GreedEman: Wonderful chapter,! Was waiting for the ears to appear, but saddened there was no tail. As for things to come from the rift… how do you think certain SCPs would scale to this world?

Re: I actually have something in mind for the tail, but no spoilers quite yet~
As for SCPs, I'm certainly open to suggestions.

supersoper: It'd be pretty funny to have dr. doof from Phineas and Ferb to fall in here from a rift. Villain/Vigilante, either way

Re: An interesting suggestion, though given he fought his own evil doppelganger "from another dimension" who turned "Saturday Morning Cartoon Evil" for much pettier a reason than he ever did not, I'm not exactly sure how-evil he'd actually be in the My Hero Academia world. I mean sure, he did team up with the Red Skull in that crossover, but I stopped watching P&F after a certain point. If anything, he's more likely to come to the STMO and ask for help getting home since he actually is a loving dad, which might not mesh with MHA's brand of "evil".

Spawn Spider: Love this series and I keep imagining a time rift sucking the Mc in to the Tiger and Bunny Era just to imagine his reaction.

Re: I've actually thought of some time travel shenanigans along those lines. I always imagine Class 1-A coming to Kotetsu's defense when Albert Maverick frames him for that one murder, and them just bulldozing through because the Corporate Heroes of the time are more like Celebrity Athletes.
They're strong for their time because "Quirks" would be rarer, but the power scaling is definitely different between the 2040s (where I imagine T&B actually taking place) and the 22XXs (where it's implied MHA takes place).

NightmareKnight1: Ridley jr. I mean the little hissing chicken from the Metroid game that shouldn't be named. Or because I'm hard stuck in the mindset of Valkyria Chronicles, a fantasy WW1 tank crew. Neither of these options seem likely to be picked, but I like the idea so I'm just throwing it out there.

Re: I never played that game, but I think I watched a Playthrough. I might go with that, if you want to talk in-depth here or on Discord. As for Valkyria Chronicles, I've played the game too, though I might have that happen in Europe and somewhere in the background.
Japan isn't the only place that Rifts open. Just where they open with the greatest recorded frequency. Lots of places in the world for stuff to happen and never get reported.

brolyk445: Is TaKe gonna meet Clank?

Re: I'm not going to definitely say he "he will" or "he won't", because this story is a living breathing thing that changes. Originally I wasn't going to have him gain Lombax-like traits, but then I did, so really, things can change.

Geek-God of Speed: Can you do a chapter with character sheets? there are too many people for me to keep track of between chapter updates and I can't picture anybody beyond the protagonist cause their descriptions happened ages ago, it's an issue I run into either entering a new fandom straight into fanfiction or with loads of OCs. Your fic does both with all these references

Re: I can probably do Recaps. Clank and Sigmund could certainly be the plot device for that sort of thing.
And I've said this before; the reason I make so many references, like I do in my other Multi-Crossovers, is so I don't have to flood a story with OCs.
I'm also happy that people genuinely care about his non-MHA-borne supporting cast. It'll still be Middle School Slice-of-Life with a splash of Sci-Fi for a while before things get around to Yuuei and the start of MHA proper, but I hope that the journey can be as fun as the inevitable destination.

LoamyCoffee: Now, this is mighty nice. Though I'm curious if he'll be undergoing further Lombax changes.
Yep, Takei brought that kiss on himself by sharing his interest of old manga with those two.
[This message has been truncated due to length]

Re: I have a few in mind, but I don't want to ruin the pacing by having it happen too-quickly.
As for the Yuyu Hakusho reference, it just felt too good to pass up~ That was one of the earliest anime I ever watched, and that it stuck with me for years and years to the point that I could make that reference, makes me feel really happy; even if it also makes me feel really old…~
As for Takei and Yomi… I wonder who else will become invested in that pairing. Shiori interrupting the moment also felt the most-natural.
It wasn't always going to be the plan that the Mon Squad would move base to Naruhata and Vigilantes; not form the very beginning at least. But my stories are living breathing things, and I like for them to feel lived-in and fluid, so I hope to write some great adventures for the Mon Squad as well. Elma and Gran Torino will also be fun to write for.
And yeah, I always thought the bulk of Heroes in MHA were complete garbage, though since I don't know/remember I'm in a My Hero Academia universe, the closest comparison I/he would make is to the C-Rank Heroes in One Punch Man. And sure, the Second League Heroes in Tiger & Bunny aren't all that awe-inspiring either, but they genuinely try. Though it probably helps that the market wasn't over-saturated like the environment that All Might created.
The fact that so many Heroes just up-and-quit after Gigantomachia tore through Japan, shows explicitly that many only became Heroes because in the "Era of Peace", becoming a Hero was a gateway to "an easy life". "When the going gets tough, the weak walk away."

Harleking31: Did you know that Frank Sinatra didn't actually write My Way?
Baaaaah
If you want to reference HUA you do it with Party Party Party
Much better song than the last ending

Re: Frank Sinatra sung it, is the point.
As for "Party Party Party" v "Shine", the prior is more preppy and upbeat, and wasn't part of the "theme" I wanted to go with. And it's so interesting how the "swansongs" of my favorite Abridged series worked out so-well for the same chapter.

DrgnDrake: Could we get a full physical description of the main character again? I ask because he says at least he didn't turn into a furry (kinda rude, but okay) and yet I KNOW some Lombax furries out there.

