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?

130. Endeavor Agency Arc Part 2 - Holiday

Hello everyone, and welcome to the newest chapter! I'm so sorry for the extensive delay in my uploading this chapter. My day job's schedule has recently expanded considerably, and as such has left me with much less time for writing; on top of the physical exhaustion that results from it.

As such, I've made the very difficult decision that until my work schedule opens up more, this story will now be uploading a new chapter every other Saturday, instead of on a weekly basis. So instead of the next chapter coming out next week from today, it will instead be on the following Saturday after. I hope you can all live with this change, because this is the last kind of decision I ever wanted to make in regards to this story.

I'm also looking at a good portion of this chapter as a test in seeing if I can truncate the length of certain scenes without sacrificing the intended effect and emotion of scenes by sacrificing the padding of constant dialogue, since I know the constant super-long chapters can be a great turn-off for many potential readers. Please let me know if this works for you all in this chapter or not.

Thank you all for your continued readership and support; thank you to my two continuing beta readers and consultants, Jonny and Carlos; and thank you to the current roster of supporting fan-artists: Syyndev, Akane Kahomi, AliceKuroCross, Suki-Chan2509, effasempai, Eliza-Frost, Vanera-Taro, Shalissey-N, and Yumake.

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 131

Holiday Season

(Сезон Отпусков)

Yuuei Academy, Saturday, December 20th

This had been a very exciting day not just for the students of Class 1-A, but for the students of every Course that Yuuei had to offer, and it was not simply for the fact that this was their last day of school before winter break would finally come.

No, that had been exciting enough, but now all of them had their hearts all but literally lodged in their throats, as Principal Nezu had called for an unexpected assembly after the final bell for the day had already rung. Considering the last time he had called for a surprise gathering of all the students had been to announce the supposedly temporary hiatus of all Pro Hero Internships, and the once-promising Hero Work Recommendation Project had already been suspended less than a week after it had been put into effect, it was only understandable that the students would all dread just what news he could have that could possibly be more disappointing.

Instead, he had lifted all of their spirits nearly out of their bodies entirely, as he had told them that the Hero Public Safety Commission had seen fit to reactivate the Internship program starting on New Years' Day, and that the students were all to either get in contact with their previous mentors to see about continuation, or send out their application forms to the Heroes of their choosing beforehand, lest they be left behind in Yuuei instead.

Even before having made it back to their dorms, the whole of Class A was abuzz with activity, if not excitement all around. Nikolay could certainly feel his blood flowing like he hadn't expected for a while, but he could likewise feel a heavy pounding of nervousness in his chest. It was certainly a far cry from Mina's current display, as she was literally skipping and twirling with every step, practically aglow in the orange light of the evening sun while holding a single pink envelope in her hand as though it were her veritable ticket into Heaven.

"Oh my God, I can't believe this is finally happening! It's been so long, I was worrying I'd start getting literal rust before Nezu-sensei would finally give us our internships back! Oh, I don't wanna tear this after I went through all the trouble I did making it! Kolya-kun, guys, you've seen my hand writing before; you don't think it's totally illegible, do you? What about my language? You think it'd be enough to make a good impression with a super high-level Pro Hero like Mirko?"

Nikolay had only been confused for a moment once his girlfriend had pulled the envelope from out her backpack, but when considering the recent news and her above-average abundant energy, it didn't take much for him to realize it had to be her application form, as well as the fact that since she'd literally never truly left his sight since the assembly, just how long ago she had to have written it.

The rest of their classmates were visibly exercising the same delicate balance between consideration and excitement, as Momo answered dutifully to her pink friend's anxious questions that barely betrayed her own well-hidden nervousness. "I see no reason why any Pro Hero would be dissuaded from at least considering you if your writing reflects you as a person, Ashido-san. However, I've never heard any instances of Mirko taking on any interns in the several years she's been around, so I would just ask you to temper your expectations for your own good."

While the Mina's step lost but a little of its appropriate pep; Nikolay likewise turned to Tenya at his side, making quick notice of the serious glimmer in his eyes. It was all too understandable; considering that he and Tetsutetsu, Yui and Pony from Class B had all lost their shared mentor back in Hokkaido. "What are you and your old partners going to do for your own internships, Iida-san?"

When Tenya turned to address him; Nikolay could breathe easy when seeing there was a very slight smile of appreciation for his tact when bringing this up. "I'm not entirely sure yet, Bezpalov-san. You're not the first person to ask me this, though; even before Nezu-sensei's assembly. I've simply been affirming myself of going back to Gagaringrad with the others and lighting the torch for Knightfall-sensei's memorial together, before we can fully dedicate ourselves to finding a new Hero to train under. In fact, the beginning of winter break tomorrow presents the opportunity I wish we'd had right after the fact to do so. I need to get in contact with them and see if they're free, and just as willing."

Nikolay already began to think back to how visibly emotional he'd seen Tenya's Class B partners get ever since the Gagaringrad incident, whenever the topic of their fallen teacher came up. It was with that thought and that image in mind that he answered with exceptional certainty: "I think they will be, Iida-san. In fact, I wouldn't mind going back up there to see how everyone in town and the Kapenta Hero Agency are doing these days, myself. Of course, I don't mean to impose, so if you would rather go as your own group, I would understand."

However, before Tenya could answer in either positive or negative; the two boys suddenly found themselves being intruded upon by a bright-eyed Mina, still smiling from ear to ear. "What's this I'm hearing? A return trip to Hokkaido? That sounds like an awesome idea! If I'm gonna be training under Mirko, there's no way I'm just not gonna tell De-Condenser-sensei and the others! Besides, all those kids in that town deserve to know just what Pro to keep their ears open for so they can see me every step of the way!"

As Mina was once again squirming with the irresistible anticipation for their internships to already begin again; Kyouka made her presence known with a similar knowing smirk at Nikolay's other side. "Well, Mina-san sounds like she's already made up her mind. Me, I'm feeling really good about how I left things off with Blast Beat-sensei, so I think I'm gonna stick around. What about you, Kolya-san? I mean, with Gagaringrad alone, you've already pretty much got a whole adoring public."

Nikolay's chuckle came out more like a muscle reflex-born wheeze as he rolled his eyes. "Oh please, you know that town loves all of us for what we did; it's far from just me. And besides, I'm not sure if I'll be staying up there, either. Mina's eagerness for Mirko just got me thinking about how important it is to diversify who we learn from…and I need to be able to learn how to truly hold my own just as well solo as I could when it was all of us together…assuming she doesn't get rejected, of course."

Kyouka couldn't help but chuckle at how Nikolay made the effort to make his final point in a whisper, in order to not risk dampening Mina's sky-high spirits.

However, from just behind them, they hadn't realized how Maja Kieslowska had been inadvertently listening in on their whole conversation while engaging in yet another spirited conversation with Eijirou and Tooru about their decisions for their own returning internships, all while silently lamenting the fact she was the odd girl out without a Provisional Hero License to permit her to join in with them.

At the first moment she could see to make her own voice heard, she hurriedly strode a couple steps so she could be heard loud and clear: "Hey, sorry to interrupt, but…it sounds like you guys were all thinking of going back up to Gagaringrad soon? If so…do you think it'd be possible to see about me going up with you? I know we'd need a teacher to come with us to keep an eye on me and all, and I'm okay with that. I just…I've been starting to get that homesick feeling for the last couple days, and I think seeing my folks and everyone from town could do me just as much good as all of you."

Maja made an admirable effort to try and maintain a self-confident demeanor when explaining her reasoning. For all intents and purposes, she sounded as if the decision had already been made, and she was simply saying how things were going to be. However, within her head, she was already bracing herself for even just a sign of doubt on her friends' faces as to whether she would have any chance of leaving the school grounds with them.

And it was with this thought still lingering in the back of her mind, that the sight of equally confident smiles on all four of the students' faces in response, made her whole body grow warmer from inside, before Nikolay kindly answered: "Say no more, Maja-san. I'm sure my Dad would be more than happy to come with us up there so you can come with, no matter when. Honestly, I feel like him seeing the people there with his own eyes could do a world of good for everyone all around. You coming along would just make things feel all the more complete."

Maja had to fight the beginning of grateful tears in her eyes as she could already picture the looks of happiness on the faces of her parents and the Gagaringrad people. As she ruminated on this pleasant possibility; not only were Tenya and Nikolay already texting the Class B students and Tunguska respectively to make their respective proposals to head up for Hokkaido; but Mina was similarly already taking the initiative of asking Momo if she and her own former internship partners were going to come back up with them; namely pointing out the fact that the citizens had built a whole memorial statue of every single one of them, and that it would only truly feel right if every one of them and their former teachers would be able to make it.

…

Arakisu City, Hokkaido, Sunday, December 21st

The biting cold of the early morning in December up in Hokkaido made the winter temperatures back down at Yuuei feel like spring by comparison. In its own way, that cold only added onto the building unease that Tunguska felt in the pit of his stomach, ever since Nikolay had asked him to come up with them to Gagaringrad, so that Maja could be able to see her family again.

He continuously tried to put on a brave face and give all the reassurances he could when asked, that he was all right for the duration of their train ride. After all, the students themselves were all of exceedingly high spirits, the way they bantered so energetically between themselves; between Nikolay, Mina and Kyouka all expressing excitement at the thought of just seeing everyone again, or Monoma stubbornly insisting that the portions of the new Gagaringrad statue depicting all the Class B Heroes would be far bigger than that of Class A.

How could Tunguska, in good conscience, spoil their mood by allowing his own reservations about showing his face in a town full of his fellow Quirked Slavs, be so clearly advertised? After all, having gotten to meet the town's leader, Leonid Briner, and their priest, Father Sergei Cherenkov, were both exceptionally understanding and kindhearted men. Even Maja's parents, for the little time he actually had to talk to them during their visit to the School Festival, were more than accepting of him. But that was still less than a handful of people in an entire town of what sounded like a few hundred. And just because they had accepted Nikolay as their Hero, didn't mean they were just going to accept the Sun of Justice back into their lives in anywhere near the same role; not by a long shot.

This belief of his was so strong, that he passed their leaving the train station and finally arriving at the Kapenta Hero Agency in a daze, basically following his students like an automaton; only stirred back to the present when he and the teens alike were blindsided by a surprise party-esque welcome from all of the Heroes themselves. For Tunguska, to be caught by surprise by this was especially embarrassing for him, since he'd been the one to call them the previous night to inform them of his and his students' arrival.

However, his embarrassment and surprise didn't last long once he found himself being eagerly approached by the familiar black-haired, plus-symbol-eyed young Hero, The Giver. "Tunguska-san, it's been such a long time! How are you?! You look a bit bigger all around than you did last time."

Tunguska had to set aside everything he had heard about what had happened to her during the Gagaringrad incident, and instead let the nostalgia of their brief time working together at their Pro Hero License Exam carry the eager conversation and personal catch-up that followed; The Giver looking utterly star-struck when hearing about his working with Fatgum and being involved in the infamous Hassaikai raid.

