"Why'd you let me sleep for so long!?" Setsuna pounded on Izuku's chest. He at least had the decency to look sheepish.

"You looked tired." He rubbed the back of his head, smiling nervously.

"I was," Setsuna admitted. "But!" She held up a finger in his face. "No more fun without me, y'hear?"

"Of course!" Izuku assured her.

"Now that those two are done, can we finally get some fu-ahem, freakin' food?" Awase coughed into his fist as he narrowly avoided swearing with Ibara just feet away from him.

"We're still waiting on a few," Izuku said as he shook his head while Setsuna hugged him for warmth, or so she would always claim. Everyone minus Itsuka, Yui, Kinoko, and Shihai were present outside the inn.

"Kinoko and Shihai I get," Neito said as he crouched low to the ground. "Saw those two going on a date earlier. But why is Itsuka of all people late? And she got after me earlier…"

"I saw her heading back up the ski lift with Yui!" Tetsutetsu told him. "I think she's really hooked on it!"

"Well they better be here soon or I'm going to eat without them," Togaru grumbled.

"Now, I'm sure they'll be here soon," Nirengeki assured him. "Let's just give 'em a little longer. Knowing Itsuka she's probably rushing to get back here."


"I am never gonna hear the end of it from Neito!" Itsuka gasped out as she and Yui ran for the inn. Both of their cheeks were red from the cold and all the running, with the stoic faced girl lagging behind.

Soon Yui had to slow to a halt, out of breath as she leaned against the corner of one of the shops. She watched Itsuka get a little ahead, turn her head to see where she was at, then stop to take a breather as well.

Yui focused on refilling her oxygen supply with short gasps before they finally began to even out somewhat. She was about to lift off from the wall when she felt something wet and sticky against her palm. She lifted it from the brick wall to find it coated in-

Blood!? Yui staggered away from the wall, staring at the streaks of red curving around the building's corner and into the gap between two of the buildings. The alley, with its patches of weeds, snow, and dirty bricks, wasn't very long, but something akin to a shadow seemed to envelop it in darkness. A feeling of dread washed over her, chilling her in a way the cold of winter never could. She tried to move further away, to just look away from the growing darkness, but she was rooted to the spot. It felt like something was coming. Coming for her! Closer and closer! She tried to scream, but her mouth wasn't working! She-!

"Yui?"

The black haired girl jumped at Itsuka's touch, her ability to move back. She opened her mouth. "Itsuka, the-!" But her words died in her throat. The alley was no longer dark and no streaks of blood stained the bricks. She lifted her hand, but it too was free of red. Yet the sense of foreboding remained, and her entire body felt sticky with cold sweat.

"Yui, what's wrong?" Itsuka glanced down the alley, then back at her. "Did you see something?"

"N-no, I-" Yui didn't know what to think. "I-I'm fine. Let's go!" She hurried off after that uncharacteristic squeak in her voice, giving her friend no choice but to follow in concerned silence.

Even when they had gotten far away from the alley, and the inn and their classmates came into sight, she still couldn't shake the feeling as if someone, or something, was watching her.


"Must you have one of those with every meal?" Ibara sounded exasperated as she pointed her chopsticks at Hitoshi, who was currently sucking on another jelly pouch labeled as cactus flavored.

"They're nutritious," was his only answer as he sucked it dry.

"You're becoming more and more like Aizawa-sensei with each passing day," Ibara sighed, returning to her food. She frowned. She liked to think she was well attuned to each of her classmates, and there was someone who felt off ever since she'd gotten back with Itsuka. Yui was normally quiet and stoic, and while she was certainly being quiet, her stoic expression looked forced.

"Thanks." Hitoshi crumbled the pouch in his hands.

"It wasn't-nevermind," Ibara sighed in defeat, turning her gaze away from Yui. She'd ask her what was wrong in private after they ate.

"Say ahhh~"

"Set, I can-oomph!"

"Hah, got ya!" Setsuna cheered as Izuku choked for a second on the sushi she'd shoved into his mouth before managing to chew and swallow.

"Must you, Set?" Neito asked on the other side of Izuku.

"Punishment." She then pointed across the room. "I mean, at least I'm not like our resident lovey-dovey couple." All eyes in the immediate vicinity turned to stare at Kinoko and Shihai, the former holding up sushi in her chopsticks and Shihai accepting it with a light blush. Then he would offer her some in return, and she'd take it with a blush of her own accompanied with light giggles.

"Fair enough," Neito accepted, then startled once Izuku began eating at a rapid pace. "Geez, what's gotten into you!?"

