Shuzenji was staring at him. Hands on her hips, lips pursed, eyes narrowed in a fierce scowl. Shouta sighed, leaning back against the wall of the building and wincing where the concrete put pressure on his bruises.
"What did you want to talk about?"
"What the hell are you teaching those children?" Shuzenji exploded with a wave of her cane, and Shouta winced at the noise.
"I already told you this has nothing to do with me."
"Well it must be someone's fault, because that child is—"
"I know." This was shaping up to be yet another very long day, and Shouta was starting to feel the telltale signs of exhaustion seeping at his bones and pressing against his temples.
"Oh, you know?" she snapped. "You know, do you? Well that's just great. What are you doing about it, then?"
"It's a complicated situation—"
"Then why haven't I heard about it."
Shouta bit back a groan. "Not everything has to pass through the nurse's office," he said as delicately as he could manage. Judging by the look on Shuzenji's face, that wasn't good enough.
"They're my students too. Or did you forget that?"
"This isn't a medical situation."
"Then what is it? Because from where I'm standing it looks like a child on the verge of a mental breakdown. And you're dragging her onto the hero track."
Shouta resisted the urge to grind his teeth, instead sticking his hand into his pocket and fiddling with the cap of his eyedrops. "It's complicated. You're going to have to trust that I know what I'm doing."
Shuzenji scoffed, glaring up at him menacingly. "The last time I did that, you decided to spar with a student immediately after I cleared you for light activity. Or did you already forget?"
"I am an adult."
"Then act like it." Slamming her cane into the ground, Shuzenji bustled forward and grabbed his arm none too gently. "You know, I've had to deal with people like you my entire career. You aren't special."
Shouta sighed, resigning himself to this lecture. "I know."
"You underground types are the worst of the lot," she continued, rolling up his sleeve and poking at the bandages beneath. Shouta bit back a hiss of pain as she rolled her finger over a particularly nasty bruise. "I suppose I should count myself lucky that you don't try to treat your own injuries."
Shouta decided that he wouldn't mention the well-packed medical kit beneath his bathroom sink, or the scar along his thigh where he'd given himself clumsy stitches for the first time. "I know."
"You're going to give your students bad habits."
"I know," Shouta snapped, pulling his arm back. "I know. I'm aware."
It wasn't rational, would only exacerbate his injuries and lengthen his recovery time, and he was well aware of that fact. But he couldn't just... sit still. Couldn't rest. Whenever he closed his eyes he just saw that fucking beaked villain again, looming over him with its lifeless grin. Or worse, over his students. Breaking them.
It wasn't rational. And yet.
Shuzenji looked him over intently, her gaze softening as she stepped back with a sigh. "I'm sorry. I forget how young you are"
"I'm thirty years old," Shouta grumbled. "In this field that's practically ancient."
"Yes, well." Shuzenji sounded amused, a smile tugging at her lips. "I suppose the young always think themselves wise."
He huffed, scratching at his chin. "Can't deny that. Children are insufferable."
"Speaking of which..."
"Suzuki Era is a delicate situation that I don't want to make worse. Just know that I am dealing with it."
"Then let me help you deal with it. Don't you have enough on your plate already?"
"Don't you?" Shouta stared at her incredulously. "Is handling every injury in a hero school not enough?"
"Well, your class alone is quite the workload, yes, but I assure you I am more than capable of taking on one more task. Especially if it's to help a student."
"Noble of you."
"Well if you don't want my help then at least send the girl to a counselor. She obviously needs it."
"Don't you think I would if I could? She doesn't want to go to a counselor! She bolts the instant I even mention it."
Shuzenji looked unimpressed. "Then change her mind."
"Easier said than done," Shouta said with a snort. "I'd like to see you try."
"Wow, so would I. Why don't you let me, then?"
"Because the situation is—"
"Complicated, yes, you've said that before. Shouta the child clearly has some kind of trauma, and there's obviously someone in her life that's led her to stigmatize her own—"
"I'm well aware of Suzuki's issues. I'm working on it."
"Issues? Plural?"
"I misspoke." Shouta groaned, running a hand through his hair. "Look, there are certain details that I can't divulge, and without them you wouldn't be able to help. Is that enough for you?"
"No. What, do you think I'd just go around shouting her secrets from the rooftops? Haven't you ever heard of doctor-patient confidentiality? I can keep a secret, Shouta."
"I can't—" Shouta paused, cutting himself off with a frustrated sigh. She was right, and wasn't that just a kick in the head. Dedicating all of his free time to this one case was irresponsible, both in regard to his teaching duties and his hero work. But if he didn't put in the effort, then he could be letting Suzuki suffer needlessly in whatever her situation was. The more people who could help, who could be trusted to help... "Fine. Are you sure?"
Shuzenji blinked bemusedly but didn't falter. "Of course."
"The kid's a vigilante. Goes by Sparrow, has a costume and everything, runs around on rooftops and beats up criminals." said Shouta softly, glancing around to make sure no one could be listening in.
"Ah." Shuzenji paused to process the information. "Are you... sure?"
"Pretty damn sure. But that's not the concerning part."
"Uh huh."
"I've been following her case since before the school year. The fact that I even managed to identify her was mostly just poor luck on her part, I think."
"And she hasn't been arrested because...?"
"Not enough evidence." Shouta ducked his chin into his scarf, eyes narrowing. "We can't bring her in, and even if we could I don't think it'd be a good idea. Her behavior is consistent with abuse, hero abuse specifically, but I have no idea who her parents are or even where I could find them. If I show up to her house unannounced that could mean consequences for her, and even the possibility of them pulling her out of the school altogether."
