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?

111. Time Skip Part 7 - A Good Year

Hello again, everyone. This is a chapter with a general concept I'd been mulling around in my head for a while, and this is honestly the best place to put it. I even had a piece of artwork commissioned for it on my DA account, 'ubasnaga' a while back, but I now find myself wondering if I shouldn't consider having it remade, in order to really capture the all around wholesome spirit of this chapter in particular. I have a feeling a great many of you may find this especially enjoyable in the non-action sense. We best enjoy it while we can, because we all know that things are slowly but surely going to very real here in due time, and I hope my plans to alter from the full canon for this story will keep you all captivated and eager to see what's to come.

Once more, a great deal of thanks goes out to every single one of you loyal readers and newcomers out there who drop by to read every single day; alongside my three beta readers, consultants and friends Mizu, Jonny and Carlos; and the current roster of DA fan-artists: Syyndev, Akane Kahomi, AliceKuroCross, Suki-Chan2509, effasempai, Eliza-Frost, Yumake and Vanera-Taro.

I hope you all get some heart-warming enjoyment out of this chapter, and if you have any thoughts or sentiments you'd like to share regarding it or this particular story's direction in general, please feel free to either message me with them, or simply leave a review. any feedback at all is greatly appreciated.

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 111

A Good Year

(Хороший Год)

Yuuei Academy, Monday, November 10th

This far into November, none of the Hero Course students' internships had been reinstated, even despite the overall lack of any notable activity by the now long-absent League of Villains. But despite this lack of field action and education; by now, many of the students had been managing to settle into this campus-bound routine, thanks to the overall stress reliever of the School Festival, and the fact they were still able to at least train in school.

And, over the last few days, an unexpected but very pleasant change had been implemented in one of Principal Nezu's morning announcements: that so long as any students in question had any outstanding reasons for venturing outside of Yuuei grounds, asked for permission from the faculty and had either one of said teachers, or any available local Pro Heroes, to accompany them as chaperones; they could at least go out into the town of Musutafu for no more than a few hours.

And as there were some local students that were more than happy to make use of this new addition to the rules in order to see their parents every once in a while; the overall mood around the campus had certainly gotten lighter all around, and in Class 1-A, Mina was naturally able to pick up on that very potently, and thus her usual optimism and bubbly upbeat attitude were even more noticeable than usual.

And today was no different, as she was practically skipping that morning all the way up to Nikolay's dorm room door, happily knocking in a playful rhythm the moment she'd come to a stop. "Kolya-kun, are you awake and dressed in there yet? There's still time to get breakfast before classes start; c'mon!"

Without missing a beat, the door swung open as Nikolay, already fully dressed in his uniform, was already hastily making his way out the door while slinging his book bag over his shoulder. "Yeah, sorry, Mina! I tried to get to bed at a better hour last night, but I just couldn't get my head to quiet down early enough! Oh, wait, I just remembered, my math textbook is still in my room!"

But before he could even finish turning on his heels to go back, Nikolay was already being eagerly inched along to the stairwell by his brightly smiling girlfriend. "Don't worry about it; I can go grab it for you! Just get down and eat something; I got a real good feeling today's gonna be an exciting one!"

As Nikolay made his way down, she happily ran her way back into his room, easily spotting his missing textbook hanging halfway off the edge of his still unmade bed. But once she grabbed it, her eager and wandering eyes soon spotted something else much more curious: what looked like the edge of another, less familiar book sticking out from under his pillow. It was definitely bigger than the autographed book by Crimson Riot that Tunguska had given him the same night as their belated class celebration of Eijirou's birthday last week, so her own desire to explore a little bit was piqued.

Pulling it out, it immediately became apparent to the wide-eyed pink girl that she was currently holding and looking at one of Nikolay and Tunguska's old family photo albums, not just because of how aged the paper of the pages clearly was, but because the very first picture she laid eyes on, was a photo of what had to be Nikolay mere hours after having been born; currently being held and coddled over by a beautiful young adult woman with amber eyes and long hair the same dark brown shade as his, lying in a hospital bed, with a much younger, non-bearded and short-haired version of his father kneeling at the bedside.

As much as she wanted to keep flipping through the pages so she could take in more pictures of her boyfriend so small and young, her own common sense also reminded her that to intrude on something so personal wouldn't sit well with anyone. And so, just as she was about to set it back where she'd found it, her wandering gaze soon fell upon the crudely written note underneath that picture.

Over the last few months, even before they'd finally confessed their feelings to each other, Nikolay had tried so hard to try and maintain some kind of consistent schedule of teaching Mina as much of his native Russian as he possibly could, at least enough that she could be able to grasp, with her own struggles when it came to linguistics. But when she pushed herself hard enough, she could prove to be just as capable a student as anyone else in their class, and in this particular field, she had proven to be nothing if not dedicated.

And the one thing she'd at least managed to get the hang of over everything else, was knowing what the Cyrillic characters translated out to in basic katakana and hiragana. As such, when she busily looked over the note beneath that newborn baby picture; it all clicked together in her head: the date of Nikolay's birth…the very same date as today.

And this knowledge sent the pink ball of sunshine and energy bolting down the stairs to the common area with a speed that would have even left Tenya impressed; heaving for breath with a manic energy once she came to a near literal screeching halt at the commons area; her gaze almost burrowing into the visibly shocked and confused Nikolay himself, right in the middle of eating from a small stack of Rikido's homemade pancakes with everyone else.

"KOLYA-KUN, TODAY'S YOUR BIRTHDAY?! OH MY GOD, WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY ANYTHING?!" The very moment Mina asked this in a near hysterical shout; almost the entire class followed suit with their expressions directed to their foreign friend; while in the back, Bakugo immediately got to his feet, stomping for the dormitory door without even waiting for Shoto to follow on their way back to Remedial Training. And all the while, he just immediately started grumbling: "Nope, not even gonna pretend to humor this! We just went through this crap a damn week ago!"

But having paid no mind to this, Nikolay struggled to find an answer to meet all his friends' similar questions of why he'd said nothing about this before. "I don't know what to tell you all. Like my mom's birthday before, I just never saw my own as something really worth traditionally celebrating before. I get why that doesn't apply anymore, but to tell you all the truth, I wouldn't even know how to start properly celebrating it if you asked me."

"Well we gotta do something for it, man! It's your big day, and we don't have something like a festival to distract us this time! You don't even have to throw in suggestions; we can do all that for you!" Eijirou's offer was instant, as was Mina and Tooru's eagerness to pull Nikolay back up to his feet, as soon more than half the class were trying to throw in suggestions and ideas among each other for a potential birthday celebration befitting the visibly flustered young Russian, drowning out his protests of their not needing to put themselves out like this for his sake.

Until Tenya; with Momo providing a pronounced clapping of her hands to assist; bellowed over the heads of his classmates: "Everyone, as much as all our mutual eagerness is understandable; we can't let that distract us from classes today! Let's make haste and give our Class 1-A best, and when all is over and done with, then we can discuss and decide on this further!"

---

However, as much as everyone tried to remain solely focused on whatever lessons their classes through the first half had in store; for Nikolay's closer friends, it just wasn't that simple to simply not think about the fact that today was his birthday, nor their mutual desires to try and find some way to properly celebrate it. And as difficult as it was for them; for Mina, it was downright impossible, especially when he would keep telling her not to obsess over it when she would keep asking what he would want between classes.

And this persisted to the degree that, when the bell for lunch period had finally come around; not only did Izuku, Eijirou, Ochako and Tsuyu all end up suddenly getting called to the employee break area by Aizawa; but with Modern Art History having been their most recent class, so too did Mina end up getting called out alone by Midnight before they could all leave the classroom.

"I-I'm not in trouble for anything, right, Sensei? I didn't do anything!" Mina soon worked up the courage to ask once she and Midnight were a good ways away from her classroom. Of course, it was both courage that made her ask, and impatience that she was being called away today of all days, when there was still so much planning to be done.

And it wasn't until they had reached a more secluded hallway with nobody in sight, that Midnight finally came to a stop and turned on her stilettos to look her student in the eye. "You're not in trouble, but it certainly isn't for lack of trying, Ashido-chan. You've never been the most attentive student in my class, but today I could tell you were just miles away, and as your teacher, I want to know why. What's going on that would have you more mentally absent than usual?"

