~{Author's Pre-Notes}~

Man SCREW college. Having an exam with an essay in the same week is just god damn annoying. But moving on from that, ayyyy another chapter.

I know that the hint from the previous chapter implies that Izuku's visit to Jiro's house would happen in this chapter, but I had a lot of things to fit in and wanted a majority of a chapter to be just the visit, so I decided to have the visit be in the next chapter while this one is more of development leading up to it and also showing how Izuku is progressing through the week back to school since coming back from internships. You could call it filler, but I think it still has a decent purpose.

Answered Comments (Oldest to most recent):

blue grimmoire: And I looooooove you grimmoire!

Vidkid: Not this time, sadly. It'll be in the next chapter.

Atomic11: Eh, the purpose is to just help improve small things about Izuku like improving memory, improving the brain, etc. They'll be a mention of it in the next chapter.

Nick4Speed: Yeeeeeeah the mention of him breaking his arms was just meant to be a small gag by how everyone just expects him to do it. It's obvious that nearly every time he broke his arms he had to.

TQ679,5AT05H1L1NK: Sorry, hanging out with Jiro will be in the next chapter.

kidwicked15: *Tips fedora in thanks*

DGrayman97: Uhhhh, no. First of all, I already have another fic in mind I wanna write, and second, I haven't watched Watchmen.

Extra: To know my story is the favorite on your list really pleases me.

Ravenkiller901: You'll see what happens with them next chapter.

Guest: Eh, in a future chapter they'll train to show off more moves.


~{Wednesday-U.A, 7:01AM}~

Izuku felt pretty good.

Despite having woken up remarkably early for his student representative work, he currently felt completely awake. He had Enso to thank for it because his mentor always had him wake up before sunrise for training, especially when he was still trying to add muscle to his body to take in One For All.

However, even though he was awake, filling out different papers repeatedly still slowly drains you away.

And that's what he's currently doing. As the Class Representative for 1A, he had plenty of assigned tasks for him to finish. One of which required him to be seated in a room full of several filing cabinets, filling out several papers and occasionally peaking at the sleeping girl who was supposed to be working next to him.

Kendo had her arms folded on the table with her head resting on them, peacefully snoozing away. Earlier, she had been tired enough as it is from waking up too early. But after doing the same repeatable work for a while, the girl ended up dozing off into a deep slumber. Izuku simply continued his work, wishing for Kendo to get some rest and not wishing to both her. He knew that she was a hard worker, and it made sense if she got tired with exams coming up and still having to catch up on other school assignments. He thought it was fine since only the two of them alone occupied the room, the two representatives assigned for such a time-consuming task.

"As much as I think she deserves the rest, I think I'll have to wake her up so she could finish her class's papers..."

He turned his head to the sleeping girl and saw her slumbering expression. Kendo was mumbling with a goofy smile on her face, shifting on the table as she was no doubt having a nice dream.

"I... really don't want to wake her up." Izuku smiled, appreciating how peaceful she looked.

He unconsciously reached over and gently caressed the girl's hair, to which Kendo formed an even bigger from feeling the gentle warmth.

"Cute..." Izuku thought with happy flowers floating around them.

But it didn't take long for him to turn completely red and yank his hand away, shivering nervously as he stared down at the palm he had just used.

"I-I probably shouldn't be doing that..."

Getting his mind off what he just did, Izuku glanced over to the pile of papers Kendo had left to do. He then looked up at the clock on the wall, realizing that they only had about half an hour left before they would have to go to class.

"I guess... I should help her out." Izuku scooted his chair next to Kendo's and took a look at the work assigned to her. He then looked from the clock to the papers, estimating the time needed to finish everything.

Calculating it in his head, he smiled.

"Yeah, I can do it."

With his fast reading and rapid writing, Izuku blazed through his work and Kendo's in about fifteen minutes, although his hand ached by the end of it. For the entire time, Class B's big sister lightly snored away, still doing so even as Izuku finished and dropped his pen on the table.

"Ugh... My hand hurts." He thought, massaging his palm.

"So... You gonna wake her up now?" Ikari asked him.

Izuku let out a sigh at the discovery that his partner had been around.

"You know... if you were watching over me the entire time, you could've offered to help..."

"Hell no... As if I'm gonna work like some secretary. That's gross."

"...Wait, how is that-?"

"Mm... Midoriya..."

Izuku completely froze when he heard his name gently come from the girl next to him. He turned to the left, expecting to see Kendo with her eyes open, but his fellow class representative was still tranquility snoozing away.

"D-D-Did she just say my name in her sleep?"

"Well..."

"H-Heh, I must actually be r-really tired if I'm hearing things..." Izuku nervously chuckled while scratching his chin, averting his gaze from the girl.

"No, no. I heard it too. She definitely said your name."

Realizing he wasn't hearing things, Izuku started nervously shivering.

"H-H-Heh... B-But why would she... s-say my name? A-And in her s-sleep?"

"I have a few ideas..." Ikari internally rolled his eyes.

"Your hair looks... so fluffy..." Kendo cooed.

Izuku deadpanned upon hearing this.

"Oh..."

"Heh, fluffy~"

"Shut up."

"Heh... So cool, but... Mm... cute..." The sleeping girl mumbled.

Izuku's mind buffered.

"Eh? Eh!? EHHHHH!?" He instinctively covered his mouth while letting out a confused squeal, his entire face blazing red. "C-C-Cute!? M-Me!?"

"Fighting you... was so much fun..."

"Aw, so cute! Pet her, partner!"

"Don't say something so crazy!"

"But... did you NOT just do it a moment ago?"

"Urk!"

Kendo lightly breathed. "I really do... *Mumble* you..."

"Eh?" Izuku blinked in confusion. "What did she say?"

"Um... I didn't quite catch that, but something tells me you shouldn't hear it. Yet, that is."

"Eh? What?"

They then heard a small snort from Kendo as she slowly came to, the girl visibly shifting on the table before raising her head and rubbing her eyes.

