Man do I have some fun twists and turns waiting for you all in this Arc.

If you thought the last Arc was crazy, well...I hope to surprise you further.


My Hero Academia Untold: The Fafnir Knight (Remastered Edition)

Saga I: Dusk

Arc III: The Sports Festival

Chapter XXIX: Training Begins!


"The bonding of the team is exceptionally important and trying to create a good team spirit and to have some fun."

-Sam Allardyce


Hajime Tanaka sat in his office with his phone to his ear; it was still ringing. He had just gotten out of a massive meeting of the Police Commission and several of the highest-ranking officers in the Nation. No longer was he the simple junior detective who once handed the files that sealed Draco Knight's fate.

He was now a Captain and Adjutant to Kai Doumeki, yet he had another role to play in current events.

"Go ahead, Tanaka," He heard the voice of Tensei Iida answer.

"I just got out of that meeting I told you about." Hajime began saying after making sure that no one was listening. "I'm sure that Kiriyūin will fill you in on the broader details at the meeting tomorrow, but I'll tell you the stuff that I'm sure he would not know of right now."

He could hear Tensei fiddle around with some equipment, likely to record the call.

"I'm ready."

"Okay, just understand that some things are not completely in the clear, so they're subject to change."

"Understood."

"First: The Noumu, that thing from the USJ. The commission had a DNA test done on it, and the results were…strange, to say the least."

"How so?"

"Multiple strains of DNA were found. So many, in fact, that the commission has ordered another test. Just to verify that it wasn't a mistake due to contamination. Or on the off-chance that the sample had been tampered with."

"Interesting...but I feel like there is something else here?"

"Well, here is the thing. Do you remember when I told you that Doumeki ordered an Internal Affairs investigation after the whole Stain fiasco?"

"Yes, you and several others helped in the investigation along with Kiriyūin himself."

"When Internal Affairs started the investigation, I was assigned to help look into cases that happened before I was transferred to Doumeki's department ten years ago. While the cases I was personally involved in since were then handled by other officers as per protocol."

Hajime briefly grimaced.

"Anyway, when I began my assignment with Internal Affairs, I came across a case that I didn't think much of at the time," Hajime eyed the door and lowered his voice further. "Until some names that came up during the first round of DNA testing appeared and recognized them from that case. Names from an incident that happened thirteen years ago."

He let out a short breath of hesitation, "a real big one."

"What case?"

"It's come to be known as The Nursery Incident, and it was under an extreme amount of security regulations." He tapped his desk with his fingers. "I'm talking National Security levels, and there was a detail that makes me think why this could be a huge breakthrough if I'm right."

"What is it?"

"It's a minor thing, but it made me pause when I read the USJ incident report and the initial results of the test."

He flipped through his personal notes.

"Now, for context, The Nursery Incident involved several missing children; kidnappings mostly. But there was also some evidence of human tracking, experimentation, and..." He grimaced again. "Even genetic engineering. The police at the time managed to uncover evidence of all these crimes. So they could produce the warrants needed to raid a laboratory where some of the suspected children were said to have been held, but I digress."

"Now," He leaned forward in his seat.

"A key detail that was hidden from the public, yet it matched all of those children was the one thing they all shared in common." There was some trepidation as he shared his findings, "all of them had either blood-red or golden-yellow eyes."

"Another thing to consider would be this supposed bounty on the students at the USJ with golden-yellow eyes, and then you add the genetic engineering."

"Indeed...here is another key detail about The Nursery Incident. Draco Knight was involved as the Hero-in-Command and served as the vanguard during the initial start of the operation with then Commander Kai Doumeki serving as the SWAT Leader."

"Wait, Draco Knight was involved in this? With Doumeki?"

"Indeed, the Operation was going smoothly. Until a rather infamous villain made his appearance on the battlefield. The Phoenix King, the Southern Yakuza gang leader, arrived on the scene with several underlings and had the laboratory blown up. Along with all of the trapped children and officers trying to rescue them. I suspected the villain was trying to hide the evidence of his involvement."

"Good lord...I remember that name...The Phoenix King was Endeavor's mortal enemy, given his quirk's ability to absorb fire and had incredible regenerative abilities. I heard he had died thirteen years ago...is that the case that ended his life?"

'Given that Draco Knight literally ripped out the man's still-beating heart would have been enough to stop even the most powerful regeneration quirks known to man. Not to mention the incineration...'

Hajime thought to himself.

"Yes, it caused a massive headache for the commission. Honestly, the only odd thing about the incident was the Operational Code. It started out as Order One. The objective was to save all of the children and capture any villains." He flicked a finger up. "But it got upgraded to Order Zero -post-mission. I know from the incident report that Draco Knight personally killed The Phoenix King when the objective should have been his capture."

"Wouldn't that have placed Draco Knight under sanctions? A big case like that failing should have been grounds to strip the man of his license."

"The report mentioned that. According to the record, Draco Knight was to face the Board of Heroics. Especially since there were concerns regarding his mental health," he answered, turning to another page in his notebook. "Yet, that changed when Doumeki himself ordered the upgrade and basically took the fall for the operation as soon as he recovered from major surgery from wounds sustained during the Op."

"Wait, that doesn't make any sense! As far as I know, Chief Doumeki had always hated Draco Knight, even when I interned in the Drake's Den. I was always told that should The Chief appear, let Draco Knight handle it personally."

"I'm going to do some more digging here...I'm wondering if I could try to convince Doumeki to allow me back into the archives. My security clearance for those files should still be green. But it's best not to act on this information just yet..."

He added as he looked down at three files in front of him.

"I still feel like there's something off about everything, and I'd rather have all of my cards on the table so we can do this clean."

"Makes sense...thanks a lot for the information, Tanaka."

"One last thing Iida...Kiriyūin should know this too. He won't know when it'll happen, but my department has been tasked with transporting Overhaul to Tartarus next Saturday. Doumeki himself is personally leading the operation on the field."

"He's taking command personally?"

"Yes, sir, I think he feels responsible for losing some of my fellow officers during the Stain escape. I think this is his way of making the others feel better about going on another assignment like this again."

"I see...anything else?"

"Nothing else that wouldn't be repeating previously known information; otherwise, Kiriyūin will go into detail about what was discussed at the meeting."

"Very well, thank you, Tanaka. I wish you good luck on your assignment."

"Thanks; best wishes to you as well." Hajime finished up as he hung up his cellphone.

He leaned against his seat for a moment before looking at the three files on his desk. Carefully read the names attached to them. They were the remaining suspects from the initial investigation. The females and Vlad King were dropped from the case upon further inquiries.

Denki Kaminari

Ryu Kasei

Shino Mizuoji

He wasn't sure what Kaoru Kiriyūin was going to share with the group tomorrow. The details about what is happening with the remains of the Eight Precepts of Death didn't seem necessary to their case, but one never really knows. No matter what, however, Principal Nezu was sure to be informed that three students had passed background checks that should have raised some serious red flags.

The First is the son of an infamous villain.

The Second is the bastard son of a dead corrupt politician and the adopted son of his own boss.

The Third is a well-connected socialite with several familial ties to the Neocons.

'One or more of these three could be either spies or simply the targets of an assassination due to their ties,' Hajime thought to himself. ' Is there really a connection between any of them and the incident thirteen years ago?

Then there were their ages to be considered as a factor in play.

Denki was Fifteen.

Ryu was Sixteen.

Shino was Fourteen.

None of the children could have been older than three years old during the Nursery Incident. In contrast, all of the children who were said to have been held up were no younger than four and no older than seven, the typical age range that quirks manifested. Which meant one of them would have to be Eighteen at the minimum to fit the timeline. Not to mention that none of the three had been listed among those kidnapped and recovered.

The Nursery Incident.

What was the connection?

He was almost one-hundred percent sure that there was a connection to the USJ Incident and, by extension, to this new League of Villains. Still, all of the evidence was circumstantial at best. Depending on what information Tensei would give him after the meeting, Hajime might be able to make a more thorough investigation instead of searching blindly in the dark.

Then, he heard a loud rumbling outside his office that snapped him out of his thoughts.

The young Captain sighed in frustration as he decided to leave his office and see what was going on outside. He was instantly met with loud roars of laughter when he opened it. The veteran spotted one of the newer recruits, Ganji, performing one of his infamous acts for everyone using his quirk.

