[Sadako Gotoh]

Odd. There was something that didn't add up. Sadako had shown up to work early. Not because she was particularly diligent or anything, but mostly so she could eat her cheap takeout breakfast in her office before she had her first meeting of the day. She had been going through the notes she kept from her sessions, particularly the notes on one student, Airi. Airi had what could be classified as a self-destructive quirk, at least that was what she had told Sadako. A quirk that erodes away at the user's health, be it mental or physical. Airi was rightfully terrified in her first couple of sessions with Sadako, unsure of how she could apply her power to become a better hero, while also looking out for her own well-being.

Her mouth was full as she chewed and picked up the notes from their last session, cross-referencing them with the notes from the meeting before. Airi was scared, but hopeful as Sadako had offered solutions that seemed to be working. Then two weeks later at their next meeting, everything had changed. Airi looked like a shell of her former self, Sadako had underlined exhaustion in her notes. Notably different body language, not to mention her arms. The student had been trying to hide it, but Sadako caught a glimpse.

Scars.

Scars from quirk overuse.

Had Airi had a change of heart, and decided to overuse her quirk anyways? It didn't add up. The picture she was trying to see was incomplete, she needed to consult another expert. One who had eyes in other places of the school. Yanai Hebiru. If Airi had really been overusing her quirk, to the point that she was getting injured, surely she would have been admitted to the infirmary at some point in the last two weeks as well. Finishing her terrible breakfast, Sadako hid her notes away in her shoulder bag before she left her office.

''Knock, knock.'' She said as she entered Hebiru's office without knocking, hands behind her back as she smiled. ''Am I disturbing you, Yanai-san?''

Yanai Hebiru

[Yanai Hebiru]

The Doctor is In

Every doctor knew that the substance that saved the most lives was coffee. A staple within the medical field to the point it could be considered an addiction, coffee was what kept medical professionals on their feet for countless hours, their contributions to the cause ensuring they had an honored place within any hospital or infirmary. Hebiru's place of work was no exception to this rule. One of the few things she'd insisted on bringing in herself, the machine responsible for creating the divinely ordained beverage was exorbitantly expensive and overused to the point of requiring frequent maintenance.

An illogical, wasteful expense for someone that could barely enjoy the fragrance of a freshly brewed cup and barely took the time to taste them before downing cup after cup like they were water. Even so it's not a purchase Yanai Hebiru has regretted in the slightest. In fact, it's likely paid for itself several times over in circumstances such as these where Hebiru noticed the next workday had already begun before she finished everything she'd been working on the previous day.

She supposed there were silver linings to her physiology, bitter a taste as the thought left. There was no way to feel sore due to sitting for hours when you did not have muscles after all. Eager to put such thoughts behind her she watched her twelfth cup of the day fill drop by drop, each having extracted what it needed during its journey through the granular path and making a greater whole than its parts after the result of both passed through the immaculate filter deep within the intricate machine. She was just considering which file to go over next when a visitor made their way into the infirmary.

"Never, miss Gotoh. Please do come in."She replied while feigning a genial smile. "How do you like your coffee?"

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Tags: Sadako Gotoh  Yanai Hebiru

[Sadako Gotoh]

''Black, with one teaspoon of sugar.'' She smiled. ''How's traffic to the infirmary lately? I bet the hero department students are contributing more than their fill to make sure you always have work on your plate.'' She glanced around the office as she took a couple of steps further in. ''Actually, that's the reason I'm here too, could you check your list of patients for me? One of the hero department students has been exhibiting some strange behavior at my sessions. Have you had a student by the name of Airi get admitted in the last two weeks? Airi from the Department of Heroes, her quirk hurts her body the more she uses it.'' She was laying all her cards on the table right away. No need to dance around the issue, especially not when it came to student health and well-being. The longer she stalled, the longer one of their students would potentially suffer.

''It's a blade quirk. I haven't seen her use it myself, but she's described it to me.'' She gave her bag a pat, the place where she kept her confidential patient notes. ''She should have scars,'' she pointed to her own forearm at several spots, ''all the way up her arms. She started coming to counseling because she was scared and unsure how to use her quirk safely. Things were progressing normally, but lately she started using her quirk with reckless abandon again.'' She sighed, fingers itching for a cigarette, if only they were talking outside. ''It's strange, don't you think? I was wondering if you might have seen something I haven't.''