"Mmm..." She still had her eyes closed as she stretched her arms up and let out a big yawn, then rubbing her eyes. "Hm...? Midoriya?"

"H-Hi, Itsuka." Izuku nervously waved, still red from what he heard from her.

"Ugh... How long was I out?" Class B's representative mumbled as she looked up at the clock, eyes then widening in shock.

"What! I don't have much time left!" She panicked and turned to Izuku, completely awake now. "Why didn't you wake me up!? I've got so much to do!"

"A-Actually..." Izuku started as he watched Kendo frantically grab the stack of papers next to her, only for the girl to see each page filled out. "You looked really tired, s-so I decided to finish your work for you."

Kendo blinked several times in confusion as she stared at her papers, then turning to him.

"You... gave yourself twice the work just to let me sleep?"

"Well, yeah?" Izuku muttered as he rubbed the back of his head with a chuckle. "Is... Is that bad?"

"Well, no... It's just that..." Kendo looked from the stack of papers and to Izuku. She stared at his earnest yet also embarrassed eyes.

She relaxed to learn that she didn't have any work, a smile forming as she giggled at how nervous Izuku seemed, as if the boy believed he did something wrong.

"You really are too nice for your own good..."

Izuku flinched and lightly blushed when he saw the gentle smile Kendo gave him, feeling a warmth radiating from her.

"A-Am I?" He stammered.

"And cute too, right fighter lady?" Ikari's voice chuckled.

Both Izuku and Kendo both flinched and turned deep shades of red as the black entity appeared on his partner's shoulder in the outline of a crow.

"I-Ikari!? D-Don't say stuff like that!" Izuku stammered, averting Kendo's eyes out of embarrassment.

"Right?" Ikari ignored him, simply hinting over to Kendo.

"I mean... He is pretty nice..." The girl answered with an awkward chuckle, focusing on Ikari and keeping calm.

"Oh, come on, where's more of the praise you were giving him a moment ago?"

Kendo stared at Ikari with a blank gaze.

"Wait... What are you talking about?"

Izuku awkwardly scratched his cheek and looked down. "Um... It's just y-you were just... well-"

"Sleeptalking." Ikari put it simply.

Kendo suddenly turned pale.

"W-Wait, wh-what did I say!?" She stammered, panic growing in her eyes.

"She's stuttering!?" Izuku noticed with a look of shock.

"Oh boy, I guess she was unconscious about it."

Izuku leaned back in his chair nervously with his hands raised in surrender.

"I-It wasn't anything that bad, Itsuka!" He tried to reassure her as his blush deepened.

"Yeah, you just said how cool he was, how cute he was, and how you wanted to shove your face into his fluffy hair!"

A cracking of Kendo's dignity occurred as she became somewhat lifeless in her chair, eyes turning blank.

"Hey! Th-That last part isn't true!" Izuku snapped.

"It basically was! You know that everyone loves to touch the fluff!" Ikari bickered back.

"I-Is that it?" Kendo managed to speak up, albeit in a depressed and ashamed voice.

"Meh, you said one last thing, but we didn't clearly hear it. It was 'I really do, *something, something* you.'"

Kendo's hands suddenly shot to her face, covering it as her skin's paleness went from white to crimson red.

"No, no, NO! I almost said it! I almost said it out loud! Did he figure it out!? I'm not ready to hear his answer, though! He has so many others closer to him. Of course he'd say no!"

Izuku himself panicked when he saw Kendo's entire color change.

"I-Itsuka!? I-I-! Um-!"

"Did... Did you both really not hear me clearly?" The orange head girl sighed, almost scared to ask.

"I-I didn't..."

"Nope. (Although I kinda have an idea.)"

Kendo took a few deep breaths, calming herself before removing her hands from her face, looking down in shame.

"Ugh... This is the worst." The girl thought, a gloomy aura visibly around her.

"Hm..." Ikari retracted himself back into Izuku, where he started speaking to him from his mind.

"Don't just sit there... say something, you idiot!"

"W-What am I supposed to say!? I-I still don't really understand!"

"Figure it out!"

Izuku gulped nervously as she saw Kendo rub her temples with a stressed look.

"U-Um..."

He looked down from his own anxiety, unsure of what to say to a girl in this awkward situation that he didn't fully understand.

"I-Itsuka? D-Do you want to... u-um..."

The thing that came to mind wasn't what he expected to say next.

"T-Touch my hair...?"

Kendo visibly flinched upon hearing the offer.

"Well, I guess that works."

Class B's considered big sister rose her head and gazed at Izuku, her eyes focused on him with a mixture of embarrassed reluctance but with greater undeniable curiosity.

"Wait... You serious?"

Izuku kept his head down, too nervous to look her in the eye.

"I-Ifyouwanttoofcourse!" He rapidly spoke, shaking in his seat.

There was a moment of silence between them. Silence in which Izuku nervously wondered if the girl would negatively change her opinion of him for suggesting it.

"O-Oh god, I-I didn't mess up, did I!?"

"I think you're fine." Ikari stated as he noticed Kendo scoot forward in her seat.

"Okay then..." They heard Kendo say.

"Eh?"

The boy stopped shaking the instant he felt a soft palm on his head, his eyes widening.

"Sh-She-!"

He felt her gentle touch, her warm hand turning into two as Kendo fondled his hair with both her hands. She dug her fingers through the forest of green and went along his scalp, ever so gentle and warm.

Izuku could feel himself turning red with increasing warmth, but he didn't freak out. If anything... he was starting to get lost in Kendo's handling, his entire body relaxing little by little from the contact.

"I'm actually..." He felt his eyelids starting to drop as his body started growing limp and leaned forward.

Kendo didn't even seem to notice. And if anything, she was unconsciously pulling Izuku closer. She titled his head down and rested it against her chest, then resting her chin on top of him and wrapping her arms around the back of his neck. She hugged his head close, closing her eyes and simply breathing calmly at the softness she felt.

