Green Tea Rescue

by ss3dj

When Midoriya Izuku was 4 his quirk finally manifested. The doctor named it psychokinesis, but his friend Bakugou Katsuki called it worthless. For the next 10 years, Izuku would grow up bullied and isolated. Then, when a new student named Uraraka Ochako transfers into his class the last year of jr high, everything changes. Rated M for eventual themes.

49. It's About Fcking Time Deku!

Sitting around a table, the teachers were going over the results of the exams that had concluded earlier that day. Now running late into the evening, they were all but finished with their conclusions.

"Before we adjourn, is there anything else anyone would like to bring up?" Nezu asked as he pushed aside his papers with the pass / fail results. "Overall, I would say the first-years of class 1-A did remarkably well. Granted, there were those who failed the practical but, none exhibited anything that I don't think can't be fixed relatively easily."

Midnight looked over the papers for Rikidou, Yuuga, Eijirou, Mina, Denki and Hanta. "Everything is a learning experience, wins and losses. However, given the… intensity of these exams, I'm at least glad to see that none of them expressed any feelings that these exams were unfair. That would make the lessons harder to learn from."

Aizawa grunted. "The world isn't fair."

Midnight suppressed an eye roll. "Of course it isn't, but let's be realistic here. We just put these children through a test that their seniors would, and will, struggle with. While it seems like this idea worked out, it's very possible that it could have backfired on us. These young men and women could have come out of this with feelings of betrayal. That is not something so easily won back. And this time, it wouldn't just be you Aizawa, that would have to deal with it. Every teacher here would. All I'm saying is, that we dodged a potentially nasty bullet."

Aizawa leaned forward. "Is that supposed to be a shot at me?"

Midnight sipped her coffee. "When was the last time anyone from 2-A talked to you?"

The teachers all chuckled nervously. That whole episode had been a rather unfortunate period for the school. Having a class that held such open disdain for their homeroom teacher had made things incredibly awkward. The saving grace being the old class had only directed their ire toward Aizawa.

Said teacher didn't look phased in the slightest. "They all came out better for it. If they hate me, it's not relevant to me. And if you're done worrying over things that didn't happen, I would like to discuss something that did happen today. All Might," the shrunken hero flinched, "there are some things I feel need to be discussed before we end this meeting."

All Might scratched his neck. He had really hoped he wouldn't get called on. At least not after the chewing out some of the teachers, namely Midnight and Recovery Girl, had given him. It had been made abundantly clear that he had overstepped the spirit of the exam in their eyes, going so far as to almost brutalize Izuku and Katsuki. He had been shocked to hear that if not for Gran Torino stepping in, Recovery Girl had been ready to end the exam on the spot. "I think I covered everything in my summary. What else did you want to talk about?"

"Didn't you tell me that you had banned Midoriya from using that technique until after finals?"

All Might laughed loudly. "Ah, that. Well, it seems that Young Midoriya and Young Uraraka took my words a little too literally. I had banned it because he still couldn't control it well enough yet. Buuut," All Might shrugged, "since the two made a breakthrough, technically they weren't breaking the rules I set."

Midnight chuckled. "I swear, those two are a bad influence on each other."

Aizawa grunted, but accepted the explanation. "Then that leaves one last thing."

"Which is?"

"What in god's name happened before Bakugou re-entered the match?" Snipe asked over Aizawa. "Midoriya was ducking and dodging around just as fast as your punches."

The teachers in the room all nodded and turned their full attention toward All Might. "Oh, um…"

"I'll be the first to admit that Midoriya has made progress that I wasn't expecting," Cementoss added, "not that I didn't think the boy would make it, he has a drive that puts some pros to shame. But the way he was moving, it was like he was predicting your movements. Even you seemed surprised at the end."

Midnight tapped the table. "Maybe it's something to do with his Psychokinesis? Maybe he's becoming psychic now? But that's a huge change in his Quirk."

"The kid has had one already though," Snipe pointed out, "and it gave him that fire."

"A Quirk awakening on its own is extremely rare. It happening again is unheard of," Aizawa said. "So All Might. Do you have some insight? Did Midoriya say anything to you? Because if his Quirk is still in a state of flux, we may need to continue to keep an eye on him."

"AH!" All Might held up his hands. "That won't be necessary! It's easily explained!"

Nezu leaned forward. "Oh?"

"Er… Yes!" All Might coughed into his hand. "You see… During my time these past weeks helping Young Midoriya train and develop his Quirks, I was also giving him some close combat lessons. Since he was trying to mimic my power with that tactile move, I thought it wouldn't hurt to put him through a few drills. The punches at the end were actually one of the routines we worked on. During the match, I defaulted to it, and Young Midoiya caught on immediately."

The teachers all blinked and looked at each other, some looking like they had some doubts about that explanation. Nezu however chuckled. "Midoriya does make a habit of paying extreme attention to the moves of the heroes he admires. If he knew what was coming, well, instincts can save us when we least expect it."

All Might tried not to sigh in relief too loudly, but Nezu wasn't done. "But just so we are clear. There's no reason to expect this is a further escalation or growth of his Quirk? Nothing that would need to be looked after, for Midoriya's well-being?"

"No. Nothing to be concerned with," All Might answered definitively.

---

"So look, you're going to need to talk to All Might." There was a long pause on the other end of the line. Himiko could almost see the unhappy expression on Inko's face at that answer.

A while back, Inko had called Himiko out of the blue, worried that a villain she had run into as a child might still be around. Himiko had just about swallowed her tongue when Inko dropped the name All for One.

Himiko had dug a little, trying to figure out how in the unholy hell Inko of all people could know who All for One was. After some prodding, Himiko was able to get out a few tidbits. Mostly that Inko had been a bit of a troublemaker as a kid, sneaking off or sometimes skipping class. One of those times had led her to go exploring in the city, and she had come across a man stealing someone's Quirk.

"I don't think… that's a good idea."

"Look, all I can tell you is what I heard on the streets. Rumors and shit. That All for One was pretty much the monster under Japan's bed. Kingpin of crime, and the guy pulling all the politicians' strings from the shadows." Himiko twirled her eyepatch around a finger as she spoke into her phone. "I can give you some more descriptions, but the best way to put it is, he was the monster that controlled all the other monsters."

"I… I see."

Himiko frowned as she flung her eyepatch away and lay down on her bed. It was late now, but she had promised to contact Inko after she had 'researched' the villain she ran into as a kid. And now that finals were done, she really didn't want to sit on this anymore. Maybe she was passing the buck to All Might, but damn it, she wasn't paid enough to be the only one involved in this mess.

"But if he's as bad as you say he is…"

"Why aren't there any records? Government probably didn't want people freaking out that some monster was walking around that could have totally wrecked their shit." Himiko waited, but she was surprised that Inko didn't immediately try to deny the idea of a government coverup.

"So he just vanished?"

Himiko held back a sigh, reaching into her bag of 'not quite lies' and pulled out what she thought would be best for Inko to hear, "I can only tell you what I heard while I was on the streets. One day, the man just was gone."

"He must have been old by then…" Inko didn't seem satisfied with this at all. Himiko couldn't blame her. Running into All for One as a kid had left a pretty big impression on her, Himiko thought. So of course she'd want to make sure that this monster wasn't still around now that her son was trying to be a hero.

"But if you want something concrete, you need to talk to All Might. Those two fought. A lot. He's the expert. And you really don't have a reason to be scared of asking. He's not going to care if you were a delinquent as a kid."

"…Is there really no one else I could ask?"

Himiko had to bite back a 'you could ask your fucking son.' But while she was a troublemaker, there was no chance in hell she was going to be the one to pull the pin of that grenade. "All for One was All Might's greatest adversary, at least that's the word from where I'm from. You want answers, you gotta ask him."

---

"You wanna have a party?" Ochako confirmed as she took a bite of her breakfast. Sitting at the Midoriya table, Ochako, Inko, Eri and Izuku were all having breakfast before the pair would be off to school. For the last day of class of the term.

"I dunno, I just thought that it might be fun if we get everyone together to celebrate. Last couple of weeks when we were together, it was either for training or studying." Izuku picked at his breakfast. "Maybe we could go to the park and have a picnic, or to the beach and have a barbecue."

"You know… a barbecue does sound like fun," Ochako conceded. "I think our old stomping grounds do have those… tent things… um…"

"Gazebo," Inko filled in.

"Right, gazebos for people to do cookouts."

Eri tapped her chin. "What's the beach like? I don't think I've ever seen one."

Ochako blinked. "Well… it's… sandy and has the ocean."

"Pfft!" Izuku covered his mouth to try not to laugh at Ochako, whose cheeks puffed out in annoyance.

"Hey! It's a surprisingly hard thing to describe to someone who's never been to one."

Izuku mimicked Ochako's voice poorly. "A beach is sandy."

"Grrr!" Ochako slapped at Izuku, who just leaned away from her attacks.

While fending Ochako off, Izuku smiled at Eri. "Well, if you haven't been to one, then I think we should definitely try and have our party at the beach."

Inko clasped her hands together, smiling brightly. "I think that's a wonderful idea."

Mid-slap, Ochako paused and winced, not wanting to be the one to pour cold water over the idea, but, "Isn't Toga still not allowed to leave U.A.?"

Izuku's mood came crashing down. "Oh… right."

Eri tilted her head, looking a little confused. "Is Himiko in trouble? Is she grounded?"

Ochako patted Eri on the head. "No no. She's not in trouble or anything. It's just…" Ochako frowned, trying to think of the best way to tell a child that Himiko was being kept inside U.A. because the school was worried about the people hurting her, or that villains might come after her. "… complicated."

"That sounds stupid," Eri huffed.

Izuku crossed his arms. "It sure does. What's even the point now? It's like they're punishing her even when they're saying it's to help her."

Inko tapped her fingers on the table, before standing up and walking over to the phone. After making sure she had the right number she dialed away and waited. Izuku and Ochako exchanged glances, wondering what was going on.

"Yes, hello." Inko smiled brightly as she talked. "Oh, and good morning, Principal Nezu."

That got some startled looks from the pair. Though Izuku shouldn't be that surprised. Ever since the attacks and incidents at U.A., all the parents of the children in the hero department had been given personal lines to the teachers and faculty. A move to help give the adults some feeling of control and safety, letting them have direct access in case there was ever a problem again.

