Author's Note: Yes, I'm continuing MHA from various points of view! I'm into Season 5-6, chapters 242-298 (Plus World Heroes Mission and Light Novel Volume 5) for this year, and I hope you all continue enjoying hearing this story from supporting characters. Sad the series ended, and plan to continue the plot in my own way once I catch up. In my mind it will go on and in any ways I want, as long as I keep doing this. Faithful fans unite!

"Recipro Turbo!" Sensei laughed over our New Year's dinner. "That's excellent! And it sounds like your team did great."

"Not at all. We only tied, and there was a great deal more I could have done to ensure the safety of my team."

"It sounds to me like you're doing your absolute best! It might not hurt to go easy on yourself every once and a while," Mom told me.

UA had permitted us all to return home for the New Year holiday, under escort from a pro-hero, so I was enjoying the company of Tensei and mother. We were all laughing and keeping the conversation fairly light, but it was hard to forget that this was the first New Year's we'd had since Tensei - since he'd been attacked.

Last year he'd been the life of the party; we'd had music, and he had danced happily with several female guests, all pleased to be waltzing with the pro-hero Ingenium. This year, we were celebrating quietly at home, and Tensei would never dance again.

I was trying not to look at the chair, to ask too many questions, to treat him any differently. And he seemed to notice, yet I could not quite tell if he was pleased at the consideration, or annoyed at me for being too fussy.

Mother asked, "So you start your work study tomorrow? UA sure keeps you busy."

"We must stay on top of things if we hope to become top heroes."

"And you're going back to Manual?" Asked Tensei. There was something in his tone that caught my attention.

"Yes. Shouldn't I?"

"Well - I just thought, Mom said that after the Sports Festival you had quite a lot of offers from different agencies, being third. Wouldn't you rather go to - I don't know, someone higher ranked? Not to be snobby about it - just, with your talent -" He was stumbling a little but I understood.

"I see what you're saying. But I don't believe that what I need to learn will come from the top ranked heroes. What I want to know is - how to be reliable, stable, and humble. And I more than believe Mr. Manual can teach me those things."

Mom smiled and tousled my hair. "You've changed a lot over these last few months, Tenya. In some ways you're so different from the boy you were last New Year's."

"And yet - still the same stiff rule-abiding Tenya we've always known!" Laughed Tensei, poking my arm.

I forced myself to laugh, and hoped Tensei would never have to find out about the multiple times I'd broken the law in the last year.

"You're both still my same boys," Mom was laughing, then stopped.- perhaps thinking the same thing I was, that in one way Tensei at least would never be the same.

Tensei gave us both a somewhat shaky smile.

"You don't have to dance around me, guys. I know -" He stopped.

Mom walked over to him and put her arm around his shoulder. I took his hand.

"Here's hoping this year brings better things."

—

I rode to the agency with my pro escort mostly in silence. I had the time to text Midoriya and Uraraka, to wish them good luck at their work studies. Midoriya had been invited along with Bakugou to the Number one Hero agency by Todoroki. I had felt a fleeting bit of jealousy that Todoroki had offered it to Bakugou and not to me, but reproached myself quickly since after all, Bakugou's old pro, Best Jeanist, was missing, and I had already declared my intention of returning to Manual. And in any case, it was Todoroki's choice.

Uraraka was returning to Ryukyu's agency with Asui, and her messages sounded bright and cheerful.

Happy New Year Iida!

Thank you, Uraraka! I wish you the same! And to Midoriya as well!

Thanks guys! Lemme know how your work studies go!

After a pause, Uraraka's text came in.

How's Tensei?

I hesitated to answer for a moment, then recalled how Uraraka and Midoriya had offered to talk to me about it - and I'd refused- and -

Doing better. Thank you for asking!

He sounds like a great brother. Only child - very jealous!

Same here! Anything you need, Iida?

I smiled a little at their words. It was true - Tensei might be different now, but he was alive, at least, and still at his heart, the same Tensei he'd always been.

Mr. Manual waved to me as I joined him and Arrow in the main doorway of the agency. He looked a bit distressed about something.

"Hello, sir! I am relieved to be back!"

"Relieved to see you, Ingenium! Listen, I'll be needing your help with something a bit…urgent."

"Is it a supervillain? A disaster? A crisis?"

"Not exactly…"

From inside the agency I heard a crash and sounds like something exploding!"

"Let me see!" I announced, preparing to pull up my pants legs to speed into action. Arrow held up her hand.

"Slow down there, speedy. Not time to bust out your super moves yet."

We hurried inside and towards the sounds. Manual explained, "You see, UA got in touch with us about the need to have students go to work studies at hero agencies, or do in the field work, and we said we were already working with you, no room for another intern -"

"And they said this wasn't a request for the hero course. At least, not directly," Arrow continued. "They wanted us to take on a support course student."

"We thought, 'They say she's quite the expert, and we could always use some help with support gear', but-"

"Oh, no!" I cried out, "Don't tell me!"

We had arrived at the inner space where a large mechanical suit was smoking, sputtering, and preparing to collapse in front of us - and at its gears was, just as I'd thought - in her engineer's gear, goggles in place, pink dreadlocks bouncing up and down as she worked frantically on her project -

"Hatsume!"

"Watch out for my baby's top cap, it still needs a few tweaks!" She called, not even turning around to greet me. Most likely she'd completely forgotten my name.

"You two fought in the Sports Festival, didn't you?" Manual asked me.

"If you can call being used for someone's advertising billboard 'fighting,'" I grumbled.

"That's right, you're that kid!" Hatsume chirped, still without looking at any of us. "Nice to be working with ya!"

"Working with me?" I asked, turning to Manual in despair.

"Yeah…we agreed to let her supervise our use of her support items in the field," he replied, holding up his hands to apologize.

"But she's not a licensed hero!" I protested.

"Licensed support workers can make pit stops to repair gear in the field," Arrow explained. "She did pass the certification test."

"I'll be watching my babies in action!" She announced, having finally got the mech suit to stop smoking. "And once you've tried them out, I guarantee you'll be a customer for life!"

"Do you have any support items from her?" Asked Manual.

"Not if I can help it," I replied.

"Come on, now! I know the last few tries didn't quite work, but trust me, I'll whip you up a support baby to get you running faster in no time! Just give me the specs- "

"Don't come closer!" I snapped.

"Just a little peak under the hood, you won't regret it!"

"Not if you paid me!"

Behind me, I could hear Manual and Arrow muttering, "Looks like we've got our work cut out for us."