"It's so soft... Yaoyorozu was right. This feels so nice." She thought, moving her head to its side on Izuku and practically melting on her makeshift pillow.

Izuku felt his face pressed against the girl's decently ample chest, not even registering it and simple breathing in Kendo's womanly smell. For all the stress he had been feeling recently, from exams to still mentally recovering from his contract with Lynch... right here was what he needed. To have someone's warmth and simply relax without any worry in the world.

The two remained in this position for several minutes, with Kendo becoming sleepy again while Izuku was lost in tranquility.

He took another deep breath against Kendo.

"Is... Is this how it feels to have a big sister?"

"Uhhhhhh... I don't think that's right... If anything, that's a little weird..."

The paradise instantly shattered the moment Izuku heard Ikari's voice, a comedic record scratch ringing as his eyes shot completely open.

He processed exactly where his head was, and he registered just how pressed up he was against Kendo.

"H-H-HOW DID I END UP HERE!?"

His relaxed shade of red skyrocketed to match the blood currently rushing to his head.

"So fluffy~ It's so relaxing..." Kendo sighed in bliss, keeping her head on the fluff patch of hair while her hands wandered through the rest of the batch. A colorful bright aura consisting of flowers emitted from her, showing just how much she was enjoying this.

"Mmph...! I-I-I-Itsuka?" Izuku managed to speak despite where his face was pressed up.

"Yeah?" Kendo kept her head planted on Izuku's, not paying too much attention and rather savoring the feeling.

"A-A-Aren't we too c-c-close?" Izuku's muffled.

That reminder brought Kendo back to her senses, her eyes snapping open in horror as she realized what she was doing.

She froze like a deer in headlights, processing the gentle breathing of Izuku against her chest. She made no movements, and Izuku did the same, both completely red as the other as they remained in this awkward situation.

"U-Um-?"

The school bell then rang out throughout the halls, cutting off the words Izuku tried to get out. Kendo slightly shifted her head so that her eyes caught sight of the clock, realizing that they just heard the warning bell.

"W-We have about five minutes before class starts..." Kendo said, oddly sounding calmly despite how nervous she was.

"Th-Th-Then we should get going." Izuku stammered, too nervous to move.

"Yeah... You're right..."

Kendo slowly released Izuku from her arms and backed up, keeping her face down as she rolled her chair back.

Izuku did the same and backed up with his head down, hands on his lap, and continuing to shiver.

"Um... Sorry about that, Midoriya. I... kinda enjoyed that a little too much..." Kendo admitted with an awkward chuckle, managing to remain composed as she rubbed the back of her head.

"I-I-It's o-okay... I-Itsuka. E-Everyone really d-does seem to like my hair..."

"Heh, yeah... It's really nice. How do you get it so soft?"

"I-I don't really know... M-M-Maybe the shampoo I use?" Izuku awkwardly answered.

"Hello!? I know this is awkward, and all, but you guys gotta get to class!" Ikari warned the two, a hand even coming out and poking Izuku's forehead.

"Oh! He's right!" Kendo snatched her bag from the table and jumped off her seat, managing to face Izuku as she stepped back with an awkward wave. "Thanks for doing my work, Midoriya! I promise I'll pay you back for it and letting me touch your hair!"

"Bye, Big Sis! My partner would be glad to let you shove your face in his hair again anytime!" Ikari beamed.

Izuku looked up with a baffled expression. "Ikari!? S-S-Stop saying things like that!"

His quirk turned to him with a tilt of his head. "Why? You know she'd want to."

Not agreeing or refuting that claim, Kendo just smiled as she twirled some of her hair with a finger, blushing yet again.

"I'll... think about it."


~{Thursday- Enso's Residence, 4:04PM}~

"M-Mei... A-Are you sure this is safe?" Izuku uttered nervously, standing still as the inventor equipped him with a familiar-looking jetpack from the sports festival.

"This baby worked fine even before I made the improvements! So that shouldn't change!" Mei grinned as she backed up from the boy.

"Well, yeah... I guess." Izuku muttered, looking back at the white jetpack on him.

Izuku was back in Enso's makeshift dojo once again with his mentor next to him. In the middle of the room, Iida was sparring against Stain with some makeshift armor mimicking the areas his hero costume would be protecting him. Stain had two long swords provided to him by Enso with the addition of a large bandana on his face to hide his cut-off-nose like before.

Todoroki stood just outside the battle area, watching Iida struggle not to get cut as he waited for his turn to fight next. And Shinso, rather than waiting to also spar with the previous Hero Killer, stood next to Enso in confusion as Mei thoroughly equipped her jetpack onto Izuku.

Iida was gritting his teeth as he jumped back from Stain, then crouching and leaning forward as his engines started lighting up.

"Recipro-!"

Blue flames ignited from his legs.

"-BURST!"

Iida exploded forward in the blink of an eye, then leaping and swing his leg.

Stain just scowled as, in one quick movement, he ducked under Iida's swinging leg while twirling his body, a slice echoing in the dojo.

Iida landed on his feet and skid to a stop, panting hard and not even bothering to look behind him as he felt a liquid go down his left leg.

"Damn it."

The next thing he knew, a shock went through his entire body and paralyzed him, leaving him to fall to the ground with a thud.

"You lose." Stain frowned as he glared back at him, finished licking the boy's blood off his blade. "You really too much on your quirk. Practice fighting without using it. And stop using just kicks. I know your quirk has you specialize in your legs, but you never want to fight in only one way."

"Nngh... Thank you for the insight!" Iida groaned not too happily from the ground.

On the other side of the room, Shiniso held up a pair of metal boots that had boosters of the sort on them. "Hold up, why am I mixed up in testing this chick's crazy inventions? And what the hell are these?"

Enso gently took the boots from Shinso and placed them on the ground for the boy to put on.

"They're Jet Boots, Shinso. I've commissioned Hatsume to build them for you."

