Hello once more, everyone. I'm sure by now many of you who have looked over the chapter listing may have noticed I finally followed through with my statement last week of turning every 'Part 0' chapter into part of what I'm essentially calling the Time Skip chapters, to help bridge the gaps between every major story arc going forward. I just wanted to be able to dedicate a chapter or two to some personally important events between the School Festival and upcoming Pro Hero Arcs without either having an unnecessary extra 'School Festival Arc' chapter after the event is over and done with already, or doing the nonsensical thing and having a 'Part -1' chapter to an arc, because that just sounds like complete time-wasting.

And in this particular case, I wanted to also give MHA fans likely everywhere, a little something-something they were probably hoping to one day see in the actual manga but sadly never have. I hope this even remotely satisfies them in that regard.

I want to thank you all once again for your continued readership and support, as well as to thank my beta readers, contributors and friends Mizu, Jonny and Carlos; and once again thank the current DA art contributors Syyndev, Akane Kahomi, AlicekuroCross, Suki-Chan2509, effasempai, Eliza-Frost, Yumake, and Vanera-Taro.

My Hero Academia is the property of Kouhei Horikoshi and Shonen Jump. I only own my original characters and the original events surrounding them.

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

Chapter 110

Growth

(Рост)

Yuuei Academy, Sunday, November 2nd

After a successful full-day school festival, a live performance, and a nearly all-night slumber party that included things like long-awaited truth or dare, ghost stories and late night movies among others, it was hardly surprising that Nikolay would be as fast asleep as he was once morning had finally come around. Enough so that he never even realized how; in the middle of the night, once everyone had gone fast to sleep (with Bakugo, Fumikage, Shoto, Mezo and Mashirao having since then retreated to their own rooms for the night), Mina had found her way into his sleeping bag, spending the rest of the night snuggling up to him and holding him in a close, warm embrace in a one-piece yellow set of PJ's with thin straps going over her shoulders.

And through nothing but habit had he returned the loving gesture in his sleep, with the sun rising on the two teens holding each other close, both their faces reflecting a warm contented smile, even as Nikolay breathed in the strawberry aroma in Mina's hair as it barely tickled against his cheek.

"BEZPALOV-SAN! ASHIDO-SAN! RELATIONSHIP OR NOT, ARE YOU UNABLE TO MAINTAIN A DECENT DISTANCE FOR A SINGLE NIGHT?!" Tenya's fierce and authoritative shout worked more effectively than any alarm clock ever could, as the entire commons area was shaken awake as a result, only to find the class president staring at the two in question from his own sleeping bag, and thus seeing the scene for themselves. This left all the girls, Kouji and Izuku red in the face with fluster; Eijirou and Denki smiling in support for something that was to be so expected from their two friends, and Minoru once again nearly having convulsions born of pure envy in his own tiny sleeping bag, staring like he was trying to make Nikolay's head explode.

Of course, while Nikolay at least had the excuse of not being conscious for them to end up like this from the start, Mina was much quicker to apologize. "Sorry, you guys. I guess I must've just ended up finding my way over here in my sleep."

Of course, such an explanation could easily be seen as just an excuse, but even just the suggestion that Mina and Nikolay's hearts were so connected that she was instinctively coming to his side in her sleep, just had Minoru's teeth grinding that much harder in his envy.

But, being the good friends they were to both; Eijirou, Denki, Ochako and Tooru were both quick to redirect everyone's attention from this embarrassing start to their new free day, and thus focus on what all they could possibly do for the day ahead of them. Naturally, everyone else was quick to accept that idea, instead of having to dwell on something this personal for so long. And so, Momo was quick to suggest everyone pack up their sleeping bags, clean up the commons area and get dressed into their proper clothes for the day.

Once Nikolay and Eijirou had made it back to their floor to get changed (at first being doggedly followed by Minoru as he kept demanding and then begging the Russian tell him his secrets for getting such an attractive girl to fall for him so hard), he nearly had a literal run-in with Bakugo; the sight of whom quickly reminded him that he actually hadn't been in the commons area this morning. Naturally, the hotheaded boy had an immediate explanation: "Listening to the lot of you breathing all through the night would've made sleep impossible, and just because you're all willing to get roped into a stupid party all hours of the night, doesn't mean I have to join you. Not that it makes any difference; I could hear that Four-Eyes shouting all from all the way up here."

Considering he wasn't getting cursed out to be pretty much the best possible sign, Nikolay let his foul-tempered neighbor go on his way back to the commons area, while he hurriedly got dressed and freshened up for a whole free day.

Once he was back out in the hall, he quickly noticed how Eijirou's door was open. "Hey, Eijirou-san, you all ready in there?" Surprisingly, he got no immediate answer, and upon looking inside, he thankfully found his spiky-haired friend seated on his bed, busily typing away on his phone, while there was a multitude of what looked to be recently opened boxes sitting against the wall opposite from him.

"Hey, you got some new stuff for decorating recently?" Nikolay asked out of innocent curiosity, which thankfully spurred Eijirou out of his focus on his phone, only to quickly realize he'd noticed the boxes. "Oh, no, nothing like that, man. These are some birthday gifts from my parents and a few other relatives and old friends from middle school. I just haven't thought to get rid of the boxes just yet."

Of course, anything after the mention of 'birthday' fell on deaf ears, as Nikolay snapped his head at attention. "When was your birthday, Eijirou-san? How come you never told anybody?"

As his foreign friend was now noticing some of the new stuff around his room that hadn't been here before; like wholly new weights, action figures and action movie posters; Eijirou smirked in mild embarrassment. "Ah, it was a little over two weeks ago. I would've said something, but with us all being so busy for preparing for the festival, I wanted us to just stay focused on that. Bakugo, Iida-san or maybe even Aizawa-sensei would've probably been yelling at us, otherwise."

With surprising boldness, Nikolay suddenly grabbed onto Eijirou's wrist. "Well, c'mon, we were just talking about what we could do today, and you might've just given the best possible idea!"

Before Eijirou could even say anything, least of all out of surprise for Nikolay being so driven, the two boys hurried their way back down to the commons area, where thankfully everyone had already re-gathered, now all visibly surprised at the look on both boys' faces, before Nikolay outright stated: "Hey, everyone, Eijirou-san's birthday was barely two weeks ago and none of us even had a clue!"

Like a detonation of fireworks, nearly everyone else was echoing the Russian's enthusiastic idea of having a late celebration for the occasion, with Denki, Minoru, Hanta, Tooru, Ochako, Izuku and Mina all once more asking why the red-haired boy hadn't said anything, and him once more having to give the same answer.

