Midoriya wiped the sweat from his forehead as he let out a sigh of relief. The final package had unloaded and was now sitting on the floor of his new apartment. Obviously, setting up a temporary place to live wasn't an ideal way to spend his weekend, but it could always be worse.

Kendo: "How's the unpacking going?"

That being said, it could always be better.

Ever since Midoriya and Kendo had sparred, she had been messaging him more frequently. It wasn't anything excessive. She mainly asked about his fighting style, motorcycles, and occasionally threw out other ideas to help him bond with Eri.

Talking to someone his age, regularly, was something he hadn't done in a long time. Due to his "circumstances", he did all his schooling online; therefore he didn't have many friends. To him this wasn't necessarily a negative thing- the less people around him, the less likely any of them would get hurt.

Midoriya: "Just got the last box inside, so the unpacking is officially beginning."

But Midoriya, strangely, enjoyed talking with Kendo. Sure, he found it tedious sometimes, but never annoying. If he was being honest, he found her straightforwardness alluring and her take-no-shit attitude sexy. He admired that she was doing her best to follow through with her dream. Having a dream was a wonderful thing that he had long since forgotten, but now he only had wishes.

Kendo: "I told you I was free today. I could have helped."

Midoriya: "Don't you think you should be focusing on preparing for the UA entrance exam that's in two months?"

Kendo: "I'll have you know, I pass every test I take and I just finished a three mile run."

Midoriya: "Then you should rest. Besides, I doubt your parents would be alright with you coming to my apartment, by yourself."

Kendo: "You're not wrong about that, dad still treats me like his little girl. Anyways, I'll let you get back to unpacking while I take a nap."

Midoriya: "Take one for me, too."

Midoriya laughed as he opened up the first box. Kendo was interesting in the fact that she didn't fit the mold of a typical girl. She was a tomboy, which wasn't a bad thing, in fact Midoriya much preferred that to damsel in distress. Out of the little information he knew of her, there was one thing that stood out the most to him.

'I really like her eyes.'

The next morning, Midoriya's footsteps echoed down an empty hallway. It was his first official day as Eri's babysitter, and he was not looking forward to it. He had only talked to the girl a handful of times, so he knew this was going to be a huge chore. He only hoped that Kendo's advice would work.

As he approached her room, the door walked out, readjusting his gloves.

"Did you fix her?"

He turned to Midoriya with keen eyes. "Of course, you held up your part so I'll hold up mine."

Midoriya nodded as he reached for the handle. "Good."

As Midoriya went to pull, Kai stopped him. Midoriya sent him a glare. "What?"

"You said you may have found people willing to help us, I want to know about them."

"I said they might be willing to help us, there's nothing certain yet."

"Do you really think they will be of use?"

Midoriya nodded. "It's a small group, for now, but the mastermind behind it all is more than likely the person from the stories gramps told us."

Kai's eyes narrowed. "Are you sure?"

Midoriya shrugged. "Not fully, but the way he worded things made it seem like he was being vague. He never confirmed nor denied anything, but when I mentioned the boss he was certain I could help them. The last thing he said was, 'If things go, we'll both be able to benefit from this.' It seemed like he knew a lot more than he let on."

Kai's eyes went back to normal as he let go of the door. "Don't do anything reckless, we need more information on them."

"Of course, but you know I may need to take days off from time to time to help them with things. They said they could work around my schedule, but some things are time sensitive."

Kai sighed as he walked away. "If this man is who you think he is, then it's in all of our best interests to be on his good side. Just don't forget your responsibilities to us as well."

Midoriya didn't answer him, he just watched him walk away. As soon as Kai turned the corner and was out of sight Midoriya let out a deep sigh.

"Jesus Christ, he's annoying."

Midoriya proceeded to open Eri's door to find her sitting on her bed staring at her arms and legs in amazement.

"What do you think, Eri?"

She jumped at his voice. Apparently, she was so enamored with her arms and legs that she didn't hear him come in. "I… I don't know?"