It was very much the same between the students and the rest of the Kapenta Heroes as well. There had been some initial disappointment when Momo's own mentor, Whiteout, had regretfully been unable to come with due to the business of her own work; but to be able to spend time here with the rest of these brave Heroes more than made up for it.

De-Condenser was more than eager to show off the intricacies of his new prosthetic arm and how the Support Company that had designed it had managed the formerly impossible task of replicating one half of his Density-Transference Quirk; while Chiaroscuro, High Noon and Blast Beat were all happy to prove to their young friends that they had all healed in full from their injuries and were back to work as good as new.

And that, of course, couldn't compare to just how proud the Heroes all were of Maja when seeing her in her Hero costume for the first time; the perfect way to prove that everything they'd heard from the police about her being allowed into Yuuei wasn't just a rumor.

With all the reunions playing out all at once, De-Condenser was like a hyperactive little kid in an adult man's body as he looked happily to his two interns. "It's so good to see all of you again. I was just bracing myself for the call of you all wanting to come back the moment word had spread about the Internship program coming back into play. You all must be chomping at the bit for some more action, even with how busy you've all been keeping, huh?"

Mina momentarily allowed herself to be pulled away from admiring High Noon's latest fashionable update to her Hero costume with Reiko and Momo, to cheerfully answer: "You got that right, Sensei! I turned my application in to Mirko the very same evening our principal told us! Oh, I'm so excited!"

However, Mina's cheer was quickly offset by the looks of considerable surprise on many of the Pro Hero's faces, with High Noon herself answering: "Oh…well, you've certainly wasted no time aiming for the major leagues, Pinky-chan. I guess we all just naturally assumed you, Solovei-kun and Earphone Jack-chan would all want to stick around with us after the way your internships ended last time. I mean, you know already you're all considered Gagaringrad's personal Heroes; who would ever want to turn their backs on that?"

However, Chiaroscuro's answer was calm and resolute, devoid of any semblance of hurt. "Now, now, everyone; there's no need for that kind of talk. I think we all knew that the chances of this internship turning into a full-time partnership like ours, was very low. We've all been in their shoes when we were young. The best way for Heroes to develop is to learn under all the different Heroes they can. It's completely natural."

Suddenly, Kyouka raised a single hand. "Actually, I had been thinking of sticking around here once the new year starts. I mean, Blast Beat-sensei and I work really well together, and I've already learned so much from him. I wouldn't want to risk messing that up."

With an earnest chuckle, the Juke Box Hero stepped forward, placing a supportive hand on his former intern's shoulder. "I'm happy to hear you say that, Earphone Jack-kun, honestly…but Chiaroscuro-san is right, you know. I've taught you so much of what I came to know in all my years as a Hero in so little time; that's how great of a student you are. But there isn't much left that I could still be able to teach you, and I don't want you to think you should just attach yourself to the one teacher you have that has an appropriate Quirk and interests like yours.

"You could end up depriving yourself of such a bountiful education that other Heroes could be able to give you…and worst of all, I fear that in time, if you were to stay here with just me for those same reasons…you might end up coming to resent those very same interests for it. you've got the heart and soul of a real Hero and a real rock star. Don't let either of those things burn out like that; you're far too talented and full of untapped potential for it.

"So I say to all you kids who may or may not be decided in what to do with yourselves or your potential internships yet: go out there into the world, spread your wings, fly and see what you come across. That's just my two cents, but I know it needed to be said for all your sakes. So do with that what you will."

Kyouka, Tenya, Momo and all the Class B students looked visibly moved by Blast Beat's heartfelt speech, while Nikolay now looked completely resolute in his own unanimous decision; looking apologetically to De-Condenser, The Giver and the rest of the Kapenta Heroes. "Blast Beat-sensei's right, everyone. I'd been going back and forth about what I wanted to do, myself. After going through so much together; just like Mina and I did with the Kamuron Heroes in Erubi City; it genuinely felt like we'd gone beyond the simple mentor/intern dynamic…but now I know that looking elsewhere is ultimately the right choice for me as it is for everyone else. We just didn't want to make that decision without at least seeing you all again first."

Tunguska looked at his son and students' overall air of certainty and maturity with an approving and silent nod. To all of their relief; the Heroes altogether looked to be in unanimous approval of how much the students before them had truly matured since the last time they'd seen them. It was only natural for interns to develop an unbreakable bond with their mentors, so the idea of choosing a whole other Agency to go to would easily feel like a bitter betrayal. The fact they were all clearly of the similar mind of just what was best for all their growth as none of them began to let their emotions get the best of them, was a true step in the right direction.

Nevertheless, De-Condenser happily stepped forward with open arms, with the rest of his colleagues quickly following suit. "When I was your kids' age and trying to figure out where I wanted to go with my Hero education, I couldn't have explained my reasons any better than that, Solovei-kun. All of you kids, whether you interned with us or not; just know that all of us here will always be cheering you on every step you take. But before you have to head back to Yuuei, surely you have time to pay the folks in Gagaringrad a visit? We took the liberty of telling Linguist-san that you'd all be coming after Tunguska-san had called, after all."

…

Emotions had already been running high between the students and the Kapenta Heroes, but when they had finally arrived in the newly rebuilt and visibly thriving Gagaringrad, only to be enthusiastically greeted by nearly all its citizens simply standing in eager wait, there was no hope of holding any of those feelings inside any longer.

It was instantly apparent to Nikolay and his friends, just what an emotional rollercoaster their time back in this humble little town was truly going to be, when everyone immediately focused all their attention on the incredible fact that Tunguska, their former Number One Hero, their former Sun of Justice, the man who had once been the projected reason for their displacement, and the sole source of all their former anguish and resentment, was now standing before them in the flesh; an admittedly older and less radiant shell of his once blinding former self, but there was still not a shred of doubt between any one of the hundreds of them, that it was indeed the same Hero…the same mortal man.

It was when all those eyes rested solely upon him, that Tunguska had finally braced himself for the all-around lambasting and derision that had slowly but steadily coming his way for the last fourteen years. He didn't dare close his eyes, but he still breathed in deep, knowing that this was ultimately what he still deserved, for having caused these people to flee their own homes and come all this way, just to be able to live without the fear of being hunted down like animals.

Instead, though…the very first thing he ever heard from a single one of these people was a simple, but infinitely heartfelt, expression of gratitude…followed by another, and then another, and another, before soon he found himself being approached and genuinely thanked by every one of these people who he had no idea the names of a single one outside their leaders.

This had come from so far out of nowhere, Tunguska genuinely looked to be at a loss as to just what to do with himself or what to say, as these people all continued to thank him for one unifying thing that left him and, Nikolay and most of his students with their hearts catching in their throats; eyes all stinging with the beginnings of tears:

The people all gave their most heartfelt thanks to Tunguska, not for being the Sun of Justice of days gone by…but simply for being the father and Hero that could raise and teach a son and a bunch of young Heroes as capable, driven and good-hearted as Nikolay and the students now standing before all of them.

After all; as the people were very quick to make it abundantly clear; it was because of their actions in saving Konstantin Khodamchuk and his soldiers alongside their town; that the still-miraculous-sounding call for amnesty of all wayward Quirked Russians and Slavs so that they could come home in peace, had even been made at all. For many of the people of Gagaringrad, it felt like a dream was actually about to come to life, and for their youngest children who had been born here without ever once seeing the lands their families originally came from, it would be like seeing a home they never even truly realized they had to call a home. That on its own was enough to hit many of the young Heroes especially hard.

With Tunguska having suddenly been granted a sense of redemption he never once thought of himself as deserving; there were far too many other moments to come of overwhelming emotional resonance for any one of them visiting to be able to keep track of. First, naturally, came everyone's wide-eyed sense of pride and revelation when seeing Maja in her Hero costume, much like the Pro Heroes before. But even the townspeople's pride couldn't compare to the pride that was ultimately expressed by her parents, who were simultaneously overjoyed to see and hold their daughter once more, and shaken with concern and pride alike to know she was steadily progressing her way through school already.

But being with her parents and fellow citizens again made it impossible for her and the rest of the students not to ask of the conditions of her old friends and their families; all the parents of whom were more than happy to share with them the letters that had been sent to them over time from the jail they were still serving out their sentences in; all of which expressed the unifying sentiment of hope and confidence in her, as well as in all of Gagaringrad's young and Pro Heroes to be able to lead her down the right path to becoming the Hero they themselves all still hoped to be one day.

But this of course inevitably led to having to once more tell the parents of Marius Lazarescu that no sign had been found of their son or his current whereabouts. What made the fact that he was still missing that much more painful for Maja especially, was the fact that they had even gone on to express an overall acceptance of this truth, and that as much as they wanted to believe Maja, Nikolay and the rest of the Heroes in Yuuei and across Japan would be able to one day find him and bring him back home, they had also accepted the very real possibility that he would be forever lost because of the actions of Pietro Granin and his loyal followers, and whatever they had done with him before everything had unfolded as it had.

Such a grim note of finality ultimately left Nikolay, his friends, the Kapenta Heroes and Tunguska all with a heavy weight of even greater responsibility to find the wayward young Romanian and bring him back safe and sound before something so horrible could come to fruition. This was an unspoken but heartfelt promise to the parents, the people of Gagaringrad and to themselves as Heroes.

Afterwards, there was the similarly overwhelming sense of responsibility that came from all the kids seeing their whole commemorative statue in the town square with their own eyes for the first time, festooned with flowers of all colors as a show of gratitude from the people, who all then proceeded to once more express their utmost heartfelt thanks once more for all their efforts and sacrifices to save them and their home.

Leonid wasted no time when he saw just how much the people's continuous gratitude touched their young Heroes, before he began happily requesting to take a commemorative photo of the bunch of them gathered at the foot of their own statue. Naturally, none of them objected, as they all eagerly took their places together; never even aware that they were ultimately mirroring their own positions in the statue itself. But from where Leonid and the townspeople were all standing, that just made the moment that much more worthwhile.

This was a moment that every one of these young, bright-eyed Heroes had earned, and it was only right they be able to immortalize this moment whichever way they saw fit to. Of course, that still didn't stop Monoma from gloating, in his delusional perspective from where he stood then, that he and his classmates' portion of the statue was indeed towering over everyone else's. However, the occasion was simply so positive, nobody had it in them to tell him otherwise, and simply let him have his moment.

From there; it ultimately came down to the moment the students had all been silently preparing for, simply because many of them knew it would be impossible to keep a dry eye once it would be over; as Tenya, Tetsutetsu, Pony and Yui finally took the lead out to the Cliffside outside of town, where the ruins of the former hospital headquarters were still barely standing; and where, at the farthest reaching outcropping, stood a finely sculpted and polished statue of Knightfall that, from a distance and a certain angle, looked exactly like the fallen Hero himself, alive and well. Whether this could have been considered an honorable tribute or a cruel taunt to his already grieving interns depended on who was asked.

