It had become a strangely familiar scene for Toga to witness her whole class erupt in an exuberant and frankly deafening cheer of unrestrained excitement. Pretty much any minor announcement from their homeroom teacher, be it some school-related activity or a new training method, would cause the students of Classroom 1-A to react as if their whole lives had been awaiting this single moment with how excited they would get.

And Toga absolutely loved it!

Her old classmates in middle school would be downright drab and boring in comparison to the eclectic assortment of students that had, to her big surprise, become such cherished friends to her. In middle school, everyone was so worried about popularity and fitting in, that it left Toga most of the day mentally retching at the prospect that this would be what would become of her if she continued to wear that deplorable mask of conformity. Always having to smile, to be good, to be normal.

'Who got to decide what was normal anyway?!' Toga would scream this phrase into the growing void of her soul every day, ripping and tearing at her heart until she was numb, perfectly molded to what was expected of her, into what was 'normal'. No one cared about who she was, who she really was, unless she was normal.

Thankfully, three events had saved the golden-eyed schoolgirl from this cruel, horrible fate of mundanity and internal pain. That delectable red liquid, so sticky and warm, pouring forth from his bruised and beaten body, finally freed her of that horrendous life she had been unwittingly forced into. They had stared at her, pointing and whispering in horror as she hungrily ingested his blood, her whole body abuzz with a foreign feeling, one she had been forced to repress a long time ago. All she could do in that moment was cry, the tears streaming joyfully down her cheeks as she knew, finally knew, that she was free.

But true freedom did not arrive until that one fateful day. A day that will forever live in her heart as the true turning point of history. The day where everything changed. When death became a new life and the world became hers. No more boundaries to hold her in! No more world to conform to! Everything was as it should be!

Hers!

And then there was him. The final, most important, piece of the puzzle. The one who had brought brilliance and light, a sense of meaning, to her all-encompassing and all-powerful existence. Someone who accepted her for who she was and made every waking moment a true blessing. A light piercing through the darkness.

Her beloved Izu-kun.

Turning in her seat, the slight creaking of its wooden frame lost within the din of chaos erupting throughout the classroom, Toga's golden eyes immediately found the green-haired object of her affection amongst the brightly colored cornucopia of classmates, his essence calling out to her like a shining beacon. The excitement of the teacher's announcement had even gripped the young successor to One For All, a bright smile pulling on his lips as he conversed with his friends, completely oblivious to her loving stare.

And that was ok, the godlike girl more than content to just watch him speak, to see his emerald eyes spark with excitement, to admire his lovely smile. She was happy just to sit here, chin resting comfortably in her palm as she lets out a dreamy sigh full of love and affection, golden eyes alight with unwavering adoration. Toga was content to just enjoy this wonderful moment in her perfect life.

Everything was finally perfect.

Feeling a familiar shiver run down his spine, fear and warmth clashing in a mix of emotions, Izuku nervously checked over his shoulder, the young hero fully aware of what he will find once he did. Sure enough, there she was, the grin on her face growing ten times wider as their eyes locked from across the room, sharp canines put proudly on display.

It could only have been Toga, her shoulders shaking slightly, eyes closed in amusement as she giggled at the quizzical expression that was surely present on his face at the moment. Despite feeling slightly concerned about her rare show of restraint, the smile on her face much too happy and carefree to be hinting towards something mischievous, which only helped to fuel his worry more, Izuku couldn't help but smile back.

Her smile was reminiscent of the one she had worn after they returned Eri to her hospital room, Toga having forgone any sense of discretion and simply walked up the side of the building, dragging Izuku along by the scruff of his shirt, the white-haired child tucked safely in her arms. After the day they had, Izuku decided to just keep quiet and let it happen. Toga was going to do what she wanted no matter what. At least she was keeping all of these activities hidden from passerby's.

Placing the half-dozing Eri into her bed, Toga conjuring the hospital gown back onto her, the white-haired girl lazily reached out to them for a brief moment before falling into a deep slumber, the two of them staring at the sleeping girl with small smiles as she let out tiny, relaxed breaths. Grabbing the edge of her blanket, Toga gently tucked the crimson eyed girl in, a small smile tugging on Eri's lips as she snuggled her cheek into the comforting softness of her pillow.

"Toga…chan…" Eri's soft murmurs, barely above a whisper, caused the godlike girl to stare at the slumbering child with wide, golden eyes, a soft hue of pink dusting her cheeks at the loving affection in the little girl's voice as she spoke her name. It made her heart beat erratically in her chest, a pleasant sensation warming her chest as she looked at the white-haired girl's smiling face, completely oblivious of the confusing emotions she was eliciting within the blonde schoolgirl.

