BNHA: Undying (Ch 70) (Patreon)

We play in silence, only speaking when one of us gets the other’s king in check. Or in Nezu’s case check and checkmate. I’ve lost three games before he finally deigns to make conversation.

“So, Midosagi, how have you enjoyed your life of villainy so far?”

An interesting question. Not the why, how, or any other form of figuring out my start as a villain, but a seemingly idle question. One that will give him some measure of my mental state. Just because I know that isn’t a reason to lie though.

“I’ve enjoyed it.” I answer honestly as I maneuver my queen into a half-hidden trap that will sacrifice her in exchange for his knight. “I can act as I please, and villains don’t really care about quirks. Just results.”

“Hmm.” Nezu hums as we exchange our pieces as I expected. I doubt this round will last more than another few exchanges, but oh well. “Yes, I’ve noticed such a trend myself. It is quite surprising, how those on the wrong end of society are oftentimes more accepting than those on the right.”

“Seems kind of backwards, doesn’t it.” I muse aloud as I move my king.

“Indeed.” Nezu agrees as he moves his queen. “Checkmate.”

We reset the board, our audience of three staring silently. Which reminds me.

“So why are those two here?” I ask, pointing at Eraserhead and Present Mic with my chin. “Midnight I can understand since her quirk can knock me out before I get fully free of my restraints. Are they here just in case you underestimated me?”

Nezu chuckles, starting off the game once again. “No, no. Eraserhead is something of a confidant, and they are something of a trio, given they went to UA together. So I decided that if Midnight and Eraserhead were here, I might as well complete the set.” He shrugs. “And they all know how to keep secrets, when it is required.”

“Oh?” I ask, my interest piqued. My voice takes on a sing-song tone. “Secrets secrets, they’re no fun~. Unless they’re shared with everyone~!”

Nobody laughs, causing me to frown. As retribution I take Nezu’s queen with my rook, causing him to blink for a moment before growing. Tricks and traps, Nezu. Tricks and traps~.

“So, you do not mind your secrets being shared?”

I have to laugh at that, the heroes oh-so subtly tensing. “Hhahaha. How cute, you think you know what my secrets are. I don’t even know what they are, so I highly doubt that you do.”

Brain damage for the win!

“If that’s the case, then I suppose you would be just as interested in what I have to say as the others!” Nezu looks positively thrilled at the prospect, and my eyes narrow in suspicion.

He can’t actually know something, can he? I doubt that the Yagis would come clean with everything, especially Inko. I only ever had the one hospital visit after being diagnosed quirkless, and the anger on her face over the fact that she needed to take me…

Well. Lets just say if that didn’t get out already, then they have ways of keeping their secrets. Like the fact that All Might is Toshinori Yagi, though that one has been thrown into the spotlight~.

Hearing no objection, Nezu continues. “Well, in that case,” he leans forward, his expression suddenly serious. “You are not as powerless as you would have us believe.”

I blink, tilting my head with furrowed eyebrows. “...Yeah? I mean, I’m pretty proud of the fact that I’ve killed people stronger than me, so that’s not really a secret…”

Nezu examines me for a moment before he retakes his seat, getting confused looks from the heroes that surround us. “So you truly are unaware? Interesting, I had thought you would have discovered the truth, given what I’ve seen of your unaltered essays.”

“I knew they were messing with my grades!” I shout raising a fist to the sky and internally chuckling at the burst of gas that comes from Midnight’s skin. “Beans for lunch?” I ask her while waving my hand in front of my nose.

She flushes, glaring at me as she opens her mouth. But she’s cut off by a motion from Eraserhead. They exchange glares for a moment before she huffs, crossing her arms as she leans back and fixes her glare on me.

“You won’t get a rise out of my staff so easily.” Nezu chides, to which I silently point a finger at Present Mic, whose face is red as he clutches his hands to his mouth to keep from laughing. “His sense of humor resembles a child, that is hardly an accomplishment.”

Present Mic acts mock offended -silently- but stop paying attention to him, moving us back to the main topic as I move my king once again. “So, what’s this supposed secret about me that you thought I would know?”

“Nothing in particular, simply the fact that the quirkless are not truly quirkless.”

There are gasps from around the room, the trio of heroes evidently not being aware of that fact. Meanwhile my eyes sharpen and I peer at Nezu, eyes searching his face and body language for any hints about whether he actually knows that or is simply taking a shot in the dark as to how exactly a ‘quirkless’ person managed to take down a number of pros and escape from one of the top ten.

But his rat biology prevents me from finding any of the usual tells, his beady black eyes fixed on my face. And I realize that he’s been watching me as well, and unlike me, he’s gotten the information that he wanted. I click my tongue as I move the pawn guarding my king leaving his rook free to checkmate. “Well played, rat.”

He tilts his head and chuckles in acknowledgement as moves his rook. “I do try, checkmate.”

I frown as we reset the board. “So I was right about every quirkless having a quirk, which means that the HPSC has done their best to hide that fact.”

His eyes flash at the tidbit I just gave him, but it would have only been a matter of time before news got out about the League recruiting more members. It’s unimportant, for now.

“I’m not particularly surprised that you know, given your amenity regarding them. I’m sure you’ve hacked their systems and grabbed all you could. Probably around the same time you destroyed the QASC, right?”

He immediately loses his look of enjoyment, becoming as still as a rat in a trap. His voice comes out flat. “You know.”

Now it’s my turn to chuckle. “Indeed I do.” I take his queen, the first time I’ve done so in any of our games so far. “You don’t work so closely with All For One without learning more about those who could pose a threat to him.”