"Oh no no, everything is… well, actually, everything isn't fine. There's an issue I'd like to discuss with you. Regarding Toga." Inko paused. "An in-person meeting would be appreciated. I was hoping some of the teachers that also have a hand in Toga's upbringing could also be there as well. I think that would be Midnight and All Might?" Another short pause. "Of course, if your staff is busy, a phone conversation would be alright… This afternoon? At what time… that would be just before the end of the day, right? Yes, that would be just perfect. Thank you."

Hanging up, Inko sat down and went back to eating breakfast. "I'll see what I can do to get those silly restrictions off Toga so you all can have a nice party, Izuku."

---

Waking into 1-A, you would be surprised to learn that it was the last day of the first term. Instead of the students being excited about summer, almost everyone was sitting in their chairs trying to not shift around nervously. The rest? They sat with their heads down, forlorn and looking certain they were about to meet with an abysmal fate.

"Why would you open your dumb mouth, Sero," Minoru groaned, slinking into his chair. "Just because you're doomed, doesn't give you the right to drag us all down with you."

Hanta wilted at some of the death glares shot his way. "It was just something that popped into my head, is all."

"'Oh, hey, just because someone's team passed the practical exercise, do you think they could still fail the practical test personally?'" Kyouka repeated sourly. "'Cause, it's Aizawa-sensei after all.' You deserve what's coming to you."

Hanta gulped. "C-come on guys…"

"Imma stab him," Himiko hissed.

No one in the class said anything to stop her, making Hanta gulp and look over toward Izuku pleadingly. "Please don't let her."

Izuku sounded so bored and uninterested when he pleaded, "No, please Toga. Don't. Think of your future and… such and such."

"Imma stab."

"I tried." Izuku then laid his head down on his desk, trying not to worry about possibly failing after passing.

Before, there had been some worries about their written exams. While it may seem small in comparison to the practical, their written tests were just as important. So when Sero had dropped the idea on the class, everyone started looking back at their wins and began to second-guess the decisions they had made. If they had done things differently, could their wins have come faster? Did they make tactical decisions that in the real world could have gotten them killed? A great weight was now pressing down on everyone on top of the initial worries from before.

When Aizawa walked into the class, he raised an eye at the melancholic mood. He of course was expecting some of the class to be awaiting their doom, but the whole class? They either must be worried about their written tests, which realistically wasn't a possibility. Nervous would make sense, but this was fear and dread he was observing. Which meant it was more likely they were waiting for him to drop a bomb in their laps.

At least they're learning.

Taking his spot, Aizawa addressed the class. "Good morning. Judging by your expressions, you know that unfortunately some of you did not pass the final exams." There were some visible flinches from his students. "So accordingly, for the training camp planned for this summer in the woods…" Aizawa paused for dramatic effect. "Everyone's going!"

The smile on his face when he dropped the news was creepy. Enough that it froze everyone on the spot before his words sunk in.

…

"IT'S A LAST SECOND TWIST!"

Mina was weeping in joy while Yuuga returned to his dazzling self. Ejirou raised his hand excitedly. "We all really get to go?!"

Aizawa nodded. "Correct. No one failed the written exam. It's obvious you all took it seriously and did not make the mistake of some previous classes and brushing it off. However, Satou, Aoyama, Kirishima, Ashido, Kaminari and Sero failed the practical exam."

Kyouka sighed in relief. "God, Sero. You got us all worried over nothing. Making us think we could have failed even after winning."

"You could have," Aizawa cut in, making Kyouka jolt in her seat. "A win did not automatically mean an individual would have scored high enough on the test to pass. You were all graded on your performances separately on top of your team effort and exam outcome."

Collectively the class gulped.

"This time for the exam, everyone on the villain side made sure to leave a way for the students to win. The teachers then all watched to see how you all took on the task at hand. If the villain side hadn't purposely left open avenues for you all to take to achieve victory, then you would have all lost before even having a chance to get started."

When the class considered just how hard their tests had been, the idea that they could have been even more challenging was like a punch to the gut. Himiko felt annoyed. She didn't like getting played. "So all that crap about coming to crush us, then?"

"Simply, it was to make you feel cornered," Aizawa answered.

"What about the ultimatum of not getting to go to the camp?" Tenya asked. "Another deception on your behalf, sir?"

"Perhaps, but if you think about it logically, the training camp in the woods is one to increase your strength. To deny those that failed a chance to attend would have been counterproductive. They out of everyone would most benefit from it. They need to get stronger. So, in the end, it was a rational falsehood."

Collectively the class twitched at that. It's the quirk apprehension test all over again!

Ochako frowned. Like Himiko, she wasn't exactly thrilled that she had gotten played again. "Aren't you worried that all these lies are going to make us not trust you? You're supposed to be our teacher. How are we supposed to learn from you if we have to question everything you say?"

Aizawa paused and seemed to choose his next words carefully. "It's something I've been told to consider moving forward."

Himiko blinked. …the fuck, is he actually listening to Midnight? I know for a fact she hates the shit he likes to pull.

"However, I wasn't lying about everything. Those that failed will be participating in extra lessons on top of the training camp. Frankly, you all may wish that you had been left behind when it's said and done."

Collectively, Rikidou, Yuuga, Eijirou, Mina, Denki and Hanta all flinched.

---

When the bell rang at the end of the day, Midnight hummed as she filed away some papers. "Alright, that's it for the day and the term. Congratulations on making it!" Midnight offered the class a cheer which was returned. "Now, I know you all are eager to get your break started, but don't forget my assignment. I want an example of pre-Quirk modern art that didn't change once the Quirk phenomenon swept through the world. And no, comic books will not be an acceptable answer."

Several boys groaned at that.

While Midnight went back to packing up her stuff, Tenya stood up and got everyone's attention. "As we will be leaving our class for several weeks, let us make sure we spend some extra time cleaning everything as a show of our appreciation." While some in the class were less than thrilled, none of them really minded all that much. So soon the class went to work pulling out brooms and dust cloths while others helped move the desks and chairs around.

"Midoriya, Toga, would you give me a hand with my things? We can just drop them off at the teachers' office." Midnight motioned to some stacks of papers. Himiko grumbled under her breath that even if Midnight was an old woman she could carry her own shit. Izuku however just nudged her along.

"Come on. Would you rather be sweeping?"

"You'd be surprised what I'd rather be doing than helping the old lady," Himiko hissed.

Midnight's eye twitched, but she bit back her remark and just led the two out into the hallway. Once they were out of the classroom, Izuku suddenly felt like he was being watched. Which was no surprise since when he looked around, he saw that Himiko was looking right at him. Intently.

"Ummm… Yes?"

"So have you asked her out yet?"

"EH?!" Izuku's face went red and he started stuttering and sputtering, all the while not paying attention to the fact that Midnight had stopped walking so she could look over her shoulder and give the conversation her full attention. So he just about ran into her. "T-T-T-Toga! You can't just ask me that. And in public too!"

Himiko gave Izuku the biggest "seriously" side-eye. "You really think no one knows at this point?"

Izuku recalled Katsuki mentioning something along the lines of 'worst kept secret,' and promptly wanted to die.

"Well?" Midnight asked before Himiko stepped up and kicked her to keep walking.

"You stay out of this!" Himiko then turned back. "Well?"

"Umm. It's only been one night, Toga," Izuku answered uneasily. "We still need to… you know…"

Himiko blinked. "Wait… Wait, hold the fuck on. You did tell her how you felt after the finals, right?"

"Um." Izuku started to wonder if it would be a good idea to put up a barrier.

"MIDORIYA IZUKU! YOU DID TELL HER, RIGHT?!"

Yup, I definitely need to put up a barrier— ACK! Izuku tried not to drop the stack of papers as Himiko reached up and grabbed the stump that was his tie.

"You can not be serious! How?! Why?!"

Izuku struggled to free himself. "C-Come on, Toga. It wasn't like there was ever a chance for me to tell her after everything. We were tired after it all."

Himiko sighed, and let Izuku go. "So nothing happened? Damn."

Izuku chuckled nervously. "No. There wasn't a chance. All that happened after we left the school—" Izuku then broke down everything from the walk to the train. The train ride itself and then their goodnights to each other. "See. There wasn't really… what?"

"She… you… You fucking asked her about the flirting?! She had your face cupped in her hands… and you're going to stand there and say there wasn't a chance for you to confess?" Himiko looked like she was about to burst a blood vessel. And as Izuku backed away for his own safety, he suddenly realized that Midnight was also giving him the same annoyed look.

"L-L-Look! It's not like I'm just sitting on my hands or anything!" Izuku floated the stacks of papers as he dug around in his pocket for his phone. After some swipes, he pulled up a list of restaurants and parks. "See! I'm looking into places that would make great confession sites! Unfortunately, there aren't any amusement parks open right now. So I'm having to look outside of what I know. I'm not just going to pull her aside and just confess! It needs to be special! But some of these places are expensive! But I can't just take her to a movie! That's too cheap!"

Himiko blinked and leaned in to look at the list. "Izuku… there are like over a hundred different spots here."

"Like I said. I'm not sitting on my hands," Izuku muttered with a blush. Putting his phone away and plucking the stack of papers out of the air.

Himiko sighed and scratched at her neck. "Okay… okay I get it. You want this to be special. That's… actually kinda sweet. And totally in form now that I think about it. Just… don't take too long. My sanity can't handle the waiting much longer."

"… You have sanity?" Izuku sounded genuinely surprised. Even if he had a smirk inching across his face. Which was quickly wiped away when Himiko reared back and gave him a solid kick in the backside.

The trio made it to the teachers' office and walked in. It was relatively empty, save for All Might working at his desk. He waved to the trio as they carried the papers to Midnight's desk.

"So Midoriya," Midnight began as she sat at her desk, "I bet you're excited about your upcoming trip."

Izuku finished putting the rest of the papers on the teacher's desk and looked over at her, head tilted to the side. "Trip?"

All Might stopped typing at his computer.

Midnight laughed. "I guess all the exam excitement made you forget. Your reward for coming in first at the sports festival."

Himiko scratched her head while she dug through the teacher's fridge, looking for a snack. Izuku meanwhile looked totally lost. "Trip? Like to a museum or something?"

Himiko cheered as she pulled out an unmarked slice of cake. "Maybe it's for a park or like a trip to a fancy restaurant."