Yanai Hebiru

[Yanai Hebiru]

The Doctor is In

"Coming right up."Hebiru replied as she pulled another cup out of her cupboard- one with cat ears and a handle in the shape of a paw that had been given to her by a student. "Busy as always. You know how the hero students are, always putting others' health over their own."

Bringing the steaming mug over to her colleague and taking a sip of her own blend she listened patiently before making her way over to her file cabinet. She remembered the girl but it couldn't hurt to have all the info at their disposal.

"Airi you say? Yes, miss Shokuhou helped bring her to the infirmary just..." She pulled out her phone to check the date. "...two days ago. If I recall correctly it was due to quirk overuse. You believe outside factors may be influencing her?"

While pulling a chair out for Sadako she sat down on her own, put her cup down and opened the girl's folder onto her desk. She thumbed through several pages of older records before getting to the relevant ones. Those she laid out next to each other for easier oversight.

"Hmm, let's see. Her family situation appears stable albeit the records may not be up to date. Might be worth looking into? She does not appear to be involved in any extracurricular activities requiring the use of her quirk so I believe we can safely rule that angle out. Unlicensed hero activities are unlikely as well. My assistant, Shokuhou Shirei, is in the same class as Airi and from what I've seen they're close friends. I highly doubt she wouldn't intercede in something like that and she can be quite persuasive.

Hebiru feigned a smile as she looked over to Sadako.

"It is part of the reason she applied as my assistant, her quirk is very useful for calming anyone that's panicking too much to receive proper medical care. But I digress. While she certainly seemed lethargic and anxious miss Airi showed no signs that she was hiding something the few times I saw her in the past two weeks. Before we start speculating however shall we compare notes and see if anything stands out?"

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Tags: Sadako Gotoh Yanai Hebiru

[Sadako Gotoh]

''How cute. ~'' She cooed upon seeing the cup with the cat ears. ''Certainly. I was one of them once many years ago.'' She said as if she was ancient already when she was only 28. Still, compared to some of the students she talked to every day, it felt like there was a lifetime of development and experience between them. She smiled as she accepted a mug from Hebiru, wrapping both of her hands around it. ''Yes, perhaps.'' She took a sip from her cup. ''While I cannot show the data due to the confidentiality I share with the students, I do monitor their behavior on a session to session basis. Normally, this is to help them on their way and to show them how much they have actually improved since they started working on themselves.'' She took another sip, leaning back against the wall.

''However, in the event that I suspect something is wrong, such as with Airi, the data will also tip me off. While I cannot show you the documents in question, due to the potential severity of the situation I can share my findings and my thoughts with you.'' She let out a small sigh, but her upbeat smile persisted either way. ''The thing is, Airi showed a rapid decline between our two last counseling sessions. While it isn't unthinkable that a student can reach a conclusion like that on her own, Airi's behavior was completely out of character.'' She walked over to have a seat, quietly sipping on her coffee as Hebiru had been tasked with the hard work of looking through the papers.

Putting her cup down, she would begin taking some swift notes in her notebook as Hebiru brought up potential leads, like inquiring about Airi's family. ''Is that so?'' She wrote the assistant's name down too. ''That's a rather unique quirk in this day and age when everyone is so obsessed with powers that are a lot more flashy.'' She smiled. ''Shokuhou Shirei, I assume she's also in the department of heroes? I think it's worth asking her if she has noticed any changes in Airi lately.''

Yanai Hebiru

[Yanai Hebiru]

The Doctor is In

"I understand your concern. Please rest assured however that as the school's primary healthcare provider I have full access to every student's medical records and that under patient confidentiality laws there are no problems sharing data when consulting with other professionals in regards to a patient's health." Yanai replied in a tone that made it clear she was parroting regulations almost word for word before she gestured to the papers atop her desk."As such there is no need to refrain from accessing these, miss Gotoh."

Opening a drawer she pulled out another print-out, her eyes flicking back and forth as she skimmed it until she found what she was looking for.

"Indeed. I suspect Shokuhou makes up for the lack of flashiness with her personality."She added with a chuckle."Ah, here it is. Shokuhou left a copy of her schedule here. She does not have classes for the next few hours and should be checking in soon. Let us make sure Airi's paperwork isn't in the open when she arrives. I'm afraid confidentiality does not extend to student assistants without written permission."

