"Sorry everyone," Momo remarked with clear embarrassment in her voice. "We'll need to wait for the weekend."

It was the next day in class, before homeroom, and Momo had waited until pretty much the whole study group had shown up.

"I mean that's fine YaoMomo, but why?" Kaminari questioned, idly munching from a bag of… are those peanuts? Huh. Seems to be the brand Sero always has.

Speaking of, Sero lightly punched Kaminari's arm. "Isn't it obvious? Her family wasn't prepared for it to happen immediately." Sero pointed out.

"Ah, actually, Father was all for it to happen whenever I wanted," Momo admitted with a smile. "But Mother reminded me that we might need more supplies for that, and suggested I make it a full day of studying. She didn't think it'd be a good idea to have you all come out just to have to leave an hour later."

Huh. Makes sense to me actually. "That sounds a lot like why I started doing video conference study sessions," I remarked.

Kaminari, Mina, and Sato grinned at that – huh, now that I think about it, I only think of Mina, Izuku, and Momo with their first names – and Momo perked up.

"Oh yes, you did sort out study sessions for the midterms, didn't you?" Momo asked. Oh, it had become obvious when the results came out. Aside from my own second place (Momo had out-scored me in everything but English) Mina and Kaminari had all jumped up a couple of spots in the rankings among the class. They hadn't scored high, but each of them had taken this as a good sign. Mineta had even managed 8th place to my surprise, although it's still not great, at least the grape goblin is trying.

"'Sort out' is a bit overselling it," I explained. "Mei was the one to suggest practical presentations."

"After an EMP that blew out your last phone," Kaminari reminded.

"Phone before last," I corrected. "That techno-ninja turned the replacement into a mini explosive." The others winced at that even as I held up my hands. "No, no, it's fine. Mei's upgraded it now so hopefully, that's the last phone I lose."

"Getting back to that though, should we do some sort of big group chat study?" Ojiro questioned.

At that Sato shook his head. "Knowing the others from 1-B and Mei, they might want to try the study sessions again. And I don't want to put too much pressure on everyone else when it comes to scheduling." He noted.

"Mei's made mention of that," I confirmed, even as I left out, she'd also suggested I help her out with a project. Fortunately, that was tomorrow too. "And I'm busy this afternoon."

"Same," Mina said with a grin. At that, Kaminari looked at Mina, then back at me… and then turned around. I looked back and spotted him pointing at us, but to – ah, and there's Mineta with a look of anguish and… Hagakure bouncing eagerly. Welp, there's going to be gossip now.

Momo sighed. "That makes sense, although maybe Thursday? It would give you all a chance to take Friday afternoon easy or to physically train, and then we all meet up on Saturday." She suggested.

As nods went all around, I simply sighed, a quick nod before I got back towards my seat-

… and there's cheese on it. Spelling out the Kanji for "Smile." This is really familiar and I didn't write down anything cheese-related in my book! Damn it, wh-

… Aoyama has just hidden a cheese wrapper. Alright then, answers that question. So, which of my friends likes cheese?

"For the record, I'm not big on cheese by itself, my pallet is more for melting or mixing it in," I remarked.

It was lunchtime, and as per usual, Aoyama stayed in the classroom to have his fancier style lunch – although having seen what he poured into the glass being from a wine bottle in the past I was curious as to how he got that past Aizawa. Still, I'd told the others I'd catch up, because if Aoyama is cheese messaging, then he wants to talk to that person.

"Ah, merci, I'll keep that in mind for next time~," Aoyama commented. "But le fromage cannot be the only reason you hung back – you do seem to have a constant lunchtime group, non?~ ."

I had to stop myself from going slack-jawed in shock. "… how do you know that when you stay in class all the time?"

"I might like to dazzle others with my dazzling brilliance, but that doesn't mean I can't take in what others say~ ," Aoyama explained with his same smile. "Especially when it's someone else who's like me. Who has a Quirk that could be dangerous to themselves or others, and needs a support item."

… I can hear the lack of showiness in that. Aoyama is being serious. "Yeah, I do. But that's because I'm more of a danger to others." I noted.

"You say that, but over the last couple of days since we got back you've been acting… more distant~ ," Aoyama commented. "Moodier. Brooding. Like Todoroki-kun was when class first started. And you're less willing to trust because of your incident, correct?~ ."

"…" Ok, now I'm a bit scared of Aoyama. That's… shockingly perceptive.