Izuku swallowed. "Gotta try out that theory of yours while I still have a chance. Was thinking of heading into the forest to try it out."

"Without me?" Setsuna pointed her chopsticks at him threateningly.

"Now hold on." Itsuka glared at both of them. "We're supposed to get a tour from Sen after lunch."

"I don't mind," Sen tried saying but Itsuka shushed him and continued to glare at both Izuku and Setsuna. Predictably, Izuku cracked first.

"Yes, Itsuka," he bowed his head.

"I won't crack that easily," Setsuna said confidently, matching her friend's glare. They held that position for a good long moment before Itsuka's mouth curved into a smirk. It took for her knuckles to be cracked for Setsuna's confidence to waver.

"Okay fine!" She gave in, throwing her arms into the air. "Sen, this better be the tour of a lifetime."

"Oh great, thanks a lot Class Rep," Sen gave her a dry look.

"You're welcome," Itsuka patted him on the shoulder before returning to her food. "Hey Vice Rep, if you're done eating, perhaps you could go over the schedule with Sen?"

Izuku sighed, but nodded. "Can do."

"You see," Setsuna said after inhaling her food. "This is why I actively avoided becoming Class Rep and Vice Rep this year. Too much paperwork. I barely have time to do my own homework as is."

"Set, you always wait until last minute to do your homework."

"Exactly, barely enough time." Setsuna turned to Nirengeki. "Still surprised you turned it down this year though."

Nirengeki shrugged. "It was fun, but not really my thing as it turned out. Besides, I can put more time into my boxing."

"Hell yeah!" Tetsutetsu pounded him on the back, making the poor boy choke on his food. "That fighting spirit in you is inspiring!"

"Tetsutetsu, chew with your mouth closed please."

"...sorry Ibara."

While Izuku went over the schedule with Sen, he couldn't help but notice Yui out of the corner of his eye. There was something… off. He'd noticed Ibara staring at her earlier, along with Itsuka, so he started paying attention as well. And she was definitely not her normal self. He felt eyes boring into him and he turned to see Setsuna giving him a questioning look. He discreetly nodded towards Yui and it took Setsuna a few moments before a dawning understanding shown in her eyes, which was then followed by a frown.

Well, I'll leave it to the girls to figure this one out, Izuku decided. Unless I'm needed for some reason, probably best to stay out of it.


"Here's the police station." Sen pointed to the small building as he led the group of nineteen other students down the snow dusted sidewalks. They'd started at the inn and headed down into the town, which the first bit was mostly shops and restaurants to cater towards tourists, while more of the outskirts held the residential and buildings necessary for a town to function.

"Town Hall isn't that far off, just a block away," Sen continued. "Oh, the power grid is right there." He nodded towards the fenced off area, which stuck out like a sore thumb between the brick buildings with the snow capped forest lying just beyond. "There's a couple of cell towers here and on the mountain, but aside from that this city doesn't rely too much on technology. It's nice, in an old-fashioned sort of way. I guess."

"Hey, I wonder what they did with the idiot who tried stealing that purse earlier," Neito wondered, nudging Izuku in the shoulder.

"Huh, what happened?" Setsuna blinked owlishly at them. "What did you two do?"

"Didn't I just say it was a person who stole a purse?"

"It's Izuku," Shinso said with a smirk. "We tend to expect more."

"We were at a café earlier," Izuku told them with a hint of exasperation. "Some guy tried to steal a purse and while I did try to stop him, the local sidekick got to him first."

"Would I know them?" Setsuna asked.

"Probably not?" Izuku shrugged. "Her hero name is Yamatora. Quirk: White Tiger. From what footage I've seen and what I saw earlier, she can morph her body partially into that of a white tiger, giving her enhanced strength, speed-"

"So she's a real life catgirl," Setsuna said with a straight face.

Izuku choked on his next words and turned a violent shade of red while Neito tried hard not to burst out laughing. He failed. Shinso meanwhile freely snickered at Izuku's expense.

"Hey, idiots in the back," Itsuka called from the front of the group. "Don't make me come back there!"

"Sorry Itsu, just having a little fun that's all!" Setsuna yelled back with a grin and a wave.

"Moving on," Sen said from upfront. "There's no hero school, so anyone who goes down that path has to go out of town. I was actually inspired by Yamatora to go to UA. She failed to get in, so she pushed me to do it for her."

"Huh," Yosetsu rubbed his chin with a devilish smile. "You come from the boonies. And you have an older senpai who just so happens to be a girl."

"Possibly childhood friends?" Kosei chimed in with a similar grin.

Sen gave them both a dry look. "I really don't like what you two are implying."