"Well we gotta at least all get outta here and get you something for your big day, dude! What kind of stuff have you wanted?! We could all pool our cash together, surely!" Denki eagerly suggested, instinctively looking to the rest of the class to see if they were going to be as forthcoming with their wallets as he clearly was; almost completely oblivious to Eijirou humbly shaking his hand as though to cast away the idea. "C'mon, you guys, none of you have to get me anything; the fact you all even care is enough! Besides, the one thing I've ever wished for at every birthday is to become a manly Hero, and I get to live that wish every single day with you guys. Trust me, I'm good."

SLAM!

Bakugo slamming his cup with a pronounced intensity managed to bring silence to the commons area for a moment, as everyone turned to see him once again glaring angrily their way. "CAN'T YOU ALL TAKE THE HINT?! If Hair-For-Brains doesn't want you going out of your way for his sake, like a real man, then you should all just suck it up and accept it!"

With that, he impatiently made his way for the door, and upon seeing the determination in his body language, Eijirou was suddenly off after him like a shot, grinning excitedly from ear to ear. "Thanks for all the thoughts anyway, guys, but you seriously don't have to do anything for me! Yo, Bakugo, wait up! You goin' for training?! C'mon, let's go for it together, shake off some of that rust from the festival!"

Now all being left to themselves, Shoto suddenly spoke up: "Bakugo does have a point, but considering Kirishima has been there for many of us as often as he has; wanting to do something special for him in return is understandable. But without him to bounce ideas off of, we're pretty much running blind."

Suddenly, Mina found herself being approached eagerly by Tooru. "Mina-chan! You and Kirishima-kun have known each other a long a while! He must've invited you to his birthdays before, right? What kind of stuff does he like to do for them? What kinda manly stuff does he like to collect?"

Naturally, everyone was looking to the pink girl like the closest thing to an authority, only for her to shake her head of frizzy pink hair. "Sorry, but I'm just as clueless as you guys, too. Just because Kiri and I have known of each other for a while, doesn't actually mean we talked a whole lot before we came to Yuuei."

A disappointed sigh from nearly everyone resonated throughout the commons area, before Nikolay straightened himself out and looked everyone in the eye. "Well, we may not have any clues as to what Eijirou-san likes specifically, but if we were to put our heads together, we could surely be able to come up with something! Food, entertainment, anything! So why don't we just start off with the most basic thing: what do you all think of when you think of something 'manly'?"

Knowing they had no better ideas on how to figure out something to do for Eijirou's belated birthday, everyone humored Nikolay's idea; all while the young Slav himself was silently wishing that his father were here, instead of on his scheduled day of Pro Hero duty with Fatgum again. Having grown as close to Eijirou as he was, surely the Sun of Justice would have a much clearer idea as to what the boy would like most.

Esuha City, Kansai

With the festival having gone for as long as it had, with no help from cleaning duty across the grounds, Oleg had ended up getting a very late start to get to bed, and thus had a very early start when the time came for him to take the train down to Esuha City. Of course, after all the time that had been spent in preparation for the festival beforehand, he likewise couldn't deny how nice it would finally be to be doing field work with Fatgum again.

And likewise, the BMI Hero was all too happy to welcome his professional colleague back to the office, having already gone the extra mile of preparing a welcoming platter of takoyaki and sashimi for the two to partake in before they would have to go out on patrol again.

Of course, looking over the size of it all, the Russian Hero couldn't help but chuckle: "I think you might've gone a bit overboard with the quantities, my friend."

Looking over how much was left once they'd both had their fill, Fatgum likewise couldn't hide the embarrassed smile on his wide face. "I guess I just got used to preparing enough for us, Suneater-kun and Red Riot-kun altogether. I tell you, I can't wait for the day they decide to reinstate the internships again. Those boys must be languishing right now."

Fitting his red eye mask over his face, Oleg shrugged his broad shoulders. "Well, I think these last few weeks in preparation for the festival were a good distraction. Now that it's over, though…I can't imagine the tedium won't start setting in. But with the League being as quiet as it has been since the Hassaikai mission, surely Nezu-san can't maintain the deadlock forever."

Fitting his mask and hood over his head as well, Fatgum grumbled in regret. "With as much of a threat as they've been proving themselves to be, though; it's easy to forget they're far from the only Villains out there right now. And with as bold as many of them are getting across the country still, who's to say this situation wouldn't have been put into place at one point or another anyway? We just need to try and do our best to make things just safe enough for those children to be let out to learn again."

Now both suited into their full costumes, Fatgum rolled his shoulders to loosen up, before taking a glance to see that, even as Tunguska was stretching his legs, there was a distinctly focused intensity to his aged face. "Is something else on your mind?"

Shaking himself from head to toe in order to ready himself, Tunguska sighed. "Yeah, but don't worry too much about it. It's just that over the course of the festival preparations, malenkii Kirishima's birthday came and went without anyone even knowing a word about it. I can only hope he told them now that they've got a free day without the festival looming over it. I mean, as a teacher, it's only natural for me to know these things…I just wish I could be there to help those kids celebrate properly."

A sudden amused laugh from Fatgum drew Tunguska's attention. "Well, knowing how much that boy looks up to you, just having it be acknowledged by you would probably make Red Riot-kun's day already. But if his friendship with the rest of those kids is anything to go off of, the probably already have something cooking between them as we speak. Personally speaking, nothing makes my birthdays better than a robust and hearty meal. He's got a great metabolism, from the little time we've all gotten to spend together, so he probably wouldn't balk at something like that to share with all his classmates."

For now, such an idea was the best Tunguska had to work with, and Fatgum was surely an excellent judge when it came to robust food for a boy like Eijirou, so if he could at least get his hands on something like that enough for the whole class to enjoy with him, that would be a step in the right direction. And so, with no further delay, the two Heroes embarked on their usual morning patrol.

Thankfully, things were pretty steady around Esuha City so far, with no outstanding reports of Villain activity, or excessive crime outside of the random mugger or street gang disturbance, all of which was quickly and succinctly taken care of through Tunguska and Fatgum's well-ironed form of teamwork.

After a couple hours of this, the two men were patrolling through one of the busier centers of the city, where Tunguska's naturally wandering eyes quickly fell upon something most unexpected, but especially inspiring: a massive billboard advertising the personal appearance of none other than Crimson Riot himself, promoting one of his latest self-written works on the ins-and-outs of manliness and Heroic chivalry.

