Chapter Summary: Toshinori and his work associates begin to take action; in more ways than one.

A/N: WARNING: This chapter discusses sexual harassment and nonconsensual touching. Reader's discretion is advised.

Please note, the first section before the first break (***) doesn't discuss the matter, but the latter sections do. I understand that some of my readers may not be able to read this chapter due to the warnings. Thankfully, you will have another chapter to read after this when this is posted.

And for those of you who choose to read and have a history correlating to the warnings, I implore you to take the necessary steps to take care of yourself. Be kind to yourselves.

It was late in the evening when Nedzu called for a staff meeting down at U.A. The sky had already turned dark and Toshinori could see the stars begin to shine, a gentle reprieve from the long day he had. He adjusted his tie with a sigh as he tread down the halls to the meeting room and tried to right his posture to appear somewhat presentable.

'It's just like Nedzu not to leave things to simmer overnight,' he mused, smoothing out the wrinkles in his blazer, 'he likes to tackle issues as soon as possible.'

Still, it would have been nice for Toshinori to get some more rest before he was forced to contend with the events of the day. Recovery Girl's healing had worked wonders, as it always did, but it left him feeling more exhausted than usual. He found himself heavily favoring his cane and grimaced at how his knuckles turned white from how tightly he gripped it. He just hoped that he was able to stay alert during the meeting.

Speaking of meetings, he was quite startled by the fact that he found himself face-to-face with Mrs. Midoriya so suddenly. He should have expected to run into her again at some point, though he would have preferred if it wasn't when he was in a hospital bed and covered in bandages. Thankfully, their second meeting had been considerably less explosive, if only because she didn't know that the same man sitting next to her injured son was the very same one she yelled up at on Takoba.

'She had the same look on her face that young Midoriya did during the first battle simulation,' Toshinori mused. Were he not so tired, he might have chuckled. 'So that's where the boy gets it from.'

Upon reaching the door, he stepped inside and was quickly met with the curious gazes of his colleagues. Midnight was perched on the table with her legs crossed, her blue eyes sliding over to Toshinori with interest. Vlad King stood with his arms crossed over his chest and arched a brow, but said nothing. Snipe was already seated, his expression a mystery to Toshinori due to his mask. Some anxious part of him worried that he was being stared at and he found himself gripping his cane tighter.

"Ah, Yagi, there you are!" Nedzu greeted, offering up a wave. "Good to see you!"

Toshinori nodded. "My apologies… I hope my tardiness wasn't a hindrance."

"You're actually right on time," said Tsukauchi, nearly making Toshinori jump. He had emerged from the double doors opposite to the entrance and closed it behind him with a smile. "Glad to see you're walking around."

"Why wouldn't he be?" questioned Vlad King. His eyes trailed over Toshinori inspectantly and lingered on his cane. "Did you get injured?"

He tried to ignore the way his side ached. "Nothing Recovery Girl couldn't fix."

"Today was quite exciting for Yagi and his class," Nedzu stated, stepping over to his seat. He hopped up with the ease of memory and practice, then leaned back into it. "Hopefully with this meeting, we'll be able to look further into it and get to the bottom of this. Let's go ahead and get started."

As everyone began to find their seats, Toshinori could feel someone's gaze boring into his back. He snuck a glance at Vlad King, who quickly cut his eyes away from him and turned his attention over to Nedzu and Tsukauchi. The more curious part of him wanted to ask what that was about, but he figured that it could wait until later. Once everyone was seated and Toshinori rested his cane against his chair, Tsukauchi cleared his throat and adjusted his papers.

"Our investigators are trying to learn everything they can about this so-called 'League of Villains,'" Tsukauchi told them. His eyes trailed down to his papers and he frowned. "We've made some progress, but we can't find anything on this Shigaraki so far. We've searched our records for any men in their 20s or 30s who are registered as having some sort of disintegration Quirk, but so far, we haven't found anything." When he brought his eyes up to the group, his expression was troubled. "Same for the Warp Gate Villain, Kurogiri. So, either they're citizens or they're using aliases. Hard to say either way."

Vlad King huffed. "So what you're really saying is that we don't know anything."

"We've gotta track 'em down," Snipe commented. His head tilted downward, almost contemplatively. "I shot their ringleader, but once he heals up, he'll probably try pullin' something like this again." He shook his head. "What a pain."

Toshinori thought back to when he stood before Shigaraki, unable to transform and only able to rely on his own words to buy time for something, anything to give him cover. The only thing that kept him from lashing out wildly was his fear for Aizawa and his students, while his anger kept the fear from overtaking his entire being and leaving him helpless. He didn't know what life Shigaraki had led to wind up where he did and Toshinori could only wonder what made his hatred so potent.

"Something on your mind, Yagi?" asked Nedzu, causing him to snap out of his thoughts. He looked up to see everyone looking at him expectantly. "You seem to be deep in thought."

After straightening his posture, Toshinori inhaled to settle his nerves. "When I was back at the U.S.J. before All Might's arrival, I had the chance to speak to Shigaraki… Needless to say, it was quite unsettling."

" You talked to him?" Vlad King questioned.

Toshinori nodded. "When I arrived with young Hagakure, I saw that Aiz– I mean, Eraserhead had been badly injured by that creature they called Nomu. I actually overheard Shigaraki talking to his associate, Kurogiri– he addressed him as Tomura Shigaraki. However, as Tsukauchi said, they weren't able to find anything on that." His lips drew into a thin line. "Kurogiri told Shigaraki that one of the students– young Iida, as I'm sure you all know– had managed to escape to notify you all of what was happening."

"How's this supposed to help us?" interjected Snipe.

Nedzu held up a paw. "Now, now, let him finish."

With a quick, awkward clear of his throat, Toshinori went on. "The thing is, once Kurogiri told Shigaraki that someone got away to notify you all, he grew angry… almost like a brat throwing a tantrum. He even threatened Kurogiri and claimed the only reason he wouldn't is because he was their escape."

"He's a Villain ," Vlad King pointed out, "that's not surprising to hear."

Toshinori just barely managed not to clench his jaw. "But he's also the supposed ringleader. And yet, the way he handled the entire plan was sloppy and disorganized. When I was in the landslide zone, I was approached by two villains and I realized that they didn't even know the students' Quirks. Young Midoriya also confirmed this account when he told me they sent young Asui down to the shipwreck zone."

"Ah, the girl with the frog Quirk," Nedzu said, "I remember her from the simulation." He let out a hum of thought. "You're right… if they truly wanted to put her at a disadvantage, they would have put her in the fire zone."