Normally, Mina would have either felt put-upon or insulted that she was being called…well, not smart so openly by one of her teachers. But today, she couldn't hope to hide the truth, as it was only natural her lack of focus would get picked up on by someone as sharp as Midnight. And so, with a regretful sigh, she finally answered: "I'm sorry, Sensei. It's just that…well, today is Kolya-kun's birthday; I just found out this morning. I've been trying to figure out what I or anyone else in class could do to help make it a party like he deserves, since it's his first birthday since coming to Yuuei. He hasn't exactly been making it easy, acting all withdrawn and stuff, saying we don't have to do anything for him. I-I just can't do that, though, not for him. Not after everything he's gone through before…and what we've all been through with him since."

Midnight's outwardly stern demeanor visibly softened, bringing a contemplative finger over her mouth as she barely nodded her head in understanding. Now Mina's above-average scatterbrained performance in class made a lot more sense. And as the 18+ Hero figured this out, Mina impulsively asked: "Maybe you might be able to help, Sensei! Have you ever celebrated a boyfriend's birthday before?"

KLAK!

A sharp stomping of a single stiletto heel on the floor made Mina jolt and stand upright, afraid she was about to get scolded for interrupting her teacher's train of thought; before then seeing that intimidating anger in Midnight's eyes, the same look she had whenever she felt insulted. "Don't ask that as though I've NEVER had a boyfriend, little girl! Give me more credit than that! Of course I have…and that's why I'll help you whichever way I can. Just…before anything else, just try to keep in mind exactly who your party ideas are meant to be for. Not everybody goes for the all-out partying approach like you clearly do; understand?"

As Mina immediately and energetically nodded in understanding, Midnight began slightly pacing, looking so deep in thought, one would've thought she was the one with the dilemma here instead. "Obviously, the restrictions on campus make throwing the kind of party you're undoubtedly thinking of more than a little awkward…so good thing Nezu-san made that announcement when he did. You should go ask him or Shota-kun for permission for you and your classmates to go out on the town this evening; give yourselves that many more options on what you could do; namely things that Bezpalov-kun would personally want to do, don't forget."

Just the starting suggestion on its own left Mina looking 100-percent motivated, smiling with anticipation with a spark in her black-gold eyes. "Okay, I will, Sensei! Thank you!"

Waving off the unwarranted (but no less appreciated) praise, Midnight replied: "Not at all. Since you had the guts to come to me with your little romantic dilemma before, it's only natural I give a helping hand to help make yours and Bezpalov-kun's relationship blossom as healthily as possible. Especially since you're both still so young, energetic and emotionally in synch with each other. That being said, it's only inevitable those feelings between you two are just going to drive you to go further and further with each other; to start getting more…physical as time goes on…and I can certainly lend you a helping hand with that too, before you step too far into the deep end unprepared."

Midnight's casual smile and demeanor was starting to become noticeably more…bold, or suggestive the further she went with her words; shooting an obscure but knowing glance at Mina with her light blue eyes; leaving the pink young girl visibly stiffened and turning rosy in her cheeks with fluster. There were only so many things the teacher could have possibly meant with those kinds of words, and it was still enough to make Mina nervously ask: "Did…d-did you ever…go that far when you w-were a student, Sensei?"

Thankfully, this question was enough to snap Midnight back to reality, realizing just where her mind had started to go, thus prompting her to break the building tension with another stomp of her stiletto. "I-I have no obligation to answer that, especially as your teacher!"

What she proceeded to do then, made it immediately clear to Mina that she had been led to the area where the faculty had their own personal lockers, as Midnight suddenly proceeded to hurriedly open up her own, and within seconds produce a small dark blue book with her face on the cover, which she immediately proceeded to all but force into her pink hands. "What I can do for you, though, is give you this. It's a little underground literature of my own, filled with all kinds of tips a young blossoming woman like you will ever need on how to make you and Bezpalov-kun all the more irresistible to each other from this day forward, in manners both mentally, emotionally and physically. I stake my entire reputation on the fact that you will cherish this book like your own personal sacred text of romance once you start applying it with him; in private and when you're both of proper age, of course! But, given the occasions of today, I personally suggest you start with page 67."

Needless to say, the fact that Midnight was so confident in her own book's ability to spice up what already felt like a really spicy relationship level between herself and Nikolay, had Mina blushing that much more, almost afraid to start perusing through it right now. But that didn't change the fact that, with no pushing or convincing needed, she was still offering this level of her own services to try and help, and that was really all Mina wanted, and so she was soon very happily bowing in gratitude to Midnight as she began making her way back to the dining hall, tucking her new how-to guide away in her backpack before anyone else could risk seeing it. She may not have been given any concrete ideas on exactly what to do for Nikolay's birthday, but she at least had a first step on how to make it happen at all, and that was enough for her.

---

At the same time, Izuku and his friends had been left more than a little concerned as to just what it possibly could have been that Aizawa had wanted to discuss with them in the employee break area next to the faculty offices; naturally concluding that if they were all getting called in, it had to have something to do with Eri or the remnants of the Hassaikai case; however many that could possibly be at this point.

But that confusion only turned into even greater surprise and curiosity when, upon reaching the door, they and the homeroom teacher were suddenly greeted by the face of Mirio Togata phasing through it, almost head-butting the curly-haired boy in the process: "HELLO, EVERYONE! LONG TIME NO SEE!"

As soon as their initial heart palpitations from the shock had worn off, Aizawa had already opened the door and let himself in, prompting his students to quickly follow, only to stop dead in their tracks with greater surprise to find none other than Eri, Nejire and Tamaki inside; the first two visibly happy to see them again, while Aizawa joined Tunguska's side at the nearby corner; letting the youths happily greet each other properly; Ochako and Tsuyu eagerly greeting Eri and Nejire one after the other (and also taking the opportunity to ask about her new internships with the Kamuron Hero Agency), while Eijirou had to practically bombard Tamaki with his enthusiastic greetings after welcoming Eri as well.

"It's good to see you again, Eri-chan! Are you doing all right?" As Izuku happily asked these questions, the silver-haired little girl was happily nodding with that same radiant happy smile that still left him and Mirio both feeling deeply emotional. "Yes. Everybody at the hospital was really nice, and Lemillion and Mr. Eraser both visit a lot. I don't really know why the doctors let me out today, though."

Izuku and the others similarly couldn't hide their confusion as to the occasion, to which Aizawa spoke up with his arms crossed: "That's the reason we needed you all here for this. The doctors have all given Eri-chan a complete clean bill of health, but she can't just stay at the hospital forever. Plus, with her parents having abandoned her, and without any other official kin or legal guardians to speak of outside of her grandfather; who still hasn't recovered from his coma; she still needs to be looked after carefully. So after a great deal of discussion amongst ourselves and Nezu-san, it's been decided that she will be staying here at Yuuei, being looked after by all of us for the foreseeable future."

Eri and the first-years all looked utterly shocked by this massive decision, while Mirio and Nejire had big, contented smiles on their faces; the blonde-haired boy chiming in: "To tell you the truth, my original plan had been to have Eri-chan stay with me and my parents once the doctors had given her leave from the hospital. However, since I still have my work with Centipeder-san and Bubble Girl-san back at the Brighter Future Agency, I felt that having her stay in a wholly new environment like that without a familiar face to serve as a comfort would be too stressful. So what could be a better backup plan than to have her be here with all of you, Eraserhead and Tunguska-sensei and everyone else from your class? She already seems to like a lot of them after the festival, so I can't see how this isn't a good idea, myself."

As they all looked to Eri to see what she was thinking; they could see that her eyes reflected an immediate acceptance of this idea, clearly liking the thought of being here with so many people she found to be really nice. But as they observed her happy expression, they also couldn't help but notice that her little horn had a slightly more pronounced point to it than the last time they'd seen her.

And seeing this observation reflected in their eyes, Aizawa continued: "As you see, her horn has also started growing again, too. And with that clearly being the source of her Quirk, it's for the best that she stay here, where I'll always be able to keep an eye out for her and keep it from potentially going out of control again."

Finally stepping out from the corner, Tunguska added: "In the meantime, Aizawa-san and I can help malenkaya Eri learn to control her Quirk, alongside all the other teachers."

At the mention of this, Tamaki slightly bowed his head, muttering primarily to himself, but enough for everyone else to hear: "We're hoping that, with enough training, she might be able to one day use her Quirk to restore Sir Nighteye to a state where he can use his again. With the way things are going for a lot of Heroes out there, the advantage he can give them would be indispensable to have again."

