A/N: Alright, let's get into it! The Hassaikai arc is one of- if not my absolute- favorite in MHA. Needless to say, I've been looking forward to getting to this point in the story and have planned for it to a meticulous level of detail, so being able to execute those plans is nothing less than thrilling for me. Granted, this is not the beginning of a new phase for this story, as said phases focus more on aspects of Kurai's journey than the narrative itself, but even so.

Let's see who/if Kurai ends up doing a work study with!

P.S. If you want an early look at the artwork coming in for this part of the story, check out my Instagram: the_red_swordsman

Phase 3: Chapter 7

More than a Student

"As much as it pains me to say it, I cannot take you on for a work study."

Kurai blinked in surprise as he gazed at his computer screen, unsure if he had heard correctly. "Sir?" he asked Gang Orca. "I don't understand. I thought that I did well under your tutelage during my internship." He had contacted the number ten hero in the hopes of being taken in for a work study, as the man's agency had worked well with the police on many occasions. Aizawa had suggested that students who wished to do a work study should contact the heroes that they had interned with in order to have the best chance at being accepted. However, the meeting was going very differently to how Kurai had hoped it would.

"You did," the large man nodded. "But my decision still stands for two reasons, the first being that I am overseeing the supplementary classes for those that failed the second round of the provisional licensing exam. The second reason is that I do not think that a work study at my agency would be beneficial for either parties."

Kurai frowned, still not understanding what the pro hero was trying to tell him. "If I might disagree, I think that there's much to be gained for both of us," he said as politely as he could, trying to hide the fact that he was hurt by the rejection from his favorite hero. "I learned a great deal from my internship under you, and since then, I have grown much stronger, not to mention the fact that I no longer suffer the potential of a lethal backlash from my quirk. I-"

"Your strength is not in question Hikari," Gang Orca said to cut him off. "It never has been. The backlash I fear for you now happens to be that of your own decisions, not the limits of your quirk." Before Kurai could get a word in, he continued on to say, "You passed the licensing exam, but only just barely. You have a habit of trying to sacrifice yourself needlessly when you see that there are others in danger around you- a noble sentiment, but you won't be able to save people if you're dead."

"Sir, I don't-"

"I've seen it several times, now," Gang Orca insisted. "During your internship with me, you threw yourself in the line of fire in order to keep the heat off of my sidekicks, which I did not ask or need you to do. You got ahead of yourself in the fight, and nearly broke your shoulder trying to save a cage full of children from an accident that you inadvertently caused. I heard that you lost your arm defending your classmate when your initial plan to take down a villain failed, and at the exam, you kept fighting beside Todoroki, even though it was clear that your body couldn't handle the heat from his quirk. Your new move enabled him to win, yes, but had you performed such a maneuver in a real battle, it is entirely possible that you would have been killed or taken hostage, and then all the power that you had given your friend would have been for nothing if he couldn't use it against your enemies. I told you that you must always be thinking ahead, planning your next step. However, as of late, it seems that you only act with the immediate consequences in mind. As such, I cannot bring you in to my agency; not until you begin to show me that you can think and plan the way that I have taught you."

The man's words stung Kurai badly, but he made no further protest. He knew that Gang Orca was right, and it would be foolish to argue against the truth, no matter how much he disliked it. Still…

"I understand what you're saying," he said in a subdued tone. "But how can I have a chance to amend my way of thinking without a proper opportunity and environment to do so? School can only teach me so much about these kinds of things."

Gang Orca stared at him through the screen with a ponderous expression for a few moments while tapping a clawed fingernail on his desk. Finally, he stirred and said, "I won't take you on as of now… That said, I think there is a hero you would do well to learn from. I'll send his agency a letter of recommendation, from which point it will be up to him to contact you. At the end of your work study with him, I will be in touch to see if you have changed to meet my expectations of you. Should you prove capable of accomplishing what I hope you will, we can talk about next semester's work studies."

"Thank you, sir," Kurai said with a seated bow. "I won't disappoint you again, sir."

"Hikari," Gang Orca said before he could disconnect the call. "I know that this must be disappointing for you, but there is a reason that I have such high expectations of you. I know that you have the potential to be a great hero- greater than I ever will be. I want to see you live up to that potential, and because you've sought me out as a mentor, it's my duty to cultivate your talents the best way that I know how, no matter how unpleasant my methods may seem." Looking at the boy intensely, he said, "You must be more than a student if you are to earn a place at my side, where I can properly teach you, Hikari. Show me that 'Kai' is who you are, and not just a name you have on a license,"

Kurai felt his throat constricting from a mixture of hope, disappointment, and determination. "I understand, sir," he managed to get out. "Thank you for your time and assistance."

"Good luck, Hikari."

"Hey, how'd it go?" Mina asked her boyfriend as he sat down to dinner with her and the other resident couple of the class.

"I feel like I just got punched in the stomach by Togata again," he said dejectedly. "He turned me away."

"What, seriously?!" Uraraka asked him, everyone else looking dumbstruck. "But I thought you guys got along really well, and that you had a good working experience with him last semester!" Out of all of them, they expected Kurai to be easily accepted for a work study, having been cleared for them by their teachers that very afternoon.

