Aizawa's head throbs acutely. He only took one phone call, and these kids already wreaked havoc under ten minutes. Ten freaking minutes.
He exhales in exhaustion, I really can't take a break, can I?
They have deactivated the sprinkler. The room also has been cleaned and tidied up again in a matter of minutes. While there is no serious property damage, of course this incident has imparted an unneeded fear in the girl. She has been quietly hiding under the blanket, curling tensely in fetal position.
Aizawa massages his own temples tiredly. This is as much his fault as theirs. Maybe he shouldn't have underestimated her fear. Whatever it is about, he didn't realize it is to this extent, to the point it threatens her to break out. Not to mention that he should have asked the police to prohibit Todoroki from entering by himself.
"Oi, Kid," he grunts, trying to get her to talk.
No response. There isn't even any indication of her listening to him.
For the nth time that day, he sighs wearily. There is no point in talking when the other party doesn't listen. Fine, he will let her mope and sulk for some time first.
"We will talk later, Kid," Aizawa says as he heads to the door. "In the meantime, don't try to run away again."
Aizawa goes out of the room just to be met with a pair of sullen grey-cyan eyes.
Damn, I almost forgot I still have to talk with Todoroki.
"I thought we had agreed on making the girl comfortable enough so she could tell us what happened," he remarks, a bit more stern than usual. "I'm sure you understand this has the opposite effect."
"..."
"Todoroki, I've seen how she deceived you from the CCTV recording," Aizawa sighs and continues with a milder tone. "She wiped the blood from her infusion injection to her clothes. While it was indeed a little trick, I agree she shouldn't have done it. She shouldn't have used your concern to her advantage. I understand why you snapped."
"..."
"However, I wasn't expecting you to react this... extreme." His dark eyes search the boy's expression carefully, but Todoroki doesn't give anything away. Aizawa crosses his arms and glares at him. "What were you thinking, using your fire in an enclosed space? It triggered this whole wing's fire system."
"She needs to understand that I'm not going to hurt her, because I'm the one who saved her!" Todoroki bites out, clearly on edge.
"Then, why did you use your ice?" Aizawa retorts back. "You're smart enough to infer that she has cryophobia. I mean, you knew she doesn't like the cold. To the point she refuses to turn on the aircon in this summer heat, where some people get heatstroke simply by being outside too long. There were a million other things you could have done, like calling me or physically subduing her. Yet, you chose to trap her with your ice."
Aizawa puts an extra emphasis on his next sentence, his gaze stern, "That's callous, Todoroki... even for you."
Todoroki clenches his hands into a fist at his words. The water she splashed on him has triggered a painful memory in his mind. It acted as a catalyst in his anger and caused a lapse of his judgment.
The fear in her eyes when she looked at him... It reminds him of his mother's. And perhaps, not only his mother's, but also his own eyes—horrified and helpless every time his father dragged him to the dojo—in the past. The similarity had disturbed him so greatly that he acted without thinking.
"Look, Todoroki, I don't know what set you off. You're usually a lot calmer than this." Aizawa pinches the bridge of his own nose, groaning. "Take this day off, go home, and cool your head. If by then this still weighs you down, let me know and I will tell the police that you're off this case."
Is his teacher implying that he's not capable enough? The boy scowls darkly at him. Aizawa notices Todoroki's offended expression and rolls his eyes.
"This girl here needs a delicate approach," Aizawa explains. "I know it takes a lot from you. But, if you still want to help, we can't afford another outburst. This is the second time this week and it's only Wednesday. The police have been torn on how to deal with her. Outbursts like this do nothing, except asserting their suspicion that she's dangerous. That's why I want you to think about it clearly first. Whatever you pick, it will affect her greatly."
Todoroki broods over his words in silence, his gaze glued to the floor. Aizawa leads him back to the hallway entrance gently.
"I'm sure you're capable of doing this." the black-haired man taps his shoulder lightly. "But, try thinking it over first."
