The students return from their internships! The finals approach! And our favorite cat trio get an offer from an unexpected source.

"Where are my adorable kitties?!" Mina shouted, bursting through the door of the dorms. To her bemusement, none of the trio seemed surprised by her entrance…Izuku was laying on the couch, their head in Himiko's lap as she gently pet their ears, while Ochako was leaning tiredly into Himiko's other side, yawning as she read from one of their textbooks. All three looked up at her with the same blank expression, Mina feeling her face twist into a pout. "Aww, I didn't surprise you?"

Himiko's ear flicked as she pointed at it. "Heard you coming from a ways away."

"Well drat. I was hoping to surprise you. Anyone else back yet?"

"Nope," Ochako replied, flipping to the next page. "You're the first. Was your internship fun?"

Mina shrugged, walking inside and setting her bag down as she stretched her back. "Eh. It was okay? I don't feel like I learned much to be honest."

"Hmm? Why not?" Izuku asked, one eye cracking open to look at her.

Mina let out a huff of air. "I dunno. We didn't do much, really. Just some patrols and paperwork. Nothing happened."

"That's important too though," Izuku pointed out. "In fact, that's how hero work should be. Better than some crime going off after all."

"Yeah, but I wanted to learn what to do in a situation, not just…repeat the same stuff over and over. Like you guys!" Mina gestured vaguely in their direction.

Ochako snorted. "It was not nearly as fun as you'd think," she murmured.

"Meh, enough about me. What about you?" Mina said with a wide grin, quickly rushing over to the couch to bend down and stare into the trio's faces.

Himiko rolled her eyes, but the smile creeping on her face took away any sting. "I thought you got this out of your system already."

Mina waved dismissively. "Can you blame me? I called it from day one! And like, you guys are seriously adorable together, I can't help it!"

Izuku rolled their eyes. "You're more invested in us than we are, it feels like."

Mina's retort was cut off by the door opening once more, Momo and Kyoka entering, speaking quietly to one another. They were quickly followed by Eijiro, Itsuka, and Hanta, debating something involving a movie from what Izuku could hear. More and more members of the class were filtering in, breaking the trio from their moment of relaxation.

Momo collapsed onto the couch next to Himiko, uncharacteristically inelegant in her motions. Himiko blinked at her. "You okay?"

Momo puffed her cheeks out. "No. Uwabami was absolutely awful. We learned nothing except how to sit in makeup chairs for hours."

Himiko glanced over at her partners, unsure exactly how to help the class president…but at Ochako's shrug and Izuku's snicker, once they felt what she was thinking, she decided to go for it. She fell over backwards, into Momo's lap, the heiress going wide-eyed and flushed at her actions. Nestling her head into Momo's lap, she looked up at her, grabbed her free hand, and planted it firmly on the top of her head where her ears were.

Momo gaped at Himiko, turning to look at Ochako and Izuku with wide, fearful eyes, but was at least somewhat mollified by how amused the other two looked. She looked down at Himiko once more, sputtering, as the blonde rolled her eyes. "Petting helps calm us down, even when we're the one doing it. C'mon, gimme pets, I am the class cat and I demand it!"

"Aww man, Momo gets to pet the fluff and I don't?" Denki whined, having just entered the dorms himself.

"Oh, oh, me too, me too!" Toru said, her clothes hopping up and down as she jumped in joy.

Izuku snorted. "Fine, Denki, c'mere, you can pet my ears."

"Yessss," Denki hissed, doing a fist bump as he hopped onto the couch beside Izuku, quickly burying his hand in the green-haired teens hair. "Aw man, you're as fluffy as I thought!"

Ochako snickered at her partners, before taking pity on the vibrating Toru. "C'mere Toru, you can pet me if you want."

"Yay!" Toru squeezed into the couch beside Ochako, quickly taking her turn petting the ears.

"I…is this okay?" Momo asked, still a bit concerned.

"Of course it is. Seriously, you seem down and I think you need to get your mind off that crappy internship, and petting a cute kitty is the perfect way!" Himiko replied, eyes closed, hands folded on her chest like she was settling in for a nap.

Momo arched an eyebrow, her flush not quite gone but faded slightly. "Well, aren't you modest."

"You forgot funny!" Himiko retorted, shit-eating grin plastered on her face.

Momo rolled her eyes, finally taking the initiative to gently begin petting Himiko's ears. Himiko let out a relieved sigh, a quiet purr escaping her as she pressed her head into Momo's hand, the dark-haired teen finding a smile unwillingly crossing her face in response. She cleared her throat. "I suppose you do have a point, this is rather relaxing."

