Chapter Forty-two: Blank

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Hours had passed since the last run of tests. My limbs were starting to become irritated from the on-and-off bouts of exercise, and I was starting to feel stir crazy from being in the same room for so long. At one point, I had asked to leave for just awhile, but was refused.

"We need you in a controlled environment in order for this data to be accurate."

That was all I was told. That, and, "Be patient." which was easier said than done. I gave my samples and worked my butt off. What more was there to do?

Suddenly, the door to the room opened, with both Nezu and Aizawa entering.

"You are all done, my dear!" announced Nezu, prompting Aizawa to help me out of the mask and the sensors.

"Really?" I asked, scrunching my face as the mask was pulled off, "That's it?"

"Well, for today." said Nezu, "We'll begin these tests again through the rest of this week."

I sighed.

'That's right. I forgot. We have to do this for an entire week.' I thought.

"Great. Looking forward to it." I said sarcastically, helping Aizawa remove the last of the sensors from my body.

"See to it that we continue this at the same time tomorrow." said Nezu to Aizawa, before turning around and heading out the door.

Aizawa nodded and waited a moment to make sure the coast was clear before looking back and me.

"How do you feel?" he asked me.

"Sore. And tired." I said, rubbing my legs which were still throbbing slightly.

"Can you walk?" he asked, "I can carry you."

"No," I chuckled, "I think I'm fine. I might need to walk a little slower than usual, but I should be okay."

He nodded and took my hand to help me get up off the chair.
My feet felt hot and achy from the running, and the muscles in my thighs twitched. I winced as I started to walk, each step feeling like I was stepping on hot coals. I could feel blisters starting to form on my toes and Achilles tendon. It likely didn't help that I was running in shoes that weren't equipped for exercise. I almost regretted not taking up Aizawa's offer to carry me, but tried to persevere.

"What time is it, by the way?" I asked as we continued to walk down the hallway.

"8:20PM." he answered.

My eyes widened in surprise as I shook my head.

"With how long I've been staying in here, it's almost like I'm back in school." I mused as I winced with each step.

He let out a huffed laugh but noticed my discomfort.

"Are you sure you don't need me to carry you?" he asked, visibly concerned.

"Yeah." I lied through gritted teeth, my pride definitely getting the best of me.

He sighed before swiftly picking me up, causing me to let out a squeak.

"Hey!" I shouted, trying to wiggle out of his grasp, "I said I could walk!"

"Yeah, and at this rate we won't be out of here until midnight. I'm merely picking up the pace." he said, giving my butt a good smack in an effort to get me to stop struggling.

My cheeks flushed.

"Itching to get out of here, are we?" I teased.

"Perhaps." he said, his lips curling into a grin, "I leave for patrol around 10. We should be able to get back to my place before 9, giving me ample time with you."

I held him tighter.

"And just what did you have in mind to do with that time?" I cooed into his ear.

I heard him hum as his lips came close to my ear, his facial hair tickling me.

"I can think of a few things." he whispered back, causing a shiver down my spine and my heart to patter with glee.

"Looking forward to it, Aizawa." I said with a smile.

"Shota, remember?" he corrected.

"Oh, right. Sorry." I chuckled, "That'll be something I need to get used to."

"I know I wouldn't mind getting used to you saying my name." he said, his tone a little darker than before.

Adrenaline pumped through my veins.

"Only if you play your cards right." I said, my voice matching his sinful intent.

He hummed and then paused momentarily.

"I'd still like to know yours at some point." he said, his eyes pleading into mine before looking back ahead as he walked with me in his arms.

I frowned. I wanted so badly to tell him my real name, but I withheld from doing so for several reasons. At first, I didn't think he'd care to know. But even though I knew that he did now, I still wasn't sure it would be a good idea. If shit hit the fan, villains would know who specifically to target, and figure out that I'm not from here. And knowing how much that would pique their interest, they would eventually hunt me down and find out how much I know about this world. But with my anonymity, that makes their job a lot harder.
Still, it hurt that he didn't know.

"When I feel it's safe to tell you, I will." I said with a half-hearted smile. Though it wasn't the most reassuring answer, he nodded in agreement.

As we reached the entrance doors, he used his feet to nudge them open, and trotted down the stairs. The sky was a beautiful mixture of orange, pink, and dark blue as the sun began to set. When he passed the gate, he gently set me down on my feet.