"I might try to sparkle, but I've been used to watching others shine~ ," Aoyama said. "But that's the thing. In how you moved in the exercise, you went right past Midoriya-kun as he fell off. Usually, you'd have been the one to offer him the leg up for fairness. Ashido-chan grabbed at your cord to get her push ahead, and you didn't even seem to react to it. Neither of those seems like you because you're being moody, broody, and dour. You're hiding your sparkle in your dourness~ ."

"… it's kinda hard to just let it go after someone you thought was a friend does that sort of thing to you." I admitted. "It's easy to say I can just move past it."

"But not so easy to do, non? That's not what I'm asking you to do~ ." At that Aoyama pulled out his bottle of… wine? And poured it into the glass, before taking a sip. "I said it in the cheese. It was a surprise, meant to make you smile a bit. Because you're not the brooding type like Todoroki-kun was Andros. You've got a sparkle all of your own that you've been trying to use to help others. Ashido-chan and Kaminari-kun with their academics, Jiro-chan with her fighting, even Iida-kun with his brother's… incident. And in the time you came to class with a bowler hat on the top of your suit, a fake moustache on the front of it, and a cane in your pack – you're the type that tries to shine with others. I'm not telling you to try and let go of it… but to smile anyway. To shine as you always do, because that's who you are~ ."

I looked at Aoyama for a few moments, blinking in shock… before allowing myself a small smile and a chuckle. "If you ever want Aoyama, the lunch group is always open," I noted, smiling either way behind the window of the suit.

"Ah, merci, but Lunch Rush's food is not good for my palette~ ," Aoyama noted with another sip.

"… ok, I have to ask, how did you get wine in?"

Aoyama sputtered at that, a light spray of his drink going over his lunch. "Que voulez-vous dire? Du vin? ~ " Aoyama asked incredulously, even as he chuckled slightly. "Non, this isn't wine Andros. It's jus de raisin – Grape Juice~ ."

At that, I blinked twice… before laughing a bit. "T-they actually put it in those sorts of bottles?" I asked.

Aoyama just smirked at that.

Given this was the second date, Mina insisted I pick the spot this time. And given it was after school, I wasn't about to pick somewhere out of the way for us to go to – that wouldn't be fair on her and it would be a hassle for me. It wasn't anything major, just a nice little café. Something casual and not as… heavy as the first one ended up being.

"I still can't believe you have a dance background, you didn't exactly… breakdance well," Mina remarked, before taking a bite into a chocolate cake – it seems hanging around me and Sato had turned her taste to the sweeter side.

"It's been a bit since I danced, and it wasn't pro level." I insisted. "Why do you think I rely on that voice change trick? It's not natural, it's just because the suit has pieces of the initial costume."

"… I just put it down to it being a Kamen Rider thing. It makes more sense than your theory." Mina noted, even as I slumped at that. "Honestly, I'd have thought you'd keep up with the dance at least, given your so close range."

I shook my head at that. Then I stopped and realized that the helmet doesn't-

"Andros, it's fine, your window is transparent." Mina deadpanned with a cheeky smirk.

I rubbed the back of the suit sheepishly at that. I get so used to needing to change my physical language for the suit that sometimes I forget people who know me don't need the help. "Sorry. But with the dancing… well, unlike how you can use your acid to basically get rid of any friction around you, most of my dance was done on a smooth wooden floor, meaning that we got little resistance. I don't get that sensation when I use my powers, it's more like Wire-Fu." Which, thank goodness, still exists. Ends up that even with Quirks around, some people like to mix in older styles. "But you've been trying to be more utility with your acid lately I've noticed… Edgeshot's influence?"

Now it was Mina's turn to be sheepish. "A bit of it. He would keep showing me these techniques that apparently real ninja used, ones he thought I could adapt to my style. But he also said he might consider taking me on for internships again if I want to." She explained.

"That's great!" I exclaimed.

"It's exhausting. He set up a two-pronged test to get into his place that has one just going through the front door!" Mina exclaimed. "But it's also like… that's life sometimes. You need to try and think outside the box a lot. I get that."

At that, her expression looked slightly gloomy. I sighed a little to think of what might help… oh, I think I know!

"Maybe that's the approach you need for studying," I remarked. That thing this date was meant to be about, after all. "Or hero work. Like, you have trouble with using acid on people directly, so you've been diversifying your acid use, right?"

Mina nodded slowly. "The super sticky traps and the like, yeah." She admitted.

"Well… what about indirect damage?" At that, Mina tilted her head. "Like, say there's a wall directly behind the villain. You spray acid low, and they jump, probably saying something about you being predictable. They land… and then the wall falls on them. Less lethal than direct hitting, but effective."