"And then the boss goes like, 'I'll accept the task and lead the operation personally.'" The man perfectly mimicked Kai's voice -and face with a pout. "You should have seen the faces of all the old farts on the commission."

That tidbit made all of the other junior officers laugh, with some doubled over at their desks with tears rolling down their faces. That was until Hajime cleared his throat loud enough that made everyone in the room go silent instantly.

"Haha- Oh shi-" The recruit nearly tripped over as he straightened into a salute.

"Captain! Haha, hello there!" Ganji began saying nervously as he turned to spot his superior standing behind him with an annoyed look on his face.

"Nishimoto, do you have that report on traffic plans for next Saturday?" Hajime asked with narrowed eyes.

"A-almost done, sir!" The man flustered out; his blood-red eyes looked around the room as several now stone-faced officers looked away awkwardly.

"Then finish it and have it on my desk by fourteen hundred hours, or I could invite The Chief-Superintendent to come and see your next performance. I'm sure he would find it just as amusing as everyone else here."

"On it, sir!"


Izuku sat happily in the observation room with his notebook out, finally getting a chance to see his classmates' quirks in real-time action without any disturbances. Midnight called for today to be what the class discovered to be known as a free-training day. Allowing the teams of Class 1-A to try out fun activities, which included various obstacle courses, sparring, and general practice in using their quirks, all while wearing their costumes.

"Having fun, Midoriya?" Izuku heard Kashiko ask as she took the seat next to him to observe everyone else.

"Yep, I've always been fascinated by quirks," he smiled and wrote down another note. "Mostly because I really wanted to be a hero myself. But the subject of quirks itself has always been interesting to me."

"I think Quirkologists missed out on having a mind like yours," Kashiko said playfully.

"Maybe if I was born quirkless, that could have been a career path I would have taken," Izuku retorted. Only to realize that Kashiko talked with him instead of being with her team. "Hey, Sekigai, not that I mind you being here, but shouldn't you be training with your team?"

"Am I being a bother?" Kashiko questioned with a glare.

"N-no! I mean, it's ju-" Izuku's response was cut off by Kashiko giggling.

"Hehe, I'm kidding, Midoriya relax! No," Kashiko began saying while fiddling with some of the camera control modules. "Uraraka is clearly having more fun racing against Ashido."

The display showed the two heroes-in-training as they worked hard to jump, climb and charge through a series of obstacles. Izuku sat there amazed at Ochako and Mina applying their quirks to get through some of the same challenges differently yet efficiently. Kashiko could see Izuku focusing on the two. However, an extra glance was thrown Ochako's way every now and then.

Maybe she was a bit jealous of Ochako.

Now she didn't have a thing for Izuku, but it wouldn't hurt for her to have an admirer like Izuku was to Ochako. Despite her conversation with most of the girls at the beginning of the year. It wasn't like she was utterly disinterested in dating. She was afraid it could interfere with her studies, given the various horror stories she'd heard from the rumor mill and online.

Yet seeing how these two acted with each other made almost everyone in the class "ship it," as Mina would say.

"Satou is doing some strength training with Kirishima, Bakugou, and Ojiro." She continued changing the displays again. Noting that Izuku looked ever so slightly disappointed when it did. "While Kasei is in the support department getting refitted with a costume upgrade and last I heard, Aoyama..."

The last display change was of Yūga practicing with his laser piercing through thick stone walls while staring into a portable mirror.

"…Is being Aoyama."

Izuku chuckled uneasily.

"In any case, since my quirk doubles as an analyzer, this is the perfect place for me to practice using its other features." She finished up as her eyes began to glow.

"Oh, your quirk is an analyzer too?" Izuku questioned, flipping to the pages where he had the information he managed to get on Kashiko and her powers.

"Indeed," she answered with a slight nod. "It's a bit like Ragdoll's Search quirk only based on my eyesight. My quirk can eventually pick up small details of individuals I've encountered, including possible weaknesses."

"That's so cool and incredibly useful in a support role! From back in the battle trial, I knew that your quirk could create those 2-D and 3-D maps that could tag people on the field," He lowered the notebook. "But the fact it also performs an analysis on quirks or on an individual's weaknesses is just beyond cool!"

"You really think so?" Kashiko questioned with a slight blush, surprised that her quirk would get such praise given Izuku's relatively high pedigree quirk.

"Yeah! Is that how you got through the robots at the entrance exam?" Izuku asked as he added additional notes to his notebook.

"Indeed! I used my quirk to efficiently map out the area and isolate my targets. After a while, I discovered that each robot had a built-in weakness that I think was meant to give candidates like myself a chance at passing," Kashiko chirped. "Still, I also got some rescue points for helping others who fell during the Zero Pointer attack."

In truth, she had come here to get over some of her nervousness about Izuku. Discovering that he was Draco Knight's son and seeing his power firsthand during the USJ Incident made her more than a little skittish around the greenette. Even if she was good at hiding it compared to others.

In the end, it was a combination of Tenya's speech after the incident and Izuku's commitment to Eri that made her a little more open to the idea that there was more to Izuku than what some in the media wanted to present. She was finally convinced to seek Izuku out in private the first chance she got.

"If that's the case, could you help me improve my notes with some of the things you found, Sekigai?" Izuku asked, switching back the display to Ochako's and Mina's race. Judging from the reactions of some of the others, Ochako had won.

'This may be a great way for me to get an edge at the Sport's Festival.' Kashiko thought to herself as her eyes began to glow.

"Sure thing!"


'This must be really uncomfortable for him.'

Tenya thought to himself as he saw Ryu getting a pat-down from Mei Hatsume. Even though his mouth was closed, he could see that Ryu was gritting his teeth. He and Shouto, who were already used to Mei's antics, sat nearby, waiting for their own turns to have their liaison go through them for costume modifications.

Still, as the newly elected Vice-President of Class 1-A, he felt the need to say something to ease his classmate's comfort levels.

"Hatsume, couldn't you just learn to take measurements correctly?"

Mei stopped feeling up the boy for a moment to look at her childhood friend/favorite crash test dummy.

"But this method is way better to get a real feel for the baby; I'm gonna be making for Mr. Dragon here!" She answered while patting one of Ryu's pecs. "

"MAKING WHAT NOW?!" Ryu screamed as he hopped away from the girl's reach. All while instinctively guarding his crotch, forcing Shouto to look away from the scene to stop himself from laughing at the fire-eater's reaction.

"The term 'Babies' is her way of addressing her inventions, Kasei," Shouto managed to say with a straight face upon recovering.

"THAT DOESN'T MAKE IT BETTER!"

"And since I'm going to be making a brand new costume baby from scratch," Mei continued answering, completely ignoring Ryu's concerns.

"Momma here needs a proper feel." Mei chirped with a giant grin and hands that held out to continue the pat-down without care.

Ryu looked at Mei before turning to Tenya.

"Can I get someone else to do this to me...Please?"

"I'm afraid Hatsume is our only liaison..." Tenya admitted flatly.

"So no," then he pushed up his glasses.

"Oh, come on, Mr. Dragon!"

"Stop calling me that! My name is Kasei!"

"Making a fuss for no big deal," Mei added dismissively. "Besides, you're not as muscly and fun as Teni, so I was almost done with you anyway."

Tenya felt his face burn as Ryu slowly turned his head to look at him with a questioning gaze. The expression on the Fire-Eater's face looked like he wasn't sure if he should have felt relieved or insulted by Mei's comment.

"Teni?" He mouthed to his vice president.

"Look, it's no big deal, watch." She turned from Ryu and ordered. "Hey Shou! Assume the position!"

Shouto promptly stood up and raised his arms straight up, asserting dominance over the room. Mei quickly hopped up and began feeling up Shouto while giggling like a madwoman, all while the latter kept the same stoic face.

'What even is my life?' Ryu questioned as he looked at the strange trio.


Inko sat by the kitchen table with large stacks of manila folders, envelopes, and photo albums. The Midoriya Matriarch was looking for the most recent copy of her family registry. She would need it as part of the documents needed to enroll Eri into a school that she and All Might would be scouting for next week.

Inko stood up to better organize all of the materials, placing the extra photo albums to the side to show Ochako later. At the same time, double-checked that Eri was happily seated while watching a rerun of Animal Buddies. A smile crept up on her face knowing that Eri was in for quite the surprise later today.

