Their words were nothing? As he continued talking she silently listened, starting to form a better picture of just what Shion's silence meant, or rather, the silence he heard in others. ''I see.'' She smiled reassuringly. ''It isn't uncommon to see people chasing glory in our profession. We can try to ignore it as much as we want, but the fact of the matter is it is an aspect of the job. I'd like to think people get into heroism because of wanting to help people out of the good of their heart, but unfortunately that isn't always the case. There are those who choose this career just to chase glory. Some of which end up becoming very successful heroes.'' Her opinion was probably similar to Shion, she didn't like that kind of 'silence' either, empty slogans and endless bragging. Heck, she had endured it back when she was a UA student too. She blinked her eyes and looked at Toto as the little alien broom started waddling towards the door. Was it a subconscious desire to leave? Was the conversation too uncomfortable, was Toto even an extension of Shion's emotions, or were they disconnected emotionally, yet linked in other ways? His quirk was fascinating. If Iphigenia hadn't already tested him, she would probably have a field day helping him analyze his quirk.

''I agree with you.'' She sighed and gave a casual shrug. ''Nothing good comes out of chasing glory and fame. That goes for any profession, but especially not as a hero. The people who do stand to lose their sense of self in their work, or they let the fame go to their head.'' She folded her hands on her desk and smiled at Shion. ''I think the fact that you are noticing these things so soon is a testament to not only your level of awareness, but how much your heart is in heroism.'' Was he really a first year student? She was impressed he was coming to her with these observations at the beginning stages of his hero career. ''You have the makings of a promising hero already, Shion Utsui. I know the fame-seeking types can be grating, but don't let their words get to you. I can't speak for the students you have encountered, like Jack, but oftentimes it is beneficial not to take people's words at face value, but rather to give them the benefit of the doubt. What I mean is, not everyone is as emotionally mature, or brave as you. They can't say they just want to help people, they have to mask their intentions behind some other vague goal, like just being in it for the money. Of course, you will meet heroes who are exactly like that, but there are those who think the same way you do, they are just incapable of speaking from the heart.''

She finally pointed to Toto. ''Is Toto okay? I can't help but notice they moved.''

Shion Utsui

[attr="class","likedo"]

[attr="class","likedo"]

[attr="class","likedo"]

''Somewhat.'' There was a hint of melancholy to her tone. ''Speaking about that kind of stuff doesn't come easily to her.'' Rin was a sensitive soul and there was nothing wrong with that, but she knew she couldn't make her talk. Rin had to come to her of her own accord.

Once the students arrived and she had said her piece and collected the papers, she was more than happy to let her colleagues run the show. Takeo, Elijah and Noa. Three of the students who had seen hell crawl into their life that day. For some students experiences like that was enough to make them quit on the spot, but they were still here, working hard. Looking over at Iphi, Sadako knew exactly what the nod meant as she got into position. Assuming an offensive stance, she raised her arms and began conjuring two chains from either of her palms, swinging them around for a couple of seconds to build up momentum before flinging them at Iphi, who deflected them deftly. Afterwards, Sadako let her chains dissipate before they could hit the floor. She couldn't help but grin at her colleagues, before resuming her neutral posture and facing the students.

She couldn't help but be a little excited to be here today! Sadako wasn't usually a teacher, at most she might substitute for a written class if one of the regulars was sick, but she was rarely part of the practical classes like this. ''If at any point you need a break,'' she placed her hand on top of her own head. ''Put your hand on your head like this.'' She smiled warmly. ''We have plenty of water and some light snacks available during the break, should any of you need it.''

Iphigenia Pavlina
Shirayuki Mai
Takeo Hoga
Elijah
Arataki Noa

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TL;DR: Sadako helps Iphigenia with her demonstration and conjures up chains for Iphi to deflect. She instructs the students that if the training becomes too much they can signal for a break, and reminds them that they have water and some light snacks on hand. She is very excited to be present for this martial arts class and it shows on her face!

