Nejire hesitated only a moment before linking her arm through his, a warm smile on her lips. "Lead the way, Midoriya. Let's see what kind of chaos we can create tonight."

Arm-in-arm, they set off into the evening air.

A blush crept on Nejire's face as heart pounded as they made their way to the restaurant, a charming hole-in-the-wall tucked away on the corner.

"I found this place by accident," he explained as they settled into a booth in the back. "It's nothing fancy, but the food is amazing."

She took in the dim lighting, candles flickering on the tables, and the soft murmur of conversation. "It's nice. Cozy."

The server came and went, and soon plates of steaming food filled the table - gyoza, fried rice, katsudon, and more. They ate and chatted, topics ranging from UA to life at home to heroics. Conversation flowed easily between them, the banter light and playful, punctuated with occasional bouts of laughter.

By the time dessert arrived, Nejire's earlier worries had melted away. Soft laughter filled the air as they shared stories and inside jokes. She found herself genuinely enjoying his company, his warmth and easy charm putting her at ease. She smiled as he told a story about his childhood, the way he talked about his mom so affectionately, the way his eyes lit up as he recounted the memory.

As the meal drew to a close, they lingered over coffee and cake, neither wanting the night to end.

"I've got to admit, you've been a wonderful date so far," Izuku stated. "I wonder why you'd think dating you would be a disaster."

Nejire chuckled, feeling a blush creeping onto her cheeks. "I guess it's because I always seem to say the wrong thing and make a mess of things. People get fed up with me quite quickly."

"Really? Because from where I'm sitting, you've been nothing short of amazing."

Nejire's blush deepened at his words. She wasn't used to being complimented in such a genuine manner. "Thank you," she replied softly. "You know, I was actually really nervous about tonight. I didn't think you'd want to go on a date with me after the way I acted at the center. But you've been a perfect gentleman."

Izuku smiled warmly. "I'm glad you agreed to come out with me. And I can say the same for you. I was worried you'd think I was just another guy looking to get in your pants. But you've proven me wrong."

Nejire felt butterflies in her stomach. She couldn't believe how well the date was going. She felt a connection with Izuku that she had never experienced with anyone else. She felt safe and comfortable around him, like she could be herself without worrying about saying or doing the wrong thing. Not to mention, his physique. 'It might not end as badly as the others,' she thought.

As the evening drew to a close, the two walked arm-in-arm through the city streets, enjoying the cool night air. They shared stories from their pasts, laughed at silly memories, and reminisced about simpler times.

Their hands brushed together, and Nejire felt a jolt of electricity run up her spine as their hands brushed. She bit her lip, wondering if she should make a move. It was then they were interrupted by a scream coming from the alleyway.

"AHHHHHH!"

"Did you hear that?" Nejire asked.

"Yeah. Come on, let's check it out," Izuku replied, a serious expression on his face.

The two rushed into the alleyway to find two people and a monster. A man and a woman along with a Defiler. The woman with light blue skin with a ruffled dark blue hair lay across the floor. Meanwhile, the man, covered with strips of bandages, is being held by the Defiler was about to be eaten alive.

Izuku didn't hesitate to rush towards them and kick the Defiler in the face. He didn't need to activate his magic nor his quirk for something like a Defiler. With a sickening crunch, the monster's head was twisted off its shoulders.

"Are you two alright?" he asked, turning to the two.

"Y-yes, I'm fine," the woman replied, shaking from the near-death experience.

Izuku nodded and helped her to her feet. He turned to the other man, who was also standing up, and asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, thanks to you," he replied. He looked at the body of the Defiler and shivered. "That was close..."

Izuku nodded. He looked at the Defiler and see it's trying to stand up, but it's disoriented. He prevented it from doing so, pushing his foot on its back.

"What are you doing?!" the bandaged man asked.

"It's not dead yet."

"What?"

The Defiler struggled against Izuku's grip, but it was no use.

"Why are you here?" Izuku asked the creature.

"Tssssoooo eatsssss" it replied.

"No, I'm talking about you crossing over to this side."

But the creature didn't answer him, trying to slash Izuku with its claw instead. It didn't work and it's still stuck to where it is.

Izuku let out a sigh and pulled out his phone, trying to contact the Hunters. It was then a voice called out. "Hey, kid! Whatchu doin' there?"

He looked at the direction of the voice and found it was the Pro Hero Mirko and beside her is Ryukyu, in her normal size.

"Ryukyu!" Nejire exclaimed, rushing over to hug her friend.

"There's been a Defiler sighting," Izuku explained to the Rabbit Hero. "I can't ignore it."

"I see," Ryukyu replied, nodding. "But this falls under Hero jurisdiction. It injured sidekicks. We need to take over."