"I know I placed it here after I finished Izuku's enrollment at UA," Inko said to herself. Mildly frustrated with the task at hand. After several minutes she lifted the last set of folders in the stack, praying that she hadn't somehow lost the registry. It would be highly embarrassing to need a replacement at such a last-minute moment. As she sorted through the paperwork, Inko didn't notice a small but long envelope slipped out and landed gently on the floor.

"Ah! Yes, here it is!" Inko said happily after finding the copy of the registration. With the way things are proceeding, Eri might soon be officially adopted by the Midoriya household, making this document critical to make that happen. Sighing with relief, Inko placed the paper aside with the photo albums to clean up and get started on making lunch for the two of them.

"Hope you had fun today, kids!" Comicman's voice called out from the TV while Anima signed the same. "And remember to practice safe and responsible quirk use, be kind to one another, and we'll see you next time on Animal Buddies! I'm Comicman, and this is my co-host, Anima! We'll you all next time!"

Eri put down the tiny notebook that Izuku had given to her to help keep track of all the animals featured in today's episode. She got an idea after seeing her surrogate father's note-taking skills when it came down to quirks. The two even shared some notes when the show would talk about animals with quirks.

The baby bear was very cute.

Eri wrote crudely in the notebook, along with a few attempted drawings of bears and what bears liked to eat, like fish and honey. Once she was satisfied with her work, she placed the notebook down to try and see what else might be on TV when her stomach began this, she quickly hopped off the couch and made her way into the kitchen, where Inko was already hard at work fixing lunch.

Upon spotting the child, Inko flashed Eri a quick smile while taking an educated guess on why Eri was there.

"Lunch will be ready soon, okay, Eri?" She spoke as she skillfully balled up some rice with her hands while using her quirk to move some of the fillings closer to her.

Eri nodded and was about to head back to the living room when she spotted something white on the floor.

'A letter,' Eri carefully picked and saw some somewhat faded black ink that made it difficult to read. After trying a couple of times, she managed to make out what it said.

To: Section-Chief Kai Doumeki.

She didn't know the name but knew that this most likely belonged to Inko. Eri carefully walked up to Inko, holding up the letter before calling out, "Inki-ko-" She corrected herself this time before pulling slightly on the hem of Inko's apron.

"Inko! I found this."

Inko looked down while shaping the food with a look on her face, "Hm? I'm sorry, honey, did you say something?"

Eri nodded before holding the letter up a little higher. Inko, not wanting to dirty the old-looking letter with her wet hands, focused on the letter with her quirk, pulling it mentally from Eri's grasp.

"Thank you, honey," Inko said with a smile as Eri nodded again with approval that her small task was done and returned to the living room.

"Now let's see what this is...oh," Inko said as she turned the envelope to see what it really was. "Oh Hisashi...you never did get your chance, did you? I'm sorry I never delivered this for you."


Ochako happily ate the food that Jou provided for everyone again.

The class was having an on-field lunch today. To replicate what might happen in the case of extended rescue operations. Midnight requested everyone eat with their teams separately to build morale and create more effective team bonds.

Everyone except Ryu, who was wearing his PE gear, was still wearing their costumes.

"Mhmm! This rice is really tasty, Mori!" Ochako exclaimed as Jou continued to distribute food to everyone else. They found themselves in the middle of an area full of fake rubble, with enough passage to allow them to walk around easily.

"Thank you! But I would save your thanks for my helpers back in my class along with Lunch Rush for giving us some extra ingredients to work with."Jou chirped happily.

"Come on, Pani, give yourself some credit," Rikidou said as he grabbed a few more wrapped rice balls from the cart. "I know being humble is good and all, but it's alright to get a little glory for yourself."

"Agreed," Ryu and Kashiko said in unison after finally being served and seated on the floor nearby. Kashiko with some vegetable tempura and Ryu with a bowl of very spicy curry that could make the eyes of almost anyone who got close to water up.

"I'll keep that in mind then, but in the meanwhile, could you please fill out these survey cards for me? They're part of my coursework as your Business Liaison. Just give them to Ms. Midnight when you're done, please," Jou finished distributing the cards and dropping a small case containing extra drinks.

"Otherwise, enjoy the food, guys!"

"Merci!" said Yūga as he sat on a piece of fake rubble with a fancy-looking steak on his plate cradled on his lap.

"You're welcome?" Jou responded before shrugging and began pushing the cart toward Katsuki's team. While Rikidou sat looking slightly disappointed that he wouldn't have lunch with her today like usual.

"Ah, fear not, mon ami!" Yūga exclaimed upon seeing Rikidou's face, making everyone turn to look at the walking disco ball knight. "I'm sure that La dame Mori is just as disappointed as toi."

"…Ra dame what now?" Rikidou questioned, not understanding the bastardization of Japanese and French, Yūga tried to speak.

"I think he might be teasing you, Satou," Kashiko spoke up, understanding a bit of the French thanks to some period dramas she watched here and there. "Disappointed that Mori left us?"

"Aww, that's rather sweet," Ochako breathed out between bites of her food.

Rikidou's face went red. Sure it was common knowledge that he was dating their Business Liaison. Still, it wasn't something he really talked about with anyone. Even when Mina tried to coax out some "deets," as she would say, from the two of them every now and then.

"Did you expect anything else from our resident sweets hero?" Ryu added in with a small laugh.

"Kasei, that was terrible, and you know it," Kashiko said, shaking her head while unable to stop herself from smirking.

"Guess I'll leave the humor to Kaminari then," Ryu said with a shrug.

"Then again, Satou's relationship is old news because I'm sure someone else is disappointed by not eating with their significant other today." He added, giving Ochako a sideways look. It took her a moment to process what the Fire-Eater had just said before she broke into a red face.

"Hey!"

"Oh indeed! I imagine it must be the same for said significant other." Kashiko decided to join in the teasing, remembering her conversation with Izuku earlier.

"It's not like that with me and Izuku!" Ochako exclaimed with a red face

"It's 'Izuku and I' Uraraka," Kashiko corrected with a pointed finger and a stifled giggle.

"Funny, I didn't even mention a name, Uraraka," Ryu retorted as Rikidou laughed.

"It seems like our madame Uraraka has been caught!"

"Oh, har har," Ochako said with a slight pout.


"Oh my goodness, that is adorable!" Momo exclaimed, seeing the photo on Shouto's phone. This group found themselves inside one of the fake buildings. This one, in particular, was filled with a few empty crates and sheets of metal that helped serve as their dining area.

"That's Hikari for you," said Shouto with a warm expression, remembering the day the picture was taken of Hikari with a set of finished braids sitting on Shouto's lap.

"Wow, Wonderboy, I didn't expect to know that you were a hairstylist," said Kyouka, surprised to learn of Shouto's handiwork with his niece.

"Right?! Hey Todoroki, do you think you could do my hair?!" Tōru asked excitedly with her gloves moving around dramatically.

'Where would I even start?' Shouto mentally questioned the idea of braiding the hair of an invisible girl.

"I'm no expert on hairstyling, but that looks pretty professional if you ask me," Mashirao commented. He sat on top of one of the larger crates since his tail needed the extra room. They were waiting for Jou to arrive as she was currently serving Katsuki's team. "Where did you learn how to do it?"

"Youtube videos and hard work," Shouto firmly answered before pulling the back of his hair into a small ponytail. "She just saw me once with this hairstyle and asked if I could style her hair...I found it impossible to say no."

The remaining four laughed at Shouto's last comment.

"She's also Iida's niece, right?" Kyouka asked, seeing some of the Iida family features on the young girl.

Shouto nodded.

"Our siblings got married about," he paused to ponder. "Eight years ago? And Hikari was born six years ago next month."

"Oh, so her birthday is coming up?" Momo commented curiously to see what kind of gift someone like Shouto would give to someone he clearly cares so much about. It was difficult to gauge the normally stoic boy.

"It's the day just before the Sports Festival. She's already going to be celebrating later today since my father got her tickets to the live showing of Animal Buddies."

"Oh, my little sister loves that show," Mashirao said with a chuckle, "she'll be jealous to hear that."

"Comicman and Anima are pretty cool guys. I got to meet Anima once when he was on a patrol, got his autograph too." Kyouka added with a grin, bringing up a selfie she took of her with the Pro-Hero.