But nevertheless, the time had finally come for them all to pay their respects, and give their former mentor the send-off he deserved, as with their hearts all weighing heavy in their chests, and the most heartfelt of thanks expressed one after the other as they looked to the sculpture then out to the shimmering sea to which it stared out, Tetsutetsu focused his Quirk to turn his hands into Iron, in order to strike them together and produce the spark needed to finally ignite the torch settled at the sculpture's base; the flames burning as brilliantly as the Hero's spirit itself.

Looking upon the entire scene even from a distance, Nikolay, Tunguska, Mina, Maja, Momo, Neito, Reiko and the people of Gagaringrad couldn't help but get deeply choked up, as it looked as though Knightfall himself were standing vigilant guard again, with that fire being his one undying means of providing a guiding light to those lost at sea in need of protection and saving. And that thought was just the perfect thing to finally bring Tenya and his fellow wayward interns a sense of true acceptance and peace within.

With their memorial having at last been ignited, and with the commemorative picture of the Heroes with their statue having at last been taken, the rest of the day went by into the early evening with far higher and celebratory spirits, as Mina, Momo, Kyouka, Yui, Reiko, Maja and Pony were quickly taken by the star-struck children of the orphanage to be shown their veritable art gallery of honorary drawings; not only of the Heroes themselves, but even of their ideas for their own Hero costumes once they were older; something that the teen girls couldn't help but swoon (to varying degrees) over.

And as Tunguska and the rest of the Kapenta Heroes were eagerly engaged with Leonid, Sergei and the rest of the bustling crowds of the townspeople; Nikolay somehow ended up finding a chance to make his way down to the coastal street wherein all the local craftsmen shops stood. With Christmas all but literally just around the corner, he was absolutely driven to take advantage of this opportunity, to provide all of his friends something truly unforgettable once the time had come.

While many of the crafters themselves continuously offered to provide the services he was asking for free of charge for what he and his friends had done for them, he steadfastly refused. Taking advantage of one's reputation as a Hero with a whole community just to carry favor just felt like an easy first-step into blind arrogance, so he felt especially proud of himself for standing strong on his decision.

Naturally, the most pleasing aspect of all of this was simply seeing just how reinvigorated everyone's spirits had become since the last time he and his friends had been here. Truly the news of Konstantin Khodamchuk's offer of amnesty and homecoming had made a great change here. Nikolay could only hope that not only were the repair efforts back in Russia going smoothly so far; but even more so that people back home would actually be willing to accept these people back into daily circulation as fellow citizens again. After all, if the people themselves wouldn't accept those with Quirks again, then what good was an offer of amnesty from anyone, even someone as high up the chain of command as the president?

…

Moscow

With the Kremlin still undergoing extensive repairs, Konstantin Khodamchuk had to resign himself to catching his breath and sleeping at one of the few hotels in Moscow that had managed to avoid being as extensively damaged as much of the city itself. It was just about the only respite he could get, since he refused his advisors' insistence that he relocate to the secondary presidential residence up in St. Petersburg.

But as president, his word was ultimately the final one, and Konstantin was a man of the people before he was ever a politician; and he was going to get his own hands dirty with helping see to the repairs and care of the people that had been affected by this recent chain of disasters.

In all honesty, being president was a position he still would have preferred not to have, but that was simply the hand that fate had decided to deal him, and he was going to do everything in his power to use it for a greater good than his predecessor did. And thus far, it looked to actually be working out. Other than the still-bizarre instance of finding that severed human finger from an unidentified Japanese criminal in the Red Square, everything else since his involuntary promotion had been going exceptionally smoothly, all things considered.

The Heroes and Quirked volunteers from all across Europe didn't even hesitate to come and see to the repairs alongside the native civilians and services once the request had finally been made. If all continued to go this well, all the damage the League of Villains had wrought across western Russia and the Georgian border would be repaired in no time…and then perhaps the real healing for the Russian people and the country's displaced Quirked citizens could truly begin. That was the one biggest hope Konstantin could ask for with each passing day.

It was a hope he could actually afford to have for once, since from all that he could see and hear, at least in the metropolitan areas that had been affected; the citizens were actually proving surprisingly open to accepting the presence of those with Quirks in order to provide a helping hand.

He hadn't wanted to admit it, but in the beginning after having made his call for Quirk amnesty, Konstantin had all but braced himself for nonstop protests and riots, perhaps even an attempted assassination for his perceived betrayal of their country's apparent traditional stance against Quirks. How anyone could look at the mindset of merely a single decade and call it a tradition, even he had no idea.

But just because the people of Moscow were proving surprisingly accepting of such immediate changes, didn't mean all was well across the rest of the country. Far from it, in fact.

Out in the much more rural areas of Russia; places that, ironically, hadn't been remotely affected by the League's actions; the people had proven far more resistant to suddenly being told that their home country was just welcoming its Quirked citizens back in without a second thought. They had already been so firmly entwined with the previous presidency's stance against Quirks, but hearing of over half of Moscow being decimated only made their aversion that much stronger…and their expressed outrage against their new president that much more virulent.

With every day that passed wherein Konstantin didn't hear of them calling for a vote of no confidence, a protest, or even a violent call to action against him or any of the returning ex-pats his amnesty was meant for; he could just strongly enough feel his own sense of unease growing within the pit of his stomach. Surely those people had to be concocting some kind of a plan to make their rejection of these changes be unmistakably known.

Konstantin could easily imagine just one of the many mindsets with which those people were carrying their bitterness and resilience against his call for peace. After having heard that their own capitol had gotten so devastated by a group of Villains from out of absolutely nowhere, and that so many of their heads of government had gotten killed as a result of it, and then this single man came from out of the ether to suddenly call for the return of all drifted citizens with Quirks; such a man could easily just be a seeker of opportunities to ingratiate himself with the public and earn easy benefits that came with such a reputation.

But had they known the man now filling their presidential role even the slightest bit, then they would've known how much those same self-centered motivations by all other tried and tested politicians disgusted Konstantin Khodamchuk as well. He was a man who simply saw what needed to be done for the good of his country and its people, and he was going about that the only way he could think to with the responsibilities he now had to carry.

Of course, once the repairs would all finally be done, there would of course have to come the possibility of the very same Quirked citizens he was calling out to, not trusting him at his word, and refusing to come home. If that were to be the case, there would be no hope to reestablish Russia's former Hero society…and from there could come no future Heroes…and if that were to be the case, then what could they realistically do if another force of Villains were to decide to roll through and somehow do something even worse?

If his initial call for amnesty wouldn't be enough to convince the people to come back, and to show his naysayers how genuine his intentions were, then Konstantin knew he would need to take the first step, and initiate a means to show the world his sincerity. But how? The last few months of such hard work had been so trying, he was simply too exhausted tonight to think of an answer. Surely something like a peace conference could be a good start, but surely to organize such a thing with little to no forewarning to the heads of all the other countries that had taken Russia's refugees, would be a near Herculean task.

There was simply too much for him to linger on for him to come up with a solution to any one of them. Simply thinking of the possibility of more Villains staking their claim here with no resistance naturally brought Konstantin's mind back to the questions he still had about the League of Villains. There was some relief to be had, knowing that Russia and Japan were essentially on the same page when it came to the need to deal with them; since their actions across several of his cities now officially made them just as much Russia's problem as Japan's.

Besides, he had likewise been keeping his ears open for all related news coming out of Japan, and thus had heard of the recent disaster in Deika City as well; an instance he could see far too many similarities to what had unfolded here in Moscow.

But that still did nothing to answer his burning question of just what it was they were truly after when they had attacked Moscow. Sure a great deal of the stored wealth of the government had been stolen, as well as a great deal of his former department's research into Anti-Quirk weaponry and equipment; but even those two things seemed too obvious for the likes of them…and it wasn't like there were many aged government officials still alive that he could go to with questions, who would be able to give him any answers worth a damn.

Knock, knock, knock

[[Come in.]] Konstantin tiredly ordered; prompting a sturdy-looking soldier to hastily make his way inside, standing at attention at the man's makeshift desk and offering a salute.

[[My apologies for disturbing you so late, Mr. President. A letter has arrived for you…from the former Minister of Internal Affairs.]]

This was a development Konstantin had never expected, as he jolted up in his chair and gratefully accepted the letter. So many positions in the government had still yet to be occupied in all of the overwhelming restructuring work, but he knew that his predecessor's Minister of Foreign Affairs had been confirmed to be one of the victims of the League of Villains' attack on the Red Square. So to be receiving a letter from that man's predecessor; an old gentleman named Obran Abalkin, who had retired a couple years before the Siberian Flash all the way to Ruskeala; was an unprecedented surprise.

However, if Konstantin had known just how often the late Dmitry Zaitsev confided in Obran when faced with the overwhelming stresses of his title, and of the things he had to keep from the eyes and ears of the public; he would have taken a letter like this with far more trepidation. The man was a government devotee through and through, and there was simply no telling just what he would suddenly have to say that could only be shared in writing instead of a phone call.

But what Konstantin uncovered within that letter would leave him devoid of all his previous exhaustion, for it was now replaced with an overwhelming sense of disbelief, and ultimately a terror unlike what he even felt back in Hokkaido.

In so many words, this nearly forgotten leftover from a long-past administration had poured onto the page, an entire thorough detailing of everything Dmitry Zaitsev had confided in him in the darkest of his hours over the course of his last few months before his untimely death; from his uncertainties on how to ease the people's growing unease and impatience, to his mutual faith and doubts in their measures against all Quirk-born threats.

But it was what was shared in the end that had left Konstantin with a chill of pure fear running up his spine. From what he was reading, Obran was describing one of the last bits of communication he'd had with Dmitry before the attack; wherein he described receiving a preserved relic from one of the government's storage bunkers for safe keeping: the once-believed mythical sewing needle that possessed the spirit of none other than the old boogeyman of fairytales of old: Koschei the Deathless.

Konstantin didn't even keep count of how many times his eyes went over those words, as though his brain was refusing to process just what his eyes were seeing, for to do so would mean having to admit that it was reality. He had never once believed that such a figure in their mythology was actually real, even in this day and age of such incredible abilities existing in people's day-to-day lives.

As if that weren't enough, Obran had proceeded to write down how Dmitry had mentioned only the barest handful of men knowing of this spirit-holding needle's existence within the Kremlin, and how when word had reached him of all that had either been stolen or destroyed in the aftermath of the attack on Moscow; specifically how that needle had not been accounted for, and that if all their stories of the fate of Koschei did indeed connect to reality, then it meant that this needle was already indestructible.

If it could not be destroyed, and yet had not been recovered from the remains of the Red Square, then that meant there was only one possibility left to consider; a possibility that was now Konstantin's responsibility to address and properly handle: somehow, the League of Villains had come to learn of that needle's existence, and decided to take it for their own amid the chaos they had reigned upon the city.

Konstantin had already been running himself beyond ragged with all the hard work he'd been doing up until now, and yet he still felt his stomach twist and turn like he was going to vomit from pure terror as the letter fell silently to the floor from his hand. The thought of Koschei the Deathless actually being real was overwhelming enough as it was, for there were so many implications that came with it for the possibility of superhuman abilities like Quirks actually existing far longer than they had ever believed. However, the thought of the League actually having such a relic and the powers that inherently were held within it, was the stuff that even Konstantin's current worst nightmares couldn't compare to.

