"Are you sure this is smart to do right now, Kei?" Reina asks as she pinches her phone between her ear and shoulder, easing up her suit's zipper and pulling her hair out of her collar. "Lei still isn't the happiest to talk to me-"

"Then don't talk to her," he replies snippily, causing her to roll her eyes as she reaches into her locker and pulls out the star headpiece. "Ryukyu, Wash, Majestic, and Fatgum are going to be there too. It looks bad if you aren't."

"Why would it look bad? Just because I'm right there with Fatgum doesn't mean-"

"Stop arguing with me. The President wants us there. She wants us to gauge how Leinei has grown. She also wants us to gauge potential work study candidates."

"Since when have you taken work studies?" Reina scoffs, slipping her hair through the small hole and clipping it into place around her hairband. "I'm the one that usually does. Why you?"

"Heard there was a promising avian fellow in our dear sister's class. Birds of a feather have to flock together and all that."

"Ugh you and the fucking bird puns," she groans, shaking her head as she takes her phone from between her head and shoulder. Grabbing her visor with her other hand, she slips it on the top of her head, letting the arms sit just behind her ears. "I gotta get patrols situated here and get to the school."

"Alright. I'm already here. Had to talk to Eraserhead about some stuff."

"Gotcha. See ya soon, Hawks."

"You too, Elementia."

Keigo sighs softly as he hangs up, staring at the scene flashing with Reina's name before fading to black. Aizawa clears his throat, prompting the young hero to look up at the teacher and Principal Nezu. He flashes his famously familiar smile before slipping the device into his back pocket.

"Ms. Salinsa, I'm presuming?" Aizawa remarks duly, still not the biggest fan of the number fifty five hero. "She's making an appearance today?"

"Only because the bi-nice lady at the commission ordered it," Keigo replies, sitting down in the chair in front of Nezu's desk. "And because it's the best thing that needs to happen today. Because the news I got from said Commission-well, none of us are going to like that."

"What are you talking about, Hawks?" Aizawa growls. "Is this the same bullshit with Gorlov-"

"God no," he assures, shaking his head. "That therapist isn't allowed within a block of my sister anymore. I ripped five different ways into the President for that one."

"Well, I'm very glad to see you finally standing up to her," Nezu agrees, nodding as he presses the tips of his paws together. "But it seems we have two things to go over today during this meeting."

"Two..things?" Keigo asks, confused. "I only have my thing. What are you guys-"

"We're working on getting your sister emancipated from the President and the Commission," Aizawa says, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the window behind Nezu. "I have a certain detective looking into some incidents involving her and her past. It would help having a sibling such as yourself who was raised in a similar condition-"

"You want to take my sister from me?" Keigo demands, cutting them off and his eyes widening as his wings fan out and his back straightens. "You-what?"

"We aren't taking anyone from anything," Nezi clarifies, placing his paws on the desk and trying to pull himself up. He kicks his little feet until Aizawa pushes off the window and eases him up. "Thank you, Eraser," he sighs, letting out a breath and clasping his hands behind his back. "Basically, we are attempting to give your sister legal autonomy to have some control over her life, something she very obviously lacks due to the ties to the Commission. Aizawa brought the subject up to me after a conversation with All Might-"

"No offense, sir, but All Might doesn't know the first thing about my sisters' and I's situation," Keigo says tersely. "Please enlighten me as to what he said."

"He informed me the HPSC was into raising children to take his spot," Aizawa informs him. Keigo scoffs and stands up, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm taking it, that isn't right?"

"Replace that with child soldiers, and you'd be a little closer to what we are. They got a hold of Tsutsumi-senpai but there was an issue, so they threw her away, and found me. Little while later, they got their claws into my sisters. They threw Leinei away like she was nothing because she had no semblance of control over her quirk and wouldn't even try to help her get it."

"That much we are aware of," Aizawa assures. "Salinsa says a lot without saying much."

"We know you care deeply for her," Nezu adds on, holding his paw out. "I think you would do anything to free her from going through any more hell than she's already gone through. To prevent her from suffering the same as you and Elementia. Am I correct?"

"And emancipating her-she'll still be my sister?"

"She would simply have legal autonomy to make her own binding decisions," Aizawa assures. "Nothing would change but her ties to the HPSC."