"We did," Kurai nodded glumly. "But he said that I'm too quick to play the self-sacrifice card instead of looking for solutions outside the box. I'd be a liability to an agency like his, where they get a lot of high-priority requests too dangerous for a novice to deal with, especially if he's not able to constantly supervise me, which would be unreasonable for me to expect of him. He won't take me on for a work study, much less as a sidekick, until I can show him that I've learned how to avoid making all-or-nothing plays."

"But… All Might always taught us that there's no better trait for a hero to have than self-sacrifice," Midoriya pointed out. "How can that be a bad thing?"

"It's a bad thing if it's my default action," Kurai said in a low tone while Mina rubbed his back sympathetically. "At least, I think that's what he's trying to tell me. Regardless, I won't be able to be a hero for very long if I keep going into situations thinking that it's okay if I don't come out alive, as long as everyone else is all right. It's a hero's job to make sure that everybody goes home safe, right? I guess I keep forgetting that I'm a part of 'everybody'."

"Yes, you are," Mina said as she kissed his cheek, causing him to redden a little bit, though he wasn't nearly as embarrassed as he used to be by such a display of affection. She did, however, add, "I'm sorry it didn't work out, sweetie. Maybe next time, right?"

"Actually…" Kurai began, causing his friends to regard him with a renewed curiosity. "He did say that he was going to write a letter of recommendation to another agency for me; one that he thinks I could do well to learn from. He's contacting them under the pretext that he can't take me on due to his duties regarding the supplemental lessons for the students that failed the second round of the licensing exam."

"Wow, that's really nice of him!" Midoriya said excitedly, bringing a smile to Kurai's face. "At least you'll still be able to do a study, right?"

"That's if whoever it is decides to reach out to me," Kurai said as he raised his hands in a cautioning motion. "Nothing's settled yet."

"Who knew that such a scary-looking guy could be so nice?" Uraraka giggled.

"Did he tell you who he's recommending you to?" Mina inquired, causing her boyfriend to frown slightly.

"No, he did not," he admitted. "Probably because he didn't want me to harass whichever agency he contacted so that they would review my application sooner instead of later."

"Would you have?"

"Honestly, I don't know," Kurai sighed. Glancing around to make sure that no one else was in earshot, he said in a lowered tone, "Detective Tsukauchi said that he'll let me in to work the case on the side if I can get a work study with an agency that works regularly with the police. Him and Gran Torino don't want the potential origins of my quirk getting out, just in case it sinks my hero career before it even gets started, especially when we might be wrong."

"Do you think you're wrong?" Uraraka asked him with a concerned look.

Kurai gave vent to another heavy sigh as he closed his eyes and his shoulders slumped. "I'm honestly trying not to think about it too much, but… No, I don't think I'm wrong," he murmured. "All For One is the only way that the pieces add up to me, but I'm hoping that I'm missing something that will vindicate my parents."

"I'm sure you will," Mina said affectionately. "Your dad was an amazing cop, all the way to the end. There's no way he could have been involved with that psycho." Her positivity always helped Kurai when he was feeling down, and he appreciated the endless effort that she put into caring for his well-being, as well as the support that Midoriya, Uraraka, and their other friends had shown him.

He had wondered a few times since he had lost his father why his Anahata chakra had remained unclogged, as it was supposedly blocked by grief, but he now knew the answer. It was his friends being there for him, caring for him, and making sure that he didn't close himself off to the people around him. It was Mina loving him in spite of his hardheadedness and default of trying to do things himself that was keeping that part of his spirit healthy and strong. Nothing he had done was responsible for it, and words could not measure his gratitude to his friends.

"Dude, are you okay?" Mina asked him suddenly, causing him to give a start of surprise in his seat.

"Yeah," he sniffled. "Why?"

"You're crying."

"I am?" I reached up with his right hand to feel his face, only to realize that he still couldn't feel textures with that arm. Switching hands, his fingers soon encountered salt water, which he quickly dashed away from his face. "Sorry guys," he said with a half-laugh. "I don't know why I did that." He was lying, of course.

"I'm honestly surprised you haven't done it more often," Uraraka told him somberly, apparently not quite buying into his attempted deception. "You've been dealing with a lot, you know? It's okay if you need to let it out every once in a while."

"She's right," Midoriya nodded rapidly. "You know me- I don't hold back on my emotions. I know that you guys are here to help me with whatever I'm struggling with."

"I know, and I'm grateful for it," Kurai chuckled softly as he continued to wipe at his face. "It's just weird to me to be able to do this, you know?"

"Not really?" Mina answered.

"Ever since my quirk… appeared… I've had to keep a lid on my negative emotions, or else I risked my powers going haywire," he reminded them. "I'm still getting used to being able to vent without Energon blowing up inside my head."

"Well, it's like we said," his girlfriend told him. "We're here for you, wherever, whenever, whatever."

"…Thank you."

Later, once the kitchen was clean, and almost everyone that was going to do homework had done it, half of the class was hanging out in the common area. This was when their homeroom teacher walked in with some interesting news.

"Rose, Uraraka," he said as he walked over to the girls' gathering. "Hado wants to see you two when you have the time. She says that the Ryukyu agency is interested in taking you two on for a work study."