That … could be nice, Izuku thought. Maybe it's somewhere I could take Uraraka to. This might solve my date problem.

Midnight stopped laughing and was now giving Izuku a strange look. "Noo. I'm talking about your trip to I-Island."

"…My what?"

All Might was sweating bullets now, and Midnight's eyes were soon cast in his direction. "Surely you know. All Might was so excited to tell you the news himself."

Now all eyes were on All Might. The hero coughed into his hand before he bulked up in a puff of steam and rushed over towards Izuku, grabbing his hand in a handshake. "Congratulations Young Midoriya! You've won an all-expenses paid trip for yourself and one guest to attend I-Island's I-Expo!"

Silence.

Midnight and Himiko had matching expressions as they looked at the man. You're the worst.

"The I-Expo is a world-class exposition showcasing the results of research and development on I-Island. All the companies that work in hero support have a hand in it. You'll get early access with this pass, so you'll get to see some amazing sights. The Pavilion has cafes, and musical shows. It's almost more like an amusement park than a technology showcase."

"Ah…! An amusement park…" Izuku, who had been struggling to keep up with everything he was being told, latched onto that, talking to himself. "That's the best place for a date. You can hold hands and split a crêpe…"

Himiko felt her heart go doki doki. "Oh my god, that is the purest shit I've ever heard."

Midnight agreed. "Young love is the best."

"…Please don't make this weird."

"I don't want to hear that from you."

All Might continued on pretending he hadn't heard them. "There are also games that heroes get to play, like Villain Attack. It's a time attack trial, and extremely popular with the heroes that come to attend. The last time I visited I set a record… I think it's still there too." All Might scratched his chin proudly at that before continuing on. "And on opening night, there's a reception party. A really fancy event."All Might flashed Izuku a thumbs up. "Quit a reward, huh?"

Izuku nodded, then he started nodding faster, as his excitement bubbled over. "THIS IS PERFECT! You said one guest, right?!" Izuku latched onto All Might, eyes sparkling. "I can take someone with me?!"

"That's right!"

And just like that, the answer to Izuku's problems fell into his lap. "This is great! This means I can invite—"

"Oh, Izuku, of course I'll go out with you." Himiko slid into Izuku's arms, nuzzling his neck with her cheek. "You, me and no parental supervision. Just think of all the naughty, amazing fun we could get into." Himiko's smile dripped sex, and the look in her eye didn't leave any room for imagination about what she was thinking of doing.

Izuku froze. Which was funny because his body was heating up to the point smoke was puffing out of his nose. "T-T-T-T-Toga. I. I mean… I was… What I… Um…"

Himiko's sultry expression shattered as she broke into hysterical laughter. "Oh my god Izuku, I'm never going to get tired of this." As she pulled back, she gave Izuku a quick peck on the cheek. "You know what you need to do, and I do too." Izuku, red from everything Himiko had just done, still nodded, which wasn't good enough for Himiko. "Say it."

"I'm… going to go ask Uraraka to come with me to the I-Expo."

Himiko shook her head. "Nuh-uh, try again."

Izuku gulped, but then clenched his fist in determination over his chest. "I'm… I'm going to go ask Uraraka on a date. A romantic date!"

"There you go!" Himiko cheered. "And when are you going to do it?!"

"RIGHT NOW!" Izuku hugged Himiko, making the (mostly) ex-serial stabber chirp in surprise, then bolted from the room, leaving the three remaining people behind to watch him go in amusement.

"Get her Izuku!" Himiko cheered.

Midnight chuckled before she stopped. "Wait… All Might, did you tell him when the event was? Because it's only a few—"

All Might bolted out of the room to chase after Izuku, knowing he couldn't let Izuku ask Ochako out without knowing that the I-Expo was only a couple of days away.

"…He's a moron. The number one hero is a moron." Himiko groaned into her hands, even though she was still smiling.

Midnight watched Himiko closely, careful as she picked her words, the topic one that she went out of her way to avoid as she felt, despite how sure Himiko was, it was a touchy one. "Are you okay? With all of this?"

Pulling her face out of her hands, Himiko regarded Midnight strangely. "Eh? What's got you all worried all of a sudden?"

"This plan of yours. Pushing Midoriya and Uraraka together, then well," Midnight hesitated for a second, "slipping in with them. I'm not seeing a lot of progress in the whole ménage à trois angle you're shooting for."

Ever since Himiko had brought up her 'plan', Midnight had been careful to openly discuss it with her, even during their therapy sessions. It felt like the topic could become a landmine at the drop of a hat. But with potentially big moves happening between two people that Himiko openly loved and cared for, Midnight knew she was going to need to test the waters, so to speak.

When Himiko just shrugged, it wasn't really the response she had been expecting. Nor what she said next. "I guess… Hmm, yeah. I kinda get that feeling too. Might've missed the bus on that one." Himiko pulled out a knife and cut into the cake she had found. "But, it's weird but at the same time… I feel like the plan is working too. Missed the nine o'clock bus, but the nine ten is just coming around the corner."

Himiko stabbed the cake slice and shoved it into her mouth. Not bothering to even finish chewing she kept on, "Don't know what that means, but my gut and my heart are telling me to just keep on doing my thing. So that's what I'm going to do. Simple as that."

Midnight thought about that but chose not to keep pushing. If Himiko herself wasn't really sure what was going on with herself, then it was best to let her have the time to figure it out. Though the idea that she knew she missed something but felt like there was something else coming around the corner was an interesting analogy. She had meant it when she had said she didn't see any progress in Himiko setting up a polyamorous relationship, but that didn't mean there wasn't something there already. It was abundantly clear that Izuku Ochako and Himiko had something between them. At this point, all Midnight could really do was let the three of them figure it out for themselves. At the very least the trust they had built between them would act as a great safety net if things got rocky. Not that she was overly worried about that.

Even if things are about to get interesting now that there's about to be a new player stepping up.

Midnight almost hated that she was cursed with a sixth sense when it came to all the shipping that went on in U.A. Almost. Because it was still so gosh darn cute seeing all these romantic comedies playing out. Way better than any rom-com or soap on tv.

Humming, Midnight searched through her desk before finding a plastic fork, rolled her chair over, and plucked a bit of cake off the plate. "Just so you know, this was Snipe's cake."

"I won't tell if you don't."

---

"A FEW DAYS!" Izuku's hands shot up and grabbed his head. "If there's a reception party, Uraraka and I will need to have clothes dry cleaned and prepped! I haven't worn my suit since the dinner party! It's still just hanging in my closet! Is that enough time?! Do dresses take longer?!"

"Don't worry Young Midoriya!" All Might flashed Izuku a thumbs up. "The school has your and Young Uraraka's measurements from your costumes. I'll make sure you both have something to wear for the expo! Being the number one hero has its perks. I know many of the best clothing designers. It'll all be taken care of."

Izuku sighed, letting his hands fall to his sides. "Thank you, All Might. I don't even know if Uraraka would be able to…" Izuku frowned. "Nevermind. You'll take care of it so it's fine."

Izuku was almost worried if Ochako would even be able to afford to get her dress laundered. He was sure his mother would pay for it, and if not, he'd be more than happy to pay for it. But Ochako was not one to take anything she thought as a handout without getting her pride pricked. And Izuku did not want to get Ochako into a sour mood before he tried to ask her out.

"I guess I'll need to make sure it's okay with Mom if we can go. It's such short notice after all." Izuku let his eyes get a little cold as he looked at All Might, who laughed nervously.

"Fear not, I shall make sure all your mother's worries will be dealt with. I shall inform her of the news myself and assure her that I will personally chaperone you two for the event."

Izuku's initial relief that All Might was going to take care of everything went cold. "Oh, you're going to come with us?"

All Might laughed and put a hand on Izuku's shoulder. "Unfortunately, you set yourself up for this one."

"Eh?"

"Wanting to use the expo as a chance for a romantic rendezvous with Young Uraraka is wonderful, but er… well, I can't really in good conscience let you two go off on your own. You know, in case you two get… a little too handsy."

Izuku's eyes almost popped out of his face at the same time every part of him went red from complete embarrassment. "A-A-A-ALL MIGHT! I'D NEVER! I MEAN, I WOULDN'T! I MEAN—"

While Izuku was left to completely deny that he would ever try anything like that, All Might was glad he had come up with a convincing enough reason to go with Izuku. While acting as a chaperone to a couple of teenagers could have been a good enough reason, in truth, All Might wasn't sure he was completely comfortable letting Izuku travel so far unprotected. There were still threats out in the world that Izuku wasn't ready to face just yet. "Now, you go run along and find Young Uraraka. I have some business to attend to."

He was glad that Izuku seemed more concerned with speaking with Ochako than pressing the issue. Of course he trusted Izuku not to do anything untold, so he imagined this trip was going to be a breeze. And of course, All Might knew how to make himself scarce if the situation needed it. Which, he had a feeling Izuku was going to think it was needed. Though perhaps not too scarce. Because Izuku was a gentle lad and there was a good chance Ochako might just gobble him up.

Walking back to the teachers' office, All Might rubbed his chin. It had been a little while since he had last been to the island. And by extension, it had been a while since he had seen his friend David, though they have had several phone and video calls since his last visit. So it wasn't like he wasn't keeping in touch, though this past year those calls had been more spread out than normal.

But David was apparently hard at work on some intense project, so that ate up a lot of his time. He was also unusually hush-hush about it too. So that meant either nervous investors or governments were involved. Neither one sounded all too fun to the hero. It also wasn't like All Might wasn't engrossed in a project of his own with Izuku and Ochako, something he too had to be hush-hush about.

All Might briefly thought about giving David a call to let him know that he would be coming to I-Island but a smug smile split the hero's face. Why spoil the surprise? It wasn't often he got a good chance to surprise David like this.

There was also Melissa, he knew it was far past time since he checked in on her. He couldn't wait to see the look on her face when he popped up out of the blue. He was sure she'd be excited. If he could keep it a secret, that girl had ears everywhere it seemed. Though maybe he'd be able to slip past her this time since from everything he had been hearing, she was getting quite busy herself.

Like father, like daughter, he supposed.

Making it back to the office door, he was met by both Midnight and Himiko. "I suppose it's best for us to get going, then."

"Yes, best not to keep Nezu waiting."

Himiko's ears perked up. "Nezu?"