"Come on Sen my guy," Awase hooked an arm around his shoulder. "Bros can tell one another these things."

"He's right." Kosei got the other shoulder. "No secret should be-URK!"

"That's enough outta you two," Itsuka said, continuing past the fallen boys while Ibara walked beside her, her vines extending out to snag both of them.

"What's that for?" Jurota asked Sen, pointing a furry finger towards a log cabin styled building.

"Oh, that's Turnback's hero agency," Sen explained. "We might as well drop by and say hi to see if anyone's around. Being out here in the mountains and forest means they mostly have to do rescue oriented work. Most they have to deal with regarding villains would be the occasional rowdy tourist. Trying to steal a purse is really rare out here. Aside from tourists, everyone knows everyone here."

"Gah, this place sucks," Togaru complained as he shoved his hands into his coat pockets. "Where's that kendo place you mentioned, Nirengeki?"

"Oh, that place shut down a few years back," Sen said, glancing back at him. "Not enough business for it I suppose. I trained there for a bit actually."

"DAMMIT, THIS PLACE REALLY SUCKS!"

"Now now, I'm sure there's something else you can find to do here," Nirengeki grinned sheepishly. "Probably should have checked that site's date."

"We didn't come here to do stuff like that anyway," Juzo said, patting Togaru on the back. "This is a town famous for its ski resort, not kendo. Besides, we won't even be here that long. New Years is just two days away now and we're only here for a day after that."

"We should still make the most of it," Hiryu said as they neared the hero agency.

As everyone followed Sen inside, Yui found herself stopped by Setsuna. Neito stopped to question them, but Izuku tugged him along with Shinso trailing behind. The green haired girl waited until the doors were closed to give Yui a concerned look. "What's wrong girl?"

"...nothing," Yui said, not meeting her eyes.

"Something is obviously bothering you," Setsuna said firmly. "The goal here is to have a nice and wonderful vacation. If something is bothering you, you should tell us." She reconsidered her words. "Well, if it's too personal, then spare the deets, but we just want to make sure you're okay, okay? You haven't been yourself since before lunch."

Yui was looking increasingly uncomfortable. "Promise… promise not to laugh."

"You know me," Setsuna assured her.

When Yui merely stared at her, Setsuna cringed. "Okay, fine, I admit, that was pretty bad. But I swear I won't laugh, promise."

Yui hesitated, but nodded. "Earlier, when Itsuka and I were coming back to the inn, I saw… something. Blood. Darkness. But then it was just… gone." She shuddered and hugged herself. "I really hate horror. So seeing that was…"

"So it just disappeared?" Setsuna asked.

Yui nodded. "It… it felt like… the darkness was staring at me… and it still…" Another shudder passed through her body.

"Yui." Setsuna grabbed her shoulders, staring straight into her eyes, searching for something. "Do you still feel like there's something watching you?"

Yui finally met her gaze. In her eyes Setsuna saw a haunted expression. "Yes."


"Pro Hero Turnback," Izuku muttered to Neito and Shinso as he dragged the former inside so he could let Setsuna talk to Yui. The inside of the agency had a homely and warm feel to it, soft orange light matching perfectly with the log cabin aesthetic. "His Quirk is called Game Tracking. It gives him enhanced senses, allowing him to track wildlife through various means of sight, scent, sound, even taste. Even when a trail disappears, he's still able to track whatever he's targeted so long as he's already caught their scent so to speak."

"You said wildlife," Neito muttered back as Sen began chatting with the secretary at the front desk, who looked pleased to see the black haired teen. "And you said he's a rescue hero. So that means…?"

"Uh-huh," Izuku confirmed. "He's able to track humans just the same. As it turns out, since he's stationed way out here, he does more for the local wildlife and tracking them. He's something of a wildlife expert. But he does do rescue work and gets called out to various areas. He's one of the highly sought out rescue heroes for lost hikers, mountaineers, and the like."

"You think he came all the way out here as a way to not be sought out so often?" Shinso asked curiously.

"Nah, he just likes the peace and quiet. Plus, he really loves animals."

The three boys glanced behind them to see none other than Yamatora standing behind them with a grin. Without her features turning into a tiger, Izuku's eyes were drawn to her hair. While white like her sister's, it had black streaks mixed in and was kept just above her shoulders.

"Y-Y-Y-Yamatora!" Izuku yelped.

"That's me!" She grinned as she pulled off her blue winter jacket to reveal toned arms and a white tank top. "Phew, it was getting too hot for that in here." She tossed it behind her on the floor. "You can just call me Yuunaiyama. Or wait, you're already acquainted with my sisters aren't you? Isami is fine then!"

