It felt like she was being watched. This unsettling feeling was what brought her out of sleep and when Nozomi opened her eyes, she found herself looking at Aizawa from across the room. He was standing in the doorway to Eri's room, hands in his pockets, dressed in his hero costume.

She groggily pushed herself to sit up and ran a hand through her hair. "Nnh. Shouta? What time is it? Is it Hawks here already?"

He turned his head to the side, the slightest look of smug satisfaction taking form on his face. "He's not here."

"So I've still got some time…" Nozomi ruffled her tangled, golden locks and half-smiled at the man. "So? You wanted to cuddle or are you just enjoying the view~?" she teased.

The hero entered the room, bringing with him three cats that trotted alongside him like guardians. "I have class soon," he explained.

"What time is it?" The ex-villain looked toward Eri's window and saw through the curtains that the sun had risen.

Aizawa halted beside the bed, looking from her to the sleeping child beside her. "You're not going back today. I've got a job for you to do."

"Ah…what? Hawks is going to be here soon, right? He won't want-" She went silent as he set a hand on the top of her head. Shouta? Seriously. What are you thinking? You've got a plan or something?

"You're watching Eri today so you can't go. I'll see you when I get back from class. I already fed the cats." He started to turn away, but paused as he seemed to reconsider his farewell. Leaning down for a moment, he pressed a tentative kiss to the top of her head and then made his way out of the room again.

Nozomi stared after him in a mix of shock, happiness, and anxiety. Wait. What? She looked over at Eri and then back to the open doorway. One cat had gone to follow Aizawa. The hairless cat and the black and white cat had remained behind. Wait. Am I babysitting?

She carefully got off of the bed and tiptoed her way out to the corridor, half-expecting to see that Aizawa was still out there. He was nowhere in sight. "Shouta?" she called softly. There was no answer.

What am I going to do? She glanced toward Eri once more. The little girl was still asleep and Panda was now curling up beside her. Nozomi's tails swished to the side, stingers quietly clicking together as she tried to figure out what to do now.

It had been a while since she spent a whole day with someone. Even when she was with Hawks on his days off, he would usually go out to get them food or run his own errands so she would be alone for a while. Not to mention that it had been a while since she took care of a child. Not since she was in Overhaul's base, being held against her will. So not only was she now experiencing a little distress from being unsure of her herself, she was also feeling a little panicked because this brought back some bad memories.

She put a hand over her mouth and nose for a moment, reassuring herself that there was no mask there. I'm fine, she told herself. I'm safe. I'm…responsible? Good old responsible Yori. I mean Nozomi. She frowned and clicked her stingers again as she pondered what to do.

Her stomach growled and she nodded to herself. Food first. And coffee, if I can find it. Shouta said the dorm has a kitchen in it so I should cook for me and Eri, right? I can do this. She wrapped her tails around her waist and pulled her shirt down over them to keep them hidden.

Turning to look at Eri again, she was given a meow of confirmation from Panda. "Just…keep her safe, okay? I'll be back really soon." Another meow. At the same time, Gremlin trotted over and hopped up onto her shoulder. Claws sank in through the shirt she had borrow from Hawks, making her hiss quietly, but the pain was minimal compared to any pain she felt in the past.

Having Gremlin with her did make her feel a little better. Walking with her hands in her pockets, she chewed at the inside of her cheek. I have no idea where anything is, she realized after wandering for about ten minutes. Where even am I?

"Oh! It's Aizawa-sensei's girlfriend!"

She tensed, tails tightening around her waist. Looking casually over her shoulder, she found Ashido and a few other students. Fighting to maintain her composure and not act overly familiar, despite knowing them, she offered a sheepish smile. "Morning."

"Did you stay the night?"

"Wow. I didn't know it was that serious."

"He got over Mori-sensei kind of fast, didn't he?" Kaminari remarked.

Nozomi felt her right eye twitch upon hearing this. Mori Hiyori had been her name what felt like a lifetime ago. When she was assisting Aizawa before, the kids had all called her "Mori-sensei". Why does that piss me off so much to hear that? Tilting her head, she turned and approached the students. "Can someone show me where the kitchen is?"

"Oh! Are you making sensei breakfast? That's so romantic-!"

"Nope. Eri-chan." She saw the sparkle fade from the pink-haired girl's eyes for a moment before reigniting. Nozomi braced herself for the high pitched squeal, but still jolted a little.

"That's soooo sweeeeeet!"

After a long walk, made even longer by the students asking her various questions, Nozomi found herself in the kitchen. She started steaming some rice and prepared to make omelets with rice for herself and Eri. Somehow, this turned into making breakfast for a bunch of students as well. None of them seemed to recognize her, which was both relieving and a little confusing.

Are they just dumb? Who'd fall for a shoddy disguise like this? I feel like an anime villain or something; just throw on a wig and no one knows who you are. She started making herself a cup of black coffee when she felt eyes on her. Nozomi turned her head and made direct eye contact with a particular student she had hoped to avoid seeing.

Her side started to throb a little and she subconsciously pressed a hand over her scarred left side. "Morning," she greeted Bakugou.

He continued to just glare, but his eyes briefly lowered to where her hand was pressed. Recognition formed on his face. Those scars on her side had been caused by one of his attacks. When he had been taken by the League of Villains, she had allowed herself to be injured so he could use her as a human shield to try to escape. After all, Shigaraki was reluctant to attack her or let the others do any damage to her. The plan had only managed to buy Bakugou some time until the heroes showed up, but it had still helped.