Re: He now has Lombax Ears that have grown in, but he still looks "Primate Descended" with blond hair with brown streaks; as in he hasn't grown a full-body layer of fur. Lombax are obviously Feline Descended, but as opposed to Tamaraneans in DC who look more Humanoid, Lombax kept to their feline ancestry.
At least in my HeadCanon.
Moving on, Takei would be a little on the buff side for a 12-year-old. Not "Teen Gohan" levels, but still fairly fit. Light tan from the time he's spent outside, emerald colored eyes. I think that about covers it.

And see, THIS is the sort of thing I like to get in the Review column. Obviously I won't reply in-story to all of them, but I love it when people ask questions. I love back-and-forth-ing with the fans, which is why I also made a Discord once I got the hang of using it.

If anyone wants to drop a line on Discord, look at my Profile or drop a PM and I'll send an Invite.

*AHA*

All things considered, I was thankful I hadn't spent more time in that coma. Of course, given I'd already missed two weeks of formal schooling in my first year, inside the first month no less…

Honestly, I'm just hoping these were isolated incidents and that I shouldn't take what had happened to me thus-far as any sort of sign Although suffice it to say, I wouldn't really be scrambling to go on another patrol again; that's for certain.

Give me an anti-material rifle I could actually carry, let alone use, and maybe… But unless I got myself some kind of "Cheat Ability" beyond a re-skin, it was certainly going to be a good while before I went out in any sort of official "Hero-in-Training" capacity.

It went without saying that after literally tangling with Death, I had a new lease on life, and I was going to appreciate it more.

You can only "die well" after a life "well lived".

*AHA*

Thiiiis is not a good start…

"Elma. Please let go. It's morning."

"Hmmmm~ Okay just one more bite… One more bite… One more bite… One more bite…"

Why isn't this a good start?

Because on my first day going back to classes, I wake up to Elma snuggling me into her D-for-Dragon-sized "flame sacks" like a dakimakura. Or one of Tio's plus-size plush animals; which in her grasp would be considered normal size but is over-the-top for anyone whose head didn't brush ordinary ceilings.

As I struggle against her I-Beam-strong arms and tail coiled about me, her plush facial cheeks resting atop my head, a part of me idly wonders if this is how Shouta felt every time he woke up to Lucoa in his bed; with mammarilic-symbolism-heavy dreams as-applicable.

Of course, the difference is that Shouta is, well, was, a literal child whereas I'M on "New Game Plus". Sure, I'm technically twelve again, but I'm "mature for my age" and that's the story I'm sticking with.

Mind you, waking up to a busty Dragon OL is probably every anime nerd's wet dream and cosplay roleplay fantasy bucket list item… but there's a time and place for everything, you know.

"Elmaaaa~ If you don't wake up, the all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet is going to be emptyyyy~"

"FOOD?!" Elma shot up, drool running down her chin.

I literally cannot believe that worked.

Still, I guess it could've been worse. I could've had a Snake Lady coiled around me in the morning instead of an OL choro-gon.

"Come on, Elma. Let's get the two of us fed before I leave for school. I can probably make it to last period by the time I'm done feeding you."

"H-Hey! I can cook for myself, you know!" Elma blushed, her face absolutely pinchable and adorable as her sea drake tail wags behind her.

"I guess I'll have to take your word for it."

*AHA*

"Yo, Take," Mitsumi as 'Top-chan' greeted with a raised hand as I came to a stop in front of her house.

"Hey. You ready for school?"

"Heh. I should be asking you that. You're the one who missed out on an entire week."

"Ugh. Tell me about it…" I grumbled. "Still have some rust to shake off, to be honest."

"Well, don't let your fans know that. You're the big-time Hero now~"

"Wait, seriously?"

"Yeah, 'seriously'," she pantomimed. "Don't know why you're surprised. They give accolades to people way less heroic than you all the time."

"Glugh. Don't remind me," I spat, tasting bile.

"Hey, don't look so down. You saved the girl, got the fame, and got out of school for a week. All in all, I say you came out with a net positive~"

"If I hadn't missed two weeks already, I might be inclined to believe that."

"Oh don't be such a downer. I'm sure your teachers will give you plenty of extensions. Heroism amongst its students is a good look for the school."

"Oh if only the world wasn't that transparent…"

*AHA*

*POP*POP-POP!*

"Welcome back!" everyone in my class beamed, confetti in my hair and streamers hanging from my ears as I came back to a literal 'hero's welcome'.

"Now, see, even I knew you well-enough to know you wouldn't be a fan of all this fanfare," Tatara-sensei hummed as he caught the look on my face.

"At least someone knows me," I hummed as I made my way back to my seat, only to pause mid-step as I stared at Wakatsuki Naruki like he'd grown an extra head.

Though to be more specific, it was more prudent to say the guy had grown an extra head. Literally. And that I was staring at him because-of.

Naruki's second head, perched atop his right shoulder, was slightly smaller than his original one but definitely female. She had a touch of mascara on, a barrette with a narcissus flower on the right side, and basically looked like Naruki's fraternal twin around the face. To accommodate the additional growth, he'd undone extra buttons on his shirt to give her some literal breathing room.

"You two aren't swapping spit when no-one's looking, are you?" I deadpanned.

"Is-Is that what you really think of me?!" Naruki cried out, completely red in the face while his conjoined sibling had a more-subdued reaction.

