There are more things in heaven and Earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy. – William Shakespeare

During my first week at U.A., I had mixed feelings towards All Might. I respected him. He arguably was the most powerful person alive at that time, but I feel like I resented him as well. He could defeat any villain or save a thousand people from a natural disaster, yet he never saved me.

"It's fine now. Why? Because I am here!" He used that as his catchphrase, a true one. He just never arrived to tell me that as they ripped my body apart for its blood. I escaped from the facility. Father then took me before I was recaptured.

I never understood the magnitude of those words until… Well, most of my class experienced it during… USJ. Fear and despair were replaced with courage and hope the moment he said those words. I was too; however, I learned what those words meant three days before then.

Those words changed my life, even if I didn't realize it at the time.

BREAK LOGIC

Bakugo decided Red Eyes was useless for the time being. Over the alarms, he heard chaos from the cafeteria. That meant one of two things. Either villains were painting the walls with his classmates' blood, or they and the general education students were being fucking idiots.

They voted Deku as class rep. He decided it was the latter.

The explosive teen wanted nothing more than to defeat the villains. Why else would anyone want to become a hero? He also knew that his enemy's location was an unknown while joining the others could get Eri trampled. He read about how villains or angry students attacked schools. He knew he'd have to fight at one someday. He wouldn't be able to use his Quirk in the cafeteria without harming the nameless idiots, so he'd just be another idiot if he went in there. In the cafeteria, the students were nothing but fish in a barrel. In this hallway however…

"Oi, it'll be alright." He grinned in anticipation. "We'll wait here. If anyone comes, I'll kill 'em!" The hallway kept him out of a potential kill zone and gave him enough space to use his Quirk. All he needed was for Eri to let go of his fucking shirt.

Her hands trembled. She cried. He thought he had her personality pegged as a cold, cool-headed bitch; however, her actions threw that portrait into doubt or at least showed a hidden aspect.

"B-Bakugo." Her voiced quivered. He looked up at her, since she stood about 8 centimeters over him which sorta pissed him off. "I don't wanna go back. They liked h-hurting me." The last word came out as a whisper. "Please."

Bakugo always had a very simple yet effective idea on how he wanted to be a hero. He'd defeat the villains before they hurt anyone, and he'd do that by being the best. No innocent would hurt. No civilian would cry. All would be alright, because he'd be there.

Instead, he found himself in a very different situation. No one could call him dumb, and Eri showed she got abused or worse. For some reason, she decided having a panic attack right now. This wasn't a situation he could solve by simply blowing up the villain. No, life handed him a victim who no one saved in time, and he had no idea what to do.

She needed to let go of his shirt to give him maneuverability.

What should he do? He remembered his idol All Might, the number one hero. It all became quite clear. He put on a smile that pretended he knew what he was doing. "It's fine now. Why?" He straightened his shoulders. "Because I am here."

If even just a little, Eri believed him, enough to let go of his shirt.

BREAK LOGIC

Mina felt scared, and so did most of the class. The alarms went off, and that startled them. Iida noticed the perpetrators were reporters, so he warned the others. It saved many of the smaller students from being trampled. She felt surprised but not worried when Midoriya gave his class rep position to Iida.

No, three things scared her. First, Eri wasn't in class. She last saw her during lunch when Bakugo took her into a hall for without explaining. Maybe he was pissed about her slapping him yesterday? Yet Bakugo looked… not worried but uncertain? Something like that? She had a hard time reading him, but the jerk probably knew what happened and it bothered him. Lastly, the terrifying part, Aizawa looked furious. She thought he looked scary when his Quirk turned on, but he looked scarier now. He had this cold fury, like a judge about to sentence a criminal to death.

He let the class out early. It wasn't even his class time. They had All Might in the afternoon, but Aizawa told them the man helped secure the school. Their teacher never tried to sleep. Too impatient. He wanted to go somewhere but couldn't abandon his students.

As everyone packed their bags, she heard her name called. "Ashido, Bakugo. I'll need you to stay after class." A few students gave Bakugo weary eyes. What if he hurt Eri during the chaos? Mina didn't suspect that. He would be with the principal if that was the case, but she felt certain something bad happened to her friend.