Midoriya went to the edge of the bed and looked at her confused. "What do you mean by that?"

She shrugged before rubbing her arm. "It hurt at first, but then it felt good. I just don't know why he did it."

"Who knows, maybe he's not so bad after all?"

Even if he knew the truth, Midoriya wasn't going to tell it to her. She needed to believe that Kai did that of his own free will to help when he wasn't here.

"Maybe…"

She didn't look too convinced. Midoriya wasn't that surprised, one kind action couldn't erase all the trauma he had caused her was simply a seed that was planted that overtime would bloom.

Midoriya sat on the edge of Eri's bed and she scooted to the opposite side. Midoriya turned to her slightly annoyed. "I'm not going to hurt you, no one is going to hurt you again."

Eri didn't answer him; she only looked at her feet as she held her knees.

"What do you like to do?"

Eri looked up at him confused. Midoriya tried to keep his face from turning annoyed.

"Like for fun. Do you have any hobbies? Like drawing, reading, or watching TV?"

"Drawing I guess…"

"You know, I used to draw a lot."

Eri looked up at him confused.

"When I was your age, I had hero notebooks where I'd write down information on them and then draw them. I used to love doing that."

"Why did you stop?"

Midoriya looked at Eri surprised. She had a genuine curiosity in her eyes. Turning to face her he shrugged. "Things change and I just grew out of it I guess."

"Will I grow out of it too?"

"Maybe, but that's your choice to make."

Eri didn't give him an answer. Her eyes were locked on the floor as she seemed to be deep in thought.

"Hey, Eri, can I see some of your drawings?"

She looked up momentarily and shook her head. "I don't have any."

Midoriya gave her a surprised look before looking around her room. He had never paid much attention to her room, but now that he was incharge of her, he realized how empty it was. A twin bed in the corner, an empty desk against a wall, some toys scattered about, and a tv hanging on a wall.

Midoriya grit his teeth as he walked over to the desk, Kai had really given her the bare minimum. He had put a desk in her room but every drawer was empty. He had given her toys, but they were broken or missing parts. He had given her clothes, but they were all ragged and torn. Even if Kai had no intention of her being found he should at least have made sure she was comfortable. With his fists clenched Midoriya made his way to the door.

"Eri, I'll be back in a little bit."

Again Midoriya's steps echoed through empty hallways. He hadn't planned on buying her stuff so soon, but he also didn't expect her to have nothing to begin with. He needed to get her something, not just so she would trust him but so she could also have some semblance of normalcy. With that single thought in his head he made his way through the city; however he wasn't paying attention to his surroundings causing him to collide with someone as he turned a corner.

"Oh I'm sorry."

A friendly female voice answered him. "It's all good, corners can be dangerous."

Midoriya looked up and saw a girl with blue skin and hair smiling at him. Her clothes were a little more on the risky side leaving him with a new single thought.

'Is she a hero?'

The woman gave him a confused look. "Is everything alright? Are you sick?"

Midoriya quickly shook his head to regain his composure. "Nope, everything's fine."

The woman narrowed her eyes at him. "Then what's with the mask?"

Midoriya laughed to himself while scratching the back of his head. "Oh, I actually just like how it looks."

Her eyes stayed focused on him before turning friendly. "Kids these days have a weird fashion sense don't they?"

Midoriya shrugged. "I could say the same about your outfit."

The woman crossed her arms upset. "And here I was trying to be helpful?"

Midoriya looked at her confused. "You were?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I was going to tell you to be careful. There's a pretty bad group around here whose trademark is wearing face masks."

"You mean the Shie Hassakai?"

Her eyes widened. "You know about them?"

Midoriya looked at her even more confused. "Doesn't everyone know about them around here? They kind of are the worst kept secret."

She paused to think for a moment before relaxing. "Yeah I guess that makes sense. Well, I need to get back to patrolling. Stay safe and watch out for corners."

Midoriya nodded. "Will do."

With a smile, she gave him a wave as she made her way down the street. Before she was too far away Midoriya called out to her. "Hey, what's your name?"

