The moment he stepped outside of the classroom, Izuku felt some tension leave his body as his shoulders slumped. He heaved a weary sigh before bringing his hand up to his forehead and giving it a rub to try to chase away his burgeoning headache, only for a familiar voice to cause it to intensify.

"Well, how did it go?"

Izuku looked up to find Mirio Togata leaning against the wall a few feet to the left of the door, true to his word. His enthusiastic smile was back in place of his melancholy and serious expression that he had adopted upon speaking Izuku's name in the lobby, and he seemed rather relaxed.

"O-oh!" Izuku cried out as he snapped his hand down to his side. "It went… uh, fine, I guess! I think it went alright. There were only a few questions I didn't know the answers to, since, well, I wasn't specifically in a hero course throughout high school, but I've been studying on the side, so I knew most of it anyway, a-"

"Whoa, whoa," Mirio interrupted as he raised his hands. "I'm glad it went well… but to be totally honest, you're not looking too hot. Are you up to talking? I'll have you back before the assembly. Promise."

Izuku looked around at the crowd of students gathered within the hallway. Katsuki, Ochaco, and Daisuke were nowhere in sight, and the corridor was instead clogged with unfamiliar teens sporting all sorts of Quirk-modified bodies, hairstyles, and skin. The noise level was rather high, to the point that he and Mirio had to raise their voices despite being quite close to each other.

"Uh… sure! Can I ask what this is about, though?"

Mirio scrunched up his nose before turning and beginning to walk, his crimson cape billowing behind him.

"Unfortunately… no, you can't. Not until we get clear of everyone else."

"…oh," Izuku replied as he pulled a water bottle from inside his backpack and began to follow along. "That's… uh, alright…"

Mirio made no effort to reply as he continued at a brisk pace down the hall, with Izuku in tow.

"You… live here?" Izuku asked, his eyes wide as he took in the spectacle before him. "This is… this is awesome!"

The living space before Izuku was less like a dormitory and more like the presidential suite of a hotel. The central room, though cluttered with cardboard boxes labeled in marker, was already a sight to behold in its unfinished state. Expensive furniture, a fully stocked kitchen with high-grade appliances, and a balcony with a sliding glass door were all immediately in view, alongside a functional fireplace across from the couch with a big screen TV hanging above it. Several doors to what Izuku guessed were bathrooms and bedrooms occupied the surrounding walls, though the walls themselves were bare of any decorations.

"I do, yeah," Mirio answered with a grin as he locked the door behind himself and stepped inside. "Don't get your hopes up, though- this is a third-year 'dorm', and generally only about 50% of first year students make it to Year Three. If you do, though… you get to pick your own penthouse on the top floor and live with whoever you want, up to four people. We'll be staying here next year, assuming we all move on to Year Four. Suneater and Supercoil live here, too, and we've just started unpacking, so… sorry about the mess!"

"Oh, it's fine!" Izuku reassured as he shuffled off his backpack and set it down into the plushy carpet. "It's already really impressive, even if you guys haven't gotten it fully set up, yet. Should I just…?"

"Let's hit up the couches," Mirio offered as he removed his cape and threaded it through a coat hanger within the closet. "This… might not be the most pleasant thing."

"Yeah, I… kinda got that impression," Izuku admitted as he sat down upon the leather sofa.

Mirio opted to place himself down upon the edge of the recliner perpendicular to the younger boy. He clasped his hands between his spread knees as he gave Izuku an uncharacteristically serious look.

"…I know about your Quirk, Midoriya."

Through some act of divine willpower, Izuku managed to return Mirio's gaze, unblinking, and fought down his urge to swallow suspiciously.

"…you mean, Blackwhip?"

"I mean… One for All," Mirio corrected. "Not just Blackwhip, if that's what you're choosing to publicly present as your Quirk while you're at U.A. University…"

At that, Izuku's eyes widened, and he quickly stole a glance at the locked door before looking back over to Mirio.

"I… I'm sorry, but I'm not sure what y-"

"Relax," Mirio insisted as he put out a hand, his expression still deadly serious. "You're not in trouble, and you didn't slip, or anything. I know because he offered it to me first."

"…he did?" Izuku asked, his voice very small and on the edge of cracking.

"He did," Mirio confirmed with a nod. "And I declined. He didn't tell you about that? Or that Supercoil and Suneater know…?"

"He… he hasn't had the time," Izuku excused as he finally gave in to his urges and swallowed the lump in his throat. "Is that why you know Kacchan… Katsuki, too? Has he been telling you about us?"