"Seriously?!" Ruby practically squealed. "The Dragon Hero?! I. Love. Her! Uraraka, we gotta go talk to Hado, right now!"

"We d-? Whoa-ah!"

Before Ochaco could form a proper sentence, Ruby had grabbed her arm and sped the both of them out of the room, leaving only a trail of rose petals behind. Aizawa brushed some of these red flakes out of his scarf as he turned to Tokoyami, who had been standing by the window, waiting for Ojiro to come back from his room with a martial arts magazine. "Tokoyami, Hawks called the school about you. He wants to take you on, if you're interested."

"I am," the raven-headed boy said seriously as he stepped away from the wall. "I gratefully accept his offer."

Aizawa nodded, having expected no differently. Turning next to Kirishima, who was lounging with Sero and Kaminari, he asked, "Have you seen Hikari or Todoroki anywhere?"

"I think Hikari went up to his room," the redhead answered as he stood up to face his teacher. "Todoroki was doing his laundry, last I checked. Do you want me to go get them?"

"No, just pass on a message to Hikari," the tired-looking man answered. "I'll speak to Todoroki myself, but Amajiki of the Big Three wanted to introduce you to Fat Gum, the hero that he's been working under, and the same guy just called me a few minutes ago with an offer to take Hikari on for a work study."

"Wow, thanks!" Kirishima said excitedly. "Yeah, I'll tell him as soon as I see him!"

"I'm not done," Aizawa muttered, which was enough to silence Kirishima instantly. "Hikari actually has another party potentially interested in him; the Nighteye agency, courtesy of Mirio Togata."

"Wait, wasn't Sir Nighteye All Might's former sidekick?" Sero asked as he sat up straight on the couch. "Man, Hikari really is a magnet for the big leagues! First Gang Orca, and now this!"

"Hey, the girls just got recruited by the number nine hero," Kaminari pointed out. "And Tokoyami is about to work with Hawks, who's basically the new 'number two' at this point. Far as rankings go, neither Fat Gum nor Nighteye is a big catch."

"At least they managed to get offers, Jamming Yay," Jiro commented as she walked by with a plate of cookies.

"Ack, why?!" he groaned at the blow to his fragile ego.

"Just pass on the message," Aizawa muttered as he handed Tokoyami a slip of paper. "That's for getting in touch with Hawks. Kirishima, you and Hikari should talk to Amajiki before you go to bed if you want to see Fat Gum. Togata said that he'll talk to Hikari if he's interested in Nighteye." With that, he walked back out the door that he had come in through.

"Man, I'm super excited!" Kirishima said to no one in particular. "I gotta go tell Hikari!"

"Just make sure there isn't a sock on his door handle when you go up," Kaminari snickered.

"Come on, this is Hikari we're talking about," Sero said as he and Kirishima rolled their eyes. "Ashido can't even make it past first base with the guy- she said it herself."

"You're assuming that she's being truthful about that," the electric boy countered as Kirishima walked away. "Who knows what they're up to once the door's locked?"

While Sero and Jiro started to berate their classmate for so casually bringing up the private matters of their friends, Kirishima tried to ignore the heat creeping into his face. I can harden just about everything but my insides, he thought a little sadly as he stepped into the elevator. Still, he's great guy, which she totally deserves. And a great guy deserves a girl like Ashido.

No one would ever catch him saying it out loud, but he'd definitely had a crush on Mina in the past, and those feelings still flared up from time to time. It wasn't like he and the pink girl had ever been super close friends, but she was cute, and nice, and a lot of other things that would turn any guy's head. So, occasionally, he would feel some regret for not having tried to talk to her more when he'd had the chance, before UA, and before they had met Hikari.

That wasn't to say that he resented the other boy, far from it. He genuinely respected Hikari, both as a prospective hero, and as a classmate, if not as a friend. There was just that little spark of irrational jealousy that persisted whenever he saw them together, no matter how hard he tried to stamp it out. Fortunately, Kirishima was pretty good at hiding it behind a big smile and his focus on becoming a hero that would stand out as a man among men, so he doubted that anybody besides him knew, and he would keep it that way.

After all, what kind of a man would try to step in on what was one of the coolest and most beneficial relationships that he'd ever seen, just because he felt a little bit of envy every now and again? I know there's someone great out there that I'll meet someday! He thought with a toothy grin as he stepped out onto the second floor of the building. I just gotta be ready to be a man worth noticing when she comes along!

He paused outside of his classmate's room for a second when he heard nothing coming from the inside, then knocked firmly on the wood. "Hey, Hikari?" he asked politely. "Got a sec?"

"Yeah," he heard a few seconds before the other boy opened the door to show that he was missing his right arm, which was an unnerving sight for Kirishima. "What's up?"

"Sorry, did I catch you at a bad time?" the redhead asked.

"No, I was just finishing doing some maintenance on my replacement arm," Kurai answered as he moved to the side. "Come on in while I get it back in place."

"You sure?" Kirishima asked hesitantly. "I know you didn't want people in here for some reason…"

"I had something private that's supposed to be just for me, but I've set up a solution," the other student answered as he moved inside to allow Kirishima to follow him. "Come on in- I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't comfortable."