While Mirio was enthusiastically nodding and stating how neat such an outcome sounded for his retired teacher; Tunguska continued: "And things like security aside, we also came to the same opinion that; after all of her experiences before, and the stress that has come with them; being in a much brighter and positive environment like this with you and all your classmates' smiling faces, will do her untold amounts of good in the long run."

Now fully understanding the reasoning for such a big change in Eri's routine and environment, Izuku looked imploringly into her eyes. "What do you think of all this, Eri-chan? I know how scary it can feel to be some place completely new like this."

But to his and his friends' surprise and immediate relief, Eri didn't look scared at all. "I-I'm not scared, Mr. Deku. I actually think that could be really fun. Your friends all seem really nice, and I'd like to see them again, if that's okay."

With an unreadable grumble of a response from Aizawa, Mirio happily answered: "There's no reason that all of you and your friends can't come by and visit every now and again if you really want to! Whenever I get the chance to come by, I'll be helping to pull my share of the weight with the rest of the teachers in looking after Eri-chan, too!"

To the surprise of no one in this room, Izuku and the others all looked outright thrilled at the thought of Eri being raised by so many good people in such a better environment like Yuuei; with Eijirou instinctively exclaiming: "Thank you, Senpai, sensei's! This sounds great! We're all super grateful to you all for filling us in on this!"

Nodding in agreement with as much energy as she could, Tsuyu added: "Yeah. Honestly, this is pretty grounding; our heads had been kind of all over the place so far, with lessons and training-kero. Plus, we all just found out that today is Kolya-san's birthday, and everyone's been wracking their brains off each other to try and find a proper way to help him celebrate."

Naturally, Tunguska gave an understanding nod; both appreciative of the students' selflessness and endless kindness to his son; and understanding of the cluelessness in how to make it something truly fun and special. At the same time, Mirio and Nejire both visibly brightened up with smiles at the sound of a potential birthday party; while in contrast, Tamaki was already trying to back away to avoid getting roped in, and Eri just looked downright confused, in the most adorable way she naturally could. "What…is a birthday?"

For but a moment, Izuku and everyone could feel their hearts break at the sound of Eri asking such a question…but even quicker did a bolt of inspiration strike within all first-year students present, with Tunguska quickly following suit.

The moment his green eyes met Aizawa's pensive gaze, Izuku asked, before just as quickly turning his eager attention to Eri again: "Sensei, would it be alright for Eri-chan to come visit the 1-A dorms after school lets out later? Would you want to see everyone again and find out?"

Eri immediately nodded in excitement of her own, while Tunguska was similarly grinning at his fellow teacher. "This could be a good way for her to learn and really get to know the rest of the students, Aizawa-san. And on the off-chance whatever ideas they come up with take them off the campus and Nezu-san gives permission, we can both still accompany them all and make sure everything stays safe for her."

Looking from his foreign colleague to Izuku, and especially to Eri's sparkling smile of anticipation and curiosity; Aizawa couldn't rightfully say no; no matter how much he wanted to listen to his overly protective gut and say no to the idea of even setting foot off the school grounds.

---

The rest of the school day went by as normally as it could be; although from where Nikolay was sitting, Mina seemed to be acting a touch off after lunch period. When asked what Midnight had wanted with her, her immediate answer had been that their art teacher wanted to simply congratulate her for her excellent work training the dance team for the school festival. Why that answer had come out sounding so flustered and making her blush so heavily, he never could have understood; simply chalking it up to being a natural reaction when being addressed personally by such a risqué-dressed Hero.

That aside, everyone else in their class thankfully stopped trying to ask Nikolay for ideas on either activities or gifts for his birthday; hence he felt much more at ease when they had all finally returned to the 1-A dorms, and he'd finally changed back into his civilian clothes, ready to spend the rest of the evening in relative peace.

But his and his classmates' timing in reaching the commons area again couldn't have been more perfect, as it wasn't long after that the dormitory doors opened, to reveal Tunguska and Aizawa accompanied by Mirio, Nejire, a visibly reluctant Tamaki and Eri, to everyone but Izuku and his associated friends' momentary surprise. The sight of their two brightly smiling seniors naturally lifted most everyone's already high spirits, but the tiny girl loyally at Mirio's side naturally got all the girls swooning with delight at her presence, and almost all the boys smiling welcomingly.

Nejire was already eagerly making her way with a frankly adorable skipping motion towards a momentarily flustered Nikolay, smiling from ear to ear while already dishing out her endless questions: "Is that the birthday boy there I'm hearing so much about? How old are you now, Bezpalov-kun? Are you, like, one of those super brilliant kids, gets into high school earlier than everyone? You're definitely cute enough for it, right? How did you celebrate birthdays before? Did you ever? Whose idea is it to have a party? What would we all wanna do?"

But Tamaki was thankfully quick to reel her back by one of the spiraling locks of her blue hair before she'd nearly collide into Nikolay personally.

"Not that we aren't all delighted to see you both again; but what're you both doing back here so soon, Senpai, Eri-chan?" As soon as Tenya dutifully asked once his classmates had calmed down in their welcoming Eri to their home; Mirio happily gave the same answer he and the teachers had given Izuku:

"Well, with mine and Nejire's intern work being the only ones that haven't been postponed, we're both naturally staying very busy…too much, personally, to be able to look after Eri-chan on my own; and I can't ask Aizawa-sensei or Tunguska-sensei to drop their responsibilities to all of you by looking after her full-time for me, same for Tamaki's studies…so we all came to the decision to have her stay here at Yuuei from this point forward."

Before any of the 1-A students could start cheering or expressing their excitement at the idea of spending more time with the shy little Eri than they'd ever expected, Tunguska continued: "That was originally all we were going to tell you as of now, but then malenkie Midoriya, Kirishima, Uraraka and Asui all had the thoughtfulness enough to say how you've all been racking your brains trying to find a way to properly celebrate Kolya's birthday today, and we all thought this would be a great experience for malenkaya Eri to be a part of."

The intensity of the inspiration that hit many of Nikolay's friends in that moment was almost physically painful, but just as powerful was the excitement this filled them with, especially when Eri actually worked up the courage to speak up upon seeing all their smiling faces: "I-I'd like to join…if that's okay. I-I've never heard of a birthday before…so I wanna see what they're like…please."

As sweet as it was to hear Eri's voice; the very idea that she had an upbringing repressed enough to leave her completely clueless as to the concept of a birthday, was nothing short of heartbreaking for everyone that heard it.

So much so, that when Nikolay was surprisingly the first person to speak up; his voice carried an emotional weight that left his father and closest friends internally shaken: "Of course you can join us, Eri-chan. Everybody deserves to know what fun a real birthday party can be."

The fact that Nikolay was finally all-but conceding to the idea of their actually throwing a real celebration for his special day, had Mina's once conflicted face immediately light up with an excited smile, especially grateful that Aizawa and Tunguska were now both here to save her the time of working up the courage to seek either of them out. "Then I've got just the perfect idea for it! Aizawa-sensei, Tunguska-sensei, you must've heard of the theme park that opened in town back around the Sports Festival, right?! Kolya-kun and I hung out there right after that whole thing had ended, and it's so much fun! Couldn't we all go and take Eri-chan to see it with us?! Please?!"

As much as Aizawa was naturally annoyed by how energetic and loud his pink student was right now (not helped when Nejire even started alongside her), it didn't make him any more deaf to everyone's echoing pleas for him to give them permission, all of them clearly more than on board with the idea, especially with Eri's sake now being thrown into the mix.

Finally, keeping his arms crossed and casting a silent, knowing glance with Tunguska, the black-haired teacher sighed. "Well…it's fortunate we took the chance of running this potential situation with Nezu-san once Midoriya and the others had suggested bringing her along to tell you all the news…and of course he said yes, provided Tunguska and I supervise the whole thing for all your safety."

Even a run-around form of 'yes' like this was enough to have virtually all of Class 1-A and most of their seniors cheering in excitement, with many of them already rushing for their rooms to get their wallets, while Mirio and Nejire were both similarly glowing with excitement like Eri was. "Well, I'm sure neither of you would object to our coming along, either; right, Sensei's?"

Of course, the fact that Mirio and Izuku's presence together had Eri almost bouncing with childish glee, made it impossible for either of the teachers to turn Mirio down. With that, and everyone's quick return; the whole of Class 1-A, their two teachers, three seniors and adorable little tag-along, were soon on their way out the front entrance of Yuuei for the bus stop, nearly all of them barely able to contain their excitement at the prospect of an evening at a theme park to end Nikolay's birthday, and Eri's education on the very concept.