Keigo bites the corner of his lip, closing his eyes as he folds his wings along his back and crosses his arms over his chest. His heart is pounding in his chest and mixed emotions tighten in his stomach. I want her to have a better life…but the Commission makes sure we're comfortable, they pay for her tuition…fuck.

"They pay her tuition to go here-"

"Already have her in the works for a full ride scholarship," Nezu assures, beaming. "She's smart as one of Midnight's whips so she won't have to worry about anything."

"Living allowance?"

"We give each of our students a stipend to use as they please," Aizawa adds.

"A guaranteed place to live after graduation? A guaranteed entry to any hero agency she chooses to start at as a sidekick?"

"I figured if her work studies hadn't picked up the way we wanted them to, she could be my mentee," Aizawa assures, shrugging. "She's shown exponential growth and she's a pleasure to work with, despite her attitude at times. I can understand your hesitation, as the Commission has provided each of you with a fluffy life, but this will be better for her."

"Fine," he sighs after a few seconds of contemplation, taking Nezu's paw. Aw it's actually really soft…I wonder if the conditioner he uses works for feathers…I'll have to ask later. "I will give you any statement you need. Please, just help her. I don't want her to end up like us."

"We will do our best," Nezu chuckles. They drop their hands and Keigo sighs softly. "I take it your topic is not as hopeful."

"No, not in the slightest," he murmurs. "I'm going to preface this by saying-my sister is in no way a traitor. She has not fed them any information and refuses to. She went because they threatened Bakugo and his family."

Aizawa and Nezu each raise an eyebrow, Nezu tilting his head as Keigo looks away. His ears are burning and he feels like he's betraying Leinei by even speaking about this. But they need to know if they can help her in any way.

"She has connections to one of the villains who kidnapped her and Bakugo," he tells him, looking at the wall. "The Commission wants to exploit that to find a way to bring the League of Villains down from the inside out, if at all possible."

"And I take it they're not asking."

"No they're very vehement on it being her," he mutters, rubbing the side of his head and tilting it. "She has specific ties to Dabi, but refuses to tell me the full extent of it. He made her watch as he murdered someone last Friday, so I'm feeling pretty overprotective at the moment. Despite everything she's gone through, they still want to send her on a suicide mission. And no clue when they want to do it."

"So it's a ticking time bomb of a mission," Nezu murmurs, toddling back to his seat before turning and pressing his paws together. "They could send her off tomorrow, or six months from now."

"Pretty much. And I'd rather not bury my baby sister, if that's alright with you guys."

Leinei sneezes into her arm, shivering afterwards. Katsuki raises an eyebrow and nudges her with his elbow. She smiles reassuringly at him, nudging him back as Eijirou and Denki joke around behind them.

"Only idiots get summer colds," he murmurs to her, slipping his hand around hers. "You aren't running a fever are you?"

"No, I think it's just allergies," she laughs, shaking her head. "Must be a lot of pollen today or something."

"If you say so. If you feel like you're getting sick just tell me. I'd be more than happy to skip this bullshit to go study."

"I know, Katsu."

The auditorium was slowly filling up with people as they walked in, the roof open and showing off the beautiful cloudless blue sky. Leinei squeezes Katsuki's hand as Iida directs his class towards seats, speedily hurrying up and down the aisles to not so randomly distribute people. Katsuki let out a soft growl as he's sent to a different row than her, giving her hand one last squeeze as Iida begins to yell at them for inappropriate behavior.

"I'll see you after the assembly, Katsu, don't worry," she assures, before sliding down her own row to sit next to Eijirou. Shoto ends up on her side, and Iida beside him. Katsuki is two rows up from her, trapped between Mina and Hanta with Denki behind him. She smiles, feeling a little bad for him as they all laugh around him.

"I wonder who all will be here today," Shoto remarks, sitting with his hands on his thighs. "My sister didn't tell me if my father was."

"I know Hawks is going to be here," Leinei offers, shrugging. "Maybe a few other mid ranking heroes? Who knows."

"Is your sister showing up?" Eijirou asks, leaning forward to look at her. "Or are you still not talking to her?"

"I have no clue, Kiri," she mumbles, leaning back. "If she is, she is. If not, I won't be hurt either way."

"That's right, your sister is Elementia," Iida says, tilting his head as he looks over Shoto at her. "You must be so proud to have such a capable hero in your family!"

"Class Rep, shut up," she mutters, her mood souring. Eijirou slowly leans back, sinking down slightly in his seat. "Unless you know my family business personally, please, keep your nose out of it."

