Nezu looked across from his desk, face absent of any expression aside from the small grin he wore. The principal sipped at his small teacup as Kairi pulled at the fabric on her skirt, as if she were hoping to curl up inside her school uniform. Aizawa's glaring gaze bore through her uncomfortably. Already, the situation was stressful enough. His stern eyes did nothing to help the situation. Kairi sunk into herself, waiting to disappear. Shoto sat beside her, shifting anxiously as their teacher continued to stare at them, crossed arms accentuating his anger towards them. Bakugo, however, seemed incredibly bored and leaned against his hands.

The crowds had not stopped. Getting into the school the next day had been hard enough. While they spent the remainder of their weekend hiding out in the school, news and social media filled with reports of the attack on QuirKey by 2-A students. When the staff at QuirKey had finally been questioned and processed, it hadn't taken long for their details to appear in the media. The media demanded to speak with the students who had exposed QuirKey and the unethical practices of their staff to the world. They remained inside, trying to hide from it all. But leaving for school that morning had been impossible. Their friends had thankfully helped to shield them and they took a more roundabout way to get to school, but the usual 5 minute walk to school had been made to be nearly twenty minutes with all the inconveniences. Once in the school, they had been safe. Except, they had been called for a brief meeting before the start of school, in Principal Nezu's office. Now, here they were, waiting.

"Legally, there was nothing you did wrong," Nezu began solemnly while he set down his teacup. "Aside from Bakugo, that is. He used his quirk to infiltrate the building, but given the situation and the result, there are no charges and the police have decided not to follow it up."

"Great," Bakugo sputtered, boredom lingering in his express. Nezu pressed his paws together.

"You two, however. You did not break and enter, you did not trespass, you didn't assault anyone until you believed you were in danger and the police has filed that as self defense. You finished your assignment for the culture festival and you had every right to decide to stay and enjoy the festival and go home. There were no school rules you violated, as everything that happened occurred off campus. Technically speaking, you have not broken any rules, aside from some rude decisions."

"And some idiotic decisions," Aizawa said, his voice stern and serious. "We can't say that you did anything wrong on paper because there was nothing illegal that happened or against school policy as you were not on school grounds. However, you serve as representatives of this school, and you need to remember that when you are out there. Not only that, as heroes, you need to know how to handle a decision properly and follow hero protocol! Hoshino, you have no license yet and Bakugo and Todoroki, you still only have a provisional license. As you are still considered in training and this is your first offense for it, neither one of you are in danger of being disciplined for misconduct. However, once you are fully licensed heroes, this type of thing could find you in real trouble and disciplinary action would need to be taken!" Aizawa stepped out of his dark corner and leaned over the desk, looking across to all three of them. "You request back-up, especially since you are still training! You do not go in alone, and you come up with a plan. Proper protocol would have been to inform me or other Pro Heroes and formulate a plan. You have been attending this school long enough that you should know this by now. As examples of this school, as future heroes, you are expected to follow procedure, procedure you have repeated over and over. If you do this as Pro Heroes, you will be charged with hero misconduct, is that understood?"

"Yeah," Bakugo grumbled. Shoto nodded quickly while Kairi sadly nodded, avoiding Aizawa's eyes.

"We of course don't want it to go unrecognized that you followed your convictions," Nezu said calmly. "You felt something was off and you followed it, and you were correct. The course you took to get there, however, was inappropriate and not the behavior we expect from students of UA. Trust me when I say this is a very serious offense all three of you have pulled." The small principal's eyes hardened and he looked across them, no longer appearing cheery. Bakugo opened his mouth, which made Nezu hold up his paw. "I don't care who started it. The truth is all three of you were involved, therefore all three of you are responsible. Nothing is going to change your involvement in it. If anything like this happens again, the school and the police might have to treat it as hero misconduct. You could face disciplinary action and may be suspended or even expelled from UA. You might also forfeit any chance of pursuing a major related to a hero or sidekick field in any university in the world." Kairi fell into herself, vanishing away from the daunting words. They may not have received any discipline, but the both of them were correct. What they did was incredibly serious and it was her fault. She drug them into it. If they had just followed protocol, they could have captured QuirKey staff anyway and brought them to justice – all without the mess they made of it. Guilt sat uncomfortably in her, having made its home the past few days. She fidgeted with the rows of thick bracelets on her arms, hiding the bandages she still wore. They stood out and were a bit loud for her taste – but they at least stopped the staring and questions.

