My Hero Academia: Son of Justice

by Jayme F. Midorikawa

The son of the disgraced former greatest Hero of The Soviet Union is extended a chance at a new life by the Symbol of Peace, All Might. After having lived so long resenting Heroes and Villains, and being scared to death of his own Quirk, will he be able to step forward and become the Hero he once dreamed of, and will he be able to find new purpose through friendship, or even love?

4. New Life Arc Part 1 - Culture Clash

Well, it's thrilling to see as many people are reading the story as there are. It really does feel good to be writing a story like this, one that I feel so passionate about even as far along as I am. I hope you're all enjoying it, too.

I don't mean to sound pushy by saying this, but if any of you would be willing to write up any reviews letting me know what you like the most about this story so far, where you feel I could improve, etc. etc., it would be vastly appreciated. I want to make a story people can enjoy and escape through, with everything in real life being as hard as it is right now, and I would really like to know if people out there are enjoying reading this as much as I'm enjoying putting it all together.

Well, here's the newest chapter, anyway. I hope you all enjoy it, and as is the intended scheduling pattern, prepare to receive Chapter 4 one week from today on 01/23!

My Hero Academia does not belong to me, it is the property of Kouhei Horikoshi and Shonen Jump. The only thing I own is my OC's and the events surrounding them, and the alterations to events that result because of them.

A/N: [[]] denotes that the characters are contextually speaking Russian.

Chapter 3

Culture Clash

(Столкновение Культур)

The remainder of the voyage to Japan, over an entire day and night, proceeded without another word to be shared between Nikolay and neither Oleg nor All Might. In fact, even through the biting nighttime cold, the boy hardly even moved from his spot at the tail end of the freighter, simply staring out at the horizon they had long since left behind.

Both veteran Heroes had come to the agreement that the boy had enough of a major change to his life to process through, and much more would be enough to cause him to potentially shut down altogether. No matter how much the persistent silence left an uncomfortable tension between them, Nikolay would ultimately be the one to decide when he was ready to hear more of what was to come.

Unfortunately, this troubling trend of his did not change by the time they had reached land again. All Might had taken the liberty of chartering the freighter to make the detour to the city of Musutafu, where their new home and school would be waiting for them. Oleg was especially grateful for this, as he was uncertain if he could handle another whole day and night of his sons' persistent silent treatment.

Upon their arrival on land, a single black car at the end of the gangplank greeted them, with a sharply dressed valet standing at the ready. "This man will take you both to the house the school has had built in expectation for your arrival. The journey has been long and difficult, so I can only imagine you'll want to get some actual sleep. I will be coming by to check on you first thing in the morning," All Might had wasted no time informing his temporary charges as soon as they had set foot on dry land. Oleg was at first distressed that his compatriot was already practically leaving him and Nikolay alone in this whole new country, but was quick to realize exactly why it had to be this way.

All Might had been forcing himself to maintain his muscular form to his very limit in order to avoid rousing any more confusion out of Nikolay, and the strain of it was no doubt getting worse, having to maintain it throughout the voyage to avoid an accidental reveal. Even setting that whole issue aside, Oleg could imagine he had quite a lot to tell his future co-workers at Yuuei Academy in order to get him properly prepared for whenever the next school year would begin. It would have been downright discourteous to drag them both along after everything up to this point.

Oleg bid farewell to All Might with a firm yet grateful handshake and nod, while Nikolay could only give the monolith of a man an unreadable parting glance before climbing into their waiting vehicle with the listlessness of a sleepwalker. The sight gave Oleg a twisting sensation of embarrassment for his sons' persistent attitude, but a single hand on the shoulder from All Might quelled such feelings. It pretty much communicated everything the world's greatest Hero needed to say: 'the boy just needs time. I understand, and so should you.'

Once the car departed from the harbor, the city they were greeted with was like the exact opposite of Vladivostok. Despite being such a large city with such a plethora of lights, accentuated by the very light snowfall, the air was so much clearer, with the stars peeking through the clouds still being able to glisten and shine so visibly. The streets and sidewalks were continuously abuzz with so many people dressed so colorfully and expressively, with so many of their faces reflecting actual happiness and contentment.

The sidewalks were adorned with a plethora of storefronts, restaurants and all other kinds of glistening glassy displays that just seemed to glow with indescribably inviting warmth. Even the trees were aglow with especially festive lights, like an early harbinger of the Christmas season only weeks away.

The tallest buildings were all lit up with a multitude of massive TV screens, all of them lit up with numerous advertisements, newscasts and any number of other visual displays neither Oleg nor Nikolay could adequately describe. Despite being just a city, everything they saw of it as they drove just felt so completely different, the two felt they might as well have stepped onto another world entirely.

While Oleg was taken aback with just how much of a sensory overload it was to take in what were no doubt the most common sights of Musutafu, Nikolay was more intently focused on the people they passed by. Yes, a majority of them looked like any other human being, but there were some among them that just stood out in ways he couldn't describe at that moment. There were people with wings, people with what looked like webbed hands, people with outright animal heads atop human bodies, and those were simply the more immediately noticeable ones.

Distant memories stirred in the depths of his mind of some of his father's old comrades in The New Bogatyrs. There were some with much more noticeable physical attributes of their Quirks than others, particularly one man, Volga, who had gills on the sides of his neck who had to wear a reverse respirator to breathe water on dry land; and even one giant of a Hero, Volos, who had the body of a man, but the muscular mass and head of a Russian brown bear.

It had been so long since Nikolay had seen anyone with such distinctively abnormal physical appearances, he almost felt like he was in the middle of a fever dream, just looking at them all pass by.

After several minutes of beholding such an array of sights, their environment began to grow gradually smaller and less extravagantly lit, and they soon found themselves driving through what was clearly a more domestic part of the city, made up of smaller apartment buildings and the occasional two-story houses. Nikolay and Oleg both could begin to feel their long-withheld exhaustion catching up to them as they began to realize they had to be reaching what was to be their new house soon.

It was not much later that the car had finally come to a stop. Stepping out, Oleg and Nikolay were greeted by the sight of a surprisingly quaint-looking two-story brick house nestled comfortably in a small square patch of land surrounded by a waist-high concrete fence. Even with no lights on inside, the place itself couldn't help but give off an inviting air, as though just beckoning the two to come in with open arms.

"Your benefactors wanted me to inform you that both your respective keys have been left under the welcome mat for you. They trust you will find the accommodations acceptable," the valet suddenly informed them, and after a momentarily surprised yet grateful nod of understanding from Oleg, he continued on his way, leaving the two Russian now-expats on their own in the still silence of the gentle snowfall before their new abode.

Wanting to get out of the cold and into an actual bed, Oleg eagerly led the way, with Nikolay silently following suit. Just as he'd been told, there were two small silver keys lying snugly under the mat before the front door. Opening up and stepping inside; father and son both were taken aback at how thoroughly the interior had been put together, with many of the bare basic furnishings having already been provided. After turning on the lights to get a better look, Oleg could already feel an all-encompassing sense of comfort in this place. Clearly, his soon-to-be employers and compatriots really wanted him and Nikolay to feel at ease, like they could actually unlace their boots here.

The two began to separate, taking in all the rooms available, from the spacious living room with an adjoining kitchen space, to even a surprisingly sizable basement level Oleg had found, complete with an array of standard exercise equipment; at least for a man of his size. 'Yes, they really did think of everything,' was the only thing he could think of with that discovery especially.

After looking over the currently empty attic level and what was doubtless the master bedroom, complete with bed, Oleg let out the first sigh of genuine contentment he had probably felt in the last eleven years. This place would do just nicely. With a figurative spring in his step, Oleg went to the last remaining room he hadn't checked, to be instantly met with the sight of Nikolay's prone body lying still on his side on the smaller bed occupying the far corner. His back was turned to the door, and Oleg immediately noticed the boy hadn't even taken off his shoes. 'After all that traveling, and everything else, of course he would be so exhausted. Well, you can finally rest easy, Kolya. This is a new start for us. I swear it.'

With a deeply satisfied smile underneath his thick facial hair, Oleg silently closed the door to allow his son some undisturbed rest, never realizing that the boy was far from asleep, instead just staring blankly at the empty wall, silently processing everything that had now been forced onto his lap since yesterday.

Oleg nearly collapsed onto the sofa in the middle of the living room, thankfully handmade to accommodate his large frame. He set the two large rucksacks he had been continuously hefting the last twenty-four plus hours at his sides with a groan of aged relief. Taking in his brand new surroundings once more, Oleg could already feel his hopes for his and Nikolay's adjustments to this new place once they would be able to make some more personal touches to the décor. Even if it was outside of their motherland's borders, Oleg for once felt complete certainty that this place could be more than a house; it could actually be a home.

Of course, expecting Nikolay to simply accept everything that now was, and expecting him to adjust to this whole new land and a whole new set of societal rules overnight was, on Oleg's part, incredibly optimistic, and he knew it. Getting his son to adapt to the way things were in Russia after the Flash had been hard enough, but getting him to backtrack to his old mindset from before then was going to be even harder.

Oleg pinched the bridge of his nose in exhaustion and exasperation as he instinctively turned to one of the rucksacks lying by his feet, the one containing the small wooden cabinet he and Nikolay refused to leave behind. [[Oh, Lyuda…I've tried so hard for so long to try and raise him how I thought was right. Please…I don't care how, but please give me some kind of a sign that I did the right thing bringing him all the way out here.]]

---

Nikolay wasn't sure when it was he had actually managed to fall asleep, but regardless, the bed beneath him had given him a far more pleasant night's rest than he could recall having for a long time. Of course, such a comfort was quickly forgotten the next morning when he had finally woken up to the brightest morning sunlight he had seen shining through the blinds, into a room with empty white walls he did not recognize.

For only the briefest moment did his senses flare up in a panic as he tried to see where he was and how he had gotten here, but that panic just as quickly subsided as the memories of the last two days came rushing right back. The intense pulsations that had begun to build up from within his hands thankfully died down, and Nikolay was able to take a few deep breaths to calm himself down again.

When he eventually stepped out of what he had unofficially designated as his room, Nikolay was met with a pleasantly familiar smell: butterbrot and fried eggs. For once, his dad had managed to make the new day start smelling something akin to home, instead of burning. When he stepped out into the living room, once again taking in these strange new surroundings they were expected to just settle right into, he soon noticed Oleg busy at work, affixing their wooden cabinet to the wall overlooking their solitary dining room table.

The look reflected in Oleg's blue eyes was that of an almost childlike eagerness, as though he were fulfilling something he yearned for by applying such personal touches. However, all Nikolay could feel was a deep sense of discomfort in the pit of his stomach, only exacerbated when his father finally took notice of his presence. [[Ah, good morning, son. I know it must feel strange waking up this long after the sun has come up, but if I didn't think you had earned the right to sleep in after the trip, when would I ever?]]

Oleg was moving with more energy and enthusiasm than Nikolay had expected, already swooping into the kitchen to get their food together; all while the boy returned his troubled gaze to the cabinet upon the wall. [[Those beds are really something, aren't they? They certainly did not spare any expense to help us feel welcome. I swear I feel ten years younger after last night. And they even took the liberty of making sure we had plenty of food. I'm going to have to find some way to really repay them for all this. Now come, sit and eat, Kolya. You must be starving; I know I am.]]

Oleg plopped himself eagerly at the head of the table while Nikolay only followed suit out of instinct, continuously returning his attention to the spot on the wall. It was good to finally get some familiar food in his stomach, but it did nothing to set the rest of his mind at ease. The two proceeded to eat in a somewhat uncomfortable silence, and by the time they had finished, Nikolay could feel his unease finally start to form the words for him to speak. [[So, Kolya, did you sleep well, too? Those beds really are a far cry from those salvaged piles of-[[Why did you hang her up there?]]