"Told you so," Himiko replied smugly.

"I suppose you did," Momo replied softly, letting out a deep sigh.

"Is it helping at all?" Himiko asked quietly, the arrogant tone gone from her voice.

Momo paused to think about it for a moment, before nodding slowly. "Yes. Yes, it is. Thank you, Himiko." Himiko just grinned up at her, squirming for a moment to get more comfortable on the couch. Maybe she couldn't help Momo deal with her emotions the same way she did for Izuku or Ochako…but hey, she had other qualities that'd work.

"Final exams are coming up," Aizawa began, the entire class looking at him steadily. "There is a written and practical portion. The written one will cover everything your various teachers went over this semester, as well as additional info I've highlighted on the papers on your desk. The practical exam is for us to know and you to find out." He gave a toothy grin at that, clearly appreciating the annoyed groans from the class. "Your teachers will be doing reviews for the material over the next week. The written exam is the week after that. I would advise studying as much as possible."

Itsuka shot her hand up. "What about training for the practical?"

"Gym Delta and Ground Delta are both being made available for first years to practice at. You will need to sign in and out, and you must still obey curfew. Also, if anyone gets hurt beyond a bruise, you will be forced to listen to Recovery Girl's lecture for at least an hour. And trust me, no one wants to do that."

Momo raised her hand this time. "Are we allowed to try and figure out the practical portion?"

"You're encouraged to. Nezu finds it amusing," Aizawa drawled. "You'll also have homeroom to study in, if you so choose." He paused, glancing down at his phone for a moment with a confused look. He flipped it open, reading the message as his eyes narrowed, followed by a sigh. "Midoriya, Uraraka, and Himiko, you're needed in Nezu's office. No you're not in trouble, but he needs to speak to you about something."

Ochako was very glad their teacher had included the line about not being in trouble, because panic had erupted across the bond from Izuku (although she and Himiko were also hesitant at those words). It subsided, into an anxious curiosity, still leaving the trio confused, but they weren't about to disobey the headmaster. They gathered their things and headed out of the room, walking the path to his office.

It didn't take long to reach, the door sliding open before they could knock to all three of their consternation. As they looked inside, they saw Nezu seated behind his desk, but he wasn't alone. On a chair seated to the left of the room was a rather slender man, curly blonde hair, dressed in a suit, with bags under his eyes and a perpetually exhausted look to him.

"Ah, excellent timing students! Thank you for arriving promptly!" Nezu said in his cheerful way…but for some reason the trio could feel an underlying sense of…tension, in the room, something making the fur on their ears and tail stand up on end. "Allow me to introduce Yokumiru Mera, a representative of the HPSC. He would like to speak to you about the recent events in Hosu."

That brought the panic back, Izuku cutting off a choked gasp of air as they felt Ochako and Himiko tense. Himiko's eyes darted about, looking for danger, as Ochako took a subtle step forward, almost as if to block the man's sight of her partners.

Mera sighed, rubbing his temple. "Please, relax. I really don't want to cause problems. You are not in trouble. This is more about an…opportunity, than anything else."

"Would you like some tea?" Nezu asked the students, his teeth bared wide in a smile as he looked at the three students before him. Izuku nodded quickly, still untrusting of this person especially with how on edge Nezu seemed. The three took the offered seats on the other side of the office, all keeping the HPSC representative in their eyesight as Nezu calmly poured them cups of a soothing chamomile.

There were a few moments of silence before the man began once more. "As Nezu said, I am Mr. Mera. I'm here on behalf of the Hero Public Safety Commission. Now, let's get the elephant out of the room…I'm aware you likely have a dim view of what we do there, and to be frank, it's earned."

That got a confused look from Izuku, their jaw dropping slightly at how blunt the man was. They could feel Ochako and Himiko's confusion as well, and it was so off-putting they decided to try and push some affection and calm over the bond in the hopes of making them feel better about the situation. The returned pleased joy told them it helped a bit.

"Heroes chafe under our rules and regulations, and from our side, we get rather frustrated with how maverick many heroes act," Mera continued. "It's a bit of a tug of war, in a way. But I should also say this: we do not do the things we do solely out of some corrupt power hungry desires. Things are not black and white in this world, as I'm sure you three know by now. There are heroes who need to be checked, and other heroes who, to be honest, we probably come down too hard on."