"Well, I do hope she enjoys herself. Will you and Iida be going with her, Todoroki?" Momo questioned out of curiosity.

Shouto shook his head.

"No, my father only got three tickets, and her parents have already decided to take her. Honestly, I'm rather glad. I think she needs to spend more time with them."


Katsuki sat with a grin on his face placing down a card as the game he was playing with his squad.

They were seated in the center of a crossroad in a small circle playing a game of UNO courtesy of Hanta. The sticky hero had initially planned to play it earlier with Eijirou and Mashirao before realizing they would do this exercise most of the day. Given the game's rapid pace, the squad all continued to take quick bites of their food as their turns came up.

"Yellow one bitches," Katsuki proclaimed on his next turn while thinking about his recent decision.

He had decided after much internal infighting to keep quiet about what he knew about Ochako's story to himself for now. As he didn't want Izuku to be distracted by being all lovey-dovey with Ochako as the Sports Festival loomed overhead. However, that's not to say he couldn't use this information to his advantage later down the line.

Still, for now, it was just a matter of time before he would start feeding Izuku and Ochako hints here and there.

'Yū might have been right...but if I play this right. I'll not only help Izuku out but...beat out Yū and the Old Hag on the bet they made of when the two will get together.'

He had accepted that Ochako was in it for the long haul and stopped being hostile to her. Still, he found it hard to try and make conversation with her. Not for the lack of trying mind, but they didn't share much in common, which often made it awkward. Ironic that Tenya knew Ochako for even less time than he did but could talk to her, him, and Izuku without batting an eye.

Yet, in another twist of irony.

Katsuki actually felt relief as the blond didn't have to worry about Izuku as much anymore, which allowed him to focus on developing himself. He could relax and let down his guard if ever so slightly. Class 1-A had proven to be something else when it came down to his insecurities about how the class would interact with Izuku after his secret was revealed. He could still feel the hesitation in some, but it was nowhere near as bad as the reaction he was getting from most of the general population from the rest of the school. Mainly those from General Studies, but he definitely knew that a few from Class 1-B still had a problem with Izuku still being here.

For now, however, he was actually able to breathe better and actually open up somewhat to his team, at least.

"Wild Card Trade! Switch cards with me, Bakugou, and the next color will still be blue!" Hanta proclaimed, placing down a card on the ground. The rest of the squad reacted to the bold move.

"Son of a bitch," Katsuki growled as he looked at his hand; he only had three cards left, and one was a wild card. After trading cards, he realized that he was left with five regular cards none of which were blue. "I'm going to blow your ass to hell, Tape Arms."

"Phrasing!" Denki called out with a laugh before calling his next card on his turn. "Eight blue."

"He's coming for that booty, Sero," Mina interjected with a laugh before eating a quick bite of her rice ball and placing down her next card. "Blue skip!"

"Is this high school or prison?" Hanta joked as he placed down a card, "three blue."

"Aw damn it!" Eijirou exclaimed when he looked at his hand; he only had three cards. "Looks like I gotta draw."

Slowly but surely, the team laughed as Eijirou kept pulling cards, having no luck, only cutting down his chance of victory further. Finally, after nine cards were drawn, he managed to find success.

"Three Red!"


"Wait, so Eri had already called us 'Mama and Papa' here before?" Izuku questioned, surprised as the two animal teens looked back at him with some amusement on their faces. His group had been fortunate enough to have been nearby a fake cafe when lunch had been called, so they were seated in the patio area to enjoy their meal.

"Indeed," Fumikage answered with a nod before biting into a dumpling from his plate.

"We didn't have much time, ribbit, to think about what she had said at the moment." Tsuyu added as she put a finger to her chin, pondering about that day. "We just mentioned you and Uraraka to coax her out the rubble, ribbit, and that's how she answered."

"I see..." Izuku said as he put his hand under his chin, thinking hard, and his bowl of Katsudon was left to cool on the table as he began to mutter to himself.

"And there he goes," Minoru said, putting down his drink to watch Izuku's mumble storm in action.

Tenya spoke up with a reverse chop of a hand.

"Midoriya, if you want my personal opinion, given what I had seen of you and Uraraka, especially when Eri had joined us here. I cannot imagine a better people she could have landed with, not to mention there was Bakugou to help you both like the 'Fun Uncle' he called himself."

Tenya managed a small smile after wiping his mouth with a napkin. As an uncle himself, Tenya respected Katsuki's firm commitment to helping Eri with the two when they arrived. Even going so far as to restrain his typical manner of speech and toning down his spats with Ryu...when he could help it.

"You really think so, Iida?" Izuku asked quickly, snapping out of his mumbles quicker than usual.

"I have to concur with Iida; you and Uraraka managed to prioritize her comfort while balancing schoolwork with ease," Fumikage commented. "It was quite impressive."

"Ribbit, and it was cute when Eri let some of us hold her," Tsuyu said happily. "She clearly started to trust us, ribbit, thanks largely to you two, ribbit. Like with Tokoyami and the apple."

Fumikage coughed with some embarrassment at mentioning his close encounter with the unicorn kid.

"And I didn't screw it up!" Dark Shadow called out, projecting from his host's body as Fumikage tried to get him back on under control.

"No, you did a good job, ribbit." Tsuyu answered while patting Fumikage's dark projection, much to its delight and Fumikage's chagrin.

"Ohohoho, I like you! Fumi never treats me like this!" said Dark Shadow, relishing in the affection.

"Damn it, Dark Shadow!"

"Oh, he's fine, ribbit...plus this is my chance to thank both of you for helping to shield us from that fireball." Tsuyu added as Dark Shadow nuzzled against the frog girl. The remaining three laughed as Fumikage, whose face usually hid his blushes, couldn't stop the rest of his body from turning red with embarrassment.

"Asui...You already thanked me at the hospital," Fumikage finally managed to say.

"I thanked you, ribbit. But I never got a chance to thank Dark Shadow, who deserves getting thanks too!" She stopped with the patting for a moment. "Also, I told you to call me Tsu."

"Revelry in the dark..."

"Yay! I get to stay!"


Midnight sat comfortably in the observation room eating lunch with All Might, with the first week after the USJ finally over and things returning to a sense of normalcy again. The two teachers had agreed that while the students still needed to be trained. They also needed time to have fun and bond over their shared experiences, with next month's Sports Festival looming overhead. These bonds would be challenged as these promising future heroes would need to compete, resulting in conflicts where teamwork and perhaps subtle manipulations would be needed to win.

"I'm happy to see that my planned free day worked," Midnight commented. She looked at the monitors displaying the teams enjoying themselves.

All Might coughed lightly before nodding in agreement, happy that everyone seemed relaxed after the exercises. They had further plans to continue the lighter training exercises to compensate for the lost time. Due to the USJ incident and keeping the promise he made to them after Aizawa's Trial by Fire.

'Good lord, they really did go through a lot for their first month at school.' All Might thought to himself. Finally, he answered. "Indeed, the simpler exercises and the emphasis on team building are something I could easily agree on."

All Might knew that he wanted Izuku to follow his own path, where All Might often worked alone with only one sidekick in his whole career. In the long run, that plan had utterly backfired on him. He hoped that on the day that Izuku ultimately succeeds him as the next Symbol of Peace, he won't repeat the same mistakes that he himself had made.

"I got some ideas from Vlad," Midnight continued pulling out a small notebook with some of her own teaching notes.

"A mistake I think I made early on was that I tried to be a nicer or 'more fun' version of Eraserhead rather than just being myself," she sighed. "Given the differences of being a normal teacher versus being a Hero Course Homeroom teacher where I had so many more responsibilities than before, helped put things in perspective."

"So after the USJ. I wanted to try and learn from that and spoke to Vlad about his methods and compared them to Aizawa's. He does place a much stronger value in teamwork and cooperation."*

All Might thoughtfully scratched his chin.

"Is that why you haven't been cracking out your whip and riding crops as of late?" He asked; it was a minor observation, but the veteran had noticed that Midnight hadn't been using her favorite props lately.

Midnight looked away with some guilt on her face.

"Before, it was for Eri's comfort, but after I read the police report and statements during our meeting before the press conference," Midnight answered as she looked at the monitors again. Her eyes focused on three particular students. "One cold-hearted bitch used a flaming whip on my students, All Might."