"Precisely," Toshinori affirmed, "young Todoroki pointed out that they thought through how to effectively isolate the class, and yet, they weren't organized enough to prepare for the students' Quirks. Their only strength was their numbers."

"There were a lot of low-rank villains in the list of arrests," Midnight noted, "it seems that Shigaraki just found whoever he could convince to join his cause and thought that the numbers would be enough to overpower the students."

The frown on Toshinori's face threatened to deepen. "That's not the only thing troubling me… You see, I spoke to Shigaraki. I was trying to buy time until help could arrive and didn't know how effective it would be…" His eyes trailed down to the table. "But he was easy to distract. Kurogiri tried to tell him to ignore me and just make a move, but Shigaraki ignored him instead."

"Sounds like a child," Vlad King murmured.

"More like a brat ," Midnight chimed in. She leaned forward with furrowed brows. "It's a possibility that he never received any sort of counseling for his Quirk…"

Toshinori thought back to the way that Shigaraki clawed at his own skin. "That might actually be the case, Midnight. He kept scratching himself, like he was perpetually itchy…" The memories of scarlet on his fingernails and tracks across his neck made him grimace. "He tended to do it a lot more when he was stressed or angry."

"So his Quirk seems to affect his body," Tsukauchi observed, "that might actually give us something. If he has that sort of issue with regulating his Quirk, he would require treatment."

Snipe huffed through his mask. "I doubt he'd go to a hospital. Most villains handle their wounds themselves or with back-alley doctors."

"Speaking of villains…" Vlad King drawled. Once everyone turned their attention towards him, he crossed his arms over his chest. "How did he manage to get so many thugs onto his side? With the crime rate down so low, you'd think that most of them would think that it was a suicide mission."

"That might be exactly why they joined him," Tsukauchi pointed out. A frown tugged at the corners of his lips. "Now more than ever, criminals are feeling an intense amount of pressure due to the amount of pros that are on the scene. And when you feel pressure, you can get pretty desperate." He closed his eyes. "And who better to ask to join a cause than someone who's desperate?"

Nedzu closed his eyes. "A revolutionary is only as good as his analysis… People tend to be much stronger when they have something to stand for, rather than against. And it seemed these people were dead set on ending All Might."

"Lot of people lookin' to get behind a cause,' Snipe affirmed.

Midnight turned back to Tsukauchi. "So what do we do to stop them? Surely the League is going to attempt to recruit more people."

Tsukauchi looked down at his papers. "Well, it's thanks to the work of Pros that we're able to take on this case. We'll expand our investigation in order to find more leads and identify the individuals behind this attack."

Toshinori thought back to how Shigaraki stood before him, his crimson eyes burning with a deep malice. The boy couldn't have but a couple years older than his own students. What exactly happened to him to make him so angry at the world of heroes? And why was he so angry with him in particular?

"A brat, huh?" Nedzu mused aloud, causing him to blink. Toshinori turned to see him looking down at his paws in contemplation. "You know, with how immature he acts, it makes me wonder… How much of his plans are truly his own?" He lifted his head to look up. "And how much of it can we assume comes from an outside source?"

"Are you implying that he's working for someone?" Vlad King questioned.

Nedzu shook his head. "Not for– under . It's quite possible that Shigaraki might be guided by someone." He closed his eyes. "But then again, that's a theory. We'll have to investigate further before we can claim that as fact."

Subconsciously, Toshinori's hand slipped over to his side. "I hate to think what kind of person would be mentoring someone like him… "

"Well, there's no use going in circles trying to guess," Snipe commented. He turned to Tsukauchi. "Is there anything else for us to cover?"

Tsukauchi shook his head. "No. I just wanted to keep you all posted on what we knew and see what you thought. I understand that you all probably have things to do or need rest after today."

Midnight exhaled. "I'd say we're doing a lot better than Eraserhead and Thirteen… Present Mic and Cementoss went down to the hospital to relieve the Pros keeping watch over them."

The memory of Aizawa's bloody form on the ground made Toshinori's insides churn. If he had been sooner… If he had been able to do more…

'I'm thankful young Midoriya was able to be healed,' Toshinori thought as his associates began to prepare to leave, 'but he shouldn't have had to jump in like that in the first place…' He frowned. 'Nor should have young Hagakure…'

Then, he perked up suddenly. "Oh, Principal Nedzu?"

Nedzu turned towards him with a blink. "What is it? Did you have something to add?"

"No," Toshinori replied, waving a hand, "it's not about Shigaraki… It's actually about one of my students. I wanted to bring it up earlier, but things were a bit hectic."

"Ah," Nedzu acknowledged, "well, since you're here, what is it?"

Just as Toshinori was about to elaborate, he paused. His eyes trailed over to Midnight, who was gathering her things from beside the desk.

"Miss Midnight?" he asked. When she turned towards him quizzically, he gestured for her to come over. "I think you can offer some expertise on this matter."

She raised a perfectly manicured brow– how did she have the time to look so immaculate? Didn't she ever get tired? "What is it?"

"It's about one of our students," he told her, causing her to blink, "are you familiar with young Hagakure?"

"The girl with the invisibility Quirk?" Midnight questioned. She nodded as she pulled her bag up to her shoulder. "I'm familiar, yes. I haven't had the time to talk to her one-on-one, though. What is it?"

With her and Nedzu's attention on him, Toshinori's fingers began to fidget. "Well… When I was at the U.S.J. and we were together, I realized that there was an… issue that needed resolving…"

Normally, Nemuri wouldn't have been excited to come on campus when it was closed down for the day. However, when Yagi told her about the situation regarding Hagakure's costume– or in this case, lack thereof– she was more than happy to come down to meet with the young girl.

'Good thing we caught it this early,' Nemuri mused as she made her way down the hall, 'it's a miracle she didn't get seriously hurt.'

While she was absolutely no stranger to going the more, ahem, natural route when it came to her costumes, the world– and laws– had changed quite a bit from when she was still in school. It was her iconic "Birthday Suit" costume that brought about the Hero Costume Skin Exposure Limitation Act, and while Hagakure's skin couldn't technically be seen, she would rather not run the risk of having one of her students get into legal trouble while they were still in training. She was incredibly thankful that Nedzu was willing to override the process for the Quirk costume allowance due to the circumstances.

'The process for making her costume is sure to be time-consuming,' she thought, frowning a bit. She let out a sigh and adjusted her blazer to smooth out any wrinkles. 'Hopefully she won't be left waiting for long.'

She had seen a litany of heroes with stealth Quirks that were capable of turning invisible or blending into their surroundings through camouflage, so their costumes had to follow suit. However, she knew that the process to accommodate them could be quite cumbersome, and Hagakure's invisibility being a mutation likely didn't make matters easy. They would have to discuss their options at length to figure out what would work best for her.