The trio immediately thought of their mentor in Ingenium, and it was clear that was who Mera was referring to by the way he spoke. The blonde man continued after a moment. "But, it's important to understand we are enforcing the law. Which we don't set, the Diet does. Our job is to police the heroes, because if we don't, who will?"

"So what, it's okay to let people die because we don't have licenses?" Himiko shot back, thinking to the falling building they'd stopped from collapsing.

Mera clasped his hands before him and leaned forward, looking her dead in the eye. "And you think it's okay for high school students to decide which laws are right and wrong to follow at any time? That you alone are the arbiters?"

"No, but that's a false equivalence! There are laws out there to protect people helping others even if they aren't part of emergency services!" Izuku protested.

Mera nodded. "True. But those laws are meant for civilians. You were acting under the auspices of a professional Hero, who is bound by other laws and regulations, ones designed to make people safe. You're first year students without a provisional license to show you've even demonstrated the care necessary to be running around using your Quirks freely. There is a reason the exams exist after all…to check you have the capability to utilize your power in a way that won't put others at risk."

"So we shoulda let them die? That's what you're sayin'?" Ochako demanded, now getting really pissed at the man before her.

"No. I am saying there is a reason the laws exist, and you cannot just continue to ignore them at your leisure. It's a slippery slope down the path of 'doing the right thing' to 'doing the right thing by a few small wrong things', and onward," Mera replied. He took a deep breath in. "The point of my words here is not to shame you for your actions. You did save people, and though it may not seem like it, we do want that to happen. The point is you need to understand why the laws exist, and why you need to be more cautious. Because we cannot just look the other way every time. Otherwise, everyone will want to know why we made exceptions for you."

Izuku paused, pushing the anger and frustration they felt to the back of their mind, to try and wrap their head around what Mera was trying to say. "So…you made an exception for us, but you're worried about how that looks to the public?"

"And the Diet. And the police. And everyone. The public determines a lot of what we can do, and what heroes can do. It's unfair, it's foolish, and it's annoying that the spotlight is everything, but heroes are celebrities. And so perception matters."

Izuku nodded slowly. It wasn't all that different from what Tensei had told them before, just…more frustrating because of how he was putting it. Still…that couldn't be why he was here, was it? "...so…you just wanted to lecture us?"

Mera shook his head. "No, I wanted you to understand why we do what we do before making you this offer."

"Offer?" Himiko asked, tilting her head to the side in confusion.

"Yes. It's quite simple, really. While you can be a bit…reckless, you are clearly powerful and skilled hero students. The HPSC likes to offer the best students a more accelerated course, one where we can streamline some of your requirements. This gets you your license sooner, as well as has the benefit of the HPSC taking care of most of your paperwork and such, so you can focus more heavily on being Heroes," Mera said, gesturing vaguely in their direction.

Izuku…was not impressed. There were a bunch of red flags they picked up on here. One, Nezu's plastic smile was now nearly a grimace, the chimeric hero looking like he was trying to hold back his temper. Two, Izuku didn't think Mera even believed what he was selling.

Ever since the trio had gotten the cat features, their senses were much sharper, and something about this was making the fur on their ears completely stand on end. Mera, who at the start seemed mostly exhausted, had vacillated in emotions the entire time. When lecturing them on the law, he did seem to believe what he was saying, and Izuku…supposed they could understand some of it, even if they thought the laws were wrong, there was an argument to be made that exceptions were how corruption happened.

But once he got into this 'offer'? He seemed to find it as distasteful as Nezu did. He practically sneered as he spoke, clearly reciting a speech rather than his own words. If Izuku could guess…this was something Mera did not support. Which made sense, Izuku mused internally. No one was going to agree with every decision their boss made.

Of course, this made Izuku wonder why Mera disliked it. They knew about the program…what hero nerd didn't? Hawks was the most well known person to come out of it at rank three, but Lady Nagant was no slouch either, still sitting comfortably at rank seventeen. But still…

Izuku didn't need to ask to know how Ochako and Himiko felt about it, so they felt confident when they replied. "I think we'll pass, thanks," they said, a smile they didn't feel on their face.

Mera arched an eyebrow at them. "You're certain? This is a great opportunity for you. I'm sure you've heard of other successful graduates, such as Hawks."

"We're sure," Ochako replied, crossing her arms over her chest and narrowing her eyes at him.

The room was silent for a moment, before Mera let out a rueful chuckle and turned to Nezu. "Well, guess you win again."

