Author-mon "It's not as long as I would like but at least it's something. I do hope you enjoy this chapter and have a great day!

"Kirishima?" Bakugo said surprised.

Kirishima immediately rushed him into a hug "Bakubro!"

Bakugo slowly hugged back but felt very weird about this. Once they separated, he asked "Why are you here?"

"I wanted to see my friend, man. You, ok?" Kirishima replied.

Bakugo sighed in disbelief before letting out a light smile "... Yeah... Thank you, Kirishima."

Kirishima smiled wide and the two began to catch up on what's been going on with them.

Meanwhile, Izuku, Mina and Eri were getting ready to depart from Inko's apartment.

Inko nuzzled into Eri and smiled "I'm going to miss you sweetie~!"

Eri just chuckled "I'll miss you too, Grandma!"

Everyone said their goodbyes and proceeded to make their way to the train. All Might offered a ride, but they politely declined, thinking it'd be better for everyone for a number of reasons.

Mina had a smug look on her face and Izuku was already preparing himself for the-

"Told ya so~" Mina said, interrupting and yet completing Izuku's thought.

"I know, I know. I'm not gonna hear the end of this but... Please don't tell Todoroki" Izuku gently pleaded.

"Why not?" A curious Mina asked.

Izuku sighed "Like you, Todoroki guessed that All Might and I were related... He called me All Might's secret love child..."

"Kkc" Mina held back a laugh, so she didn't embarrass him, but it was getting harder to hold back.

Eri gently tugged on Mina's pants "Mommy? Are you ok?"

Mina quickly swallowed her laugh and took a few deep breaths "Phewww I'm ok, Eri. Just... Caught off guard was all hehehe."

Eri nodded, smiling as he grabbed each of her parent's hand's and continued pleasantly walking beside them.

Izuku was starting to get excited as they entered the train. He remembered that Eri's playmate was most likely gonna be there once they returned.

Meanwhile back with Bakugo and Kirishima.

Kirishima was laughing at a story he had just told "Seriously bro, you had to be there. Mineta can't look at mangos ever again!"

Bakugo let out a light chuckle "Yeah... Sounds like a riot."

Kirishima noticed his lack of enthusiasm "Hey, are... Are you ok?

Bakugo didn't respond for a second "... Kirishima" he said grabbing the red-haired student's attention even more "... Tell Jirou... That I'm sorry... I know she won't trust it after all I did, and she doesn't have to believe me but... Things are going well here with Hound Dog... I'm... I'm learning a lot." He looked up at Kirishima "And I want Jirou to know I'm sorry. Even if she hates me."

Kirishima was looking into Bakugo's eyes, he wasn't sure what to believe anymore, but he'd been Bakugo's ambassador to others for so long, this favor would be a cake walk. "... Sure."

Bakugo lightly gasped, looking rather stunned.

"I'll do it... Just... Stay strong, bro." Kirishima gave him a winning smile before Hound Dog spoke up from the doorway "Sorry, buddy, but you gotta go now."

Kirishima sighed "Yes, sir" he gave Bakugo a hug which Bakugo lightly returned before he left with a wave.

Hound Dog closed the door and made his way over to his office chair. He could tell that Bakugo was conflicted with certain feelings again and decided to interrupt his students train of thought "Bakugo." He said to get the boys attention "I don't mind allowing your friend over for a couple of minutes, but I want you to stay dedicated to getting better. Please keep meditating".

Bakugo almost let every word of what Kirishima had said get to him, he was truly bothered by the fact that he'd let all of his classmates down, even after apologizing to them, they embraced him... And he stabbed them in the back.

Kirishima still being his good friend was something he didn't think was possible. He knew now though, if he wanted to keep his friends, or have a chance at fixing his friendships, it wasn't a matter of if's anymore, he had to change. Now or never.

Izuku, Mina and Eri had just gotten back to the safety of the U.A. grounds. Eri was currently swinging between her parents as they walked, she looked to be on cloud 9, laughing as she swung back and forth.

As they approached their house, they heard the sound of the swing moving in the back, the clanking of the metal chain gave away that someone was in the backyard. Izuku was the first one on guard as he eased Eri down from the swinging "Hey, Mina. Hold onto Eri for a sec"

Mina nodded and picked her up while waiting for Izuku to check the backyard. He was cautious in his approach before he heard a voice.

"Ugh... How long is it gonna take them to get back?" The voice of a young boy said.

"Patience, all good things come to those who wait" a mature feminine voice replied.

Izuku immediately knew who they were and smiled before walked out from around the corner smiling "Hey guys!"

"Deku!" The young boys voice said.

