In the dead of night, a handful of people were seen doing activities in the main residence of the Hassaikai. They carried out their activities as usual, ignoring the shadows hiding among them.

Izuku had sneaked into the main Hassaikai headquarters and was hiding waiting for someone to open the secret door that led to the basement. Izuku's wait didn't last long, someone immediately opened the secret door hidden under the vase.

Izuku quickly slipped past the person and soon descended the maze-like underground passage. Despite the complicated passages, Izuku easily passed through them since he had already researched this place using his shadow soldiers.

He had passed several turns and finally, he arrived at the room where Eri was. Izuku then looked around to make sure no presence or surveillance cameras were watching him before he deactivated his skill.

He also checked whether Eri was still awake or asleep before opening the door. Izuku slowly opened the door and saw Eri in her bed while Beru knelt next to her.

Eri, who was initially alert because the door suddenly opened, became surprised and confused when she saw Izuku standing there. She even subconsciously grasped Beru's claws in surprise.

Seeing Eri who was alert looking at him, Izuku put on a smiling face as he walked slowly towards her. As soon as he reached Eri's bed, Izuku bent down to match her eye level and smiled at her again.

Seeing that Eri's guard had dropped slightly, Izuku spoke to her in as friendly a tone as he could.

" Evening Eri-chan, sorry for surprising you. You might have heard it from Beru, but I came to pick you up. "

" pick me up? "

" Yes, I'm coming to get you out of here. "

" But, people here are... "

" It's okay, you remember, I promised to protect you. "

Hearing Izuku's words made Eri think back to the day they met. She remembered that day, she heard Izuku's whispered voice saying he would protect her. Again, Beru also said that Izuku was The Great Liege who cared about her and even sent his most loyal soldiers to protect her.

Even though at first Beru's ramblings sounded like nonsense, seeing Izuku come to pick him up proved that Beru's words were true.

However, even though Izuku's actions made her heart tingle, it still wasn't enough to dispel her greatest fear. A figure who had haunted her for 3 years and gave her nightmares. As long as her fear of that person exists, Eri will forever be unable to escape his grip no matter how far she goes.

Izuku seemed to forget this fact, but it was a problem he would have to face later. Right now all he had to worry about was how to convince this confused little girl to go with him.

" So how was it? Are you going to come with me? "

Izuku stretched out his hand towards Eri as if inviting her. Eri, who saw the outstretched hand, looked doubtful. She was afraid that if she left, something bad would happen to the person in front of her, just like her previous guards.

Realizing this, instead of being disappointed, Izuku smiled at her again.

" I see, so you still don't believe me. "

Confused Eri could only stare at Izuku who was still smiling at her. She seemed like she wanted to say something but something held her back. Izuku got up from his position and sat next to Eri.

" Well, that's only natural, after all this is the first time we've met properly. So why don't we get to know each other first? "

" know each other? "

" Yes, we can start by saying each other's names then talk about what we like, what we don't like, and things like that, by the way, my name is Izuku. "

" Izuku-san... "

Eri seemed to be contemplating Izuku's words, she looked confused by what he said. Realizing this, Izuku smiled again but before he could speak, Eri spoke first.

" I'm sorry... but I don't know what I like "

Eri looked disappointed, her little head lowered and she twirled her fingers covered in scratches. Izuku realized Eri's worry, he patted Eri's head which made her look up again at Izuku. And he could see Izuku smiling warmly at her.

" There's no need to be sad, we can figure it out slowly. How about we start with sweet food? Is there anything you can think of? "

" Sweet foods? Are apples also included? "

"Yes, of course, Oh! There are some sweets that are also made from apples. Such as apple pie, and there are also caramel apples. "

" caramel apples? "

" oh that's an apple covered in a layer of sweet caramel which makes it even sweeter "

" even sweeter... "

Eri seemed interested in the topic as seen by the drool dripping down the corner of her mouth. Seeing this, Izuku continued their conversation with topics discussing food. He stayed with her even until Eri fell asleep.