That was what brought Nemuri down to the support and costume classroom that Thursday afternoon, where she had called for Hagakure to come meet up with her. She felt a bit guilty about making one of her students come in the day after her class had been subject to an attack, but it would be better to hit the ground running on fixing her costume up for her without pulling her out of class and disrupting her education. Hopefully she wouldn't have to take too much time out of her day.

Upon arriving at the support room, Nemuri was instantly struck by the amount of projects that littered the tables. She almost had it in her to snort– Power Loader didn't like to keep things idle during the first week of class and had clearly kept his students hard at work. She wondered what kind of ideas she would see from them when it came time for the festival.

'Where's Hagakure, though?' she pondered. Her eyes trailed over to the clock. 'Is she running late?'

"Miss Midnight!" exclaimed an excited voice, causing her to jump. Nemuri turned to see a pink t-shirt jump into view and she quickly relaxed upon realizing it was Hagakure. "Sorry! Didn't mean to scare you. I just wasn't sure if you could see me over all the stuff. I didn't know where to sit down."

Nemuri smiled. "Well, we can sit up at the front where there's less stuff. I'm pretty sure Power Loader won't want us to disrupt his students' work."

In a matter of seconds, Hagakure came around the table to join Nemuri at the front desk. "So, what is it you wanted to talk to me about? Principal Nedzu said you guys needed me to come in for something important?"

"We did," Nemuri replied, "you see, last night, the teachers were involved in a staff meeting about the U.S.J. And while we were there, Sensei Yagi told us about an…" She cleared her throat. " Issue that we'd like to talk to you about."

"Oh," Hagakure said softly. Her shoulders slumped forward a bit. "Uh, right… Listen, I'm sorry if I caused any of you to worry… I just wasn't thinking…"

A sad smile spread across Nemuri's lips. "Hagakure, you have nothing to apologize for. We just want to help resolve this, is all."

Hagakure straightened back up and the sleeves of her shirt moved rapidly. Was she waving her hands? Nemuri couldn't tell. "I-I know it was impulsive of me to do it, but I didn't know what else to do! I mean, Midoriya had jumped out at the Nomu and that creepy guy with the hands was going to grab Sensei Yagi, so I just grabbed him and–"

"What?" Nemuri blurted out. She waved a hand. "No, no, I'm not here to talk about– Wait, what exactly did you do to Shigaraki?"

The young girl seemed to shrink a bit. "I… picked him up and threw him into the water at the U.S.J." Then, she perked up. "Wait, is that not what this is about?"

"N…No, it's not," Nemuri answered, though she was still somewhat reeling. Hagakure had picked up a villain and chucked him into the water? Yagi definitely didn't bring that up. She was gonna have to ask him to tell her about that later on, it sounded spectacular . "We're here to talk about your costume, Hagakure."

"Oooh," Hagakure drawled. She let out a heavy sigh and slumped back in her seat. "Yeah, that makes way more sense… Sensei Yagi said something about that when we were in the landslide zone. He seemed pretty worried."

Nemuri nodded. "As he should be. I understand that your family wasn't able to turn in the forms for the costume allowance in time, so Principal Nedzu went ahead and expedited the process so your costume could get made."

"Really?" Hagakure questioned. "Wow… I… kinda feel a little bad you guys have to do all this extra work."

"Don't feel bad," Nemuri assured her, "U.A. has the resources to ensure the success of its student populace and you are no exception to that rule. I'm just glad we were able to do something about it this early into the school year so that way you wouldn't struggle as much further down the line."

Hagakure shifted in her seat. "So… what are we here to talk about, then?

Nemuri smiled brightly. "Today, we're going to be talking about costume design. And you're very lucky– I've always loved designing costumes."

"Really?!" Hagakure exclaimed, nearly springing out of her seat. She paused and quickly settled back into it. "Sorry… I just wasn't expecting that, is all.

Nemuri couldn't help but chuckle. "Well, it wouldn't be quite fair if you didn't get to design your own costume when all your classmates designed their own, now would it?" Then, her smile turned sly. "The difference is you'll get to have someone with style help you out."

A sound akin to a tea kettle rang in the air. "Oh, this is gonna be so much fun! What should we start with?"

"My suggestion would be to settle on a silhouette," Nemuri told her. She opened up her bag and slipped out her sketchbook, which she flipped onto a clean page. "Now, what are some of the things you're hoping to achieve with your costume? Am I right to assume your strength relies on stealth?"

"It does," Hagakure confirmed, "so we should probably stick to something that's fitted to me so nothing is loose and catches onto something."

Nemuri nodded as she fished out her pencil. "Smart idea. We can take your measurements after we come up with a rough sketch so the costume department will be able to make sure it fits you." She ran her pencil across the page rapidly to sketch out a figure. "Now, what kind of suit are we talking about here? Do you want to stick with the standard full-body suit or would you like some bare areas?"

Hagakure let out a hum of thought. "I don't know… would it be better to go with less or more? How exactly is the costume department going to be able to make sure my costume blends in with me?"

"That's… not something I'm quite familiar with, unfortunately," Nemuri admitted. She tapped her pencil against the desk rhythmically. "Though if I recall, there's a third year boy who had his suit made with his hair to make sure that it would stay on him whenever he activated his permeation Quirk."

"Is that the boy from the Sports Festival who–" Hagakure began.

"Lost his clothes in the middle of the tournament?" Nemuri guessed. "You'd be correct. I imagine that the costume department might use some of your hair to blend into the fabric of your costume to make it work."

Hagakure's sleeve lifted up, possibly from reaching up to touch her head. "My hair? How much of it will they need?"

"Not a lot," Nemuri told her, "they didn't have to use a lot for his costume, so they probably won't need a lot from you, either."

"Well, it's not like I can really do anything with it," Hagakure murmured, "no one can even see it…" Then, she straightened up again. "Wait, how are they supposed to make my costume if they can't even see it?"

Nemuri shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. But I'm sure they'll figure something out, Hagakure." She turned back to the sketchbook. "Now, should we settle on a full-body silhouette or something a bit more catered to your tastes?"

Hagakure was silent for a moment, and Nemuri wondered if her expression was contemplative. "I guess full-body… it would probably keep people from accidentally bumping into me or grabbing me by accident…"

"Has that happened?" Nemuri questioned. She felt a bit of unease as she pondered how many times Hagakure's peers bumped into her or touched her while she was left unclothed. When she was a student, she had her fair share of uncomfortable moments, but at the very least, her peers could see when they made a mistake– Hagakure's couldn't . "You haven't gotten hurt, have you?"

