AN: Thanks for reading and all of the reviews!

After several hours of hanging out in the food court, enjoying dinner and trying to act like they didn't just have a standoff on a darkened rooftop, Izuku received a message from Toshinori. He typed out a quick reply before he glanced at the others.

"Mr. Yagi will be picking us up soon." He focused on Kyoka. "Any guests we should worry about?"

Kyoka shook her head. "Nope, just a nice chill evening." She leaned back in her chair and sighed in relief. "Wish I could've relaxed as much as some of us though."

Everyone looked over where Aika was hunched over the table, her arms cradling her head as she napped.

"At least we didn't land in the hospital this time?" Izuku said hopefully as he looked at Ochako.

Ochako rolled her eyes and smacked his shoulder. "Now you know what it feels like to actually walk away from a successful mission."

As Izuku looked at Ochako sheepishly, he felt his phone buzz in his hand. Thankful for the distraction, he opened up the message. "Mr. Yagi says he'll be here in fifteen minutes. Guess we should get going!" he said a little too loudly.

Kyoka smirked at Izuku before she poked her friend with her ear jack. "Wake up sleepy, it's time to go."

"Five more minutes!" Aika said as she tried to swat away the offending appendage.

"It's not even that late!" Kyoka snorted. "How are you gonna survive as a hero if you need to work past your bedtime?"

"That's future me's problem!" Aika exclaimed. Despite her protests, she stood up and stretched with a yawn. "I'm going to grab snacks for the ride back. Anyone else want something?"

"Yes!" Himiko eagerly agreed as she jumped out of her seat. "Let's get stuff for everyone!"

As the two walked off to find snacks for the trip home, Jiro turned toward the others. "Is it ok for us to be this casual?" She glanced toward the exit of the food court. "To go from that to this just feels surreal, you know?"

"This is actually pretty nice," Ochako said softly. "Normally we'd be filling out paperwork right about now."

"Right." Kyoka's jacks clicked together, betraying her nervousness. "I'm just worried about Aika, you know? Since this is all so… new to you guys. I just - I don't want anything to happen to her, you know?"

"I think she'll be fine," Izuku said confidently. "Himi too. Both of them- things are different now."

"Mhm." Ochako nodded. "For all of us. I know we've been keeping you in the dark, but we didn't exactly have a normal experience either, before well-"

"I guess normal's pretty subjective when you're a hero, huh?" Kyoka asked rhetorically. "You think you could share a little more with us now?"

"After tonight…" Ochako's eyes darted to Izuku, asking him a silent question before she nodded. "Yes. Not here though."

Izuku bobbed his head in agreement. "Let's wait until we're on the way home." Pushing his chair back, he stood up. "How about we get some snacks as well? I know Ocha was eyeing their mochi earlier."

Ochako crossed her arms and gave Izuku an exaggerated pout. "Of course you saw that."

Despite her protests, Ochako quickly stood up, followed by Jiro, and the trio re-entered the department store in search of their friends.

Twenty minutes later, the kids had paid for their treats and were climbing into the waiting van. Izuku sat in the passenger's seat, while the four girls climbed into the back and arranged themselves before they opened the bags and began distributing their goodies.

"Do you want anything All Might?" Izuku asked as he offered him a bag.

"No thanks," Toshinori replied with a shake of his head. "Agent Ice had food delivered while we were doing paperwork," he chuckled softly. "I may have taken the opportunity to indulge myself."

Izuku grinned at the hero, reminded of mealtime whenever he visited. Without another word, he retrieved something from the bag before passing the remaining contents to Ochako.

With a smile, Toshinori pulled out of the parking lot and started navigating through the quiet city streets in silence. He watched as the bright lights of the city passed by, observing as the civilians of Tipoca went about their nightly routines, in stark contrast to the students under his care.

It only was once he had pulled onto the highway to depart from the city that he decided to speak.

"Young Midoriya, Young Uraraka, what really happened on that rooftop?" Toshinori asked curiously.

"We met someone. A woman in a tracksuit… she claimed she was merely observing your fight, the same as we were-" Izuku began.

"But she had a rifle quirk. And despite our attempts to sneak up on her, she had a gun pointed at Izu before we could do anything," Ochako finished.

Toshinori frowned. "A rifle quirk?"

"Y-yeah," Izuku stuttered. "Her right elbow - she could transform it into a rifle."

"Hmm." Toshinori's brows furrowed, deep in thought. "Can you tell me anything else?"