She grimaced. After scaring her friend so much yesterday, the girl didn't talk to anyone since. Maybe Bakugo unwillingly. Mina knew Eri wanted some time and space, but she wanted to apologize and reassure her so much! What if she never gets the chance?

They waited for the other students to leave. Bakugo and Mina stood on the other side of the desk.

Aizawa's shoulders slouched after the last student, a concerned Midoriya, left. "Ashido, you realized Eri went through a lot yesterday."

Her eyes opened in fear. "I'm sorry, but I nev-"

He held up his hand to silence her. "Bakugo, you figured that out during the security breach." The boy nodded. "Under Japanese law, I cannot as a teacher tell my students about other students' pasts or personal lives. As a hero, I cannot talk about ongoing investigations or past cases involving my interactions with minors." Mina put the pieces of the puzzle together. She didn't like the picture. "As her father, I have more leeway."

Bakugo didn't say anything, but Mina blurted, "I asked her about your same surnames, but she said-"

"'I have no known blood relations with Teacher Aizawa', correct?" She nodded. She asked her when she realized Eri was Eri Aizawa, and she gave that response verbatim. "She was adopted. I found her being chased by a villain. I won't go into details. Eri will tell you when she's ready, but I adopted a very damaged little girl. I'm asking as her father for you to be there for her."

She nodded. "I was going to do that anyway."

"Thank you…" He rubbed his eyes. "If you want to talk, she's in the nurse's office. She, Recovery Girl, and an upperclassman are there. It would mean a lot to her if you showed up."

She nodded and went out the door, not bothering to take her book bag. She barely caught the first words between Aizawa and Bakugo.

"Bakugo, thank you. Now tell me, what did she say?"

BREAK LOGIC

Eri had two places she viewed as safe. First, her home. U.A. happened to be the best hero school in the world. How could a place full of heroes teaching future heroes be dangerous? Second, heroes themselves. Father saved her. Father was her safe space. Principal Nezu had a hero license even though he was just U.A.'s principal, and he kept her safe. Miss Nemuri took her out on dozens of trips to cafes and even malls. Not once was she ever in danger.

That's why she wanted to be with someone safe since her home no longer held that title. All the pros had their hands tied with securing the school or teaching, but someone just as powerful came to her side without asking. He didn't care if it counted as skipping class.

Mirio Togota sat beside her on the hospital bed and scanned the room for any villains. It held no logic to think she'd be attacked, but he assuaged those worries regardless. She rested her head on her knees and felt the slightest comfort. Instead of focusing on the present or the dark past, she thought of warm memories. She thought of when she met Mirio, when he was nothing but a student who barely made it into the hero course instead of the strongest student in U.A… and stronger than most pros.

Eri blinked. A naked man fell through a wall. Most girls blush or scream at the sight, especially if they're only thirteen; however, Eri knew how to subdue outbursts.

Her reaction confused the first year Mirio Togota. His Quirk, Permeation, allowed him to slip through all forms of matter which included floors, buildings, and his clothes. For the moment, it was a lot less badass than it sounded. The way in worked, in practice, was him slipping into the floor blind and launching himself out like a bullet. Controlling that launch lied outside his abilities, his current situation being a perfect example. Not only did he end up outside the gym, but he seemed to have lost his clothes somewhere in that process.

Oh, and he's now outside in his birthday suit next to a young girl. This couldn't lead to any awkward situations at all, right? Since he had so much experience with appearing out of the blue without so much as his boxers, he knew how to defuse these situations for the sake of the observing parties.

"Here." The girl took off her sweatshirt and handed it off. "This should suffice for the moment."

Much to his surprise, the situation needed no defusing. He wrapped the jacket around his pelvis akin to a kilt and smiled.

"Thanks!" He rubbed the back of his head. "And, uh, sorry. My Quirk's hard to get precise and these things tend to kinda happen… a lot, so thanks."

