Izuku couldn't help but feel a little anxious when he found out the news of the joint training mission he was taking part in with Nejire Hado. It was something Aizawa had agreed to along with All Might and Principal Nezu when Nejire requested it.

The third-years had a little more power in this type of thing because they allowed it to go through with no objections, provided Nejire take responsibility for Izuku. She happily obliged, but the day the training mission fell on was a Sunday when they were supposed to rest.

The reason they chose Sunday was that it didn't interfere with any of their classes, leaving the others out of it. That meant Izuku was going to be spending a hefty amount of time with Nejire all by himself. He saw no problem with that, but the anxiety flipping pancakes inside of his stomach told him he was in for some mild trouble.

Izuku stepped outside with his hero costume and fidgeted with the hood, trying to the ears of it in a more comfortable position. He was also told a pro hero had agreed to take them under her wing as long as they didn't cause any unnecessary altercations or suffer from any injuries throughout the whole day they were with her.

"Maybe this was a bad idea to agree to," Izuku muttered as he softly chewed his bottom lip.

It would have been better if he had some time to rest, but when the opportunity to spend some quality time with his girlfriend appeared, there was no way he was going to say no. Still, maybe they could have spent it in a more mild manner like watching a movie or staring at the stars.

Izuku shook his head in disbelief at his thoughts. He was a hero, so that meant he had to be ready to take on anything with a smile, no matter what he went through.

Izuku made his way over to the Class 3-A dorm, but along the way, Nejire must have also been looking for him because she suddenly plummeted from the sky and landed next to him with a touch of graceful elegance. "Izuku! How are you doing?"

Izuku flinched in surprise as he stared at her. "T-That scared me!"

"Did it really?" Nejire asked, circling him with her hands behind her back and a cheerful expression sitting on her face.

"Well, I don't know how else you would expect me to react..."

"With overflowing happiness upon meeting your extremely cute girlfriend! And now you'll finally get to see me in action! We'll be jailing a ton of bad guys today, so get ready to be tired by the end of the day!"

"I'll be ready when the day is over."

Nejire giggled at Izuku's joke and leaned over to hug him. The warmth from her body traveled over to his, encapsulating his body with her love. It was a wonderful sensation, but one that instilled a sense of embarrassment within him from the chance anyone was looking in their direction.

They still hadn't disproved the rumors of Nejire being his older sister around the entire school, but with the help of his classmates, perhaps there was a chance.

"Uh... I have to ask a question."

"Go on."

"Do you know who the pro hero is that's monitoring us today? I heard it was a female, but they didn't give too many details or a name."

Nejire put a finger on her chin as she looked up at the sky in thought. "I heard it's supposed to be Rumi Usagiyama, otherwise known as the Rabbit Hero: Mirko. I was hoping it could be my work-study mentor Ryuko, but she told me she would be busy today since she was collaborating with Uwabami for an advertisement on her latest beauty product. I'm surprised she accepted, but it seems like it was because she owed Uwabami a favor."

"Uh oh..." Somehow, that didn't sit right with Izuku. The hero who rarely assisted others agreed to watch over them today? What strings did the teachers at U.A. high school have to pull for this one to work?

"Uh oh is right, but I doubt she's actually going to be doing anything other than just keeping an eye out for us as she passes by the prefecture today and moves to another tomorrow. She isn't one for babysitting anyone if I remember correctly..." Nejire mused as she turned to look at Izuku. "But that just means we can spend more time together!"

"This feels more like a date rather than a team-up between us to save people's lives."

"Haha! Of course not! What makes you think that?" Nejire asked as a small blush painted her face and averted his gaze.

"I-I knew something was fishy!"

Izuku approached Mirko with equal parts caution and enthusiasm in the area they were supposed to meet. She was the revered hero who expressed her thoughts freely and protected the country with little to no effort while acting a bit like Bakugo, but more on the lighter side. She was the rabbit hero he had researched a ton about when he was younger and now he was meeting her in the flesh!

Mirko turned around to see both of them walking over to her. Nejire raised her hands in the air and waved them, causing a vicious smile to appear on Mirko's face as she did one wave of her hand and dropped it next to her side. "About time you two slowpokes showed up! I was just warming up before the morning started and I thought it was already lunchtime by the time I saw you guys, but imagine my surprise when the time said nine o'clock!"

With a bewildered expression, Izuku stumbled through his introduction. "Uh... Sorry? But it's an honor to work with you, so thank you for your patience!"

Mirko stared at Izuku as if he had grown a second head, but nodded her head. "I guess it's forgivable, but today is not the day I babysit two high school students from U.A., so if you'll excuse me, I have a country to protect! I'll be keeping an eye on both of you today just so Aizawa doesn't scold me later!" Mirko shouted as she jumped away from view as quickly as they met her.

"Well, that's as far as introductions go I guess," Nejire said as she raised a hand over her eyes to shield her vision from the sun, watching Mirko hop away to whatever vicinity required her help. "That means it's up to us to help her with whatever!"

Izuku rubbed his stomach as it growled softly and looked at Nejire with a sheepish grin. "I-I forgot to eat some breakfast."

Nejire giggled as she reached over to ruffle her hand through his soft hair. "Anything for you."