"Narcissus, Pygmalion & Galatea. Those are the vibes I'm getting off you two, yes."

"W-Well we're not! And who even are those guys anyway?!"

"Narcissus was a guy from Greek folklore who was renowned for his beauty and fell in love with his own reflection until he died. Pygmalion was a sculptor who couldn't get it up for flesh-and-blood women who wound up falling in love with his own creation before losing interest after Aphrodite made her 'a real girl'."

"Nii-san's right. You really are a history buff," Naruki's second head chirped beautifically. "A-And no, we aren't like that!"

"Though half the school is fantasizing…" Togami hummed awkwardly, the boys and a few of the girls shifting in their seats.

"Well, happy belated birthdayyy…?"

"Kaori~" she greeted. "It's nice to meet you," she said shifting her head, her brother catching on and extending a hand to shake.

"Can you actually feel this?"

"Well, no, but it's the thought that counts," Kaori replied as her conjoined brother and I shook hands.

"You're making her wear a blindfold in the guy's room, right? Or did you find some work'd been done on your undercarriage as well?"

"B-Blindfold! And no, nothing about my 'undercarriage' has changed!" Naruki squeaked, hands cupping his groin.

Or did it technically belong to the both of them?

"Just checking. Boys! Let's try and keep the locker room talk classy from now on, okay-Why the heck is Hanyuu clad in drag?"

*One Explanation Later…*

"So let me see if I have this straight… You're cross-dressing in your sister's old uniform so your boobs will stand out less?"

"Yeah, pretty much," Hanyuu Daisuke, the 'President/King of the Boob-Lovers', answered as he twirled on his feet, skirt flaring out. "People might mock my uniform, but no one mocks my breasts anymore!"

"Is that really any better?"

-thought I to myself with a half-lidded stare.

"Just don't use your new boobs as an excuse to change in the girls' room, and I'm sure you'll be fine."

"Too late," the majority of his female peers deadpanned, cracking their knuckles while Daisuke giggled prettily.

"Wait, do you still have your 'Chunchunmaru'?"

"*Snrk* Chunchunmaru?"

"Chunchunmaru indeed~" a couple of the girls tittered.

"Y-YES! And why are you even calling it that?!" Hanyuu cried cupping his balls.

"Call it a hunch."

"What does that mean?!"

"Daisuke, let's try and keep it classy around Naruki's kid sister, alright?"

"Yes, please," Naruki added.

"Uuuuugh… Just because that boy in 1-B flip-flops gender every other lunch period, doesn't mean I have…" Hanyuu whimpered.

"Well, I mean, what else was I supposed to think after Naruki grew a fraternal twin out of his shoulder and you came to class with high-Cs?"

"Hey, these are D-Cups!" Daisuke cried affronted as he held up his boobs for emphasis.

"D for Dragon? Hah. You wish."

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?!"

"Alright, alright, that's enough. Get back to your seats so we can start class," Tatara cut in.

*AHA*

The next few hours, when not focusing on class, involved my peers from 1-A and even some of the other classes, coming up to my desk and congratulating me on what I'd accomplished. I weathered it with grace and humility, not wanting to come across as a complete jackass like Red Nose or Hercule Satan, though eventually I was able to get some time to myself and my guy-friends.

"Guys, level with me. Was what I did really that praiseworthy?" I asked as I stepped out of the locker room with Naruki, Togami, Kageto, and Tomu.

"Well, I mean… Yeah," Togami nodded frankly. "You saved that girl's life when nobody else could. Even when Kendo and Tetsutetsu couldn't do a thing with their 'Combat Quirks'."

"Honestly, we all used to think you were a bit of a fitness nut, but after that thing with the Giant Frog, and then the Truck Villain… Honestly, you've raised the bar for the rest of us," Tomu hummed, his cat ears flicking.

"That, and the Mop Bucket Slingshot thing was actually a ton of fun~" Kageto grinned. "Some of us would get together with Gordy after class just for the rush. Of course, only on level ground and only in the gym."

"You know that isn't actually his name, right?"

"We know that, but he seems to like it," Tomu shrugged. "Honestly, some of those old sitcoms sound like a ton of fun. We should have a viewing party sometime."

"Sure, we could probably borrow the AV Room or something," I shrugged. "After getting roughed up the way I did, I probably won't be going on any more 'patrols' for a while. That little incident almost cost Jii-san his License."

"Oh my," Kaori hummed.

"Excuse me, Moji-sensei!" I asked breaking away from my guy-friends (and Naruki's conjoined twin).

"Ah, Takehiko-kun, I'm so glad to see you up and about!" the fur-covered man beamed.

"Hey, is it alright if I take a break from gym for a while? I've still got a bit of rust around the joints if you catch my meaning."

"Of course, of course. Proper rest is just-as-important to recovering from an incident as rehab," the man nodded. "At least you actually put the work in, though some of you also have legitimate reasons for resting," he said turning his eyes to the hill where I spotted Shiori, Kuromi, and Yomi sitting around.

For most of the day Yomi hadn't been able to meet my eye, and the 2D and Shadow Girls had definitely been ribbing her; likely over yesterday.

I could easily eavesdrop on them, but I politely focused my attention elsewhere.

"Arigatou, Moji-sensei," I returned, rolling my arm in its socket as I made my way over to the other half of my in-group.

"T-T-Takei-kun!" Yomi squeaked as I walked over, Shiori smirking knowingly.

