The Solution

A week passed and no signs of Eri or Toga Himiko were found. With each passing hour that went by, the weight on his chest and conscience grew more and more, as well as the anxiety and drive to find the silver-haired girl. Midoriya didn't lose sleep, he was as meticulous with it as he was with his training, to the point it was almost robotic. His entire routine got arranged so he had more time to patrol and maybe find a clue of their whereabouts. He kept tabs on the progress done by Centipeder and Bubble Girl at all times, as well as any other hero agencies that were involved in the search. But despite all those efforts, nothing came up, not a single clue or lead. The police department always had something to deal with so it wasn't like they could always spare manpower, even for such a critical mission like that.

This radio silence was driving him crazy, and it was showing.

The girls knew there wasn't much they could do to take him out of the "serious mode", regardless of how much it hurt to see him isolate himself like that. It wasn't the best mindset, but the situation wasn't ideal either. However, not everyone was "fine" with how the green-haired young man was dealing with the problem, namely Usagiyama.

After a week of watching the kid silently march through the streets like an automaton clad in green, scanning the area with laser eyes, she had enough. It wasn't as if she didn't understand how he felt, but sulking about it wasn't going to help them find Eri faster. And honestly, Miruko was surprised she was the one concerned about it, knowing how Ryukyu was when it came to taking care of children. Then again, she was just as laser-focused on this as Midoriya. So she guessed it was up to her to try and break the tension a bit.

"~Hnngh!~ Good work today, Deku. I think you set a new capture time record for yourself." She said, letting her body fall on the couch of Ryukyu's office. By now it was where she hung around the most when off duty, much to Tatsuma's annoyance.

She got no response from the teen, though. He just walked by, sitting on the couch in front of her and scrolling through his phone, scanning the news for any unusual reports.

"... Criminal activity has been lower since last week, right? I guess we got a lot of them jailed, huh." Still no response.

"... Hey, uh, where do you think those girls went? I mean the goth, the punk, and that little one. They didn't seem all that bad after the fight was over…" No response, his eyes never left the phone screen.

There was being focused on a mission, and there was being lost in it. If words were not reaching him, maybe she needed a more tangible approach.

The tanned woman got up and casually walked to the back of the couch he was, leaning forward and looking over his shoulder. Sure enough, he was browsing through all kinds of news and police reports he could find. He had been doing that every day for a week now. She placed her hands on his shoulders, applying some pressure and rubbing them. The sudden contact finally broke Midoriya out of his bubble.

"... What are you doing?"

"Nothing, just keep scrolling. Found anything yet?"

"No, not yet. It's so strange, knowing the League's patterns, it's weird for them to simply vanish off the map, make a silent appearance, and vanish again. Something's off… Do you have to do this?"

"Do what?"

"This." He said, placing a hand over hers.

"Oh, this? Why not? You have been working really hard this week, you deserve a little reward."

"I don't want a reward, and I didn't do anything major, now can you cut that?"

"Come on, don't cut yourself short. You covered a large area during the patrol, helped an old lady to cross the road, and caught a pickpocketer on the spot. That's some serious hero work right there–"

"Can you please drop this act?" He said, sighing heavily and removing her hands from his shoulders. Miruko was a little surprised by the reaction.

"Act? Who's saying I'm acting? I'm just trying to be a good partner here, words of encouragement and all that."

"Exactly. I don't need any of that from you." He said rather coldly.

Needless to say, the rabbit hero didn't take it very well.

"Right. You don't need that, or you don't need that from me?"

"Is there any difference?" He said, getting up from the couch to leave but Miruko caught his hand.

"Hey," Midoriya looked at her hand, and then at her face with an annoyed expression. "I know it must be hard for you but–"

"No, you don't know. And I would like if you stopped pretending you did."

"Excuse me?"

"You don't have to fake like you care about how I feel, alright? I've got this."