Shinso raised an eyebrow, "Okay... Why?"

Enso got up and backed up. "It's been clear to me that you lack a certain component in your arsenal that the rest of us have."

Shinso couldn't help but frown a little. "And that is?"

"Speed. Now put them on."

The indigo-haired boy sighed as he sat down and examined the boots.

"What? So I'm not fast like the rest of you guys?"

"No. Each of us has an aspect of some sort of increased speed. I can go into Snipe Style, Izuku's quirk overall lets him speed up, Iida's quirk is all about speed, and even Todoroki can use his ice to quickly travel distances."

Shinso slipped on one of the boots.

"And what about Mr. Slice and Dice over there?"

"Stain has trained himself ever since dropping out of school... For the entirety of the youth he had left, he honed his skills. As of now, his speed seems almost superhuman, from what Izuku told me. It could be that he isn't actually fast, but his precise movement and mobility make him appear that way."

Shinso shrugged and stood up after finishing strapping the boots. He raised his feet and moved his legs, checking the weight of the boots.

"Hm, they feel like any other shoes to me, just looking a bit bigger. So what gave you the idea of making these for me?"

"Gran Torino did."

"Eh?" Izuku turned his head left to his mentor as Mei checked the back of the jetpack one last time. "Gran Torino?"

"Indeed. His ability to change his movement midair by blasting his quirk is impressive. And when it comes to facing Lynch, being fast is an advantage. I had Hatsume mimicked the ability to do this with sudden jet thrusts in these boots. Now Shinso, are you ready to test them?"

"Hold on, you haven't tested these?" Shinso raised an eyebrow.

"Nope!" Mei stated as she backed up with an innocent grin.

"Of course not..." He sweatdropped. "How the hell am I even gonna control them?"

"We'll start off with a small burst of power to have you float a few inches above the ground. Just try to keep balance." Enso held up a switch and pressed a button.

Shinso's eyes widened.

"Hold up, what did you-?"

He didn't even get to finish as his boots suddenly blasted him straight up.

"WHAT THE FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK!?"

Shinso flew in all directions, leaving behind a trail of smoke everywhere he went.

"Shinso!?" Izuku's eye widened to see his friend being flung in all directions to his boots.

Todoroki was just starting to fight Stain, preparing to send ice hurting to him, only for the two to paused as Shinso flew in between them and continued flying around.

"Whoops. I had it on full power on the rocket setting." Enso nonchalantly stated as he pressed the button to turn the boots off.

Unfortunately, Shinso was flying right when the boots deactivated, his trajectory resulting in him basically hugging the wall as he slammed into it.

"URK!" His eyes rolled to the back of his head as he bounced off the surface, then landing on his back with a large red mark on his forehead.

"Shinso! Are you alright!?" Iida shouted from the ground, unable to even move due to being paralyzed on the ground.

"They work perfectly!" Mei abruptly declared with a proud grin, sparkling as she stared at the results of Shinso from afar.

It was clear the boy wasn't getting off the ground, most likely knocked out clean by the impact.

"I'll... check on him..." Enso sighed as he proceeded to walk over.

That left Izuku and Mei alone, with the former nervously averting his eyes from the latter.

"Alrighty, Muscles! Let's test this baby out!" Mei grinned with a thumbs up.

"Yeah..."

Mei noticed him avoiding her eyes, lowering her arm and tilting her head curiously. "Eh? What's up with you?"

Izuku rubbed the back of his head. "Well-"

"You're not worried about my baby blowing up, are you? It's perfectly safe!" Mei stated as she started reassuringly slapping the jetpack on him.

"That's not what I'm worried about at all..."

Izuku was lightly blushing as his real worries centered on the certain action Mei took just the other day. On the day that revealed Stain residing with Enso's home, Mei had ended up crashing into Izuku's manhood, and after a sarcastic comment from Enso, she ended up claiming his lips out of complete nowhere.

It was entirely sudden and uncalled for, and Izuku was still shocked by how the girl committed the action with no hesitation. And since then, whenever Izuku glanced at the inventor girl, his mind always ended up going back to that moment and feeling flushed about it. Neither of them brought it up for the rest of the day after it occurred, mostly because the Hero Killer's appearance had their focus.

"She's acting so normal too... It's as if it never happened..."

"Oi, if you feel weird about it, then just TALK to her!"

"Huh!? H-H-How do I even bring it up!?"

"I don't know! She probably won't even think too much about it! And stop stuttering in your thoughts!"

"Muscles?"

Izuku blinked and saw that yellow crosshairs were staring right into his eyes, registering that Mei was inches from his face.

"GYA!" He jumped back with a blush, caught off guard by the short distance between them.

"Pretty jumpy! Something up?" She asked, tilting her head and still smiling as always.

"W-Well..."

"Talk. To. HER! Or I will! :("

Izuku gulped nervously.

"M-Mei?"

The girl put her hands to her hips and tilted her head. "Hm?"

"A-About th-that k-k-kiss-?"

"OH! That's what's eating at ya!?" Mei suddenly interrupted rather loudly, then pointing a thumb at herself. "You don't have to worry about how you did! I haven't had one before, but I'd say you were pretty good!"

"That was your first!?" Izuku shouted in comedic horror. "But-!? What-!? Why me!?"

"Why not?" Mei casually responded. "Poker Face told me he'd let me use more Vibranium if I helped you forget the feeling of getting your baby-makers smashed! So I thought kissing ya would be a good idea!"

"What led you to that conclusion!?" Izuku shouted, holding his head and looking down in utter confusion as he wondered how Mei's mind worked.

He shook his head and tried to appear more serious despite feeling embarrassed even talking about this subject.

"Mei, y-you can't just kiss someone like that! Y-Y-You should only do that with...?"

He nervously looked down and fiddled with his fingers.

"Hm? With what?" A question mark appeared over the girl at his sudden pause.

"Y-You know? Th-The person you l-l-like... D-Don't you h-have someone like that?" Izuku mumbled.