Oleg froze in the middle of washing the dishes, a distinct chill going down his spine. This was exactly what he had hoped a night of actual rest would help them to avoid. When Nikolay was this upfront, there was no getting around it. [[Well, if this is going to be our new home, it needs to have some personal touches, Kolya. Otherwise it's nothing more than another house.]]

Nikolay was unnervingly still for a few tense moments, before getting up from his spot and silently taking the cabinet off the hook in the wall, setting it in the corner. [[This isn't home.]] Nikolay did not need to say anything more than that to show just how today was going to be with him. Oleg let out a weary groan of annoyance as his son retreated back into his room. This time, however, the large man wasn't going to just sit by and let his boy wallow in it.

Oleg announced his intrusion with a single resounding knock at the door, finding his son just staring solemnly out the window at the glaring brightness of the neighborhood in snow-covered morning light. [[Kolya, I want you to just hear what I'm going to say, all right?]] Nikolay gave no indication he had heard him, but the lack of a protest was about as good a sign as he was going to get to continue; Oleg figured. [[I know that none of this has been easy for you. Who am I kidding; nothing for the past eleven years has been easy for either of us. I know it must still feel like I just went and uprooted our entire lives for my own benefit, but you'll come to see that that's not true. All of this, and everything that's going to come our way from this point on, it's all been for you, because I want you to have a better life, the kind of life you really deserve.]]

At this point, Nikolay finally turned from the window and gave his father a look that bordered on pleading, silently begging Oleg to get to his real point instead of trying to keep making excuses. Oleg sat himself at the edge of Nikolay's bed as he had to visibly think of how best to express what he really wanted. [[Kolya…you're a smart boy, so I know giving you the same kind of platitudes most parents would give their children is meaningless. I could tell you this is a new start for us, as many times as I want, but I can't magically convince you of that. This transition is going to take time for both of us, but there's just one thing I want to ask of you before we do anything else.]]

The air between them was heavy as Oleg had to take a breath to steady himself, trying not to become too emotional. What he was about to ask was essentially do or die; he knew that if he could not somehow convince Nikolay to be on his side with this, then he would be out of ideas on how else to do so, and their future lives here would just become a whole other kind of living hell.

[[I'm not telling you what to do, or how things are going to be from now on; I've put you through enough of that already. I want us to be able to help each other out with things around here from now on, so I only want to ask you to try, Kolya. Please, just try to help me out in making all this work out for us. I'm not asking you to like how much things have changed and act like everything is perfect. I'm only asking you to try and go into all this with as much of an open mind as you can. Please.]]

Oleg had laid all his cards on the table, and to his despair, he was met only with silence. Yet that despair quickly faded as he saw Nikolay begin to look contemplative; silently trying to figure out just what it would look like, what it would even be like, to try and do as his father was asking. After a minute of this, Nikolay's hands began to clench, knuckles white, and he pursed his lips with frustration; like he was trying to find the right words.

[[I understand that, Dad. I get that we can't go back home anymore. I hate it, but I get it now, why it has to be this way. But I've been trying so hard to do what you told me to do for so long: keeping my head down, never showing my Quirk. I've been trying to be just like everybody else, even when they kept saying how everything was yours and every other Quirk-user's fault, and people like us were getting taken away. But now…now you're suddenly saying it's okay to be what we are, it's okay to show my Quirk, that you want me to try and just act like…like everything before we got here never happened, to just suddenly start going to a school with people like me, with Quirks that could hurt more people, or worse, and I…I don't think I know how to do that; any of it. I don't know how to control my Quirk, and every time it comes out, people get hurt. What if it's already too late for me? What if this is all just a waste of time? What if I don't belong here any more than I belonged there? What if…what if, by trying to be a Hero like you were, I just end up destroying everything here, too?]]

Oleg could feel his heart break all over again as the weight of Nikolay's fears hung over their heads. The boy had covered everything he could've possibly had a reassuring answer to, and to simply tell him that things would never possibly go that way would have been an outright lie. After all, there was once a time when Oleg himself felt that things could never go wrong with the mastery he had over his Quirk. How on earth was he supposed to convince his son to put such valid fears aside after everything that had happened to them?

Knock, knock, knock

The knocking at the door almost resonated through the entire house, but there was no doubt in Oleg or Nikolay's minds just who it was. With his son following close behind, Oleg hurried to the door and opened it to the now familiar towering frame of All Might, now dressed in a thick black coat, almost blocking the rays of the morning sun through their door frame. From where Nikolay stood, if it hadn't been for the flashy smile and the blonde hair, he would've thought a giant black bear had been at their doorstep.

"So, I take it the two of you have already been getting yourselves acclimated to your new abode?" All Might asked in all good humor as Oleg instinctively gestured for him to step inside; once again silently thankful they had thought to make the doorframe as massive as he was. "Indeed, we have. We didn't have much to give it a more personal touch, but it is what it is." As much as he was trying to put on the air of being a halfway decent host, it still felt awkward for Oleg to speak in such an open and casual manner with anyone again.

"Well, I'm confident that once your time at Yuuei Academy begins, you won't have such concerns for long. Everyone I've spoken to regarding your acceptance of my offer has been very excited to meet you." Oleg could feel a nervous knot twist in his stomach; as could Nikolay. Just the thought of more and more actual Heroes coming here couldn't help but give the boy anxious chills. Oleg, however, was quick to put aside his apprehension. "As am I. This house really is quite incredible; a vast improvement from our conditions back in Vladivostok, as you saw. Did the school just have this place on standby for any future teachers you may have needed?"

"Not at all. When I informed everyone that I had made my offer to you, they were quick to get all the proper work done to make sure you would be fully welcomed here." Oleg couldn't help but let out an impressed whistle. It had been so long since he had seen a Quirk-possessing construction crew at work; he had forgotten how much faster such projects could be done than in the times before. Nikolay likewise looked visibly stunned at the implication, while still standing silent at his father's side.

"Yes, and I'm assuming that whole gym setup in the basement was a personal recommendation from you for nostalgia's sake. You must have really been counting on me deciding to go back with you. Now I'm curious, what would you have done if I had refused, after all?" For a moment, All Might froze, yet his smile remained as unflappable as a mountain. Then again, the telltale bead of embarrassed sweat rolling down his chiseled face said more than his expression ever could. "Well, what's the point in pondering past what ifs? The important thing is that you both are here, safe and sound, with almost everything you need to officially begin a new life."

"Almost everything?" Oleg couldn't hide his momentary confusion, before he was suddenly presented with two small white boxes. "I would normally say to consider these early Christmas gifts, but we're barely into November, so that excuse wouldn't work. My compatriots at Yuuei, and myself; we felt we should consider that the circumstances of your…expatriation would not leave the two of you with much, and since we are still technically in the middle of the current school year, it would be too much of a transition for our current first year students to suddenly have a new teacher with a whole new curriculum added in for their third semester. So, until the next school year officially begins in April, that would leave the two of you with about half a year to get yourselves adjusted and acclimated to life here in Japan. And, given how reliant so many of us have become on technology for our daily needs, we all agreed it would be beneficial to give you both one of these to help yourselves adjust."

Father and sons' curiosity were equally piqued, and so taking the small boxes being offered them, the two were surprised to find two identical black cell phones inside. Even as citizens of the former Soviet Union, they were no strangers to such devices, however their circumstances had made the possession of such easily traced devices detrimental. And, of course, what use did one have for such things when they had no one to turn to but themselves?

"We took the liberty of having them made with a built-in Japanese-to-Russian-and-back translation system to help you better familiarize yourselves with the language, and how to get around the city. And for the sake of convenience, they both also have a built-in connection to the financial account the school has already opened for you, in order to save you the hassle of applying for cards and the like, at least for now. It's become the more common option for everyone, anyway." To hear such salesman-esque clarifying on All Might's part felt so out-of-character for him, it earned a momentary chortle out of Oleg, much to the Symbol of Peace's once-more silent embarrassment.

"I swear, you all could have just left it at the house, we could have managed the rest somehow. If you or everyone else at the school goes much further with this welcome package of yours, I'm going to start feeling like I owe a legitimate debt. Be sure to extend to them my gratitude for all this when you see them." At this, All Might gave Oleg an exceptionally powerful friendly slap to the back; Oleg's similar strength and size being the only thing keeping him from being flung face first into the wall. "The good news is that I won't have to. That was the other reason I came by: since I informed everyone of your safe arrival, they would all like to see you, help you get familiarized with the school grounds and what exactly your job is going to entail. In fact, you might be pleased to know there's a few familiar faces you'll find waiting for you when we get there."

At this, Nikolay visibly perked up in confusion, looking at his father in need of clarification. Was All Might actually suggesting there were other Russian Heroes working at this Hero school he had not known of? Sensing this, Oleg was quick to explain: [[It's not what you think, Kolya. This was a couple of years before you were born, but there was a short period of time when I actually was invited to this country to perform as a guest lecturer at several Hero schools. Historically open relations between Japan and the Union really helped with that.]]

"That's right, and some of our current teachers at Yuuei were students the last time your father had made such an appearance. I'm confident they will be thrilled to see you back in the saddle, Tunguska. In fact, we should bring Bezpalov-shonen along with us. It may do the boy good to get to know his new school and what it has to offer, ahead of time." Oleg felt unease creep back in as he and Nikolay exchanged worrisome looks, leaving their towering benefactor notably confused.

"I really don't think that would be a good idea right now, my friend. The trip has been harder on Kolya than I initially thought, he's still feeling quite exhausted. He's only up because I knew he needed to get some food, but we both agreed he should try to get some more rest today." As Oleg tried to divert the course of their conversation, he momentarily gave his son a glance, silently beckoning Nikolay to play along for the moment. Thankfully, the young boy seemed to understand as he nervously bid All Might good day and retreated back down the hall to his room. "Now, as for me, I would hate to refuse a simple invitation after everything they've put forward to help us, so I'd be happy to accompany you, get a look at the old place again."

Oleg hurriedly urged himself and All Might back outside into the winter chill, locking the door behind himself before hurrying down the steps and venturing towards a familiar black car waiting loyally for the two Heroes. Once they had begun to drive off, Oleg finally let his fake air of enthusiasm fade; prompting All Might to likewise let himself lose the typical boisterous air and get serious. "It's a good thing you never tried your hand at acting, Tunguska. I could tell even you weren't buying what you were trying to convince me of. So tell me, why the sudden bout of secrecy?"

Oleg let out a sigh of complete embarrassment, mentally kicking himself for trying to pull something so sudden and immature. "I didn't want to get the three of us wrapped in an unpleasant argument. Just before you had arrived, Kolya and I were talking about…well, everything about us now being here. This kind of transition is a lot for that boy to take in, and everything that it entails."

As Oleg tried to explain himself, All Might leaned back, his smile for once beginning to shrink as he listened to his compatriot intently. "That boy has had his entire understanding of how to live completely contradicted and dismantled twice now, and I'm not sure he will even be able to fully readjust to living a life like…like how it was before the Flash. I know you said that Yuuei has the people and means necessary to help him learn how to control and master his Quirk and learn everything he has to in order to become a Hero. I understand all that, but I don't know if Kolya will be able to be convinced. I've never known a Hero who didn't immediately begin to learn how to utilize their Quirk once they began to manifest, but that boy is almost fifteen, and he's never even had a complete month's worth of training, let alone actual practice.

"The last thing he said to me before you showed up was that he's scared; not only of the prospect of the dangers of his schoolmate's Quirks, but that it's already too late for him to learn how to properly handle his own without hurting people. He's scared that…that if he tries to go through with this, with trying to learn how to be a Hero, that he'll end up destroying everything here…like I did with our old home."

The hum of the car's engine punctuated the uncomfortable silence between the two Heroes. Oleg sucked in a deep breath through his teeth in order to stifle the raw emotion in the pit of his chest. All the while, All Might looked to be deep in thought, as visible as that was with his nearly unshakeable default expression. "So, Bezpalov-shonen is expressing doubt whether or not he can actually become a real Hero. He lets the pain of the past weigh him down, prevent him from being able to take the first step forward. Given everything you two have been through, I honestly cannot say I am surprised.

