[30: Butterfly]
So, some time has passed, and there is good news, and there is bad news.
Let's start with the good. The good news is that Stain isn't the news. At least, not to the degree that he was supposed to. The news reports basically amount to an attack launched by the League of Villains, with Stain a part of it as well, but that's it. It was just damage reporting, rescue efforts, hero response, and all that stuff.
And you want to know something ironic? Since his criticism and ideology about hero society from Stain never surfaced on the news as it was supposed to, the narrative has become about heroes stopping a big villain attack. And the chatter I've observed from people online is that heroes will always win and that the pros will always have it handled. So, the irony is that…I kind of protected, and quite possibly reinforced, the reputation of hero society or whatever you want to call it. I kind of had to scoff at it. The current system that I see as something that needs to be changed or fixed, I inadvertently helped make stronger. Life is funny sometimes.
I wonder what the League of Villains will do now that they've lost such a big catalyst for recruitment. Eh, not my problem. There are bigger problems to focus on.
Now, on to the bad news. I was on my way to Nezu's office. It was after-school hours, and he wanted to meet me to discuss what he calls an "internship debrief." This was kind of a red flag, because I doubt everyone talks to Nezu about this stuff. But here I am as a special case. This is probably going to be the most stressful time of this new life.
/\\//\\//\
Eleanor entered Nezu's office, expecting the worst, but she saw him sitting at his desk with a smile. "Eleanor, you're back. I hope your internship with Selkie went well?"
Eleanor took a seat in front of his desk. "Yeah, it went well. I did some ocean patrols, some rescue simulations, and I even helped take down a drug smuggler. And Asui's company was nice as well. It felt better knowing I was with someone familiar there."
"You seem to be quite close to Asui. More so than other students."
"Yeah, I guess I do. I really see her as a…close friend." Eleanor seemed to hesitate for a bit when thinking about Asui.
Nezu looked at Eleanor a bit more closely with raised eyebrows. "A 'close friend,' Eleanor? I see."
Eleanor looked around a little in confusion. "Um…why are you saying it like that, Nezu?"
"I like seeing healthy and blooming friendships among the students. It serves as a safety net in case some students need help or to ground them in face of taking drastic actions. Iida has been processing and recovering well so far because of this."
'Drastic action?' Eleanor thought. "Yeah, he's doing a bit better. His hand will give him issues, but I can fix that. Nanobots can heal nerve damage, so he'll be good as new with a few treatments."
"I'll let Recovery Girl know about that, but it's ultimately Iida's choice."
"That's good."
Nezu changed the topic. "So, Eleanor, what did you learn from Selkie?"
"Well, Selkie is strong and huge. He's good at fighting."
"Do you believe heroes should always fight up close?" Nezu asked a seemingly unrelated question.
Eleanor responded seemingly unaffected by the change. "Well, I mean, it depends on the quirk. Some are more suited to close-range combat and some are more suited for ranged combat. Someone like Kirishima is a brawler-type who isn't afraid to get up close and personal, and someone like me is a lot better for range. But then there are those who can kind of go into both."
"I see. You know, those craters that appeared in Hosu City during the attack have left investigators a little confused. They have a few uncertainties…" Nezu focused on Eleanor, with an uncomfortable stare and silence surrounding her. But just as fast as it came, it went away. "...Urban disasters can produce fascinating data, don't you think?" Nezu asked in a way that shifted the mood to something lighter.
"I guess so? But sometimes we see patterns or try to see patterns in things that don't have any. It's called apophenia. I wouldn't take things at first glance."
"Yes, that can be true. The 'face on mars' phenomenon from the late-20th century is a well-known example. But these craters have a distinctive shape to them. It's like a high-speed kinetic projectile hit this place. Just a theory and comparison, of course. In events like this, it can sometimes defy easy explanations. When that happens, we must decide whether pursuing certainty would actually help anyone. For this situation, 'the day was saved' as some would say, and the evidence gathered so far is too inconclusive about what caused such a thing."
"Didn't the Hero Public Safety Commission say it was because of secondary quirk discharge?"
"Yes…they did say that."
"I don't see much of a problem then?"
Nezu was a bit silent. The HPSC was something he knew well. Maybe a bit too well with his intelligence and quirk. "Eleanor, if someone could eliminate a threat instantly from afar, would you see that as heroism?"
"If it saves lives and changes things for the better, distance shouldn't even be an issue."
"I see…" Nezu seemed to be a bit quiet, but just then his energy picked up. "...Now then! Try not to make any more international news segments this year, Eleanor! Though, it is certainly in line with some of the remarkable heroes that UA has produced! And maybe sometimes they solve problems in…unconventional ways."
"I'll, uh, try not to, Nezu, but no promises." Eleanor got up and left the room.
When she left the room, Nezu picked up a folder from his desk. "Hosu Incident: Unresolved Data," the file read. Nezu looked at it for a second before setting it back down and moving on to other things.
/\\//\\//\
'What the hell was that?' I thought to myself as I walked quickly, getting as far away as I could and back to my dorm room. There were way too many suspicious moments from Nezu. Damn it, I can't come to a clear answer on what happened. Was I interrogated, or something? 'Cause parts of it felt like it, but then he does like to mess with people. And his words about a kinetic strike? That was way too on the nose, given what I did. But then he said the evidence was inconclusive. And he said something about solving problems in unconventional ways? Is that subtle approval? No, that would mean he knows what I did. Or is it him just messing around and being nerdy and stuff?
Maybe I'm overthinking this too much? All that matters is that I don't seem to have been punished, so…I got away with it. I got away with it. I can kill from hundreds of kilometers away, get away with it, and still save lives. This is…a dangerous precedent I just set for myself. And if Nezu does know, he must also know what kind of precedent this sets for me, so then he doesn't know...right?
I touched my head, and there was some sweat. It seems summers in Japan do indeed get hot. Yup, that's the reason. Even if I am in an air-conditioned building made for comfort, yeah, that's all.