She turned around, almost shouting. "It's Bubble Girl."

Midoriya shook his head as he started down the street again.

'Someone is creative.'

A couple hours later, Midoriya- once again, found himself outside of Eri's door. This time, however, he had multiple bags in his hands. He slowly opened the door to find her laying on top of the sheets. Shaking his head, Midoriya dropped the bags on her desk, startling her awake. He gave her a smile as she looked at him sleepily.

"I'm back."

Slowly, she sat up and looked at him confused. Even though she looked at the bags curiously, she never asked about them.

"So I went to the store and got you some stuff."

Midoriya began to pull different things out of bags. The first was a coloring book with colored pencils, as well as a sketchbook. She tilted her head in confusion, not fully sure as to why he had gotten them.

"I wasn't sure if you liked coloring or drawing more, so I got you something for both."

Eri scooted to the edge of the bed still confused. "Why?"

"You said you liked drawing earlier, so I got them for you. There's not much to do in here, so I figured this could make it a little more enjoyable."

Eri nodded softly as if she understood, but the expression on her face still looked uncertain. Midoriya sighed to himself as he moved onto the next bag which held clothes in multiple sizes. He spread them across her bed so she could see them all.

"I wasn't sure what size would fit you, so I got plenty for you to try. If you ever need something new let me know alright."

Eri again looked at him confused. "Do I really need all this?"

Midoriya cocked an eye at her. "Would you prefer to keep wearing that?"

Eri looked down and tugged on the hems of her ragged dress. "This is all I've ever worn."

"Well, it never hurts to have other clothes. You can try them on later, and let me know which fits and which don't."

She nodded in understanding as he went back to the desk. The next bag just had a few toys that she looked at oddly. Midoriya wasn't sure if she'd enjoy them, but he got them- just to be safe. The last bag had food, it was getting close to lunchtime and he was hungry so he figured she would be too. As he pulled everything out, her eyes widened as he sat an apple on the table.

"Do you like apples?"

She nodded rapidly. Her reaction was cute which caused him to smile. "I'll remember that."

After eating, Midoriya tried to get Eri to talk more, but she was too enthralled by the coloring books he had bought her. Midoriya went and sat against one of the walls as he watched her happily scribble away. It was the first time he had seen her this excited. Putting in headphones he started watching videos on his phone while occasionally making sure she was ok.

Kendo: "Any progress made yet?"

Midoriya: "She likes coloring and apples."

Kendo: "Look at you learning things about your niece."

"Are you sure you have time for this?"

"Of course I'm sure. I wouldn't have told him I had time if I didn't."

"But the UA entrance exam is coming up. You should spend as much time as possible preparing for it."

"I train and study every day. I'm just going to unwind and relax a little tonight."

"With someone you barely know."

"He's a nice guy, he's been helping me train when he can and he thinks I'll be a great hero."

"That doesn't change the fact you know next to nothing about him."

"We've talked a little everyday, I'm confident I can trust him and if he tries something I'll take him out."

"Just be careful, Kendo."

"I will, Amajiki."

Kendo was pacing around her living room while talking to a friend two grades ahead of her, he was a second year in UA's hero course. They would talk from time to time about the hero course and he'd give her bits of advice from time to time. He was a worrier so it was only natural that he'd try and convince her to not hang out with someone she barely knew, but Kendo was having none of it. As the two of them continued their back and forth the sound of an engine revving caught Kendo's attention. She looked through the front window and saw something unexpected, Midoriya was getting off of his bike in her front yard.

"What the hell!"

"Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I gotta go, he got here a little earlier than I expected is all."

"Alright, just don't-"

Kendo hung the phone up before he could finish. She already had a vague idea of what he was going to say, so she didn't feel like hearing it again. Instead, she opened the door to stare down Midoriya who was walking up her driveway with a bag over his shoulder.

"What the hell is that!?"

Midoriya looked at her confused. "It's my bike. I did say I'd take you for a ride, did I not?"

"I thought you meant on the track!"