"Ah, I forgot to text a chauffeur to come get us. I figured you would be good to walk to the subway, but seeing as you're not, I'll need to-" he stopped mid-sentence as he felt around for his phone in his pocket. After a moment of no luck, he sighed, "Damn. My phone must've fallen out."

"You go ahead. I'll wait here." I said, leaning against the gate.

"Alone? I think not. You'd be safer with me." he said, crossing his arms.

"I'd only slow you down." I argued, "I'll be fine! There's no one around." I said, gesturing to the empty streets, "If I feel unsafe, I'll run behind the gate." Aizawa's eyebrows arched, not completely convinced. "Ya know, the longer you stand here, the more time we waste not being at your place."

His eyes narrowed.

"If you feel even the slightest hint that you're in danger-" he started.

"I'll go behind that gate." I finished, giving him an innocent smile.

He sighed.

"I'll be back in five minutes." he said before sprinting off into the school.

I giggled slightly as I saw him burst back into the building.

"Someone's in a hurry." I heard someone say behind me.

I jumped and gasped as I turned around to some man with glasses and a cigarette in-between his toothy smile, standing behind me with some groceries.

'Why does he look so familiar?' I thought to myself.

"Uh, yeah. He needed to grab something real quick." I said, trying to keep calm.

"You a student here?" he asked me as he ran his hand through his grey hair.

'Seriously, where have I seen him before?' I thought.

"Y-yeah!" I lied, "Just moved here not too long ago."

"That's funny, because I don't recall seeing you during the tournament." he said, as he puffed out his cigarette, "I would recognize a pretty face like yours."

'Why is a grown ass man watching a high school tournament?' I thought.

Then my heart sank into the pit of my stomach.
I knew who he was and why he was asking me questions.

It was Kagero Okuta.

"Oh! That's because I just transferred here last week. I'm also not in the hero course, so I didn't compete." I said, my heart racing.

I was in serious fucking trouble. This guy worked for the League of Villains. Anything he knew, he relayed to Shigaraki. But as far as he knew, I didn't know that, so I needed to keep my cool, and act aloof.

"That's a shame. You'd look great for TV." he said as he threw his remaining cigarette down.

"Aw, thanks." I said with a fake grin. Even if I didn't know who this guy was, he was still slimy as Hell.

"Come to think of it, I didn't know UA transferred students, actually." he said. I figured he was trying to poke holes into my story and buy time.

"Oh, really? They do that every once in awhile, but they need a pretty good recommendation." I said, trying to pick out any convincing lie out of my ass, "I'm just lucky, I guess."

"So what's your name?" he asked, with a shit-eating smile.

'Shit. Shit! Think of something quick!' I thought.

"Oh, you first!" I said, trying to buy myself time.

He let out a hearty laugh and tipped his glasses.

"Kagero Okuta. And you are?" he asked.

"Bulma!" I somewhat blurted out.
Of all the names I could think of, it was from Dragon Ball Z?

'I'm going to pray to God that's not canon in this world, or I'm dead.' I thought.

Just then, I heard a clicking noise in the distance. I looked around but saw nothing.

'Shit. Was that a camera?' I mentally panicked.

"Ya look a little nervous. Everything alright?" he asked as he took a step closer.

I backed away immediately. I knew him well enough to know that his quirk gave amnesia to anyone he touched. I couldn't let that happen.

"Oh yeah." I said, fake smile and all, as I took tiny baby steps closer to behind the gate, "It's just been a long day and I'm a bit tired is all." I couldn't let him know that I was onto him, but I also needed to get the Hell out of here.

'Come on, Shota. Where are you?!' I thought.

"No need to worry. I just like having company is all." he said, taking another step toward me, his hand raised in a phony-defensive fashion.

"I'll have to take a hard pass," I said with a very nervous chuckle, "Guess you can blame good ole 'Stranger Danger' on that one." I took a couple more steps back.

"Is there a problem?" I heard Aizawa's voice say behind me, very sternly.
I turned around to face him and exhaled with relief. He looked extremely unamused as he looked from me to Okuta.

"Oh! No problem at all!" Okuta said with a chuckle, "Just was having a little chit chat with the kid is all."

Just then, I felt him pat my head a couple of times. My brain felt what I could only describe as white noise for a moment until it went completely blank.

"I suggest you leave. This is private property." said Aizawa.

I blinked in confusion as I heard a man chuckle behind me and walk briskly away. I turned around but couldn't get a good look at him. Just his grey hair and weird looking scarf.

"What was that all about?" asked Aizawa.

I turned around again to face him.

"What was 'what' all about?" I asked, completely lost.

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