"Hey," I greeted with a smile that seemed to give her a gooey center. "Not joining gym class?"

"Ah… no… I don't want my leg to fall off again…" she said rubbing at her left leg.

"Well, at least that's a valid excuse," I replied. Non-strenuous levels of physical activity could be done without upsetting her sutures, but by and large, sports were a no-go including but not limited to baseball. Batting, throwing, catching; and don't even get me started on what happened when she tried to slide into home base.

"I just don't feel like getting all sweaty," Kuromi hummed. "Wanna read some old manga?" she asked holding up a familiar tablet, a smirk on her face when Yomi's reddened further. "What? It worked, didn't it?"

"Th-Th-That was just a coincidence?"

"Oh? Are you sure about that~?" Kuromi asked putting a finger to her lips.

"Please don't tease the poor girl," I said taking back the tablet and looking at my list in the Historical Manga & Light Novel Preservation Archive.

"Um, excuse me. I hope I'm not interrupting."

"Itsuka," I greeted as the 'Onee-san' of our class walked up to us. "Tetsutetsu," I greeted as I spotted the silver-haired teen walking morosely behind her, held by the wrist. "Do you need something?"

" . . . Oof!" Tetsutetsu grunted when Itsuka hit him across the back with an embiggened palm. "Um… Takehiko-san."

"Hai?"

" . . . I'M SORRY!" he cried as he suddenly dropped to his knees and slammed his forehead to the ground, actually leaving a dent. "If I hadn't been so weak, you wouldn't have…!"

"It's fine. You're not the first wannabe Hero to get bitch slapped through a house," I waved off.

"Could you please not be so flippant about that?" Itsuka pleaded.

"It's true though. Even All Might got bitch slapped through a building or two in his day," Kuromi hummed with a wry smirk.

"Maybe, but that's hardly the point," the red-head pouted.

" . . . Tetsutetsu. Come with me a moment," I asked getting to my feet.

*AHA*

" . . . What do you think they're talking about?" Itsuka asked as Takei and Tetsutetsu talked in hushed tones off to the side.

It was mostly Takei doing the talking, but Tetsutetsu seemed to be hanging on the Mutant teen's every word.

"I think the point of the perspective swap is we don't know," Shiori hummed. "Or at least not me."

"Do I want to know what she's talking about?"

"Probably not. Your mind would crack under the strain," Kuromi hummed as she flipped through old manga.

"You two are really into your Chuuni delusions, aren't you?" Itsuka deadpanned.

"Just because Shiori's a Chuuni doesn't mean she's wrong. Or have you forgotten that reality is falling apart around us?" she asked gesturing to the indentions in the ground where that giant frog had hopped about.

"I doubt an isolated incident or two counts as all of reality falling apart at the seams," Itsuka said putting her fists on her hips.

"And yet, there's entire industries built around what's essentially Dungeon Crawling. In fact, there's quite a few old manga that Takei bookmarked about this exact topic. Would you like to read some?"

"What's wrong with today's manga?" she pouted.

"All of today's manga are a soulless copy of a soulless copy of a soulless copy of yet another soulless copy as people got less and less imaginative," the Shadow Girl recited.

"Well, I mean… People have been telling stories for hundreds of years. There's bound to be a little… er… a lot of overlap," she admitted.

"That's one way of putting it, sure," Kuromi huffed.

"Snrk!"

"What? What's so funny?" Itsuka asked as Shiori muffled a gut laugh.

"Oh, nothing, nothing…~ It'll make sense later~" the 2D Girl chuckled, eyes glinting mischeviously.

"Author-sama sure does love his references," Kuromi hummed, whereas Itsuka was completely lost.

*AHA*

"So, did you get 'Isekai'd' after that Truck Villain hit you?" Togami asked as we ate lunch.

"I'd be less-offended by that statement if that weren't the new staple for every other Isekai manga and light novel."

No, seriously, turns out that sort of thing's gaining traction as the new "Truck-kun" in the sub-genre.

Sure, it was imaginative the first couple of times, but after a while even an anthropomorphized truck running someone down in a fit of pique and/or road rage could get stale.

"We're just having a little fun," Naruki hummed.

" . . . Kageto, I've tried to be tactful about this, but why do you have a baby hand?" I asked addressing the change my other guy-friend had undergone in the time I was out; in particular, that his right hand was teeny-tiny from the wrist-out.

Like Deadpool.

"Oh, well, that happened just yesterday," Naruki hummed idly.

*Past*

"Are you alright? You look kinda pale," Nobuko asked Tabe Tsukushi worriedly.

"You okay, Tabecchi? You didn't eat your lunch early today," Sakurai Yasuko added.

"I'm fine… Just a little tired…"

"Shitara, about yesterday-" Tomu hummed.

"Ah, excuse me for a sec!" Nobuko said with a light blush.

As the boy-and-girl pairing conversed, Tsukushi began to devour school supplies as well as her sick mask, first with her eraser, then her pencil case.

*GRRRROWL…*

"Did you hear something?" Tomu blinked.

"Tabecchi…? Hey, Ta-" Yasuko called out, Tsukushi lost in her own little world as she approached Nobuko from behind.

With sick mask eaten and her desk bereft of school supplies, as she approached the Tongue Girl from behind, her jaw unhinged itself, her bear trap-like lips becoming a threatening maw.

*Ker-Chomp!*

"KYAAAA!"