Midnight waved her off. "Never you mind. You go help your class clean up your classroom."

Himiko grumbled and flipped her off before walking away. Honestly, at this point, she really didn't care what the teachers and that crazy principal were up to.

…

Okay, that was a straight-up lie, but supposedly Izuku was actually going to ask Ochako out, and she kinda wanted to see that, and the fallout, more than worrying about sneaking around so she could listen in on some boring old—

"Oof!"

"Urk!"

Himiko hadn't been paying attention to where she had been going and had bumped into someone.

Ah great, now I have to apologize to whoever was dumb enough to not move out of my… oh, what?

"Hello Toga," Inko smiled brightly. "Fancy running into you here."

Himiko almost had to do a double take. "Mrs. Midoriya? What are…you doing here?"

"Hi Hi!" Eri cheered happily and waved up at Himiko. Himiko gulped and waved back, suddenly a little nervous. She had to be on her best behavior around Eri. Her-slip ups from before still haunted her. Teaching the little pipsqueak Izuku and Ochako were looking after swearwords and middle fingers was not a great look for her. Plus, the kid was adorable and she kinda wanted to keep her that way.

Inko's hundred-watt smile didn't drop. "Oh, I'm just here to have a little meeting with Principal Nezu. I just need to find the teachers' lounge first. He told me that Eri could wait in there while we talked. But I think I got turned around."

Eri nodded her head. "We've been going in circles."

"Oh, you hush now, no we haven't."

Eri used her pointer finger to draw a circle in the air. Over and over again.

Himiko pointed behind her. "Just take this hall all the way down and then take a right. Keep going and you'll see a little sign."

"Thank you so much."

Himiko watched the pair leave and now found herself suddenly very interested in whatever meeting Nezu, Midnight and All Might were having. While she doubted it had anything to do with their talk from last night, her curiosity was now piqued.

---

Izuku skidded to a stop right outside the large doors to his classroom. Putting a hand over his heart, he worked to steady himself, wondering if perhaps it wasn't the brightest idea to sprint all the way back to class. He didn't want to be out of breath when asking Ochako out on a date.

…Oh my gosh I'm asking Uraraka out on a date.

Briefly, some old instincts tried to interject and say that maybe this wasn't the best idea. But they were promptly shoved aside and given a kick in the ass for good measure. Izuku was not going to back down now. Not when something so wonderful was just within reach. No, there would be no running away. But he was going to take a second to make sure he looked presentable. If he was going to ask Ochako out, he was not going to make a mess of it.

…

…

He was also just standing out in the hallway not doing anything. But to be fair, not doing anything did prevent him from making a mess.

I should probably just… go in then.

Izuku took a step forward. Then back.

Just go in there and do it.

One step forward. One step back.

Just gotta get into the class…

But the class was closed off. So that would be a tall—

Open the door!

Izuku promptly slid the door open and went inside. Head on a swivel, he immediately found Ochako up at the front of the class, cleaning off the blackboard. She smiled when she saw him walk back into the class. "Deku! You're just in time to help me reach these top corners. Think you can lift me up… hey? Where's Toga?"

"Eating cake in the teachers' office."

Ochako put down the rag she was using, and palmed her fist into her hand, cracking the knuckles. "One second. I'm gonna have a word with her."

Ochako had that scary smile on her face. Izuku gulped. "Um, what kind of word?"

"Violence."

"Um! Before you do that," Izuku side-stepped to block Ochako's path, "You'll never guess what I just found out."

Ochako, only slightly annoyed that her path keeping her from delivering divine retribution was blocked, looked at Izuku curiously. "No? Is this the good kind of found out, or the kind that makes me wanna smack you?"

Izuku scratched his chin. "Not me, nope. I'm totally innocent here."

"…" Ochako took a second to digest that before it clicked. "So I'm guessing All Might told you something he forgot to tell you about earlier." Again!

"Pretty much."

Ochako rubbed her brow. "Remember the first day, he had that little book to help him teach. He should use it for other teacher duties too."

"So get this," Izuku said as he tried to pivot away from All Might. "Apparently I won a reward from the sports festival."

"Oh, really? What kind of reward?" Ochako asked as she picked up her cleaning rag to get back to work.

"I got a ticket to go to I-Island for an expo! And I get to bring a friend with me." Izuku was practically bouncing now. "So you wanna come with? It's only a few days away, so I know it's short notice."

"Isn't that the huge man-made island? That all the tech companies made? Oh, that sounds fun. Yeah! So is it like a field trip kind of thing? Like do we get to sightsee or…" Ochako trailed off when she noticed that Izuku's bouncy attitude seemed to fade and he was looking—actually, he seemed to be looking off into space. "Deku?"

SMACK!

Ochako jumped when Izuku reached up and smacked himself in the face. "D-Deku?!"

"Argh! I screwed that up! It was all wrong!" Izuku held his face in his hands and groaned loudly. "I wasn't supposed to ask you like that!" Suddenly he stood up straight. "Uraraka!"

"Y-yes?" Ochako chirped at the sudden intense calling of her name.

"Just forget I said anything."

"I… Huh? Do you not want me to go or…" Before Ochako's feelings could actually get hurt, Izuku waved his hands about frantically.

"No! No that's not it. Just… Pretend I didn't say anything and just… Give me a second." Not waiting for Ochako to reply, Izuku turned on his heel and quickly marched out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Ochako stood there, wavering between not knowing what the fuck was going on, and worrying about what could have Izuku acting so strange. Then the door opened back up, and Izuku was standing in the doorway. Looking extremely peculiar. Speaking of strange.

Izuku walked back in, stiff as a board. With every step, his face got redder and redder. By the time he was standing in front of Ochako, again, smoke was starting to puff out of his nose. He stood there, motionless and neon red, for a good few seconds, just looking at Ochako intently.

He opened his mouth, but no words came out. He closed his mouth, then tried again. A few tries and one would think he was trying out for the role of a fish-out-of-water. After the last failed attempt to say anything he held up a finger, signaling for Ochako to hold on a second, and turned and left the class again. Closing the door behind him.

"…Okay what is Deku up t—!"

BANG!

THUMP!

THUD!

Ochako gaped at the sound of something slamming into the wall just outside the classroom. After the third collision, there was a few seconds of silence before the door to the class opened again, and Izuku, with a very noticeable red bump on his forehead, walked back into the classroom.

"Hi."

Ochako almost tripped, an amazing feat since she was standing still, and struggled to find a good response to the nonchalant hello Izuku just offered up. "Hey?"

It was hard to ignore the pink blush on Izuku's face, or just how nervous he was. Ochako also felt herself grow a little nervous because of the way he was looking at her. It was like she was the only thing he could see. Almost like he was mesmerized by her.

"Uraraka, I… So about the I-Island trip. It's not just the expo, it's also early access to the expo. It's kinda like a huge amusement park, with booths and games and loads of food. And at the end, there's going to be a fancy reception ball."

"Sounds like it's going to be a really fun time," Ochako said honestly. It had been a long time since she had gone to anything like an amusement park. Everything there was always expensive.

"It does yeah, and… I want to go to it with you." Ochako was about to say he had already asked her to go and she had said yes. "So Uraraka. Would you go out with me? I mean… would you go to the expo as my… as my date?"

Ochako's brain promptly shorted out, as it tried to comprehend what she had just been asked. And who had just asked it. Izuku. Izuku fucking Midoriya had just asked her out on a date. So while Ochako's brain was stuttering to a standstill, Ochako's heart was beating to the constant victory chant of, fuck yes fuck yes fuck yes! Most impressive was that with her whole words either exploding around her in shock and joy, she was still able to casually echo out, "Date?" And only sound a little like a dumbstruck fool.

Izuku scratched at his neck, nerves making him ready to bolt at the slightest provocation. "Yeah, I… wanna take you out on a date. That is… if you wan—-"

"YES!" Ochako practically screamed her answer, while at the same time taking several steps forward. Almost as if she was afraid Izuku would leave again and she'd lose the chance to say anything. "Er… I mean." She immediately calmed herself down and tried again. "I mean yes, I'd love to go with you to the expo… as your date."

Now it was Izuku's turn to look stunned. "Wait, really?"

"Yup."

"With me?"

"Uh-huh."

"Really?"

Ochako rolled her eyes and reached up and grabbed Izuku's shoulders. "Deku. I want to go on a date with you. Can I be any clearer?"

Izuku didn't say anything at first. Then, with a cheer, he jumped into the air and pumped his fist high. "YES! Yes yes yes yes yes!" As he celebrated he did a little spin. Upon landing, he finally got a good look at the rest of the classroom. And saw that everyone was still there. Some with their phones out, like Mina who had the biggest grin on her face.

"That's going up on my insta for sure."

Ochako also remembered that the class wasn't empty and stared back at them blankly. "Oh right… you guys are still here." She promptly turned red and floated up to the ceiling, hands covering her face.

Kyouka, phone also out and recording, smirked. "You know, if you wanna be more clear, you could just kiss him. By the way, you better make sure Toga gets a copy of that, Ashido."

Mina smirked. "Waaaaay ahead of you."

Izuku chirped and squeaked. "N-no! That's supposed to come after I con— I mean while we're at the I-Ex— I mean…"

Ochako, back hitting the ceiling, peaked through her hands, and stared down at Izuku. While he only got a few words into each of his excuses, Ochako got the gist immediately. Which got her heart rate going from the million it had been into the billions. Oh my god, this is how he's going to do it?! An amusement park and a fancy reception ball… Wait…?

While the wheels in Ochako's head were still turning, Tenya stepped up. "While as your friend I must applaud and congratulate you two for finally taking the necessary steps to further your relationship," Izuku almost physically groaned cause it sure sounded like even Tenya was in the know at this point, "as your classroom representative I must remind you that such forward public displays of affection are inconsiderate for your peers. While U.A. does not have rules against students dating, I must ask you to ensure you act in a way that properly represents our great school."

Denki snickered. "So pinkies out when you're making out."

Hitoshi looked at Tenya with a bored side-eye. "You say that and yet you haven't done jack all when Toga does something."

"Like any great leader, I must know which battles to fight."

Tsuyu tapped her chin. "You know she'd stab you, right?"

"Precisely."

"AHHHH! A FEW DAYS?! MY DRESS NEEDS TO GET CLEANED!" Ochako screamed as realization just smacked her in the face.