She gave a jerky nod. "Understandable. After you've obtained your original garments, please give my jacket to U.A. faculty. Tell them it's Eri's."

"Eri, huh?" He held out his hand. "I'm Mirio Togota of class 1-B! Are you in 1-A? I haven't met them yet, or maybe you're gen ed. Oh, or business? Support?"

"I'm thirteen." Shoot. She's tall.

"The question still stands." He kept his hand hanging. She took it and shook with her gloved hand. Huh, even though they were into the start of the school year and the summer heat lingered in the air, the girl wore pants, a sweatshirt, a jacket, and gloves. Now, minus the jacket. Probably had something to do with her Quirk.

"I am not a first year, though my presence is permitted on school grounds."

Not a student but allowed on campus? His eyes widened in recognition, not by her appearance but by reputation.

"You're the Ghost of U.A!" For almost half a decade, the school acquired a bit of an urban legend. The school had world-class security, and everybody ended up seeing all their classmates at least once before they graduate, even those weird support-course hermits. Then, there was the Ghost. Her appearance ranged from an ethereal angel with a halo to a fleshly android who escaped from Power Loader's workshop. The fact that the teachers never confirmed nor denied the student's questions only further fueled speculation. Some even furthered the rumors, a good tactic in keeping the truth hidden. No one knew what was true and what wasn't when well-over a hundred theories floated around the Ghost.

She blinked again. "Possibly." She tilted her head. If she were an android, she'd be smoking at the ears. He could almost see her brain going into overdrive. "How about a trade?"

He had no idea what she was talking about. "Sure!" He always was the kinda person who rushed headfirst into danger and friendships. He thought the latter was more likely in this case.

"You keep the details of our meeting concealed from any students. The faculty may know. In return, I offer you help with your Quirk, whatever it might be."

He had no idea how she could help him unless she happened to have the same Quirk and better control over it. "Sure!" But, Mirio was humble and always wanted to improve. Plus, the girl spoke way too formally. Maybe he could help her with that.

On that day, Mirio acquired a Quirk trainer with terrifying amounts of control over her Quirk. Eri acquired something much more precious. She'd never admit it to anyone, but she acquired something akin to a big brother. She found that feeling evocative.

She also was dangerously close to screaming the entire time. Standing next to a nude guy would do that kinda stuff.

"I wish I was braver." Her voice came out like a whisper. Mirio frowned.

"I think you're very brave. Pretty much everyone stampeded to the emergency exit when the alarms went off." He shook his head. "We're U.A. students. Most of the second and third years in the hero course fought villains during their field experience, yet we let the crowd's energy lead us like… your dad to a stray cat." She didn't smile. Well, that joke didn't work. "Really, I only know two students who kept their heads together, though I think there were more. Anyway, there was a kid with motors in his legs who told us the trespassers were just reporters."

"Iida, the younger brother of Tensei Iida. He's a classmate."

"The other was that kid who brought you here. Baka-something, right?"

"Bakugo, though a baka as well. Another classmate. I voted for him to be class rep."

Mirio nodded. "Well, from what I can tell, he has a cool head on his shoulders. I'll cheer him on during the Sports Festival."

This time, Eri gave the slightest hint of a smile at how far off Mirio was with guessing Bakugo's explosive personality. Though, cheering on one of the most likely winners of the festival offered a low chance of disappointment.

They heard a knock on the door. "Um, can I talk to Eri?" Why did Mina arrive, and how did she know Eri was here? Only Bakugo, the people in this room, and her father knew that… Oh, Father must've told her, so he must want her to talk. He did ask her to do that yesterday.

"Come in, come in." Recovery Girl stretched her aged muscles. "Kids these days. When I was a student, we met on rooftops or cafes if we wanted to talk. Do you all? No, you meet in the nurse's office."

Mina entered the room and walked to the back, where Eri and Mirio sat. She recognized Mirio. Most students and many pro heroes did.

Recovery Girl thumped her cane on the ground. "You can talk, but don't rile up the girl or else." Even though the short woman had an actual healing Quirk and should've retired two decades ago, the threat carried through.