"He has," Mirio answered with a nod. "And… yes, that's how I know about Bakugo. He was not happy that you told Bakugo about One for All, but he also expected you to do so."

"Then why hasn't he…" Izuku began, only to make a frustrated noise. "All Might and Kacchan haven't spoken since the night I was brought to Nighteye's agency. I've tried to get him to, but…"

"That, I can't answer," Mirio replied with a solemn shake of his head. "I don't know what All Might is thinking, or why he's doing what he's doing, or giving us the instructions that he's giving us."

"Instructions…?" Izuku asked, his voice almost inaudible.

"I'm not supposed to be talking to you right now," Mirio explained. "He wanted the three of us to watch you and Bakugo this year, and report back to him on anything out of the ordinary that we see, but… I feel like you should know that we know. I'm not about to just blindly follow orders I don't agree with, even if it puts me in danger."

Izuku squirmed in his spot upon the couch and began to wring his hands together nervously.

"Y-you're standing up to All Might? But aren't you in an internship with Sir Nighteye…?"

Mirio let out a humorless laugh, his features rigid.

"…I was let go, shortly after I refused One for All. All Might didn't approve of that decision, and he and Sir Nighteye had it out. After All Might passed his Quirk on to you, Sir Nighteye severed all ties, made his agency private, and started working solo alongside his subordinates. All Might's working on his own, now, despite the fact that he can barely do hero work at all, anymore. It's not public knowledge that they split up."

Izuku's face paled as he leaned back into the couch with a heavy thwump.

"S-so… Sir Nighteye… but…"

"He didn't think One for All should be 'wasted' on someone without a Quirk to contribute to it and no formal training. His words, not mine," Mirio clarified as he waved a hand. "Things are ugly right now, Midoriya, and they're about to get a lot uglier when I tell All Might that we had this conversation. That being said, I think it's more important that you know who your safety net is at U.A., rather than stumbling around in the dark while trying to figure this all out on your own."

"But…!" Izuku began as he leaned forward, looking frantic. "But you… did you find another internship? Or did you… what about your future? What if word gets out th-"

"It already did," Mirio interrupted with a shrug. "I'm pretty much blacklisted, though not publicly. Sir Nighteye is a well-respected hero for obvious reasons, and getting fired from his agency is a pretty big stain on my record. Still, you should focus on you, Midoriya. The Big Three have your back."

"But that isn't fair!" Izuku cried. "What are you going to do for work, after you graduate? There's got to be some way to help you! I'll talk to All Might, and… and…"

"Please… just stop," Mirio asked as he brought his hands back together and interlaced his fingers. "I've got two years to figure that out, and right now, you're a lot more important. Like I said- I've got other work lined up that I can't really talk about with you, just yet. Do you have any questions for me, before I bring you down to the auditorium? Questions about your current situation, not about my current situation."

Izuku made a frustrated noise that came out almost as a growl before he shook his head and blew out a breath through his nose.

"…fine. Just… one, for now. Why did you turn down One for All?"

"Quirk Singularity," Mirio answered simply. "A few other things, too, but… mostly that."

The two young men shared a silent moment merely staring at each other as Izuku's cheeks lost even more color, and then he nodded.

"…yeah," Izuku acknowledged. "I… I was afraid that's what you would say…"

"He explained it to you, right?" Mirio asked, looking tense.

"…yeah," Izuku answered quietly. "Yeah, he… can I ask about the 'other things' that stopped you?"

"It took years to even get semi-decent with my Quirk," Mirio explained. "Learning new ones and integrating them into my style, all the while being unsure if I could even use them was… it was too much for me. Not only that, but I was actually hoping All Might would give it to someone like you, instead. I made a suggestion along those lines, and I'm glad he took it. Minimize the risks of Singularity, and let someone at a disadvantage live out their dream at the same time, you know?"

Izuku paused to consider the notion, before sighing one last time.

"…and what if that dream ends up being a nightmare, instead?"

"Then we'll figure out a way to fix that," Mirio said slowly. "I hope. Why, have you been having problems, or…?"

"…sometimes," Izuku admitted. "I've been training Blackwhip and the power doubler with All Might and Kacchan, since it's easy to make them just look like one Quirk. Sometimes, though… sometimes other Quirks just kinda… happen. Uncontrollably. It's been happening less often, but sometimes even Blackwhip won't 'listen' to me. I really hurt Kacchan a few weeks back because I couldn't control myself. It's… it's scary."

"…and yet All Might thinks you're ready for U.A.," Mirio said, only for Izuku to open his mouth. "Or rather, you have to be ready for U.A., because once All Might is out of the pro circuit in an official capacity, you need to be well on your way to the top."