There was only so much that Konstantin could realistically do all the way from here, now that the League had returned to Japan with their once-mythical cargo in tow…but the least he knew he could do for certain was to reach out to whichever branch of the Japanese government or their Hero society he could get in contact with, and fully inform them of just the true scale of the threat they were currently standing up against.

First the repair efforts, then trying to organize a peace conference aimed at their displaced citizens in order to smoothly make the transition to rebuilding Russia's Hero society, then easing the unease and resistance out in the rural parts of the country in order to help that transition, and now the potential cataclysm of the League having the apparently-real Koschei of their oldest fables. Just when it seemed like his workload was unending as it was, Konstantin now found himself standing before a veritable Everest of responsibilities he couldn't begin to scale with anything resembling ease. He could only silently and futilely hope that this was all he would have to worry about for the time being.

…

Mirko Hero Agency, Kyoto, Monday, December 22nd

The office of the Number Five Hero in all of Japan barely reflected such a prestigious rank. From the outside, it looked like virtually any other big city building, albeit with a pair of large bunny ear-shaped structures sticking out of its roof. At least it was eye-catching from there. Inside, however, was nothing short of a disaster of paperwork, with the Rabbit Hero herself nowhere to be found to deal with any of it.

No, that responsibility went to her one and only hired assistant, Chiyuki; a young woman with dark purple eyes, long brown hair with splotches of golden blonde strewn throughout, with a pair of cheetah ears and a tail sprouting from her head and lower back respectively.

Mirko had hired her not as a potential sidekick, but simply as the person to deal with all the boring paperwork and organizing whatever maintenance the building needed. Even if Chiyuki's Cheetah Quirk gave her a propensity for incredible speed, she didn't resent the fact that she wasn't working here as a Hero. It gave her a speed in everything she did, including her work here. She was still technically helping a Hero out, and that was good enough for her.

As far as she was willing to think about it, her working in here simply gave Mirko more time to spend working out there on the field. In a city as big as Kyoto, there was never any lack of action for Heroes, and with the Rabbit Hero's speed, strength and drive, chances were ninety-nine percent that she would be there to deal with it in record time before moving on to the next incident.

In the several years Chiyuki had known and worked under Mirko, she was pretty much satisfied so long as there was a fight to be had. And with this year already proving to be so much busier than the last, the young assistant was expecting things to just go that smoothly through what little time was left this year, especially after all the excitement of her promotion in the billboard chart.

But today was not going to be like that, as after having spent the majority of the day organizing the paperwork for all the resolved incidents last week; Chiyuki's focus was broken by the deafening sound of the office door getting kicked open with a powerful slam; looking up and naturally shrinking when she saw Mirko angrily stomping her way inside with a frustrated scowl on her face.

By this point, Chiyuki knew that if Mirko was in this foul a mood, then it was best to just skip the obligatory questions and simply get to work making some tea to help calm her down. As Chiyuki was already doing so with masterful preparedness; Mirko plopped herself down in the nearest available chair in this large empty office room with a frustrated huff.

"Man, what the hell kind of investigation are the rest of those hot shots doing out there? All this time since Kyushu, and still no word about where the League of Villains is hiding out at? All this society's resources and they can't even find a handful of punks like that? How am I supposed to have any actual shot at the Number One spot with all the thickheaded dunces roaming around out there calling themselves Villains? Those guys are a joke! Gimme a real fight, for crying out loud!"

Chiyuki was already at Mirko's side, setting down a cup of especially spicy tea for her, and upon listening to her vented frustration, handily answered: "You know nobody questions just how strong and effective you are in those fights, or your visual appeal, Rumi-san…but maybe you oughta consider branching out; professionally, I mean. If you improved your air of approachability, I think that'd be a good way for you to shoot up the rest of the charts."

Mirko downed the tea in a single throwback like a cowgirl in a western, before kicking her feet up with an annoyed sneer. "Please, everybody with eyes can see that Endeavor is way worse than I am, but that didn't stop him from making it to Number One. Just seeing him on TV try to actually engage with civilians like All Might did is just plain cringe-worthy."

Chiyuki likewise couldn't help but automatically shiver when recalling such an unnatural interaction from the Flame Hero. But once she finished tucking away yet another shelf-worth of paperwork, she turned back to her boss. "Maybe not in the way of directly shooting the breeze with your public, but maybe you'd be able to improve your approachability in their eyes if you considered taking on an intern. That whole program is about to go into effect again after New Years' Eve, so there'd still be time for you to pick an application and approve it. I've had them all stockpiled at your personal desk for the occasion."

Looking back at her assistant's motion of the hand; Mirko saw a pair of papers sitting atop her personal desk nearly reaching to the ceiling…and subsequently gave another dismissive scoff. "You're kidding me, right? I got this far through nobody's help or efforts but my own, and I can get to Number One on my own too. I'm not about to degrade myself by babysitting some snot-nosed star-struck Hero wannabe. The only way for a Hero to truly become strong is by relying on and looking out for nobody but yourself."

Chiyuki rolled her eyes, having listened to this particular tangent of Mirko's more times than she could genuinely keep count of. While yes, the Rabbit Hero was exceptionally strong, and had nobody to really thank for becoming that way but herself; it was still the young assistant's duty to try and help her along with all aspects of her work wherever possible.

"They said it loud and clear at the Billboard Chart ceremony, Rumi-san: public opinion and perception is just as integral to your climbing the ranks as any of your personal skills. I'm just saying that maybe you could at least consider taking on one intern for a test drive and see how they hold up working on the field alongside you. You reaching Number Five has definitely made you a lot more popular; the number of applications can attest to that. Even if they don't measure up to your standards; at least people would see you were willing to make the effort. Who knows? Maybe that could help get you up another rank or two much faster than by just continuing your constant fighting routine like you have been."

Mirko found herself looking back begrudgingly at the stacks of applications, really thinking about her assistant's honest suggestions while the corner of her mouth twitched in time with her racing thoughts. She was indeed in a rush to get her rightful place in the Number One slot, and despite how jam-packed her days were with fighting crime, she still felt like she was stagnating as long as nobody had any clues as to where the League of Villains were hiding out. It wasn't like she had any suggestions that would make that process go by any faster, so the least she could do was focus on getting her own ranking up.

Finally, the Rabbit Hero rose from her seat and strode purposefully to her desk as she finally answered the watchful Chiyuki: "Dammit…alright, fine, you made your point, but I'm not about to waste my time reading through every single one of these damn things. Best to let fate make the decision here for me."

WOOSH!

With no warning or windup, Mirko suddenly swung her high-reaching leg across her desk, sending both stacks of applications flying all across the room and to the floor and other tabletops, much to Chiyuki's wide-eyed confusion as to just what her boss was planning, and dread at the inevitable cleanup she would now have to take care of.

Climbing atop her desk, Mirko looked at the widespread scattering of papers, and began to do some practically stretches for her legs. "I'll jump from here with my eyes closed, and whichever application my kicking foot lands on, that's the one I'll take on; you can go ahead and shred the rest afterwards. But if that intern doesn't measure up after the test run, they're out on their butts, and I don't want to hear any more about interns after that, understand? Now then…"

With an inhumanly strong spring in her leap, Mirko managed a triple front-flip through the air in the high-ceiling office; Chiyuki watching her physical control and speed with the same rapture she always did when getting to see her boss in action; before Mirko finally came down with a resounding stomp on the reinforced floor.

As soon as she knew she was back on solid ground, she didn't waste any more time with anticipation for just who she'd ended up picking, instead unceremoniously picking up the paper her foot had landed upon and looking over both the picture and the hand-written letter that came with it describing said students' Quirk, Hero name and reason for wanting to be her intern.

"Huh, 'Pinky', huh? That's a dumb choice for a Hero name if you ask me; not nearly intimidating enough. Well, I'm a Hero of my word. Chiyuki-san, put the call out to Yuuei to have her sent over here when the program starts up again, then clean up the rest of this mess. I'm headed back out on night patrol."

…

Yuuei Academy, Wednesday, December 24th

With winter break now officially in full effect, there had been no objection raised when Tunguska, Nikolay and all the students who had decided to go up to Hokkaido to visit the Kapenta Heroes and the people of Gagaringrad, had decided to stay there over night as their honored guests.

Once they had finally returned to Yuuei the next day, there had been a noticeable change in the general air among them, as though all their spirits had been sufficiently strengthened more than they already had been. The clearest indication of this that their classmates and the teachers could see, was in their greater invigoration towards using their new free time for training as well as all the casual pleasantries with the rest of their friends in their respective classes.

But among them, the one that was pulling all the stops with their training, even more so than Nikolay, was Maja. She'd already been proving herself to be an exceptional student in general, but ever since this visit, anyone who watched or trained alongside her could look at her as though she were a girl possessed.

In fact, Tunguska had become so aware of this outright awakening of full-on spirit within her, that today, he simply couldn't keep his lingering thoughts to himself when he'd found himself once more having lunch in the faculty office with Toshinori, Aizawa and Vlad King nearby.

"Has anyone tried reaching out to the Commission to see about organizing a smaller-scale Provisional License exam for malenkaya Kieslowska yet? I can't be the only one seeing just how much more she's chomping at the bit alongside all the other students, can I?"

Tunguska could see that his fellow teachers had just been expecting someone to bring up this subject, as none of them remotely flinched when he'd finally broken the silence. From another nearby spot, Midnight likewise spoke up: "I have to agree, you guys. Kieslowska-chan's shown considerable natural ability and a willingness to take on everything we've thrown at her since she started coming here. If the Commission really is as short-staffed as I suspected, then I can't imagine they would turn their noses at the thought of giving her a specialized chance. Surely there are some other late-starting students across the country that they could include in order to make the returns more worthwhile."

Vlad King let out a mildly annoyed grumble from within his throat. "Neither of you are wrong. She's been getting consistently good grades in all our classes, including both Hero Course classes. She gets along especially well with many students from both classes as well, it seems; so it's not like there would be any lack of adaptability when it comes to working together with any one of them out in the field."

Tunguska was already nodding his head rhythmically with every point the Class 1-B homeroom teacher was making, as if he was simply motioning for the man to get to the point they all knew was there.

However, Aizawa's sigh was as disappointed as it was tired. "but it's precisely because the Commission has its resources spread so thin that we can't just ask them to hammer out some last-second excuse for an exam for the sake of her and a few other straggler students, especially after they already had their remedial exam for Bakugo and Todoroki. They need quality Heroes out there on the field with their licenses; so the time and resources needed for a full-scale exam is exactly what Kieslowska and others need and deserve, just like everybody else…and those are two things that just aren't readily available when we want them to be…unfortunately."

