They're…going to try to rescue Bakugou-kun. Shirayuki stared down at her phone and chewed at her lower lip. She wanted to go. She knew that if she went with Kirishima and the others, she'd likely find Dabi with the League of Villains. The only problem was that she was scared.

Of course, she had every reason to be afraid. These were villains and she already faced one of them before. She couldn't forget the sound of that man's voice. The man in the black and white mask, who had known her mother's name. The one that wanted to take her along with Bakugou for the League of Villains.

I want to help. She started typing a response to Kirishima, but her fingers paused over the screen and she slouched. But…what if I can't help at all? What if I'm really not cut out for any of this? I let so many people down. I'm just…I'm not my father. He was born to be a hero and I'm…I'm just…I'm not good enough.

A knock on her door made the girl delete her message and look up. "…ah...j-just a second…" She wiped away her tears and went to answer the door. Shirayuki found her new guardian standing there with one of the cats peeking out of his hoodie.

"You doing okay, Yuki? You didn't eat lunch today." Fat Gum frowned and started to reach a hand out like he was going to check her forehead for a fever, but he hesitated.

"…I-I'm fine, I'm just…not hungry…" Lowering her head, the girl let her dark violet hair fall forward around her face. "…is that…Eileen-chan…?"

"Huh? Oh! Yeah! I got home and sat down for a while and she just climbed in! The air conditioning's not too high, is it? You think she was cold?" He was doing his best to try to lighten the mood and cheer her up, but it was clear that she was still not doing well. It hadn't slipped his attention; Fat Gum noticed she didn't leave her room much the past few days and she was eating a little less every day.

"…no…um…the air conditioning is…it's fine…Eileen-chan just…" She blinked back tears as her throat tightened. "…Eileen-chan…she used to always cuddle with my grandma in the afternoon so…so she probably misses her…"

Fat Gum's smile fell and this time he didn't hesitate. He pulled the girl forward into a hug and patted her back. "Hey, it's okay to cry, Yuki. I know you've been trying to act tough, but it's not healthy to bottle it up like that! Just let it out!"

Shirayuki tried to hug back, even though she had no hope of getting her arms around the massive hero. "…it's…it's not fair…she didn't do anything to…to deserve what happened and…I just…I-I miss her…I miss her so much and it…hurts more every day…I don't…know what to do…but I want to do something…I want whoever did this…to have to pay for what they did…but they don't even have any clues…"

The tears wouldn't stop flowing and for the first time in days, she let herself sob. It felt like there were razor blades tearing away at her heart and her stomach felt like it was being twisted inside out. She'd been dealing with the pain and bottling it up for the past few days, but now it was just too much for her to handle. She wanted her grandmother. She wanted to hug her grandmother one last time and be able to tell her how much she loved her.

Fat Gum did his best to try to make her feel better, but it was clear he was struggling a little. He hugged her and frowned, trying to figure out what he could do. "I'm sorry, Yuki. But you know they're working really hard to try to find the guy did this. I'm sure they'll catch him soon."

He let her step back and watched the girl wipe her eyes, feeling a pang in his chest. "I know! You didn't have lunch so you're probably hungry, right? Let's go out for dinner tonight, okay? We'll go to Umetarou's favorite place. I don't think I've taken you there yet."

She managed to stammer a thank you because she knew this was all he could do. Honestly, she wouldn't have wanted him to lie to her and say everything would be okay. Shirayuki took the cat from him when he pulled Eileen out of his hoodie. "…um…I-I'm going to get ready…I might be a few minutes…"

"It's fine! Take as much time as you need! I need to make a call first, anyway!" The hero ruffled her dark violet hair and grinned.

Shift P.O.V

Something wasn't right. He couldn't shake the feeling, ever since Shirayuki showed up at the hospital. The others had to see it, too. The girl's eyes looked so sad when she approached them. The whole time she was with them, she kept trying to push herself, but Kirishima could see that the sadness was deep. Whatever was causing it, he was pretty sure it was something other than the training camp incident.

He was messaging with her, but then she went silent. Kirishima stared at his phone screen, frowning as he waited for her to say something. After ten minutes, he knew she wasn't going to send another message.

Part of him kind of wished she was going with them to rescue Bakugou, but another part of him was glad she wasn't. Even though he knew she was capable of protecting herself, even though he knew how good she was with her quirk, he didn't want her to get hurt. That desire to protect her was what had him worrying now.

Something's wrong. Something must've happened to her, but why won't she tell us? She didn't even say anything to Mina! It's not manly to get this worried when I don't know what's wrong, but I can't help it!