This kid and his hero worshipping, Neito thought to himself as he watched Izuku stare at the discarded coat like it was sacred treasure.

"You certainly know your stuff," Isami nodded approvingly at Izuku. "Hero fanatic I take it? I was a bit like that. Well, I guess I still am." She looked up from him and grinned widely when she realized the entire class of students were looking at her. "So this is the class of hero students from UA, huh? Sen, you're here ain'tcha!?"

Yosetsu grinned wickedly and pushed his friend out of the group where he'd been hiding. Isami lunged forward and barreled into him, nuzzling his head while hugging him. "Welcome back you bite-sized hero!"

"Oh hah hah," Sen struggled to pry her off him. "You're only doing this to give my classmates the wrong idea! You haven't changed a bit!"

"Purrhaps," she patted his head before pulling away from him. "Well then, welcome to Fuyu UA! We're glad to have you! We have all you could want in the form of winter entertainment, and not so much in blood-pumping heroic work, so I'm afraid those hero licenses of yours won't be seeing much use while you're here. But-!" She yanked on Sen again before he could move away. "You can count on big sis here to help y'all out if you need it!"

"Sen, what a catch you made," Yosetsu wiped an imaginary tear from his eye.

"He's the best of us," Kosei pretended to sob into his arm. "He deserves this."

"Wait," Tetsutetsu looked between them and Sen. "Sen, is that your GIRLFRIEND!?"

"NO!" Sen shouted while Isami laughed hysterically. "She's like five years older than me, man!"

"Well, some people have certain tastes-" Yosetsu managed to get out before Itsuka whacked him on the back of the head, then Kosei for good measure.

"I hate all of you," Sen grumbled. "Especially you, Isami."

"Nah, you love me!" She slapped him on the back. "Anyway, if you all were hoping to meet Turnback, he ain't home at the moment. He should be back this evening though. I keep the peace in the meantime."

"Oh yeah, whatever happened to the perp from earlier?" Neito asked eagerly.

"In lockup," Isami told him. "Still looking into if he has a record or not. Getting results out here can be iffy at times."

"True that," Sen nodded in agreement. "Anyway, I promised to give them the tour of the town, so unless you wanted to come with…"

"Psh, I wish," Isami yanked him close and gave him a noogie, to which he protested against and Yosetsu and Kosei laughed their butts off. "But I gotta write up a report about our resident purse snatcher. Boring stuff, wish I could get out of it, but alas, I cannot. Make sure to say hi to Kohaku!" She told Sen sternly before letting him go. "She missed you too."

"Yeah yeah, understood," Sen looked relieved to be out of her grasp. "Come on guys, let's go."

Back outside, Izuku didn't see Setsuna nor Yui for a moment before they quietly slipped back into the group without anyone else noticing. Setsuna caught his eye and motioned for him to come over. Slowing down, Izuku had to shake his head at Neito when he began to slow as well, and waited for the two girls to catch up.

"What's wrong?" Izuku asked, concerned.

Setsuna answered for Yui. "I'll tell you more later, but you didn't happen to bring all of your notebooks with you, did you?"

"Only a few, but I do have most of the memorized I think. Why?"

Setsuna pursed her lips. "How would you say your memory is for your villain entries?"

Izuku almost stopped walking. He lowered his voice and asked, "Is there a villain here?"

"We're…" Setsuna glanced at Yui, who was determined to stare straight ahead. "Not sure. Again, I'll tell you more in detail later, but from what it sounds there's a possibility Yui might have been affected by a Quirk that affects the psyche. Any ideas?"

"Well, I'll need more information than just that," Izuku said, looking to Yui. "If that's alright?"

She nodded after a few seconds.

"Set," Izuku lowered his voice so only she could hear. "How likely is it that this is a villain?"

"I don't know," she whispered back. "I'm really hoping it isn't and maybe she just hadn't gotten enough sleep. So hopefully if no villain matches what she's described we can give her peace of mind. But if there is a villain who's doing this, then we need to be aware."

"Yeah," Izuku muttered, his mind's eye already flipping through the pages of his various Quirk Entries that he could remember off the top of his head. Once upon a time they had been solely dedicated to heroes and ways to become one, but in the last two years he'd taken to studying villains as well. Watching old videos of famous villains who'd gotten arrested, small-time criminals, and especially ones who were still at large were just some of the ones he studied.

He prayed there wasn't a Quirk affecting Yui, but the seed had been planted and a pit of worry now sat in his stomach. The 'what if' haunted him. If there was a Quirk affecting her, and he knew of it, he would find it. He had to. After all, he was a hero, and if nothing else, he would be a hero to his friends.