"Okay," he said as he followed Hikari, watching as the other boy moved toward his work bench, where several tools and two prosthetic limbs were scattered about. "Mister Aizawa just wanted me to pass on a message to you." He took note of a curtain that was obscuring a corner of the room, but he decided not to comment on it, as he could guess that it was the thing that Hikari probably didn't want people to see.

"Oh yeah?" Kurai asked as he rolled up his right sleeve to reveal his arm's stump, which was covered by a metal cap with several interfaces on its surface. "Am I in trouble?"

"Nah, pretty much the opposite, actually," Kirishima answered as he moved to get a better look at the tools Hikari had been working with." You actually just got an offer from two agencies about work studies! How cool is that?"

"I did?" Kurai asked as he turned back to his classmate, surprise written on his face. "Who asked for me?"

"Well, Togata says that he wants to introduce you to Sir Nighteye, and Fat Gum just called to recruit you a little while ago," Kirishima answered. "Amajiki works for him, and he says he wants to introduce me, too."

"So, we could end up doing a work study together?" Kurai inquired as he turned back toward his replacement arm and set about aligning it with the proper interfaces. "That'd be pretty cool, actually. I'd like that a lot more than just doing one on my own."

"Yeah, I know what you mean," Kirishima nodded eagerly. "Rose and Uraraka actually just got called in by Hado for the Ryukyu agency, so they're probably gonna team up for the work study. Tokoyami got Hawks' attention, but he'll be by himself- not that it'll bother him, I think."

"Tokoyami seems like the kinda guy who can take it or leave it with teamwork," Kurai grunted in agreement as he started to lower the heavy arm. "Hey, mind helping me hold this thing steady? I can do it myself, it's just tricky to get it right."

"Yeah, man!" Kirishima nodded as he moved to assist his classmate. "There we go." The replacement was a bit heavier than he had expected, but it wasn't something he couldn't handle.

"Thanks, pal," Kurai said gratefully as he moved his stump in, glad when he heard the correct pieces clanking into place. Snatching up one of the compact power tools, he quickly tightened the loose components, and then gritted his teeth as he felt some of his nerves twitch painfully at the adjustment.

Seeing this, Kirishima asked, "Does it always hurt like that?"

"Some days are worse than others," Kurai answered as he concentrated on the last bit, glad when it caused him no more pain. Concentrating briefly, he sent a pulse of energy into the metal, which established the connection between his mind and the new arm. "Cool, you can let go of it, now."

"Sure." As Kirishima relinquished his hold on the arm, he asked, "Does Ashido usually help you out with this?"

"Not really, no," Kurai answered, surprising the other boy. Kirishima was further surprised when his peer asked, "You knew her from middle school, right? Think you can help me figure something out?"

"Uh, maybe?"

"It's cool if not," Kurai sighed as he started to put his tools back in their proper places. He wasn't like Iida when it came to organization, but he had a system. "Mina's kinda weird when it comes to my prosthetic, I guess. She pretty much goes out of her way to avoid touching it, and I don't understand why. I thought out of anyone, I'd have the hardest time adjusting to it, but honestly, I like it all pretty well. I would prefer it if I had my original arm, but no use in crying over spilled milk, right?"

"Uh…?" Kirishima hesitated, wondering if he was supposed to laugh at that, or if it was even okay to do so.

Seeing this, Kurai sighed and said, "Sorry, I make bad jokes when I'm not sure about something, which usually makes it worse."

"Oh, don't worry about it," Kirishima replied, feeling a bit relieved. "But what's that got to do with Ashido?"

"I was wondering if you knew why she might be acting weird about it," Kurai answered with a small shrug. "When I tried to talk to her, she seemed pretty uncomfortable, so I wound up changing the subject."

Kirishima shrugged back, honestly just as confused as his friend. "I dunno, man," he replied. "We knew each other, but we weren't super tight before UA, you know? You'd probably be better off asking Uraraka or Yaomomo. I bet they'd know more than me."

"Got it, thanks anyhow," Kurai sighed as he finished putting away his maintenance kit. Turning around, he asked, "Should we go talk to Amajiki, then?"

"You don't wanna talk to Togata?" Kirishima inquired as they exited the room, Kurai shutting the door behind him. "You know Nighteye was All Might's sidekick, right?"

"I'll talk to him, but I remember Fat Gum working with my dad a lot when I was younger," Kurai replied with a slightly wistful smile. "I think I might have even met him in passing a couple of times at some of my dad's work functions."

"Oh, cool," Kirishima said with a grin. "I'm guessing that when you go pro, you're gonna want to help out the cops a lot, right?"

"That's the plan. A lot of people these days seem to forget that the police were the heroes back before quirks showed up," Kurai said as they headed for the elevator. "I'd like it if I could remind folks that they're still here, helping citizens and heroes."

Kirishima said nothing, but he smiled and thought, Yeah. Ashido's got the right guy.

"I'm not interested."

Aizawa nodded as Todoroki continued to unload his laundry from the dryer, having expected the response from the heterochromic boy. "I thought you'd say that, but I still had to pass on the invitation," he told the student. "In any case, you have another offer, unless you're just opposed to taking on a work study in general."

"Who else wanted me?" This time, Shoto turned toward his teacher, indicating that he was willing to pay more attention.