She was out of words for a moment. Just what happened to that kid she met a few weeks ago? Midoriya pulled his hand again, but she held on tighter. It quickly turned into a tug of war, with Midoriya trying to pry free from her grip while Usagiyama held him in place further. The push and pulling around led them to stumble on the couch, on which the rabbit hero pushed him back and fell on top, now pinning his arms down and straddling his waist. The new position made him stop for a moment, looking at her ruby-red eyes with a serious gaze.

"Can you get off me now?"

"No, not yet. Not before you drop this grumpy face."

"Are you kidding? I don't have time to waste with you, Miruko."

"Then you don't have time to waste sulking either. Do you realize all that scrolling is already being done by people who do that as their main job?"

"And what do you suggest I do? Sit idle twiddling my thumbs?"

"Well, there's this thing called relaxing. Ever heard of that?"

"How can I relax with Eri still missing? Are you out of your mind?!"

"No, but you soon will be if you keep being neurotic about it."

"Get off me, Miruko!"

"Not until you chill out, mophead!"

"And how do you pretend to do that, huh?!"

"Oh, I think you know~"

And just like that, she began to slowly rock her hips against his crotch. Her red eyes focused on his green ones, and she bit her lower lip seductively while her hands traced lines to his chest. His reaction, however, wasn't the one she expected.

Midoriya's eyes went a little dull and he grabbed her arms firmly, leaning forward a bit so their faces were closer.

"Miruko, I don't have time for your bullshit."

As gently as he could, he removed the woman from him, pushing her back on the couch, but before he could get up, she grabbed him again and tried to pin him down once more. His reaction, in a snap Midoriya pushed her back on the couch, holding her by the shoulders and pinning her down firmly.

"Oh, easy now, Big Boy. I'm still a girl, you know?~"

"I said I don't have time for this, Miruko!" He shouted at her, only to have her arms wrapped around his neck and her legs locking him in place.

"That's your problem, you don't have time for anything else. How much time do spend actually sleeping or resting?"

"My sleep schedule is perfectly fine, now let go!"

"And how about your girlfriends? How much time did you even spend with them this week?"

"Why do you care? Are you that horny that you can't stop yourself?"

"This is not about me, it's about you. I don't want to see you consume yourself like this with this obsession."

"And why do you care?"

"Because I'm a decent human being, damn it! You may think I'm just a jackass who kicks villains and criminals for fun but I care about your well-being, you idiot!"

Okay, this last bit caught him slightly off-guard, and her too, to an extent.

"You… you don't have to worry about me, I'll be fine. I can handle this, I can… I can save her, I have to…"

"~sigh~ Look, I know you feel responsible and I kinda understand it… the drive to solve whatever problem is in front of you on your own. But sometimes you can't just power through it alone. Trust me, I tried."

"You have?"

"Yeah, remember when that hooded noumu attacked? Guess who got their ass handed to them in a 1v1? I had to ask for help, rather, I didn't have a choice. Same for why I teamed up with Ryukyu, I can't do everything on my own, as much as it pains me. And neither can you, you dork. Geez, I hate giving lectures…"

Midoriya promised Aizawa he would save Eri, and was hellbent on keeping his word. Even though everyone stayed by his side and vowed to help to find her, even though they said it wasn't his fault, it didn't change the facts. Midoriya was responsible for that happening, and now it was his responsibility alone to rescue her, and quite possibly deal with Himiko more permanently. It was his burden to carry, just like the torch of One for All passed to him. He appreciated the kind words and support, but right now these things didn't help him at all in achieving the objective, and they certainly didn't make him feel less guilty. Even after Eri-chan was saved, he would feel terrible for ever allowing something like that to happen.

That's what he thought, and right now the last person he thought would give him a pep talk was doing precisely that. Well, maybe not the absolutely last person, but still, he didn't expect this from the rabbit hero, considering his last, uh, encounter with her.

Speaking of which, still holding him in place, Miruko pushed Midoriya closer so their lower bodies were near touching. She began to move her hips, lightly brushing against him while looking into his eyes with carnal desire.