The moment he saw that billboard, Tunguska could have sworn he felt electricity rushing through his body as he pointed it out, just at the same time a nearby store display of TV screens began announcing the very same event right next to them. "Fatgum-san, I've got it! Malenkii Kirishima has mentioned multiple times how he idolized Crimson Riot for years before we'd ended up meeting! Even if I can't help his classmates put together a worthwhile party for him, this would surely make an excellent gift! What could possibly make him happier than a personal gift from another of his most admired Heroes?"

Thankfully, Fatgum was far from scoffing at the idea, instead grinning optimistically. "I don't see a reason we couldn't spare a few minutes to pop in, with things being as calm in town as they are now. That convention center isn't at all far from here. Believe it or not, I've actually met Crimson Riot a few times over the years; he'd surely be happy to oblige us."

Just as the BMI Hero had said, once they had left for the advertised convention center, they were at its doors within less than ten minutes by the nearest train, and once they were both inside, while likewise greeting their easily excited public, the staff were kind enough to guide them to the specific hall where Crimson Riot was currently in the middle of signings and meet-and-greets with his fans.

Even from a distance, Tunguska could easily feel the bristling of pure manly Heroic energy in the air that Crimson Riot exuded. The exceedingly manly Pro Hero was clad in a very dark red skintight bodysuit that truly showed off his extensively muscular physique under a crimson overcoat with an expansive collar that ended in particularly dangerous-looking points, and his chiseled face was clad with a steel-plated face mask that obscured his mouth and nose, topped with a head of carefully sculpted dark red hair that ended in one massive forward-pointing spike. Taking this all in, it was almost too easy to see just how much of his appearance and style had been almost directly lifted onto Eijirou's Hero attire. That kind of observation only served to make the boy's idolization of this particular Hero seem downright adorable at its basest level.

It was plain amazing just how effectively Crimson Riot was able to manage his crowd of adoring fans, always taking the time to personally speak with every single one that came to him on a personal level, instead of just recycling any handful of basic meeting lines and then sending them on their way. It was like he took the time and made the effort to truly get to know every person that came to him, and all while keeping the line moving at a brisk and steady pace. With that, it took nearly no time at all until Tunguska and Fatgum, who had found themselves at the back of a clearly long-formed line, to find themselves finally at the head of it, where Crimson Riot's obscured eyes under his brow visibly widened with surprise.

"Oh, my goodness! Fatgum-san, how good to see you again after all this time! And…and is that the oft-discussed and resurrected Tunguska-san I've heard and seen so much about here with you?!" With exceptional enthusiasm, Crimson Riot shot up to his feet; offering a hearty handshake to Tunguska, who gratefully took it, while still looking visibly surprised that this Hero would know his face already. "You recognize me?"

"Oh, please, forgive my forwardness! I've been hearing more and more about you ever since you were seen fighting alongside All Might-san and Endeavor-san back at Kamino Ward! Then once so many foreign users online started sharing all those old stories of your exploits and interviews back in Russia as their former Number One Hero; on top of all the news of you and Fatgum-san working together; needless to say, I'd been finding myself more and more eager to meet you personally! It's easy to see why so many young boys among your countrymen would have admired you as much as they did! Oh, what a fortunate surprise this is!"

Still being guided along in his fellow Hero's excited handshake, Tunguska could only chuckle. "Oh, please, you give me far too much credit, I was just doing what any Hero is supposed to do, on and off the field. I'm practically the rookie by this point, compared to either of you."

This finally got Crimson Riot to stop shaking Tunguska's hand, and after a beat, start laughing. "Brave, powerful and modest! All the great cornerstones of real men, Heroes and civilians alike! Your son is surely lucky to have a man like you to guide him into maturity, if you don't mind my saying so, Tunguska-san!"

"You know of my son?" Tunguska immediately asked in surprise, to which Crimson Riot quickly caught himself and stopped his laughter, standing up just as tall and proud as his fellow Heroes.

"Naturally. Every Pro Hero across the country keeps their eyes and ears open whenever the Yuuei Academy Sports Festival comes around, so it's rather hard not to notice when there's a sudden foreign student among the roster for the first time! And even if that weren't the case, I'd heard all about that recent incident he and his schoolmates got involved in, up in Hokkaido! After all of that, I have to say, I certainly wouldn't mind taking in a bunch of brave young Heroes like those under my wing one day! But I understand that the Hero schools, agencies and the police around this country are working together in keeping their students safe, thus this current deadlock on all Hero Internships. So, as a momentary substitute to that, what would you say to my giving your son a complimentary copy of my book here, personally signed and everything?"

Crimson Riot was quick to grab a copy from one of the stacks lining his table, and carefully yet quickly writing down his signature upon its cover. But before he could even finish, Tunguska was already interceding with his own statement: "Well, far be it for me to turn down your generosity, but I actually did come here to meet you on behalf of one of my students; a friend of my son, as a matter of fact."

To Tunguska's delight, Crimson Riot was visibly intrigued. But before either of the two Pros could say anything else, Fatgum suddenly stepped forward, arms held out to his sides to grab hold of both, and his face now reflecting a sudden seriousness. "Hold up, you guys! Does anybody else feel that?"

Naturally, seeing their fellow Hero looking serious hit the switch in both men, as they likewise got into a ready posture, after which they immediately could understand what the BMI Hero had meant, as there was a faint but definitely growing rumbling sensation across the floor, and upon listening closer, they could start to hear the sound of a growing commotion outside, not the least of which being the alarmed shouts of civilians.

And that was all the three needed to hear to immediately move into action; with Crimson Riot immediately addressing the staff and civilians across the convention hall: "Everyone remain inside, and please move into the emergency basement shelters in an orderly fashion!"

Nobody dared to question anything the three Heroes proceeded to tell them, motioning them away from the open and to the emergency doors to safety. As soon as they all knew everyone in the building was as far from danger as they currently could be, they immediately rushed back out into the open street, where the source of the commotion was immediately made apparent amid the retreating civilians being directed by the police officers fortunate enough to be nearby at the moment:

"WE'VE GOT COMPANY, BROTHER SEI, OF BOTH THE POLICE AND THE PRO HERO PERSUASION THIS TIME!" "ALL THE BETTER, BROTHER FU! TIME FOR THE KYOKUSEI BROTHERS TO REALLY MAKE OUR VILLAIN MARK!"

A duo of young adult men, one with spiky black hair dressed in white, and the other with spiky white hair dressed in black, and with similarly opposing colored eyes, were currently being compounded onto by numerous floating inward pieces of metal, building onto and ultimately connecting their bodies into one quickly growing human-shaped body of steel debris, including pieces of buildings and cars, street lights, signs and traffic lights alike; soon dwarfing the three onlooking Heroes.