"Hawks has offered Tokoyami a work study, but he wanted to let you know that he would like the chance to train you, too," Aizawa replied. "If I recall correctly, he offered you a chance to work under him when we did internships during the first semester."

"He did," the student nodded once. "If he has room for me at his agency, I'll see what he has to offer."

"Call him when you have the chance, then," Aizawa said as he retrieved a slip of paper from his pocket, the same way he had done with Tokoyami. "But I advise being sure about your decision."

"I don't take your meaning," Todoroki said as he took the slip.

"You had no issue working with Endeavor earlier in the year," Aizawa replied. "Is there a specific reason why you can't do it again? It would be better for your career prospects to train under the new number one as opposed to the number two hero."

"If I train under him again, some might look on it as nepotism," Todoroki answered coolly. "Besides which the events after Hosu changed my mind about working with him."

"How so?"

"He lied so easily about taking Stain down himself that I realized he hasn't changed from the man who-" The boy stopped himself, set his jaw and muttered, "My apologies. I'm bringing personal feelings into this when it should about my profession. Regardless, working with my old man would be far from a constructive experience for me at this time. It will be better for all parties involved if I work under Hawks."

"Then that's your prerogative," Aizawa told him. "Make sure you work hard, whichever agency you sign on to."

"I will."

Having finished his conversation with Togata, Kurai had made his return alone to the dorm since Kirishima had returned on his own after they both finished talking to Amajiki. I don't really know a lot about Nighteye, and as far as I can recall, he didn't send me an offer when I won the Sport's Festival, he mused as he neared the building. I'm kind of curious about why he's suddenly taking an interest, but I'm thinking I should go with Fat Gum. Seems like I have more in common with Amajiki, so if I'm going to emulate one of the stronger students in our school, it's probably better if I sign on with someone who can nurture a personality like his. That, and I don't want Gang Orca thinking that I'm being petty because I didn't go with the agency that he recommended for me.

He was about to turn up the short walkway toward 1-A's living quarters when he noticed something akin to a large shadow in a tree out of the corner of his eye. He turned toward it, senses on high alert and bracing for a fight before he realized what- or rather, who- the shadow was.

"Can you even read in this lighting?" he asked the occupant as he approached the tree with a small ball of energy in his hand to ward off the fading glow of the setting dusk.

"Well enough," she answered without looking away from her current reading project. She was nestled in a crook made up of a few branches that were apparently stronger than they looked. Either that, or she just wasn't very heavy, but Kurai wasn't really interested in delving into that particular topic. He was still largely clueless when it came to talking to girls who weren't Mina, but he remembered his mother telling him to never mention a girl's weight, under any circumstances.

Cocking his head up at her, he instead decided ask, "Why are you up in a tree, Belladonna?"

"It's quiet, and most people don't notice me when I'm up here," she replied as she marked her page and looked down at him with golden eyes that seemed to almost glow in the setting dark. "Did you need something?"

"Not partic-" Kurai paused as he remembered a certain dilemma before he amended his half-finished statement and instead said, "Actually, there's something I could use a hand with." He wasn't especially close to Blake, not like he was with Ochaco or even Yaoyorozu, but they had faced death together. In his mind, she was someone he should be able to turn to in a pinch, even if it was off the battlefield. And she's not one to gossip, so I doubt anyone else will hear about this conversation…

"What's that?" The shadowy girl's tone wasn't exactly inviting, but then again, her default demeanor made her seem as unapproachable as Todoroki had been at the beginning of the school year. Kurai knew by now that if she was focusing on you instead of a book, she was giving you her undivided attention.

"You read a lot of romance books, right?" he asked hesitantly.

There was stretch of silence before Blake said, "If you're looking to borrow some of mine, I think I should stop you by saying that they're probably more extreme than anything you're used to."

"Wha-? No!" he said with a rapid shake of his head. "No, I don't wanna borrow them. I just thought that you might know a thing or two about what a girl might like to do for her birthday with someone she cares about. Mina's is coming up in a few days, and I'm kind of at a loss for what I should do."

There was another awkward pause in the conversation, but once again, Blake was the one to break it by asking, "Isn't there… I don't know, someone better qualified than me to talk to about this? A relative, or maybe Iida?"

"Iida wouldn't know what romance was if it turned into a snake and bit him on the face," Kurai deadpanned. "My aunt is always busy helping to take care of my brother, my cousin has never had a girlfriend, and my mom…" His voice trailed off before he shook himself and told her, "She's got enough going on. I shouldn't be bothering her with something I should know how to handle myself."

"If you know how to handle it, why are you asking me for help?" Blake inquired.

"I said should know," Kurai sighed, his eyes turning downward as he did. "I just want to get this right. Mina's had to suffer through a lot on account of me, and I want her to know how much I appreciate everything that she's done for me. I don't want to mess this up."

Blake's eyes softened as she continued to look down at him before she leapt out of the tree to land lightly in front of him with virtually no sound in the process. "I don't have a 'one-size-fits-all' answer, Hikari," she told him. "And I don't know how much my stories would help you, either. After all, the people who end up together in them usually do because the author wants them to, not because of efforts and time put in by real people. I don't… have any experience with real romance. Not in the sense of what you and Ashido have."