"No," she replied, and Nemuri felt her nerves settle a bit, "but I've had a couple of close calls…" She let out a noise of disgust. "And of course, Mineta had to be a creep about it…"

Nemuri blinked. "Mineta? What do you mean?"

In an instant, Hagakure went very, very silent. Nemuri couldn't see her face nor could she see her hands, but from the way Hagakure's sneakers drew closer to her chair, she got a sense of discomfort from the young girl.

"Hagakure?" Nemuri asked. Once again, Hagakure did not speak. "Did… Mineta do something to make you uncomfortable?"

There was a long beat of silence. "I… Well, I…"

Hagakure's sneakers squeaked when they rubbed into the support bar on her chair and Nemuri noticed creases appearing in her shorts in the shape of fingers. It didn't take a genius to figure out what that meant.

"Hagakure, you know you can talk to me," she told her. When she wasn't given a response, Nemuri tentatively rested a hand on top of Hagakure's. She blinked when she felt it was shaking . "Hagakure, what is it?"

"I didn't want to make a big deal out of it," Hagakure blurted out. As soon as the words left her, she shrank further in on herself. "T-There were more important things happening… S-Sensei Aizawa was h-hurt and it felt stupid to–"

Her voice caught and Nemuri's fingers curled around her hand. "Sweetheart, if something bad happened, then it's not stupid to talk about it. We want to make sure that you and your classmates are safe, especially after what happened yesterday." She brought her other hand to Hagakure's and drew it out of her lap to clasp it between both of her own. "You can trust me, Hagakure. I promise."

Once again, there was a long beat of silence and Nemuri was almost about to say something when a small sniffle stopped her dead. Another quickly followed after and Nemuri watched as Hagakure's shoulder began to shake.

"You promise?" she whispered so quietly that Nemuri might not have heard her were she not so close.

With a nod, Nemuri squeezed her hand. "I promise… Now, why don't you tell me what happened?"

After everything that had happened with the attack on the U.S.J., Toshinori felt he didn't have a right to complain about the little things. However, as he sat in Nedzu's office, going over his rubric and lesson plans for the year, he found himself on the brink of a headache. He and Nedzu had spent countless days going over a coherent syllabus for the school year, crafted to help students test their abilities and find new ways to apply them as the year went on. Now, they were in jeopardy of falling apart because of a villain attack.

"We'll have to set aside another day for the students to go down to the U.S.J.," Toshinori commented, his brows furrowing in thought, "neither Class 1-A or 1-B were able to go over any rescue procedures…"

Nedzu nodded solemnly. "And that's a big factor in the Provisional License Exam, which the students will be testing for once summer vacation ends… We might have to sacrifice one of the simulations to allow for the students to return to the U.S.J., but which one?"

"That's where I'm having trouble," he told him. Toshinori let out a hum of thought. "Perhaps we could cut the bank robbery simulation and do that one as an extra credit project for the students to partake in?"

"Hm," Nedzu hummed, "that's not a bad idea… though, would the students feel tempted to seek out extra credit this early in the year?"

Toshinori pursed his lips. "Maybe we could offer it before summer vacation? That way if they aren't happy with their grades before the term ends, they have a chance to increase their scores–"

Then, the door to Nedzu's office swung up with such force that it made Toshinori and Nedzu jump collectively. The two men turned in time to see Midnight standing at the entrance, her long hair clipped into a tightly wound bun that should not have been as small or immaculate as it was for how voluminous her hair was. She was not dressed in her hero costume, but rather, a white button-up with a black blazer that perfectly matched her knee-length pencil skirt. Most notably, however, was the picture of barely restrained fury that painted her features.

"Miss Midnight?" Nedzu questioned, furrowing his brows. "Is everything al–"

Midnight made it over to Nedzu's desk in just a couple of strides and she pointed her finger at him. "I want you to call Minoru Mineta from Class 1-A down to the campus and have him come in so that I can scream at him in person ."

Toshinori's brows shot up with surprise. "What?"

"Midnight, I can see you're upset," Nedzu acknowledged, lowering his voice considerably. It was a tactic Toshinori recognized– he was trying to keep things from escalating. "But might I ask what it is that's brought this on?"

"Um…" drawled a quiet, reserved voice. Toshinori turned his head towards the entrance and blinked when he saw a pink Hello Kitty t-shirt and white shorts hovering at the doorway.

"Young Hagakure?" Toshinori asked. He turned his chair around to face her completely. "Is that you?"

Hagakure didn't speak. Her white sneakers shuffled uncomfortably, causing Toshinori's brows to furrow with worry. He had only seen her look that nervous the day before when they were both stuck in the landslide zone together.

"It's alright, Hagakure," Midnight reassured her, her anger gone in an instant. It just as quickly returned, however, when she turned back to Nedzu. "You need to call Mineta down to campus pronto or else, I'll go down to his house and bring that little runt here myself ."

"You will do no such thing," Nedzu held firmly, "and you haven't answered my question. What exactly has Mineta done to warrant such a response from you?"

Noting the way that Hagakure seemed to withdraw on herself, Toshinori slipped his cane off his lap and planted it on the floor to help him stand. "Is everything alright, Hagakure?"

The young girl didn't respond. Her feet continued to shift awkwardly and were her hands not invisible, Toshinori might have seen her wringing them together. His gaze shifted over to Midnight, and there, their eyes locked together in an intense stare. He gestured to Hagakure questioningly and after a moment, Midnight sighed.

"Come take a seat, Hagakure," Midnight relented. She waved the girl over and gestured to the empty seat beside the one Toshinori abandoned. "You don't have to keep standing there."

For a long moment, Hagakure didn't move. Then, she slowly began to step over, her shoulders fraught with tension. Although Toshinori could not see her face, the way her body dipped forward a bit allowed him to infer that she was looking down at her feet. Once she made it to the chair, Midnight turned it towards her and Hagakure slipped into it with an anxious air about her. The young girl did not speak.

"You're not in trouble, Hagakure," Midnight told her. She rested her hand on her shoulder and the girl only hunched over more. "You can tell Principal Nedzu what you told me, alright?"

Despite not being privy to the situation, Nedzu's expression softened significantly. "Miss Midnight is right, Hagakure. You have nothing to be afraid of."

The silence continued for another long moment and Toshinori worried she wouldn't say anything at all. However, just as he was about to gently prod, Hagakure took in a shuddering breath.

"It happened yesterday," she began, her voice small, "when we were at the U.S.J. and the villains attacked…" Toshinori saw creases appear at the edge of her shorts, likely from her hands clenching them. "W-We were running away after All Might came in to fight the villains… Mr. Aizawa was hurt and bleeding, so we were trying to keep moving…"

Midnight squeezed her shoulder. "You're doing alright, sweetheart. Keep going."