"However, knowing that was part of the reason I invited you both to come here to begin with. A complete change of environment and pace is what he needs to begin the process of leaving the past behind. Of course, such a process will not be easy for a number of reasons, but every aspiring Hero needs to be brought to the ground in order to find the strength to get back up and keep moving. You and I know this better than most, Tunguska. Once you see exactly what possibilities and resources are being offered to you and your son, I believe you will find your own doubts rectified, and with time, so will he."

Oleg didn't even bother this time trying to stifle the resultant chuckle of genuine amusement as he laid back in his seat and looked at the passing snowy scenery as the residential surroundings began to give way to trees. "I swear, if you didn't have your Quirk and your reputation with all the people, you would still make a fortune as a motivational speaker…or a Hero therapist." All Might crossed his arms and let out an especially powerful laugh of amusement, himself.

"In all seriousness, though, how do you convince a boy like Kolya to move on from a mentality he's held onto and cultivated for eleven years? The way he is now, I'm not even sure if he'll even decide to go to your school at all. He's spent so much time by himself, suddenly getting thrown in with god-knows-how-many other students with Quirks could easily overwhelm him. Hell, going to new schools isn't easy even for normal non-Quirked children, who haven't gone through even half of what we have."

All Might remained undeterred in the face of his fellow Heroes' weighty yet logical concern. "Perhaps the transition need not be so overwhelming for Bezpalov-shonen. I mentioned that the next school year begins in April, but the entrance exams for students that want to enroll in Yuuei begin in late February. The exam for the majority of students is comprised of both a written and practical test. Surely your Hero schools operated the same way?"

The question brought a sense of nostalgia to Oleg's heart as he once more found himself getting lost in the snowy wilderness passing by. "Yes and no. Back home, if any children manifested Quirks, they were automatically registered with the State Quirk Bureau and subsequently required to attend whichever such schools were in their general region, all applying the same State-approved written and practical tests. They didn't get to choose the Hero schools they would attend, like the children here do."

"Yes, well, I suppose that somewhat ties into what I was getting at. You see; there actually is a second, more selective version of the entrance exam for Yuuei, one that's comprised of the written exam and a less intense Quirk showcase. It's mainly reserved for potential students that were given the highest marks from their respective schools, or were highly recommended by a Pro Hero with whom they have a direct affiliation. For example, the world's Number Two Hero, Endeavor, has already approached us with having his youngest son take this specific entrance exam come February. With your track record and my personal recommendation, Tunguska, your son could get in that way, too. Perhaps being among a smaller number of fellow participants would be easier on his nerves?"

Oleg felt a momentary flash of nostalgia at the mention of another Pro Hero from back in the day, albeit one he didn't get the chance to personally meet (primarily due to lack of interest in doing so, on the other party's part). However, just as quickly, his reminiscing changed to serious contemplation of this new option. The idea had merit as far as Nikolay's handling of himself among others was concerned. However, there was something about an exam reserved for those essentially with high connections to get in with less effort than the rest, which rubbed him the wrong way at his very core.

Finally, just as the woodlands began to clear up, Oleg let out a heavy sigh of resignation. "I appreciate being given the option…but no. I've proven to be too much of a hypocrite to my son as it is, I'm not going to let myself be painted as one in this regard, too. Even if it doesn't exist anymore, I still believe in the foundational belief the Union was originally built on: that all people should be equal in all ways. To take what is such a…bourgeois approach towards getting my son to open up to his peers and fellows, that goes against the core principle my whole family was raised on. If I'm going to help Kolya finally be the Hero I know he still wants to be, I want to help him get there through his own hard work and effort, just like my father did for me."

Even if he didn't say anything, All Might felt a deep sense of pride to hear Oleg speak with such honest conviction again for the first time. It was the first true glance of the old Tunguska he had managed to see come through, in a moment when he had actually begun to wonder if he ever would see such a thing again. "I think you have just found the solution to you and your son's dilemma, Tunguska. Words alone may not be able to convince your son to move past his fear, but the two of you taking action towards it together may be the key."

Oleg could feel his once heavy heart lighten with genuine hope, just as the car turned a corner, and he could see the beginnings of Yuuei Academy beyond the distant tree line. Once the car had finally come to a stop before the main entrance, he stepped out and marveled at the colossal sight before him.

The most telltale sight of Yuuei Academy was its main campus building, primarily composed of four nearly identical large towers posted at four corners, all connected to each other with a sizeable sky bridge. From all angles, the entire setup of buildings formed the English letter 'H'. It was far from subtle to anyone and everyone who knew what this place was, but it was no less inspiring.

"The place really hasn't changed at all. It only got taller." Oleg mused as All Might laughed in amusement, standing loyally at his side. "As I said, this school only grows more with every year. And I think it will only continue to do even better, now that it has you to add to its illustrious roster of alumni. Now come, the headmaster is eager to make your acquaintance again."

---

It had been a blessing in disguise that they had decided to see the school on the one day off of the week. It would have been quite embarrassing for Oleg, to be the subject of so many students' doubtlessly curious stares at a foreigner walking their grounds. Nevertheless, he tried to hide his new sense of discomfort by matching All Might's confident stride as they made their way through the illustrious and mercifully quiet halls of Yuuei Academy. So much about the place looked exactly as it did the last time he had set foot on its' respectable grounds, and yet it all felt so new at the same time. It almost felt unreal that this place was now going to be his new place of work, where he would finally be able to wear his old Hero mantle and name with a semblance of pride again.

It was not long before they stood before a pair of double doors, upon which All Might gave a couple pronounced knocks, causing Oleg to hitch a breath in his throat. Almost immediately, a refined-sounding voice answered from the other side: "Oh, splendid, they're here. Please, come in." Oleg sighed with relief upon recognizing who had just spoken, even after all these years.

Upon stepping inside a rather respectable-looking headmaster's office, Oleg felt a whole new sense of nostalgia wash over him as, standing attentively upon the desk at the other side and watching with full intent, was a bipedal white mouse with a notable scar going over its right eye, standing at about the height of a medium-sized dog on its hind legs, and dressed in a neatly pressed white dress shirt underneath a sweater vest, with equally pristine slacks and brown leather shoes. Upon making eye contact, the small creature hopped down from the desk and hurriedly approached Oleg with a welcoming hand extended.

"I am so glad to see your journey here has left you unharmed, Tunguska. I would be remiss in not mentioning I am glad to see you clearly remember me from last time," the mouse spoke with that same refined air as Oleg knelt down as low as he could to shake its tiny hand with his index finger and thumb. "Of course, Headmaster Nezu; no amount of years can make anyone forget meeting someone like you. I'm glad to see there's another familiar face here, and in the same position, after all these years."

The anthropomorphic mouse, Nezu, hurriedly straightened his collar, his expression still radiating hospitality and enthusiasm as he almost had to strain himself to look up at Oleg as he stood back upright. "Yes, well, you will be quite hard-pressed to find another individual with a similar passion for educating the bright-eyed hopefuls that come to Yuuei, like I have. They come to our halls looking to use their gifts to help people, and help lead the world to an ultimately brighter future, and until the day I am no longer physically capable of doing so, I intend to help guide them through the halls of education in whichever way I can. And I must say I am absolutely delighted that you have decided to extend your knowledge and expertise in that same goal."

Nezu hurriedly returned to his spot atop his desk before motioning his two guests to take respective seats as well. "I must admit, if I am being completely honest, Tunguska; I was rather surprised at first when All Might recommended we recruit your services, especially after you had disappeared from the public eye for so long. I did not wish to tarnish the overall enthusiasm by asking how he intended to find you, but I am simply glad that in the end, everything was able to work out."

"Yes, well, I was just as surprised when he first came to me. He claimed his finding me in the first city he looked was purely a coincidence, but I've never believed in such things. However, it is like you said: what's the point rattling on about doubts we had in the past? The point is that my boy and I are here, and I'm deeply grateful for the opportunity. We…we needed it."

Before Nezu could reply, a pronounced high-pitched whistle suddenly pierced the air. He hurried over to a small tea set, busily pouring the piping hot liquid into a set of six cups. "Yes, All Might had informed us that you have a son we are looking to potentially have join our student body, come the next school year. I also understand there have been some very considerable…concerns, regarding his enthusiasm for attending a school such as ours. However, I am confident that once you have been given the proper introduction to everything our grounds have come to offer in the years since you last visited us, your worries will be thoroughly and properly quelled."

The headmaster politely offered two cups of tea to the two massive men before him, to which they both courteously and gratefully accepted. The sensation of the masterfully brewed liquid rushing down his long-since dried throat, filled Oleg with a rejuvenation words could do no justice for. "Vkusniy (Delicious). I'm glad to see your tea has only gotten better with age, Nezu. It's been far too long since I've had any this good."

Nezu couldn't help but let out a genuinely delighted laugh. "I must say, if I did not know you better, Tunguska, I would almost think you were simply patronizing me. Let us both, then, be grateful that I do know you better." Having shared in a mutual laugh, the three continued to partake before Oleg let himself rest easy again. "I have no doubts in your school's capabilities in helping my son, Nezu. All Might and I had already discussed this at length, but right now my primary concern is in how I convince him to give this school, and himself, a fair chance. Whatever All Might may have told you about what my boy has gone through over the years…you wouldn't begin to understand the gravity of it all."

The air grew noticeably heavy as Oleg couldn't help but let his spirit go down some, leaving All Might and Nezu both visibly sympathetic for the large bearded man's plight. "Yes, I would not dare to pretend to understand exactly what it is the two of you have been through. However, I do truly believe that, if your track record as a lecturing speaker for many of our past students is any sign of proof, then you will find exactly what it is you must do to convince your son to give Yuuei Academy a real chance."

Oleg smiled gratefully at Nezu's encouraging words before finishing the rest of his tea with a deeply satisfied sigh. "I would be tempted to ask for details, but the last thing I want is to get an inflated ego before my tenure has even started. I will say, though, that being a lecturer in a number of schools over a period of a few weeks is a far cry from being a full-time teacher to an entire class all year round. I must admit I'm kind of nervous; I don't even know what subject it is you were hoping to recruit me for."

For a few precious moments, Nezu gave no visible reaction, instead choosing to calmly finish his own cup of tea. However, once he had calmly set his cup aside, he burst into a momentary fit of almost hysterical laughter, to the point it almost seemed he would forget to take a pause and breathe. Frankly, to see such a sight from the normally prim and proper headmaster seemed downright unnatural.

After a few prolonged seconds of letting his sense of amusement out, Nezu just as quickly returned to his cool and collected self like the flip of a switch. "Do forgive me; I just never thought I would see the day when the legendary Tunguska, of all Heroes, would ever admit to anything making him nervous. I must say; if that is any indication of what to expect, then this next school year will prove to be most full of surprises. Now, in regards to your question, as to the specifics of your new vocation, I believe your fellow faculty members will be able to help fill you in. In fact, I believe they should be arriving right about…now."

As if on cue, Oleg caught movement from the corner of his eye, and was greeted by the sight of three middle-aged adults stepping into the headmaster's office one after the other. At the head was a lanky, pale man with long, messy black hair and a rather unkempt five o'clock shadow adorning his thin face. His eyes had beady-looking pupils, and looked noticeably tired, with pronounced bags underneath, as though he had not slept in days, if not weeks. His chin and neck were obscured by what looked like a series of long gray wrappings, and he was dressed in a somewhat baggy black shirt and matching pants. He did not bother making eye contact with Oleg, instead choosing to make his way right for the three vacant tea cups sitting next to Nezu's desk, pouring several pouches of sugar into his own before taking it all in one swig.