---

Once they had eventually arrived, the whole park was no less bustling and thumping with energy and activity as when Nikolay and Mina had first set foot in it; and the way Eri's eyes just grew and sparkled with wonder at all the colors, rides and myriad other attractions, would've made anyone believe this day was already proving unforgettable for her.

But this was only the beginning, as with his own energy at a near fever pitch upon finally being here, Nikolay at last indulged the efforts of all his friends and classmates until now, in beckoning his whole class and company to head on in and do whatever they wanted for fun; with Eri's resulting cheer of excitement almost overpowering those of Mina, Tooru, Nejire and Denki among many others.

Naturally, thrill-seeker rides like the rollercoaster (the sight of which had Nikolay's stomach already twisting in painful remembrance) were an unfortunate no-go for Eri, since she was far too small, but her reactions to everything else might as well have made such a road block nonexistent, as she could hardly contain her curiosity and eagerness to try everything she could see and hear; all with Aizawa, Mirio, Tunguska and Izuku never being far behind, nor any of the other students for that matter.

Before too long, Nikolay was quick to notice one particular ride out the corner of his eye that he knew hadn't been there the last time: consisting of a single central pole with several arms extending from its top, and each arm had a single taut cable extending from it, wherein there were people in heavy harnesses at the bottoms being swung along on those cables in a wide circle high up in the air.

"OOOH, that's new! C'mon, Kolya-kun, you wanna give it a try?!" Mina immediately began eagerly pulling her boyfriend along by the hand the moment she'd seen it herself, quickly inspiring many of their classmates to follow suit. And along the way, Nikolay noticed the look of wonder on Eri's face when she saw it for herself.

"Must be an exciting thought, getting a chance to practically fly without needing your Quirk for it, huh, Bezpalov-san?!" Rikido spontaneously asked when seeing the thinly veiled excitement in Nikolay's eyes, and this question through his deep voice was enough to snap Eri to attention, and quickly realize the Russian boy was looking her way.

"I remember seeing you jump super high at the music show before. Are you actually able to fly?" she immediately asked with no hesitation; the childish simplicity of such a question just coming across as downright precious to near everyone who heard her, while Nikolay could only chuckle in mild embarrassment. "I know it might look like it, but no. But would you maybe wanna give it a try and fly with us, Eri-chan?"

The fact he was even asking, had many of his friends smiling proudly at how open he was with the otherwise withdrawn little girl, even more so when Eri began eagerly nodding in acceptance. And hers and Nikolay's excitement only mounted that much more when, upon reaching the head of the line for this ride, Mirio pointed out how the bulky harnesses actually had smaller harnesses attached to their fronts for the sake of people riding along with their children.

The speed and efficiency of the staff when it came to getting everyone set up who wanted to go along was masterful, and Nikolay and Eri's respective heartbeats were practically racing once they'd ended up getting strapped into the same harness together, with her being securely fastened to his front, while Nejire was right in front, and Izuku behind them; watching every movement to make sure they would both be all right. Mirio and Tamaki ultimately stayed on the ground; the former choosing to do so, after reflecting on how his one and only time on a ride like this when he was little had left him more than a little motion sick.

And as the machinery to the flying swinging ride picked up in speed and force, ultimately lifting everyone off the ground higher and higher in this high-flying circle, Nikolay couldn't decide whether to laugh or scream through the adrenaline rush as he and his friends all flew along on their cabled harnesses, but he and everyone nearby could hear the unmistakable sound of Eri's joyous laughter of enjoyment as she flew through the air with all of them like a little silver-haired bird, even reaching her arms out like wings when Nikolay finally found the wherewithal to tell her so, only able to assume before that she could even hear him.

Once their time in the air ultimately came to an end and they were all let back down to the ground (and Minoru quickly made a rush for the nearest trash can the moment he was free), Eri was practically bouncing and skipping with every step, she was still so overcome with the thrill of what she'd just gotten to experience; a sight that had everyone feeling indescribably happy, but Izuku and Mirio especially.

After all, the last time she'd technically gotten to fly, everyone around her had been fighting for their lives.

It wasn't long after, when Tooru ended up spotting a large circus tent-like structure a small distance away adorned in nothing but cold colors. And as one of the conveniently placed friendly staff was quick to explain: with the winter season so close, the park had decided to construct a large indoor ice-skating rink to help guests ring in the new season. And it was just those two magic words: ice skating, that got Mina and the rest of the girls fired up all over again.

"C'mon, Kolya-kun, ice skating together sounds like SO much fun, right?!" Once again, she was uncontainable in her excitement as she and the girls all started eagerly dragging as many of their classmates along to the tent as they could, while Eri could only look on and ask in curiosity: "What's…ice skating?"

With a skip and an eager twirl once they'd reached the queue, Ochako happily explained: "Do you like to dance, Eri-chan, like what you saw us do at the performance? Well, ice skating is a lot like that, where you basically can glide, dance and do all kinds of fun things together on ice!"

Naturally, thinking back to that display on those ice bridges back during the festival had Eri's eyes lighting up with excitement all over again, which prompted Mina and Ochako to both bring her in as they made their way inside, swinging her along in her laughter by her tiny hands; Mina exclaiming: "You're going to have so much fun here, Eri-chan, I'll show you all the awesome skating moves you could possibly wanna know!"

Naturally, many of the boys were reluctant to try their hands at it once it had become their turn to get their skates (especially Mezo; with his bulky frame; Minoru, who was still reeling from his earlier motion sickness, and Tamaki, who had to practically dig his blades into the ice and hang onto the rim with all his strength while Nejire and Mirio both tried to drag him back out with them into the open).

But one after another, they eventually worked up the guts to get onto the ice, letting the refrigerated air kiss their skin as they tried to maintain a momentum and a balance all together, with Denki, Hanta and Eijirou both quickly face-planting into the ice, while Yuga, Mashirao and Shoto both displayed a surprising natural sense of control, and Nikolay and Izuku were both desperately clinging onto the rim as they tried to move, so they didn't end up crashing into anyone.

And between all of that, Bakugo mainly kept himself upright by stomping his bladed feet enough to chip into the ice, as if just the very concept of losing his balance was a challenge by the laws of physics for him to beat.

But, as the minutes went on, and through the urging of their friends and their own internal senses of courage, eventually everyone in Class 1-A was skating with respective degrees of competence and daring with the rest of the present guests. But none of them could even come close to the variety of naturally masterful ice acrobatics and smooth, graceful twirls and glides that Mina was displaying amid her joyful laughter…all while guiding Eri along by the hands every single step of the way; their excited smiling faces perfectly matching with one another, almost like a big sister teaching her little sibling for the very first time.

As soon as Nikolay had started to get the hang of at least slowly inching forward on his bow-shaped legs without meeting the ice with his face, he was quickly met and taken by the hands by Momo; her own movements and control quickly proving herself the second best ice skater among them, as she was managing to maintain momentum and balance enough for both.

"Just observe my posture and try to mirror it yourself, Bezpalov-san. Once you do, you'll find keeping balance much easier. I must admit I'm surprised; given the climate of Russia for much of the year, I would have naturally assumed you'd had experience with ice-skating at least once before. My apologies for that, of course."

As Momo tried her best to instruct Nikolay the further they went, and he tried to follow her advice and stand up straight but relaxed like she was (and all while trying not to let his natural fluster at the realization of skating with a girl like his vice president get to him), he nervously answered: "Well, when you spend most of your life focusing on just keeping your head down and avoiding large crowds as long as Dad and I did, this kind of thing falls by the wayside."

Before Momo could answer his weak attempt at a quip, another set of skates could be heard quickly approaching from the side, and just as the two turned to see who was coming, Nikolay quickly found himself getting swept up in the arms of Tooru this time; the invisible girl unable to help but speak out with just as much enthusiasm and energy as Mina did on the regular: "Hey, don't hog the birthday boy all to yourself, Yaomomo! Everybody gets a turn!"

Nikolay could hardly even think straight as he now found himself gliding and gradually spinning with greater intensity on his skates as Tooru led him along, all the while speaking playfully: "Isn't this so much fun, Kolya-kun?! C'mon, you're great at keeping your balance in the air, try giving a little jump and a twirl here; I promise I'll catch you! Or would you prefer I just hold onto you tight for now?"