Sadako was nose deep in paperwork, tired eyes trying to stay on the lines of the paper, only occasionally looking up to look over at Iphi, or take a sip of her energy drink. When she noticed that her colleague and best friend was on the phone, Sadako gingerly reached for her own to text Felix. To the point that when Iphi called out to her, she let out a small yelp and almost dropped it. ''Huh? Yeah??'' She laughed nervously, ''saved by UAU once again!'' She held up a triumphant, but tired fist. ''You flatter me!'' She grinned, putting little personal marks on her paperwork so she knew where she needed to pick up next time she sat down for it. ''Wait.. Like, now now?'' She stood up, grabbing her phone and energy drink with one hand each while she turned to grab her jacket with her teeth. ''Phh ffm ffh fn!'' With some effort she threw the jacket over her arm. ''Did you say martial arts? I'm subpar at fighting at best!''

When they had arrived, Sadako was using her phone as a mirror to check her eyes and make sure there was nothing between her teeth. Only once Iphigenia and Mai first addressed her did she look up. ''Hm? All freshmen?'' That was rather depressing. They were barely getting started on their hero journey and they had already been through a special kind of hell most didn't experience until much later in their career. ''I-I'm glad to see you too! Thank you for calling us!'' She bowed her head politely. ''I see.'' She put a hand up to her chin as she listened to Mai. ''I agree with your assessment. It's important we handle this training scenario with care. I wasn't there when the elements went haywire, so there's no telling what kind of things they have seen, or suffered. Iphi?'' She looked up at Iphigenia for some final thoughts.

Once the students did arrive, Sadako stood in complete contrast to Mai, offering them a friendly, casual wave and a warm smile, almost like they were some kind of good cop, bad cop. Except none of them were actually bad of course, they were all here to help the students after all! She let Mai speak first, Iphigenia too if she had anything she wanted to add. Right near the end, Sadako stepped forward with three sets of papers. ''Buuut, before we start throwing punches-'' She handed one student a paper each, accompanied with a pen. ''I'd like to get a quick assessment of your well-being. Hi by the way! I'm Sadako Gotoh, the school's guidance counselor. I'm not one of your regular teachers, so that's why you might not recognize me.'' She smiled. Anyone who had been to an appointment with Sadako would know that this was standard procedure. Normally she wouldn't do it right before martial arts training, but these were special circumstances.

The papers themselves all had the same questions lined up for the students:

''1. How are you feeling about the school?''

''2. How are you feeling socially? (with regards to friends, family etc.)''

''3. How are you generally feeling?''

Under each question there was a line that acted as a spectrum of well-being. Setting an X far to the left meant they weren't feeling great, whilst an X far to the right meant they felt great. Once they were done she happily took the papers and stashed them away. ''Right then! Any questions?''

Iphigenia Pavlina
Shirayuki Mai
Elijah
Takeo Hoga
Arataki Noa

Shion struck her as a kind soul. Someone who had a lot of room for friends in his life and who met people with an open, earnest sort of kindness. She imagined that someone who was more insecure or felt more shame might want to hide Toto away, but Shion wasn't like that at all. Shion treated his quirk much like he might a friend and there was nothing wrong with that. If anything, the young man possessed a somewhat hidden strength. His ability to make friends and allies. It wasn't something the school was going to test him on extensively, but rather it was one of those things Shion might come to appreciate one day when he's out in the field as a pro hero and has to start working together with others.

''Yes! It really can, can't it?'' She smiled, reminiscing about the smells in her childhood home. The Spring flowers and her dad cooking her favorite meal for her. She was relieved to hear he thought cozy came from a lot of places. In the times where he might be struggling, that would make finding that feeling of cozy all the more easy. ''Take your time.'' She smiled patiently, ''or write it down if you need to.''

She took a sip from her cup and looked the white board over once more, giving him space to gather up his thoughts. The time that passed didn't feel awkward to her at all. She was used to those awkward pauses, more so from other students. Shion on the contrary had been very open to share and talk so far, which conversely, made helping him easier. ''That sounds like a very specific type of quiet.'' She hummed softly, pointing the back end of the marker to her chin. ''So what you're saying is, it often gets quiet around here? Do the people themselves matter? Does it ever get quiet around Jack and Kupo?''

Shion Utsui