"Unless you have anything to add, Mr. Aizawa..." Nezu's smiled returned as he sat back in his seat. "Let's make sure this never happens again."

"Yes. Not again," Aizawa firmly said, looking across all three of them. He rubbed the center of his eyes. "Now I have to go deal with a press conference over this. I really don't want this to happen again."

"I once again would like to request the blame fall all on me for this..." Kairi said.

"I admire your responsibility Miss Hoshino," Nezu nodded. "But as stated previously, all three of you were involved. Maybe you asked them all to come along, but they had the choice to say yes or no. No one made them do anything, and therefore, it is their responsibility to share." She nodded dismally. With no more questions, Nezu dismissed them.

"Don't drag me into your mess again, okay, Hoshino?" Bakugo said. She nodded, her eyes watching her feet shuffle down the hall. "But, Nezu and Aizawa were correct. I should have known an idea like that could only come from an idiot, but I still decided to go along with it. Following an idiotic idea only made me an idiot too so yeah, I admit it. I screwed up too. The responsibility is shared. Just don't ask me to go on your stupid missions again!" While his words were filled with many insults, the admission of his own fault made her snap her eyes up to him with surprise.

"I'm not going to have any messes like this," Kairi said.

"I also didn't need you to come back for me. Given enough time, I would have found a way out!" he growled. His shoulders fell with his huff. "But, you doing so got us out of there faster. So yeah, whatever." Giving her another scowl, Bakugo gave her another scowl and then ran on ahead of them to go to class. She paused in the hall, blinking after the vanishing classmate of theirs. Shoto froze as well, pivoting to look at Kairi in bewilderment.

"Was that a thank you?" Kairi squeaked.

"I think... so?" Shoto said, just as surprised as her. "I guess that's how Bakugo says thank you. I'm fairly certain that's the nicest I have ever seen him towards anyone who isn't Kirishima."

"Are we in another dimension?" She pulled at a stretch of skin on her arm. It bit. "Ow... well, not dreaming. So we must be in another dimension. Or maybe some aliens body snatched him."

"Dimensions? Body-snatching?" Shoto huffed. "What happened to your distaste for sci-fi?"

"What makes you think dimensions and body-snatching is solely a sci-fi concept? Are you still willing to play Seawall?"

"Uhh... is any of that... stuff in there?" he asked slowly.

"Come on. Let's get school over with. Then after class, I'm going to begin your initiation!"

"So we're not doing the homework we didn't do in order to spend the last few days preparing for the festival?"

"Oh give me a break, Shoto! I just spent the last thirty-six hours fighting against terrible doctors trying to take our blood, being hooked up to hospital machines, hearing lectures from our parents, fighting back cameras and microphones shoved in our faces by noisy reporters, and got an earful from Aizawa and Nezu! I need something to look forward to. If you want, we can even play a little Seawall and then do the damn homework!"

"Okay – one hour to show me the basics. Then I'm making you sit down and write that essay for history."

"Ugggghhh!"

Aizawa essentially delivered a more general and condensed version of the speech he gave them in the office. Without mentioning names, while everyone knew about the incident and who did it, he told them how important it was to follow protocol and the consequences they would face in the future should they ignore it. With one more note about the importance of backup, he concluded his lecture and the day went on, almost without a reminder of the incident again.