All clenching their fists in preparation, Fatgum quickly surmised for his colleagues: "I've heard of these two on the police chatter; a pair of hooligan brothers with matching Magnetism Quirks! They've been causing all kinds of trouble from town to town for the last few months! I didn't think they would end up here, and causing this kind of ruckus this far into town so boldly!"

"Well, they're here now, and if we don't do something quick, there's no telling the kinds of harm they could cause!" The moment Crimson Riot declared his intention to fight alongside them; he quickly found his metal face mask getting pulled in with all the other pieces gravitating towards the two Villains in their metallic super body, just the same as with Tunguska's prosthetic arm.

However, neither of the two Heroes were about to let their affect from the Villains' Quirks stop them, as they both proceeded to charge forward before leaping high into the air where the magnetic pull was getting noticeably stronger. As they flew through the air towards the large metallic humanoid shell, Tunguska hurriedly channeled his Solar Quirk through both his arms in a preparation to fire two simultaneous beams into it, while Crimson Riot's pointed lock of hair suddenly began to harden while turning black.

WRAAM! SLAM! BZZZZT!

As Crimson Riot drove his hair straight into the shoulder of the colossus like a spear, yanking his head so as to pry the entire right arm off at the shoulder, and Fatgum drove his speeding mass into one of the legs with enough force to break it off at the knee joint so it would go off-balance and lose its guard; Tunguska let his prosthetic arm similarly slam into the chest with the power of that magnetism fist-first, driving the resulting Solar beams from both hands into the chest and out the back, the moment he could hear Fatgum's voice confirming that there were no civilians at risk on the other side.

The moment he'd finished burning a hole completely through this body of scrap metal, Tunguska knew he could no longer afford to remain this close within their enemies' range, and so proceeded to disconnect his prosthetic arm from his stump, before just as quickly grabbing Crimson Riot by his collar, pulling him away until they were back on the ground; reuniting with Fatgum just in time to see the body reconstituting itself with yet more metallic pieces from the surrounding buildings, and even the arm that had once been severed, repairing itself like nothing had happened.

"YOU MEATHEADED HEROES THINK THAT WAS ALL IT WOULD TAKE TO WIN?! YOU NEED TO BE SMARTER THAN THAT!"

As the two Villains took the chance to gloat, Fatgum begrudgingly answered to his two colleagues: "I hate to say it, but they're right. If it were that easy, these clowns would've been taken down a lot sooner than this."

Watching as all their efforts were quickly undone, Crimson Riot similarly noted: "With the civilians having retreated for the shelters, we at least have an advantage there, but it seems like the larger their protective shell becomes, the stronger the effect of their Quirks become. If we don't put a stop to this soon, the public could end up in greater danger, even where they're supposed to be safe!"

"Then we're just going to have to try a means to separate those two and neutralize them before they have a chance to armor themselves that much." Tunguska surmised, looking begrudgingly at his stump of a left arm. "And we'll need to operate as one in order to break their defenses fast enough."

As the metal monstrosity before them began to pull in more metal together in order to create a large bludgeoning weapon in-hand, Fatgum suddenly stepped forward, grabbing Tunguska's one hand until he was gripping onto the BMI Hero's jacket; looking over his shoulder so their eyes could meet. "Your Solar Quirk's absorbing property makes you faster as well as stronger, doesn't it? Then you can be the engine that gets us where we need to be to pull this off, Tunguska-san! In the meantime, I'll be the shield!"

Without hesitation, Tunguska suddenly felt Crimson Riot grabbing tight onto his other shoulder, squatting down so that his hardened hair was pointed forward; leaving the Russian Hero in the center looking like the most uncharacteristic imitation of a knight. "And I'll be the spear for our manly hearts together to drive into these criminals' schemes! It's your call right now, Tunguska-san!"

Before Tunguska could make the decision, though; the sound of multiple screams in the air snapped all three Heroes to attention, just in time to see a large bus full of civilians barrel-rolling through the air from over one of the nearby rooftops, having been picked up off the street over two blocks away.

Without hesitation, Tunguska sprang up into the air with a boosted jump from his Solar energy stores in his body, carrying Fatgum and Crimson Riot along with him. With that same momentum, he threw Fatgum directly into the busses path, using his large girth to absorb the impact and hold it steady once he planted his feet onto the shoulder of the metallic giant.

Immediately after, Crimson Riot likewise came flying onto the side of the bus, prying open the door in the middle and reaching inside. "Everyone grab my hands! We need to get you all to safety!"

Fatgum set the bus back down with much less force than it had initially come in with, and quickly leaped down on his back onto the ground, serving as a human beanbag for the civilians to land upon as Crimson Riot helped each one out. And as his two colleagues were doing this, Tunguska was taking a major risk by focusing the neural link to his prosthetic arm to activate, reeling his body into it as it remained stuck to the metal mass.

WRAAAM!

With his fist and feet all aglow, and the added momentum of his magnetized arm pulling him along instead of being pulled back to him as usual, Tunguska drove three fully powered Solar Beams from his available limbs straight through the center mass upon impact, before just as quickly throwing his left shoulder forward so his arm stump could fully reconnect with his prosthetic again.

The moment he knew he was connected again, Tunguska quickly proceeded to open up the small panels lining the entirety of his prosthetic and fire a multitude of shorter Solar Blasts from them, as a good amount of his energy had already been stored in waiting there over the course of the day. With that, a large hole had been blasted into the center of the armor body, exposing the black-haired part of the duo, whose momentary surprise immediately turned into intense focus the moment he knew he was exposed.

Before Tunguska or his fellows knew it, the half of the giant body nearest the recently saved civilians suddenly began to explode outwards, putting them all at risk of getting crushed, with Fatgum barely able to get back on his feet in time to try and get in between the debris and them.

But seeing how expansive the area of damage was still going to be, and how many civilians at that moment were still exposed; Tunguska hurriedly aimed his prosthetic arm the best he could with it still being magnetized to what of the large metal mass was still there alongside his real fist, to fire the rest of his Solar Beam energy through both, destroying as many of the flying debris at once as he could in mid-air, reducing them to dust that couldn't possibly hurt the civilians below.

But as a result, this left his sides completely exposed, as the other brother still protected within, started pulling in even more high-flying metal debris from the surrounding area to all collide into him and crush him from all around.

WRAAAM!