Whether Tooru was being flirtatious with that question or not, Nikolay would ultimately never find out, as before they could start spinning any faster together, he ended up getting grabbed by the back of his collar by one of Mezo's tentacles as he skated past; the large masked student having ultimately been talked into giving a go of it himself, with the aid of Denki and Mashirao, who was given the overall responsibility of helping glide them around evenly through letting Mezo hold onto his tail, while Denki held another of his tentacles.

But Mashirao having to jump over one of the cracks in the ice left by Bakugo's stomping steps, ended up causing Mezo to momentarily lose his grip on Nikolay when he and Denki had to jump; sending him twirling across the ice on his own, before ultimately getting stopped and reeled in by a well-aimed tongue shot from Tsuyu; the slouching frog girl quickly getting a firm grip on Nikolay once he was close enough, and leaving the two of them clutching onto each other tight as they slowly and clumsily made their way inch by inch across.

"Thanks for the save, Tsu-san." But when Tsuyu didn't immediately answer, Nikolay finally realized just how much her body was trembling against him. "Hey, are you okay? If you're scared, then just say so and I'll get you back to the railing."

"N-n-no. I-I'm not scared. I just…I-I d-d-don't really do well with…with t-th-the cold. Frogs never do…kero." The way Tsuyu's voice was trembling from the frigid air as she still clumsily tried to do something remotely resembling skating with her foreign classmate, left Nikolay visibly shocked and apologetic. "Well, don't put yourself at risk for my sake. C'mon, let's get you back to the rail and see if we can't at least get you something warm to drink."

Of course, with both their rigid and awkward stances while hanging onto each other, getting Tsuyu out of the line of every other person on the ice was easier said than done; but done it ultimately was. And it was not a moment after he'd managed to finally get around to asking Mirio to go and get some hot tea, that Nikolay found himself once again getting reeled back onto the open ice; this time courtesy of one of Kyouka's Earphone Jacks wrangling around his right wrist and pulling him in, where she and Ochako were both waiting, and thankfully both much more confident and comfortable on their blades as they both guided him along by the arms, and all three of them completely unaware of how the sight of Nikolay being attended to in any way by two girls at once had Minoru grinding his teeth into dust from jealousy while watching from the ring.

"Are you having any fun, Kolya-san? We might not get a chance to do something like this together for a while, so I hope you're not feeling forced into all this or something." Ochako asked genuinely once a chance had come for her and Nikolay to skate together one-on-one while Kyouka followed along close behind. Thankfully, their weeks of dance practice together ended up making their motions together far smoother and comfortable than they had been with any of his other classmates so far.

That was the only reason why he was even able to answer as readily as he was; before Kyouka ended up stepping in afterwards so they could skate together next: "Of course I am! I get why you were all so insistent on doing something at all today, and I do appreciate it. I just felt like after everything else you'd all done for me this year; this would've just been imposing. But…I'm glad we're all here now."

The relieved smile on Ochako's face only seemed to warm up that much more when, after Kyouka had decided to step in and skate solo with Nikolay, she ended up naturally gliding directly into Izuku's path; the green-haired boy managing to swiftly catch her by her hand, and thus leave the two of them awkwardly skating together in a red-faced silence.

By comparison, Kyouka was as cool, calm and collected as could be, even when holding hands as she and Nikolay continued to skate and swerve together…at least until a runaway Denki (having likewise lost his grip on Mezo) came careening across the whole rink and barely managed to avoid crashing into both, instead only grabbing onto a shocked and immediately flustered Kyouka once she'd let go of Nikolay's hand; the two of them somehow barely managing to avoid landing in a tangled up pile of humanity together. That still didn't keep him from getting a resulting dose of Earphone Jack directly into his ear once they'd averted that danger.

As for Nikolay, his own runaway trajectory found him miraculously headed straight for the very spot where Mina was now leading Eri in an in-place high-speed spin. Somewhere in that pink and silver blur, she had somehow managed to spot Nikolay incoming, as with expert precision aided by her dancer's adrenaline, she suddenly threw Eri high up into the air like an Olympic-level figure skater with their partner; and she just as swiftly and smoothly managed to meet Nikolay's form in a grip that sent them both still spinning in place while letting his momentum lead them into squatting down in that same spin, and never releasing their hold on each other, nor breaking the resulting eye contact.

The joyous smile on Mina's face as they now found themselves at last skating together, one of the most textbook romantic activities she could think of, was enough to make all of Nikolay's own momentary fears just magically vanish; all the cold in the air now being replaced by that same all-encompassing warmth that she always left him feeling whenever they were together. And even that warmth couldn't compare to the overall feeling of accomplishment that followed when Mina suddenly maneuvered them both into a position where they were both able to expertly catch Nejire and Eri together; as the third-year had been quick to launch herself into the air to catch the small child, before finally coming down into their waiting arms, with excited smiles on both their faces.

The laughter and smiles that Nejire and Eri gave and wore were both nothing short of ecstatic, clearly having the time of their life; while as Nikolay looked around; he could see that Izuku, Ochako, Tamaki and Mirio had all been simultaneously rushing in the moment they'd seen Eri so high up before Nejire had come in for the save. As such, to see Eri safe and sound and laughing and smiling in the trio's arms left them all visibly shaken with relief. Not that this stopped Aizawa and Tunguska from effectively calling for an end to the ice-skating portion of this little outing.

Instead, once they had all stepped out of the rink and traversed their way further; what next caught Eri's attention was a happy sounding melody emanating from possibly the biggest carousel any of the students had ever seen. And Mirio, upon seeing the wondrous sparkle in her red eyes, was already grinning in anticipation as he began to guide her that way by the hand, with at least half the students following after her while their senior addressed his little companion: "This may not be as thrilling as flying or ice skating, but I'm sure you'll still have plenty of fun with this, Eri-chan. Do you like horses by any chance?"

The fact that Eri couldn't come up with an answer either way, could only leave him, Izuku and everyone else with the saddening realization that she didn't even know basic animals before; a concept that especially had Momo and Kouji both feeling their hearts wrench for the poor child. And thus, what made the ponytailed girl feel especially emboldened, as she personally guided Eri onto the first of the available horses on the circular track like an actual mother to her daughter; while Kouji actually spoke up with surprising confidence and eagerness of his own: "Y-you don't need to be afraid. Horses a-are some of the smartest, strongest and m-most loyal animals there are, Eri-chan. These will never ever hurt you or put you in danger."

Soon, everyone else was on a horse of their own, and as the carousel finally began to pick up in speed, and each one began to rise and dip beneath their riders, they could all soon once again hear Eri's excited laughter as Izuku and Mirio both rode at either of her sides.

Watching this all the while, Nikolay and Mina similarly rode side-by-side together, with Momo just on his other side, looking at this entire setup with an air of nostalgia. "This truly was a good idea on your part, Ashido-san. It's honestly been far too long since I personally got to experience something like this so freely."

While Mina was smiling bashfully at Momo commending her spontaneous idea; from just behind Momo, Denki sarcastically spoke up: "What's the matter, Yaoyorozu-san? Didn't your parents give you a carousel or a pony of your own on any of your birthdays?"

Anyone could have easily been able to tell the blonde boy was simply joking around; hence why his and Minoru's reactions were so comically extreme with shock, when Momo nonchalantly answered: "Oh, yes, but I sadly outgrew the carousel, and my parents and I haven't been able to go to our summer home in Kobe this year. *sigh* I can only imagine how much Yukihime misses me right now."

After several more minutes of this (most of which Mina and Nikolay spent joining hands as they continued to ride, to Denki, Tooru, Eijirou and Nejire's mutual grinning approval, and Minoru's jealousy), the carousel finally came to a stop, and as the students all began to disembark and make their way back out onto the main path of the park, Nikolay watched as Mirio was busily poring over a pamphlet for the place while he and Izuku were both continuing to lead Eri along, before the blonde senior's face brightened up with another smile. "Hey, this sounds like it could be a lot of fun, Eri-chan! With it already getting dark, we might just be able to see the fireworks show they do here each night! Would you like to see that?"

The sight of Eri gleefully nodding, even if she likewise didn't know what fireworks even were, struck Nikolay with a sudden inspiration, a desire to do something more than they all already had by bringing Eri all this way. As such, he hurried over to Mirio's side, trying to steel himself as he spoke up: "Excuse me, Togata-senpai, Midoriya-san…but would it be okay if I took Eri-chan up on my shoulders so she could see the fireworks? I mean, you're both always here for her, guiding her along and carrying her every which way. I just thought maybe you'd just want the brief break."