Shaking her head, clearing her brain of the mess of emotions and thoughts rampaging through her mind, Toga turned to the green-haired boy with a teasing grin.

"I'm the favorite~"

"We should open a stall!" Pulled out of his reminiscing by Sato's booming cry, the Sugar Rush hero running through all of the sweets and confections they could make, Izuku turned away from Toga's magnetic stare as he joined his classmates in debating what the best choice would be for the Cultural Festival. This would be the first time he would be able to actually fully enjoy one, to truly work together with his classmates to make the best possible experience for everyone, and he was going to make sure it was a success.

As the class went round and round, countless ideas piling on top of each other as no one was able to come to a consensus, Toga could feel her interest and excitement slowly wane. The typical talk of haunted houses and food stalls, the stupid suggestion of a maid cafe from the resident perverts, bored the godlike girl to tears. In some ways, even if the people were more interesting, it did not mean they were any less prone to falling into the rut of mundanity. Even though they were heroes in training, with unique and inspiring talents, they were still just 'normal' teenagers.

Normal. The true bane of her existence.

Every year, her class in middle school would choose the most pedestrian and uninteresting choice there was, the blood-loving blonde forced to go along with whatever the masses had decided in order to keep her facade of being 'normal' intact. Forced to parade in stupid getup's and wear a fake smile as she served hormone-driven boys and disgusting adults who would leer and jeer at her, whispering behind her back about how cute she was if only she didn't have such a scary grin. If only she could get rid of those hideous dark lines beneath her eyes. If only her boobs were a little bigger!

All she could do was smile, to erect another layer over the already heavy mask obscuring her real safe, when all she wanted to do was see them all bleed.

Placing her head onto her folded arms, Toga watched her classmates bicker and argue with rising disinterest, her eyelids growing heavy as she listened to their inane talk, the world growing fuzzy as she began nodding off. Whatever they chose, Toga could always just change it to something more interesting and fun later.

"Hey, Jiro?" Kaminari's voice, so unbearably loud and empty of any intelligence, pierced through the haze in the godly schoolgirls sleep-induced brain, causing a small grumble to pass Toga's lips as she was forcefully pulled back into the classes conversation. "You know how to play instruments right?"

A brief silence fell over the class, the soft snoring of their homeroom teacher the only sound still permeating the air, the sudden drop in volume causing the godlike girl's ears to perk up. Jiro's nervous stammering, the rocker girl managing to throw in a couple of threats towards the electric-based idiot, only pulled Toga's attention in more.

"I…I mean…well…yeah." Nervously twirling her earphone jack around her pointer finger, a small blush slowly rising on her cheeks, the usually tough and abrasive rocker girl was oddly subdued, her eyes nervously darting across the classroom, clearly not a fan of all the attention falling upon her. Peeking one eye open, head still resting in her arms, Toga watched the unfolding events with rising interest.

"Then why don't we form a band and perform a song for the whole school?!"

"Wh-What?!" Jiro's cry of shock was drowned out by the deafening chorus of cheers and yells that erupted from their classmates, a large crowd quickly starting to form around the Earphone Jack hero, the purple-haired girl bristling as all attention was squarely placed on her. She'd have to make sure to rearrange that brain-dead idiot's orifices when this was all over.

"Jiro is that true?! That's amazing!" Lifting her head from her desk, golden eyes alight with intrigue, Toga felt herself lean into the conversation as Momo excitedly grasped her purple-haired friend's hands between hers, the heiress overflowing with bubbly energy. "We could use it to lift the school's spirits after all the hardships from this year!"

"I will blow them away with my burning manliness that they won't even remember what they were upset about to begin with!" Kirishima chimed in, the red-haired boy clasping his bicep in a show of that supposed manliness, razor-sharp teeth on full display.

"Oooo! I want to create a dance routine!" The resident alien queen cried out as she jumped several feet into the air, arms spread high into the air as she broke out in a small dance right then and there. Toga, slowly lifting herself out of her seat, began nodding along with each new suggestion, fists clasped tightly in front of her chest as she began bouncing excitably from foot to foot.

"We can design costumes!" Some of the girls, and Aoyama, chimed in, brilliant smiles adorning all their faces as they began discussing designs and needed materials, the godly blonde practically vibrating with energy as she suddenly threw herself into Momo's back, the pony-tailed heiress letting out a joyful shriek before joining Toga in a round of laughter.