"In my class alone, we had Asui, Tokoyami, and Kasei. The last one got it especially bad...when I saw the state of his old costume, the kid needed surgery to survive it, All Might," she shuddered slightly as tears began welling up in her eyes. "I think the last thing any of those three need is a reminder of what they went through...I mean. I still have nightmares All Might...so I can only imagine what horror they might reli-"

She was cut off as All Might sighed as he reached for his coworker's hand. The students may have been on the upswing of their recoveries. However, the teachers still needed to recover from parts of the horror themselves. It might be a good thing that the Golden Week holiday was coming up for them to recover as well.


Alex sat at one of the small tables set up for three next to the training field. Eraserhead was nearby to supervise their training, hidden as he wanted to remain as hands-off as possible. It was okay, though, since the wait gave Alex plenty of time to think about his approach, while he was still waiting for his two trainees to arrive in their PE gear.

He did ponder over his earlier conversation with Mirio.

'I hope it works out for him.'

It was difficult to give advice on the topic, let alone romance, as it wasn't his strong suit. Hell, he never even had a girlfriend himself. So he wasn't sure that the advice he had given was correct. It didn't help that Mirio was going to ask the girl he had liked as well. As much as it hurt, Alex knew that she had already declined his advances. So despite his personal feelings, he truly wished Mirio nothing but the best of luck.

'Talk about irony...' He thought as he turned his head to spot his two newly made trainees. 'Welp, it's showtime.'

Alex sat up and placed his folders back into his side bag.

He had made it a critical point to learn as much as he could about the two, from their quirks and backgrounds to general likes and dislikes. As a former liaison himself, he couldn't deny having a bias towards these two and wanted to help them reach their dreams of making it to the hero course. But before he could train them properly, he needed to know them personally. Knowing how they tick alongside their execution of the use of their quirks would prove invaluable in setting them up for the best methods of training them.

At least, that's how he learned from his days as a General Studies student. 'One whole year of Hell.'

Alex had been prepping to condense an entire year-long experience within three weeks. Which called for these liaisons to stay after-school. 'I hope they're ready because they have no idea what they've signed up for.'

"Hello guys, please take a seat," said Alex as the two arrived.

"Alright, I don't think we've been properly introduced yet. So I'll start us off. I'm Alexander Springfield, but you can just call me Alex...or Spring if you prefer because the full versions of my names are mouthfuls." Alex started with a lighthearted tone as the two trainees took their seats. "I'm hoping that our training together will be fun and educational for you."

"Hitoshi Shinsou."

"Reiko Yanagi."

The three sat there awkwardly for a few moments, following their brief and forward introductions.

'Oh boy, this is going to be a challenge, isn't it? Thankfully, I prepared for something like this...' Since the two actually reminded him a lot of Eraserhead. Alex knew that he would have to break them out of their shells to get the ball rolling. Now it was only a matter of how he was going to that.

Thankfully he had an idea of where to start.

"Okay, now, before we start. I have a few questions I'd like to ask to get a better feel of what you want to learn here with me," Alex said before both of the trainees decided to make rather forward comments.

"How about we actually get started on our actual training instead, Springfield?" said Hitoshi with a bored sigh and folding arms.

"We know what we want, Springfield. To get stronger and make our way into the hero course," Reiko said with a bored expression. "We have been waiting for quite some time for Mr. Aizawa to teach us personally."

"And instead, we get you. So forgive us if we don't seem to be the most pleased with your introduction and having to stay after school," Hitoshi followed up, looking back towards the school.

Alex maintained a relaxed smile while suppressing his growing annoyance.

'Okay...Tough crowd, tough crowd, no matter, no matter...I can work with them...NO, I will work with them the best I can.'

"Guys," Alex spoke as calmly as he could.

"I understand your frustrations, really," his eyes went downcast.

"More than you realize," he added, looking back at them. "And I'll be the first to admit that I am nowhere near as good as a teacher as Mr. Aizawa. But! Like you guys, I was once a liaison too! Hell, I had to become a liaison from the General Studies population before being promoted to the Hero Course. So you two already have an edge!"

"And yet you found a way to screw it all up," Hitoshi interjected sharply with a bored expression.

'Cutting it real close,' Alex thought to himself, gritting his teeth and forcing a smile as he ignored the rude comment. "In any case, these questions will help me, help you. So please, the sooner we get it done. The sooner we can start your training."

The two give near-identical sighs of exasperation.

'Yep...A LOT like Aizawa...might explain the bags under both their eyes too...'

"Alright, I'll take that as a 'Yes,' so who wants to go first?" Alex continued while still keeping up that bitter smile.

"Me," Hitoshi answered flatly.

"Oh goodie...well very then, Shinsou..." Alex began saying, turning his attention to the mind binder, his face slightly more severe. "Why do you want to be a Pro-Hero?"

"Are you seriously asking that?"

Alex's eyes flashed blue, his voice becoming firm. "Answer the question."

"The same reason anyone would, I want to help people in my own way."

"I would have to answer the same," Reiko interjected, agreeing with Hitoshi's answer.

Alex leaned back in his seat, unimpressed. "That doesn't answer my question, Shinsou."

Hitoshi paused, confused by Alex's response. "What do you mean? I gave you my answer."

"You want to help people, right? But there are many different ways to "help people," including several different career paths that would let you "help people" that doesn't involve being a Pro-Hero." He answered, now leaning in forward. Glowing blue eyes staring right at him.

"So I ask again...why do YOU want to be a Pro-Hero?"

Hitoshi looked away with a grimace. His middle-school years came to mind with the hushed comments often said about his quirk at a distance.

"I want to prove that someone with a villainous quirk like mine can be a hero." He answered; however, what happened next caught both Liaisons off guard.

"Pathetic," Alex said flatly, his expression turned to disappointment. "What a selfish and pathetic reason."

Hitoshi finally had enough; he rose from his seat.

"And who the hell are you to judge?! You don't know what it's like to have people walk on eggshells when they discover that I have a quirk that lets me take over their bodies. To be called the perfect villain, unlike you! You were lucky to be born with a heroic quirk!"

The look that Alex gave the young mind binder almost chilled him to the bone. "A heroic quirk, eh?"

In an instant, Alex disappeared in a blue flash, appearing behind the indigo-haired teen and grabbing him in a vicious headlock, swiftly covering Hitoshi's mouth with his free hand. Reiko got up to try and save her companion, only for Alex to knock her away to the floor with a flat kick to the stomach.

"What's a Villain, Shinsou? What's a Hero, Shinsou?" Alex asked with a cruel look on his face, his voice growling as he began doing a closer examination of the boy.

'No muscle, skinny...no technique...' Alex was surprised by his findings. 'Nothing...compared to most of the boys from Classes 1-A and 1-B...He might as well be a twig...'

"You'd be surprised just how thin the line between the two could be. After all, my so-called "heroic" quirk ended a life eleven days ago," Alex continued as he placed additional pressure on Hitoshi's neck.

"I've already killed someone Shinsou," His grip became firmer. "I did it to save one of my juniors who was about to be killed by an A-rank villain. And what was my reward? I was humiliated and stripped of the career path I had worked my ass off to get here!"

Hitoshi's heart pounded hard as he felt himself starting to blackout. At least until Alex eased some pressure from his neck, allowing him to get some much-needed air.

"And you know what?! If I had to make the same choice all over again, knowing where I would end up, I would do it all over again," he eased his grip on the boy while firmly holding on to him. "Because in the end, a proper hero should always put others before themselves while on duty."

Hitoshi froze, from what he had seen from Alex mainly had been based on the Battle trials and seeing him on TV. He seemed like the type of hero he disliked. The showboating type who would prioritize their own ego over doing actual hero work.

Yet he didn't expect this.

Alex turned to Reiko, struggling to get up, coughing hard as she clutched her stomach. "Yanagi, did you experience similar treatment like Shinsou here? Did people judge you from your quirk?"

"The name...of my quirk...often made...people more...skittish around me." She managed to answer between large breaths, yet the look on her face told Alex that she clearly thinking about what he had said to them.

"Despite it being basically an advanced form of telekinesis, huh?"

Reiko nodded. Alex then turned his attention back to Hitoshi as he wasn't finished with him. It was time to address his biggest flaw. With ease, Alex used his natural speed to spin himself and threw Hitoshi overhead at Reiko, slamming them both to the ground.