Izuku quickly moved in to deal with that. "Oh, you don't have to worry, Uraraka. All Might said that everything we need will be taken care of. We'll have clothes for the reception waiting for us."

Ochako sighed heavily, relieved that at least All Might was going to make sure some things were taken care of. So now she could just focus on the fact that Izuku had just asked her out. He had asked her out and was taking her to a far-off island where it would just be the two of them.

The two of us… alone… Just us… alone to eat and play and… maybe kiss and… and then… Ochako's face got redder and redder as her imagination started whispering all kinds of fun things she could do with Izuku if she got him alone on their date.

Tenya looked over at Izuku pointedly. "I trust that you two will have proper supervision during this trip?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, um, All Might said he would chaperon us. He has some friends that live on I-Island that he'd like to see so it all works out."

Above everyone, Ochako's thoughts turned from all the fun she could have to all the different ways she could make All Might suffer.

Tenya turned away from them and pointed his finger at Mina. "And Ashido! Don't think I didn't hear that! Uploading something so personal to Midoriya and Uraraka to social media is disrespectful of their privacy!"

Mina just rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine." She didn't mention however that she had already sent the video to Himiko. What happened after that, wasn't her problem in the slightest.

Katsuki practically growled after everything was said and done. "Can we just finish cleaning the fucking room? If I have to stay here any longer after watching that shit show I'm going to puke."

---

When All Might opened the door to the teachers' office, he was startled to find Inko standing there. "M-Mrs. Midoriya?" Nezu had said there had been a request from one of the students' parents to meet with him, Midnight and Nezu, but the principal had neglected to tell him who would be coming. All Might suspected he had been set up. "W-what a wonderful surprise. Do come in."

Moving aside to let Inko in, he caught Midnight eyeing him and mouthing, 'smooth.'

Inko, fortunately, missed the mock, as she smiled up at the large hero and bowed as she entered the room. Nezu smiled and waved her into the office, motioning towards an empty seat in front of his desk. "Ah, Mrs. Midoriya. Please have a seat. Tea? I hope little Eri is well."

"Oh, why thank you. And she is doing very well, thank you. She's enjoying those treats and toys you left for her in the teachers' lounge. Snipe and Present Mic said they were more than happy to keep her company too. Such kind men," Inko said as she walked in.

Midnight slid up beside All Might and the larger man leaned over to ask, "You wouldn't happen to know what this meeting is about, would you?"

"Nope. But hey, look at the bright side, at least it doesn't look like she requested this meeting to complain about you beating the crap out of her son."

That thought hadn't even crossed All Might's mind until Midnight had brought it up. He shuddered. "I think she'd just kill me and skip the formalities altogether."

Midnight chuckled. "You sound like you're scared of her." All Might coughed into his hand which only made Midnight grin widen. "Wow, you got it bad."

Deciding to ignore Midnight, All Might strolled over and took a seat at the desk. "I hope all is well at home."

"It is," Inko said with a smile as she took her seat. She regarded All Might for a second. "You seem nervous?"

"Ha ha ha ha!" All Might laughed, throwing his head back and striking a classic heroic pose. "Me? Nervous? Whatever gave you that idea?"

"Maybe because I happened to see some rather nasty bruises on my poor boy? After he gushed about getting to fight you in his exam." Inko raised an eyebrow with all the cockiness of a chess champion that just put their opponent into check.

All Might gulped. Loudly. Inko however just chuckled. "Oh my. You're almost as easy as Toshinori to tease. Back when he was training Izuku and Uraraka they would sometimes come back so exhausted or covered in bruises, I would give him the business."

All Might coughed loudly and looked away while Midnight found the cuffs on her wrists suddenly very interesting. Nezu just hummed into his teacup.

Soon everyone was seated, and Nezu motioned toward her. "So I think we should go ahead and discuss what brings you here today. You had called me wanting to talk about Toga. Correct?"

Midnight sat up a little straighter in her chair. "Toga? What about her? She hasn't done anything, has she?"

Inko tapped her chin. "I mean, this is Toga. She's always doing something, right?" Midnight groaned but Inko waved it off. "But no. She hasn't done anything bad. In fact, from everything I've heard from Izuku and Uraraka, she's been on her best…ish behavior."

Midnight sighed, and relaxed. "Okay, that's good. You had me worried there was something wrong and I missed it."

Inko's smile fell and she shook her head. "Oh, there is most definitely something wrong. It's why I asked for you all, in particular, to be here. Since you both seem to have a constant hand in Toga's upbringing now. What with her rehabilitation and hero training." Midnight and All Might both seemed confused by that, while Nezu was just watching things carefully. Inko addressed the group, "My son would like to celebrate his and his friends passing their term finals. He would like to throw a party. A barbecue."

"Ah, and you're wanting to seek permission to have it here?" All Might asked, though he didn't sound completely convinced with his own take. It didn't exactly line up with Inko saying there was something wrong with Himiko.

Inko shook her head. "No. You see, Izuku and Uraraka had the idea of having the barbecue at Dagobah Beach." As the heroes started to grasp the situation, Inko kept going. "I'd like for Toga to be allowed off campus to join her friends," Inko stated plainly.

All Might frowned while Nezu folded his paws in front of his face. "I see."

Midnight shook her head. "I think… that might be too… premature at this time."

Inko turned to look at Midnight. "Why?" she asked bluntly. "Honestly speaking, I think you all are the only ones that even still care about the incident that happened. Surely people such as yourselves understand how news cycles work. After a few weeks, the next big story drops and everyone moves on."

"That is… a surprisingly blunt viewpoint." All Might scratched his chin.

"But not an inaccurate one," Nezu conceded. "But I'm afraid you may only just be looking at the public in your assessment. There is still a danger that Toga might attract even more unsavory attention."

"You mean villains?" Inko asked, keeping herself surprisingly calm. "Or the local law enforcement?" The teachers shared some looks while Inko explained, "My son and Uraraka told me how Toga was treated by the Hosu City police."

Midnight sighed as she leaned forward in her chair, hands clasped together. "Toga isn't… very popular with the police or… some government agencies, that's true. But we're not worried they would try anything at this point. We have… let's call it an 'understanding.'"

"An understanding that involves lawyers I assume?"

"Bucket loads."

Midnight continued, "We're worried that some criminal elements might be interested in her. Her… connection with the Hero Killer, Stain… Some could see her as a disciple… or a traitor. I just think… We need to let a little more time pass."

When Midnight didn't continue right away, Inko finished off with, "And then there's the League of Villains, the group more than likely to try and make a move against her since it was that Shigaraki that killed the boy that exposed her and hurt my son."

Inko's voice had a slightly nasty edge to it as she finished speaking. Clearly, even though the incident had happened a while back now, Inko still wasn't in a forgiving mood. For either Tomura or Saito. Again the teachers shared some looks. "My son… doesn't always close his door when he's talking on the phone. Even late in the morning."

Inko turned and looked at Midnight. Looked her in the eye. "It's scary, isn't it?"

Midnight blinked, not sure why the question being directed at her suddenly made her feel put on the spot. "I… huh? Scary? What's scary?"

Inko smiled, softly and with understanding. "Being a parent."

Midnight looked genuinely shocked at that idea. "I… I'm not…"

She frowned and shifted around while Inko looked over at Nezu. "I think the same could be said with the rest of your staff here, in their own way. But from what I've been told, Midnight spends a lot of time with Toga."

"As her counselor and her therapist," Midnight corrected, though not harshly.

Inko didn't look convinced. "Oh, I'm sure those are the roles you took up for her… how many months ago by now? But I think that's changed. You and this school don't just see Toga as some student. It's much more familiar."

Nezu hummed, which wasn't a sound Midnight liked. Not that she had any reason not to like it, but something about him humming after Inko had said that put her on edge. "Familiar? In what way?"

Inko shrugged. "Well, you're doing what every fiber of my being is screaming at me to do with Izuku. Keep him safe, keep him protected. Keep him locked away, so that all the dangerous horrible things in the world don't have a chance to hurt him… again." Inko sunk into her chair. "I still have nightmares, of getting those phone calls telling me my son was in the hospital. After almost dying. Twice."

All Might flinched hard, grateful that Inko wasn't looking over at him. Those two times were complete failures on his part to protect Izuku. By some grace, or act of mercy, Inko had not come after him in a well-deserved rage. Of course, that didn't mean there wasn't some bitterness there. But rage, and maybe even hate? He wasn't sure what he'd do if it ever came to that.

And what's going to happen when she finds out everything, huh? The little voice in the back of his mind asked. Because All Might had a sneaking suspicion that sooner or later, Inko was going to learn. The woman had a keen mind, more so than her homely appearance would have others believe. His time spent with her as Toshinori had shown him that.

Also apparently I and Young Midoriya are just horrible at keeping things a secret. I swear I used to be good at this.

Inko sat up straight and looked Midnight in the eye. "When you talk about thinking it would be best to keep Toga inside the school, you have a look in your eyes. It's the same one I see every time I look in the mirror. That fear, I see it every single day. But," Inko took a breath, steadying herself, "even after everything, my son still goes to school. He goes out into the world that has done him so much wrong because there is still so much good in it. Even with the League of Villains still out there… I know it wouldn't be right to let my own fears keep my son from living his life. Living his dream." Midnight turned away, frowning. "You've done so much for Toga here. But, sooner or later, you have to trust that everything you've taught your child will help them in the world. You can't keep them locked away forever. She deserves a chance to live her life, out there."

Nezu reached over and grabbed his cup of tea. "You make some valid points, but you must acknowledge that Toga's case is much more delicate. She is every bit a wild animal as she is a student. It's not just her safety we must be aware of. Her mental stability is an important factor in making sure she is able to return to a… semi-normal life."

Inko looked at Nezu and drank from her own tea cup. Putting it down she calmly replied back, "If her mental stability is so important, why are you keeping her in a cage? Isn't that the worst thing for a wild animal?"

There was an uncomfortable silence as All Might and Midnight looked between Inko and Nezu. No one in the room missed the way Inko had turned Nezu's wording around on him. No one missed Inko specifically bringing up wild animals. However, after a second, Nezu smiled. "It's so nice to hear someone finally come out and say that."

"Huh?" Midnight blinked when Nezu shot her a look. "Wait? You agree?"