"It was dark, and due to the shadows, we couldn't see her face clearly." Izuku frowned. "But her hair was rather unique! Like it was two colors. Maybe she dyed it as a disguise?"

"Two-toned hair," Toshinori mused. "However, that would be a strange choice for a disguise…" Thinking it over, the description reminded him of someone… an old case, perhaps? When he returned to Might Tower, he'd have to look further into it. "And this woman threatened you from the moment you stepped onto the roof?"

"Threatened is too strong of a word," Izuku said hesitantly. "I never got the sense she would actually attack. At least, not without one of us attacking first."

"It felt like a standoff," Ochako agreed. "She didn't seem like she wanted to hurt us. But it was also clear that she would've shot Izu without any hesitation if we tried anything."

"I see," Toshinori remarked. "Well, in that case I'm proud of you—all of you—for not provoking her. That situation sounded like it would have ended poorly for all of you."

"It was intense!" Jiro spoke up. "I'm surprised Mido remained so calm despite having a freaking gun pointed at him."

"Is this-" Himiko asked quietly, "-what it's like to be a hero for real?"

"It is, young Himiko," Toshinori explained softly. "As a hero you're expected to face down dangerous villains and situations, and people will expect you to smile in the face of adversity." He gave a sideways glance toward Izuku. "Unfortunately, most villains aren't so easily negotiated with."

"Do you think she was a villain?" Himiko asked.

"And does that mean we shouldn't have let her go?" Aika jumped in, much to Himiko's annoyance.

Toshinori sighed. "From what you described, it's difficult to say if she was a villain or simply a vigilante. What we do know is that she was clearly a skilled and resourceful individual. Knowing that, I think letting her go was the correct choice. A difficult choice, to be certain - and the first of many such choices you'll be forced to make during your career."

"We-" Ochako looked toward Izuku. "Even with the five of us, you don't think we could have taken her down, do you?"

The silence was deafening as Toshinori mulled over the question. "No, young Uraraka. I do not. Despite everything the two of you have been through, there are still foes beyond you."

"At least she was helpful!" Izuku offered. "The pictures and tip she gave us lead to an arrest and drug bust, after all! She… she didn't need to do that."

From her position, Himiko couldn't help but look at the two One For All holders. Even in the dim light of the van, she could tell that they were both frustrated and trying to convince themselves that they had made the right choice. It was a stark reminder of the lives those two have lived. She wrapped her arms around herself and shrank into the seat. "I see."

Toshinori saw the student's reaction in the mirror and frowned.

This wouldn't do at all!

"I'd call it a huge success, if I do say so myself," Toshinori spoke up and was pleased to see several shocked faces in his rearview mirror. "Nobody got hurt, and the information you provided was invaluable in helping the heroes of Tipoca out. The fact that you accomplished that despite the inherent disadvantage you had in that situation-" He broke out into a wide smile. "-tells me that you're all destined for great things."

"Even us?" Jiro asked.

"Especially you three," Toshinori assured her. "Unlike Young Midoriya and Uraraka, this was your first taste of heroics, after all!"

"And it went much better, then our first villain encounter, too," Ochako pointed out.

"Really?" Aika asked.

"Yeah," Izuku said. "We didn't have any experience either when we had our first villain encounter."

Jiro leaned forward, her earjacks betraying her anticipation. "You said you'd tell us about it once we're in the car. We're in the car, so spill."

"Well, for starters it was on our third day of school," Ochako explained.

The other three in the car gasped.

"Wait, really?" Jiro asked in disbelief.

"Both of you?" Aika exclaimed.

"Yeah," Izuku said softly. "We both had villains attack us on the same day, even if the details were different."

"Well, we've got time," Jiro leaned back in her seat. "We've still got an hour til we're back in Mustafu."

"Yeah! Story time!"

"I'd like to hear it too," Himiko admitted.

"So who wants to go first?"

Izuku looked at Ochako questioningly, and she nodded. Taking a deep breath, she turned toward the others. "We were going to the USJ - the Unforeseen Simulation Joint - for our first lesson in rescue training. I was super excited because the class is run by Thirteen! However, once we got inside the USJ, we knew something was wrong - there was some sort of static charge in the air. The next thing we knew, all the power in the facility went out, and all outgoing signals were blocked."