If Hagakure gave any sort of physical acknowledgement, Toshinori couldn't see it. Still, she went on.

"It was me, Tsuyu, Midoriya and–" Her voice caught for a moment until she spat out, " Mineta… We were all trying to leave when Midoriya ran back towards the villains because he saw All Might was stuck in the villains warp…"

Toshinori's stomach churned at the reminder of his protege's tear-stained face as he came sprinting back into danger. He hated that his students had seen that and been so afraid for him.

"Did Mineta do something while you all were trying to leave?" Nedzu questioned softly.

"Yes," Hagakure answered, her voice barely audible, "he did."

When the young girl didn't elaborate, Midnight took a deep breath. "Mineta grabbed Hagakure inappropriately."

"He did what? " Toshinori exclaimed, unable to stop himself. When Hagakure seemed to shrink further, he quickly adjusted his tone. "My apologies, I… Young Hagakure, why didn't you say anything sooner?"

"I-It didn't seem as important," she stammered out, "Sensei Aizawa was bleeding and he wasn't moving…" Hagakure's shoulders shook. "A-And when I saw what h-happened to Thirteen –"

Her shoulders began to shake and Midnight rested her other hand on top of her own. "It's alright, sweetheart… We're not upset with you."

"Of course," Nedzu affirmed. The man could be a bit of a menace at times, but Toshinori could see the worry and concern in his eyes. He nudged over the box of tissues on his desk towards her quietly. "I completely understand why you would be afraid to bring something like that up… But just know, you should never be afraid to tell us if someone ever does something like that to you or one of your classmates."

Toshinori's eyes fell down to his cane as he tried to find the words to say and he held it tighter. As the Number One Hero, Toshinori had his fair share of individuals who disrespected his boundaries over the course of his career, from overzealous fans looking just to touch him at all or people who wanted to instigate a personal fantasy regardless of his feelings on the matter. He had grown used to it and let his handlers simply throw them out the moment they occurred, but it didn't make them any easier to deal with. He couldn't imagine how it must have felt for Hagakure when she was still so young.

"W-Well…" Hagakure went on, her voice still shaking. She reached for a tissue and brought it to her face. "I-I actually t-talked to Tsuyu about it yesterday…"

"Young Asui?" Toshinori murmured. His brows furrowed. "Did she say something to you about it?"

With a shuddering breath, Hagakure straightened up her posture. "S-She told me that… Mineta did the s-same thing to h-her…"

One For All threatened to burn its way through Toshinori's hand, almost causing him to splinter the top of his cane. "What?"

Midnight seemed to fare no better, her jaw locking into place and her eyes burning with barely restrained fury. The only thing that seemed to keep her from blowing her fuse was the hold she had on the trembling girl's shoulder.

"Did she say when it happened?" Nedzu asked, his tone calm. It was a delicate balancing act that Toshinori knew well– say something the wrong way and you blow your chances of getting the answers you needed. "Did it happen on school grounds?"

"I-It happened yesterday," Hagakure answered, and the fire inside Toshinori only burned hotter, "s-she said it was when Sensei Aizawa was being attacked by that m-monster… "

Toshinori's insides churned so fiercely he felt like he would vomit. He had only arrived at the scene when Aizawa had been down on the ground, his body left in a broken and bloody mess. He could only stare with horror from afar until he found himself springing up from his hiding place beside Hagakure and faced off against Shigaraki, hoping to stop the madman from attacking his students. The idea that Mineta took that as an opportunity to grope one of his classmates and get away with it…

"That little worm ," Midnight snarled, voicing Toshinori's venomous thoughts, "I can't believe that little creep –"

"Midnight," Nedzu interjected, earning him a nasty look from her, "I understand you're angry, but we have to handle this with decorum." He took in a deep breath through his nose and closed his eyes. "We should call Asui down to campus… If she's available to come in, I'd like to hear her testimony from her in person."

Toshinori grimaced. As much as he hated the idea of making Asui relive such an awful event just a day after the villain attack, he knew that it was necessary. They couldn't go off of Hagakure's word alone and they certainly couldn't enforce a punishment against Mineta with no accounts or proof. Then, he lifted his head up.

"Principal," he addressed, causing Nedzu to turn to him, "does the U.S.J. have security cameras?"

Nedzu quickly caught on. "I'll send a request for us to receive the footage so we can go over it."

"Call Tsukauchi if there's any hold-up," Toshinori told him, "he can speed things up if they try to hold you up." Then, he turned his attention back onto Hagakure and his gaze softened. "I know that this was hard for you, young Hagakure… but we appreciate you coming to us about this. I assure you, we will hold Mineta accountable for this behavior."

For the first time since she sat down, Hagakure turned towards Toshinori. "T-Thank you, Sensei…"

"Don't thank us just yet," Midnight told her. She gave the young girl's shoulder another squeeze as her eyes met with Toshinori's. Although neither of them said a word to one another, there was an understanding between the two of them. "Let's check in with Asui and see what she has to say."

It sufficed to say that Minoru was not happy about being dragged on-campus when school had been closed for the day. He had been really looking forward to getting a day off after the attack on the U.S.J. and now, his mother was dragging him down to the school for some sort of meeting. Was the universe out to get him or something?

"I'm sure it won't take long," his mother reassured him when she saw his bored expression in the reflection of the car window, "maybe they wanted to check in with the students' parents because of the attack."

Still, that did little to assuage Minoru, who was in the middle of a banger visual novel. He had just been about to reach a penultimate moment with the girl of his choice when his mother came banging on the door and he had to exit out of the window– without saving, he realized way too late– so she wouldn't see.

"Now, don't tell your mother I got you this," his father told him, giving him a sly wink. It had been during a weekend visit over the summer holidays and Minoru had been struck into silent awe upon seeing the downright scandalous art on the cover. "You know how she can be."

Minoru nearly rolled his eyes at the reminder. His mother was always getting onto him about being "respectable" and "appropriate" to the point that it drove him crazy sometimes. Whenever he went to his father's house, he was able to cut loose and do all the things that she wouldn't let him do at her house; stay up late, eat junk food, and, his favorite , watch shows on the channels she restricted back home. The only rule was that he wasn't allowed to tell her about it, which was just fine by Minoru.

Upon arriving on campus, Minoru and his mother quickly made their way to the entrance and were granted access with Minoru's student pass. The two of them meandered for a bit before a staff member– a pretty brunette in a skirt that Minoru was sure to think about later on– directed them to Principal Nedzu's office. His mother thanked her and Minoru offered up a waggly-fingered wave, which the girl mirrored. Yeah, he was definitely going to be thinking about her later on.