"Yes, ma'am!" Mina nodded furiously, not wanting to anger the lady who heals any wound sustained on campus. She waived at the younger two. "We haven't met, but I'm her friend. Thank you for staying with her, Togata."

With just a glance in Eri's direction, he reads the situation. "I'll give you two some time." He nodded at Mina on the way out. "And you can call me Mirio."

Recovery Girl also made herself sparse. Eri became aware of how quiet the nursery office could be.

"Your dad, um…" Mina rubbed her arm, and Eri ascertained what happened with that statement alone. He would have given minimal information on Eri while also inferring villains hurt his daughter in the past.

"Who else knows?" She uncurled her legs and let them dangle over the bedside.

"Bakugo. They were still talking when I left."

"Oh…" She looked out the window. Students filled away to their normal lives. Their greatest worries were boyfriends or grades or parental squabbles. Did she envy their… perception of the world? Yes. Did any of them learn to ignore needles jammed into their legs? How many of them had their bodies killed only to be reassembled back to life? What would they do if they look and their hands and know those took lives?

Eri pried her eyes away from the window and those dark, illogical thoughts, and her gaze rested on Mina. The girl knew how to laugh. Eri envied that.

"Um…" Mina shifted her weight from one foot to another, wanting to do something like sit next to her friend but unwilling to take that risk. "I had a panic attack once. A villain."

The bluenette raised her eyebrow. "Truly?"

"Yeah." Her eyes… darkened for a lack of better terms even though the white of her eyes was already coal black. "Kirishima was there for part of it too." Seeing Eri's confusion, the girl informed, "The guy who makes rocks with red hair. I don't think he was on your radar yet. Anyway, we went to middle school together. Class was out, and I was heading home like always. Then, there was this friggen spooky looking guy talking to Kirishima in an alley. My, uh, feet sorta took me there without a thought, and I suddenly got asked for directions by the villain. He even said he's a villain."

Mina paused to take a protracted breath. "Sorry. I don't say this story much. Well, he wanted to attack our police station, but was from another town. No." She shook her head. "I never knew why, nor do I want to know why. Kirishima stood there frozen in fear. I gave fake directions, and the villain believed me. We called the police. Heroes captured the villain before he hurt anyone. Kirishima dyed his hair crimson instead of his natural black. All was well. I had a massive panic attack that night and the next and the next… For weeks, they'd just sorta happen at night when I was alone." She shrugged. "Easier to think of what-ifs that way, right? Uh, Eri… You okay?"

Eri seemed frozen. She was many things, but okay was not one of them. To her disgust, she felt joy the most because Mina stood in front of her and Mina could empathize, even if just a little. Same age. Traumatic villain. Girl. Eri had access to a friend with that same combination, so she made an emotional and logical decision. She had just enough emotional control to do it.

Father took initiative and captured villains by surprise with his capturing tape. Eri stood and captured a friend with a hug. Unlike the villains, Mina didn't struggle. She welcomed the contact.

She said a short statement, a mere observation on her state of being yet something she willingly said to few, "I'm scared."

She felt scared for many reasons. Her home was invaded. Two more people know about minimal aspects of her past. Some of the girls saw her scars. Moreover, she felt scared for the future. Not only did she embrace Mina, but she embraced the… concept that she'll pursue normalcy or at least friendships, despite the pain and worry. The hug tore away any excuse to withdrawal from friendships, at least in her mind.

She felt scared for the future, full of delight and agony. Even so, she squeezed Mina tighter.

BREAK LOGIC

Bakugo felt the need to explode everything. Why? His perception of the world, his everything, had not only been shaken but violently strangled to death, burned to ashes, then shoved down his throat.

It all started when Deku, FUCKING DEKU, saved him from a slime monster. The villain attacked him almost a year ago and at random. He needed a body to hide in, and he chose Bakugo. The boy fought and struggled for fifteen minutes in a desperate attempt to not suffocate in greasy sewage. His explosions bought him time, since the heat generated hurt the monster. Did any of the people around him help? No. They gawked, shrieked, and called the police for heroes. Bakugo held nothing against the civilians because they were damn civilians. Heroes protect them, so they couldn't do the protecting.