"Shinsou, what type of training did you do to prepare for the practical entrance exam? And don't you dare use your quirk on me," Alex demanded, looking down on the two with folded arms. Hitoshi looked up blankly at his trainer as he tried to get off of Reiko, and with a groan.

"There was no way to know what to expect!" He managed to yell out between breaths and helped Reiko sit up with him.

"Was that an excuse not to do some strength training to help your skinny frame? Did you expect to get by using your quirk alone? Okay, add arrogance to mix alongside being selfish and pathetic!"

This time it was Reiko's turn to snap up. "That isn't fair, Springfield! How could we have known what to expect?!"

"Because life isn't fair..." Alex answered, voice returning to a calmer tone.

"Because when you are a Pro-Hero, you never know just what kind of villain you might run into every day." Alex continued without skipping a beat.

"If you want an example, look no further than the USJ itself. It was supposed to be a simple training day. Only to turn into a living nightmare for everyone involved. When villains of all shapes and sizes appeared, some of which I know for a fact would be completely immune to both your quirks."

Alex paused as he continued his piercing gaze.

"How would you have dealt with that, eh?"

The two couldn't find him an answer, so Alex continued.

"I won't lie that the exam favors certain types of quirks. Ones with some real oomph behind them. But even so, there were other ways you could have still passed the exam. For example, did you know those robots had built-in weaknesses that you could have exploited? Or you could have stepped in to help others in need which would have netted you rescue points?"

Alex questioned as he placed his arms to his sides, his face becoming somber.

"Because sometimes even the best heroes have to improvise and adapt to overcome situations, including working with others that you may have a low opinion of..." As Alex finished up as he pulled his cellphone out of his pocket. The two liaisons looked at each other, not knowing what else to expect until Alex walked up. He knelt down to their level and showed them a picture on the screen.

It was of him two years ago when he was noticeably heavier than he was now.

"Remember what I said at the beginning of this? That I understand your frustrations? I want you to understand that I didn't just mean it as me saying that I was a former liaison," Alex spoke with a gentler expression and tone of voice.

"But because I, too, had to learn from the same mistakes you two committed," He confessed, much to their surprise.

"I once had a very selfish reason for wanting to be a Pro, and..." Alex cleared his throat with some embarrassment. "You can clearly see that I once had a body unsuited to help anyone. Because I was arrogant to believe that my quirk would be enough to get into UA alone."

Alex stopped to chuckle.

"A delusion that was shattered when I got here, but as you said, Shinsou...I managed to screw it all up."

Hitoshi looked away, guilt now gnawing at him for his insensitive comment. Only to feel a gentle hand on his shoulder, he turned to see Alex looking at the two of them.

"And that's why I am here...to teach you everything I learned to give you a head start. I want to see you kick ass and make sure you never repeat my fuck ups."

Neither of the two liaisons could say anything else in response as they finally seemed to understand why he had been asked to help them train. His personality might have been vastly different from theirs. But his experiences were aligned with their own. Finally, when the trio was back on their feet, Hitoshi bowed first; Reiko quickly followed behind him.

"I'm sorry." The two said in unison.

"I don't want your apologies, guys," said Alex with a nervous laugh. "I just wanted you to get into the right mindset."

"Now!" He continued, spreading his arms out wide. "Come here for a group hug!"

"No." The two liaisons said flatly together, with mild looks of amusement.

Alex threw his head back in laughter. "Aww...Oh well, no matter, we got three weeks. I'll be getting that hug before we finish up sooner or later."

"Yeah, no, not happening, Spring," Hitoshi responded with the tiniest smile.

"Not in a million years, Spring," Reiko added with a ghost of a smile.

The responses only made Alex's smile grow wider.

"So you say!" Alex started up as he turned around and invited them to the field. "Now that we got that out of the way. Let's begin the training from Hell."

Hitoshi and Reiko looked at each other. He shook his head and gave her a knowing smirk. Her response was an awkward smile with a hint of a laugh; after an introduction like that. Hell seemed an appropriate way to describe it. The two began walking with renewed confidence in their future as possible Hero Course students.

Eraserhead lay nearby, still wrapped up in his sleeping bag and with a rare smile on his face.

"Good work, Springfield."

A little over an hour later, in the Nurse's Office.

"Good lord boy!" The old lady chastised the foreign trainer as she treated the bruised and unconscious Liaisons. "I know Aizawa said to give them hell, but they're not going to learn like that!"

"I'm sorry, Recovery Girl!" Alex pleaded, remaining on his knees with his head to the ground in repentance while nervously sweating.

"But now that I know their current limits. It should be much easier next ti-ow!" Alex tried to explain before the old woman gave him a solid wack on his head with her cane.

"You better! Or no amount of luck will save you from me!"

"Yes, ma'am!"


Mirio sat there outside as the afternoon light became the twilight of dusk.

A lot was running through his mind at the moment. It was his last year at UA, in addition to being the leader in the UA third year rankings and leader of The Big Five, so there was always something or other going through his head in some way, shape, or form. From his work studies to his future possible partners to his grades.

Yet, all of that changed in a single day as so much had happened in such a short time.

From helping train some very talented first-years to repelling a villain attack on a massive scale within the halls of UA itself. He had fought alongside those same first-year students. The third years in The Big Five had all had their own brushes with death since gaining their provisional licenses.

Yet, this incident seemed like the closest they had ever come to dying.

And that can make anyone stop to think about life when the dust finally settles. This, in turn, brought back some old feelings he had had for quite some time, feelings he had thought that he had buried deep within himself for well over a year. Feelings for his fellow teammate and best female friend, Nejire Hadou.

It was almost laughable.

Nejire was considered to be one of the most beautiful girls at UA, bar none. Yet that was all that seemed to be talked about when it came to her. Yes, Nejire was extremely beautiful, but she was also incredibly talented, resourceful, and actually quite intelligent when it comes down to it. Yet, none of it ever went to her head. Her bubbly nature kept her in check, always keeping her grounded. It was no wonder why many wanted her as a romantic partner -even among some of the other ladies.

So the competition was stiff, to say the least.

Mirio sighed as he looked at the time displayed on his phone's screensaver. He had worked very hard to get where he was in life with countless hours of training with his quirk with various teachers, mentors, and even fellow students. He wasn't the best when it came to his grades, only being above-average compared to the rest of his teammates.

Mirio once felt like he should have saved the romance until after his career got started after finishing school. He had been afraid of letting these feelings interfere with his career here at UA. It was something that Nejire seemed to believe in as well, given that every confession or request for a date was shot down by her without batting an eye. After thinking about it repeatedly and considering everything, he decided to confess to her today.

Even if she rejected him too, he at least wanted to let his feelings be known.

Earlier today, he had asked one of those previously rejected suitors...who happened to be the only one he trusted for some encouraging words of advice when it came to situations like this.

"Dude...just be yourself." He remembered Alex saying that when he visited him in the faculty lounge earlier that day, he had been busy reading the files on his new trainees. "It's cheesy as hell to say that, I know, but if she likes you, then she likes you for being you. Simple as that, she didn't like me in that way, and I accepted that...then again, I was riding a high from when I got the then good news, so I wasn't thinking too hard at the moment I asked her."

"Are you sure that you're okay with it, though?" He remembered asking back.

Alex had been repeatedly screwed over this past month. The last thing Mirio wanted to do was rub salt on his wounds on the off chance he was somehow successful. Yet to his surprise, Alex turned out to be far more encouraging than he had originally expected.

"Come on, man, I just said I accepted that she didn't like me in that way! Besides, I'm not going to be hung up over it since I'm going back home in a couple of weeks, so it wouldn't really matter. I'm not one for long-distance relationships, so even if I had somehow gotten the chance, I'd most likely have broken it off by now. So I don't want you to feel guilty over me because I don't matter in this equation. All that matters to me at this moment is you guys. I want you to be happy, and I want her to be happy, because both of you are dear friends who helped me get where I am today, alright?"

"Alright...thank you, Alex."

"No problem...oh, if I can add one last thing, Mirio?"

"What is it?"

"I ship it."

"Mirio!"

The blond boy WAS snapped out of his thoughts as he finally heard the voice he had been waiting for. Mirio turned his head to wave at bluenette as the sun shined right behind her, giving her an almost ethereal glow. She smiled at him walking forward with a slight lean.