"Come on, Big Boy, just relax a little. If you want you can look at this as a form of venting session. Lay it all on me, as hard and heavy as you need to. But it won't be without resistance~" She said, sliding one of her hands down his back and grabbing at his belt, but Midoriya held her wrist.

"~sigh~ I thought I told you before, I don't do this with anyone."

"Aw, after everything we went through together, I'm still a random stranger to you? I'm hurt!~" She brought her face closer to his. "But do you wanna know what I think? I think under all that mushy talk about "love", you're raring to go, just as much as I am~"

"Trust me, not everyone is as horny and out of control as you are."

"Is that why I can feel you getting hard?~"

"... That's a natural response and you know it."

"So why fight against it? Just let nature run its course. Let yourself go wild for a few minutes, maybe a few hours~ I bet you'll feel refreshed after~"

"Why do I have the impression you're the one benefiting from this?"

"It'll be beneficial for the both of us. What do you say, Big Boy? Wanna dance with this bad bunny again?~" She said, licking her lips, inching closer to his face, to his lips.

She closed her eyes naturally, feeling his warmth seep into her body, but then she got pushed back to the couch, this time more gently. Opening her eyes again, she found Midoriya still hovering above her but with a somewhat disappointed face.

"I told you, I'm not that type of guy." He said, undoing the leg lock and getting up from the couch.

However, Miruko wasn't one to give up easily, even after a sequence of failures. She jumped on him again, this time skipping the seduction and going straight for the part where she removes his clothes. This didn't happen without protests and fightback from the green teen, of course, and when he felt her pulling his shirt up and exposing his abs, he decided drastic measures were needed. Midoriya reversed the tables again, slamming her against the couch. Good thing it had a good, soft cushioning.

"Hmm~ Harder, Daddy!~"

"... Please, never call me this again."

"Why not, Daddy?~ Does it makes you feel flustered, huh?~"

He felt his eye twitch a bit.

"... Do you want me to put you in your place that bad?" He taunted, feeling something build up inside him. Something a little more aggressive than the usual arousal he felt. His hands were on her shoulders, but they were slowly sliding up to the base of her neck.

"Only if you can do that. I'm not a doormat, I fight back. Do you think you can take me, Big Boy?~"

"Heh, didn't we already settle this?" There it was. Although faint, he had a smug grin appearing at the corner of his lips, just what she wanted to see.

"Oh, that? Please, I was barely warming up."

"Your quivering legs would disagree."

"That was muscular fatigue. Now, are we going to keep exchanging quips, or… are you going to be a man and let out all that stress on me?~"

There were no more traces of HP's blood in her system, so Miruko's behavior was not due to any side effects. She really wanted this, and for some reason, Midoriya was starting to consider saying yes. Or at least part of him, a part that was currently bottling up all that frustration and negative thoughts. The source of both could be rooted in the blond bloodsucker, Toga Himiko. It was all because she came across his life and because he allowed her to stay around. All because of her warped definition of love, and her fixation with him. Perhaps if he gave her what she wanted, but way more than she could take, then she would drop that fixation.

Yeah, what if that worked? What if she stopped being enamored with him once he made her taste a little of her medicine? Just like how he did with Miruko before. She thought she could use him however she wanted, but he showed her otherwise. Well, it was becoming clear that the rabbit hero needed another round to learn her lesson, but what about Himiko? Would he really be giving her what she wanted if he was the one in control? He could do that, he could turn things around. It was sort of what he wanted to prove from the start, right? That he did not fear her, that he was past all the harm she did to him. So what if he…

"Easy there, tiger. That's a rather dark path you're considering." Nana's voice broke his line of thought.

"I'm not going to, I'm just thinking."

"You know, you can lie to others and even to yourself, but since I'm inside your head, it's kind of impossible."

"... I'm not going to."

"I'm glad you're trying to process things, but don't try to do them on your own. Miruko actually has a point, and you should already know that. With all your precious girlfriends and everything."

"I'm not going to do anything harsh, Nana-san, I promise."

"Good. I'll try to hold you on to that, Izuku. Now, are you going to entertain and her lewd thoughts?"