After the small breakfast they feasted on, they were back out on the streets. It was a peaceful day with no interruptions. At least so far.

Glimpses of Mirko were rare as she only checked up on them once so far in three hours they patrolled the area. She could be seen hopping around at times, but that was the bulk of her appearances.

The only breaks they got from their somewhat monotonous patrol were when fans of them would crowd around them. The audience they garnered would grow and dwindle, depending on the attention they received, but they dispersed rather quickly since there wasn't much to do other than receive autographs, take photos, and idolize them.

It so happened when the crowd dissipated, they ended up at a nearby park where Nejire invited him to sit on a bench facing towards a lake.

"Shouldn't we be looking out for villains rather than sitting around?" Izuku asked, breaking the silence that had settled around them.

"Oh... True, but a couple of minutes wouldn't hurt, right?" Nejire asked though a nervous expression sat on her face as she looked around for any trouble.

"Yeah, I guess."

Izuku glanced over at Nejire, who gazed at the activities sprouting across the lake like people fishing, people running and cycling around the trail, and ducks quacking as they fought each other for food some passersby were feeding them. She looked like she was at peace, which was something contrary to what he was expecting from her.

Thin strands of hair brushed up against her face as the wind gently clashed with her. She looked really beautiful at that moment, though he would be lying if he said she wasn't every second of the day. But something about this particular instant in time, hanging frozen in the air, changed his perspective.

He didn't really have the time to process just how quickly his life was passing by him, but now that he was, the weight of all his memories flooded into his mind. All the entertainment he experienced with his girlfriend felt worth it. It just felt right knowing she was willing to stick by him when it all originated from an accident.

He would probably remember this more often than not, but maybe that was a good thing. Even though some parts of his journey got a little embarrassing, it added a little taste to the adventure.

"Izuku, what do you think of this so far?"

"Eh? What do I think of what so far?"

"What do you think about our relationship so far? It's a bit of a funny question, isn't it?" Nejire asked, her eyes glued to the lake, switching over to stare at him.

Izuku's mind entered a state of dysphoria and hysteria combined. Why was she asking such a question? Was there a hidden meaning behind it? "A-Are we breaking up?"

"Of course not! Did I make it sound that scary? Sorry, if I did!" Nejire exclaimed as she pondered the wording of her question. "But I was just wondering if you were feeling happy? I know I can be a bit of a pushover sometimes with the way I act... Maybe a little too much! But I want to know if you liked how this relationship has played out so far."

Izuku suddenly noticed as a couple walked past them. He studied them, but he couldn't tell if staring at them was going to provide him with any answers.

It felt weird, seeing how there were many relationships around the world, but he never took the time to consider if they were both happy in a relationship. Was there ever an awkward phase with a relationship that forced it to fall apart before it took off? If the communication between a couple was incoherent, then there could already be problems.

Was he happy with how things were panning out? The only answer he could find within himself was a resounding yes, but he was still a bit skeptical.

"You know, I haven't really thought about that... But I guess now is a good time as any to start. So um..."

What was Izuku supposed to say to her in this situation? He thought everything was going fine, but if he told her that and she said she didn't like it and pointed out some blatant mistakes he was unaware of, then he felt like his whole world was going to end up crumbling apart from top to bottom.

He's been enjoying his time with her, despite some of the exaggerated situations she put him through. He felt like a sole person stepping onto the stage with a spotlight shining on him, but in hindsight, it was slightly amusing.

"Hypothetically, what would you say if I said yes?"

Nejire smiled as she leaned over to get closer to him. "I would agree with your answer because I feel at peace around you. Even now. I was sure something would change if we started dating, but so far, it feels like everything has evolved for the better! I still get to be myself without having to compromise anything."

"That's a good thing, right? Or does that mean nothing's changed between us?"

"Well, the part where I stop calling you little brother or baby brother stopped, but I'm going to guess that's beside the point. But no, nothing's changed between us and I like that." Nejire rested her head on his shoulder and let out a sigh of relief. "I love you."

Izuku stiffened up just as he was about to put his arm around her. That was something he didn't expect to hear from her at that moment, but it made sense. "I-I love you too!"

"Lighten up, Izuku! I ain't gonna bite!"

"Um... I'm not sure if that's a threat or not."

Nejire laughed as she gently hit his chest with a playful attitude. "Don't worry, it's not."

Silence drifted over them while they continued to rest. It wasn't until Mirko slammed down right next to them did they realize just how long they were sitting there.

"What are you two lovebirds sitting around for in the middle of your training session!?"

"Ah, sorry! It won't happen again!" Izuku yelled in a panic.

"There better be a good explanation for this."

Unfortunately, Izuku didn't have a good explanation for her. But hopefully, Mirko could forgive them for having their sentimental moment.

Author's Note: Romantic development in this story rather than more nonsensical comical moments? How could I do such a thing!?

Anyway, I just had to make it a little more serious for this chapter because it felt right! And because this story is coming to a close soon! If all goes according to plan, I should finish by November with two more chapters left to go before it ends!

I hope you've been enjoying it so far because I sure have been! It's been an honor to write for you guys, but it's time to bring it to the finish line!

Also, if you guys were worrying about my injuries and physical pain, don't worry! Everything is pretty much healed!

With love from your favorite writer, Out4Lunch!