"…yeah. That," Izuku agreed. "I'm sorry, Lemillion, but I'm going to need a lot of help. Help, and probably… some saving, too. It's honestly a relief to know that you already know."

"…Togata," Mirio corrected. "Just call me Togata, for now. Hado and Amajiki know, too, and they'll be helping you out along the way, as well. We'll help get One for All under control. We'll figure it out, and do this. We can do this."

"We have to do this…" Izuku replied, his eyes on the coffee table as he stared through the furniture with a worried expression. "This has to work…"

"You waited for us!?"

Katsuki opened his eyes from his position of leaning against the wall next to the door of the classroom, only to find Mina and Ochaco standing before him. Both of the girls looked absolutely stunned, and Mina's smile was the widest he had seen her manage that day.

"…don't get the wrong idea. I wanted to ask if either of you knew that guy."

"That guy…?" Ochaco asked as she brought a finger to her lips.

Katsuki gave her a cold, unimpressed stare.

"…yeah. The one who lost his damned mind right at the start of the exam," he said flatly.

"Oh!" Mina realized as she straightened up a bit. "No, I have no idea! I didn't even notice him come into our group, to be honest…"

"Neither did I," Ochaco agreed. "Maybe he wasn't part of it…?"

"Vlad King had the right number of tests to hand out, so don't be stupid," Katsuki admonished as he stuffed his hands into his pockets and turned to begin walking away. "He was definitely here to apply, whoever he was…"

"Hey!" Mina called as she hurried to follow along. "Where are you going? Don't just leave us!"

"…the auditorium, where we're supposed to go," Katsuki spat. "I figured you two would be smart enough to just follow."

"Coming!" Ochaco called as she brought up the rear, walking along behind Mina. "And hey! There's Aki!"

"And Eiji!" Mina added enthusiastically, only to sprint straight past Katsuki and throw herself into a flying hug at Eijiro, who stood speaking to Daisuke.

"…was kinda hard, yeah, b- whoa, Mina!" Eijiro cried as the girl's arms wrapped around his neck unexpectedly and her body crashed into his.

Before Eijiro could react or stabilize himself, he and Mina both ended up upon the ground, and he found himself trying to speak through an aggressive lip lock as his head fell straight onto Daisuke's weighty tail.

"Mmna!" Eijiro protested once again as he braced his hands upon her shoulders, only to begin blushing furiously as Mina finally broke the kiss. "Not in public! Everyone's staring!"

"Yeah, 'cause they're jealous," Mina teased as she tapped a gentle fingertip to her boyfriend's nose. "Hey, Bakugo! This is Eijiro, if you wanted to meet him!"

By the time Mina looked up, Katsuki was already long gone and down the stairwell, leaving Mina with Eijiro, Ochaco, Daisuke, and a whole host of flustered, amused, and unfamiliar students staring at her.

"…so much for getting the band back together," Daisuke mused as he shrugged and slipped his tail out from under Eijiro's head. "First, Midoriya ran off after some dude in a cape, and now Bakugo's gone. I'll catch up and try to stall him. See you guys downstairs?"

"Sounds good!" Ochaco encouraged, her cheeks a furious pink to match Mina's skin. "See you soon!"

"So, who's that guy?" Mina asked as she dismounted Eijiro's chest and offered a hand to help him up. "The guy with the tail! Aki, I think? He's pretty cute!"

Eijiro began to get flustered as he rose from the ground and dusted off his uniform, just in time to see Daisuke's tail disappear into the stairwell.

"He's… he seems cool, is all! We just met! I don't know! Why are you tackle-hugging me in public!?"

"'cause it's fun, duh," Mina answered before gesturing toward Ochaco. "This is Ochaco Uraraka. Uraraka, Eijiro Kirishima. The boyfriend."

"A pleasure," Ochaco offered as she took Eijiro's hand. "I'm sure we'll get to know each other pretty well, assuming we all make it…"

"Here's hoping," Eijiro agreed. "I'm really confused, though. Who's Midoriya? And Bakugo? And where are we supposed to be headed?"

"This way!" Mina called before yanking Eijiro's arm and beginning to set out at a quick walking pace. Eijiro was dragged along, protesting all the while as he reached out for Ochaco.

"Hey! You coming with us!?"

Ochaco hesitated, before turning to look back at the doors to the exam rooms.

"Actually… you go on ahead! I'm going to try to find Midoriya!"

Author's Note:

Next week, things get fun with the beginning of the combat exams…

-RD