Mei just stood still as her eyes became somewhat blank despite the plastered smile on her face.

"Ah, well..."

Her cheeks became a hint of pink, and before Izuku could notice, she instinctively brought out a remote with a big red button on it.

"Test flight!"

Izuku raised his head in shock. "Eh!? Mei, wait-!"

The inventor had already pushed the switch, to which the jetpack immediately blasted Izuku up.

"AAAAAAAAAAH!"

He flew straight up to the ceiling, his head crashing into it and leaving him comedically dangling from above.

Enso had Shinso flung on his shoulder and was just about to jump to the second floor when he saw Izuku soar up and crash, to which he paused and sweatdropped to see his hanging body.

"Will he even survive being her test dummy?"

After pressing the button, Mei was frozen in place, feeling confused by her sudden actions before noticing something off about herself. She looked down and placed a hand on her chest, feeling it beating oddly faster.

"Huh... So that's how that feels like?"


~{Friday- Midoriya's Neighborhood, 7:15PM}~

"Ugh... I'm really tired..." Izuku remarked as he trudged through his neighborhood with Enso walking beside him. The two were currently heading towards Izuku's home, walking through the boy's peaceful neighborhood underneath the bright moonlight.

"Of course you are. Your sparring with Chizome lasted nearly an hour because neither of you was able to hit each other..." Enso sighed next to him.

"Chizome... You call the Hero Killer by his first name?" Izuku turned to him with curious eyes.

"He didn't complain about it, so yes."

"But... Why don't you call others by their first name? Like our class?" Izuku asked him as they turned a corner of the road.

"I have a habit of addressing adults by their first names. But I've been keeping in mind that heroes are somewhat different because they have the made-up names you have to address them with."

"Why just adults?" Izuku wondered as he simply nodded to his response.

"It's been a while since you came to visit my partner's house, huh, Poker Face?" Ikari poked out as a blob on Izuku's shoulder, small red eyes gazing at him.

"Sorry that you had to come with me... Mom wanted to see you again." Izuku sighed.

"It's alright. I suppose it was necessary to have a meeting following up on our previous one. We'll have a few things to go over, such as Ikari and the teachings from Lunch Rush you now have in the mornings."

Izuku froze at the mention of Ikari, turning to Enso nervously.

"E-Erm... About that..."

Enso paused his walking and turned to Izuku, raising an eyebrow. "What is it?"

"I... Well-"

"She doesn't know that I'm 'out' yet..." Ikari admitted.

There was a moment of silence between the two as Enso stared at Izuku with an unamused look, asking, 'are you serious?'

"I told him not to! I didn't know how she'd react to me!" Ikari whined.

"..." Enso facepalmed. "So... You haven't told her that you unlocked Ikari's separate consciousness?"

"No..." Izuku admitted, looking down and rubbing his arm awkwardly.

Enso just got back to walking ahead of Izuku.

"You have to tell her right now... You can't hold off on it."

Izuku kept pace right behind him.

"I was going to! Ikari and I just wanted to figure out what we'd say..."

"Just improvise your words... You've done it several times already."

"Um... Do you think she'll be afraid of me?" Ikari's eyes seemed droopy upon asking that.

"If you come out before Izuku tells her about you, then yes. Just let us speak to her first."

The group then came upon Izuku's apartment complex, looking up to the upper floor the boy's home resided.

"..."

"You're not jumping up there." Izuku deadpanned.

"You're so annoying..." Enso frowned.

The two, with one reluctantly, went up the stairs and to Izuku's door.

"I'm home!" Izuku called out as he went inside with Enso following.

Inko peeked out from the kitchen, a big smile forming on her face when she saw her son and his mentor come in.

"Welcome home! And you brought Enso with you?" She smiled. "I was just about to start dinner!"

"Allow me." Enso said in more of a demand rather than a polite offer, eyes even shining red.

"Oh, Enso. Are you sure? I don't want to make you cook every time you visit-"

"Have you ever had python before?"

"No, I haven't!" Inko immediately answered with her eyes bulging in excitement, hooked on the implication.

"Then I'll be right back." Enso turned around and dove out the still open door, diving right over the railing.

"STAIRS ENSO! GODDAM USE THEM!" Izuku screamed as he ran to the railing and fumed as his mentor quickly ran down the road with his arms behind him.

"They get along so well!" Inko couldn't help but laugh from the kitchen.


~{Meanwhile-?}~

The moment detective Tsukauchi came to, he knew he was screwed.

His vision was blurry as he opened his eyes, blinking several times and groaning as he shook his head. He couldn't feel the ground underneath, giving him a hint that he was dangling in the air. His head was dizzy, his body ached, and yet, he focused on trying to see where he was.

Which was rather hard, seeing that he was in a room of darkness.

Despite this, his eyesight somewhat adjusted after a few minutes, allowing him to search around his surroundings.

He looked down and confirmed his suspicions that he was raised above the floor. In addition, he saw a chain wrapped around his waist that kept his arms pressed to his sides. He followed the chain until glancing up and behind him, seeing it led up to the ceiling.

"Where... am I?"

Tsukauchi started investigating where he was. He gazed all around him and squinted the best he could, managing to make out the size of the room to be about an average high-school classroom.

Besides that, there wasn't too much he could see. He glanced down at himself and noticed his uniform had blood splattered on it, blood that had majorly dried up by now. Besides the discomfort of being suspended in the air, Tsukauchi felt his head throb, no doubt from when he had been knocked unconscious.

"Ugh... What happened...? The last thing I remember..."

The detective's mind when back to the last time he was conscious. He remembered leading a search party into the forest, remembered when they started to leave, and... he remembered what came at his group before chaos resolve.

"That's... right. We were attacked by that... 'thing' in the forest. It looked like a wolf, but it was clearly altered in some way. And if I'm here all hung up, then... most likely I was brought by whoever controls that monstrosity..."

As if on cue, he heard a voice.

