Chapter 5

Once Sae, Shitai and Aoki collapsed onto the floor just past the main door to Ground Zeta, it took another fifteen minutes or so for another student to show up. She chose to break a wall over using the door.

"Ah, Usagiyama-san. I am surprised you didn't beat the three of us here." Sae briefly glances at the rabbit-eared girl, still bandaging and giving simple braces for the strained and bloody limbs of her two companions. None of them seem too inclined to move or greet their new classmate.

"Wasn't your hair shorter during the entrance exam? Whatever. I got here but it was dead quiet so I went out to find something to do."

"Odd Ball didn't even bother chasing you it seems." Aoki sighs, leaning against the nearby wall and scanning her surroundings. Small mountains covered most of the floor, with the occasional grouping of trees and rubble. Even from this distance, the faint but powerful rush of water could be heard, toppling from the peaks of one far off mountain.

Shitai is curled up, leg given a splint and his arm bandaged and given anti-burn ointment. Neither he nor Aoki knew how or why she had medical supplies on her but they thought they'd be better off not knowing.

Thankfully, after the initial delay and gap between students entering, most followed after in quick succession. Takami flew in as though nothing of note had happened. Isowaki, Atsuhiro and Todoroki came soon after, covered in nicks and bruises with Todoroki's arms ever so slightly burnt. Oshigami made a rather loud entrance, busting through the doors with an exhausted Tokuda and annoyed Mochizuki following behind. Finally, last but most definitely least came Nakano; dragged in behind Odd Eye and... another Odd Eye.

"Excuse me, Odd Ball, I may need more immediate medical assistance since I seem to be hallucinating." Aoki raises her hand, barely keeping her composure when she spots Nakano.

Cackling, the first Odd Eye leans back and raises both arms into an extravagant pose. "Foolish Aoki Akane! While her disguise is otherworldly, only I could ever contain the true power bestowed upon the chosen few!"

Tokuda pushes herself off the ground, darting up to the other Odd Eye, whose skin starts melting off in large chunks. Underneath that cocoon of skin is a young woman with messy buns and a distinct lack of clothing "You must be Toga Himiko, right? You were a big deal at sport's festival two years ago!" She pulls out her notebook, fumbling and almost dropping when flipping it open.

"Of course, though you should just call me Himiko! I can't stay long, UA just asked for my support for some of the first years!"

"Exactly Toga Himiko, your contract has been fulfilled and our pact now severed. You may depart to the class of sinners."

"Got it Odd Eye! I had fun seeing you all get beat up and bloody, but I have to help the other class now!" Waving, Toga takes her leave and skips out of the building, swinging her arms the whole way. Few students have the energy to even spare her a passing glance, except for Tokuda of course, who scurried to write every observation down about Toga.

Odd Eye paces, clutching his chin and circling his students, suddenly pointing towards empty air and stopping. "Now my fiends! The time has come for you all to choose within this flock: which two shall stand above as your shepherds!"

Aoki elbows Sae, "Translation, please."

"We must select our class representatives already then? I guess first impressions during a crisis is the best time in hindsight."

Oshigami leaps to his feet, slamming an open palm against his chest, coughing from the impact. "First day election, right? Then how about Tsugiya-kun? She came to help me out and is the only name I know aside from Shinku-kun!"

"I came to help too! And who gave you permission to use our first names?" Mochizuki charges at Oshigami, jabbing her fist into his side.

Atsuhiro carefully stands, groaning and holding his side before resting his hand on Mochizuki's shoulder. "No, an election system is probably the best course of action. The people who stood out the most will compete against each other rather than everyone voting almost at random. It would also prevent everyone simply voting for themselves."

Sae follows suit, dragging Aoki up with her. "I agree, a vote for yourself is meaningless anyway. In addition, why don't we make separate votes between the positions? There could be students that are a popular second choice or are best suited for vice-representative but fail to garner votes because everyone is focused on their main vote instead."

A few other students begin to stand or rise from their resting positions, ready to add their two cents to the matter. Odd Eye clearly doesn't care. "I make the executive decision to allow both quandaries! Sako Atsuhiro and Yamada Sae, your methods shall be combined! But know that if unsuitable is recommended that student shall face the wrath of seven hells!"

A few students glance at Sae, awaiting her response. "It's not that complicated: anyone who abuses the system out of spite or to get ahead will have their time at UA terminated." She giggles, covering her overly polite smile.

Odd Eye stutters, "No, not quite that level of hell Yamada Sae. The wrath has some mercy, unlike myself."

Atsuhiro claps, "Alright everyone, so far Oshigami has recommended Tokuda-san; anyone else want to step up?" It's quiet, everyone exchanging glances and searching the small crowd for the best choice.

A shaking hand rises from the back: Nakano doesn't raise his head. "I, um... I want to recommend..."

"Hey, you're already halfway there, just go ahead and say!" Oshigami laughs and gives Nakano a thumbs up before lying on the grass.