Minoru's mother knocked on the door to the office and a gentle, "come in," allowed them to enter. With a blink of surprise, Minoru's eyes practically bugged out of his skull when he saw Midnight, the R-Rated Hero, standing beside Principal Nedzu at his desk. Although she wasn't in her hero costume, Minoru still found it exciting to see her in work clothes that accentuated her figure. Was it weird that he wanted to see her wearing glasses? He decided that no, it wasn't.

"Ah, Mrs. Mineta," Principal Nedzu greeted. Although Minoru hadn't known his principal for very long and had only the battle simulation to compare to, he seemed… considerably less warm. Nedzu gestured to the two seats in front of his desk. "Come, take a seat. We have much to discuss."

It wasn't until Minoru drew closer to the desk that he was made aware of Sensei Yagi's presence and he nearly jumped. The man's piercing blue eyes seemed to bore into his form while he took a seat, his expression unreadable as he stood at Principal Nedzu's side. Although his teacher had been kind during his introduction to the class, Minoru felt a deep sense of unease around him, which only intensified with the memory of how the same skeleton of a man stood up against a villain. As cool as it was, Minoru also thought it was absolutely terrifying .

"Is everything alright?" his mother asked as she took a seat beside him. Standing at 4'9'', his mother was a considerably small and timid woman. Her violet hair hung like tendrils from her head and reached past her shoulders in thick locks. She always fretted over the state of her clothes and hair, to the point that Minoru thought it was annoying. Even then, she subconsciously brushed her hair out of her face. "Is this about the attack on the U.S.J.?"

Nedzu clasped his paws together. "In a sense… You see, there was something that we wanted to talk about regarding your son."

Minoru blinked. "Huh? Me?"

"Oh, dear," Minoru's mother murmured, bringing a hand to her lips, "did something bad happen?"

Nedzu nodded grimly. "I'm afraid so… however, not in the way you might think." With a sigh, he straightened up his posture and met her gaze head-on. "You see, we had a… discussion with a couple of your son's peers and happened upon some unfortunate claims…"

"'Claims'?" his mother repeated, and it was then that Minoru began to feel some anxiety. "What kind of claims?"

"They made the claim that your son sexually harassed them and grabbed them inappropriately," Midnight elaborated. She crossed her arms over her chest and regarded Minoru with an expression of disappointment that he did not like being on the opposing end of. "We've had a couple girls come forward with accusations against your son."

A gasp startled out of his mother's throat. "What?"

"T-That's ridiculous!" Minoru blurted out. He turned to his mother and raised his hands. "I wouldn't do something like that, I promise! "

His mother held his gaze and her expression softened a bit before she turned back to Principal Nedzu with an accusatory look. "I raised my son to be a respectable young man that treats women with respect. If he ever did anything less than that, I'd make sure to correct it." She crossed her arms over her chest. "And what exactly does this have to do with the attack on the U.S.J.?"

Sensei Yagi frowned. "According to the accusations, your son groped two of his classmates on two separate occasions during the U.S.J. attack. One claims that he grabbed her–" He grimaced. "– bottom , while the other claims he grabbed her…" He cleared his throat uncomfortably and made a sweeping gesture around his chest. " Chest area."

Panic surged through Minoru's spine. The invisible chick and Frog Boobs told on him? Oh, that wasn't good. Then, his eyes cut to his mother, who was watching him with an inspecting gaze from the corner or her eyes and he quickly adjusted his expression. So long as he didn't give any clue that he knew what they were talking about, he could get out of this– he always got out of it. There was a reason it never got as far as a parent-teacher meeting.

"T-This is ridiculous!" he exclaimed. He raised an accusatory finger at Principal Nedzu, who blinked in surprise. "You can't just throw accusations around like that! That's the worst thing you can do to someone!"

"Really?" Midnight replied dryly, raising her brows. "The worst thing?"

Minoru ignored her. "This is slander! Y-You call m-me on campus after a v-villain attack to accuse m-me? Do you even have proof?! "

It would be too easy for people to assume that Minoru was clueless or that he didn't think things through, but that wasn't the case. There was a reason he was in the top half of his classes, if not at the top– he was sure he would have beat out Bakugou on the entrance exam scores if he hadn't been up late playing a visual novel the night before. While he could be a bit overzealous when it came to the girls in his class, he wasn't stupid – he didn't see any working cameras in view when he was with Frog Boobs or the invisible chick, so odds were that they didn't have any proof.

His suspicions were confirmed when Principal Nedzu closed his eyes. "Unfortunately, when we recovered the footage from yesterday's attack, the footage was in a poor state of quality… No amount of enhancement could allow us to properly review the footage to confirm the girls' claims."

"Aha!" Minoru proclaimed, nearly springing out of his seat. He turned to his mother. "You see? You can't take what they say seriously!"

Minoru's mother pursed her lips when she turned to regard Principal Nedzu. "If you weren't able to confirm the girls' accounts, then why are we having this meeting in the first place? Were you hoping to pressure a confession out of my son?"

" Classic manipulation," Minoru commented, crossing his arms. He tried his best not to appear smug about it. "You thought you could just bluff your way through this, huh?"

"This is ludicrous ," his mother dictated sharply, and Minoru knew he had her. Despite how much of a drag she could be about what shows he watched or the games he played, he knew that at her core, his mother expected the best out of him. It was an image he did well to maintain in her presence and it came in handy for times like these. "Is this how Pros handle actual cases? You just blindly believe whatever you're told and can't even provide proof to back up your claims? It's absolutely shameful ."

Then, to Minoru's surprise, Midnight smiled . "Oh, but we were able to provide proof for one of our claims." She turned Principal Nedzu. "Mind pulling it up for them, sir?"

"Gladly," Principal Nedzu confirmed, and the way he spoke made Minoru's stomach churn, "allow me to pull up the footage…"

"'Footage'?" Minoru repeated. He sat up in his seat. "But you just said you couldn't find any footage from the U.S.J.! Are you saying you have a good copy after all?"

Sensei Yagi's stare intensified, which only made Minoru's unease grow. "This footage isn't from the U.S.J., young Mineta. It's from another claim we received."

" Another claim?" Minoru's mother blurted out. "There was another girl? What did she say?"

With a grim look, Sensei Yagi gestured to Principal Nedzu's laptop. "It'd be better if you saw for yourself, ma'am."

