People often find solace and relaxation after releasing their pent-up emotions. However, Arata has been behaving the exact opposite. Since Todoroki's last visit, she has only become more withdrawn and sullen.
Well, perhaps she's an outlier, Aizawa muses to himself as his eyes land on the blanket-clad figure on the bed. This is what, the third morning in a row since Todoroki's last visit?
"Oi, Kid," Aizawa grunts, drawing open the blinds to let warm sunlight flood the room. "Time to wake up and get moving."
A muffled, sullen answer resounds from under the covers. "What for? It's not like I'll do anything... or have a visit."
"Yes, you will." Pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance, Aizawa lightly kicks the bedpost, urging her to come out. "Shoto is on his way."
Arata's reaction is immediate. She sticks her head out from under the covers, blinking away the sleep from her eyes. "Huh? He's coming here?"
"Don't look so surprised. He's always visited you all this time, why would he stop now?"
"But, haven't I, um, told him everything?" Arata protests, her voice small. "I mean, there's no reason for him to…"
Oh, so that's what she's been sulking about, Aizawa sighs inaudibly, shaking his own head. So, she manages to infer that more visits are actually discouraged. This kid is too smart for her own good sometimes. Does she think Todoroki would suddenly leave her, like Hanakiri did?
"You're his friend, Arata. That's enough reason. Now, quit worrying and get ready. I won't repeat myself again."
──────────
After plenty of visits, Shoto has become used to Arata shying away from his right side. That being said, he still prefers her not to flinch every time her gaze unintentionally lands on his white hair.
"So, you associate white hair with the Shirayuki, whom you are intimidated by because they used to lock you up underground… and in snow cocoons."
Out of nowhere, Shoto recounts his understanding to the girl in front of him. She is lying on her stomach on the bed, working on one of the mathematics problems he gave previously.
Glancing up from his homework book, Arata shoots him a puzzled look. "Yeah? What about it?"
"It makes you shun people with white hair."
"'Shun' is a strong word... I'd rather you phrase it with 'avoid', Shoto-san."
"Same difference. I think it's not a favorable way to live."
"I agree," Arata sighs, a glimpse of guilt crossing her features as she deliberately avoids his white hair. "Well, to be honest, it's sort of bothering me lately. We have spent plenty of time together, and you've never hurt me—"
"I did once. I used my ice on you," Shoto reminds her with his usual as-the-matter-of-fact tone, trying to ignore a sliver of guilt that is making its way to his chest.
"To be fair, I also tricked and kicked you that time, so it doesn't count," Arata dismisses his concern with a wave of her hand. "My point is, there should be no reason for me to react this way to you, and I know it is also uncomfortable for you, but it's... um..."
"It's an involuntary defense mechanism?"
"... I was actually going with 'reflex', but I guess that works too," she says, sending an uncertain smile his way. "If I can choose... I would like to be able to look at you the way I can look at Aizawa-san too."
Without missing a beat, Shoto asks, his voice serious, "Then, do you want to try?"
"Try what?"
"Confronting your phobia," Shoto gestures to the right side of his head, "so you will be able to look at me."
"Are you suggesting me to intentionally... stare at your white hair?"
"Yes. We can take it in small steps."
"Will it work though?" Her bright green eyes flicker with apprehension as she sits up on the bed. They momentarily slide to her own hands before returning to his cyan eye. "What if I freak out and... my hands get transformed into praying mantis forelegs... I don't want to hurt you..."
"Rather than that, you should be more concerned about the possibility of this backfiring. I know I'm the one who suggested it, but it could very well make your phobia worse."
"'Worse'? I thought... the incident where I jumped out the window once I saw your white hair has established that my phobia is at rock bottom. I think, there aren't, um, a lot of ways to sink lower than that one, Shoto-san."
"Please don't do that again. I would like to see you alive, Ara."
"... I'm not trying to... But, no, seriously, maybe this is a bad idea. I— I don't want to accidentally hurt you."
"So it's okay if it's not accidental? Should I be wary starting from now?"
"It isn't what I meant at all!" Arata pouts, prompting a low chuckle from Shoto. "I really, really don't want to hurt you."