"Aaaaah! I want to do it! Let's do it!" Toga cried, an immense smile pulling on her lips as she raised her arms into the air, the rest of the class joining their excitable classmate in a round of cheers. Izuku could only smile as the godlike girl laughed and cheered with her classmates, her arms wrapped securely around the Creation user's neck as they discussed different ideas for the concert.

"Alright Class! Let's put on the best performance this school has ever seen!" Iida's voice managed to rise above the noise, all of the students of Class 1-A turning to face their Class President with beaming smiles and eager eyes, the usually reserved boy sporting an enormous grin of his own.

"YES!"


"So we'll be separating the class into these three categories, right?"

Even though class had ended hours ago, the entire school day dedicated to planning their event for the festival, the students of Class 1-A were now all assembled in the lounge area of their dorm, the buzz from their earlier excitement still coursing through them, leaving them unable to sleep. All of their heads were still swimming with ideas and plans for their concert, every one of them eager to keep going, wanting to flesh out as much of their performance and roles as possible.

"Well, first we'll have to decide on who will be playing in the band." Jiro muttered as she read over the proposed duties, the roles divided up into members of the band, the dancers who will be performing on stage, and the staging team who will be in charge of the special effects and backstage duties. Mina's role as dance instructor was a given, the pink-skinned girl already successfully teaching the flat-footed Aoyama some moves, but the rest was still up in the air.

"I can pretty much play anything, but I'll be playing the bass," Jiro stated, the rocker miming the playing of said instrument as she eyed the rest of her instruments with a thoughtful gaze, the class having retrieved a bunch from the Earphone Jack heroes room, "that means we still need two guitar players, a keyboardist, and the drummer."

"As embarrassing as it is to admit," Momo spoke up with a timid voice, a shy blush dusting her cheeks a soft pink as she averted her gaze, eyes fixed firmly at her feet, "my mother did have me trained in classical piano, would that help?"

"That'll be great! You're a real lifesaver Yaomomo!" Jiro exclaimed as she smiled at her black-haired friend, the weight on her chest lessening slightly as the first piece of the puzzle fell into place, the task seeming a little less daunting than before with another pro on her side.

"I-I'll do my best!" Momo's face lit up like a beacon from her purple-haired friend's words, the familiar bouncy energy radiating through the room, giving everyone in the vicinity a calm and relaxing smile as they watched the heiress beam with excitement. It was always a joy to witness these more humanizing moments of the social elite.

"I WANT TO PLAY GUITAR!" The twin idiots of Kaminari and Mineta cried out in perfect unison as they rushed toward the pristinely kept instruments, the electric user belting out some half-decent chords, his passion more than making up for his lack of experience. Mineta, on the other hand, struggled to even hold the instrument, the base of the guitar as big as the grape headed boy's torso, his arms much too short to reach the strings.

As Mineta sulked pitifully, the grape-headed boy staining the hardwood floor with his tears as Mina did her best to cheer the resident pervert up, Tokoyami strolled up to the fallen instrument, picking it up, and began playing some clean and practiced riffs with surprising ease.

"Tokoyami! What an emotional sound?! When did you learn to play?!" Jiro cried out in a mix of astonishment and annoyance, the fact such a useful member was remaining quiet about his skills irking the Earphone Jack hero as much as it relieved her. Was this actually possible?

"I could never overcome the hurdle of the F chord." Tokoyami responded as he stared solemnly at the ground, his eyes reflecting a terrible pain from the past. This only served to cause Jiro to stare at him with a mix of pity and pure, flabbergasted bewilderment. The F chord was a difficult hurdle to overcome as a beginner, but it surely wasn't something to cause lasting trauma in someone…was it?

"So I'll be tutoring Kaminari and Tokoyami on the guitar and I'll assume Momo will know what to play whatever is put in front of her." Jiro ran through the list, mentally checking off any of the fulfilled requirements and adding the necessary new ones to make sure the concert was a success. "All we need now is a drummer."

At this, the room fell oddly silent, everyone strangely averting their gazes from the rocker girl, only Toga still happily bouncing between her classmates, lost in her own world, completely oblivious to the strange tension in the air.

"Does….does no one know how to play?" Worry and disbelief evident in her voice, Jiro swept her gaze over the assembled group of Class 1-A students, none of them willing to make eye contact with the purple-haired rocker, Toga emphatically shaking her head 'no' the only response to her question. And there it was, the first hurdle to overcome.

"We'll need someone who can learn quickly and be fairly adequate at self-learning. I'm still learning myself and am currently not good enough to give someone lessons so it'll be on you to pick up the rest."