Second was an exceptionally attractive woman with very long spiky purple hair that almost seemed to end in sections the further it went down, almost resembling that of a trees' expanding foliage. Her face was adorned with a pointed red mask encircling her light blue eyes, but that was not the most eye-catching part. No, that distinction went to the attire she was wearing. Her body was adorned with a skintight bodysuit that was clearly measured out to show off her shapely figure, only interrupted by a single black stripe that extended from the collar of her suit down the middle, lined with little red jewel-shaped studs, that ended in a leather suit covering the lower half of her torso, ending just below her chest to deliberately accentuate it. Her legs were adorned in what looked like showgirl fishnet stockings and leather high heel boots. Her wrists were both adorned with handcuffs. If the material of her suit had been just the slightest shade darker than the pristine white it already was; one would have been forgiven for thinking this woman was parading about practically in the nude, or was perhaps the world's most exhibitionistic dominatrix. She had her eyes intently focused on Oleg as she silently took a seat across from him, crossing her legs comfortably as the long-haired man who had come before, silently handed her own tea cup to her, which she accepted with only a slight hint of graciousness.

"STOP THE PRESSES, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! ARE MY EYES FINALLY GOING BAD ON ME, OR IS THAT THE GUEST OF HONOR, THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE LEGEND, TUNGUSKA THAT I SPY SITTING THERE LOOKING LIKE A HALF-SHAVED BROWN BEAR?" The sheer volume emanating from the third English-speaking guest left Oleg's head ringing something awful. By the time he was able to see straight again, he found himself being eagerly approached by a man with (literally) the tallest plume of blonde hair he had ever seen. He was wearing a set of headphones that seemed to keep his hairline slicked back, and his bright smiling face was adorned with a pair of orange sunglasses and a short yet pointed mustache. He was dressed in a sleek leather jacket with the collar popped all the way up, rimmed with metal studs, with light colored shoulder pads, red elbow pads, and matching leather pants and fingerless gloves. The man looked like the embodiment of an outdated rock and roll musician still mentally living in his superstar years. However, a sizeable metal device resembling a stereo, fitted around his neck, broke the whole image. In fact, when he had spoken earlier, Oleg now realized the amplification had come from just that very device.

"Y-yes, indeed, it is, Hizashi-san, now would you mind perhaps not shouting right away? I think your new fellow educator finds it a touch off-putting." Nezu tried to interject, quickly noticing Oleg's visible discomfort, let alone the two fellows who had come with the man called Hizashi himself. However, his excited smile didn't waver even a little bit.

"OH, COME ON NOW, NEZU-SAN! WE'VE HAD A COUPLE DAYS OF ANTICIPATION, AND NOW THE MAN OF THE HOUR IS HERE! COME ON, STAND UP AND LET ME TAKE A GOOD LOOK AT YOU!" Hizashi's outlandish levels of enthusiasm gave him the strangest air of authority as Oleg quickly found himself doing as he was asked, while still managing to tower over his impromptu interviewer. Looking him over, Hizashi straightened his sunglasses, his smile momentarily resembling more of a very amused smirk.

"I MUST SAY, I WAS HALF EXPECTING YOU'D HAVE GOTTEN SMALLER SINCE THE LAST TIME I SAW YOU, NOW THAT I'M GROWN UP; BUT INSTEAD YOU JUST GOT WIDER! STILL THE SAME MAN MOUNTAIN I REMEMBER, THOUGH!" Even despite his good-natured laughter afterwards, Hizashi's attempt at a joke visibly roused Oleg's temper, only to just as quickly be replaced with confusion. "I'm sorry…'last time'? Have we actually met before?" The implication was surprising, as Oleg would easily remember having met someone this loud and obnoxious before.

Hizashi put on a pose of mock indignation. "OH, TUNGUSKA, I'M HEARTBROKEN! I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT YOU'D REMEMBER MEETING THE ONE AND ONLY PRESENT MIC ALL THOSE YEARS AGO! WE WERE ALL STILL STUDENTS THE LAST TIME YOU WERE HERE! OH WELL, WE CAN SPEND ALL THIS COMING SCHOOL YEAR GETTING REACQUAINTED! TELL ME, WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN HIBERNATING ALL THESE YEARS BEFORE SUDDENLY—?"

Hizashi's deafening rambling was promptly silenced as the gray wrappings from around the long-haired man's neck suddenly extended with the swiftness of a striking cobra, tightly wrapping itself around Hizashi's big mouth, before slowly pulling him out of Oleg's face and to the last open chair. "I swear, it is way too early for you and your nonstop rambling. Just sit down, drink your tea and be quiet," the long-haired man grumbled tiredly before forcibly placing the last tea cup in the still-muffled Hizashi's hands.

"Yes, thank you, Shota-san. Anyway, to answer your question, Tunguska: yes, these three fine examples of Yuuei Academy's teaching staff were actually students here when you had come as a guest lecturer. Of course, memory can only remain pristine for so long, so allow me to re-introduce you." With that, Nezu descended from his desk and attentively stood at the side of the lanky long-haired man, whose wrappings were still wrapped around Hizashi's mouth.

"This is our homeroom teacher for Class 1-A: Shota Aizawa-san, Hero Name: Eraserhead." Aizawa made no effort to extend a greeting beyond a barely comprehensible grumble. Given how tired his eyes looked, Oleg couldn't rightly blame the man. However, after a few seconds of observing his face further, Oleg's eyes widened in remembrance. "Yes, now I remember! Happy Boy! Well, I suppose I should say I'm glad to see you've barely changed after all these years. You just got paler and have gained the need to shave since then."

Aizawa just silently stared at Oleg for a few tense moments before crossing his skinny arms and turning to look out the window behind Nezu's desk; not even finding the large Russian worthy of a verbal response at the very least. Hoping to ease the tension, Nezu hurried over to stand before the attractive woman in the middle, who was still watching Oleg with an unreadable intent in her eyes. "Yes, moving on; this is Yuuei's modern art history teacher: Nemuri Kayama-san, Hero Name: Midnight."

Once more, the spark of recognition shone in Oleg's eyes upon hearing her name. "Yes, I thought there was something familiar about you. I see you took everyone's advice and made your suit…less revealing…in a way." Oleg chuckled in slight embarrassment, although Nemuri couldn't help but let out the slightest grumble of irritation at the mentioning of it. "Yes, they went and updated the rules for female Hero costumes as a whole because of me. Apparently my old design pushed the envelope too far, or so they said. I guess a female Hero's modesty is more important than their suits allowing them to utilize their Quirks to their maximum potential."

"Well, obviously you've found a way to make such limitations work for you. Surely you must still be able to work as a Pro Hero, and not just as a teacher full time. Speaking of, why would a school for Heroes need a modern art history class at all?" Oleg's inability to hide his curiosity earned a visibly agitated look from Nemuri, before Nezu was quick to step in between the two.

"Well, simply because we at Yuuei wish to give our students the most complete education they can receive, both in how to be a Hero, and in general education as well. No aspect of the field is considered unimportant, and I believe you'll find that fact most beneficial when it comes to helping your son adjust to life as an adult and a Pro Hero." At this mentioning, Nemuri seemed to visibly soften up, regaining a very dubious smirk on her face.

"That's right, I had heard you were bringing your kid along when All Might first said you were coming. Here's hoping he looks more like you did in your heyday, than you look now." It had been a long time since Oleg had ever felt incensed by another person's comments about his current shape, but there was something about the snide manner in which Nemuri spoke that rubbed him in the worst possible way, and she could easily see it. "Relax. If you can't even take a good-natured ribbing from one of your future peers, you're not going to last long here. But here's hoping your kid will. I'm always looking for the next bright-eyed future Hero to…nudge in the right direction."

Fancy wordplay aside, Oleg was not fool enough to not catch onto her suggestive tone, but Nezu was quick to diffuse the tension once more with another hearty laugh before practically forcing the large Russian to now look to Hizashi again. "Do please try to forgive Nemuri-san; her questionable sense of humor has been said to leave much to be desired many a time before. Now, you of course must remember our English teacher and school announcer: Hizashi Yamada-san, Hero name: Present Mic."

The still gagged blonde Hero gave Oleg an eager salute in welcome before turning to Aizawa and speaking an incomprehensible protest. "Unless you can promise you're not going to start shouting again, and keep to it, I'm not letting go," Aizawa grumbled from under his wrappings. To this, Hizashi bowed his head in defeat, watching the tea in his hands inevitably go cold. The previous experience being considered, Oleg could easily see how this man had gotten a job as an English teacher. Students must have no doubt studied like mad under him, just to avoid that voice ringing in their ears all school year.

"Well, all things considered, it's nice to see some familiar faces again; now I'd like to get to the real core of my being here, if you don't mind, Nezu-san. What exactly would my role be here?" Just as the headmaster began to open his mouth to answer, All Might had finally shot up from his seat, as though he were just waiting for an unspoken cue to be given. "Our students require guidance on how to use their Quirks responsibly if they are going to be the next great Heroes of their generation, and in order to understand the gravity of that responsibility, they must understand the history of their very existence, and you and your countrymen understand the importance of history like few others. That is why we have all come to the agreement that you, Tunguska, shall serve as Yuuei Academy's first official Quirk History teacher!"

Everyone's resulting silence came from a mix of confusion, and patience, knowing the Symbol of Peace before them rarely ever left his grandiose announcements so brief and matter-of-fact. "Even after all these years, you must surely still retain a distinguished knowledge of every significant historical event in the nearly three-hundred years since Quirks first manifested in our world, from Heroes, Villains and simple Quirk-possessing civilians alike, and our students will need you to share those events and the lessons we all learned from them in order to help them appreciate the responsibility that has been given to them, and help them understand why they must keep those lessons and the sacrifices made through the course of history in their hearts, in order for them to become the Heroes this world and its people need in order to truly shine and prosper!"

Nezu was quick to applaud such an impassioned spectacle, while Oleg could feel a whole new weight of understanding settle upon his broad shoulders. All Might was not mistaken that among the top tier Heroes of the world, he did possess a more vast knowledge of Quirk history than most. After all, his father and grandfather both had insisted upon him the importance of remembering such things. To know that he was now to pass such far-reaching knowledge unto his son and countless other hopeful Heroes-to-be filled his once bitter heart with a once-forgotten sensation of pride. Standing there before everyone, Oleg felt genuine pride in the role that was to be given to him.

"It's a complete waste of time, if you ask me." Aizawa's bitter grumbling instantly shattered the almost radiant air of enthusiasm that had filled the headmaster's office; forcing everyone to draw their attention to him as he remained still as stone where he stood. "Now, Shota-san, it hardly seems fair to make such an assessment before Tunguska's first year has even begun." Nezu tried to speak up in Tunguska's defense, before the homeroom teacher directed his tired eyes to the man in question, his pallid face somehow managing to radiate distaste without even having to actually show it.

"You're all so quick to express what, for some of you, passes as excitement about him teaching here. First off, you're all completely disregarding the fact we've been having to hold this whole conversation in English because he can't even speak a word of Japanese, and you're expecting him to even last a day as a teacher to a bunch of students who won't be able to understand a word of either language he somehow knows how to speak. On top of that, he isn't even close to being able to be a registered Pro Hero here, let alone getting himself signed with a Hero agency. He isn't exactly going to be much of a teacher if he isn't even able to carry out his duties for his students on the field. But all those simple facts of impracticality aside, you're all just choosing to forget just what exactly it is that happened with him."

What had once passed for tension in the air between everyone took on a whole new meaning once Aizawa had made his implication clear. Oleg knew not to physically show it, but he could feel his heartbeat intensifying, sending a surge of adrenaline coursing through his veins. His unreadable blue eyes were practically begging the black-clad teacher to say what he really meant. All Might could sense this, as he began to step in between them. "Aizawa-san, there's no need to start drudging up unpleasant memories, for anyone here."

This was what finally seemed to provoke even the tiniest physical reaction out of Aizawa, as his once exhausted-looking eyes suddenly widened with clear anger, causing him to project an almost physical air of intensity about him. "Of course you would speak up in his defense; he's essentially just another version of you, one that actually let his ego get the better of him. And we've all seen the consequences of that."