"Having a pro in the family isn't always what it's cracked up to be," Shoto agrees softly, shrugging as he settles into his seat. "I'll have to agree with Salinsa on this one."

"Thanks Shochan."

"Mm."

It doesn't take long for the other invited students to get settled in, filling the auditorium to a quarter capacity it was meant to hold. Leinei fidgets in her seat, feeling a little claustrophobic as she glances around. It's not like Shiketsu. You're surrounded by friends. You're going to be okay.

"Well now. Aren't you all some promising future heroes!"

She perks up hearing her brother's voice, a few feathers fluttering down into the crowd before stiffening and slicing through the air. There's murmurs in the crowd as wind rushes through each aisle, whipping the students' hair around their faces before ultimately funneling up. Bubbles travel around the air currents, some of them bouncing off and traveling over the students heads. There's a growling roar, a shadow looming over the crowd before disappearing.

"I really hope it takes more than that to impress all of you," another voice yells, taking the students' awed attention away from the quirk display to the six glowing circles of energy floating above the stage at the front of the building. Cheers start to rise as the crowd recognizes the heroes.

"Thank you for the warm welcomes, UA!" Reina's voice calls out, the bubbles surrounding the air currents starting to break away as she flicks her wrists and cause them to arc across the columns of teenagers.

"Washa!"

"I hope you're all hungry too! It's important for growing heroes to keep their blood sugar up!"

Various sweets start to rain down on their heads, a lollipop landing in Leinei's lap as she laughs. Eijirou manages to grab a taffy out of the air. The rings of energy lower to the stage, each hero stepping off in unison. Cheers deafen each student, some standing and clapping, shouting their names.

Why is Reina here..?

Keigo waves, his arm stretched above his head as Reina does her signature peace sign. Ryukyu smiles and flicks her head to get some hair out of her face. Wash bounces up and down, waving with both hands to everyone. Majestic performs a showy bow, sweeping his arm out to the side as Fatgum gives a dual thumbs up to everyone. Once the cheering calms down, Aizawa, Vlad King, and Nezu make their way onto the stage. Nezu tugs on Aizawa's shirt to signal for the man to put him on his shoulders, sitting happily with his paw against the man's head.

"I'm sure these heroes need no introduction," Nezu starts, smiling as his students start to cheer again. "But, just to refresh anyone's memory, they are the Number Three, soon to be Number Two, Hawks! Number Fifty-Five, Elementia! Number Ten, soon to be Number Nine, Ryukyu! The Washing Machine Hero, Wash! The Magic Hero, Majestic! And finally, Number Fifty-Eight, Fatgum!"

"You okay?" Eijirou murmurs as students around them cheer and clap. Leinei gives him a reassuring smile and a thumbs up, despite the anger and spite she still feels towards Reina. Why the hell is she here..? Mr. Aizawa only said Keigo would be here.

"They've come to speak to you about work studies!" Nezu continues as the cheering dies down again. "We usually hold these off until your second years, for those of you enrolled in the hero course, but it never hurts to have a little information to mull over when you go to get your provisional licenses!" He pushes himself back onto his feet, gesturing to the heroes. "I'll let them explain now! Please do your best to listen and ask questions!"

"Thank you, Principal Nezu," Reina says, leaning forward with a smile as Keigo rubs the back of his head. "Each of our agencies have a cap on how many work study students we can take. The cap is predetermined by multiple factors," she starts, holding up a finger for each point. "How dangerous the zone we patrol is. How many sidekicks we have. How high up on the ranking board we are, and our own abilities. Caps are usually set around three or four students per agency, but it's up mostly to whatever the Commission deems safe."

"However, this would not be just like your internships," Ryukyu picks up, stepping forward. "You can only participate in the work study program after you have obtained a Provisional License and are registered with the Commission as a result, as you will act as sidekicks in training. As per the work side of it, you will be compensated for your time as well. Your salary will vary between what agency you are accepted at."

"But the most important thing to gain from these work studies is first hand, hands on experience," Majestic continues. "Patrolling, dealing with criminals and vandals. You may even pick up some fans during your time with us, so you will learn how to develop a public image and how to maintain one."

"Something Bakugo needs," Eijirou whispers, quickly covering his mouth as Katsuki stiffens, seemingly hearing it. Leinei elbows her red haired friend, trying hard not to laugh at the comment herself.