"You don't have to worry about it. I have spent most of my life training, so I'm quite tough," he convinces her. "Aizawa-sensei is also monitoring from outside. He can nullify your quirk in an instant if needed."
"Are you sure?"
"Otherwise, I wouldn't mention it."
A beat of silence and he catches a glimmer of indecision still plaguing her expression. She glances at him, her voice wavering. "Can you... um... not hesitate to freeze my hands if they suddenly transform?"
"I am thinking of using a different approach if that ever happens." he raises an eyebrow, a bit surprised at her request. "Doesn't the cold bother you greatly?"
"Can you?" she bites her lips, repeating the question. "It's better than me accidentally hurting you. I just... don't want anything bad to happen."
"..."
"Shoto-san?"
"Fine. But, only if there is no other choice." Shoto extends his right palm, motioning for her to place her hands on it. "Give me your hands."
"All right." Arata slides closer to him, her legs hanging at the side of the bed, her feet almost touching the floor. "What should I do?"
"For starters, can you try to hold your gaze at my right side for ten seconds?"
"I will try..."
As her green eyes wander to his white strands, he can see her shoulders stiffen like a board.
"Endure it, Ara."
Her pupils dilate in fear and involuntary shiver crawls on her skin, but she tries to hold on. He lets her fingers wrap around the back of his hand tightly. Perhaps, holding something solid may help her to cope with the pressure.
However, after the first five seconds let up, he notices that her breathing is getting shallow. Should I engage her in a conversation? Will it ease her nerves?
"What color is my right eye, Ara?"
"Grey, um... with specks of brown..."
"... That's oddly specific. Can you tell me one thing with the same color?"
"Uh... Soba noodles...? The highest quality ones."
His grey-cyan eyes gleam with mild amusement at her answer, and somehow, the waves of anxiety that have been slamming her chest begin to ebb away little by little. There is a soothing quality in his gaze, and to see him is to believe that maybe, there can be a drop of tranquility in her pathetic life, after all.
"That's it. Ten seconds are up." Shoto's calm voice pulls her back to the present, to the sight of his white hair and grey eye. "So, what do you think?"
Arata lets go of his hand and averts her gaze to his left side once again. "It was scary," she admits gingerly. "I didn't think I would be able to tolerate it at first..."
"But, in the end, you managed to do it."
"Yeah... Once it went on long enough, I think my fear couldn't escalate anymore."
"Then it subsided instead?"
"Somewhat... Only a little, though."
"Not bad for your first try," Shoto says, then points to his homework book on her bed. "It's like math. After you put an effort to understand the problem, it wasn't that hard anymore. You just have to learn not to let the problem overwhelm you first."
It is a strange comparison, but Arata understands what he means. So, she decides to reply in a playful way, "I know you're good at math, Shoto-san. Don't rub it in."
"Once we fix your fundamental concepts and basics, you can get better, Ara. Your ability is... passable, especially for a self-taught. Anyway, we're straying off topic. Do you want to try again?"
"Staring at your white hair, Shoto-san?"
"Yes. Perhaps, after you get used to it, we can do the same to your cryophobia."
"... Let's just focus on the former for now... I don't think I'm ready for the latter."
"If you say so," Shoto complies as Arata slides her hands to his right palm again. "Ten seconds again?"
──────────
Once Todoroki shuts the door behind him, Aizawa glances from his spot before the one-way glass and nods at his student.
"I see you've made some progress today." he eyes the mathematics book in his student's grasp. Sometimes, he doesn't quite understand the motives behind Todoroki's choice of activities. It is a good thing that Arata isn't picky about them, she enjoys whatever is brought to the room as long as she can do something. "Where did you learn about exposure therapy?"
"The internet," Todoroki answers curtly, not bothering to elaborate further. "What about the police? Is there any update on Ara's case?"
"I'm having a meeting with one of them later. It sounds like they have a decision ready."
The white-crimson haired boy narrows his eyes in suspicion. "That's unexpectedly fast."
