Chapter 195: Faculty Hanami Meetup (2)

Chapter 195: Faculty Hanami Meetup (2)

~Third POV~

[Early Spring, UA Highschool – Outside, Japan]

Recovery Girl had led them to a spot off the beaten path—though still on campus—where they found a tree half in bloom. Mic shouted as the tree came into view, "Blooming blossoms!"

The tree itself wasn't too large, maybe only a decade old. It would be at least a few days before its pink petals would be out in full force, but this was more than enough to enjoy for now. Midnight asked, impressed at Recovery Girl. "I never knew this tree was here."

Recovery Girl merely shrugged while grinning as she said, "I found it a few years back. It's been my little secret since then."

Principal Nezu said with a sigh and a chuckle, "A bona fide secret spot at U.A.? The breadth and depth of our campus never fails to impress."

Beside him, Aizawa also stared up at the tree. The petals were pale pink—nearly white—and almost seemed to glow in the darkness.

Though short-lived, there was something powerful about cherry blossoms, with their strange way of touching people's hearts. That universal appeal would always draw people to sit under the trees, like bees tempted by nectar.

Mic said excitedly, turning to leave, "Lemme run and grab the others!"

Minutes later, All Might, Thirteen, Cementoss, Vlad King, Hound Dog, Lady Nagant and Ectoplasm had joined the party. The faculty members set up their picnic blankets and placed the boxes of food in the middle.

There was no shortage of snacks, including cheeses, pickled vegetables, and fermented shiokara seafood in one box and in another, onigiri and rolled dashimaki omelets, prepared by All Might and Thirteen. Preparing the food: All Might said proudly, "As far as onigiri flavors, we've got kombu, tuna with mayo, mentaiko, and takana greens. And the dashimaki is right out of the pan, so it should still be warm."

Vlad King smirked as he said happily, "It feels like a true-blue field trip."

Sitting next to Vlad King Ectoplasm nodded his head, agreeing as he said, "A field trip for adults, indeed."

Midnight, whipping out the bottle of sake, smirked as she said excitedly, "Adults is right! Which is why we can't forget this."

*Pop*

She screwed off the top and took a whiff as she moaned, spellbound by the fragrance, "Mm, that's the stuff…"

She served the drink into shallow ochoco cups, and those who preferred not to drink alcohol made sure to fill theirs with tea or water. Before partaking, all sat and waited for the principal to make his remarks, as was proper etiquette for any faculty function. As Principal Nezu began in a proud tone, "This is as impromptu a hanami meetup as ever there was, but celebrating the ebb and flow of the seasons is surely what makes life worth living. Now, I'm not here to monitor anyone, but do try to drink in moderation. Ah, hanami always reminds me of—"

However, Nezu got to finish as Recovery Girl interrupted him as she said bluntly, "That's enough outta you! Let's get this party started. The dashimaki's getting cold already."

Principal Nezu pouted at the interruption as he said in a disappointed tone, "That's fair enough. I suppose my story can wait until next time. On that note, kanpai!"

The teachers, who toasted before downing their drinks, all said, "Kanpai!"

As they all drank the sake, Midnight smiled as she judged the drink happily, "Mmm… So light and smooth, but still fruity, almost floral… Nice and dry, though. Delicious."

That was the verdict from Midnight, who seemed to be melting into the picnic blanket. Thirteen, who'd barely taken half a sip of the strong drink, felt drunk as she says, "Oh, it is good! Quite easy to get down. Oh dear—I feel myself getting tipsy already."

Vlad King humbly nodded his head, agreeing as he asked Midnight curiously, "Tasty stuff. Where's it from?"

Having been asked his question, Midnight answered feeling tipsy, "Up north in Tohoku, where they grow the rice."

Vlad King simply nodded as he said simply, "Mm, that tracks."

Beside him, Hound Dog gave the drink a hearty sniff. Then he said, sounding intoxicated by the drink, "The scent alone makes me feel like I've drunk a boatload. It's going straight to my head."