But coming in like a bolt of pure red, Crimson Riot, once he was sure the civilians were all out of the bus and out of immediate harm, quickly counteracted by using his hardened spike of hair to split the bus in two, throwing the one half he could still physically manage with his own two hands, to take all of the oncoming debris that was about to fly through the hole in the giant body's chest into Tunguska's left, and then throwing himself into a mid-air spin, using that same hardened hair like a bat to deflect the debris that would have come in from the Russian Hero's right, thus buying him several seconds of extra time.

Seconds that Tunguska quickly used to redirect the Solar Beam from his real hand upward, carving through the armored hull enough to reveal the white-haired Villain brother at last, who was visibly looking panicked now that they were both exposed, and their diversionary tactic hadn't worked.

But this didn't stop them from manipulating the arm of their armored body that was wielding its newly constructed weapon, so that it would come slamming down upon both Tunguska and Crimson Riot below with a speed downright unnatural for a form of its size.

SLAAM!

But before they could both be swatted and crushed onto the ground, Fatgum came barreling in through the air once he knew the civilians had escaped, leaping from perch to perch before finally throwing his whole mass between the incoming threat and his partners; taking all of that momentum and force directly into his girth, and sending all of that absorbed power right back in a full release of all his built up fat, emanating a huge cloud of steam from the burning in his muscles as the last potential weapon for the Villains was destroyed.

And with the shockwave of that deflecting impact throwing off both their focus, neither of the Villainous siblings could react fast enough to stop Tunguska (who had caught Fatgum in his one real arm), from driving his charging prosthetic fist into the white-haired brother's sternum, knocking him windless and out cold, while Crimson Riot likewise came flying in with a powerful leap and grabbed the black-haired brother by the head, prying him out of his spot in the armored body and landing clean on his feet on the other side, and swiftly slamming a flattened hand against the corner of his shoulder and neck before he could use his Quirk again, knocking him out cold just the same, and finally ending this unexpected but fierce fight.

With the police having already been close by to help guide the civilians to safety, it was very quick for the two Villains to be fully restrained and locked away in the waiting cop cars to take them to jail for processing; just as quick as it was for the public to come filing back out into the open and joyously thanking the three Heroes for all their hard work in helping save the day once more.

Of course, taking in the scope of the infrastructural damage to the surrounding area as a result of those two men's Quirks, made it hard for the celebrated trio to not feel considerable guilt, even if they all knew that local Quirked construction crews would have this whole place looking as good as new by this time tomorrow.

And as they all did their due diligence of going to the local police station to give their statements and shares of the resulting paperwork in the aftermath; Fatgum noted his once-again skinny appearance in the reflection of a nearby storefront window. "Man, I've really been pushing myself to the my fat-burning limit these last few months, haven't I?"

"It's no fault of your abilities, Fatgum-san. It's like you said, the Villains around here are getting so bold, that it's forcing our hands like that more often. Hence why we need to be training the kids, the interns, as best we can the moment we're able again." Tunguska reassured his friend and colleague, just before Crimson Riot (his hair having turned red again after deactivating its hardening) planted a hearty and supportive hand upon the foreign Hero's shoulder, giving his fellows an encouraging thumb up with the other; his intense brow and shadowed eyes betraying the satisfied smile beneath his mask.

"I couldn't agree more, Tunguska-san…and I also can't thank you both enough for all your aid, as well. You both really came through in a pinch without any hesitation, or fear for yourselves, just like true men always must. I already knew Fatgum-san to always be a courageous fellow, but seeing you in action with my own eyes at last, Tunguska-san; and especially with the injuries and handicaps you already had; you certainly exceeded my own expectations.

"If I might be so bold; I believe, even more so than I did previously, that after what they've all managed to accomplish on their own already, and regardless of any of your past mistakes specifically, Tunguska-san…your boy and those Yuuei students are all in truly good hands if they have Heroes like you teaching them in schools, and especially Heroes like you both together training them out on the field."

To Crimson Riot's confusion, though, Tunguska and Fatgum both started chuckling amusedly to themselves, before the large Russian finally asked: "Are you always so over-the-top with these kind of speeches, my friend?"

"With as many books as he'd had published, you'd hope he would be!" Fatgum chimed in; their genuine and heartfelt laughter leaving Crimson Riot soon chuckling amusedly to himself in a mild embarrassment almost unbefitting of a symbol of pure manliness like him. "Well, it certainly hasn't been for lack of practice and training, I admit."

Once their mutual laughter started to die down, Tunguska's inspiration quickly came back. "Oh, I'd almost forgotten because of all this! I'd said there was something I was hoping to run by you, Crimson Riot-san!"

Similarly snapping back to attention with remembrance, the steel-masked Hero replied: "Yes, that's right, something regarding a friend of your boy! Well, whatever it is you wish to say or ask of me, Tunguska-san, I'd be happy to hear you out!"

Yuuei Academy, several hours later…

"WOOOH! Man, what a workout! You really don't do things by half any day of the week, do you, Bakugo?! That AP Shot of yours hits like crazy!" After several hours of having essentially crow-barred himself into Bakugo's training for a good portion of the day, Eijirou was visibly bruised after having volunteered himself as a practice dummy for his begrudging friend's Special Move, but one wouldn't have been able to guess from seeing the excited smile on his face…

…an expression that distinctly contradicted the frustrated scowl on Bakugo's face, as the two boys were making their way back to the dorms. "If it really did, you wouldn't be standing up right now, would you? Goddammit, it's like I can feel my strength slipping the longer we have to stay here. Can't believe I'm saying this, but those damn remedial lessons can't come back soon enough."

But, being the ever persistent voice of encouragement, Eijirou refused to just stand by and let Bakugo stew in his frustration. "Aww, don't beat yourself up, man! You're still fast and strong as hell from where I'm standing; and with my Quirk being as limited as it is; you know I'm not just blowing smoke! If I can get strong enough to withstand those shots of yours, then you can keep getting more and more powerful, too!"

Gritting his teeth, Bakugo hissed: "That's easy for you to say. You're not the one who has a damn jail rat to overcome now; you pretty much met her half-for-half. Just another name I gotta surpass to get to where I need to be, nothing more."

At this, Eijirou came to a momentary stop; his red eyes wide with surprise. "Whoa, Bakugo, is that what this is all about now? You're seriously steamed about Maja-san being so skilled yesterday? C'mon, don't let that get to you! I thought you were all about letting people who are strong get you pumped up, not bummed out! Plus, when do you really think we're ever gonna see her any time soon? Just focus on everybody cheering you on here! I know Midoriya-san and I are doing that for you at the very least!"