"T-Tabecchi?!"

"Uwaa?! She… She ate…!"

"Huh…?" Tsukushi blinked as the fog seemed to clear from her mind. "Wha…? I… I…"

Standing in front of her was Kageto, his left hand having pushed Nobuko away toward Tomu, while his right had gone at the wrist.

"What happened?" Nobuko blinked, her glasses fallen off.

"Futabayashi?! Your hand…!" Tomu cried in abject horror.

"I… I ate-!"

"I just cut it loose, like a lizard, so it's no big deal," Kageto cut in. "My hand will regenerate, just like a lizard's tail," he said cupping his stump.

"She seriously ate it?"

"That's what it looked like."

"No way!"

"That girl's got serious issues…" the people around them began to mutter, Tsukushi trembling with watering eyes before Kageto cried out-

"Uh… HEY! I've been watching you, Tabe!"

-loud-enough for everyone to hear, drawing everyone's eyes away.

"I've seen how you look when you're eating something really tasty, or how you're so happy after a big meal. It's really amazing… It's like you're shining… or something…" he said as he blushed up a storm from all the eyes now on him. "You're always so cute!"

"Wow! A love confession! In front of the whole class, too!" Nobuko gushed.

"So that's why he let her eat him!" someone off to the side gasped.

"So… Um… Will you-"

"Um… But I…" *UMPFF!*

"Whoa! Tabecchi, don't puke! Quick! Run to the bathroom!" Yasuko cried, her devil tail flailing about wildly.

"First she eats his hand, then it makes her sick…"

"Your timing sucks, Futabayashi."

*Present*

"Hm. Well. Congratulations on owning up to your kink."

"I-It's not a kink!" Kageto cried with a flushed face.

"Your dilated facial blood vessels say otherwise."

"T-T-T-T-Takeiiiii!"

"I'm not judging you. Some men can spend their entire lives searching for the thing that gives them meaning. That you've been able to find it so-swiftly speaks well for your future prospects."

"You speak like a college grad so-much, I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not," the Regenerating Boy deadpanned.

"And that's probably why all my teachers gave me so many extensions after the two weeks I've missed."

"Takehiko-sama!" Tetsutetsu suddenly blurted as he strode up to me.

"Sama?" I blinked.

"I've thought about what you said…"

"And…?"

"I'm ready to eat that horse! Come eat that horse with me, Takehiko-sama!"

" . . . EHHHHH!"

"He didn't mean you, doofus!" I barked as Maijiri Kirameki, the girl from my class with the "petting zoo head" (presently in an equine configuration) blushed red under her muzzle while the rest of the girls in the cafeteria stared at Tetsutetsu with slacked jaws.

*Slap*

"What'd I say?" Tetsutetsu asked, ever the meat-head as Itsuka slapped her own face with an enlarged hand.

"Uh, phrasing?" I asked making my favorite Archer reference.

*AHA*

"Takehiko-sama."

"Please don't start calling me 'sama'," I deadpanned at the end of the day as Tabe Tsukushi came up to me.

"About what you said to me after lunch… Did you really mean it…?" the Eat Girl asked nervously.

"That you're only the second-most gluttonous person I know? And that you have nothing to be ashamed of?"

I had the tact to not say as such to her in front of God and everyone.

Not that everyone wasn't distracted by what Tetsutetsu had said given puberty was pulling up to the station. Because they definitely were.

"Y-Yes…" she replied.

"Yes, I meant every word," I returned. "Thankfully no-one pressed charges and the boy that's sweet on you is into vore-"

"I-I'M NOT INTO VORE!" Kageto cried out from the doorway.

"And if you need an ear, Hitomi-sensei will indulge you as-many times as necessary. Don't ever be afraid to step out of the room and look after your mental health. Too many people ignore that more-fragile part of themselves and wind up becoming Villains."

A part of me had wanted to tell her that she could become an awesome Heroine, since her powers seemed similar to Matter Eater Lad from the Legion of Superheroes, but I didn't want her to feel like her Quirk was the only part of herself that had value. As far as I knew, the only girl in my class who had heroic aspirations was Kendo Itsuka, and kids who want to become Heroes with a Capital-H tend to be very upfront about that sort of thing.

"Um… Thank you for not judging me."

"It was an accident, and you did barf up his hand in the end, so it's not like anyone can call you a 'cannibal' or anything."

And boy was that a sentence.

"Besides, I'd be a real shitty person if I started calling you a 'Villain' with a Capital-V just because you had 'one bad day'," I continued. "And Kageto isn't the only one who can get joy out of watching someone eat. Watching Elma enjoy herself gives me gooey insides too," I confessed, hoping I wasn't blushing.

"I-Is she the 'most-gluttonous person you know'?" Tsukushi asked curiously.

"She is, and for a long time, she had a hole in her heart that she couldn't fill with food. So don't be afraid to lean on your friends and family. If we were closer to a Hero Academy, the other kids would've come down on you a lot harder, so just be grateful that you're surrounded by people that understand and care for you," I say as I pat her head without really realizing until I'm already committed.

"Mouuuuu… Are you sure you aren't a Hero already?" the Eat Girl asked, an eye closed cutely while Kageto fumed in the backdrop, chewing on his full-sized thumbnail.

"Please don't insult me. Most Heroes in this town would've beat you down for the media exposure alone," I huffed. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean for it to come out like that."