He typed a message to her and waited. Subconsciously holding his breath as he saw the "read" indicator show up. When she replied, his frown only got deeper. Kirishima couldn't stop himself from calling her now.

"…h-hello…?" Her soft, hesitant voice greeted him and it was like a shot of electricity to the heart.

"Hey, Yuki! Sorry to call you out of the blue like this; I know you're not really into phone calls. I was just thinking about you and-! Er, I don't mean like…anyway, is everything alright? You've seemed kind of down lately and I know it's not cool to make you tell me what's wrong, but I'm here if you need to talk someone! I mean it, okay? Doesn't matter what it is; I'm here for you! We're best friends, remember?"

"…best…best friends…?"

Kirishima could hear it in her voice that she was on the verge of tears. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-!"

"I…want to talk about it, but I'm…afraid." Her sadness was leaking into her tone and it was obvious that she was crying now. The girl's voice was breaking.

"Yuki…it's okay. You don't have to say anything if you don't want to. I want you to be happy. That's why I want to be able to help you."

There was a pause before she spoke again. "…I…o-okay…um…I'll tell you, but I can't…right now…not yet…but t-tomorrow…?"

He still felt bad. Hearing her sound so down was making him feel like he'd been punched in the gut. "Tomorrow. Just let me know where you want to meet up!"

Shift P.O.V

I don't want to make him upset, but…not telling him…is just going to make him more upset. Shirayuki walked alongside Fat Gum with her head down. She nervously fidgeted with the mask bracelet on her wrist. But if I tell him, what if it makes him worry more? I don't want him to worry.

The girl glanced at her guardian and saw him offer a smile. She tried to smile back, but it was a weak attempt. "…I just…I want to say thank you…for everything you've done for me…" she spoke.

"Yuki, come on! You're practically family!" He patted her on the back, trying to be gentle. Trying to act cheerful, but it was clear he was bothered by something. The hero didn't seem like he was ready to tell her, though.

"…um…h-have they…found Sayuri-chan or her daughter…?" Shirayuki had a feeling this had something to do with what was bothering him. His smile faded when she asked this.

"Naosu Sayuri and her daughter Emi? No one's been able to find them yet." Fat Gum paused as he looked away and frowned. "Sayuri. You know, I remember meeting her a long time ago. Umetarou wanted me to meet his little cousin with the healing quirk. Oh!"

Shirayuki looked forward and felt blood rushing to her face when she saw Amajiki and Togata waiting in front of restaurant. The blond boy was the first to spot her and he waved; smiling as he nudged Amajiki. She timidly lifted a hand to wave back.

The dark-haired boy shyly lifted his gaze from the ground and a reddish tint spread across his face all the way to the tips of his pointed ears. A shy smile pulled at his lips and he looked down again. His mouth moved, but he was still too far away from Shirayuki to hear him. Togata seemed to hear him and put a hand on his shoulder, his smile getting bigger as he said something to his friend.

"I hope you don't mind, but I invited them to have dinner with us. I didn't want to overstep my boundaries as your guardian, but I wanted to try to cheer you up. You're not upset, right?" Fat Gum gave her an apologetic smile.

"…n-no…I'm not upset…um…I-I'm actually…" She took a deep breath and looked up at the hero; forcing herself to maintain eye contact. "I'm happy that you invited them."

Shirayuki stayed behind Fat Gum and Togata as they walked into the restaurant. When warm fingers cautiously reached over to brush against hers, she felt her pulse flutter and she glanced over at Amajiki. His face still had a reddish tint, but when he saw her look at him, he gathered up some courage and took her hand in his.

"You're going to love the food here! Yuki's dad and I used to come here a lot." Fat Gum sat across from Shirayuki at the table with Togata next to him so she could sit beside Amajiki.

"Yuki, you're wearing the hoodie Tamaki picked out?"

"M-Mirio…you didn't have to tell her. I didn't…didn't want her to know. It was supposed to be a secret. I'm…now I'm even more nervous…" Amajiki slouched and lowered his head as he mumbled.

"…Tamaki, you…picked this out…?" It was the hoodie Shirayuki was gifted shortly after Fat Gum became her guardian. A simple black hoodie with a pink skull on the left side of the chest.

He glanced over at her, but then quickly looked away. "I…I wanted to give you something that would make you comfortable…" Amajiki turned his head a little to look her way again, but for longer this time. "Um…do you like it?"

She nodded, blushing pink as she fidgeted with her bracelet. "I…like it a lot, Tamaki. It reminds me of something my grandma would've gotten for me so it…makes me feel better when I wear it."