Gathering the files back up after they compared notes for a few minutes the clock hand was just about to tick up to the hour mark when a series of knocks to the tune of a song resounded.

"It's unlocked, come in."

"Good morning, Yanai-sensei. Ah, you too Gotoh-sensei!"

"Good morning, Shirei." Hebiru nodded back while Shokuhou placed her bag down in between two ring binders with practiced ease, the bag fitting perfectly into the empty space. "Can I help with anything?"

"Perhaps. You are good friends with miss Airi, right? Would it be alright if we asked you about her?"

Hebiru asked while placing the girl's file back into her drawer, not missing how Shirei freezed for just the slightest moment as Airi's name was mentioned.

"O-of course."

"Perhaps you'd like to start, counselor Gotoh?"

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Tags: Sadako Gotoh  Yanai Hebiru  

[Sadako Gotoh]

''I see, well that's rather convenient.'' She smiled, taking a small sip from her coffee before letting out a quiet, ''ow!'' As she burned her tongue. Putting a hand up over her lips she looked at Hebiru. ''So she'll be here soon then? That saves us time.'' She put down her cup and helped gather up the notes. When the student finally arrived Sadako turned to look over her shoulder and smiled. ''Good morning Shokuhou-san.'' She bowed her head politely. She seemed like a diligent student. Whenever Airi had talked about her during their sessions, she only had nice words and admiration for Shokuhou Shirei.

Sadako also didn't miss how she froze up for a moment, but her smile remained unchanged as usual. ''Sure. For starters, would you like to sit?'' She was ready to offer her own seat, or if there were more chairs in the office she would grab one and set it next to Hebiru's desk. ''I have been told that you and Airi-san are close.'' She started, ''have you noticed her acting any differently lately? Perhaps out of character, doing or saying things she normally might not. This can be during class, lunch or outside of school. Anything you think might seem different about her behavior in the last two weeks.'' She was trying to appear as friendly as possible. Thankfully Sadako wasn't the most naturally intimidating person. Being that she was a rather short woman with little muscle to speak of. It was only those who had seen her in action as Gleipnir who might be startled seeing her power in action.

Yanai Hebiru

[Yanai Hebiru]

The Doctor is In

"Ah, thank you Gotoh-sensei."Shirei replied with a half smile while pulling a foldable chair out from a gap between Hebiru's desk and cabinet. "D-different? I suppose so but isn't it normal she'd be a bit different now? She's working really, really hard to get better and well, you know how her quirk is, right? Ah, Yanai-sensei, Airi-chan has told me about her quirk outside of my internship, I'm not doing anything wrong by mentioning that, right?"

"That is correct. Please continue." Hebiru answered with slightly narrowed eyes. She knew Shokuhou well enough by now to be aware of her speech pattern and found a rather disturbing anomaly, or more specifically, words used in a different context from how she usually spoke.

"Right, of course." Shirei said while nodding. "Airi-chan's been really worried about how to become a hero with a power like hers and I get that, you know?" The girl continued honestly. As Hebiru and Sadako had previously noted Shirei's own quirk wasn't ideal for hero activities either. "So she's been pushing herself really hard recently so, well, it only makes sense she's a bit different from normal now, right? Airi-chan asked me for advice so I've been making sure she sticks to a balanced training schedule that keeps her health in mind like you taught me, Yanai-sensei." She concluded while looking at Hebiru, a finger slipping into her collar to loosen it while she wiggled in her seat to find a more comfortable way to sit on the creaky chair.

Hebiru refrained from answering. Suspicions were starting to form in her mind but she maintained some hope that she was wrong and that the situation was not quite as dire as she thought it might be. Breaking eye contact with Shirei she instead looked to Sadako to see if the school counselor would like to continue asking questions. Should she not Hebiru would take over but she had the distinct feeling, call it intuition, that doing so would lead to some irreversible changes. She'd much rather see if Sadako could find a solution before she stepped in. There was no need to confront her assistant with her suspicions just yet.

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Tags: Sadako Gotoh Yanai Hebiru

[Sadako Gotoh]

Unfortunately Sadako had no such luxury as to be familiar with Shirei. Her speech pattern was notable, but that could be because of some underlying reason, or because she just got blindsided and was now being interviewed by two members of faculty out of nowhere.