"No, no, it's fine. Out of everyone in our class, you've probably had it the worst when it came to Villains," she replied. "Well, um, thank you for listening. Have a good day!" she replied as she ran off to Kageto.

"Have fun, you crazy kids."

"You're a kid too, you know!" Kageto cried.

And don't I know it.

Wanting some time to myself, I volunteered to clean up after everyone had left. Several minutes into this moving meditation however…

"Shizuru."

"T-T-T-Takei-kun, how did you…?"

"Know you were here?" I ask, my new Lombax-like ear flicking in the Transparent Girl's direction. "Turns out that near-death experiences, puberty, and MGH are a good combination."

"O-Oh, I see," Shizuru replied.

"I got your note, by the way. It was a nice pick-me-up."

"A-Ah! I'm glad you liked it," she replied, taking a seat on a nearby desk, though to anyone not-in-the-know it'd look like I was talking to myself. "L-Listen, about that Invisible Villain that attacked you in the hospital-"

"I know you didn't have anything to do with it."

"Y-You don't?"

"No. You aren't the only person I know that can turn invisible. Just the first one I've met," I replied.

Not counting her, I knew of at least a half-dozen others, including Elma.

This of course on the assumption that Kanna and Ilulu learned [Perception Blocking] in the intervening centuries. For a Capital-D Dragon, fiddle-farting around for "a century or two" in "Human Years" was common and perfectly ordinary; but I imagine living in the "Human World" would've given them a sense of urgency their compatriots back in the "Other World" sorely lacked.

Conversing with functional immortals was a fascinating exercise, but only one I could enjoy because I had Perspective gleaned from viewing countless other stories involving immortal characters. It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, and god forbid an Immortal of any significant lifespan hadn't put themselves together.

"Imagine my surprise when I found a mountain of flowers and cards from all my classmates waiting for me."

"I-It was Yukimura-san's idea," Shizuru replied. "It was… It was really hard seeing you like that. Yomi-chan was hit the hardest."

"Did she stay by my bedside the entire time?"

"I think so. She and Joui-san would watch you in shifts. Shiori and Kuromi or Yukimura-san would bring her her homework from class. The security checks were scary, but having actual Villains come after you in your sleep was probably way scarier."

Dammit, Elma. Using [Perception Blocking] to visit me in the hospital was completely unnecessary…!

"I'm… I'm really happy you're okay."

"Yeah. Me too," I hummed, my ear flicking before I turned to the door, Yomi standing in the frame, her silver eyes darting between me and the floor.

"Takei-kun, are you talking with someone?"

"I don't know. Am I?"

" . . . "

I can still hear her breathing, but I don't want to call her out in front of Yomi like that.

"Is something wrong?"

"My um… My leg…" the Undying Girl said bashfully. "If it's too much trouble, I can always go to Hitomi-sensei."

"Yomi-chan. Don't blame yourself for what happened. I sure don't," I returned soothingly. "Can't I get a smile from the girl I risked my life to save?"

'Can't I get a smile from the girl I risked my life to save'… Really, brain? That's so corny even Elma would complain!

I mean she'd probably still eat it, but still…!

"Mm! Right!" she smiled prettily, her hand going up to her Zombie Pin. A new tell I picked up on whenever she and I met eyes. "Please take care of me~"

"Hai, hai," I replied with a wave, taking her by the waist and lifting her up onto my desk.

Every other time I did suture work on her legs, Yomi didn't seem to care if I caught a glimpse of her panties, which were normally plain cotton in mono-colors or with stripes. Now however, she was blushing beet red and strategically using her skirt as a curtain, keeping as much of her frilly unmentionables from my eye as she could as I worked on re-suturing her leg to her thigh.

"Um… Takei-kun…?"

"Hai?"

*Sshwwp*

*Spurt!*

Did… Did I just bleed out of my nose…?!

"Do you… Do you like them…?" she asked demurely as she lifted the edge of her skirt, revealing a set of lacy black-and-white panties that looked way too risqué to be on a twelve-year-old-girl's body.

"I… um… I… um…"

Don't faint don't faint don't faint don't faint don't faint.

Seriously, don't faint, me! You aren't a cookie cutter "Harem Protag-kun" who goes beet-faced at every flash of panties or accidental boob-fondling. You are a reincarnated man!

The fact that we're both twelve (for me at least in-body) notwithstanding doesn't have a whole lot of bearing over the fact that I'm going through puberty a second time and had her chest gotten bigger while I was down-?

No, no, stop that. Keep your shit together, me.

"You don't like them, do you…?" she pouted cutely.

"Did Kuromi put you up to this? Or was it Shiori?" I asked taking hold of her hands and lowering her skirt before going back to work on her thigh, face warming.

"Your auntie Kayama, actually. Doppel gave me her number."

"Nemuriiiiii…!" I growled before composing myself. "Well, I mean… They're certainly very frilly panties…"

If my own heartbeat weren't pounding in my ears, I might've been able to tell whether or not Shizuru had scarpered off by now…

"Guess you aren't old-enough to appreciate my 'feminine wiles'," Yomi chuckled awkwardly, sounding a little relieved as she flattened her skirt and hid her panties from view.

The fact that I no longer self-identify as a "pre-30s guy trapped in a mid-pubescent body" notwithstanding, and ignoring the fact that Shiori gave me her panties as a fucking lark… This was probably the first time in this life that someone had expressed legitimate romantic interest in me.