Mina blinked. "I mean, it makes sense but…"

"But this is why you should be putting everything into studying right now," I noted, even as I tapped a suited finger on the textbook. "I can tell you now Bakugou only got to be as effective as he is by basically getting an instinctive knowledge on how physics and angles work. And I can bet you Todoroki has studied everything he can about thermal reactions." Or if he hasn't, he will be. "And between you and Denki, you need acids and electricity."

Mina nodded, but the way she was rubbing her chin made me think she was still focused on what I'd said before.

"Hatsume, I will reiterate you're only allowed this experiment because you have someone here to control it." Power Loader remarked, even as he stood nearby. I don't entirely blame him, and I'm the one who's dealing with the experiment.

Ah, let me catch you up with what's going on. It's Wednesday, and Mei's pulled me into one of her experiments, mostly wanting to test out a new gauntlet blaster – apparently, it's able to fire with a variety of ammunition if she's got it right, which could make it a fantastic multi-purpose tool… if it works right. And she wanted to test using a Fullbottle that hadn't been purified… that was just containing raw Nebula Gas. Power Loader refused unless I was the consenting test dummy. Fortunately for me, not only is Power Loader there, but so is the more beleaguered looking Koda, who is stroking a rabbit, and on my request Jiro. We'd taken a lot of precaution here - Jiro would damage the gauntlet if it got out of control, Koda had a weird buckler like device equipped, and even Mei was double checking it – along with me making sure nobody had a Hazard Level below two.

"Baby Number 35, Multipurpose Cannon, ready to fire!" Mei declared happily.

I sighed, having already transformed – I'd already seen what the full power of one of my bottles could do. "Test Dummy at the ready," I groaned out, not even bothering with the usual voice filter.

"Hold on, I thought the idea was to try and get him to use the item," Jiro remarked.

"That would be a later test once we know it works for his items!" Mei announced gleefully, even as she shook the bottle a little, twisting the nozzle.

Power Loader and Koda shook their heads at that. "It's also not the way Hatsume does things." Power Loader noted. "Her enthusiasm and drive for inventing is stunning, and the technology she crafts can be amazing… but I've also had Cementoss come in here to help with repairs more than my fair share of times." At that, Koda let out what I assume was a long-suffering sigh.

Koda at that started to gesture, and while it's a bit vague, the idea I generally got was that he was trying to say that she can be a hassle, but she's also a solid partner and friend, helping him innovate.

"Uh… I think I got that but…" Jiro trailed off.

Mei paused at that, humming. "Not all of us are as… enthusiastic in public like I am. Koda-kun prefers not to talk, except to his animal friends." She pointed out. "Now, if science can continue uninterrupted?"

"Just one more question… what's with the rabbit?" Jiro asked.

I tilted my head. "Yeah, I've been meaning to ask too… Squirrels at least can grab things." I remarked.

At that Koda put on a shy, but happy smile as he pointed over to another workstation, where what looked like a brace with a pair of hands was… OH!

"I get it, cybernetic arms for those without it! That's awesome!" I exclaimed, Koda blushing at the praise.

"It's a start is what it is." Power Loader remarked with a smile. "Those are a prototype, and Koda wanted to run it with his rabbit's mindset before building bigger ones for humans or hero use."

"And they're very good, but we can focus on that amazing science later!" Mei insisted, even as she loaded in the Tank Fullbottle. "Fullbottle test, firing!"

I took up a defensive stance the moment she loaded the Fullbottle but wasn't prepared for the horrendous screeching whistle that came out of the gauntlet. Instead of an energy blast like I expected, it was blasting back out the Nebula Gas! I reached out to contain it, but my eyes widened in shock as a white furry presence bounced across the desk and right into the cloud! I could hear Koda's outcry as his Bunny leaped in, the gas stopping a second later as between Jiro's Earphone Jack disrupting the gauntlet and Mei pulling at the bottle, the two parts came apart in a clatter of metal.

With a sound that mixed an animalistic cry and the screech of metal, the gas seemed to pull into one point, briefly showing a black and silver rabbit before rapidly expanding out, a bright vibrant white upper half with a decent amount of bulk to it, leaving a collared section allowing for what looked like a mechanical rabbit's head at the top to stare at us, silver and black legs ending in powerful feet, as did his arms end in vicious-looking claws. A Rabbit Smash.