Then, Principal Nedzu turned the screen to face them and Minoru froze in his seat. The footage was from a couple days prior during their first simulation– the Heroes vs. Villains exercise. On the screen was Minoru and Yaoyorozu, both dressed in their costumes as they stood behind a pillar together.

"This was the first exercise that your son and his class took part of this school year," Sensei Yagi explained to Minoru's mother, who appeared confused, "in this exercise, the students were split up into teams of two and in this section, your son was on the villain team with young Yaoyorozu." He pointed at the screen with a long, bony finger. "I want you to watch what happens here very closely."

'Oh, no,' Minoru realized, his heart lurching in his chest, 'oh, no, no, no–'

It felt like the world was in slow motion as the video went on. Minoru knew what was coming and yet, he couldn't bring himself to look away. Maybe if he kept watching, he'd find a way to explain it away or make an excuse. He was smart enough to find a way out of it– he always found a way out of it.

Then, he felt his hopes die in his chest when he watched himself slip his hand up the back of Yaoyorozu's costume. He could still remember what he was thinking about at the time; he wanted to see what kind of underwear she was wearing under there. He still didn't know the answer. Almost immediately, Yaoyorozu's cheeks turned bright red and she reeled on him, nearly dropping her weapon in the process. Just as she was about to scream, however, the barricades went flying and sound waves overtook the room.

"We didn't notice it during the simulation because we were so focused on the hero team breaking into the room," Principal Nedzu admitted solemnly, "Jiro managed to break down the barricades, so the two teams focused on fighting." He closed his eyes and shook his head. "Yaoyorozu was upset and embarrassed, so she didn't bring it up, either."

"She did , however, warn her classmates about Mineta," Midnight pointed out. Her icy blue eyes made Minoru shudder beneath their gaze and he found himself clutching his pants for purchase. "The girls who came forth with claims both confirmed that Yaoyorozu told them about what Mineta did."

Sensei Yagi held his cane with both hands, his gnarled knuckles tightly clutching the polished wood. "And when we contacted her family about it, her parents were quite angry to hear what transpired." He regarded Minoru with a look that showed he did not envy his position. "And I can assure you, the Yaoyorozu family is not the type to take this sort of thing lying down."

"W-What's that s-supposed to m-mean?" Minoru stammered out.

Principal Nedzu met his gaze seriously. "They want you to be expelled for your behavior. If not, they plan to take action against the school for allowing you to stay."

"W-What?!" Minoru shouted. "Y-You can't–"

"Sensei Aizawa has expelled students for much less than this before," Midnight interjected, and Minoru's blood ran cold , "I'm sure he would agree with our decision to do so."

An unexpected sting came to Minoru's eyes. "B-But I-I–" He swallowed. "H-How am I s-supposed to b-become a hero?"

"You touched three of your classmates inappropriately," Sensei Yagi cut in sharply, "two of which during a crisis situation. Is that the sort of behavior that is expected of a Pro Hero? What kind of a person decides to use something like a villain attack as an opportunity for sexual misconduct? "

Before he could think, Minoru leaped to his feet, standing on the seat of his chair to stand high. "You have no proof that I did that! I don't care what Frog Boobs or that invisible chick told you, they're lying! And I didn't mean to grab Yaoyorozu, that was an accident! It's not my fault that there were all these misunderstandings! Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty?! "

The principal and teachers all stared at him with wide eyes and Minoru felt his unease return. Sensei Yagi let out a scoff of disbelief and turned away, his hand going to cover his face. Meanwhile, Midnight seemed as though she were contemplating the best way to attack Minoru in his seat. Principal Nedzu merely stared at him.

"What?" Minoru snapped. "You don't have anything to say?"

"Mineta," Principal Nedzu began, his voice unreasonably calm. No, not calm– calculated , like he was trying to keep it even. "We never said that Hagakure or Asui were the ones to make the accusations."

With a single blink of surprise, the realization hit him like a truck . He opened and closed his mouth, trying to find something, anything to say, but all that came up was empty air. The sting in his eyes only grew and his hands began to shake at his sides.

"B-But…" he lamented, his voice growing shaky and small. Then, he clenched his fists and he stomped his foot. "It's not fair! "

"What?" Sensei Yagi rebuked, whipping around to face him. "What are you–"

Minoru stomped his foot again. "I-I s-survived a v-villain attack! I-I helped stop them!" The tears in his eyes only grew and he choked back a sob. "M-Midoriya and F-Frog Boobs wouldn't have m-made it out if it weren't for m-me! And n-now you w-wanna k-kick me out?! " He stomped his foot over and over again. "It's not fair, it's not f–"

In an instant, Sensei Yagi was in front of him and Minoru went still. As someone below four feet tall, he often didn't put much thought into how tall people were, considering most people were taller than him. However, once Sensei Yagi was right in front of him and staring down at him with those piercing blue eyes, he was so startled that he fell back into his seat.

"Let me make something very clear to you, young man," the man ground out, causing Minoru to back away until he couldn't anymore, "there is nothing– and I mean absolutely nothing – that can excuse what you did to your classmates. Pros go out into the world and face evils just like the one you saw yesterday and you don't see them using that as an excuse to hurt others." He gripped his cane so tightly that his knuckles turned white and Minoru swallowed thickly. "Two of your teachers are in the hospital after fighting valiantly to protect not only you, but all of your classmates. And yet, while you stood by with young Asui down at the U.S.J., watching as they brutalized Aizawa, you decided that was the opportune time to, what? Cop a feel?"

Minoru's vision grew even blurrier. "B-But–"

"There is no 'but'," Sensei Yagi snapped, and Minoru cowered, "I saw what they did to Aizawa for myself… and all I could do was stand by in horror and search for something, anything to do to help him…" He narrowed his eyes at him and for a brief moment, Minoru felt as though he were staring down Death himself. "You took advantage of a horrible situation and quite frankly, it's disgusting behavior. It is not becoming of a Pro."

Somehow, Minoru found it in him to be indignant. "Like you would know! You aren't even a Pro! " He gripped the arms of his chair and pushed himself forward to meet his gaze. "And you never will be! You're not cool like Sensei Aizawa or All Might! He took down those villains like they were nothing while you just ran away and hid like a wuss! " He pointed a finger at the older man. "And one day, when I'm a hero, I'll be so cool and popular I'll be able to get any girl I want! I bet Frog Boobs and Yaoyorozu will be begging to–"

Then, in an instant, Minoru found himself lifted out of his chair by the back of his collar. "Minoru, that's enough ."

"Huh?" he exclaimed. He whipped around to face his mother. "Mom, put me down , you're embarrassing me–"

His words caught in his throat when he saw her face. In all the years that Minoru had been alive, he was certain he had never seen his mother that angry before. Her amber eyes bore into his with an intensity that put Sensei Yagi's stare to shame.