"Why would I come all the way here to spar with you, just to go all the way back to drive the track for a while? It's way easier for me to just drive here and then we go riding after that."

"You could have texted me and let me know the plan."

"I thought it was pretty self-explanatory when we said we'd do it after I help you train."

Kendo sighed as she rubbed her temples. "You know, I did wonder what you had planned after you agreed to everything, I guess I should have seen this coming."

"Probably, now are we gonna do this or not?"

Kendo smirked. "Sounds like you're eager to get your butt handed to you."

"Think what you want, but we'll see who's laughing by the end of it."

Two hours later Kendo found herself laughing in her room and much to her surprise it wasn't because of their training. While it had been fruitful and she was excited about the new moves she tried with her quirk, that still wasn't what was causing her laughter. The reason she was laughing was because Midoriya said he might let her drive the next time she comes to the shop. She had driven dirt bikes before, so she felt confident, but driving an actual motorcycle on a track was exciting.

When she finally stopped her laughter, she stood in front of her mirror to look herself over. Black skinny jeans, a black t-shirt that was tucked in, her favorite teal jacket, and teal high tops. After tying her hair in her side ponytail, she gave herself a nod of approval before heading downstairs to find Midoriya waiting in the living room.

She gave him a once over and approved of his outfit of choice, especially his shoes.

"It looks like we're high top buddies."

Midoriya glanced down at her shoes before giving her a nod. "Great minds think alike."

She laughed softly before adjusting her jacket. "So are we doing this or not?"

"Yeah, it's a great day for a ride."

This time, Kendo didn't hesitate to get on with Midoriya. She had been looking forward to this for over a week. With her arms firmly wrapped around him, she laughed again.

"Let's go, Midoriya."

As they started down the street, Kendo let out a happy squeal. The adrenaline rush from the wind rushing past them and the roar of the engine made them feel alive, it was an addiction. They rode around without a care in the world, until Midoriya came to a stop in a parking lot. As they sat there idling, Kendo leaned further forward to talk to Midoriya.

"Is everything alright? Why did we stop?"

He nodded after taking his helmet off. "Yeah, I figured we could get something to eat."

Kendos eyes widened. "Uh… I didn't bring my wallet."

"It's my treat."

"Seriously!?"

"Yeah, I was planning on paying either way."

Kendos cheeks flushed slightly as she took off her helmet. "Oh, well thank you."

Midoriya killed the engine and Kendo climbed off before adjusting her clothes. Midoriya couldn't take his eyes off her as she fixed her hair. A small smile spread across his face.

"So, do you have a hot date tonight or something?"

Kendo quickly turned to him flustered before seeing the smirk on his face. She instantly narrowed her eyes before sighing. "No, I'd say he's average at best."

Midoriya shook his head as he walked past her. "What a shame. That poor soul."

She narrowed her eyes while glaring at his back. "I was talking about you."

Midoriya gave her a cocky grin. "So you're saying this is a date?"

Kendo froze on the spot. "No, it's not a date!"

Midoriya started to laugh at her reaction. "Relax, I'm just messing with you."

Kendo sighed before mumbling under her breath. "Don't joke like that, I might take you seriously."

Midoriya turned to her. "Did you say something?"

She shook her head before jogging to catch up with him. "Nope."

Not long after that, they found themselves sitting in a corner booth of a diner. It wasn't anything fancy, just your run of the mill, family-run business. The decor gave a homey vibe, making it feel welcoming. The two of them sat, looking over the menu, trying to find something that looked good.

"So is there any particular reason you picked this place?"

Midoriya set his menu down and looked at Kendo who was still looking at hers. "Not at all, I just saw it and thought I might as well."

Kendo put her menu down flabbergasted. "So you didn't even look it up to see if it was good or not?"

He shook his head. "Nope, it didn't even cross my mind."

She rubbed her temples. "Jesus Christ, why didn't you think about that?"

He shrugged his shoulders again. "Look, if it's bad we just go somewhere else."