The rabbit crouched down, preparing to spring forward as Power Loader pushed forward, gesturing with his hands as a pair of mechanical arms seemed to stretch down from the ceiling while I loosened the cords-

"STOP!"

I turned side on to keep an eye on the rabbit but… yeah, Koda had pushed past the desk as well and, despite looking terrified – his legs are trembling even –he's gripping his fists and speaking up. The rabbit even seemed to look at him specifically – is it his Quirk, recognizing its owner, or both?

"Usano, stop. You are not a monster, and you're letting yourself be scared. I'm here." Koda insisted, a bit of a tremble in his high-pitched voice, but he didn't break eye contact with the still crouched Rabbit Smash. A few tense seconds passed… and then the Smash pushed into a full standing position, and just slowly… nodded.

I will fully admit to being a bit awestruck at that. We don't get to see each other much because he's in the support class with Mei, but there and then Koda's shown to me at least just why he could be within the top 40 in most timelines. Why he could make it into 1-A – he had a hero's spirit.

I crossed my arms and focused on the Nebula Gas in th- in Usano. Usagi no Tsukino. Usano. Hah. Anyway, I focused, and then uncrossed the arms, watching as the Smash's form shrank rapidly, the gasp billowing off of it before the rabbit Usano remained.

Mei, thankfully, was never one to stay idle, tossing over the now empty Fullbottle. I grabbed it out of the air – thank you All Might's hero classes insisting on covering catching things because I am… not fantastic with that – and reopened it. The Nebula Gas rapidly sucked back into the bottle, which swelled up, a web pattern on it with a red core inside. To be honest I didn't know if this was due to the Nebula Gas or Mei somehow programmed it in to replicate the show. Frankly, I don't want to know.

As Power Loader started to turn towards Mei, Jiro cleared her throat. "Uh… not that I'm complaining, but how is the rabbit ok?" Jiro asked. "It couldn't have been level 3 could it?"

"It didn't need to be Level 3 to be ok, but Level 2. 3 is what you need to be in control," I remarked, but even so… I placed my hand on the rabbit's head after Koda picked him up. "Hazard Level 2 exactly."

"H-he's been in the lab a lot recently, and Hatsume-san sometimes runs Fullbottle tests," Koda noted, not having hands free to signal with. "Thank you. He just got scared."

"You acted fast and stopped that from getting out of control." Jiro pointed out. "I'm impressed."

Koda just blushed at that, even as I stood off to the side and dropped my transformation. A few seconds later when Power Loader finally judged he could tell Mei off without interruptions I wished I hadn't.

"And that's why Mei isn't with us today," I concluded to the collected study group. It was screen study today, our plans having to shift around that to make up for the utter lack of consideration for safety, Mei was undergoing an afterschool safety briefing.

Why today? Because that was just how long the briefing WAS. Yeah, Power Loader was MAD after that, and it hadn't helped that Yubi agreed wholeheartedly about Mei's lack of preparations – something about having not considered the rabbit as a variable.

"At least it isn't the entire school." Hagakure remarked. "That's what you guys said happened once right?"

"Close," Neito remarked. "She blew up the middle school workshop. To this day she refuses to tell Andros or I HOW she did it." At that, he slumped down a bit. "Not hurt that we stopped asking out of fear."

Sato winced. "I can't entirely blame her when it comes to making an explosion, but on that scale?" He questioned.

"Right, chemistry and baking have a lot of similarities," Mina noted. That was a decent way to get her to pay attention at least.

"I don't like that there's not much you've had to talk to me about Andros," Sato remarked. "Unless-"

"Just don't go into fights without using your head," I noted tiredly. Everyone in class had been asking vaguely disguised questions about how they did. Even Izuku!

Hagakure giggled. "See, I don't even need to worry about that. I just assume if Andros hasn't got anything to say I'm gonna do fine going with what I was planning to do." She commented. "At least I wasn't said to have 20th place."

"It was 19th!" Mina declared.

And then… Friday. It started off normally, and our afternoon Hero Training was at the least something a bit different.

"Sensei…. Why do we need to know how to go down an evacuation chute?" I questioned. "I get that it's useful for people we rescue, but there was no need to have us do it?"

"For once Gas Suit has a point," Bakugou grumbled.

While we were all waiting for All Might – who only had a half-day of teaching today anyway apparently and was still late – we had been doing some evacuation drills sliding down a rescue chute off of a building on the verge of collapse. The fact that Cementoss has enough control to make a building to be put on the verge of collapse slightly terrifies me.