Momo had the foresight to request her driver pull his limo to the front of the school. Shoto put his arm across Kairi's shoulders and the two of them lowered their heads while flashes spouted around them at the end of the day. Bakugo fought back with his rage, telling them off for sticking their microphones in his face, and then he told them what else they could do with it. Momo ran on ahead, gesturing to her friends to jump into the limo. Shoto helped Kairi step inside and tumbled in after her. Followed by Izuku, Tsu, Momo, and then Bakugo. He kept his stern gaze at his feet and remained silent for the short trip.

The press hadn't been quick enough to follow the vehicle, and all of them ran out immediately, giving their thanks to Momo. Izuku held the door open for everyone to run on inside their door, shutting the door just before the press could finally catch up.

"You have no idea how thankful I am for that," Kairi said, tossing herself onto the couch in the common area.

"It was a struggle this morning and so I gave him a heads up. Everything go okay this morning?" Momo asked, sitting beside her. Shoto moved across the room, making for the small kitchen they all shared.

"Yeah. We're not in trouble but they made it clear they weren't happy. Basically, they shared a detailed version of what Aizawa said in homeroom," Kairi said rubbing at her face. "Ugh, but it's normal school stress now. No more culture festival, no more QuirKey, no more aftermath, no more lectures. Things can just be normal for a bit."

"Yeah and now you can figure out what you're going to do about...?" Momo nodded towards Shoto, who could be seen pressing a button on the electric kettle in the kitchen. Kairi followed her eyes and gulped, sighing sadly.

"I'm not doing anything."

"No?"

"I'm just going to sit with my feelings and let them be. Either they'll go away or I'll be attracted to someone else who is my best friend, right?"

"Or neither will happen and you'll wither in this agony forever," Momo said. Her elbow stabbed against her side. "Come on, you don't want to keep dealing with this, right? I know it's agonizing. We can all still feel it."

"Except that I hate you can all feel it," she groaned, letting her head fall back on the backrest. "It feels like an invasion of privacy and I'm soo... private. At the very least, I just wish people would stop commenting about it."

"I know, and I'm sorry," said Momo, patting her arm. "It's just hard for me to not say anything when I know you're suffering." Kairi let her head roll towards Momo, and she smiled graciously.

"I get it. This friend thing is still weird is all."

"I know everything in you is telling you it will be the end of the world if you anything to Todoroki. And if I ever like someone, I will not be able to take my own advice. But I think you need to tell him. Whether he likes you back or not."

"No, that's where you're wrong..." Kairi said, spinning her body to face her. "If he doesn't like me, then I will be broken and miserable and my depression will have disastrous effects on everyone I am every in the room with. I had a really bad week once and made a teacher cry last year, that was incredibly embarrassing and made all my emotions worse. You have no idea the misery dad felt after mom left because of how I felt."

"You could say part of that was because he was just depressed he left?"

"But it damaged our relationship for years. I don't want to know what rejection feels like. 'The worst they can say is no' right? That doesn't hold the same weight for everyone else as it does for me. People could literally get hurt. And I know this is beginning to sound very 'Oh woe is me, if I'm friendzoned everyone could be hurt so he better nor friendzone me' but that's not it, at all, all right? I'll experience my romances in books and tv shows and fanfiction like every nerd. I cannot pay that price of the possibly irreparable damage my emotions could cause if I'm rejected."

"And? If he does like you back?"

"I have several answers to that – first of all, what has he done that's told you that he likes me?" Momo scoffed and looked up at Shoto dropping a teabag into a cup – Kairi's favorite kind.

"Everything he does?" she guessed.

"Why, just because he's a friend and does things for me?" she asked.

"Kairi, you read one hundred chapters of romantic fanfiction based alone on one possibly suggestive look a character gave another, but you can't read into every little thing Todoroki does?"

"That's fanfiction, it isn't real life, Momo. Also I really hate that you know that." Momo snorted, smiling.

"Well, next time we watch something don't shout 'Oh my god, did you see that?!' and immediately start looking up fanfiction about it. I can't even believe there was already a hundred chapter story about it."

"That episode was a year old!" Kairi defended, slamming a couch pillow at Momo. Warmth stirred in her as a giggle snuck out. "That's ancient to fans!"