The teachers all found themselves in a considerable situation. There was barely more than a week left before internships would begin again, and they needed to do something for Maja in order to help further develop her skills and her desire to become a Hero, and not simply have her waste away here, left behind while everyone else went out to gain honest field experience again. But the Commission and Hero society as a whole had these rules put in place for a reason, in order to better secure the safety of not only the public, but of the Hero students themselves. They needed to prove themselves capable and professional in any number of situations in order to get their licenses and prove their worth. To just let any big-headed child with nothing but a dream and no experience go out to rescue civilians in danger, or fight an honest-to-god Villain, would be tantamount to an execution. Everybody essentially knew this.

And that was when a previously hesitant sensation of inspiration let itself be known to Tunguska again, as he took a deep breath in preparation for any number of responses. "You know what? The rules about malenkaya Kieslowska being here are that she has to be under the constant supervision of at least one teacher from here, correct? Well, what if she were to accompany malenkii Kirishima and myself when we return to working with Fatgum-san, as a purely observant ride-along? He's supposed to be my official intern, and as a teacher here, I would still be fulfilling the rule that she be under watch at all times, so would that be an entirely unheard of alternative while she doesn't have her license? Obviously I'll need to run this by Fatgum-san and Nezu-san before anything else, but what do you all think?"

Everyone's looks of pure skepticism were anything but surprising, but Tunguska knew he needed to suggest it at the very least and hopefully get a second opinion. And that second opinion came immediately, as Midnight opined: "That sounds really iffy, Tunguska-san. I mean, suppose you were allowed to take her along; what would happen if you were to find yourselves in another battle that gets civilians involved? Legally speaking, she wouldn't be allowed to do anything to intervene without her license. That's not even mentioning what could be liable to happen to you as her chaperone."

With a hand tucked to his pointed chin in similar contemplation, Toshinori added: "Yes, plus I've been hearing that Kirishima-shonen has been rather insistent in inviting Tetsutetsu-shonen along to intern under you and Fatgum-san, and he's all but officially accepted it already. It's rather unprecedented for a Pro Hero to take on so many interns all at once. Are you sure you both wouldn't be taking on too much responsibility with three students around while conducting Pro Hero work? We'd have no problem giving her a full lecture and training rundown as rigorous as any internship if that's what it would take."

However, as much as he knew his peers' points were all quite valid, Tunguska looked unflinching in his idea, a smile of the utmost confidence upon his face. "If Fatgum-san and Nezu-san say no, then I have no doubts about any of what you're saying. But on the astronomical off chance they say yes to me bringing her along, consequences and all…think of it like this: as Heroes, our very lives are defined by making the seemingly impossible a reality. Perhaps training malenkie Kirishima, Tetsutetsu and Kieslowska altogether is just another example of that.

"Besides, there's something that had been nagging at the back of my mind since I'd thought of this idea: the battle Kolya and his friends had against Vukodlak back in Erubi City. They pulled that off all on their own without any Pro Heroes to assist them, despite the fact none of them had their licenses then. Because one of the Pros they'd been learning under had given them express permission with witnesses for when the media and the authorities would arrive, they were effectively given the same freedom that a license would have. So by that extension, if I'm allowed to take malenkaya Kieslowska with us, she would likewise be technically learning under Fatgum-san and myself…and if a situation were to unfold that would be just a bit too much for both of us and malenkie Kirishima and Tetsutetsu to handle, then if I were to give spoken permission for her to act, then she should likewise fall under the same contextual protection, wouldn't she?"

He had to fight the urge to start smiling with hopeful anticipation when none of his fellow teachers present could come up with a justifiable argument against what he was suggesting. There was no denying he'd put a great deal of thought into this. If he'd wanted to avoid any accusations of favoritism or nepotism by insisting on taking his son on as an intern, then it was only understandable that he would want to devote nearly as much of that same energy towards a friend the boy and his classmates all clearly cared a great deal about.

Of course, until Nezu and Fatgum said their pieces about the matter, anything about the future for Maja's potential ride-along education was speculation at best, and a pipe dream at worst. Regardless of how it turned out, Aizawa spoke out in steadfast confidence in his opinion on the matter: "I still think this is a very reckless decision you're making, Tunguska."

VRRRM!

Suddenly, both Tunguska and Toshinori's phones began to vibrate; spurring the two men to attention once they saw the number on the other end was that of the detective Tsukauchi Naomasa. It had been far too long since they'd last heard from him, so the anticipation and curiosity of just what it was he had to share with them was simply too much for them to ignore.

As soon as they were in the privacy of the lounging room, they finally answered: "Tsukauchi-san, hello! How are you?"

But Toshinori's casual joviality was not mirrored by the deep seriousness in Naomasa's response: "I'm sorry to spring this on you both so suddenly, All Might, Tunguska-san…but there's been a recent advance in our information regarding the League of Villains that you both need to be informed of ASAP. Unfortunately, the rest of my work has me tied up at the moment. Is there any way the two of you can come here first thing tomorrow morning? This is something that can't be adequately explained through a text or even a phone call."

There was no earthly way they could turn down such insistence. Toshinori hung up the call with a deeply troubled look of confusion on his skinnier face, while Tunguska was likewise now restless within as to just what could've had the detective sounding nearly as unsettled as he had.

This was indeed too important to let wait any longer than it already would need to…but the Sun of Justice still found himself hoping that things would go smoothly enough to where he wouldn't risk being late for the plans he had in store for Nikolay and his friends tomorrow…some of which required him needing to reach out to one or two personally for preparation.

…

Thursday, December 25th

Tunguska and Toshinori had woken up and hit the trains just barely before the sun had risen. The morning light on this particular crisp and cold morning left a near magical glisten on all the outsides of the buildings in the city by the time they had finally reached the police station, where they were quickly led to one of the smaller interrogation rooms; wherein they were met by the especially surprising duo of Naomasa…and Toshinori's former sidekick, the now-Quirkless and retired former Pro Hero, now independent detective known as Mirai Sasaki a.k.a. Sir Nighteye.

Obviously, the sight of Toshinori now looking even skinnier than he had been before, got a kneejerk reaction of dismay out of his former sidekick. Upon seeing this, the former Symbol of Peace took it upon himself to try and lift the mood between them all, smiling as happily as he possibly could. "It's so wonderful to see you back on your feet and so active again already, Mirai-san! I just knew the circumstances of our last meeting wouldn't be able to keep you down!"

The bespectacled man couldn't help but give an outwardly wry, yet inwardly grateful, smile in response to what his old and most admired friend was trying to do here, finally greeting him and their Russian ally both. "It's good to see you both again as well, All Might…Tunguska-san. I only wish this was under much better circumstances, but this was simply too important to let wait a moment longer than necessary."

"Yes, you sounded more…disturbed than we'd heard from you before, Tsukauchi-san. What did you find?" Tunguska added.

Naomasa and Sir Nighteye exchanged grim glances with one another before motioning for their two visitors to sit down with them. Once they did, Naomasa gave a weary sigh.

"Since I'm the head officer in the investigation into all potential activity surrounding the League of Villains, it's my responsibility to gather up all of what information I can before anyone can organize any real action to apprehend them. But very recently, I was reached out to by the Hero Public Safety Commission. They had received some potentially very grim news about just what we may really be up against when the time comes…news that was personally extended to them from the current Russian president, Konstantin Khodamchuk; the same man I believe your son and his schoolmates ended up saving alongside that town of refugees up in Hokkaido, Tunguska-san."

Tunguska could only nod in confirmation; his face taut with apprehension as to just what kind of news such a man could've had about the League that would have driven him to reach all the way out to the commission, and that they would then see the need to share with the police, if not just Naomasa himself in his position.

Naomasa continued: "I was given a transcription of the call between Madam President of the Commission and President Khodamchuk, as well as a recording of it to ensure it was real, but what he told the Commission was that when the League had escaped from Moscow, they had actually taken something with them, something they would find far more valuable than a government treasury stockpile…a potential new power or ally, in fact. They took this."

Naomasa dug into the file he'd had sitting at his side, from which he revealed a single archival photograph of what looked like an intricately designed sewing needle. Just as he himself had been; Naomasa watched the looks of confusion cross Toshinori and Tunguska's faces; the scrawnier man finally asking: "What exactly is it? It just looks like a regular needle to me, not dangerous unless you prick your thumb or poke someone in the eye with it…or eat it."

As Tunguska similarly nodded, albeit with a furrowed brow, Naomasa proceeded: "According to President Khodamchuk and what government officials in Russia were left after the Moscow attack, that needle carries something inside of it. I had to listen to the recording and look over the transcription multiple times to make sure I wasn't misunderstanding anything…but according to all of them, that needle is a vessel for an apparent being that's far, far older than the age of Quirks in which we live. He called this being…forgive me, my katakana for these Slavic names is rough at best…he called it…K-Koschei the…either the immortal…undying…or Deathless?"

SKRRRRRK!

Tunguska immediately shot right up from his seat, his chair grinding hard against the floor as he clutched the edge of the table to the point the reinforced wood and steel was snapping and warping in his hands. Toshinori immediately looked to see what was wrong…until he saw the look of abject terror reflected in his face. "T-Tunguska-san?! What's wrong?! Does that name actually mean something to you?!"

Tunguska couldn't move his blue eyes to meet his friend's deeply worried gaze, nor the inquisitive and observant eyes of Naomasa and Nighteye, as he felt his mouth go bone dry.

"Y-yes…it does. But I…I never once believed he was actually real…it sounds so unbelievable. Koschei the Deathless is a character in so many of my country's oldest folk tales; a king who was incapable of dying, because he had the ability to transfer his soul into any number of vessels within each other as he wished…but that was just one of the powers he was said to have in those stories. To think that he is actually real is incredible enough…it sounds completely insane, whether you think about it or not."

Naomasa nodded. "I thought it sounded too farfetched to be real as well; especially when he told the Commission of this Koschei's origins…but when I listened to the call itself…there was a fear lining his voice that nobody has ever been able to fake in all my years as a detective. As insane as it sounds…whoever or whatever this Koschei the Deathless is, is very real."

Tunguska finally lowered himself heavily into his seat, his heart thundering against his ribs; a look of pure and utter shock on his face. "It's insane to consider…but also incredible, because his being real actually adds credence to the belief that the powers we now call Quirks have in fact existed far longer than we ever imagined. But beyond that…if the League of Villains has him in their possession…then we're up against an even greater threat than we thought; especially if the rules the stories had about him are just as genuine."

This news left Toshinori with a suffocating feeling of now racing against an unseen clock, as he looked to Naomasa and Nighteye imploringly. "The implications this character's existence has on the actual history of Quirks is a matter for far more expert heads than ours. Right now we just need to know: what could the League or All For One hope to accomplish by taking this needle with what I can only assume is Koschei's soul for their own? What would he be able to help them do that they couldn't previously with all their Quirks at their disposal?"

Unfortunately, none of his colleagues looked to have any answers; most disheartening of all being Tunguska, as the three all clearly looked to him to have some kind of idea as a local.

"Unfortunately, the stories about Koschei have all either been incredibly vague or inconsistent about what his powers are outside of his immortality through soul transference and securing. Some say that was the extent of his power, while others speculated his power to negate death could extend to those he saw fit. Whether that means he could make someone immortal or resurrect the dead, I don't know.