Kendo sighed as well. "Next time, think ahead and do some research."

Midoriya raised an eye at her. "So, there's a next time?"

Kendo's cheeks turned flush so she picked up her menu to hide them. "Oh wow, that looks really good, we should go ahead and order."

Midoriya laughed to himself as Kendo quickly changed topics. He found it funny how she was so strong-willed, yet got flustered easily by some harmless flirting.

It didn't take long for their food to arrive after they had ordered. Thankfully, the food tasted fine so they had nothing to complain about. Even with their plates taken away, they still got lost in conversation.

"So, Midoriya, what are your plans for high school? I'm sure you could get into the hero course if you wanted it to."

Midoriya looked out the window and watched as people walked by. "I'm not going."

Kendo looked at him stunned. "What?"

"I'm not going to high school. I'm taking over the old man's business, so I don't see the need for it."

Kendo stared at him in complete shock. Not going to high school had never even crossed her mind in her entire life, and now she was sitting across from someone who just said it as if it was completely normal.

"What do your friends and family think?"

"The old man doesn't care, he said it was my choice. As far as friends go, I don't have too many since I do classes virtually now."

Kendo bit her thumb while she stared at the table. "You know, I wondered how you were able to get classes done while staying in Osaka for a week at a time."

He nodded along before facing her. "I mean, I could still just do high school online as well if I wanted. I still have time to decide on that."

Kendo gave him a smile. "I think you should think about it, I mean, you never know what life has in store for you."

Midoriya mumbled under his breath. "That's the truth."

Kendo tilted her head confused. "Hmm?"

Midoriya shook his head. "It's nothing. So do you feel ready for your entrance exam?"

She shrugged as she sipped her black coffee. "A friend of mine asked me the same thing earlier. He's a second year in UA's hero course so he's told me multiple times how hard it is, but I'm feeling confident."

Midoriya's eyes raised with a peaked interest. "Really, that seems pretty helpful. Why doesn't he help you train?"

"Besides the fact he's too busy? His homework keeps him swamped and on top of that he's doing a work study."

"That sounds intense."

She nodded in agreement. "No kidding, but I'm up for the challenge."

Midoriya laughed before sipping his drink. "Has he told you any good stories about UA, or maybe what the teachers are like?"

"Sort of, most of them are pretty eccentric but that comes with the territory of being heroes. Also, apparently, there's been a rumor going around that All Might could be a teacher next year."

Midoriya's eyes widened again. "Really!? Well, maybe I should consider going there now."

"You should!"

Kendo nearly jumped out of her seat as she leaned forward. The smile on her face was dazzling compared to Midoriya's exhausted look. It took a second before Kendo realized what she had done. Embarrassed, she slowly sat down starting at the table.

"Why would you do that?"

"Why did you get so excited at the prospect of going to the same high school as me?"

"Is it so wrong to want to go to the same school as a friend?"

"I guess not, but I already told you what my plans are."

"Yeah, I know, but I just couldn't help it."

Kendo didn't raise her head, she kept her eyes on the table. Midoriya didn't understand why she was so upset about him not wanting to go to UA as well. In his mind, she was still a girl he only knew for a couple weeks- it didn't make sense why she'd act like this. That, however, didn't mean he had not enjoyed seeing her act this way.

"Hey, Kendo, how about the next time I'm home you come to the track and I let you drive a little?"

Her eyes lit up as she looked at me. "Seriously!?"

"Yeah."

"That's awesome!"

"I'll be riding with you just in case."

"Less awesome, but your bike, your rules."

"Good, I'll run it by the old man later."

Kendo tilted her head curiously. "Will he mind?"

Midoriya shook his head. "Probably not, but I still need to run it by him first."

"You know, based on how you talk to him, I figured you'd just do it without asking."

Midoriya feigned being offended. "What do you take me for Kendo, some sort of hoodlum?"

She shrugged before taking another drink from her coffee. "If the red high tops fit."

Midoriya narrowed his eyes at her, as she stuck her tongue out at him. He sighed, before leaning back in his chair.