"That's not my point anyway. Maybe you don't think he does – but there hasn't been a moment when you questioned maybe there was something? Something that felt out of character for him, even for his friends? Nothing has given you pause?"

"Uh..." Several moments, she watched him blush, turn away. He would look at her and would maybe stumble over his words. He gave her more attention than anyone else. He was kind to everyone, of course, but he was super defensive. Sometimes, when they talked alone, she thought she saw something in those eyes... and in the hospital when he never once moved from her and slept beside her all night... They were best friends and that was normal, right? He slept beside her because they had just been through an ordeal... right?

"He's just... my best friend. That's all. And I am grateful to have that, I am." Kairi said quickly. But the blushing. She bit her lip, unable to find an explanation for that. "I guess, I mean... there have been times I've wondered but... that's got to be because of how I feel. Because I get flustered around him and he's just echoing those feelings. Which is another thing – He has to feel those feelings. So he already knows how I feel. If he shared those feelings, he would say something to me."

"He doesn't seem to acknowledge it."

"Because he's nice, Momo!" Anger and frustration were beginning to knock at her. "I appreciate this but I... can't. Even if he truly did believe he liked me, how am I to know he doesn't just like me because he's feeling my own emotions, thinking it's his own? How could I ever truly know it's his real feelings and not just... me. I could never know."

"But that only works when you're in the room. What about all the times you've stayed up late texting each other back and forth, or how many times he's liked a post or commented on it? You haven't been in the room for those."

"Once again, that's a best friend thing!" Kairi huffed and raised herself from the couch. "Trust me, remaining quiet is best for everyone. I appreciate your support but I think you're seeing things that aren't there. These are all things friends just do for each other, it doesn't have to be exclusive to romantic partners."

"This sounds like another one of your shipping arguments," Shoto said. Kairi stepped back, flinching at his sudden appearance behind her. He twitched, a reflex to her own surprise and then smiled. He set a teacup in front of Momo on the table before her. "I... think I got what you like?" Momo leaned forward and sniffed at her cup, shrugging.

"Usually I prefer gyokuro but jasmine is also very nice!" Momo took her cup and sipped at it. Shoto handed Kairi a steaming cup. She inhaled its scent, smiling pleasantly at the familiar scent. He had chosen her go-to flavor. Then she became aware of the heat in her cheeks and she turned to avoid his gaze.

"All right then," Kairi squeaked. "I guess, uh... I guess it's time to take you on a perilous journey to save the world and kill some ogres and dragons while we're at it."

"Can we stay in the taverns and drink all day too?" he asked as they began their walk towards the steps. Her chest bubbled, a chuckle ready to ride forth.

"Is that what intrigued you about the game? What if I told you there were brothels too?"

"There are brothels in the game?!"

"Yeah, brothels are a pretty standard thing of RPG stories or fantasy games. Why, do you want to see one?"

"How much do they show?!" he was struggling to hide how shocked he was about this revelation.

"Oh god, nowhere near enough," she teased, watching Shoto's face whiten at her mock-offended tone. "Whyyy? Does that disappoint you?"

"N-no!" he said. The two of them neared the set of stairs, speaking brightly with each other as they ascended. Yuga walked into the room, just before they disappeared and elegantly lowered himself to the spot beside Momo. He hummed to himself, watching their two friends as they walked and talked. Kairi playfully shoved Shoto and he reached over to pat her arm. Yuga pressed a hand under his chin before he looked over to Momo.

"Still oblivious then?"

"Yep," Momo sighed, picking up her tea cup.

"Sacre bleu, that beautiful boy could straight up die for her and she would say 'He just thinks I'm a really good friend. Friends do that, right?'"

"Except he already did one better. He willingly got in trouble for her and then took his father's lecture for it. And Kairi didn't notice anything." Yuga sighed.

"Mon dieu... what's your guess then?"

"Graduation day." Yuga laughed wildly.

"You give her far too much credit, Momo."