By now, Aizawa's wrappings had retracted from around Hizashi's mouth, and he was quick to get to his feet and approach his fuming compatriot, with Nemuri quickly following suit; the both of them almost feeling physically repelled by the growing auras of the two Heroes standing off. "Shota, there's really no need for this! Can't we just let the past rest where it is and try to get along now?" "He's right, Shota-kun; what's even the point of you bringing this up now? Are you seriously trying to pick a fight?"

Both teachers' pleas for reason fell on deaf ears, as Aizawa and Oleg never took their angered eyes off each other. "Don't act like you two don't remember. You're all acting like a bunch of ignorant fools, talking to him about teaching responsibility; knowing exactly what he did. It's downright hypocritical is what it is."

Oleg had finally had enough as he calmly brushed All Might aside from his path, closing the distance until he was now looking down at Aizawa, using every last ounce of control to keep from letting his temper take control. "If you have such a serious problem with me, then why don't you stop playing the passive aggressive role and just spell it out for me?"

Aizawa stared Oleg down for a few unbearably tense moments before giving a visibly disgusted sneer from under his scarf. "You lectured us about how Heroes never give up on helping people, no matter how hard things get. Then a few years later, not only do you end up causing a disaster that costs countless innocent people their lives, all because you underestimate the scope of your own Quirk; but then, when the people that are left are in more need of their greatest Hero than ever before, you up and disappear from the face of the Earth, leaving those people to pick up the pieces. As if that weren't bad enough, your recklessness and unwillingness to take responsibility then leads to a whole new system coming to power, that gets what people with Quirks are left in your country thrown in cages like animals, if not just put up in front of a firing squad.

"It wasn't enough that you got so many defenseless people killed, but you had to go and ultimately deprive your home, and the world, of a number of potentially great future Heroes, thus leaving the people that are left at the mercy of whatever Villain ultimately decides to come and wreak havoc on them. They're only getting bolder and more vicious with time, and that's why everyone needs Heroes more than ever before. And now, so much more suffering is inevitably going to come that could have been avoided if you had simply thought to keep your own ego in check."

The unbearable tension had now given way to a cold emptiness in the headmaster's office as Aizawa had made his grievances crystal clear. All those who witnessed this could not justify a retort to the points he had made, while Oleg's previous feeling of pride had given way to that all-too familiar bitter taste of shame that filled every fiber of his being. While his awful truth bomb still hung over everyone's heads, Aizawa made a point to look each of his compatriots in the eyes as he began to make his way for the exit.

"He disappears for years on end when his own people need him the most, and you want to just welcome him in here with open arms, like he's the same man who had the gall to lecture us all those years ago. You're asking a man, who sacrifices what little hope remains for his own homeland in order to avoid taking responsibility for his own actions, to teach that very same virtue to the kids we're supposed to be preparing to protect the innocent in our place. You're leaving their fates, and the fates of the people who will be counting on them, in the hands of a coward and a hypocrite; and honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if his boy is already living by his example.

"Frankly, I think you're all making a terrible mistake. In the end, though, whether he gets hired here or not isn't up to me. Just don't be surprised if he and his kid decide to cut and run again the very first sign things get hard." With that, Aizawa finally took his leave; leaving everyone else in the bitter cold of what he had just laid out for all of them to see and remember.

Oleg couldn't even bring himself to feel remotely angry anymore. All he could feel was the sadness building in the pit of his stomach, the likes of which he hadn't allowed himself to feel since the days following the Flash. The fact that everything Aizawa said had so much awful truth to it, only made that sensation even worse.

Hizashi and Nemuri could only exchange visibly uncomfortable glances with each other before looking to see the gloom that now hung over their newest teacher's head like the darkest rain cloud. "I deeply apologize for Shota-san's behavior, Tunguska. I swear he isn't usually like this…at least, not to this degree." Nezu tried to apologize; visibly concerned when Oleg gave no distinguishable sign he'd even heard a word of it. Unable to take the silence, Hizashi was quick to step in, this time visibly much calmer.

"That's right. It's just that…stoic appearance and gloomy temperament aside, he does take Hero work very seriously, and he—we have been through quite a lot, ourselves, over the years. It's done a number on us; I won't lie. But he never let it break him, or make him give up. Used to say he was simply trying to follow the example of all the pros, and even if he never said it, I know he included you in that. I guess, trying to maintain that, only to see everything that happened with you—"I betrayed his trust." Oleg's interruption came out cracked, like he was one step away from getting emotionally choked up.

"Believe me, I've come to recognize that kind of resentment in people very well. He's right, though. I've been trying to go into this thing with the mentality of it being a fresh start, a new life. However, nobody gets to just wipe their slate clean and just start over…not even Heroes. And Nikolay, my son…I don't even know if I'll be able to convince him he can be a real Hero, even if I do everything I can think of to get him ready. What if I'm just fooling myself?"

All Might was instantly at his side, hand firmly clasped on his shoulder, with a single luminescent blue light emanating from one of his normally obscured eyes. "You know that's not true, Tunguska. If you truly believed that, you would not have risked everything to bring yourself and Bezpalov-shonen all the way here. You know he has the capability to become a great Hero, just as you know you have everything it takes to re-ignite that spark of hope inside him again. You both just need to push yourselves past the wall that is your fears, your pre-conceived limitations of self, and go Plus Ultra!"

This time, the sound of this school's simplistic catch phrase earned a wry, yet grateful, smile from Oleg as he took a steadying breath to recompose himself. Visibly satisfied with the change in his demeanor, Nemuri was quick to throw in her five cents as well: "And besides, what is the most essential foundation in making any Hero; nothing to do with Quirks, but the thing that makes any Hero whatsoever, pretty much since the dawn of civilization? Come on, you should know this." Oleg looked deep in thought as he tried to consider the answer, and once she saw his blue eyes light up with realization, her lips spread in a satisfied smile. "Exactly: the innate desire to do the right thing. It doesn't matter how big and world changing, or how ultimately small and insignificant it is. As long as someone knows the difference between right and wrong, and has that desire to do what they know is the right thing, then they've already taken the first step towards becoming their own kind of Hero. So, unless your kid is some kind of sociopath, I get the feeling you'll be able to convince him if you work hard enough."

Nezu was applauding ecstatically to see his three alumni coming together to lift their new partner in education and justice back up. "Oh, splendid! Yes, I do believe all of you working together will make this next year one of the best in Yuuei's already illustrious history. Now then, Tunguska, what do you say we give you the full run of the grounds to familiarize yourself, then we can discuss the curriculum you will be working with for the next school year, then we can discuss everything you need to do for Pro Hero registration, and then we can finally see about making you a refurbished Hero suit."

As the mouse headmaster began to lead the way out of his office, Oleg felt his heart grow warm again as he began to follow in step alongside his future fellow teachers, the biggest smile spreading on his face beneath his mustache. "Balshoy spasibo (Thank you very much), Nezu-san. But please, if I am going to be one of you, I would prefer if you all addressed me with the same casualness you do each other. You can all call me Oleg Bezpalov." The sense of belonging that filled his heart, to finally be able to say so to others just like him, left him with a nostalgia that brought honest tears to his eyes, though thankfully no one thought to call him out on it.

---

Ever since his father and All Might had taken their leave, Nikolay had taken to pacing all around their new house, room-to-room, unable to work the anxiety out of his system. Everything he saw still felt so alien, so different; even despite the attempt to make it all feel as welcoming as could be. He simply could not shake his apprehension at the idea of calling this house, this city, and this country, home.

He felt completely out of his element in the exercise room that was their basement, and he couldn't bring himself to feel any more at home anywhere else. Without his father here to at least bounce his worries off of, he felt like the occupant of the world's only multi-sectioned padded room, like a prisoner. The silence was almost suffocating, despite the overall peace and quiet of this new neighborhood.

The more he dwelt on it, Nikolay could feel his hands beginning to rumble with those same intense vibrations again. This lit a fire under him as he immediately sprinted back to his room, praying he could find anything like what he was looking for. Upon nearly throwing the drawers of the dresser opposite his bed into the wall, he could feel relief build in his chest when he managed to find a pair of fairly thickly woven gloves.

Once he had secured them firmly over his hands, he could feel his racing heart begin to slow, and with it, the building pulsations begin to die down as well. As he collapsed backwards onto his bed, Nikolay couldn't help but ponder as he looked upon his now gloved hands. It didn't make sense; there were no particularly loud noises today for his body to absorb in order for these pulses to become so intense. So why did it happen? Was it possible that everything he and his father had come to understand about his Quirk was actually wrong? Did they both completely misunderstand how it actually worked; and if that was the case, did that mean the idea of the gloves helping to mitigate the overall collected power was wrong too?

The thought drove Nikolay into another bout of silent dread. For years, the gloves had helped as a constant calming reminder that he was doing what he needed to in order to avoid his Quirk building too much in power. But if it was possible that he had just been deceiving himself, then how was it he'd managed to have any periods of peace where he could actually have his hands free and not end up destroying the house?

The young boy furiously shook his head to try and drive all these clamoring thoughts away. 'This is what happens when Dad doesn't even bother training you how to use your Quirk. Oh, who am I kidding? Things could've gone so much worse so much sooner if we had actually tried. The fact he told me to keep it hidden for so long is probably the only reason we lasted this long.'

Nikolay backtracked to the living room, collapsing in defeated onto the sofa and staring everywhere from the blank screen of the TV, to the numerous empty white walls all around. It all felt so artificial, so sterile. It frankly made his skin crawl. 'I wish Dad was back already. I can't take this kind of quiet. I can't take having just my own thoughts for company.'

Looking for anything at all to serve as a distraction, Nikolay's green eyes soon settled on the familiar little wooden cabinet, still sitting against the wall below the nail he had taken it down from. It could not help but make him think back to earlier, looking at the look of disappointment on his father's face, when he had claimed this wasn't their home. Looking back, Nikolay felt a stirring of guilt in the pit of his stomach.

For all the grievances he had aired, that did not change the fact that Oleg had still gone out of his way, nearly risked his own life, to get them away from the people that would have no doubt killed them if given the go-ahead, and get them somewhere they could actually feel relatively safe and be able to live something akin to a real life. No matter how Nikolay felt personally, he could not possibly resent his father for doing such a thing. Any parent worth their salt would do the same to protect their children; he knew that.

It was all a mixture of these new feelings of frustration, uselessness and dislocation, coupled with so many long simmering feelings from over the years, all culminating together into this toxic mess in his heart that left him unable to decide what it was he actually wanted, and which of his myriad negative emotions he was suffering the most. It all left Nikolay reeling from frustration and a desire for it all to go away; so intense that he could not find words to describe it if he tried.

Rubbing his forehead to try and futilely get rid of the headache all this recent reflecting had left him with, Nikolay once more stared upon the cabinet, simply picturing what irreplaceable things he hoped were still safe inside. And with it once again came the memory of Oleg's disappointed, tired face. However, this time, the young Russian boy thought back to the conversation they had just shared before his departure, primarily the one thing his father had asked of him, the one and only responsibility Nikolay had in the midst of this insane transitioning period of theirs: try.

Try. Try and go into all this with as much of an open mind as you can. The sincerity with which Oleg had asked this of him had been downright palpable; and still was even upon reflecting on it. That wasn't too much for his father to ask, was it? Emotions in the heat of the moment aside, Nikolay knew that in the end, it wasn't unreasonable. After all, his father had already done just as much. He tried to go into this change with an open mind in his own way, hence why he made the effort to get them here in the first place. What kind of son would Nikolay be, if he wasn't willing to just swallow his worries, even for a moment, and try to reciprocate his father's effort in his own way?

As he took all of this in from this new perspective, Nikolay felt a swelling of actual resolve in his chest. He and his father had relied on each other in order to survive for years already, and in essence that had not changed at all. The only difference was the means by which they needed to help each other. Nikolay felt a deep feeling of acceptance within himself of this fact, and the very first thing he did was run back to his room to retrieve the cellphone he had left behind. If he was going to do his part and try to make this work, he was going to need it.