"Which I never asked either of you, or anyone else, to do! So just shut up and focus on yourselves, like someone with an actual brain between their ears, dammit!" Bakugo's angered response was swift and forceful enough to leave him needing to catch his breath, picking up his pace so he could get back to his dorm room and be left alone to vent and train further. Eijirou, all the while, could only shrug with a fainter smile. He could just feel it inside, that no matter how many venomous words Bakugo could sling at him or anyone else, there was no way he could fully 100-percent mean it.

But just as the two boys finally rounded the last corner before seeing their classes' dorm building again, they suddenly found themselves getting approached by an especially excited-looking Nikolay; leaving Eijirou excited to see what could have his foreign friend so pumped up, and Bakugo sneering at the fact he now had two classmates to deal with.

"Eijirou-san, Bakugo, you're both just in time! There's something we gotta show you now!" It was hard to tell if Nikolay's excited tone was an act or completely spontaneous, but as he was already beckoning the two to follow him, Eijirou tried to give a light waving off of his hand. "Hey, there can't be that much of a rush, right? We've both been working up a real sweat with training. Let me just wash up and I'll be right there."

But instead, Nikolay adamantly grabbed the red-haired boy by the wrist, eagerly tugging him along. "Normally I'd agree, but trust me, Eijirou-san; once you see this, you'll understand why that'd just be a waste of time right now!"

Inadvertently dragging a protesting Bakugo along with him, Eijirou found himself being led around the 1-A building, until just as they rounded the last corner to the area behind it, he found himself being met with a bombastic all-around cry of: "SURPRISE! HAPPY LATE BIRTHDAY, KIRISHIMA-SAN!"

And once his heart stopped momentarily racing, what Eijirou saw awaiting him was frankly unreal. Set up dead center in the small field behind their classes' dorm building, was a fully set up square canvas mat with three ropes set up around the perimeter, like a boxing or wrestling ring, with nearly everyone from the class standing shoulder-to-shoulder in front of it, joined (to Eijirou's growing excitement) by a similarly grinning Tetsutetsu, who immediately voiced an excited greeting at the sight of his fellow sharp-toothed unbreakable buddy.

On one side, there was a medium-sized stage set up right next to it, with Kyouka's same music set-up from yesterday on top; with her, Denki and Fumikage in their same positions with their instruments, and this time with Mina set up on the drum kit behind. And on the other side of the ring was a large projector screen, with the same old-timey camera-shaped film player from Nikolay's room set up in front of it, with the grinning young Slav standing eagerly next to it with his arms crossed.

"Whoa! W-what the…what is all this, you guys?!" Despite his confusion, the instinctive testosterone-fueled excitement written all over Eijirou's face was as clear as day, as Izuku was the first to answer:

"We know you said for us not to bother ourselves doing anything to celebrate your birthday, Kirishima-san; but because you have been such a good friend to so many of us over this year, we all thought it was only right that we do so, anyway. The hard part was just trying to figure out just what to do."

From up on the stage, Mina then spoke up eagerly: "Then Kolya-kun just had us all figure out what the first thing we thought of when we think of manly stuff was, and we all put it together, and decided to combine the three most common things: wrestling, rock 'n' roll, and action movies!"

Stepping forward, Nikolay motioned his arms to the whole setup, as though he were some kind of theme park designer showing an elaborate diorama. "It's crude, I know, but we thought it was the best of all those things! Yaoyorozu-san was even kind enough to help us make the ring itself. Then, when we told Tetsutetsu-san what the occasion was, he insisted on being a part of it! So, those of us with the Quirks able to help us hold our own against your Hardening, we could all participate in a huge wrestling showcase together, while Kyouka-san and the others provide a live show of some of that…heavy metal music I sometimes see listed on those playlists of hers. We figured Bakugo would want to join in the fighting instead of the music, so Mina volunteered to take his spot on the drums this time."

"A natural sense of rhythm is all I need to know how to rock!" Mina excitedly proclaimed with the drumsticks in her hands overhead in a perfectly timed response, with Minoru already about to shout out a protest that a Class 1-A catfight was what this party really needed to be perfect, before swiftly being silenced by a well-aimed shot of Tape from Hanta; all before Tetsutetsu then finished up: "We even went to the trouble of putting together a whole bunch of super manly action movies out of Bezpalov-san's collection, based on some of the decorations in your room, and made it so they can play while we all wrestle, help pump up the atmosphere, y'know?! Or maybe just save it for when everyone's all tuckered out and enjoy it the old-fashioned way; it's up to you, birthday-man!"

Finally, towering over everyone else, Mezo suddenly lifted one of his tentacles with a mouth attached at the end. "Plus, since Sato-san wanted to get in on the actual wrestling part of the action; I've been working with Aoyama-san and Bezpalov-san in putting together a big, hearty feast for everyone when it's all over. We naturally figured nobody would be opposed to meat after a workout like this."

Everything being described for this impromptu and belated birthday celebration just sounded more and more enticing to Eijirou with each word, and when seeing all the supportive smiles on everyone's faces, he could actually feel his eyes beginning to sting as his sharp-toothed smile quivered. "You guys…I-I…dammit, I…I really don't know what to say anymore. This…this is all so awesome of you to do."

Just as he was about to start officially thanking everyone, he suddenly felt a heavy fist wrapping against his arm, just as Bakugo began stomping over to the ring; a vicious grin of anticipation on his face for the first time all day. "Then enough with the damn words, and start showing your gratitude through action! Occasions be damned, I'm not backing down from a chance to buff up through a fight, and neither should any of you!"

Bakugo taking the lead as he leapt into the ring with a furious stomp of his feet, had Eijirou and everyone else's excitement going through the roof, and with the grinning redhead quickly following with an eager manly cheer, the festivities could finally begin, as Kyouka hit the first note on her bass to start the first of the many hard-hitting cover songs she'd ultimately helped her fellow performers decide on from her extensive library that they could practice over the last several hours.

[Judas Priest – Riding on the Wind]

And for a good couple of hours, nearly the whole of Class 1-A was embroiled in a birthday celebration of such masculine energy that many of the boys would have sworn they'd felt themselves finally starting to grow some chest hair in the process. From the utter gauntlet that was the whole wrestling game; which consisted of Eijirou and his fellow boys taking each other on in one duel after another, before they were all ultimately laid out exhausted but still ultimately exhilarated; to the pounding thrills of doing so to Kyouka and her band's impressive heavy metal repertoire of Western and Japanese songs alike; to the incredibly satisfying conclusion of everyone whiling away the evening and easing their bruises and aches with exquisite dishes centered primarily around red meat while watching exemplary classic action movies from the classic pre-Quirk days. In the end, nobody could begin to deny that this was truly a well-enough thought-out celebration of Eijirou's 16th birthday; least of all, Eijirou himself, who just had the biggest and most satisfied grin on his face the entire time; his heart pounding with boundless gratitude for his friends all pulling this many stops for him.