Jiro's words hung heavily in the air, a small worm of doubt starting to burrow its way into the group's hearts, the importance of what she was asking not lost on the hero course students. Izuku could feel a small lump form in his throat as he thought about his former childhood friend, one who had been ripped from his place in this class by Toga's hand, forever relegated to the sidelines in Class 1-B. Kacchan would have been the perfect choice for this job, the hotheaded explosion user surprisingly proficient on the drums ever since his mom signed him up for a bunch of extracurricular activities as a child.

Sadly, that was no longer a possibility. Toga had made sure of that.

"Hey, Ojiro!" The uncomfortable silence was surprisingly broken by the tape user, Sero's voice cutting like a sharp knife through the tension in the air, the blonde boy jumping slightly at being addressed so suddenly. "Didn't you say a lot of your Karate is self-taught on account of your tail? Wouldn't that be useful, right now?"

"Really?" Turning to face the boy with the extra appendage, Jiro gave the young hero a hopeful stare, Ojiro nervously scratching his head as he nodded to the affirmative. "That could really help us out. Plus, your tail could help compensate for any weakness and maybe even add to the overall sound!"

"You think so?" Ojiro asked as he lifted his head, looking into the hopeful faces of his classmates, seeing the genuine trust in Jiro's eyes, the young Karate practitioner knew he couldn't say no. Not when everyone needed him. "I-I guess I can give it a shot."

Relieved sighs and appreciative cries echoed through the dorm after Ojiro's subdued reply, his friends immediately rushing to his side, clapping him comradely on the back as they gave him various words of encouragement, which he accepted with a small, grateful smile.

"Thank you, Ojiro." Clapping her hands together in front of her in a small thankful prayer, Jiro sent the blonde boy an appreciative grin, Ojiro shyly waving her off with a small smile of his own. "That has the band all wrapped up. That only leaves a singer."

"Oh! Memememe! I wanna do it!" Bursting out of the crowd of classmates like a blonde explosion, Toga eagerly waved her arms in front of the purple-haired rocker, twin buns bobbing in rhythm with her frantic movements as she tried to catch Jiro's attention, despite no one really challenging her for it. Eyes wide, golden orbs shining with hope and excitement, Toga's whole body was vibrating with untold energy as she smiled expectantly at the Earphone Jack hero.

"No." A dull chorus of blunt denial droned from Kaminari, Todoroki, Tsuyu, and Ochaco, the quartet of students who had the unfortunate privilege to witness the cat-eyed blondes singing prowess, or lack thereof, back during their class trip to Karaoke, shooting her down in an instant. Their faces were oddly blank, eyelids hanging heavy as they stared vacantly at their energetic classmate, as if they relieving some horrible event in their minds.

"Heehee~ You're right!" Casually placing her hands behind her head, Toga's whole body was wracked by amused giggles at her classmate's hilarious expressions, a wide, tooth-filled grin curling on her lips as she nodded in agreement with the quartet. "I am pretty bad!"

Despite himself, Izuku couldn't help but be shocked by the godlike girl's almost casual agreement with her classmate's harsh criticism, Toga taking their flat refusal in stride and even with good humor. What had surprised the young hero wasn't the fact that she didn't fly into a murderous, god-fueled rage, as he once would have expected, but that he knew right away that she wouldn't. When had things become so irreversibly flipped in his head that he had such deep-seated trust in this once villainous girl with the power to wipe out all existence with nary a passing fancy?

"Oh, Jiro. Weren't you going to sing?" Ochaco asked her purple-haired classmate, the Gravity user playfully mimicking a microphone as she questioned the resident rocker, her voice pulling the green-haired boy out of his moment of self-introspection. Before Jiro had a chance to deny the idea, Mineta, Kirishima, and Aoyama loudly chimed in, the trio of boys making their wish to sing abundantly clear, each one of them taking a turn to prove their skills to absolutely disastrous results.

"I...I guess I should try." Feeling pushed into a corner by her friend's incessant prodding, as well as the boy's truly horrendous performances, Jiro slowly made her way up to the microphone, the purple-haired girl taking a long deep breath before bringing her mouth up to the receiver.

It was as if the room was bathed in glittering gold, a wave of musical ecstasy invading every sense of the congregated group bodies, Jiro managing to reach the deepest parts of their hearts with a single sweep of her marvelous voice. It was as if Toga had parted the clouds and sent down an angel to bless their ears with her gorgeous song.