She wore a distant look in her eyes as she recalled the details. "The next thing we knew, portals appeared all around the plaza, and dozens of villains poured out of them. They were all small-time villains, and could have been easily taken down, except for one problem. They were led by Homura Shigaraki."

"Who's that?" Himiko asked.

"She-" Ochako glanced at Izuku. "-was someone groomed by All For One to hate heroes. She acted as sort of a field commander for him, leading what was practically a small army of villains against us. Her quirk - she could cause anyone she touched to speed up, moving faster than they normally would. And when she used it on that monstrous Nomu she had brought with her…" Ochako shuddered.

"A Nomu is a monster in the shape of a person," Izuku explained. "An animated corpse that possessed multiple quirks. They were genetically engineered to be biological tanks, able to absorb lethal blows as if they were nothing." He glanced at Toshinori. "This one in particular, was designed to fight All Might head-on."

"But everyone survived, right?" Kyoka asked, hoping for reassurance.

"Of course!" Ochako blurted out. "We- only two people were hurt: me and another student - Inasa Yoarashi. I was forced to use the full power of One For All to keep everyone safe. Once Homura had used her quirk on the Nomu, I didn't have any other choice. And Inasa - despite his massive gusts of wind trapping most of the villains, the Nomu was able to push through and reach him. He- even getting hurt he refused to let the villains go."

"And then I arrived," Toshinori explained. "Well, not me exactly, but you understand."

"Yeah." Ochako smiled at the hero. "It- it really set the tone for my first year at UA."

"How did I take it?" Kyoka asked nervously.

"You were shaken up," Ochako admitted, turning to her friend. "We all were. UA was supposed to be safe! And we weren't even in school for a week yet!"

"But we pulled together," Izuku added. "It was the first of many events that caused us to grow together as a class."

"You went through the same thing?" Aika asked.

"Of course," Izuku said. "Even though the details are different, we-" Izuku looked at Ochako. "-were actually surprised at how similar our experiences were."

"What happened to you?" Himiko asked.

"It was the same for us: we arrived at the USJ only to become trapped inside. But instead of Homura, we encountered someone named Tomura Shigaraki instead." Izuku's eyes glanced over at Toshinori. He knew that Tomura's fate was something of a sore spot for him. "And he engaged Aizawa directly. He also-" Izuku swallowed. "-almost killed one of our classmates."

"That's-" Kyoka said.

"-intense!" Aika finished.

"Mhm." Izuku nodded somberly. "For me, I was the only student injured-"

"Of course!" Himiko interrupted.

Izuku laughed nervously. "-But Aizawa was severely injured, and his quirk was weakened from the damage as well."

"That sounds scary!" Aika said, visibly shuddering. "No wonder you two were so calm tonight!"

"Yeah, you get used to it," Izuku confirmed softly.

"Do you ever feel that way when you're All Might?" Kyoka asked.

"All the time," Toshinori confirmed. "Which is why I continue smiling. I don't want those around me to feel the same fear I'm experiencing."

"I never knew that!"

"Of course you didn't." Kyoka smirked as she jabbed her friend in the shoulder. "If everyone knew All Might was smiling even when he was scared, he wouldn't be nearly as inspiring as he is."

"Do you think we'll be able to inspire people like that?" Aika asked before suddenly getting an idea. "Like with my singing! I'll have to actually think about the songs I use when fighting bad guys."

"That'll be more thought than you've put into anything," Kyoka laughed before she got a thoughtful expression on her face. "I'm not really sure I've got the right aesthetic for something like that."

"I'm sure you'll figure something out, young Jiro," Toshinori assured her. "After all, Japan needs all types of heroes - not everyone needs to be All Might."

"Everyone needs someone to look up to," Himiko said softly as she looked out the window. "If someone can look at me and realize that drinking blood doesn't make them a bad person…"

"Exactly!" Toshinori agreed. "Don't be discouraged, young Jiro. I'm sure you'll find some way to inspire others in your own way."

Kyoka folded her arms and leaned back in her chair. "How to inspire others huh…"

The topic turned to lighter conversation after that, and before they knew it, the group had returned to Mustafu. After dropping everyone else off, Toshinori pulled up to the Midoriya's apartment.

"Are you sure you don't want to come in?" Izuku asked.

"I'm sure mom would love to see you!" Himiko added.

Toshinori chuckled. "As much as I'd enjoy Inko's company, I need to return to Roppongi. Not only do I want to look into this mysterious lady, but I have to finish my homework for class tomorrow!"