"I finally found you! Have you been waiting long? I'm sorry about that; Yuyu held me up longer than I thought..." Nejire began saying and continued to speak, asking several questions and, in some cases, answering them herself.

Mirio simply chuckled under his breath as the girl continued to speak. He knew that he would be unable to get a word in until he got the opening which would be any second now. Once you knew Nejire long enough, you knew that she would eventually need to stop for a breath.

"But the cat was really, really cute! So anyway, now I'm here, so what did you want to talk about?" Nejire finished up as she stood next to Mirio with hands behind her and took a rather large, albeit silent breath.

Mirio stood up from his seat to look Nejire in the eyes; she leaned back a bit while looking upward at him.

"Wow, I keep forgetting just how tall you are, Mirio!" She said with a giggle. Mirio smiled; she really knew how to ease his nerves even without realizing it.

"Thanks for coming here; I really appreciate you coming here like I asked," Mirio began saying gratefully.

"No problem! I'm just happy that I caught up before it got too late."

Mirio hummed in response. It was now or never; he couldn't back out now. "Hey...Nejire."

He started off surprising her. Just the firmness in his voice alone was enough to catch her off guard; Nejire knew now that this was a little more serious than she initially thought. She remained silent, knowing now was not the time for her regular routine.

"For the last two-plus years, you've been a great friend to me and Tamaki. From training to studying and everything in between. And in that time...I...I grew to have feelings for you."

Nejire's eyes grew wide as she realized what this was, Mirio was confessing to her.

"And at first," The blond lad continued, undeterred by her expression.

"I simply thought it was a simple crush and nothing more, but it only grew and grew with time," Mirio let out a tired sigh. "Until finally, it all came to a head last week, when we all got another taste of reality. So I just couldn't go another day without letting you know. Nejire Hadou, I like you much more than a friend, so I would like to ask if you will please be my girlfriend?"

Nejire looked down; eyes were hidden under her hair. She was speechless; she had heard numerous confessions before in her years here at UA, often by people she barely knew. Few of her possible suitors ever spoke to her with such passion, and even fewer spoke with such earnestly.

Yet she had rejected all of them.

Because none of them had come from the one person, she had wanted to hear those words from...until today.

She had sincerely thought that her feelings had been one-sided, which is why she had never brought it up, yet in the end, as luck would have it, her feelings were mutual. Part of her always thought she would simply let out her feelings for him one day.

Now that this was happening, she didn't want her chance to slip.

Mirio had always been so sweet and kind, confident and brave. And while not the most brilliant guy in the world, with a strange sense of humor that she frankly just found endearing. Mirio was and had always been Mirio, and she wouldn't have it any other way. The blond boy stood there with the same passionate expression on his face.

While on the inside, he was scared out of his mind.

'Oh no...did I mess it up?' He thought, after all, Nejire was pretty quick to whip out a rejection without hesitation.

'Maybe I came on too strong...I should just apologize, an-' His thoughts were cut off as Nejire embraced the tall blond boy.

"I thought that I would never hear those words from you," Nejire said just loudly enough to hear, making his heart race with excitement. "And I'm so happy that I finally did."

"Nejire, does this mean?"

"I've liked you too, for a very long time. I just thought my feelings weren't shared by you, and I didn't want to get in your way."

Mirio chuckled as he returned her embrace; at last, it looked like they had more in common than he initially thought. The two simply stood there in that warm embrace until Nejire finally gave him the answer he had waited for.

"Mirio," She said, looking up at him."Yes, I would like to be your girlfriend."

Mirio's face blew up into a shining grin, only for Nejire to grab his face and plant her lips on his. The two shared that quiet moment alone and out of sight.

Or so they thought.

Snap! Click!

"Oooh, how scandalous!" A voice said to herself quietly from a fair distance away, hiding in the brush as she continued to take pictures of the newly formed couple. "Now this is a scoop of the year, Nejire Hadou finally nabs a boy after rejecting an army of suitors! No, no, that's a shit title...no matter, no matter, it's all a work in progress. All of the seniors in the Journalism Club will flip their shit at this!"

Once the happy couple left the scene, the young girl hopped out of her hiding place. She was of average height with flaming red hair. Her only real feature of note was a stylish heart-shaped black and red eye patch that hid her right eye.

She was Class 1-B Business Course Liaison Kiyoko Mikami, and she was planning to make a name for herself here at school. As the best upcoming journalist in the business.

"Can't wait to develop these jaw-dropping pics!" She said to herself with an excited grin as turning around to head over to the journalism club, only to bump face first into someone. "Hey, what gives! Oh crap..."

Right in front of her, clad in trainer's gear and with a fresh bandage on his forehead, was Alexander Springfield with his arms folded, carrying a stern expression. He had just gotten out of the nurse's office to clean up some of the remaining gear he had left behind on the field after training. Only to notice the redhead sneaking around the area with that camera.

"Yeah, no...that ain't happening on my watch."


"Where are we going, Mama?" Eri asked Ochako as the group of four made their way down the street while Ryūko went to find a parking spot. It was late into the afternoon, and though she had gone outside with them before, they had never gone out this late before and dressed in nicer clothes to boot. Needless to say, she was a little nervous.

"You'll see very soon," Ochako said while giving Izuku a wink.

Izuku chuckled to himself before ruffling Eri's head lightly. It had been easy keeping the secret of the tickets until now, but they knew that Eri was both curious and prone to anxiety if left in the dark for too long. So they often gave her semi-vague answers while making sure not to sound dismissive of her concerns.

"Don't worry, Eri," Izuku reassured the young girl. Eri breathed out a soft giggle when she felt Izuku's gentle hand on her head. "We're almost there, and once we're done, we'll get you a yummy treat, okay?"

"Okay, Papa," She chirped back, grabbing Izuku's hand from her head and holding on to it instead.

Inko couldn't help but look at the adorable trio with both fondness and some regret. With the letter that Eri found earlier that day and all of the craziness in the past week. She had almost forgotten that the anniversary of Hisashi's death was next week.

'And that letter...his final letter had yet to be delivered.'

It hurt to think about it, even after all this time. Inko still missed that goofy yet sad man. But seeing what was in front of her. Inko knew that Hisashi would have been overjoyed to see Izuku like this, but unhappy to see her like this. Maybe it was time to finally move on, now that things were more relaxed at home.

After all, Eri was about to settle into a school soon.

It made her think about what was next in her future; perhaps she could go back to school and find a new career path. After all, she didn't want to rely on All Might forever. Still, before Inko could do any of that. She needed to figure out how to get Hisashi's final message to its intended recipient.

"Whoa there, Inko, you gotta catch up with us!" Ryūko's voice snapped Inko out of her thoughts.

"Wha?" Inko managed to say as Ryūko gently pushed her forward towards the studio. "We're waiting on you!"

"Oh! Yes, of course!"

As Izuku and his family were guided backstage, with their golden VIP tickets, they were treated to special seating and the chance to meet the hosts and special guests before and after the show. He decided to hold Eri in his arms as the family was led to the VIP waiting room, given the narrow hallways and Eri's short stature.

Thankfully, Ryūko had a free pass since she was a previous Pro-Hero guest on the show.

"Alrighty!" Their studio guide chirped as she opened the door for the Midoriyas and guests.

"Just wait here a moment, and our hosts will be here soon," she paused before turning back. "I also think we got a few more guests expected to arrive shortly, so please enjoy some complimentary water and snacks available while you wait."

Izuku smiled as he saw Eri's eyes go wide as they entered the VIP waiting room, filled to the brim with Animal Buddy merchandise. It was a stunning contrast to the rather drab and empty halls from before.

"Surprise Eri, Springfield got us tickets to see your favorite show live!" Ochako said to the young girl who sat in awe of the room. It was to the point that Eri kept opening and closing her mouth as she tried to find the right words to say. It personally reminded Izuku of a cute little goldfish. Izuku gently let her down to let so she could explore the room as she pleased.

"Wow, I never thought I'd find us here!" Inko said as she and the kids made themselves comfortable in the room.

"It's always like this," Ryūko interjected with a laugh. "It was the same here when I was the show's special guest. The VIPs would be held here until the hosts and guests arrived to take personal pictures and autographs. I just wonder who the Hero guest for today is?"

The VIP room door opened again with the same guide as before repeated her lines to the next set of VIP guests.