Recovery Girl was enjoying her drink while chatting with the principal as she said, "How many years has it been since I last drank under the blossoms, I wonder…"

Principal Nezu chuckled as he answered her question, nonchalantly enjoying each other's company, "Well, you're always busy, visiting all those hospitals so commendably. But do take care not to imbibe too much tonight, like you did that other time. I'm afraid I can't carry you back on my own."

However, Recovery Girl merely huffed, feeling a bit offended as she shot back at Nezu childishly, "What other time? Do you mean all those decades back? They say elephants never forget, but a mouse like yourself should have some tact."

Across the picnic blanket, Cementoss reached for another dashimaki as he happily muttered, "Mm, the dashimaki is tasty."

All Might listening smiled, feeling proud as he said, "Really? Glad to hear it."

Thirteen, taking the chance to eat All Might's food, couldn't help but say in a curious tone, "All Might is quite the chef. Who knew?"

A flustered All Might, unable to take the compliment, began to mutter embarrassingly, "Well, you see, I make bento boxes all the time for Melissa… er, and the other kids, of course, when I tag along for their training. They really burn a lot of calories. Teenagers and their appetites, you know?"

Aizawa rolled his eyes at the conversation before shifting his gaze beyond the blossoms to the ashen clouds. Mic took notice and lifted his ochoco toward the sky night as he said, "Kanpai!"

Aizawa toasted back weakly and drained his cup, which caught Midnight's attention and led her to join them. The burning liquid seeped down into the three teachers, warming the thoughts, feelings, and unspoken words they'd held in their hearts.

They kept drinking as the gray clouds melted into the dark blue sky, and before long, only half the bottle was left. Alcohol has a way of stripping away the varnish, so to speak, and perhaps that was why Ectoplasm—now in a good mood—started singing as he said, "This one's called 'The Hero Strait.'"

"I find myself adrift in Shinjuku Station, Paddling through the crowds, off to be a savior. Someone, somewhere, in need of a rescue, but I'm not making headway, Once again drowning in these urban depths.♪"

Present Mic, between verses, said excitedly, "You're rocking it, Ectoplasm!"

The principal said as he sipped his tea, "A fine voice, as always."

Lady Nagant cheered taking a sip as she says cooly, "He surely has a wonderful singing voice."

Midnight poured some more sake for Recovery Girl and asked her senior colleague a question, "Is it true that, back in the day, Trendy Boy Jr. proposed to you?"

Thirteen, listening excitedly, interrupted the conversation as she said, "Oh my!" Wasn't Trendy Boy Jr. voted the hero most likely to make the ladies swoon? My grandmother was a big fan of his!"

Everyone was listening to this conversation now. Recovery Girl, with a giggle, said, "Back in the day, yes."

The principal, with the air of a know-it-all, chuckled as he said knowingly with a nod, "Our esteemed school nurse had many admirers. And not just in Japan, but among foreign heroes as well."

Midnight, her eyes twinkling, said awed, "Wow…"

Recovery Girl explained with a smug grin as she said happily, "Plenty of folks would get the wrong idea because of how I administer my Quirk. I really had my hands full at times. You might know something about that. Correct, young lady?"

Midnight paused to think before smiling as she said cheekily, winking her eye, "Who, me? Yeah, I guess I've been there. But if I'm being completely honest, watching these kids in the prime of their youth is a lot more fun. With all the hustle and bustle here, I don't exactly have time for extracurriculars."

Thirteen nodded, understanding their concern, as she added, crossing her arms, "I know what you mean! It's astounding how fast they grow and improve."

Aizawa, taking a sip of his drink, added in a dry tone, "They'd better. That's what they're here to do."

Present Mic pouted as he shouted at his friend in a loud tone, "Don't be such a hard-ass! You know you love watching those kids grow up before your eyes!"

Vlad King, puffing out his chest with pride as he bragged about his Class B students, said, "My class B is also improving by leaps and bounds! Can't take my eyes off 'em for a second!"

