chapter 26

THE NEXT MORNING

"Alright. Everyone's here. Everyone on the bus." Aizawa motioned for his class to start loading into the vehicle.

Class 1-A stood outside their Alliance dorm building, yawning with tired eyes. Some were more energetic than others. All were nervous. They were too caught up in their own minds to try to have a meaningful conversation with one another. As soon as Aizawa gave them direction, they followed suit. Like soldiers in an army. Tokoyami, Sero, Sato, Koda, Ashido, Mineta, Uraraka, Miyata, Iida, and others stepped up and into the bus. Walking in a single file line.

Just as Kirishima was about to step up, Yaoyorozu's voice rose from behind him.

"Mister Aizawa—Where is Shima?"

Kirishima stopped and turned. Bakugou raised an eyebrow at the redhead before peeking behind him as well. The few that weren't on the bus looked around and squinted into the tinted windows of the bus. Their white haired classmate was nowhere to be found. Midoriya was suddenly wide awake now.

"I didn't see her leave her room this morning. I just assumed she woke up earlier than we did." He added.

Aizawa took a deep breath, interlocking his hands behind him. His dry eyes narrowed. His posture straightened up and his mouth twitched. Whether it be nerves or agitation, they couldn't decipher between the two. But something was off.

"Shimamura won't be coming to the Provisional License Exam today. She is extremely ill," he replied curtly.

"Wait what?" Jirou blurted out, shocked.

"Then when will she take the License Exam? This doesn't seem fair!" Uchiha crossed her arms across her chest, glaring at a problem she couldn't face.

Aizawa shook his head, calmly. "She'll have another opportunity in the future. When indescribable circumstances like this happens... the examinees are always given another chance."

Indescribable circumstances? Midoriya thought. What a grim way to label being sick.

Yaoyorozu, Jirou, Todoroki, Uchiha, Midoriya, and Kirishima all nodded along. Relieved for their friend.

Todoroki commented, "She did say she wasn't feeling well last night."

"Poor thing." Uchiha puffed out her lip in a pout.

Aizawa took his hands forward again and motioned to hurry up. "Don't worry about your classmate. You all have a big day ahead of you."

We can't have what happened with Bakugou last time repeat itself... At least, we hope it's not what we fear. Aizawa couldn't help but dread.

They nodded and loaded onto the bus. Midoriya and Uchiha being the last two to step up. Mr. Aizawa glanced left and right before turning and starting to head down the sidewalk. Midoriya stopped.

Is he not coming with us?

"Are you not riding with us, Aizawa?" Uchiha asked first, always aware of Aizawa's presence.

Their teacher eyed them in the corner of his eye, not meeting their gaze. He acted stressed and nervous—almost painfully concerned.

"I'll be on shortly. I have to check in with Class 2-B to make sure they are situated as well."

Class 2-B... That's Miss Arima's class.

"Is Miss Arima not going with them?" Midoriya asked.

"Not today... She's taking care of other matters... Now go join your class." Aizawa whirled and walked away before Midoriya or Uchiha could ask any more questions.

The two students exchanged nervous glances. Something felt off. Very... very off.

But they couldn't be thinking of such things right now. They had their provisional license to obtain... Then they could be concerned.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

The Provisional License Exam was over. The students—besides Bakugou and Todoroki—had earned their provisional licenses and couldn't be more proud of themselves. They were gathering in their dorm common room to celebrate, but that was for tonight. Some of the students decided they needed a sort of intermission in between to just relax for a minute and let it sink in. They'd come far in their journey.

Midoriya took it upon himself to use this time for research purposes. He kept his mind clear of Shimamura and the pills during the exam, but now that the exam was over he could finally vex himself with the many questions he had. And he now knew exactly where to start.

As soon as they returned from the Exam, Aizawa had disappeared again to go take care of 'other matters'... whatever that meant. So he was a no go when it came to interrogating. But Midoriya doubted he knew as much as the person he currently sought out does.

The green haired student clutched his hero notebook to his chest. It was an older version from early in his years of study, more tattered than the ones he currently wrote in. Volume 2 if he had to guess... he couldn't tell which version number was written on the cover just from how worn the page was. His thumb rubbed against the string bind, nervous.

He was covered in bandages across his cheek and bruises on his arms from the exam. His school uniform masked most of his injuries from earlier in the day, but it didn't change the fact that he was a wreck. Tired and beaten up yet victorious. Proud even.

Midoriya stopped and faced the red door ahead of him. He looked up, staring at the giant 2-B lettering on the sign of the door. He took a deep breath.

He needed to do this. For himself. For the class. For the truth.

He slid open the door, slowly, peeking in. The classroom was desolate with all its chairs standing empty. It was neat, situated just like his own classroom. But there was a single movement in the room that he had hoped to be there.

Standing at the head of the classroom was the blonde Irisa Arima, fishing through hundreds of papers in the drawer of her desk. Her eyebrows furrowed and her eyes bloodshot. She bit on her bottom lip as she searched, frustrated. Some papers flew out of the drawer which she ignored.

Midoriya cleared his throat, making himself known.

Arima's head shot upwards, startled. Her expression relaxed in record time. She stood up, brushing off her leggings and the front of her trench coat with her hands. She cocked her head at him, her yellowish eyes drooping tiredly like Mr. Aizawa's usually were.