---

Nikolay had to psyche himself up in order to find the courage to step out into this strange new place. However, once he finally did and was awash in the crisp cold of the early winter morning air, he felt…rejuvenated. Even more so than that, as he took in a deep, steadying breath; taking in the new smell of a new place. Right off the bat, he knew the air here was so much fresher, so much cleaner than the air back in Vladivostok. It was…nice, nostalgic even; as it reminded him of days long since past. Better days.

Stepping out onto the sidewalk, Nikolay was surprised to find nobody else was out and about, not even any car driving down the road. Perhaps starting out this impromptu journey of his on his own would make it easier for him not to turn back. Steeling himself for whatever he was to come across as he got to know this city better, he pulled up his phone and typed in the first idea for a location that came to him: how many parks are in Musutafu City?

He was instantly met with a map of the whole town, with no less than six different blips scattered across. There was no way he was going to do all that walking, so he settled on the nearest one, only about five blocks away.

It was difficult to remember not to show any kind of apprehension or nervousness as he started walking through the neighborhood, but the longer the silence and feeling of privacy lasted, the more comfortable Nikolay actually allowed himself to feel. Before long, by the time he had reached the entrance to the park, he found he had stopped constantly looking back over his shoulders and feeling jumpy. He could actually take a legitimate stroll without feeling constantly on the defensive. Now that was an especially nice feeling.

The park was still lush with foliage and beautiful trees, even after the early winter frost had come down. The way the sunlight shone in rays through the gaps in the branches and reflected off the snow was an especially pretty sight. By now there were a couple other people around, but Nikolay let himself simply focus on these beautiful surroundings instead. The path he was on seemed to continue on and on until he finally reached a break in the trees and found himself overlooking an open field area, teeming with adults, teenagers and small children alike, all going about their business without a care in the world.

Willing himself to keep moving, even into the numbers of people, Nikolay observed something from them he had forgotten. None of these people he took the time to observe displayed any sign of resentment, animosity, paranoia or suspicion. Instead, everyone seemed peaceful, genuinely glad to talk to each other, happy. Taking it all in, Nikolay realized he had forgotten what it looked and felt like, to be around people who were genuinely happy. Such a realization brought a stirring of emotion in his heart; something he had to take the moment to try and quell, lest he start shedding tears of nostalgia in front of everyone.

"Krasiviy (Beautiful)," he muttered blissfully to himself as he took everything around him in again. As he continued on his way, he soon noticed a sizeable playground, bustling with laughing children, running this way and that, climbing all over the jungle gym. However, the longer he found himself taking in what it looked like for children to play, he found himself caught off guard when he noticed some of these children had what looked like tails, wings or other animal-like features. One in particular he even noticed was emitting tiny sparks of fireworks from tiny barrel-like fingers.

It felt so unreal to actually see children with Quirks just showing and using them so openly, in such a carefree manner for everyone to see. That's when he actually began to notice the numerous physical signs of Quirks a majority of the people around him were displaying. Men with more than two eyes, or scales, or women with what looked like machine parts extending from some of their limbs, and those were just the traits he could find easy to describe to himself.

To find himself standing in the midst of such an otherworldly ensemble, it almost felt like he had stepped into a whole other reality, or a children's book. It all felt so surreal after everything else.

Wham!

Nikolay had allowed himself to get so distracted by the sheer scale and bizarre nature of his new surroundings and fellows that he had completely failed to hear two small children laughing before suddenly colliding into his leg. The sudden force almost caused him to land flat on his rear, but he was just barely able to catch himself before spotting the two little kids that had nearly bowled him over. They were a boy and a girl, the former looking to be just about the age of entering primary school, and the girl barely looking old enough to be in kindergarten.

"Tag, you're it," the boy gloated once he got a hand on the little girl, only to immediately start running again with her hot on his heels; or at least trying to be. "No fair, Onii-chan! You're too fast," she complained as the boy kept easily outrunning her. "Samidare! Satsuki!" A third voice suddenly joined the fray, causing both children to stop in their tracks.

Following the source, Nikolay saw a girl about his age, judging from the size of her, come hopping on her hands and feet like a frog towards the two small children, not even paying him any mind. A lot of her was bundled up in clearly very thick coats and earmuffs, but what he could make out was that her hands were especially big, she had very long dark green hair tied up in a bow of itself at the end, she had oval-shaped eyes with almost vacant-looking black pupils, and she had a very wide mouth that looked like it dipped in the middle; once again bringing to his mind the image of a frog.

The older girl got up on her feet, standing with a very pronounced slouching posture, but the two children reluctantly walked up to her, both looking fairly guilty. "I told you two not to run off. You know it's not good for us to be out in the cold like this for too long." Despite knowing how rude it was, Nikolay couldn't help but overhear the little spat between the three. The older girl spoke with a very distinct nasally voice, and once the two children, clearly her siblings, apologized in kind, he could now tell they sounded very much the same.

"You can't just go running around, not looking where you're going. You could get yourselves hurt, or hurt someone else," she continued, this time clearly motioning to Nikolay himself. He could feel a nauseating sensation of awkwardness creep up his throat, now being the object of someone else's attention. When the frog-like girl actually decided to look him in the eye, she momentarily froze, yet her already blank expression didn't change. Instead she put a finger to her mouth, as though she were trying to think hard of something. "Oh, god…um…I am sorry. You are okay?"

It took Nikolay a moment to realize she was trying to speak to him in English. Of course, he stuck out like a sore thumb next to everyone else, how was anyone supposed to know if he could even communicate with them, and how? In a brief fit of panic, he hurriedly shook his head and hands, trying desperately to motion for her to stop. "I don't speak English! Please, don't force yourself!"

The girl let out a sigh of obvious relief. "Oh, good, that was embarrassing. You're not hurt, are you? Samidare, Satsuki, come over and apologize." Despite clearly asking out of concern, the girl's nasally voice had an inherently monotone air to it, making it fairly difficult to tell just what emotion she was trying to convey. Before Nikolay could dwell on it further, the two small children reluctantly stepped forward, not leaving their big sisters' sides before they both mumbled a barely comprehensible apology.

"Oh, it's no trouble, I'm okay. They're just playing, no problem." Nikolay's reassurance came out less articulate and more like a panicked jumbling of words once he realized they were starting to make a scene. Fight-or-flight kicked in as he began to hurry away from the scene, leaving the three frog-like children watching his departure with an indiscernible confusion. The older girl let out a single curious "kero" as she watched the strange young foreigner take off like his life depended on it.

Nikolay didn't stop running until he finally found himself out the opposite gate to the park. Hunching over to catch his breath, the once peaceful quiet had now been replaced by the all-too familiar hustle and bustle that could only come from the big city. As he straightened himself back out, Nikolay couldn't help but look all around at the towering pristine buildings that dotted the horizon. The glass towers reflected the morning sun, contrasting against the gorgeous deep blue of the sky, dotted by the fluffiest white clouds.

People were walking about in every direction around him, while giant screens on the faces of some buildings echoed out news reports or commercials, filling the air with an almost chaotic clashing of sounds that resembled music in the strangest way. The energy of it all, captured on this one street among countless others, was unlike anything Nikolay had ever let himself be absorbed into.

Looking to his right, Nikolay soon spotted the unmistakable glistening of light from the ocean at the end of the street, more than about ten blocks away down the incline this part of Musutafu was set up on. It looked like a straight shot from here, but he knew if he walked that, he would waste too much of the day and just tire himself out for it. Thankfully, his eyes soon spotted a bus stop just a little ways away.

Once he sat himself down, he took the moment to take in these people all around him. So many of them looked like normal people at a glance, while others stuck out as something else entirely, and to see them all meshed together without paying each other's bizarre physical Quirks a moment's notice was still so difficult for him to process. More than half these people would never have been able to set foot outside back in Russia. To see them like this, then, gave every breath Nikolay took a sense of what he could either call placation or liberation. He couldn't rightly decide which was more appropriate.

As the minutes passed, his wandering gaze soon noticed a small billboard set up on the wall of the bus stop, with countless different pieces of paper pinned to it, from newspaper articles to posters, to what looked like some kind of advertisement, but for what he could not rightly guess. Even when he had actively tried learning Japanese before, he never got the hang of reading kanji.

There were two such ads pinned right up next to each other he found himself somewhat drawn to. The first displayed a boy who looked to be around Nikolay's age, with short blonde hair, thin black eyes and a clearly muscular physique under his karate gi. However, the most eye-catching part wasn't the admittedly impressive flying roundhouse kick he was displayed doing, but rather the large flesh-colored tail following behind him, capped with a tuft of similarly blonde hair or fur.

Right beside that was one, which displayed a girl of the same age dressed in what looked to be some kind of Chinese-style martial arts garment, decidedly different from the other. She had a thinner physique, teal eyes and orange hair in a high ponytail, and the look displayed on her face radiated nothing but confidence. Of course, how could anyone not look so, when they were throwing a punch with a fist that looked to be three times bigger than their head?

The sudden electric chime of the newly arrived bus opening its doors, snapped Nikolay back to reality as he hurriedly climbed in with everyone else. The inside was completely packed, and the momentum of the bus suddenly moving again from under his feet nearly caused Nikolay to face plant, if he hadn't been lucky enough to grab the one spare balancing ring for the standing passengers.

The few minutes the ride lasted, Nikolay couldn't help but silently take in how even though everyone was jam-packed inside, they all somehow still found a way to make it so they weren't in each other's way; as though it were hard-wired into their social consciousness. This and the realization that this was in fact his very first bus ride, only seemed to drive further home just how much of the little things he had completely no experience in.

When the bus finally came to a stop, he was one of the few to get off, and was met with the crashing of waves and the squawking of seagulls as he found himself gazing upon the only slightly choppy seafront on the inviting-looking beach. The winter temperature made it far too cold to just cast his boots aside and feel the sand, no matter how tempted he was reluctant to admit he was. He had never gotten to do something as pleasant as walk along the beach; at least not in any time frame he remembered. It wasn't like the few beaches in Vladivostok were even inviting, having long since turned black with oil and contamination from all the ships and the refineries. The only truly worthwhile beach in eastern Russia was up north in Kamchatka…but that was before.

'No, don't think about that now! You came out here cause Dad asked you to try and give this place a chance. Thinking about back then won't help. Just put one foot in front of the other and take everything in.' This, he kept repeating to himself in his head as he finally began trudging along the beach, taking in the surprising scent of the sea along with the invigorating chill of the winter ocean breeze. There were surprisingly few people partaking as well, which gave Nikolay the chance to let out a relieved sigh, grateful to be able to enjoy something this simple without having to worry about being any kind of spectacle or curiosity to anyone.

The beach seemed to just continue on after he had kept moving forward for several minutes. Every now and then there were some simplistic metal structures built into it that resembled pull up bars, but other than that, it was nothing but water and sand. 'I'll bet Dad would probably love this spot in the summer. It has been way too long since either of us has gone swimming, anyway.' Nikolay couldn't believe he was actually having the chance to legitimately reminisce, or to actually look forward to something at all. So many simplistic feelings he hadn't even realized he'd given up on experiencing. Every single step, every sight and sound and sensation, it was like a complete transformation taking place inside him.

He soon spotted what looked like a large dragging track proceeding forward through the sand. Whatever it was, it was considerably big, and especially heavy. Nikolay decided to indulge his curiosity as he began following the track, which continued on and on for quite a ways. After a while, he decided he had followed it long enough, not wanting to go too far and end up losing track of just where he was in town. As he began to leave the beach for the steps to the sidewalk, he decided to spare one more glance, and to his surprise, had finally found the source.

Up ahead in the distance was a teenage boy (at least from what Nikolay could tell, with his back turned to him) with what looked like curly dark green hair, straining and pulling two large tires slung together with ropes behind him. To have done so for this kind of distance alone was impressive, especially if he had been going at it consistently without stopping. Had Nikolay known how to whistle, he would have.