"Well, of course, you wouldn't appreciate the opportunities-" Mineta started

I turned around and shot Mineta glare, shutting the purple-balled gremlin up. "Not. In the Mood. For your antics." I grumbled.

At that most of the others blinked. "That… sounded more like Bakugou's own way of speaking than your own. Are you ok Andros?" Iida questioned.

"And I expect the walking injury case to have an issue with this training, but not you," Kaminari added.

"I'LL SHOW YOU A CASE FOR INJURY DUNCE FACE!" Bakugou bellowed.

I just let out a heavy sigh at that. "Just a little annoyed is all. I feel like this is a slight stall for time." I confessed.

"Then let me make it clear that it isn't," Aizawa replied with a voice tinged with a slight tone of frustration. "While the two of you might not see the point, experiencing what the people you might be rescuing experience is crucial to give you the correct mindset when you undertake rescue work – it doesn't matter if your Quirk and skills are prepared for it."

Tsyu, one of the girls taking her turn down the chute, popped out the bottom and put a finger to her chin. "Makes sense to me. If a big disaster happened, you couldn't just rely on the heroes who were best at rescues, kero." She ribbited.

I rubbed the back of my neck at that. "Sorry, Aizawa-sensei… it's just, with you here…" I began.

Aizawa let out a huffing sound but nodded. "All Might being late might change a bit of the content slightly, but the lesson would be the same regardless… is that clear?" He asked, making a pointed look at me and Bakugou, his eyes glowing briefly. I just curtly nodded, while Bakugou muttered out what I think was an apology.

The reason I say "think" is because what he said was drowned out by the sound of a rotor. Of a… no. No way. I glanced up and saw indeed a helicopter descending from the sky, landing down a short distance away from the class. It has the U.A. mark on it and everything.

I forget sometimes that this school is meant for the elite of the elite. And then I see stuff like this.

"I am here, in a helicopter!" All Might bellowed, leaping out from the Helicopter and – what? I'm sorry, WHAT? He leaped out of the Helicopter, but kept himself low enough that no part of him hit the still rotating propeller blades! One for All is a freaking insane Quirk, and his training is insane to match.

As All Might landed with a heavy thud, Izuku's eyes glimmered in full-on fanboy mode… while Aizawa let out an exasperated sigh. "Good grief. This was supposed to be your class, you realize?" Aizawa brought up.

"My apologies for being late!" All Might insisted. "I was on my way when I stumbled across a bank robbery in progress, and it seemed the police were having trouble with the ne'er dowell, with no heroes nearby."

"It's already on the news!" Izuku remarked gleefully. "I saw it on my phone at lunchtime!"

All Might shook a finger at that. "What those stories don't mention is there was a second criminal holed up inside with hostages. If it had just been the one criminal, I would have only been a minute late at most." The grandiose hero added. "But keep any praise shelved for now – we don't want to keep our chopper waiting, do we?"

At that, I could see most of the class gawking. "Wait, for real?" Sero questioned.

"They can afford to have their own Helicopters to fly us somewhere? I just thought it was All Might's ride." Hagakure confessed.

"Or Principal Nedzu. He seems like the type who would enjoy it." Sato remarked.

"That I do!" I swear I might have a bit of whiplash from turning my head so fast, but goddamn that's the Principal himself poking his furry head out the window! "I can't expect all my teachers to get licenses for these Rescue exercises, and All Might did say he needed a way to get to class on time." Given the look of slight betrayal, All Might just shot Nedzu at that, I don't think he was meant to say that.

It's things like this that make going to U.A. an… experience.

How do you know you're studying in U.A.? When going to a mountaintop by helicopter isn't even worth talking about much. No, it was what Aizawa told us when we got back to the classroom that was important.

"Good work today. Moving right along, we'll be having Parents' Day next week." Aizawa remarked.

The whole class groaned a bit at this, but for me, I suddenly went rigid… Parent Days. And… technically I don't have a parent to attend. They're in another universe at least… still, my attention came back to reality as Aizawa passed by my desk, placing down a… handout describing the event?

"Make sure that a parent or guardian-" It might have been my imagination but I think he glanced at me when he said that. Or Todoroki. Either is possible. "-sees this, and for homework, you'll be writing them letters of appreciation."

The class went silent for a moment, before bursting out in laughter. "Hang on, what are we, little kids?" Kaminari asked.

Aizawa's red glowing glare was a good enough answer to quiet the class at that. Lower, quieter mutters circled the class at that before Iida raised his hand and stood up.