Letting the last note hang in the air, like a silk blanket tucking you in safely for the night, Jiro slowly opened her eyes, a small blush staining her cheeks as she looked into the awestruck expressions on her classmate's faces. Grabbing her earphone jacks, Jiro nervously clinked the tips together as she awaited their inevitable rejection.

Instead, all she got was a deafening round of applause.

"Yeaaaaaaah! Jiroooooo! That was amazing!" Toga's voice managed to rise above the roaring sea of applause and cheers as the exuberant blonde rushed forward to pull the unsuspecting rocker into a bone-crushing hug, the godlike girl practically lifting her purple-haired friend off of the ground, Jiro kicking her feet in a futile attempt to try and reach the floor. The godly schoolgirl merely held her tighter as she carried the resisting Earphone Jack hero toward her classmates for a customary round of hugs and congratulatory pats on the back.

"Well, that decides it." Momo said with a gentle smile as the furor around her the resident rocker slowly died down, the Vice-Class President addressing the class with an exuberant bounce in her step, her arms spread wide as she gestured to their newly formed lineup of musicians. "We officially have our band!"

The whole class burst out in another round of cheers, the rest of the students immediately beginning to work out the rest of the groups, for the dancers and staging crew respectively, ideas and words of enthusiasm filling the dorm with good cheer for the rest of the night.

"Alright! Starting tomorrow, let's all do our best!" Raising his stiff, robotic arm high into the air, dark bags beginning to form beneath his eyes, Iida gave his final parting speech after a whole night of rigorous planning, every student feeling frazzled and exhausted, but with a burst of joy in their hearts at what was to come.

"Yeah!"


"Hey! Do you need some extra thread!? How about someone to try out the fitting?! I'm about the same height as most of the girls! Oh, wait! Gimme some blood, then I can do the job for everyone!"

At the crack of dawn the very next day, Class 1-A had found themselves on the front lawn of their dorm, the usually grumpy morning people wide-eyed and eager to go as everyone was given their assignment for the day, the students breaking off into their respective groups to begin their work for the performance. As the band remained within the dorm, each one of them practicing their instruments under Jiro's watchful eye, the staging crew was huddled around a large table, mapping out different plans and brainstorming ideas, all while the dance crew was being put through the wringer by the resident alien queen.

As Izuku mentally went through all the steps of the routine Mina had shown them earlier, his body slowly coming to grips with what his head was telling him to do, the green-haired boy was momentarily distracted by a blonde blur flying past him, making him almost lose his balance. Looking up, Izuku felt a small smile curl on his lips as he saw the last moments of Toga's transformation, the godlike girl molded into a perfect likeness of their Class President, save for the fresh cut currently seeping a familiar red liquid from Iida's arm.

"Hey, Iida, Iida, look! This is how you have to do it! You're kind of looking like this right now." Doing a picture-perfect impression of Iida's stiff and robotic movements, Toga was teaching the bespectacled boy the correct way to perform the current dance moves, the Class President following her instructions with an attentive but begrudging gaze.

The little interaction between the two of them brought a soft laugh to the wielder of One For All's lips, Toga giving her Class President a quick salute before rushing off to check on the staging crew, her loud, exuberant voice carrying over the expanse of the front lawn with impeccable clarity.

This had been going on all morning, the godlike girl excitedly flittering between all of the groups with boundless energy, offering her help or chiming in with different ideas and at times just being there to lift their spirits. The only reason she was able to get away with doing this and avoiding Mina's wrath was because the godly blonde had managed to nail the routine on her first try, the pink-skinned girl pretty much forced to let her roam free. If she had used her powers to memorize it or just used her natural agility and quick mind, Izuku wasn't sure.

Speeding past the distracted wielder of One For All, the godlike girl giving him a quick smile and wave, Toga noisily crashed through the front doors of Class 1-A's dorm, disappearing from the young hero's view. Throughout the day, Toga had spent most of her time with the rest of the class, something that made the young hero extremely happy to see. He had always been worried that the godlike girl was too isolated from her classmates, only ever seeking out his company, keeping herself closed off from the rest of their friends. So seeing her now, spending time with all of them, seeing her smile and laugh with everyone. It made him happy.

But, despite all that, no matter how happy he was for her, he couldn't help but miss having her around him. Everything felt a little more…'ordinary', without her around.

"Midori! Focus!" Snapping to attention like a trained soldier, back stiff and arms clamped tightly to his side, Izuku turned his fearful gaze to the alien queen, her golden and black eyes boring practically lethal holes into the wielder of One For All.