Nozomi reached to the plated omelet she had set aside for herself and offered it. "Eat up, kid. Need to get some protein, right?"

Not breaking eye contact, he took the plate and went to sit down at a table. The ex-villain poured a cup of black coffee for herself and grabbed Eri's breakfast to take back to the girl's room with her. It was only when she was out in the corridor that she allowed herself to start really worrying.

That kid definitely recognized me. Damn it. Now what am I going to do? I can't really go anywhere until Shouta comes back. Damn it. She quickened her pace, eager to get back to Eri's room.

The little girl was awake by the time she returned and looked sad until she saw the meal that Nozomi brought back with her. "…breakfast…?"

"It's a rice omelet." She sat on the bed beside the child, smiling and setting the plate down on the little stand beside the bed. "See the shape on top?"

Eri's eyes lit up. "A heart…?"

"Yep. I drew a heart on top with some ketchup. My mom used to do always do that for me when I was a little kid," she explained. Talking about her mother made her feel a bit sad, but at the same time she felt nostalgic. "Do you want to try some?"

The girl nodded and Nozomi cut a little bit off the omelet with a fork. She offered it to Eri and felt a burst of happiness when she got the child to smile. "Is it good?" Eri nodded again and took the fork so she could feed herself.

As she sipped her bitter, burning coffee, the ex-villain tried not to think about her worries. She wanted to live in this moment. A moment where her cooking made a little girl happy. A moment where she was safe and comfortable. It was difficult though. Especially when she had the subconscious fear that Overhaul would come through the door at any moment and drag her out of the room by her hair.

I'm safe here, she reminded herself. Staring down into the dark beverage in her cup, she bit the inside of her cheek hard. I'm safe. He can't even touch me now. I'm safe. I'm…safe. She sipped her drink again and half-closed her eyes.

"Are you…going to leave again?" Eri asked, her voice trembling with worry.

"Not for a while. Aizawa-san wanted me to stay with you today. We have all day to do whatever you want. We can play a game or we can draw or we could try naming those cats again."

Time passed and she was surprised when Hawks failed to show up. Did he just decide he doesn't want me around anymore or something? She was making lunch for herself and Eri, feeling much better now that all of the students had gone to class.

Thinking about it, she decided it would be okay if Hawks had just gotten bored with her as long as he left her with Aizawa. If he came back and tried to take her to prison, she was unsure of what she would do. I don't want to go to prison. I…like this. I like taking care of someone; I mean I'm a caretaker by nature, right? That was why I got hired to take care of Shigaraki.

Nozomi was standing in the kitchen with her back to the doorway, thinking about a multitude of things. Eri, Aizawa, Hawks, the students, the cats, Shigaraki, Nomus, birds, the bitter taste her venom had, the food she was currently cooking on the stove, the water boiling for tea, her manga. So many thoughts in such a broad range. She pressed a hand to her right temple and her tails started to loosen around her waist. Too many thoughts. I feel like my brain…is splitting apart.

"Oh. I thought everyone was gone."

She tensed, her tails tightening again. The ex-villain knew that voice anywhere. Goose bumps rose on her skin beneath her clothes and she bowed her head, feigning a headache. "S-sorry, sir! I'll be out in a few minutes! Sorry!" She forced herself to speak in a high pitched voice, trying to hide the natural hoarseness of her real voice.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to sneak up on you."

"It's fine, it's fine! No worries! I mean-!" She heard footsteps approaching her from behind and quickly moved to the tea kettle, keeping her head down so her hair hid her face. "Want some tea? I've got plenty of water ready!"

"Uh…sure."

She got a tea bag ready and filled a mug to the brim with hot water. Setting it down on the countertop, she pushed it off to the side. "There you go, sir. Have a good day!" On the inside, she was panicking. Why the hell is All Might here?! Don't you have a class to teach? What the hell?

"Thanks." He came to stand next to her and took the mug.

Nozomi saw him from the corner of her eye, lifting the mug and blowing gently on the steaming tea. The catalyst that had made her life start to change from simply being Shigaraki's caretaker had been when she randomly met this thin, scraggly-looking blond guy in a grocery store. One thing had led to another and, through persistence, she had made friends with this man. The last time she saw him was in the bar, when Bakugou was being rescued. She had kicked All Might in the chest and screamed at him.

He was looking at her curiously, but with no hint of malice. "Hey. You okay?"

It might have seemed like a completely innocent question, but she heard the concern in his voice and memories came flooding back to her from the past. "I'm fine, sir. Just…really busy, you know. Making lunch for the kid." She forced a smile and turned to face him, knowing she had no choice. Continuing to avoid his gaze would look suspicious. "There's plenty of food if you want some, too!"

He stared down at her for a long moment, taking in every scar and eventually focusing his gaze on the purple plastic frames of her glasses as she pushed them up. The same glasses she had worn when she kicked him and screamed at him. Staring down at his old friend Mori Hiyori, he smiled faintly. "Thanks. It smells great."

"Heh. You know, you're pretty thin, mister. You could probably use some food, right?" she teased. He knows. He knows, he knows, he knows. But he…doesn't care, does he? He's always like this. He's too forgiving. She turned back to the stove and smirked. "I used soy sauce with a little ginger. I hope that's okay."

"No worries." He looked like he wanted to say more, but stopped himself and simply drank his tea.

While she cooked, Yagi continued to stand beside her and seemed to have decided to humor her effort to become someone else. He asked her name, her age, why she was in the dorm, what kind of work she did. She was glad to indulge him and answer. It felt sweet, casual. It gave her some hope for the future.

"Does the League of Villains know where you are?" he finally asked.