Aizawa crosses his arms, leaning against the wall. His dark eyes are trained on the girl on the bed. "They say wounded animals bite back. Is that what happened yesterday?"
"..."
He sighs inwardly, when has his life turned to this? Another day, another lecture with another kid.
"I get that you don't like being stuck in this room. But, is breaking out like yesterday really necessary? Even if you managed to get past him, there are a lot of police officers stationed in this hospital. You wouldn't be able to escape without seriously injuring them and getting injured yourself."
"..."
Still no response. But, one look upon her expression and Aizawa knows this girl knows that she has made a mistake. Well, this is another clue for him, apparently she feels guilty. It may seem trivial, but it isn't a quality he often finds in villains.
Aizawa tries to change the question. "Whom are you afraid of?"
The girl doesn't answer, but her dark eyebrows twitch a little. Aizawa is certain she is listening to him. Let's try another strategy, he racks his brains.
With a parent-like amazing skill to wield guilt, Aizawa carries on, "You know, accusing your rescuer of intending to kill you isn't nice at all."
Aizawa knows it's frustrating to be on the receiving end of guilt-trips, but he isn't above using it for their collective benefit. From the corner of his eyes, he sees regret slipping beneath her cracks.
So, that manages to corner her.
"I— I didn't mean to," she murmurs in a low voice, remorse coloring her timbre. "I thought he was... I didn't recognize him. I mistook him for someone else."
"Is it because half of his hair white?" Aizawa inquires, trying to subtly dig some information. "I mean, you expected him to have all of his hair crimson."
There is a short pause before the girl bites her lips and nods quietly, one hand clasping the tender, still-recovering cauterization wound on her abdomen.
"It's a shame." Aizawa shakes his head a bit dramatically. "Your accusation must have hurt him. You have refused him twice after all."
She visibly winces at his words. Aizawa uses the opportunity to drive his point home.
"You know, he was the only one who cared enough to save you back then. If it wasn't for him, you wouldn't have made it."
"…"
"He only wants to help you all this time, but all you've done is push him away," he says with a serious tone. "To top it off, you even took advantage of his concern and kicked him."
When she turns her head away from him, he continues, "If I were you, I would be so guilty."
"…"
"He was the only one on your side, and then you—"
"Stop, I get it," she croaks out, her voice raspy. The girl shifts uncomfortably on the bed, suffocated by the pooling guilt in her chest. "I... I really regret what I did. What should I do? I think... he hates me now."
"You can apologize to him," he waves his phone to her, "by texting him or something like that. Oh, but you don't have a phone, do you?"
She shakes her head slowly, looking a bit dejected.
"Then, maybe you can wait for him to come and say it directly to him." Aizawa shrugs with an innocent look. "But, maybe he's angry and won't come anymore."
"..."
"Maybe, he will never come again."
A contemplative expression crosses her face, her mind trailing in the direction Aizawa has manipulatively set up. Come on, he folds his arms. Just take the bait. Don't make this harder than it should be.
There is a long pause before she speaks up.
"Um, Aizawa-san..." she trails off uncertainly, gesturing to his phone. "Can you... ask him to come?"
"I'm not going to ask him to come just to get refused again, Kid." Aizawa keeps anything remote to emotion from surfacing on his face. "Who knows what you will do to him later."
"No!" Her eyebrows furrow in panic. "Um, I— I'll try my best this time."
Now that she's in his trap, he's going to milk it for all it's worth. "Then, prove it," he remarks with a solemn expression, then she frowns in confusion.
"Huh?"
"If you cooperate better, I'll consider it," he says gruffly, walking to the door. "I'll see to your behavior starting tomorrow."
Once he's outside, Aizawa inwardly lets out a sigh of relief. His work here is done.
Am I supposed to be glad that this guilt-trip tactic worked? Aizawa rolls his eyes lazily. Nah, the only thing it can do is to buy their bonding a second chance. If it doesn't work too... Well, I will cross that bridge when I get to it.