"Yes! Sorry!" Falling back into line, Izuku decided to let those thoughts fade from his mind, focusing purely on his dance steps and the routine drilled into him from earlier. The rest of Izuku's morning was spent trying to perfect his movements and rid himself of the stiff awkwardness that pervaded his body whenever he tried to dance. It was kind of astounding how he could fearlessly leap from building to building, the cold, unforgiving ground flying by beneath him as he traversed rooftops at incredible speeds, but the minute he had to match the rhythm of a dance. all his coordination went completely out the window.

"Mina-chaaaaan!" A loud, deafening scream, that caused Izuku to miss a step and crash unceremoniously to the ground, his legs somehow managing to entangle themselves in a strange pretzel-like shape, echoed throughout the entire U.A. campus as Toga came bursting through the main doors, the blonde schoolgirl making a beeline directly toward the pink-skinned alien queen. "I had a great idea!"

Gesturing for everyone to take a break, Iida giving his green-haired friend a hand up, the bespectacled boy checking over Izuku like a worried mother hen, Mina turned to the bouncing schoolgirl with a curious gaze, a hint of trepidation evident in her smile. With Toga, you never know what will come out of her mouth, let alone what she might do. One could only stay quiet, let her have her fun, and hope for the best.

"I want to do a dance routine with Izu-kun!"

To say Mina was surprised…well it would have been a lie. The pink-skinned dance instructor could have predicted what the golden-eyed girl was going to say with 99% certainty, Toga's fascination and obvious infatuation with their freckled-cheeked classmate an open secret amongst the students of Class 1-A. The only thing they were still unsure about was whether or not they were actually dating or not, the sizable betting pool currently set up amongst the students making their interest in their classmate's romantic life more than clear. Even Momo had joined in, the heiress adding a frankly obscene amount that left everyone else feeling a little nervous about their own choices.

Mina was firmly in the 'they ARE dating' camp, the complete opposite of Momo, so she was really feeling the pressure right about now.

Hopping impatiently from foot to foot, golden eyes wide and sparkling with eager energy, Toga watched with bated breath as the alien queen placed her hand thoughtfully upon her chin, seemingly mulling over the idea with immense seriousness. Toga knew her idea would probably be rejected, the godlike girl used to having her ideas and wants ignored by others, every suggestion she ever made in middle school and even during her short stint with the League of Villains were pushed aside with an annoyed grunt or frightful stare.

She knew it was wrong to get her hopes up.

"Hmm, y'know, that might actually work."

"Huh?" Freezing in place, mouth falling into a surprised 'o', Toga felt an unfamiliar feeling of shock and confusion overwhelm her entire body, one that left the godlike girl momentarily stunned. That couldn't be right. This never happened! Did she just use her powers without noticing? There is no way her idea was just approved! This wasn't how things normally go!

"Yeah! Yeah! We can do all kinds of cool spots with your transformation quirk. Oh! And we can have Izuku use his Full Cowling too! It'll be great!" For once, Toga was left speechless as she listened to the pink-skinned girl, not only praise her idea, but even start coming up with plans of her own. A small, almost imperceptible smile started curling on Toga's lips as she watched Mina rattle off idea after idea, the alien queen coming up with unique ways for them to mix their quirks together for a spectacular set-piece, her golden eyes shining with newly found affection for the hyperactive pinkette.

She liked her idea! She wanted her to use her quirk! Her REAL quirk!

Letting the elation well up inside her, Toga let a sudden, but not wholly unexpected, cry of pure joy as she excitedly rushed over to Izuku's side, the mop-headed boy barely able to register her presence, the happy greeting dying on his lips as he was forcefully dragged off by the godly schoolgirl toward their pink-skinned instructor.

The whole time, an earnest and pure smile was curled on the blonde girl's lips, her laughter unrestrained and full of joy.


As the days flew by and practice continued at a steady pace, the students of Class 1-A were met with a very special visitor.

"Eri-chan?" Halting in the middle of his practice, emerald eyes wide with elated surprise, Izuku quickly rushed off to meet the crimson eyed girl, a bright smile plastered on his face as he animatedly waved toward their white-haired visitor. Without a single moment of hesitation, Toga immediately followed after her freckle cheeked love, a round of giggles spilling forth from her lips as she cried out Eri's name, the pair completely ignoring Mina's incensed cries in the background.

"Eri-chan!" The pair cried out in unison as they skidded to a halt before the white-haired girl, both of them falling into a low crouch with perfect synchronization as they pulled Eri into a big hug, the trio's jubilant laughter filling the morning air with good cheer. Hugging the older kids tightly, nuzzling her nose affectionately into Toga's chest, Eri felt the heavy feeling in her chest dissipate as she happily laughed with her two saviors, elated to be back in their arms.

