Carnivore

xii) Subfocatio

'But you can't make guarantees for something like--'

'Mother.' Zinnia cut in, silencing the woman within an instance. 'I'm in here because of a villain attack, remember?'

Hesitantly, Kali turned her attention to the bedridden girl, eyes wide as she gazed upon the girl's rather injured form.

'But that was a random attack... They won't come back, and you're already outfitted for your classes...'

Zinnia didn't want to explain this with an audience, but it wasn't like she could wave off the subject now.

So, she decided to be as blunt as possible, as simply put as possible so that this wasn't dragged out.

'I've been expelled.' She admitted, much to Kali's obvious horror. 'And with the way it was worded, I doubt any other school would be too happy to take me in at this point.'

'What?!' Kali's disbelieving gasp was all Zinnia received in response.

And that disbelief only grew when Zinnia managed to pull open the drawer and retrieve the letter for her.

It was as she had said; No other school would want to take her in, and really while she didn't like the prospect of being around Hero-centric people, or even having to sit on standby in case some any wayward injuries came along, it was still a school that wouldn't cost her parents at this point.

It meant they could put that money instead towards paying for Kali's ongoing medical needs.

However, Zinnia turned her head back towards Aizawa, who had been waiting patiently while Kali read through the letter.

'I'll go, I guess. She'll say yes anyway, when she's had a short while to let it all sink in.' Zinnia commented with a brief sigh, one that caused her chest to ache a little. 'Mother tends to get like this when she's stressed about something completely unrelated.'

Like her own condition, or her concerns about where Cassidy was, why he insisted on working away when there were closer, easier and better jobs here in Japan. It was always the same.

She always got so defensive when there were things unrelated to the matter at hand eating at the back of her mind.

Aizawa gave no vocal response, though she did see him incline his head slightly in acknowledgement.

'But, well... even if I'm transferred to Yuuei, Eraserhead-san, I don't ... know how good my quirk is going to be now.' Zinnia explained, ignoring her mother's disbelieving complaints of the expulsion letter from the corner of the room, and the concerned look Kirishima was casting her now. 'I might not... be able to do very much with it anymore...'

'I'm fully aware of that.' Aizawa responded, much to Zinnia's surprise.

But if that was the case... then why did he still want her to transfer in to Yuuei?

'Seiya-sensei had already explained to me the extent of your medical situation before I had come in.' The man continued simply, as if the topic matter really were something as simple as the current cloud formations in the sky. 'He has advised me that should you transfer into Yuuei, we are to monitor your recovery. Beyond that, though, he doesn't appear the least bit concerned about the viability of your quirk usage at the present moment.'

He wasn't?

Come to think of it, Seiya was strangely optimistic when he'd given her a vague rundown of her current situation.

A knock at the door pierced the uncomfortable atmosphere of the room, interrupting Zinnia just as she'd opened her mouth to speak again with little effort. It drew everyone's attention away from her, the subject matter at hand, and soon, Zinnia found the vague blur of another nurse hovering at the door of the room.