Himiko seemed to be almost disappointed by that as the two got out of the van before Toshinori called after them. "Give Inko my regards! And tell her I can't wait for our meetup later this week."

"We will!" Himiko called out, giving a playful smile to Izuku. "Still not used to it?"

"I'm- no," Izuku confessed. "It's still weird!"

Himiko giggled and grabbed her brother's shoulder. "That's our family."

"You're right." Izuku smiled at her. "I'm just glad mom's happy."

"Me too!" Himiko agreed as the two went inside.

After a long conversation with Inko, Izuku finally sat in his room, his stack of hero notebooks next to him. Something about that woman's quirk was familiar to him, and he suspected the answer was hidden away in one of them. Looking at the clock, he grabbed the oldest notebook, volume one, and flipped through.

The notes were simplistic and the drawings cartoonish, but Izuku couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia as he flipped through the notes. They represented a simpler time - his mom had suggested that since he was quirkless, maybe he could research other people's quirks instead? He suspected it was to try and subtly divert him away from his desire to become a hero, but the plan backfired and grew into his obsession with quirks.

He smiled at the memory as he reached the end of the notebook then closed it.

"What're you happy about?" Himiko asked from the doorway, having changed into a loose-fitting shirt and a pair of boy's shorts as her nightwear.

"Just remembering how this started." Izuku held up the notebook and waved it in front of him. "It's mom's fault."

"Of course it is." Himiko laughed lightly as she flopped unceremoniously onto his bed. "Find anything so far?"

Izuku shook his head. "Not yet, but I've only gone through one notebook so far."

With a sigh, Himiko reached out and grabbed one off the stack. "I guess I'll help,"—she opened the notebook and giggled—"even if your drawings sucked back then."

"Hey! I've gotten better!"

Izuku grabbed the next notebook, and the two started flipping through the pages in silence. Izuku was about halfway through his notebook when he heard Himiko gasp.

"Izu! It's her!"

"Really?"

Himiko nodded and held out the notebook, which Izuku quickly snatched out of her hands.

Lady Nagant

Quirk: Rifle

Sure enough, despite the crude drawing the woman's quirk, it was unmistakable. The image had her right arm folded back with a similar-looking rifle extending out of her elbow. He even noticed her hair was supposed to be multiple colors, judging by his crude pencil sketches.

As he read through the entry, he felt Himiko's head press against his shoulder as she leaned over him to read it as well. The information was pretty simplistic but got the point across. Her quirk was a mutation-type quirk: she could transform a part of her arm into a rifle and create a variety of bullets out of her hair to use as ammo. As a hero, she frequently shot a variation of rubber bullet, only shooting to disable foes. This implied a high level of skill and reaction time with her quirk.

Izuku would think about the implications later, but the small note at the bottom made his stomach drop.

xx/xx/xxxx - Classified as a villain.

"Izu…"

"I see, Himi." Izuku turned around to stare at the girl. "We- she's a villain after all."

AN: "...All Might himself had cracked the string of murders involving the drug Trigger that had occurred in Tipoca City, connecting them to the mythical Hero Killer. Further investigation indicates…"

All For One scowled behind his mask.

It's been 4 months since that event, and now All Might is more troublesome than ever!

Muting the stream, he switched to a different program and began calling Dr. Garaki. Like the dutiful servant he was, he picked up immediately.

"Is there something you need?"

"I would like an update on your little… science project."

He heard the doctor cackle with glee. "Oh, the latest test subject is performing admirably! I've already managed to get the body to hold six quirks, and tests indicate I can add more! I will ensure it is the perfect weapon to kill All Might!"

"Excellent," All For One leaned forward. "I can't wait to see the final project."

"Of course! Will that be all sir?"

"There's one more thing." All For One began. "My little plan B. How is she?"

"She's quite content in our nursery, absorbing all of the material we're providing her. She's even started taking charge, building loyalty among the younger children."

"Excellent," All For One smiled. "I want you to accelerate her training."

"Did something happen with Tomura?" He could hear Garaki frowning on the other end of the line.

"No, he continues to grow, his hatred festering like an open wound. But I want to be ready. All Might continues to defy expectations, and I don't want to be caught unprepared."

"As you wish."

All For One disconnected the line and leaned back in his chair, before unmuting the stream.

"...combined with the Trigger raid in which Mirror Girl had been arrested, it has been an eventful evening in Tipoca City…"