“That’ll be impossible.” She chuckled as Iphi nudged her with her elbow. Sadako blushed faintly at Iphi’s cheeky yup. Her crush on Felix had never been a secret. They had been dating before after all, and Sadako was full of regret when they first started uni. She didn’t remember how it happened, but she was pretty sure she got drunk one night when they were first getting to know each other. There she told Iphi her whole sob story and how she left the guy she loved, all the while still loving him. Things only started getting awkward years later when Felix came to Japan and started working at not only Ouros, but UAU too.

“So trueee..” she chimed in with a blissful sigh, only opening her eyes to suppress a giggle as Iphi launched into one of her encyclopaedic lectures. She could only imagine what having a mind like hers would be like and she had to admit, she was a little jealous of Iphi’s power. Not because she hated her own chains, no, but any lazy bones like herself could see the value in having an intellect that great. It probably would have made slacking off easier for her. Not Iphi though, nothing could make Iphi slack off. She admired that about her. A drive that could rival even the most fierce shonen protagonist. “Really? It’s that old?” She tilted her head, honestly surprised by this revelation. She grinned back at Iphi as she ‘snapped out of it’ and happily accepted her tea, blowing on the top of it.

“Rin? She’s great. We text multiple times a week, she’s been busy moving in at the dorms just like we did once.” She took a sip of her tea but still burnt her tongue a little. “Ow!” She murmured, putting her cup down gently. “She hasn’t been to my office for counselling. She also hasn’t been checked into the infirmary, I checked with Hebiru-san personally.” It was clear that Sadako cared, and was still a bit overprotective. It was hard not to be, she had grown up with Rin and knew how sensitive her sister was. To make matters worse they were pursuing the same career path, and Sadako knew all about how the world would try to make her feel bad for choosing this life, simply because she was a woman. It was something Sadako and most likely Iphi too had both had to persevere in the face of. Rin had a tough life ahead of her.

The movie featured a couple of famous actors, some of whom you saw the faces of everywhere, regardless of genre or movie. Of course Sadako even recognized the lesser known actors, being that her quest to scare Iphi had turned her into a bit of a movie buff. She felt a shiver travel up her spine as the spirit in the movie crawled out of a hole in the ceiling. Then, all she could hear was the tense music and the screams from her TV as she pulled the pillow up to cover her face. Was Iphi scared? She couldn’t help but sneak a quick peek.

Iphigenia Pavlina

The light that Ishtar was radiating was bad news. Staying close to her for too long could probably prove just as fatal as getting hit by one of those light beams, at least that was the sense Sadako was getting.

“No one in their right mind would sign up for a job just to die.” She smirked, suppressing the cold chills that were traveling down her spine. She squinted as Ishtar shaped some of her light into constructs, her chain severed in an instant as the bladed shield buried itself into the roof. So much for wrangling The White Queen. She had probably been too optimistic thinking she could do that anyway. No, if they wanted to arrest her they would have to wear her down first.

Sadako’s eyes widened, as the shield began to move, so did she, but there was no way she was fast enough on her own. She couldn’t completely avoid the blow. Thankfully, Dericho was here too, and the gust of wind he commanded just narrowly helped her avoid a possibly fatal attack. If she had learned anything from observing Ishtar up close, it was that hand to hand was not going to cut it against such a dangerous ability.

Remaining at midrange, Sadako conjured up a long chain with her left hand, grabbing ahold of it as she began spinning one end like a flail by rotating her wrist. Picking up speed, she would keep its momentum going before throwing the spinning end of the chain towards Ishtar, trying to bypass her big shields and whip against her back.

Amano Ito
Miroru
Sonya Chernovna
Sora Nakoma

Sadako smiled and waved back. “Good morning! I’m glad to see you’re so enthusiastic, Riviera-san. Do you want an energy drink? I brought some bottled water too if that’s more your speed.” From a glance his mutations already seemed to live up to the reputation of his quirk. He was small, but probably quick and nimble too, perfect for this little exercise she had planned. Why was she conducting it in the first place? She had a very simple objective. To test him, but also boost his self-confidence! First year students could often end up feeling less than their peers and in her experience often needed a little more encouragement. He was awesome and he deserved to know it. It didn’t matter if he actually believed in himself already either, in that case he was just getting positive affirmation.

She couldn’t help but smile seeing such a happy hero hopeful. The confidence in his tone wasn’t lost on her either. “You saw right through me.” She grinned, “A test of your agility and general physique. Don’t worry, this won’t reflect on your grades, but I do encourage you to give it your all.” If he accepted the energy drink or bottle of water she would happily hand it to him. “Any questions before we start?”

Kupo

May Twenty-First was a curious case even for a UAU student. She wasn’t denying her the opportunity for a normal counselling session, May was absolutely going to get that too. However, part of looking after a student’s mental well being also involved assessing their physical health. In short, she wanted to see how May moved. She was a weapon user just like many of the other students in her care, Freja was another one that came to mind. Weapon users were faced with the unique weakness of being prone to getting disarmed, meaning they didn’t just need to be fast and strong, they needed to know how to protect their weapon too.