Aizawa watched the scene with a mix of emotions, irritation chief among them, as his students completely ignored his presence, the pair affectionately petting the young child's head, laughing and smiling without a care in the world. When did they all get so chummy?

"Eri, what are you doing here?" Izuku questioned as he pulled out of the hug, the young hero giving the crimson-eyed girl a cheerful smile, one Eri returned in full, her tiny fists still firmly attached to Toga's shirt, the godly blonde continuing to hold the young child close.

"The hospital granted her permission to leave as long as she had supervision." Deciding to interject in this sickeningly sweet moment, the nighttime hero's voice causing the wielder of One For All to jump in surprise, Aizawa lazily gestured toward the white-haired girl currently enveloped in Toga's arms. "She really wanted to see you two."

As Izuku turned back to smile at the crimson-eyed child, the two of them doting over the child like a couple of would-be parents, Aizawa stared at them with a critical eye. Eri wanting to visit the people who had saved her, to possibly offer them her thanks, was not really a surprise to the current homeroom teacher of Class 1-A, even if he personally thought her being around Toga might not be the best idea.

No, what was surprising was just how close the three of them seemed and that she had only requested to see the two of them. There had been a lot of people involved in the rescue attempt for the white-haired child, Mirio himself having lost his quirk in a bid to keep Eri safe. But, all Eri could seem to talk about were Toga and Izuku, oddly referring to the older girl with a rather familiar honorific, a brilliant smile lighting up her face whenever she spoke of her.

It was suspicious and extremely worrying. Was Toga hoping to manipulate the girl in some way?

"Oi! Midoriya! Toga! You two can't just-Ah, who's this?" Stomping over to the pair, angry puffs of smoke trailing after her, Mina's angry rant died on her lips as she spotted the unfamiliar girl bundled up in Toga's arms, her crimson eyes looking up at her with trepidation and a bit of fear.

"Ah! Eri-chan!" Kirishima's boisterous cry rang painfully in everyone's ears as he came rushing over, a couple of other students following after him, wondering what had caught everyone's attention. "Ah, right, you might not know who I am. I was there when you were being rescued."

Soon a small group began forming around the girl in her little, red dress, her crimson eyes flickering between all of them with a bit of worry as Toga got back to her feet, the older girl making sure to keep a firm grasp on her tiny hand. Breaking off from the rest of the crowd, a boy with strange purple bulbs on his head, who also somehow seemed shorter than her, walked up to her with a very strange smile on his face.

"I'm Mineta. I can't wait to see what you look like when you are old-" Mineta's words were immediately silenced by a foot smashing violently into his face, his small body sent flying into the distance before crashing none too softly into the side of the dorm, leaving a permanent imprint of his face against the wall. Looking up at the older girl at her side with a questioning stare, Toga slowly lowering her foot back to the ground, the magical blonde's enraged glare quickly morphed back into a perfectly serene smile as she turned to the white-haired child.

"Um…Toga-chan….Izuku?" Calling out toward the older pair, a slight twinge of nervousness shooting through the white-haired girl as the assembled group all turned to look at her, Eri gripping Toga's hand tight for reassurance. "I…I want to spend some time with you."

A brief hush fell over the group at the younger girls' earnest request, a couple of the students averting their gazes to hide their tears from such a pure question. Frowning slightly, a look of regret marring his features, Izuku gently kneeled before the crimson-eyed girl, the boy wishing he didn't have to disappoint her so.

"I'm sorry, Eri-chan. But we're busy right now with practice." Izuku replied, his voice thick with apologetic regret, the quick flash of hurt in her crimson gaze causing a painful lump to form in his throat. He hated to do this to her, the young hero always wanting to bring smiles to people's faces, not steal them.

"It's ok Midoriya." Placing a gentle hand upon the dejected boy's shoulder, Izuku turning to look at his dance instructor with a questioning glance, Mina gave the mop-headed hero a reassuring thumbs-up. "You've improved quite a bit under Toga's watch so it'll be no problem if you miss an afternoon."

"And Toga-chan has been so busy helping everyone that she more than deserves a break." Momo added as she stepped up to the pink-skinned girl's side, her gaze finding Toga's, the golden-eyed girl giving the heiress a gigantic, tooth-filled grin.