Nikolay could already feel himself wishing he hadn't said anything the moment he'd started, but the fact that Izuku didn't look to be against the idea, and even when Mirio looked to Eri, and saw her shyly nodding at the invitation regardless, ultimately left him smiling in approval at the foreign boy's selflessness. "You're a good guy, Bezpalov-kun; not that you need me telling you that. If you start getting tired, just let me know, okay?"

And so, with a confident alley-oop once he was squatting down for Eri to climb on, Nikolay was back on his own two feet, being careful to maintain a straight posture so he didn't risk losing balance with Eri's added weight on his shoulders, regardless how little and ultimately light she was.

And with perfect timing did Mina come running in with a glittering heart-shaped balloon in hand, smiling happily from ear to ear when she saw how Eri's eyes were transfixed on it, even as she began tying the little string for it around her little wrist. "Nobody's first ever trip to a theme park is complete without a balloon, Eri-chan! Don't wanna have too many, though, or else you might get picked up and float all the way to space!"

Before too long, the whistle and booming sounds of fireworks flying and detonating high up in the late evening sky, drew nearly every guest and every student in the park back together; every single one of them watching enraptured at the dazzling colorful display of lights unfolding over the ocean bordering the park.

As Nikolay, Mina and Eri all watched the lightshow continue on, cheering and vocalizing with their friends and the whole crowd with every single burst of color and light; she soon drew her black-gold gaze to see how similarly her boyfriend and the adorable little girl upon his shoulders were both smiling in absolute enjoyment of the moment.

This all just made her eyes start to sting with ecstatic tears as she finally reached over and loving wrapped her arm around Nikolay's right, as he continued to keep his hands firmly around Eri's ankles so she wouldn't risk losing her balance on him. This managed to draw Nikolay's attention, as he turned to look on in love-struck amazement at how Mina's eyes glistened in the light of the fireworks and the full moon above all together, while she looked at him with all the affection and happiness she could possibly have. "You just look so precious, holding Eri-chan like that, Kolya-kun. You've been doting over her this whole time just like Midori-kun and Togata-senpai, not that I can even blame you."

Nikolay could only bring himself to chuckle in acceptance of the compliment, while Mina inched in closer and leaned her head in so that their cheeks could just barely rub against one another's; her pink face turning a shade of strawberry as her smile went from that usual loving she always gave to Nikolay…to something far deeper, almost…longing, in the kind of affection her expression was now giving off. "You know…if you're this good with little kids already, Kolya-kun; you won't just be a great Pro Hero one day…but you could be a totally awesome dad, too."

Had the next burst of fireworks gone off but a second sooner, Mina's unexpected words would have faded into the wind. But alas, this was not the case, and the core insinuation of that statement left Nikolay stone rigid with flustered embarrassment, now no longer even paying attention to the fireworks or anything else; instead looking Mina's way to see if she even was conscious of what she'd just said.

But his reaction wasn't what had Mina's attention right now. That was all focused on Eri's overjoyed smile and laughter as she kept watching the fireworks and looking over the expansive crowd around them. Unable to help herself, the moment there was any quiet at all, Mina asked: "Are you having fun, Eri-chan?"

Realizing she was being spoken to, Eri met Mina's (and subsequently many of the other girls around them) gaze and, with her smile still as bright as ever, she happily nodded. "Yeah! I never knew there were so many fun things to do! This is even bigger than the festival! I've never seen so many funny-looking smiling people all at once before, either!"

Mina's next question came out of reflex after hearing Eri admit as much: "You never got to go outside and see all the people around before?"

With the cheers keeping her from hearing the saddened confusion in Mina's last question; Eri answered innocently: "Yeah, I didn't know there were so many different-looking people! I've never seen anyone that looks like you before, either, Miss Mina! I've never seen anyone like me with horns."

And like a lifeline from the heavens, Mina was presented with a chance she'd been so eagerly hoping for, and had started to wonder if it would be possible. And here it now was, and she was immediately jumping on it, as she looked up at Eri with a loving smile of her own, looking her in her apple red eyes. "Then maybe that's just one thing we could have in common as friends for a start, just between the two of us! We could be, like, Horn Sisters! You could think of me as your big sister; your personal Mina-neechan, y'know? Wouldn't that sound like fun, too?"

With the fireworks show already reaching its bombastic climax, and the cheers of the crowd raising in volume to match, Mina was almost certain this wistful offer of hers would go completely unnoticed, as Eri was already watching the end of the show, enthralled.

And by the time it had finally come to an end, and the guests were all slowly but surely starting to take their leave of the theme park for the night, Mina was all but certain that Eri had long since forgotten just what they were talking about, but she wasn't going to let that get her down, after today was going so amazingly well.

But just before she was about to ask Nikolay if he was ready to head back to Yuuei, a sudden tiny little nudge against one of her horns made Mina's whole body jolt with that full-body tingle that left her completely speechless for a moment…until she looked up to see that Eri had been the one to actually try and get her attention by poking her horn, now looking worriedly after Mina's reaction. "I-I'm sorry! Are you okay, Mina-neechan?!"

Any feeling of physical embarrassment Mina had felt at the unexpected touching of one of her horns was completely forgotten in that moment; as Eri's personal address of her, just as she'd offered, had left her quickly glowing blurry in the eyes, as overjoyed tears were already building in her black-gold eyes; her lips quivering with her choking sobs of happiness as a response to Eri's acceptance of their new friendship.

And, naturally, while Nikolay could quickly see that Mina's tears were of indescribable happiness as he finally set Eri back down on the ground; the little girl wasn't nearly as used to Mina's way of showing her emotions; hence she looked even more apologetic at the sight of Mina crying. "O-oh no, did I…did I say something wrong?"

Of course, her wide-eyed innocent misunderstanding of what was going on, was the last straw on the collective backs of the girls of 1-A, as she was now simply too adorable not to swoon and fawn over, as Mina happily embraced Eri in reassurance and gratitude, with Ochako and Tsuyu quickly following suit; all while Nikolay, Izuku, Mirio, Aizawa, Tunguska, and the rest of the students could only watch on at this emotional moment with both happiness and confusion across the board, for those who hadn't been paying attention.

Of course, with so many of the guests leaving now that the park had its daily finale show, Aizawa was quick to start beckoning his students that it was time for them to leave as well; his usual tired and gruff exterior easily hiding the relief he'd likewise felt when seeing how happy this whole trip had made Eri.

From there, it was a quick and easy ride back to Yuuei, and with all the fun they'd all gotten to have, and even some of the souvenirs some of them had won through the game booths on one side of the park, everyone was already swapping stories of all the things they'd gotten to do, or were even offering to trade their prizes with each other here and there.

And all the while, as they finally returned to the 1-A dormitory itself, Mirio simply couldn't help himself as he asked Eri upon his shoulders again: "So what'd you think of all that, Eri-chan? Did you have lots of fun? You're certainly smiling like you did."

And of course, Eri didn't even try to downplay it like any teenager would have, as she was still all heartwarming smiles. "Yeah, that place was a lot of fun, and everyone was so happy everywhere I looked! Are all birthdays like that?"

Chuckling amusedly at the third-years' side, Tunguska heartily answered: "Any one person's birthday celebration can consist of anything, malenkaya Eri. This was just one example of the kind of things people can do. There's no wrong way of doing it. The only thing is that you should always do it surrounded by the people you love…because that's what makes birthday parties truly special, more than anything else."

At that moment, just as Tenya was taking the lead and about to recommend his classmates to freshen up and get ready for bed; Rikido suddenly took a leap forward and turned to address his classmates: "Wait, guys! I know it's late, but there's no way we can end a birthday without cake, right?"

Of course, Rikido mentioning anything about baking had a great number of his classmates (and Nejire and Eri) all visibly perked up and at attention, as the big-lipped boy eagerly ushered them all in after him. "I wasn't sure how long we'd be out, but I took the precaution of getting a cake going with a slow-bake recipe so I wouldn't risk burning it. Our timing should be just about perfect, if I set the timer on my phone right before we left!"

As everyone eagerly followed Rikido's lead, Aizawa and Mirio both cast a sideways glance to see how tired Eri undoubtedly had to be now that it was getting late. But when they both saw how her tiny mouth was just barely starting to drool at the sound of something sweet; the third-year student and homeroom teacher could only exchange a knowing glance, before Aizawa finally sighed. "Alright, I don't suppose one slice for her would hurt."