Nakano nods, gulping and matching Sae's gaze. "Yamada-san was the first to act and the first to get here, right? She even was the only one that wanted to help-"

"I'll happily admit to everything else, but you do know when you were caught I was the first to give up on you, correct?" Nakano freezes, watching her with wide-eyes as Aoki grasps Sae's arm, trying to drag her back down to the ground. "Well, regardless, I'll take your recommendation and request that I'm taken out of the class representative vote."

"Pardon me, mortal?" Odd Eye stutters, striding towards Sae.

"In exchange, could I instead be made the health representative and aid for class?"

Odd Eye grabs his chin and laughs, "A health aid? Those chains are only bestowed upon students with a legendary healing touch. I'll concede, since you have already cursed both Shitai Fuujin and Aoki Akane."

Sae beams, gracefully resting on her knees beside Aoki, not paying any mind to the wild eyes Nakano is giving her.

"This is taking forever." The white-haired boy, Todoroki, scoffs at Sae's display and jerks a thumb towards Atsuhiro. "That guy's the only one being reasonable aside from the two already recommended. Vote for him and glasses so we can move on already."

"Then I'll recommend Aoki-san. So we at least have more than two options total. She's already a recommendation student and was pretty calm-headed during this whole ordeal." Shitai raises his hand halfway, just to drop it before half the class even looks at him.

Sae taps Tokuda's shoulder. "Could you help hand out paper for everyone to write on? Best to show your usefulness before the vote."

Takami flies over, grabbing the group of pens from Sae and a bundle of paper from Tokuda, taking off right away to pass them out in the blink of an eye. Feeling eyes on his back, Takami flies back to Sae, who watches him with a concerning amount of precision. Almost like a visual dissection. He never fails to smile at her though. "Sorry about suddenly butting in, thought I should step in since speed is my forte and all!" He laughs, making Tokuda quickly turn away with a small smile and blush while Sae keeps glaring at him. Or, better put, his wings.

"Something you need from me Yamada? Or are my wings just unsettling?" He's smiling, his tone light but with enough keen sense you can feel the air grow just a little tense with the last question.

She pauses, blinks, and then tilts her head. "What would be unsettling? Oh, I guess the wings have a strange structure. They have a proportional form to normal wings--being in a strange location notwithstanding--but the base is strange? Yes, they're like a normal set of wings but the base is missing the normal structure you'd expect. It's almost like the wings aren't even attached-!"

Clutching her shoulder, he spins her around with him away from the class. "Well my wings are a little strange, probably because they're from my back unlike normal birds. Never really gave it much thought, haha!" He leans closer and whispers to Sae, pointing towards Aoki and Shitai, the latter still keeping an eye on Sae even now. "Besides, don't you need to prove yourself as the health aid to everyone else? I know you're pretty clever already but you need to show off a bit more!"

Sae places a finger on her chin, thinking for only a moment before stepping away from Takami and strolls towards her previous comrades. Halfway there she looks back to Takami and waves with a rather gentle smile, but her eyes sparkle from being recognized.

She settles down to check Aoki and Shitai's wounds, tightening the splints and bandages when needed. In the short time it took her to finish, everyone had already filled out their two ballots and turned them aside from Sae, Aoki and Shitai. Though none of them took much time either. Takami and Oshigami were freely talking amongst those awaiting results, with Odd Eye watching over from the sidelines, typing on a tablet while leaning on a tree. When Aoki casts the last paper into their makeshift boxes, Odd Eye strides over and lifts them into the air with a flourish.

"The bell has finally struck and the air of death is upon us. With these twelve votes, seven have been cast for Sako Atsuhiro! Four for Tokuda Tsugiya, and finally just one for Aoki Akane!" He twirls, dropping the boxes and sliding the tablet from his pocket. "My hidden eye was able to determine these results with ease! When your vessels return to the mortal realm keep your third eye open to the message from the devil himself!"

"We'll get our results for the day when returning to class." Sae sighs, the class averting their eyes once their question was answered.

Tokuda raises her hand but speaks before Odd Eye even acknowledges her. "What about the vice-representative? That was a separate vote."

"The results were more or less the same and boring to announce... let us not be chained by such trivial emotions and tear our souls free from such mortal weakness!" Flipping his cloak and leaving it to flow behind him, Odd Eye heads for the door, closing it behind him, rather normally. And then he immediately steps back in and makes a wild gesture towards the class. "Representatives embark together for the den of mentors while the heavily battered and Yamada Sae are consumed by the Recovering soul."

Atsuhiro waves his hand when Odd Eye leaves, resting a hand on Tokuda's shoulder. "Well then, I doubt a translation will be needed for that. Let's be off Tokuda-san." She nods, taking the lead after Odd Eye. Sae helps Shitai to his feet, draping his good arm over her shoulder, and walks carefully behind Aoki.

It's a silent walk. Shitai and Sae occasionally discuss Odd Eye's aesthetic or current fashion trends but Aoki never engages, eyes locked on wherever the next turn is. The most the pair get out of her is a firm "hmp" when Shitai pointedly remarks that she and Takami haven't lived up to their status as reserve course students yet.

"Let's be fair, aiming a gun with that level of precision is rather difficult. If Aoki-san just increases her arm durability and the types of bullets she fires then she wouldn't even need to be in training anymore." Sae gestures between Aoki and Shitai's brutalized limbs, one clearly worse off despite receiving far less use.