By the time all was said and done, it was finally starting to get dark, and so with their aches from the ring having dulled enough, and their stomachs filled and satisfied, everyone was quick to chip in to try and clear away all of the makeshift staging, props and leftover food from the back area of the dorms, and all wishing their friend another belated happy birthday every step of the way once it had all been done, and it was time to start turning in for bed.

Once he and Tetsutetsu had exchanged another manly clasping of brotherly hands before having to bid each other goodbye, Eijirou and his classmates were finally making their way back to the front entrance of their dorm building, just in time to see the familiar white-clad hulking form of Tunguska just now approaching from the cobblestone path; his bearded face reflecting momentary joy at seeing his students, before just as quickly going wide-eyed with worried surprise. "EVERYONE! What a surprise to see you all outside so close to curfew! Malenkii Kirishima, s dnyem rozhdeniya (Happy Birthday)! Wait…why are so many of you all bruised up?"

As soon as Nikolay, Eijirou, Izuku and Tenya had all stumbled over each other trying to explain everything they had done to celebrate the redhead's big day, Tunguska couldn't help but give another uproarious laugh. "As a teacher, I should say you should all know better than to play so rough with each other, no matter the reason. But…as a father, and as someone who was once all your age too, I can certainly understand why this would be the idea you all come up with. I know I certainly had my times just like this. But there's few things that can strengthen friendship like this."

While Nikolay, Izuku and Tenya (among others) couldn't help but find such a statement more than a little questionable, Eijirou was visibly eating it all up, most likely from still riding the thrill of their impromptu excuse for a party. With that, Tunguska finally continued: "Well, you all best get to bed about now, since it's back to the normal routine starting tomorrow. I wish you all a good night…but malenkii Kirishima, if you don't mind waiting just a little bit longer, I'd like to you to accompany me briefly."

While the large Russian Hero's demeanor gave no indication that he was being stern or disciplinary, Eijirou couldn't possibly guess what his admired teacher had in mind that he could have potentially been in trouble for; especially since the whole wrestling idea had been agreed upon by Nikolay to begin with, hence he knew the physical risks that being in the ring together would bring. But as he instinctively followed Tunguska after bidding all his friends good night and thanks; he finally said: "Tunguska-sensei, if this is anything to do with my birthday, you don't have to worry yourself about doing anything for me, too. I even told everyone else the same, but they were real insistent."

Soon, the two had finally reached the main entrance to Yuuei, and by now, Eijirou's curiosity was becoming too much to handle, especially as Tunguska answered: "I understand that, but since you've been such an exceptional prodigy and friend to Kolya, and since I'm still your teacher, regardless of internships or lack thereof, I still have an inherent responsibility to acknowledge your special day like everybody else's. And circumstances in my Pro work allowed me something I think you'll find more than worthwhile. Just…close your eyes until I tell you to open them, alright?"

With his heart racing and beating harder and harder with curiosity, Eijirou did as he was told, following his teacher's footsteps as he kept his hands planted firmly over his eyes, knowing himself far too well, to know that he would end up inadvertently opening them and ruining whatever Tunguska had in mind.

After a few more steps, he could only imagine they were finally outside of the official Yuuei grounds and out on the entrance road. The moment he could hear Tunguska's footsteps stop, he likewise planted his feet firmly, almost biting his lip in order to fight the urge to ask what was happening. Then Tunguska suddenly spoke out: "Alright, you can come out now. Don't open them, my boy."

A sudden third pair of especially heavy-sounding footsteps suddenly came emerging from across the road towards him, and Eijirou could swear his bro was beading with an icy cold sweat of anxious apprehension, especially when this mysterious third party came to a stop right in front of him. The boy couldn't even heard the sound of breathing to give him an idea of just what kind of person could have possibly been here right now.

"Alright, malenkii Kirishima. You can open them now."

As soon as Eijirou instantly removed his hands from his eyes, he found himself being towered over by an immensely muscular frame of a man in light grey pants with silver utility pouches on the belt lining his waist, wearing a very dark red skintight bodysuit over his broad torso underneath a deep crimson overcoat with elongated pointed corners of his expansive neck collar; a manly and chiseled face half-obscured under a metal-plated face mask with obscured but intense eyes underneath his brow, and with a head of rigidly gelled red hair styled in two points at the two sides of the back of his head, and one elongated mighty point sticking out front and center.

And the minute their eyes met, Eijirou Kirishima felt like his heart had immediately seized in his chest, as his body felt icy cold and burning hot all at the same time, his mouth going as bone dry as the most unforgiving desert. He gasped and wheezed for even a single word to convey the incredible excitement, the childhood love and admiration and utter fanboy levels of geeky knowledge that were wanting to burst out of his mouth at the knowledge that he was actually standing in the presence of his lifelong icon, his original paragon of all things Heroic, manly and everything in between: the one and only Crimson Riot himself.

And seeing this poor boy visibly go to mental and emotional pieces at the mere sight of him, finally spurred that very same manly Hero to uncross his arms from his chest and greet his described number one fan with all the bravado and manly friendliness as he could in such an awkward situation: "Hello, young man, and a very happy belated birthday to you! My friend Tunguska-san here tells me that you're quite the devoted fan of mine. Is this true?"

The fact he was now being personally addressed by Crimson Riot of all people, left Eijirou standing as rigid as a petrified tree as he physically forced the words out: "Y-YES, SIR, CRIMSON RIOT-SENSEI, SIR! I-I-I'M K-KIRI-KIRISHIMA EIJIROU, HERO NAME RED RIOT; A-A H-H-HUGE, HUGE FAN OF YOURS FOR YEARS! I-I-I'VE TRIED TO FOLLOW EVERY SINGLE O-ONE OF YOUR LESSONS FROM DAY ONE TO BE A TRULY MANLY HERO! I'VE EVEN M-M-MODELED MY WHOLE HERO LOOK AFTER YOU! I EVEN DYED MY HAIR LIKE YOURS AND EVERYTHING! I-I STILL GOT MY ORIGINAL COSTUME SKETCHES IN MY ROOM! I-I COULD SHOW YOU!"