"So... You're awake?"

Tsukauchi's head turned to the right, and his eyes widened in fear.

There was finally a light source in the darkness around him, or more specifically, three sources. He saw two eyeholes filled only with an empty void of bright red, he saw the jagged and open grin of red, and from the illumination of his own face, Tsukauchi saw the signs of a mask.

"You sure did surprise me." His voice was echoing and distorted, "I didn't think anyone would come all the way up in the forest. And for Havoc to sniff you out from so far... I'm glad I made her into my obedient pet."

Tsukauchi blinked several times as his eyes followed the menacing brightness ahead of him, trying to make out the person's full shape.

"So..." Despite getting chills and seeing his death flash before him, Tsukauchi kept his professional composure. "That... 'wolf' belongs to you?"

He heard a raspy chuckle. "Sure does. I was gonna let her enjoy you too, along with the others. But then... you impressed me."

Tsukauchi felt a pain in his heart when he heard what was inferred about his companions who were a part of his search party. He put on a furious glare as if trying to pierce through the monster in front of him.

"Everyone else-!?"

"The group you were with was munched. I did want my best friend to get a big meal." Lynch happily told him.

Tsukauchi's pupils dilate in both anger and horror.

"Oh, but don't worry, de-tec-tive." Lynch taunted as he raised the tip of two bony fingers by his face, the light from his eyes revealing Tsukauchi's wallet in between them. "The other groups are still alive and kicking. I've got something more... 'special' for them."

Tsukauchi kept his glare to the villain, not seeming afraid of him at all. But his intense look slowly started to fade as he came to a realization. The red eyes and glowing mouth, his mask barely seen from his illuminated eyes, his large figure, the insane and almost sadistic feeling from him, Tsukauchi recalled what kind of person was described in such a way.

"You're... Lynch. Aren't you?"

There was a visible spark within those red voids of eyes.

"Well, well, well..."

Tsukauchi heard a snap, followed by a light flashing in the room, suddenly blinding him. The detective closed his eyes and shook his head, then slowly squinting them open to adjust to the brightness.

He was finally able to see the room around him, but it was bare. The floor was white but old and scratched, the walls were of a similar appearance, and that was basically it. The room's only other components were old, visibly dried-up patches of blood scattered on different parts of the floors and walls.

"This... This is a confinement room of some sort."

His eyes then finally came upon Lynch's full figure. Despite Izuku having told him how disturbing he looked, Tsukauchi still visibly recoiled at the villain's appearance. From the rotten smell he picked up to the cracked and disturbing design of his trauma mask, Tsukauchi knew this villain wouldn't be like any others he's seen before. There was no doubt that his appearance wasn't natural, so he knew something had to have caused it.

Lynch's steps echoed as his large feet circled around Tsukauchi.

"It seems that you've been informed about me. From who? Reapy...?"

He finished walking around him, suddenly stomping his foot with his face inches from Tsukauchi's.

"Or little Deku?"

Tsukauchi didn't move and kept still as he stared back at Lynch, not intimidated by the closeness.

"Are you referring to Ureshi and Midoriya?"

Lynch backed up with a chilling laugh.

"So you have talked to them? But just how much DID they tell you?"

Tsukauchi was silent to this question. Despite knowing his name, the detective knew nothing besides Lynch's obsessive interest in Izuku and Enso. He could pretend that he knew a lot more, but wondered if Lynch would end up doing worse to him because of it.

Apparently, he had been silent for too long since Lynch scoffed and turned away.

"So you don't know too much? And what? You're still working with them? What kind of moron on the police force does that?"

Tsukauchi frowned.

"They work with who I consider being the most respected and amazing person in the world. If he doesn't wish to tell me the situation, then I won't question it. I owe him too much..."

Lynch wasn't amused. "Hmph... Such blind devotion... So, who is this 'amazing' person you like so much?"

"As if I'd give you another target for your killing spree. Wasn't that cafe enough?"

Lynch turned back to him, tilting his head.

"Wow, so that old guy from that shop is already good to talk? I thought he'd be broken for at least a month before his mind would be pieced back enough to even say his own name..."

"Talking as if people are objects... It's clear he doesn't hold any value for life." Tsukauchi thought in disgust.

Lynch rose his right hand and waved it, to which green flames erupted behind him before disappearing just as fast as they came. Only, they left behind a throne of the sort made out of a mixture of black wood, stone legs, and thick green vines tying it together.

He let out a grunt as he sat down on his large seat, creaking heard as some dirt trickled onto the floor.

"But now then... Hearing how you've got relations with Reapy, it really makes me want to keep you alive."

Tsukauchi didn't like how that sounded one bit.

"What's the catch?"

The detective swore that he saw the corners of Lynch's mouth somehow go up on his mask, making him shiver and wonder if he hallucinated just by the monster's aura.

"I want to play a game."

Tsukauchi was instantly reminded of the bloody site of the net cafe, recalling all the bodies, weapons, and crimson red all over the room.

"That's not good..."

"One perhaps involving the rest of your squad."

"You leave them out of it!" Tsukauchi shouted to him. "They're all innocent people! You don't have any reason to kill them!"

"I actually do. Their carcasses would be useful."

Tsukauchi was almost afraid to ask what he would use them for, but his anger overwhelmed all other motions currently.

Lynch was amused by the detective's flaring eyes and rested his head into his bony hand.

"Now, now. It's not like they don't have their chance to live. If anything, YOU'LL be that chance. They lost the chance to prove they could fight for themselves. They panicked and ran when ambushed, they hid behind others to let them fight for them! Yet YOU didn't hesitate at all, you just stood up and aimed."

Lynch raised his other arm and pointed at Tsukauchi.

"And that's why I like you."

He shifted in his seat.

"Compared to those 'heroes' I saw in the forest with you, their powers in themselves didn't do anything against the Nightmares."

"Night... mares?" Tsukauchi made a mental note.