"I need to improve, end of discussion." Aoki doesn't look back, she just turns and slams open the nurse's room door and heads in without Shitai or Sae.

A small, old woman is slouched in a rolling chair, doing copious amounts of paperwork.

Sae helps Shitai onto the bed, placing pillows to raise his leg and extends her hand for the old woman. "You must be the legendary Recovery Girl; I'm grateful for this opportunity to work alongside you."

Recovery smiles, extending her cane for Sae to shake. "I heard quite a bit about you already from your father; that man really is too enthusiastic about your achievements, you know. Though if he was even half right with his exaggerations then it's no surprise Odd Eye sent you over." She jumps off her rather small chair and climbs the stepping stool beside Shitai's bed.

"Oh yes, Papa tends to go overboard but I'm confident my medical skills are well above board, even without a healing quirk."

"Hmm", Recovery examines Shitai's leg, putting it down and then extending her lips to plant a delicate kiss on his cheek. In a moment his torn leg and scorched arm both glow and shimmer, setting themselves right again and shaving away all wear and tear. "While it's still not at a professional level, this is exceptional for a mere high school student to manage. Akane-chan's wounds seem to be similarly treated."

"Well it's only natural, few can compare to me in medical and anatomy knowledge." She places a hand on her chest, closing her eyes in pride but ever so slightly opening one to see their reactions.

"How did you even pick this stuff up? You from a family of doctors or something?" Shitai stands up, shaking his leg any which way.

She shakes her head, "No, I have privately studied medicine on my own since I could first read, always served as the health aid since elementary school, and regularly volunteered wherever I could test my skills. It's only natural to make a passion into something meaningful."

"You like helping people that much." Aoki is up now as well, running a hand down her healed arm.

"No, I just like seeing people in agony." She leans over Aoki and unwinds her bandages, ignoring the sudden silence that takes over. "It's not strange: if an up and coming hero says they love to fight, everyone would praise them."

"Those are completely different, Sae-chan." Recovery finishes checking Shitai's leg and tries to check Aoki's arm but she's already sliding open the door.

"Is it really that different?" She slams the door shut behind her.

Shitai sighs, stretches his arms and legs, and then follows after him. Giving a small salute to Recovery and Sae, soon enough it's just the pair remaining.

Recovery gives Sae's back a gentle smack with her cane and gestures for them to sit down near her desk. Climbing into her seat, Recovery pulls out a few papers and pushes them towards Sae.

"Sae-chan, outside of myself there's only one other member of the health committee, so it'll be very quiet here. Kai-kun should be here once his hero course is done for the day. You just need to focus on helping out your classes' injuries when necessary and regularly come here to help out with small things, just here and there."

Nodding, Sae looks over the papers: simple schedules and basic notes on procedures. Of course, the health records of her classmates and the other first years were also included. As expected, it was worth it forcing my way in here. Practice with a professional and a head start on picking up information on my competition.

Recovery watches her, picking up where she left off writing when the trio came into her office. "This year is more important than ever to ensure the students' health and wellbeing Sae-chan. Whether in class or during the sports festival, we cannot follow in the footsteps of Shiketsu last year."

Sae pauses, putting down the stack of papers and looking out the window. It's still bright outside. "I know. Everyone knows that." A stricter entrance test to determine character, a smaller class, almost no students with mutant appearances... anyone can tell their intention with all the changes this year.

The two don't get a chance to continue before the door slides open, an older boy with brown hair, golden eyes and a face mask walking in. He sees Sae and pauses but continues on soon enough. "Recovery, who's this?"

"Ah, Kai-kun. This is Sae-chan, she'll be another health aid starting today."

Sae dusts off her skirt and gives her hand to 'Kai' to shake. "Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you. I am Yamada Sae, from class 1-B. You must be an upperclassman, yes?"

Kai flinches at the motion, almost disgusted until he sees Sae's hand is gloved--just like his own. He doesn't return the gesture but his eyes do soften and he smiles. As much as one can smile while wearing a mask, anyway.

"I didn't hear about a healing quirk in the freshmen. Regardless, I'm Chisaki Kai, in class 3-A currently. Nice to meet you."

"You haven't heard about a healing quirk because there, unfortunately, isn't one. I just happen to be a genius skilled with a scalpel. It will be a pleasure to work alongside you, Chisaki-senpai."

He chuckles, "Rather confident, though normal medical techniques will probably be more favorable than my quirk."

Jumping down from her seat, Recovery pushes herself towards the door. "Kai-kun, I'll leave teaching Sae-chan the ropes to you. You were in her position just two years ago, so please be forgiving of any mistakes. Sae-chan, please don't go overboard just for... fun."

Chisaki piles Recovery's and Sae's papers together and then gestures for Sae to follow him towards the chemical cabinet. "Yamada-san, you have classes so I'll just go over the materials we have here for now. After school, return here and we can review general day to day work and plans for the Sports Festival."

"Of course Chisaki-senpai. I'll be in your care." Offering an elegant bow, Sae follows after Chisaki for the rest of the break.

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