[ENG]Shoto Todoroki : Modern-day Terrorist

Chapter 82

I walked a good distance behind Aizawa, watching his arched back and shuffling feet. His shoes made furrows in his path, like a train on rails.

Sand soon replaced the damp earth, and the sound of birds and crickets drowned out the sound of the ocean. The sun was shining, the sky was clear blue, but the air was heavy and charged with electricity, a sign that it would soon rain.

- Sit down

Two folding chairs were set up in front of a plastic table: a chessboard had been placed on it.

The fact that it was in the middle of a forest, surrounded by creepers and colorful flowers, gave the whole thing an almost comical strangeness.

- You didn't have to go to all that trouble, Sensei.

My chair crunched against the floor as I pulled it to sit down.

- We could have done that at school.

Aizawa placed the pieces on his side of the board while I did the same. As soon as my last knight was in place, the game began.

No one spoke for several minutes, everyone concentrated on their game. Having just cornered my king, Aizawa looked at me for the first time since our arrival. I didn't have to look up to know that he was watching me intently.

- Do you want something ?

I had just moved my bishop to corner his king.

- If it hadn't been for Nezu, I would have had you arrested immediately.

He moved his tower to save his king: I crushed his queen with my knight.

- Why ?

Our movements quickened, our pieces hit the board in a steady rhythm.

- Your quirk... it's not really a quirk, is it ?

My tower froze a millimeter above the board.

I forced myself to put it down before straightening up with all my height, feet flat on the floor.

My shoulders tensed, my right hand sliding up my thigh until I found the handle of my knife hidden in my pants.

- A very strange idea you have here.

His bright little eyes rested on me for a second before returning to the board. He was as relaxed as ever, his muscles loose and his movements slow.

My eyes followed his hands until he placed them in his lap.

- I had a hunch when I saw your prowess in the championship, but the last few days have confirmed my suspicions.

He gestured for me to play, but I ignored him: he shrugged and played for me.

- Cameras cover every square inch of our camp, and even though I spent several hours watching them, I never saw you on any of them. Care to explain?

- Your equipment is defective

Aizawa shook his head, a small smile on his lips.

- I thought about it, you see, and even after turning the entire control room upside down, I couldn't find anything that would compromise our computer equipment. What's even more interesting is that every time Bakugo left the refectory to bring you your food, he also disappeared from our cameras, only to reappear much later.

- Yuei really isn't what it used to be.

- So my conclusion is simple: if you're not a traitor, as Nezu is sure you aren't, and you didn't damage our cameras in the few minutes you were in the control room, it's because of your quirk.