And indeed, this decision would go on to prove the perfect way to end an already surprisingly great day, as when Rikido finally descended back to the commons area with a perfectly made caked topped in a golden coating of nuts, chocolate chips, poppy seeds and cherries, and with its interior an alternating set of dark and light layers; a concoction that Nikolay was immediately able to excitedly identify as korolevskiy cake, or royal cake.

And the almost ecstatic response each individual piece got from everyone who bit into it (with Shoto still being more willing to at least smile in satisfaction, while Bakugo had to fight the urge to do the same, no matter how good the flavors upon his taste buds were), was enough to leave Rikido positively aglow with pride in his ability to take on another of Nikolay's homeland's culinary challenges for him; especially when Eri finally got her chance to take a bite, and had a joyous smile on her face just like when finally getting her coveted candied apples.

When everyone had ultimately gotten their fill, and with Nikolay especially still riding the sense of nostalgia that getting to eat such a distinctly Russian delicacy again naturally gave him, he could no longer hope to keep silent, as he finally stood up to look over every one of his classmates, his friends, as they all looked his way, curious to hear just what he had in mind to say.

"Everyone…I know I didn't make it easy earlier, telling you all not to bother when it came to ideas for celebrating my birthday today…but standing here now, having gotten to enjoy all of the stuff we got to do together…I'm glad you were all so persistent, even if I was the one to ultimately make the decision to go along with it at all. You all know how new this kind of thing still is for me…and I'll never forget this first actual birthday party for as long as I live. I know that sounds all hyperbolic and melodramatic, but as far as I'm concerned, it's the truth. Thank you for making this at all possible…all of you."

It was only to be expected that the more energetic among them (and Nejire) would be the ones to enthusiastically cheer at the sight and sound of the birthday boy looking so deeply satisfied at the end of the day. And with how much Eri was still clearly enjoying the atmosphere and just being around so many people in such good spirits; so too was it only to be expected that Mirio would ask her: "See? It's moments like this that make birthdays as amazing as they can be. Would you wanna do something fun like this for your birthday when it comes, Eri-chan?"

With all the passion in Mirio's voice as he asked this of her, it was impossible for anyone in the commons area not to hear him, and thus immediately start crowding in, loving the idea of doing something similar for the little sweetheart before them.

But even as Eri nodded, her face showed a distinct…sadness about it. "Yeah, I'd really like that; it sounds like it'd be lotsa fun! But I…I don't actually…remember when mine is, though."

For Mirio, Izuku and all those who knew the full truth, they could all feel their hearts break, and quickly flare up in anger at the thought of Kai Chisaki having imprisoned and mistreated Eri for so long as for her to not even remember something so intrinsically tied to her as a person. And for everyone else, just the idea that anyone would raise their child so sheltered and uninformed of the ways of life that she wouldn't even know her own birthday, was just plain heartbreaking, with more than a few having to fight the urge to ask Mirio just who on earth Eri's mother was, and what he ever could've seen in them to make her a mother that would so horribly mistreat such a precious child like her, or how he himself could possibly not remember his own daughter's date of birth.

And that was when Tunguska resolutely stood tall; a thoughtful depth in his blue eyes as he spoke up semi-confidently: "Perhaps…perhaps we can change that. I know it's not exactly orthodox, but I think we can all agree that our celebration today has been just as much for malenkaya Eri's sake as it has been for Kolya's. So…honestly, I'm just thinking out loud right now, but…what would we all say to possibly just saying we could celebrate their birthdays together on the same day? I mean, it'd be twice the reason to celebrate, and therefore twice the fun, yes?"

Tunguska could clearly see that many of the students, Nikolay included, loved the idea. Izuku looked to have no outright objection to the idea, even if there was but a glimmer of doubt in his eyes. Out of anyone, it was visibly Tamaki and verbally Aizawa who were the standouts, as the homeroom teacher quietly muttered: "That kind of decision is way too big to just make on a whim like that, Tunguska…at least not without running it by Eri-chan herself first."

Hearing the 1-A homeroom teacher loud and clear, though, Mirio knelt down smiling at the now thoughtful Eri. "What do you think, Eri-chan?"

For but a few moments, the little girl looked deep in thought, hearing what both teachers were saying. But as she once again looked to Izuku, Ochako, Nikolay, Mina and everyone, seeing just how truly happy they all were together, and that she was a part of it all; her smile became much more assured as she looked to Mirio, Tunguska and Aizawa, nodding in resolute acceptance. "Everyone here is so nice, just like you and Mr. Deku. I'd like to be friends with everyone, if I can…and I'd like being able to share a birthday with Mina-neechan's best friend, too."

For Mirio, Izuku and Tunguska, this pretty much was the deciding vote on the matter; punctuated by Mina once again instinctively hugging Eri like a human teddy bear at the sound of her once again being referred to like her big sister; once more prompting Ochako and Tsuyu to join in before too long.

And at the same time, Nikolay had to actually physically fight the urge to laugh at the girl's naïve innocence in her interpretation of exactly what his and Mina's relationship ultimately was. And thankfully that need to protect her innocence was universal among the students, as Mezo was quick to slap one of his tentacles over Minoru's mouth when he was clearly about to try and spill the beans in response.

With that all having been settled, Tenya at least had the sensibility to keep his usual volume down for Eri's sake, as he dutifully declared it time for his classmates to start getting ready for bed, with Aizawa firmly echoing the same to show there was no room for debate on the matter, not least of all for Eri's sake.

And so, with heartfelt goodbyes to Mirio, Nejire, Tamaki, Aizawa, Tunguska and their young new friend, as well as a final round of happy birthday wishes and subsequent thanks from the students to Nikolay and back; everyone in Class 1-A finally began to take their leave to their rooms for the night, all already feeling a sense of exhilaration for what the next day would have in store for them.

With everything that had come and gone to make his first officially celebrated birthday, Nikolay was able to collapse into his bed in his sleeping clothes with an all-around sensation of true gratitude for his friends insisting on making this possible, and even greater satisfaction that it had all fallen into place so smoothly. Just that thought on its own would be enough for him to sleep soundly, but just before he could actually slip away, his ears picked up the faintest knocking at his door, well past the time everybody else would have likely fallen asleep.

Upon opening the door, he was both surprised; and not; to find Mina in his doorway, momentarily eyeing the next door over to Bakugo's room, as though making sure even her light knocking hadn't accidentally awakened him. But as soon as she saw Nikolay before her; her lips formed yet another happy smile as she hurriedly made her way inside, motioning for him to keep his voice down as the door closed behind her, and he naturally asked: "Mina, what're you doing here so late?"

With the door closing giving her enough comfort to know they wouldn't risk being overheard, Mina answered: "Hey, it's still your big, special day until the clock strikes twelve, right? You don't think I'm gonna miss a chance to celebrate with my boyfriend the right way with just the two of us, do you?"

Before Nikolay could say anything else, the back of his legs met the edge of his bed, causing him to go stumbling down onto it, with his pink love quickly and eagerly joining him, sitting close at his side before draping her legs over his lap to keep him from getting up too soon. And as they looked each other in the eye again, Mina's confident smile momentarily wavered. "Plus…I know I probably shouldn't, or maybe I don't have a reason to, but I also wanted to say I'm sorry, for a lot of this morning. I must've gotten everybody to come on real strong about the whole insisting on a birthday party thing, huh? I'm sure that didn't make you too comfortable."

Nikolay looked at her confusedly, asking: "Why are you apologizing? I'm the one who ultimately made the decision to go with a party like you'd all been suggesting in the end, remember? I mean, yeah, it was pretty overwhelming at the start, but I got where you were all coming from, that's the important thing."

But to this, Mina just gave a slight shake of her head. "I'm sure you do mean that, Kolya-kun…but I think we all know it was Eri-chan that brought you around more than anything we said before she showed up."

Looking aside, deep in thought, she continued: "That being said, I also wanted to apologize because…well, I haven't been 100-percent honest with you today. When Midnight-sensei called me during lunch period, it wasn't about our performance on the dance team. I'd told her about us all wanting to help do something special for your first real birthday, and she even told me that I should always remember just who the parties are for…and I like to consider myself, like, the life of any party anywhere.

"But you, you're always more of the subtle, laid back type, and I just couldn't stop feeling like I was ignoring all that the whole time we were all out. Don't get it twisted, I love how you're always willing to go out there and branch out, find more ways to have fun with all of us…but this was supposed to be your day, and I just got us all to pretty much go with what the rest of us would've mostly wanted to do. Those are the things I wanted to apologize for, before this day's over."