"Well that is... a lot."
"She also lied about her quirk," said Shouta bitterly, and damn it did feel kind of good to explain this all to someone who wasn't Hizashi, to get it all out there and revel in the sheer absurdity of the whole situation. "It's listed as a basic physical enhancement quirk on her files. It's actually regeneration."
Shuzenji was no idiot, her gaze sharpening. "Do you think that factors into the abuse?"
"Quite possibly. Hard to identify when there are no bruises, right? And she doesn't value her own safety at all, though I'm not sure if that's something she's been taught or just a consequence of her life experiences."
"Lying about a quirk like that... it's her official registration? Are you saying that she never received proper counseling for her actual quirk?"
"Yes." Which was a whole new issue that he didn't even know how to begin dealing with. There was a reason all children received quirk counseling, damn it, and for some quirks it was an absolute necessity. Regeneration was uncommon. The kind of total regeneration that he'd seen her exhibit was nothing short of dangerous. "You're a licensed quirk counselor as well, right?"
"Of course. But it isn't as if I could do anything without revealing I know her quirk."
"I know, but..." Shouta sighed, glancing towards the door. They'd left the problem child alone for more than fifteen minutes, which meant she was probably getting into some kind of mortal peril. "Just keep it in mind, I guess. I don't know if she was lying or not about the doctor thing, but—"
"Why would she be lying about it?" Shuzenji's eyes narrowed distastefully. "It's not for us to decide what a legitimate—"
"Difficult situation," Shouta bit out. "The kid is manipulative, trust me. She could have very well just said that to keep you from checking her injuries."
"Why would she do that? If she has regeneration, then it shouldn't matter. There would just be nothing there, and she was already insisting that she wasn't injured."
"I don't know." His eyes were starting to ache, a pressure headache building up behind his forehead. "Anyway, as I was saying, I don't know if the doctor thing is real or not. It could be," he added hastily when Shuzenji lifted her cane, "but I can't be sure. What I do know is that she was trained to fear her mistakes."
Lowering her cane with a huff, Shuzenji glared up at him. "You're suggesting she was punished? Physically? The more you tell me the more I think she should be removed from the situation, and sooner rather than later."
"I agree. Unfortunately I've also met her, and I don't think that would work out in quite the way we'd like it to."
"Well we have to do something."
"I am doing something. If I confront her, she'll bolt. If I go to her parents, there's a good chance it'll backfire horribly. If I involve law enforcement, she will definitely bolt and I can't guarantee she won't be arrested as well."
"You seem quite sure of yourself."
"Shuzenji," growled Shouta, "I have been chasing after this brat for months. I'm sure. The only thing I can do is keep an eye on her and hope something comes up."
"What, like she'll miraculously come forward with everything?"
"Well, that would be nice. Probably not going to happen."
"No kidding."
"I'm hoping I can at least get some details out of her. She can't hide forever, and I'm going to be there when she slips up."
"Mhm. And is this as a hero or a teacher?"
Shouta furrowed his brow. "What?"
"I'm asking you," said Shuzenji, tapping her cane against the ground impatiently, "if you're pursuing this as a hero working to close a vigilante case, or as a teacher looking to help a possibly abused student?"
"...it can't be both?"
"A bit of a conflict of interests, don't you think?"
Shouta paused, silencing the objection already hot on his tongue. He... hadn't considered that. Foolish, in hindsight, but ultimately not worth worrying too much about. The answer was obvious. "Right now I'm in the best position to help her. If that means putting the investigation on hold, then so be it. But I'm not going to just sit by if she starts to escalate."
"Fair enough, I suppose," Shuzenji said with a sigh. "I'll keep this secret for you. But if I start to think the risks outweigh the benefits..."
"I wouldn't expect anything less. Now if you'll excuse me I need to get back to my students before they set the gym on fire."
Shuzenji laughed. "You have a lot of faith in them, I see."
"Suzuki is a trouble magnet," Shouta groused, walking towards the door. "Shinsou at least has common sense."
As he walked into the gym he half-expected to see them in the midst of a villain attack, but he was pleasantly surprised to find them both sitting by the climbing wall in the middle of what seemed like a friendly chat. Other than the suspicious sheen of sweat about their faces they seemed unharmed.
Suzuki rose first, eyeing him a little uneasily before her demeanor shifted to something open and friendly, a lopsided grin across her face. God, did she know how unsettling that was? A child shouldn't be able to pick and choose emotions like clothes from a closet, throwing on whatever suited them.
"Are you both okay to continue?" he asked before she could speak. Suzuki just scoffed, rolling her eyes.
"Of course," she replied. "Why wouldn't we be?"
Shouta bit back a sigh, catching Shuzenji's scathing glare before she began to turn away.
"Well, I'm going to head back to my office before Midoriya shows up again," she called over her shoulder. "Please take care of yourself, dear."
"I will," Suzuki lied between her fucking teeth. Shouta pinched the bridge of his nose, grumbling beneath his breath and ignoring the questioning look the problem child shot his way.
"Okay. We're going to start with how to properly wrap your hands." He ignored the way Suzuki's nose wrinkled ever so slightly and headed towards where they stored the hand wraps.
If he couldn't quite remove her from the situation yet, then the least he could do was force her to take care of herself. Even if the task was threatening to give him the worst headache of his life.