"And yet... You, a detective that didn't even use a 'quirk,' did the most damage to my most SPECIAL pet with a shot from a mere pistol! Or does your quirk revolve around your aim?"

He was silent, eyes threateningly glowing as he waited for Tsukauchi to answer.

"No... It doesn't."

"Good. Now back to what I was saying. My pet did heal her eye back immediately, but that precise shot saved you from getting scooped up in her jaws."

He straightened himself in his seat and rested both hands on the throne's armrests, leaning forward.

"Those are the type of people I enjoy the most. That's the kind of person I love to TEST the most. They don't simply rely on a power they have. They actually have skill, determination, and..."

He shot up to his feet with his head up and hands in the air as if praising.

"SPIRIT!"

His shrieking voice seemed to shake the room, and Tsukauchi gritted his teeth at the pain ringing in his ears.

"Those people are the most interesting! They push through whatever you throw at them! Breaking expectations again and again without JUST using power!"

He circled around the room as he rambled.

"They do WHATEVER it takes to go through whatever they want! They could have every limb of their body broken and STILL end up pushing for what they fight for! These results... They're unpredictable, impossible, and yet... so amazing!"

He stopped marching in front of the detective, back to him as he excitedly rubbed his hands together.

"And when these people end up cracking under pressure, when the pain is too much and they lose their minds, when they end up giving in to their despair... It's just as amusing! To see strong minds shatter, to expose their weakness and diminish their hopes, to hear them cry and offer up anything so all the pain and suffering would all stop! It's so satisfying!"

He glanced back to Tsukauchi, eyes blazing more than ever before.

"Pained defiance or shameful surrender- every reaction is a pleasant surprise."

Tsukauchi could hear the implications that Lynch already had something in mind for him. And for this type of villain, who apparently loved a person's willpower, it was clear that this 'game' of his wouldn't be pretty.

But despite the terrifying possibilities, the strong-willed detective formed a determined glare that challenged him.

Lynch cackled as he pointed at him.

"There we go. That's the look. Oh, how many times I've seen it?"

He lowered his arm and stepped over to him, crouching down with his empty flaming eyes staring into unwavering eyes of black.

"Now, just how long can you keep those eyes?"


~{Midoriya Residence}~

"Oh god, we're actually eating a snake."

Izuku stared with a blank daze at the large plate containing a long python in the middle of the table. It had a cooked brown color to it and had been cut into several pieces but had been neatly placed in a way to resemble the snake circling around the plate.

"Whoa! That's so cool!" Ikari exclaimed inside Izuku as Enso and Inko didn't waste any time taking pieces of the cooked to perfection snake onto their plates.

"I... have several questions... Where did he even get a snake!? And when he brought it, why did I still see some blood coming from it!?"

"Stop asking questions, and just eat!"

Izuku sighed in defeat and reluctantly took a piece of the snake onto his plate, being glad that its head wasn't there to stare at him.

"Amazing! I never thought I'd be eating a snake!" Inko's eye sparkled as she mixed a python piece with a salad Enso made on the side.

"It's something you shouldn't be eating too often. These pythons specifically have high levels of mercury, so it'd be unhealthy." Enso made sure to point out.

"I'll keep that in mind!" Inko smiled in delight. "So, how is school going for the two of you now that you're back from your internships? Izuku told me that he was able to control his quirk better!"

Izuku choked on his food while Enso paused his chewing. Inko bringing up her son's quirk reminded the two that they had to present Ikari's being.

Enso seemed to ponder if this was the right time, as they were eating, but shrugged and decided now was as any good as any since Inko was heavily relaxed here.

"As a matter of fact... We do have something to bring up."

"Eh!? We're telling her now!?" Izuku turned to him, not so sure to do so.

"Might as well, since she asked."

"Tell me what?" Inko paused her eating, lowering her chopsticks with a partially worried look.

Enso noticed the change of expression, "Don't fret, Inko. I think you'll be surprised by what you'll hear, but it's nothing dangerous. At least, not anymore."

"Eh?" Inko blinked.

"Did he really have to add in that last part?" Ikari internally sighed.

"I got this, Enso..." Izuku said before he could start, getting his attention from his mother. "So... Mom, do you remember what I told you about my quirk?"

Inko paused as she recalled what Izuku told her about his quirk before.

"Yes? It made you more aggressive and lash out... right?"

"Um... Well, that wasn't entirely correct. You see..."

And so, Izuku told his mother everything he could about Ikari. He told her that Ikari was his own consciousness residing in him, told her that Ikari's escalating aggression with him is influenced by Izuku's own anger and thoughts, and he told her that he and Ikari share each other's pain. He made sure to leave out One For All and its influence that sparked Ikari to life.

Which each new fact presented to her, Inko's eyes widened larger and larger in shock. The woman even dropped her chopsticks onto the table and was shivering by the time Izuku finished his explanation.

"S-So... That's about it..." Izuku finished, nervously taking a piece of python into his mouth as he wondered how his mother would react.

Inko remained frozen in place with an agape mouth, eyes even becoming blank as she processed all this new information about her son's quirk.

"I... He's-? How long have you had him!?" was the first thing she blurted, forgetting about her food and focused on her son.

"Depends. If you're asking when his quirk came alive, it was sometime before Izuku took the entrance exam for U.A. But if you're asking when Izuku first came into direct contact with him, it was around the sports festival. It wasn't until our internships when he and Ikari managed to establish an actual relationship of cooperation with one another."

"F-For that long!?" Inko stammered, still in disbelief.

"No doubt you'd be worried if you learned that there was another entity in Izuku. And we weren't sure whether to make him out as trustworthy or dangerous, so we decided to hold off on telling you for a while." Enso explained to her. "But since Hosu, the two were able to connect and now help one another. So it's safe to say that Ikari won't cause any more harm."

Inko looked down as she thought about all this new information, not knowing exactly what to make of it all. But it didn't take her too long to figure out what had to be done next, looking up with the dangerous look of a mother.