"No comments." Aizawa shrugs his shoulders. He wants to remain impartial until all the cards have been laid on the table. It's illogical to start a guessing game when they don't have a clue. "It can be just a regular follow-up though. I'll notify you if major decisions are made."
"All right. Until next time then, Aizawa-sensei."
"Take care, Todoroki."
In hindsight, Aizawa should have known to prepare for something like this. Even though the law and the police are established to protect people and deliver justice, in a few cases, it fails to serve its purpose well. He is suppressing a tempting urge to flip the table in front of him in frustration.
"Let me get it straight." Aizawa rubs over his temple. "Even after the story that my student managed to get out of Arata, are you saying the police still can't conduct an official investigation of the Shirayuki?"
"What we have isn't enough to get a search warrant, Eraser Head." a pig-headed woman fixes her black tie and vest, shifting rigidly on her seat. "The only way we managed to relate her with the Shirayuki, is because there was no other possible option. Not because we had tangible evidence. We merely connected the dots."
Aizawa, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration, asks, "What about a DNA paternity test? Surely that would provide concrete proof."
The woman shakes her head, her expression grim. "The police never collected DNA samples from any member of the Shirayuki family. They had no criminal records, no reason to be in the system."
"What of her father's remains? They must still exist somewhere," Aizawa presses, his voice tight with frustration.
"Cryogenically preserved," she replies, her tone conveying the futility of the situation. "We cannot reverse the cryonics process for a simple DNA test."
Aizawa's eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "That's an arduous procedure to maintain. Is that why the Shirayuki are desperate for snow-quirked descendants?"
"Perhaps, who knows."
Aizawa leans back in his chair, his frustration evident. "What about other family members?"
"The remaining Shirayuki members refused to cooperate. Without a court order, our hands are tied."
"This is ridiculous." Aizawa grinds his teeth together, annoyed beyond belief. "We're talking about child abuse here. What about the frostbite marks on her body, the cuff marks on her ankles? They've healed, but there must be police documentation."
"Those pictures prove nothing of her connection to the Shirayuki. It will be her words against their words. Alternatively, we attempted to provide evidence using her knowledge about the Shirayuki, but it wasn't sufficient. The girl doesn't know more than we know."
"I believe it is the result of Arata's prolonged isolation in the basement. She couldn't exactly go out freely and explore her surroundings."
"We are aware of that fact. However, the government isn't willing to overlook that excuse," the police sergeant states coolly. "This investigation has reached a dead end. We're putting it aside in the near future. The police already did all they could, Eraser Head."
"That hardly seems fair."
"Things might turn out differently if the girl had at least a birth certificate. Without it and hard evidence, her position is very vulnerable in front of the law."
"Does that mean that this issue can be raised again once she gets a birth certificate?" Aizawa pushes on.
The gaze from her brown eyes hardens as she chooses her words carefully. "It's unlikely, because her birth certificate would be issued after, not before the case. But, we could go back on it if another evidence was present.
"For now, the current objective of the police is to prepare her legal papers and find someone or an organization that will be responsible for her. We are ordered to discharge her from the hospital in three days."
"Isn't that too fast?" Aizawa growls out. "Sounds to me that you all just want to drop this case as soon as possible."
"Keeping a potential threat under wraps in a public place, such as this hospital, is a lot of work," she says, her tone clipped and cold. "It is even harder when there is no one we can hold responsible if anything happens. The only person that clearly has ties to the girl is Hanakiri, and that does nothing to help her case. Our main concern is to protect the civilians."
"Arata is a civilian, even though she is an unregistered one," he gruffly reminds her. "Don't tell me you also neglect the fact that she also tried to stop a kidnapping."
"One good deed does not make up for any evidence."
"She does not deserve this baseless, misguided profiling you made for her either."
"We won't discuss this, for a decision has been made." the sergeant pastes a polite smile, skirting around the controversial subject. "As I've said earlier, we are searching for a legal guardian for her. Please let me know if U.A. is interested in taking the girl, Eraser Head. The police can send an official request to Principal Nezu.
"We will wait for your confirmation until midnight. Tomorrow, we will be back to discuss the results of our search."