"Can I help you?" She asked, breathing heavily from her frantic searching a second before.

Midoriya took a deep breath and stepped into the room. He pursed his lips, staring up at her. She was a lot taller than he remembered from the Final Exams. To be fair, he only really saw her on the screen when she fought Miyata and Shimamura.

He should've guessed she was quite a towering figure given that she was only a bit taller than Miyata—who stood at Iida's height as the tallest girl in their class.

"Miss Arima, I'm Izuku Midoriya. I'm from Class 1-A—"

"Right... I thought I recognized you." She pinched the bridge of her nose, closing her eyes momentarily. She faked a smile, but the rest of her expression conveyed the lie behind it. "You're Toshinori's protege."

Midoriya swallowed. "Oh, uhm... Yes. Well, I was actually coming here to ask you a few questions."

Arima's mouth fell slightly. The wrinkles in her cheeks showed how often she must frown. Odd. "I am in a hurry so I suggest you ask quickly."

Midoriya nodded. "You're the Time Hero: Clockwork, right? I don't want to confuse anything."

Arima bowed her head. It felt good when people knew her by her hero alias. She worked for such a title, she deserved to be known for it.

The student flipped open his notebook, combing through the pages. Searching for a certain entry. Two entries, actually. She raised an eyebrow at him. This did not seem like he was hurrying.

"I usually take notes for all pro heroes and villains, especially when I was younger. I remember researching you and your partner years ago. The Time Hero and the Voodoo Hero! You two used to be the best! And I just..." Midoriya's fanboy demeanor fell rather quickly. "I just wanted to apologize for your loss. It must've been hard losing not only your partner but also your sister. I could never imagine it."

Arima's fake smile immediately fell into a creased look of pain. As if she was hearing such news for the first time, but he knew that wasn't the case. She couldn't hide her outward emotions. Not today. Her eyes lulled slightly and she shook her head, looking away. She didn't look sad. If anything she seemed disgusted if not offended.

"Midoriya, I suggest you end your questioning—"

I shouldn't have pulled that string. I'm losing her!

"I-I'm sorry! I shouldn't have said anything! I just wanted to ask you one more thing—!"

"I need to be off." Arima briskly picked up a stack of papers from her drawer and slammed it closed. She bent upright and spun to storm out the door of her classroom. Midoriya followed behind her long strides, jogging after her. His thumb pressed in the book, holding the page he was looking at before.

"You and Shima must be very close! I watched your match with her at the Final Exams! I thought it odd at first, until I looked to my old research. Then I realized that she and your old partner share a connection in their quirks. She's your niece, isn't she?" Midoriya tried to rush his questions. But she didn't want to hear him anymore.

"Enough, Midoriya. No more questions." She refused to answer him.

"Are you her guardian? Is that why she's in the Hero Course? Do you know about the pills that Shima is taking? Can you tell me anything about them?" Silence. "Please, Miss Clockwork, I just want to find the truth. I just—"

"Enough!" Arima halted and turned toward him quickly. She glared at him, unable to manage her composure. She was nervous, alarmed, and sensitive.

Midoriya stopped and stepped back. He'd never seen the 2-B teacher like this before. He didn't even know she could be like this. Whatever irked her and Aizawa was something beyond Midoriya's imagination. He couldn't fathom what they were all so concerned about today. Today of all days.

"Forgive me," Arima took a shallow breath. "But I need to be going. I have matters to attend to."

That's almost exactly what Mr. Aizawa said... What 'matters'?

She turned and left him standing there alone in the hallway. Her light blue trench coat whipped around the corner and she disappeared. Midoriya opened up his notebook and stared at the chicken scratch drawing of Clockwork and Sensori that he had scribbled in it from years ago.

Clockwork's drawing and costume matched pretty perfectly with her current appearance as a teacher at U.A. The only real difference being her reflective visor which she only wore in combat.

On the page right behind it, he drew Clockwork's partner, Sensori. A braid of black hair strewn across her shoulder, the coral and navy blue aesthetic of her costume and sleeves that extended behind her shoulders like two slender capes. And a black felt mask which covered the upper half of her face. He scribbled some writings about her quirk—but this volume was no where near as detailed as his current notebooks.

They were unbeatable... I definitely said the truth when I told her that. There were so many things I wished I could've asked Arima. Who is Shimamura to her? Shima being Arima's niece was just a hunch. I could be wrong. She didn't really give me a yes or no answer.

Where did she have to go that was more important than her own class' Provisional License Exam? What else does she know?

Sensori would have been easier to talk to... and she's dead.

"Don't let that woman get you down, Midoriya."

Midoriya jumped in surprise, hearing the voice behind him. He nearly yelped as he turned to see a little old woman standing a few feet behind him, smiling kindly.

"Recovery Girl!" Midoriya smiled, happy to see a friendlier face.

"I've known Irisa Arima since she was a little girl. I know she tells lies, and she knows it too... I'd keep investigating if I were you." She shook her head in disapproval, staring down the hall at the nothingness where Clockwork used to be.

Midoriya glanced down the hall in the same direction before looking back to Recovery Girl. He nodded.

"Right..."