Unlike ultra-dense battle shounen protagonists like Naruto from Naruto, Luffy from One Piece, Natsu from Fairy Tail, and so-on and so-on ad infinitum… I at least had some clue that Yomi had begun showing "the signs". And we definitely had a moment at the karaoke/ramen place before Shiori killed the mood.

I of course didn't want to be presumptuous, but this girl flashing me her "battle panties" as I literally sat between her legs, kinda hit the nail on the head…

I'd probably feel a little less weird about being attracted to middle school girls once my age had the "teen" suffix in it.

"Yomi-chan… There's stuff about me you don't know."

"If it's that you're some kind of Chuuni, I don't mind. We all go through that phase. Or at least my parents said that to me after I told them how Jii-chan and Bub-kun saved me from Limbo.

"Yomi, our universe is coming apart at the seams. Are Shiori's claims really that hard to believe…?"

"I mean… even if they aren't false, what does that mean for the rest of us?"

"Isn't the entire point of religion that there's always someone 'watching us'?"

"Well, yeah, but that's different," she pouted. "Um… listen… About when you were… asleep."

"Takuma-jii-san and Bub-kun were a big help. I'll remember them for the rest of my life," I smiled, tears coming to Yomi's eyes.

"Jii-chan… You answered my prayers?"

"He did," I whispered as I finished the first part of her thigh's sutures. "If you could stand up, I'll finish the rest."

"H-Hai!" she nodded as she carefully got to her feet, keeping her weight off her bad leg as I got to work on the underside of her leg.

Yomi squirming and mewling didn't really help my mid-pubescent concentration, per se, but at least she wasn't doing it to fuck with me like Zombina did whenever I sutured her back together. And I guess a good thing about the Mon Squad moving was that she couldn't fuck with me by asking me to sew her boob back on whenever one or both of them came off.

*AHA*

"Hitomi-sensei, you ready to go?" I asked in the infirmary after Yomi scampered away.

"Yes. Just finishing up," the mono-eye hummed as she took final inventory before packing her bag. "How was your first day back?"

"Oh, you know… I had some catching-up to do."

"Hm, well, I hope this'll make you more-careful in the future," she hummed.

"Oh, trust me, I don't plan on going on anymore 'patrols' any time soon," I replied as we made our way to the Churinjo, my bike exactly where I'd left it. And someone had even been kind-enough to put a tarp over it.

"Toride-san looked after it while you were… away," Hitomi hummed as I liberated my Support Bike.

"We all just call him 'Gordy'."

"Ah, yes. Because he reminds you of an old sitcom character," Hitomi nodded freeing her own bike. "I'm glad you're all treating him well. Most schoolchildren treat their custodians rather poorly."

"Hm, well, that whole 'Mop Bucket Slingshot' thing made him real popular, or so I'm told," I returned as we left the school gate and went toward her home.

" . . . You didn't sleep well last night, did you?" she said with a pout.

" . . . Nothing escapes your 'All-Seeing Eye', does it?" I asked after a moment.

"No, it doesn't," she said leveling her mono-eyed stare at me. "I know those bags under your eyes weren't from the hospital."

" . . . I kept seeing him in my dreams."

"The Truck Villain?"

"No, not that loser," I waved off, my hand going to the button on my lapel before I confessed- "It was Death."

"D-D-Death?!" she gawped.

"D-with-a-Capital-D, Death. And I don't mean metaphorically, or rhetorically, or poetically, or theoretically, or any other fancy way. I mean Death. Straight. Up."

" . . . Fujimi-chan didn't encounter anyone like that."

"Death and I have a more… complicated relationship, than Yomi-chan does."

"Well, I'm sure what happened must've been very traumatic. I'm sure it'll pass."

"I hope so," I sighed. "Then again, I could probably soak up more of his spiel, really put it into my roleplaying in GGO."

"I'm still not sure how to feel about you playing that sort of game," Hitomi pouted.

"Please don't ask me to quit, I have friends there too, you know. Friends I can be candid with in a way I can't in the real world."

"But don't you stream some of your sessions?"

"I keep the more extreme stuff away from the VirtCam. Don't wanna damage the Mon Squad's brand."

"And yet you're so-quick to sing their praises."

"They've been a real hit with single parents ever since my face started making the rounds," I returned. "Some of the Hero Agencies out there will adopt a Young Ward for the good press it'll give them, but even if it started out as a favor to you, there's real love in there. And that's touched the hearts of a lot of people. You wouldn't believe how much fan mail comes with recipes for home-cooked meals they want us to eat together."

"Manako-chan said you doubted their ability to take care of themselves."

"I mean, they were real slobs when I started living with them. They cleaned up their act, sure, but there's a reason they took to calling me 'Darling'."

"Well, just don't let Joui or Torino-san push you around. They're supposed to be taking care of you, not the other way around."

"I'll keep that in mind," I returned, her front steps in view a few minutes later. "Hitomi-sensei."

"Hai?"

"I love you."

"E-E-E-E-EHHHHH!" she cried going pink up to her eyebrow, almost falling off her bike.