Before she could start to lower her head in shame for her perceived thoughtlessness, Nikolay lifted Mina's chin with his finger, looking sincerely in her eyes as he answered: "I appreciate you admitting all of this, but again, you have nothing to apologize to me for, Mina. Whether it was the kind of stuff I would've chosen to do myself for my birthday or not, the point is that I got to do it with all of you and have that much more fun for it; I thought that was the most important thing. I'll never forget all the things we got to do with everyone today, and that's the best part about it all. Please, don't ever feel ashamed about that fun-loving, outgoing nature of yours when it comes to parties like this. That's just one of the countless things about you that I fell in love with from the start. You know I mean that, right?"

Mina never broke her gaze away from Nikolay's; her face visibly growing warmer with gratitude and affection as she smiled, finally bringing her slender but toned pink arms around his sides; pulling her beloved boyfriend into a soft, warmth-inducing hug; joyful tears starting to well up in her eyes.

"I know you do, Kolya-kun. And you know I mean it, too, when I say that you don't have to be embarrassed about anything of yours with me, either. I don't care if you're the guy who could be totes satisfied just spending time at home, watching movies, listening to music, reading books or whatever. Even if I love to go out and do all kinds of exciting stuff with my friends; I love being able to just relax, hug, kiss and cuddle and do all those same things with you just as much. You make me so, so, SO happy, and I just…*sniffle*…I love you so much, Kolya-kun. I love being able to spend all the time I possibly can with you, no matter what we do with it."

With that last emotional expression of pure fact, Nikolay couldn't help himself any longer and brought his arms around Mina's waist as well, holding her close and tight, just relishing in how fortunate they both were, to be able to have moments like this together at all. And after a good couple minutes of this, Mina suddenly broke the settled silence, softly whispering right into his ear; a pleasant sensation that left goose-bumps running up Nikolay's arms.

"You know what else has been on my mind that I just couldn't find the time to bring up, Kolya-kun; especially without everyone else there to watch? It's been just over a whole year since the day we first ever met on that street corner, and you tried to give me back my phone. I mean, wow, talk about time flying, right?"

That realization nearly made Nikolay physically jolt with the shame that he hadn't even paid attention to the date of that life-changing encounter, while also reeling from the disbelief that she'd even dedicated that very date to memory like that. If it wasn't a clear sign of proof as to just how dearly Mina Ashido held every one of the friends she met and made, then he couldn't possibly guess what was.

But just as he began to say anything to express his surprise; he suddenly felt the very tips of her right hand's fingers barely grazing across his left cheek and into his dark brown hair, gently brushing but a few locks of it behind his ear, while her black-gold eyes (almost smoldering in the warmth and affection she was feeling this up close), looked right into his green irises; her pink face glowing with a strawberry shade of warmer pink on her cheeks as she continued to smile with all her heart.

"When I found out today is your birthday, I just knew I couldn't hold off our one-year bestie anniversary anymore…and when I'd told Midnight-sensei about today, there was something else she…well, actually something she gave me for just a time like this; something I can already tell is gonna make alone time like this even more fun than it already is. Like this; from page 67, just like she'd suggested."

And without a moment left to brace himself, Nikolay's eyes grew wide and his whole face went bright red with fluster and surprise, when Mina's wayward hand held the back of his head firmly, and she quickly leaned in with her eyes closed; pressing the wet, warm softness of her lips against his in an especially passionate kiss that sent another huge electrical jolt through both their bodies; both hearts pounding and racing with love and excitement all at once.

The moment Mina finally broke this one really lingering kiss after a good ten seconds of savoring every sensation that kissing her boyfriend always left her feeling; Mina's smile took on a noticeably more mischievous edge as she simply said: "One. That's for this amazing first year we've gotten to share together, Kolya-kun. Everything about it, the ups and downs, the laughs and the tears, I wouldn't trade a moment of it for anything."

With his own heart pounding so hard in his chest, Nikolay's hands were already starting to instinctively reach up to try and caress Mina's face before trying to lean in to initiate a kiss of just as much heartfelt passion of his own. "And neither would I…my Ochi…"

But before he could finish, Nikolay felt one of Mina's fingers against his lips, stopping his head in his tracks as she giggled sweetly. "I love the enthusiasm, Kolya-kun…but we're not nearly done yet. That was just for the one-year anniversary. Now…now it's time for what Sensei's book really got me pumped up for so far. It's time for my birthday boy to get his real gift now. It's your sixteenth birthday now…so time for your sixteen birthday kisses, Kolya-kuuun."

As Mina's irresistible voice purred that affectionate honorific in an almost hypnotic way, Nikolay quickly felt the delectable strawberry sweetness of her lips pressing lovingly against his own in another kiss, leaving his whole body almost limp with how much he was burning from head to toe with affection and fluster alike.

And that was before she'd broken the kiss again, only to immediately meet him with another after counting "one"; this kiss coming in with that much more physical force, as their embraces on each other began to grow that much tighter, loving…and by the fourth kiss, exploratory.

While somehow managing to keep their balance, sitting at the foot of his bed; Nikolay was being absolutely showered with Mina's infinitely heartfelt and loving kisses upon his lips; each one she counted being more passionate and physically sweet than the last, which was an insane thing to consider, when her kisses before were already the single sweetest and most loving shows of affection she could have ever given him.

But even any semblance of rational thought or calm that Nikolay was able to keep going went right out the window when, after counting "twelve", Mina's next kiss brought something vastly unexpected with it: the even warmer, sweeter and wetter sensation of the tip of her tongue daringly starting to run across Nikolay's teeth as their lips continued to mesh. And with the sound of an irresistible moan emanating from her throat as she actually pushed herself to cross this physical boundary; Nikolay had no chance in hell of not reciprocating this passionate gesture out of pure physical reflex; opening his mouth just enough for Mina to gleefully push her tongue inside.

With his own mind racing in disbelief at what was now happening as he and Mina continued to hold each other close and cautiously start gliding their hands up each other's backs and down their sides; the fact that Nikolay had any wherewithal to meet Mina's bold and exploratory tongue with his own could only be chalked up to pure physical instinct. With their hearts hammering hard against each others', Nikolay and Mina proceeded to continue eagerly and lovingly bringing their lips together in a number of kisses that by now had well-exceeded her original number of sixteen; with each one being further added by their desperately, almost hungrily tangling and wrestling their tongues against one another's; savoring every electrifying sensation, every taste they could each possibly get from each other.

Every single time, the sweetest sounding moans that could ever have graced his ears, came up Mina's throat as she continued passionately meeting hers and Nikolay's lips and tongues together, all while never taking her legs off his lap, and running her fingers gently, but affectionately, through his hair or across the back of his neck, giving him absolute tingles.

There was no way either of them had been keeping track of however much time had passed, but there was definitely a time when a momentary firing of a synapse of reason within their brains, had both decided to spark; as at the very moment their fingertips had both begun to curiously explore just further enough to start reaching under the hems of their shirts; the two loving teens spontaneously broke their latest kiss from one another, and finally separated altogether; both desperately trying to catch their breath and slow their racing hearts enough to where it didn't feel like one of them was going to have a heart attack.

As the burning heat in both their deeply flustered faces finally began to cool down; neither of them could bring themselves to look each other in the eye after that…incredible experience, barely even able to think about what they'd both unwittingly started to do at the last possible second.

Instead, all Nikolay and Mina could bring themselves to do (while still having the awareness enough to still keep their voices down under the threat of Bakugo next door) was to once again wish him a happy birthday, bid her a good night, and give each other a mutual "I love you," before she finally took her hasty leave back to her room.

There was far, far too much for either of them to even begin mentally unpacking in regards to the absolute physical euphoria they'd both just brought each other into. And that was what made it nigh impossible for Nikolay Bezpalov and Mina Ashido both to get anywhere near enough sleep that night; only being left in the dark and under the covers of their beds with the deafening beating of their hearts to keep them company…or at least drown out the panicked and flustered voices in their heads.

And there it is, everyone. I hope this was a satisfying chapter for all you Eri fans out there who ever wanted to see her interact more with the students of Class 1-A; just as I hope you Kirishima fans got any sense of satisfaction from last week's chapter. I can only hope to meet any of those kind of expectations for this take on the MHA story going forward. Please don't hesitate to reach out to me with any of your thoughts or feelings on this work if you don't want to leave any reviews. I strongly desire and appreciate any and all effort to give any kind of feedback.

I hope you all have a good week, and I will see you all with the next chapter on 02/04!