"Sensei, I know you're not the type to joke about this, but surely you can see why the class is vexed? Parents' Day implies that they would be witnessing a common day in the life of their children, so I cannot understand why we would be reading letters of appreciation! Surely there is some activity more befitting of the hero course." Iida insisted, having gestured up and down with the one arm the entire time.

"Nothing could be better for the hero course." Aizawa coolly remarked.

"What do you mean sensei?" Jiro asked.

Aizawa's gaze seemed to sweep over the entire class, surveying us, lingering in spots that I could only guess on. "As heroes, you'll be receiving thanks and appreciation, so this will be an exercise to understand all that entails." He explained… but before Iida could respond, he continued. "That, and despite the results of the Sports Festival, we thought that it may be best to have your parents or guardians understand what the Hero Course is teaching… given certain early incidents."

… the USJ, right. I can understand some parents might still be a bit uneasy, and the Festival might not have helped.

"Before recitations, however, there will be a tour of the campus, followed by a practical demo," Aizawa concluded

"Shouldn't that be the main event?"

"Ashido-san!" Tenya called out. It was after class and people were walking through the hallways, Tenya leading Todoroki and Midoriya towards Ashido. After all, she deserved to know of this too, and he'd rather not have his mistake compounded.

"Eh? Oh, what's up, guys?" Ashido remarked, even as she walked next to Nebulo- Andros. He insisted on Andros, and with the benefit of hindsight… well, it'd be a bit off, but at the least, he could understand now.

"Native-san sent Iida tickets to an animal park meant for the four of us as a thank you!" Midoriya remarked. "I'd go but…"

"Iida planned it for Sunday so as to not interfere with Yayorozu's study session, Midoriya has a Hero exhibit to see, and I plan to visit my mother then," Todoroki noted.

"… how is she?" Andros asked with – to Tenya's ears at least – a tone he'd only heard before. Slightly softer, a bit more fragile. If he was to guess, the topic hit a bit close to home for Andros.

Todoroki's voice hitched slightly, but he let out a short breath and a slight nod. "She's… better." Nothing more was said on the topic beyond that, so Iida cleared his throat.

"Ahem, yes, so… I know you're busy on Saturday, but perhaps you could make it?" Tenya questioned.

Mina raised a fist excitedly… and then drooped. "… there's a new movie out I was planning to go see. Special event and everything." Mina admitted, pressing a finger on each hand against each other.

Tenya considered for a moment, but as he looked at Andros, the other teen shook his head. "I don't think I've earned any right to benefit on those tickets," Andros noted with a bitter smile.

"If you asked, I'd happily accept Andros." Tenya insisted warmly.

The smile that appeared on Andros' face was a pleasant delight... before the group turned at the sound of a thud. As they did, they saw Uraraka had collapsed backwards onto the ground near Yaoyorozu and Jiro.

"I... just asked her if it was normal for schools to not be able to afford Helicopters usually," Yaoyorozu explained. "We didn't have that problem at my middle school."

Even Tenya had to sweat a little at that. He was aware he was well off, but Yaoyorozu-san took it to a whole other level.

"We're home!" Mei called out as we entered. Japanese tradition has you remark this when you return home, as you take off your shoes. You'd think that wouldn't be a problem for me, but remember, Mei is like a sister to me. She INVENTED shoes for me to put on, and then take off.

"Welcome home!" Te called out. "Yubi's still working, but I'm off the clock for now."

"That's fine!" Mei called out… before nudging me. "Hey Mama, I know Papa's gonna be busy during the week, but are you free on Monday?"

Te, poking her head into the hallway from around the corner, raised an eyebrow. "I… can be? Self Employed and all that." She half asked.

I sighed at that. I was going to wait until dinner but… I reach into my bag. "Class 1-A is having a Parent Day on Monday this coming week," I noted with a blush. "It allows Parents or Guardians and… well, I don't have anyone from my family here…"

"Wait, that's why you wanted to wait?" Mei asked incredulously. It seemed the Parent Day wasn't universal, according to Neito 1-B's day would be Tuesday… which makes sense, minimal interruption to the flow of classes that way. "Mama, Andros is being thick again."

"Yes, he is," Te added with a giggle... before pulling me into a hug. "Andros, you've lived with us for five years. You're a part of the family, even if you keep it extended."

I blinked at that… and I could feel some stinging in my eyes as I wrapped my arms around Te in return. Mei soon joined in and then another – wait.

I turn my head to the side and see a big pink afro at the edge of my visor.

"What? It looked like it was time for a big group hug." Yubi remarked.