There was a slight catch in her voice, so before second thoughts could intervene, Kurai asked her, "Did something happen to you with a guy?" Her eyes sharpened, and he took a half-step back as he held up his hands in a surrendering gesture while saying, "I'm sorry, that was rude. I shouldn't pry into your personal affairs- forget I said anything."

Before he could turn to go, Blake's hand shot out and grabbed his right wrist to force him to turn back to meet her stern gaze again. "You're right, that was pretty damn rude," she agreed, causing him to flinch. Then she released his arm and allowed her face to relax before she added, "But I can see that you're just trying to help, in your own way."

Kurai kept quiet, wondering if this was one of those moments where he should wait for the other person to pick the conversation up again, or if she was waiting for him to formulate a response. Fortunately, it didn't take long for her to let out a sigh and say, "I wish I could help you, Hikari. Really, I do. But I'm just not the best example to follow. I thought I knew what love was, but I do know enough to say that it shouldn't hurt someone the way that I was hurt."

Her expression became so sad that it surprised Kurai, and he felt bad for eliciting such a strong reaction out of her. "I'm sorry," he apologized softly. "Seems like I'm making a bad habit of dragging you into my problems without thinking about it."

"You seem to be a magnet for trouble, so I guess it has to happen by proxy every once in a while," she replied with a grim sort of smile. "I'm sorry that I don't seem to be any good at helping when it matters."

"Don't sell yourself short," he replied with a small shake of his head. "Yaomomo told us how you stepped up and kept your group from getting injured during the licensing exam. That counts for a lot with us."

"Your positivity is kind of frightening, if I'm being honest," Blake admitted.

"It's mostly to hide the crippling self-doubt and existential crises just waiting to happen," the cyborg teen chuckled as he scratched at the back of his head. "I'll let you get back to your book, now. Again, I apologize that I bothered you with my issues."

"Don't… apologize," she said with a slow shake of her head. "You know that you need help, and you're not afraid to ask for it. That's pretty admirable, and it shows that you're serious about being good to Ashido."

"And here you are talking about my positivity," Kurai grinned again. "You try to come across as a downer, but I think you're secretly a sucker for chances at happy outcomes."

"Maybe," the raven-haired girl said with a roll of her eyes. "Let's go inside- light's gone, so I won't get any more reading done out here. And if you apologize one more time, I'll have Yang punch you."

The boy flinched at the idea before he turned back toward the dorms and grumbled, "Why are there so many violent people in my life?"

Blake responded by rolling her eyes again and moving to follow him. As they walked, she noticed his sagged shoulders and slightly lowered head, so she decided to set aside her reticence and tugged on his sleeve to get his attention.

"What's up?" he asked.

"I can't give you any good advice based on my experience," she told him. "But I can tell you what I wish I could have had."

Kurai blinked in surprise a couple of times before he asked, "And that would be…?"

"I wish that the person I had loved would have bothered to learn what I care about and wanted out of life with the same amount of effort that I put into making his dreams a reality," she told him. "By the time I realized that he couldn't have cared less about what I wanted, I had lost so much of myself. I think that if you want Ashido to be happy, you should help her enjoy being herself. Whatever that entails, you'll have to figure out yourself- I'm all out of life lessons."

To her surprise, Kurai smiled and replied, "Believe it or not, hearing that helped. Thanks, Belladonna."

"Don't mention it."

"Why would I-?"

"Ever."

"…Yes ma'am?"

Blake was glad that the darkness had fallen, and that Kurai was no longer using his powers to light up the area. It made it easier to hide how embarrassed she was that she had revealed such a vital piece of her past- and even her very sense of self- to him.

"So whaddya girls think, huh?" Hado asked as she bounced lightly on the balls of her feet. "Should I set up the meeting? Should I do it soon?"

"Yes and yes!" Ruby said eagerly as she practically jumped up and down on the senior girl's bed. "This is gonna be awesome! I'm a big fan of Ryukyu! I can't believe that I'm getting a chance to work at her agency!"

"Well, we're not in for sure," Uraraka reminded the younger girl. "We still have to interview with her, first. Do you have any suggestions for how we should conduct ourselves when we meet her?" Although she was equally excited at the prospect of getting to have a work study with the number nine hero, she also wanted make sure that she didn't botch her chance at an excellent first impression.

"Just be yourselves!" Hado insisted. "You're both super talented, and you've worked really, really hard to get where you are, right? Right? You just gotta make sure that Miss Ryukyu knows that you're not gonna stop trying so hard if you get to work with her. You gotta make sure that she knows you're gonna double down on your double downing, ya know?"

"If I've learned anything at Second Amendment and UA, it's that you can never double down too hard," Ruby grinned confidently. "Say the word, and we'll be ready to double, triple, and quadruple down!"

"Yay!" Hado giggled. "Then I'll bring you to see Miss Ryukyu on Friday after school, 'kay? Sound good?"

"Yeah!" Ruby cheered.

"I can't wait!" Uraraka agreed as she pumped her fist in the air. I'm gonna be like Deku and do better than my best!