"It isn't a romantic love; not exactly. I know you and Tatara-sensei still have a flame for one another, even if you're a couple of anime protags about it…" I continued, the busty nurse trying to voice a protest. "I just wanted to let you know. I should've let you know more. I will always care about you. And if I hadn't come back, my biggest regret would've been that I didn't let you know more-often how-much I appreciated all you've done for me. If you ever need anything from me, anything at all-"

"Th… Thank you," Hitomi replied, coughing into her fist and composing herself. "But, I don't want you to feel like you're indebted to me. Looking after you may've been my job at the time, but everything that came after, I did that of my own will. Because it was the right thing to do. So I want you to live your life to the fullest while you still have it. I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself."

" . . . I meant what I said, Hitomi-sensei. If you ever need anything, anything at all, I'll be there," I returned with a wave before heading off to my own home.

*AHA*

"Hey, boya! How was school?"

"Torino-san. I see you've already made yourself comfortable," I said as I found the old man on my couch watching Japanese soap operas.

Or just "soap operas", being the operative term.

"Please, call me 'Jii-chan'."

Of course, a moment later he grew pensive, unable to meet me in the eye.

"I don't blame you for what happened either. Shit happens. I'm over it."

"I'm surprised you forgave me so fast, what with your opinion of most other Heroes," the old man hummed. "Not that you're really wrong about them. That meat-head All Might made things a little too peaceful around here. And when he eventually does retire..."

"Every paranoid pundit's worst media-induced delusional nightmare will come true," I hummed as I set down my bag and collapsed into a love seat. After dropping off Hitomi at her place, I swung around Yomi's home to make sure she'd gotten home alright, gave Bub-kun a rub-down, and ept the thing with the panties in the classroom to ourselves.

Her parents still seemed to be in a state of shock that Bub-kun had come back, but the fact that it hadn't made national headlines yet, they've probably deluded themselves into thinking Yomi happened to pick up some sort of lookalike.

Probably helped that even in a crazy world like ours, they'd probably sound like a couple of crackpots if they told anyone about the metaphorical dead elephant in the room.

"Just curious; whose room are you staying in?"

"Smith-san's. Of course I'm still airing out the fumes from her beer cans."

"Yeah, figures she'd leave a mess behind, even when they've all moved…"

" . . . The five of them just want to keep you safe."

"Yeah, I know… And I know I can come visit them-"

"Actually… they'd prefer it if you stayed away from Naruhata. At least for a while."

"Oh. I see."

" . . . Do you ever regret it? Living in a family of Heroes?"

"No. Never. We might not be blood, but I love them with all my heart," I said meeting his eye. "I always knew there'd be the occasional hardship. It's just… You'd think that Truck Villain would've gone to any city other than the one he got busted in."

"Yeah, well, people in general tend not to be very smart; not just the Villains," Sorahiko said scratching his cheek. " . . . I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."

"Like I said before, I don't blame you. You've done way more than could be expected of a geriatric old man in a palette-swapped Mega Man costume."

"Hey, I'll have you know that I looked nothing like the Blue Bomber when I started out."

"I'm honestly surprised you got that reference. Isn't that game like, two-hundred-plus years old?"

"I'm surprised you got that reference."

Oh fuck, did I say that out loud…?

"It was in an old manga I read," I deflected.

"Yeah, I heard about that. You're a real antiquarian, ain't'cha?"

"What can I say? Manga were more-interesting back before Quirks sucked the fun out of it."

"Hero Fatigue. Makes me a little sad seeing it in someone so-young…" Sorahiko hummed. "Kinda makes me feel like All Might failed as a symbol."

"Oh believe me, All Might has definitely failed as a symbol," I huffed, the old man staring at me slack-jawed. "Symbol of Peace? More like 'Symbol of Peace for-the-good-looking-heroic-Quirk-having White Man'," I spat. "I've looked into his interviews. He never once denounced Quirkism of any kind. Then again, why the fuck would he?" I scoffed. "Guy was born with the most-powerful Quirk in the world that he rode to the top of the mountain with a body and a face to match; of course he wouldn't care about the Quirkless, the Mutants, or the other 'freaks of nature' who don't draw winning lots in the genetic lottery," I sneered contemptuously.

I've found myself doing a lot of that in my second life. Who knew not having Autism the second go-around could make me so vindictive.

I like it~

"Well… when you put it like that, All Might sounds like a bit of a creep and not just a meat-head…" he trailed off awkwardly.

"I've never seen anything to make me think otherwise~"

"Takei-kun, how was school?" Elma asked as she came in, an armful of bread and pastries in her arms.

"Oh, you know… Just more of the usual," I replied.

"That's good to hear," Elma noddded as she set her snack down. "By the way, a package came in today."

"Oh?"

"Yes. Doppel picked it up from a thrift store in Naruhata," she said handing me a wrapped package.

"I temper my sense of decency in expectation."

Tearing the paper away, I found a digital Days Since Last Incident wall-mounted sign colored black with red trim, the LED lit up with a glowing 1.

"How... thoughtful?" Sorahiko blinked.

"Yeah, that tracks," I sighed, but even then a smile still came to my features.

*AHA*

AN:
Just a reminder for anyone that's forgotten, but the middle school that Takehiko "Takei" Tokei is going to, is the one from Nurse Hitomi's Monster Infirmary, while also taking place in the same city as Daily Life with a Monster Girl.

The ecchi scene between a couple of middle schoolers was a tad awkward to write for multiple reasons, but then again, when isn't it awkward in an Isekai where there's massive de-aging?

Tell me what you think, and I'll see you all next time when I finally get around to giving Takei a BFG!