"Continuing on!" Fatgum says loudly, waving again. "You will be in danger every time you step out to patrol. You can and will get hurt. Not saying we won't do our best to protect you, but sometimes, we won't always make it in time. We are still only human, just like you are. This program will teach you to be patient, to learn your true limits, and how to surpass them so you can become the best hero you can be when you can graduate. Heck, we may even like ya so much we invite you to join our agencies when you graduate."

"Washa!"

"Well it seems my colleagues pretty much covered everything," Keigo sighs, smiling as he fanned his wings out. Some of the girls and guys in the crowd swoon as he hovers just a few feet above the other heroes. "But they left some crucial information out too. There are more than just our five agencies available for work studies. Heh, make that four. I rarely take any in," he continues, shrugging. "You have to take note, that when you participate in these work studies, you are viable to just as much scrutiny as we get. You may even get more for being fledgling heroes. If you need an example, look no further than the Wild Wild Pussycats."

An uncomfortable silence falls over the students as the Hero Course slowly slouch down in their seats. Leinei looks down at her lap as scrutinizing glares from the gen studies kids fall on them.

"Not blaming any of the children involved," Keigo quickly corrects, getting the attention back up to them. "Hell, I'm not even blaming any of the Pussycats themselves. What happened-no one could have seen it coming." Reina looks down at the floor, pursing her lips to the side. "But their rankings suffered because the public blames them for two of your own being kidnapped and for our Symbol of Peace's retirement. Building off what Fatgum said, we are still only human. Not everyone is as fast as I am, or as strong as All Might. We each have our limits, and we are the only ones who can choose to stay beneath them or surpass them. Now, I'm sure this school has a motto we're all familiar with-"

"Go Beyond: Plus Ultra!"

"There it is, I almost forgot it!" he laughs. "Keep up that same enthusiasm going into these work studies, and you'll be okay. See if any of you can try to keep up with me. Maybe I'll see you at the top spot one day."

"Wonderfully said," Nezu picks up once more, Keigo settling back down on his feet and nudging Reina with his elbow. "I'm now allowing our teachers Eraserhead and Vlad King for their announcement!"

"Thank you very much, Headmaster!" Vlad King says, his eyes sparkling. "Now, my class knows how difficult this will be for me, but, Eraserhead and I have decided to showcase five students from each class who we believe have earned some recognition for their hard work and their ability to go beyond. From Class B, I call up to the stage: first seat Yosetsu Awase. Fifth seat and class representative Itsuka Kendo. Thirteenth seat Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu. Sixteenth seat Juzo Honenuki. And finally, the nineteenth seat, Reika Yanagi."

The five students from class B stand and file up to the front, standing in a straight line in the order they were called. Cheers from general studies and class B ring out in the open auditorium, Aizawa having to clear his throat to get the students' attention again. Once it quiets down, he takes a breath.

"From Class A," he starts, his own students leaning forward. "Eighth seat, Eijirou Kirishima." A smile breaks out on Eijirou's face hearing his name, Leinei smiling at him as he stands. She whispers a well earned good job and he fights the urge to pump his fist into the air. "Eleventh seat Mezo Shoji. Seventeenth seat Katsuki Bakugo. Eighteenth seat Izuku Midoriya. And finally, twenty-first seat Leinei Salinsa."

It takes a moment for her to realize her name is called. Eijirou tugs on her shirt to get to her feet, Izuku offering them a small smile as they head up to the stage. Their class cheers the loudest for them, along with some people from B and even a few from general studies. Leinei's face is burning being up on stage with her peers, almost feeling lightheaded as if she were going to pass out.

"There are a handful that deserve commendation as well, for their heroics during the training camp incident," Aizawa continues. "From both classes. When I call your name, please stand.

"Tsuyu Asui."

"Tenya Iida."

"Ochaco Uraraka."

"Shoto Todoroki."

"And Momo Yaoyorozu."

"From Class B," Vlad King says. "You all performed admirably and did your best. Everyone but Neito Monoma, please stand." There's a shuffling as the students stand, the general studies students staring at the confident, yet blushing Hero Course students.

"You all deserve commendations," Nezu continues. "And you all have progressed beautifully in the short time you've been with our school. And these selected few up here are in no way taking away from your praise. These are just the ones the teachers felt deserved to be shown off."

"Anyway," Aizawa says, trying hard to fight a yawn. "At the beginning of this year, these students were rash, stupid, and lacked the necessary control and confidence in themselves to progress to where they need to be today."