"I just have to imagine that if he did have an entire kingdom like the stories said he did, then there must've been some kind of power he could exert over others in order to make that happen. The best I can come up with is that if there's no physical body that he now lives in, and that needle is the only vessel his soul is kept in now, then perhaps he talked someone in the League to take him along in exchange for power…or perhaps they don't even know what they have and simply saw this needle as something potentially valuable, there's just too much we don't know about why they took it and what powers he actually has."

"Unfortunately, this isn't the only new development in the investigation." Sir Nighteye suddenly spoke up, drawing all eyes in the room to him again, as he drew out his own folder; within which were a couple photos of two different men, and two burned down buildings and autopsy reports.

"I've been conducting an investigation of my own into the Deika City incident. Something about the official story behind it hasn't been sitting right with me…but shortly before that incident had occurred, I had been looking into two seemingly separate…but to me, now increasingly connected cases as well, that both took place but only a day or two before Deika City: the death of a highly regarded retired geology professor from Tokyo University named Derashite Terakatsu; and that of a similarly celebrated seismologist named Nagazaki Ozatora."

As Toshinori, Tunguska and Naomasa all looked over Nighteye's collected paperwork, the man continued: "The latter case initially seemed rather cut and dry to me, but when I went down to investigate the former, something very peculiar stood out to me. I'd interviewed a local delivery driver who went to Derashite-san's residence rather regularly for his job, but particularly often in the couple of weeks before his reported death in the fire that destroyed his home.

"Every one of the deliveries that he took to him, was of collected soil samples from multiple different countries across the globe…and that was when the seismologist case became that much more prominent, as Nagazaki-san had likewise started ordering the same specific deliveries of foreign soil samples in the few weeks before his own death; patterns that, despite their professions, the two men had never been known to do before, to the memories of all the associates of theirs I interviewed.

"This was all suspicious enough as it was; although I needed to give them the benefit of the doubt in that perhaps they simply formed a new hobby…until Derashite-san's delivery driver told me of a brief period in which his deliveries were met by a young girl he'd never seen in that house before; claiming to be his niece who was house-sitting for him. When I interviewed his former colleagues after that, they all told me that Derashite-san had no such relations, as he had no siblings, let alone ever got married and had children, or even adopted one. What's more, he was a man who primarily stayed in his home, and yet this inconceivable period of his not being there was just around the same time as the battle in Kyushu between Endeavor, Hawks and the Nomu that attacked them.

"I know it all sounds purely coincidental, and I'd thought so as well…until I'd gotten the call to look into the completed autopsy reports for both men. Their remains had been recovered from their respective fires, but the autopsies showed that they had both died long before the fires that we initially believed to have been their causes of death; Nagazaki-san from a slit throat, and Derashite-san from a broken neck, and one far too precise and clean to have resulted from something like falling down the stairs. Both men's bodies had been kept in just the right temperate conditions in their homes to greatly slow down decomposition for the weeks in which those soil deliveries started being made, before the culprits took off and set the places alight.

"Lastly, while there was a short-term power outage in the area of Derashite-san's home at just around the time those soil deliveries started; on the very same day his house went up in flames, a traffic camera caught visual of a car fleeing the scene with a license plate that connected it to an identical car that had been reported stolen in a relatively distant city, not a day before that aforementioned power outage, which prevented us from seeing that car actually arrive at that residence, which we believe is the time Derashite-san was killed…and when looking through the snapshots as that same departing car made a fortuitous turn, it managed to get a momentary look at the person sitting in the passenger seat via the passenger-side rear view mirror. Look."

Nighteye proceeded to inch the photograph from the traffic camera forward, and as soon as Toshinori and Tunguska looked, they felt their eyes widen and their blood grow cold.

For in that photo, captured at just the right moment to provide the clarity and proof they needed, they could see the unmistakable face of Himiko Toga within the reflection of that mirror. From out of a whole story that had seemed like it had less and less to do with the League, Nighteye had proven resourceful and thorough enough to find the one trait that tied it all back together.

But that still left one new vital question unanswered, as Toshinori crossed his arms furtively. "Alright, so based on all the information we currently have, including the fact that Vukodlak is with the League and possesses a Quirk that allowed him to disguise himself; this photo all but confirms that he's either the one driving the car in this photo, or it could be Bubaigawara Jin or one of his Copies, and Vukodlak was disguising himself as the seismologist, and they were both working towards the same goal. But going by the idea that this Koschei character is real and in the possession of the League, why would that suddenly necessitate them collecting soil samples from all over the world? Do any of the stories revolving around him make any mention of any of his supposed powers requiring that?"

Alas, there was nothing but plain and simple regret on Tunguska's face. "I'm sorry, everyone. As I said before, there are so many stories of him with so many inconsistencies between them, there's no way of telling if any one of them are real outside of his apparent immortality. But this whole soil story…it does remind me of one story I was particularly fond of that my father would often tell me. It was often considered the last of the stories featuring Koschei the Deathless, as it told of his confrontation by one of Russia's most celebrated mythical Heroes of old, the bogatyr known as Ilya Muromets; the same Hero who fought a bandit with a superhuman whistle whom Kolya took his Hero name after.

"Ilya Muromets was a warrior who gained inhuman strength when fighting on the soil of the Motherland, and he was said to be the Hero who came the closest to forever vanquishing Koschei by destroying his seemingly immortal body, leaving his spirit within nothing more than its basest container, this very sewing needle we're looking at now, with no means to transfer it and his soul together into another vessel. But why the League would feel the need to gather soil for him, I honestly have no idea."

Disappointment now hung heavy over all four men's heads; now having a far greater deal of danger at the hands of the League they had to find some means of preparing for; not to mention the game-changing revelation of such an ancient figure from so far back actually being real, and thus proving that Quirks existed far longer than these last three-hundred years in which they had been so widespread.

As Tunguska pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation, Toshinori addressed Naomasa and Sir Nighteye: "Thank you both for bringing so much of this information to our attention, Nighteye-san, Naomasa-san. We'll bring this up to Nezu-san and the others as soon as we get back to Yuuei. Can you do us a favor and keep us posted if any further developments of this kind of weight reach your desks?"

As soon as Naomasa and Nighteye confirmed, Tunguska suddenly rose up in his seat, looking Nighteye in the eye specifically: "Actually, there's something else I would like to ask of you personally, if it's alright, Nighteye-san…you see, it's in regards to my son, Kolya."

Toshinori looked to his foreign friend with wide-eyed confusion as to just what he was thinking, while Nighteye looked similarly confused as to why this was being asked of him when he'd never even met Tunguska's son even once before.

However, since Tunguska knew that Naomasa didn't know the truth about One For All to begin with, he still had the good grace to make his request as subtle and unrevealing as he possibly could. "You see, his Quirk recently started acting up in a way that neither of us expected, and since his Quirk is quite different from either my own or his mother's; I simply wanted to see if there was any possibility of his Quirk possibly being linked to anyone from his mother's family line. I already known it hasn't resembled anyone from mine. I can give you whatever information about his mother you would need to get started…of course, only if it's alright to ask this of you, and depending what investigative resources you have access to. I'm only asking this as a concerned father wanting to make sure his son isn't at risk of risking his life just by using his Quirk the further it grows. You can understand this, can't you?"

As soon as Toshinori felt his racing heart steady with an air of calm once he realized just what Tunguska was really doing; Nighteye's own confused expression shifted to one of a similar understanding as he nodded. "I'm not officially under the employment of the police, Tunguska-san…so I would say that actually grants me further investigative freedom. You simply want me to try and dig up whatever information I can find on his mother's ancestry, or their Quirks, correct? If you simply give me her name and information, I can take it from there. As Heroes taking on interns in order to raise them into the best Heroes they can be, that might as well be a parenthood entirely unto itself, so I understand completely."

Tunguska felt like he nearly could have embraced the former sidekick of All Might for his compassion, as he sank back into his seat with a sigh of pure relief. "Bolshoi spasibo, Nighteye-san. At least that's one good thing with no strings attached we can walk away with from this…although I suppose the fact we've had the students all living in the dorms for four months now with no signs of any suspicious activity or espionage is another great weight off the mind."

Toshinori nodded wholeheartedly. "Yes, it still pains me that we had them all move into those dorms with the goal of rooting out the potential traitor for the League of Villains being even one of the reasons at all. A teacher should never have to suspect a student of such a terrible crime…but perhaps after this much time having passed with no such sign, this can put the rest of the teachers' suspicions to rest. The kids in both Hero Course classes all have the bright and burning hearts of true Heroes, without a doubt."

While Naomasa hadn't personally seen any of the students themselves in action thus far; Nighteye could certainly agree with Toshinori's sentiment, just as Tunguska obviously could. With that and no further developments in the investigation to be shared; the two duos of men finally thanked each other for what help they were able to give, and bid each other fond farewell.

As Tunguska and Toshinori emerged back out into the biting cold of the morning winter air, Tunguska gave out a tired groan as he stretched himself out. "Well, I'd say it's about high time we got back to Yuuei, wouldn't you agree, moi drug (my friend)?"

To his surprise, though, Toshinori slightly shook his head. "Actually, I still have to finish up organizing the last of the refurbished notes for Midoriya-shonen, but don't let me stop you from enjoying the rest of the day as you see fit."

As the former Symbol of Peace began to take his leave, Tunguska looked at him with complete confusion. "You make it sound so nonchalant! Toshinori-san, did you actually forget just what day it actually is today? Why do you think I was in such a rush to talk to some of the students after our little conversation yesterday? This is essentially the perfect day for you to give malenkii Midoriya those notes!"

And like a strike of lightning to the brain, Toshinori's sunken blue eyes widened to three times their size as he suddenly remembered just what day it was.

…

Class 1-A Dorms

"MERRY CHRISTMAS/ JOYEUX NOËL/ SCHASTLIVOGO ROZHDESTVA!"

The students of Class 1-A had spent all of the previous day pulling out all the stops to preparing their very first class-wide Christmas party together. Nikolay, Yuga, Rikido and Tenya had taken to working together as one multi-faceted team in the kitchen in order to whip up a feast that they would all never be able to forget, while the rest of the boys took care of the decorations in the commons area, and all the girls had taken it upon themselves to design and put together costumes for the entire class; each one bearing a little personal touch so they would never be able to mistake which one was for who.

For instances, while the majority of their Santa Claus-based costumes were the traditional red with white trim; Mina had made special note to not only have the puffball for Nikolay's hat be shaped like a series of further spreading circles connected by tiny little metal pieces for stabilization so it could resemble the spread of a shockwave (much like how the puffballs for every student's hat distinctly echoed back to their respective Quirks), but she had also insisted that the body for his needed to be green, since she and they all knew by now that it was the young Russian's favorite color.

And in a similar case whose details she insisted she needed to keep to herself until the time was right, Ochako insisted that her costume not only be much longer in body than everyone else's, but also that her hat be more circular instead of the slouching cone-shape of all the others, and that the body needed to be a bright blue.