"C'mon, Eri-chan!" Letting out a shriek of surprise, Eri felt her feet momentarily leave the ground as Toga suddenly began dragging her away, the edges of her red dress rippling behind her as she was pulled along by the cheerful blonde, an excited smile starting to pull on the younger girls lips. It was always so much fun being around the nice lady!

"Thank you!" Quickly running after the retreating pair, Izuku gave the girls a grateful smile and wave, Momo and Mina simply shaking their heads at their classmate's silly antics as they slowly disappeared from view, the same thought running through both their heads.

'I'm going to win that bet.'


Of course, a simple tour of the campus became anything but once Toga got involved. It started off simple enough, the trio calmly walking through the vast campus, the godlike girl animatedly chatting with the young child, Eri never really getting a chance to get a word in edgewise before Toga went off on another tangent. But, Eri was ok with that. She was just happy to be with them again.

But, as it is wont to happen, Toga's mind would inevitably shift to the mischievous, the playful glint in the godlike girl's eyes causing Izuku to gulp nervously. He had seen it too many times to know that nothing good would follow.

And, sure enough, Toga decided to enact her little game exactly as they were touring the main school building, the corridors shifting and twisting into a deformed labyrinth, with students obliviously walking on the ceiling while others disappeared down narrowing hallways, their height dwindling to compensate for the lack of space.

The nurse's office became a veritable petting zoo, animals of all types cramped into the small office, their cries drowning out any greeting Recovery Girl may have sent their way. The gyms were transformed into a giant playground while the leaves on the trees surrounding the campus became fluffy cotton candy.

Each new change, every reality-bending alteration Toga made, brought a joyful giggle and excited smile to Eri's lips, the younger girl practically sprinting through the campus to see what fun and new experience would be found around the next corner. So, despite his heart feeling it would give out any moment from stress, Izuku was glad to see the two of them having so much fun, even if it was at reality's expense.

"What were you doing earlier?" Eri suddenly questioned as the three of them were playing on the sports field, Toga currently racing Izuku, his Full Cowling unable to keep up with her reality-bending powers, the pair turning to regard the white-haired girl with cheerful grins.

"Our school will be holding a big festival in a couple of weeks and our class will be performing a concert. We-"

"I'll be dancing with Izu-kun!" Jumping onto the unsuspecting boys back, Izuku's words falling away as he tried to catch his balance, Toga gave the younger girl a bright grin as she forcefully interjected herself into their conversation. "We'll be holding each other and moving in such a beautiful rhythm it will make you cry and shout out with joy at the same time! Oh, and there will be a band."

Eyes growing wide, crimson orbs glowing brilliantly beneath the setting sun, Eri began jumping excitedly in place, her small feet tapping rhythmically on the dusty race track as an enormous smile broke out on her face.

"I…I want to see you two dance together!" Eri cried, her hands quickly clamping over her mouth, the young girl surprised at just how loud she had been. Grinning widely from ear to ear, Toga quickly scooped up the younger girl and placed her on her shoulder before making a beeline straight to the faculty office.

"We're going to go ask the Principle right away!" Toga cheered as she burst through the gates, both of their arms raised high into the air as they screamed and laughed with joy, the doors swinging closed behind them with an audible bang.

Shaking his head, a small puff of exhaustion passing his lips, Izuku was once again forced to trail after the excitable pair of girls as they rushed off to the principles office, their voices still echoing loudly in the distance. But, seeing the two of them, laughing and smiling, enormous smiles plastered on their faces, Izuku had to admit, craziness and all, that life his had gotten much better since Toga came into it.

A/N: You're a hero too.

The cultural festival is on its way and, for once, Toga is excited for it. A lot of build-up this chapter as Class 1-A prepares for their concert, the students getting a bit more of the limelight this time. Things were moved around to compensate for a certain foul-mouthed blonde's absence, but they managed to find a way to make it work.

A little bit of look into Toga's past as she remembers her time living with a metaphorical mask covering her true self and how it had affected her view on the world. But, with her attachment to the students of 1-A growing, even Toga managed to be swept up in the excitement of the cultural festival.

A quick visit from Eri helps cap off the chapter, the events of the previous chapter allowing Eri to finally express herself more freely, especially around Izuku and Toga, laughing and smiling in earnest without the horrible specter of what Overhaul had done to her to weighing on her soul. Eri finally has something to look forward to.

Next chapter: Here we go again.

Thank you all for all your support last year and sorry for the delay between chapters. The holidays were busier than expected and working on my other stories slowed me down a little bit. But, with the 1 year anniversary of this story's publication coming up next month, I'm hoping to keep giving you all new chapters at a more steady pace.

I hope you all have an amazing day and I love you all!