She kept her attention focused on Shirei, but looked at Hebiru every so often. Especially when she mentioned that healthy schedule that Hebiru had taught her. She moved her hand away from her chin. “That’s odd.” She cupped her coffee cup with both hands. “The reason I’m here is because Airi has been seeing me about her quirk and lately she has been getting more hurt than she did before. To me, that suggests the opposite is happening. That something is causing her to regress, not progress.” She looked over at Hebiru. “Any thoughts, Hebiru-san?” She didn’t just ask her because Hebiru was more well-informed here than she was, but also so she could take a break to drink her coffee while the conversation carried on.

Yanai Hebiru

[Yanai Hebiru]

The Doctor is In

Hebiru took a deep breath. An action that did not go unnoticed by Shirei. The student had enough knowledge about her physiology to be aware of her lack of lungs and by extension lack of need for outward signs to show when she breathed. The fact that her deep breath was visible meant that Hebiru was making it so on purpose. Shirei gulped.

"Getting better?" Hebiru asked without any accusation in her voice. Intonation was hardly necessary between the two of them after all. Shirei replied with a flinch.

"Y-yeah. I mean, she's a bit unwell right now but- but overall she's getting better."

"Shirei." Hebiru said with a sigh. "We both know 'getting better' in this context is meant in the medical sense. Do not mock my intellect in this manner, it is beneath you."

The girl froze, a tremble running through her. Wide eyed her gaze flicked to Sadako, hoping to find a way out of this situation. Deep inside she knew there wasn't one even before she did so.

"We're supposed to be heroes, right?" Shirei began with a hint of trepidation in her voice. "That's what we're here for. If we can't do that, then what's the point, right?"

She swallowed, suddenly finding her throat dry.

"Airi-chan wants to be a great hero. She really does. She's trying so, so hard to be one but it hasn't been working and it's hurting her. It's... It's..." Shirei fumbled, struggling for words. "It's like how physical therapy after an injury hurts but not doing it would cause much more damage in the long term, you know. She can't get there on her own. Her own quirk is hindering her, Yanai-sensei. Airi-chan needs help. You can't get past a blockade on your own if it's made by the very thing trying to fix it. Her own mind is working against her when she uses her quirk. I can help her."

Shirei's words turned rambly, structure making way for a gush of words the more she continued.

"It's like how you need to set a broken bone before letting it heal or it'll never be right again. Or, or, like how when trying to lift a heavy weight you need a spotter and maybe a coach to improve? It hurts and is really hard in the beginning but if it's not done you never get to where you want, you know? Airi-chan can be so strong. She's amazing. I can't watch her slowly decline and never live up to what she could be. You understand right, Sadako-sensei?"

She asked almost pleadingly, looking at the counselor like she was trying to grasp a lifeline.

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Tags: Sadako Gotoh  Yanai Hebiru

[Sadako Gotoh]

''I understand.'' Shirei's nerves were getting to her. No wonder she was getting nervous being caught essentially skirting the rules with two members of the school faculty present. Sadako wished she had noticed sooner, not just Airi's plight, but Shirei's too. Unfortunately she wasn't omnipotent, as much as she would wish that was her quirk. It would have made her job a whole lot easier. ''And I appreciate the way you have been trying to help your friend. It's clear that you had her best intentions in mind.'' Her smile was soft, but her tone turned more serious with her next words. ''However, the recovery and betterment of a patient's wellbeing is best left to professionals who can make sure they recover without hurting themselves, or others in the process.'' She glanced over at Hebiru briefly. This was her student intern after all.

''Shirei-san. I'm going to tell you what I think we should do next. Whether we do is up to Hebiru-sensei.'' She took a breath, her tone of voice softening once more. She wasn't a strict teacher after all. She was a guidance counselor, and while she needed to be firm with students on occasion, ultimately her job was to help them and make them feel safe around her. ''You're not in trouble. I appreciate your ambition, but it might have been a little outside of the scope of what your job here as intern entails. I think you have a good eye for the humanity trait, and you care for others. Which is exactly why I suggest you make an appointment with me. We do four sessions at first, one every two weeks, and then we go from there. However, you cannot continue to try to treat Airi. You can support her as a friend, but you must draw a clear line between work and your private friendship. Airi is in capable hands, Hebiru-sensei is looking after her, I'm looking after her. She's going to be okay.'' Sadako's decision could ultimately be chalked up to seeing Shirei as misguided. Someone who was still young and trying to improve herself, but either applying herself in the wrong way, or going about things a little too quickly. It was relatable, in a way. Sadako could see part of her younger self in Shirei.