"I'd be careful. You don't want your face to get stuck like that, do you?"

Kendo stopped and pretended to think. "Would you still give me rides on your bike?"

"Your tongue would probably tickle my neck, so the jury's still out on that."

"How would you feel my tongue when we're wearing helmets?"

"I don't think you realize how close to me you are while we're riding. I can feel your helmet rubbing on mine."

"Hey, it's fun and I was excited."

"Obviously, I kept hearing you say how cool this was."

Kendo narrowed her eyes on him. "How did you hear that, I was talking pretty softly?"

"The helmets have speakers and a microphone in them that allow us to communicate with each other."

Kendo's eyes widened. "Wait, does that mean you heard them as well?"

"Your squeals of excitement? Yes I heard them all. I honestly didn't expect you to make a noise like that."

"Seriously!? Why didn't you tell me about that?"

"I'm surprised you didn't realize it on your own. I mean we had a full blown conversation for the majority of the ride."

Kendo's cheeks turned red. "I was just having so much fun, I didn't realize it."

"Mhmm. I'm sure that's what happened."

Midoriya and Kendo looked out the window and saw that the sun was starting to set. They both sighed before making eye contact.

"I should probably get you home before it gets too late."

Kendo nodded. "Yeah, and don't you have to leave tomorrow as well."

"Yep, bright and early for another week."

"I still don't understand why you have to go there for a week at a time, just to babysit."

Midoriya stood up and grabbed the check. "Don't think about it too much. I'm just trying to repay a favor."

Kendo harrumphed, she clearly was not satisfied with his answer, but she didn't push it any further. The friendship still felt too new to press into certain matters.

The ride back to Kendo's house was peaceful. The sun set and stars littered the sky, Kendo couldn't help but stare at them. Her afternoon was one she would have called perfect, that was if her dad wasn't waiting outside at the front door for them as they drove up.

"Itsuka, head inside, I need to have a talk with Midoriya."

Kendo looked at her dad confused before turning to Midoriya. "Alright, well thanks for today Midoriya. Let me know when you make it home safe."

"Sure thing."

Kendo quickly made her way inside, but not without giving her dad an annoyed look. Her father sighed once she was inside.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Midoriya gave him a confused look. "Bringing your daughter home at a respectable time."

"You know what I mean."

"Look there's nothing between us. We're just friends."

"Midoriya, you're a good kid, but Itsuka's got a bright future ahead of her."

"And I don't plan on putting that at jeopardy."

"You say that, but I know you're still in deep."

"The old man got out and I plan on it as well, but I promise I won't get her involved in any of it. Honestly, I'd prefer she know nothing about it."

"Well we both know that won't be an option, she will find out someday. Just know when push comes to shove, I'm standing by my daughter."

"As you should."

Kendo's father nodded. "Alright, well drive safe kid."

"Will do."

Inside the house, Kendo watched the whole conversation from the front window. She wasn't sure why, but the fact her dad needed to talk to Midoriya about something serious annoyed her. Based on their body language it didn't seem like anything bad to her, but it felt out of character for her dad. Normally, he'd be going over the top trying to intimidate any guy that dared to ask his little girl out. The fact that he seemed calm was very unsettling for her.

The conversation between the two of them didn't last long, when Midoriya was finally gone her dad made his way back inside.

"What was that all about?"

Kendo's father looked at his daughter surprised. "You watched all that didn't you?"

She nodded. "Yeah, what did you say to him?"

"Nothing bad and I didn't try to scare him off."

"Was it about how we were driving around without him having a license?"

He shook his head. "No, I figured that would happen sooner or later and it's not like I didn't do it in my younger days."

"Then what was it?" Kendo was starting to lose her patience.

Her father sighed before making his way upstairs. "Just remember Midoriya's a good kid, alright."

With her father ending the conversation by leaving, Kendo was left downstairs, by herself, without any actual answers. She started to nervously twirl the end of her ponytail while staring at her phone.

'Midoriya's a good kid…'