The teacher's lounge was heavy with tension—or at least it was for Aizawa. The poor man looked like he hadn't slept in days, rubbing his temples as though that might chase away the chaos in his life. Spoiler: it wouldn't.

Meanwhile, I had successfully wiggled out of Mic's overly enthusiastic grip. Thank goodness. The man had no concept of personal space. Now, I perched on the edge of Aizawa's desk, tail flicking, eyes locked on my exhausted sensei. He looked like he was carrying the weight of the world, or maybe just the weight of a very sassy and mysterious cat.

Mic wasn't done, though. "Hey, Eraser," he said, leaning in with a grin that practically screamed trouble. "Why not bring the cat to class? Let the kids name it! They'd come up with something awesome like 'Mr. Furry Fangs' or 'Captain Claws.'"

I couldn't stop the amused meow that escaped me. Captain Claws? I could work with that.

Aizawa gave him a look so deadpan it could've frozen fire. "I'm not letting them name it. And I'm definitely not bringing it to class again. This whole situation is already a disaster."

"Too late for that, buddy," Mic shot back, snickering.

I stretched lazily, claws lightly scraping the desk for dramatic effect. If only I could explain how much worse this disaster was. Missing students, a body I didn't recognize, and now I was a cat with no opposable thumbs. Total disaster was an understatement.

"Maybe the cat has a quirk?" Midnight chimed in, tilting her head as she joined the conversation.

Aizawa groaned, leaning back in his chair. "Great. Now we're theorizing about the cat's abilities."

I perked up at that. 

Yes! 

Think that! 

Keep thinking that!

If he could just connect the dots... well, maybe he wouldn't figure out I was Midoriya, but at least he might start to realize I wasn't a regular stray.

"Think about it," Midnight continued, her tone playful but oddly serious. "You said it keeps trying to 'communicate.' What if it's like some kind of intelligence-enhancing quirk for animals? Or maybe it's a human-turned-cat situation."

Ding, ding, ding! 

I meowed loudly, pacing on the desk for emphasis. Midnight got it! Sort of!

Mic gasped, slapping a hand on the table. "Wait, what if it's a cursed quirk? Like someone turned this poor cat into... I dunno, something else? What if this cat used to be human?"

"Yes! Yes, finally!" I jumped up, claws tapping against the desk as I let out a series of dramatic meows. They were so close to the truth I could practically taste it.

Aizawa just stared at me, unimpressed. "It's a cat, Hizashi. And it's being dramatic because it's probably hungry."

Hungry? Really? We literally had breakfast an hour ago! I huffed and flopped down on the desk, glaring at him. You're lucky I don't knock your coffee mug over right now, Aizawa.

Midnight laughed, clearly entertained. "You're really not going to entertain the idea that there's something weird about this cat?"

"Oh, there's definitely something weird," Aizawa muttered, standing up and stretching. He glanced down at me, his face a mix of resignation and suspicion. "But I don't have time to deal with this right now. I have a missing student to worry about."

That hit harder than I expected. I sat up straighter, my ears drooping slightly. He was talking about me. 

Me. 

And here I was, sitting right in front of him, and he had no idea.

"Don't worry, Eraser," Mic said, trying to sound cheerful. "Tsukauchi's on the case, right? He'll find the kid."

"Hopefully before Inko Midoriya panics herself into a hospital," Aizawa muttered under his breath. He glanced at me again, his eyes narrowing slightly. "And you. Stop causing trouble."

I meowed innocently, flicking my tail as I pretended not to understand him.

But inside, I felt a flicker of guilt. He was stressed out because of me. And as much as I hated being stuck in this furry little body, I hated making Aizawa worry even more.

Mic reached over to scratch behind my ears, completely oblivious to my inner turmoil. "Come on, Eraser. Maybe the cat's here to help you relax. Ever think of that?"

Aizawa snorted. "The day a cat relaxes me is the day I retire."

Challenge accepted, sensei. I just had to figure out how.

As the conversation fizzled out, Aizawa finally sat back down, muttering something about paperwork. I watched him for a moment before curling up on the edge of his desk. My tail flicked in irritation as I thought about my next move.

If I couldn't talk to him, and I couldn't write him a message, how was I supposed to get him to realize who I was? It wasn't like I could just meow "I'm Midoriya" and expect him to understand.

"Maybe I need to try something more direct," I muttered to myself—or rather, to the universe, since no one else could hear me.

"Talking to yourself now, huh?" Mic teased, giving me a playful nudge.

I gave him a flat stare. If only you knew.

For now, though, I'd have to wait. Wait for the right moment. Wait for a miracle. Or wait for Aizawa to finally put two and two together.

One thing was for sure: I wasn't giving up. Not on being a hero. Not on getting my life back. And definitely not on driving Aizawa crazy in the process.

After all, what kind of hero would I be if I gave up now?