Mina tilted her head, she and Eri could see Izuku excitedly leap out from around the house. "Who is Deku talking to, Mama?" Eri asked curiously.

Mina hummed for a moment "Maybe it's one of our classmates? No idea."

After a moment, Izuku peeked at Mina and Eri from around the corner, motioning for them to follow him.

Mina, having known Izuku's tendencies for being extremely safe, trusted that whoever it was wouldn't harm them. She made her way over and once they made it around the corner, were greeted with the sight of Pro hero Mandalay and her small nephew Kota. "Huh? Mandalay?!" Eri immediately tensed at seeing new people she was unfamiliar with. Nonetheless, Mina walked up to the two asking "What are you guys doing here?"

Mandalay smiled "Well. I have a favor to ask you guys."

Kota was currently trying not to show his excitement over seeing Izuku again and thus, had crossed his arms and looked down before he could see Eri.

Mandalay smiled at this and turned to Kota before gently asking "Would you two please... Be Kota's temporary guardians?"

Mina was a bit shocked at this. "What's that mean, Mama?" Eri asked.

Mina turned to Eri before realizing she didn't need to be in this conversation. She gently put Eri down and pet her head "I'll tell you later, for now, why don't you play with Kota for a bit?"

Once Kota heard his name, he looked up a bit to finally catch a full view of Eri. His mouth went dry as he found himself taking a quick deep breath at how absolutely stunning Eri was to him. Her big red eyes seemed to capture him into a state of shock.

Eri turned to Kota who looked rather threatening to her, she could see his eyes and they seemed to be unhappy from what Eri could gather and he had spikes on his hat. She still, however, decided to be brave and took a deep breath before going over to Kota and asking "D-D-Do you w-wanna go p-p-play?" She asked as best she could.

Kota blushed lightly before tilting his head down a bit and nodding. This gave Eri the ability to relax a bit "W-Wanna play on the s-slide?"

Kota looked to the slide before answering "...Sure..." Eri and Kota then went over and began to play a bit.

Mina, Izuku and Mandalay watched their interaction with a lot of interest before Mandalay sighed "Shall we sit somewhere?"

Izuku guided them to an outdoor patio table with four chairs before sitting down. Mina, in truth, was still processing all of this. "Sorry to bring this up so suddenly" Mandalay told them, breaking Mina from her trance.

"Don't be sorry!" Mina yelled.

Izuku simply nodded "The pro hero life must not be easy. Any reason as to why you'll be leaving him with us though? Mister Aizawa called me about this earlier but only gave a brief description of your reasons."

Mina turned to him sharply at hearing this 'Wait... So, this was the surprise?'

Mandalay smirked a bit "Yeah... First off, Izuku, Kota never stops talking about you. Secondly, I heard about Eri and thought they might be able to make friends with one another. And third, I'll be on a very important mission with the others soon. We don't know how many late or sleepless nights we're gonna need for this mission. For that, I prefer Kota to be safe and watched over by people he and I can trust. Sadly, you guys are the only ones who fit the bill."

Mina sighed "Well... How long is this gonna be?"

Mandalay shrugged "It's supposed to be at least 3 weeks but depending on how our investigations go, it could be less or more."

Izuku was a bit shocked "Wow... That's a long time. Will you at least be getting some rest?"

Mandalay nodded "I will but... If I'm being honest, Kota needs someone who has more time to offer him than I do... That's why I'm asking you guys... Please watch Kota for me" she finished with a bow.

Izuku knew his answer right away but turned to Mina and waited for her answer.

Mina crossed her arms and sighed "Kinda wish Izuku would have told me about this up front..." She then smirked "But hey, guess this guy is figuring out I like surprises huh?" She finished with an adorable chuckle.

Mandalay breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled with her. "Thank you so much, you two. Oh, and don't worry about money, I'll be sending it to your teacher to give to you for Kota's food."

Both teens bowed respectfully "Thank you!" They said in unison.

Eri and Kota we're currently underneath the slide, sitting on the wood chips.

Eri spread her arms out in a cool way "W-Welcome to the hi-hidden base. You can't tell anyone where it is!"

Kota raised an eyebrow "Were only under the slide..."

Eri waved her hands at him "shhhh! Don't tell anyone!"

Kota sighed 'Is this girl for real... I heard she'd had a messed up past, but it seems like she's just like any normal kid.' he thought to himself as she continued to ramble.

Eri took a deep breath "Okay... I'm Eri! N-Nice to meet you." She said trying to look confident as she stretched out her hand slowly.

Kota blushed and gently shook her hand "I'm uh... Kota. Nice to meet you too" he said a bit shyly.

Eri sighed in relief "... Hey so... Do you know my Mama and Papa?"