That was exactly why Sadako had called her outside, the talk of their session today would be less formal, but she was always up for lending an ear to May’s troubles and anxieties.

Sadako was dressed business casual as usual. It was her work uniform and she was at work after all. “Welcome, May. I’m glad you could make it.” She smiled with her arms behind her back. “How are you feeling? Has our school been treating you okay?” She has shown up dressed for the occasion which was a relief. Some students inevitably got confused when their counsellor request they meet at the training grounds. “You’re probably wondering why I’ve called you out here. The truth is, I want to test your skills a little bit. We’re gonna play a game of keep away.” She grinned, “it’s simple, you have to keep ahold of your bow and I will try to take it from you. Afterwards, we can talk about anything you want to. I figured since the weather is so nice today, we could do it out here?”

May Twenty-First

To think Sadako had looked forward to clocking out of work and getting home to her apartment just mere hours ago. Collapse onto her couch and eat some cheap instant ramen while she fell asleep to some boring TV drama, it all seemed so distant now compared to the hellscape that surrounded her. She was about to run in guns, or rather, fists blazing when she saw a lot of criminals and villains gathered in one place, but something was off. What were they gathered here for? Why were they looking up? Pressing up against the side of a building to better hide herself, she found her answer when she followed their gaze and looked up.

''Ishtar?'' She muttered to herself as she looked at the eerie visage on the screen. From the way the crowd was reacting she sounded really important. She felt her blood run cold, was she the instigator? The one who had organized this whole thing? She sure did seem to love the attention she was getting. She noticed the police officer too and quickly started conjuring up a chain, but before she could wrap it around him and drag him to safety, he had practically already been zapped by Ishtar's power. Overcome by anger and grief in that moment, Sadako wiped away a few tears, but quickly tried to collect her thoughts. She needed to face this Ishtar here and now. She couldn't just let her run rampant.

It was then that she noticed the drones spinning out of control. Back up? Maybe. What it really was, was a chance. A chance to get close to The White Queen. Sadako wasted no time taking advantage of the chaos as she started into a sprint. Much like Sora, she wasn't a relatively well-known hero and for once her hero costume, a simple suit and tie, was working to her advantage as well. Running up to the building, Sadako conjured up two chains, one in either hand as she began climbing.

''Your idea of play,'' She panted, making her chains disappear as she reached the roof, standing about ten feet behind Ishtar. ''is a bit messed up, don't you think so, your Majesty?'' She smiled, staring the villain down. ''Gleipnir.'' She flashed her hero license briefly. ''I'm going to need you to come with me, White Queen.''

Sonya Chernovna
Sora Nakoma

Shion's enthusiasm and optimistic outlook was charming, if not downright infectious as she found herself smiling and engaged in their conversation. Paying respect to Toto seemed to have been the right call to make, she was relieved that Shion had such a seemingly healthy relationship to his quirk. A lot of the counseling sessions she had with other students involved just that, quirk problems, so meeting Shion served as a nice reminder as to the nuance that existed within the student body of the school. ''I see! Any broom?'' She asked inquisitively, glancing down at her clipboard for just a moment to scribble down some notes. Just in case Shion scheduled more meetings, she would make sure to always have a broom present in her office, just in case Shion needed a backup.

She offered a patient smile as he let out a sigh, a silent way to let him know he had all the time in the world, that he only had to say as much as he wanted to. She had her pen ready to take notes, and immediately understood his plight. Switching to a new home environment, even if you still had your old home to return to, was a tumultuous experience. Then his second point hit, something she had also seen other students bring up. A feeling of guilt from not having to take the entrance exam to prove themselves like most of the other students had.

''Shion-san.'' She started with a smile once he was done, putting her clipboard down. ''What you are feeling is valid and absolutely normal for anyone who comes to this school. If you were to ask among your fellow students, you would find a lot of them share similar feelings, particularly in the first year. Moving into, and studying at UAU is a big step in not just your future career, but your life too. You and Toto are not alone in feeling bad about the way you gained entry to the school. There are many ways people end up here, there is no one right way to become a hero, but every path is equally as valid. Some people prove what they can do in the exams, maybe because it isn't immediately apparent what their potential is.'' There were honestly too many reasons for her to list, but that wasn't the point either. ''But you, you have a lot of potential and a special gift. The school saw something in you that they don't see in many people. Is that unfair?'' She gave a casual shrug. ''Some might think so, but everyone has a fair shot at becoming a hero. Powers alone do not make the hero.'' She smiled and stood up to grab a little whiteboard on wheels, rolling it closer to her desk. ''Let's return to it later. If you don't mind,'' She took out a black marker and wrote 'HOME' on one side of the board and then 'SCHOOL' on the other, before drawing a line down the middle between the two. ''Could you tell me a bit more about your home? What makes it different from UAU?'' As Shion would answer, Sadako would write down keywords pertaining to home or school, seeking to highlight the differences between them in a more visual manner. Oftentimes, the brain ran on autopilot and in a state of stress, could make it hard to focus on ideas or the little things. By writing it out as Shion spoke, Sadako hoped he could get a better overview of what he liked at home vs. what he might find challenging at school.

Shion Utsui