Midoriya considered it for a moment as Nana's presence faded to the back of his mind as usual.

"... No, I'll pass."

"Oh come on! After all that innuendo back and forth you're gonna leave me hanging?" Said the rabbit hero, quite frustrated.

"Well, I guess there's always your hand." He said with a smirk crossing his lips, which set on her competitive side.

"Let's see you say that after I'm done with you!"

"Ack! Let go, Miruko!"

She tried to pull him into a kiss but he pushed back. The pushes and pulls quickly turned into strangleholds and submissions, in which Miruko was more proficient. Midoriya was starting to consider using One For All for some extra power, but their little scuffle halted when they heard the sound of someone clearing their throat at the door.

"Ah shit, here we go again…" Miruko murmured.

"U-Uraraka? And Yanagi too, Komori, Kendo…"

"Good afternoon, Deku-kun." Said the brunette, in her usually cheerful tone. Her face didn't match it well, however.

"Hi, Love." Said the shorter brunette.

"Izuku." Yanagi quietly said.

Kendo just waved.

To say they were not pleased with finding him under Miruko with a leglock around his neck was an understatement.

"How- how was your day?" He didn't know where to lead the conversation from here.

"It was fine, pretty calm actually," Uraraka responded and the other girls nodded. "Which is why we decided to pay you a little visit since we had some free time, but I can see you have your hands full at the moment…" She said staring at him, or more specifically, at his hands holding Miruko's toned tights. Well, there could be other body parts to have his hands on right now, but that didn't stop him from immediately removing them anyway.

"Alright, that's my cue to leave." The pro hero got up, dusted herself off, and left to the next room, leaving the poor teen to deal with his beloved ones.

"Umm, hehe, this is not what it looks like."

"I'm sure it isn't, Deku-kun, but what is it, then?" It was harder for him when Uraraka held her pacific tone and expressions, even though he knew she was mad.

"She was just, uh, trying to… help me relieve some stress."

"Oh, a good thing to hear. It would be a shame if you got all pent-up and stressed, right? Who else could you go to, I wonder…" Said the ginger, with arms crossed in front of her chest.

"Kendo, not you too…"

"We were worried about you, my Love, we still are."

"Komori… I'm sorry–"

"So please explain to us why did you go to that woman before any of us?" The little mushroom girl could be just as intimidating as her fellow brunette friend. Was she taking lessons or anything?

"Look, look, it wasn't my fault! I pushed her away multiple times, and we didn't do anything this time!" Midoriya defended himself, hoping to defuse the situation as soon as possible.

"~sigh~ We saw, we were standing at the door for a few minutes, but even so!" Yanagi jumped into his arms, squeezing the life out of him. "Izuku, why do you have to attract so many girls?!"

"Don't… ask… me…" He said between breaths. For someone with her frame, Yanagi gave out really strong hugs.

The others couldn't stay mad for long and joined them in a group hug, further squishing the boy as a mix of punishment and comfort. Yet another reminder that he wasn't alone on this.

Right after, Ryukyu and Nejire-chan arrived. The bluenette was delighted to find some of her kouhai around, as well as Midoriya, and wanted to join the group hug. The blond woman was also surprised but didn't think much of it.

Now it was time to return to U.A. The small group made their way back in a slight hurry to arrive on time, but they could still talk a bit about how the internships were going. Obviously, everyone avoided mentioning Eri-chan for the sake of Midoriya, but they were doing what they could to help.

Once they arrived, the girls from 1-B and Hado-senpai went on their separate ways, while Uraraka and Deku stayed behind for a while longer at the entrance. It was a pleasant beginning of the night, with a chill breeze blowing behind them as they watched the city skyline light up.

"Umm, Ochako?"

"Hmm?"

He hesitated a bit.

"Sorry for all that."

"For what? That thing with Miruko? It's fine." She said, waving a hand.

"For real?"