Nezu's grimace was now a blinding grin, looking unbearably smug as the trio now stared at the two in confusion again, the whiplash nearly making their heads spin. Nezu let out a chuckle as he turned to look at the trio. "Forgive us. This is a…bet, you might say, between UA and the HPSC."

"...what?" Himiko deadpanned.

Mera shrugged. "The program is real, of course, and so was the offer. But Nezu zealously guards his students, and few take us up on the offer. At this point, it's more of a courtesy thing than an actual attempt, but every time we do this, Nezu challenges the President over it."

"Her family owns my favorite tea shop, so if she can't convince my top new students to jump ship, she owes me another case of my preferred blend," Nezu explained.

Izuku blinked. "This…this was a bet?"

"No, as I said, the offer was legitimate. It just isn't one we expected you to take."

"But Hawks did?" Himiko asked, confused.

Mera's face fell slightly. "Hawks…wasn't a UA student. He…well, it's his personal business and I won't get into it, but most of the people who have gone into our program have various complications with traditional hero courses." He paused, shuffling the papers in his lap, before looking up at them once more. "That said, my warning about breaking the law does stand. Trust me, I understand why you find it morally wrong. Many people do. Even the President has admitted she thinks the regulations are a bit too restrictive."

"The simple fact is, people want safety, and what that actually means is difficult to determine," Nezu explained. "Politics are a tangled web, and what one person considers 'safe' another may consider a danger. Laws are imperfect compromises to try and apply to as many situations as possible. This does not mean they are right or just…only that they exist."

"So as I said, just try to be more cognizant going forward. There are many eyes on you now, and you must keep that in mind," Mera said. He quickly began to pack up his bags, standing up and offering the three a bow, followed by one to Nezu. "Well, I believe that's that. Good luck with your studies. I'm looking forward to seeing you whenever you take the provisional exam." With that, he left, offering a tired wave as he closed the door behind him.

"Ah, yes, Mera presides over the provisional licensing exam," Nezu explained at the trio's confusion over his comment. "But yes…I'm terribly sorry you were forced to deal with that, but unfortunately they always try to poach the top students from every major hero school every year."

"But…why? Why would the HPSC need its own heroes?" Himiko asked.

Nezu sipped his tea. "He already told you why. Think back…what would they gain?"

She paused for a moment, tapping her finger against her lips, brow furrowed, before glancing up. "Because…they want to look good?"

"Precisely. The HPSC is a governmental agency with a lot of power. It automatically generates distrust just by its nature, and its duty to police heroes, as it were. So to foster goodwill, they have heroes who excel in public relations training under their employ."

"That's…kinda cheap, innit?" Ochako asked, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Perhaps. But I can't say much against it. I leverage the success of my students when asking for funding, and it's not like I don't use our image as the premier hero school in the country, if not the world, to my advantage. We all play the public relations game, Miss Uraraka. It's simply part of the world we live in. It's imperfect, and we can absolutely improve on it, but to be fair, if things were perfect…why would we need Heroes?"

Izuku nodded absently. They didn't like it, but…they kinda knew about it, deep down? It's not like Toshi hadn't mentioned his frustrations with the media before, and yet he'd always saved people with a smile. His smile reassured the populace, even when he wasn't there, he brought hope. Hell…he'd been Izuku's hope for over a decade. And a lot of it came from the media attention he'd gotten, how focused it was on his deeds.

"...still kinda fucked up," Himiko muttered.

Nezu spread his paws wide helplessly. "It is. But think of it this way…if it bothers you so, why don't you be the one to change it?"

"M-me? But I'm just me? I couldn't-" Himiko's sputtered denials were cut off by Nezu's firm voice.

"A single act can change the course of a person's life. A single voice calling for help can be all that one needs to be saved. A single gesture of kindness can create a chain of people willing to pay that kindness forward. It is not easy, Himiko, but a single person has the power to change the world. After all…you are the successor to a man who has done precisely that," Nezu said with a soft smile on his face, his black eyes twinkling. As the three gaped at him, eyes wide, he clapped his paws together. "Food for thought, I would say. For now, you should return to your classroom. Much studying to do before finals!"

Platonic cuddling ftw! And hey, once again, I decide to do things a bit differently! The HPSC isn't some big corrupt organization, they are just...a governmental organization. Which means sometimes they do things that are distasteful or frustrating, but they also are genuinely just trying to do their jobs. And hey, funny, Lady Nagant is STILL a registered hero. Weird, that, amirite?