzzing saws, and the ozone scent of welding filled the air.
His eyes immediately found (Mei).
She was leaning over a workbench,a wild look in her pink-crosshair eyes, her finger hovering over a large red button on a device that resembled a chrome-plated toaster with too many antennae.
"Yahoooo! I was just about to make this baby fabulous!" she chirped, not even looking up.
(Suzuki)'s body froze mid-step.
Screeeech.
The sole of his shoe made a tiny,panicked sound against the concrete floor.
If (Mina) was refreshingly energetic, (Hatsume Mei) was an exponentially more explosive version.
She was pure,undiluted vitality in motion. She seemed to care about nothing and everything simultaneously, a whirlwind of manic creation.
She finally turned to him, as if sensing a particularly interesting component had just been delivered.
Her grin was wide enough to split her face.
"Oh! You're just in time! I was finishing up! We've developed so many wonderful things! These children are going to be glorious! But… are you sure you have the capacity to use most of these children?"
She asked this while gesturing wildly at the array of equipment spread across the central worktable.
This was the gear(Suzuki) had been working on.
It had taken a week.
But unlike the past,he now had access to proper materials, tools, and technical support.
Especially from the girl with the'children' complex—she was a formidable supporter and a brilliant engineer.
Not to mention her literal insanity, which involved using terminology that could make one's mind fly to another dimension, she was precise and clever enough to learn anything.
Furthermore,(Suzuki) was using ideas he'd acquired from numerous works of fiction in his previous life.
He was attempting to take these fantastical concepts and manifest them in reality.
And now, as he looked at his new equipment, he was waiting.
Waiting for the practical class.
There,he would carve out a place of respect within the class.
His goal?
Before the inevitable villain attack incident,he needed to become the class president.
The only way to do that was to outperform every other student.
And so, he had prepared himself completely.
With plans.
Just like Batman with his countless contingencies for the Justice League,he would now lay down plans to defeat all the students in UA.
His red eyes scanned the table.
There were his new,reinforced gauntlets, sleek and matte black, humming with a low power cell charge.
Micro-grenade arrays,each tiny pellet color-coded for different effects: concussive, adhesive, smoke, flash.
Enhanced grappling wires,thin as spider silk but stronger than steel.
Sensor modules,data-pads, a hundred tiny pieces of a puzzle only he understood.
(Mei) bounced over, pointing at each piece with proprietary glee.
"This one loves to cling! And this little one here makes a very loud, bright opinion! And the boots! Oh, the boots! They're so eager to make you jump!"
(Suzuki) simply nodded, his mind already ten steps ahead, visualizing the battlefield, the quirks, the weaknesses.
He didn't just see gadgets.
He saw checkmate moves.
The game was on.
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End of Chapter.
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A note from the Workshop's Chaotic Neutral Narrator:
Well, there you have it! Suzuki's social skills are… a work in progress (much like Mei's safety protocols), but his strategic mind is in overdrive. The practical test looms—who do you think he has the most detailed contingency plan for? Bakugo's explosiveness? Todoroki's ice and fire? Or perhaps someone he sees as a bigger strategic threat?
And Mei… oh, Mei. Is she the ultimate wingman or a walking liability waiting to happen? "These children are going to be glorious!" she says. We believe her. We're also slightly afraid.
Drop a comment below! Let us know whose Quirk you think will give Suzuki the most trouble, or which of his "children" you're most excited to see in action. Your theories fuel the next round of manic invention!