Thinking nothing more of it, he proceeded on his way back into the inner part of the city. The further he went, the more the air began to fill with the smell of fresh food and the sounds of music. The latter especially caught his interest as he soon found himself standing before what looked to be a rather small record shop through the display windows.

'Well, even the worse days back home were a little better when one of us put music on. Maybe I can make that happen again.' With this in mind, he steadied himself and went inside. It was especially nice and warm inside after being in the winter morning air for so long, and the setup was especially inviting, not too small to come across as especially selective, but not too big so as to leave one overwhelmed with options. It had the feel of what he had heard Americans like to call 'mom and pop shops'.

Already having an idea what to look for, Nikolay set off perusing through stacks upon stacks of music, almost all of which he did not recognize. Of course, he had grown up with a very choice library of songs to work off of, many of which would of course not be easily known by anyone outside the nations of the Bloc. But if he could at least find something, anything familiar to start with, that would hopefully be enough to make the nights easier.

At one point, Nikolay realized he had completely lost track of time, having become so single-minded in his focus as he kept up his search. He knew that if he didn't get a move on soon, Oleg would probably return home before he did. Just as he began to give up and call it a day, he caught a sight of a bright red spine sticking out of one of the aisles of CD cases.

He could feel his eyes go wide and his heart rejoice as he pulled the case in question out to find 'Alexandrov Ensemble' in both Cyrillic and a Japanese translation fold on the front. He was like a boy on a mission as he hurried over to a small row of what he could only guess were listening booths, each one with a considerable line built up in front of it, save for one, that only had one person in front.

Standing eagerly behind them, Nikolay couldn't help but observe the person standing at the listening booth, silently hoping they were about to finish up. They had short, straight purple hair, with a pair of headphones resting upon it, and were intently moving their head with whatever beat they were listening to. Perhaps that was the only reason Nikolay didn't think to try and speak up if they were about finished. Last thing he wanted was for somebody to think him impatient or rude on his first official day here.

"Kyouka, I'm all finished up out here. Come on, we need to hurry or we'll miss the train," a middle-aged woman's voice suddenly called out from the entrance of the music store, catching the attention of the person in front of Nikolay. Taking the headphones off, he could now see it was a girl, again one around his age. Her hair was about shoulder-length, and she had oddly lazy-looking triangular-shaped eyes with beady onyx pupils. Of course, this was all practically mundane next to the incredibly long earlobes he noticed hanging from her ears, which ended with audio jacks of all things. 'How on earth would a Quirk like that even work?' he instinctively thought to himself as she hurried out the door, not paying him or anyone else a second thought.

After shrugging it off once more, Nikolay eagerly took his place, slipped the disc in his hand into the machine and went for the first title he could recognize, taking a deep breath of blissful nostalgia as he put the headphones on.

As the jaunty rhythm, infectiously cheerful vocals and passionate choruses of 'Chernoglazaya Kozachka' (Dark-Eyed Cossack Girl) played out, Nikolay didn't even realize his body had started bouncing up and down on his heels in tune. Had he, though, he would've found himself overcome with a joyfulness he hadn't felt in years. He could not recall the last time he had ever let himself get so absorbed in anything that wasn't fear or caution, to lose control over his own body like this. It just felt so good to let himself be transported to a place of such nostalgia and connection to his heart again.

Once he had gotten his fill and pulled the disc out, he had practically the tiniest spring to his step as he headed for the clerk.

---

His heart being filled with such a fresh lightness allowed Nikolay to talk his way through buying something on his own for the first time without a hitch; a realization which gave him a whole new surge of confidence. Managing to carry the closest thing to a brief conversation with a complete stranger without fumbling his limited vocabulary, and without retracting back in fear from being the focus of another person's attention? That alone qualified this whole day as a success in his book, even if he did almost walk out without a means to even play music, which the clerk had thankfully been kind enough to point out when the young boy had mentioned his recently moving to town.

With store bag and a small portable stereo in hand, Nikolay felt like he was about halfway to being a new person. Just the overall feel of easiness this city exuded, how non-judgmental and generally nice everyone seemed to be, the sense that nobody had anything to hide or fear for out on these streets. It was like airborne ambrosia that had managed to erode so much of Nikolay's past eleven years of anxiety in only the span of a couple hours at most.

'I'm so glad this worked out. Dad's going to be so happy when he finds we now have this,' he thought victoriously as he looked down upon his minor yet major haul. However, thinking of Oleg then made Nikolay consider something he hadn't until now: 'If Dad wants me to try and make this all easier for both of us, and he's looking at a job as a teacher, then he's going to need to know how to speak with everyone. There's no way a bunch of high school students are all going to know English like he does. Lord knows I definitely don't.'

With a new goal set for himself, he put in the directions for his next destination and once more took off with an especially determined stride in his step. It took longer than he had hoped, but after a half hour of navigating the numerous twists and turns of several inner city blocks, he soon found himself before a decently sized bookstore. Stepping inside brought back a bit of nervousness in Nikolay's gut. Asking a clerk how much something was had been simple, but anything more complex than that, like asking for something very specific, he never had any practice with. As he found himself getting lost in the numerous aisles, he began considering just desperately trying to signal with his hands what he was looking for as a valid solution, regardless how stupid it would make him look. The last thing he wanted was to look foolish and go back empty-handed.

By the time his mind had finally quieted enough for him to regain his bearings, he had circled around the same section of the store nearly ten times. No matter how hard he tried to piece together what he could from the signs hanging from the ceiling, the complexity of kanji just kept rearing its ugly head and leaving Nikolay as clueless and helpless as a boy could possibly be.

"Excuse me. Are you looking for the English section?" A young girl's voice suddenly spoke up from behind Nikolay; almost making him jump to know that someone had come up without him noticing. He found himself locking eyes with a girl dressed in a very ornate-looking open fur coat with a delicate red shirt with lacy frills lining the collar; definitely a very high class kind of getup. She clearly had long black hair, but it was tied up in, oddly enough, a spiky-looking ponytail, and a large strand of it was hanging on the right side of her face. From the piercing and focused nature of her gaze, Nikolay couldn't help but momentarily think there was an inherently cat-like look to her eyes.

"Oh my…*ahem* Are you looking for the English book section?" she asked once again, this time speaking considerably slower and more emphasized, momentarily looking to be embarrassed, as though unsure if she was asking properly. All the while, Nikolay could only lament the fact that he was right back in the same spot as with the frog-looking girl at the park.

"No, I don't speak English. I'm looking for…" Just as quickly as he had begun to clarify, Nikolay felt his words fail him. Silently cursing his own lack of preparation with each passing second, he tried to scour through his spotty memory of Japanese, trying to recall if he ever even learned the word for 'manual', let alone how to indicate translating from one language to another.

"I'm looking for…for Russian…" As he tried to grasp the order with which to try and communicate his goal, the fancy-dressed girl looked equally deep in thought, hanging onto every word in order to try and piece together an idea. The instant he mentioned the language, her eyes seemed to light up in realization. "Oh, are you looking for Russian literature? I believe the translated international classics are just this way."

She looked just about ready to take off in eagerness to help, but Nikolay hurriedly shook his head, voicing his denial more desperately then he'd intended to, but it was at least enough to make her stop. The young boy's hands were fidgeting out of desperation as his face clearly showed frustration at his lack of linguistic skills. Finally he just started using one hand to emphasize 'Russian', and the other to emphasize 'Japanese', and then doing a page turning motion with both between the two subjects, first in one order, then the opposite.

His embarrassment at having been forced into a spot like this was unbearable, until the girl, who was still watching his movements with those studious eyes, once again brightened up with realization. "Translation manuals? Are you looking for Russian-to-Japanese textbooks?" Nikolay almost wanted to start applauding, but thankfully caught himself and instead opted for enthusiastic nods.

The black-haired girl easily led him in the right direction, and before long he was stepping back out into the crisp air, a new bag full of such books slung over his arm. "I am glad it was all able to work out. I hope those books prove useful enough for you," the girl expressed hopefully, as she soon stepped outside after him. Nikolay felt his face warming up now that his anxiety had been quelled, and now found himself the subject of another stranger's full attention. Her smile showed nothing but sincerity to back up her words, but none of that changed the fact that she was not only very, very pretty, but also had a very mature, perhaps even distinguished, air about her that made Nikolay feel completely out of his element around her.

Nikolay could only give her a particularly awkward-sounding "Spasibo (Thank you)" before rushing off down the sidewalk, leaving the high-class girl looking after him, curious.

Nikolay didn't stop running until he was sure he had gone at least two blocks. His chest burned as he tried to regain his bearings. 'When was the last time I'd run that intensely?' he thought to himself, unpleasantly surprised by his lack of stamina. As much as he dreaded it, he knew he was going to have to bring up the extent of whatever training Oleg had in mind if he was going to have any chance of making it at school. 'Wow, am I actually bringing this idea up without shuddering at the thought? What is going on with me today?'

The thought didn't even come with any kind of self-reprimand or reluctance, but rather wonder. Instead, it was a kind of self-assuring awareness that he was, at least in attitude, already becoming a different person. Something in the air, the general atmosphere, it didn't matter the cause. All that mattered was that it left Nikolay with the faintest sensation of hope.

As he proceeded to keep walking, his thoughts couldn't help but go back to the girl from the bookstore. 'I can't believe she just stepped right in and helped me like that, even when I was throwing my hands around like a crazy person. I never saw anybody do something like that back home. She didn't even look at me like I was stupid. Is that whole attitude part of it? Is that kind of patience, that minute selflessness; is that part of what it takes to be one of them?'

Nikolay's train of pondering was interrupted when the phone in his pocket suddenly went off for the first time, making him jolt in surprise. Once he saw that it was his father on the other end, he hurriedly answered. [[Hi, Dad. I didn't think you would be calling already. Is your tour of the school already over?]]

As expected of the technology of these less secular countries, the reception was clear as a bell as Oleg replied with a palpable eagerness in his aged voice: [[That's right, the teachers here are very concise and timely in terms of just what to show here, among other things. I'll tell you all about it when I get home and…wait a second, what's all that noise in the background? It's far too loud to be the TV, so…Kolya, are you actually outside right now?]]

'Nothing really does get past you, does it?' The thought brought a slightly amused smile to Nikolay's face as he confirmed it. Even if Oleg didn't verbally express it, the boy could just feel the ecstatic smile on his father's face on the other end as he continued. [[Oh, that's wonderful, Kolya. You can tell me all about it when you get home. I'm so proud of you; I knew you would find it in you to at least try and give this place a chance!]]

Nikolay hurriedly bid his father goodbye before managing to navigate his way out of the call. He was approaching yet another street corner just as he managed to get the device slipped back into his pocket. Oleg's enthusiasm had managed to cross over to the young boy as he felt his emotional weight lighten considerably. The old man was right; taking this chance to actually observe how this town felt really was a good—

WHAM!

Nikolay got blindsided from around the corner, he and his sudden intruder both going straight to the sidewalk with a heavy thud, pronounced by a particularly feminine yelp of surprise on the second party's end.

"Mina! Are you okay?" "Oh, my god, are you alright, Mina? Hey, why don't you watch where you're going?" Nikolay's head was ringing too much for him to tell if these other female voices were talking to him or whomever they were with, but not enough for him not to feel the uncomfortable stiffness in his back as he lay splayed out on the concrete.

"Yeah, I-I'm okay, don't worry. That just really surprised me, that's all. Oh, no. Hey, are you okay?" The third voice, the one that had cried out, was suddenly speaking as if it were hanging right above him, but Nikolay's head was still spinning as he tried to get off his back. As soon as he tried to get up, a pair of hands was suddenly holding onto his right shoulder and his left arm. "Oh, try not to move too much, you took a pretty nasty fall."