"Oh, of course. In the short term, keeping Toga restricted to the school was the correct choice. Maybe for the first couple of weeks at least. But after that, especially after Saito and his family were killed off," the teachers groaned at Nezu's lack of tact but he ignored them, "the restriction would have been fine to lift."

"Hold on, you said it was a good idea to keep it going!" Midnight was on her feet. "We had a meeting, and—"

"I said, if you think it's a good idea, we'll keep the restriction up. I never said I thought it was a good idea," Nezu countered easily. Midnight's jaw fell open so Nezu kept going, "I was just waiting for you to realize the time was up, and Toga should be free to wander outside again… With proper permission, of course." Nezu glanced over at Inko. "If we gave her completely free reign to come and go as she pleases, I think your son would have had some very interesting midnight visits."

Inko chuckled. "Him or Uraraka at this point." More surprised looks. "Just how naive do you think I am? Also again, my son needs to learn to close his door when he thinks I'm asleep."

Midnight slumped back into her seat, sighing. "When did this get so complicated?"

"Young Toga or yourself?"

"You hush," Midnight warned. Looking down at her hands, she gave Inko's words a lot of thought. And she couldn't deny that the other woman had made some excellent points. Not that they weren't worrying though. "A scared parent, huh. There's a terrifying thought."

Inko gave her a sympathetic smile. "It can be."

"… Alright… I'm… alright with the restrictions going back to how they were," Midnight finally said.

Inko bowed. "Thank you. I'm sure Toga will be grateful to you."

"Yeah… just as long as she doesn't hear the rest of this convo. Or that I'm the reason she's been made to be cooped up for so long. Because oh boy, that'll make our next meeting fuuun."

Nezu hummed and sipped his tea. "Oh, I'm sure it won't be that bad." He put his tea down and looked up at the ceiling tiles. "Isn't that so, Toga?"

There was silence before a ceiling tile above them was pulled back and Himiko stuck her head through. While All Might and Midnight gaped at her and Inko smiled and waved, Himiko directed her bored glare at Nezu. "When and how?"

"Never and a guess," was the intellectual's instant reply. "A meeting with Midoriya's mother, of course you'd figure out a way to listen in."

She stuck out her tongue, then looked over at Inko with a smile. "A beach party? I'd love to go. Thank you so much." Her face was awash with excitement and joy. "I'll need to find the perfect swimsuit to celebrate my freedom." Her smile turned coy. "Oh, this will be so much fun."

Inko held up a hand. "Nothing too provocative, please. I'd like my son to be able to function during the party."

Himiko's smile turned hungry. "Oh, I'm sure he'll be just fine. And I'd be happy to get him used to it."

"Oh, I'm sure you would," Inko hummed. "But I'd like to bring Eri too. And if I feel things are too…" Inko gave Himiko an amused knowing look, "mature, then she'd have to stay home. And she was so looking forward to going to the beach for the first time."

Himiko's face froze. "Eri's coming?"

"Hmm-hm."

"…I'll wear something nice, then."

"Thank you."

With that settled, Himiko then twisted around and looked at Midnight, face taking an unreadable natural look. Midnight tried not to look nervous as Himiko just stared at her.

"Um."

"I'm not calling you mom," Himiko stated plainly before pulling her head back into the ceiling and replacing the tile.

Midnight put her face into her hands. "Fucking… great."

---

With her mission complete and Himiko now given back her permission to leave the campus, All Might, Midnight and Inko left Nezu's office. Facing Inko, All Might was ready for the mother to bid her goodbyes and journey to collect Eri and head on home. Instead, however, he saw that she was looking up at him intently.

She's not… actually mad about Young Midoriya getting a little roughed up yesterday, right? I mean, he gave as good as he got.

"All Might," Inko asked after a few careful seconds, "do you think the two of us could talk? Privately?"

"You want to talk privately?" All Might repeated, eyebrows raised as he suddenly felt a pair of eyes on him. Glancing over, he saw Midnight was giving him a scandalized gasp, that could hide just how amused she was. While Himiko had poked her head through a ceiling air vent, grinning wickedly and making small "tsk tsk" noises as she landed in the hallway.

"That won't be a problem will it?" Inko asked.

"Oh, um, no! Not at all." All Might recovered quickly. "We can go to my office to talk."

"Thank you. That would be perfect," Inko said with a small bow. As All Might turned to lead her away, Inko hesitated, as her eyes met Himiko's. For a second, the young vampire looked at Inko with amusement, but slowly her face changed as recognition swept over her. Amusement turned into serious consideration, before finally settling on approval. She nodded at Inko and Inko nodded back before she turned and left.

Himiko decided that it'd probably be a good idea not to rush off to sleep tonight. She had a feeling she was going to have a visitor later.

---

"Sooo tea?" All Might immediately winced at his offer. She had just had a cup while meeting with Nezu. Of course she wasn't going to be thirsty. Especially for the supermarket brands he had.

Inko took a seat on the offered couch and sighed to herself. "I think a stiff drink would hit the spot right about now."

It took her a second to realize what she had just let slip out. She quickly covered her mouth while All Might stared at her in shock. The stunned mood soon broke when Inko burst into laughter, followed soon by All Might.

"I must say, I never pegged you for an early-hour drinker," All Might said with a smile.

Inko rubbed her hands together. "I'm practically a single mother. You think I never threw back something to help take the edge off once in a while… a long while, I mean." Inko smiled, almost wickedly. "And it's five o'clock somewhere, isn't it?"

All Might laughed again, then, looking shiftily around, leaned over and whispered, "I do keep a bottle hidden away in here. Just for emergencies of course."

Inko's eyes lit up. "Ooh?"

All Might walked over to his desk and opened a drawer. Pulling out some stacks of papers revealed just an empty drawer, until he pressed a finger down on the back of the drawer's bottom, making it pivot up and showing it to be a false bottom. Inside was a mostly full bottle of amber liquid, with a picture of a buffalo on its label, a couple of lowball glasses and a jigger.

Walking over to a counter, All Might dug into a small freezer and pulled out some ice for each glass. Then after pouring Inko a drink, he filled the jigger to give him a shot's worth. He had to be careful. With no stomach, his body—well, his liver—couldn't handle an excessive amount of alcohol. But a sip once in a blue moon wasn't much to worry about.

"Here you go, some old-fashioned bourbon from Kentucky." All Might offered Inko her glass before pulling out a chair and taking a seat across from her. "To your health, cheers."

"To yours, cheers," Inko said back as they clinked glasses. The bourbon was sweet, with Inko tasting some brown sugar and spice. "Hmm, this is very nice. I don't think I've had anything from America before."

"After I graduated I spent a good many years in America. Perfecting my craft, so to speak, for my eventual return to Japan. I traveled all over the country with a good friend of mine. One of the places we stopped was this distillery along the Kentucky river. We might've… drank just a tad too much. According to the town's sheriff, we might've gotten into a little mischief." All Might laughed at the good memory. "But ever since I moved back to Japan, my friend has sent me a bottle from that distillery whenever I get low." All Might took a sip of his drink. "But I'm sure you didn't wish to speak to me so I could tell you about my colorful past. I assume this is something important though."

All Might had to admit, his curiosity was more than piqued. Inko was obviously nervous. When she had spoken up for Himiko, she had spoken with empathy for Midnight and the teachers, but also from a position of experience. It wasn't the fire-breathing speech she had delivered to the Togas, but Inko's words had carried weight. But pulling him aside, and now in this room, Inko was nervous. He doubted she would have let slip her desire to have a drink like that otherwise.

It can't be about Young Eri. If there was anything wrong, she wouldn't have hesitated to inform me. In fact, Young Midoriya might have beaten her to the punch. Perhaps… something has happened with her husband Hisashi… Has he done anything?

All Might found himself paying extra close attention to Inko as she had another sip of her drink. As far as he could tell, he didn't see any signs of trauma or attempts to cover those signs up. So at the very least, it didn't look like she had been struck. But Katsuki's words still echoed in All Might's head.

'I know he's never hit them. He's too much of a coward to risk that.'

Inko ran a finger around the rim of her glass. "There are actually a couple of things I'd like to talk with you about. Though one I only just found out about."

All Might's head tilted to the side, looking a little confused. "Oh? And that would be over what exactly?"

Inko fixed All Might with a level look. "The I-Expo."

… Uh oh. Young Midoriya must have called or texted her… I might be in trouble…

"Fortunately Izuku told me you were making sure everything was going to get taken care of given the short time frame." Inko's smile had enough frost coming off it that it felt like the whole room was suddenly transported to the arctic. "I let him know that of course he could go."

"Ah! G-Good. I will of course be keeping a close eye on him and Young Uraraka. They are in good hands."

Inko hummed and took another sip. "Maybe not that close of an eye on them."

All Might raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"I wouldn't want their chance to spend some private time together smothered because you were being overly cautious." The frost melted off of Inko as her smile turned warm. "These are precious moments for them. I'd like for them to have a chance to make the most of them."

"I… of course want them to be able to enjoy themselves. They have been through a lot together and deserve a chance to unwind. I just want to make sure they don't go and get into too much trouble." Inko chuckled into her glass at that.

"What better time to get into a little trouble. But I of course leave them in your capable hands." All Might bowed his head. "But if I hear you interrupted a confession or kiss," Inko warned, a fire in her eyes that made All Might gulp nervously.

"That most definitely will not happen!"

Seemingly satisfied with that. Inko's posture seemed to change, becoming a little more rigid. Nervous and unsettled. She didn't look ready to bolt out of her chair, but she definitely didn't seem to like being there either. Her next sip seemed more to steady her nerves than to enjoy the drink itself. "I suppose then… I should discuss with you the original reason I wanted to speak with you… privately."

All Might leaned forward. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes I… I suppose I'm just…" Inko frowned, finger tapping the glass she held. "Maybe I'm overthinking things. Maybe… having a group of villains going after my son multiple times now has me paranoid. I talked a good game in that meeting, but… I'm terrified for Izuku. And I suppose all that fear dug up some… old memories."

"Memories?"

Well… here I go.

"When I was… younger. I was a bit of… a handful. Well, more like I was delinquent. I'd run off whenever I felt like it. Wasn't one to listen to authority."

All Might looked genuinely surprised. "You? Really?"

Inko looked a little offended. "Oh, I was a real troublemaker."