Izuku pondered for a moment on the side of Eri's bed, next to him was Eri who was asleep. Even though this time he didn't succeed in bringing Eri with him, at least he managed to get closer to her. Moreover, he also couldn't disappoint the eyes that were waiting for his arrival after he promised to visit her tomorrow.

" Beru "

" Yes, my Liege "

" Please look after her a little longer, make sure she stays safe. "

" Yes, my Liege "

" I entrust her to you "

After saying that, Izuku's body disappeared through the shadows and was replaced by another shadow soldier. The shadow soldier immediately saluted as soon as he saw Beru, but as usual, Beru just ignored him and immediately disappeared into Eri's shadow. The shadow soldier looked momentarily confused at his ignoring reason before disappearing into a dark corner of the room.

Meanwhile, at Nighteye's agency office, Nighteye and his sidekick are patiently waiting for news from Izuku. It had been 2 hours since his departure, but Izuku still hadn't returned. And when their patience was almost running out, a shadow suddenly appeared in the middle of the office and this of course surprised them.

The shadow quickly faded, revealing Izuku's figure behind it. People who saw him immediately approached him.

" Guild master, how was it? "

Almost impatient bubble Girl immediately asked him, but when they realized that Izuku had come alone, they looked back at him.

" Guild master, where is Eri-chan? "

" Did you fail to bring her? "

" not really "

" What do you mean? "

" That girl still has a hard time trusting other people and I still can't persuade her to leave. "

" I see, but why did you leave her there alone? "

" I didn't leave her alone, I left some guards to protect her. "

" What guard? "

Instead of answering, Izuku just pointed out a dozen shadow soldiers who suddenly appeared from his shadow and lined up behind him. Seeing the ranks of black soldiers made the people gathered immediately fall silent. They seemed to forget for a moment Izuku's ability to summon hundreds of shadow soldiers and freely control them.

" Ah, right, sorry about that, so can you tell us what happened there? "

Following Nighteye's words, Izuku began to explain from the moment he started infiltrating until he promised to meet Eri again tomorrow. The people who listened to Izuku's explanation seemed to be contemplating for a moment. They seemed to have their thoughts regarding Eri's situation.

" So, you can't bring Eri-chan because she still doesn't want to come, I think you will immediately take her regardless of her decision. "

" Unfortunately, I'm not that petty about taking people by force, especially since she's just a little girl who has never felt freedom before. "

" huh... okay, so what next? "

"I think we can continue with your original plan, Nighteye-san. "

" You mean the ambush on the main Hassaikai headquarters? "

" yes, while I slowly approach the girl, you heroes prepare an ambush plan for their base. I will provide the information I get at their base. "

" So in the end we returned to the original plan "

"that's how it is "

Nighteye closed his eyes for a moment, he seemed to be compiling the information he received in his head and also planning his next plan.

" Okay, I understand, for now, we better go back and rest. We will continue this conversation tomorrow. "

Ending the day's meeting, only Izuku returned since Nighteye and his sidekick were going to stay in the office considering the clock was already 2 in the morning.

Even though he was told to go home, Izuku didn't go straight back home and instead went to the office. Regardless of the hours, there are still some employees who receive overtime assignments and still work in the office. In case there is an emergency such as a new gate appearing or a dungeon break occurring, they can immediately send a warning to the Hunter guild to gather.

The workers were also surprised when they saw their boss suddenly come at this hour. They immediately bowed to greet him and he only gave a light nod in response.

After passing them Izuku headed straight to the guild master's office. He didn't even bother turning on the lights and immediately sat pensively at his desk while staring at the city view.

He remembered his conversation with Eri not long ago. For some reason seeing Eri like that reminded him of his old self. Similar to Eri, Izuku at that age also had to survive alone amidst the abuse he experienced. However, different from Eri, he was not used as raw material for experiments or had to be confined without being able to see the outside world.