"My class was perfect from day one," Vlad King boasts, prompting a side look from the heroes, Aizawa and Nezu.

"Continuing on, I would like to announce one accomplishment from each student, based on what the teachers and I have seen. Vlad King, if you'd like to start."

"With pleasure!" he says proudly. "Awase and Kendo go hand in hand for this first one, having worked with Momo Yaoyorozu of Class A to pass out gas masks to save the fellow students trapped in the forest, as well as shielding the unconscious girl from a Nomu. Tetsutetsu assisted in the takedown of one of the villains in the forest. Honenuki, when he first arrived here with us, was soft spoken. Now, he commonly displays a steady head for battle strategy and sportsmanship. And finally, Yanagi has doubled the amount of items her quirk can hold, as well as started to make friends amongst her peers. Eraser, what have your students done to match mine?"

"Kirishima has shown a willingness to go out of his way to defend his friends and those he cares for. I believe someone very similar to him assisted in Bakugo's escape from Kamino." The redhead's face turns bright pink. "Shoji demonstrated excellent tracking abilities, as well as defensive capabilities while in the forest. He assisted Midoriya and Todoroki in fighting several of the villains head on, as well as assisting in taming a rampaging classmate and their quirk. Midoriya, while severely injuring himself in the process, took down a death row villain by himself, and still continued on to defend his friends until he could no longer move. Something I do hope he changes in the near future," he adds with a scolding tone.

"Bakugo, at the beginning of this year, anyone would have called him a lost cause due to his attitude. However, I've watched him, and I can assure each and every one of you, he is working just as hard, and is progressing more and more each day. He is the first in our class to demonstrate a fully functioning ultimate move. And finally, we have Salinsa." The weakest of strangled groans catches itself in her throat hearing her name called. "For those of you who don't know her, she transferred in right before the Sports Festival, with little to no control over her quirk. Despite this, she has made her way and cemented her road in my class, refining her quirk and can now use it as if she had control over it for years. She's also demonstrated the selfless qualities many heroes endeavor to have today, having nearly lost her life to defend her classmates during the Kamino Nightmare. So yes, Vlad King, I believe my kids measure up just fine to yours."

Nezu clears his throat, dismissing the kids back to their seats. Leinei's face is burning the entire time, chewing the inside of her cheek as she and Eijirou sit back down. He nudges her with his elbow.

"Was really nice getting praise from Aizawa, huh?" he whispers as Nezu starts taking questions for the students to ask the pros. "I wasn't expecting that at all."

"Neither was I," she replies, her voice a hair softer than his. "It..was really nice."

"This means we gotta work harder. And get stronger!"

"Shh," Iida hisses, leaning over Shoto to quiet the friends.

After the assembly, Ryukyu, Majestic and Wash had to leave for their agencies. Keigo, Reina and Fatgum chose to stay behind to take pictures with the students who wanted them. Leinei takes a breath as she steps outside of the auditorium, leaning against one of the windowed walls to keep out of the way of the students leaving the hall.

"There you are," Katsuki grumbles as he breaks off from the swarm of students to come over to her. She gives him a wan smile, reaching for his hand. He squeezes her fingers as he stands next to her, tilting his head back against the window. "Wasn't expecting to get called out like that today."

"I don't think any of us were," she agrees, leaning her head on his shoulder. "But..it was nice to be praised."

"Oh fuck yeah, it's always nice to be recognized for our amazing abilities. But they really need to find something to compliment you for more than just Kamino."

"Being selfless makes you a good hero."

"Makes you a dead one too. No offense, you deserve just as long a life as anyone else."

"Thanks, Katsu," she murmurs, smiling and closing her eyes. "That means a lot."

"It should. Or I'll make you wear more than just my hoodies everywhere."

"Oooh, you two are in the hoodie phase of your relationship already?"

Her eyes open as Keigo leans forward with a hand on his chin, one eye closed as he grins at his sister. She rolls her eyes and lets go of Katsuki's hand, looking away from him.

"Shouldn't you be getting back to Kyushu, Hawks?"

"Ah, most of my schedule is cleared for today! And even if it wasn't, getting called to one of the best hero schools in the country clears it quite a bit. And you finally have your ultimate down huh? That's awesome!" he continues, praising the ashen blond boy as well. Katsuki's cheeks flush and he looks away with a huff.