Frankly, this kind of overly enthusiastic, downright ecstatic response was the first thing Tunguska was expecting, and he'd even been good enough to forewarn Crimson Riot as such on their way here, once he had secured permission from Principal Nezu to bring the Pro Hero here at such an hour for Eijirou's sake.

And because he knew this all going in, Eijirou's awkward and now-unstoppable answers did nothing to break through Crimson Riot's kindly demeanor, as he gave a good-natured laugh at the boy's energy. "I can already see just as much. You just have this energy about you that I can easily see my style fitting you to the letter, Kirishima-kun. I understand your hair is even originally black. Looks like we're two sides of the same coin, you and I; mine is naturally red, but turns black when I activate my Quirk. Quite fittingly symbolic, if I may say so."

"YOU CAN SAY ANYTHING YOU WANT, CRIMSON RIOT-SENSEI! I'VE ADMIRED AND TRIED TO MODEL MY ENTIRE WAY OF LIFE AFTER YOU FOR AS LONG AS I CAN REMEMBER! YOU AND TUNGUSKA-SENSEI ARE MY TWO BIGGEST EXAMPLES OF MANLINESS AND HEROICS TO LOOK UP TO!"

To Eijirou's childish excitement and surprise, Crimson Riot suddenly knelt down so he and his eager fan could be on the same eye level. "Well, considering all the effort I've put into all my written works between my times of working on the field, it's very good to hear my words have gotten through to someone like you. I've only had the good fortune of just meeting your sensei earlier today on the job; and in that time until now, he's told me a great deal about you and all of your friends; about how much of yourself you've put forward to be a good friend, partner and overall emotional rock for every one of them when times have gotten hard. How you've felt fear and uncertainty in the face of overwhelming odds, and still powered through it in order to save those around you. You're already proving to be a symbol of a manly Hero that would do any teacher or Pro Hero proud."

Already, Eijirou looked like he was about to black out from the sheer amounts of unbridled joy he was feeling, to be receiving this kind of praise from his ultimate icon in anything other than a dream. But before he could risk such a thing happening, Crimson Riot suddenly reached out and grabbed the boy's shoulder just firmly enough so that he could keep his attention.

"However, all of this being said and well-deserved on your part, there's something you must understand going forward, Kirishima-kun: you can try to live up to the written or spoken words of your elders, or try to style your appearance and ways of Heroics after them as much as you like, but in the end, you are the one that has to dictate what your own personal code of what it means to truly be a man is, for not everyone's definition is the same, and no one is universally binding. And believe me, when I was your age, that idea sounded just as overwhelming to me as it may sound to you right now.

"But just remember that so long as you always make sure to follow your heart, do what you personally know to instinctively be the right thing, and always be sure to be there for your friends and loved ones in easy times and difficult times, then you will find your answer, your definition. And with that, you'll become a far greater manly Hero than you ever could have imagined. And after hearing about your experiences you've had already, and seeing your teacher in action…you're already well on your way to becoming an even greater Hero and man than even the likes of either of us."

Eijirou's natural response would have been to decry the idea of any Hero, present or otherwise, being manlier than Tunguska and Crimson Riot both as insanity. But the fact it was his life's first idol that was suggesting as such, had him shaking down to his core with the weight, the sheer emotion of those honest words. So many other Pro Heroes could have easily taken a chance like this to criticize his split admiration of two or more, but it was only to be expected that these two men would gladly commend his finding all the inspirations and role models in this field as he already had.

But even more than that, it was the core of Crimson Riot's faithful words that were his biggest takeaway. It was true that he was dedicating so much of his efforts to trying to emulate other Heroes' codes and styles, but in the end, just how much of the Hero he presented himself as today was truly his alone, besides his own personal code and morals; and would that alone be enough? It was a question he had no way of knowing how to answer now, but he didn't need to, and both Heroes at his sides knew this as well as he did.

But as long as he didn't compromise what he believed in, and had the friends he had to help him along going forward, then both men felt great confidence that he would reach the goal he needed to reach.

And it was with this unspoken understanding between the three, that Eijirou clenched a determined fist, looked both his admired Heroes in the eye, and with a heartfelt and inspired smile, gave a powerful and affirming nod, both to them and himself. "I UNDERSTAND! AND I…I WON'T LET ANY OF YOU DOWN…NOR MYSELF! THAT'S A MAN'S PROMISE!"

Of course, with Crimson Riot feeling especially satisfied that his admiring fan had taken his advice to heart, and Eijirou trying to embody such an outwardly stoic and manly demeanor; the boy still couldn't resist his fanboy's instinct to struggle to ask the Pro Hero for a picture or an autograph, despite mentally kicking himself for having nothing on him worth signing.

But Crimson Riot, being the professional and good-hearted Hero admired by so many, was more than happy to have a picture taken by Tunguska of him and the brightly smiling young Hero together on Eijirou's phone, before ultimately going on to arrange it so that all three of them could get one picture together as a truly manly Heroic trio, culminated and perfected by his offering to autograph Eijirou's forehead for it. Naturally, the red-haired student Hero looked like he was going to have a heart attack from the excitement once it had been suggested.

And so, with all the commemorative pictures taken that Eijirou could have ever asked for, it was sadly time for Crimson Riot to ultimately bid his adoring young fan farewell, and another heartfelt thanks to Tunguska at his side…but not without ultimately leaving the sharp-toothed boy with some truly soul-shaking parting words, striking the courageous and inspiring pose he'd grown up seeing on posters and TV footage so many times: "I'm sorry we couldn't get to know each other a little longer…but know that I will be keeping my eyes and ears open for any news of your exploits from this day forward, and that is my man's promise to you! I look forward to seeing you and your friends all grow together, Red Riot!"

Even despite Eijirou similarly voicing his promise to do so as Crimson Riot ultimately took his leave, Tunguska still had to practically carry his young student all the way back to the dorms; as he was still ultimately too star-struck to move of his own accord. Right now, he was still simply trying to finish processing the fact he'd just now gotten to fulfill one of his lifelong wishes, and he simply couldn't wait to catch all of his classmates up on it, even if it would have to take him all night to do so.

As far as Eijirou Kirishima was concerned, this was a birthday that would never be able to be topped.

I hope this chapter scratched the itch of all the MHA fans out there who always wanted to see Kirishima get to meet his biggest inspiration and icon face-to-face at least once. I feel especially proud of having finally put such an event to paper, and while I oftentimes get intimidated trying to write an established character whose personality we don't truly know a whole lot about, I actually feel pretty confident in how I presented Crimson Riot here. I certainly hope it came across right for all of you reading this as well.

I hope you all have a good rest of your following week. I will see you all with the next chapter on 01/28!