Izuku glanced around, recognizing Bubble Girl and Kido among the heroes. "I understand, but the Hunters need to investigate first," he insisted. "We don't know how it got here."

Ryukyu's eyes narrowed. "You're a Mage, aren't you?" she asked, piecing things together.

"That's right," Mirko added, intrigued. "So what's the big deal with this Defiler?"

"Defilers aren't supposed to have enough magic to cross over without a Portal," Izuku explained. He'd tried it himself once, nearly exhausting his magic. Granted, he was young back then. "The real question is, who let it through?" he added, dialing Itsuka's number.

"What are you doing?" Ryukyu asked.

"It's better for the Hunters to handle this. They specialize in dealing with creatures from Elsewhere," Izuku replied. "If you need information, you can coordinate with them."

The call was answered almost immediately. "Hello, Master! How are you?" Itsuka greeted cheerfully.

"I'm good. How about you?"

"Better now that I heard your voice. What's up?"

"A Defiler crossed over. We need it taken care of."

"What? How did that happen? Never mind, I'll send a team. Just give me your location."

Izuku did, and soon after, Itsuka arrived with a team in tactical gear. She went straight to him, checking for injuries, making him chuckle.

"I'm fine, Itsuka," he assured her.

Turning to Ryukyu and Mirko, Itsuka said, "Sorry to interrupt, but we need to secure the Defiler. Prep the facility in E11 and notify the Captain," she directed her team.

"Why not just kill it?" Mirko asked, watching the Hunters at work.

"Defilers can be interrogated," Itsuka explained. "They thrive on causing chaos, but we need to understand how they got here to prevent future incidents."

As the Hunters secured the Defiler, Nejire turned to Izuku, curiosity evident in her eyes. "What's really going on?"

Izuku decided to be upfront. "There's a place called Elsewhere. Some beings there are dangerous and not meant to cross into our world." He avoided mentioning the prophecies or the full extent of his powers, knowing it was too soon to trust Nejire completely with such secrets.

Nejire's eyes widened with fascination."That changes everything! Hey, how did your powers work? Is that why you're so strong? You said it's based on cards right? Wait, that means you lied about your quirk. It's not good to lie, you know? But it's also okay, I understand it's a secret. But what about-"

Izuku chuckled, "Slow down, Nejire-san."

Without her noticing, he started using her first name. She didn't...dislike it. If anything, she felt giddy inside.

"Ah, sorry! I tend to ramble a lot sometimes. It's just so exciting! So, your powers... they're not just a Quirk? You can do magic? That's incredible! Why didn't you tell anyone?"

Izuku smiled, feeling a bit more at ease. "It's complicated and risky to share. Not everyone should know."

"Wow, that's amazing! Can you show me?" Nejire asked, her excitement palpable.

"Maybe on our second date," Izuku teased, winking.

Nejire blushed, a giggle escaping her lips. "I'd like that."

After the Hunters finished, Itsuka approached Izuku. "We've got it under control. Thanks for the help, Master."

"Be careful, Itsuka. We still don't know the full story."

"I will. You too," she said, before heading off with her team.

"By the way, what's your relationship with her?" Nejire asked, curious.

Izuku hesitated. "We're close. I'm not sure if there's a word for it, but it's pretty close to being couple, I guess?" he admitted, noting Nejire's surprised expression.

"Oh," Nejire said, momentarily at a loss for words. "Congratulations, I guess?"

Izuku chuckled. "It's not a typical relationship. She's never the possessive type."

"Really? That's... different," Nejire mused.

"It works for us," Izuku said with a shrug.

Nejire blinked, then smiled. "Well, I may not fully understand, but I'm happy for you."

"And that's fine. What we did today is to make you realize you're a wonderful woman. If you want to end things here, I'll understand."

"No!" she said, surprising even herself. "No, I want to go on another date with you. You've been a wonderful date, and I'd like to get to know you better."

Izuku smiled. "I'd like that too. But first, let's continue the first to the end. Shall we?"

"Let's," Nejire agreed, feeling a warmth spread through her at the thought of spending more time with him.

As they were about to leave, Ryukyu called out, "Wait a moment, Evoker."

Both Izuku and Nejire turned to face her, surprised.

"Yes?" Izuku asked.

"What are your intentions with Nejire-chan?" Ryukyu asked, her tone serious.

Izuku blinked, caught off guard by the question. He had expected to discuss the Defiler, not his relationship intentions. "She's a wonderful girl, and I'd like to get to know her better," he replied honestly.

"Is that all?" Ryukyu pressed.

"If things progress naturally, then yes. I have no intention of forcing anything," he said, emphasizing his sincerity.