"Is there room for me in this little conversation?" Reina asks, poking her head around Keigo's wing. Leinei takes a step to the side, trying to put a little more distance between them. "I'm glad to see you both doing well, and fitting in here at school."

"Mmhm."

"And hearing the good things your teacher had to say reassures me a lot."

"Mmhm."

"You two look really good together."

"Yep."

"Hey, Lei, I think we have some classwork we need to go over," Katsuki says, glaring pointedly at Reina as he takes her hand. "Bye, Hawks."

"Have fun! Practice safe stuff!" he calls, waving as they walk down the hall and away from the pros. Reina sighs, her shoulders slumping as Keigo glared at her. "You really had to go and push the envelope huh?"

"I'm just…trying."

"Apologize before you try to play big sister again," he says, loosely quoting Leinei. "Maybe mean it this time and stick to it. I'm sure Endeavor could teach you that, if you asked nicely."

"Shut up," she groans, shoving his arm. "I have to get back to my agency. I'll see you later."

"Maybe."

"Asshole."

"Bitch."

"Go fuck yourself."

"Nah. Got better things to do."

He waves despite this, watching her leave. Fatgum comes waddling out, happy as a clam with a sucker hanging out of his mouth. Keigo smiles at him, folding his arms behind his head as they walk along the halls.

"I think we saw a handful of potential high rankers in the crowd this year," Fatgum says, his words slightly muffled from his candy. "I really liked Tetsutetsu, Kirishima and Salinsa. You're close with her sister, aren't ya?"

"You could say that. Just known each other for a long time," he replies absentmindedly. "I think they'd look good at your agency."

"Glad the number three thinks so! I hope they get their licenses. They could do amazing things."

"Yep. You'd be good for the martyr types, Fats."

"Martyr types? Is that really what I go for?"

"Maybe. How's that Suneater kid doing?"

Leinei takes a breath as they get to the dorms, stopping Katsuki before they walk inside. He looks over his shoulder at her, stepping away from the door.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asks, guiding her over to the side of the porch. "I know you didn't want to talk to Reina-"

"No, I don't really care that much about that," she mumbles, dismissing it. "I just didn't want to go inside yet. It's calmer out here and I wanted to spend some time with you, without everyone losing their crap."

"That's fair," he agrees, shifting to sit down on the deck and tug her arm down to sit next to him. She settles next to him and leans against his side, closing her eyes and leaning her head on his shoulder. He rests his chin on her temple, staring off to the side.

"I wish we could go out and do karaoke again, or even just go to the mall," she murmurs after a few minutes, interlacing their fingers together. Katsuki hums softly, shrugging. "Maybe just you and me. Our friends are fun, but.."

"They get to be a little much," he agrees, a small smile on his lips. "The mall would be fun. Maybe Icy Hot's dumb siblings won't cut it short again."

"Hah, maybe…I should apologize to them eventually."

"Eventually. Maybe not right now. You can sit here with me for right now," he replies, wrapping his other arm around her and squeezing her once. She giggles and runs her hand up and down his lower arm, leaning into him.

"I hope this never changes," she says softly, looking up at him. "Days like this are nice…"

"I can agree to that," he whispers.

"Yeah?"

"Mmhmm…"

He shifts one hand to curl a finger around her chin, tilting her head back. A small blush comes across each of their cheeks as he leans forward. She leans in part way, reaching up to touch his cheek-

"Hey hey! Yaomomo and Todoroki are cooking dinner tonight!" Denki yells, having slammed the front door open and forcing the two apart, their faces steaming bright red. He looks at each of them, alternating who he looks at a few times. He takes in Katsuki's eye twitching and Leinei's off tune humming and pulling her sleeves down over her hands. "I…interrupted something, didn't I?"

"No, not at fucking all," Katsuki huffs, standing up. He holds his hand out to Leinei and helps her to her feet. "What are they making?"

"Dunno yet. They wanted suggestions for dinner. Are you sure I didn't interrupt anything? Seems like I did?"

"No, Denks, it's all fine," Leinei assures, shaking her head. "We were just heading inside anyway. Maybe we can help with dinner."

"If we left them to it, they'd burn the kitchen down honestly…"

"So then we help. Sounds like a plan."

They walk past Denki, who tilts his head and rubs his neck. He feels bad now, his shoulders slumping as he sighs and walks in, shutting the door behind him. Definitely interrupted something…Bad Denki, bad.