What infuriated the boy consisted first of the heroes' responses. None of them had Quirks that had obvious ways to defeat the villain, though in hindsight the boy thought of fifteen different ways. Just as Bakugo ran out of energy, Deku showed up. He didn't hesitate. He ran up knowing he'd die just to buy him a few more seconds.

Then All Might came and defeated the villains in a single punch. THAT CREATED A FUCKING STORM WITH JUST THE CHANGING AIR PRESSURE OR SOME SHIT LIKE THAT. He always imagined meeting his childhood idol as a proud moment in his life. All Might would recognize him as the next number one hero or at least congratulate him. Instead, the towering god among men saved him moments before some random villain killed him, then the hothead barfed and spat out sewage on the ground.

Glory became shame.

Oh, and the most useless, Quirkless nerd ever bought him a few seconds that saved his life. The world worked like a line. The most powerful stood on top and protected everyone below him. The second most powerful protected everyone but the most powerful. That process went all the way to the bottom, where Deku lied. That meant Deku was more powerful than him, since his childhood but former friend saved him.

Then, Deku made it to U.A. with a QUIRK. Now, he had a fucking Quirk that worked like All Might's and had enough power to shatter bones, including the user's. Quirkless Deku became Dangerous Deku, and he could give no good explanation for how he suddenly has a Quirk.

Bakugo could handle that. It meant he had to push himself harder, but he had a clear target. Deku. He had to become a better hero than he.

That was two days ago, and he thought his world couldn't get any more shattered. It did.

Red Eyes said things when during the alarms and as he took her to the nurse. She rambled and muttered. Some of it didn't make sense, but she said enough for him to have a small idea of what happened to her.

Then, Tired Teacher informed him of the shitstorm he found himself in. Despite the fact she hated his guts, Red Eyes decided that she trusted him implicitly. Her father, because of course his homeroom teacher adopted the psycho bitch, said Red Eyes willingly told three people of anything about her past. One was her father. The other was left unmentioned. The last one was Bakugo himself. Tired Teacher said the situation caused a breakdown that made her lips loose, but now Bakugo bears that knowledge.

He could handle that. He could handle the idea of a girl getting tortured. Those things happened despite how horrible they were.

What shattered his reality… He never would've saved her. Even as a pro hero, he envisioned himself on taking down the biggest villains because he will become one of the few powerful enough to do that. Hero Bakugo never would've stopped to attack a random Yakuza member who secretly tortured a six-year-old for still unknown reasons.

Just to drag him through the shards of his broken worldview, the fucking villain got away. No name. Unknown Quirk. Unknown location. He kept a low profile before he lost Red Eyes. Who would track a petty criminal named Overhaul who never committed public crimes? Hell, his Quirk somehow could rearrange matter with hand contact which no one in Japan had officially registered. After he vanished, the name Overhaul never slunk out of the shadows. Now, only a traumatized girl and a guy who saw him in a shady nighttime alley could identify him.

For all the suffering he caused, the nameless monster evaded judgement. Tired Teacher then ordered him to not do his own investigating. Something about keeping Eri's anonymity. Good fucking luck with that during the Sport Festival.

Bakugo felt the need to explode everything. Instead, he opened the door to his family's house and walked inside. He didn't yell as always. He didn't slam the door shut as always. He didn't call his mom an old hag as always.

"OI BRAT, WHY ARE YOU SO FUCKING LATE?!" his mother shouted. "THE DINNER'S FUCKING COLD NOW THANKS TO YOUR LAZY ASS!" Bakugo suspects that he only inherited his Y-chromosome from his father. Everything else stemmed from his mother.

He didn't respond. He trudged up the stairs to his bedroom.

"BRAT!" His mom's footsteps crashed from the kitchen towards him. "WHAT THE HELL IS Y-" She cut herself off midsentence when she saw her son. "Hey, you alright?"

"Not hungry. Going to bed," he mumbled.