But at the end of all their hard work the previous day, Christmas Day had finally come, and from the very beginning, the festivities had kicked right off with a raucous cheer across nearly the entire class, as everyone but Bakugo happily donned their respective holiday costumes. Not only did Tooru and Tsuyu both marvel at just how on-the-money Mina's fashion judgment had been with how good Nikolay looked in his distinct green Christmas outfit (to which Mina herself referred to him as her Santa's one and only elf needed, to his fluster), but everyone was already marveling at how much Ochako's blue robe-like costume stood out, with Mina, Tooru and Tsuyu all swooning over how much cuter it made her look as a result (until Mina and Denki then proceeded to focus their attention on chasing Bakugo across the commons area with his costume, despite his constant threats).

But while everyone's compliments (especially from a blushing Izuku) of her attire left Ochako bright red in the face as it was, she hadn't expected it to get the kind of reaction that it did from Nikolay, as he looked utterly star-struck with a recognition only he could have. "Uraraka-san, you actually dressed up like Snegurochka*? How did you even think to do something so specific? Is that what you and my Dad were talking about on Monday? Was this his idea? You don't have to hide it any more if it's true; I'm honestly really touched you would do something like this for us. I can't wait for him to see you like this; it's amazing how natural this looks on you."

Ochako could barely find the words to express her relief that she didn't ruin the atmosphere of the party with a costume that stood out so much, as well as her gratitude for everyone's compliments. From there, the party was abuzz with all kinds of goodhearted chatter; especially helped by the fact that by now, nearly everyone had submitted their applications for the returning Pro Hero internships after New Years, and they had all been universally accepted. In fact, the day Mina had gotten her acceptance notification about her potential internship with Mirko, even if it specified it was only for an initial test run; her cheers had almost been enough to blow the roof off the entire dorm building.

And fortunately, a lot of those left uncertain of where they would go had managed to find their miraculous solutions by now as well. As Nikolay continued working on the last touches for the food alongside Rikido and Yuga; many of their classmates were talking about that very thing.

After having lost Ryukyu in the worst possible way, it was only natural that everyone had been worried of where Ochako and Tsuyu would go, since Nejire had already been accepted into the Kamuron Hero Agency since that fateful day.

But an answer had come from the least expected of places, as Tsuyu had decided to double back and focus on her former mentor from Field Training: Selkie, who specialized in marine-based Hero work, who had not only accepted the offer to take his old intern back with open arms, but had even happily extended the offer to Ochako without even needing to be convinced of it.

However, even though they didn't want to risk dampening the mood; the same issue lingered for those select few among the students that had yet to find a place to intern under. Tenya had still found himself undecided as to where he would go that would be able to properly help him build off of what he had already learned under Knightfall; just as Izuku had been forced to admit being caught in a state of limbo, since he couldn't go back to interning under Gran Torino, and the Bright Future Agency was utterly swamped with paperwork and field work, thus leaving Mirio, Centipeder and Bubble Girl all far too busy to take on an intern again without Sir Nighteye to coordinate and run things.

Eijirou, with his own curiosity as to Izuku and Tenya's decisions having somewhat been fulfilled, just as quickly turned his eager attention to Nikolay, who by now was just in the middle of adding the final spices and herbs to the roasted turkey he and Rikido had been slaving over to make just right. "How about you, Kolya-san? Any idea if you're gonna be sticking it out up in Hokkaido? I mean, with Ashido going off to train under Mirko, at least it'll still be you and Jirou-san up there, right?"

Nikolay initially couldn't help but chuckle at the fact Eijirou had apparently missed out on the news that Kyouka had likewise decided to follow Blast beat's advice and go where she felt in her heart she needed to go next. However, from there, his expression slightly sank. "Honestly, I'm still trying to figure that out, myself. I mean, it's not like there aren't some standout options. Dad told me that while we were being carried off for medical treatment back at Nabu Island, he actually got to meet the Number Two Hero, Hawks; and that he'd actually admitted to considering taking me on as an intern after the Sports Festival. If I can't decide on anyone else, I can't imagine a Hero as highly ranked as him couldn't be capable of training me and Tokoyami-san together."

The encouraging fist bump to Nikolay's arm from Eijirou was swift, but not at all unexpected, as the red-haired young man was grinning excitedly. "That's the spirit, man! Going into new things head-first is totally the manly way to do things! Tetsutetsu and I are both gonna be interning with Amajiki-senpai under Fatgum-sensei and Tunguska-sensei! I'm so excited, the New Year just can't come soon enough!"

With a greatly amused chuckle, Maja (her costume's puffball on the hat resembling a candlestick with a flame-shaped poof on the end) stepped forward; meeting his enthusiasm by grabbing one of the nearby gingerbread men off the table and shoving it into his mouth. "Save it for when you're actually out there, Kolce. No need to burn yourself out just thinking about it."

Hurriedly downing the sudden pastry that had been shoved into his gullet, Eijirou was unperturbed in his excitement as he addressed his recent Polish friend. "I can't help it, though, internships have been so exciting! Man, I wish you could get your license already so you could come with us, Maja-san! We could go from a dynamic duo to a terrific trio, I can just feel it!"

With another hearty laugh, Maja replied: "The more you say it, the more I wish the same, buddy, believe me. I feel like we're like a regular three musketeers, the way we bullshit each other for kicks and giggles. But don't let me not being there get you all discouraged, alright? If I hear you start letting yourself fall by the wayside without me there to complete our little clique, then I'm whooping your ass, no matter what."

However, by now, Eijirou's eagerness for their internships had snapped his attention back to Bakugo, who was in the middle of having his costume and its matching hat get forced onto him by a chuckling Mina and Denki, who both hurriedly fled after he shot a murderous sneer their way. "How about you, Bakugo?! You gonna go back to Best Jeanist or what?"

Instead of the normal reaction everyone had been bracing for, of Bakugo telling Eijirou to mind his own business; his furious expression instead softened with intense thought as he simply answered: "I don't know yet."

The truth was that, as far as he could tell, he was the only student in the class to have heard about the Number Three Hero's recent disappearance, with none of his sidekicks or any other Pro Heroes having said anything further about whether they'd found him or not.

Bakugo didn't want anyone to know it, but the more he'd been thinking about his former mentor from Field Training after that news, the more he felt an indescribable weight start building in the pit of his stomach; a weight only growing by the day as he oftentimes found himself thinking back to one of the very few interactions between them that he had actually come to consider remotely meaningful:

"Bakugo-kun, is it true what I have heard from your teachers, that you don't actually have your Hero name yet?"

"That's bullshit! I had a whole bunch of names, but those clean-cut saps shot 'em all down!"

"Oh? Care to share what some of your ideas were?"

"KING EXPLOSION MURDER! LORD EXPLOSION MURDER! EXPLOSION MURDER!"

"Tsch, honestly, still such a child. Bakugo-kun, your Hero alias is meant to represent your true desires. It is the embodiment of the man you wish to see yourself become; your ideal self. You are still naïve to the ways of the real world. But I hope to show you that world one day before you set out on your own as a Pro Hero. Once you've earned your Provisional License in your second year, return to me…and on that day, tell me your chosen name."

But as Bakugo had thought back on this once all-but-forgotten memory; Eijirou's supportive energy was completely blind to it, as he innocently chimed in to his apparent best friend: "Hey, no need to sweat it, man! You're til the guy who got scouted by pretty much everyone, thanks to the Sports Festival! You've got the pick of the litter!"

But as Bakugo apathetically removed his costume, to the chagrin of Mina and Denki, he bluntly answered: "All those losers? No thanks; what could I possibly learn from them?"

But Maja, by now unable to help but reflect Eijirou's optimism, chimed in with a confident smirk: "Hey, if you c an't make up your mind, then why not stick around here with me, and we can spend all that interning time training together! What do you say, Krótki Bezpiecznik (Short Fuse)?"

While Eijirou and nearly everyone else looked happily that their Polish semi-classmate now had enough regard for Bakugo to give him his own nickname in her language, he looked utterly livid all over again. "Like hell I'm going to waste the time I could spend learning under an actual Hero by wasting away here with the likes of you! And don't you ever address me in tongues like that again!"

SLAM!

Suddenly, Minoru slammed his hands impatiently to the table; his face wrought with a frothing anger at just what it was he was hearing from all his classmates. "C'MON YOU GUYS, THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE A SACRED DAY FOR OUR YOUTH, AND YOU'RE SPENDING IT DWELLING ON SCHOOL STUFF LIKE EVERY OTHER DAY! CAN'T YOU JUST GIVE THAT A REST AND BE FESTIVE FOR ONCE?!"

While his demeanor left a great deal to be desired, nobody could argue that Minoru actually made a very valid point. Hence, when Nikolay, Yuga and Rikido all finally emerged from the kitchen area with the whole class feast in tow; everyone could finally put their minds off of anything remotely school related, and instead be able to put their energy towards celebrating Christmas properly.

And as everyone was about to partake of the absolute smorgasbord now laid out before them; Ochako could feel her phone start to hum, and when she saw the text message within it, her already cheerful face lit up that much more. Now the occasion for her very specific costume was finally about to reveal itself.

But even delicious food, snow and the festive spirit of the season and the holiday was just the beginning. Shortly after Minoru's plea had finally gotten the party really going; the class soon found themselves being graced with a most unexpected but abundantly welcome visitor: Aizawa, accompanied by the irresistibly adorable Eri, dressed in her own little Santa outfit; nervously but steadfastly greeting her teenage hosts with "trick-or-treat"; a sight that had Ochako and nearly all the other girls collapsing weak at the knees from something so precious.

Everyone could only assume, based on what they'd gleaned from the little girl's disposition and lack of common knowledge, that this was undoubtedly her very first Christmas as well; hence the overwhelming and unifying desire to give her the best Christmas party experience of all time became Class 1-A's de facto goal on this day, as she soon found herself being treated with all kinds of delicious foods, being serenaded and invited to learn and join in numerous Christmas carols led naturally by Kyouka and her guitar, and even being invited to have the honor of putting the decorative star at the top of the tree adorning the hearth area of the commons area.

Everyone was so deeply enraptured in treating Eri like the guest of honor; even as she initially tried to gift anyone she could with a handful of painted eggs in another adorable confusion between holidays; that none of them but Izuku truly took notice of how the single horn adorning her forehead had noticeably grown in size from the last time he had seen her. Yet despite this, she looked to be having none of the previous struggles she'd had in restraining her Quirk. That, in its own way, was a gift on this day that simply couldn't be compared to anything else in just how wonderful it was, solely for her sake. Clearly the training Aizawa had been putting her through was already yielding great results.

Barely an hour into the party, though; the front door nearly came bursting open, snapping everyone to full attention, only to be met with a sight that none but Ochako had expected, but Nikolay had since been coming to suspect: the sight of Tunguska lumbering in, dressed in an even thicker and more ornately-decorated blue and white-trimmed Christmas outfit with what almost looked like a large yuletide-esque crown upon his head; his already bearded face festooned with an even more massive white beard and fake thick eyebrows that almost completely obscured his eyes; all while carrying a large sack over his shoulder in one hand, and a long staff in the other that looked like it should have been in the hands of a wizard, instead of Russia's own Father Christmas, Ded Moroz, with Ochako finally being able to stand at his side as his mythology-accurate daughter, Snegurochka; a matching pair that finally made her costume make just as much sense to the rest of the class as it had to Nikolay himself.