Ryukyu seemed skeptical. "You say that, but I've heard too many women left heartbroken by Evokers."

"If they were heartbroken, then they weren't with the right person," Izuku countered gently. "I'm not saying Nejire is making a mistake. I just believe in being straightforward. If she decides this isn't what she wants, I'll respect that."

"That still doesn't address the potential for heartbreak," Ryukyu insisted.

Izuku took a moment to gather his thoughts. "I can't guarantee that no one will ever get hurt. Emotions are complicated. But I can promise to treat Nejire with respect and honesty. That's all I can offer."

Ryukyu sighed, her expression softening. "I suppose that's the best I can ask for. Just...be careful with her. She's been through a lot."

"I understand," Izuku said, nodding. "I'll do my best."

"Thank you for your help tonight," Ryukyu said, a note of finality in her voice.

"No problem. I'll walk Nejire-san back to school," Izuku offered.

Ryukyu nodded, then turned to leave.

"You didn't have to do that," Nejire said, looking at Izuku. "I can find my way back."

"I know, but I wanted to," Izuku replied with a smile.

Nejire raised an eyebrow. "You're not planning anything, are you?"

Izuku chuckled, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender. "No ulterior motives, I promise. Just want to make sure you get back safely."

Nejire hesitated, then smirked. "You're not trying to seduce me, right?"

Izuku laughed. "No, I'm not. But if you want me to, I'm more than happy to oblige." He then grabbed her waist and pulled her close. Their faces are practically next to each other.

Nejire blushed at the sudden closeness but didn't pull away. "This is... quite close," she murmured.

Izuku smiled warmly. "It is. But I enjoy being close to you. Do you want me to stop?"

Nejire shook her head slightly. "No, it's nice," she whispered.

Izuku's smile grew. "Good. Now, let's get you back before the gates close."

He let her go but kept her hand in his as they walked. Nejire felt a warm, comforting sensation as they made their way back to UA.

As they neared the dorms, Nejire yawned and leaned her head on Izuku's shoulder. "Tired?" he asked softly.

"Yeah, it's been a long day," she replied, her voice drowsy.

Izuku nodded. "It has. But it was a good day. I enjoyed spending it with you. Plus, we helped a lot of people."

Nejire blushed again. "If you keep talking like that, someone's going to get the wrong idea," she teased.

Izuku laughed. "Maybe. But I can't help it. You're just too charming."

Nejire blushed even harder, but didn't respond. She was too tired to come up with a witty retort. Instead, she just leaned into him and let him lead the way back.

They reached the dorm gates, and Nejire felt a pang of disappointment. "Well, this is me," she said, gesturing towards the building.

"I remember," Izuku said with a gentle smile.

"Right... Well, goodnight then," she said, not wanting the night to end.

There was a moment of silence between them before Nejire decided to be brave and stepped closer to him. "Can I ask for a goodnight kiss?"

"Of course," he said, his smile never wavering. He leaned down and pressed his lips to hers in a soft, tender kiss.

The two of them stayed like that for a while, lost in the moment. When they finally pulled apart, they were both smiling.

"Thank you for tonight," Nejire said, her face flushed. "I had a lot of fun."

"So did I," he replied. "And I meant what I said. You're a wonderful woman, Nejire-san."

Nejire smiled warmly. "Thank you." She paused, then added, "I'd like to do this again sometime."

"Me too," Izuku said, his eyes shining with sincerity. "Goodnight, Nejire."

"Goodnight," she replied, still blushing as she walked into the dorm.

As for Nejire, she was giddy with excitement as she made her way to her dorm room. She couldn't wait to tell her best friends about the date. She knew they would be happy for her. She was also looking forward to their next date. She had a feeling it would be even better than this one.

As Izuku made his way back, he noticed something odd. A face was sticking out of a wall, watching him with beady blue eyes.

"So this is what you look like," the face said, the voice masculine.

Izuku smiled. "Hello there."

"Ah-hah! General Kenobi," the face responded, then vanished into the wall.

"What the...?" Izuku muttered, left bewildered by the strange encounter.

Thanks for reading this chapter!

As always, let me know if you have questions or feedback!

Sorry it took so long to publish this. Something happened IRL that made me unable to physically get to my PC to write these for a while. Kinda pushing it with the temp notebook I got for the time being.

At first, I planned for the chapter to turn spicy since this Nejire's insecurity about her exes is tangentially related to that but decided for a semi-wholesome route instead. We can touch upon that on their second date.

We also got introduced to a few characters, but most of them will take more active role in the future chapters.

I'm also working on including characters from the spinoffs and movies in the story, so that's something to work into.

Next up: Priestess Duty