Kurai was had found himself sitting alone in the evening light outside his balcony, enjoying the warm summer air and waiting for a phone call while working to get ahead on his modern literature project due in two weeks. He had told Mina that he would prefer to have his room to himself for the evening so that he could study, as he had a hard time concentrating whenever she spent the night with him. This was only half of the truth, however.

His phone buzzed, so he picked it up and accepted the call. "Sorry I didn't get back to you earlier," he said in a lowered tone. "Amajiki took forever to say anything, and Togata was… enthusiastic."

"It's no problem," Uraraka said on the other end of the line. "Sorry I took so long getting ready for bed. Just bad timing, right?"

"Guess so," he nodded, even though she couldn't see him. "Okay, what's the plan?" The two of them were still trying to help one another figure out what to do for their significant others' upcoming birthdays without tipping them off as to what was happening.

"I've been talking to all the girls, trying to figure out the kind of stuff they like without making it obvious that Mina's the one I'm really looking into," Uraraka answered in a hushed tone. "She's into a lot of retro stuff from the pre-quirk era, but I'm guessing that you already knew that."

"Yep," Kurai answered as he put his books aside on the small table he kept outside, done for the night. Leaning back in his seat, he asked, "Was there anything in particular that stood out to you? That's a pretty broad area to cover."

"She talks about Alien quite a bit, but I think she's got everything that she could want from that franchise," Uraraka replied. "Although now that I think about it, she and Jiro were talking about some old club music band during our last few study sessions."

"She does like her music…" Kurai mused, an idea beginning to take shape in his head. "I think I know what to do with that."

"You do? Already?" Ochaco sounded surprised. "That was fast."

"I'm not one hundred percent certain that she's gonna like what I have in mind, but it's worth a shot," Kurai murmured. "I'll definitely need yours and the other girls' help to pull it off. For now, though, let's see if we can't figure out what to do for Izuku."

"I know that All Might stuff is a good backup, but I still wanna do something a little less generic," Uraraka told him. "What'd you find out?"

"The guy lives and breathes other hero statistics when he's not nerding out over All Might," Kurai said with a slight groan. "I don't think that he has a second favorite, but I doubt that I'd be able to really tell unless I got a look at his notebooks, which is never gonna happen. I think he sleeps with one of those under his pillow."

"Wait, that's it!" Uraraka exclaimed, startling Kurai enough that he nearly fell out of his chair. "Kurai, thanks so much!"

"Uh, sure?" he said after he managed to right himself. "What'd I do?"

"His notebooks!" she said, as if that explained everything. "Now, what did you need for Mina's birthday?"

That Friday, Kurai and Kirishima were following Amajiki, who had his gaze cast downward as always. "Why are you coming with me, Hikari?" he mumbled, his voice almost lost in the sound of the city that they were walking through.

"I… was under the impression that I would be applying to work under Fat Gum in a work study," the boy answered, exchanging a confused look with Kirishima.

"But you could have gone with Mirio," Amajiki replied without looking back. "There's so much more you could learn from him than you can here… especially with me to hold you back."

Kurai struggled to come up with an answer for that, but once they stopped at a crosswalk, he said, "Maybe I could have learned more at the Nighteye agency, sure. But that doesn't mean that they could teach me what I want or need to learn. Besides, I'm more interested in working closely with the cops, which Fat Gum does. Sir Nighteye runs a pretty tight ship, but he only coordinates with the police when he needs to."

"That was pretty nice of you to recommend Midoriya to Togata when you turned him down, though," Kirishima pointed out. "I'm sure he'd love to work with All Might's old sidekick!"

"Actually, he'd had half a mind to talk to Togata, anyway," Kurai answered. "I just told him that Sir Nighteye should have an open spot since I didn't take it."

"You gave up your spot for your friend when it could have been you in the spotlight…" Amajiki murmured. "You really are like Mirio, first year. I'll just mess that up…"

"Nah, man!" Kirishima said as he clapped Kurai on the back while they began to cross the road, heading right for Fat Gum's agency. "This guy's too tough to get messed up! Nothing's been able to put a dent in his fighting spirit, yet!"

Kurai smiled at his friend in spite of the pain twisting his insides at those words. Maybe I'm more like All Might than I care to admit, he thought. Why am I keeping up appearances right now, when I know I'm not okay? He already knew the answer to that, though. If I don't make it seem like I'm keeping it all together, I won't be able to investigate the origins of my quirk alongside Tsukauchi. And I won't be able to rest easy until I know if my power is really mine, or if I inadvertently stole it from somebody else.

"You know, I was really surprised to get an email from Gang Orca yesterday," said Fat Gum, a comically huge man wearing a yellow tracksuit that completely held in his impressive bulk. He was munching on some meatballs while he spoke, though he was polite enough to swallow before actually speaking. Kurai and Kirishima were standing in front of his desk, but the pro had singled out the boy with the prosthetic to talk to first. Amajiki was also in the room, but he was trying to more or less hide in the corner.

"Amajiki had already told me that he wanted to bring in Kirishima, which was a shock enough. But then I got a message from the number ten, saying I should bring in the winner of the UA Sport's Fest. I honestly thought that he was kidding, at first." The large man let out a hearty laugh at that. "I told him there was no way that you'd come to my agency when you would probably have offers from more prestigious heroes, but here you are. So I'd like to know why is that? Why'd you choose to come here to apply for a work study instead of somewhere else?"