"-so please enjoy some of the complimentary water and snacks available while you wait." They heard her finish up as the next guests entered the room. Ryūko and Inko were overjoyed to see a familiar face. While Izuku and Ochako looked surprised as Eri tilted her head in kind.

"My my isn't this a surprise!" Tensei spoke up seeing his friend and fellow investigator Ryūko and the widow of his deceased former mentor as Fuyumi and Hikari appeared behind him.

"Hey, Iida!" Ryūko greeted the man with a wave from the couch while Inko stood up to hug Tensei.

"It is so good to see you again, Iida!" Inko exclaimed as Tensei gladly returned the hug.

"It's wonderful to see you too, Mrs. Midoriya. I'm glad you're doing well!"

"It's Iida's brother!" Izuku called out to an excited Ochako. While Eri remembered Tenya from her time at UA before spotting someone else, a young girl around her age waved at her. Eri looked around to ensure that she wasn't waving to anyone else.

"Izuku, look!" Ochako managed to whisper to the boy without Eri noticing. The two girls approached each other as the adults continued to talk. Hikari happily walked up to Eri without fear. At the same time, Eri took her time with some gentle reassurances from her surrogate parents.

"Hi! I'm Hikari!" The youngest Iida piped up, introducing herself to the shy unicorn named Eri. "What's your name?"

"E-E-Eri," Eri managed to say with only the lightest of stutters.

"That's a nice name!" She said as she entered Eri's personal space. "Oooh, I can't wait to meet Comicman and Anima! Do you think we'll get to see them soon? Daddy and Grandpa already met them! But I never have before! What about you?!"

Eri backed off just a little bit as Fuyumi cleared her throat. All of the adults, along with the teens, had gotten quiet to witness the sight of the two interacting. It was fascinating for those in Eri's party as hope rose that she might make a friend her age.

"Hikari honey, give your new friend a bit of room. She might be like Konoka from your class, dear, so be gentle with her."

"Oh! Okay, mommy!" Hikari quickly backed off as she realized what her mother meant.

"I'm sorry, Eri!" Hikari offered a hand to the snowy-haired girl.

Grateful to have her personal space back, Eri produced a small, shy smile and took a few steps closer. Taking the offered hand and was shown around the room better. Slowly but surely, the two began chatting about their favorite animals and songs from the show.

"Daddy said that they might have bunnies to show today!" Hikari exclaimed excitedly, with Eri becoming delighted with the idea of possibly seeing bunnies today. Until yet again, the door opened with the coordinator letting three more VIP guests come in.

"Heh, if it isn't the Water Hose heroes!" Tensei spoke up, greeting the two familiar faces of the firefighting duo.

"Ingenium!" Junpei Izumi gave a mustached smile with a raised arm.

"You son of a gun!" he said with a laugh as the two pros clasped, while his wife Akane Izumi waved to her son's teacher before turning to another smaller face standing behind.

"Well, look who is here, Kouta!" Akane gently brought the boy up in front of her. "It's your classmate, right? And it looks like she has a new friend!"

"Hi there, Kouta," Fuyumi called out to her student. "Nice to see you outside of class, huh?"

Kouta was a polite, if not a bit of an awkward boy, but he had his moments of being both incredibly sweet and having quite an attitude. Fuyumi had long theorized it was due to his parents' rather busy schedule. One that often left the young boy under the care of his aunt Mandalay of the Wild Wild Pussycats from time to time. It was a relief then to the young teacher that the lad was getting a chance to spend time with his parents, much like Tensei was trying to do with Hikari.

"Hi, Mrs. Iida..."Kouta answered back shyly, not expecting his teacher to be there.

Which also meant.

"KOUTA!" Hikari chirped upon seeing the familiar dark-haired young boy in a red-horned hat.

'Oh no.' Kouta thought as he braced for impact as the girl zoomed in and launched herself at the boy, knocking the air out of him.

"Why didn't you say you were coming too!?" Hikari said with a slight pout as she crushed the boy in a hug.

"Can't...Breathe..."

"Oh, never mind! You're here! Come on, you need to meet my new friend!" Hikari continued before dragging Kouta to Eri, much to the amusement of everyone else in the room. Izuku couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of Eri actually smiling more and more as Hikari's introduction to the boy in the horned hat made their interactions much smoother.

It only got better when the hosts of the show arrived. The adults and teens stood by, many knowing the show hosts' routine would address the children primarily.

"Hello, everyone!" Comicman said with a pop as he used his quirk to make his speech-bubble head make a (:3) at the door.

"Can we come in?"

All three of the kids looked excitedly at the door, with Hikari almost bouncing on the balls of her feet.

"Yes, please!" The trio managed to say together, remembering how the show often started.

In an instant, Comicman's speech-bubble head changed to a (:D) followed by him saying.

"Great! I'm happy to welcome and introduce you all to me, myself, and my friends!"

The door opened to reveal Comicman, Anima, and their special guest. One of whom made Ryūko hide to avoid some of the awkwardness.

'At least it wasn't Edgeshot.' She breathed a small sigh of relief that it wasn't her boyfriend.

"Well, well, looks like we got three little ones today, huh?" A short, well-built, tanned white-haired woman with long white bunny ears. She wore a purple-white leotard that featured a crescent moon on her chest, and rabbit-themed purple boots said as she entered the room.

The up-and-coming Bunny Hero Mirko looked around, spying Ryūko, one of her rivals seated a foot away. Usually, this would have resulted in one of their rather infamous spats, but she couldn't afford to do that in front of these kids today. Izuku was excited to see another rookie Pro-Hero like Mirko on the scene and would have loved to unload questions upon questions about her quirk.

Still, he knew not to interrupt the three's fun with the Pros.

"Alright, kids," Mirko called as an assistant brought in a large gift basket for each of the children. "It's showtime; follow us to stage!"

Eri was entirely floored by the gift basket that she received from the three filled with all kinds of merchandise, including some very soft plush toys of several kinds of animals. When everything was set and done, the hosts motioned everyone to follow them and begin the show.


The family was driving back home after the show.

It had been a night of surprises; if the white bunny ears and sliver badge pin Eri wore on her head and overalls were any indication. Eri had made her appearance on national television today. All things considered, she did a fantastic job, but now the little girl was fast asleep on Ochako's chest while she sat on her lap from all of the day's excitement.

"Oh, my little bunny brigadier," Ochako cooed softly as she brushed Eri's hair and moved the bunny ears from getting in her face. Izuku looked on fondly at the sleeping little girl, holding on to all of the goodies Eri had received today. After seeing her in action with the trivia knowledge, she had learned from the books they had gotten her. Izuku was interested to read through those books with her again.

But tonight, he'll just settle with gently brushing aside some stray hairs from Eri's face. It had been just two short months, and while Eri may have still had her moments of nervousness and anxiety. But she was learning to open up and try new things and Izuku couldn't be prouder of her for making new friends and slowly overcoming her fears bit by bit.

Up in the driver's seat, Ryūko was still trying her best to recover after seeing her rival in that marching skit she had been forced to do for the crowd. sIt was a fun day for her to spend more time with her extended family again; Pro-Hero work and working on Hisashi's case were taking a lot of her time as of late. She hoped the meeting tomorrow would have something new for them to go on. She still wanted justice for her cousin, and it broke her heart almost every day she spent with them, knowing the truth that Hisashi had been framed.

Inko looked at the trio behind them fondly from the back-view mirror of the car after seeing Eri interact with those kids and learning about the school they went to together. Inko had an excellent idea of what school would suit Eri best. Now it was all a matter of convincing All Might of her plans. Finally, there was something else she had in store for the family tomorrow, given that they might not have time for it in the week to come.

'I should give Mitsuki's a call to make sure they're not busy tomorrow.'


Author's Commentary

This was one of the more interesting chapters to not only write, but also edit considering that decided to add the original version of Omake III into this chapter. I'm kind of determined to only have one Omake per Arc and found that I could use the Omake for this Arc for a much better result.

Mirio x Nejire wasn't a ship that was part of my original plans. (If I'm being honest I haven't thought much about ships for the older students until this one became a thing.) This ship was done at the request of a contest I held for the first cryptogram challenge. (This is also the reason I no longer do said prizes because it was a right pain in the ass to write this ship since I had done no set-up.)

It's also the reason why I added a couple of hints of foreshadowing this ship in the remastered version so try and make it a little more natural.

Plus, Wingman Alex is best wingman.

ZX