"May I meet him?"

"..."

Izuku nervously glanced right to his shoulder, expected Ikari to appear.

It took a few seconds, but a black aura-like substance formed, to which expanded and rose behind him. His upper torso, hands with claw-like fingers, and the same appearing rugged hair as his partner formed. This was finished off with the eyeholes filled with red emerging, no jagged red smile that Ikari himself knew would appear somewhat frightening.

Both of Ikari's hands were placed upon his Izuku's shoulders, the individual staring quietly at Inko while the mother of one stared in a mixture of fear and awe at the being that formed.

"He... looks just like you." She muttered, eyes entranced by his appearance.

Ikari floated above Izuku, hands moving on his partner's head as he leaned slightly forward.

"Hi..." He tilted his head, looking unsure of what to say. "Mom?"

Inko blinked. "M-Mom!?"

Ikari flinched from her reaction. "Wh-What? No good?"

"N-No!" Inko waved her arms frantically. "I... I was just surprised..."

"Oh, okay..." Ikari appeared visibly uncomfortable, appearing to be conflictive on what to say.

"Nice to meet you? And, well..." He awkwardly scratched the back of his head.

"Sorry about..."

He looked down with his eyes dropping.

"Everything... I did some pretty bad things."

He then raised his head, eyes lighting up brighter.

"But all that's over! I can actually do things with my partner now! I can fight with him! So..."

He paused for a moment, then bowing his head.

"I... hope you won't think too bad of me..."

Inko was at a loss for words. Ikari hadn't ended what she expected, even when Izuku listed a few things about him. She didn't think he'd have his voice. Even if it was slightly echoing, she could hear it.

She heard her son.

She heard how earnest he is, his genuine guilt, and his sincerity to make up for the things that occurred.

Just like her son, he was...

"Cute."

Everyone turned to Inko, with Izuku and Ikari being notably surprised.

She was smiling, smiling as she stared at her son's quirk.

"You're just like my baby..."

Ikari stared at Inko with his eyeholes widening in size.

"I... am?"

"Yes... Just as precious." Inko reassured with a loving gaze.

Ikari's eyes brightened as underneath them, red formed into a jagged open-mouth smile.

Inko wasn't fazed by how somewhat intimidating Ikari's look actually appeared, simply just giggling as she saw it as goofy.

"Hm... 'A face only a mother can love.'" Enso thought. "I didn't think I'd see that quote somehow in action... A normal person would be somewhat intimidated by Ikari's smile, seeing how villainous it looks, yet she wasn't fazed at all..."

"So... What does that mean then?" Ikari asked, feeling somewhat giddy.

"I think it means... welcome to the family." Izuku confidently smiled.

Ikari looked down.

"Huh... Family?"

Enso curiously stared at the group as he placed his utensils down.

"He was accepted so easily... There's not a sign of reluctance from Inko. She trusts him already. She... already sees him as important."

He closed his eyes and let out a small, calm breath.

"Is that how it is to have a family?"

"Let's take a picture!"

"Hm?" Enso opened his eyes to see that Inko had gotten up from her chair and stood beside Ikari with a camera.

"Oo! A picture!? I haven't been in one yet!" Ikari exclaimed, excitedly eyeing the camera.

"But shouldn't you guys finish dinner? We've let our meals get cold enough as it is." Enso pointed out.

Inko flinched and realized that they did leave their dinner.

"I-I'm sorry! I-I got too excited!"

"Oh, come on! It'll only be a moment!" Ikari reassured, excited to be in a picture.

"It should be fine." Izuku smiled as he stood up next to them.

Enso seemed somewhat sour about leaving food on the table but went along with it and got up from his seat.

"Fine... I'll take the picture."

"Eh?" Inko and Izuku both stared at him with blank expressions while Ikari formed a visible black question mark above him.

"What?" Enso questioned.

"Well, it's just that... aren't you going to be in the picture as well?"

Enso narrowed his eyes.

"But... isn't it supposed to be a family picture?"

He was already getting dragged towards the white wall by the mother and son.

"Exactly! So you're gonna be in it!" Inko fumed.

"You can't possibly be referring to me as a part of your family? I'm not related to you..." Enso deadpanned as he was pulled to his feet and stood by the wall.

"You don't have to be blood-related to be a family, Enso." Izuku smiled while his mother mysteriously pulled out a tripod to set her camera on. "It's... It's just a natural feeling."

"Is that how that works?" The stoic male asked with a question mark appearing over him.

"Feelings aren't something you just... calculate or logically debunk. They just happen naturally. And the feeling of having a family, of being loved, it's a precious thing." Inko said, pausing her preparations and giving him a big smile.

"..."

"Plus, you're like an older brother to my partner anyway! Especially with how many times you hit him!" Ikari joked as he pat Enso on the shoulder.

"I-I guess so." Izuku agreed with an awkward chuckle.

"So would you be the mentally deranged younger brother then?" Enso deadpanned.

"I am NOT deranged!"

"Okay! It's ready!" Inko interrupted as she pressed a button on her camera, a beeping red light counting down.

She rushed over to the group and got in between Enso and Izuku, wrapping both of her arms around Izuku's left and Enso's right. Ikari floated over them with his jagged red smile opening up.

Then, out of a natural feeling, Ikari moved his index fingers to the corners of his mouth and pulled them up, making his smile bigger.

Enso took one last glance at the small family around him, feeling confused yet curious to be included with them. He didn't think that there was anything special about this particular moment, but at the same time, he felt... different.

"Hm... How curious..."

"Smile!" Inko beamed.

"I don't smile."

"You will, one day. It's one of my goals." Izuku thought as he put on a big grin.

*Flash!*


~{Author's Post-Notes}~
Awwww, ain't that nice? Acceptance, to be accepted into a family, it's pretty good. But anyway, the NEXT chapter is finally gonna be Izuku's anticipated visit to the rocking-out hero. Just what'll happen exactly? Nyehehehe.