''Now, whether any of this will happen,'' She looked to Hebiru, ''depends on Hebiru-sensei.'' She was under her watch and employment after all. It would be rude of Sadako to go around making decisions on Hebiru's intern.

Yanai Hebiru

[Yanai Hebiru]

The Doctor is In

For a brief moment Shokuhou Shirei got her hopes up. Then they all came tumbling down.

"What do you-"

She stopped herself to refrain from interrupting the student counselor, her breaths coming just a bit quicker and her eyelids trembling.

"B- bu-"

The more Sadako said the more agitated Shirei seemed to get, fingers clamped around her skirt like it was her lifeline with one hand while her other was clutched to her chest. When Sadako finished and turned to face Hebiru the student tried to find her voice again.

"Y- you can't-" Shirei replied before swallowing, her throat suddenly very dry. "YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!"

Her folding chair clattered to the ground as she snapped upright. Anger, dismay and a dozen other emotions warred for dominance on her face.

"If we stop it'll all be for nothing! Outside of my scope as an intern? We're supposed to be heroes! How could I ever be a hero if I refuse to help someone that needs help right now because I don't have a degree yet? I'm not the one that needs help right now, Airi is! If we stop now it'll all be for nothing! Neither of you can help in the way I can! She's so close to being able to use her quirk without succumbing to it. She can already almost do it with my help and if she can do it with she can learn how to do it without. We're nearly there, we just need more ti-"

"Shirei." Hebiru cut in with a bit of bite to her tone.

"Y- Yanai-sensei?" Shirei gasped out in reply, her eyes widening as she froze in place.

Hebiru closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and pretended to take a moment to collect herself before opening them once more. The moment Shirei looked into her eyes she felt as if a gavel had just dropped.

"Shokuhou Shirei. Unfortunately it appears we will need to temporarily terminate your internship. As a professional entrusted with the safety and wellbeing of all UAU students I cannot permit such a breach of trust, protocol and medical ethics to continue." Hebiru said coldly before softening her tone. "However, with respect to your past accomplishments, good intentions and exemplary work ethic I am willing to reconsider this termination at a later date. That is, of course, if you agree to attend Gotoh-sensei's sessions. While I will not force you to I heavily advise you to do so. Please, Shirei. Do not throw away your entire future over one lapse in judgement."

For a moment Shirei simply stood stunned in place before she collapsed, her legs giving out under her as she dropped to her knees and stared up at the two teachers through tear-filled eyes.

“But… but Airi… If we don’t, if we, she’ll relapse. I… I have to-”

Hebiru turned towards Sadako with a meaningful look, an unspoken request to help Shirei in her stead. She knew her words were a bitter pill to swallow and that right now no matter what else she said the girl would not accept it. 

Leaving the pair to it she wondered if she made the right choice. Perhaps Shirei was right. Maybe usage of her quirk was the only way to help Airi reach her true potential. In the end she supposed it didn't matter. It wasn't a risk she, no, it wasn't a risk they could take. It chafed at her to let ethics and regulations get in the way of progress but there was no other option. Perhaps if she worked together with Shirei they could raise Airi to new heights. Or perhaps they failed and Airi would never recover from the attempted treatment. She didn't find the latter all that likely, if she was to be honest. It left a sour taste in her mouth even through her muted emotions.

For a brief moment she wondered what choice she would have made had her colleague not been present. Would she have been tempted to use this as a research opportunity? Perhaps, yet she would not succumb to such temptation either way. On the other hand would she have tried to take the lead in Shirei's method of treatment, tried to ensure it could be done safely and gone through with it regardless of protocol should her assistant have confided in her privately? 

She didn't know. 

She didn't know and it chafed at her.  

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Tags: Sadako Gotoh Yanai Hebiru

[Pancakes]

☆ MISSION COMPLETE ☆

Damn, think this is like the first thread between just two teachers! Good Job guys!

Yanai: 5,250 + 2,500 = 7,750
Sadako: 0 + 2,500 = 2,500

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