"I don't believe it."

Inko scoffed. "Well, I was. I even had some run-ins with some unsavory characters. Didn't like them very much. Most of those run-ins were because I liked sneaking into places I really shouldn't be."

"I'd have never guessed. But what does this have to do with what you wanted to talk with me about?"

Inko steadied herself. "All my worrying got me thinking about this one man, this villain I ran into years and years ago. And after everything, I started thinking about him. To calm myself I decided to look him up. I thought for sure there was some news about him or something but I didn't find anything. It was like they never existed."

All Might had put his glass down and was rubbing his chin. "Nothing huh? Unusual, but not every villain is readily documented. Some don't even have a chance to become famous and commit crimes they can put their names towards. Sometimes they get taken out by their fellow criminals and villains before meeting a hero."

Inko frowned. "Toga said something similar to that. She also said that if this was a villain I saw when I was a kid… well, she implied that enough time would have passed that even if he had done something no one would remember anyway."

All Might blinked. "You spoke with Young Toga about this?"

Some guilt crossed Inko's face. "I assumed because of her time living with a villain she may have heard things." All Might hummed, at least following the logic Inko was using. "And well… I just didn't see those reasons being good enough. The man I saw… he wasn't just some nobody. He had power and a presence about him. So Toga said that if I could give her a name, she'd see what she could dig up or recall."

"Hmm, Young Toga's life on the streets did bring her into contact with many different organizations and such belonging to the underworld. It's possible she could have heard something if this man was known. Were you able to give her a name?"

"I was. She got back to me after the term finals and was only really able to give me rumors and such. Ultimately, she told me I needed to speak with you." Inko put her drink down and wrung her hands together. "I was nervous about coming here because… all that trouble I got into as a child is… well it could make people think I was…"

"You are a good, kind person, Mrs. Midoriya. If you were a troublemaker as a child, it has done nothing but make the present you a good and strong human being. Someone that has raised a son and has taken in a little girl who needed to be saved." All Might almost reached out and put his hand on Inko's. But he had to remind himself that he wasn't Toshinori right now, he was All Might, and Inko was not familiar with him enough to let something like that slide. Also, he wasn't even sure if it would be proper as Toshinori. "So have no fear. And if Young Toga told you to speak with me, I will do everything in my power to put your mind at ease. So tell me. What was this miscreant's name?"

Inko took a second to breathe, then dropped her bomb. "All for One."

If the ground suddenly opened up and Lucifer himself reached up to drag All Might into the depths of hell, he wouldn't have been as surprised as he was hearing that name come out of Inko's mouth.

"How… how do you know that name?" All Might tried to stay calm. He was trying really hard. But the way Inko flinched made it crystal clear he was not doing a great job. Though why Himiko had pointed Inko in his direction was now suddenly obvious.

"It's what he called himself after I saw him… steal someone's Quirk. He… saw me. I got the feeling that trying to run wouldn't have worked. I guess seeing me in that old warehouse amused him. He showed off some of his Quirks for me. And then… said it would be a good idea if I didn't mention seeing him to anyone else. After that, I just… ran home and didn't tell a soul about him. Not until… well, Toga and now you." Inko looked at All Might. "She told me that the two of you fought. But no one really knows what happened between you. Just at some point, he just vanished."

All Might broke eye contact with Inko, looking away from her. She could see he was uncomfortable about this. Which meant Himiko had been right on the money. She needed to come here. "Please. I need to know that this man isn't still on the streets. I couldn't find anything, and Toga could only give me rumors. All I can remember about him when I saw him was that he was a monster. And the idea that Izuku… that my little boy might meet him one day too… I don't know if I can take it."

All Might was cornered. In so many different ways. One wrong move here, and so many secrets could unravel. He had to be careful about what he said. He also realized as he looked at the tearful woman, that he had to give her something. He didn't know exactly what rumors Himiko had told Inko before sending her his way. But it was clear it was enough.

"All for One… was one of… no. He was the most dangerous person I ever fought. During his long life, he was able to steal and amass inside his body several Quirks that made him more of a demon than a person. Quirks that prolonged his life. Quirks that made his body almost indestructible and Quirks that gave him enough power to level whole city blocks. This man was responsible for the death of many heroes. Some of them were my friends. There was never anyone like him, and there hasn't been anyone like him since."

Inko caught the wording All Might was using. "Was?"

All Might nodded, though once again he couldn't look Inko in the eye, knowing what he was about to say was in many ways a betrayal of trust. "Six years ago, we faced each other in battle for the last time. I… I killed him."

Inko went stiff, eyes wide as she looked at All Might in shock. "You killed…?"

Wait, wait that doesn't make sense? Pemphredo said that the Demon would come for Izuku. 'As a demon offering a trade, a reward you must take for your aid. When Midoriya blood is thinned by half, the demon will come back to take the calf.' I met him. The Demon is All for One. I had to take Fa Jin from him. The calf is Izuku. Right? Unless… Could it… What is going on?

Pemphredo wasn't wrong. She's been right about everything… Unless I'm wrong? Could the Demon be someone else? Unless he's not really dead… Inko looked at All Might closely. No. that's shame on his face. He's ashamed of himself. Izuku has told me all of All Might's exploits, and I've heard more than my fair share on the news, but not once has he ever had to kill someone. He was always… above that.

"So… he's really gone."

"He is."

Inko mulled that over, taking care of how she responded. "I never… the news never… If something like that happened, I'm sure Izuku would…"

All Might leaned forward, deciding to play the trump card that makes every lie believable. Adding a pinch of truth. Inko had made some discoveries about All for One. The fact she knew about him and tried to look him up, and that she had asked Himiko first, meant she had a very basic knowledge of things. So to put her mind at ease, All Might knew he had to explain something to her.

"That fight was never made public. One, because the idea that I would be forced to take such drastic measures to stop a villain might have shaken the public's faith. And two… well, I didn't exactly come out of that battle unscathed." All Might almost laughed at the surprised look on Inko's face. "It's true. I was cooped up in a hospital for almost a whole month. I can not tell you how utterly boring it was. So, another thing the Hero Public Safety Commission didn't want to get out."

"So they covered everything up? Including any public information about All for One?"

"They did. I can't stress enough the threat that man was to the peace we have now. It wasn't just his power alone that made him a threat. It was his ability to amass followers. So, to make sure his story and legacy couldn't spread after… after his death, the government worked to erase him. Until he was nothing more than a rumor."

Another cover-up by the Hero Public Safety Commission, huh… They don't want anything to disrupt their perfect little world. Inko worked hard to keep the old bitter memories from bubbling to the surface. But considering her own history with the government organization, she completely believed the idea they would try to make it so All for One never existed.

Finally, she let out a sigh and picked up her drink. "Then…thank you. I'm sorry for bringing something up that clearly weighs heavily on you. But… you've given me some peace of mind. So thank you."

---

Himiko wasn't surprised that after school had been let out and everyone had gone home, she heard someone knocking at her door. It was still annoying that it had to come while she was in the middle of watching the gold mine video Mina had sent her.

"Come in."

She also wasn't surprised to see All Might pull open her door and quietly slip in. After closing the door, he wilted in a puff of steam. "Young Toga."

"I hope your talk with Inko went well."

All Might crossed his arms. "You should have told me the moment she started inquiring about All for One." He didn't sound all that angry. Just stressed. Himiko however didn't really care and wasn't about to offer him much in the way of sympathy.

"The man whose whole life is built of secrets is upset that someone kept a secret? Wow." Himiko's voice dripped with sarcasm.

All Might frowned. "There are certain things that—"

"She asked me to keep this between us. She didn't even want Izuku to know about this. Inko put her trust in me. Not gonna immediately go behind her back. And I pointed her to you in the end anyway. So what if there were a few extra steps."

All Might grunted as he rubbed his brow. "Of all the things I ever expected to have to talk to her about, All for One was never on that list."

"Are you serious? Your whole deal is getting Izuku ready to fight that bastard."

"I know, I know… Fortunately, All for One prefers to stay in the shadows even when he takes a direct approach. So at the very least, I think I've put all her worries to bed. At least regarding this topic."

Himiko frowned, a little confused. "Wait, you did? I figured this was just the start of a huge thing."

It was All Might's turn to also look confused. "Why would you say that?"

"I mean, you can't really talk about All for One without talking about One for All. So I figured you must have… you know… let her in on the secret."

"Absolutely not!" All Might was shocked at the idea. "I have always operated with the intent to keep as many people safe by making sure they knew nothing of the topic. Less chance of them getting involved. I would not willingly involve Mrs. Midoriya in this conflict. And… it's not my place to decide who gets brought in now. That responsibility lies with Young Midoriya. And as of now, he has chosen to keep his mother out of this war."

Himiko leaned back, looking up at All Might. "Fine, so then how exactly were you able to put her mind at ease then? I'm not seeing a lot of options here if we're sticking to the whole 'need to know' rules."

"I told her he was dead."

"…Eh?"

"I told her about our last battle, and that I had been the one to kill him. Not a complete lie. As I had gone into that fight prepared and willing to commit to the act."

"Wait, hold on." Himiko held up a hand, looking honestly shocked at what she had just heard All Might say. "You told her he was dead? That seems like… a really stupid thing to do."

All Might ran his fingers through his hair. "Inko has…enough on her plate. The fact that we haven't been able to capture Shigaraki or Kurogiri means she has to constantly worry if the League of Villains is going to go after Young Midoriya a third time. She needed… some kind of reassurance that things aren't as dark as they could be."

"So you're protecting her, by lying to her that the possibly immortal bogeyman that reigned over this country from the shadows and has hunted down and killed the past One for All users, isn't a threat," Himiko clarified.

"Um, yes."

"Which when you think about it, is kinda what you do to the populace at large. Being the shining symbol, and letting them know that everything is going to be okay."

All Might gave her a thumbs up. "That's exactly right!"

Himiko tapped her fingers together and hummed before she swung her feet over the side of her bed and lay back down. "You're royally fucked."

"I—"

"Treating Inko like one of the masses, that is going to come back and bite you in the ass."

"Young Toga, this is the only way I know how to keep people close to me safe. I… she is a very kind woman. I would like to do everything I can to at least ease the burden she feels as her son trains to become a hero."

Himiko pulled her eyepatch off and rubbed her eyes, before hissing out a swear, "God damn it. This means if she ever brings it up I can't ever say anything that goes against your story without there being a huge issue."