She nodded. "Okay, punk."

Bakugo closed the door and went to bed. He didn't fall asleep until 3 a.m.

BREAK LOGIC

"Today could've gone better." If it was anyone else, Eri would've said it was sarcasm; however, her father spoke those words. He expressed blatant honesty towards her. No sugarcoating, misdirection, or sarcasm. He offered himself as a channel of honest sincerity, and she appreciated that. Instead of sarcasm, Aizawa stated a fact.

"Indeed." She set her chopsticks down, not having the appetite to finish her meal. She heard other families talk during dinnertime, an ancient tradition of breaking bread and fellowshipping. They didn't. They kept their words concise or enjoyed the silence.

"Mina?"

Eri recalled the conversation and her, for lack of better words, breakdown. She had gone weeks without one, but three hit her in the past twenty-four hours. Embarrassing. Pathetic. Illogical. "She understands the reason for my scaring. She told me she will text me tonight. I…" She took a sip of water to combat her dry mouth. "I feel curious about partaking in stereotypical behaviors of teenage females."

Her father blinked. "You're excited about doing teenage girl things. Try to text informally. That kind of language is hard to read on text."

"Oh." She nodded. "Thank you for your advice." She stood and straightened her posture. "I will do so," she declared with the utmost conviction. She glanced at their plates. "But dishes come first."

Aizawa shook his head. "I'll do it. You get ready. Mina talks informally. Try to incorporate her diction without coming off wooden."

Eri cracked the slightest of smiles. "Thanks."

Her father returned the gesture. "That's my girl."

Eri went to her room and got ready for bed. She completes her workouts and homework in the morning, so only the texting remained for today. After waiting ten minutes and twenty seconds, she decided to stop practicing her mental metronome and completed homework for the time being. The clock read seven forty, and Eri went to bed at eight to wake in the early morning. Mina won't wait too long, would she?

At a nine twenty-eight, a groggy Eri heard a ping from her phone. She checked the device and saw an unread text. She woke up almost instantly.

Mina: Hey! How you holding up?

Eri: What time do you fall asleep?

Mina: What?

Eri: I sleep from 8 to 2. What are your hours? I am curious due to your time to initiate conversation.

She felt proud over typing numbers with symbols rather than letters.

Mina: hghsdjf! WHAT?!

Eri: I'll assume my hours are weird.

Mina: Yeah… 12-6 is what I and lots of others do. Um, wanna sleep?

Eri: I stayed awake to talk. Let's continue.

Mina: How are you doing? Are you coming to school tomorrow? Uraraka, Yaoyorozu, and Jiro feel bad about seeing your scars and wanna apologize, but you were… you know… today.

Eri: I heard group messaging is possible. Is that true? You initiated a group messaging conversation with Hagakure before a class started.

Mina: OH! Here! Download this app! Fill it out! It's for group messaging, and I'll have one ready for you! Name yourself your name so I can find you!

Eri: Thanks?

She downloaded the app that Mina sent and made an account. Immediately thereafter, she received an invite. It dawned on her that Mina qualified as a genius when it comes to communications technology.

Alien Queen: Eri! This is Mina!

Kuudere: What happened to your name?

Kuudere: My name is also not what I registered it under.

Alien Queen: You're a total kuudere! You aren't really supposed to use your name in this. Sorta an unofficial thingy. Don't get sidetracked! Bubbly VP Guitar God Eri has something to say!

Red Eyes: I like this name more, in that case. I assume those are Uraraka, Yaoyorozu, and Jiro respectively?

Guitar God: Yep

Guitar God: Also hi. We missed you for afternoon session. Hope you're fine.

Red Eyes: I'm doing better. Are Uraraka and Yaoyorozu here? I do not know how this functions.

Guitar God: IDK but they'll see it.

Alien Queen: ^

Eri squinted at the screen. Being in a conversation with other people yet not seeing them felt surreal… off. Detached? Yes, it felt detached, but maybe that was what she needed. She suspected saying these same things face-to-face would've been harder, so perhaps she could use this group messaging technology to convey more personal thoughts.