Naturally, with Eri still being so enraptured yet unfamiliar with everything everyone was doing throughout the party centered around this holiday; the sight of a colossal bearded man like this steadily making his way toward her while laughing so heartily couldn't help but be initially frightening, as she instinctively tried to hide behind Aizawa.

However, when the tired-looking teacher instead knelt down to her level and moved aside so she could look at the giant glittery-looking bearded man before her; Tunguska, keeping in character, likewise knelt down and looked Eri in the eye. "I understand this is a very special someone's very first Christmas; someone who I hear has been an especially good girl this year. I would like to give that special girl a very special gift."

Eri kept looking uncertainly between him and Aizawa. But when he gave her a reassuring nod of encouragement, alongside Izuku sincerely telling her she had no reason to be afraid; she finally proceeded to nervously take one step forward after another towards Tunguska, who finally proceeded to open his sack of gifts for Ochako to go perusing through with a smile, before finally finding just what she knew would be the best gift for the wide-eyed little horned angel.

Without further hesitation, Tunguska pretty much gave Ochako the floor: "Let Ded Moroz's loyal snow sprite of a daughter show you just what his magic bag of gifts has for you, little one."

Kneeling down with a smile while looking Eri in the eye, Ochako proceeded to bring her hands forward, revealing a glistening, glittering snow globe with a miniature Yuuei Academy inside of it amid the countless floating snowflakes. Such an object was like something purely magical in Eri's eyes as she let Ochako rest it securely in her tiny open hands; the rosy-cheeked girl finally speaking up with emotional bubbling up in her voice: "Merry Christmas, Eri-chan."

As Eri hugged this incredible gift to her chest and tearfully thanked Ochako and Tunguska both for it; the rest of the party practically exploded in holiday cheer, as Tunguska's entrance finally spurred everyone into one of the by far most anticipated parts of the party: the gift exchange.

From the beginning, though, when Nikolay saw how every one of his classmates were actually only gifting one present to one classmate of their choosing, he felt a weight of embarrassment plummet into his stomach. "Wait, I didn't think we were doing a Secret Santa kind of thing, I thought this was something where we would be each be getting a gift for everyone in class. That's what I did."

Everyone looked completely blindsided by this reveal on the young Russian's part, as he pointed out the multitude of tiny wrapped presents that he had sneakily hidden under the tree the previous night; now caught in a moment of disbelief that they hadn't even noticed them among all the other larger gifts they had gotten for the classmate of their choosing.

Nikolay hastily started gathering up all the tiny gifts and handing them out to his classmates as per their names written on them. "I took the chance to have all of these commissioned for you when we'd gone to Gagaringrad on Sunday. When I'd said what they were for, the craftsmen there all but insisted on making these for all of you, even those of you that hadn't been there. They wanted to show their thanks to our class as a whole for having managed to become the kind of Heroes we already are, so I guess you could consider these to be just as much gifts from everyone up there as they are gifts from me."

What everyone proceeded to unwrap and behold had left many of them genuinely speechless; but Nikolay could feel his heart lighten when he saw it was a silence of genuine happiness.

From a tiny cast-iron sculpture of All Might for Izuku, one of Tunguska for Eijirou, a music box for Kyouka, a tiny glass lightning ball for Denki, a matryoshka doll set that was painted to look like all of the Heroes that had fought in Gagaringrad for Momo, a cube full of a continuously popping substance to resemble Bakugo's bristling palm Explosions for the hothead himself, a glass mural of multiple animals for Kouji, a glow in the dark star tapestry for Ochako, a glass cube full of multi-colored glistening microscopic gems for Yuga, a tall crystal mount that captured the light to glow blue from one angle and orange from the other for Shoto, a tiny figurine of a ballerina that could articulate its joints at the push of a single button into a break-dancing pose for Mina, a custom-made teddy bear for Eri, and so many others for everyone else.

Nikolay was feeling an immense swell of pride in himself when he saw how much everyone was clearly liking their presents as it was.

But that pride and acceptance quickly came to a standstill when Mina could no longer resist; looking at her boyfriend with an eager smile: "Actually, kolya-kun, this is kinda embarrassing, but we all actually got something for you from each of us, too…y'know, since this would be your first Christmas with all of us, we wanted to try and make it as special as possible, so…ta-da!"

Every one of his classmates' gifts were simple, ranging from manga, classic books and movies to further build up his respective libraries, to commemorative little sketch pieces depicting memories of any one of their specific times spent hanging out together, to even Kyouka and Mina revealing having burned a CD recording of the two of them trying to respectively play and sing any number of his traditional Russian songs to very amusingly embarrassing effect. In the end, there was no question that it had all come straight from the heart in their own unique ways, and that made it all that much more irreplaceable, as Nikolay was now the one at a loss for words, while Tunguska could only watch on with the biggest and happiest smile on his face.

Truly, his friends were a greater gift for Nikolay than anything his father would've been able to think of pulling from an actual magic bag of gifts, and he couldn't have been happier for his son if he'd tried.

From there, the party once more erupted into full swing as everybody was chatting, singing and playing together all at once; Tunguska and Aizawa both simply sitting in silent observation of such a precious moment of unfettered childlike innocence and fun that they both knew their students more than deserved after everything they'd already experienced before this year had ended.

As Nikolay had ultimately decided to join Kyouka, Denki, Ochako and Tooru in singing Christmas carols with Tenya literally acting as conductor; Mina had decided to take a different kind of initiative now that everyone was mingling.

From out of virtually nowhere, she had eventually popped back up with a tiny branch of mistletoe in hand, scanning the commons area for any signs of a boy and a girl chatting or interacting with one another, and instantly jumping on the opportunity to hold it above their heads while wearing the most excited smile ever on her face.

However, her classmates' holiday spirit was clearly only willing to go so far in comparison to her, as one potential couple among the class after another, from Momo and Shoto, Denki and Kyouka, to Tsuyu and Fumikage or Tooru and Mashirao, nobody was willing to humor their pink-skinned classmate on this; instead simply choosing to either ignore her antics or walk away when it was clear she wasn't going to stop persisting.

Unfortunately for Mina, her insistence had ended up driving Tsuyu into warning Ochako to keep an eye out for her; doubtless realizing that she would try to get the rosy-cheeked girl and Izuku under the mistletoe together even if her life depended on it. It was the right call to make, as actually having personally exchanged gifts with Izuku already had left Ochako permanently bright red in the face, as she kept looking at the All Might keychain he had given her with a subdued but infinitely heartfelt smile on her face.

But Mina's reputation for persistence was there for a reason, and if she couldn't get her number one Class 1-A ship to set sail today of all days, then she could at least try her luck with her second. And the timing was just right, as Eijirou and Maja were currently in the middle of helping Rikido and Yuga build up a sizeable gingerbread house to complete the spread alongside Hanta, Minoru, Mezo and Kouji.

But while Mina's hopeless romantic nature was being both indulged yet torturously teased by Maja deciding to kiss two of her own fingers and quickly poke them to Eijirou's cheek when he was distracted; which left him wide eyed and as red in the face as his hair; Tooru had likewise decided to take some very surprising action of her own; snatching her own tiny branch of mistletoe from one of the countless wreaths adorning the walls, and sneaking up on Nikolay while he was busy trying to figure out how to play any Russian Christmas songs on the bass he'd hurriedly left to retrieve from his room earlier.

And unlike Maja, Tooru was a thousand times bolder; as instead of a split second peck, she instead planted her invisible lips to the hot-faced Nikolay's cheek for a good five seconds before he'd even processed what was happening; giggling adorably to herself the entire time she retreated afterwards. "Merry Christmas, Kolya-kun! I owed you for helping me get my license, so now we're finally even!"

Thankfully, the spirit of the season and Tooru's departing explanation made it so much easier for Mina to accept the sight of her invisible bestie kissing her boyfriend's face. In fact, it simply got her own teasing impulses burning white hot, as throughout the rest of the party, she was practically inseparable from Nikolay's side; either dancing and singing with him, sneaking more of Rikido's Christmas cookies into his mouth when he least expected it, or simply kissing him full on the mouth without reservation whether or not she was the one holding the mistletoe over their heads, or the one time where Ochako actually had the boldness to do so while floating high above them.

But her teasing, this time, came in the form of, throughout the rest of the party, trying to get the mistletoe over Nikolay's head whenever he was talking with any one of the other girls; ultimately answering when finally called out about it by Momo, that since Tooru got to enjoy, then it'd only be fair that any of the other girls who ever wanted could have the chance as well. Thankfully for Nikolay's burning face and racing heart, nobody else dared to take her up on the offer, with Tenya thankfully putting a pin in the whole thing for the sake of Eri being too young to see such things.

The rest of the party went by as smoothly as could be, with everyone loving their presents, eating the most delicious of Nikolay, Rikido and Yuga's food to their hearts' content, and nearly singing their throats raw with Christmas carols, with even Eri soon getting so wrapped up in all the fun, that even she eventually started to join in while making up the words as she went along.

By the time dusk had started to fall, everyone was decidedly tuckered out, but there was still a great deal of cleanup work to be done throughout the commons area, while Aizawa took a sleeping Eri back home to the faculty dorms, and Tunguska assisted with the outdoor cleanup of all the decorations.

As everyone proceeded to clean up the commons area, Nikolay took it upon himself to clean up all the dishes while everyone else took the loads over to him. But as Izuku came over with a whole tray of dishes and Bakugo cleaned out all the used cups and other trash out of the kitchen; the three boys didn't notice Shoto approaching them with intent.

"Midoriya, Bezpalov, Bakugo."

His usual blunt means of speaking reflected his unknown intent, thus catching all three boys' curious attention, while he looked them all in the eye so they could see that what he was about to say next was as sincere as could be: "I couldn't help but overhear you all talking about your uncertainties about internships. If you're all truly uncertain about what Heroes you should or could go to…if you're interested, why don't you all come with me to the current Number One instead?"

Nikolay felt his heart seize in his chest the moment Shoto's offer fully sank into his head. To actually go with him, Izuku and Bakugo and intern under the Number One Hero in all of Japan, Endeavor, sounded nothing short but miraculous and insane all at once.

Outside the three of them; the silence that fell over the whole commons area was palpable; as everyone (with Mina in particular looking torn between ecstatic excitement for them, and a girlfriend's natural concern for Nikolay) looked in wide-eyed shock to Shoto to see if there was even the slightest sign he was joking.

There was none.

Alright, everyone, and that is this newest chapter. I apologize again for having it be so delayed for uploading. Hence why the previous announcement at the beginning that this story will now be uploading a new chapter on a bi-weekly schedule, as opposed to the previous weekly schedule, at least until my work schedule opens up again.

So with that, I will see you all with the next chapter on 07/08!