Kurai had an answer ready this time, having somewhat expected it after Amajiki's earlier inquiry. "People keep telling me that I have a lot of potential as a prospective hero," he began. "But I can't rely on potential alone to make me into the hero that I can be. Gang Orca is a man that I admire greatly, so if he says that you can teach me what I need to learn, then I trust his judgement. As for what I can bring to your agency, like you said, I ranked number one in the Sport's Festival. You know I'm not lacking for power, and I'd like to think that this…" He held up his robotic hand here, "testifies to the fact that I'm not a quitter, even in the face of things that would make most other people in my position break down and give up on their ambitions. I'm here because I believe that we can both gain something, sir, and I would be a fool to pass up an opportunity to be a part of your team."

Fat Gum let out another laugh before his tenth meatball in as many minutes made its way into his wide mouth. "You've got a lot of heart, kid, and that's definitely something I can use here at my agency," he told Kurai. "I'd be glad to take you on, and…" He turned to address Kirishima now. "I'm interested to see what your friend has to say for himself, since I expect that he's got just as much drive as you do. What d'ya say, Kirishima? Think you can keep up with the best your school has to offer? I sure do."

"Thank you, sir!" Kirishima said eagerly as he stepped up to stand beside his classmate. "I don't know if I'm as good as you seem to think, but I'm willing to give it my best shot! I wanna be like Crimson Riot, and I know it'll take more than just guts to make that happen. If you're willing to take me on, then I'm willing to give it my all, and then some. Plus Ultra, you know?"

"I do know," Fat Gum nodded with a grin that was almost as big as his bulk. "And I'm eager to see what your all looks like, the both of you. Let's hear your hero names, so I can know what it is that you guys expect of yourselves- just like I know I can expect great things from Sun Eater over there."

Both boys were surprised to hear Amajiki's hero name as something much more powerful than his personality would lend itself to. However, this did not hold their attention long enough to distract them from answering their prospective mentor/boss' question.

"Like I said, I wanna be like Crimson Riot," Kirishima replied as he hardened his fists and slammed them together. "So I'm the Sturdy Hero, Red Riot!"

"And I want to be there to protect people from any calamity that I can prevent, throughout any time that they need me," Kurai answered firmly as he looked down at his clenched artificial hand. Now, more than ever, he felt pride as he was able to declare, "I am the Guardian Hero, Kai."

"Well, Red Riot, Kai," the BMI Hero said as he stood up, the last of the meatballs consumed. "I'm happy to offer you work studies under my watch. Welcome to the Fat Gum Agency. Maybe your positivity will help Sun Eater to shine a little more brightly, eh, Amajiki?"

The third-year student slumped even further as he said in a pitiful voice, "I wanna go home…"

Mataras: Well, as promised, we had a look at how Kirishima is doing with Mina dating Kurai. I doubt anyone was expecting drama to come of it, and if they were, I suggest they reexamine their basic understanding of Red Riot's personality.

Deku: I'm more interested to see what Ochaco has planned for my birthday... It's been so long since I celebrated with anyone other than my mom!

Kai: Yeah man, even if I wanted to tell you, I really don't know what your girlfriend is planning. That said, I'm sure it'll be a nice surprise- Mataras is usually pretty nice to his characters when it comes to birthdays and other such celebrations.

Mataras: This is true. Don't worry, I'm sure both Midoriya and Ashido will enjoy what I've got planned, and the corresponding chapters should be quite fun for our readers. That said, I'm having loads of fun writing the upcoming conflicts!

Kai: Knowing both the original version of this arc and you, this is going to be an emotionally scarring set of chapters, or painful beyond belief for the lot of us. Possibly both.

Mataras: Next time- Debut

Kai: I knew it!

Deku: We'll be ready to Go Beyond!

Kai: Plus Ultra!

Next time on Your Hero Academia...

It had been an exciting moment, yes, but in comparison with all of their other encounters with villains, the two freshman were just happy that nobody had been seriously injured or killed.

That is, right up until a gunshot rang out, and Sun Eater stumbled back while clutching at his arm. The crowd screamed and disintegrated, having realized that there was another villain among them, one who was evidently not afraid to use deadly force. Fat Gum was still trying to keep his original targets from escaping, and the police were trying to figure out if anyone else in the crowd was packing heat.

This left only Kai and Red Riot capable of reacting as another gunshot echoed throughout the city block. This time, Red Riot's head snapped back, but only for a split-second, as his quirk had apparently grown strong enough to deflect bullets. This seemed to startle one man in particular, a thin person who began to back away slowly, instead of panicking like everyone around him.

"That guy!" Kai shouted, sending Energon flooding into his body, even as his target let out a terrified yell and started running away, prompting the two freshman heroes to give chase. "We'll be right back!"

"Wait, don't-!" Sun Eater reached out after them, intending to use his tentacles to snatch up the shooter. However, he was horrified to realize that his powers were not responding to his commands- as if his body had forgotten how to use them at all.

"Sun Eater, we gotta go after them!" Fat Gum shouted as he started after his young wards.

"Wait!" the boy called after him. "I'm not hurt, but my quirk won't activate!"