Red Eyes: I apologize for my emotional outburst. I understand if you feel unease at my presence now. I request that you refrain from telling others about my scarring and you do not ask how I acquired them. This is a personal matter to me. The U.A. staff is informed, so they are aware of my situation. Thank you.

Her heart pounded from the shadow of the unknown. Will they comply with her requests? Will they be offended? She waited for the responses. Jiro came first since hers was shorter.

Guitar God: Scars are cool, dude. Didn't bother me. We're cool. No prob.

That's it? Jiro not only complied but never had a problem in the first place?! Eri re-evaluated her initial response to the situation. Depending on the others, she should've been more trusting.

Alien Queen: I understand! I'm a fuzzy pink mutant-type with black, soulless eyes! I know how it feels to be judged by appearances! Your life is yours to share, and come to me if anyone is being too pushy about it, alright? And I won't accept your apology because you did nothing wrong in the first place! :)

Eri took several calming breaths before typing a response.

Red Eyes: I sincerely thank you for your kindness. You are both wonderful people.

Bubbly: I'm so sorry we made you think that we felt nervous around you! I didn't. VP didn't either, but she doesn't seem to use her phone after dinner. She'll read it in the morning.

Red Eyes: Thank you.
Red Eyes: I do exercise and combat routines on U.A. campus from 4:30 to 7:30 every morning. You may join if you want. Goodnight. Thank you again.

Alien Queen: Shit! You weird morning people! I'll try to make it at the end.

Bubbly: VP might. My train arrives later than that. Sorry. Goodnight!

Guitar God: Fucking hell, girl. When do you sleep? G'night.

The conversation continued past that point, but Eri turned off her phone. She felt exhausted and not the kind from staying up later than normal. She fell asleep not long after that.

BREAK LOGIC

Aizawa finished another cup of coffee. He passed his recommended daily caffeine intake ten cups ago, but he still felt exhausted. Not his normal exhaustion. This reached higher levels, and he blamed it on a simple fact.

The doors were disintegrated, yet none of the reporters had disintegration Quirks.

Even though they existed for news, none of the reporters gave an account on who broke them into U.A. besides "wore a hoodie". Why? Why did that person cause that distraction? They never were apprehended which meant they slunk away after committing that crime or entered the school without being caught.

All Might started teaching. Eri started her first year. The son of the second ranked hero in Japan started his first year. The daughter of the twenty-fifth richest family in Japan started her first year. U.A. was the top hero school in Japan and maybe the world.

Just a cursory glance at his class gave five very good goals, but he didn't know which of them were correct. Maybe none of them were. Maybe all.

Since he cleaned their dishes after dinner until now at one o'clock, he combed over every bit and piece of evidence for some connection. Any connection.

He rubbed his bloodshot eyes. Eri… He hoped, a rare and illogical thing for him, that her time in 1-A could help her make friends, smile, learn to live. Normal girl things for a girl who damn well deserved it. Instead, she had a panic attack and won't feel safe in her very home for the next several months or longer.

He leans back in his desk chair and lets out a crestfallen groan. Eri's very existence disproved the notion of karma. What was he doing wrong?

"Father?" His brain went into overdrive, and all impressions of sleep fled his mind. She should still be sleeping.

"Yes?" She wore her pajamas, a hot pink outfit with little bunnies. He bought it for fifteenth birthday. She claimed to be embarrassed yet wore the clothing regardless. It also meant she either wanted to talk to him without delay or planned to go back to sleep. She would've changed otherwise.

"I invited some of my classmates to train with me during my morning routine. Is that permissible?" She rubbed her eyes. He suspected his daughter might not be fully awake.

"Do you want to?"

She tilted her head to the side and pondered the question, then she nodded. "Yes."

"Then you should." He walked to her and patted her head. "Come on. Let's get you back to bed."

He guided Eri to her bedroom and tucked the girl in for the little time she had before her alarm goes off. Aizawa took a final glance at his sleeping girl before slogging through research until morning.

He muttered, "If only you were that peaceful while awake."