MHA-XARIA HIGH (CURRENTLY BEING RE-WRITTEN!)

02 - Meeting.

"Hello?" Impatience laced the voice on the other end of the phone.

The ringtone grated against Momotaro's nerves, each note a countdown. "Hellooo?" Mocking curiosity tinged the voice now.

The ringtone jolted Momotaro from his daze. "Hello." The principal's unwavering smile greeted him.

"Welcome back to the present, Beelzebul," Principal Mang-Jeol chimed, his tone light despite the undercurrent of reprimand. "Now, as I was saying, the Quirk Gala is coming up soon. We need to showcase how amazing Xaria is to secure more funding for our projects." His words dripped with practiced enthusiasm.

He clicked the remote, and the slideshow shifted. Bars graphs and numbers on screen, a confusing storm of data. Momotaro's gaze glazed over. Would any of it truly matter in the end?

Of course it would. The thought echoed in his mind, a bitter reminder.

"Our profits increase the more students we publicly display, along with their advanced training, making them stronger than the average hero student. Stronger hero output equals larger profit input. Larger profits equal more funding to the school, and by proxy, to staff and other needs as well. Better staff training makes better heroes, and so the cycle repeats." The principal's voice droned on, each word building upon the last.

He clicked the remote again. Click click click...click click click. The sound was a mocking echo of the ringtone still fresh in Momotaro's mind. The meetings, the endless talking, it all mashed together into a numbing feeling. Fatigue weighed heavy on him, his chest aching as if someone sat on him. Had Kenji and Surya made it home yet? Were they safe?

"Now, onto the main reason we are here today, Project ERASURE," Jae's voice cut through the haze, his cool tone a stark contrast to the smile on his rosy face. "A few of the testing vaccinations have been slipped into the lunch, thanks to Mr. Morales. Have any students reacted negatively to them? Are there any side effects?" His gaze swept the room, his eyes lingering on each teacher.

A hand rose, attached to the burly body of Pro Hero NoirCanine, Mr. Viatoly. His ear twitched as he cleared his throat. "A few of my students have been more irritable, the Slayer spawn, 'course. A few of the Blue Bloods have been having mood swings, more on the emotional side than angry." His words hung in the air, a confession laced with pride.

Jae's smile grew, his eyes glinting with a joyful light. "Oh, how surprising. I was told this would only affect the Slayer spawns, but if we can get a few Blue Bloods as well, I'd be more than delighted to go ahead with it." He moved to the board, booting up a different app. Names and faces flashed on screen, a chilling catalog of the school's Slayer spawn population. Momotaro's heart twisted, his gaze instinctively seeking out his nephews. Relief washed over him as he realized they weren't included, followed by a wave of guilt. Who among his students had unknowingly been targeted?

"Now, a few of the Slayer spawns will be quite hard to get rid of, mainly the ones like the Keitas, along with Anthony Archer and a few of the others who have stronger Quirks and more resistance to the sedative. We don't want to have too much of the dosage, as it could easily lead to a school-wide overdose." Jae spoke with a detachment, as if discussing lab rats rather than students. His words conjured a terrifying image - a school in chaos, students incapacitated, others weeping over the bodies of their friends.

Mrs. Riezs raised her hand, and her brow furrowed in confusion. "Don't we want them gone?" She inquired, her voice laced with innocence. "Wouldn't that be a very easy way to get rid of them fast?" Her words hung in the air, a reminder of the true nature of Xaria. It was not about safety or control but about eradication. The teachers, the very people sworn to protect and educate, were complicit in the plan.

"It would, yes, but it would also point all eyes onto us instead of the Slayer spawn. We want to make it seem as if they all snapped suddenly. the savages they are, it will be believed immediately, I'm sure." Principal Mang-Jeol's voice dripped with calculated malice, each word a carefully laid brick in the foundation of their alibi. The sudden calm from his smile, a product of his Quirk, washed over the room, bringing with it a false sense of relief. It was a manipulation, pure and simple, one that lured the teachers into a dangerous complacency.

"The more of them gone, even Blue Bloods as well, the safer humanity will become. But we can't be sloppy about it." His gaze hardened, his eyes glinting with a coldness that reflected his true feelings. It was a reminder that despite the smile, the charming facade, the principal was fully on board with the sinister plan. And he would stop at nothing to see it through.

The room was silent, the weight of the principal's words hanging heavy in the air. It was a declaratio, a promise of the destruction to come. And the teachers, they were all complicit, They knew they were, they were okay with it. They were pawns in a much larger, much deadlier game. And the students, the Slayer spawns and Blue Bloods, they were the targets.

A chill ran down Momotaro's spine as he looked around at his colleagues. How many of them knew the true extent of Project ERASURE? How many were in Jae's pocket, eagerly awaiting the chance to strike? And how many would stand by as the school became a battleground, the students targets in a war they didn't even know was brewing?

The principal's smile still lingered on his face, a mocking reminder of the facade they all upheld. The facade of safety, of learning, of a school dedicated to the betterment of its students. It was a lie, all of it was a lie.

And Momotaro, he was caught in the middle, a willing player in a game he didn't fully understand. But he knew if he made one wrong move, one slip up, keji, and Surya would be right along with the rest, on the kill list filled with kids that have the blood of their ancestors on their hands.