It could be said that compared to Eri, Izuku's situation is still lucky. Izuku may be abused, but he can still enjoy the outside world, meet other people, and even go to school. Even though it was a difficult time for him, thanks to it he got the opportunity to throw off his shackles. But not with Eri. She might have been lucky to escape that day, but in the end, she was still brought back to that place.

Izuku paused wondering what he could do for the girl. He also wondered how to regain the trust she had lost due to the wounds and whispers that had left an impression on her heart.

As he was deep in thought, he didn't even notice someone approaching his room. And when that person opened the door to his room, Izuku realized. He quickly turned to the door and was surprised to see Kiyoko there.

" Ki-Kiyoko-san? Why are you here? "

" Ah, that, since you didn't come home, I thought you would be at the office so I came here to see if I was here or not. "

" Why are you- hah... couldn't you just call me? You know going out at this hour is dangerous. "

" If you could be contacted, I might not have to come here. "

Hearing what Kiyoko said made Izuku realize that he turned off his phone during his rescue mission and also left it in his inventory. And sure enough, when he checked his phone, dozens of incoming calls and messages from one name had already piled up on his call list.

Realizing the mistake he made, Izuku could only sigh thinking about what scolding he would hear later.

" Okay, I'm sorry, now let's go, I'll take you home. "

" No, before that, what was wrong with you? Your expression says something is bothering you. "

" Nothing, just worrying about work issues and other things, it's nothing "

" Lie "

" I'm not lying "

" Really? Then what's with that smile on your face? "

" smile? "

Izuku immediately touched his face and he finally realized that he was putting on a fake smile which was a habit that Izuku didn't realize when he was lying.

" I don't know whether you realize it or not, but you always put on that smile when you lie, don't fool me, young man. "

Izuku once again realizes the mistake he made and decides to express his concerns to Kiyoko since he too might need some advice from her. In the person who could be Izuku's emotional support for a long time.

After inviting Kiyoko to sit down and prepare tea for the two of them, Izuku began to tell her what was bothering him.

" Kiyoko-san, what should you do if you want to win someone's trust? "

Kiyoko seemed silent for a moment thinking about Izuku's question. Indeed, the question was not difficult to answer, but hearing the question come from Izuku himself made her a bit confused. The Izuku she knows is not a pessimist who refuses to build trust with other people, except...

" Huh?! Could it be that you have a girl you like?! "

" No, that's not it, why are you heading in that direction? "

" Well, who knows, after all, you have reached the age where you start having someone you like. "

" No, hah... I'm serious, Kiyoko-san. "

" Yes, yes, I'll answer it. If you want to win someone's trust that's easy, you just need to show your sincerity and prove that you can be trusted. But it also still depends on the person himself. Since everyone has different personalities and traits, the usual method may not work. But as long as you work hard and be patient in understanding that person, I'm sure you can gain their trust. "

" I see... "

Izuku seemed silent for a moment thinking about Kiyoko's explanation. Seeing Izuku thinking about it seriously made Kiyoko want to tease him. Even though he denied it, Kiyoko's female instincts told her that the person Izuku was referring to was a girl. Thanks to that a mischievous smile appeared on her face.

" So what? Will my advice help you win that girl's heart? "

Still, deep in thought, Izuku didn't even pay attention to Kiyoko, which made her frown.

" Hey, did you hear me? Hello... Izuku-kun? "

" I heard you Kiyoko-san "

Kiyoko noticed that Izuku didn't change his expression much even after he finished his thought which made her wonder if the advice she said was indeed useful for Izuku. Moreover, seeing him immediately stand up after thinking for a while made her even more suspicious.

" Let's go, Kiyoko-san, I'll take you home. "

Instead of answering, Kiyoko looked at Izuku with a confused face, although she still accepted his invitation.

' What's wrong with this kid? Could it be that he really has a crush? '

.