Kota was immediately put on notice 'M-Mama? Papa?!' "I uh... I know Deku from when he saved me. I thought he was just playing hero like a lot of other heroes you see out there nowadays... that was until I saw the pain, he went through to fend off a villain from trying to kill me."

Eri gasped "He saved you too?!" She said excitedly with stars in her eyes.

Kota blushed at how cute she looked "Yeah... Though I heard that you had it much worse."

Eri deflated a bit thinking about it "Yeah... It hurt... I didn't know what I should have done... But in the end... I moved my arms towards him without thinking."

Kota listened carefully, he noticed how vulnerable she seemed and didn't want to risk upsetting her.

Eri lightly chuckled "Mama wasn't even there at the time. But I met her and Papa in that one place where people help you feel better."

Kota tilted his head "A hospital?" 'How does she not know what that is?'

Eri nodded "Yeah! That place! So. Is this your first time meeting my Mama?"

Kota thought about it then immediately flashbacked to the first time he really noticed her... Which was when she waved to him in the complete nude. His face immediately went red as a puff of smoke blew off his face. "I uh... I met... Her ... Before... But uh... I don't wanna talk about it" he shyly lowered his head and looked to the side. Eri began to wonder what happened as she tilted her head.

Kota took a deep breath "So! Uh... Do anything cool around here?" He said in a desperate attempt to change the subject.

Eri smiled wide "Oh! There's a buncha stuff! Mama will play games with me, Papa will sometimes read me bedtime stories, and they're both really good cookers!"

Kota raised an eyebrow "You mean cooks?"

Eri thought about it "Is that what they're called? If so, then yes!" She said as she closed her eyes and tightened her fists with a smile.

Kota sighed "You're hopeless..." He then got a good look at that happy face if hers and almost instantly wanted to look away due to the feelings in his chest swelling up.

Eri's happy face suddenly turned confused "Hopeless?"

Kota froze up "Gah! I didn't mean that sorry!"

Eri tilted her head "Huh? What's that mean?"

Mandalay was watching their interaction with great interest just like the two teens next to her. They couldn't understand what they were saying as the children were being pretty quiet, but they seemed to get along.

Mandalay chuckled "I can't thank you enough Izuku."

Izuku turned to her a bit baffled "What do you mean?"

Mandalay only chuckled once more "Ever since you saved him that day... It's like he hit the reset button. He has more interest in heroes and is much more positive around the other pussycats. I know that he was only tolerating us before but... He started entertaining us with his help. Sometimes he'd help me with morning chores and making food for the others... It's like... He has hope once again."

Mina was confused at that part "Whatcha mean? He didn't have any goals?"

Mandalay shook her head "Not even one. He just wanted all heroes to go away... So, imagine how he felt being raised by one. Now though, I think he's trying to discover himself. Figure out what his purpose is."

Izuku looked back at the kids who were still talking, it looked like they were arguing my Izuku could tell it was nothing serious. "They'll both find it."

The girls turned to him "Huh?"

Izuku smirked "Their purpose."

Mina started laughing and patting Izuku's back "Come on, Midori. That was corny even for you!"

Izuku froze "B-But I ... I was being serious!"

Mina continued laughing "You must take after All Might more than I thought!"

"H-He's not my dad, Mina!" Izuku countered.

Mandalay enjoyed their little interaction until she finally stood up "Welp, I gotta get going. Be good to my nephew please."

Izuku nodded "You can count on us!"

This left Mandalay with a smile before she turned to the playground and walked halfway over to the slide. "Kota, I gotta go now" she said calmly.

Kota and Eri looked to Mandalay, the young boy immediately got up and went over to the pro and blushed a bit as he gave her legs a light hug. This caught Mandalay off guard, but she decided to role with it and gently crouch down before hugging him properly, with him gladly returning the gesture.

"Be safe, ok? Don't get into trouble" Mandalay said trying to not make this moment anymore bitter than it had to be.

Kota shook his head "I won't... You be safe too."

Mandalay chuckled and separated to kiss his forehead. She then got up and went to the edge of the house waving "Thank you guys. See ya later, Kota!"

Kota gulped and nodded as they all waved. He tried not to choke up but just before she left said "... S-See ya,... Aunt Shino..."

Mandalay lightly gasped, no one heard it, but she continued to smile and walk away until she couldn't be seen.

Once she was out of range from their house, she took a deep breath "... Kota..." Tears rolled down her cheek as she smiled and kept walking forward "... I'm so proud of you."

Author-minator "I felt it was appropriate to stop there rather than to keep going. As you can guess these next chapters will most likely be more on the wholesome side. Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed! God bless and have awesome days guys!