As always, he was unable to let the conversation center around Aizawa's students. A blank-faced Aizawa, who was in such a weak state from the alcohol that he now mistook the large sake bottle for Vlad King, said drunkly, "Listen… I practically gotta stick to my kids like glue to keep them outta trouble. Buncha eccentric little troublemakers. But that just means they got more potential to grow."

Vlad King shot back in a defiant tone, looking a bit tipsy from drinking, "You wanna talk potential! It's almost scary thinking 'bout the heights my kiddos are gonna reach!"

Meanwhile, the drunk Aizawa argued with the bottle, mistaking it as King Vlad as he said tipsy, "Mine aren't just talented—they're also well on their way to being emotionally mature enough that I don't have to fret about them at every turn."

Vlad King shot back, "Oh yeah? Well, my class is—"

Before the pissing contest could continue, Mic and Hound Dog stepped in with a "Calm down, now …" and "Both classes are real special, okay?"

Cementoss sighed as he shook his head helplessly at the scene as he said, "That sake has really gone to their heads –Mmrghf!"

Thirteen had crammed an onigiri into Cementoss's mouth. Thirteen appeared to be drunk as she said cheekily, "Well? How do you like my homemade onigiri? Ah, would you prefer the takana variety? Here you go!"

"Mmmrf!"

All Might realized that Thirteen was more than a little tipsy at this point, so he poured some tea and passed it to her. Nezu was smiling, observing his staff as he says cheekily, "Good to see everyone letting down their proverbial hair."

Midnight was the first to apologize for this as she said, "Sorry about that. Me and my sake are to blame."

Nezu sighed but did perform his role as principal as he gave Midnight a slight warning in an innocent tone, "You might get a talking-to if this affects their work performance tomorrow, but for now, enjoying ourselves is what matters."

Recovery Girl shook her head, staring up at the tree as she said calmly, "Life is too short. Blink and you'll miss it, as they say. Like the cherry blossoms—blooming one moment, falling the next."

Lady Nagant, whose eyes turned to the pale-pink petals, said calmly, "Over before you know it, huh?"

Recovery Girl nodded her head as she said with a smile giving some piece of advice, "Before you know it, yep. A day you had a decade back can feel like yesterday, so you've got to live each day like there's no other like it because there never will be."

Midnight, with a thoughtful nod, merely said in a calm tone, taking Recovery Girl's advice, "I guess so. There's no telling what's down the road."

Looming over heroes and their heroics was the very real danger they faced, such that every mission demanded the resolve to put one's life on the line. Recovery Girl. Her expression softened, she said, "My take on life and death might not be all too uncommon, but I think life's not about how long we stick around. It comes down to how we use that time. But it's only human nature to hope for long, healthy lives. Especially for all the youngsters here at U.A."

Midnight said, agreeing with a smile, "I'm with you there."

Recovery Girl turned to her younger colleague as she said, "I still think of you lot as my students, you know."

The stern yet kind look in the school nurse's eyes got a bashful chuckle out of Midnight as she said, "Heh. I know."

Recovery Girl, pouring more of the sake for Midnight said happily, "Anyhow, drink up. This stuff's the best medicine."

The two women toasted and drank. Nezu, gazing at his colleagues, could only say in a hopeful tone, "I can only hope we get the chance to enjoy the blossoms like this again next year."

*Swooosh*

A gentle breeze made the tree's petals flutter, and the ones scattered to the wind heralded the coming of a new season. Sadly, no one could have known of the death and destruction that awaited the world…

Ren silently walked away unseen and unhead as he said with no one listening to his words seemingly, "But then again who can tell in the crazy future ahead. I suppose I'll just nip this and enjoy my Super Human Highschool Life. Hmm..."

Gears showned in his eyes showing the future as he grinned muttering, "Yeah... just quick and efficient. Just how I like it."

Walking away from the scene he took a small sip from the sake that Midnight brought in a sake cup. He grinned as he muttered walking to his dorm room, "Hmm... this is some pretty good sake... a final toast to the final boss."