He doesn’t move, just stares at me while I smile back, waiting for him to make his move. Eventually, he does, avenging his queen with a pawn, taking my bishop. “I suppose I should feel proud that he considers me a threat.”

“You would think so, wouldn’t you?” I snark back as I set up my rook to get behind some pawns as work its way down. “Evidently you don’t get to two hundred years old without being a paranoid son of a gunn.”

I ignore the inquisitive looks I get at my word choice, focusing on the game. Nezu wins, of course. As one of the smartest beings on the planet, he won’t lose so easily. He needs to be eased into it~.

The next game is the final game for now, we both know it. Which means that it’s time for us to get to the main reason he’s come here. “I would like for you to go through UA’s rehabilitation program.”

A pawn slips from my finger, clattering to the board as I stare at him with my mouth hanging open. “Wut?”

He looks amused and pleased at my utter lack of understanding, though looking at the expressions the others have, I can understand. They look ridiculous, and Present Mic even slipped off the wall!

What I want to ask is: “Are you insane? Why would I ever do that!?” But my curiosity seems to outweigh my incredulity. “Since when does UA have a rehabilitation program?”

“Since I decided you would be joining UA!” Nezu claps his hands together joyfully, and Eraserhead gives him a deadpan look while getting sympathetic ones from his friends.

“Bold of you to assume I’d participate.”

“Bold of you to assume you have a choice.” Nezu rebuts my rebuttal. I click my tongue in annoyance.

“I could always choose prison. Or join and use it as an opportunity to go on a murderous rampage.” Has he really thought this through? From what I can tell it’s basically a whim that he’s decided to follow. But if that’s the case, then I’m actually more interested in seeing where it goes. Entertainment, fun, and freedom are basically three cornerstones of my life, with the last being Himiko.

“You could.” Nezu acknowledges with a nod before fixing me with a look as if he knows what I’m thinking. “But where would be the fun in that?”

Ah, and there are the magic words. Because despite what might otherwise be said, it does seem fun. Who knows, it might be a more traditional school experience than I’ve ever had! I’ve already got some friends in Uraraka and Shoko at UA, so I wouldn’t be alone. Might have to work a bit on Uraraka if she’s put off by how I acted on the stage, but I’m sure I could figure something out. And Shoko was actually disturbingly ok with me randomly showing up to torment Izumi.

Still…

“I can’t just randomly join, what would the LoV think? And that’s not even considering the fact that I have people waiting for me.”

“Anyone else think it’s kind of cute that they call themselves ‘Love’?” Midnight asks in the background, and consequently getting ignored.

“We could make a statement.” Nezu replies. “We would have to make one anyways, and I’m sure you’d have no objection to seeing the looks on the interviewers’ faces while they try to paint you as a villain while being of All Might’s blood. You’ve already managed to garner the public’s sympathy with your video.”

I laugh at that, the image of them going ‘you’re a villain!’ and me going ‘All Might’s my sperm donor!’ and then them trying to figure out how they can ruin my image without contradicting All Might’s is pretty funny. I choose not to mention my video, since I have no idea how it was actually received. He could be lying for all I know.

“Not enough, they’d probably think I’m being forced into it. Hmm.” I hum in thought as I try to tap my chin, only to remember that my other hand is still handcuffed. I jingle it to draw their attention. “Mind getting this off? It would show trust~.”

“You haven’t agreed to anything yet. We would be stupid to let you go without a second thought.” Eraserhead grumbles, but his glare is actually focused on Nezu, who plays innocent. Not that he could ever pull it off, I’ve seen the pictures of what was left of the director of the QASC.

I tilt my head. “Speaking of agreements, what would I need to agree to for this to work?”

“We’ll need to draw up a list, but the basics will be no harming or killing anyone-” I blow a raspberry at him for being boring and predictable, which he ignores, “-followed by not trying to escape, or give information to the League of Villains.”

“Amendment,” I say, raising a finger. “I cannot try to contact the LoV members, but if I just so happen to run into them, then we’re free to talk without your hero students -or any chaperones you saddle me with- try to interfere or arrest them.”

“Quite a tall order, given that they are all wanted villains.”

I shake my head in mock sadness. “That’s rather prejudiced of you, Nezu. Sky hasn’t actually committed any crimes before, or since, or joining. Of course the amendment would constitute the entire LoV, and not just her.”

“And why should it be allowed in the first place?” Nezu presses, oddly persistent on this point. Almost like he expects us to engineer a coincidental meeting.

I shrug, giving him a lopsided smile. “Because it would be fun?”

He chuckles at me throwing his own words back at him before abruptly stopping. “No.”

I give an over exaggerated groan of frustration. “Fiiiinnneee. The members of the LoV about my age will join the ‘rehabilitation program’ if they get discovered by any UA staff or student. Is that a deal?”

The heroes raise eyebrows, clearly wondering just how many young villains we have. The answer would surprise them! “And how likely, exactly, do you think it is that they’d be caught by a member of UA?” Nezu asks curiously.

I shrug. “I give it a week before Himi breaks in, or Shiggy throws Sky at the school for annoying him. So you’re bound to get at least one! Or I’ll be out in a week.” I pause, realizing I forgot something. “Also, if the LoV 'captures’ me while I participate, I’m free of my obligations towards the program.”

“Hold on there, Little Listener-”

“That does sound entertaining.” Nezu muses, rubbing at his chin with a paw while I take my next move. He nods, extending a paw. “This will be quite the interesting game.”

I smile, taking his paw and shaking it. “It will indeed, N32U. Checkmate.”

On the chessboard between us, my Queen corners his King.