This Color Ain't It

Chapter 11: Oops

Notes:

if you see a chapter updated, it must be because i'm at least halfway through the next one.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text
Aizawa Shouta likes to think that he is a decently smart man. He's seen first-hand the corruption within the government in his earlier years of Heroism and doesn't hesitate to hide his suspicions when given an order. Usually.

When it comes to Ability users, Aizawa doesn't feel like he can have a say. He's never met an Ability user, and he's never heard good stories about them either. Everything he has ever heard about them has been through the Hero network that either talks about a successful capture in a foreign state or an unsuccessful capture that leads to a high casualty count. There has never been positive news associated with Ability users. As much as he doesn't like All Might, he has to take his word for what they are. There's nowhere else he can turn to for answers.

That's why when Nedzu first voices concerns about one of his students, Aizawa is more inclined to be skeptical of his suspicions.

Nedzu has made it clear that he does not believe Miyazawa to be an Ability user (the mouse-bear is highly confident that he would never make the mistake of accepting an enemy of society into his school), but with the Hero Commissions sudden interest in Yokohama, he believes that there is reason to doubt Miyazawa's stance on Heroes and Villains. 'For the sake of the rest of their students,' he had said.

Aizawa left that meeting feeling more bitter than usual. He understood why he needed to give the lesson on Yokohama that day. That wasn't new. But being told to be wary of one of his own students' motives simply because he didn't stand out enough? Aizawa was ticked off.

Nedzu isn't watching over the students six days a week, eight hours a day like Aizawa is. He hasn't watched Miyazawa interact with his peers and encourage them in their own exercises and point out what they could do better. He hasn't watched Miyazawa struggle with the regular school subjects and be hesitant to ask for help like Aizawa has seen. Although Aizawa hates reckless people, he's seen how Miyazawa puts himself in danger just to help his classmates (Aizawa still doesn't like that his excuse for willingly putting himself in potentially painful situations be because he has a high pain tolerance). His sudden increase in strength demonstrated during the final exam just showed how he was improving.

Aizawa frowned in disapproval when he saw Nedzu pat Miyazawa's carry-on as he walked by to get on the bus, both smiling at each other like nothing was wrong. Aizawa didn't have to see what Nedzu was holding to know what he did. It left a sour taste in his mouth because Nedzu did it to Miyazawa and only Miyazawa.

The slight hesitation and recognition that Aizawa noticed on Miyazawa's face when he found the bug did make him furrow his brows, but then he remembered reading his profile and seeing that his father worked at a detective firm. To the Hero, it made sense for Kenji to recognize the device.

Aizawa could only shake his head in disappointment. The poor boy must have been confused to see it on his bag yet dismissed it so easily. Aizawa had seen this ploy be used to bust drug dens far too many times. A device to tap into nearby electronics disguised as a listening bug.

Needless to say, Aizawa was delighted to not hear anything from Nedzu at the end of the first day. Or the second day.

The second and third days of the training camp were so lively. Aizawa paid attention to every one of his students, of course, and he found it safe to say that Miyazawa worked just as hard as anyone else.

Miyazawa may not stand out with his Quirk like his other students, but he has a Heroic spirit. Their personalities are the complete opposite during these teenage years, but Aizawa knows what it's like to not be taken seriously for not having a flashy Quirk. Yet look where he is now.