'Finally, someone who doesn't automatically assume I speak English.' Nikolay thought in embittered amusement to himself as he tried to shrug off whoever was doting over him, his vision finally starting to clear, and the ringing having almost entirely faded. "I…I'm okay. Don't worry about me," he grumbled as he finally managed to get off his back and seat himself against a small concrete pole. After he had rubbed his eyes to get rid of what bleariness was left, he looked to see just whom it was he had collided into, and he immediately found himself staring.

Kneeling in front of him, dressed in a stylish pink leather coat with black fur collar and cuffs, was yet another girl around his age, but this one was unlike any person he had ever seen in his life. Her skin was bright pink in color, and the fluffy hair she had was only the slightest shade darker. There were two small, angular yellow protrusions sticking out from her hair that almost resembled horns. However, the most eye-catching feature was her eyes. Her scleras were black instead of white, and that only made her small golden irises stand out that much more.

Once he was done taking in her features, he suddenly realized just how closely she was leaning in towards him, a very concerned look on her face, just as he felt the tips of her fingers begin feeling the back of his head. This caused him to instinctively flinch, enough so to make the pink girl inch away, realizing how uncomfortable that must have made him. "Sorry, sorry; I just wanted to make sure you weren't bleeding. Again, you took that fall a lot harder than me. Are you feeling okay?"

Nikolay hurriedly looked for his scattered belongings, gathering them up before haphazardly trying to get back on his feet. He nearly tripped over himself before he felt a hand grab the back of his jacket's collar and help pull him back until he was flat on his feet again. The poor boy was so flustered as he struggled to recollect his nerves, while the pink girl stood watchfully at his side, having clearly been the one to keep him from eating pavement. She was still looking him over worriedly, trying to make sure he wasn't about to fall over again as he tried to steady his breathing.

Once they were both sure he wasn't going to do anything rash or panic again, she finally spoke up again. "How are you feeling? Are you okay?" Three times today now he was the focus of someone's attention, and his discomfort still didn't wane; although he did find it nice that someone could be so concerned for a total stranger. "Yes. I-I'm okay," he tried to reassure her, although he could see the worry was still evident in her black-gold eyes.

"Are you sure? I mean, if it still hurts, we can take you to the clinic, I saw one just a block back the way we came." Nikolay hurriedly shook his head in denial once she began to reach out to perhaps guide him by the hand. "No, no need. Don't trouble yourself; I'm fine. Are you okay?" Once she realized the verbal tables had now been turned, she let out a reassuring laugh, rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment while the two ordinary-looking girls accompanying her began to rejoin her side.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I've always been good on my feet, so it takes a lot to take me off them. I was just surprised, that's all." She continued to laugh in an attempt to reassure him, and as far as he could tell, she wasn't lying. "Well, I'm glad nobody got hurt," he mumbled in embarrassment once things had gotten quiet between them, trying his best not to keep staring at her unique appearance.

"Yeah, I'm glad you're okay, too. Sorry, again; I can get pretty distracted sometimes." "Me, too." This time, they both couldn't help but give a slight chuckle in embarrassment, before one of the girls' friends suddenly looked at her own phone and let out an exclamation of shock. "Hey, we need to hurry up or else we're gonna miss our train!"

The pink girl and her other friend let out similar gasps of surprise before they began to hurry across the street, leaving Nikolay on his own, still feeling considerably shaken by what had just happened. For the first time today, if not ever, someone had actually spoken to him in what was probably the closest thing to a casual conversation, and he didn't feel overtaken by the urge to run. It was such a strange feeling, but one he ultimately chalked up to originating from gratitude that she had actually wanted to make sure he wasn't hurt. It was simply another reminder of the sharp contrast in peoples' attitudes between here and Vladivostok.

Deciding he had done enough exploring for one day, Nikolay pulled out his phone and was able to pinpoint the nearest bus stop. He set it back in his pocket and began to move, until his rising gaze caught sight of another cellphone, this one a pattern of purple and turquoise, lying abandoned on the ground.

It took him no time at all to realize this had to belong to that girl he had crashed into. She and her friends had taken off without even realizing they'd left it. As he looked at the lonely device, he began to turn the corner to keep going on his way. 'People my age, they're so attached to their phones, I'm sure she'll notice in no time.' He continued on for a few more paces, until he just as suddenly stopped, slowly looking back to that corner.

'Then again, it sounded like they were in a hurry. Chances are she wouldn't think to look until it was already too late.' Nikolay bit his lip and continued on his way, but stopped again a couple steps later with a frustrated groan. 'It's none of your business. You both made sure neither of you were hurt; you've both done your parts. You don't owe her anything.'

He turned back to continue on, then immediately turned right back around on his heels and ran for the corner, swiping the phone off the concrete before just as smoothly turning opposite the corner and racing across the street, holding the phone high above his head.

"Hey! You dropped your phone! Wait!" He couldn't even see any of the three girls through the crowds of passersby, but he still called out in the hopes his voice could somehow carry. Nevertheless, no matter how hard he tried to get his head above the crowd, he couldn't see any sign of them. 'How? How can you lose track of a girl with pink hair and horns, of all people?'

He continued on in that straight line for several minutes, almost shouting himself hoarse in the naïve hope they would hear him over the rest of the cacophony of the city streets. In the end, though, he never saw a trace of that pink hair among the crowd, and eventually found himself hunched over on the sidewalk, trying to catch his breath while coping with the realization of his failure.

Looking at the colorful phone in his hand, Nikolay was at a loss of what to do with it; but as he began to look up to the sky in hopes of some kind of sign, he caught sight of a man in the most universally recognizable uniform ever: a policeman, standing vigilantly in front of what had to be a police station. 'Not the hands-on solution I was looking for, but I'll take it.'

---

After having struggled to explain his situation, and leaving the pink girl's phone with the police in case she returned, the rest of Nikolay's journey back home thankfully went without any further complications. He had gotten to know the feel of this new city much better, and it left him feeling much lighter in heart. That was certainly a far cry from how he had predicted this day was going to turn out.

It wasn't long after he had returned that Oleg did as well, coming in moving and sounding like a man wholly rejuvenated, as he set a book bag full of his future teaching materials upon the couch in the living room. [[Welcome back. I'm guessing your hiring went well?]] Nikolay asked bluntly, able to practically feel his father's good mood radiating off of his massive frame.

[[Indeed, it did. You are now officially looking at Yuuei Academy's very first ever Quirk History teacher.]] Oleg's voice was nearly booming with deeply felt pride as he announced his title. To see him beaming so, left Nikolay feeling deeply nostalgic; Oleg even more so. [['Quirk History'. I would have thought they would have thought of that ages ago,]] the boy mused as Oleg just gave a humorous shrug, obviously not wanting to look the proverbial gift horse in the mouth.

[[Yes, after everything they've shown and told me, I have no doubts, Kolya. I really think this school is what you need. They have everything a young Hero-in-the-making like you could ever possibly need. But I can elaborate more on that later. Right now, I want to hear about your day. Please, tell me, what is your impression of Musutafu, now that you've gotten to see more of it for yourself]]

Nikolay had to pause for a moment, think of what he felt comfortable sharing with his father. He didn't want to be bombarded with questions for details he did not have, and he especially did not want him jumping to any conclusions if he brought up the fact he'd actually had interactions with three different girls. No matter the circumstances they were trying to move on from, Oleg was still his father, and he was still a relatively healthy growing boy.

Finally, he knew just the perfect way to sum up all the emotions, sensations and changed ways of thinking and feeling this day had left him with: [[The city, the people; it all feels so different from back home. The air is cleaner, the skies are clearer, the air is cold, but not to the point it sinks into your bones. The city streets almost have a-a musical air to them, maybe from all the voices and the noises just…coming together. But most of all, everywhere I looked, everywhere I went, everyone just has this aura of…of just being happy.

[[Yeah, happy. Everybody just looked so happy, just at ease and at peace with themselves and each other, so glad to just see and speak to each other, to try and help each other, or just be kind to each other; and I-I forgot what that felt like, to be around people like that, to feel something like that. It…it felt really nice.]]

Nikolay didn't realize it as he spoke, but his face had softened so much, and he had a smile of genuine contentment spreading across his lips, and the sight of such a thing on his son again had Oleg on the verge of silent yet joyous tears. [[So? What are you thinking about now, Kolya?]] he finally stifled his choked up emotions enough to ask.

Nikolay didn't answer right, away, instead clasping his hands together and looking up to the ceiling, deep in thought. Then, without another word, he got up from the couch, made his way for the dining room, and before Oleg's eyes, picked up the small wooden cabinet from the floor, and hung it right back up onto the nail Oleg had hammered in that morning.

The older Russian man could feel his heart catch in his throat to see his son silently express everything he had hoped for with that one simple action. He rose from his seat and silently joined his son's side as they looked upon their most important keepsake from the motherland. [[I think it's time we opened up and let her see.]]

Nikolay's eyes began to sting with the beginning of tears. His lips were barely trembling as he gave his father the slightest of nods in agreement. With that lone sign of approval, Oleg stepped forward, and pulled the cabinet doors open with an aged wooden creak.

Inside was a collection of numerous family photographs, newspaper clippings and posters in both Russian and Georgian; all displaying the same woman with flowing long dark chocolate brown hair, and smoldering amber eyes, adorned in a dark blue bodysuit that almost looked like it was made of scale mail, with gorgeous dark blue feathered wings extending from the lengths of her arms. The inside shelves on the other side of the doors even had what looked to be hand-painted visages of the same woman, resembling traditional Eastern Orthodox icons.

However, among all these other remnants of a time long since past, what stood out the most, nestled securely upon the center of the middle shelf, was an elaborate, intricately sculpted ceramic figure of her with her arms and wings stretched up to the sky. To look upon any of these relics left father and son alike emotional, but this one sculpted figure alone was what always reduced Nikolay to tears faster than anything else.

[[Do you think she would be happy to see us like this?]] Nikolay asked as he tried to wipe the tears from his green eyes, while all too sure his father was doing just the same. Oleg didn't answer at first, simply looking upon her visage, as if silently looking to her for the honest answer to his sons' question. Finally, swallowing the lump in his throat, he looked down to his son and gave him a reassuring smile. [[I know she would be, Kolya. All she ever wanted was for you to have a happy life. I know that if she could see what's been given to us here, she would be happier than you could imagine.]]

These words ignited a strange kind of fire within Nikolay's heart, one that initially left him feeling conflicted with the old feelings that still lingered within, but ultimately gave him a much needed sense of clarity as to what he was supposed to do.

[[I'm trying, Dad. I want to. I want to try and help make this all work, like you asked. I know that you've been trying to make things work for us, too, for a really long time, and I want to help. It's just that…I don't know if I'll ever really be ready to do what you're expecting or wanting me to, or if I can even get to that point at all. I don't know if I'm able to get strong enough, or be brave enough, to be a Hero.]]

Oleg knelt down to meet his son's eyes, wiping a large thumb through one of the tear tracks on his pale face as he looked up to meet his father's gaze. [[I know you can be, Kolya, just like she always did. She believed you would grow up to be a great Hero, and so do I. That's why I'm going to help you prepare, in whichever way I can, as long as you're willing and prepared for whatever that looks like.]]

Nikolay couldn't help but feel a creeping of intimidation crawl up his spine at what Oleg was implying, but he finally sniffled away the last of his tears, clenched his fists, and met his father with an encouragingly determined glimmer in his eyes. [[I'll try, Dad. Whatever it is, I'm going to try.]]

Oleg gently grasped Nikolay's shoulders, and gave him an approving smile before pulling him into a fatherly embrace. [[That's all I can ask of you, Kolya…and I know that will be enough. We both have a long three months ahead of us, but I know it will be enough as long as we help pull each other through it.]]

And there is Chapter 3. I hope you all enjoyed what you saw. Be sure to leave a review if there's anything you particularly like so far, or if there's anything you think I can improve on. So, until the next chapter drops on the 23rd, I wish you all well.