Rooftop Observations

Chapter 7

Nezu typed something on his computer while Izuku calmed himself down. He was embarrassed about breaking down in front of Nezu, but it did feel kinda good to get it out. He was kind of nervous about what Nezu was typing though. He was looking very intensely at his screen.

"So." Nezu started, turning to face Izuku again. "I'm assuming that after your mothers, unfortunate death, you stopped going to school, yes?" He asked, peering at Izuku. Izuku nodded, not really knowing where Nezu was going with this. Nezu hummed and clasped his paws together, grinning "I thought so. It makes all your work so much more fascinating. But that's not why I asked. I would like to teach you." Izuku frowned

"Teach me? Why?" Izuku asked. Why would Nezu, the Nezu, want to teach him? A useless Deku?

"Well, because I find you fascinating. And I think you could do great things if given the right mentorship. You are not aiming to be a limelight hero right?" Izuku shook his head causing Nezu to grin, bearing his little teeth. "Perfect. I can help catch you up with your missed school work, I can help you with your analysis, and I can teach you new skills that would be useful as a hero. What do you say?"

Izuku thought about it. It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to be taught by Nezu, but was he really worth his time? Well, he could do it until Nezu got sick of him, or realised how useless he was then got rid of him. That way, Izuku would still get taught by Nezu, just not for very long.

"Ok." He said slowly. Nezu's grin became sharper, and Izuku could almost see why Aizawa had been calling him the devil.

"Wonderful!" Nezu clapped his paws together, a soft thump being produced rather than a sharp clap. Izuku tried not to find it cute. "Well then," Nezu slid a packet of papers toward Izuku. "How would you feel about doing a little test to see where you are at? I am aware you haven't been to school in a while, but this is just to see what you do know and remember." Izuku looked nervously at the stack, before nodding. "Wonderful! You can sit at that desk there," Nezu pointed at a desk in the corner Izuku had failed to notice when he walked in, "And you will have until the end of the day to finish the test." Izuku nodded and Nezu helped him get set up.

Izuku looked at the test, nerves coiling in his stomach. Nezu said he could begin, and so he did. Nezu had told him that it was from primary level to postgraduate level of multiple subjects, and he was to do what he could. If he didn't know an answer he could just skip the question.

Izuku breezed through the first couple of years. Then the questions started to get harder but nothing too hard. There were a handful of easy questions thrown in and a lot of questions surrounding quirk analysis. Those were a breeze so they must have been beginner theory. Nezu stopped him for lunch of soba, which Izuku ate quickly to get back to the test. He was nearly done after all. He completed the packet not long after. That must have been the first of many because while the questions were difficult, they weren't impossible, and surely postgraduate questions would be nearly impossible for a stupid Deku to do after 3 years not at school. While he did go the library during the long days he couldn't sleep, which happened more often than not as the city got loud during the day and the sun was hot which all in all made it nearly impossible to sleep, and he would read books of whatever caught his fancy there is no way he was at a postgrad level.

He did however often went down rabbit holes with different topics and had to come back day after day to read all the information he could find on a topic. On multiple occasions the librarian, Shinju tried to get him a library card, only to fail when Izuku couldn't tell her his address, or his mum's phone number. Parental consent and all that, he was a minor after all. She was nice enough to keep the books he was reading behind the desk so others couldn't borrow them while he was using them. She also didn't mind if she found him curled up asleep in a chair. But to be honest, could you blame him? It was air conditioned and heated when it was cold, it was quiet, and the chairs were so comfortable. Shinju was always nice enough to wake him up by lunch or dinner time, not that Izuku would eat anything, but he would leave and come back later to keep her from worrying. Not that she didn't do that already. She was like a mother in that sense. Izuku hadn't visited her in a while now that he thought about it. He should ask Aizawa to take him. Maybe then he could get a library card.