"W-well, I would be lying if I said it didn't infuriate me," She admitted, taking a deep breath in while trying to contain her anger. "But I have come to accept the fact you're just that attractive, and it's not like you do that on purpose, Deku-kun. I can't help but get mad, but deep down I know you would never do such a thing as cheating, because you would never hurt me. Right?~"

Ochako then reached for his hand, interlocking their fingers.

"Ochako… Thanks, and again sorry that this happens so much. And sorry for not going for you when I felt down. I just thought I had to solve this on my own. I still do…"

"It's okay, Deku-kun, I understand. Take as much time as you need, I'll always be here when you need me. Just… let's try to reduce your contact with other women, shall we?"

They shared a light laugh, but a part of him knew it wasn't completely a joke.

They turned around to head back to the dorms, but something caught his attention, an obscured figure dragging itself from behind a corner. As he did a double take, his body froze up and his emerald green eyes widened in shock.

There she was, bloody, battered, with her blond hair dirty and more disheveled than the usual messy buns. She leaned on a wall with one hand for support, limping her way toward the entrance. The other arm held something close to her body protectively, wrapped in singed cloths. She weakly raised her head, sighting the entrance of the renowned hero school, as well as the two heroes in training. Her yellow eyes met his emerald-green ones for a second, and she let out a faint sigh of relief.

"... Finally." And just like that, Toga Himiko collapsed.

But before she could even hit the floor or the wall she was leaning on, a gloved hand caught her, or rather her green jumpsuit, propping her up to eye level. Her head swung back as she became unconscious, only catching a faint green blur before everything faded to black. She couldn't ask for more.

Meanwhile, Midoriya felt a great turmoil of emotions within his chest. There she was, the bane of his life, bruised and dragging herself to the entrance of U.A. after doing something absolutely despicable, with a smile crossing her face, just like when she gave herself up. Was it all just a sick joke at his expense? The green teen could only focus on her figure right now. She was knocked out cold, defenseless, he could solve all the problems right there if he wanted. No one would blame him, right? He had all the reasons for that.

But perhaps it would be better if he waited, they still didn't know where Eri was. They could extract this information from her. Hell, he would do it himself, Midoriya would make absolutely sure she spilled out the beans, no matter what happens. There was no time for mercy, not that she had ever done something to earn it, especially from him. This was the perfect opportunity to make her pay for everything she did to him. Yes, this was the chance to enact justice, make her taste her own medicine, and hopefully force her to stop pretending she loved him.

Midoriya had a hundred conflicting thoughts racing in his mind, most of them arguing over the morality of these dark ideas clouding his vision, but who could blame him? This situation was desperate, poor Eri was who knows where with the League of Villains, and it was his fault that Himiko had escaped. Such was his torpor that he didn't notice the light stirring of the dirty cloth wrapped around her body, her arm still shielding it despite the rest of her body going limp. It was only when a gray-haired head popped up that Midoriya broke from his trance-like state.

His eyes moved further down and sure enough, there she was, ruby red eyes gleaming and glistening with fresh tears as she met his gaze.

"Deku…?"

"E… Eri?"

"Deku!"

She jumped out of the torn bag and into his arms, clinging to him like a koala cub to its mother. Midoriya instinctively let go of the fainted blondie and held Eri, still stunned by the back-to-back shocking revelation. The little girl buried her face into his chest, crying with a big smile on her face.

"It's really Deku– hic~ I was so scared– hic~" She said between hiccups.

Holding the sobbing girl against his chest like that felt… quite alien, honestly. Just a moment ago he was considering doing some terrible things and now, peace. The dark clouds casting shadows over his mind dispersed, and all it took was seeing Eri again, alive and well on top of that. In fact, he did a quick check and she was mostly harmless. In need of a bath, but otherwise perfectly fine. The same couldn't be said about Himiko, which begged the question:

"Just what happened to her…?" Uraraka said, having run after Midoriya when she saw him bolting to the nearby alley for apparently no reason. Imagine her shock when not only did she see the blond bitch again and in terrible shape, but also Eri, carried by the aforementioned bitch nonetheless.

End of Chapter