"All these years," she began, her voice short and crisp, "I did my best to try to raise you to be a kind, respectable young man that treated others correctly. And when I found out that you wanted to become a hero –" She practically spat the word out and Minoru winced. "I was so proud . But, now that I know why you wanted to become one, I've come to realize…"

Then, her long, violet hair began to raise up from her head and Minoru gaped with terror. His mother was usually incredibly embarrassed of her Quirk and did her best to keep her hair under control. The long tendrils began to unfurl from their gathered curls and slithered up into the air like snakes, making her look like Medusa herself. Some part of Minoru worried he would turn to stone.

"You're just like your FATHER! " she bellowed. The tips of her hair brushed across his cheeks and he trembled with fear. "Was he the one who made you think you were cool for acting that way? Did you feel like a big man for groping your classmates while they must have been scared out of their minds during a villain attack? Oh, I bet you feel so awesome now that a girl's family is demanding that you be expelled, huh, aren't you?!"

"M-Mom–" he tried to say.

"Hush up!" she hissed, causing him to whimper. "And look at me while I'm talking to you, Minoru!" Slowly, he peeked his eyes open and oh, if she didn't look angry before , then she certainly did then. "When we get home, you are grounded , effective immediately. No TV, no computer, no dessert– nothing ."

Minoru gasped. "B-But–"

"I said nothing , Minoru!" she exclaimed. "Not only that, but I plan on calling your father and telling him exactly what you did so that way he can understand why you won't be going over to his house for the weekends anymore." Before Minoru could protest, she raised an index finger. "Your father only gets to see you on the weekends by my choice alone, Minoru. If he has a problem, then he can take it to court."

His heart dropped down to his stomach. Ever since his parents went through the process of their divorce, his father had a long-standing history of not showing up to court. He was always busy or had something come up at the last second– he was just unlucky , was all. The odds of him going up to bat on his behalf were practically nonexistent, which his mother knew .

Then, she turned her attention towards Principal Nedzu, who didn't even flinch when faced with her wild hair. "Am I right to assume that you're holding firm in your decision to expel Minoru?"

Principal Nedzu nodded. "I'm afraid so, Miss."

"I figured," she replied. Her eyes cut to Minoru again and her tendrils flared like flames. "I guess it's a good thing it's only the first week of school… we might be able to get you registered late at a different, non -hero related school."

Tears practically flooded Minoru's vision. "B-But–"

"What did I just tell you, Minoru?" she snarled. In an instant, he closed his mouth and looked away, so she turned her attention to Sensei Yagi and Midnight. "I would like to thank you all for bringing this matter to my attention. I'll be sure to take this as an opportunity to set Minoru on the right path to curb his behavior."

Sensei Yagi seemed a bit uneasy, but he nodded nonetheless. "O-Of course, ma'am…"

A smile graced Midnight's lips. "Happy to hear it, ma'am."

"Oh, and I'd also like to say thank you for yesterday," she went on. Her hair started to lower, though it wasn't nearly as neat as it was when she first entered the office. "I understand that you both were there during the attack and helped protect the students. So, for that, I thank you."

"It's just part of what we do," Principal Nedzu responded coolly. How was he so calm during this? Didn't he see Minoru's dreams going up in flames? "No need to thank us."

"But we'll gladly accept it," Midnight added with a wink. If Minoru weren't in such distress, he might have been able to cherish it more. Instead, the moment was ripped away from him as his mother hauled him out of his chair. "Take care now, alright?"

"Oh, trust me," his mother replied, not even turning to look at Minoru as she helped him stand upright, "I'll make sure that we both do. I'll call you to set aside a day for me to come pick up whatever items Minoru has left on-campus."

Principal Nedzu smiled. "We can also mail it to you, if you prefer."

"Splendid," she responded. Then, she placed a hand on Minoru's back and turned him towards the exit to the office. "Come now, Minoru. We have quite a bit to do once we get home."

Feeling like a lamb about to go to slaughter, Minoru spared one last look over his shoulder at his principal and teachers– former principal and teachers, he realized. It still didn't feel real to him. Had he really been expelled?

A sharp tug brought him back to reality. "Come on, Minoru. No dawdling."

With each step he took, Minoru could feel the sting in his eyes only grow. However, he knew that his tears wouldn't mean a thing to his mother, not after everything he had done. He spared a glance at her out of the corner of his eye and watched as she fretted over her hair with a free hand. Now, more than ever, he suddenly understood why his father was not such a fan of her after the divorce.

In Nedzu's office, Toshinori found himself staring at the doorway long after Mrs. Mineta had escorted her son out of the room. Slowly, he turned over to his associates and let out a heavy exhale.

"That," he began, the tension in his chest slowly loosening now that the meeting was over, "was really intense…"

Nedzu chuckled. "It was… But I'm glad that Minoru will at least be set right. I wish them both the best."

"For sure," Midnight confirmed. She laid a hand over her cheek and let out a dreamy sigh. "That's a woman after my own heart ."

"Even after all that?" Toshinori questioned.

With a cheeky grin, Midnight nodded. " Especially after all that."

While he could only stare in bewilderment, Nedzu let out a loud laugh. "Welcome to U.A., Yagi. Things are only sure to get more wild as the year goes on."

A/N: I would like to make a couple things clear here in this chapter:

Some of you may think that it was an overreaction for Mineta to be expelled. However, this is something that I seriously contemplated and put a lot of thought into when creating this AU. While I personally find Mineta's sexual harassment and overall behavior inappropriate and disrespectful, I understand that he is a teenage boy and that if his behavior is caught early enough, he can be rehabilitated. However, I do not think that he should receive rehabilitation or therapy while he is still a student at U.A., as I don't think that's in his or his classmates' best interests.

I do think that reformation and rehabilitation is achievable, but only to a point- I understand there are cases where it's just not possible (everyone's situation is different). Mineta was reprimanded and when he showed no remorse, it was made clear that he wouldn't be able to continue his time at U.A. and now, his mother is going to do her damnedest to make sure that he gets professional help. And I would like to note that, regardless of the progress he makes, that doesn't absolve him of guilt for what he did, nor does it necessarily make him a good person, and the voices of those he hurt should always and forever be put above his. The girls still reserve every right to be angry for what he did, as do any of their loved ones or peers who are angry on their behalf.

And to my readers who have encountered a Mineta in real life and may not have gotten the outcome that you wanted- I see you. And I want you to know, your feelings, whether they be anger, sadness, or remorse, are completely valid. You are not alone in this.

Thank you for reading. Please take care.