"This is for the best. It's worked for me for decades."

"…You know, I'm pretty sure Izuku is getting ready to bring the rest of the squad in on the secret."

All Might nodded slowly. "Young Asui, Young Iida, Young Todoroki and Young Shinsou. I'm aware. After Young Bakugou and Young Hatsume learned, I had a feeling the rest of his friends would soon be joining." His tone showed he seemed to have accepted this, but didn't completely approve. But at the very least he would support it.

"What's going to happen if Izuku decides to let his mom know?"

All Might shook his head. "I know the strain that keeping this a secret from his mother puts on the boy. I also know that telling her and having to deal with a constant fear she would become involved in the fight would be even worse. Young Toga, I do not ever see Young Midoriya telling his mother about any of this."

"You better hope you're right."

---

Good Evening Class 1-A,

I'm sure finding an email from your principal on the very first day of your summer break might be making you all a little nervous. However, have no fear. I'm not about to be the bearer of bad news. I'll leave that to your homeroom teacher. I simply wished to let you all know that from now until your summer training camp we will be offering some special hero classes. These are of course not obligatory, as we at U.A. are well aware that many of you may have made plans to spend time with family or procure a summer job before the term had ended. Each class will be for only a handful of students at a time, so they will be first come, first served. As each class will go over the same lesson, you'll only have to sign up for one. If you are interested, please click the link below and sign up.

Have a wonderful rest of your evening,

Principal Nezu.

---

Izuku hummed as he looked over the class times. Most of them fell on days when he was going to be on his date at the I-Expo, which made another nervous shudder run up his body as that was still a phrase he was getting used to. However, as he looked through the times, he saw one he could go to. It was the very first one tomorrow. Looking at the time slot, the class was only going to be a couple of hours, so Izuku just shrugged and clicked on the link to sign up for the class.

No sooner had he closed the sign up page when his phone chirped with Ochako's personal ringtone.

Uraraka: Hey. U c th class thng?

Uraraka: got 1 class.

Midoriya: Same. 1st class.

Uraraka: Sweet.

Uraraka: Only 1 we culd tak anyway.

Uraraka: cause our d8t

Izuku's hands trembled as he tried to punch in a message.

Midoriya: ypp daydhw

Smooth, real smooth.

Midoriya: Yup, our d8t.

Uraraka: lol

Uraraka: Nervous?

Midoriya: Yes.

Midoriya: A little.

Midoriya: I want this 2 b perfct

Izuku felt his face heat up as he added,

Midoriya: Cause u r perfect.

Izuku swore he heard some high-fives after that one. There was also a long pause before Ochako's next message, even though he could see the little (… is typing) icon flashing during the whole time.

Uraraka: Deku. Sve tht kind of tlk 4 aftr our d8t.

Midoriya: Did I say somthing wrong?

Izuku was starting to panic. Did he just cross a line or—

Uraraka: Bcause after, I can play th flirtng game 2.

Izuku gulped. He would really like that.

Uraraka: And th reward game.

Oh, Izuku's mind started racing with that. He had to steady himself as he typed out,

Midoriya: Wht kind of rewards?

That slow (… is typing) icon was back. Izuku, despite himself, could feel his body heating up.

Uraraka: (*^ ‿ *)

Oh, that's so freaking mean! Izuku thought with a huff. That could mean anything. Like holding his hand at lunch, or maybe a secret peck on the cheek in the hallway at school.

Uraraka: By the way. Howd ur mom tak th news?

Izuku thought back to telling his mom that he was taking Ochako out on a date. By the time she was done crying, Eri had gone off to find her raincoat.

Midoriya: bout wht u'd expect

Uraraka: lol

Uraraka: I wonder wht this xtra class will b abt?

Uraraka: Do u think Toga will go?

Izuku almost laughed out loud, though he made sure to muffle it, not wanting to wake the sleeping Eri in the lower bunk.

Midoriya: Not a chance.

---

Himiko burst out laughing right in Midnight's face, so hard that she fell out of her bed and rolled on the ground, all the while Midnight crossed her arms and just looked annoyed.

"Ha ha ha ha! You want me to, ha ha ha, go take, ha ha, extra lessons?! Are you drunk?"

Despite just how unruly Himiko was, Midnight pressed on, "You know, Midoriya and Uraraka both signed up for the class. Asui too."

Pulling herself up by her sheets, Himiko looked Midnight dead in the eye as she fought, and failed, to keep her laughter at bay. "I don't, ha ha ha, give a shit. I'm fucking free of those damned classes." Letting herself fall back to the ground, Himiko's hand popped up and waved around over the edge of her bed. "Besides, I got more important things to do with my time."

After saying that, Himiko sighed and pointed over at Midnight. "I can hear that look by the way. It just so happens I do have some plans, you know."

"And what exactly do you plan on doing? You still need permission to leave campus, you know," Midnight reminded her.

Sitting up, Himiko rolled back onto her bed. "I'm actually going to be spending some time with Recovery Girl. She's gonna give me some field medic training."

Midnight's eyebrows shot up as she looked genuinely shocked to hear this. "You're actually going through with the medical training?"

Himiko just shrugged. "At this point, it's just proving to the old maid that I know what the hell I'm doing. Once I do, I'll get a little gold star that says I can work on other people. I get the feeling I'm going to be spending a lot of time putting Izuku back together."

"Hopefully," a voice that most definitely wasn't Midnight's cut in, "that won't be the case."

"GAH!" Himiko jumped in her bed and looked over to see Nezu casually strolling into her room.

"After all, Midoriya has worked hard to put that bad habit behind him."

"Do you not know how to knock?!"

"The door was open," Nezu countered with a smile. Himiko just glared at him. "But I must say, I'm delighted to hear that you'll be taking the time to have Recovery Girl sign off on your medical proficiencies. Once again, you astound me with your constant progress, Toga."

Himiko squinted at Nezu, letting all her suspicion be known. She knew when the little white dog mouse thing was up to something. Especially when he was all smiles. "So how about we just cut to the chase, alright? What's your game this time? I'm not taking extra hero lessons. I'm not an overachiever, thank you very much."

Nezu just kept smiling. "All evidence to the contrary. Would you like to know where you ranked in your final exam scores? It was quite high."

Himiko's face scrunched up. "Ew, please no."

"High enough in fact, that maybe you don't need to take the extra classes we're offering. Instead, how would you like to teach one?"

"Huh?"

"What?"

Came the simultaneous responses from Himiko and Midnight. Both of them looked at Nezu like he had just grown a second head.

"You want me to—"

"—teach a class?"

They continued to speak over each other, much to Nezu's delight. "Oh my. It's like a stereo. But yes, I would like Toga to be the one to teach this class."

"Principal," Midnight began, trying to keep her composure, "that's… completely insane."

Himiko pointed at Midnight. "What she said! Why would I want to teach a class if I didn't want to take the class?"

"Because I'd give you free rein to run it as you see fit," Nezu said with the smuggest smile either had ever seen.

While Midnight's jaw slammed through the floor, Himiko sat up and, despite her better judgment, was obviously intrigued. "Free reign to run it as I see fit? What, so I can do whatever I want?"

"Correct. As long as you stick to the lesson we are trying to teach and the basic outline of the test."

"… Okay, and just what is the lesson?" Himiko asked, leaning forward.

"Simple, I want to impart to the students that the circumstances of a mission can change instantly. So, we're setting up a mock hostage situation, which won't play out anywhere near how one would expect. Originally, it was All Might who was going to help run the little lesson, with the help of the other teachers, but since he's now busy helping Midoriya prepare for his trip, after failing to make sure he was properly notified beforehand, the class is suddenly short-staffed," Nezu explained.

"Okay, but why me?"

"Simply put, his lesson had a diabolical twist at the end that would guarantee the villain, himself, would escape the hostage crisis. One that I'm sure would leave any student lost and confused. But since he's not available to teach the class as he saw fit, we'll need a replacement. And it's only fair to give the class to someone that could come up with an equally diabolical lesson. One that could go a long way to teach the students something that you won't find in a textbook."

Himiko sat for a little bit, and thought about that. "So the idea is to, what, get into where these hostages are being held, free them and catch the bad guy?"

"Correct."

"While teaching them that their grasp on the situation can get turned on its head at a moment's notice?"

"Correct again."

"… Who exactly is taking the class I'd be teaching?"

"Midoriya, Uraraka, Asui, Jirou and Yaoyorozu."

"And I can do whatever I want?" Himiko leaned forward, the wheels in her head starting to turn.

"As long as there isn't any risk of the students being physically injured."

Himiko sat and she puzzled and puzzled 'till her puzzler was sore. Then she got an idea. An awful idea! Himiko got a wonderful, awful idea. And the smile that twisted its way up her face, would have made even monsters with hearts two sizes too small green with envy. "So, here's what I want to do."

A little while later, if anyone had been outside of Himiko's room, or even down the long empty hallway, they would have heard a sudden, violently mortified scream ripping through the calm evening silence. "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FUCKING MIND?!"

Authors Notes:

Huh? You all were worried about something last chapter? Something wasn't finished? Looks fine to me. You all must be worried over nothing.
Boy, it only took a handful of chapters but finally, FINALLY, Izuku has asked Ochako out on a date. And longer and people might think this slow burn wouldn't go anywhere. But a date at I-Island and early access to the I-Expo. What an opportunity to have a real romantic confession. Surely there won't be anything there that can interrupt them. No villain attacks or blondes to get in the way. Note to self, get my bomb shelter restocked.
But yup, it's on to the new arc, The Rising Stars on I-Island! I don't remember if I've said this in notes before but I plan on hitting all the movies too. So Two Heroes obviously, Heroes: Rising, and of course World Heroes' Mission. Gonna do them all.
I hope you enjoyed the new chapter, and I hope you're all looking forward to finally getting what you all have been waiting for. Unless this is all a huge smoke screen and another fake out. But I'd never do that.
Hopefully I'll have the next chapter out pretty soon. That one and this were supposed to be one chapter, but I decided to split it up, so a short chapter this time. So you'll have to wait and see what Toga-sensei has in store for that poor summer class. I'm sure it'll be fine. Midnight is just overreacting.
Huge shout out to my beta read WereTech
As always, feel free to comment, review or leave a critique!